Gallup has estimated that at least 33 million adults in the United States are marijuana users right now — although government studies say the figure stands closer to 20 million. No matter what the actual number is, the fact is that a lot of people either smoke, vape or ingest weed in the land of the free.

In an article published on Harvard Health’s site, Wynne Armand, MD, shared a look into the effects the recreational and medical use of marijuana has on our health.

If the idea of lacing traditional Jewish foods — gefilte fish, challah, matzo balls, latkes and kugel — with marijuana makes you wince, then skip right over this. But if reading about what certainly must be the first cookbook to feature such dishes piques your interest, read on.

All of these Jewish classics and more can be found in “The 420 Gourmet: The Elevated Art of Cannabis Cuisine” by JeffThe420Chef (Harper Wave).

Rolling a five pointed joint is one innovation, but science is finding many new high-tech ways to help cannabis patients.

When it comes to technological developments in the widely varied cannabis industry, some come about due to the natural instinct to innovate, and some come about as a necessity to adapt with the ever-changing landscape that is the medical and recreational cannabis space. Over the years, businesses, researchers, advocates, and everyone in between has had their crack at assisting in ushering in new technologies and practices.

You don't have to smoke marijuana, eat it in a brownie or chew it in a gummy bear to reap the medicinal benefits of THC.

States have passed so-called “medical marijuana” laws under the theory that pot has medicinal benefits that can’t be produced by other, legal means.

But what if there was a Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved drug that gave you all the benefits of the active ingredients in marijuana, such as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) or cannabidiol?

What if that drug had been rigorously tested through clinical trials to make sure that it worked as promised, was properly dosed and had no unanticipated side effects?

And what if you could get that lawful drug from your doctor in pill or liquid form?

For more than 40 years, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has fueled mass incarceration, wasted taxpayer money, and blocked scientific research. 

IT’S TIME FOR CHANGE. Urge the Obama administration to reform or eliminate the DEA.

The DEA was created in 1973 to enforce federal drug laws. The results have been devastating: wasted resources, mass incarceration, racial disparities, civil rights violations and scandal after scandal. Treating drug use as a criminal justice issue instead of a health issue has led to disaster. Yet Congress has rarely scrutinized the agency, its actions or its budget.

 THE FACTS

THE DEA IS A PIVOTAL PLAYER IN THE WAR ON DRUGS, BUT THIS WAR IS A FAILURE!

Some military veterans are embracing marijuana to treat their PTSD.

When photographer Balazs Gardi mentioned to army veteran Jose Martinez, 28, how California’s Apple Valley, located on the southern edge of the Mojave Desert, reminded him of Kandahar, Afghanistan, the two instantly clicked. Gardi had spent time shooting servicemen and women there over the years and the two could envision what Kandahar looked like.

“What helped me work with Jose is the understanding of the experience that he went through,” the photographer says.

Faces Human Capital Management (HCM), a leader in assisting the rapidly-evolving legal cannabis industry with its unique human resources issues, marks a double milestone this month; as it celebrates its one-year anniversary and the acquisition of its 14th client. 

"We've been working with a pioneering group of cannabis companies, who are successfully applying our management solutions to issues like HR and payroll, as well as workers' compensation and benefits," says Faces HCM co-founder and managing director Caela Bintner. "It's been exciting and rewarding to know that we're helping them make the legal marijuana industry that much more of a legitimate business sector." 

When New Times sat down with medical-marijuana advocate and political consultant Ben Pollara earlier this month, Pollara said he wasn't concerned that Carol Jenkins Barnett, daughter of Publix founder George Jenkins, had donated $800,000 to a group trying to keep medicinal weed illegal. 

"I still think 'shopping is a pleasure,'" Pollara said, referencing the grocery store chain's famous slogan.

A brief look on some of the world’s most unlikely advocates of cannabis legalization and their motives.

The issues of cannabis and the laws surrounding is a very debated issue all around the world. As medical uses for cannabis are being found and tested constantly the previously accepted positions on cannabis having a severely negative influence on the individual and the society are slowly being abandoned. It seems that with each day cannabis legalizations gains more supporters, as it is becoming more socially acceptable to enjoy cannabis even recreationally. Nevertheless, it is still a very polarizing issue and just how the situation is changing is best observed in the case of the United States of America.

Maryland entrepreneurs seeking to get into the marijuana business will have a new boost of extra help following the rules thanks to a Colorado tech firm.

Maryland law firm Offit Kurman, which has offices in Bethesda and Baltimore, formed an exclusive alliance with Denver-based Adherence Compliance to offer automated compliance software and services for the cannabis industry, it announced Friday.

The technology conducts audits and provides quantitative risk assessment applications and consulting services for companies in states that have legalized marijuana for medical or recreational purposes.