• Maya Donnelly heard a crash at night but thought it was thunder
• When she investigated the next morning she found the black bundle, which has a street value of around $10,000  
• Police think it was accidentally dropped by a drug smuggler's aircraft or a pilotless drone
• Mrs Donnelly lives with her husband and their three teenage daughters in Nogales, close to the US-Mexico border
• She said she was grateful no one was injured or killed during the bizarre incident - including their pet German shepherd

 

The morning of September 8 started with a bang — literally — for an Arizona family living in Nogales, a border town along the U.S.-Mexico border, according to the Nogales International. In the wee hours of the morning, Bill and Maya Donnelly were startled awake by a loud crashing sound. Thinking it was a storm, the family went back to sleep. But when they investigated later in the morning, what they found shocked them: a 24-pound bundle of marijuana — likely dropped from a passing plane — had crashed through the roof of the family’s garage and destroyed the family dog’s, Hulk’s, doghouse.

The 2016 Election is not that far away, especially for campaigns. Signature deadlines vary across the country, but they will be up sooner than later. Campaigns are working very hard to get marijuana legalization on the ballot in many states, some having better chances than others of making it on the ballot. I was hopeful that over a dozen states would make the ballot in 2016, and maybe there will be some significant changes that help some states catch up. But for now, below are the states that I feel will make the ballot, and in the case of Nevada, already have made the ballot:

California

TUCSON – Supporters and opponents of marijuana legalization believe Arizona voters will decide the issue in November 2016.

The Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol in Arizona announced it has gathered 75,000 signatures for a ballot initiative. It needs about 150,000. The campaign wants to gather 230,000 in anticipation of invalid signatures.

Seth Leibsohn is the chairman of Arizonans for Responsible Drug Policy, which opposes legalization.

“They have paid almost a million dollars to a professional firm to collect signatures.” He said. “You could collect signatures for anything at that price. So I've never doubted that they could get on the ballot.”

U.S. Cannabis Benchmark Spot Index down 9% to $1,948 as harvest begins. The national price decreased by $185 per pound week-on-week, after reaching $2,133 last week, in what currently appears to have been the seasonal peak.

The fall harvest season has begun. Depending on local climate and the strains being grown, outdoor growers will generally harvest from mid-September to mid-November. Kushes and other indica-dominant strains are ready for harvest earlier, while sativa-dominant varieties require more time to mature if they are to be considered high-quality and exhibit fully the characteristics desired by consumers.

A campaign to legalize marijuana for adults 21 and older in Arizona has picked up 75,000 signatures already, an achievement that makes the proposal ever more likely to appear on the state's 2016 ballot.

J.P. Holyoak, chair of the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol, says today that his group is about one-third of the way toward its goal to turn in 230,000 signatures before the July 2016 deadline. More than 150,000 signatures are needed to qualify for the ballot, but ballot-measure campaigns always shoot for a much higher number knowing that many will be thrown out for various reasons.

September 11, 2015 – U.S. Cannabis Spot Index up fractionally to $2,133.  The national price may be at—or close to—its seasonal high.

A group of scientists and activists is coming to Phoenix later this month to talk about the "science" of marijuana in what appears to be another publicly funded prohibitionist political event.

A few years ago, you might hear the name Herbal Risings Cannabis College and picture students in beanies and tie-dye T-shirts fighting over the last bag of Doritos. A class called “Budtending 101” might get a few wisecracks.

How quickly things change: When Chad Olshavsky moved to Arizona with his wife in 2012, they founded a training program that was rigorous and professional. Olshavsky wants to groom dispensary agents with medical knowledge, just like your neighborhood pharmacist.

Border Patrol agents discovered 203 pounds of marijuana inside a go-kart. (Source: U.S. Customs and Border Protection) A Border Patrol K-9 unit seized 195 pounds of marijuana discovered in the trunk of a vehicle traveling through the Highway 95 checkpoint. (Source: U.S. Customs and Border Protection) YUMA, AZ (KPHO/KTVK) -

Border Patrol agents found more than 200 pounds of marijuana inside a go-kart that illegally crossed the U.S. border along the Colorado River last week, officials said.

According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the driver tried to elude the pursuing agents late Thursday evening. After a brief chase, the driver jumped out of the go-kart and fled back to Mexico.