DENVER — Governor John Hickenlooper issued an executive order that says marijuana grown with dangerous chemicals will be removed from stores and destroyed. That happened Thursday.

It’s the first time the Governor has addressed the issue since concern over marijuana pesticides started circulating.

The order raises an alarm. “When a pesticide is applied to a crop in a manner that is inconsistent with the pesticide’s label, and the crop is contaminated by that pesticide, it constitutes a threat to the public safety,” the order reads.

LIMA, Peru — Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos is expected to issue a decree legalizing the cultivation, commercialization and research of medical marijuana.

He said he will sign the new measure into law this week, marking a bold departure both for his center right administration and for Colombia, a staunch longtime ally of Washington in the war on drugs.

“It has already been scientifically proven that marijuana has many medicinal attributes,” Santos told the BBC.

A historic ruling by Mexico’s Supreme Court regarding marijuana use could act as precedent to spur an about-face in Mexico’s drug policy.

On November 4th, Mexico’s Supreme Court voted to declare unconstitutional the prohibition of growing marijuana for consumption. However, the ruling applies only to four plaintiffs involved in a single case, who were granted a concession allowing them to grow and use marijuana for recreational and personal use.

The ruling does not imply a general legalization nor does it signify a major shift in the country’s anti-drug stance but it sets an important legal precedent and it has shifted public attention towards a much-needed debate in a country plagued by drug violence and flooded with cartel money.

A measure of the attention Jamaican popular music has paid to marijuana is that the various artistes' Hi Grade Ganja Anthems albums themed around the topic reached volume four last year. And remember that these are songs solely about marijuana - its consumption, transportation, effect and consequences - not tracks that make passing reference (like the enduring Guinness and spliff combination).

Another measure of Jamaican popular music's engagement with marijuana is the line-up of the Rastafari Rootz Fest, currently on at Long Bay Beach, Negril, Westmoreland. It is the first event to be held under the marijuana exemption provision in Section Eight of the Dangerous Drugs Amendment Act 2015, as the festival is being held under the aegis of Rastafari.

Placings announced

Cannabis legalisation is a hot topic right now across the world, including in the United Kingdom. A recent petition, signed by over 228,000 people, prompted a debate by MPs on the subject, and an ever growing number of current and former politicians, scientists, and public figures have called for an end to prohibition.

Among all the hyperbole and misinformation it can be difficult to get to the truth of just what would happen if the British government decided to legally regulate the production and sale of the Class B drug. With that in mind, here is a list of ten things that would occur as a consequence of full legalisation.

HE won't be at the World Cannabis Cup in Negril this week, but British deejay Macka B fully supports the event which, based on Jamaican law, would have been unlikely up to early last year.

Coordinated by Rastafari Rootzfest and High Times magazine, the World Cannabis starts today and ends Sunday at Long Bay Beach Park in the resort town.

Ganja aficionados are expected to attend the event which was first held in 1988 by High Times, a monthly publication that has stridently called for the legalisation of ganja for 40 years.

"It's a positive step; the ultimate is for people to grow their own herb," said Macka B. "For Jamaica, which has the reputation for the best herb in the world, this is a great thing."

DUBUQUE — A couple dozen people, who support the legalization of marijuana, lined Locust Street Friday, hoping to send a message to lawmakers in Des Moines.

Carla Kaufman said, “I just want to point out the hypocrisy of cannabis being a schedule one drug. They also have a patent for it to be medicine. I don’t know how that can coexist. “

Last year, some Iowa legislators tried to legalize medicinal cannabis use, but that bill didn’t pass.

Iowa law says people can possess and use cannabis oil to treat epilepsy. But production and transportation of the oil is not legal in the state.

On Friday, some supporters said making cannabis oil legal to access in Iowa is the top priority.

BOGOTA—

Colombia said on Friday it plans to legalize medical marijuana in a further shift in drug policy after suspending aerial fumigation of illicit crops.

The government is preparing a decree which would approve the therapeutic use of marijuana, the president's office said in an information sheet, and President Juan Manuel Santos told BBC Mundo the decree would be signed in the coming days.

Growing, distributing and selling cannabis will remain illegal. The South American country suspended spraying of illicit crops this year, citing cancer concerns related to the herbicide glyphosate.

There's a unique relationship between the gaming and cannabis world. Did you know?

In the unlikely event that you’re currently wandering through Negril, Jamaica, and find yourself feeling a little different, it might be because you’ve stumbled upon the High Times Cannabis Cup, which is currently underway.

Described as ‘the world’s leading marijuana trade show’, the cup ‘celebrates the world of ganja through competitions, instructional seminars, expositions, celebrity appearances, concerts and product showcases.’

The Cup is only hosted in countries or states where medical and recreational cannabis have been legalised or decriminalised, so when Jamaica decriminalised weed in February this year, it became an obvious choice to host it.