Independence Day is a patriotic event seen as fun for the U.S. full of barbecues, bonfires and fireworks. But the holiday isn't for everybody, especially your furry friends. Loud noises, flashing lights, explosions and the smell of sulfur can be traumatic for cats, dogs or other pets in your household. Every year hundreds of pets are either lost or injured due to 4th of July fireworks.

However, there are a few ways to keep pets stress-free during the celebration.

Treatibles pet treats out of Oakland are CBD treats made specifically for pets. Where most people get confused about feeding marijuana to pets is they think it's like getting your dog really high and giggling about it.

Marijuana stores could face some stumbling blocks as the state shifts to a new system for medical marijuana sales. New rules go into effect Friday but the state is warning that a computer system to verify patients may not be ready.

At the Seattle Cannabis Company, workers say they pride themselves on personalized service and expanding their stock to help those with health problems seems like a natural fit. Employees went through extra training to become one of the 321 pot shops in the state that will now offer medical marijuana. 

New rules are supposed to start Friday but there's a lot that hasn't been sorted out and the state is warning its computer system to verify patients may not be ready.

A groundbreaking 20-year study investigated the links between tobacco, cannabis and lung function, and found that while tobacco caused adverse effects, cannabis did not. As a result of this study and others like it, healthcare is beginning to pay attention, and health insurers are even starting to cover medical cannabis costs!

In 2012, a groundbreaking scientific study (Association Between Marijuana Exposure and Pulmonary Function Over 20 Years, Pletcher MJ et al.) was published on the effects of cannabis smoke on lung function compared to that of tobacco smoke.

A group of local doctors plans to open a medical marijuana testing facility in Columbia to ensure product quality in anticipation of a burgeoning therapeutic cannabis industry in Maryland.  

Testing is required by state law for cannabis growers, and this provided an opportunity for the group of four doctors, led by Dr. Andrew Rosenstein, chief of the division of gastroenterology at University of Maryland St. Joseph Medical Center.

He said they were mindful of potential threats to some of their sickest patients from contaminants that could complicate conditions rather than alleviate pain and other symptoms.

A cannabis congregation.

A parish of pot supporters.

Marijuana missionaries.

Approximately 50 people gathered Sunday in south Lansing for the debut of a new church: The First Cannabis Church of Logic and Reason.

The gathering was a kick-off for what organizer Jeremy Hall hopes will become monthly meetings celebrating cannabis' spiritual properties.

He chooses the word spirituality intentionally. The church has no specific ideology, no texts or prophets to speak of.

"The biggest question I get is, 'How can this be a church if we don't subscribe to a religious theology?'" he told attendees.

"Well, the reality is it sounded better than a cannabis cult."

Those sitting in the worship room laughed.

Huhana Hickey used to take an array of medication each day to help manage her chronic pain.

It never eased it completely and left her feeling 'zombied' and in tears for two hours after work every day. 

But for the past four months she hasn't needed the medication and it's all because of a medicinal cannabis mouth spray called Sativex. 

The South Auckland woman has gone public alongside 11 other users and caregivers in order to denounce the Ministry of Health's recent review of the criteria for medicinal cannabis use.

The Maori health research fellow says the group believes the Government is dragging its heels on the issue.

"They are just fudging the issue but they are actually playing with the lives of people who don't have the resources.

Science is starting to understand what marijuana smokers have known for years: how marijuana helps sleep. Because of this understanding, doctors are now able to legally prescribe marijuana for sleep disorders in seven states.

Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the most active marijuana ingredient that affects sleeping patterns. We’ll look into exactly how marijuana aids sleep, delve into how our brains work, and offer insights on this fascinating subject.

Sleep Disorders and Marijuana

Sleep disorders include:

Illinois must add post-traumatic stress disorder to the list of diseases eligible for medical marijuana treatment, a Cook County judge ordered Tuesday in a sternly worded ruling that also said the state's public health director engaged in a "private investigation" that was "constitutionally inappropriate."

In a lawsuit filed by an Iraq war veteran, Judge Neil Cohen ordered Illinois Department of Public Health Director Nirav Shah to add PTSD within 30 days. It's the first decision among eight lawsuits filed by patients disappointed with across-the-board rejections by Gov. Bruce Rauner's administration of recommendations from an advisory board on medical marijuana.

The health department is reviewing the judge's order, department spokeswoman Melaney Arnold said.

A provision that would have made it legal for Veterans Affairs doctors to discuss medical marijuana with their patients in some states disappeared mysteriously from the final VA funding bill last week, just before the House approved the legislation by a 239-171 vote.

But the measure is not completely dead, as a failure by the Senate on Tuesday to forward the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs funding bill for a vote provides an opportunity for the marijuana provision to be put back in.

The failure in the Senate to pass a procedural vote over a dispute involving funding to fight the Zika virus means the bill can be reconsidered after the Independence Day break.