Justin Trudeau, newly-minted Prime Minister of Canada and self-professed dabbler in pot, announced earlier this month that his Liberal Party would move ahead with plans to legalize marijuana as early as 2016. Ending prohibition was part of the party platform going into the October election and is a clear break from ex-PM Stephen Harper, who claimed (with a straight face) that marijuana was "infinitely worse" than tobacco.

America's law enforcement officers have been seizing a record amount of property from citizens, often without charging them with a crime, under the practice known as civil asset forfeiture. Cops took more stuff from people than burglars did last year, according to FBI data.

GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- The city's 2012 amendment to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana has cleared a final legal challenge.

State Supreme Court justices, in a split decision, declined to hear an appeal from Kent County Prosecutor William Forsyth in a ruling issued Saturday, Dec. 12.

Since voters approved the measure in 2012 — making possession of less than 2.5 ounces of marijuana a civil infraction — Forsyth has sought to have it overturned.

He argued the amendment wrongly prohibits Grand Rapids police from enforcing state law, or reporting marijuana offenses to county prosecutors.

After years of research into the question, in July of last year Israeli authorities made post-traumatic stress disorder the only psychiatric condition for which the Health Ministry will approve the use of medical marijuana. The decision, backed by the Israel Psychiatric Association, was a cause for optimism among many Israeli veterans suffering from PTSD.

This week, the Board of Supervisors' Rules Committee, which consists of Supervisors Scott Wiener, Malia Cohen, and John Avalos, voted to appoint 11 out of 48 applicants to a task force that will help guide the city's policies and plans surrounding the inevitable statewide legalization of recreational marijuana. As the Examiner reports, "Cancer survivors, those living with HIV, business owners and medical marijuana dispensary operators were among the 48 applicants" for the seats, of which there will be a total of 14 — the committee left three open to be filled at a later date.

Two bills to legalize the cultivation and distribution of hemp, while establishing a hemp grower’s license, have been passed out of New Jersey’s Assembly Commerce and Economic Development Committee. Assemblymember Anthony Bucco (R-25) was the sole no vote.

“More than 20 industrial hemp-producing countries worldwide each generate millions of dollars in revenue selling everything from fabrics to personal care products made from one of the world’s oldest crops,” said Assemblymember Reed Guscoria (D-15), who sponsored the two bills. “We cannot continue to allow misconceptions about the hemp industry to govern decision-making when an opportunity to create good jobs and expand our economy is on the line.”

EDGEWATER, Fla. (AP) — A man who authorities say was growing marijuana in a central Florida storage unit panicked when he heard a police helicopter hovering nearby and called 911 to surrender.

The problem? Edgewater police officers were in the neighborhood Wednesday afternoon to investigate an unrelated suspicious death.

It was shortly after 12:30 p.m. when 47-year-old Jasper Harrison told the dispatcher he was “the guy” they were looking for, adding he wanted to come out without being shot.

Harrison told the dispatcher he wanted police to contact him.

The nation’s largest marijuana policy organization upgraded Jeb Bush from a “D” to a “C-” in its 2016 presidential candidate report card on Friday following a radio interview in which the former Florida governor expressed support for decriminalizing marijuana.

According to a report from Marijuana.com:

“It’s one thing to say we should have decriminalization of marijuana. I support that,” the former Florida governor said in an interview with Joe Mathieu of Boston’s WBZ NewsRadio. Bush had not previously endorsed a removal of criminal penalties for cannabis possession.

A bill to increase access to medicinal marijuana is in the works by a Tennessee lawmaker. Tennessee state representative Jeremy Faison recently helped pass legislation legalizing the use of CBD oil for those with conditions like epilepsy, but he wants to broaden its reach to many others, including veterans with PTSD.

Joseph Santolla was diagnosed with PTSD after and IED exploded next to his vehicle during his deployment in Iraq. Ever since he's struggled with the pain and anxiety that can follow.

"You're literally transported back to where you were at the time that you were fearing for your life," Santolla said.

He said he understands both sides of the argument, but he says he thinks it would be worth a shot.

SIDNEY, Mich. – An outburst during testimony Tuesday in Lansing led to continued questioning of Michigan’s Medical Marijuana Laws: State Senator Rick Jones ordered a U.S. Army veteran removed from the Senate Judiciary Committee after the man called law enforcement “jack boots” and “thugs” for the way the MMMA is enforced.

With several bills on the table pushing medical marijuana reform, including legalizing dispensaries, David Overholt is preparing for his case that the Grand Rapids Court of Appeals’ officials said will be heard sometime mid-2016.