It was only a matter of time before a lawsuit came about after Seattle’s Liquor and Cannabis Board sent out 14 day notices to long-standing medical marijuana shops around the city. New laws will put a cap on the number of dispensaries in the city, leaving them with two choices – relocate or apply for a license and pray they are one of the lucky ones.

While many of the businesses that were able to likely got the heck-outta-dodge as quick as they could, others are not so fortunate. Those who were left with no choice but to apply for a license were promised that while there was no guarantee for a license that dispensaries which were established the longest ago and had the a good track record for paying taxes and fees would be taken into consideration first.

Oregon and Washington state lawmakers are making another try at introducing a new crop to the Northwest: Industrial hemp, the non-drug cousin of marijuana.

For the fourth year in a row, the Washington Legislature is considering whether to legalize hemp farming. The initial, lopsided votes in favor suggest this might be the session it happens.

Hemp produces oil seed and fiber that processors turn into a wide range of goods from clothing and food to body care products and biofuels. Several hemp advocates testified Tuesday in separate public hearings in Salem and Olympia that the plant can even be used in building construction.

America is in the midst of a drug crisis—and the War on Drugs may be making it worse.

There were 47,000 deaths in 2014 as a result of opioid overdoses (or some 128 overdoses per day), according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). That figure isn't just more than any other year on record; it marks a 200 percent increase in opioid overdose deaths since 2000.

For many decades, one of the strongest arguments for the legalization of cannabis has been the potential medicinal benefits derived from the plant. What we do know is that within the human body exists the Endocannabinoid System (ECS), a group of receptors throughout the brain and central nervous system that respond to compounds from the cannabis plant. The issue, however, is that there are over 400 natural compounds and at least 138 identified cannabinoids, all having various effects on the body.

While it's still controversial, medical marijuana is edging toward normality. Forty states (and the District of Columbia) now have some form of law on the books that allow the drug to be used for a variety of ailments, and sales are soaring— reaching $5.4 billion in 2015.

That doesn't mean it's widely available in all of those states, of course. Some, like Alabama and South Carolina, have extremely strict circumstances under which cannabidiol products can be prescribed, and still forbid the production and distribution of the drug. And even in states where it's easier to come by, there are differences in how it's handled.

One year ago, I was 30 years old, leading a $100-million-plus business as head of an Asia-Pacific-wide sales team for Google, and making more money than I ever imagined. I had lived in New York, San Francisco, Bangkok and Singapore, and travelled to over 50 countries. All this because six years before, I landed my dream job at Google in corporate strategy.

I found myself on a secondment in Ghana developing national Internet infrastructure. On my way to a voodoo ceremony with a Ghanian tour guide, I reflected on my career path, admitting to him that I’d lost focus and felt unfulfilled. What he told me changed the course of my life: “You either work on something you love, or work because it supports the people you love.”

That’s when I quit Google.

SEATTLE -- Banned pesticides recently found in legal marijuana are highlighting the need for better consumer protection for weed buyers.

State law doesn't require mandatory recalls when marijuana products could pose a health hazard, but some people now say recalls are needed.

The owner of Hashtag, a Seattle marijuana store, recently pulled products from his shelf that used a banned pesticide even though he didn't have to under state law.

"Even products that were fine but we couldn't trace the linage of the ingredients we pulled to be on the safe side," said owner Logan Bowers.

Unlike Colorado, Washington state law doesn't have a mandatory recall mechanism to pull bad weed products off the shelf.

Yes, a couple of exhibitors were selling pipes and bongs. And a few showgoers looked like they had dressed in the dark.

But they were a small minority at CannaCon on Thursday when the annual marijuana industry trade show opened its three-day run at Seattle’s Pier 91.

The rapidly growing and changing marijuana business is attracting big money.

Out with the stoners, in with the suits.

“Our industry is growing so amazingly fast it’s ridiculous,” said show founder Bob Smart. “When we did the first show there were three retail stores open. The second show last February there were 34. This year there’s 200.”

SEATTLE, WA / ACCESSWIRE / February 19, 2016 / Marijuana has been legalized in some form in 27 US states - including four that have legalized recreational marijuana - and an additional 16 states may legalize the drug in one form or another over the next year. Add that in along with Canada's new Prime Minister vowing to legalize recreational Marijuana on a national scale in the near future, and it is easy to see why state regulators and law enforcement officials have been scrambling to develop and enforce marijuana related laws to protect the public.

Voters in 20 U.S. states could potentially legalize some form of cannabis use in the November 2016 election — part of a historic backlash to the century-old war on marijuana.

According to Ballotpedia, the encyclopedia of American politics, activists have submitted ballot measures for public vote in: Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.