​California native Malcolm Mirage's dream was to own a legal cannabis dispensary. For years, he had grown marijuana and sold it on the black market, while working a day job as a personal trainer. But in his late 20s, Mirage decided it was time to jump into the growing legal industry — before it got too crowded — and build his expertise into a sustainable, above-board business.

In order to open up that business, which he calls Mirage Medicinal, he needed to come up with $500,000 in startup capital, so Mirage began to scale up his operation, expanding into lucrative markets in other states.

The vast majority of viewers tuning into The AM Show on Monday support medicinal cannabis.

A (non-scientific) poll on the Newshub website found 94 percent of respondents backing its legalisation.

It comes after oncologists claimed at the weekend half their patients are using cannabis to ease their suffering.But don't expect the Government to ease up the rules anytime soon.

Speaking to The AM Show on Monday, Prime Minister Bill English said there's already a "compassionate" and legal route for patients to get cannabis products - if they need them.

A slew of bills modifying the state’s nascent medical marijuana program have been signed into law by Gov. Asa Hutchinson over the past two weeks.

One dozen marijuana-related bills recently saw the governor’s pen, and five more currently await his signature. Any bill modifying the voter-approved Arkansas Medical Marijuana Amendment must be approved two-thirds majority in both the Senate and the House of the Representatives before it can be signed into law by the governor.

What you need to know about legalization in 2018, from taxes to home cultivation.

Full legalization of marijuana appears to be on track for July 2018, which will make Canada just the second nation in the world after Uruguay to completely legalize the cultivation, sale and possession of the drug for medical and recreational purposes.

With lots still unknown before the legislation is unveiled, Canadians have questions about how legalized marijuana will work.

CBC News business reporter Jacqueline Hansen and cbc.ca writer Solomon Israel responded to some of those questions — and comments — during a live chat on Thursday. Here's a sample.

Jones also wants the league to ease up on investigating off-field conduct.

Jerry Jones isn’t one to shy away from controversial topics. During an owners-only session at the NFL’s owners’ meetings in Phoenix last week, he said he’d like the league to reconsider its stance on marijuana use by players, and he wishes the NFL would ease up on its approach to investigating off-field incidents.

During the owners-only meeting — which is unusual during this event, but not completely unheard of — Jones addressed the group and said that he wants the league to stop disciplining players who test positive for marijuana, according to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio.

As marijuana legalization swept the US in November, Arizona was alone in its rejection of legal weed.

The marijuana segment starts at 8:36 in the video above.

Lawmakers in about two dozen states have proposed bills this year to ease their marijuana laws despite Attorney General Jeff Sessions' warning that he could crack down on pot, a major change from the Obama administration, which essentially turned a blind eye to the state legislation.

Bills have been introduced in 17 states this year to make recreational pot legal for adults, while five others are considering voter referendums on the issue. Sixteen states have introduced medical marijuana legislation, 10 are considering decriminalizing the drug and three are considering easing their penalties. An effort in Wyoming to decriminalize the drug failed this session.

Marijuana has become easy to find at the Texas Capitol — at least in terms of references to the drug.

More than a dozen bills are pending in the Texas Legislature this session, aimed at lifting prohibitions on Texans who want to use marijuana for medical and recreational purposes.

But it remains to be seen if the legislative effort will result in increased availability of medical cannabis in Texas or decriminalization of all pot for low-volume possession – or if it helps establish a legal, potentially billion-dollar-plus cultivation and processing industry in the state.

Broad legalization for medical purposes, let alone adult recreational use, must overcome opposition from some conservative Texas legislators, as well as from Gov. Greg Abbott.