JOHNSTOWN, Ohio -- Andy Joseph didn't seek the marijuana industry -- it found him.

The Navy veteran and father of five began building botanical oil extraction systems from his home northeast of Columbus while working as an engineering director for a manufacturing company. The systems were made to extract essential oils and natural flavorings from plants such as lavender, spearmint and peppers.

But entrepreneurs in California found another use for Joseph's machines -- extracting chemicals from marijuana that could be used in hundreds of products. Joseph's business grew as more states legalized marijuana, leading him to quit his job in 2012 to run Apeks Supercritical out of a 2,000-square-foot pole barn in his backyard.

Keystone Organic Farms, which plans to grow medical marijuana, hopes to do so in this former limetone mine, 100 feet underground, in western Pennsylvania.

If Pennsylvania legalizes medical marijuana, Tom Perko plans to go underground -- exactly 100 feet deep.

He's a partner in Keystone Organic Farms, which has an agreement to lease space to grow medical marijuana in an old limestone mine near Gibsonia in western Pennsylvania.

What will slow the increase in overdoses?

Deaths by drug overdose have been on the rise in the United States, with a majority of states recording increases from 2009 to 2013, according to a study released on Wednesday. 

Across the country, 44,000 people died from drug overdoses in 2013, more than double the number in 1999, the study by the non-profit group, Trust for America’s Health found. Nearly 52 percent of the deaths were related to prescription drugs. The number of overdose deaths increased in 26 states in the four years to 2013, the study found, and decreased in only six states.

The former Dish Network employee who was fired for using medical marijuana says he has plenty of free time on his hands - and will use it to crusade for changes in the law.

The Colorado Supreme Court ruled Monday that the satellite service provider had the right to terminate Brandon Coats for testing positive for marijuana, even though medical pot is legal in the state.

The 35-year-old Coats, who was left 85% paralyzed by a car accident 20 years ago, now says he will turn to lobbying the state legislature to pass a law that will explicitly protect employees who fail drug tests because of medical marijuana use.

Starting July 1, Oregon’s recreational marijuana laws are in effect. That means adults aged 21 and older can legally possess and use recreational marijuana in their homes or in private places.

Our military members have served this nation with valor, and many have returned with severe injuries and suffering from PTSD related to their war related service. The use of a medical cannabis therapy program can help reduce the large doses of prescription medications currently being provided to the Veterans via the VA medical system.

Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is a motor system disorder classified as a progressive neurological disease which occurs when neurons in the basal ganglia degenerate, causing a shortage of dopamine production. This results in the impairments in movement associated with the disease. Parkinson’s typically affects men over 60, but — as Michael J. Fox has unfortunately proven — can afflict significantly younger adults.

Marijuana has been legal in the District of Columbia for nearly two months now, despite ongoing warnings from Congress that the city's voter-approved experiment violates federal law.

Voters in Washington overwhelmingly approved an initiative last November that allows adults to possess up to two ounces of marijuana. They can also cultivate up to six cannabis plants within their homes at one time. But Congress has direct oversight over the District's laws, so the controversial new law is facing heavy scrutiny from Capitol Hill.

Migraine researchers and clinicians are growing excited about a new class of drugs called Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide (CGRP) monoclonal antibodies, which are showing promise in treating high-frequency episodic migraine and chronic migraine.

“This development is a transformative moment in migraine treatment,” said Peter J. Goadsby, MD, PhD, who is chair of the scientific program of the American Headache Society’s annual Scientific Meeting. Dr. Goadsby is Chief of the UCSF Headache Center, and one of the world’s leading headache treatment experts and researchers.

Tex “Red-Tipped Arrow” Hall, a former Chairman of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara (MHA) Nation, could be spearheading a movement to establish cannabis businesses among Native American tribes.