Opponents of a state ruling that would prevent bars and many restaurants in Denver from offering on-site marijuana consumption said the ruling would overturn a law approved by voters and force people to sneak around while they use pot and consume alcohol.

The new rule announced Friday bars liquor-license holders from apolplying for a permit to allow the consumption of pot. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment said using alcohol and marijuana together increases impairment.

Don’t gamble with marijuana! Nevada’s regulators restate their position that the drug is off limits for casinos, despite certain impracticalities. (Image: Universal Pictures)

Nevada gaming regulators this week reiterated their stance on cannabis and casinos: licensees must avoid it like the plague.

Despite the state’s voters supporting the initiative to legalize recreational marijuana use on November 8th, licensees are advised to steer clear of permitting it on their premises or engaging with any legal marijuana businesses, as long as federal and state laws are at odds on the matter.

Marijuana is legal in more places than ever, but there are still a lot of circumstances that marijuana use is prohibited, even in legal states. Voters in eight states, and Washington D.C., have voted to regulate marijuana like alcohol. However, marijuana consumers are still discriminated against in many settings. Marijuana is not equal to alcohol, even though that’s what voters have approved in many parts of America. I can go into a bar in Oregon, purchase a bottle of beer, and drink it on site. I can also do it at a restaurant.

Cannabis won big time on election night.

State-by-state, the country became greener overnight – but this unprecedented, historical shift in drug policy was eclipsed by the merciless partisan warfare that dominated headlines before, during and after Donald Trump’s White House victory.

On November 8, Florida, Arkansas, North Dakota and Montana joined the 25 other states that had already legalized the use of cannabis for medical purposes, while voters in California, Nevada, Maine and Massachusetts approved the use of recreational marijuana in their states. Arizona was the only state with recreational weed up for approval that did go forward with legalization.

After millions of out-of-state dollars and corporate interests helped legalize recreational marijuana in three states this past Tuesday, some pundits have said the debate over legalization is finished.

Actually, the debate is just beginning.

A new Congress and Administration are in Washington, and it’s unlikely they’ll be friendly to pot industry interests. You certainly won’t see Rudy Giuliani on the cover of High Times any time soon, and opponents to legalization are more emboldened than ever: Recreational marijuana lost big in purple Arizona last Tuesday, and almost two-thirds of localities in liberal Oregon with this issue on the ballot voted “no” to pot shops in their neighborhoods. 

MA voters have approved the legalization of recreational marijuana, making it the first state on the east coast to do so. As of this morning in ME, the "yes" vote leads by less than 1 point with 98% of precincts reporting.

Kevin Sabet, an ex-presidential drug policy adviser who is now leading the national anti-legalization association Smart Approaches to Marijuana, said, "We'd like [Trump] to enforce the law".

California’s lieutenant governor, Dr. Bronner’s, Vicente Sederberg LLC and a host of others were honored with Pinneapple d’Or trophies at the 2016 Cannabist Awards on Wednesday night in Las Vegas.

In its second year, the Cannabist Awards went big: offering 40 awards in nine categories across a broad spectrum of the burgeoning marijuana industry, as well as naming a Cannabist Person of the Year. The theme for this year’s event was “Future Forward,” honoring the leading innovators, companies and individuals in sectors such as technology, hemp, medical advancement, community, public service and education.

Canadian medical marijuana producers are in the spotlight, thanks to high share prices and a more than $1 billion valuation for Ontario-based Canopy Growth Corp. So should Canadians consider the country's booming marijuana sector as an investment opportunity?

Not necessarily, say investment experts.

Pat McKeough, chief investment officer for TSI Wealth Network in Toronto, said a number of his clients have asked about marijuana stocks. But "none of them" have struck his team as anything they would recommend.

Amid the relatively new industry's explosive growth, not every company will achieve long-term success, he said.

Cheryl Shuman claims she survived cancer because of her drug use. Now, she has her own cannabis farm and hosts marijuana parties for Hollywood A-listers. It’s all legal, she says

Cheryl is talking me through how she kick-starts her day. “I’ll have a cannabis juice smoothie,” she explains. “Kale, cannabis juice, carrot juice, apple. That’s usually my breakfast.

“And for lunch I’ll generally have a grilled chicken breast with a raw cannabis salad – so I’ve got leafy greens along with some raw cannabis leaves. And the dressing will be cannabis-infused. So will the chicken breast. It helps with my digestion.”And I’ll usually have some medicated [with cannabis] pretzels and pecans, which I like to nosh on.”

Rachel O'Bryan was campaign manager for Protect Denver's Atmosphere, which opposed Initiative 300, the local ballot measure that will allow specially licensed businesses in that city to create consumption areas for customers who bring their own cannabis. In a recent interview with Westword, O'Bryan raised several objections to the initiative, which was supported by about 54 percent of voters in last week's election.