COLUMBIA — Initiative petitions have begun circulating that would revive a proposal for the decriminalization of growing up to six marijuana plants in Columbia.

The petition would limit cultivation to a person's home in locked area indoors inaccessible to children. It would make cultivation a municipal offense with a fine of $250 or community service or counseling. The petition also states that medical marijuana may be obtained, possessed and cultivated by seriously ill patients.

The stark contrast between the two proposed marijuana legalization referendums was made painfully apparent at the Common Ground Country Fair.

Legalize Maine, the local grassroots organization sponsoring the version of the referendum that supports local farmers and care providers, showed their deep understanding of the rural culture of Maine by doing the right thing. They signed up for a table in the Social and Political Action tent at the fair, paid their fees and settled in for the weekend to talk to folks about the referendum and get their support and signatures.

Uruguayan authorities made a major announcement on October 1, laying out plans for the biggest step yet in the country’s efforts to regulate all levels of the cannabis market: cultivation for commercial sales. Officials revealed that two companies have been selected to grow cannabis for sale in pharmacies. The first commercial offerings will likely be available to registered consumers in about 8 months, or mid-year 2016.

A marijuana social club that opened Friday amid questions over the legality of such venues - and a citywide moratorium on new ones - has been shut down for reasons completely unrelated to the controversy.

Fire investigators went to One Love Club, on 21st Street between Highway 24 and Colorado Avenue in Colorado Springs, before it opened to tell the owner the club needed permits it didn't have in order to open, Fire Marshal Brett Lacey said Saturday. But the club opened anyway, and at 10 p.m. Friday the Colorado Springs Fire Department shut it down and kicked everyone out.

Saturday afternoon, the club posted a "thank you" message on its Facebook page.

Few, if any, political issues have garnered as much attention in recent years as marijuana, and three national polls -- Gallup, Pew Research, and General Social Survey -- have all shown that a slim majority of respondents now have a favorable view of the still federally illegal drug.

Select states push for marijuana reform
However, as we've seen, slim public support for marijuana doesn't guarantee the expansion of marijuana legalization into new states, let alone reform in Congress.

Legalizing marijuana Issue 3 would legalize recreational and medical marijuana in Ohio. Click here for more information about the proposal. And click here for an updated list of supporters and opponents.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- If Issue 3 passes, Ohio's legal marijuana industry would generate between $133 million and $293.3 million in tax revenue for local governments, according to the Ohio Office of Budget and Management.

he Flandreau Santee Sioux currently runs a successful casino, as well as a 120-room hotel and a 240-head buffalo ranch.

However, this business enterprise has been subject to the effects of both the Great Recession and stiff competition.

Now the small Indian tribe from South Dakota is opening the country's first marijuana resort, to be built on their reservation. This experiment could prove to be a money-making model for tribes who are looking to tap into economic opportunities apart from the casino industry.

The leaders of Santee Sioux intend to grow and sell their pot in the resort's facilities, including a nightclub, a game arcade, a bar and resto, slot machines and an outdoor music hall.

Two Wisconsin tribes, the Menominee and the Ho-Chunk, look to follow South Dakota’s Flandreau Santee Sioux, seeing a potential revenue stream – but it could force them to cede some of their sovereignty to federal and local governments

With 23 US states having legalized marijuana in some form – Oregon became the latest to permit the sale of marijuana for recreational on Thursday – some Native American nations are now also considering the possibility of legalizing the plant, in some cases because it could represent a revenue stream.

Legal cannabis can mean a lot of things. What will it mean for your drinking experience? Photo taken at Cannabliss on West Burnside St.