Matthew Mead and his partner Tyler Mauri are the driving force behind the implementation of the first ever public use hemp building created from hempcrete; a sustainable building material created by blending hemp hurds, a byproduct of industrial hemp cultivation.

Leaf Science reports on new research from a pair of neurologists at the University of Dublin claiming cannabis could be the key to fighting disorders of the aging brain. “Modulation of the endogenous cannabinoid system is emerging as a potentially viable option in the treatment of neurodegeneration.”

Marijuana is contributing to a better quality of life for many patients suffering from serious, debilitating medical conditions. Mieko Hester-Perez’s nine-year-old son, Joey, was diagnosed at an early age with autism and Duchenne muscular dystrophy with no hope of survival; ever since her son began using a special strain of marijuana developed specifically for him, he has made major improvements.

The use of cannabis as a de facto currency predates the founding of the United States and may be found in the historical record in the early 17th century. Hemp: Lifeline to the Future, notes that “hemp was used for money in most of the Americas from 1631 until the early 1800’s.”

U.S. District Judge Fred Van Sickle of the Eastern District of Washington rejected the planned medical marijuana defense of Larry Harvey, 70, his wife Rhonda Firestack-Harvey, 55, and others facing trial, saying they could not argue that growing marijuana was for medical purposes and legal under Washington state law.

Members of the Nevada Supreme Court on Tuesday asked for more time before deciding on a request from the State Bar to provide legal protections for lawyers who advise clients on medical marijuana issues.

Uruguay has published regulations for a new, legal marijuana market, a measure approved by lawmakers there in December. The law and the new regulations make Uruguay the first country in the world to have a system regulating the legal production, sale and consumption of the drug.

By a vote of 48-18, senators approved the legislation that would make Minnesota the first state to prohibit patients from smoking marijuana to ease their symptoms. Twenty-one other states, and the District of Columbia, have legalized medical marijuana, but none has such a restriction.

The Colorado legislature neared agreement Monday on a series of marijuana spending and regulation plans, all modest proposals compared with last year’s splashy set of pot bills to regulate the state’s new industry.

Ladybud reports several Pennsylvania families received emails from the office of  Governor Tom Corbett, announcing he wants new legislation to implement a program to research cannabis oil at two PA children’s hospitals, to provide access to an undetermined amount of children suffering from epilepsy. Their question is simply this: what about everyone else?

Animal New York reports that the artisan known only as Afgoo_Head may be the world’s greatest cannabis craftsman. While others are content to simply wrap their blunts in increasingly intricate shapes, Afgoo makes mind-boggling, elaborate weed-smoking devices entirely out of weed.

An idea on a school superintendent candidate’s platform is causing a bit of a stir in South Carolina. Education superintendent candidate Sheila Gallagher wants to legalize marijuana to help fund education. She says pot could open the doors to more teachers, better wages for teachers, smaller class sizes and more classroom supplies.

State regulators began informing marijuana testing labs that as a condition of holding a state license to test, they may only accept samples from licensed recreational pot shops, infused-product manufacturers and medical marijuana dispensaries which means those labs can no longer test for individuals.

Multiple sclerosis sufferers may benefit from taking medical marijuana, according to a new study in the journal Neurology. MS patients who used marijuana either as a pill or as an oral spray found relief from a number of symptoms. The findings were released at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN).

CT’s law approving the sale of marijuana for medical purposes has been on the books for two years, but the drug is still not available. Among the challenges has been finding dispensing locations acceptable to Connecticut towns and cities.

A Colorado plan to set up the world’s first financial system for marijuana survived less than 24 hours before state lawmakers changed course and shelved the idea. The proposal would have allowed state-licensed marijuana businesses to create a financial co-op, sort of an uninsured credit union.

Fueling your pot habit isn’t always easy: You had to get your dealer on the phone (often not possible) and then, usually, go to him. With the city putting so much pressure on illegally operating brick-and-mortar dispensaries, weed delivery services are the latest craze in L.A.

Washington’s licensed marijuana grow operations have put the first wave of the state’s legal weed into the ground. These new cultivation centers are nervous about having insufficient water to bring their crops to fruition because the federal government has not decided if granting pot farmers access to Federal water might violate the Controlled Substance Act.

Skiing pumps about $3 billion annually into Colorado’s economy, says Colorado Ski Country USA. Hunting, fishing and wildlife tourism brings in another $3 billion to the state, says the Division of Parks and Wildlife. Colorado’s legal reefer could eclipse both. Cannabis venture capitalists Arcview Investor Network is projecting nationwide legal pot revenues of $10 billion by 2018.

The Colorado Symphony Orchestra said  it will play a series of “cannabis-friendly” fundraising concerts sponsored by the state’s burgeoning pot industry. The orchestra hopes the unusual shows dubbed, “Classically Cannabis: The High Note Series,” will boost its audience as it struggles with dwindling attendance and shrinking budgets.