2016 will be a pivotal year for marijuana legalization in the US. Currently, half of the American population lives in a state where medical marijuana is legal and one-third (35%) live in a CBD-only state. Four states will vote on medical marijuana legalization in 2016, including Florida, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Missouri, and seven states will vote on adult use laws, including California, Arizona, and Nevada and Vermont. If all the proposed measures pass, 92% of Americans will live in a state that has passed a marijuana law, including 24% who will live in a state where adult use is legal.

That means Americans spent more on legal marijuana in 2015 than they did on some of the country’s most popular munchies, as reported by The Washington Post.

In fact, legal pot sales in the U.S. topped the combined sales of Doritos, Cheetos and FUNYUNS in 2015, which market research firm Euromonitor estimates totaled $4.9 billion.

Last year’s sales figures show the legal marijuana market jumped by 17 percent in the United States from 2014.

February 3, 2016 - How has new legislation affected marijuana use in the United States? The best available data suggest that marijuana use is increasing in adults but not teens, with a decrease in marijuana-related arrests but an increase in treatment admissions, according to an update in the January/February Journal of Addiction Medicine, the official journal of the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM). The journal is published by Wolters Kluwer.

Colorado legalized recreational marijuana back in 2012, making it one of a handful of U.S. states in where adults who are of age can legally purchase marijuana in many forms, along with its accessories, without any special paperwork beyond a valid ID. 

Everything you need to know about fake weed.

There's a lot about cannabis you probably know. There's a lot about cannabis you don't know. Read on.

1. Cannabis is the third most popular recreational drug in the United States.

2. There are 3 types of cannabis: sativa, indica and ruderalis.

3. Government surveys show 25 million Americans have used cannabis in the past year.

4. The first states to legalize recreational cannabis were Washington, Colorado, Oregon and Alaska.

Task force to study legal use of marijuana outside homes

Lawmakers in the nation's capital opened the door to allowing people to smoke marijuana in clubs that charge a membership fee.

The D.C. Council voted unanimously Tuesday to establish a task force to study how the city could allow pot smoking in places other than people's homes.

Possession of up to 2 ounces of pot for personal use has been legal in the District of Columbia since early last year. Congress has blocked local officials from any further liberalization of the city's pot laws.

A majority of the Council appears ready to broaden the law, but wants to avoid interference by Congress.

Americans spent $5.4 billion on legal medical and recreational marijuana last year, according to new estimates from ArcView Market Research and New Frontier Data, two marijuana industry market research groups.

The total includes over $1 billion in medical marijuana sales in California, nearly $1 billion in legal marijuana sales in Colorado, and more than a half-billion dollars in sales in Washington state.

In April, the United Nations is meeting to discuss the worldwide policy on drugs. Junior health minister Martin van Rijn must be urged to forge a different approach, write Dutch MPs Vera Bergkamp (D66) and Marith Volp (Labour). A war on drugs is no longer compatible with modern times. Big words and repression should be replaced with measures focusing on limiting health risks. Prevention, information and care are the areas international drug policy should be concentrating on. Now that the Netherlands holds the presidency of the EU and junior health minister Martin van Rijn will soon attend a special meeting of the United nations, it is time to promote a different approach to drugs.

Izzy Armstrong (Cherylee Houston) will turn to cannabis next week when her usual pain medication proves ineffective after she dislocates her hip.

A fracas at the factory will leave Izzy injured and it's Erica (Claire King) who first notices her discomfort after spying her struggling to carry a roll of fabric.

At first, Izzy refuses to accept help, but will later admit to Erica she's in terrible pain and that her usual painkillers aren't working.

Erica then offers to get her some cannabis and, despite not being initially keen, Izzy will eventually come round to the idea. By Friday, Izzy and Erica are meeting furtively in the backyard of the Rovers, where Erica hands over a small package of cannabis. But will anyone clock them?