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Katie Corkern couldn't stop smiling Thursday, confident that relief for her son's uncontrollable seizures may finally be near. Corkern, her son Connor and the rest of her family stood near Gov. John Bel Edwards as he signed a bill to kick-start and expand Louisiana's medical marijuana program, which has been slow to begin because of regulatory hurdles. (Deslatte, 5/19)

The Rhode Island Senate has passed a bill that would approve the use of marijuana to treat post-traumatic stress disorder. The legislation passed by a 36-0 vote on Thursday. Sen. Stephen Archambault, a Smithfield Democrat, introduced the bill that would make PTSD another one of the debilitating medical conditions that qualify an adult patient to use medical marijuana. (5/19)

For many years, Katie, who asked that her last name not be used, only got marginal relief from loading up on high-dose ibuprofen over the course of her seven-day cycle. Recently, she's found what she considers to be a more natural and much more effective remedy: cannabis-infused tinctures and balms designed to relieve menstrual pain and discomfort. The products come from a new company, Whoopi and Maya, co-owned by "The View" co-host Whoopi Goldberg and well-known Bay Area medical cannabis producer Maya Elisabeth. (Ross, 5/19)