Cannabis traditionally has been produced on a small scale to evade the law for decades. As a result, many people have connections to someone who has dabbled in cultivation. With the legal market, however, consumers now can purchase an array of products without considering cultivation, much like grocery store produce. Grocery stores are supplied by farms that take care of the cultivation for us and grow a product at a reasonable price. This is, for the most part, also true for cannabis, but let’s take a look at the numbers and see how the finances compare between growing your own supply and buying it from a medical dispensary or an adult use retail store.

"Marijuana is safer than than alcohol or tobacco."

I came across that claim again last week while scrolling through Twitter. This time, the tweet was from Dr. Peter Grinspoon, who practices primary care at Mass General.

Grinspoon supports ballot Question 4 in Massachusetts, which would make marijuana legal for recreational use. He has a lot of personal experience with drugs; he's in recovery from an addiction to Vicodin and a few other opioid painkillers. But when asked about his tweet, Grinspoon talks about his patients. He says as many as half of his patients use marijuana, many to relieve pain or in other ways Grinspoon says are a health benefit.

It’s tough times here in the key battleground state of Florida, there’s only one option on the ballot to push marijuana legalization forward: the Use of Marijuana for Debilitating Medical Conditions, otherwise known as Amendment 2. The more liberal use act, The Florida Cannabis Act (#15-19), will not be on the November 8th ballot.

Under Amendment 2, marijuana will be considered a legal treatment for patients suffering from cancer, epilepsy, glaucoma, HIV, AIDS, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Crohn's disease, Parkinson's disease and multiple sclerosis.

A major new study into the pain-relieving benefits of cannabis-based medication is to be carried out in Belfast.

The £250,000 project by Ulster University (UU) and pharmaceutical start-up Greenlight Medicines will examine the effects on people suffering with various forms of arthritis.

Dr David Gibson, a specialist rheumatoid arthritis researcher who will lead the UU team, said the study had the potential to transform lives.

"We will test how effective cannabis plant extracts are at reducing inflammation that often causes joint damage and disability in arthritis.

"The research will explore which compounds of the plant are the most promising and help inform dosage recommendations, before advancing to clinical tests on arthritis patients," he said.

With pot on the ballot in nine states, the big winner in next Tuesday's election could be America's legal cannabis industry. By 2020, legal market sales are expected to surpass $22 billion. And for states struggling with budget shortfalls, that extra revenue would be clearly welcome. 

Voters in five states — Arizona, California, Maine, Massachusetts and Nevada — will decide whether to legalize recreational marijuana for adults. Medical marijuana is on the ballot in Arkansas, Florida, Montana, and North Dakota. 

Supporters believe the marijuana measures will pass in California and Florida, and possibly several other states, because America's attitude about pot has changed significantly in the last few years. 

GLOBAL drug and research giants are eyeing Victoria to grow cannabis crops on the back of federal laws allowing for medicinal marijuana products to be developed.

The companies hope to be granted licenses in the coming months and begin growing cannabis within a year.

The law changes, which come into effect tomorrow, allow for fit and proper applicants to cultivate and produce cannabis as medicine or for research.

It follows a move earlier this year in Victoria, where the law was also changed to allow for patients in “exceptional circumstances” to get access to locally produced medicinal marijuana as long as they are overseen by doctors.

Will medical marijuana prove to be a miracle treatment for people with multiple sclerosis (MS)?

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society says there are uncertainties about how effective marijuana is in relieving MS symptoms. But the organization supports the right of patients to work with healthcare providers to access medical marijuana where legal.

Supporters of medicinal marijuana are more forceful in their advocacy.

Going mainstream

Marijuana, the most commonly used illegal drug in America, is going mainstream. Now legal for recreational use in Colorado and Washington, pot seems poised for wider use, too: 21 states allow the possession and use of marijuana for medicinal purposes, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. And legalization campaigns are underway in Oregon, California and even Alaska.

But just how much do you know about the wacky weed and its odd effects? How exactly does marijuana provide its high, and who discovered the effects of smoking the plant in the first place? Read on for some of the stranger facts about cannabis consumption.

The prevalence of medical marijuana edibles has led to a dramatic increase in dogs rushed to emergency rooms after getting into their owner’s stash – especially in states like Colorado which has legalized recreational pot.

Now, with California days away from a similar pot legalization vote, there’s growing evidence a compound derived from a different variety of the cannabis plant may be just what ailing pets need.

In this zero-to-expert feature, you'll become well-versed on how Canada plans to 'go-green.'

Picture this: you’re driving back from a weekend at the cottage with your friends.

It’s Sunday at noon, and the countryside is beautiful. Suddenly you see blue and red flashing lights ahead; it’s a roadside spot check. You kill the music.

You tell yourself you’ve got nothing to worry about. You’re sober as a gopher. In fact, you’re kind of wired on that large Timmies coffee you stopped for an hour ago. You’re fine.