Global Ganja Report

In the surest sign yet of synergy between the cannabis and booze industries, one of North America's top brewers just dropped $4 billion into the continent's top legal cannabis cultivator. The move sent the cultirvator's stocks soaring—although not the brewer's.

The cannabis prohibition regime in South Korea is a harsh one. Authorities have long been intent on maintaining the official fiction of a "drug-free" nation. But the first crack has appeared in this intolerant edifice, with lawmakers and bureaucrats now moving to approve use of certain imported medical marijuana products.

Amid the various protesters that announced plans to gather in Washington DC as Trump held his military parade on Veterans' Day weekend, a group of military vets say they will be camping out at the national offices of the Veterans Administration—to demand access to medical marijuana, as well as protest budget cuts at the agency.

North Dakota may become the 10th state to legalize cannabis, following approval of enough signatures to get a ballot measure before the voters in November. But the surprisingly liberal measure of course faces opposition from law enforcement in a traditionally conservative state.

The bureaucracy overseeing California's cannabis industry is moving fast to facilitate insurance coverage for businesses—a question very pressing as wildfires rage through the Emerald Triangle.

The case of an elderly grandmother who was jailed for cannabis possession because her Michigan state medical marijuana card had expired exemplifies the dilemmas faced by patients who fall between cracks in the bureaucracy. Keeping paperwork in order can be a challenge for those already burdened with disabling health conditions.

After three years of mounting discontent from patients and providers alike, Florida's medical marijuana chief Christian Bax is stepping down. He leaves office as state health authorities prepare for a tsunami of applications for a few highly coveted marijuana licenses.

The British government has finally capitulated to pressure from patients, activists and even regional authorities, and officially pledged to make medical cannabis products available on prescription this year. But it remains to be seen which products will win approval—and actual herbaceous cannabis is unlikely to make the cut.