On Thursday, CanPay announced the first debit payment solution for the expanding legal marijuana industry has become available to retailers and consumers in the states of Washington, Oregon and Colorado. The service has already launched in 15 retail stores across Washington and Colorado, solving the cash-only problem that troubles the legal cannabis industry.

Two things need to happen in the wake of Arizona’s failure to become the 9th state to legalize recreational marijuana on Nov. 8, according to the state director of Arizona NORML.

“We need to have the campaign, whatever campaign it is, address the fact that there’s 40 percent of the population that does not live in the Phoenix Metro area and those people need to be part of the picture," said Mikel Weisser. 

"And we need to come up with some agreement on what we want to do, because we can’t make progress when we’re fighting against each other."

The first three months of 2016 saw spending on spirits exceed weed by $54.8 million.

This lead was reduced to $37 million in the April-June period. The alcohol statistics do not include wine and beer sales.

On November 16, Denver became the first US city to legalize marijuana in bars, restaurants and other businesses throughout the Colorado capital. The catch is that pot smoking will not be allowed inside, but it may signify an important step on the way to more widespread acceptance.

Marijuana sales in the US state of Washington have for the first time exceeded $200 million in the second quarter of 2016. Washington is one of a small number of states which went the legalization route, raking in massive dividends.

“Maybe it’ll make your slightly racist uncle a little bit more tolerable.”

First you'll hit the grocery store for a turkey, or sweet potatoes, or pie. Then maybe the liquor store for a bottle of wine to bring to dinner. And then, depending on where you live, perhaps the dispensary, for an extra Thanksgiving pick-me-up—some marijuana.

Massachusetts voters legalized recreational marijuana earlier this month, despite the fact that there’s still no easy way for law enforcement to test someone behind the wheel for marijuana-induced impairment.

A field sobriety test is used when a motorist is suspected of reckless driving, and a breathalyzer is used to gauge the level of alcohol in a driver’s bloodstream. But there’s nothing similar to a breathalyzer for testing whether someone is driving while under the influence of marijuana.

“You have to prosecute the person based on the officer’s observations and what the officer found during the car stop. It makes it very difficult,” said William G. Brooks III, Norwood police chief and president of the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association.

The subject of medical marijuana usage in the NFL has been a longstanding topic of discussion for the league. Now, according to their Players Association, a group has been designed to mull its presence and other alternative drugs to aid in ailments, USA Today reports.

In an interview with the news site, former defensive end for the New York Jets, Marvin Washington, said he feels like the NFL Players Association will eventually vote in favor of the substance. “The movement is happening,” he said. “They can’t ignore this, when 60 percent of the country has access to recreational or medical cannabis.”

Quietly on election night, overshadowed by the epic battle between blue and red, the map of America grew greener. Voters in four states — California, Massachusetts, Nevada and Maine — chose to legalize recreational marijuana. In Florida, Arkansas, Montana and North Dakota, ballot measures passed allowing pot to be used for medical purposes. (Only Arizona bucked the trend, saying no to recreational weed).

About 60 percent of Americans now live in a state where cannabis is legal or soon to be legal in some form. And with marijuana use on a steady march toward normalization, if not outright national legalization, the booming cannabis industry appears bound for even greater growth.

Marijuana is legal in more places than ever, but there are still a lot of circumstances that marijuana use is prohibited, even in legal states. Voters in eight states, and Washington D.C., have voted to regulate marijuana like alcohol. However, marijuana consumers are still discriminated against in many settings. Marijuana is not equal to alcohol, even though that’s what voters have approved in many parts of America. I can go into a bar in Oregon, purchase a bottle of beer, and drink it on site. I can also do it at a restaurant.

The news that President-elect Donald Trump picked Senator Jeff Sessions to be the next Attorney General has many libertarians up in arms for the pick. The Senator has been one of the strongest proponents of the prohibition of marijuana at the federal level and with this pick, we must hold Trump’s feet to the fire.

Sessions has opposed legislation to make mandatory minimum sentencing less harsh and has said that “Good people don’t smoke marijuana.” Despite these ridiculous policies and ideas from Sessions, we must realize that marijuana legalization will not come through the federal government but will be achieved at the local and state levels of government. We must join the fight for the radical decentralization of government if we are to make any change at all.