recreational marijuana Archives - Northwest Public Broadcasting

U.S. House Passes Landmark Bill On Marijuana Business Banking, Fate Uncertain In Senate

By Jeff Mapes September 26, 2019

Thirty states have legalized some form of medical marijuana. Nine of those states and Washington, D.C., allow recreational sale of the drug.CREDIT: TED S. WARREN

The U.S. House on Wednesday passed a landmark bill aimed at helping the fast-growing legal cannabis industry. Backers of fully legalizing marijuana said the 321-103 vote in favor of the so-called “SAFE Banking Act” is a key victory in their drive to bring the drug out of the legal shadows.Read More

Federal Legalization Of Hemp Creates Confusion For State And Local Police

By NWPB News March 29, 2019

Samples of hemp sit on a table in the conference room at Andrew Ross' office in Denver on Friday, March 22, 2019. Ross, a Marine who served in Afghanistan and Iraq, is facing 18 years to life in Oklahoma if he is convicted after he was arrested in January while providing security for a load of state-certified hemp from Kentucky. Federal legalization for hemp has created a quandary for police as authorities lack the technology to distinguish marijuana from agricultural hemp at a roadside stop. CREDIT: THOMAS PEIPERT/AP

Federal legalization of hemp arrived in the U.S. late last year and expanded an industry already booming because of the skyrocketing popularity of CBDs, a compound in hemp that many see as a health aid. But now, just a few months after Congress placed the marijuana look-alike squarely in safe legal territory, the hemp industry has been unsettled by an unexpected development.Read More

Washington Lawmakers Move One Step Closer To Vacating Misdemeanor Marijuana Convictions

By NWPB News March 12, 2019

The Washington Legislature has sent a ban on bump stocks to Gov. Jay Inslee for his signature. A bump stock is a trigger modification device that make a semi-automatic rifle function more like an automatic weapon. CREDIT: JON CONNELL

Tens of thousands of people who were previously found guilty of misdemeanor marijuana possession charges could see their convictions vacated under a measure passed Monday by the Washington Senate.Read More

Jay Inslee To Pardon Washington Marijuana Convictions Dating Back To 1998

By Paige Browning January 4, 2019

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee declared a third special session on Wednesday and said it was time to ''crack the whip'' on lawmakers to get a budget deal and avoid a July 1 government shutdown. AUSTIN JENKINS / NORTHWEST NEWS NETWORK

Governor Jay Inslee will pardon people under his new Marijuana Justice Initiative. People convicted of minor marijuana possession in Washington can now have their record cleared.Read More

Ticket To Ride: Legal Marijuana Sellers Put Seniors On The Canna-Bus

By NPR News September 17, 2018

Megan Baker (left) of Papa & Barkley Co., a Cannabis company based in Eureka, Calif., shows Shirley Avedon of Laguna Woods different products intended to help with pain relief. CREDIT: STEPHANIE O'NEILL/NPR

Marijuana dispensaries are reaching out to seniors seeking help with the aches and pains of aging. They're discovering an array of products and some interesting side effects.Read More

Legal Marijuana Means Huge Drop In Washington Felony Convictions

By Austin Jenkins July 24, 2018

CREDIT: KATHEIRNE HITT / FLICKR - TINYURL.COM/MOBC9ZF

The legalization of recreational marijuana in Washington state in 2012 resulted in a dramatic decrease in the number of people sentenced for marijuana-related felonies, according to an analysis conducted for public radio by the Washington State Caseload Forecast Council.Read More

The Great White North Goes Green: Five Big Points About Canada Legalizing Marijuana

By Zachary Garner June 26, 2018

A cash register is adorned with a Canadian flag and imitation marijuana leaves at the BC Marijuana Party Headquarters in Vancouver, British Vancouver (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Age limits, government involvement, sales taxes -- with legalization nationwide rather than on a state-by-state (or, rather, province-by-province) basis, the Canadian cannabis industry is shaping up differently than the way it was established across the U.S.Read More

Years After I-502, Legal Marijuana In Central Washington Is Far From Settled Law

By Esmy Jimenez May 14, 2018

In the Columbia Basin, communities are pushing back on recreational marijuana by leveraging county regulations – regulations like Benton County’s new “Sight and Smell Ordinance.”Read More