Cannabis is enjoying a major public-image improvement. After all, we've learned that the THC in marijuana has medicinal uses, while the plant fibers in hemp have countless uses in manufacturing. The legitimacy of marijuana is growing as states legalize it and corporations invest substantial resources in cannabinoid research and development.

No matter your stance on cannabis, you should get to know the world's most high-profile plant. So here are some facts and figures on marijuana that may surprise or impress you:

In a sign of the times, the country’s licensed medical marijuana producers have renamed their trade group Cannabis Canada.

The association says the scope of its work is evolving along with a changing environment – which includes the Trudeau Liberal government’s promise to legalize and regulate the sale of non-medical marijuana.

The Harper Conservatives had already relaxed rules governing the production, sale and distribution of marijuana for medical purposes – providing a legal framework for a new industry producing pot and derived products.

Cannabis Canada will include licensed producers that have been represented by the Canadian Medical Cannabis Industry Association but will also accept applications from other types of stakeholder.

For nearly a century, Canadian pot enthusiasts haven't let the law stop them from smoking, vaping and eating their favourite drug.

But with an end to prohibition in sight, researchers say we still have plenty to learn about the drug's potential health effects — and that's especially true for Canada's many toking teenagers.

UNICEF reports Canadian teens are among the heaviest pot users in the world. More than 22% reported lighting up within the previous year. 

The federal government's plan to legalize marijuana contravenes Canada's pledge to adhere to existing drug-control conventions set forth by the UN, according to a commentary published Monday in the CMAJ medical journal.

Canada is legally obligated to follow three international treaties that control or prohibit the access to drugs like marijuana, says the commentary's authors — Steven Hoffman and Roojin Habibi of the Global Strategy Lab at the University of Ottawa's Centre for Health Law, Policy and Ethics.

Those treaties are the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, the 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances and the 1988 Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances.

As he sits in the sleek, modern waiting room of National Access Cannabis, Derek Ogden can envision what his quiet education clinic in Hintonburg might some day become: A bustling dispensary for medical marijuana.

For the moment, Ogden’s Ottawa operation is a membership- and information-based business. Its services include connecting clients to a network of physicians for a medical assessment, helping them to navigate the paperwork to obtain a medical cannabis card, and going as far as offering cooking-with-cannabis classes.

It just can’t have any weed on site.

“I think there’s a large number of patients that really do want to go in (to a dispensary), speak to somebody and view the various types of products,” Ogden.

Consuming cannabis has never been so adventurous.

You could always twist up a doobie and spark it up, but you’d be missing out on all of these other adventurous ways to consume cannabis. Being indecisive and discreet has never been so easy. Hungry? Try a Leif Medicinals Chai Latte Chocolate Bar. Thirsty? Try Magic Number’s Craft Brewed Ginger Beer. Prefer to vape? Grab a FEZ. Like tinctures? Make a batch of Green Dragon. Cannabis infused toothpicks, toothpaste, eye gels, bath salts, shampoos, conditioners, fragrances, lip balm, wine, ice cream and coffee pods exist. But wait, that’s not all...

Gallant government says it is 'irresponsible to speculate' on new rules until Ottawa gives more details.

New Brunswick's four opposition political parties are calling for a public debate on legalizing marijuana as the federal government gets ready to change the rules surrounding the drug.

Green Party Leader David Coon, PC MLA Carl Urquhart, NDP Leader Dominic Cardy and People's Alliance Leader Kris Austin all agree regulations must be in place when Ottawa introduces new legislation and the public should be part of the discussions.

In the ever-changing social media landscape surrounding cannabis, video is quickly becoming a key player. A large reason why can be attributed to video streaming platforms like YouTube remaining flexible with their community guidelines, allowing users to post cannabis content on their channel without the fear of repercussions such as the removal of content or account deactivation. Conversely, competing social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook share a history of discriminating against cannabis-related content, thus stifling information sharing and suppressing an entire body of of voices within the community.

Democratic socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders takes his political revolution to Puerto Rico, promising in Spanish to legalize marijuana if elected president.

“Would you legalize marijuana?” one person asked in Spanish, before repeating the question in English.

“Si,” he said, and joked.“You see, my Spanish is good enough to know that word.”

He said he thinks it’s unfair that so many people have drug crimes on their record, making it harder for them to get jobs.

Sanders cited congressional legislation he introduced that would take marijuana off of the list of substances under the Federal Controlled Substance Act.

“We’ve got marijuana and heroin together, that’s pretty crazy to my mind,” he said.

At odds over the prudence of legalizing marijuana in Massachusetts, people on both sides of the proposed ballot question agree with the idea of measuring marijuana usage now while it is still largely illicit.

"What we've seen happen in other states is that they don't have existing baseline data on recreational marijuana use and it becomes very difficult for both sides to have honest conversations about the effects and impacts," Rep. Hannah Kane, a Shrewsbury Republican who opposes legalization, told the News Service.