Dissonance between state law and federal law in the United States is leading to exorbitant tax bills for marijuana retailers.

While a legal activity in certain states, the sale of marijuana is still considered illegal under federal law.

States like Colorado that legalised the sale of marijuana have reported substantial tax revenue. Currently 23 states and one district have legalised marijuana for medical or recreational use, allowing anyone over the age of 21 to purchase retail marijuana from licensed shops.

However US federal law, including the federal tax system, remains at odds with permissive state laws. The incongruity is resulting in crippling tax bills for fledgling marijuana dispensaries.

New Zealanders increasingly favour legalising the medical use of marijuana, a ONE News Colmar Brunton poll shows.

Support has grown more than 10% since ONE News last tested the question 12 years ago but very few voters think it should be decriminalised completely.

Currently 48 New Zealanders are legally allowed to use Sativex which contains cannabis derivatives and the Associate Health Minister supports such products.

"If those products are shown as a result of the normal testing programme to be fit for purpose then we will permit them to be made available in New Zealand," Peter Dunne says.

Family First NZ says that medicinal marijuana should not be legalised, but is calling for further research into the components of the marijuana plant for delivery via non-smoked forms.

“NZ’ers need to be aware of the smoke-screen of ‘medicinal marijuana’. The strategy of groups who want dope legalised is to promote medicinal marijuana which simply manipulates society’s compassion for people with serious pain and health concerns. But marijuana will then be diverted from medical programs to ‘recreational’ purposes,” says Bob McCoskrie, National Director of Family First NZ.

Medicinal cannabis may become more readily available in New Zealand.

That comes as a ONE News/Colmar Brunton poll shows more Kiwis are open to the idea of greater use of medicinal marijuana for health purposes.

Associate Health Minister Peter Dunne is undertaking a review of the national drug policy and drug laws and says while there's been no relaxation of laws on recreational drug use, he's open to more medicinal products being available if they undergo a comprehensive testing regime.

The poll shows 47% of people think marijuana should be legal for medical cases, with nearly a quarter saying it should remain illegal.

A global protest against cannabis prohibition is puffing its way into New Plymouth on Saturday.

J Day is a peaceful protest held overseas and in nine New Zealand cities including New Plymouth and an organiser says this year's aim is to prove cannabis is safer than synthetics.

Cannabis advocate Jamie Dombroski said cannabis use should be treated as a health issue, not a crime.

"The war on drugs is a false war," he said.

"It is fine to have a puff once or twice a year or month but I don't agree with doing it every day.

"Personally when I was younger I did but I have learnt that it is a waste of your life if you do."

He said the amount of people who turn up to the Bowl for J Day will depend on the weather.

We need to tackle the folly and futility of drug prohibition, in which we have created an irrational and unscientific bifurcation of drugs. An archaic system that favours, promotes and culturally embeds the use of some drugs, while fiercely policing, prohibiting and punishing the use of other drugs.

We need to tackle the folly and futility of drug prohibition, in which we have created an irrational and unscientific bifurcation of drugs. An archaic system that favours, promotes and culturally embeds the use of some drugs, while fiercely policing, prohibiting and punishing the use of other drugs.

The author of a bill that proposes to legalise marijuana for medical use in the CNMI says there's a need to find an alternative to expensive medical treatments for terminal diseases.

The Northern Marianas Senator Sixto Igisomar says he was prompted to introduce the bill after Guam voted in favour of allowing the use of medical marijuana last year.

Mr Igisomar says marijuana for medicinal use can help alleviate the pain and suffering associated with debilitating conditions such as cancer and multiple sclerosis.

High cigarette taxes fuel a surging black market in smuggled cigarettes, notes Americans for Tax Reform's Patrick Gleason in the Wall Street Journal. New York smokers are the greatest beneficiaries of that black market, burdened as they are with the most ridiculous cigarette taxes in the country. There's a huge flow of smuggled smokes from relatively low-tax states like Virginia. And some smokers are turning to an alternative to which marijuana fanciers facing legal pressures of their own have resorted for decades: growing their own.

A Strict Regulation Approach…