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After years of resistance, Republican legislative leaders are now heading down the path toward legalizing marijuana for medical purposes. (Siegel, 11/5)

An advisory panel cautioned Wednesday against expanding Minnesota's medical marijuana program to include patients suffering chronic pain starting next year. The recommendation from the panel's medical experts to Department of Health Commissioner Ed Ehlinger is not a final say — it's up to Ehlinger to make the decision by Jan. 1. But five of eight panel members voted against the possible expansion, arguing that there's limited evidence of marijuana's efficacy in treating pain and noting physicians' reluctance to using the drug as a treatment. (11/4)

A recent federal court ruling in San Francisco is a blow to Justice Department efforts to limit the sale of medical marijuana in California and 22 other states, according to legal experts and government officials. In a scathing opinion last month, U.S. District Court Judge Charles R. Breyer challenged the Justice Department’s narrow interpretation of part of a law passed by Congress last year that bars the department from spending any money to prevent a state from implementing its medical marijuana laws. (Phelps, 11/4)