At noontime, a steady flow of customers perused wares at Cannabis Nation. For those without a medical marijuana license, this was flowers only, as state law does not permit the sale of recreational oils and edibles until Jan. 1. Jars of Mango Haze, Northern Lights and Mr. Nice Guy were on display as customers — none of whom opted to speak on the record — browsed and bought.

“The proportion with drugs in their system has increased over the past several years and now the level is about the same with alcohol in their systems”, says Dr. Jim Hedlund, author of the report.

“Every state must take steps to reduce drug-impaired driving, regardless of the legal status of marijuana”, GHSA executive director Jonathan Adkins said in a press release.

On Thursday, December 11, 2014, the United States Department of Justice changed the landscape of the legal marijuana industry. They decided that Native American tribes across the country can grow and sell marijuana on their sovereign lands and must follow the federal guidelines in the four states where recreational marijuana is legal.

The United States is home to 326 federally recognized reservations and 566 federally recognized tribes, most of which are located in states that ban the use of marijuana for recreational purposes.

A leader emerges

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -- Excited shoppers looking to score some of the first recreational marijuana sold legally in Oregon bought up baggies of bud early Thursday, taking advantage of door-buster prices and other deals.

Some of the more than 250 dispensaries that already offer medical marijuana in the state welcomed recreational users soon after midnight — just moments after it became legal to sell to anyone who is at least 21.

At Shango Premium Cannabis in Portland, co-founder Shane McKee said the first sale came about a minute after midnight and many others quickly followed.

"I think it's not only historical for folks in Oregon, but nationwide — anytime people start selling that as an alternative to alcohol or tobacco," he said in a telephone interview.

Social High, a cannabis-focused social media platform designed to connect the cannabis community by creating a safe and diverse environment where users can share their experiences, announces the official launch of its mobile application, now available for iOS users in the iTunes App Store.

Featuring a user experience unlike any other, Social High will offer cannabis users a platform to express their personal experiences through features such as:

Seattle -- There are local tours for wine, spirits and beer. Now the latest Washington craft industry has a tour of its own too. Cannabis.

Michael Gordon is the co-founder of Kush Tourism, a Seattle company that, among other things, gives guided tours to places involved in Seattle budding marijuana business.

"We're always fighting against the public stigma and we think one of the best ways of getting over that is actually introducing people to the growers, to the people making chocolate in the stores, showing them where the dispensaries are and just giving them access to information." Said Gordon.

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Eager night owls looking to score some of the first recreational pot in Oregon bought up baggies of bud at shops that opened early Thursday, some taking advantage of door-buster deals.

Some of the more than 250 dispensaries that already offer medical marijuana welcomed lines of enthusiasts soon after midnight — just moments after it became legal to sell to anyone who is at least 21. There were no reports of problems from early sales, although most stores planned to open at a more reasonable hour.

Everybody seems to be ‘vaping’ these days. With new technology allowing for handheld, portable vaporizers, the alternative to traditional smoking has caught on fairly quickly — and a lot of people are taking advantage of it. Vaping is typically considered to be less dangerous than smoking in the traditional way, and the act itself is far less invasive in terms of second-hand smoke, and smell. As a result, it’s not uncommon to see people hitting vape pens at work, outside of a coffee shop, or even behind the wheel.

If we can do it for beer and coffee, why not cannabis?

The marijuana edibles (and drinkables) marketplace in Washington State has been live for more than a year -- and what a tumultuous year it's been! We've seen huge dips and swells in the availability of raw material as producers ride the wave of growing seasons and demand. We've seen many of the most-profitable shops in the State opening in our biggest cities to record-breaking sales. We've seen several interesting products launch into the fledgling market -- and now have a much better idea of what a high tolerance our customers have for experimentation in taste, buzz and experience. We couldn't be more excited about where we've been and where we're going.

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — It’s true. Marijuana is legal in Oregon.

Oregon is now the 4th state – along with Colorado, Washington and Alaska — to legalize the weed that has been the source of so many studies, so many words and so many arrests over the past 8 decades.

A map of marijuana laws in the US (Governing.com)