Ireland moved closer to legalising marijuana for medicinal use when the minority government said on Thursday it would not block the first reading of a bill that is backed by all other parties.

Relaxing marijuana laws would signal a further acceptance of liberal values in once staunchly conservative Ireland. Last year Ireland became the first country to legalise same-sex marriage through a popular vote, having only decriminalised homosexuality and made divorce legal two decades ago.

Health Minister Simon Harris, whose government is not large enough to block legislation, said he would seek some amendments at a later stage pending a review of scientific and clinical advice that was commissioned earlier this month.

The key recommendation of the panel charged with outlining the framework for Canada’s legal marijuana regime is that the system should be geared toward getting rid of the $7-billion-a year black market.

Sources familiar with the report, which is expected to be made public Dec. 21, say all the other recommendations flow from that guiding principle.

Provinces will set the legal age for marijuana consumption, but the report is likely to recommend the limit be the age of majority — 18 in six provinces; 19 in B.C., Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and the three territories — which would keep many young people from turning to criminal sources. (The Canadian Medical Association has recommended an age limit of 21, with limits on the quantity and potency.)

Justin Trudeau’s task force to legalize marijuana has completed its report on the issue and said it will be released to the public sometime before Christmas.

While Vancouver dispensary operators anxiously wait to learn if they’ll be allowed to remain in business once a new legal framework takes effect, the National Post has published an article that claims to reveal some of what is contained in the document.

The state of marijuana legalization across the United States is arguably at a crossroads. On the one hand, the judgmental prism through which society has traditionally viewed marijuana usage has become decidedly less harsh over the last few years. Whereas the drug was previously stigmatized as a gateway drug that would inevitably lead to a life of crime and heroin addition, societal acceptance of marijuana as a safe recreational drug seems to be taking hold in many regions across the country.

To this point, the recent election saw four new states — California, Maine, Massachusetts and Nevada — pass laws legalizing the recreational use of marijuana. Meanwhile, the number of states that have legalized marijuana use for medical reasons now stands at 25.

Canada’s new legal marijuana regime is expected to feature a mishmash of provincial rules and a heavily regulated production system that will initially favour existing producers of medical cannabis, sources say.

Former Liberal cabinet minister Anne McLellan, who leads a panel outlining a framework for the system, gave her report to the government on Wednesday, offering recommendations on how marijuana should be legally produced and sold and how it could be consumed and by whom.

The report from Ms. McLellan’s task force, which included medical, academic and law-enforcement experts – still has to be translated from English into French before being made public in coming weeks.

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.

The St Lucia government says it is planning a series of town hall meetings to discuss the decriminalisation of marijuana.

National Security Minister Hermangild Francis said it is important for the discussion to take place, and to explore the properties and use of hemp.

The discussions will be held in the 17 constituencies on the island and Francis, a former acting police commissioner, said he had met with various stakeholders including medical practitioners  Dr Marcus Day, Dr Stephen King, and Paul Francis from the Iyanola Advancement of Rastafarian and Nyabinghi Tabernacle.

Elected officials try to undo the one bright spot of November 8th.

Political leaders in several states are threatening to thwart the implementation of voter-approved initiatives specific to the regulation of marijuana.

Legalization of recreational use of marijuana could mean a tax bonanza for California with tax collectors already taking the first steps toward getting a handle on the emerging industry.

The California Board of Equalization approved a proposal Tuesday to ask for funds to hire staff in anticipation of 2018 when legalization of recreational use kicks in after California voters decided Nov. 8 to approve Proposition 64. As many as 25,000 cultivators are expected to register and begin paying taxes. The board expects to need $20 million by 2021 to support a staff of 114.

Master P is putting his bid in on the legal cannabis industry with “Master P’s Trees.”

The “Ice Cream Man” is getting in on the legal dope game. OG rapper/entrepreneur Master P has announced that he dropping his own line of “premium cannabis products” called Master P’s Trees.

The product line will feature flower strains, edibles and what he is calling “liquid gold” vape oil. P is hoping to stand out in the growing marketplace with flavors like Sweet Tea, Peach Cobbler, Coolaide, Red Velvet and Chocolate Beignet.