Fifteen-year-old Ellie the staffy has a new spring in her step thanks to a daily dose of cannabis oil under her tongue.

Old age had started to catch up with Ellie, the faithful companion of Bellambi resident Paul Lawrence; she was suffering from arthritis and glaucoma, had lost her appetite and was experiencing fitful sleep.

For Mr Lawrence, a cancer survivor who two years ago ditched legal painkillers in preference of medicinal cannabis, the remedy was obvious.

“Imagine if you said to Paul Tagliabue, back in 2003, that Ricky Williams might one day be able to save Junior Seau’s life…”— Thoma Kikkis, co-founder of Kannalife Sciences

Imagine that it’s the year 2025. In locker rooms across the NFL, as ankles are taped and braces strapped on, trainers hand out gel capsules for players to ingest minutes before they take the field. The capsules are scientifically designed to protect against the deleterious effect of concussive blows to the head and traumatic brain injury—and, as a result, they have helped to sustain the viability of the sport of football. Oh, and yeah, they are derived from marijuana.

A loophole allowed applicants with no background in medical marijuana to be treated as if they were law-abiding, taxpaying veterans of the industry.

On July 1, when the Cannabis Patient Protection Act (SB 5052) took effect, all dispensaries without an I-502 license were forced to shut down, sending many of the state's medical marijuana patients into a panic. Patients worry that the recreational market doesn't have enough medicinal cannabis for their needs and that what is available is not affordable. Many point to the fact that the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (WSLCB) issued only 222 new retail licenses to replace more than 1,500 medical marijuana dispensaries.

Presidential frontrunners Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump don’t agree on much, but when it comes to legalizing the use of medicinal marijuana, they’re both pro pot.

Medicinal marijuana advocates hope that reality is enough to eventually get a federal bill passed legalizing the use of medical marijuana in all 50 states. Currently the CARERS Act (Compassionate Access, Research Expansion, and Respects), a bill sponsored by Senate Democrats in March of 2015 that would change marijuana from a schedule I to a schedule II drug and make it legal for medical use, is being stalled in the U.S. Senate’s Judiciary Committee by ranking Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa).

Anyone suffering from fibromyalgia will tell you it can be devastating. On some days, simple chores like doing laundry or making breakfast can be exhausting, if not downright impossible. Just ask Teri Robnett, a Denver-based medical marijuana patient's rights advocate who runs the Rx MaryJane blog:

“There used to be days that I didn’t feel like I could get through the day. I just wanted to cry and go back to bed.”

Speaking from personal experience, from the stage of the Kyoto Hemp Forum, Japan’s first lady, Akie Abe proclaimed her support for reviving hemp use in Japan particularly for medicinal purposes.

Ms. Abe was appearing to raise awareness for hemp culturization in Japan, and support for hemp’s many uses, pointing to studies showing its success in treating epilepsy, diabetes and pain.

Ms. Abe then further showed her support for hemp products by purchasing Elixinol CBD hemp oil, the “healthy not high” alternative, for her husband, Prime Minister Shinzō Abe.

Ohio could be the first medical marijuana state to fix the industry's cash-only situation.

Half the states and the District of Columbia have legalized medical marijuana but the federal government still considers it among the most dangerous drugs. Banks, credit unions and credit card companies are reluctant to provide services to legal marijuana businesses because of uncertainty from federal regulators, leaving most businesses to operate as cash-only.

Ohio's new medical marijuana law proposes a new way around the bank problem. The law allows state officials to set up a "closed loop" payment processing system, similar to prepaid debit and gift cards.

Hawaii patients have more options to gain access to medical marijuana now that nurses can certify people for use of the drug, a change advocates say was needed because there's a shortage of doctors willing to do the certifications.

Gov. David Ige signed a bill Monday updating the state's medical marijuana dispensary law.

"It's high time that this bill came into effect," said Wailua Brandman, a psychiatric nurse practitioner. "I have patients that have been using marijuana, not legally, because they don't have the diagnosis yet ... but the medication is working for them, and they keep asking me, can they get a card?"

A former pro football player and a Novato advocate for athlete marijuana use have teamed up to open a gym in San Francisco that they say will be one of the first in the world to allow members to smoke pot while working out.

Former running back Ricky Williams, who played for the Saints, Dolphins and Ravens, and Jim McAlpine, a snowboard company executive, said Power Plant Fitness also will offer edibles and topical gels for those who don't like smoking the plant. They say using pot while exercising can help them focus or relax.

Members of the gym, which plans to open this year, will need a medical marijuana prescription to join, but that could change if California voters legalize recreational pot in November.

After a five-year struggle in the General Assembly, Pennsylvania became the 25th state to legalize medical marijuana on Apr. 17. But it will take at least six months for the Dept. of Health to craft regulations that permit this new industry to begin, with a couple of years of road-testing after that.

This process began with a bang at St. Joseph’s University on Jul. 8, where State Sen. Daylin Leach (D-Montgomery), the prime sponsor of Act 16, convened a “Medical Marijuana Regulatory Palooza” that drew 300 experts from across the nation – physicians, lawyers, businesses, producers, patients and public officials – to share their experiences in the industry, in hopes that the Keystone State can learn from others’ successes and snafus.