Clinton, Skowhegan and Winslow take steps to enact restrictions on retail marijuana establishments in the wake of the Nov. 8 vote to legalize.

Town officials in Clinton, Skowhegan and Winslow took steps to enact restrictions on retail marijuana establishments this week, joining about two dozen other communities acting in the wake of the Nov. 8 vote to legalize marijuana.

In Clinton, the board of selectman voted unanimously Tuesday night to pass an emergency moratorium on retail marijuana establishments. The moratorium will stand for 60 days unless extended or repealed by selectmen, and it allows the planning board time to prepare changes to the land-use ordinance. Residents will have the opportunity to vote on the measure at the Town Meeting in June.

The United States is gradually becoming the land of the red, white, and green.

After a historic election cycle, which saw four states pass ballot initiatives legalizing nonmedical marijuana, one in five Americansnow live in a state where it's legal to smoke weed without a doctor's letter.

The industry is on track to post $20.2 billion in sales by 2021.

Here's a summary of where Americans can light up legally so far in 2017.

ArcView Market Research released their annual cannabis market summary, and the numbers are staggering for the legal marijuana industry. In their 4th edition of The State of Legal Marijuana Markets they report that an amazing 30% growth rate occurred in the industry, which makes it the fastest growing industry in the country by far. The pace is even greater than the dot-com era, which grew at only a 22% rate.

In less than two weeks, on January 15th, cannabis becomes legal for those 21 and older in Maine.

This is thanks to portions of Question 1 taking effect. With a possession limit of 2.5 ounces, it’s the most progressive of the eight states that have legalized cannabis. The seven other states have a limit of one ounce, though Oregon and Massachusetts allow more at a private residence.

Legalization activists received an early Christmas present last weekend: recreational marijuana legalization in the Pine Tree State is finally on track after a lengthy battle over election results. 

The Question 1 recount is over. And Wednesday, the Maine secretary of state certified the election results.

Question 1, which legalizes the possession, cultivation and sale of recreational marijuana, will soon become law.

Soon, but not yet.

Gov. Paul LePage will have 10 days to issue a proclamation after he receives the certified election results. The legislation becomes law 30 days after the governor signs the proclamation.

Thanks to voters who checked “yes” for recreational marijuana legalization on this year’s election ballot, gift-giving during the holidays is about to get a lot more dank. But just because recreational marijuana is legal in a state doesn’t necessarily mean you can just give it away willy nilly. Make sure your holiday good cheer doesn’t come with a side of incarceration by using this handy guide to cannabis gift giving, organized by state.

Puff, Pass & Paint, the nation's first cannabis-friendly art class, adds locations in Las Vegas and California as additional states legalize recreationally.

"Puff, Pass & Paint", the nation's first cannabis-friendly art class, continues to expand nationally with recreational legalization in California, Nevada, Massachusetts, and Maine. Based in Denver, the smokey art session has also expanded to Portland, Seattle, and Washington DC, with dates available in San Francisco and Las Vegas starting January of 2017. The company will add additional events and locations as legalization allows, with Boston, Portland, ME, San Diego, Los Angeles, and Orange County, CA scheduled for immediate expansion as well. 

Another hurdle has been cleared for supporters of legalizing recreational marijuana in Maine.

On Saturday, opponents of the ballot measure legalizing pot conceded to the Yes on 1 campaign. That followed a recount of somewhere between a third and a fourth of all ballots cast in Maine on Election Day.

A lawyer for the No on 1 campaign said it became clear this past week that the results of November's election wouldn't be changed by the recount. He also said many towns and cities in Maine may still consider banning recreational pot use.

"I think the first line of discussion is the individual Maine towns because they're going to have and should have the right to say we don't marijuana here", said Newell Augur, legal counsel for the No on 1 campaign.

The recount was expected to take up to a month to complete and cost taxpayers $500,000. Unofficial results from the secretary of state's office had put the margin of victory at 4,073 in the days after the election. Because the recount was ended early, the final price tag for the recount is expected to be much less. They No on 1 campaign had struggled to provide sufficient volunteers to perform the recount last week, only coming up with eight of the requested ten the state asked for on Wednesday, two days after the recount was to begin.