The latest Rocky Mountain Poll shows slightly more than half of Arizona voters favor legalizing marijuana for recreational use, and 80 percent support its use for research.

It's a controversial drug that one local doctor says has been labeled "schedule one" for no reason. Marijuana has been deemed medically useless without any scientific evidence.

The latest Rocky Mountain Poll, released Wednesday, shows slightly more than half of Arizona voters favor legalizing marijuana for recreational use.

The same study show an 83 percent supports to allow Arizona's universities to conduct medical research on marijuana in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder.

Arizona is one of the 23 states in the nation that has legalized medical marijuana use, but how far does that law go?

KTAR News 92.3 FM's legal analyst Monica Lindstrom spoke with Mac and Gaydos Thursday about whether or not the presence of a medical marijuana card should be used as a defense in court.

The Arizona Supreme Court recently announced they will review an appeals court decision that said drivers found with marijuana in their system can be prosecuted under the law -- even if they possess a medical marijuana card.

"I think that we're going to see the law change to allow (medical marijuana cards) to be (used as a DUI defense)," Lindstrom said. "I don't think it will happen anytime soon, but down the road we're going to see that."

The head of B.C.’s medical association says the federal government is failing Canada’s doctors by not providing meaningful guidelines on how to talk to their patients about medical marijuana prescriptions in the absence of reliable clinical studies.

Bill Cavers says doctors across Canada are being bombarded with information on medical marijuana by the same companies producing the drug, a clear conflict of interest. Health Canada, which does not endorse medical marijuana’s use, should stop the practice, said Dr. Cavers, who wants an independent process to better educate medical professionals about the benefits and dangers of the drug.

The Senate Appropriations Committee recently included a provision in a bill funding construction and veteran medical benefits, allowing Department of Veterans Affairs doctors to recommend medical marijuana to their patients for post-traumatic stress disorder and other medical conditions. During the May 21 hearing, Sen. Jeff Merkley, a Democrat from Oregon, said that veterans are currently forced to seek private medical appointments to discuss medical marijuana outside the VA system, which is “an enormous inconvenience to our veterans.”

Implications profound for neurological diseases from autism to Alzheimer's to multiple sclerosis

In a stunning discovery that overturns decades of textbook teaching, researchers at the University of Virginia (UVA) School of Medicine have determined that the brain is directly connected to the immune system by vessels previously thought not to exist. That such vessels could have escaped detection when the lymphatic system has been so thoroughly mapped throughout the body is surprising on its own, but the true significance of the discovery lies in the effects it could have on the study and treatment of neurological diseases ranging from autism to Alzheimer's disease to multiple sclerosis.

With the sweeping tide of cannabis legalization and decriminalization sweeping North America, and with a similar tide expected to sweep South America and continental Europe in the next few years, now is an ideal time to teach the public about THC and CBD. The days of so-called “educational” campaigns which consisted of nothing more than scaremongering and lying needs to come to an end. Kids see right through it. Instead we need to acknowledge a few things….

1) We Know More About Cannabis Than Previous Generations

The state House on Thursday approved legislation that would clear the path for medical marijuana use in Louisiana.

The House voted 70-29 for the Senate-passed measures that is now nearing the final hurdle before becoming law. It returns to the Senate for approval of House changes.

One of the amendments was to name the proposed law after the late Alison Neustrom, who testified for the bill last year saying people like her needed help in battling cancer.

Neustrom’s father, Mike, is Lafayette Parish sheriff. The state’s sheriffs association opposed the bill last year. This year they helped tighten the wording to address law enforcement objections.

The Louisiana District Attorneys Association opposes the legislation.

In 1996, California became the first state to allow the medical use of marijuana. Since then, 22 other states and the District of Columbia have enacted similar laws. Hundreds of thousands of patients nationwide now regularly use medical marijuana, and you can be sure that more and more will ask about it.

Are there legal risks to physicians? After contacting national and regional malpractice insurance carriers, along with several state medical societies, we couldn't find a single instance of a physician being sued for malpractice over the negligent recommendation for medical marijuana.

Time was when most life insurers had no underwriting policy regarding an applicant’s use of marijuana. But that’s no longer the case.

According to a survey by Munich American Reassurance, 29 percent of life insurers with an underwriting policy in place classify marijuana users as non-smokers. The survey is based on on-site interviews of nearly 150 underwriters. They were attending the April annual meeting of the Association of Home Office Underwriters in Washington, D.C.

Of the life carriers represented in the survey, just one in five have no official underwriting policy in place for marijuana users, according to the Atlanta business unit of Munich Re.

In a few months, medical marijuana is likely to become available to seriously ill adults and kids in Illinois, but the brand new program and drug may leave seriously ill people with more questions than answers.

To help them, Americans for Safe Access and the Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Chicago are hosting a “patient summit” Saturday in Chicago’s South Loop to help answer basic questions.

For instance, a parent whose child has epilepsy might be interested in using a special marijuana-based oil to help treat devastating seizures but may ask: “Now that I can get medical cannabis for my child, what do I do?” said Kurt Florian, the president of the Chicago Epilepsy group.