Lawmakers have been busy introducing a variety of marijuana bills since the election. While there is no guarantee that any of these bills will actually become laws, a perusal of the bills introduced offers useful insight into how the decisions made regarding cannabis might affect our lives more immediately than the slow churn of Washington, D.C.

In the current political climate, it more important than ever to spend some time getting familiar with these bills. Please click on the links to get more information about each proposed bill. We strongly encourage you to get in touch with your elected representatives to express your views and opinions.

Below are six (6) cannabis-related bills that are worth following closely:

Connecticut's continuing fiscal woes, coupled with a new law that fully takes effect next year in neighboring Massachusetts, have prompted state lawmakers to take their most serious look yet at possibly legalizing the recreational use of marijuana for adults.

President Trump promised in his inauguration speech to create 25 million new jobs for Americans in the next decade. A new report indicates one way to help get to that goal is to allow states that have legalized marijuana to move forward uninterrupted.

New Frontier Data, which specializes in data analysis for the cannabis industry, recently published a report projecting that legalized marijuana will create close to 300,000 jobs over the next three years. But is this projection realistic?

The City of Edmonton is gearing up for the eventual legalization and regulation of marijuana.

City staff prepared draft amendments to several bylaws in anticipation of the federal Liberals introducing legislation later this year.

In a report headed to Executive Committee, city staff say bylaws will need to be altered to address nuisance factors such as odour, safety and security as it relates to minors and land use issues such as increased traffic.

A new recreational marijuana retailer has opened in South Salem.

Locally owned marijuana business Herbal Remedies opened a new location Friday at 3940 Commercial Street SE between McDonald’s and camera store The Shutterbug. The new Herbal Remedies location features, for instance, a “bud bar” where customers can view and smell different kinds of marijuana through special clear containers.

"Basically, I'm hoping that we can just grow into the future of Salem," Herbal Remedies co-owner Jered DeCamp said. "I want to be a staple in Salem."

The federal prohibition of marijuana is blocking medical experts from studying weed’s uses in treating Alzheimer’s Disease, a problem facing a growing body of medical research.

Texas Pot smokers may be one step closer to celebrating in the streets.

A bill seeking to decriminalize the use and possession of small quantities of marijuana has been scheduled for a hearing at the Texas State Capitol. 

House Bill 81, which aims to categorize low-level marijuana possession as a misdemeanor, will be will be argued in front of the Criminal Jurisprudence Committee on March 13th.

Although some of the latest comments from the Trump Administration seem to indicate that a federal crackdown is on the horizon with respect to the recreational marijuana industry, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions recently suggested that such action is simply “not possible.”

In an interview with national talk radio host Hugh Hewitt, Sessions said that while the Department of Justice will “enforce law in an appropriate way nationwide,” he admits that Uncle Sam just doesn’t have the necessary resources to close the doors on the legal cannabis community – at least not entirely.

Ahh…sunny Spain! Best known for its world-class cuisine, hospitable people, gorgeous weather, football (the one with your feet), and until recently…really good weed. With Morocco right across the Strait of Gibraltar, it’s no wonder that weed be a well known gem in the Iberian peninsula. If this is the case, then why hasn’t Spain gone ‘loco’ trying to develop a cannabis industry? The truth is: they have been, but underground. Thanks to the discovery of a legal loophole (which some outright say is not even a loophole), Spain has another reason to attract even more tourists. Step aside, Amsterdam!

History

Edible marijuana products such as candies and brownies need better labeling, a new study said.

Some labels on marijuana edibles contain so much information that consumers feel overwhelmed. Meanwhile, other labels do not even clearly indicate that a product contains marijuana, the researchers found.