Free cannabis came before legal cannabis. Gifting joints or edibles to sick people who, being sick, couldn’t afford to buy — and couldn’t find relief anyway else besides someone else’s compassion — was central to the ethos of the early marijuana legalization pioneers.

And free weed for some was a boss three-dimensional chess move: busting a career waitress in her 60s known for handing out weed brownies to dying AIDS patients was, for the prohibitionist establishment and for law enforcement, almost as bad a look as busting a pot dealer with a lover dying of the same disease.

California may have been the first in the country to pioneer cannabis law reform, but the Golden State is still struggling to eliminate the black market and sell affordable, legal pot, writes Erin Hiatt. 

Law enforcement authorities across the country, including the FBI, have cast a wide net in their efforts to root out corruption among local government officials overseeing the marijuana industry.

The crackdown has ensnared local government and cannabis industry officials in states such as California, Massachusetts and Michigan. Charges have included bribery and extortion.

While claims of licensing bias and flawed scoring are more common, an examination of the landscape suggests that there have been a number of blatant efforts over the years to improperly influence public officials into awarding highly coveted marijuana licenses.

For cannabis enthusiasts living in adult use states, long gone are the days of sneaking around with a dime bag in a coat pocket and worrying about whether the neighbors know you’ve got weed. But the sad truth is that, for millions of Americans living in prohibition or restrictive medical-only states, accessing safe and regulated cannabis is still a problem, writes Danielle Simone Brand. 

Marijuana expungement is an often laborious, bureaucratic process, but algorithms have eased the process.

Following marijuana legalization, states and cites have emphasized correcting the records of those affected by the War on Drugs. An estimated 20 million people were arrested for a marijuana-related offense over the past 30 years. When individuals have cannabis convictions on their record, it limits their opportunity to acquire employment, access stable housing, and participate in their children’s school activities.

The FBI is investigating whether public officials in Sacramento, California accepted bribes in return for favorable treatment for applicants for licenses to operate cannabis businesses in the city, according to a report in local media. Three sources with direct knowledge of the probe have told the Sacramento Bee that the FBI has questioned several local cannabis businesses over the last three months about the potential corruption of city officials.

California will ban smoking on state parks and beaches starting next year under legislation signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

The law also bans disposing cigar and cigarette waste at parks and beaches. Violations of the law will be punishable by a fine of up to $25. Newsom, a Democrat, announced Friday he had signed the bill into law.

Electricity drives many legal grow operations and could irrevocably damage marijuana plants during harvest season.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a longtime opponent of reforming marijuana laws, is spending more time than usual thinking about cannabis on a trip to California this week.

McConnell is attending at least two days’ worth of meetings with cannabis industry executives, small-business owners and advocates in Southern California, in order to discuss potential cannabis-related banking reform, among other topics, according to people familiar with the matter. McConnell’s schedule includes two cannabis-related lunches with executives and advocates, one of which will take place in Newport Beach, Calif., and a tour of at least one cannabis-related company in the area.

Canada might have been the second country in the world to legalize recreational cannabis, the Netherlands the first to tolerate it, but the state of California takes first place as being the leader in embracing what it truly means to be cannabis-forward. Not only is recreational cannabis legal in California, but it has very quickly matured into a viable and mature consumer market.

Having recently spent some time there, I found the way they have seamlessly integrated cannabis into everyday life incredibly inspiring. In particular, the way in which premium retailers and brands are normalizing a cannabis lifestyle through sophisticated design and experiential culture provides an interesting glimpse into the future for the Canadian industry.