Marijuana abuse and dependency are becoming less common, even as states roll back restrictions on the use of the drug, according to a new federal report.

In 2014, the number of Americans aged 12 and over meeting diagnostic criteria for marijuana abuse or dependency stood at 1.6 percent, a decline from 1.8 percent in 2002, according to the report released Thursday by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Declines in marijuana abuse and dependency were greatest among teens (37 percent decrease) and young adults (18 percent decrease) over that period. The change in marijuana abuse and dependency among adults age 26 and older was not statistically meaningful, according to the CDC.

The results of the 2016 HIGH TIMES Michigan Medical Cannabis Cup!

BEST VAPE PEN

1st Place – Skywalker OG by Greenwolf LA

BEST TOPICAL

1st Place – Michigan Organic Rub Extra Relief Vanilla Mint by Herbal Solutions

2nd Place – Luscious Lemondrop Lotion by SweetStone Candy

3rd Place – Budsuds Purple Haze Topical Soap Bar by Budsuds

BEST NON-SOLVENT HASH

1st Place – Cookies and Cream Cubantech Dry Sift by Exotic Genetix w/ The Cuban Grower

2nd Place – Hindu Cheese 120 to 73 micron Freeze Dried Water Hash by Michigan Made Melts

3rd Place – Headband Rosin by EZ Squeeze

BEST CBD FLOWER

1st Place – Super Sonic CBD by Radicle Genetics

Australia is making a major move to legalize the use of medicinal cannabis across the entire country. Over the week, the Therapeutics Goods Administration reached a formal decision to legalize medicinal marijuana, although it will remain strictly controlled. This recent decision comes on the heels of the Federal Parliament’s resolve to support changing the Narcotic Drugs Act to allow cannabis to be legally grown and produced in Australia for medicinal purposes.

Colorado's weed is getting much cheaper.

In October, the cost of a wholesale pound of cannabis was around $2,400 to $2,600. That price has almost been cut in half to between $1,400 and $1,600 last month, according to data from Tradiv, an online marijuana-distribution platform.

"In less than a year, we've seen wholesale prices drop to nearly half of their previous totals," John Manlove, director of sales at Tradiv, told Business Insider in an email. "We've never seen prices like this."

Marijuana activist Emmett Reistroffer, right, and cannabis consultant Kayvan Khalatbari hand deliver more than 10,800 signatures for a public cannabis use ballot initiative to Denver Elections Division officials in early August.

Days after rejecting a competing measure for the November ballot, the Denver Elections Division on Thursday approved a proposed initiative that would allow social use of marijuana in some businesses.

PORTLAND, Ore. (KATU) - Snoop Dogg is in town for several "Shop with Snoop" events hosted by a local recreational marijuana shop, Mary Jane's House of Grass.

The rapper and marijuana enthusiast arrived at the shop's Vancouver location on Mill Plain Boulevard Wednesday afternoon - the first of five scheduled events. 

When we speak of legalizing marijuana we are really speaking of the Great Cannabis Debate. Come November, Californians will vote on Proposition 64, the Adult Use of Marijuana Act, which could bring safety and security for both cannabis consumers and farmers, and the sales taxes accrued could provide much-needed revenue to our state. Let’s look at a short list of possible unforeseen ramifications.

You wouldn’t imagine it from looking at the average stoner’s skin – but cannabis could be the next big ingredients in skincare.

Cannabis has anti-ageing and skin-protective properties, according to New York dermatologist Dr Bobby Buka.

There’s just one problem – you can’t smoke it, because the hydrocarbons in smoke wreck the collagen in your skin.

Hence firms are looking to dream up lotions and potions which will deliver the herb safely into your skin.

Victoria Buchanan, trend analyst at The Future Laboratory, said, ‘Growing support for legalization and an increased awareness of the potential benefits of cannabis are the driving forces behind this ingredient.’

There will be more than Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton on the ballot this November, voters heading to the polls in nine states will also be deciding on Marijuana.

Collectively, these marijuana measures mean more voters will be weighing in on cannabis issues than any other year in American history.

Rabbi Jeffrey Kahn and his family opened Takoma Wellness Center, a medical marijuana dispensary in the District of Columbia three years ago.

Marijuana use is becoming more accepted among U.S. adults as states loosen pot laws, new national survey data shows.

More are using marijuana, using it more often and far fewer think it's risky, the government survey found.

That's understandable, experts say, as dozens of states now allow medical marijuana and four states have recently legalized pot for recreational use.

More than a half million U.S. adults participated in the survey over a dozen years, and the responses show a shift in attitude. Only a third of adults in 2014 said they thought weekly marijuana use was dangerous, down from half of adults in 2002.