President Donald Trump issued his first statement on medical marijuana since he took office.

Trump on Friday signed a $1.1 trillion omnibus spending bill that will keep the federal government funded through September 30.

The congressionally approved bill includes a rider — the Rohrabacher - Blumenauer Amendment — that disallows the Department of Justice and the Drug Enforcement Agency from using federal funds to prosecute medical marijuana businesses in states where medical marijuana is legal.

The legal-marijuana industry is on one heck of a run. Last year, five states legalized the use of medical cannabis for select ailments, pushing the number of states that have chosen to allow physicians to prescribe cannabis past the halfway mark (28 states). We also witnessed the number of recreational-pot states double to eight from four.

The result has been a steady increase in North American legal weed sales (including Canada, which legalized medical marijuana back in 2001). Cannabis-research firm Arcview estimated a 34% increase in North American legal sales to $6.9 billion last year alone.

An undisclosed medical marijuana company is looking at the former Dow Chemical Co. and Crane Resistoflex building at 4675 E. Wilder Road.Andrew Dodson | MLive File Photo  

A medical marijuana company has approached Bangor Township about investing $21 million to purchase and convert an old factory building into a grow and distribution facility.

But before the controversial industry comes to town, the township's board of trustees needs to throw its support behind it. A discussion takes place at 6 p.m. Tuesday, May 9, at Bangor Township Hall, 180 State Park Drive. It's unclear at this time if the board is going to make any formal decisions on the matter Tuesday evening.

If state officials have their way, the California Medical Marijuana Identification Card (MMIC) program will disappear.

The cards are not mentioned in recent proposed state regulations for the medical pot industry, and legislation put forth by the office of Gov. Jerry Brown would end the documents. "There is currently a legislative proposal that would delete the requirement for state-issued medicinal ID cards," according to an email from the California Department of Public Health, which overseas the MMIC program.

A new survey from Yahoo News and Marist College examines Americans' relationship with marijuana, and it shows some surprising signals about how far acceptance of the herb has come. Pot is no longer a dirty little secret, to be consumed furtively and hidden from friends and family, and it's no longer limited to the fringes.

Marijuana is going mainstream and is now part of everyday life for millions of Americans. Here are seven signs of weed's newfound normalization:

1. More American adults have tried marijuana than have not. The survey found that 133 million adults have tried pot, while 115 million have not.

What happened

After naming former Purdue Pharma chief commercial officer Saeed Motahari as CEO and reporting 2016 earnings, shares in Insys Therapeutics' (NASDAQ:INSY) increased 7% in April, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence.

So what

The C-suite has been in flux since former CEO Michael Babich resigned in 2015 following allegations of improper marketing of Insys Therapeutics' fentanyl spray, Subsys.

A bill to allow severely ill or disabled patients to use medical cannabis has growing, bipartisan support. But time is running out for passage. Fri, May 5, 2017 at 1:22 pm CST Families hold up photos of their kids who suffer from debilitating ailments, who they say could be helped by legalizing medical marijuana.

Another push to legalize marijuana in Michigan could launch soon. On Friday, the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana like Alcohol submitted petition language to the state Board of Canvassers for approval. If the group gets the nod, it will need to collect approximately 350,000 signatures from valid registered voters within 180 days to make Michigan’s 2018 ballot.

If ultimately approved by voters, the proposal would make recreational marijuana use legal. Purchases of up to 2.5 ounces would be allowed and individuals could keep up to 10 ounces of marijuana in their homes, the Detroit Free Press reported. But the proposal would also give communities the choice of whether or not to allow marijuana businesses.

New York has published a partial list of doctors and other providers registered to prescribe medical marijuana, information the state had been keeping under wraps.

The list includes 22 Central New York providers -- doctors, nurse practitioners and physican assistants, most of them in Onondaga County.

The list only includes providers who have agreed to be publicly identified. The state health department said it is prohibited from identifying medical marijuana providers without their consent.

Nearly 1,000 providers statewide are registered to certify patients for medical marijuana, but only 32 percent are included on the public list. 

USA

New York City
Parade Assembly: 11:00 a.m. | West 31st & Broadway, Koreatown, NYC
Parade Start Time: 12:30 p.m. | Parade will march to Union Square (Route South on Broadway)
Rally: 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. | Union Square South Plaza
“The NYC Cannabis Parade is the longest running public expression of drug policy reform in New York City, with roots as far back as the early 70’s. This event have gone by many different monikers, but our purpose remains the same, to spread awareness throughout the world! In 1999, the Million Marijuana March brand exploded and has since turned into a annual event held in hundreds of cities across dozens of countries.”