Cannabis Law Group’s Medical Marijuana Legal Blog

As states are decriminalizing marijuana possession and sales and making recreational use legal, it is important to remember marijuana sale and cultivation is still a federal offense. Drug crimes continue to be prosecuted and defendants are still being sent off to prison for conspiracy and distribution being investigated in Colorado, Washington and Colorado. According to…

A 1970 federal law classified marijuana as a drug akin in seriousness to LSD and heroin. As such, criminal penalties for possession and sale have been extremely harsh. The move has long been criticized and is becoming even more problematic as states legalize marijuana for medicinal and recreational use. One federal judge in Northern California…

Growing pot at home and in residential areas is posing serious health and property risks in Colorado. According to lawmakers, firefighters, and industry experts, amateur growing of marijuana in kitchens and basements has resulted in the rise of home explosions. Laboratories use flammable chemicals to extract potent drops of concentrate called “hash oil,” and can…

These days, it seems like everyone is trying to cash in on the growing marijuana business. While entrepreneurs may have to wait for Congress to loosen restrictions nationwide, piecemeal business plans are already shaping up where pot is legalized, both for recreational or medicinal use. Investors are positioning themselves to make it big in the…

While Washington, Oregon and Colorado navigate the legalities of recreational pot, other states are trying to establish ground rules for medicinal use. Even though Illinois voters have approved medical cannabis in the state, there seems to be little government support and a lack of marijuana available. It has been almost a year and half since…

One of the problems with legal marijuana is it is more expensive than marijuana sold on the black market. Retailers in Colorado and Washington have complained that high taxes on legal marijuana still make black market marijuana appealing to many buyers. Even though Washington’s marijuana market opened last summer, many stores closed because there wasn’t…

Selling legal marijuana has different implications than selling marijuana on the black market. Similarly, distributing medical marijuana has different requirements than from selling recreational-use marijuana. According to Business Week, pot sellers in Washington State are lobbying against a marijuana market. Though the state legalized recreational marijuana last year, a 1998 law also gave pot smokers…

Patchwork marijuana laws have made the U.S. feel like two different countries–one where legalization has paved the way for recreational use, and another where local law enforcement agencies continue to invest in the investigation and prosecution of marijuana crimes. A well-known and respected travel writer who is also a proponent of marijuana reform, has written…

Critics often claim newer strains of marijuana are much stronger and potentially more dangerous. In a recent case, a state appellate court in Sacramento recently ruled that “concentrated cannabis” qualifies as marijuana for purposes of medical use. The decision was made unanimously by a three-justice panel. The Third District Court of Appeals disagreed with an…

The face of marijuana is changing in California and nationwide. No more are the images of stoners smoking pot in dark college dorm rooms, or hippie drumming circles of the 1960s and 70s. Access and interest in pot is ranging from business types to stay-at-home moms. The Beverly Hills Cannabis Club is a high-end marijuana…