Although many do not expect to see cannabis legalized for several years due to the massive amount of money against it from the likes of big tobacco, big pharma and big alcohol, we beg to differ!

The legal cannabis train left the station years ago and the amount of money needed to rollback this multi-billion-dollar industry is unfathomable. On top of this, the unemployment rate would immediately increase since hundreds of thousands of people would be out of work.

The Common-Sense Tactic

One of the world's largest marijuana festivals, which is expected to be held this week on tribal land outside of Las Vegas, has been facing a possible shutdown for the past two weeks, according to a letter sent by federal officials earlier this month.

U.S. Attorney Daniel Bogden, based in Las Vegas, sent a Feb. 16 letter to the Moapa Paiute Tribe reminding the tribe that the transport, possession, use and distribution of marijuana is illegal under federal law. The marijuana trade show and festival, planned for March 4 and 5, would be in violation of that law, according to the letter obtained by the Reno Gazette-Journal.

Attitudes in Latin America are shifting away from supporting prohibitionist policies, but they are far from consensus and the policy implications are unclear.

Sentiments in Latin America in favor of outlawing marijuana appear to be undergoing shifts in some countries, according to researchers in Chile and the UK.

A study published the International Journal of Drug Policy found that, in some parts of the region, more than 40% of respondents supported legalizing the drug, while in other, more conservative areas, support remained minimal.

Medical marijuana is not legal in Utah, and may not be anytime soon. But lawmakers took a first step Monday to outline how it would be cultivated, produced and sold if it ever is made legal here.

The Senate Health and Human Services voted 5-0 to approve SB211, and sent it to the full Senate.

"This is a road map leading to medical marijuana," said Sen. Jim Dabakis, D-Salt Lake City. "We are getting it set up, getting it ready. And all we have to do then is have a quick vote — and we'll have the legal structure" to accommodate prescription pot.

Colorado’s fearless leader believes legal weed just might be a better system.

Once a hardcore opponent of the marijuana legalization movement, Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper appears to be slowly changing his tune with respect to what it means to legalize the leaf for recreational use. In recent interviews, the governor of the first legal jurisdiction in the United States now says he’s “close” to giving it his full support.

A crucial part of President Donald Trump's rationale for building a wall along the United State's border with Mexico is that it would help to stop the trade of illegal drugs, including marijuana.

"I want to build the wall. We need the wall," Trump said at one of the presidential debates last year. "We stop the drugs. We shore up the border."

Longtime landlord Darryl Spencer was left scrambling for insurance after discovering a tenant was growing dozens of medical marijuana plants inside and outside his rental house.

When the landlord told his insurance company about the perfectly legal grow-op, his coverage was cancelled, leaving him with no insurance, few rights and a big cleanup bill.

The downstairs tenant in Spencer's Kamloops, B.C., rental property got a medical marijuana licence that allowed him to legally grow as many as 60 plants without his landlord's permission or knowledge.

A call from a concerned neighbour prompted Spencer, who is also a retired fire inspector, to check out the home he's rented out to different tenants for a decade.

The marijuana community has been waiting on pins and needles to see how the Trump administration would approach marijuana policy. Trump has several long time marijuana opponents as part of his team, and many veteran activists have been fearing the worst, while at the same time trying to not jump to any conclusions. This last week Press Secretary Sean Spicer indicated that ‘greater enforcement’ of federal law could be on the horizon, at least on the adult-use side.

Michigan voters legalized the use of marijuana for medical use in 2008. Until recently, providers and patients remained somewhat hidden.

In December, Gov. Rick Snyder signed three laws that legalized medical marijuana dispensaries, regulated growing and processing facilities and extended legal protections to registered patients who prefer to use non-smokable forms of the drug, including edibles and oils.

The bills, however, left some of these decisions up to local governments. The laws said local leaders could decide if they wanted medical marijuana facilities within their borders. The facilities are banned from setting up shop in any city, village or township without prior approval.