The historic first day of sales of recreational marijuana in Illinois kicked off Wednesday morning with the expected long lines and party atmosphere as hundreds celebrated their ability to buy weed legally -- all while helping the state out with 10 to 25% of the cost going toward taxes.

Lines formed early at dispensaries in Chicago and the suburbs with customers aware of concerns that the shops could sell out of product early.

Several buyers expressed surprise at just how much cash they had to pay out but were happy that they knew the quality of the cannabis was good — and for once in their life they weren’t breaking the law.

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Ally Marotti and Robert McCoppin ~ ChicagoTribune.com ~ 

The cost of legal marijuana in Caifornia is getting higher in 2020, thanks to a new law that goes into effect on New Year's Day.

“Essentially, the state is raising our taxes $3 on every $100,” said Eric Miramon, co-owner of All About Wellness in Sacramento.

Miramon said his Sacramento pot shop pays $120,000 a month in combined state and city taxes -- and those fees are going up.

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Mike Luery ~ KCRA.com ~ 

Gov. JB Pritzker has pardoned more than 11,000 people convicted of misdemeanor marijuana cases, in the first step toward clearing the records of hundreds of thousands of low-level pot convictions, a day before the state legalizes cannabis in 2020.

“These 11,017 misdemeanor convictions represent individuals who have carried around with them a stain on their records for possessing less than 30 grams of cannabis; a stain that has very often prevented them from obtaining housing, or jobs, or benefits. Today, we lift the burden on the first 11,000,” Pritzker said Monday at Trinity United Church of Christ.

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Chicago.CBSLocal.com ~ 

Arkansans have bought more than 4,200 pounds of medical marijuana in 2019 -- the first calendar year of legal sales in the state.

That accounts for more than $28.13 million spent on the drug, according to the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration. 

State regulators expect the market to take off even more in early 2020 as the two remaining growing facilities begin full operations and as the remaining dispensaries open to the public. 

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Hunter Field ~ ArkansasOnline.com ~

The doctor for a seven-year-old boy whose mother uses cannabis-based drugs to treat his epilepsy has agreed to write to the Scottish Government in an attempt to secure him a prescription.

Dr Desmond Spence is writing to Health Secretary Jeane Freeman on behalf of Karen Gray, whose son Murray takes medicinal cannabis to keep crippling seizures at bay.

The doctor, from the Barclay Medical Practice Eastcraigs in Edinburgh, said that it was “ridiculous” that Gray was having to fork out more than £1,300 month to have the drugs couriered from Holland for her son.

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Kevan Christie ~ The Scotsman ~ 

Data suggests that some customers will cross state lines in search of state-licensed marijuana retailers, despite warnings that it’s illegal to bring the product back home.

Retailers legally selling marijuana for the past month in Michigan say they have drawn customers from surrounding Midwestern states where the drug remains illegal and, as Illinois prepares to joins the recreational market on Wednesday, officials are renewing warnings to consumers against carrying such products over state lines.

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Kathleen Foody and David Eggert ~ Associated Press ~ 

The U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) are a tropical paradise in the Caribbean, known for their luxurious resorts, gorgeous natural landscapes, turquoise water… and perhaps, soon, legal marijuana to accompany it all.

Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. called the legislature into an exceptional session on Wednesday, Dec. 18, to consider an amendment regarding the legalization of cannabis in the USVI.

The bill would expand the islands’ existing medical marijuana program, which was signed into law earlier this year as one of Bryan’s very first acts as governor.

Now, he seeks to go even further with this new bill, which is accompanied by an act planning the expungement of any prior convictions for possession of less than one pound of cannabis. 

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Regular cannabis use has risen more quickly among people with depression, and they’re less likely to perceive it as risky, compared with people who aren’t depressed, a U.S. study suggests.

Researchers examined data collected from a total of almost 729,000 people aged 12 years and older between 2005 and 2017, including any prior-month cannabis use and any depression experienced over the previous year.

By the final year of the study, about 19% of people with depression reported at least some cannabis use, compared with 8.7% of individuals without a recent history of depression. 

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Lisa Rapaport ~ Reuters.com ~ 

Recreational marijuana use will be legal in Illinois in less than a week, and some companies with zero tolerance policies are deciding how to handle employees who want to light up. 

With the implementation of the new law fast approaching, companies are scrambling to get policies in place that reflect legalization.

"I've had a lot of questions from my clients on what to do about their zero tolerance drug policies," said Maro Wolf O'Donnell at Benesch Law. "The answer is they can still have those policies as long as they are crafted correctly."

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Sarah Schulte ~ ABC7Chicago.com ~ 

Former NBA big man Al Harrington has emerged as one of the biggest supporters of marijuana use within the league today.

For the retired 39-year-old, he firmly believes that the use of cannabis is something that can benefit players who use the same for medicinal purposes.

