One summer day in 2007, Utah State Senator Mark Madsen (R-Saratoga Springs) was grilling chicken and corn on the cob in his yard with his family, when he was hit by what felt like the flu. As a chronic pain patient, Madsen, who sustained back and spine injuries from two car accidents and playing football in his youth, was wearing a Fentanyl patch to alleviate his discomfort. Not realizing the Fentanyl patch had burst, Madsen went to go lie down.

Anti-drug activists think that a few puffs on a joint will turn you into a red-eyed, unemployed psychopath – probably for life.

But is marijuana actually that bad for you?

With several American states having decriminalised the herb for personal use, scientists have suddenly had the chance to see what cannabis actually does on a mass scale.

And guess what? Cannabis actually has some VERY surprising health benefits. Here’s a few.

1) Smoking weed makes you thinner – or at least less likely to be obese

The Supreme Court of the United States has again delayed any decision regarding the future of legal marijuana in the United States.

According to the Denver Post’s John Ingold this morning, the SCOTUS has yet to decide whether to hear or reject a lawsuit brought by two of Colorado’s neighboring states, Nebraska and Oklahoma. 

The SCOTUS first delayed deliberations on the lawsuit for a memorial for Justice Scalia. The lawsuit again appeared on the SCOTUS calendar for Friday, but as of today, no decision had been made.

Camapaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol in an op-ed piece published yesterday, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker, Attorney General Maura Healy, and Boston Mayor Martin Walsh urged voters to reject a marijuana legalization measure that is expected to appear on the state ballot in November. Meanwhile, state legislators released a 118-page report that assumes marijuana will be legalized and makes recommendations about how it should be regulated.

Marijuana advocates amped up their game as the first cannabis church is starting to move forwards. The First Church of Cannabis was already had its legal recognition.

According to Plaid Zebra, The Church of Cannabis is now a recognized religion. What made the Church of Cannabis a bit peculiar is the fact that they tend to smoke weed as their holy sacrament. The church's minister and "Grand Pooba" Bill Levin sought help from the Religious Freedom Restoration Act to have The First Church of Cannabis to become a legitimate establishment.

Weedhead winos among us, rejoice: The legal-marijuana future is nigh, and the opportunities for a wine-like cannabis culture are endless! 

This fall I was on one of many 30th-birthday-wine-country-bingefests up in Napa. The field was aglow, the flight of wines was delectable, and all I can remember thinking was, Damn, why can’t I do this with a joint in hand and have it be equally socially acceptable? 

When Willie Franklin visited a sick friend who was using medical marijuana for pain relief from throat cancer, he also walked into a whole new industry for his business. “You should get into these dispensaries,” his friend said, “They’re just handing me my medicine in ziplock baggies.”

As a packaging creator for the defense industry, Franklin knew how to create robust bags, boxes and other containers that wouldn’t tear or leak. “I was already selling flame-retardant crush-proof boxes around the world,“ he said. In the five years since that meeting, Franklin has taken his friend’s advice and started courting both medical and recreational marijuana businesses. He says his sales have increased significantly every year.

If you think that cannabis is just a danger to society then you must have been under a rock for the past few years. Ever since 2013 when Dr. Sanjay Gupta’s revolutionary documentary “Weed” premiered on CNN the plant has never been looked at same.

One group of Americans who are reporting benefits of cannabis use are the brave men and women of our Armed Forces.

March 8 is International Women's Day, celebrated in today's Google Doodle with a video asking women all over the world to finish the sentence, "One day I will..."

The answers run the gamut from personal dreams like "play in the Major Leagues" to more global aspirations like Malala Yousafzai's wish to "see every girl in school." And like International Women's Day itself, the video is both a celebration of women's lives and achievements, and a call to action to make their lives better.

What is International Women's Day?

These days, it's a corporate-sponsored global campaign to raise awareness of women's issues worldwide.

MONTPELIER, Vt. — Vermont lawmakers returning for the last quarter of their two-year legislative term face decisions on whether to legalize marijuana and online fantasy sports, as well as a push to give local residents more say in siting renewable energy projects.

Friday is the annual “crossover” deadline, when bills other than taxing and spending measures are expected to have cleared the committee process and be ready for debate on the floor of the House or Senate. That’s usually a sign that the end of the legislative session is less than eight weeks away.