Less than three months after the worst mass shooting in American history, the National Rifle Association (NRA) was busy as always.

America’s founding fathers desired for its citizens the right to “bear arms.” They did so in a context when “arms” meant muzzle-loading muskets, which, in the hands of experienced users, could reasonably expect to be fired two or three times a minute (and were thus often deployed as spears rather than firearms).

In recent years, when acquiring a weapon of war capable of killing 58 people and wounding more than 540 in a matter of minutes has become an accomplishment no more daunting than a hobbyists’ chore, the NRA has famously pushed a broader—some might say tortured—interpretation when working the halls of Congress in its zealous defense—some might say selective expansion—of the Second Amendment.

Read More:https://hightimes.com/news/government-coming-guns-smoke-pot/

Enlisting in the U.S. Army means you stand a chance of serving your country as an international drug cop. For decades, soldiers have spent at least part of their enlistments traveling to exotic locales like Afghanistan and Humboldt County, California to discourage marijuana farming—at times, violently. But if you join the Italian army, you might end on the other side.

In Italy, the job of growing, processing and packaging cannabis for your fellow citizens’consumption is solely that of the military. Whether this is a job that the army is equal to, however, is another, open question.

As the Washington Post noted, Italy is like most of Western Europe in allowing sick people to access cannabis with the central government’s imprimatur (Congress: take note, please).

Read More:https://hightimes.com/news/italian-army-might-provide-free-marijuana/

Starting December 15, medical marijuana facilities will be able to apply to do business in Michigan. Less than two weeks before they can submit their applications, the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs has finally released the Medical Marihuana Facilities Licensing Act. The rules were filed on an emergency basis owing to the tight timeline of businesses gearing up to get in the legal cannabis game.

Hotly Contested Regulations

In 2016, Michigan’s legislature passed a set of laws allowing licensed businesses to grow, process, transport and dispense medical marijuana. The laws brought businesses out of a legal grey area, putting the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs and its newly-formed Bureau of Medical Marihuana Regulation in charge of issuing the rules governing their operation.

The details of the Medical Marihuana Facilities Licensing Act were the subject of contentious hearings before the Medical Marihuana Licensing Board. The Michigan House Fiscal Agency projects the legal cannabis market to be a $837 million business, and there are many potential investors hoping to grab a slice of the pot pie.

Read More:https://hightimes.com/news/state-bureau-releases-michigans-emergency-medical-marijuana-rules/

While recreational cannabis won’t be available in Canada until July 1, medicinal weed could become more accessible than ever, with Ontario-based cannabis manufacturer Aphria Inc. announcing it has reached a partnership deal with Canadian pharmacy chain Shoppers Drug Mart outlet to become their exclusive provider of medical marijuana.

Shoppers Drug Mart and Aphria Team Up

Aphria announced Monday that it finally reached a five-year deal with the pharmacy chain. As a part of the deal, the cannabis company will provide Drug Marts around Canada with four strains of dried marijuana flower in two different sizes and four cannabis oils— all with the Aphria brand name.

While this remains a done deal on paper, the contract still is awaiting approval from Health Canada, who must first review Shoppers Drug Mart’s application to be a licensed marijuana retailer. The chain’s parent company, Loblaw Companies Ltd., applied for a license back in October 2016, but it is still awaiting a final verdict.

Read More:https://hightimes.com/business/shoppers-drug-mart-strikes-medical-marijuana-deal/

The discrepancy between federal and state laws regarding legal cannabis oftentimes make it tricky for marijuana businesses to operate like a traditional company.

For example, they are unable to utilize traditional banking due to its status as a Schedule I narcotic, and they don’t have the access to a plethora of protections typical businesses consider standard.

One such protection is the right bankruptcy aid, and the U.S. Department of Justice has been quick to remind the cannabis industry that they cannot file for bankruptcy under any circumstances.

No Bankruptcy Aid For Marijuana Businesses, Says the Department Of Justice

In an article published by the American Bankruptcy Institute last Friday, director of the Justice Department’s Executive Office for U.S. Trustees, Clifford J. White III, and the trial attorney for the agency, John Sheahan, explained that cannabis businesses cannot claim bankruptcy because of their lingering Schedule I status.

Read More:https://hightimes.com/news/doj-no-bankruptcy-aid-marijuana-businesses/