Political

Vermont lawmakers have given the initial green light for a legal market for marijuana.

The House voted 90-54 to pass a taxed and regulated market following hours of debate.

Sales would be charged a 20% tax and some of that revenue would be used for after school and summer learning programs.

The bill also bans flavored cannabis vapes and sets a cap on the potency of the cannabis to 30% THC.

It also creates a cannabis control board to oversee and regulate the sales of marijuana. Its members would be appointed by Gov. Phil Scott, R-Vermont.

After destroying the Democratic presidential candidate with the absolute worst record on marijuana—that would be Mike Bloomberg—on the debate stage last week, Sen. Elizabeth Warren this week released a detailed plan to end prohibition and legalize cannabis at the federal level.

With Utah’s new medical marijuana program set to start Sunday, a bill making a number of last-minute fixes sailed through the state Senate Monday, 24-0, and is headed to the House.

The bill that would create a legal retail cannabis market in Vermont narrowly cleared its final House committee on Monday, paving the way for a long-anticipated vote on the floor later this week.

The House Appropriations Committee voted 6-5 in favor of advancing S.54 to the full House, where lawmakers expect to take up the measure Wednesday.

If elected president, Sanders has pledged to legalize cannabis. Find out how he'd do that, as well as the challenges he'd face.

In case you haven't noticed, election season is upon us. We're a little more than a week away from Super Tuesday, which is when the greatest number of states hold their primary elections or caucuses for president of the United States. In other words, things are about to shake out on the political front, and a few front-runners are emerging.

Marijuana is legal for medicinal purposes in Minnesota. However, marijuana still isn’t legal at the federal level. The Senate rejected a proposal to legalize cannabis last year. Lawmakers did a survey in September to understand voters’ stance on cannabis legalization.

Those who have been following the federal marijuana reform efforts on Capitol Hill over the past year can tell you that Congress has been more active than ever on this subject. But with all this progress, the question remains: Will any of this effort result in actual changes to federal laws? 

Kentucky’s state House on Thursday passed a measure that would legalize medical marijuana in the state after several unsuccessful earlier attempts.

The bill passed the chamber in a 65-30 vote, with all but two Democrats and a majority of Republican members present voting for it, the Courier-Journal reported.

Governor says New York can learn from what's worked, what hasn't

Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Thursday that he will embark on a cross-country tour of legal marijuana states as part of his effort to legalize the drug in New York.

At a press event in New York City, Cuomo said he plans to visit Massachusetts, Illinois and either California or Colorado — three states that have "different versions" of legalized recreational marijuana programs. He said the goal is to find out what's worked for them, what hasn't, and what they've learned in the process.

The embattled bill passed through a senate committee and will go up for vote. 

The Alabama state legislature just advanced a bill allowing medical marijuana to be prescribed for up to 15 conditions, the Associated Press (AP) reports from Montgomery. 

An audience reportedly applauded before Alabama’s Senate Judiciary Committee when it voted 8-1 for the bill, allowing it to head for the Senate floor for a vote.