medical marijuana

This is a major change in the nation's drug policy, and we essentially have it thanks to the fact that most if not all legislators didn't bother to read the massive spending bill that passed last weekend and is set to be signed by President Obama.

As Washington plows toward the legalization of pot, it's finding that getting the cannabis market off the ground has been even tougher than anyone imagined. Among the frustrated are growers who have been waiting months for permission to start raising their bar-coded plants; advocates who wish more public health messaging had been done by now; and would-be pot vendors who say bad luck, minor oversights on their applications, or errors by state officials have torpedoed otherwise promising efforts.

Treasury Secretary Jack Lew on Tuesday defended the Obama administration's guidelines to banks conducting transactions with legal marijuana sellers as congressional Republicans questioned whether the guidance amounts to tacit federal approval of a drug illegal in most states. The Justice and Treasury departments issued a roadmap in February that would allow the new businesses to make payroll, save money and pay taxes, a move that enables the legalized marijuana industry to operate in Colorado and Washington state.

It’s not just about forcing marijuana customers to pay more, it’s also about setting precedent for legalization around the country, say advocates opposed to the steep consumption tax voters are being asked to approve next month.

Hundreds of people lined up in Denver for a free marijuana cigarette Monday as part of a protest against a ballot proposal that would impose high taxes on the drug, which is now legal in Colorado for recreational use. The measure on the November ballot asks Colorado voters to approve a 15 percent excise tax plus a 10 percent statewide sales tax on all retail marijuana purchases.

A bipartisan bill to legalize medical marijuana is introduced to the Minnesota House and Senate. The bill would limit the use of marijuana to just a few diseases.

For the first time in more than four decades of polling on the issue, a majority of Americans favor legalizing the use of marijuana. A national survey finds that 52 percent say that the use of marijuana should be made legal while 45 percent say it should not.

"Faced with several lawsuits, petitions with thousands of signatures and heavy criticism, the Los Angeles City Council reversed itself yesterday. In a preliminary vote, members ended the city's ban on medical marijuana dispensaries. The ban was only enacted in July...".* Ana Kasparian, John Iadarola (host of TYT University and Common Room), and Steve Oh (TYT COO/Audio Guy) break it down on The Young Turks.  Ana Kasperian shares her own perso...