THE NUI GALWAY student body today voted that its Students’ Union should support the legalisation of cannabis.

In a referendum today, students were asked if they agreed the SU should “actively supports the legalisation and regulation of the cultivation, sale and possession of cannabis for adults age 18 and over”.

Of the 2,634 voters, 68% voted yes and 32% voted no. This result now gives the SU a mandate to support legalisation, making it the first SU in Europe to take such a stance.

JUNEAU — After a far-ranging discussion about the dangers of driving a four-wheeler while high or hosting pot parties on a sternwheeler, a Department of Law official attempted to comfort senators by saying the sky has not, in fact, fallen since marijuana possession became legal under state law.

Deputy Attorney General Richard Svobodny told the Senate Finance Committee that Ballot Measure 2 going into law hasn’t dramatically changed things in Alaska and many concerns raised by the committee, like driving while high, are addressed by existing laws. And concerns about commercial marijuana, like pot parties, will be addressed through regulations.

Perhaps no factor has enabled the much-heralded urban renaissance more than declining crime rates. Through much of the 1970s to 1990s, inner cities were widely perceived as war zones, overwhelmed by addiction-fueled property crime and violence between drug dealers. This was not all just perception. The murder rate in now-thriving cities was much higher 20 years ago than it is today. In New York, there were 2,245 murders in 1990 versus 328 last year. Washington, D.C., went from 479 in 1991 to 105 in 2014.

Supporters and opponents of legalizing medical marijuana flocked to the Nebraska Capitol Friday to testify on legislation on the subject.

A bill by Bellevue Sen. Tommy Garrett called the Cannabis Compassion and Care Act, would legalize medical marijuana. Among those who came to the Capitol to testify in favor of it was David Swarts of Palmyra. In an interview before the hearing, Swarts said he used to view the issue differently. "I used to think everything I’d been told for the last 60 years: that marijuana was the devil weed and that it led to other drugs," he said.

With society increasingly accepting the medicinal and recreational properties of marijuana, wellness tourism experts predict explosive growth in cannabis-related spa and travel packages.

Cannabis was listed second in Spafinder Wellness' recently released Top 10 trends report, which cited the growing list of medical marijuana dispensaries around the country that are adding yoga, massage and fitness as well as pot tourism, which is being developed in Colorado, Washington, Alaska and Oregon, where the drug is now legal.

Among some of the new offerings:

With society increasingly accepting the medicinal and recreational properties of marijuana, wellness tourism experts predict explosive growth in cannabis-related spa and travel packages.

Cannabis was listed second in Spafinder Wellness' recently released Top 10 trends report, which cited the growing list of medical marijuana dispensaries around the country that are adding yoga, massage and fitness as well as pot tourism, which is being developed in Colorado, Washington, Alaska and Oregon, where the drug is now legal.

Among some of the new offerings:

What do tech startups and marijuana ventures have in common? An increasing number of funding platforms are on the rise with the goal of supporting both these enterprises. Many of these startups have Silicon Valley veterans at the helm. In the case of the marijuana industry, although it may still be in its infancy, the potential for growth in this sector has many investors sitting up and taking notice. Among the primary factors now attracting investors to this still fledgling industry is that there is still ample room for innovation.

The state of Kentucky may finally get its deliverance. After more than seven years of battling the evasive legal tactics of Purdue Pharma, 2015 may be the year that Kentucky and its attorney general, Jack Conway, are able to move forward with a civil lawsuit alleging that the drugmaker misled doctors and patients about their blockbuster pain pill OxyContin, leading to a vicious addiction epidemic across large swaths of the state.

OLYMPIA – As legislators worked this week to blend the state’s recreational and medical marijuana laws, Spokane Valley officials asked them to consider one more wrinkle in the rapidly changing marketplace: pot lounges.

The Members Lounge, which is connected to a medical marijuana dispensary and allows consumption of some vapor and edible marijuana products on its premises, is an example of where the state’s two very different systems don’t mesh well. Using recreational marijuana in public is not legal, but the law is silent on public consumption of medical marijuana, and the lounge contends its

New Hampshire may soon join other New England states in loosening the law when it comes to marijuana possession.

The Committee on Criminal Justice voted overwhelmingly Thursday to support a measure making it a violation, rather than a criminal offense, to possess a half-ounce or less of marijuana.

Under current law, possession of an ounce of marijuana or less is a Class A misdemeanor that carries with it a possible year in jail, but some believe that when it comes to societal problems, there are bigger fish to fry.

"We should be better spending our limited time and resources, and on top of that, the New Hampshire Constitution says the penalty ought to fit the crime," said Rep. Adam Shroadter, R-Newmarket.