Labs like Full Spectrum and Steep Hill are springing up to serve the medical marijuana dispensaries and patients in states like Colorado and California to test the strength and purity of the drug.

The war on drugs has always been expensive and its effectiveness debatable, but in the current budget-crunch environment, it's more of a target than ever. Proponents of legalization say billions of dollars could be saved in law enforcement costs. Opponents say the fight is working and worth it.

Cash is king in the marijuana debate. The economic argument for legalization is that it is cheaper for the government to control consumption with taxes than with law enforcement. What's more, the untapped tax revenue will help relieve many a fiscal crisis.

Opening a medical marijuana dispensary isn't nearly as easy as it used to be, as states crack down on the business--a look at the state of play in California, where it all started 15 years ago.

It's basically like any other: PACs and big-name contributors; and meetings at The Capitol, even the White House. It's the new Norml, so to speak. And the new message? It's the economy, dude.

Harvard Unversity's Jeffrey Miron was your average talented macroeconomist until he turned to crime. Since, then he's pretty much written the book on drugs, the law and economics.

Marijuana laws differ drastically state-to-state. Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, New Mexico and Oregon are the most lenient, but Maine, Massachusetts and Rhode Island are catching up.

In most states the legalization is not even on the horizon, thanks to a long history of conservative thinking or politicians vehemently opposed to drug use. Florida and Louisiana are among the toughest. Call it cannabis non gratis.

Portugal and Spain provide as good as an example as The Netherlands. In both countries, the drug is illegal, but you'd never know it based on some quirky technicalities. The general trend is about prevention, not punishment.

In the rush to enact laws, some states have stumbled, despite the best intentions. If you're a legal medical marijuana patient in a couple east-coast states, getting your hands on your medicine may be easier said than done.