Possession of small amounts of marijuana is now a civil offense across Illinois, punishable only by fines — not jail time.

Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner signed legislation decriminalizing small amounts of pot on Friday, after vetoing a bill last year that sought to allow slightly larger amounts.

Chicago has already joined more than 100 Illinois local governments in removing some criminal penalties for people caught with lesser amounts of marijuana. But the new law extends decriminalization to the entire state.

Supporters heralded it as a “commonsense” reform that will keep “countless citizens from having their lives turned upside down” by an arrest for using a drug “safer than alcohol.”

Owners of medical marijuana* dispensaries cannot obtain federal trademark protection on marks used in connection with marijuana sales — even if their home state’s laws have legalized marijuana businesses — because marijuana is an illegal substance under federal law, and therefore encompasses a use that is unlawful, the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board has ruled.

In its July 14 decision in In re Morgan Brown, the TTAB upheld the decision of a trademark examiner at the U.S. Trademark Office who denied protection of a marijuana dispensary’s mark citing federal anti-drug laws.

Anti-pot Gov. Chris Christie would be a top prospect for attorney general.

Americans pleased with the country’s progress toward marijuana legalization should be wary of a Donald Trump presidency, cannabis advocates say.

Their reason: The possibility that New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R), one of the country’s most outspoken anti-marijuana elected officials, would be Trump’s attorney general.

Snoop Dogg is all over television in 2016. The Long Beach native has popped up on a few different shows this year and he’s about to add another one to the list. Snoop was announced as an executive producer and guest star for the upcoming MTV show Mary + Jane. The weed-themed series is a comedy about two best friends (played by Jessica Rothe and Scout Durwood) running an all-female marijuana delivery service in Los Angeles.

In addition to Snoop Dogg’s duties as a producer and guest star, he also created the theme song for the new MTV program. The Doggfather is no stranger to television themes as he most recently crafted one for Comedy Central’s Another Period. Fans will get to hear what he made for Mary + Jane when the show premieres on Sept. 5.

I can’t count the number of times I’ve warned potential investors that the cannabis industry is rife with fraud and bad behavior. With legalized cannabis still a relatively new industry and with states constantly changing their cannabis regulations, fraudsters can have a field day.

Cue the bizarre (though unsurprising) case of Portland-based dispensary, Cannacea, and allegations of cannabis investor fraud swirling around it.

SAM argues that weed is potentially addictive, definitely harmful, and does not really contribute to the disgrace that is our prison system.

Move over, giant pumpkins. Marijuana is taking over the competitive agriculture exhibits at this year's Oregon State Fair, which runs from August 26-September 5 in Salem. The fair's organizers are celebrating legalization by inviting growers to bring their best cannabis plants to the show, according to Portland FOX affiliate KPTV. 

Lacey resident Linda Schroeck-Connors keeps passing out.

It has happened at the Ocean County Mall and ShopRiite, resulting in trips to the emergency room. She has lost consciousness many times at home, and has a service dog, Venus, to warn her when an attack is on the way.

"This week alone, I have had five seizures," said Schroeck-Connors in a recent email. "I'm home alone all day and it's a very scary thing."

Schroeck has epilepsy. And recently her doctor had a potential solution to her problem: medicinal marijuana. A bureaucratic snafu kept her from getting an identification card from the New Jersey Medicinal Marijuana Program until Press on Your Side got involved.

New research published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, an open access journal affiliated with the American Heart Association, suggests secondhand marijuana smoke may be worse than secondhand cigarette smoke.

An outgoing member of the Alaska Marijuana Control Board says some officials in Gov. Bill Walker's administration, as well as remaining board members, are attempting to delay implementation of the voter-approved commercial cannabis industry.

"There's an underlying agenda to subvert the process, to delay the implementation of a legalized marijuana industry," says Bruce Schulte, who was abruptly removed from the five-member board on Friday by the governor. "It doesn't look like the State of Alaska is really serious about making this happen."

A replacement was not immediately announced.