Pot growers, sellers see lost cash and more worries as software systems hiccup
SEATTLE -- A new system meant to track marijuana from seed to sale in Washington is hiccuping, many in the pot industry say, costing some licensees thousands.MJ Freeway, a new hub for tracing legal pot from grower to seller in the state, rolled out Feb. 1.The system allows state officials to watch the movement of all pot, marking transactions between growers, producers and retailers.
Re-criminalizing cannabis is worse than 1930s 'reefer madness'
In the 1930s, parents across the U.S. were panicked. A new documentary, “Reefer Madness,” suggested that evil marijuana dealers lurked in public schools.
Oregon pot shops caught selling to underage buyers
Nearly 20 percent of state-licensed marijuana retailers in a recent undercover operation sold pot to underage buyers, according to Oregon authorities.
Inslee on legal marijuana: 'We're not going backwards on this issue'
OLYMPIA -- Leaders in Washington state are reacting to Attorney General Jeff Sessions' decision to rescind an Obama-era policy that has helped legal marijuana flourish in the state and elsewhere.From the governor to the state's attorney general, down to local lawmakers and marijuana advocates, many in Washington criticized Sessions' move to take back the so-called Cole Memo, a letter sent out under the Obama administration that effectively encouraged federal prosecutors not to go after state-legal cannabis operations.Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson released a statement Thursday on Twitter saying he's "disappointed with Sessions' plans to abandon the current federal policy on marijuana." He also mentioned Sessions rescinding the Ogden Memo from 2009, which states medical marijuana prosecutions are "unlikely to be an efficient use of limited federal resources."He also linked to a 15-page letter the governor and attorney general sent to Sessions last August.
Sessions officially ends federal policy that let legal pot flourish
It's official. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has rescinded an Obama-era policy that paved the way for legalized marijuana to flourish.
As California legalizes pot, laws collide at US checkpoints
California legalizes marijuana for recreational use Monday, but that won't stop federal agents from seizing the drug — even in tiny amounts — on busy freeways and backcountry highways.
Smoked pot and want to enlist? Army issuing more waivers
As more states lessen or eliminate marijuana penalties, the Army is granting hundreds of waivers to enlist people who used the drug in their youth — as long as they realize they can't do so again in the military.
$80M worth of pot seized in Grays Harbor County, Chinese nationals suspected
CENTRALIA, Wash. — Authorities say investigators have raided suspected marijuana grow operations involving Chinese nationals in Western Washington, resulting in the confiscation of an estimated $80 million or more in plants.The Chronicle reports the team of over two dozen agencies led by the Grays Harbor County Drug Task Force began executing 50 search warrants Tuesday in Grays Harbor, Thurston and King counties.The Grays Harbor Sheriff's Office says the raids resulted in 44 arrests, 26 vehicle confiscations and the seizure of guns and other items.
Former Seattle police officer admits running pot to Baltimore
SEATTLE (AP) — A former Seattle police officer has pleaded guilty for his role in smuggling hundreds of pounds of marijuana to Baltimore.Alex Chapackdee, who spent 16-years on the force, resigned shortly after his arrest in May.
Colorado girl suing U.S. attorney general to legalize medical marijuana nationwide
LARKSPUR, Colo. -- Alexis Bortell is hardly the first child whose family moved to Colorado for access to medical marijuana.But the 12-year-old is the first Colorado kid to sue U.S. Attorney Jeff Sessions over the nation's official marijuana policy.
'I was the one talking, you idiot' Mayor Pro Tem curses at marijuana advocate in city council meeting
COLFAX, Calif. - Video shows the Mayor Pro Tem in Colfax, California yelling and cursing at a resident who was asking to open a marijuana dispensary.The council was discussing a ban on marijuana dispensaries, and whether or not to let them back into the city in January once the sale of recreational pot becomes legal, according to KTXL.
'Trimmigrants' swell city's population during marijuana harvest season
NEVADA CITY, Calif. - During the fall, in the quaint corners of Nevada City, California, a unique seasonal business has been budding.
65 pounds of marijuana found in couple’s Amazon order
Police are investigating after a Florida couple found 65 pounds of marijuana in their Amazon order.
Healthy Living: Marijuana & Infertility
In this weeks "Healthy Living", we're focusing on marijuana and infertility in men.
Man indicted in brawl on Seattle-to-Beijing flight to be released; claims edible marijuana was cause
SEATTLE (AP) — A Florida man who fought with flight attendants and passengers when he tried to open the exit door of a Delta Air Lines flight bound from Seattle to China has been ordered released from federal custody by a Seattle judge.The Seattle Times reported Tuesday that 23-year-old Joseph Daniel Hudek IV had asked the court to reconsider detaining him after his July 6 arrest.
Supporters of marijuana home grows say it should be as natural as brewing beer
SEATTLE -- They are trading green for green and reaching new heights when it comes to pot sales in Washington.By 2020, the state could see $2.4 billion in marijuana sales annually.But depending on what happens in the Legislature, you may no longer have to go to retail shops for pot.
Nevada pot sales bigger than first months in other states
The first month of legal sales of recreational marijuana in Nevada significantly outpaced the opening month of sales in other states where it's legal for adult use.
Should Washingtonians be allowed to grow recreational pot at home? State wants you to weigh in
SEATTLE - Medical marijuana patients in Washington can grow pot at home, but now the state is considering allowing the general public to grow recreational pot at home as well.“Other states that have legalized marijuana have allowed home grows,” Rep.
Makah police believe they found fentanyl-laced marijuana
NEAH BAY, Wash. -- A Washington police department is warning the public that officers believe they found fentanyl-laced marijuana during a recent arrest.The Peninsula Daily News reports Makah Tribal Police Department Public Safety Director and Police Chief Jasper Bruner says officers field-tested seized marijuana Friday and the test was positive for fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that can be 50 times stronger than heroin.Bruner says the marijuana would be retested at the Washington State Patrol Crime Lab.Officials at other agencies say they have never seen any confirmed reports of fentanyl-laced marijuana in the region or Pacific Northwest.Though marijuana is legal in Washington, it is still illegal on the reservation, which operates under federal law.Bruner wouldn't name the person who was arrested, but says the person is facing tribal charges.
King County detectives recover 6,000 pot plants, $3 million in cash at illegal pot grows
NEWCASTLE, Wash. -- King County investigators say a tip helped them recover 6,000 illegal marijuana plants, 180 pounds of processed pot and $3 million in cash over the course of a five-month investigation.According to Sgt.