Legal marijuana is already a global industry and the U.S. is behind the curve.

When you think of the legal marijuana industry, you think of Colorado and California. But marijuana is not uniquely American, nor is the legalization movement.

We know that 43 illegal medical marijuana dispensaries in Toronto were raided by police May 26. But what led to shut-downs is a matter of debate for within the medical marijuana community of dispensaries, activists, and licensed producers (LP's). 

Panaxia has devised a method of extracting precise dosages of medical cannabis.

Israel generic drugs and medical devices company Panaxia has signed an agreement with Ultra Health, the leading medical cannabis distribution company in New Mexico, to build a cannabis processing plant. The plant will be built on one of Ultra Health's farms in New Mexico, and its products will be marketed in the US by Ultra Health.

Panaxia said that the six-month pilot project would include a commitment to buying merchandise for $250,000. Ultra Health operates in five US states besides New Mexico, providing potential growth for Panaxia's business. At the same time, Panaxia is also negotiating similar agreements with other US growers.

'The police are enforcing a failed federal law. That law needs to change,' says Joe Cressy

A Toronto city councillor is calling on the Trudeau government to introduce a new federal regulatory framework that would clarify the rules of recreational pot in Canada because cities are in "legislative limbo" as they try to deal with marijuana dispensaries.

"When it comes to federal law on this issue, the federal government needs to act," Joe Cressy, councillor for Ward 20 and chair of the Toronto Drug Strategy Implementation Panel, told Metro Morning.

"The federal government has let down cities right across this country," he said. "Cities are struggling. You cannot arrest your way to a solution."

One of my favorite niches or sectors of the marijuana industry in Oregon is the marijuana entertainment sector. The first one that I had ever heard of was the World Famous Cannabis Cafe (WFCC). It has since been shutdown due to new indoor air rules, but at one point in time it was the hotspot destination in Oregon. Other venues built on a similar model started popping up all over Oregon. Some are still operating, while others have been shutdown like the WFCC.

A requirement for medical marijuana dispensaries and growers to have their products tested could be a boon for Durango testing facilities – if a local license is in place in time.

The state’s mandatory testing rule takes effect July 1, and Aurum Labs and Green Lab Solutions are asking city officials to create a license for the testing, owners said. The labs test for marijuana potency, mold and bacteria.

Their request is reasonable, said Councillor Dick White, who was approached by Aurum Labs representatives about creating a city license.

But city officials want to work on several changes to local marijuana regulations, including the new license, and pass them at the same time. White could not say how long that might take.

Mitchell Cutler had just finished selling a THC-infused ointment to an arthritic woman — her “medicine” — when Toronto police showed up and charged him with possession for the purposes of trafficking.

“If these charges do stick I guess my future is pretty much over,” said the marijuana dispensary worker, who says he has never before been in trouble with police.

Cutler was at city hall Monday as part of a coalition of pot dispensaries urging the city to drop the charges laid by Toronto police during raids last Thursday.

Detroit's crackdown on marijuana storefront shops could lead to about 150 fewer shops than existed in the city at the height of the industry, Mayor Mike Duggan said.

Teams of city inspectors and police officers have begun visiting stores to enforce Detroit's new medical marijuana ordinances, which took effect March 1.

"There is room in this town for probably 50 or 60 medical marijuana dispensaries spaced legitimately, and they have to be in industrial or high commercial areas," Duggan said in an interview. "They can't be in residential areas."

There were not many surprises in the premier’s Budget Statement delivered in the Legislative Assembly on Monday morning but the PPM leader announced two unexpected and unrelated items that will be welcomed by many. Alden McLaughlin said that all civil servants will receive a 2.2% one-off bonus payment in their June pay packets based on annual salaries, in addition to the pay reviews that are coming up this year. And in another surprise announcement, he revealed that government would soon begin importing cannabis oil to allow doctors to prescribe it as a medicine for certain diseases.

Among the lofty pines of timber country across the street from the Little Creek Casino on State Highway 108, the first tribal-owned-and-operated recreational cannabis store in the US is open for business.

Customers flow into the nondescript cabin storefront, on the Squaxin Island tribe’s reservation, reflecting much of the same diversity as the rest of Washington state’s growing legal cannabis market: a young couple on their way to work from the nearby town of Shelton, a retired couple who are staying at the casino. A man in a tie-dye hat buys a couple joints and tells everyone to “be good, dudes” as he leaves.