While there may be no shortage of marijuana among home cultivators in a few months time, D.C.'s current medical marijuana cultivators are experiencing just that. So much of a shortage of crop that the D.C. Council passed emergency legislation yesterday to allow medical marijuana cultivators to grow more weed.

The bill, "The Medical Marijuana Supply Shortage Emergency Amendment," was introduced by Councilmember Vincent Orange (D-At Large) and doubles the amount of plants D.C.'s three medical marijuana dispensaries can grow from 500 to 1,000.

ANNAPOLIS, MD — Lawmakers in Maryland gave final approval to a bill on Saturday that will decriminalize the possession of marijuana paraphernalia in the state.

The House of Delegates approved the measure, Senate Bill 517, by a vote of 83-53.  The bill previously passed the Senate by a vote of 32-13.  The bill now heads to the desk of Governor Larry Hogan for final approval.

Senate Bill 517 does not apply fines to possessing marijuana paraphernalia; instead the bill simply excludes items “involving the use or possession of marijuana” from the definition of drug paraphernalia in the state’s criminal code.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta puts medical marijuana under the microscope again with "WEED 3: The Marijuana Revolution" at 9 p.m. ET Sunday on CNN.

Joy Drawdy has an emergency arrest plan.

If the police come, she’ll call her lawyer. She’ll send her friend to care for her store. She’ll have her partner care for her cats, dogs and chickens.

But she hasn’t had to use it — yet.

Drawdy, 45, and her partner, Kat, own Earth Pets, a Gainesville pet store that not only sells soy dog collars and organic pet treats, but it also shelters homeless kittens in a community kitten therapy room.

But the emergency arrest plan is for a product she sells, called CannaVet, formerly known as Canna Companion during the summer.

CannaVet is an herbal supplement for pets with problems like anxiety, seizures and allergies. The problem lies in its main ingredient: hemp.

LADYBUD: Where did you study and get certified in massage therapy?

Preston mum Sybil Lucas-Brewer claims cannabis is the only thing that has helped her battle a multitude of illnesses.

In the first part of a series looking at the drug and whether it has genuine medical benefits, Sybil tells Investigative Reporter Aasma Day about her experiences.

“We can grow parsley and fennel, so why can’t we grow cannabis?” These defiant words from Sybil Lucas-Brewer sum up the logic held by many people who use cannabis for medical purposes and firmly believe in marijuana’s healing powers.

Sybil, 60, of Lea, Preston, is adamant she owes her life to cannabis after doctors told her she wouldn’t live past the age of 45.

Sweden is famous for its highly regulated state monopoly on alcohol, with the 'Systembolaget' chain the only liquor store allowed to sell alcoholic beverages. But a similar scheme could be created to legalize the sale of cannabis, if a Swedish youth politician has her way. It's an unlikely possibility but the idea's triggered a strong debate.

Hanna Wagenius, chairwoman of Sweden's Centre Party's youth wing, told The Local on Wednesday that Sweden should take its lead from several places around the world which have legalized the drug, such as the Netherlands and a number of US states.

Story highlights

• Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal is expected to sign a medical marijuana bill at 11 a.m. Thursday
• The bill is inspired by Haleigh Cox, a 5-year-old whose seizures threatened her life

"This means the world to us," said Haleigh Cox's mother, Janea Cox.

Gov. Nathan Deal is scheduled on Thursday to sign a bill that will legalize low-THC cannabis oil for certain "medication-resistant epilepsies," while creating an infrastructure, registration process and research program for the drug. (THC is the primary psychoactive substance in marijuana.)

The bill is dubbed Haleigh's Hope Act.

BOSTON - The state's medical marijuana program is projected to run a $1.17 million deficit in fiscal year 2015 despite a state law requiring the program to pay for itself, according to the program's annual report.

Nichole Snow, deputy director of Massachusetts Patient Advocacy Alliance, a medical marijuana patient advocacy group, said the deficit "shows that the people who were in charge originally really didn't put enough thought into it."

Scott Zoback, a spokesman for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, said, "The administration is in the process of revamping a poorly functioning medical marijuana program it inherited in order to best serve patients safely and ensure the system is living up to the law passed by Massachusetts voters."

Recently, the Attorney General’s Office was contacted by parents concerned about the legality, under state law, of their receipt and/or possession of a specific cannabis oil product used to treat children with seizure disorders and other medical conditions. The cannabis oil product at issue is made from cannabis which is high in cannabidiol (CBD) but low in tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and referred to generically as “CBD oil.”