In a departure from the Obama administration’s policies, the White House said Thursday that the Trump administration is likely to crack down on recreational marijuana use.

“I do think you’ll see greater enforcement,” said White House press secretary Sean Spicer. “The Department of Justice, I think, will be further looking into [the issue]. I believe they are going to continue to enforce the laws on the books with respect to recreational marijuana.”

He drew a distinction between marijuana use for medical purposes, and compared recreational marijuana loosely with the opioid epidemic.

Advocates of recreational marijuana reacted quickly to his comments.

If you've ever smoked up with someone who lived through the 1960s, you may have heard them remark that marijuana is much stronger than it used to be. 

But is that actually true, or just a hippie myth? Here's the straight dope. 

How we measure marijuana strength

Because it's too difficult to ask Willie Nelson, we're forced to measure weed's potency the only way we really can: by examining its concentration of THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, the psychoactive chemical that gets us high. 

Let’s journey back to 1981.  REO Speedwagon just sold out and did a ballad.  Ronald Reagan is in the White House and his wife Nancy’s response to the crack cocaine epidemic is to, “Just say No.”  John Lennon was murdered by a psycho and Paul McCartney was the most hated person in America because of his response to his chum’s death.  The video game revolution has begun with arcades springing up all over the landscape offering games like Pac-Man and Asteroids.  The Houston Astros had those ugly multi-colored home jerseys and the Oakland Raiders won the Super Bowl, directly before they split and moved to LA. 

Selling weed isn’t legal yet, but giving it away disguised as a $50 VIP club package apparently is.

Massachusetts voters passed a ballot measure legalizing adult recreational marijuana use in late 2016, but, like California, regulations for the distribution and sale of weed haven’t been finalized and selling it is still very much illegal.

Giving your stash away, though, became legal as soon as recreational use did, and some entrepreneurial Mass residents are taking full advantage of the loophole, creating makeshift cannabis clubs where a bag of bud is one VIP cover charge away.

Gold Leaf Gives Us a Tour of Their Clean Green Certified Grow Op.

t only takes a moment for Nate Gibbs to find what he's looking for. He brushes aside a rotting orange rind and uses his fingers to pull back a half-inch of soil, revealing a collection of squirming earthworms a couple inches away from the stalk of a cannabis plant. Sure, the pot smells amazing, has all the right hairs and crystals, and returns all the right test results, but these prized little worms are how Gibbs brags about his weed.

Welcome to C-Suite, our new interview series with business leaders in the cannabis industry. Below is our interview with John Docherty, President at Lexaria Bioscience Corp. (OTC: LXRP; OTCMKTS: LXRPD), which produces hemp-infused foods for consumers with active lifestyles.


CIVILIZED: How did you get into the cannabis space?

Olivia Mannix, the founder of Cannabrand, is on a quest to transform attitudes towards marijuana.

Cannabis has long been associated with hippies and students. But as marijuana is gradually legalised across the US and other parts of the world, growers and sellers are looking to change its image and attract new clients.

Enter Olivia Mannix, the founder and CEO of Cannabrand: what is believed to be the first marketing agency dedicated to cannabis. 

Pot lounges could come to Oregon.

You've seen hookah and cigar lounges, but did you ever think you'd see marijuana lounges?

Oregon Senate Bill 307 would make it legal to smoke marijuana at temporary events. That's the language used in the bill, but it boils down to this -- the pot lounges that you hear about in places like Amsterdam would be legal here, too.

A pediatrician who spoke to NewsChannel 21 Tuesday on behalf of the Oregon Pediatric Society brought up another piece of legislation he thinks the new bill would undermine.

"It weakens the Clean Air Act," Benjamin Hoffman said. "Which is a really essential component in reducing exposure to secondhand smoke."

Senate panel heard testimony on Monday over proposed bill.

Kansas could soon become one of the next states to legalize marijuana for medical purposes.

On Monday, the Senate Federal and State Affairs Committee heard testimony over a proposal (Senate Bill 155) aimed at legalizing marijuana for patients suffering from debilitating conditions. If approved, patients with severe health issues, including cancer, chronic pain, and epilepsy, would have access to cannabis medicine with a doctor’s recommendation.