The process of legalizing pot for recreational use isn't expected to start until next year, but medical marijuana is already a hit in Calgary.

A local clinic that works exclusively in cannabis has about 5,500 patients.

"I do this because I believe that cannabis is a safer alternative to many of the medications that I have prescribed over the course of my career," said Dr. Stephanie Mason, the medical doctor at Natural Health Services. 

Mason, a psychiatrist with 30 years of experience, made the full-time switch to the world of medical marijuana last fall. 

Who are the patients?

Motivated by love and desperation, an area mother is fighting an uphill battle to treat her daughter’s chronic illness with a special cannabis oil.

The establishment, predictably, is against her: the doctors aren’t keen; the child-welfare authorities aren’t amused; her ex-husband, the child’s father, called the cops.

Still, she soldiers on, with the dedication a mother feels deepest, determined to alleviate her child’s chronic respiratory condition.

“I’m trying my damndest to help my daughter and to fight for other parents who just want to help their kids,” she told the Citizen. “Nothing else has ever worked.”

Gov. Terry Branstad said Monday he’s open to the idea of medical cannabis oil being produced in Iowa, but he’s still focused on limiting “unintended consequences."

“If it’s just limited to the oil, that might be something that could be looked at,” he said. “I’ll keep an open mind. But again, there’s a lot different ideas and a lot of different proposals out there, and nothing reached a consensus point during this last session.”

Perhaps the single biggest argument against cannabis use, voiced by marijuana critics the world over, is that which suggests insufficient research has been carried out to reach any real conclusions about its ‘supposed’ benefits. Unfortunately, this is also an absolute crock…not to put too fine a point on it.

Here's a scenario we have all seen in film before: Somebody consumes an entire bag of raw cannabis in order to avoid getting caught with it. Eyes pop wide open and gasps ensue. “You just ate that whole bag!” somebody shouts. However, the aftermath of this scene usually involves a very different representation of what actually happens when you consume raw cannabis. Spoiler alert: The effects will be lackluster at best. Why is this the case?

The answer to this mystery lies in a process called decarboxylation, one that is necessary for us to enjoy the psychoactive effects of the cannabinoids we consume.

Decarboxylation Explained

Hundreds of optimistic entrepreneurs and potential investors flooded into Philadelphia on Saturday to garner insight into the state's budding cannabis industry, but experts cautioned against overzealous ventures into a market still facing many roadblocks.

Less than two weeks after Gov. Tom Wolf signed a bill to establish a medical marijuana program, Philadelphia-based Greenhouse Ventures hosted the state's first "Innovation in the Cannabis Industry" conference at the Chemical Heritage Foundation.

The eight-hour conference, which was a part of Philly Tech Week 2016, featured panelists discussing various cannabis industry topics including investments trends, future business outlook, technology and medicinal research.

If I stop marijuana, I will soon die, says 95-year old woman smoker.

Melita Gordon has been smoking for 85 years and refuses to put the pipe down despite the protests of her family, herb.com has reported. She began her connection to marijuana as a designated lighter for pipes for those in her family. As they were part of a Rastafari culture, the report has it that marijuana played a huge role in their belief system.

Jessie Young is the manager of medical marijuana dispensary in Toronto, which opened in February. He says dispensaries follow the same rules as licensed producers and provides patients with in-person options.

Storefront shops 'not what the federal government envisioned,' city official says.

Toronto's growing number of medical marijuana dispensaries are breaking the rules and could pay for it with tens of thousands of dollars in fines, one city official is warning.  

Mark Sraga, the city's director of investigation services for municipal licensing and standards, told CBC News Monday the city plans to start enforcing legislation related to marijuana shops in the coming months.

Period cramps suck and can turn some women’s menstruation into a monthly encounter with severe and intense pain. According to the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, at least half of all women who get their periods experience one or two days of cramping, and while women try lots of ways to relieve the issue, from Midol to acupuncture and beyond, not everything works for everyone, making almost any new proposed solution worth investigation. Enter Foria Relief, a THC-infused suppository that’s come to be known as the "weed tampon.” The company says it won’t get you—or your vagina—high, but it might be the cure for what menstrually ails you.