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As early as today, Corey Ladd will get to hug his 5-year-old daughter Charlee for the first time outside of prison. In 2011, Ladd was arrested in New Orleans for possessing half an ounce of marijuana. Because he had two prior felony convictions for simple drug possession, he was charged as a...

Smell that? It's the scent of money. Now that recreational pot has been legalized in Massachusetts, entrepreneurs are on the brink of a billion-dollar green rush–that is, if bureaucratic fumbling and political infighting don't ruin the high. On a warm day in February, Kris Krane wants to show...

Brad Wiltshire doesn't like to complain, but to talk to him is to understand how much pain he is in. Dystonia, the disorder that he was diagnosed with a decade ago, causes muscles in the 56-year-old's face to fight against each other, so his voice is strained and agitated, even when he's not...

On this week’s Full Frontal With Samantha Bee, Bee sandwiched her weekly rundown of the various layers of bullshit the Trump administration is burying the country under to focus on the predictably racist and atavistic drug policies of currently embattled Attorney General and “apple-cheeked...

Just because a court finds you were legally growing marijuana plants doesn't mean you get those plants back after police have seized them. Local leukemia survivor Bob Crouse found that out the hard way. Recall from past reporting by the Independent that his case began in 2011, when cops...

If libertarians were in charge of legalizing marijuana, their first instinct would be to reach for an eraser. That is, libertarians would simply eliminate existing laws that outlaw marijuana, rather than “design” the marijuana market by establishing a licensing board, capping the number of...

Darryl Hill, hailed for integrating college football in his youth half a century ago, was a successful entrepreneur with no criminal record and plenty of capital when he applied for a license to grow marijuana in Maryland – a perfect candidate, or so he thought, to enter a wide-open industry...

The Secret Service is relaxing its drug policy for potential hires, as its new director, Randolph Alles, laid out a plan to swell the agency's ranks by more than 3,000 in the coming years. Speaking Thursday to reporters in his first press briefing since his appointment, Alles, 38 days into...

South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley (R) thought he had the perfect case to help burnish his tough-on-pot prosecutorial credentials as he eyes the governorship in the socially conservative state. It didn't work out that way, though. Eric Hagen, who was set to be sacrificed on the altar...

What's the standard line on President Donald Trump these days? That he's an erratic creature of no fixed commitments and no stable policy objectives? Not so fast. In fact, Trump's entire administration can be understood through the lens of his weird, consistent, unwavering adherence to a 1980s...

One of Canada's largest medical-cannabis producers says it will fund a Nova Scotia man's ongoing legal fight to have his marijuana prescription paid for by his employee-insurance plan — the latest move in a nationwide push by industry, patients and their advocates for more widespread cannabis...

Just as California is settling to its position as the largest state to legalize recreational marijuana, the federal government under President Donald Trump is signaling a possible crackdown on a drug that is still banned under federal law. But pot enthusiasts and entrepreneurs have a vocal...

The department of health estimates 30,000 Arkansans will start applying for medical marijuana identification cards at the end of June. A former law enforcement officer will be among them. "You've always been told, 'It's bad. It's illegal. Bust 'em,'" said Kevin Hoffman. "And I don't...

Gov. Phil Scott rejected a marijuana legalization bill that passed the Vermont Legislature this month, but said he was willing to work with lawmakers on a compromise. Scott said he would send the bill back to the Legislature with suggestions to strengthen the bill to his liking. His specific...

The clock is ticking on a big choice from Vermont Governor Phil Scott who must decide by mid-week if recreational marijuana should be legal in his state. Scott is now weighing whether to sign or veto a bill by the end of the day Wednesday that would legalize possession by adults 21-and-up of...

John Morgan spent nearly $7 million pushing two statewide ballot initiatives to expand medical marijuana throughout the state of Florida. But that's a drop in the bucket compared to what the wealthy Orlando attorney and possible gubernatorial candidate says he's prepared to invest in the...

In his last public remarks, made on a live television show, "El Almohadazo," on Monday morning, the Mexican journalist Javier Valdez Cárdenas spoke by Skype with the show's presenter, Fernanda Tapia. Their conversation dealt with issues pertaining to Mexico's decade-old drug war, in which at...

Jay Schlauch's conviction for peddling pot haunted him for nearly a quarter century. The felony prevented him from landing jobs, gave his wife doubts about tying the knot and cast a shadow over his typically sunny outlook on life. So when an opportunity arose to reduce his record to a...

Each day about lunchtime at Warner Robins High School, 17-year-old CJ Harris must leave campus to take his medicine. His dad, Curtis Harris, drives to school, gets CJ out of class, and the two ride around the block or sometimes head home. CJ draws some cannabis oil in a syringe, squirts it...

Congressman Tom Garrett is again pushing Congress to decriminalize marijuana at the federal level. On Wednesday, Garrett was joined by families who helped pass medical marijuana legislation in Virginia. Two years ago, Lisa Smith asked Virginia lawmakers to pass a law allowing her daughter...