SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 11, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Snoop Dogg, Willie Nelson, the estate of Bob Marley, and Wiz Khalifa are all making moves in legal cannabis. But one entertainer is already the major big player. Billboard Top 10 Hip-Hop star and marijuana business mogul, Berner, has disclosed his pot-related projects gross $10 million per year.

Veterans from the Air Force, Army and Navy used the day that honors their service to rally in Austin, urging state officials to take a step toward creating a medical marijuana program that will allow treatment with cannabis for "service-related conditions," like PTSD.

Calling the action 'Operation Trapped,' which is backed by the Texans for Responsible Marijuana Policy coalition, is the kick-off for a year-long awareness campaign about veterans who want to ditch the prescription pills in favor of medical marijuana.

Advocates say cannabis can be used to treat "post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury (TBI), chronic pain, and other service-related conditions."

Illinois has opened up medical marijuana dispensaries in several different cities. (Photo : Twitter Photo Section)

The first medical marijuana dispensaries in Illinois opened for business Monday, attracting the attention of patients from a variety of cities.

"It's a big surprise. I've been waiting forever for this to happen. It's a good thing. It's a good thing for everybody," said medical marijuana patient Michael Witfoth, from Chester, according to WSIL. There are currently eight state-licensed locations that provide medicinal marijuana to patients in Illinois.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio voters last week soundly rejected a proposal to legalize marijuana, but the nearly 2-to-1 vote left unanswered questions about why voters rebuffed the plan.

Was Issue 3's monopoly on growing to blame? Or did Ohioans just say no to recreational marijuana?

Costly exit polls weren't conducted, but Issue 3 supporters are now seeking answers through a survey on its website.

Seeing investment capital support in any sector is an endorsement of future success and in recent months as political wins have continued to mount and community support continues to rally we have seen more and more private investments enter the cannabis industry.

CONCORD, N.H. –  A New Hampshire woman with late-stage lung cancer filed a lawsuit against the state health commissioner Thursday in hopes of getting a medical marijuana identification card before dispensaries open.

Under a state law passed more than two years ago, people suffering from a limited number of diseases and medical conditions can purchase marijuana with approval from their doctors. The Department of Health and Human Services started accepting applications this week from patients and their caregivers, but identification cards won't be issued until the Alternative Treatment Centers get authorization to start dispensing marijuana.

PIERRE - An effort to legalize medical marijuana makes one step closer to getting on the 2016 ballot.

This happens just days after the Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe, fearing a federal raid, burned its marijuana crop as it's plan to sell pot temporarily goes up in smoke. 

Meanwhile, supporters of legalizing medical marijuana are not giving up.

The group New Approach South Dakota collected enough signatures to bring its petition to legalize medical marijuana to the state capitol and to voters.

It was a special delivery to the Secretary of State's office, more than 16,000 names of South Dakotans who support legalizing the drug.

You know cannabis has gone mainstream when, thanks to rapid legalization in the US, and explosive growth in medical and commercial use, even scientists can no longer ignore the highs and lows of marijuana.

“Thank you for your service.” It’s a common expression of gratitude that our country offers veterans. But is a quick “thank you” all we owe returning soldiers? In a society with an professional military, where fewer families have a connection to service, is there a growing disconnect between those who serve in the military and everyone else? 

David Bass, who served 21 years in the U.S. Army, says he tried medical marijuana in a moment of desperation. He suffered from chronic pain and PTSD as a result of multiple active duty tours in Iraq, and his doctor at the VA gave him intense narcotic and psychotropic drugs. 

“I was getting really addicted to Hydrocodone,” he told ThinkProgress. “And my other drugs gave me side effects like suicidal ideation, sexual impotence, and just left me feeling really drugged out like a zombie. When I talked to the doctor at the VA hospital, he said I had to keep taking them for at least two years. But I just couldn’t see going through that for two more years before even discussing getting off them.”