Washington, DC Police Chief Cathy Lanier seems fairly enthusiastic about marijuana legalization in the District, even decrying the past system of prohibition and how it tarnished community relations with police.

Lanier told the American News Women's Club last Wednesday, according to the Daily Beast, "All those [marijuana] arrests do is make people hate us." She added, "Marijuana smokers are not going to attack and kill a cop. They just want to get a bag of chips and relax. Alcohol is a much bigger problem."

The emerging legal marijuana economy will see explosive growth in the coming years. Insurers should be prepared to adopt policies that spell out coverage for legally grown marijuana plants and medical marijuana property. The cannabis industry is expected to grow to nearly $15 billion over the next four years. In states where manufacture, sale and use is legal for recreational purposes, legalization will have a profound impact on not only personal lines insurance, but also commercial coverage, workers’ comp, product liability, healthcare insurance and more.

earchers at Columbia University and Johns Hopkins University have identified nonwhite, low-income women aged over 50 as most likely to perceive regularly using cannabis as a risky activity, with women nearly twice as likely to perceive a risk compared with men.

Public perceptions of cannabis use appear to be changing as more and more states move to legalize the use of the drug for medical purposes.

Results from the study, published in Drug and Alcohol Dependence, were obtained through analysis of data from the 2002-12 survey years of the National Survey on Drug Use and Health.

A couple of recent events have us thinking about the different ways retailers and cultivators are doing business in the cannabis market. First, a few of our clients have asked us about situations involving groups of retailers banding together to negotiate with producers and vice versa ­— groups of producers teaming up to negotiate prices and supply contracts with retailers. Then, Washington’s Liquor Control Board released emergency rules that, among other things, severely limited the ability of Washington marijuana businesses to enter into standard sales agreements. How are these things connected?

(Bloomberg) -- Marijuana is now effectively legal in the nation’s capital even though Congress tried to stop it.

District of Columbia residents who are at least 21 years old are free to grow as many as six plants and possess as much as 2 ounces, as a measure approved by voters in November took effect Thursday. It’s still illegal to sell the drug or smoke it in public.

The Washington State Liquor Control Board(LCB) has filed emergency rules in order to close a loophole in the recreational marijuana market. According to the LCB, they are adjusting the rules by “defining, consultant, intermediate product, paraphernalia, and selling price” According to the LCB, the new ruling comes after allegations of some stores providing a package deal to their customers.

February 9, 2015

By Marijuana Business Daily staff

California has climbed over several other powerhouse cannabis states and now ranks as the most popular market for entrepreneurs starting marijuana companies, despite an unstable business climate fostered by a lack of statewide MMJ regulations.

Nearly 20% of entrepreneurs currently in the process of starting cannabis-related companies are located in California, according to the 3rd Annual Marijuana Business Professionals Survey.

February 9, 2015

By John Schroyer

A very public fight over marijuana in Washington DC is brewing between city leaders and Congress, and the outcome will likely determine whether recreational cannabis sales come to the nation’s capital.

While the situation has always been murky, recent developments have muddied the waters even further.

“I hate to say it, but I don’t know (what’s next),” said Bob Capecchi, deputy director of state policies for the Marijuana Policy Project.