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Brian Stoll faced a dilemma as his wedding day approached. For more than a year, he had been smoking marijuana to treat severe back pain, but to remain in good standing with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and get married in the temple, he had to stop using pot. Since marijuana was illegal under Utah law, church leaders told him, it was forbidden. Stoll turned to an opioid painkiller and has continued using it since his marriage three years ago, despite unpleasant side effects and its inability to match the soothing qualities of marijuana. (Lee, 7/29)

More than 300 people have overdosed in Washington, D.C. just in the last two weeks after consuming what is suspected to be synthetic marijuana, known as K2. The crisis is offering a glimpse into a wrenching national problem — the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is tracking multiple outbreaks across the country associated with synthetic cannabinoids use and The Food and Drug Administration recently warned of "severe illnesses and deaths" that have resulted from the use of contaminated synthetic marijuana products in recent months in several states. (Peñaloza, 7/27)

Christian Bax, the embattled director of the state's Office of Medical Marijuana Use, is resigning after a three-year stint marked by rule-making delays, rocky litigation and continued criticism over patients' problems accessing the drug since medical cannabis was broadly legalized more than a year ago. (Koh, 7/27)