Marijuana

School officials, counselors and nurses in Colorado say they are seeing an increase in the number of students bringing marijuana to school, according to The Denver Post. The rise has taken place since the state regulated medical marijuana in 2010 and legalized recreational marijuana last year.

Portland, Maine and three Michigan cities have approved measures that legalize the possession of marijuana, the Seattle Post Intelligencer reports.

Use of marijuana and inhalants is more common in teens in the child welfare system compared with other teens, a new study finds.

A Gallup poll has found a majority of Americans say marijuana should be legalized. The poll found 58 percent favor legalization, a 10 percent increase since last year.

Three months after medical marijuana dispensaries opened in Washington, D.C., the centers say they are losing money, according to The Washington Post. Patients say they have been discouraged by lengthy applications and warnings that marijuana remains illegal under federal law.

The outcome of a marijuana legalization vote in Portland, Maine on November 5 could indicate whether the East Coast is ready to follow the lead of Colorado and Washington state, the Associated Press reports.

California Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom is joining with the American Civil Liberties Union in an effort to craft a marijuana legalization measure, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. The measure would go before California voters during the November 2016 election.

Washington state approved rules this week for the recreational sale of marijuana, the Associated Press reports. The Washington Liquor Control Board, which adopted the rules, will issue licenses for up to 334 marijuana stores across the state.

A growing number of people are smoking marijuana out of e-cigarettes, NBC New York reports.

Marijuana legalization advocates are seeking signatures of registered voters in California, Arizona, Oregon and Alaska, Bloomberg reports. The advocates are hoping to put legalization measures on the ballot in those states in 2014.

A new survey of teens finds those who start puberty early are more likely to try cigarettes, alcohol and marijuana, compared with those who begin on time or late.

An analysis of drug prices on the recently shuttered website Silk Road reveals cocaine and marijuana sell for less in the United States than in many other countries, CNN Money reports.

Transportation Safety Administration security officers are not searching airline passengers’ luggage for marijuana, the Daily News reports.

Efforts to control the global illegal drug market through law enforcement are failing, a new study concludes. The price of marijuana, heroin and cocaine is dropping, while the drugs’ purity has increased, a team of U.S. and Canadian researchers found.

A marijuana legalization advocacy group currently has the highest number of votes in a contest in which the winner will have their ad produced and submitted for broadcast during the Super Bowl.

Attorney General Eric Holder has announced the Justice Department will broaden a plan to change how some non-violent drug offenders are prosecuted.

Police made more than 1.5 million arrests last year for drug abuse violations, according to data released Monday by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Marijuana offenses accounted for 48.3 percent of drug arrests, according to U.S. News & World Report.

A new study finds a higher percentage of high school seniors say they have driven after using marijuana than after having five or more alcoholic drinks.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie signed into law a measure that allows sick children to more easily access edible medical marijuana, CNN reports.

The federal government is looking for a way for financial institutions to conduct transactions with legitimate marijuana businesses, according to the Associated Press.

A new national survey of drug use released last week finds heroin use is on the rise, while methamphetamine use is decreasing, Time.com reports.

A marijuana advocacy group has posted a billboard ad across from Denver’s football stadium, USA Today reports. The Marijuana Policy Project’s ad urges the National Football League to “Stop Driving Players to Drink.” Referring to Colorado’s new marijuana legalization law, the ad notes, “A safer choice is now legal (here).”

Drug abuse prevention groups this week urged the Department of Justice to reconsider its announcement that it will allow Colorado and Washington to carry out their new recreational marijuana laws.

The U.S. Justice Department announced it will allow Colorado and Washington to carry out their new recreational marijuana laws, according to Reuters. The department will focus enforcement on criminal charges in specific areas, such as distribution to minors.

A national survey released Wednesday finds 5.3 percent of young adults used prescription drugs for nonmedical purposes in the past month, similar to rates in the previous two years. The survey found rates of teen drinking, including binge drinking, in the past month were lower last year compared with 2002 and 2009.