MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG) - Identical bills have been introduced in the Alabama House and Senate that aim to decriminalize, to some degree, the possession of small amounts of marijuana. Senator Dick Brewbaker (R-Pike Road) and Rep. Patricia Todd (D-Birmingham) introduced the bills, which are scheduled for hearings this week.

The proposed bill would make possession of one ounce or less, so-called "personal use", a 'violation' subject to a fine, and not jail time, and would not appear on a person's arrest record upon the first two convictions. The first two offenses would result in a fine of up to no more than $250. A third conviction would result in a Class A Misdemeanor and a fine up to $500.

Under the current law, a first conviction for "personal use" is a Class A Misdemeanor that carries up to a year of jail time and a $6,000 fine. A second offense is a Class C felony, raising the jail possibility to up to 10 years and up to a $15,000 fine.

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COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A lawsuit filed by some unsuccessful applicants to grow medical marijuana in Ohio claims state regulators failed to follow their own rules last year when they awarded provisional licenses for growing facilities.

Several groups including CannAscend Ohio LLC filed the lawsuit Tuesday in Franklin County Common Pleas Court in Columbus. The lawsuit challenges the Ohio Department of Commerce's process for awarding the provisional licenses to 12 companies for large-scale growing facilities.

The lawsuit alleges various failures in the licensing process, including "scoring errors, undisclosed conflicts of interest, and undisclosed loopholes in the security of information."

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And read the full complaint here: 

CannAscend Ohio LLC et al v. Ohio State Department of Commerce Director et al by sandydocs on Scribd

ALAMEDA COUNTY (KRON) — Alameda County is reminding those convicted of marijuana-related crimes that they can have them wiped away.

When voters legalized recreational marijuana, Proposition 64 also allowed those with marijuana convictions to have them reduced or even expunged.

Alameda County has been doing that for more than a year now, but still has thousands to go.

“California is offering a second chance to people convicted of cannabis crimes, from felonies to small infractions, with the opportunity to have their criminal records cleared,” Alameda County D.A. Nancy O’Malley said.

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This weekend, B.C.'s pot supply grew by another 100,000 plants. The cannabis clones arrived by air from Ontario, destined for pot giant Canopy Growth's new space in Aldergrove.

The greenhouse is the largest federally licensed cannabis growing facility in the world, according to the Ontario-based company. Right now, the licence covers 400,000 square feet — or about 3.7 hectares — but when the plants are mature, they'll stretch across a whopping 1.3 million square feet.

The new operation shows just how much room there is to grow in the cannabis industry, according to Ian Dawkins, president of the Cannabis Commerce Association of Canada.

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