“I think the day-to-day pain management issues that players deal with can be dealt with through cannabis,” Harrington said of athletes who are often prescribed pain relievers following surgery, including highly addictive opioids, via Candace Buckner of the Washington Post. “Something that is all natural and nowhere near as harmful as the stuff that they’re using now.”

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Paolo Songco ~ ClutchPoints.com ~ 

Many people experience stress or depression this time of year and research suggest cannabis could help you through the holiday blues.

Tis the season…for the blues. With all the holiday parties, unpredictable weather, and intense family time (or lack of intense family time), this month elicits strong emotions all around.

It can make you feel incredibly grateful and full of love, but it can also spark feelings of loneliness and the inability to connect with holiday cheer. 

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Brendan Bures ~ TheFreshToast.com ~ 

Work, childcare and household demands with limited support mean that moms carry a heavy load, taxing the body, nervous system and emotional and mental health.

The familiar meme of a baby’s pacifier lying beside a filled-to-the-brim class of Pinot Noir has come to signify #momlife.

Ask any random mom how she keeps sane and she will likely answer, “wine.”

Wine is the go-to salve for frazzled nerves, exhaustion and a pressure release. It’s legal, ancient and served at dinner. Moms are encouraged, particularly by other moms, to uncork in the early evening (late afternoon?) or hit the wine bar hard on mom’s night out.

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A hi-tech incubator for the development of breakthrough medical cannabis technologies will be established in Yeroham, the Israel Innovation Authority and Economy Ministry announced Monday.

Projecting an estimated investment of NIS 150 million into the small Negev town, the tender to operate the government-backed CanNegev incubator was awarded to crowdfunding investment platform OurCrowd, nonprescription pharmaceutical giant Perrigo and Israeli medical cannabis cultivator BOL Pharma.

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Eytan Halon ~ Jerusalem Post ~

“I think Ohio is missing the boat,” the Cincinnati man said. “They could literally make a lot of money from (recreational) marijuana.”

The line outside Exclusive Brands – a medical and recreational marijuana store, grower and processor in a business park on the south end of town – wrapped around the side of the building and down the block, with customers waiting around three hours Friday afternoon and 3 ½ hours on Saturday.

Many were from Ohio.

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Laura Hancock ~ Cleveland.com ~

“By law, you and your spouse cannot own both retail and production. So we haven't been able to get married because neither one of us wants to sell our business.”

It wasn’t under the Eiffel Tower or at New Years. When Nick Mayer proposed to his long-time girlfriend Maryam Mirnateghi.

"it was fairly humble," he said. Dinner at an Italian restaurant in Seattle. Some wine. Mayer got down on one knee. A sentimental “Let’s spend our lives together” kind of thing. That was six years ago.

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Anna Boiko-Weyrauch ~ KUOW.org ~ 

"To ensure safe travel for all residents and visitors, we're encouraging all travelers not to bring cannabis through Chicago's airports as it still remains illegal under federal law," said Chicago Police Commander William Mullane.

With Christmas just days away, many people are preparing for the big holiday escape.

Both the roads and airports are expected to be busy with travelers, but if you're flying, there's a warning about bringing marijuana to the airport.

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Jesse Kirsch ~ ABC7Chicago.com ~ 

"I see a lot of veterans that are addicted to opioids and I know that they would probably not be taking so many pills if they had another alternative."

A controversy is brewing involving veterans and medical marijuana.

VA doctors can’t prescribe it because it’s not approved by the FDA and it's illegal in the eyes of the federal government. Some veterans hope that will soon change.

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Albert Pefley ~ CBS12.Com ~ 

A pot shop in Massachusetts is making history this holiday season by becoming the first dispensary in the state to sell gift cards.

WWLP reported that Insa received approval from the state Cannabis Control Commission to make gift cards available.

The gift cards can be purchased and redeemed at Insa dispensaries in Easthampton, Springfield and Salem.

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NBC 10 News ~ 

Medical marijuana production in Italy may triple in 2020 as the government aims to lesser its reliance on imports, according to Marijuana Business Daily.

The only organization with the license to cultivate medical cannabis in Italy, Stabilimento Chimico Farmaceutico di Firenze (SCFF), was recently authorized by Italy's health ministry to produce 500 kilograms of cannabis flower in 2020, the publication said.

This year's production is reportedly expected to total less than 200 kilograms.

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Nina Zdinjak ~ Benzinga.com ~

Governor J.B. Pritzker has opened applications for the first $21 million Low Cost Loan Program authorized in the cannabis law signed in June.

The initiative is funded through the Cannabis Business Development Fund, created by the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act, to support social equity applicants seeking cannabis business licenses.

The fund is primarily supported through the licensing fees of the first round of dispensaries and cultivators, among other sources. 

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TheTelegraph.com ~