With more and more states legalizing it, so-called "medical marijuana" is getting a lot of attention these days. In 2014 a University of Wyoming study found 72% of Wyoming residents support adult use of marijuana if prescribed by a physician. Advocates for legalizing cannabis say it has nothing to do with rolling up a joint, but rather taking advantage of a plant they argue can make a real difference in people's lives.

Next year promises to be action-packed in a variety of ways. Americans will be electing a new president, the make-up of Congress could once again shift, and more states are likely to be placing marijuana initiatives on their ballots to expand its use medically or recreationally (or both) as Ohio recently attempted with its November 2015 proposal.

The federal government is still spending millions of dollars eradicating marijuana plants, even spending money in states that have legalized cannabis. While law enforcement officials have claimed that they need these funds to help battle cartels, some members of Congress state that historical data shows that a vast majority of plants eradicated under Uncle Sam’s marijuana eradication program are merely wild plants descended from industrial hemp.

Joshua Landy, a practising physician, came up with the idea for Figure 1 while enrolled at Stanford University in 2012, studying doctors’ smartphone habits. He launched the app in 2013 with two co-founders. As of September, Figure 1 had 500,000 users worldwide.

Interest in Maryland's medical marijuana program is higher than anyone expected. The state has received more than 1,000 applications for licenses.

The first stage in approving a license is set for January, but there are so many applications the process may be delayed.

"The thing that works most completely for me is a few puffs of cannabis," said Barry Considine, of Halethorpe.

Polio left Considine's muscles so weak, he's dealing with osteoarthritis. He's in near constant pain throughout his spine, hands and knees.

Maryland's medical marijuana program can't get up and running fast enough as far as Considine is concerned.

POULTNEY, Vt. -

Vermont's medical marijuana patients could soon have their medicine delivered right to their door.

Ruth Reich lives and works on a small horse farm in Poultney.

"It's a very physical job," she said. "I run this farm on my own."

That challenge is made more difficult by health problems; she's a cancer survivor and has spinal issues, leaving her living with a lot of pain. A couple of years ago she secured a medical marijuana card, finding her body better tolerated cannabis than powerful prescription drugs she says wreaked havoc on her body. But she has not stopped by the dispensary in two months, because unlike prescription painkillers insurance doesn't cover pot.

• CNN tested six pot products and one of them tested positive for high levels of  a neurotoxin called imidacloprid, which shouldn't be used on marijuana
• This led to more testing by state agencies and a voluntary recall of 2,362 pot products, all made and distributed by Tru Cannibis
• The state is looking for better ways to regulate 'buyer beware' pot market  

High levels of pesticides in marijuana products have resulted in voluntary recalls of thousands of pot products legally sold in Colorado, according to CNN.

TAMPA — With its website promoting stories or videos such as "Did William Shakespeare smoke cannabis?" and "Wholesale cannabis prices sky high in Colorado," Cannavoices was supposed to be a hip look at the legal marijuana industry.

The Tampa company, which produces magazine, which focuses primarily on medical marijuana, launched with a party at the Station House restaurant in St. Petersburg during the summer.

Just four months later, the players who created Cannavoices are ensnared in a legal battle over control of a fledgling company now mired in competing claims about the misuse of corporate assets. The magazinehas published just one issue, and postings on the main page of the website, cannavoices, have not been updated since August.

An Ohio military officer was dismissed after he a symbol on his uniform that upheld legalizing pot in a state.

Vermilion Mayor Eileen Bulan pronounced that Captain Michael Reinheimer pennyless departmental manners by campaigning on a domestic emanate while on avocation during a military auction.

An Oregon government agency refused food donations from a pro-marijuana group. The Women Leaders in Cannabis in the city of Eugene made a food donation to the Thanksgiving food drive for homeless people, but it was declined, KOMO News reports.

The group says Oregon's Department of Human Services (DHS) accepted its offer at first, but changed its mind due to the group's involvement in the pot business.