When President Obama signed a huge tax and spending law to keep the government running and avoid a year-end budget showdown, there were a few things tucked into the $1.1 trillion law that directly impact people in chronic pain – namely medical marijuana, veterans who need opioids, and tax breaks for medical device manufacturers.

DOJ to Back-Off on Medical Marijuana Criminal Action

The bill blocks the Department of Justice from taking criminal action against individuals and organizations that are licensed in states that have passed medical marijuana laws.

On The Cannabist Show: A discussion about cannabis testing labs and their results for THC potency and other cannabinoids in an array of products, from dried flower to edibles and concentrates. Why are there variances in different labs’ results?EdiPure chief science officer Malcolm Morrison and Nordic

Analytical Laboratories lab director Joseph Evans answer questions with Denver Post marijuana editor Ricardo Baca.

The trio discuss the recent Denver recalls on pot products due to pesticides, and the variances allowed in testing procedures under current Colorado law.

It’s now easier to buy marijuana in the U.S. for personal consumption than it is for scientists to procure it for research: 23 states and D.C. have legalized it (at least as medicine), and several others may have it on the ballot in 2016. Researchers hope the barriers to studying the plant will likewise crumble so they can finally probe its full therapeutic potential.

Scientists have long known that marijuana can treat nausea and pain. But they only recently figured out why: Chemicals in marijuana called cannabinoids can activate receptors on brain cells, changing the messages they send to one another. While THC is the best-known cannabinoid, researchers suspect others might be useful in treating the symptoms of diseases such as cancer, fibromyalgia, epilepsy, and autism.

After a spate of pesticide warnings and recalls, it’s no surprise consumers want to be clear what’s in their cannabis. So as election season approaches, many are watching California to see how the nation’s biggest state handles product testing as it weighs recreational legalization.

• Equipment causes emissions equal to those of New Hampshire
• The industry's energy use is undoing cities' efficiency gains

A quartet of Western states and the District of Columbia have legalized recreational marijuana, and voters in half a dozen more states may vote on pot legalization in 2016. That's leading law enforcement officials and entrepreneurs to try to come up with better ways of testing for driving while stoned.

Police usually spot impaired drivers by noting driving behavior, coordination, mannerisms and physical cues. But while a handheld breath test can quickly determine whether someone is legally drunk based on ethanol in the breath, there's no instant test for marijuana intoxication.

Marijuana has America seeing green in more ways than one.

The currently illicit drug has been gaining momentum at a rapid pace this decade with more than half of all respondents in national polls now offering a favorable opinion of marijuana. It's even pushed its way into the presidential debate spotlight, forcing the candidates to step into previously taboo territory and choose a position. Marijuana is also offering hope for medical patients with a variety of ailments in the 23 states where medical marijuana is currently approved.

The basis of anecdotal controversy continues about the use of hydrocarbons versus carbon dioxide. It is important to note that hydrocarbons span a range of phases on the planet earth.

It is important to eliminate the cost of the instruments and the cost of the facilities from this comparison to keep the discussion on specifically the extraction principles.

A new kind of party bus hit the streets of Denver, Colorado earlier this week. And locals may be able to smell it coming.

The High There! Hopper is a mobile cannabis lounge — a 20-person limousine carrying recreational and medicinal marijuana users from one local hot spot to the next, free of charge. It allows people to travel safely while under the influence, meeting other like-minded tokers along the way.

To gain access, users have to download the company's social networking app, HighThere!, which launched in Apple and Google's app stores earlier this year.

Starting Thursday, you can track the bus's location on the app as it cruises through downtown Denver.