Pot shops will come to Alaska this fall, a new poll suggest legalization will come to California this fall, a medical marijuana bill advances in Utah, the Montana Supreme Court puts the hurt on medical marijuana sales, and more. 

[image:1 align:right caption:true]Marijuana Policy

Alaska Retail Marijuana Sales to Begin This Fall. The state's Marijuana Control Board has released an updated timeline that says growing and testing licenses will be issued in June and the first retail and manufacturing facility licenses will be issued in September. Shops should open shortly after that. The Board began taking business license applications Wednesday and had 68 the first day.

New California Poll Has 60% for Legalization. A new Probolsky poll asked respondents if they would support a pot legalization initiative "likely bringing in millions in new revenues for government programs." Some 60% said they did, with only 37% opposed. Legalization was supported by all age groups except people over 65. The poll's margin of error was +/- 3.1%.

Michigan Legalization Bill Filed. State Sen. Coleman Young II (D-Detroit) has introduced Senate Bill 813, which would legalize, tax and regulate marijuana commerce in the state. The bill was filed Wednesday and referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee.   

Wyoming House Committee Strips Felony Penalty from Pot Edibles Bill. The House Judiciary Committee voted Thursday to remove language from Senate File 96 that would make possession of more than three ounces of edibles a felony. Instead, the bill now calls for increasingly stiff misdemeanor penalties for second and subsequent convictions for possessing them. The bill has already passed the Senate, so the changes will have to be thrashed out in conference committee.

Medical Marijuana

Georgia Poll Finds Strong Support for Allowing CBD Cannabis Oil Cultivation. An 11Alive News/Survey USA poll has support for growing marijuana for medical purposes at 66%, with only 23% opposed. The poll comes as the legislature is advancing a bill that would have allowed that, but had that provision stripped out in committee. The bill in question is House Bill 722.

Montana Supreme Court Radically Limits Medical Marijuana Sales. In a decision Thursday, the state's high court ruled that medical marijuana providers could be paid for their services, but limited each provider to no more than three patients, banned medical marijuana advertising, and upheld automatic reviews of physicians who recommend it to more than 25 patients. In the decision, the court largely upheld a 2011 law passed by the GOP-dominated legislature aimed at gutting the state's then free-wheeling medical marijuana program.

Utah Medical Marijuana Bill Passes Senate. The Senate voted 17-12 Thursday to approve Senate Bill 73, sponsored by Sen. Mark Madsen (R-Saratoga Springs), which would allow a medical marijuana program in the state, but now allow patients access to raw buds. The vote to approve came despite the opposition of the Mormon Church. The measure now goes to the House, where its prospects are uncertain.

Sentencing

Vera Institute of Justice Report on Jails Released. As part of its Incarceration Trends Project, Vera has released The Human Toll of Jail, which aims to raise the public perception of jail incarceration by shedding light on the everyday experiences of those who pay that toll, or work to decrease it. The report launched Wednesday with 10 stories told in interviews, video, photography, and comics journalism, including people who have been in jail and their families, a prosecutor, a public defender, a judge, and others on the frontlines of local justice systems.

International

Clashes Break Out Between Burmese Christian Anti-Drug Vigilantes and Opium Farmers. Members of the vigilante group, Pat Jasan, who had been in a stand-off with security forces near opium growing region, reported they had been ambushed by opium farmers, leaving three people injured and about 30 others taken prisoner by the farmers. Security forces had allowed the vigilantes to clear some opium fields, but they then engaged in skirmishes with farmers who have vowed to protect their crops.