Welcome back to The Week in Weed, your Friday look at what’s happening in the world of legalized marijuana.

The big news this week is that the governor of Washington is going to issue pardons to those convicted of misdemeanors involving marijuana.  Known as the Marijuana Justice Initiative, the program has limitations on who is eligible for the pardon but is expected to effect over 3,000 citizens.

Further down the West Coast, times are changing in California.  This week marked the end of the state’s unlicensed medical marijuana dispensaries.  They had been allowed to operate as medical cooperatives for a year after the issuance of guidance from the Bureau of Cannabis Control, but as of January 10, they need to get permits.

Meanwhile, is there a border skirmish going on involving Oklahoma and Arkansas?  Arkansas’ medical marijuana program is two years old, but no licenses have yet been issued to patients or dispensaries.  Patients interested in purchasing cannabis had been looking to neighboring Oklahoma, whose seven month old program has already issued multiple dispensary licenses and seemed eager to accept Arkansans as customers.

So what’s the hitch?  Customers from out of state need to have valid licenses from their own state in order to be able to buy marijuana in Oklahoma.  Happily, this week, Arkansas has issued licenses to medical marijuana dispensaries in the state.  But (and isn’t there always a but?), the governor of Arkansas has warned patients that transporting cannabis across state lines is still a crime.

In other Oklahoma news, the governor has given her OK (no pun intended) to new rules for medical marijuana edibles.

And in a new segment we’re calling, “Places You Wouldn’t Have Guessed Are Talking About Legal Marijuana,”  our first spotlight shines on Idaho, South Carolina, Kentucky and Virginia.  Clearly, it’s a big spotlight.

Finally, in a mash-up of cold brew and cannabis, one Missouri coffee company has a new product.  We at WIW are a bit confused as to exactly what this concoction is supposed to do.  To quote from High Times,  “Many have pointed out that the merger combines two substances with what may seem like contradictory effects, given CBD’s reputation as a relaxer.”

That’s all for this week – see you next Friday!