Global Ganja Report

Maryland is expanding its medical marijuana program and adopting policies that attempt to redress the social ills associated with prohibition and the war on drugs—but is meeting resistance both from the police and from elements of the local cannabis industry.

Activists in Oregon say that cannabis legalization in the Beaver State has failed to live up to its promise, and are preparing to place a remedy before the voters in the form of a new ballot initiative. They also view their proposed Legalization Justice Act as a model to be exported nationally. 

Yet again, a scientific study linking cannabis use to psychiatric maladies gets widespread and sensationalistic media play. And once again, the assumptions behind the study are questionable, and the findings are further distorted by irresponsible reportage.

Does daily cannabis use, especially of high-potency "skunk" strains, lead to an increased risk of developing psychosis? Based on recent media coverage, you can be forgiven for thinking so. But you should really take a closer look before you believe the hype.

Legislation introduced in the House of Representatives would protect the jobs of federal employees who use cannabis in states where their use is currently legal. The measure is being hailed by advocates as a critical blow for workers' rights in the age cannabis normalization.

Insurance companies in Canada are starting to cover medical marijuana, but high costs continue to be an impediment to access in the United States. Even in states that have legalized medicinal use of cannabis, the insurance industry will provide no coverage. Advocates are now starting to demand legislation to address this contradiction.

As demands mount for expungement of cannabis convictions in the 10 states that have legalized, as well as in Canada, the cumbersome bureaucracy of court systems is an obstacle. Now San Francisco has teamed with a software company to automate the process—a partnership that could serve as a model for other jurisdictions across North America.

A measure to legalize cannabis in the Aloha State died in the legislature. But Hawaii's long-delayed medical marijuana program is finally taking off—and has now been opened to non-residents.

A newly released study from the University of New Mexico actually finds more therapeutic benefits to THC than its sexy sibling cannabinoid CBD. However, the study is based on a single cellphone app—which, for better or worse, is certainly unorthodox methodology.