Global Ganja Report

Hardcore Tuna-heads aren't going to be able to resist this one. They already know the basic outline of Jorma Kaukonen's life: an authenticity-obsessed student of traditional finger-picking country blues in the folk revival of the early '60s (Harlem legend Blind Gary Davis was his special inspiration), he was catapulted to stardom when he went electric as the lead guitarist for the Jefferson Airplane, flagship band of the San Francisco sound.

On the eve of 420, a National Cannabis Policy Summit will convene in the nation's capital, joining industry leaders, activists and elected officials to discuss how legalization could look in the United States—and how to get there.

April 20—popularly known as 420—has emerged as a global day of celebration of cannabis culture. But a group of activists have launched an effort to the make the next day the one that grapples with the challenge of creating an equitable, inclusive and diverse cannabis industry.

New York state's second city of Buffalo has long been a national symbol of rust-belt economic and infrastructural decay. Now urban planners have approved a massive cannabis facility backed by California capital for the city's long-inactive waterfront. Buffalo's boosters say the project could turn the Great Lakes region into a leading global hub of cannabis output.

A couple in rural Alabama lost everything—home, belongings, business—after $50 worth of cannabis and a single legal pharmaceutical pill were found in a drug taskforce raid. The case raises questions about asset forfeiture laws, and their invitation to abuse by overzealous cops. 

New Mexico's governor signed into law a cannabis decriminalization measure, as well as another bill that opens social space for medical marijuana users. Advocates anticipate a growing market and industry in the state. A full legalization measure, however, died in the state senate.

The governor of the US territory of Guam signed into a law a cannabis legalization measure that would establish an adult-use industry on the island. But there is still opposition from local conservatives, and the same dilemmas that have held back establishment of a medical marijuana program in the territory may prove obstacles to implementation.

As Massachusetts unfolds its legal cannabis market, the Boston area got its first retail outlet with the opening of a Brookline dispensary. Planners are concerned with orderly growth, while advocates demand that the Bay State's new cannabis order emphasize local control.