B.C. mom Scarlett Ballantyne wonders if Ottawa's plans to legalize marijuana will make her 14- and 16-year-old daughters more inclined to try it. But she's not waiting to find out.

Ballantyne says her family has been discussing the dangers of drug use since the girls were 13 -- a pre-emptive strike as pot shops and marijuana headlines have been popping up everywhere they turn.

She's proud to say they are athletic, self-confident kids, but she also gets the impression that their generation sees marijuana as "not that big of a deal."

"As parents, it's just (about) stressing to them that it is a big deal," she says from her home in White Rock, south of Vancouver.

The recount began yesterday morning, which will probably take months and cost taxpayers a half million dollars.

On Election Day in Maine, voters were heavily divided on Question 1, a ballot initiative that would legalize recreational cannabis. Voters passed the initiative, but with a very narrow margin, according to a WGME article.

'We are facing a never before seen cohort of older adults who use recreational drugs' say researchers.

An unprecedented number of older people are using illegal recreational drugs in the US, according to a study which has revealed a 70 per cent spike in cannabis use among Baby Boomers in the past decade. 

“For years we’ve been worried about the potential effects of marijuana on the developing brains of teens, but now we may need a bit more focus on their grandparents, who are increasingly more likely to be current users,” said Dr Joseph J. Palamar of New York University, one of the lead authors of the study. 

Uruguay was the first country in the world to fully legalize marijuana, making it a global leader in progressive drug policy.

Uruguay will soon be home to a new unique museum dedicated entirely to marijuana, a fitting attraction in the first country in the world to fully legalize cannabis three years ago.

The Cannabis Museum will open its doors in the capital city of Montevideo on Friday, offering a permanent exposition showcasing the “diversity” of marijuana. Organizers herald the project as part of “continuing the rich history of freedoms that Uruguay has always adopted in an avant-garde way.”

The Elko Daily Free Press is counting down the days until marijuana is legal in Nevada by answering questions concerning the law.

Q: Who is allowed to sell marijuana starting Jan. 1?

A: While people who are 21 and older will be able to legally possess an ounce or less of marijuana starting Jan. 1, don’t expect any places to legally sell it at the beginning of the year.

The Department of Taxation has 12 months from Jan. 1, 2017, to be ready to receive applications for marijuana establishments. Once the Department begins receiving those applications, it will only accept them from places holding medical marijuana establishment certificates for the first 18 months.

After that other people will be able to apply.

Amsterdam's oldest coffee shop has been shut down by the Dutch government leaving tourists and locals alike wondering if this spells the demise of the city's famous cannabis culture.

Mellow Yellow, a cannabis cafe that's been open since 1967, will shut up shop on January 1 by order of the mayor.

The shop set a precedent and led the way for countless coffee shops to pop up all over the city.

Owner Johnny Petram fears it means the end of the coffee shop culture in Amsterdam.

Access to medicinal cannabis is improving Americans’ quality of life in ways few advocates could have initially predicted. As the number of people utilizing marijuana grows, so too does our understanding of its societal benefits. Here are some of the latest scientific findings:

The country with the biggest weed habit? That might surprise you.

A new report claims the UK government should legalise marijuana because it's “the only solution to crime and addiction problems”.

The strongly-worded study - titled The Tide Effect: How the World is Changing its Mind on Cannabis - was produced by the nonpartisan Adam Smith Institute and has the backing of several cross-party MPs including former deputy prime minister, Nick Clegg.

Recreational marijuana users who worked hard to elect Prime Minister Justin Trudeau now feel “cheated” by his support of a police crackdown on storefront dispensaries, a cannabis industry spokesperson says.

Abi Roach, a director with the Cannabis Friendly Business Association, said marijuana consumers helped the federal Liberals gain a majority government based on an expectation that he would allow small businesses to sell weed legally to recreational users.

Trudeau has promised to introduce legislation designed to legalize pot in the spring.

The crackdown that has occurred under Trudeau has been stricter than under any previous government, including that of former Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper, she said.

Since passage of the Medical Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act in California (“MCRSA”), our California marijuana business attorneys have been getting calls nearly non-stop regarding what folks can do now to have a medical marijuana business later in the Golden State.