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1. About 44% of Americans have tried marijuana, according to a 2015 Gallup poll. The percentage has grown steadily since Gallup first asked the question in 1969.
1. About 44% of Americans have tried marijuana, according to a 2015 Gallup poll. The percentage has grown steadily since Gallup first asked the question in 1969.
Photo: Michael Ciaglo, Houston Chronicle
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2. Fully 11% of Americans (more than 1 in 10) reported to Gallup in 2015 that they currently smoke marijuana.
2. Fully 11% of Americans (more than 1 in 10) reported to Gallup in 2015 that they currently smoke marijuana.
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3. Support for the legalization of marijuana has been growing, with 53% of Americans in favor of it as of 2015, per a different Gallup poll. Support is stronger among younger folks than older ones, and weaker among Hispanics than among whites and African-Americans. less
3. Support for the legalization of marijuana has been growing, with 53% of Americans in favor of it as of 2015, per a different Gallup poll. Support is stronger among younger folks than older ones, and weaker ... more
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4. Americans are especially likely to favor legalization of marijuana for medicinal purposes. The drug has been found useful to treat glaucoma, epilepsy, inflammatory bowel diseases, arthritis pain, multiple sclerosis pain, and chemotherapy pain and nausea. Other possible uses include curbing the growth of cancer cells and Alzheimer's disease, stimulating appetite, and treating anxiety. less
4. Americans are especially likely to favor legalization of marijuana for medicinal purposes. The drug has been found useful to treat glaucoma, epilepsy, inflammatory bowel diseases, arthritis pain, multiple ... more
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5. It's not all good news for the drug, though. Like regular tobacco, it contains carcinogens, and inhaling a lot of smoke is not good for anyone. Though it may be less addictive than other drugs, some people do become dependent on it. It can impair driving ability, too. Many studies find marijuana to be less harmful than alcohol or tobacco, but that doesn't mean it's safe. less
5. It's not all good news for the drug, though. Like regular tobacco, it contains carcinogens, and inhaling a lot of smoke is not good for anyone. Though it may be less addictive than other drugs, some people ... more
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6. Folklore has it that Shakespeare may have smoked marijuana, and that Queen Victoria might have used it to alleviate monthly cramps. It's also reported to have been recommended as a substitute for alcohol by prohibition campaigners in the 19th century. less
6. Folklore has it that Shakespeare may have smoked marijuana, and that Queen Victoria might have used it to alleviate monthly cramps. It's also reported to have been recommended as a substitute for alcohol by ... more
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7. Legalizing marijuana could deliver significant tax revenue to governments seeking just that. In its first year after legalizing marijuana, the state of Washington collected about $70 million in taxes. For Colorado, it was $53 million -- and marijuana tax revenue is outpacing that from alcohol in the state. The Cato Institute has estimated that state governments and the federal government could save around $8.7 billion through the legalization of the drug. less
7. Legalizing marijuana could deliver significant tax revenue to governments seeking just that. In its first year after legalizing marijuana, the state of Washington collected about $70 million in taxes. For ... more
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8. Growing marijuana, like growing many other crops, requires a lot of resources. According to Mother Jones magazine, California's crop requires 50% more water during its growing season than the city of San Francisco uses in a year -- some 60 million gallons. In Denver, it's estimated that less than 2% of the city's electricity usage is for growing marijuana -- but that rate is growing rapidly. less
8. Growing marijuana, like growing many other crops, requires a lot of resources. According to Mother Jones magazine, California's crop requires 50% more water during its growing season than the city of San ... more
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9. The marijuana industry in the U.S. was recently estimated to be worth about $3.5 billion, with California research company ArcView seeing that growing to $4.4 billion this year.
9. The marijuana industry in the U.S. was recently estimated to be worth about $3.5 billion, with California research company ArcView seeing that growing to $4.4 billion this year.
Photo: Getty Images
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10. Growing marijuana can be surprisingly profitable, with a 2015 Bloomberg report noting that while the wholesale rate for medical marijuana was $2,500 per pound, it was costing a Colorado grower just $600 to produce the stuff. A Forbes article posited that "Legal Cannabis is 2015's best start-up opportunity." less
10. Growing marijuana can be surprisingly profitable, with a 2015 Bloomberg report noting that while the wholesale rate for medical marijuana was $2,500 per pound, it was costing a Colorado grower just $600 to ... more
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11. You can make money (or lose it!) in medical marijuana without growing any yourself -- by investing in marijuana-centered companies. While there can be plenty of money for companies in growing and selling the stuff, big bucks can also be made by developing effective pharmaceutical drugs derived from it. Here are two publicly traded companies to look into: GW Pharmaceuticals is a biopharmaceutical company with a market value of $1.2 billion, while Insys Therapeutics is another, with a market value of $1.8 billion. Both stocks have dropped in recent months, presenting better entry prices for long-term believers, but it's also quite reasonable to wait for this nascent industry to grow more and to see which companies emerge as profitable winners. less
11. You can make money (or lose it!) in medical marijuana without growing any yourself -- by investing in marijuana-centered companies. While there can be plenty of money for companies in growing and selling ... more
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A study ordered by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo recommends legalizing marijuana for adult use in New York, state health commissioner Howard Zucker said Monday.

"I will finalize that report and obviously bring it to the governor," he said at a meeting with medical marijuana practitioners in Brooklyn.

The outcome of the study is little surprise to those who have been following the issue.

The governor ordered the study at his State of the State address in January, signaling a shift in his own attitudes about marijuana, which he had previously lambasted as a "gateway"drug. The Department of Health took up the mantle, and was ordered to study the public health, safety and economic impact of a regulated marijuana trade in New York, as well as the impact that legalization in neighboring states would have.

New York, a state obsessed with being "first" on progressive issues, is smack dab in the middle of a region where recreational marijuana is either already legal or about to be legal. Nine states, including Massachusetts, Vermont and Maine, as well as Washington, D.C., have legalized the drug. Canada is on the verge of legalizing it. And New Jersey, spurred by Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy, is exploring the possibility.

At the same meeting Monday, Zucker also announced that anyone with an opioid prescription can qualify for the state's medical marijuana program, a move designed to prevent opioid addiction amid a deadly and growing epidemic.

Medical marijuana has been shown to drastically reduce pain, sometimes more effectively than opioids, among patients with pain both chronic and acute. While those living with chronic pain can currently qualify for medical marijuana under the state's program, those with acute or temporary pain cannot.

But as opioid addiction continues to kill New Yorkers and Americans at epidemic-level rates, there have been growing calls for New York to expand its medical marijuana program in hopes of possibly reducing the widespread use of prescription painkillers like Oxycontin, hydrocodone and Vicodin. In a Times Union story published last week, Capital Region residents living with chronic pain said they were able to stop taking opioids after discovering medical marijuana for pain.

In other cases, chronic pain patients have used the marijuana as a supplement to the opioid, increasing their use of the former while decreasing their use of the latter, which is far more addictive and, when taken in excess quantity, can cause death.

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