Congress extended protections to 44 states that have legalized medical marijuana in its proposed $1 trillion spending bill that funds the government through September.

The language prevents the Justice Department from using any of its funding to “prevent” those states from “implementing their own laws that authorize the use, distribution, possession, or cultivation of medical marijuana.”

This amendment, championed by former Reps. Maurice Hinchey, D-N.Y., Sam Farr, D-Calif., and current Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif., more than 10 years ago, finally became law in 2014 as part of the omnibus bill that funded fiscal year 2015.

Former TV personality Montel Williams has used cannabis nearly every day for 17 years. But he hasn't smoked it in over a decade.

"I have dexterity problems. I can't roll a joint to save my life," Williams told Business Insider. He prefers vaporizing more concentrated forms of the drug.

Williams, who is also a retired Navy officer, has multiple sclerosis, a disease that causes his immune system to attack the insulation around his nerves. It produces intense, burning sensations from his head to his toes.

As the state Department of Health looks to license five new companies to operate, four current registered organizations sue to block action.

Four of New York's five medical marijuana companies have filed suit against the state Department of Health to stop it from licensing additional operators to take part in the tightly run state program. The companies argue that the expansion could tank the nascent industry and potentially harm thousands of patients who rely on medical marijuana to treat their ailments.

A judge did not immediately grant a request for an injunction to stop the process. 

DOH spokeswoman Jill Montag said the agency "will continue to fight any attempts to block patients from the relief they deserve."

An organic tea tree farm in New South Wales has received a $1.49 million investment to help develop medical cannabis honey.

Jenbrook supplies raw tea tree oil and honey products to the US through Naturally Aust Product. Next month, it’s expected to hit $1.6m annualised monthly revenue, a 100% increase from June 2016. 

The company has also been exploring a medical hemp honey, produced by bees pollinating on the nectar of medicinal cannabis plants. It’s working with Southern Cross University on research into its health benefits. EVE Investments has kicked in the $1.49 million to help get the product to market.

In return, EVE – an ASX-listed technology investment company – will acquire a 50% interest in Jenbrook.

In a cannabis market awash with thousands of strains and a flood of information on dosing and consumption – some credible, and some, not so much – how can patients make sure they get the most out of their medicine?

The nature of the relationship between cannabis and psychiatric disorders has been hotly debated for decades. A new study, using genetically modified mice, adds more fuel to an already blistering blaze.

Cannabis is, by far, the most commonly used illicit drug both across the United States and globally.

According to the 2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 22.2 million people had used the drug in the previous month.

Medical marijuana might be legal in Florida, but there are places where it is against the rules.

Disney World has updated its website to specifically list “marijuana” as a prohibited item.

“Although some states have legalized marijuana for medicinal or recreational use, marijuana remains illegal under federal law,” a Disney spokesperson told WESH 2 News. “We are revising our rules to clarify that marijuana is not permitted on our property.”

Attorney Matt Morgan, who fought to pass Amendment 2, is not surprised by the decision and said he understands the reasoning behind the policy.

“But to the extent that they’d go through someone’s personal belongings to search for that, I think that’s when the public might start having an issue with it,” Morgan said.

After years of skepticism and outright denials, one of the federal government's lead drug researchers may be coming around on the rehabilitative power of marijuana.

As first reported by MassRoots political correspondent Tom Angell, the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) now states on its website that three recent studies, two of which it funded, suggest "medical marijuana products may have a role in reducing the use of opioids needed to control pain."

A lot of confusion and misinformation still surrounds the Ohio Medical Marijuana Control Program, according to state and industry experts.

In March, the Columbus Chamber of Commerce hosted a panel discussion on the business benefits and challenges of Ohio’s medical marijuana law.

House Bill 523 authorized a basic framework — legalized medical marijuana for qualifying medical conditions, but prohibited its use by smoking or combustion — and made Ohio one of 28 states to establish a public medical marijuana program. But it left state agencies to establish specific rules and guidelines.

Medical marijuana has been a recent hot topic in many southwest Michigan communities. And it’s about to become big business here, too.

Two proposed ventures for Buchanan could bring investments of $500,000 to $1 million to the small town.

And even larger, multimillion-dollar commercial cannabis operations in this blossoming industry recently decriminalized by the state of Michigan are being proposed for Galien Township.

For this rural community, it could amount to an economic shot in the arm — in property tax payments and jobs alone — if MedFarm of Michigan opens its midsized grow operation and processing plant here.