federal

The Montana Department of Agriculture on Monday refuted a federal decision to deny irrigation water to a Helena Valley hemp farmer, department officials said. Kim Phillips, the hemp farmer, is in full compliance with state and federal regulations on industrial hemp, and is not in violation of...

The Trump administration’s tough talk on marijuana is creating an unusual alliance: pot smokers and the conservative Koch political network. Mark Holden, one of the influential network’s top leaders, decried President Donald Trump’s administration for returning to the “harsh sentencing era of...

Marijuana isn't all fun and games in the eyes of the Nevada Gaming Commission. Though Nevada voters legalized recreational pot in last fall's November election, the five-member regulatory panel has publicly warned gaming companies to continue treating the drug as an illegal substance. With...

A strong majority of Americans say individual states should be able to enact their own laws on marijuana, without interference from the federal government. Seventy-six percent of American adults want President Donald Trump to respect state marijuana laws, according to a new poll published...

Members of the Justice Department's Task Force on Crime Reduction and Public Safety have been ordered to "undertake a review of existing policies" regarding federal marijuana law enforcement, among other things. Their report is due on or before July 27, and the National Organization for the...

One of the nation's leading marijuana legalization groups says PNC Bank has notified it that it will close the organization's 22-year-old accounts, a sign of growing concerns in the financial industry that the Trump administration will crack down on the marijuana business in states that have...

Donald Trump was not elected president to renew crackdowns on marijuana in states that have legalized it for medicinal or recreational purposes. Last week, it was revealed that U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions sent a private letter to congressional leaders dated May 1 asking them to lift...

A bipartisan U.S. Senate group, including Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, has introduced legislation requiring the federal government to respect state marijuana laws. The Compassionate Access, Research Expansion and Respect States (CARERS) Act would allow Americans to gain access to the care they...

A group of bipartisan lawmakers are supporting legislation to protect medical marijuana patients from the likes of Attorney General Jeff Sessions and other drug warriors appointed by the Trump administration. The Compassionate Access, Research Expansion and Respect States (CARERS) Act was...

As the country's finance ministers meet in Ottawa, the Trudeau government should expect to hear concerns about the added burden marijuana legalization could heap onto provincial shoulders. The agenda for the two-day, federal-provincial-territorial gathering, which starts June 26, will...

The first medical marijuana bill ever introduced into the U.S. Senate is being re-introduced by a bipartisan group of senators including New York's Kirsten Gillibrand. She and five other senators are re-releasing the CARERS Act. It would make sure people who need it, have access to medical...

The former owner of Montana Buds, a statewide medical marijuana dispensary network, was sentenced Thursday to 18 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to a drug charge. Charlton Victor Campbell was sentenced by Chief District Court Judge Dana Christensen in U.S. District Court in...

Congress took a step toward easing its stance on medical marijuana on Thursday. U.S. Sens. Rand Paul (R-Kentucky), Corey Booker (D-New Jersey) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-New York) introduced a bill that would end the federal prohibition of medical marijuana and take steps to improve research...

The battle between US states and the federal power is intensifying as California gets closer to becoming a 'sanctuary state,' safe from federal power against cannabis. The vote took place just over a week ago, and represented one of the first tangible legal actions taken in the unspoken...

There are very few industries that offer the growth potential of legal marijuana, which is probably why investors have flocked to marijuana stocks over the past year. Many with a market cap of $200 million or more have doubled or tripled in value. At the heart of investors' excitement is a...

I was speaking to a legislator this week readying himself for his vote on Florida's medical marijuana legislation when he posed an interesting question: How can we defend voting in favor of any medical marijuana legislation if in so doing we are essentially passing a state law that is prohibited...

A pot farm's neighbor can sue them for smells and other nuisances that could harm their property values, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday. The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling revives a lawsuit between a Colorado horse farm and a neighboring marijuana-growing warehouse. The...

A bipartisan amendment is under consideration by Congress that would allow federally-regulated banking institutions to do business with marijuana companies without fear of federal repercussions. The amendment, brought forth by Florida Republican Matt Gaetz and Florida Democrat Darren Soto...

Attorney General Jeff Sessions is hell-bent on ending marijuana use in America, but he's only going to help it along. Last week, he declared he would be rolling back a regulation that protects non-violent drug offenders from serving maximum sentences. "Attorney General Jeff Sessions is a...

California moved a step closer Thursday to becoming a "sanctuary state" where local and state police would not assist federal enforcement of marijuana laws. The state Assembly approved a bill Thursday barring state and local law enforcement officers, absent a court order, from helping federal...