If marijuana is legalized nationwide, it could generate up to $28 billion for federal, state and local governments.

That’s according to the non-partisan Tax Foundation, which estimates a mature marijuana market could raise $7 billion for the federal government if a $23 per pound tax was applied — a similar tax level to the one put on tobacco.

Legal marijuana markets in Colorado and Washington have already raised more revenue than initially estimated.

Jill Stein is a candidate for president who is seeking the Green Party nomination in 2016 Presidential Election. She also ran in 2012 and got nearly half a million votes. The Green Party of the United States includes nationwide cannabis legalization in its platform so it is no surprise that Stein is a huge supporter of legalizing the plant.

The marijuana industry stormed Capitol Hill Thursday in a push for legalization, and they're continuing their efforts today.

The National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA) is demanding marijuana legalization, tax cuts and banking access as part of a fly-in lobbying day with some 150 pot business owners.

The pot business owners will speak with lawmakers from both sides of the aisle in an effort to build momentum for marijuana-related amendments in government spending bills.

The federal War on Cannabis hit a road bump recently after a major victory in California’s Ninth Circuit Court last month. A Congressional amendment last year stated that the Department of Justice could not allocate funding in 2015 and 2016 to states with regulations on the use, distribution, and possession of medical marijuana.

Lynette Shaw succeeded in overturning a nineteen year old civil injunction, making it illegal for her to work in the cannabis industry, by using the Congressional amendment as the basis for her argument.

Letter asks lawmakers to fund law enforcement work group to study legalization's impacts

Colorado's top prosecutors and police officials want a two-year pause on new marijuana laws to give officers time to catch up.

In a letter dated last week and sent to lawmakers, leaders of the state's three main groups of law enforcement officials said local police, "cannot keep up with the quantity and speed of constantly-changing marijuana law."

There have been 81 marijuana-related bills introduced in the Colorado legislature in just the past four years, according to the letter.

"[R]egulation seems to change on a daily basis and this process must be slowed down," the groups wrote.

Orlando trial lawyer John Morgan, a devout Catholic who's spent more than $7.5 million of his and his law firm's money trying to pass a constitutional amendment to broadly legalize medical marijuana, made a confession of sorts this week at the nation's largest pot trade show.

Morgan's proposal, which narrowly failed in 2014 to capture the 60 percent approval required for constitutional amendments to pass in Florida, will be back before voters in November.

One of the largest cities in Colorado is donating millions of dollars raised by taxes on marijuana sales to local non-profit organisations which help the homeless.

Aurora will use a significant portion of the $4.5 million revenue from recreational cannabis to fund the Colfax Community Network, which helps low-income families to live in motels, apartments and provides food, clothing, hygiene products and nappies, as well as other local programmes. 

A total of $1.5 million of the revenue has been earmarked for homeless efforts in the 2017 and 2018 city budgets, in addition to the $1.5 million already approved for the 2016 budget.

In many countries, there is an ongoing debate on legalising cannabis (marijuana). This means the drug, not the plant. Such bans or controls are typically creatures of the 20th-century. You may have come across reports about an Indian commission having contributed to initial arguments for a ban. This is the Indian Hemp Drugs Commission Report of 1893/94. Originally, the commission was set up to examine the use and abuse of cannabis in Bengal and the geographical mandate was later extended to entire India.

Gov. Robert Bentley says patients deserve 'every possible option' to treat their illness

 Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley signed legislation into law to allow medical marijuana oil in the state.

The law, which will decriminalize possession of cannabidiol produced in other states, will go into effect June 1.

The legislation, nicknamed Leni’s Law, follows a similar bill in 2014 that established a CBD oil medical study at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.