Marijuana vending machines will soon be able to scan your fingerprints.
Marijuana vending machines will soon be able to scan your fingerprints. DON MACKINNON VIA GETTY IMAGES

The good the bad, and the ugly of weed: Last week’s spending bill protections for states with medical marijuana won’t mean much if Trump chooses to ignore them (bad), but more states seem to be on the road to legalization (good). And an edible is in the center of an ugly murder case. Also, a weed-smuggling cop gets busted in Seattle, a glimpse at pot vending machines of the future, and more. Read on!

Trump May Ignore Protections on Weed

The provision in last week’s spending bill that tied the DOJ’s hands from going after states with medical marijuana seemed too good to be true—and it was. In a recent statement, Trump said he reserves the right to ignore the provision, and that he isn’t legally bound by the limits imposed on him by lawmakers. Wait, Trump thinks of himself as above the limits of the law? NEVER!

Vermont is Officially on the Path to Legalizing Weed

As of Wednesday. And Nevada will start issuing recreational marijuana licenses by July 1. Pennsylvania is getting closer to legal weed, too. Go states!

Insurer Denies Coverage for Marijuana Candy Murder

It’s not every day that an edible cannabis product is at the center of a bizarre murder court case. Richard Kirk claimed that he shot and killed his wife because the marijuana edible the 49-year-old man ingested, “Karma Kandy Orange Ginger,” triggered a psychotic episode. The couple’s three sons have filed a wrongful-death lawsuit—the first of its kind in the recreational cannabis industry—against the distributor (Nutritional Elements) and the candy company (Gaia’s Garden), but the candy company's insurer, United Specialty Insurance, has sued back, denying that they are under any obligation to defend the company.

Seattle’s Weed-Smuggling Cop

Quite a stash you got there, officer!
Quite a stash you got there, officer! SCOTT OLSON VIA GETTY IMAGES

A Seattle Police officer was arrested last Saturday for allegedly smuggling hundreds of pounds of marijuana to Baltimore. Officer Alex Chapackdee, a 16-year veteran of the force, loaded up his RV with weed and hit the road, "without stopping except to get gas or food." By the time he got back to Seattle, he was busted. Read all about it here.

Cannabis Can Reverse Signs of Cognitive Aging

This according to a new study by researchers at the University of Bonn, Germany, who
gave low dosages of THC to three groups of mice—young, mature and elderly—and then gauged their memory capacity in series of scary-sounding (but probably very cute-looking) tests (like a water-maze). The mice that were given a placebo displayed normal cognitive losses, while the THC mice had cognitive functions that were as good as the young (non-dosed) group.

Pot Vending Machines of the Future Are Creepy

Phoenix-based cannabis technology firm American Green, which developed the very first pot vending machine for Seattle medical dispensary Seattle Caregivers back in 2015, has now developed a vending machine prototype that will allow you to completely bypass any human contact when buying pot—by scanning your fingerprints to verify your identity. Cool, that doesn’t make me paranoid AT ALL.

Dave Matthews Seems REALLY High in This Late Show Interview

How high? Sooooo high.