There are different varieties of marijuana, but what causes them to have different effects? Shutterstock

In many U.S. states, marijuana is now considered medicine. Unlike many traditional medicines, marijuana is not standardized in form and can have many varying effects on an individual. Why is it, though, that two different types of marijuana can give you two different experiences?

One of the first variables is how the marijuana is consumed. If smoked, cannabis users can feel the effect within minutes. If eaten, however, it can take over an hour for effects to set in — and they might last much longer.

The Menominee Tribe overwhelmingly approved two advisory referendum questions authorizing its legislature to legalize marijuana on its reservation, the tribe said Friday.

Tribal members voted 677 to 499 to legalize marijuana use for recreational purposes. Members approved marijuana for medicinal purposes 899 to 275. The voting was conducted Wednesday and Thursday and the results announced Friday morning.

The matter now moves to the tribe's legislature, which will study the issue and likely approve ordinances legalizing marijuana.

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Across the country, the market for cannabis edibles is booming—but some consumers and regulators still have concerns about the THC-infused foods. Green Technology Solutions, Inc. (OTCBB: GTSO) is working to deliver superior new edibles products that are more reliable and delicious than ever before.

“Edibles are such a new industry that a great deal of innovation is yet to come”

There is a growing body of evidence to suggest that the endocannaboid system has a fundamental role to play in various aspects of the aging process, both mental and somatic. Furthermore, regular use of cannabis itself may assist in slowing down this process, although the precise mechanism of action has not been ascertained.

Research into normal brain ageing and cannabis

The ageing process is determined by the balance between detrimental and defensive biological processes, such as oxidative stress and antioxidation; the bulk of research suggests that the endocannabinoid system (ECS) is more closely associated with the latter camp than the former.

Bill creating medical pot licensing advances

Approach would keep growers, distributors separate

Some say system works for alcohol

A state that has legalized recreational marijuana is now renewing efforts to get teens to stay away from it.

Marijuana isn’t evil, but teens aren’t ready for it: That’s the theme of a new effort by Colorado to educate youths about the newly legal drug.

Colorado launched a rebranding effort Thursday that seeks to keep people under 21 away from pot. The “What’s Next” campaign aims to send the message that marijuana can keep youths from achieving their full potential.

The campaign shows kids being active and reminds them that their brains aren’t fully developed until they’re 25. The ads say that pot use can make it harder for them to pass a test, land a job, or pass the exam for a driver’s license.

In the US, marijuana marketing is quietly moving into the mainstream and a new, legal industry is challenging preconceptions about the target market, as Mark Lowe, co-founder of Third City, finds out.

Weed is becoming legit. Medical marijuana is now legal in 23 US states plus Washington DC, and full legalisation is slated to be on seven more state ballots for the 2016 elections. Despite strong opposition, not least from presidential candidate Chris Christie, and legitimate mental health concerns, changing social attitudes suggest that gradual decriminalisation is trending across the developed world. In the US, even most Republican voters don’t think state-level legalisation should be rolled back.  

Canadians sitting in prison or stuck with a criminal record for crimes related to marijuana have a reason to vote Liberal in this October’s federal election.

At an August 19 campaign stop in Vancouver, prime ministerial hopeful Justin Trudeau reiterated a campaign promise to legalize cannabis for recreational purposes. He then went one step further, adding that after a Liberal government is elected and has reversed laws that criminalize marijuana, it will begin discussing what should happen with people who have been charged for transgressions that the country no longer considers criminal.

Synthetic marijuana, also referred to as "replacement cannabis," "K2," and "Spice," is a lab-produced mind-altering drug that aims to mimic the effects of marijuana, but is known to have unpredictable and sometimes dangerous effects, despite its marketing as a safe, legal alternative to marijuana.

New York City's police commissioner, William Bratton, recently said that the drug, which he referred to as "weaponized marijuana" is of "great and growing concern" to the city's police force, which has seen a spike in hospitalizations from the drug.

PHILADELPHIA You still can't say "marijuana" in the head shop.

For years, the stores that sell marijuana pipes and bongs have insisted that the products they sell are for tobacco use, choosing their words carefully to avoid being ensnared in laws against marijuana paraphernalia.

As states and cities across the country have lowered the penalties for possession, a patchwork of federal, state and local laws means little has changed at the head shops.

“The map of the United States is colorful as to where you can lawfully buy paraphernalia and not use magic code words,” said Allen St. Pierre, executive director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.