by Oscar Pascual

 
Marijuana activist and author Jack Herer was recently commemorated with a mural that now adorns the side of Venice Beach’s Nile Collective.
The mural, completed by Los Angeles artistTazroc, posthumously honors the activist and author who founded the organization Help End Marijuana Prohibition.
 
Full Article:
http://blog.sfgate.com/smellthetruth/2013/08/30/jack-herer-gets-venice-beach-mural/

The U.S. Justice Department on Thursday issued surprise guidance directing its attorneys not to sue states that have moved to de-criminalise the recreational use of marijuana, so long as those states implement strict regulatory regimes.
The announcement marks a turnaround for the administration of President Barack Obama, who in January refused to explicitly support cannabis legalisation. Yet analysts are also suggesting that the new policy stance will have significant repercussions for countries that have been at the receiving end of the U.S. “war on drugs”.
 
Full Article:
http://www.iede.co.uk/news/2013_2880/revised-us-stance-marijuana-will-be-felt-beyond-borders

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQd_PlY-6c4

The Huffington Post  |  By Nile Cappello

 
With many states on their way to legalizing marijuana, the conversation surrounding this herb has been even louder than usual lately. With legalization (both for recreational and medicinal purposes) has come a new wave of creativity in terms of one of weed’s most popular forms: edibles.
 
Full Article:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/30/weed-edibles_n_3831498.html

A U.S. Justice Department ruling saying it will honor state laws regarding regulated marijuana sales is a greenlight for the production of industrial hemp, Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner James Comer said today.

James Comer
“It’s about time,” Comer said in a released statement. “This is a major victory for Kentucky’s farmers and for all Kentuckians. Two years ago, the Obama administration would not even discuss the legalization of industrial hempBut through a bipartisan coalition of Kentucky leaders, we forced their hand. We refused to listen to the naysayers, passed a hemp bill by a landslide, and our state is now on the forefront of an exciting new industry. That’s called leadership.”
 
Full Article:
http://www.kyforward.com/2013/08/comer-says-justice-department-ruling-is-a-greenlight-for-hemp-production-in-kentucky/

by Johnny Green

 
Courtesy of The Joint Blog
A lot has changed since we last published an overview of cannabis law reform in the U.S., as activists all across the country continue to push the conversation, and policies forward.
As we continue onward in a year which has been historic for cannabis reform, here’s an examination of reform occurring across the United States; take note of the fact that the Obama Administration announced today that they won’t overturn cannabis legalization in states that decide to take that approach, such as Colorado and Washington.

• Alabama:

Ron Crumpton, Executive Director of the Alabama Safe Access Project (ASAP), tells us that State Representative Patricia Todd – in collaboration with ASAP – will be filing multiple cannabis reform measures in the upcoming legislative session, including a measure to decriminalize cannabis, a proposal to legalize it entirely, and two proposals to bring protection for medical cannabis patients; one would legalize medical cannabis entirely, and one would provide an affirmative defense for qualified patients
 
Full Article:
http://www.theweedblog.com/an-updated-state-by-state-look-at-cannabis-reform-across-the-u-s/

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
 
PHOENIX — A Tempe dispensary is offering to help a Mesa family planning to give medical marijuana to their 5-year-old son to treat his seizures.
Phoenix TV station KNXV (http://shar.es/zESDz) reports that Harvest of Tempe has offered to provide all the cannabis oil that Zander Welton will need.
 
Full Article:
http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/f3b5009dca56404eb7f0ab1e99b0a018/AZ–Medical-Marijuana-Child

By Charlotte Alter @charlottealter
 
The first study of worldwide drug use has concluded that marijuana is the most widely used illegal drug in the world, but far less deadly than painkillers like Vicodin, Oxycontin and codeine, The Associated Press reports.
Full Article:
http://world.time.com/2013/08/29/study-marijuana-worlds-most-popular-least-dangerous-drug/

 
By Stephen Dinan The Washington Times

A caregiver picks out a marijuana bud for a patient at a marijuana dispensary in Denver on Tuesday, Sept. 18, 2012. (AP Photo/Ed Andrieski)
 
The Obama administration told Colorado and Washington on Thursday that the federal government will not stand in the way of those states’ marijuana laws, which allow for the personal use of the drug.
 
Full Article:
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/aug/29/obama-administration-oks-washington-colorado-marij/