WeedLife News Network

As Congress members become more aware of changing public and political opinion on cannabis, federal leadership is still sorely lacking, which plays out in the ongoing conflict between state and federal marijuana policies.

With only 22 primaries and caucuses left and the general election fast approaching, some college students are looking beyond typical candidate platforms to determine their choice for president.

Pennsylvania makes 24. By signing the legislation on Sunday, Gov. Tom Wolf put the commonwealth in the company of 23 other states plus the District of Columbia that have legalized marijuana for medical use.

Pennsylvania was poised to become the 24th U.S. state to legalize marijuana use for medical purposes after state legislators on Wednesday approved a bill that Democratic Governor Tom Wolf has promised to sign.

What does this somewhat anonymous legislation seek to do and what would it mean for state policy toward medical marijuana?

COLORADO SPRINGS — If elected president, Republican Ted Cruz said Saturday he would not interfere with Colorado's legalization of marijuana.
Federal authorities have announced that they are reviewing the possibility of loosening the classification of marijuana, and if this happens, it could have a far-reaching impact on how the substance is used in medical settings, experts said.

Lori Ajax has two years to set up California’s first system to license, regulate and tax medical marijuana. Gov. Jerry Brown recently appointed the Republican to become the first chief of the Bureau of Medical Marijuana Regulation.

Will the next president continue the federal government's increasingly mellow approach to marijuana? Or restart the drug war?
TRENTON, N.J. -- With a nod to Whoopi Goldberg, lawmakers in New Jersey announced legislation that would loosen the state's strict medical marijuana law to allow women to get pot-based products to ease menstrual cramps.

Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) on Tuesday convened a hearing of the Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control to investigate whether the Justice Department has been derelict in its enforcement duties on marijuana.

California will need extensive regulatory oversight for cultivation, distribution and sales for pot intended for both social and medical use if voters approve recreational use of marijuana this year, according to a leading public policy group.

MADISON, WI (KTRK) -- Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders says he wants to decriminalize marijuana.

HARTFORD – There won't be a vote on legalizing marijuana for recreational use in Connecticut this year but that didn't stop supporters and opponents from speaking out at an informational hearing at the Capitol Tuesday.

By every metric available, public opinion appears to favor legalization, and by wider margins with each passing year.

In the next few weeks, as Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin nears the end of his time in office, his state could make history. If he has his way, Vermont will become the first state in the union to legalize marijuana through its legislature.

John Hudak isn’t a politician, a legalization advocate, or a cannabis entrepreneur. He walks unrecognized through industry conferences. But in the past six months, he’s quietly become one of the most influential voices on national cannabis policy.

It's easy to assume that all Republicans - apart from Rand Paul of course - are anti-marijuana legalization.