The Oregon Liquor Control Commission this week signed an agreement with a Kansas-based company to build the online application process for recreational marijuana business licenses.

NIC USA, Inc., will design an online application for commercial growers, processors, wholesalers and retailers. The state must begin accepting applications by January 2016.

The system will be used to apply for a new license or renew an existing one, pay license fees by credit card and pay marijuana taxes, as well as update license information.

The agency's agreement with the company has an annual subscription fee of $80,000 and no up-front costs.

Cannabis product potency is dropping as the industry matures. Above, the new Stokes Micro line (via SF Green Delivery)

Think of it as bud — light.

Despite the police headlines about increased potency, the legal marijuana landscape is actually becoming more mellow and mild thanks to the influence of moderate, mainstream consumers as well as state regulations.

These mild pot products now include: mints that pack a barely noticeable body buzz and unwind stress; pre-rolled joints with the strength of a craft beer; and topical rubs that zap shoulder pain without any high or danger of failing a drug test.

As Uruguay embarks in a historic direction to control and regulate its marijuana industry, nearly six out of 10 of its citizens disagree with the policy according to the Latin American Opinion Project (LAPOP) at Vanderbilt University.

Law 19.172, passed in December 2013, made the small Latin American country the first in the world to take over all activities related to the marijuana market, including growing, distributing and selling cannabis and all its byproducts. While the measure has earned Uruguay kudos in some quarters for creativity, parts of law 19.172 violate treaties that comprise the International Drug Control Regime.

Looking to shake the stoner stereotype, the marijuana industry drops famed smoker Tommy Chong as an activist.

The marijuana lobby is tired of the “Cheech & Chong” stoner jokes and wants to be taken seriously in Congress.

That’s why the National Cannabis Industry Association dropped actor and marijuana activist Tommy Chong from its Capitol Hill lobbying push slated for the end of April. According to an internal email obtained by POLITICO, the cannabis industry wants to move past the stoner stereotypes embodied by Chong as it tries to remake itself as a serious and respectable segment of the economy.

The Oregon Liquor Control Commission plans to announce the makeup of its marijuana rules advisory committee by the end of April.

The agency initially planned to have the committee's membership finalized by mid-March, but was swamped with applicants, said spokesman Tom Towslee. Towslee said an estimated 500 people expressed interest in serving on the panel, which will help shape the rules for the regulated recreational marijuana industry.

SALEM -- Defiant medical marijuana supporters urged lawmakers Monday not to set new limits on their growing operations when the recreational pot market opens this summer.

Patients and growers flocked to the Capitol for a meeting of the Legislature's Joint Committee on Implementing Measure 91, arguing that proposed restrictions would do little to stem the flow of pot to the black market, as lawmakers contend.

Instead, they said, the limits would create statewide shortages and make it more difficult for legitimate patients to get their medicine.

A former police officer turned lawmaker is launching the fourth effort this year to legalize recreational marijuana for Maine adults.

Rep. Mark Dion, D-Portland, has submitted a bill that would regulate recreational marijuana sales, tax them at 15 percent and allow use by adults 21 and older. The language of the legislation is being developed and details won’t be available until the process is completed.

Dion’s bill joins three other proposals – one from a fellow lawmaker and two from political action committees formed to advocate for legalization – that would legalize pot use by adults, create a regulatory structure for retail stores and cultivators, and tax sales.

Toronto, Saturday, May 2nd, 2015

High Noon Gathering…We march at 2 PM!

The legalization of medical marijuana has failed in the Czech Republic because the high prices of imported cannabis make it inaccessible to large segments of the population.
The Czech government wants to promote the local cultivation of marijuana after failing to legalize the drug for therapeutic purposes due to the high price of imported cannabis.
The law to facilitate the use of marijuana for medical purposes through the controlled sale in pharmacies, passed in 2012 and has been in force since the end of 2014.

The goal is for patients to have access to cannabis at reasonable prices, but the existing restrictions on growing has forced them to import Indian hemp, which has driven the price to levels unaffordable for most patients.

The same day Indiana Governor Mike Pence signed the Religious Freedom Restoration Act into law, paperwork was also submitted to register The First Church of Cannabis Inc. as a non-profit organization.

The church, founded by Bill Levin, promoted the filing with the Secretary of State via Facebook, and pointed out,

“Cannataerians… would seek love, understanding and good health.”

 

The recently enacted controversial law prevents the state (Indiana) government from “substantially burdening” a person’s right to exercise religion only if it can demonstrate that it is the least restrictive means of furthering a compelling governmental interest.