It is often said that making money is one of the oldest highs. That might be the mantra of tech giant Microsoft, now peddling products ranging from PowerPoint to pot. This week, Microsoft welcomed cannabis business compliance company KIND Financial to its Azure Government cloud platform. The pioneering, Seattle-based company becomes the first major tech […]
Cannabis
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Kids, Weed and Sending Messages
The public debate about cannabis legalization has been dominated by one core argument in favor of keeping pot illegal. Legalization “sends the wrong message” to children, leading them to see pot as relatively harmless, and will cause more young people using cannabis. When California became the first state to legalize medical marijuana in 1996, federal […]
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PTSD and Pot
As early as the 19th century, doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals noticed that many people who returned from military service had serious difficulty coping with the horrors of war. So many men (mostly) became disabled by combat experience – unable to continue fighting – that the US government set its best mental health professionals […]
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Pot Tax Revenues Are Sky High in Colorado
Denver is quickly becoming known as “The town that smells like weed.” Many visitors report, and most residents acknowledge, that smelling the strong and unique odor of cannabis is a common experience when walking around the neighborhoods of central Denver. The culprit is usually a retail store or an indoor growing operation, but occasionally it’s […]
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The Economic Beat of Warm Springs
Innovation promises security on the reservation
Located a little more than an hour north of Bend, The Warm Springs Reservation consists of approximately 1,000 square miles of land. The area is serene, with the Deschutes River running through the middle—a perfect tranquil setting. But life hasn’t always been easy here. With an estimated 6,500 people living on the reservation—and fewer than […]
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Federal Government Lags Behind Common Sense Cannabis Voters
One of the main reasons that cannabis has been legalized in more and more states, both for medicinal and so-called recreational uses, is a major shift in public perception about the benefits and harms of the drug. Indeed, all five of the jurisdictions that currently have a legal non-medicinal cannabis industry—Oregon, Washington, Alaska, Colorado, and […]
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Deschutes County Will Lift Ban on Rural Cannabis
Deschutes County Commissioners last week confirmed that they will eventually lift the temporary ban on cannabis businesses in unincorporated areas of the county. After receiving recommendations from the county Planning Commission, Marijuana Advisory Committee, and the public, the commissioners have concluded what even they described as lengthy deliberations and have begun the process of adopting […]
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Legal Cannabis is a Boon to Oregon’s Economy
Legal sales of so-called “recreational” cannabis have been ongoing in Oregon for only about eight months. Non-medicinal cannabis became legal on July 1, 2015, but sales through existing medical marijuana dispensaries did not begin until Oct. 1, 2015. Data from those initial sales are starting to become public, and show that Oregon’s new legal cannabis […]
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Around the USA in Cannabis News
This week brings sad news from Hawaii, where Woody Harrelson’s application to open a medical marijuana dispensary was rejected by state officials. The state approved eight applications out of 60 submitted. The eight stores permitted under state law in Hawaii will consist of three in Honolulu, two on the Big Island, two on Maui, and […]
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Canada Announces Plans for Recreational Cannabis Legislation
April 20 has been an informal holiday for cannabis enthusiasts for years, but “420” seems to be going mainstream. In addition to the celebratory clouds of odoriferous smoke in cities such as Denver, Seattle, and Portland, Canada’s new government used the opportunity to announce plans for recreational cannabis legalization. Last year, now-Canadian Prime Minister Justin […]