Legendary blues singer, Louis Armstrong is quoted as saying,  “It really puzzles me to see marijuana connected with narcotics….dope and all that crap. It’s a thousand times better than whisky – It’s an assistant – a friend.”

And a large number of Bengalureans seem to agree with him.  Over a thousand in the city are reportedly lining up to join the Million Marijuana March (MMM), popularly known as the Global Marijuana March held annually on the first Saturday of May, since 1999 in different cities across the world.

A GROUP promoting medicinal cannabis use has today said the organisation can help Dundee’s drug problems.

The Tele was alerted to a sign promoting a “Dundee Cannabis Club” outside a store front on the city’s Strathmartine Road.

Concerns have been raised about the club — which operates out of the shop — with fears it could promote illegal cannabis use.

However, Nik Brown, manager of the club, said that the group is a “medicinal cannabis advice centre”, adding: “We are here so that people can come in and find out how they can use medicinal cannabis. We believe that cannabis should be legalised for medical uses.”

Nik told the Tele that the group has been giving advice to hundreds of people in the nine months that they have been open.

A Colorado proposal to certify organic marijuana has been rejected amid concerns the labels would imply pot is healthy.

The bill rejected in a legislative committee Tuesday would have created a first-of-its-kind label for marijuana that had been produced without pesticides.

The proposal failed 4-3 in a Senate committee. Some lawmakers said the labels could wrongly imply that marijuana is harmless.

Canada’s municipalities are in a tough position when it comes to pot. Faced with a previous federal government that had no interest in legalizing marijuana or modifying its obtuse mail-order medical-marijuana program, Toronto and Vancouver have swiftly become home to more than 250 dispensaries that operate outside the law, with more than 100 now open in Ontario’s capital.

A leading Auckland drug researcher is calling for regulated cannabis products to be sold legally in New Zealand. 

Massey University's Dr Chris Wilkins would like to see the adoption of a not-for-profit club model for cannabis.

The proposal would see licensed companies permitted to sell Government-approved cannabis products to registered adult members.

Products would only be produced and sold by the Government, ensuring a high price to restrict demand and generating tax revenue to support treatment counselling, health services and enforcement.

"The government will be the only producer and the only seller, and that's a means to keep the price high and also collect tax," says Dr Wilkins.

Efforts at legalizing recreational marijuana use and cultivation in Vermont went up in smoke Tuesday as the House defeated proposals put forth by Democratic and Progressive lawmakers.

In a marathon session that began in the morning and lasted until nearly 6 p.m., House members considered a range of proposals for legalizing and decriminalizing pot.

The cannabis legalisation storm is sweeping the world, and Australia’s late Greens MP John Kaye was a knight in shining armour as he was trying his level best to decriminalise medical marijuana based on his own experience. Unfortunately, he lost his battle with cancer and died at the age of 60 on Monday. He was a man of “enormous principle, energy and commitment.” He was a personal user of medicinal cannabis, and according to him, he benefitted greatly from it. Hence, he was hell-bent in legalising cannabis in Australia.

Plus Legalization Efforts Ramp Up Nationwide, and More Rappers Criticize Uncle Ike's.

Excitement is growing as the Drug Enforcement Administration decides whether or not to reschedule cannabis, which it's expected to do in the next few months. But as Erwin Chemerinsky, dean of UC Irvine's School of Law, explains in a recent op-ed in the Washington Post, federal rescheduling won't end prohibition. That's because it won't change state drug laws.

Germany is to legalise cannabis for medicinal purposes early next year, the health minister said on Tuesday.

"Our goal is that seriously ill patients are treated in the best possible way," said Hermann Groehe, who will present draft legislation to the German cabinet on Wednesday.

Big changes are coming for Denver businesses that cause odors, specifically marijuana grow operations. The Denver City Council has passed new rules regulating the smell.

One area the Department of Environmental Health said generates the most complaints is North Denver. The organization in Denver receives about 100 formal complaints a year.

“A lot of it is marijuana,” said Department of Environmental Health spokesman Gregg Thomas.

Thomas said since the legalization of marijuana, the department has been looking at new ways to regulate air pollution. Now that the city council has made its decision, Thomas said they finally have the ground work.

“It’s partly a brave new world we are entering into,” said Thomas.