South Carolina Rep. Eric Bedingfield once shunned all marijuana use, but when his eldest son’s six-year struggle with opioid addiction ended with his overdose a year ago, the conservative Republican co-sponsored medical cannabis legislation.

"My mindset has changed from somebody who looked down on it as a negative substance to saying, 'This has benefits,' " Bedingfield said recently.

The 50-year-old teetotaller believes marijuana may effectively wean addicts from an opioid dependence. Ultimately, the Marine veteran hopes medical marijuana can be an alternative to people being prescribed OxyContin or other opioid painkillers to begin with, helping curb an epidemic he’s seen destroy families of all economic levels.

From the outside, it looked like a typical upscale cocktail party. Tucked on a Venice walk street just a stone’s throw from Superba, this fête was complete with an outdoor bar, food stylishly served in Chinese takeout containers and, at the middle of the dining room, a buffet. 

Centerpieces constructed from mounds of weed nuggets were displayed in glass jars and surrounded by platters of “adult” brownies and carefully placed displays of cannabis breath mints, macarons and chocolates. At the kitchen counter, a man in a suit jacket and collared shirt taught a meandering group of visitors how to dab. 

Israel, a leader in marijuana research and health technology, is attracting international investment as it tries to position itself as a cutting-edge exporter in the rapidly-growing market for medical-grade cannabis.

With estimates that the global market for medical marijuana could reach $50 billion by 2025, the Israeli government is set to allow the local industry to start exporting and projects annual revenues in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

Medical cannabis is a relatively new field with no universal clinical standard. Israel aims to fill the void by combining its expertise in agriculture, technology, and cannabis-based medicine, said Yuval Landschaft, head of the health ministry's medical cannabis unit (IMCA).

Willie Nelson‘s wife, Annie, is piggybacking on the singer’s marijuana advocacy with the announcement of her own business, Annie’s Edibles. As a branch of the singer’s cannabis company, Willie’s Reserve, Annie’s Edibles makes its debut with artisan chocolates the first product.

Currently available at select dispensaries in Washington state, the hand-crafted chocolates are made from natural techniques, with the chocolate itself made from “consciously sourced ingredients” and low-heat processes that sustain the product’s raw qualities, according to a press release. Whole-plant extraction maintains the richness of the cannabis plant, with the chocolates containing a dose of 5mg of THC.

A mother will always go the extra mile for her child but for Castlederg woman Charlotte Caldwell the journey to save her son Billy, who suffers from a severe form of epilepsy, was much longer.

For 11 years Charlotte has battled to keep Billy alive, after doctors sent him home to die when he was just four months old.

And this week that journey came to an end when a clinician at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast agreed to prescribe medical cannabis for Billy and take over his care from a doctor in Los Angeles.

Vanessa Amador has created a niche business in New Jersey that’s designed to woo an exclusive and often-misunderstood clientele.    

Though others may want to attend the unique cooking classes offered by Cannabi Kitchen in Turnersville, Gloucester County, only those who flash a photo ID issued by the state’s tightly regulated medical-marijuana program will be allowed in.    

The curriculum: how to make cannabis-infused sweets, including banana walnut muffins, creamy chocolate candies shaped like marijuana leaves, and even green gummy bears and worms. More items -- such as smoothies -- could be added.

When it comes to high-growth industries, there's very little, if anything, that can top the marijuana industry. In just 21 years' time, more than half of the country has legalized access to medical cannabis, and over the past four-plus years, we've witnessed eight states (along with Washington, D.C.) legalize recreational pot.

Franco Harris is joining to movement for medical marijuana.

While the Steelers legend is in good physical and mental health after a lengthy football career, he openly approves marijuana use for the days he doesn't feel so great and has become a strong advocate for current players to use the plant for medicine.

“Even during my playing days, I really didn’t have to do anything with pain management,” Harris told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “I’ve never had any long-term pain. I’ve been pretty lucky all the way back to high school. I’m even more amazed that at 67 I’m not dealing with more issues.

Deryn Blackwell was diagnosed with Leukaemia and Langerhans cell sarcoma when he was just ten years old in 2010.

A 13-year-old boy who was one in only five people in the world with an extremely rare cancer that meant he had only two weeks left to live managed to make a miracle recovery – thanks to cannabis. 

Deryn Blackwell was diagnosed with leukaemia when he was just ten years old in 2010.

People are giving their pets cannabis to cure their illnesses

Just over a year later he was told he had a secondary cancer – Langerhans cell sarcoma -, which only five people in the world currently have.

Around a dozen people met on the stairs of the Manitoba Legislature on Saturday to protest a new bill proposed by the provincial government that would change the rules on cannabis.

Bill 25, the Cannabis Harm Prevention Act, was introduced on Monday. It would put restrictions on cannabis similar to those on alcohol, banning people from consuming it in a vehicle and giving police the right to suspend a driver's licence for 24 hours if they thought the person was under the influence of the drug.