SAN DIEGO — Authorities seized 12 tons of marijuana and arrested 22 people after discovering one of the longest cross-border tunnels between the U.S. and Mexico, officials said Thursday.

The passage connecting warehouses in San Diego and Tijuana, Mexico, was about 2,400 feet (730 metres) long and 30 feet (nine metres) deep. It was lit, ventilated and equipped with a rail system — hallmarks of the most sophisticated tunnels found along the border.

Near-simultaneous police stings on Wednesday resulted in six arrests in San Diego and 16 in Mexico. Authorities recovered two tons of marijuana in the U.S. and 10 tons in Mexico.

U.S. authorities said smugglers tried to move the first load of drugs through the tunnel on Wednesday but that nothing got through undetected.

COSTA MESA, CA--(Marketwired - October 22, 2015) - Nemus Bioscience, Inc. (OTCQB: NMUS) has announced that the pro-drug of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in-licensed from the company's research and commercial partner, the University of Mississippi, has been granted a utility patent in Japan. The patent refers to the composition of matter and preparation of delta-9 THC amino acid esters and their methods of use. The lead Nemus compound in development for glaucoma, NB1111, would fall under this patent umbrella.

A proposed marijuana legalization initiative backed by former Facebook president and Napster co-founder Sean Parker could allow Californians 21-and-over to possess an ounce of pot and grow six marijuana plants while creating a regulated cannabis industry with a 15 percent tax on retail marijuana sales.

A 51-page October 14 draft on the much-awaited initiative, obtained by The Bee today, appears to build upon regulations signed by Gov. Jerry Brown this month to impose state oversight on California’s existing medical marijuana industry. The draft, connected with Parker’s name, has circulated as fine-tuning on the measure continues.

Jason Kinney, a spokesman for Parker’s group, declined to authenticate the draft.

Three men were found shot to death Tuesday in the Rail Road Flat area of Calaveras County, California, where they had allegedly been trespassing on a property containing dozens of marijuana plants.

Deputies responded to a call of shots fired at around 9 am Tuesday morning, where they found the bodies of the three men, according to local ABC affiliate ABC10. Investigators believe the three victims were trying to steal marijuana plants located on the property.

SAN DIEGO — Mexican authorities said Thursday they seized about 10 tons of marijuana in an elaborate tunnel with a rail car system that extended well into San Diego and was designed to smuggle drugs into the U.S. from Tijuana.

The discovery on Wednesday marks one of the longest and more sophisticated clandestine tunnels found on the U.S.-Mexico border.

The passage was 9 feet deep and about 2,600 feet long — about three-quarters of that distance in Tijuana and the rest in San Diego. It was lit, ventilated and built with metal beams to prevent collapse.

It was unclear whether any drugs got through the tunnel or if it had an exit yet in the U.S.

Lauren Mack, a spokeswoman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, declined to comment.

Medical marijuana dispensaries scored a major win on Monday when a federal judge ruled that the Department of Justice cannot prosecute legal providers of medical cannabis. 

Is it okay to give medical marijuana to pets? It's a question that I get a lot in my email and social media inboxes. And to be honest, I first scoffed at the idea, assuming that these owners just wanted a reason to get their pets high.

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., Oct. 15, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Terra Tech Corp. (OTCQB: TRTC) ("Terra Tech") or (the "Company"),  a vertically integrated cannabis-focused agriculture company, today announced that IVXX, the Company's proprietary brand of premium cannabis products, is now available at 60 additional medical cannabis collectives located in Orange and San Bernardino Counties,California.

California needs to establish its first bank for the marijuana industry, writes Board of Equalization member Fiona Ma.

This bank would not store hundreds of pounds of pungent, dried flower buds. Rather, it would provide banking services the state’s multi-billion dollar cannabis industry. This industry is currently dealing in large amounts of cash, because federal law blocks legal cannabis banking. California collects $44 million in medical cannabis taxes each year, often in cash.

Until federal law changes, California has to step up, writes Ma, in an opinion piece on Huffington Post.

A new world of weed is coming to the largest marijuana marketplace on the planet.

Gov. Jerry Brown this month signed regulations he said would bring “robust controls” to govern California’s long untamed medical marijuana industry, with clear standards for “local government, law enforcement, businesses, patients and health providers.”

His signature also may bring something else: a decidedly robust new era for cannabis commerce. By 2018 or sooner, marijuana businesses – from small pot farms to cannabis superstores – effectively can begin earning legal profits under the nation’s most diverse state licensing scheme for pot.