medical marijuana

A quarter-century after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first prescription drugs based on the main psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, additional medicines derived from or inspired by the cannabis plant itself could soon be making their way to pharmacy shelves, according to drug companies, small biotech firms and university scientists.

Last week, a new bill was introduced by lawmakers that would remove the federal ban on marijuana and let states produce, regulate and tax it. Though it's unclear how much traction the bill will achieve, it shifts the debate from a moral to an economic one and raises a number of questions about consumer safety.

WeGrow, a just-opened marijuana superstore in Phoenix, boasts 21,000 square feet of cannabis gardening tools and a "plant whisperer" who makes house calls. It dubs itself the "Walmart of Weed," and hopes its big-box mentality will lure the country's budding legions of medical-marijuana users.

According to a new poll, almost three-quarters of Americans favor legalizing marijuana within their respective states for medical use, while just 18% oppose such a measure. A majority also believe legalizing pot could help boost tax revenues in their state.

Colorado is instituting tougher regulations for this booming industry. Dispensaries must now comply with rules regarding licensing, local zoning laws and criminal background checks for owners. They also have to grow at least 70% of the marijuana they sell. Stricter standards will push many out of business.

In 2007, a man was convicted of murder despite strong evidence that he wasn't the killer after three apparently very compelling witnesses matched him to the scent of the victim's clothes. Those witnesses? A trio of bloodhounds named Quincey, James Bond and Clue. I wish I was joking.

No way, dude! T-Mobile is being sued by a text message marketing company for allegedly blocking access to the T-Mobile network because of a client that provided information on medical marijuana. Ez Texting filed the suit last week with the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New...

New Jersey was the fourteenth state to legalize medical marijuana, but current governor Chris Christie is placing such harsh restrictions on the prospective business that some question whether it will ever get off the ground.

Colorado, where medical marijuana has been legal for a decade, recently passed new laws regulating the hundreds of dispensaries that have popped up to meet soaring demand. Not everyone there is happy about that boom, but most of these businesses probably won't last long anyway.

A Mich. woman found a fragrant surprise among her bills, catalogs and junk mail: a whole lot of marijuana. Happy day! Police in Blackman Township west of Detriot said the surprise 2-pound package of the ganja arrived in the mail last week at the elderly woman's home. She called police, who say they...