The "Arkansans for Compassionate Care" group along with local military veterans gathered at the State Capitol steps Saturday, May 23 in support of legalizing Medical Marijuana.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KTHV) - A group of military veterans used the holiday weekend to rally for a cause.

The "Arkansans for Compassionate Care" group alongside local military veterans gathered on the steps of the state capitol to fight for medical marijuana in Arkansas.

The pro-medical-cannabis group believes that veterans could benefit from the illegal plant, especially when dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder.

A medical marijuana growing room in an unspecified location outside New York.(Photo: Photo provided by Butler Evergreen)

Hoping to plant a seed and grow a thriving business in western New York, at least three Rochester-area companies plan to seek state approval to grow, process and dispense medical marijuana.

Under the state law that will allow physicians to prescribe marijuana-based medicine to treat select illnesses beginning in January, five companies are being chosen to provide that medication. Applications are being taken through June 5.

When retailers open state-approved medical marijuana shops in Illinois later this year, they will face a distinct disadvantage in luring prospective patients across their thresholds: Marijuana will always be cheaper on the black market.

So what incentives might entice those patients?

Think cannabis-infused premium chocolate. Well-lit display cases that showcase buds as if they were jewelry. Informed employees who can guide each patient to the best strain for their needs.

Dispensary owners in Illinois are thinking, too, about Tupperware-style education parties, spa-like interior design and good old-fashioned customer service — all ways to beat out their fiercest competitors: underground dealers.

Four years ago Cassandra Farrington couldn’t find any venue in the country that would host her idea for a conference on the business of marijuana. This week, she hired out the Hilton Chicago, one of the city’s most famous hotels and one that has accommodated every US president since it opened in 1927.

Go on Craigslist and search for marijuana, and you’ll likely come across quite a few posts advertising for “patient-to-patient” exchanges or delivery of the drug.

The ads will ask for other medical marijuana patients only and, often, they’ll ask for a “donation” fee.

The ABC15 Investigators looked at dozens of ads like this. One medical marijuana patient who said he’s been posting ads for a few months agreed to talk to us.

“The purpose of these ads is to get yourself out there,” he said, “to get known.” He said it’s so that he and other medical marijuana patients can try different types of medical marijuana and meet each other. He described it as a community of medical marijuana patients.

Cristina Barbuto says state law should protect workers who use medical marijuana with a doctor’s certificate.

Cristina Barbuto was thrilled when she landed her new marketing job last year.

Her delight quickly evaporated when she was fired after her first day because a drug test revealed marijuana use. She lost her job even though she’d disclosed during her interview that she takes the drug, with a doctor’s legal permission, to ease the symptoms of a digestive disorder.

HealthDay News — Medical marijuana users don't appear to increase their risk for drug or alcohol abuse if they also take prescription pain medications (PPMs), according to research published in the May issue of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.

The study included 273 patients at a medical marijuana clinic in Michigan. More than 60% of them had also used PPMs in the past month.

VAN BUREN TOWNSHIP (AP) -- Lisa Smith says her son's behavior was dangerous: hair pulling, kicks, punches, all related to a severe form of autism. But it began to change more than a year ago when he was given daily oral doses of oil extracted from marijuana.

"That's all stopped. He's more focused, he's calmer," Smith said of 6-year-old Noah. "He sleeps better through the night. He has a better appetite. You can tell he's growing, gaining weight."

Noah is registered to use marijuana to control epileptic seizures; the effect on his autism was an unexpected benefit. Based on that success, Smith is asking the state of Michigan to add autism to the list of conditions that qualify for medical marijuana.

Medical marijuana supporters are gearing up another ballot initiative for 2016, and the Florida lawmaker who sponsored a failed medical marijuana bill this past session and said he would never support a consitituional amendment, said he doesn't blame them.

"As little as the Legislature moved on this, good for them," said Rep. Greg Steube, R-Sarasota. "I think this should be done in the Legislature but if we don't act, it gives them no other option."

By Kerry Blasdel

Finding a suitable location is often one of the biggest hurdles startup cannabis businesses face. The headache doesn’t end once you sign a lease, though.

Dispensaries and cultivation sites must navigate a minefield of real estate challenges that can change the playing field overnight and force owners to scout out a new location quickly.

The result: You have to go through the maddeningly complex and surprisingly time-consuming process of finding real estate all over again.