Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.) is Congress's most vocal opponent of legal marijuana, having single-handedly spearheaded a provision blocking legal pot shops in the District of Columbia in 2014. Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.), on the other hand, was recently named Congress's "top legal pot advocate" by Rolling Stone.

The DEA will officially reclassify cannabis as a prescription-only, Schedule II drug on Aug. 1, 2016, a report published on the weekend claims. If true, that means medical marijuana could be legal by prescription — and perhaps only by prescription — in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and the US territories. Note: Reporters at The Daily Chronic question the accuracy of this report.

Cannabis is a serious business. 

Currently, medical marijuana is legal in 25 states, with several more considering bills. The Tax Foundation, a nonpartisan research group, estimates that it's a $45 billion industry in the US alone. 

This year, the International Cannabis Association hosted the second-annual Cannabis World Congress and Business Exposition in New York City, where cannabis businesses from around the world can network, show off their products, and attend seminars and panel discussions about the burgeoning industry.

Former Chicago Bears quarterback Jim McMahon is suffering through Early Onset Dementia. It’s a disease usually reserved for the elderly. One that impacts your memory, thought process and cognitive abilities.

McMahon, who played 15 seasons in the NFL, is just 56 years old.

The former Super Bowl winning quarterback joined multiple ex-NFL players at the Cannabis World Congress and Business Expo this past week to advocate for the use of medical marijuana in the league.

As we continue to legalize marijuana, state by state we see widely differing schemes of taxing the herb. From a low of Massachusetts’ proposed 3.75 percent state tax to Washington State’s 37 percent state tax, every state has come up with something different.

Besides the obvious answer, “Because they can,” it’s interesting to consider how we apply taxes to other agricultural goods. No matter how you look at it, marijuana consumers are bearing an unfair burden of taxation.

The Senate Appropriations Committee voted on Thursday to allow banks to provide financial services to legal recreational and medical marijuana dispensaries, according to The Denver Post.

Marijuana is still listed as a Schedule 1 substance by the federal government, so marijuana businesses in states where recreational use is legal, like Colorado, are forced to operate on an all-cash basis.

The Ontario government is quietly gearing up for legalized marijuana sales, the Star has learned.

With Prime Minister Justin Trudeau set to allow recreational cannabis use as early as next year, Queen’s Park has begun work on how distribution and retailing will eventually be handled.

Finance Minister Charles Sousa says a working group has been struck comprised of bureaucrats from his department, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of the Attorney General.

“We’re working with the feds. With their commitment to legalize, regulate and restrict access to marijuana, we are going to work with them,” Sousa said in an interview.

Good news out of Rhode Island:

Following approval from the Rhode Island House and Senate, a bill that would add post-traumatic stress disorder to the list of qualifying conditions for medical marijuana is headed to Gov. Gina Raimondo who is expected to sign the legislation into law. This is a huge victory for patients!

Veterans and others who suffer from psychological trauma have fought for years to addPTSD to the list of state-approved criteria for medical marijuana. Once this bill becomes law, these patients will no longer be forced into an illegal market to access the medicine that relieves their symptoms.

The Times has boldly gone where few newspapers - and very, very few politicians - have ever dared to go before by declaring itself in favour of legalising drugs in Britain.

In a leading article, “Breaking Good”, the paper has supported a call on the government by the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) to decriminalise both the possession and use of all illegal drugs.

Accepting that it “is radical advice”, the Times thought it “sound” and urged ministers to “give it serious consideration”.