A guard removes Brittney Griner's handcuffs ahead of a hearing at the Khimki Court outside Moscow on Wednesday. Alexander Zemlianichenko/Pool/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
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A Mississippi senator holds a bag of hemp product used by Sen. Kevin Blackwell, R-Southaven to illustrate to lawmakers what specific portions of the Mississippi Medical Cannabis Equivalency Units would look like in January. Rogelio V. Solis/AP hide caption
The South Dakota Supreme Court has upheld a lower court's ruling that nullified a voter-passed amendment to the state constitution that would have legalized recreational marijuana use. Here, a cannabis plant at the Greenleaf Medical Cannabis facility in Richmond, Va., in June. Steve Helber/AP hide caption
More than 30 states have medical marijuana programs — yet scientists are only allowed to use cannabis plants from one U.S. source for their research. That's set to change, as the federal government begins to add more growers to the mix. Drew Angerer/Getty Images hide caption
In San Francisco, dispensaries were first left off city's list of "essential businesses." The city's Department of Health now says "cannabis is an essential medicine for many San Francisco residents." Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg via Getty Images hide caption
Paul Lubell used to vape medical marijuana to manage his chronic back and neck pain, instead of using opioid medications. Now, after getting hospitalized for lung sickness, he doesn't vape. Mary Fecteau/ideastream hide caption
He Started Vaping THC To Cope With Chronic Pain. Then He Got Sick
Come Jan. 1 it will be legal to smoke recreational marijuana in Illinois. But housing authorities say it will remain prohibited in public housing. Susan Montoya Bryan/AP hide caption
Maryland now offers the country's first master's degree in the study of the science and therapeutics of cannabis. Pictured, an employee places a bud into a bottle for a customer at a weed dispensary in Denver, Colo. Bloomberg via Getty Images hide caption
Scientists caution that using marijuana during pregnancy could be risky, but some women with severe nausea and lack of appetite during pregnancy are trying it. Niklas Skur/EyeEm/Getty Images hide caption
Some Pregnant Women Use Weed For Morning Sickness But FDA Cautions Against It
Workers prune marijuana plants at a Clever Leaves greenhouse in Pesca, Colombia. The company employs over 450 people. Courtesy of Clever Leaves hide caption
Marijuana use is risky for teens and pregnant women and can be habit-forming, says the U.S. surgeon general. Jane Khomi/Getty Images hide caption
Surgeon General Sounds Alarm On Risk Of Marijuana Addiction And Harm
Studies have shown that the levels of THC, the main psychoactive compound in pot, rose dramatically in the U.S. from 1995 to 2017. David McNew/Getty Images hide caption
Highly Potent Weed Has Swept The Market, Raising Concerns About Health Risks
Chris holds a plastic syringe he and his wife use to administer homemade medical marijuana oil to their 13-year-old son, Dylan, who has autism. Lynn Arditi/The Public's Radio hide caption
After Other Options Fail, A Family Tries Medical Marijuana For Son With Autism
Michigan has become the first state in the Midwest to legalize recreational marijuana, after voters approved a ballot measure Tuesday. Here, a clerk reaches for a container of marijuana buds at Utopia Gardens, a medical marijuana dispensary in Detroit. Carlos Osorio/AP hide caption
Megan Baker (left) of Papa & Barkley Co., a Cannabis company based in Eureka, Calif., shows Shirley Avedon of Laguna Woods different products intended to help with pain relief. Stephanie O'Neill for NPR hide caption
Ticket To Ride: Pot Sellers Put Seniors On The Canna-Bus
A drug made from a derivative of marijuana has been approved for patients with certain forms of epilepsy. Blaine Harrington III/Getty Images hide caption
Policymakers in Illinois and other states want to make it easier to get medical marijuana for pain relief. LPETTET/Getty Images hide caption
Lawmakers In Illinois Embrace Medical Marijuana As An Opioid Alternative
Side Effects Public Media
Many cancer patients seek treatment with medical marijuana. Jupiterimages/Getty Images hide caption
When Cancer Patients Ask About Weed, Many Doctors Say Go For It
Side Effects Public Media
Former House Speaker John Boehner voted to prohibit medical marijuana as a U.S. congressman from Ohio in 1999, but he came out in support of some uses of cannabis on Wednesday. Lauren Victoria Burke/AP hide caption
Melodie Beckham (left), here with her daughter, Laura, had metastatic lung cancer and chose to stop taking medical marijuana after it failed to relieve her symptoms. She died a few weeks after this photo was taken. Melissa Bailey/Kaiser Health News hide caption
Kate Murphy felt frustrated by a lack of advice from doctors on how to use medical marijuana to mitigate side effects from her cancer treatment. Jesse Costa/WBUR hide caption
MaryJane Sarvis, an artist in Shaftsbury, Vt., weaned herself from the opioid painkillers she was prescribed for chronic nerve pain. "I felt tired all the time and I was still in pain," she says. Marijuana works better for her, but costs $200 per month out-of-pocket. Emily Corwin/VPR hide caption
The High Cost Of Medical Marijuana Causes Pain In Vermont
Even veterans who are using marijuana legally worry they might lose VA benefits if they tell their doctors. jopstock/Getty Images hide caption