Cannabis has it bad enough. Decades of negative government propaganda, mainstream media hyperbole, and black market perpetuated negative circumstances have led to a negative public perception. Many good men and women have been working for years to change that. Unfortunately, as in any industry, there are characters who meddle in shady business practices that hurt investors and employees.

News 3 has obtained a copy of Nevada’s Statement of Emergency and draft regulations to allow certain medical marijuana establishments to begin selling recreationally to adults 21 and older beginning on July 1.

The regulations detail limitations on the amount of THC that is allowed in edible products and sets requirements for child-proof packaging and labeling. The regulations also prohibit certain products that are “normally consumed by or found appealing to children, such as lollipops and gummy bears.”

Colorado’s cannabis industry has now helped give $420,000 in scholarships to 210 Pueblo County high school graduates. On June 20, the high school seniors each received $2,000 in cannabis tax-funded grants from the Pueblo County Scholarship Fund and the Colorado Opportunity Scholarship Initiative.

Pueblo County Commissioner Sal Pace told the Pueblo Chieftan that the dollar amount was a mere coincidence, not a reference to ’420’ cannabis slang. In February, estimates put the projected amount at $425,000.

The House approved a bill to revise Massachusetts’ recreational pot law in a 126-28 vote Wednesday evening. The bill makes several amendments to the Massachusetts pot law that voters approved at the ballot box in November, including changes in tax rate and local control over pot shops.

The House bill allows local government officials to ban marijuana shops from opening in town rather than allowing residents to decide through a referendum, as the current law calls for. Under the proposal, pot sales would be taxed at 28 percent instead of the 12 percent tax approved by voters.

Lawmakers in Vermont yesterday stopped short on a bill that would have legalized possession and sale of Marijuana. Meanwhile, in New Hampshire, a bill to decriminalize pot possession is headed to Governor Sununu, who says he’ll sign it.

And in Massachusetts, where recreational use of marijuana was approved by voters in November, lawmakers are pushing to raise taxes on marijuana and tighten regulations, for instance by requiring background checks for workers in the industry.

Matt Simon, New England Political Director for the Marijuana Policy Project, joined NHPR’s Peter Biello to discuss this current moment in marijuana policy.

NHPR's Peter Biello speaks with Matt Simon about the state of regional pot policy.

For Marijuana Stocks U.S., Watch the News 

When it comes to marijuana stocks in the U.S., of course you need to be watching the markets to stay abreast of what’s happening in terms of stock prices. But something that can have an equal impact on shares is political news.

While this applies in one form or another to most products in the U.S., it is perhaps most pronounced in the marijuana market, and for good reason. After all, in many states, the drug is still totally illegal, and the majority of states still don’t allow pot as a legal recreational substance. And this makes U.S. political news of particular importance.

The United States Senate is an intentionally slow moving body when it comes to passing laws, but the nation's upper legislative chamber is even slower when it comes to catching up with the popular will of the American people. That's especially been on display when it comes to the nation's pot laws, but now there's a growing core group of senators who are vocally crying out for the federal government to catch up with the states, at least when it comes to medical marijuana.

NEPS, a leading technology solutions provider, announces the release of GreenSun, a suite of software tools designed to enhance and simplify lab, plant and product labeling for the Medical and Recreational Cannabis industry. Grow operations, labs and dispensaries can now produce high quality, dynamic color labels on demand with GreenSun. Leveraging barcode and RFID technology, GreenSun provides compliance and control throughout the process lifecycle. Tracking and auditing is simplified from plants to patients, enabling boundary control and chain of custody handling for sensitive materials and processing areas.

This week the OFF3R Celebrities That Invest Series looks at American West Coast rapper, Snoop Dogg.