U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., said he was still practically a “child legislator” when, in 1973, he joined other lawmakers voting to make Oregon the first state where marijuana possession earned the offender a civil citation rather than a criminal record and jail time.

Blumenauer was also among a smaller group of Oregon legislators who voted – unsuccessfully – to legalize possession of two marijuana plants for personal use.

“I am told that if the 19 of us that voted for it were joined by the people who voted ‘no’ but smoked dope, Oregon would have been the first state to legalize adult use” of marijuana, Blumenauer joked Thursday as he talked in what Mainers refer to as “the original Portland” about his decades of work on marijuana issues.

It turns out the so-called “green rush” that was expected in the wake of New York's legalization of medical marijuana may not be much of a rush after all.

CHARLESTON, SC / ACCESSWIRE / August 19, 2015 / Kona Gold Solutions, Inc. (OTC Pink: KGKG) (PINKSHEETS: KGKG), is pleased to announce that the Company has acquired newly created Kona Gold LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, from Robert Clark to begin developing its Hemp Product line. Kona Gold will begin developing Hemp Energy Drinks, Energy Patches, Hemp Apparel, Hemp Shampoo as well as a Hydroponics division. Please visit the Company’s new website to view updates and new productswww.konagoldhemp.com

SMITHS FALLS, ON , Aug. 20, 2015 /CNW/ - Tweed Marijuana Inc. ("TMI" or "the Company") (TWD.V) is pleased to announce that its wholly owned subsidiary, Tweed Inc. (Tweed) has received authorization from Health Canada to begin the production of cannabis extracts in the Company's state-of-the-art facility in Smiths Falls, Ontario .

Tweed will use preeminent pharmaceutical grade extraction methods to produce purified cannabis derivatives.

DENVER — Every month, Jamie Perino hires a security detail to come to her three recreational marijuana dispensaries. They stop by, collect thousands of dollars in cash and head out to deliver the money to the state, county and city.

Perino, the CEO of Euflora dispensaries, said she can't find a bank that will work with her. She pays her employees and her landlord in cash. She can only accept cash from customers. She must even pay her taxes in cash.

"I can't bank my money," she said. "It's really frustrating. … When I go to pay my federal taxes, you get a 10 percent penalty for paying in cash, but we can't have a bank account. So it's just a big Catch-22."

For marijuana sellers looking to add finesse to their weed growing skills, a university in Canada has designed a course to bring marijuana dealing to professional standards.

The Kwantlen Polytechnic University in Vancouver is offering a course in marijuana management. Introduction to Professional Management of Marijuana for Medical Purposes in Canada will be available as an online course lasting 14 weeks from this Autumn.

It will be divided into two main learning strands; Marketing Sales and Drug Development, followed by Plant Production and Facility Management.

However, the course is not cheap and will set back marijuana sellers a hefty $1,249.

The Colorado Cannabis Ranch is a lot like a vineyard: you can tour the grounds, take in the views, enjoy a farm-to-table meal, and maybe even hear some live music. But, unlike a winery, you can also step into the on-site dispensary to buy a little of the green stuff.

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The annual conference of the Israeli Association of Appraisers held in Tel Aviv last week focused on the ability of Israeli farmers to grow and export medical cannabis overseas, and the enormous profits such an endeavor would yield.

“The medical cannabis market in the US is valued at $35 billion a year, and those figures continue to grow with each passing day,” the association’s chairman Doron Havkin told the conference. “We must undertake a significant move in the field and start generating profits right away.”