President Donald Trump said Friday that he's inclined to support a bipartisan effort in Congress to ease the U.S. ban on marijuana, a proposal that would dramatically reshape the nation's legal landscape for pot users and businesses. The federal ban that puts marijuana on the same level as LSD and heroin has created a conflict with more than two dozen states that have legalized pot in some form, creating a two-tiered enforcement system where cannabis can be both legal and not. [continues 362 words]
LOS ANGELES - California's legal marijuana marketplace is coming with a kaleidoscope of new taxes and fees that could influence where it's grown, how pot cookies and other munchies are produced and the price tag on just about everything. Be ready for sticker shock. On a retail level, it costs about $35 to buy a small bag of good quality medical marijuana in Los Angeles, enough to roll five or six joints. But in 2018, when legal sales take hold and additional taxes kick in, the cost of that same purchase in the new recreational market is expected to increase at the retail counter to $50 or $60. [continues 1063 words]
Insurance Companies, Doctors, Hospitals Face Off Against Trial Lawyers Over Raising Limits on Negligence Damages LOS ANGELES (AP) - Voters could make California the first state to require many doctors to submit to random drug and alcohol tests, a safeguard that has long been in place for pilots, police officers and others who must stay clear-eyed on the job. While supporters are promoting that aspect of Proposition 46, it is not the initiative's most contentious provision. If approved by voters, it also would lift the ceiling on damages for pain and suffering caused by medical negligence, something that has been sought for decades by trial lawyers. [continues 370 words]
LOS ANGELES -- The Obama administration should halt federal raids of medical marijuana dispensaries, a long-sought turnaround from the policy of the Bush White House, protesters said Thursday. The Drug Enforcement Administration raided four dispensaries in Los Angeles this week and seized 500 pounds of marijuana, bringing fresh attention to the rift between state and federal law on medical marijuana use. President Obama said during the campaign he would not use the Justice Department, which oversees the DEA, to circumvent state laws. [continues 226 words]
