I have met Steve DeAngelo on several occasions. The first was at the 2012 Students for Sensible Drug Policy in Denver, Colorado. Steve had just walked off stage from giving a keynote speech, and since The Weed Blog booth was right by the auditorium, he walked right past Jay Smoker and I. We flagged him down, told him how big of fans we were of his work, and had a long conversation about the future of cannabis. It was a very timely conversation, because later that year Colorado and Washington voted to legalize recreational cannabis, which was something that we talked about that day, about eight months before Election Day 2012.

Some of the miles of tubing removed... courtesy Nevada DPS

Trash from the kitchen area... courtesy Nevada DPS

CH47 taking out part of the hundreds of pounds of trash left at the grow site... courtesy Nevada DPS

LINCOLN COUNTY, NV - Several agencies have teamed to eradicate more than 6,000 marijuana plants in southeast Nevada.

Spurred by a general legalization initiative, the bills would explicitly allow commercial cultivation and distribution for the first time.

Lawmakers who have been negotiating a plan to regulate medical marijuana in California said late Thursday that they have reached an agreement on legislation to be acted on by Friday's deadline.

The proposal would create a new state office that, along with cities, would issue licenses for medical cannabis dispensaries. Marijuana growers also would face regulations enforced by the state. Assemblyman Jim Wood (D-Healdsburg) said the compromise drops a proposed excise tax that would have brought in $60 million for policing and environmental protection.

“This package is the end product of countless hours meeting with stakeholders and extensive negotiations with the governor’s office,” Wood said.

Just days before Friday’s deadline to pass legislation in this session, something weird is going down in Sacramento with legislation that could — after two decades — bring structure and regulation to the medical marijuana industry. And it may have to do with who gets the credit.

For the first time cops, labor, weed growers and cities are uniting behind the same medical pot policy. Gov. Jerry Brown — no fan of the devil’s herb — has his office engaged in forging Assembly and Senate versions of the bill into a single policy that’s to his liking.

By Alex Rogers

Cannabis aka marijuana prohibition is entering its 78th year in the United States. But attitudes toward the plant are changing. Compared to 1968 when only 12% of the population supported legalizing marijuana, today the majority supports legalization. 

Earlier this year I was very surprised to read that spa and wellness authority Spa Finder had listed "Cannabis: New spa and wellness connections" as their number two trend for 2015. 

To gain insight on what is causing the momentum, I decided to talk to Sandra Hinchliffe, author of The Cannabis Spa at Home. How to Make Marijuana-Infused Lotions, Massage Oils, Ointments, Bath Salts, Spa Nosh, and More.

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Kodiak Capital is pleased to announce a strategic partnership with Solutioneer, Jim Fitzpatrick, to lead Kodiak Capital’s efforts in the cannabis industry, leveraging Kodiak Capital’s history of industry success. Kodiak Capital has committed over $25 million into almost two dozen transactions since 2011.

“We are excited to join forces with Jim Fitzpatrick. Kodiak is proud of our successful industry investments and we are confident Fitzpatrick will accelerate our leadership role in providing strategic growth capital to the emerging cannabis industry”

Come election time this November, voters in California may finally be looking at a ballot that includes a measure to legalize recreational marijuana in the state. While California was the first state in the U.S. to legalize medical marijuana in 1996, a subsequent proposition to legalize the drug for recreational purposes in 2010 fell short of the votes needed for passage.

The legislation currently being proposed, called the California Marijuana Legalization Initiative, will require 365,000 signatures to be placed on the November, 2016 ballot, and is being pushed for by ReformCA, a project of the Coalition for Cannabis Policy Reform, chaired by Dale Sky Jones.