Colorado is expected to reach another national first on cannabis Wednesday when state agriculture officials show off the first domestic certified hemp seeds.

The Colorado Department of Agriculture has been working for years to produce hemp seeds that consistently produce plants low enough in the chemical THC to qualify as hemp and not its intoxicating cousin, marijuana.

Hemp production was authorized by Congress in 2014. But farmers who want to grow it must have state certification to raise the crop. The industry estimates that fewer than 7,000 acres are being grown nationwide this year.

Colorado is the first state to certify hemp seed, which means the seed has been proven to be genetically pure and to produce hemp and not marijuana.

A new poll shows that a voter initiative to legalize marijuana for recreational use in Arizona is going to be a nail-biter.

Half of Arizona voters surveyed in a new poll favor legalizing marijuana for recreational use, while a sizable share remain undecided on the November ballot measure.

The Arizona Republic/Morrison/Cronkite News poll found 50 percent of registered voters favor legalization, 40 percent oppose the measure and 10 percent are undecided. The poll surveyed 784 registered voters between Aug. 17 and Aug. 31. The margin of error is 3.4 percent.

The board regulating Alaska's fledgling legal marijuana industry is expected to approve licenses this week for the state's first retail marijuana outlets.

The Marijuana Control Board is expected to consider dozens of license applications for marijuana businesses and discuss the key issue of whether certain retail stores will be allowed to have areas on their premises where consumers could light up.

Alaska's first marijuana retail shops are expected to open by the end of 2016.

But the board is trying to find a way to accommodate tourists interested in partaking in legal marijuana who otherwise are prohibited from using marijuana in public.

Love ice cream? Love cannabis? You’ve stumbled upon the precise publish. From banana splits to an ultra-potent peach cobbler, these dessert recipes will fulfill late evening sugar cravings and supply an elevated expertise in addition. Listed here are 10 scrumptious cannabis desserts that everybody ought to strive.

1. Banana Cut up with Chocolate Hashish Sauce

With legal allowances for both medical and recreational use on the rise all over the US, the favored illegal drug of Americans has never looked more professional.

That's because the business of legal marijuana has never been better. We're talking about a $7 billion market, according to ArcView Market Research (a firm that tracks the legal cannabis trade).

As we’re getting nearer to the 58th U.S. presidential election scheduled for Tuesday, November eight, 2016 we’ll hear extra in regards to the completely different opinions of the taking part candidates. It’s the primary time that Cannabis has a spot of their political agenda.

The final years we’ve seen an enormous wave of socio-political developments not solely within the U.S. but additionally in different international locations in Americas. What began as an experiment in some states appears that may be a success in some ways. Whether or not it is just medical cannabis use permitted for medical or leisure functions, the advantages are large when it comes to finance.

A Clarence cigarette manufacturer says it has expanded its cannabis research program.

The 22nd Century Group said its wholly owned subsidiary, Botanical Genetics, has launched a number of new research projects to develop proprietary cannabis strains that have medical and agricultural uses.

Company officials estimate the markets for medical marijuana and industrial hemp – which they view as an ideal agricultural crop – could be worth up to $10 billion, and they said the company wants to be a leader in cannabis biotechnology.

“It’s amazing what you can do with this one plant,” said Paul Rushton, 22nd Century’s vice president for biotechnology.

Jesse Ventura has been making a spectacle of himself his entire life. A Navy vet who fought in Vietnam, Ventura returned from the war and plunged into a world of professional physicality, working as bodyguard for the Rolling Stones before ascending to pro-wrestling superstardom as the loud-mouthed, trash-talking bully character “The Body.” Then things got really interesting. In 1990, Ventura swapped the physical for the political and got himself elected mayor of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. Eight years later he found himself the duly elected governor of Minnesota.

For a few years now Americans’ have disputed on the legalization of cannabis, also known as marijuana. Recreational cannabis is legal in four states: Oregon, Colorado, Alaska, and Washington state. This November, five states will vote to legalize recreational cannabis: California, Massachusetts, Maine, Arizona, and Nevada. We’ve heard all the research and the majority of adults will admit to having tried cannabis at least once in their life. In a world where substances like alcohol and tobacco remain legal, it’s just illogical that cannabis stays illegal. Both the Republican and Democrat parties have recognized the value of cannabis, at least medically, however there is bigger picture.

A trend has emerged in recent years for district attorneys in larger Texas counties to dismiss a greater number of cases involving small amounts of marijuana.

The largest counties by population in Texas–Bexar, Dallas, Harris, Tarrant and Travis–have had a greater number of dismissals since 2011, according to analysis by the Austin American-Statesman.