There’s little doubt that your farm can grow marijuana, or cannabis as it is commonly called now. You’ve got road ditches and fence rows to prove that.

The harder part is turning it into a medicine. That’s the only legal way it can be sold under the state laws enacted over the last couple of years in Minnesota, Illinois, Michigan, and 20 other states, mostly on the coasts. 

Kyle Kingsley, one of the early growers in Minnesota, believes there is more than a little magic in the crop. Most of it happens not in growing the plants, but after harvest. 

“How we process it and package it and make it conform to medical standards is what we are still learning. That’s where the big breakthroughs will come in medical cannabis,” he predicts.

It’s time for some weed studies. Today’s lesson in marijuana 101 zooms in on the sticky, THC-based substance called cannabis oil. Scientifically, cannabis oil is a thick, sticky substance made up of cannabinoids, such as THC and CBD, extracted from cannabis plants.

But, what exactly are its uses and how does it affect the way we view marijuana?

Well, let’s start with the basics.

Vice, the media company with a stronghold among millennials, launches its new Viceland TV channel this week with a slate of shows including "Weediquette," a series that examines marijuana culture. 

And Krishna Andavolu knows what you're thinking — of course Vice would have a show about weed.

Still, it's not the marijuana — not even the THC or the cannabis oil — that the series seeks to truly illuminate.

The District recently marked the first anniversary of its legalization of recreational marijuana. And as the city is home to so many fitness-minded people, it’s likely that at least a few of them are wondering whether it makes sense, or whether it’s even safe, to incorporate pot into their exercise regimens.

Given the long-standing illegality of marijuana, there is not a large body of evidence about its effects on the human body. However, I spoke with a professional athlete who offered his own large body as testimony to the benefits of engaging in physical activity while stoned.

As if a lack of sleep wasn't bad enough, we have to deal with the knowledge that losing sleep is also likely to make us fat.

Researchers know there is a link between poor sleep and obesity, they just haven't understood why.

A new study published in the journal, Sleep, suggests that it is because a bad night's sleep changes our brain chemistry making us crave more energy-dense snacks such as chips, sweets and biscuits.

In fact, the researchers from the University of Chicago say, a lack of sleep sparks chemical changes similar to those of cannabis to bring a kind of "marijuana munchies" state.

Puerto Rico is about to welcome medical marijuana to the island.  The action, by executive order, could have potential economic benefits for the debt-ridden country. But it’s also recalling memories  of colonial exploitation.

Drug policy activist Rafael Torruella, who is based in Fajardo, Puerto Rico, worries the budding industry will mirror other industries on the island, where foreign investors reap most of the economic reward.

At this point, no medical marijuana is being grown on the island and no dispensaries have been authorized.

A Nelson District Court judge struggled to find an appropriate sentence for a woman who cultivated cannabis to help treat her multiple sclerosis.

Fiona Porter, 45, told the court on Monday that she grew cannabis for personal medicinal use after medication prescribed to treat her multiple sclerosis left her unable to see, walk or speak properly at times.

Police found 11 mature cannabis plants growing among tomatoes and corn at her Takaka home on February 9.

Porter told police that she blended leaves from the plants and consumed them.

Choosing to appear without legal representation, Porter explained to judge Peter Hobbs that she gave up growing cannabis in 2011 after being reprimanded by the court.

One of the most appealing parts of cannabis is the scents and flavors associated with the various varieties of the plant. Organic compounds known as terpenes are produced by most plants as a defense against herbivores, who otherwise would consume them, and as semiochemicals that serve to communicate chemically with other living things. There are over 120 different types of terpenes that can be expressed by the cannabis plant, although some are only found in trace amounts.

Terpenes make up between five and 10 percent of the total oils that are produced in the trichrome glands. Although they are constantly being produced, they’re easily vaporized by heat and daylight throughout the day, making the morning an ideal time to harvest.

Cannabis appears to have a significant impact on the recognition and processing of human emotions like happiness, sadness and anger, according to research published in the journal PLOS One.

Scientists are only just starting to understand how cannabis affects the brain.

Cannabis consumption is known to cause immediate, residual and long-term changes in brain activity that can affect appetite and food intake, sleep patterns, executive function and emotional behavior.

Conflicting evidence has suggested that it can intensify both positive and negative mood states.

The NFL began testing for marijuana and other substances of abuse in 1982, the same year quarterback Jim McMahon arrived in the league from a Mormon university that frowns on various behaviors far more innocuous than smoking weed. Long retired from football, McMahon relies on marijuana for medicinal purposes. Recently, he suggested that he and other Bears were smoking it while playing — and that the team’s legendary head coach knew it.