The pair behind Ohio's 2015 failed recreational marijuana measure now plan to build a medical marijuana growing and processing facility in Southwest Ohio.

Jimmy Gould and Ian James, who co-founded ResponsibleOhio, announced Wednesday they will seek one of 12 large growing facility licenses under the new Ohio Medical Marijuana Control Program. They plan to build near the Wilmington air park.

“I see a line in the Washington Post today that I remember from the ‘80s: ‘Marijuana is a cure for opiate abuse,’” said Attorney General Jeff Sessions recently. ”’Give me a break. This is the kind of argument that’s been made out there to just … [it’s] almost a desperate attempt to defend the harmlessness of marijuana or even its benefits. I doubt that’s true.’”

Central Florida’s first medical marijuana dispensary is slated to open in the next few weeks on North Orange Avenue at Ivanhoe Village, next to White Wolf Cafe.

With gleaming white floors highlighted by gold flecks, wood-slat walls, custom cabinetry and glass panels separating a waiting room from the products, the Knox Medical center is slated to open at 1901 North Orange Avenue. Owners see it as more than a place to distribute, with plans to convey a message.

“I think the community can embrace it and be proud of it,” said Bruce Knox, founder of Knox Medical. “We are just trying to build them as nice as we can to dispel the myth. We all want to have a very professional image and we don’t want anything seedy that could tarnish the state’s image.”

The U.S. cannabis market could generate $2.3 billion in state tax revenue from retail sales by the year 2020, according to New Frontier Data’s newly released annual report on the industry.

This figure was forecasted in the report – titled The Cannabis Industry Annual Report: 2017 Legal Marijuana Outlook – under the assumption that all currently legal states continue their projected growth.

“During this tough economy states are looking for any way to close their budget shortfalls and it appears that cannabis may hold an answer for them,” said New Frontier Data CEO Giadha Aguirre De Carcer in a statement.

Australia's first medical marijuana farm received its growers' licence Wednesday, opening up domestic production of the drug for people seeking relief from serious illnesses.

The Cann Group, who last month received a cannabis research license, was awarded the cultivation permit after a "rigorous on-site security assessment".

"This major development will lead to improved access to domestically produced medicinal cannabis products for Australian patients," said Health Minister Greg Hunt.

Michael Fasman’s 12-year-old dog, Hudson, limps from pain caused by arthritis and an amputated toe, but Fasman doesn’t want to give her painkillers because “they just knock her out.”

So the San Francisco resident has turned to an alternative medicine that many humans use to treat their own pain and illness: marijuana.

On a recent morning, Fasman squeezed several drops of a cannabis extract onto a plate of yogurt, which the Portuguese water dog lapped up in seconds. It’s become part of Hudson’s daily routine.

“We think it’s really lifted her spirits and made her a happier dog,” Fasman said. “It’s not that she’s changed. She’s just back to her good old self.”

The program offers veterans an alternative to addictive pharmaceutical drugs.

Although veterans only make up 7% of the U.S. population, they account for 20% of the national suicide rate. An estimated 22 veterans commit suicide every day. To help combat this appalling statistic, California-based Weed for Warriors Project has stepped up to help veterans switch from addictive pharmaceutical drugs to medical marijuana. The program provides veterans with information, a safe place to connect with fellow veterans, and safe access to free medical marijuana treatments.

The momentum behind legalizing the cannabis industry has never been greater.  With 28 states and Washington, DC having legalized cannabis for either medical and/or adult-use, we are finally in a position where market-based facts and governmental and scientific studies are proving the cannabis industry is both responsible and thriving. 

We are relearning that cannabis is a healthy alternative to opioid pain pill prescriptions and the concerns of some are based on mis-information that produced outdated and unjustified policy. In fact, the more people learn about cannabis the more they support the end of its prohibition. 

The Health Products Regulatory Authority has recommended access to medicinal cannabis under a monitored, five-year programme, confined to a number of specific illnesses.

HPRA CEO Lorraine Nolan told members of the Oireachtas Health Committee that the authority could not recommend widespread access to cannabis for the treatment of a range of medical conditions.

However, Ms Nolan said that access could be facilitated under appropriately-controlled circumstances where adequate assurance of patient safety and follow-up can be provided.

The HPRA provided an expert report to Minister for Health Simon Harris on the use of medicinal cannabis following cross-party support for legislation proposed by AAA-PBP TD Gino Kenny.

• Marijuana is easier to access than ever, with more than 20% of Americans living in a state that has voted to legalize recreational use — and a majority living in states that have legalized medical use.
• But when you talk to researchers who study cannabis, they say there's still a lot we don't know about marijuana.
• There are a few big studies happening right now that should for the first time offer some answers to essential questions.

In many ways, it's the age of access to pot.

As of last November, more than 20% of Americans live in states that have voted to legalize recreational marijuana use. A majority live in states that allow access to medical marijuana.