Although its track record at the state level may not be perfect, medical marijuana has scored far more victories than defeats in recent years.

Medical marijuana spreads its wings

Following its first approval 20 years ago in California for compassionate use cases, medical marijuana has now become legal in 24 states, as well as Washington, D.C. The latest state to legalize the use of medical marijuana was just as much of an eye-opener as the first. Pennsylvania legalized the use of liquid, pill, or oil formulations of marijuana for medicinal use in mid-April, though it did so entirely at the legislative level (i.e., without residents voting). Pennsylvania could be the first of many states taking matters into their own hands from a legalization perspective.

Former NFL running back Ricky Williams is set to assume a key role in Power Plant Fitness, a marijuana-friendly gym expected to open this fall in San Francisco.

A day after Toronto Police swept through the city’s marijuana retailers, arresting around 90 people and seizing hundreds of kilograms of drugs, Chief Mark Saunders faced pointed questions from a crowd of protesters over the police’s decision to crack down on the trade.

At a tense press conference on Friday, Chief Saunders said the operation, named Project Claudia, was not an attack on the lawful marijuana use, and that it had been prompted by complaints from residents and by police concerns over the health of those who purchase marijuana at dispensaries.

Read the full transcript below: 

HARI SREENIVASAN, PBS ANCHOR: So Jackie Calmes, how big is this problem of people walking away from a job interview when they hear that there’s a drug test?

JACKIE CALMES: Well, it’s bigger than I thought! Clearly, because this whole subject came to me in a completely separate news story I was reporting. And employers, local leaders, just volunteered to me that as the unemployment rate came down, the biggest hurdle they were facing in finding – in filling jobs was finding people who were willing to take a drug test, and if they did take a drug test, could pass it. And I thought, well, that can’t be as big a problem as they’re making it out to be.

If you have any doubt as to the absolute transformation that has occurred in the Canadian collective attitude toward marijuana, head on down to the Lift Cannabis Expo at the Metro Toronto Convention Center this Saturday, May 28 and Sunday, May 29. The event runs over the course of the weekend and culminates with an “afterparty” hosted by Supreme Pharmaceuticals Inc.(CNSX:SA) at Candyland on King Street West in Toronto.

Supreme Pharmaceuticals CEO John Fowler will participate in a panel discussion at noon on Saturday discussing some of the legal issues surrounding the evolution of the MMPR economic in Canada. 

For the Humboldt farmers, Sonoma County's subterranean tasting rooms and Tuscan affectations offered a glimpse into a rarefied realm of legal intoxicants.

The marijuana growers had driven south from redwood country to the oak and grass hills to take part in an event called “The Women of Wine & Cannabis,” a chance to visit boutique wineries and learn about appellations and branding in the $200-billion retail alcohol market.

But as they sipped wine on a vine-covered terrace of the Mayacama Golf Club that evening, some of them began to see an insidious subtext to the affair.

Pedal Bike Tours has offered historical tours of the Portland and Honolulu areas via people-powered transportation since 2007. On October 1^st, 2015, when early adult use/recreational marijuana sales began in Oregon, they launched a new project, Portland Pot Tours.

Sarah Gilbert, who has been with the company for almost two years, came up with the idea and said it was a “slam dunk with the staff…everyone loved it! And the response we received from the cannabis industry was excellent.”

Tour attendees visit two dispensaries, two glass shops, and make two snack stops. Gilbert adds that the tours are almost entirely filled by people visiting Portland from out of state and the first guest they had was from Japan!

From small towns that barely dot the map to the state’s largest urban areas, revenue from retail marijuana sales is helping communities address homelessness, send children to college, patch potholes, secure water rights and fund an array of projects.

Aurora is using $1.5 million of its revenue from pot sales and fees to address its homeless issue. Money also is going to road improvements and a new recreation center.

Jason Langley starts to place a sheet on his bed for the night at the Comitis Crisis Center on March 30, 2016 in Aurora, Colorado. Aurora is using $1.5 million of its revenue from pot sales and fees to address its homeless issue.

Inc. Magazine names cannabis e-commerce founder to 2016 “30 Under 30″ list.

Aeron Sullivan, founder and executive chairman of Tradiv, has been named to Inc. Magazine’s “30 Under 30” list of influential entrepreneurs.

Sullivan founded Tradiv in 2015, and at least 230 businesses are already using the online cannabis marketplace in Colorado alone. Upwards of $1 million worth of cannabis is sold through the platform each month, according to a release.

An owner of a medical marijuana dispensary in Toronto says she won’t allow city licensing officials to close down her store because what she’s doing isn’t “criminal.”

Queens of Cannabis co-owner Brandy Zuborg received a warning from the city last week and again on Monday, but told reporters Wednesday that what she’s doing is legal.

Zuborg said her store gives people the ability to become employed as a supplier or dispensary owner. “And there’s nothing criminal about that,” she said.

Ferneyhough called the city "unconstitutional" for "punishing dispensaries for providing sick patients with access to their medicine."