The United States Senate Appropriations Committee recently voted to grant the marijuana industry access to the banking system. It remains unclear if the banking issue will be resolved soon as a similar bill failed to reach a floor debate in the Senate last year. "We've seen this all before," Jeff Foster, a co-founder of JANE, a payment-processing firm for marijuana retailers,...

LOS ANGELES – Today, the LA City Council Rules, Elections, Intergovernmental Relations, and Neighborhoods Committee heard public comments on Motion 14-0366-S5 for a proposed March 2017 ballot initiative to reform Proposition D. The Los Angeles Cannabis Task Force, a coalition of cannabis operators dedicated to the creation of a fair and vibrant cannabis industry that ensures a safe, lawful, and...

From KABC: The first and largest marijuana cultivation farm in Southern California will be located in Desert Hot Springs. GFarmaLabs is spearheading this initial movement. "It's going to be filled with greenhouses. It's going to be an agricultural center out in the middle of the desert," Berto Torres of GFarmaLabs said. Legal marijuana cultivation can prove to be beneficial for the city of...

The New Jersey Assembly has passed a bill that would expand the state's medical marijuana program to include PTSD as a qualifying condition. The New Jersey Assembly vote in favor of the expansion won by a 55-14 margin.  Seven members abstained from the vote.  The bill will now head to New Jersey's Senate. According to the New Jersey Department of Health...

From Eastbay Express Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom is supporting the leading cannabis legalization initiative, the Adult Use of Marijuana Act, and will keynote a national cannabis business conference planned for Oakland next week. Newsom addresses the nation’s canna-business people Tuesday morning at the National Cannabis Industry Association’s Cannabis Business Summit & Expo. The trade association represents 1,000 member-business nationwide, and expects...

From the Office of the Sonoma County District Attorney, Jill Ravitch Santa Rosa, CA  –  June 16, 2016  –  Sonoma County District Attorney Jill Ravitch has issued the following statement in response to a law enforcement raid that occurred on Wednesday June 15, 2016 at multiple locations throughout Sonoma County: Throughout the last several days my office received information that a...

Quest Dehumidifiers is creating a cleaner, high-quality cannabis. MADISON, Wis. – A long-time partner of the cannabis industry is looking to dry up the need for heavy pesticide use.  Quest Dehumidifiers, which sold its first dehumidifier to the cannabis industry in 2006, has launched an initiative to help growers and consumers better understand the impact humidity levels have on plant...

Microsoft contributed significantly to the rise of the information age. Now the tech giant appears ready to contribute to another movement, the cannabis revolution. With over half of the United States and Canadian population living in jurisdictions that permit the legal use of medical marijuana, many tech companies like Microsoft are noticing the growing and potentially lucrative industry. Microsoft has announced...

Governor Gary Johnson Speaks about Cannabis at the CWCB Expo We were thrilled to watch Governor Gary Johnson address the crowd at the CWCB Expo. The former two term governor has been a longtime advocate for marijuana reform.  He is currently the Libertarian candidate for president for the 2016 election. Governor Johnson ran in 2008 as the Libertarian Party candidate as well but...

Raids of Care By Design facilities were carried out in a coordinated effort by local authorities and the DEA. Care By Design produces cannabis sprays, tinctures, oil cartridges through the Absolute Xtracts brand and other products. On Wednesday, several of the company's facilities were raided in a joint effort by Santa Rosa detectives, members of the Sonoma County Sheriff's office,...