One of the biggest positive steps for marijuana reform in Texas in 2017 happened here in Dallas. On Dec. 1, the city began issuing citations, rather than making arrests, for possession of less than 4 ounces of marijuana. Those busted are still subject to the same penalties as they were before Dec. 1, but Dallas' small step forward came after years of false starts and hard work. In other Dallas County cities, those arrested for pot possession alone will be released on personal recognizance bonds once they are processed, rather than being required to pay bail.

At the state level, the Texas Legislature has taken a similar path, inching toward reform in the 2015 and 2017 legislative sessions and creating optimism among marijuana reform advocates about what's possible during the next session of the legislature in 2019.

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A new store in Columbia, part of a chain that also has locations in Kansas City, Springfield and Joplin, is raising the question of whether a hemp extract extolled for its benefits to epilepsy patients can be sold legally to anyone.

CBD American Shaman on Range Line Street just south of Interstate 70 isn’t the only store in Columbia with products containing cannabidiol, commonly called CBD, but it is the first store that makes the extract its main business. A sign with a green cross—a symbol also used by medical marijuana dispensaries in states where it is legal—alerts passers-by to its presence in the small strip mall.

The owner of one company licensed to produce and sell under a 2014 state law said in an interview this week that three letters to Attorney General Josh Hawley complaining about the unlicensed sales have received little response.

“We gave them all the photos, all the info, all the regulations, and nothing has happened,” said Mitch Meyer of BeLeaf Company of Earth City. “We have followed up two times over the last two months.”

If the product is legal without a license, that needs to be made clear, Meyer said. She’s trying to protect BeLeaf’s investment in growing space, testing labs and a sales office that is seeking to provide a legal product to a very limited clientele.

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KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP/CLARKSVILLENOW) — A new law will change who enforces marijuana laws in Tennessee.

WBIR-TV reports a law taking effect in January removes the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission from the Governor’s Task Force on Marijuana Eradication.

The push to remove the commission began in 2012, when WSMV-TV reported law enforcement discovered what they believed to be marijuana in the home of the commission’s director. Police never did a criminal investigation and the director retired in 2012.

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As cannabis is legalized, sometimes scientific matters can get lost amid all the talk about social issues. Early next year, the University of California Botanical Garden at Berkeley will host a series of five lectures by national experts to address such topics for non-specialist audiences. The topics are:

Feb. 1: Dr. Amanda Reiman, “The environmental aspect of large-scale cannabis cultivation.” How can the current environmental impact be addressed as production scales up?

Feb. 8: Dr. Mowgli Holmes, The genetics of cannabis breeds.” How do the current informal names of strains relate to genetics and to chemical properties?

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