There's new evidence to support the idea that marijuana legalization could combat America's opioid epidemic. A new report found that people are less likely to abuse prescription painkillers in states with legal medical marijuana systems. 

An analysis of healthcare claims from about one million Americans over a five-year period revealed that 5.4 percent of patients who receive painkiller prescriptions in states that outlaw marijuana go on to abuse to drug. In contrast, only 2.8 percent of patients with access to legal marijuana become abusers.*

The seven-pronged pot leaf is the most tired logo in the marijuana industry. Need proof? Check out the leaf-free pot brands dreamed up by 12 leading design firms, which were challenged in April by Surface Magazine to create packaging for "the future Starbucks of weed," a fictionalized, aspirational marijuana brand.

Nixing the leaf, it turns out, creates stunning results.

Cannabis consumption within the boomers is becoming rampant. Research revealed that Americans ages 55 and up are into cannabis usage.

As cannabis legalization continues to expand, marijuana consumption is becoming more acceptable. States that were once against the thought of having access to cannabis (especially for medical consumption) are now open in terms of exploring the possibilities of medical cannabis.

Booming in Boomers

Want to have an awkward conversation with your parents this Mother’s Day? A new ad campaign suggests opening up about your pot use.

Backers of a marijuana legalization initiative in Arizona launched an ad campaign this week that hopes to open dialog about cannabis use on Mother’s Day, ABC reports.

The billboards were paid for by Arizona’s Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol (CRMLA), and can be seen throughout the cities of Phoenix and Tuscon. The ad depicts a mother and a daughter posing next to the tagline, “Have you talked to your parents about marijuana?”

1-800-Flowers CEO Jim McCann says that despite the company’s efforts to utilize domestic flower growers, the growers in certain states are considering growing marijuana as a potentially more profitable option.

“We have been pushing for domestic production of flowers hard for the last 10 years and having real good success,” McCann told the FOX Business Network’s Maria Bartiromo.

But McCann noted that many flower growers are now tempted by the huge potential revenue boost from growing cannabis instead.

To celebrate the fifth annual Star Wars Day (May the Fourth Be With You), here are six Star Wars strains that we'd like to see. If you're into genetics, feel free to get working on breeding these buds (as long as you promise to share them with us).

Much rationale — economic, scientific and societal — has already been given by many reasoned Vermont voices in support of the legalization and regulation of cannabis.

Over the past year, Vermonters have organized to form various coalitions, both organic and funding-enhanced. Public hearings have been held in every corner of the state, and have been attended by legislators. And those same legislators have dedicated time and effort to cannabis hearings at the Statehouse, presumably to build consensus and avoid the confused and combative scenario we face tomorrow.

A few months ago, we wrote about why cannabis legalization doesn’t lead to higher teen use rates. A recent Washington study from the American Academy of Pediatrics bolsters that claim with new evidence showing that minors do not feel cannabis has been any easier to obtain since the state legalized recreational use in 2012. This data comes from the Washington State Healthy Youth Survey which polls tens of thousands of students each year across hundreds of schools.

It might go down as the most expensive bong hit in history. Last Thursday night, Ole Miss offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil tumbled in the NFL draft right after a video appeared on his Twitter feed showing him smoking from a gas mask pipe. Tunsil went from a potential No. 1 pick to the No. 13 slot, when he was selected by the Miami Dolphins — potentially losing more than $8 million over the course of his rookie contract and at least $7.3 million in guaranteed payments.

On April 29, 2016, the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services announced that it had issued the first dispensary registration certificate to Sanctuary ATC, a state-licensed alternative treatment center, to operate its medical cannabis dispensary in Plymouth.

One day later, on April 30, Sanctuary ATC held its grand opening and officially became the state’s first alternative treatment center to dispense medical cannabis to qualified patients and caregivers.