In Montana, a man was arrested for possessing about as much marijuana as it would take to roll a joint. Montana is a fairly conservative state, so it's not a surprise. But what was surprising is when it came time to fill the jury slots, the judge could not find one single person willing to convict a man over a small amount of marijuana. And it continues to show the ridiculousness of marijuana laws throughout the U.S.:

For the week ended Friday, November 20, the spot price index for a pound of cannabis decreased by $26 (about 1%) from $1,755 in the prior week to $1,729. The simple (non-volume-weighted) average price for a gram remained unchanged at $4.70.

About two-thirds of the past week’s transactions occurred in a range of $1,655 to $2,605 per pound, according to the analysts at Cannabis Benchmarks. The volume-weighted average price in Colorado fell about 1%, from $1,933 on November 13 to $1,907 a pound last week.The futures price for December remained flat at $1,615. For the month of January 2016, the forward price also remained unchanged at $1,665 a pound. The six-month forward price for May 2016 is $2,030 a pound, unchanged from the prior week.

The board tasked with writing rules for Alaska’s recreational marijuana industry voted Friday to allow for people to use pot at certain stores that will sell it, a first among the four states that have legalized the drug.

The 3-2 vote by the Marijuana Control Board also changed the definition of the term “in public” to allow for consumption at some pot shops, none of which are open yet. Colorado, Washington and Oregon have legalized recreational marijuana but ban its public use, including in pot stores.

“This would put, I think, Alaska in the forefront on this issue,” said Chris Lindsey, a legislative analyst with the Marijuana Policy Project.

As I and my colleagues have predicted so very, very often, the Marijuana Use Disorders have more than doubled in the past decade on the heels of relaxed legislation concerning the drug, and the increase in use of the substance among our youth and adults.

I know that there are those out there who have read my previous articles on marijuana, and say, “Dr. Jones, aren’t you beating a dead horse?” I assure you all that I am surely not. The horse is very much alive and kicking, and the more we make ourselves aware, the better.

Researchers at the Washington University in St. Louis (WUSTL) have found a surprising correlation between marijuana dependency and genes, as well as childhood sexual abuse. The reason why some child survivors of adversity go on to become marijuana-dependant while others are able to use the recreational drug without problems may be explained by genetic variations in the endocannabinoid system (ECS) in the brain.

A system of cannabinoid receptors located throughout the peripheral and central nervous systems of the mammalian brain comprises the ECS. It controls numerous physiological processes such as mood, sensation, memory and appetite as well as the psychoactive effects of cannabis.

The products will be available next year in the four U.S. states where cannabis use is legal, namely Colorado, Washington, OR and Alaska.

The 27-year-old, who is set to release her highly-anticipated eighth studio album, has made no secret of indulging in cannabis and has been an open supporter of its legalization.

Her line will reportedly include strains of Karibbean Kush, Haitian Haze and Jamaican High Grade and will also include edibles and concentrates. “MaRihanna is blazing a trail for the industry”.

While speaking at a cannabis convention in Negril, Jamaica this week, Rihanna announced her new line of marijuana, according to a reggae website covering the event.

Snoop Dogg has participated in an event in his home city of Los Angeles in which he helped to hand out 1,500 turkeys to families in need ahead of the American holiday thanksgiving this coming Thursday (November 26).

Mayor of Inglewood, California James Butts announced to TV channel KNBC-TV that Snoop had participated in the annual event for the second year running, taking hundreds of photos with fans. The event also handed out 800 turkeys to families last year.

According to Butts, the collaboration came about after the rapper asked the city what he could do to give back to the community last year.

Great news. According to a recent federal report, the percentage of youths ages 12 to 17 who smoke, drink, or abuse most drugs has fallen since 2002. Tobacco use has dropped from 15.2 to 7 percent. Those who reported having had a drink within the previous month decreased from 17.6 to 11.5 percent. Even illicit painkiller use has declined from 3.2 to 1.9 percent, according to a 2014 annual survey of around 67,500 teens by the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

But marijuana use is edging upward, from 6.2 percent in 2002 to 8.4 percent in 2014. Experts believe adults in these youths' lives who may have indulged and suffered no ill effects may be partly to blame.

Yet, the drug kids are smoking today is not your father's marijuana.

Cops are following through on Mayor de Blasio’s pledge to stop locking people up for carrying small amounts of pot.

Police cuffed 18,120 stoners through Oct. 20 — a 40 percent plummet from the 29,906 pot busts in the same period last year, state Division of Criminal Justice records show.

At the same time, tickets for pot violations have surged. Cops handed out 13,081 low-level pot summonses through the end of September — and are on pace for more than 16,000 tickets. The NYPD issued 13,378 pot tickets for all of last year, and 13,316 tickets in 2013, records show.

A representative for Liza Minnelli has dismissed allegations the veteran entertainer smokes marijuana.

Earlier this week, actor Leslie Odom Jr alleged Minnelli had been to see him as he performed in play Hamilton in New York City, while chatting to talk show host Seth Meyers.

Leslie Odom, Jr. alleged Liza Minelli smelt like pot when she went to see him backstage. Photo / Getty

He claimed she arrived in "a cloud of medicinal marijuana smoke", but said that made her "cool" in his book, a sentiment Minnelli does not share as her representative has completely dismissed his version of events.

"It never happened," her spokesperson tells the New York Post.