Massachusetts voters approved Question 4 on Election Day 2016 by a vote of 53.57% to 46.43%. Massachusetts was joined by Maine in becoming the first two states on the East Coast to legalize recreational marijuana. The victories in both states have already jump started conversations in surrounding state legislatures to explore how they can follow in Maine and Massachusetts’ footsteps. Massachusetts is home to well over 6 million people, and is geographically located in a part of America that instantly makes it a potential cannabis industry leader.

Cannabis won big time on election night.

State-by-state, the country became greener overnight – but this unprecedented, historical shift in drug policy was eclipsed by the merciless partisan warfare that dominated headlines before, during and after Donald Trump’s White House victory.

On November 8, Florida, Arkansas, North Dakota and Montana joined the 25 other states that had already legalized the use of cannabis for medical purposes, while voters in California, Nevada, Maine and Massachusetts approved the use of recreational marijuana in their states. Arizona was the only state with recreational weed up for approval that did go forward with legalization.

After millions of out-of-state dollars and corporate interests helped legalize recreational marijuana in three states this past Tuesday, some pundits have said the debate over legalization is finished.

Actually, the debate is just beginning.

A new Congress and Administration are in Washington, and it’s unlikely they’ll be friendly to pot industry interests. You certainly won’t see Rudy Giuliani on the cover of High Times any time soon, and opponents to legalization are more emboldened than ever: Recreational marijuana lost big in purple Arizona last Tuesday, and almost two-thirds of localities in liberal Oregon with this issue on the ballot voted “no” to pot shops in their neighborhoods. 

Marijuana is a drug that is so powerful it can make people hate democracy. Our latest example: the opinion columnist at The Boston Globe who has suggested “Five ways to fix the bad pot law Mass. just passed“.

Congratulations Massachusetts, we just passed one of the worst pot bills in the country.

In the wake of Donald Trump’s victory in the Nov. 8 election, marijuana legalization advocates are left with a big unanswered question:

How will the Trump Administration change federal policies on cannabis? At this point, no one knows for certain. While some voice optimism about Trump’s past statements on legalized marijuana, others have concerns about the opinions of potential cabinet members and Vice President-elect Mike Pence.

The difference between the two leaves plenty of room for uncertainty.

Trump's campaign statements on marijuana.

As president-elect Donald J. Trump starts to fill out his Cabinet, a new name has emerged in the swirl of speculation of who will serve as Attorney General — a role that could prove heavily influential in the future of the U.S. cannabis industry and marijuana legalization movements.

The Canadian Automobile Association (CAA) is calling on government to put strict regulations in place before marijuana is legalized in the country.

The Liberal Government, led by Justin Trudeau, is on its way to legalizing marijuana across the country for recreation use and many are concerned for what this means for drivers.

A poll conducted by the CAA shows that nearly two-thirds of Canadians are worried that roads will become more dangerous when marijuana is legalized.

Vice President of the Canadian Automobile Association, Gary Howard, says these are concerns need to be addressed before smokers hit the road.

Will Massachusetts hospitals be swamped by patients who’ve had a bad experience with pot? What about teens? Will they be more likely to use marijuana now that Massachusetts voters have approved recreational use?

With recreational marijuana set to become legal next month, concerns about the drugs’ effect on a wide swath of life have gained urgency, prompting Boston health officials Wednesday to seek guidance from their counterparts in Colorado, among the first states to legalize the drug.

The Canadian government is getting gouged on its veteran medical marijuana program, and a VICE News investigation has revealed the likely culprits.

According to figures provided by Veterans Affairs Canada, the number of retired soldiers obtaining medical marijuana from the government saw a staggering 15-fold increase over just three years, with a corresponding 50-time increase in cost.

From just 112 veterans on the plan in 2013, the federal government now covers the medical marijuana prescriptions for 1,762 veterans nation-wide. The cost has gone from $400,000 to $20 million in that time. That’s a jump of 5,000 percent. 

One of the biggest arguments for legalizing marijuana in California was that people would have the new law retroactively applied to their marijuana offenses/cases if Proposition 64 passed. Proposition 64 passed by the widest margin of victory out of any state marijuana legalization initiative to date. As such, people are scrambling in California to get their records cleaned up and/or get their current cases thrown out, or at the least have penalties reduced.