Jamaica is looking to install airport kiosks where tourists can obtain permits to legally purchase marijuana, in an effort to cash in on the country's burgeoning weed industry. As The Jamaica Gleaner reports, the permits would be available to travelers with a medical marijuana prescription, and would allow them to carry up to two ounces of the drug while in Jamaica. The country's Cannabis Licensing Authority (CLA) is preparing a formal proposal, which CLA medical chairman Winston De La Haye expects to take "a few weeks" to complete.

Jamaica decriminalized small amounts of marijuana in 2015, joining a wave of countries and US states that hav …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Here's an amusing byproduct of the legalization of marijuana use in some American states: it's putting a strain on the nation's freight network. The Wall Street Journal reports that Denver, a central hub for transportation of goods across the country, is experiencing a shortage of warehouse space due to increased demand from marijuana producers.

Cresa Partners, a real estate brokerage firm, reports that as much as a third of new warehouse space leased in Colorado over the past 18 months has gone to marijuana growers and distributors. They need ample space to conduct their business, so they're competing hard for it when it becomes available …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Plenty of ground has been broken since Washington and Colorado became the first states to make the sale and recreational use of marijuana legal earlier this year. We've seen the first medical marijuana ad on television, the first rules governing how banks handle the money coming from dispensaries, and even the first weed publishing vertical at an established newspaper. Now the world's first international marijuana brand is being created - and it will use Bob Marley's likeness to promote it.

According to The Guardian, Marley's family is working with private equity firm Privateer Holdings to create a company called Marley Natural. Its focus w …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Voters in Alaska, Oregon, and the District of Columbia voted to legalize marijuana for recreational use Tuesday, following in the footsteps of Colorado and Washington, which legalized the drug in 2012. A ballot measure to legalize marijuana for medical purposes failed in Florida, the Associated Press reports, where voters failed to meet the 60 percent threshold needed to pass a constitutional amendment.

Alaska's measure passed by a slight majority Tuesday, with about 52 percent of the vote and 97 percent of precincts reporting. Under the initiative, adults 21 and older can have up to one ounce of marijuana and six plants, with production an …

Read the full story at The Verge.

President Obama hasn't hidden the fact that he smoked weed long before coming to office, and residents of Colorado - where marijuana is now legal - are happily embracing that. At a Denver bar last night, one patron asked Obama if he was interested in taking a legal toke. "You want to hit this?" the patron shouted. The exchange is captured on Instagram, including Obama's reply: a quick laugh while moving on to greet others. The answer may have been a "no," but that wasn't so discouraging: "Asked him if he wanted a hit of pot," the patron wrote on Instagram. "He laughed! #legalizeit #iinhaled."

Read the full story at The Verge.

Late last month, New York state lawmakers voted for the Compassionate Care Act - which legalizes medical marijuana - to pass into law. Today, Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the bill, making it legal for patients with such serious diseases as cancer, HIV/AIDS, and multiple sclerosis to obtain the drug, and making New York the 23rd state to legalize it. The only caveat is that buyers won't be able to smoke their marijuana, but can consume it in edibles, tinctures, and pills or inhale the drug using vaporizers.

Reiterating his previous statements on the issue, Governor Cuomo wrote, "The legislation I am signing today strikes the right balance be …

Read the full story at The Verge.

The state of Washington this week handed out its first licenses to approved marijuana vendors, nearly two years after voters decriminalized the drug for recreational use. As the Associated Press reports, the state sent emails to the first wave of applicants early Monday morning, telling them they can open for business as early as Tuesday, though the rollout will be limited. A spokesman for Washington's regulatory agency told the New York Times that only about 20 licenses will be issued during the first phase, including just one store in Seattle, Washington's largest city.

Supply shortage could lead to higher prices

Voters in both Washington …

Read the full story at The Verge.

The Colorado Symphony Orchestra is planning a series of fundraising concerts tailor-made for the state's burgeoning legal cannabis industry. The Associated Press reports that local weed businesses have come together to sponsor what will be called Classically Cannabis: The High Note Series, comprised of four concerts culminating in a final show at Colorado's famous Red Rocks Amphitheater.

According to the Symphony's website, the concerts will figure prominently in the group's summer series. In addition to alcohol being served at the event, patrons over the age of 21 will be allowed to bring edibles, joints, and marijuana tinctures to aid in …

Read the full story at The Verge.