With multi-state legalization and expanding marijuana approvals, the substance is being actively explored for usage in medicines. An industry report predicts that the cannabis pharmaceutical sector could represent 10% of the overall specialty pharmaceutical market by 2020 and balloon to $20 billion.

Among more than 100 active cannabinoids found in cannabis, cannabidiol (CBD) is of primary interest, as its medical benefits appear promising without the severe side effects found in another cannabinoid called THC.

Here is a list of top innovative usages of the substance to treat various health conditions.

As marijuana consumption grows with expanding legalization, most users still want to be discreet about their practices. Entrepreneurs are helping these customers keep their cannabis consumption under the radar, and to connect them unobtrusively to retailers and like-minded users.

Cannabics Pharmaceuticals Inc. (CNBX) today announced it will begin providing personalized cannabinoid anti-tumor tests for cancer patients. The diagnostic tests are based on liquid biopsies of patients suffering from any kind of cancer. The test uses CTC technology that collects cancer cells from patients' blood samples, and tests their sensitivity to cannabinoid compounds alongside conventional chemotherapy medicine.

Widely seen as a leader in medical cannabis research and development, an Israeli government committee last weekend approved a plan that would allow medical marijuana companies to export products internationally. The legislation could take months to make its way through the Knesset, but it’s already stoking industry and investor interest.

GW Pharmaceuticals is hoping to develop a treatment for cancer after announcing promising results from an early stage study looking at how its cannabis-based molecules can help patients with the disease.

The trial tested how safe and effective two of GW's cannabis-derived molecules were in 21 patients suffering from glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), an aggressive type of brain tumour.

The results showed that patients treated with GW's drug, in combination with temozolomide, which is the current medication used to treat GBM, had an 83pc one-year survival rate, compared with 53pc for patients in the placebo cohort.

The combination therapy increased median survival to more than 550 days, compared with 369 days for those on the placebo.

Marijuana reform is sweeping across the United States, with 8 states (and D.C.) voting to legalize marijuana for adult use, and nearly 30 states having legal medical marijuana laws on the books. But, despite recent victories, support for reform at an all-time high, and a booming marijuana industry in America, researching marijuana is still a tough thing to do. Marijuana is of course considered to be a Schedule I controlled substance by the federal government. The same federal government that itself grows marijuana for research purposes. It’s a brutal irony that has hampered the process of unlocking all of the medical benefits of the marijuana plant.

It's every stoner's nightmare: marijuana plants as far as the eye can see and not a spliff in sight.

"No, I have never tried it, and I don't have any intention of trying it either," says Antonio Medica, the colonel in charge of the Italian military's cannabis laboratory in Florence.

As he inspects pristine plant buds destined to be cut and dried into a version of the drug for medical use, the veteran officer is nonetheless sure he is producing some really good stuff.

"Absolutely yes, I can assure you of that," says Medica, who is wearing surgeon's scrubs over his uniform. "We have done the tests."

Getting up close and personal with a fully mature, living cannabis plant is somewhat of a transcendent experience. The bouquet of aromas captured in a single sniff off a living bud will completely redefine your expectations of the relationship between cannabis flowers and their many complex fragrances. However, facilitating a translation of these distinct flavors and aromas into a consumable product is easier said than done.