There’s little doubt that your farm can grow marijuana, or cannabis as it is commonly called now. You’ve got road ditches and fence rows to prove that.

The harder part is turning it into a medicine. That’s the only legal way it can be sold under the state laws enacted over the last couple of years in Minnesota, Illinois, Michigan, and 20 other states, mostly on the coasts. 

Kyle Kingsley, one of the early growers in Minnesota, believes there is more than a little magic in the crop. Most of it happens not in growing the plants, but after harvest. 

“How we process it and package it and make it conform to medical standards is what we are still learning. That’s where the big breakthroughs will come in medical cannabis,” he predicts.

It’s time for some weed studies. Today’s lesson in marijuana 101 zooms in on the sticky, THC-based substance called cannabis oil. Scientifically, cannabis oil is a thick, sticky substance made up of cannabinoids, such as THC and CBD, extracted from cannabis plants.

But, what exactly are its uses and how does it affect the way we view marijuana?

Well, let’s start with the basics.

Vice, the media company with a stronghold among millennials, launches its new Viceland TV channel this week with a slate of shows including "Weediquette," a series that examines marijuana culture. 

And Krishna Andavolu knows what you're thinking — of course Vice would have a show about weed.

Still, it's not the marijuana — not even the THC or the cannabis oil — that the series seeks to truly illuminate.

Federal cannabis prohibition is a buzzkill on many levels, but for cannabusinesses in legal states, it’s an especially frustrating hurdle to expansion. When a brand outgrows its home turf, it can’t just start shipping packages of product to the next state over. 

Despite the difficulty, a number of companies have managed to cross state lines. Colorado’s Dixie Elixirs has products in Washington, California, and Oregon. They recently launched in Nevada, and Chief Marketing Officer Joe Hodas says the brand is close to inking a deal in Arizona. 

The District recently marked the first anniversary of its legalization of recreational marijuana. And as the city is home to so many fitness-minded people, it’s likely that at least a few of them are wondering whether it makes sense, or whether it’s even safe, to incorporate pot into their exercise regimens.

Given the long-standing illegality of marijuana, there is not a large body of evidence about its effects on the human body. However, I spoke with a professional athlete who offered his own large body as testimony to the benefits of engaging in physical activity while stoned.

But zoning rules might curtail plans

Companies like Dank House, Motown Meds and Your Grass Station were among 82 businesses that applied to operate medical marijuana shops in Detroit on Tuesday, when the city’s new marijuana regulations went into effect.

Of the first 79 businesses that applied for zoning approval, 23 were from Detroit, 11 were from Howell, six were from Bloomfield Hills and the rest were scattered throughout the state, mostly in southeast Michigan.

As if a lack of sleep wasn't bad enough, we have to deal with the knowledge that losing sleep is also likely to make us fat.

Researchers know there is a link between poor sleep and obesity, they just haven't understood why.

A new study published in the journal, Sleep, suggests that it is because a bad night's sleep changes our brain chemistry making us crave more energy-dense snacks such as chips, sweets and biscuits.

In fact, the researchers from the University of Chicago say, a lack of sleep sparks chemical changes similar to those of cannabis to bring a kind of "marijuana munchies" state.

“Next time you go to jail, David, ask for a kosher meal. They have to give it to you, and the food is better.” This was the advice that Diane Goldstein, a retired police officer, gave to David Bronner, an activist in the movement to legalize marijuana, over dinner one night at an Upper East Side organic vegan restaurant.

Notorious for its strict marijuana laws, Louisiana is looking at legalized weed as a way to get out of debt. What will happen to its prisoners?

One of the harshest states on pot offenders is reportedly exploring the idea of a recreational marijuana program. Saddled with $850 million in state debts, experts say Louisiana’s move is less motivated by safety as it is by money.

Tommy Chong has played many roles throughout his life. He’s one half of the duo ‘Cheech & Chong’, a pair that brought marijuana into the mainstream back in the late 1970s and early 1980s. While the mainstream media was all talking about the dangers of marijuana Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong were churning out comedies in Hollywood for the burgeoning stoner crowd of America. Tommy Chong’s been a life long advocate of marijuana legalization, a musician, a stand up comedian, an actor, and recently he’s amassed an enormous following on both Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter as millennials have flocked to his unique brand of stoner humor.