Salt Lake City —

(KUTV) Utah Senator Mark Madsen said fighting old perceptions about pot have made his efforts to legalize medical marijuana an uphill battle. Then came another hurdle Friday when the Mormon Church said it opposed his bill.

Still, Madsen, who is Mormon, said he won't back down because polls show most Utah residents support the proposed law. Plus, people with serious medical conditions could really use the pain relief.

"It would be immoral to back down," he said.

Madsen said he loves his church and reveres the leaders of the LDS church but he also said he is acting on principle in pushing the legislation because he knows it will make a huge difference in people's lives.

"I don't want to let them down," he said.

The Shinnecock Indian Nation has approved two resolutions that will allow the tribe to move forward with an outside developer to cultivate and sell medical marijuana.

In a 83 to 34 vote Saturday, the tribe approved an ordinance paving the way for development of cultivation and dispensary facilities on the tribe’s Southampton reservation. The tribe also voted 80 to 34 to approve working with an outside firm to help develop and finance the enterprise, said Bryan Polite, chairman of the tribal trustees, the nation’s governing body.

TRENTON, New Jersey -- Facebook has restored the business page of one of three New Jersey medical marijuana dispensaries it shut down last week for violating the social media company's policy against promoting the sale of drugs.

An official with Compassionate Sciences in Bellmawr said Monday that it got its Facebook page back over the weekend after removing photos of marijuana and prices.

Another dispensary, Breakwater Treatment and Wellness in Cranbury, created a new Facebook page.

A Facebook page was up for the third dispensary, Garden State in Woodbury, although it was unclear if it was a new page or the original that had been shut down. A spokesman for the business did not return a call seeking comment on Monday night.

Woody Harrelson has been an outspoken marijuana legalization activist for years and now he is putting his money where his mouth is and applying to open up a dispensary in Hawaii. The world-renowned actor was one of nearly 60 some people to apply for the chance to open one of the first dispensaries in the state.

Media caught word of Harrelson’s potential investment when the Hawaii Department of Health published a list of 66 names on Friday, of people who applied to open a dispensary on the island. In April, the health department will announce which applicants will be awarded a permit.

At the state level, marijuana has been practically unstoppable for the past two decades.

Since California legalized medical marijuana in 1996 for certain ailments, 22 additional states, as well as Washington, D.C., have taken similar steps. Furthermore, we've witnessed residents in four states -- Washington, Colorado, Oregon, and Alaska -- approve initiatives designed to legalize recreational marijuana since 2012.

Applying pesticides off label is a federal offense and successful pest management should not require some of the pesticides used regularly in the industry and cited in recent Colorado recalls.

Chronic pain affects more than 50 million adults in the U.S. Upwards of 9 out of 10 cancer patients suffer from pain, with oral cancer ranked consistently as one of the most painful cancers. This chronic pain management represents a major socioeconomic and clinical challenge because the side effects of existing treatments--mainly prescribing opioids--greatly limit their effectiveness, especially over time.

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. — Medical marijuana facilities in the area could be getting a new look. El Paso County is banning the use of green crosses on medical dispensary signs.

The Board of County Commissioners voted unanimously on Feb. 5 to ban green crosses from medical marijuana dispensaries in non-incorporated parts of the county.

A white cross with a green background is the universal first aid symbol and county commissioners said younger people, those who move here for the military and tourists, are confusing medical marijuana shops for other medical services

As more and more football players succumb to painfully terrible illnesses, advocates are urging the NFL to loosen its rules on cannabis use. Apparently, medical marijuana may be the key to preventing the sport's "eventual extinction."

Football enthusiasts are soaking up the thrills and highs of Super Bowl 50, but sobering news of former football stars falling to the deadly pits of a certain neurodegenerative disease are making headlines around the globe.

The List Goes On And On

Prominent football players such as late Oakland Raiders quarterback Ken Stabler, Miami Dolphins QB Earl Morrall, New York Giants' Frank Gifford, and linebacker Junior Seau had all been diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) when they were still alive.

As we moved into the New Year, one thing was abundantly clear. The competition for the hearts and minds of Producer, Processor and Retail (PPRs) licensees seed-to-sale software and state trace-ability systems which was very competitive in 2015, was shaping up to become a no holds barred melee in 2016 between BioTrackTHC, Franwell METRC and MJ Freeway.

To set the stage for 2016 here is how the competition for state contracts looked by the end  of 2015. BiotrackTHC, having secured contracts in the states of Washington, New York, New Mexico, Illinois and just recently announced  Hawaii led the pack. Reports having MJ Freeway landing the highly visible, but yet to be formally announced, Nevada contract put them on the board.