Twice a week at the office of Patrick Fasusi, District residents line up to ask the pain specialist to approve their use of medical marijuana. For most, the brief wait in the lobby is longer than their consultation.

As marijuana, which became legal for recreational use in the nation’s capital in February, continues to morph from contraband to commonplace, Fasusi’s clinic is a window into the ease with which some residents have been buying officially sanctioned pot for more than two years.

Dozens of activists -- including comedian Tommy Chong, Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero and State Representative Jeff Irwin (D-Ann Arbor) -- spoke out about the various merits of marijuana at the 44th Annual Hash Bash in Ann Arbor Saturday.

Jim Powers told the large, smoky crowd gathered at the University of Michigan's Diag how cannabis oil has helped heal his 6-year-old son, Ryan, who was an autoimmune disease.

But Powers is not happy about the hazy implementation of the medical marijuana law.

"The state of Michigan has failed my family," he added.

The crowd heard other personal stories from folks like 18-year-old Alyssa Erwin, who says cannabis oil has rid her body of cancer not once, but twice.

Medical marijuana cardholders in Arizona could see changes in the way edible products are labeled.

The state created a $58,000 contract with the Coconino County Public Health Services District focused on studying how to strengthen the packing, labeling and storage of edible products. A survey was distributed to patients at dispensaries across the state to gauge their level of education about medical marijuana and how they use it.

The concern is the threat of a patient overdose from consuming edible products like cookies, brownies and cakes. Current state law requires the amount, strain, and batch number of medical marijuana as well as a warning label.

Guam's public health department will hold an informal meeting next week to discuss ideas for the island's medical marijuana program.

The meeting will be held at Sen. Tina Muña Barnes' office at 2 p.m. April 10. The public can attend the meeting but won't be involved in the discussion.

In November, voters approved legalizing the use of marijuana for the treatment of certain medical conditions, making Guam the first U.S. territory to legalize medical marijuana. The drug remains a Schedule I controlled substance under local and federal law.

The Department of Public Health and Social Services, the lead agency tasked with developing guidelines and regulations under the law, has less than five months to submit rules and regulations to the Guam Legislature.

California’s multi-billion medical cannabis industry will remain in the crosshairs of federal prosecutors, despite direction from Congress to cease interfering with state medical pot systems.

In December, the US Congress passed and the president signed a historic amendment that de-funded the Department of Justice’s war on medical pot. Medical marijuana is legal in 23 states, yet the Obama Administration had spent an estimated $300 million enforcing the marijuana provisions of federal Controlled Substances Act.

After three months reviewing the amendment, the DOJ told the Los Angeles Times this week that “it did not believe the amendment applies to cases against individuals or organizations.”

Rep. Jonathan Singer, D-Longmont, has been a leading voice on how Colorado’s medical and recreational marijuana industries are regulated, carrying most of the most important bills and providing testimony and experts on nearly all of them.

Singer, 36, has represented House District 11 — which also includes northern Boulder County, most of Niwot, Allenspark and parts of Lyons — since 2012. He has undergraduate and master’s degrees in social work from Colorado State University. He is a former board member for the CSU Drug and Alcohol Task Force and the CSU Counseling Center.

Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom released a policy primer that outlines how recreational marijuana could be regulated after it is legalized. Newsom, a blunt advocate for legal pot, opened an exploratory committee last month for a 2018 gubernatorial run.

Here are five highlights from the report by the Blue Ribbon Commission on Marijuana Policy, a group co-chaired by Newsom and sponsored by the American Civil Liberties Union.

The U.S. is slowly and steadily moving towards legalizing marijuana in all fifty states. Almost half have already legalized medical marijuana; more are on their way. Several states have legalized recreational use of marijuana, and some have given the nod to retail outlets selling marijuana. These moves, whether brought about through the ballot box or via state legislatures, have unleashed intense public debate on the use and abuse of marijuana and the feasibility of legalizing a potentially addictive substance.

CHICAGO -- Late one Saturday night, Rob Sampson had a confrontation with his 15-year-old daughter about marijuana. But it was his daughter doing the confronting and it was Sampson defending the drug.

Sampson and his wife, after a long night of polishing his new company's applications to grow medical cannabis, returned to their suburban Chicago home to find their daughter waiting up. They hadn't yet told her their business plans.

"She said, 'What is going on?"' Sampson recalled. "'I know something's going on and you guys aren't telling me."'

(Newser) – Pain, insomnia, nausea, and some psychological conditions are among the health issues medical marijuana is used to treat—but the drug can come with frustrating side effects like dizziness, dry mouth, and telltale red eyes. Plus, not everybody wants to get high, a doctor notes. Another drug that's been in use since the 1970s, however, is showing promise for treating similar conditions, and it's known for not having many side effects; this site lists gallstones and liver problems as "infrequent" ones. Fenofibrate, aka Tricor, is currently used to treat high cholesterol.