Herb (May 25, 2018) In California, lower than anticipated cannabis tax revenues have prompted Governor Jerry Brown to launch a special investigative team to eradicate black market cannabis cultivators and sellers. Brown will now spend $14 million on a plan to “target illegal cannabis activity with an emphasis on complex, large-scale financial and tax evasion investigations,” according to a statement from the governor’s office.

KCRCR News 7 (May 25, 2018) Marijuana sales in California are now projected to finish the year 50 percent lower than originally estimated, according to a financial analysis firm called New Frontier Data. The Los Angeles Times reported the firm’s findings on Tuesday, which said total sales are now estimated to reach $1.9 billion. Original projections showed sales would reach $3.9 billion. Experts say the considerable drop in the sales projection is due to competition from the black market, which is fueled by a taxless product. Dispensaries in Eureka aren’t following the same trend, though.\

The Californian (May 25, 2018) California lawmakers on Friday shelved a proposal to reduce marijuana tax rates in an effort to help licensed businesses compete with the black market. The sidelining of the proposal came a week after a report found cannabis tax revenue is far below projections. The bill, AB 3157, would have reduced the state excise tax on cannabis from 15 percent to 11 percent and suspended a cultivation tax that charges $148 per pound.

The Recorder (May 25, 2018) California lawmakers on Friday shelved legislation that would have offered employment protections to qualified medical marijuana users. The bill died without debate in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. Advocates had sought to bring California in line with a handful of other marijuana-legal states that require employers to provide reasonable accommodations to medical cannabis users so long as the employees don’t come to work impaired or cause an undue hardship on business operations.

KSWB Monterey (May 25, 2018) alifornia Roots in Monterey is a stoner’s paradise, and this year there could be even more people toking up at the reggae music festival. Smoking weed in public is against the law in California even though the sale of cannabis is now legal. Enforcement at the festival has been lax in the past and many concert-goers say recreational weed sales will not make a difference in cannabis use.

Chron (May 25, 2018) California cannabis growers and sellers will have to wait a bit longer for a tax break from the state. A bill, co-authored by Assemblyman Tom Lackey, that would have suspended cultivation taxes on marijuana for three years and lowered the state excise tax failed in legislative committee Friday.

Motley Fool (May 27, 2018) The legal weed industry appears to be budding across North America. Last year, according to cannabis research firm ArcView, in partnership with BDS Analytics, legal weed sales in North America soared by 33% to $9.7 billion. In a decade, forecasts call for more than $47 billion in legal pot sales. This rapid growth, along with growing support for cannabis among the public, is a big reason why investors simply can’t get enough of pot stocks.

Marijuana Moment (May 24, 2018) Low-income families receiving federal financial assistance would be barred from withdrawing those funds at stores that sell marijuana under a bill approved by a key House committee. The JOBS for Success Act is a broader piece of welfare reform legislation, but included inside the bill is a provision that would expand the list of federally prohibited services for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) recipients. The language is similar to that of previous standalone bills that have been proposed and one that was introduced earlier this month by Rep. David Reichert (R-WA).

CP 24 (May 25, 2018) Canada is more advanced than the United States regarding its approach to cannabis, world-famous rapper and weed entrepreneur Snoop Dogg said Friday to a crowd of hundreds at Montreal’s C2 technology conference. The entertainer lamented that in the U.S., some states such as Colorado and California have legalized weed, while others continue to enforce a strict ban on the product. Cannabis also remains illegal under U.S. federal law.

The Legal Intelligence (May 27, 2018) To date 29 states and the District of Columbia have legalized marijuana for medicinal purposes.  Some states (i.e., California) have been grappling with the implications of medicinal marijuana use for several years, while others (i.e., Pennsylvania) are just beginning to explore the complicated world of medicinal cannabis and its many tentacles. As a labor and employment law attorney, when it comes to medical marijuana, the question I am most asked is “what does medical marijuana mean for our workplace and/or our drug-testing policies?”

The age at which someone first begins smoking marijuana could make a big difference in their future drug use, suggests a new study. But context always matters – and in the case of this research, understanding the context surrounding when someone starts using marijuana is essential to understanding the results. The study analyzed data for 1,030 boys who were part of the Montreal Longitudinal and Experimental Study, a study of kids from low-income white neighborhoods that started in the early 1980s.

Motley Fool (May 27, 2018) The legal weed industry appears to be budding across North America. Last year, according to cannabis research firm ArcView, in partnership with BDS Analytics, legal weed sales in North America soared by 33% to $9.7 billion. In a decade, forecasts call for more than $47 billion in legal pot sales. This rapid growth, along with growing support for cannabis among the public, is a big reason why investors simply can’t get enough of pot stocks.

Civilized (May 27, 2018) We all understand that there are certain anxieties that come with the territory when using marijuana. Sometimes it’s a worry-free experience, when you’re surrounded by friends and everything goes exactly as you planned. But sometimes, things go a little awry, and little creeping worries began entering your subconscious. So we thought it would be fun to make a little chart to show these thoughts. Here are the biggest anxieties when getting high.

Newsweek (May 26, 2018) Florida’s ban on smokable medical marijuana is unconstitutional, a judge ruled Friday. Patients in Florida “have the right to use the form of medical marijuana for treatment of their debilitating medical conditions as recommended by their certified physicians,” Leon County Circuit Court Judge Karen Gievers wrote in her 22-page ruling, according to The Hill.