"Parliament shall be no exception".

But the speech did not outline to what extent the government is willing to get involved - Trudeau has said in the past that he intends to pull fighter jets from the ISIS mission, focusing instead on training soldiers on the ground. Instead, the government pledged to carry out its agenda "while pursuing a fiscal plan that is responsible, transparent and suited to challenging economic times".

Gov. Gen. David Johnston will read the throne speech in the Senate chamber, according to tradition.

Marijuana legalization's momentum continued last week, albeit outside of the United States.

The highly controversial drug, which has harnessed the spotlight in the United States and forced presidential candidates to step out of their comfort zones during national debates, is making headlines north of the border in Canada, where lawmakers are pushing ever closer to legalizing the drug for recreational purposes.

Canada moves toward legalization
As it stands now, marijuana is legal across Canada for medicinal or industrial purposes as long as you have a government-issued license. Recreational marijuana is also acceptable in some cities, but the laws governing recreational marijuana aren't universal across the vast expanse of Canada.

Marijuana advocates in the District of Columbia on Thursday threatened to work toward taking local lawmakers out of office if the D.C. Councilcontinues with an effort to establish new restrictions affecting the city’s recently enacted pot laws.

In the face of a proposal that aims to permanently prohibit “cannabis clubs” from popping up within city limits, representatives from the D.C. Marijuana Justice Campaign and other pro-pot activists told council members this week that they’ll fight back with a proposal of their own.

As an old hippy myself, I’m all in favour of legalising dagga, the mind-altering weed that grows widely – and wildly – in South Africa. Also known as cannabis, marijuana or pot, the drug has research to support efficacy and safety of compounds it contains for pain control,  neurological diseases such as epilepsy, and to treat cachexia, a wasting syndrome in cancer, HIV/Aids and TB patients. In a recent post on Biznews, High times for dagga as medicine: fears go up in smoke!, I looked at the debate on dagga as one way to destroy the illegal market, and maximise benefits and minimise harms from medicinal and recreational use.

A new cookbook aims to do for weed what Julia Child did for French cuisine.

There is a significant difference between what you want to eat when you’re high and what you want to eat in order to get high. This is the conflict of the weed cookbook, a genre that aims to hook both stoners and home cooks alike by treating the friendly herb as more than just a psychoactive drug. And while the vape contingent might argue that theirs is a more efficient way to ingest weed without the health risks of smoking, the marriage of the home cooking movement and weed culture is inevitable, and full of possibility. 

On Dec. 10, 2015, the Council of the District of Columbia Committee on the Judiciary held a public hearing to talk about the Marijuana Decriminalization Clarification Emergency Change Act of 2015, a momentary law that prohibits marijuana intake in private clubs.

Two bills to legalize the cultivation and distribution of hemp, while establishing a hemp grower’s license, have been passed out of New Jersey’s Assembly Commerce and Economic Development Committee. Assemblymember Anthony Bucco (R-25) was the sole no vote.

“More than 20 industrial hemp-producing countries worldwide each generate millions of dollars in revenue selling everything from fabrics to personal care products made from one of the world’s oldest crops,” said Assemblymember Reed Guscoria (D-15), who sponsored the two bills. “We cannot continue to allow misconceptions about the hemp industry to govern decision-making when an opportunity to create good jobs and expand our economy is on the line.”

A bill to increase access to medicinal marijuana is in the works by a Tennessee lawmaker. Tennessee state representative Jeremy Faison recently helped pass legislation legalizing the use of CBD oil for those with conditions like epilepsy, but he wants to broaden its reach to many others, including veterans with PTSD.

Joseph Santolla was diagnosed with PTSD after and IED exploded next to his vehicle during his deployment in Iraq. Ever since he's struggled with the pain and anxiety that can follow.

"You're literally transported back to where you were at the time that you were fearing for your life," Santolla said.

He said he understands both sides of the argument, but he says he thinks it would be worth a shot.

Illegal marijuana trade saves a local lower division stadium from descending into squalor.

At Goal91 World Headquarters here in Colorado, we live in one of the few places in the world where marijuana is legalized. And, no, we do not roll one up every day at a certain time in the afternoon. We are professionals and, besides, we have other ways of getting our creative juices flowing.

That said, we do see that the benefits of legalized marijuana range from increased tax revenues to increased White Castle orders. On the flip side, it looks like our brothers from another national mother over in the U.K. have found that the criminalization of marijuana can have benefits as well.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The group behind Ohio's failed marijuana initiative spent $21.5 million on its campaign, which was almost entirely funded by investors who stood to make millions from the measure's passage.