South Africa — Stacks of bright green cannabis plants, freshly harvested from nearby hothouses, are expertly sorted on a lab table by workers wearing hygienic gloves and caps who snip the leaves and buds and put them in bins for further processing.

South Africa -Government wants to have concept plans for the development of the hemp and dagga sector in place, especially considering the potential the industry could hold for job creation, says Busani Ngcaweni, the head of policy and research in the presidency.

Did you know that the legal status of marijuana directly impacts the environment? To demonstrate the positive effects of legalizing cannabis, we’ve compiled a list of the industry's five most important ecological outcomes. Here’s why the hippies were right all along:

Marijuana’s official designation in the US as a Schedule 1 drug — something with “no currently accepted medical use” — means it has been pretty tough to study.

In recent years, anti-tobacco lobbyists globally are gaining ground in their bid to drive the golden leaf from the face of the earth.

Scientists have finally sniffed out the molecules behind marijuana’s skunky aroma.