Open-container laws have always targeted the poor and marginalized. States and cities need to permit marijuana use in public.

Oregrown Industries, Inc. Recognized as Industry Trailblazer at High Times Business Summit Oregrown
Posted on: 28 Dec 15

PR Newswire

BEND, Ore., Dec. 28, 2015

BEND, Ore., Dec. 28, 2015 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- Oregrown Industries, Inc., a Bend, Oregon farm-to-table cannabis company, was recognized as an Industry Trailblazer this month by High Times at the magazine's inaugural business summit in Washington, DC.

Oregrown co-founder Aviv Hadar was awarded the honor for his dedication to advancing cannabis reform in Oregon and nationwide. 

The freakish video shows a "stoner sloth" struggling in a number of everyday social situations, including chatting with friends and eating an evening meal with family after taking drugs.

However, as The Guardian points out, that didn't stop even NSW premier Mike Baird airing his bemusement about the campaign.

Residents of New Hampshire hoping to overcome the nausea that may be induced by some presidential campaigns that have made the Granite State their second home in the run up to the 2016 primaries can now receive their medical marijuana identification cards, though they’ll still have to wait until the spring to buy pot in the state. Patients there will be able to cross borders with their cards to purchase medical marijuana in nearby states like Maine and bring the pot back home after a woman with terminal cancer sued the state for access to her card.

More of us admit to smoking pot than ever before - but it hasn't always been easy to find in-depth, quality books on the subject.

But our fave herb is no longer a shadowy underground activity. The effects of cannabis, its history, and role in culture are now sparking more widespread, serious study (although the law, even now,lags behind in some areas.)

As we near the close of 2015 - one of the biggest years ever for the cannabis industry - here are five green reads to challenge your perceptions and expand your mind. 

2015 will be remembered as the year legalization hit bumps most supporters never anticipated. For pro-health advocates that oppose marijuana legalization, it was a year of fantastic victories! Here are the top 10:

LINCOLN, Neb. — An investigation by The Associated Press finds that at least one-third of the Power Five conference schools are not punishing athletes as harshly as they were 10 years ago for using marijuana and other so-called recreational drugs.

The AP analyzed policies for 57 of the 65 schools in the Southeastern, Atlantic Coast, Big 12, Big Ten and Pac-12 conferences, plus Notre Dame.

Of the 57 schools, 23 since 2005 have either reduced penalties or allowed an athlete to test positive more times before being suspended or dismissed. Ten schools have separate, less stringent policies addressing only marijuana infractions.

In the Pac-12, five schools do not suspend athletes for as long as they once did.

The end of the year is a natural time to review our progress advancing legalization over the past 12 months, and to look ahead to what we hope to achieve in the coming year.

Looking Back at 2015

Compared to our recent dramatic electoral victories in 2012 and again in 2014, 2015 was a slow year. We made some modest gains, but nothing dramatic.

During the current phase of legalization, when our victories primarily come by way of voter initiatives, we have become accustomed to expecting more progress in election years, especially presidential election years when the youth vote is highest, than in non-election years. Those basic rules still apply.

But even with that caveat, 2015 moved us forward and positioned us well for 2016.

BILLERICA -- Is a medical-marijuana dispensary in the town's future?

At least two organizations are interested in opening a facility in Billerica.

MassMedicum Corp. and the Cardiac Arrhythmia Syndromes Foundation -- both nonprofits -- have approached the town about creating medical-marijuana programs, and met with a Board of Selectmen subcommittee on Wednesday to discuss the proposals.

"It was only the first step meeting with them, but it went well," said board Chairman John Piscatelli, who serves on the subcommittee. "It's the beginning of us trying to understand what it's all about.

New Hampshire patients who qualify for medical marijuana can now receive the identification cards needed to legally purchase and possess cannabis, though dispensaries won't begin operating until spring.

The decision to begin issuing cards on Monday comes after a woman with terminal cancer sued the state for access to an identification card so she could buy marijuana in Maine. She won the case, prompting the attorney general to advise the state to give out cards before the dispensaries open.

The cards will allow qualifying patients to legally possess up to two ounces of marijuana, meaning they could buy it in other states without fear of facing charges.

The Legislature approved medical marijuana in 2013.