A political action committee backing recreational marijuana legalization has recently seen a stream of green, as in cash.

The Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol, the pro-recreational marijuana PAC, has raised $285,500 this year, a June 11 filing with the secretary of state’s office shows. That number is nearly half of what the group raised in 2014, when the initiative to legalize recreational marijuana use first appeared on the ballot.

More than half of the 2016 fundraising total came from June 7-9, according to the filing; most of the money came from Nevada marijuana companies such as Terra Tech Corp., Greenmart Of Nevada, Medical Marijuana of Las Vegas and Paradise Wellness Center.

Legalizing recreational marijuana is one step closer to becoming a reality here in Massachusetts and four different companies have applied for medical marijuana dispensary licenses in Amherst.

Supporters of legalizing recreational marijuana say they plan to file more than 25,000 voter signatures with city and town clerks by the Wednesday deadline. Only 10,792 certified signatures are required at this stage, but sponsors of ballot initiatives typically try to gather much more in case some signatures are disqualified for various reasons.

This November, California voters are likely to weigh in on the Adult Use of Marijuana Act, which would allow its recreational use by people 21 and older.

St Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Hon Dr Ralph Gonsalves believes another year of consultations is possible before a regional decision is made on the decriminalisation of medical marijuana and small quantities of the drug.

This even as the Regional Marijuana Commission is expected to deliver its report to Caricom next month on the controversial issue which has drawn widespread debate including here in Cayman.

Dr Gonsalves, speaking with The Cayman Reporter last Thursday (16 June) during a brief visit to the Legislative Assembly, said regional consultations on the issue were inaugurated in his country last Wednesday.

Could recreational marijuana use be legalized in Massachusetts?

Those who say “yes” plan to file more than 25,000 voter signatures with city and town clerks by a Wednesday deadline, thereby clearing one of the last hurdles to secure a spot for their proposal on the November ballot.

Only 10,792 certified signatures are required at this stage, but sponsors of ballot initiatives typically try to gather much more in case some signatures are disqualified for various reasons.

Supporters of other proposed ballot questions tell The Associated Press they also have collected enough signatures to easily exceed the threshold.

Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D) of Oregon, crowned “Congress’s top legal pot advocate,” by Rolling Stone, found an unlikely ally for his latest marijuana-related bill: Rep. Andy Harris (R) of Maryland. The conservative Republican introduced a provision that effectively blocked D.C. from loosening its pot laws, launching him to the center of the controversy about marijuana legalization as pot’s most vocal opponent.

Learn from Colorado's folly. Unless Arizona does something about medical marijuana, legalization won't produce promised revenues.

Forty percent of the taxes on marijuana would be directed to the Department of Education for construction, maintenance and operation costs, including compensation of K-12 teachers. Another 40 percent would be set aside for full-day kindergarten programs. And 20 percent would go to the Department of Health Services for unspecified uses. Revenue from the taxes could not flow into the state's general fund, which would allow it to be spent for other purposes.

A store displays two identical TVs: One costs $575, the other is on sale for $533. Which do you choose?

Liberal drug policies have spread across Europe. But some early adopters are slipping behind.

On a cobbled street lined with tourist shops in central Prague, a darkened storefront advertises cannabis-flavoured beer and absinthe ice cream. Inside, chocolate bars featuring Bob Marley’s face are for sale alongside “mushroom cookies” and glass bongs. Nothing stronger is on offer. But in a country where the possession of drugs is mostly tolerated, it is not hard to find the real stuff elsewhere: dealers loiter in the city’s main square, and barmen sell cannabis under the counter.

Ontario is working on regulations for the recreational marijuana market ahead of the federal government's plan to introduce a legalization bill in spring 2017. But one activist thinks the province's regulations could cost taxpayers a tremendous amount of money, while inadvertently keeping the black market for cannabis in business.

On June 18, the Toronto Star reported that Ontario's ministries of finance and health have struck a working group with the province's attorney general to draft a framework for regulations.

Bill Blair, the federal government’s lead on legalizing marijuana, has been quietly meeting with advocates for the illegal pot shops springing up across the country, hearing their arguments for how regulating the sector could help eliminate the black market.