Though controversial, medical cannabis has been gaining ground as a valid therapy, offering relief to suffers of diseases such as cancer, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, ALS and more. The substance is known to soothe severe pain, increase the appetite, and ease insomnia where other common medications fail.
Ross Rebagliati, the Olympic gold medallist and bad boy of snowboarding, plans to open up a franchise of medical marijuana shops that trades on his fame.
Sen. Pat Leahy (D-VT), the powerful head of the Senate Judiciary Committee, called for the end of mandatory minimum sentencing at both the state and federal levels in comments made last Wednesday. He also said he hoped the federal government would not spend "a great deal of resources" on enforcing marijuana laws in states where it is legal.
A U.S. appeals court Tuesday rejected a petition to reclassify marijuana from its current federal status as a dangerous drug with no accepted medical use.
The Marijuana Policy Project is the largest marijuana policy reform organization in the United States and is responsible for most state-level marijuana policy reforms since the year 2000.