A bill introduced by Florida legislators to allow recreational cannabis in the state quickly died in committee without going to vote — but activists are now planning to use direct democracy rights to take the issue to the voters. HB 1117, also known as Adult Use Marijuana Legalization, was introduced in late February by Michael […]
Author Archive | Stephanie Bishop
With The Introduction Of New Oil-Only Cannabis Bill, Could Costa Rica Finally Be On Its Way To Legalization?
Progress has most certainly been made with regard to cannabis regulation in Costa Rica — however, to say the pace of change has been slow is something of an understatement. The Costa Rican government, considered a representative democratic republic, is set up in very similar ways to the United States government, with established executive, legislative […]
Better Living Through Alchemy: Costa Rica’s First Cannabis Co-Op Paves The Way For Safe Access
Here in the Central American nation of Costa Rica, establishing regulatory laws allowing for the cultivation and distribution of cannabis to medical patients has proven to be a long, drawn-out process. Legislators have been debating the terms of regulatory legislation since 2014. In fact, more than 300 discussions have been filed in the legislative assembly […]
The True Cost: In Search Of The Costa Rican Cannabis Compromise
Costa Rica has a rich history of going unnoticed. While surrounding countries were busy fighting wars throughout history, Costa Rica was seen as invaluable territory and largely left alone. Now, Costa Rica is making some noise. As one of the smallest countries in Central America, it may be the first to regulate cannabis for medicinal, […]
Let Freedom Grow: Cannabis Prisoners Have A Friend On The Outside
The current attitude toward cannabis in the United States appears to be mostly progressive, with 10 states and the District of Columbia regulating cannabis for recreational use, and 23 other states for medicinal use. Other states are pushing some form of decriminalization legislation, taking the first step in the direction of regulation. Agricultural hemp has […]
Financial Planting: Are Insurers Finally Coming Around To The Cannabis Community?
Since states began regulating cannabis for medical and recreational use, more demand has been placed on insurance companies to create or adjust the language in their products, both for commercial and individual needs. Though the insurance industry has been slow to respond, it would be a mistake to assume that nothing had been done. In […]
Does The UN’s Coming Review Of Cannabis Signify The Global Organization Is Finally Catching Up To The Rest Of The World?
On March 30, 1961, the United Nations adopted the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, a treaty to control and regulate certain substances considered to have medicinal value, while prohibiting the use of drugs and narcotics considered harmful to society and with no medicinal value. The treaty created four schedules of controlled substances and assigned the […]
Crimes Of Compassion: How California’s New Cannabis Rules Hurt Those Who Need It Most
California was the first state in the US to initiate medical marijuana regulation. It took cannabis activists many years to get Proposition 215, the Compassionate Use Act, on the ballot for voters to approve in the November 1996 electoral session. The legislation was authored collectively by “the father of medical marijuana” Dennis Peron; registered nurse […]