More than 500 marijuana plants and 115 pounds of marijuana packaged for sale were seized and 10 people were arrested Thursday following a joint operation.

The operation was conducted by the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department's Marijuana Enforcement Team and the Victor Valley Sheriff's Station, who served search warrants at four rural locations.

"The large amount of marijuana seized at the individual locations suggests the suspects had no intention of abiding by California’s medical marijuana laws and were strictly for-profit operations," the sheriff's department said in a release.

The operation involved busts at four different grows and the arrest of a man, Jesus Casas, who was wanted by Santa Clara County.

ONTARIO -- In just one week, it's estimated that recreational marijuana sales in Oregon will total more than $11 million.

The Oregon Retailers of Cannabis Association says 247 stores have sold millions in marijuana, much higher than the expected revenue.

Right now, marijuana sales are not allowed in Ontario, Nyssa, and Vale since they have a ban in place.

The mayor, police chief and superintendent in Ontario are all standing behind that ban on dispensaries, which means they won't see any of the tax benefits from the sales.

They say that's okay - and believe no amount of money is worth the possible affect on the community.

The sales aren't taxed yet, but in January, they will be - at 25 percent.

A survey of more than 4,600 Northeast Wisconsinites found 3/4 of them, represented by leaves, want medical marijuana legalized. Roughly 20 %, the red dots, are adamantly opposed to legalizing it.(Photo: Source: Rep. Reid Ribble constituent survey data)

WASHINGTON – If it were up to northeast Wisconsinites, medical marijuana would be legal.

A recent survey of more than 4,600 residents in the state’s 8th Congressional District, which stretches from Door County through Green Bay and Appleton, found a whopping 74 % believe it has real therapeutic properties and should be available for medical use.

Some 41 % of those say it should require a prescription, while the other 33 % say it should be sold over the counter.

AUSTIN (KXAN) — A north Austin man was arrested for possession of around 10 pounds of marijuana on Tuesday, according to an Austin police affidavit.

A search of the suspect’s home in the 10000-block of Great Hills Trail uncovered the marijuana stored inside a gun safe, as well as additional marijuana located in a spare bathroom, with scales and baggies to package narcotics for sale.

Two gallon size bags contained numerous pills believed to be Xanax and Adderall, the affidavit states. Investigators also discovered extracted THC oil, commonly known as “shatter” or “dap”.

Brandon Flores and Brandie Lorrabee, both medical marijuana patients in the state of Colorado, are suing LivWell for their use of risky pesticides on their crops.

Federal, state and local authorities continue to investigate other potential illicit grows, according to U.S. Attorney Walsh.

Several large marijuana cultivation sites in Colorado that were being used by traffickers to ship the drug to other states have been dismantled by federal agents and state police in the past six weeks, authorities said on Thursday.

Illegally grown plants from 2015 have been estimated using information from the U.S. Attorney’s Office. He believes it is the work of groups outside the U.S.

An illegal immigrant linked to a large-scale cannabis grow house network operating in Canberra has been deported despite warnings he could never face justice for his alleged involvement. 

Ong Yap, 35, pleaded not guilty to participating in a criminal group in the ACT Magistrates Court earlier this year after police arrested him under Operation Armscote.

He was charged over his alleged role in the extensive hydroponic set-ups that ACT Policing said had netted 1226 plants with an estimated street value of more than $7 million seized from rental properties.

Yap, a Malaysian national, was released on bail in July despite complications that stemmed from the fact that he was in the country illegally and had overstayed his visa by more than a year. 

Majorities of voters supported the legalization of marijuana for personal use in Ohio and Florida, while Pennsylvania voters were split on the question.

ResponsibleOhio, the political action committee behind Ohio’s Issue 3, which would pave the way for legal marijuana use, praised the news, saying this is indicative proof that legalization is the proper course for Ohio. “That’s because men are more likely than women to support legalization of marijuana for recreational use”.

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — New York is holding its first-ever summit on synthetic marijuana.

Law enforcement officials, state and city lawmakers and health experts are taking part in the summit, which is being moderated by State Sen. Jeff Klein at Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx.

A mother, whose son died after using K2, will testify at the summit.

In April, synthetic marijuana, also know as K2, was found to be responsible for 150 emergency room visits across New York City in just a one-week period, according to the health department.

The summit aims to find coordinated solutions to end the K2 epidemic.

Medical marijuana could cut down on the use of addictive painkillers according to a new paper in the Canadian Journal of Public Health, but some of Vancouver's best known researchers say reluctant doctors and a confused federal government are failing to act.

 "When it comes to prescription marijuana, patients' needs should be considered above political considerations," said study co-author Dr. Julio Montaner of the B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS. "There could be great harm in ignoring the medical uses of marijuana."

Study co-author Dr. Thomas Kerr says Canada is in the midst of an epidemic of opioid abuse and related overdose deaths, and that numerous studies have shown painkillers such as oxycontin are dangerous and prescribed too frequently.

VANCOUVER - The Canadian Medical Association and the federal government apply a far more rigid standard to prescribing marijuana than other drugs, resulting in negative - or even deadly - consequences, say experts from the B.C. Centre for Excellent in HIV/AIDS.

Medical marijuana is held to a different standard than other prescription drugs despite research suggesting it has therapeutic benefits, say three experts from the centre in a commentary published Friday in the Journal of the Canadian Public Health Association.

"When it comes to prescription marijuana, patients' needs should be considered above political considerations," Dr. Julio Montaner, one of the authors, said in a news release. "There could be great harm in ignoring the medical uses of marijuana."