Oregon, the third state to vote in favor of cannabis legalization, will actually be the fourth (fifth, if you add in Washington, D.C.) state to legalize marijuana on July 1st of this year. Cannabis commerce among adults over the age of 21 won’t be legal until 2016 (likely the latter […]

Let’s begin with some praise for President Obama.  While many on my side of the marijuana debate (including, at times, myself) have roundly criticized the previous leader of The Choom Gang for his failure to end the War on (Certain American Citizens Using Non-Pharmaceutical, Non-Alcoholic, Tobacco-Free) Drugs, I do have […]

The Oregon Medical Marijuana Business Conference (OMMBC) was by all accounts a great success, complete with news and notes about activism, culture and, of course, business. Typical of both the OMMBC and the International Cannabis Business Conference (ICBC), these conferences, lead by my friend and colleague Alex Rogers (longtime activist […]

Gary Johnson is a story that can only occur in America. Rising from basically a handyman business to a multi-million dollar construction company CEO would be enough for most people. Utilizing his personal story and political principles of personal freedom, self-reliance and limited government to successfully getting elected as governor […]

Day one of the Oregon Medical Marijuana Business Conference (OMMBC) has concluded, and the highlight for me was certainly Governor Gary Johnson. I got the chance to sit down with the former New Mexico Governor and chat for a bit. He seems to be an extremely genuine, down-to-earth fellow and […]

The Oregon Medical Marijuana Business Conference (OMMBC) kicks off today at the Hilton in Eugene Oregon. The entire lineup is great, but I’m really looking forward to former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson, Oregon State Senator Floyd Prozanski and the media panel with The Oregonian’s Noelle Crombie, Russ Belville of […]

Once again Steve Cohen, US Congressman from Tennessee (TN-09), has shown great leadership in taking on the misguided and cruel drug war. He recently called out Attorney General Eric Holder to end the ludicrous Schedule I legal status for cannabis, just the latest of Cohen’s many courageous challenges to the […]

It is really remarkable the number of business avenues the cannabis industry unlocks. Of course, people know about growers, processors and retailers. However, these marijuana businesses need lawyers, accountants, security and maybe even consultants of various types. Additionally, enterprising entrepreneurs often see a niche to fill within the industry as […]

The evidence that marijuana has gone mainstream is everywhere: from politics to entertainment to culture to your personal discussions with friends and family. Poll after poll demonstrates majority support for cannabis legalization and super-majority support for medical access. Once the third-rail of politics, now it seems to be one of […]

The International Cannabis Business Conference (ICBC) held in San Francisco last month, was a great event and a great success. While, like any business conference, entrepreneurs were there looking to network and learn important information that can help their businesses succeed, the ICBC stressed the importance of political activism and […]

Congressman Earl Blumenauer has been a longtime champion of sensible marijuana law reform. As a state legislator in Oregon, he voted to decriminalize personal amounts of marijuana all the way back in 1973. He has been at the forefront of cannabis law reform ever since, even when it wasn’t near […]

Yesterday, news hit that Senators Rand Paul, Kirsten Gillibrand and Cory Booker were to introduce a bipartisan medical marijuana bill in the United States Senate. Now, the qualifiers can be taken off, as the senators announced the bill this morning with a press conference. The marijuana law reform movement has […]

Republicans and Democrats have a hard time agreeing on much these days as gridlock dominates our political discourse. Cannabis law reform is one of the few areas that has some politicians looking to reach across the aisle. Once seen as a lefty-hippie position or an right-wing Ayn Randian libertarian stance, […]

As I have previously blogged, Wichita, Kansas, will be voting on a marijuana decriminalization measure on April 7th. Local cannabis law reforms can be a great way to move the marijuana movement forward as it is a relatively inexpensive way to educate voters and can be a great tool to […]

In the “Please Say It Ain’t So” category, President Obama increased 2016 funding for the drug war in his next budget. Wait, haven’t we determined, by all measures, that the War on Drugs has failed? And haven’t we realized that dismantling the drug war is a great place to save […]