Climate change and cannabis: Experts warn potency and potential for habitat disruption may increase along with CO2 and temperatures

Global warming may give a minor twist to that classic hippie bumper sticker that quips "Acid rain: Too bad it's not as much fun as it sounds." Turns out a warming climate could boost the medicinal and psychoactive properties of plants including cannabis. 

But that’s not all: Climate change will also open up higher elevations to growing weed clandestinely on public lands, a practice that’s putting increased strain on fragile ecosystems. Some say relaxed marijuana laws exacerbate the problem by bringing in more growers; others argue increased regulation and oversight will eventually lead to more responsible growing practices.

LAKE MARY, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35 ORLANDO) - You are now more likely to encounter a drugged driver on the roads than a drunk driver, according to a recently released study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
 
That statistic, combined with efforts to legalize medical and recreational marijuana, has law enforcement across the country looking for new and better ways to crack down on drugged driving.
 
Their newest tool could come in the form of a marijuana breathalyzer.

If you like puns, then you’ll love the American pot industry. Whether it’s bongs, brownies, or the buds themselves, pot-treprenuers (see what I did there) never saw a product they didn’t think could be improved by adding “Green,” “Canna,” or “Mary Jane” to the name.

Global patterns of cannabis cultivation have followed a fascinating development, from highly concentrated production in certain developing countries to decentralized production in almost every country around the world (UNODC, 2014). Historically, the spread of cannabis cultivation across the globe reflected the industrial utility of hemp; the widespread use of cannabis as a recreational drug did not appear until much later (Abel, 1980, Booth, 2003). It is with the emergence of modern patterns of cannabis use in the developed world that we have seen major changes in patterns of cannabis production. As demand for cannabis increased globally, fuelled by the developments of the “counter-culture” of the 1960s and 1970s, so cultivation in the developing world began to take on new dimensions.

They warned us this would happen. The states where recreational marijuana use is legal are also the states where marijuana is least expensive. The price of an ounce of weed ranges so widely from state to state that someone who smokes an ounce a month can move from Pittsburgh to Portland, Ore., and save enough money for a year’s worth of premium cable, the perfect companion for your habit.

Johannesburg - The man interviewed on television alongside a dagga activist who apparently smoked marijuana live on air, has condemned his fellow guest's behaviour.

"He could not discipline himself at that stage and we cannot believe that they [those calling for the legalisation of dagga] can show discipline in future," David Bayever, deputy chairperson of the Central Drug Authority told News24 on Tuesday.

The interview happened at the SABC on Monday. Bayever was in one studio with the anchor, while the head of the Cannabis Working Group, Andre du Plessis, was in another studio and joined the interview on The Newsroom via satellite.

Following months of wrangling, the Colorado Department of Agriculture has secured a permit from federal drug enforcement officials to import industrial hemp seed from foreign countries.

The seeds are essential to kick-start Colorado’s hemp industry, which state agriculture officials say has seen a bottleneck in research and cultivation due to a lack of viable seed stocks. 

Colorado’s hemp registration program has taken off since the implementation of Amendment 64, which also legalized recreational marijuana in the state. With the new federal permit, the first shipments of seed could be here in two weeks, mostly from Italian universities.

“When we want to raise capital,” Dooma Wendschuh, the thirty-eight-year-old co-founder of a cannabis company called ebbu, said, “I go up to someone and say, ‘Would you like to invest in my company? Here’s how it will work. One: you may go to prison for making this investment. Two: I may go to prison, and you might lose all your money. Three: our minimum investment is two hundred and fifty thousand dollars. Sure you want to play ball?’ ”

The Local Licensing Authority will weigh a change of ownership application associated with a potential $8 million sale of Aspen Green Dragon, one of six cannabis dispensers in town, at 9 a.m. Tuesday.

Ryan Milligan, co-owner of Denver-based cannabis company Greenwerkz, filed the application recently with City Clerk Linda Manning. Today’s hearing, which begins at 9 a.m., represents the first set of hurdles in the potential deal with Green Dragon.

DENVER, May 12, 2015 -- CannLabs, Inc. (OTCQB: CANL), today announced the launch of a custom content science channel on theCannabist.co, The Denver Post's cannabis-focused news and culture website. Launched in December of 2013 to cover legalized marijuana in Colorado, The Cannabist features news, strain reviews, recipes, store maps and more about the state's expanding marijuana industry. Ricardo Baca, the nation's first major newspaper marijuana editor, edits the site.