Derek Peterson, the CEO of TerraTech, a publicly traded cannabis company with operations in California and Nevada, recently took up what is usually a very boring task: applying for life insurance. However, his application was rejected. On June 13, he received a denial letter from his insurer of choice, Mutual of Omaha, with the following terse explanation:

"We have discontinued the processing of your application for insurance due to company policy. We cannot accept premium[sic] from individuals or entities who are associated with the marijuana industry. We are regulated by agencies of the."

A cannabis congregation.

A parish of pot supporters.

Marijuana missionaries.

Approximately 50 people gathered Sunday in south Lansing for the debut of a new church: The First Cannabis Church of Logic and Reason.

The gathering was a kick-off for what organizer Jeremy Hall hopes will become monthly meetings celebrating cannabis' spiritual properties.

He chooses the word spirituality intentionally. The church has no specific ideology, no texts or prophets to speak of.

"The biggest question I get is, 'How can this be a church if we don't subscribe to a religious theology?'" he told attendees.

"Well, the reality is it sounded better than a cannabis cult."

Those sitting in the worship room laughed.

PINEAPPLE EXPRESS, INC. (OTC Grey:PNPL) (“Pineapple Express” or the “Company”), a provider of consulting, technology, property rentals and branding concepts to businesses in the legal cannabis industry, announced today that it has hired Orr Builders to carry out Phase 1 of the Company’s “Pineapple Park” project in the City of Desert Hot Springs, California.

Since its formation in 1994, Orr Builders, the largest general contractor based in California’s Coachella Valley, has successfully completed millions of square feet of industrial, commercial, medical, restaurant and retail space throughout Southern California.

“We are excited to have been selected to be part of the team that will bring this great project to fruition”, said Orr Builders President/CEO Brian Orr.

Full-fledged cannabis legalization: is it only a matter of time? Before we get to the odds on the topic de jure, a little context.

Cannabis was a part of America’s consciousness long before Harry Chapin’s song “Taxi” was on the airwaves in the early 1970s, and even before grass enthusiasts endured days of rain at Woodstock a few years earlier.

The THC in the marijuana plant is medicinal and the fibers in hemp can be used in manufacturing. This has led to marijuana being legalized in some states in the US. This includes states like Colorado, Washington, Oregon and Alaska. It is expected that 16 more states will legalize the use of marijuana within the next 5 years. 14 of these states will legalize the use of recreational marijuana and 2 states will legalize medical marijuana. It is projected that by the end of 2019, legal marijuana will bring in a combined income of $ 19 billion in all the states that it has been legalized in.

Nearly two years have passed under the watchful eye of the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (WSLCB) and Washingtonians are enjoying their cannabis more than ever before.

Here are a few figures from our loving overlords at the WSLCB (As of April 4^th):

Barack Obama has roughly six months left in office. Will he end the country’s war on marijuana before the clock runs out? 

Probably not.

But rapper Prince Ea isn’t ready to stop trying. In his latest video, he’s created a 10-minute magnum opus on why America’s war on this Schedule I drug is not only crazy, but also racist and hypocritical.

Just four years ago, the rapper was anti-weed. He says, at the end of the video, that a little honest research changed his mind.

While more and more people are being prescribed medical cannabis, we don't know much about why it works - and even less about how certain strains work for specific ailments.

The makers of a new app, Releaf, are hoping to provide a better framework for medical users to track what types of cannabis work best for them. Founded in 2015 by Branden Hall, Franco Brockelman, and Keenan Keeling, Releaf could regiment a process that, for most patients, has been of necessity based on trial-and-error.

The California Secretary of State’s office said Tuesday that Californians will decide whether to legalize the recreational use of marijuana in a vote to be held in November. The campaign raised enough funds to battle the initiative’s opponents.

The initiative, which needed 402,000 signatures, reportedly received a whopping 600,000. The proposed Adult Use of Marijuana Act is supported by Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom and former Facebook President Sean Parker among others.

Science is starting to understand what marijuana smokers have known for years: how marijuana helps sleep. Because of this understanding, doctors are now able to legally prescribe marijuana for sleep disorders in seven states.

Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the most active marijuana ingredient that affects sleeping patterns. We’ll look into exactly how marijuana aids sleep, delve into how our brains work, and offer insights on this fascinating subject.

Sleep Disorders and Marijuana

Sleep disorders include: