A medical marijuana facility in Anchorage shut its doors Monday after the state warned that it would take enforcement action against the business.

AK Hydro Gardens closed on Monday morning, owner Ryan Smith said.

The company billed itself as a medical marijuana cultivation center. Medical marijuana cardholders would apply to have their plants grown in the Anchorage facility, and would pay a membership fee for the business to maintain their plants.

On the company’s website, Smith wrote that the business had been advised that “if we continue to grow excess amounts of marijuana in one location without a recreational license,” the state would “take law enforcement action.”

SALEM — Lawmakers on a special joint House and Senate marijuana committee deadlocked Monday on a bill that would place a variety of new limits on the state’s medical marijuana program, creating significant uncertainty for the policy’s future.

The failure to reach agreement also threatens the committee’s key task, implementing Measure 91, the recreational marijuana legalization initiative that voters approved in November. The fight over medical marijuana has meant the committee has not passed any bills related directly to setting up the legal recreational market, with less than two months left in the scheduled session.

A pro-marijuana ad debuting in Texas on Tuesday showcases a retired police officer who says the state should take a more "sensible" approach to marijuana policies because the drug causes far fewer problems than alcohol.

"I know of no instance in my entire career where someone was acting out under the influence of marijuana," says Russell Jones in the ad supporting a Texas House bill that would decriminalize marijuana, reducing the penalty for possessing less than an ounce to a maximum civil fine of $250. Current state law allows maximum penalties of six months in jail and a $2,000 fine for possessing less than two ounces.

A Surrey dad who lost his daughter to brain cancer is echoing an Ontario father’s calls for changes to this country’s medical marijuana laws.

In Ontario, Alex Repetski is feeding his three year old daughter oil extracted from marijuana to offset her seizures.

He has a legal exemption for dried bud, but it is illegal for him to convert it to oil.

Surrey father David Hutchinson says marijuana oil prolonged the life of his 16 year old daughter, Beth, after she was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer in 2009.

SALT LAKE CITY — A controversial bill that would allow medical marijuana to be sold and distributed in Utah will return to the state legislature this year.

COLUMBUS – If their proposal gets on the November ballot, and is approved by voters, ten people or investment groups will basically own the exclusive right to grow marijuana for legal sale in Ohio.

As their campaign, under the one-word name “ResponsibleOhio”, has gained traction, the people behind those investments (roughly $2 million apiece) have largely stayed behind-the-scenes, until now.

Smoking marijuana can lead to more than a euphoric high, and has been linked to long-lasting delusions, mouth swelling and several other surprising effects, according to a new review of research on the recreational use of the drug.

"All recreational users should be aware of potential undesired acute cannabinoid effects," or the effects of being high on pot, study author Dr. Eva Hoch, of the department of addictive behavior and addiction medicine at the University of Heidelberg in Germany, told Live Science. The type and severity of these effects depend on many factors, such as the composition of the cannabis, how often someone uses marijuana, the user's disposition and how much they smoke, Hoch said.

We just don’t know enough about it.

That from the organization representing 12,000 doctors in this province when it comes to prescribing medical marijuana.

Doctors of BC President, Dr. Bill Cavers, says while he welcomes tighter restrictions, doctors shouldn’t have been forced to become the gate-keepers of the drug in the first place.

“I think the policy should have been in place first, and I think that Health Canada, unilaterally and without consultation, brought in some rules which we are now wearing.”

He says evidence-based research is lacking.

Just as the City of Victoria looks to start “cracking down” on the growing number of medical marijuana dispensaries, the first marijuana vending machine in the region is now up and running.

The machine at the BC Pain society on Quadra Street is now accessible to clients. Prices range from $7 to $85 dollars. The dispensary says the machine is already a hit with clients, most of whom are seniors who use cannabis for pain issues. The machine also increases security.

Canada’s first marijuana vending machine went into service last year in Vancouver.

Some pet owners give their aging and sick animals medical marijuana believing this may ease pain or illnesses like it does for humans.

Some pets are given medical marijuana.

Medical marijuana is now available to use in 23 states to ease pain for cancer patients suffering from pain, but now even pets use weed for treatment.

Cannabis, contained in capsules and treats, is now used as treatment for aging or sick dogs, according to Time.