Nearly 70 percent of Missouri voters approved medical marijuana in November.

The Show-Me State became one of 33 that has legalized medical marijuana, but the plant is still illegal in every form on the federal level.

That puts states with marijuana allowances at odds with the U.S. government and it complicates the medical treatment for some of the very people medical marijuana was supposed to benefit – military veterans.

A disabled Air Force veteran, who wants to remain anonymous because marijuana is still illegal to use in any form in Missouri, says he currently uses it for medicinal purposes. He says his chronic pain treatment got out-of-hand.

In what could be one of the most convincing financial arguments for the legalization of recreational marijuana yet, the state of Utah has announced that cannabis cultivators will face a licensing fee from between $75,000 to $100,000.

“The program has to be self-sufficient and pay for itself,” said Andrew Rigby, who is program manager for the state’s marijuana industry. Utah’s Department of Agriculture and Food, the cannabis industry’s regulatory body, has estimated that legalizing medical marijuana will cost the state over $563,000 in 2020. All the same, at the current fee rates, applications and licensing has been forecasted to bring in $1.1 million.

It’s safe to say that most baby books don’t tell pregnant women to sign up for marijuana studies, but the University of Washington is nonetheless recruiting.

The study is looking at whether prenatal marijuana use impacts infants’ brain development, outside of the influence of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs. Called the “Moms + Marijuana” study, the pregnant women will have their marijuana use tracked from the first trimester and until six months in to see if their infants’ brain are altered in any way.

The legalization of medical marijuana in 33 U.S. states has paved the way to the growing popularity of cannabis and the products derived from it, such as cannabidiol. Also known as CBD, this cannabis-derived substance has received praises by researchers and doctors for its growing list of health and wellness benefits. Because of CBD's increasing popularity, industry analysts predict it’s on its way to becoming a $22-billion market by 2022.

But even though CBD receives high praises for its incredible medical properties, users must still take note of its side effects. Like any substance used as a medicine, cannabidiol can cause harm to users, especially those who use it without the prescription and supervision of a doctor.

Members of the House and Senate have approved versions of House Bill 364, which allows qualified patients the option to grow marijuana at home. The Governor has not publicly commented on the bill, but has previously spoken out against broader legalization efforts.

In January this year, California introduced Assembly Bill 228 under which food, beverage, and cosmetic products with hemp extracts or derivatives are no longer considered adulterated by these ingredients, and will not be subject to sales restrictions or prohibitions based on the presence of hemp.

Three California committees – Assembly Business and Professions Committee, Assembly Health Committee and Appropriations Committee – all passed the bill unanimously. The most recent bill passing by the Appropriations Committee occurred last week. Once the California Assembly passes the bill and it gets signed into law by the Governor, CBD products will be legal to sell in the State of California.

Commissioners in Clark County, Nevada have passed a resolution allocating almost $1.8 million from the local commercial cannabis industry to help subsidize programs dedicated to providing assistance to the homeless.

A little more than $930,000 of the earmarked money will be provided to HELP of Southern Nevada’s rehousing services “for medically fragile, non-chronically homeless households after leaving local hospitals,” according to KTNV in Las Vegas. The station reported that a little more than $855,000 will be given to HELP “to assist the program costs” associated with a homeless youth center.

Earlier this week the NFL and the NFL Players Association announced they would be implementing two new medical committees—one of which will explore the use of cannabis to help players manage pain, writes Calvin Hughes.

When cannabis was legalized in Oregon, many people saw business opportunity. But Amy Margolis saw something more specific: She saw business opportunities for women. 

Major political disputes often create unpredictable ripples in the world of cannabis. Sometimes, these waves are small and kitschy. When President Donald Trump caused a government shutdown because legislators wouldn’t fund his border wall, that meant government workers were left without pay or medical services. So one company stepped in to provide those employees with free medical marijuana.