Arkansas and Florida start moving toward voter-approved medical marijuana systems, Massachusetts activists push for greater patient access, and more.

Puerto Rico medical marijuana dispensaries have begun operating for the first time in the U.S. territory.

Gov. Alejandro Garcia Padilla said Friday that two dispensaries opened nearly two years after his administration adopted a regulation to allow for the cultivation, manufacturing and distribution of medical marijuana.

Nearly 2,000 patients have registered with the island’s health department so far to obtain medical marijuana.

Officials say the substance can be used in forms including pills, creams, patches and oral drops. Smoking marijuana and cultivating it for personal use remains illegal, although Garcia has said prosecuting marijuana possession would be given the lowest priority by his administration.

It started at the best of times in what was then one of the worst states for cannabis legalization. The exuberance of the chase to get Florida’s Amendment 2 on the ballot in 2014 and the confirmation of the polls of more than 70 percent support. Then the epoch of disbelief, as Amendment #2 failed to get the much needed 60 percent of the vote, left medical cannabis activists Kathleen Isoldi and Candice A. Marschke incredulous. 

Cannabis After several years of uncertainty and timid changes, the ball is in Puerto Rico's court. True legalisation is gaining momentum and the process for applying for a Cultivation Licence for Medicinal Cannabis has finally been kick started. The licence's principles will be implemented as per Regulation no. 155.

Mentor Capital, Inc. (OTCQB: MNTR) announced it has received 500,000 first to be registered common shares of Green Vision Systems Corp. and will be supporting their legal cultivation, manufacturing and transportation of medical cannabis products from Green Vision’s planned state of the art facility in Puerto Rico, plus associated hemp farming in this tropical setting.

Academic Sciences of Puerto Rico (ASPR) stressed the importance of broadening the knowledge about and functions of medicinal cannabis to treat chronic health symptoms and diseases while it promoted the beginning of registration to purchase and use the plant on the island. Distribution of licenses and regulation by the Health Department for legal access to medicinal cannabis will take place starting Nov. 15.

Democratic socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders takes his political revolution to Puerto Rico, promising in Spanish to legalize marijuana if elected president.

“Would you legalize marijuana?” one person asked in Spanish, before repeating the question in English.

“Si,” he said, and joked.“You see, my Spanish is good enough to know that word.”

He said he thinks it’s unfair that so many people have drug crimes on their record, making it harder for them to get jobs.

Sanders cited congressional legislation he introduced that would take marijuana off of the list of substances under the Federal Controlled Substance Act.

“We’ve got marijuana and heroin together, that’s pretty crazy to my mind,” he said.

The governor of Puerto Rico made his last public address on Monday, February 29, 2016. In the hourlong speech Gov. Alejandro Garcia Padilla addressed a variety of topics, including the territory’s massive $70 billion debt crisis. Interestingly, he also devoted a fair amount of time to pressing the case for legalization of cannabis in the territory.

Just say no to Prohibition

Among the many reasons cited for the end of alcohol prohibition in the U.S. in the early 1900s were the enormous loss of tax revenues and “prohibitive” cost of enforcing such unpopular laws. Public support for Prohibition dwindled as the Great Depression settled in.

There are many signs that some Caribbean countries may well develop into an Eldorado for cannabis and its consumers in the coming years. Read about the seven most important reasons here.