Tunisia's parliament voted on Tuesday to ease the country's harsh law on drugs, in a move that could see offenders like youths caught smoking marijuana escape jail terms.

The North African country has faced mounting calls from rights groups and civil society to reform the law.

Tuesday's vote comes after the National Security Council headed by President Beji Caid Essebsi announced measures in March to limit the number of drug-users sent to prison.

The neon lights of the casinos beckon you across the border for a little weekend fun.

Located right on the state line, this town of about 5,000 balloons to about 20,000 on weekends. People, mostly from Utah, arrive to drink, gamble or take in a concert. Now, city leaders are looking at another potential income source: marijuana.

"I have reservations, but I think it would be a good asset to the city for number one, revenue, and, for those that need it, medical marijuana," West Wendover City Councilman Jerry Anderson told FOX 13.

When the Yakama Nation announced in 2013 that it had no interest in selling pot, its chairman said the tribe had “a long and unpleasant history with marijuana, just as we have had with alcohol.”

But other tribes are raring to gain a foothold in the multibillion-dollar marijuana industry – and they say it would be a mistake for President Donald Trump’s administration to try to stop them.

There are certainly several disputes and controversies within the Oregon cannabis industry and community, but none greater than marijuana testing standards. Last October, stringent testing guidelines went into place, making Oregon regulated cannabis “safer than food.” The standards for Oregon cannabis were so high, that reports surfaced that a vast majority of California cannabis on the shelves at local dispensaries would fail Oregon’s pesticide testing standards.  However, those strict standards created shortages and price increases throughout the Oregon market, especially for edibles and extracts.

 The recreational marijuana industry is catching up to the medical industry in Colorado in terms of the number of licenses issued by the state, and a tiny northeastern Colorado town has one of the highest concentration of licenses in the state.

The new insight into the state’s burgeoning marijuana industry comes from a compilation of state data by Paul Seaborn, Ph.D., an assistant professor at the University of Denver’s Daniels College of Business, in his latest report: “Colorado Marijuana Market Report.”

Tucked away on 400 Logan St. in the Mile High City of Denver, Colorado, rests a 113-year old red brick building with a story to tell. Under the April sun, this antiquated church may not seem out of the ordinary…until you take a closer look. This is the new home to Elevation Ministries of the International Church of Cannabis (ICOC), a Colorado religious non-profit organization that seeks to educate and enlighten those who believe the use of cannabis as a sacrament can simulate ascension to a higher state of being.

William Berke, father of owner Steve Berke, instructs guests they can enter for a private viewing of opening day at the International Church of Cannabis Thursday, April 20, 2017 on Logan Street in Denver, CO. (Daniel Brenner for Leafly)

Where medical marijuana is legal, adults are more likely to use the drug illegally and are at an increased risk of cannabis use disorder, according to a new study.

Researchers found that illegal use of marijuana and rates of cannabis use disorder rose to a greater extent in US states that adopted laws legalizing marijuana for medical purposes than in states that didn't adopt such laws.

The risks of medical marijuana laws are important to convey, said lead author Deborah Hasin, of Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health in New York.

"Just as the case for alcohol, not everybody who uses it is harmed but there are some risks," Hasin told Reuters Health.

Although pharmaceutical companies have the most to lose from the legalization of marijuana, no company has taken it as far as Insys Therapeutics (INSY); the company responsible for developing and oversubscribing a fentanyl spray that resulted in hundreds of deaths and overdoses.

In 2016, the disgraced pharmaceutical company donated $500,000 to promote opposition to Arizona’s recreational marijuana ballot initiative.

11 Execs Arrested for Overprescribing and Kickback Schemes

While the number of people who view marijuana as posing "no risk" increases, highly potent forms of the drug are becoming more common, which may cause greater negative effects, according to a 2017 report by this university's public health school.

The percent of THC, the active ingredient in marijuana that causes a high, has increased from 4 percent to 12 percent in the 19-year period between 1995 and 2014, according to the study, which was conducted in collaboration with the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sat down Monday with reporters and staffers from Vice for a live interview about the recently introduced legislation to legalize cannabis. Over the course of an hour, he fielded questions—including from celebrities like Seth Rogan and cannabis activists like Jodie Emery—about what the changes will mean for the country.

Here are five key takeaways from the discussion: