“I’ve always been more interested in policy than politics,” says Edmonton lawyer and former Liberal deputy prime minister Anne McLellan. 

That’s handy because late last week McLellan was named chairwoman of federal government’s new Task Force on Marijuana Legalization and Regulation. She’s going to need all of her policy-wonk passion — and all her expertise as Canada’s former minister of health, minister of justice and minister of public safety — to succeed.

The Clarkston City Council has voted unanimously to approve the most liberal marijuana ordinance in the state, reducing fine from up to $1,000 to $75 for possessing less than an ounce, and eliminating the possibility of jail time for breaking municipal law.

“We just made history,” whispered Sharon Ravert, a Dahlonega resident and advocate for marijuana legalization, when she saw the council’s seven hands raised in unison on Tuesday.

We found out last week that Anne McLellan will be leading the new federal task forceon marijuana legalization. Ms. McLellan is perfectly suited for this role as a former Minister of Health, Justice and Public Safety, she may be the only person to have held all three of those portfolios.

A few misconceptions have come out of this announcement, including this bizarre article in Now Magazine saying that storefronts have been ruled out. That is not at all the case in fact. Page 21 of the discussion paper clearly states:

Grover Beach is moving forward with plans to tax medical marijuana sales in the city — though they have to move fast: a deadline to put the measure on the Nov. 8 general election ballot is fast approaching.

If voters approved such a measure, Grover Beach would be the first city in San Luis Obispo County to tax medical marijuana sales. 

A ballot question on whether marijuana can be sold recreationally in Massachusetts can appear on the November ballot, the Supreme Judicial Court announced in an opinion Wednesday.

However, the court also ruled that the title and one-sentence statement describing what a “yes” vote would mean were misleading — leaving out the full array of “marijuana products” that would be legalized — and said it should be amended by the Attorney General and Secretary of State offices.

Minimum ages for marijuana consumption may vary across Canada when it becomes legal, but authorities will be firmly against drug tourism and cross-border movement of the substance, the Liberal government’s point man on the issue said on Wednesday.

The government also wants consistent nation-wide impaired-driving laws for marijuana, said Bill Blair, parliamentary secretary to the justice minister, as the country formulates a new drug law ahead of a spring 2017 deadline.

“We would like to see consistency and a consensus across the country on the best way to keep our roadways safe,” Blair, the former Toronto police chief, said at an interview in his Toronto constituency office.

When Lynette Davies, co-operator of the Canna Care medical marijuana dispensary in Sacramento, pays her California taxes she needs to haul a bag with $20,000 in cash to the state tax office.

“That’s really unsafe for me, and it’s unsafe for my employees to have this cash in the store,” said Davies, whose business is legal under state law as a result of California’s 1996 vote on the use of medical marijuana. “All because the banks that want to bank with us can’t.”

The state Department of Health wants to hear from the public about illnesses and conditions that should be added to the eligibility list for medical marijuana.

That sounds reasonable enough, we’re just not sure why officials are bothering with this process, which involves completion of a three-page petition detailing other available treatments for targeted illnesses and documentation from physicians about the potential benefits of cannabis.

The Trinity Summit: Advancements in the Age of Cannabis

Dublin | 14th September 2016

The Trinity Summit will bring together world experts from science, public policy, business and campaigning to explore emerging new innovations in medical cannabis.

VolteFace and Help Not Harm are curating the biggest global medical cannabis event of the year, in Dublin, on the 14th September. We are hosting leaders and major stakeholders in the area of medical cannabis to discuss the innovations and developments that are changing the trajectory of this global debate.

The November ballot in Costa Mesa will get a bit longer after City Council members decided Tuesday night to put city-authored initiatives on medical marijuana and growth up for a public vote this fall.

Council members voted 3-2 to approve the proposed growth initiative, which was pitched as a competing measure against one sponsored by Costa Mesa First, a political action committee.

Mayor Pro Tem Jim Righeimer has characterized the Costa Mesa First initiative as overly strict and said he thinks residents should have the option to vote on an alternative.

"I'll be fine with the vote, whatever it is in the end," Righeimer said Tuesday.