CHEYENNE – The group trying to get voters to decide whether to legalize medical marijuana in Wyoming will fall short of the state’s requirements to get the question on the 2016 ballot.

A spokeswoman with Wyoming chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws confirmed Monday that the group will not collect the necessary number of signatures by next week’s deadline.

Volunteers were only able to collect about 7,120 signatures, according to unofficial county-by-county tally provided by NORML.

That amount is just over one-quarter of the nearly 25,600 signatures of registered voters that the state requires for a citizen-led initiative to make the ballot.

But supporters are hoping they will be able to get the question on the 2018 ballot.

The needs of recreational cannabis users, and those who use it for medical purposes, are both legitimate and quite different.

I have some chocolates. They have certain properties. A while ago I was hit with a sudden, inexplicable, profoundly crushing sadness. Oh, well, sadness is normal, even welcome at times. 

But not like this. 

I didn’t want to call her; nothing she could do. I didn’t want to walk over to the hospital; I’ve seen Cuckoo’s Nest. But then I thought about depression and the uses of cannabis.

Half an hour and a sliver of chocolate later and I was flooded with wellness, the sort you get in spring, in the early afternoon, when the sun is warm and soft on your cheek. 

A quick note; I was not high.

TALLAHASSEE — In the latest twist in a nearly two-year struggle to offer limited types of medical-marijuana in Florida, three nurseries filed a lawsuit Tuesday seeking to at least temporarily block competitors from starting to produce the cannabis.

The lawsuit filed in Leon Circuit Court, stems from a November decision by the Florida Department of Health to award highly prized licenses to five dispensing organizations in different regions of the state. They would grow, process and distribute non-euphoric types of marijuana approved in 2014.

But the selection drew a series of legal challenges. Amid them, the Department of Health and the chosen dispensing organizations told lawmakers last month they planned to move forward with starting production.

The battle for marijuana legalization has been long-standing and slow-burning. In 1970 during the presidency of Richard Nixon, marijuana was labeled a Schedule I drug, a classification that includes heroin and LSD, the International Business Times reported.

How does GOP front-runner Ted Cruz feel about marijuana reform?

Monday was a good day for Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz. The Texas Senator came away from the Iowa caucuses in top place among GOP primary candidates, thanks in large part to his strong support among evangelical Christians.

With 98 percent of precincts reporting, Cruz had nearly 28 percent of the vote, while Donald Trump had 24 percent and Marco Rubio had 23 percent, according to The New York Times.

Marijuana reform is shaping up to be a major issue this election cycle, so where does the GOP front-runner stand on marijuana policy?

There's a lot about cannabis you probably know. There's a lot about cannabis you don't know. Read on.

1. Cannabis is the third most popular recreational drug in the United States.

2. There are 3 types of cannabis: sativa, indica and ruderalis.

3. Government surveys show 25 million Americans have used cannabis in the past year.

4. The first states to legalize recreational cannabis were Washington, Colorado, Oregon and Alaska.

In a surprising turnaround, the D.C. Council is rethinking a ban on private marijuana-smoking clubs, as pot advocates press for places for residents to light up outside of their homes.

The council on Tuesday approved the formation of a task force to examine the feasibility of clubs for marijuana smokers, and postponed action on a bill that would permanently ban such establishments.

“Democracy and common sense prevailed in the District today,” said Kaitlyn Boecker, a policy analyst for the Drug Policy Alliance (DPA). “Today’s withdrawal of the permanent ban shows that elected officials have finally begun to heed their constituents’ wishes, but the fight for the creation of regulated places where adults can legally consume marijuana is far from over.”

The new bill reduces sentences, but still contains some troubling flaws

(Tunis) - A new drugs bill would reduce penalties for drug use without answering all the concerns raised by human rights with the current law, declared the Human Rights Watch in a report released today. The Tunisian authorities should revise the law to eliminate all prison terms for use or possession of drugs for recreational purposes.

After months (years?) of campaigning in one of the more unique political seasons in modern American history, the Iowa caucus results are in. Republican Ted Cruz won a solid electoral victory while Marco Rubio won the political victory.

As most of California is making it easier to get marijuana, the cities of Los Angeles's South Bay are moving fast to shut down even legal weed sales and use. In anticipation of state legislators' plans to legalize marijuana for recreational purposes, several South Bay cities—which seem to be in deep opposition to weed in all its forms—are mounting an offensive of "sweeping bans on every kind of marijuana dispensary and delivery service, cultivation and manufacturing process," reports the Daily Breeze.