Smoking marijuana or tobacco could come at a heftier price after November in California.  (Photo: Thinkstock)

California voters will be asked in November whether or not the state should levy new taxes on two 'sins' -- tobacco and marijuana use. 

Often referred to as 'sin taxes,' an excise tax on a good that's considered harmful is intended to curb the use of that good by increasing its cost to the consumer.

For Californians in November,  will weigh whether tobacco should have a higher tax rate and if marijuana should be legalized and taxed? If voters approved the two measures, Props. 56 and 64 respectively, the measure have the potential to bring $2 billion in tax revenue to the state, according to the Legislative Analyst's Office.

All it will take is a quick neighborhood stroll for the next resident of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue to confront the United States’ stunningly inconsistent marijuana laws. The president cannot legally light up a joint at home, of course — it’s federal property, after all — yet a private party down the street would be chill, thanks to the District of Columbia’s legalization vote. But, even there, POTUS couldn’t legally buy any weed. How far might he or she go to address it come 2017?

The campaign to legalize marijuana in Michigan says there’s still time to get the question on the November ballot. That was a core issue in the most recent briefs filed last week in the MI Legalize campaign’s challenge to an elections board decision that petition drive fell short in the required number of signatures.

The Board of State Canvassers said too many signatures were more than 180 days old when the petitions were turned in. The rule exists to ensure that only the names of currently registered voters are counted. MI Legalize says the rule is anachronistic when it’s very easy to check the names against the state’s online database of registered voters. So the campaign is asking a state Court of Claims judge to order the state to count the older signatures.

The fight over medical marijuana has raked in big money from both supporters and opponents of the constitutional amendment, but far more donations have come from the campaign fighting for medical marijuana in Florida than those fighting against it.

Donations towards the Yes on 2 campaign outnumbered donations from Drug Free Florida by nearly 650 to one, with Yes on 2 receiving over 7,000 donations to Drug Free Florida’s 11 donations.

This isn't the first time Florida has seen a constitutional amendment to legalize medical pot. Voters last cast their ballots on the amendment in 2014, when it missed the necessary 60 percent to pass by only two points. 

New Mexico's state auditor is investigating the state Department of Health for making chronically-ill patients wait for their medical marijuana cards.

Health officials admit that for the last several months, people have waited up to 60 days for their cards. By law, they're supposed to process those within half that time.

The department has said they lack the staff to keep up with applications, but State Auditor Tim Keller said he finds that hard to believe.

Keller said after reviewing the department's finances, it appears they have more than enough money to hire all the employees they need.

No drug comes close to cannabis when it comes to the number of criminal offences.

One billion dollars.

If current trends keep up, that will be the value of marijuana retail and producer/processor sales in Washington state on a yearly basis. With few exceptions, state marijuana sales have risen every month since the first recreational stores opened two years ago, bringing millions in state taxes and thousands of jobs.

That’s the good news.

“The picture thus far is a curate’s egg — good in parts,” writes University of Washington professor emeritus Roger Roffman. “No policy change of this magnitude will go precisely according to plan.”

So what still needs fixing?

Amid concerns of an influx of ganja and products made from the herb now widely available in Jamaica, the Cannabis Licensing Authority (CLA) is warning persons that it is still illegal to purchase any of those items.

In a statement released yesterday, the agency said it was recently brought to its attention that there was a proliferation of cannabis, cannabis-infused, and cannabis-derived products, of both local and overseas origin, being made available and/or sold throughout Jamaica.

As a result, "the CLA wishes to advise unaware potential consumers, producers, and purveyors of such products that by purchasing, processing or producing such products, they are engaging in an activity that is both illegal and unregulated," the authority noted.

In the three years since Silk Road 1.0 was closed – and Ross Ulbricht given a life sentence – drug sales have tripled.

Drug sales on the dark web have tripled since the closure of the high-profile Silk Road marketplace in 2013 and life imprisonment of its owner, Ross Ulbricht.

Revenues have doubled in the same period, as the threat of FBI arrest and a lifetime in prison has done little to stop the sale of drugs like cannabis, cocaine and ecstasy online. Dark web marketplaces are hidden from search engines like Google and can only be visited through anonymising browsers like The Onion Router (Tor).

In marijuana dispensaries across Ottawa, customers are snapping up dried weed, cannabis brownies and hash, while authorities at every level stand by.

Federal politicians condemn the dispensaries as illegal businesses selling products that may be unsafe. They want Canada’s drug laws enforced, but that’s up to the police.

Ottawa police say they have been monitoring the dispensaries since the first one opened in November 2015. They don’t reveal details of “ongoing investigations.”