By Catherine Alford, Crystal Pike and Paul Greenberg ( September 25, 2017, 10:38 AM EDT) -- While marijuana remains illegal at the federal level, there has been a long-standing movement across many states, including Massachusetts, to relax the penalties associated with marijuana possession and to legalize the sale of marijuana to certain individuals. Since 1996, 28 states and Washington, D.C., have passed medical marijuana laws ("MMLs"), which make it legal for individuals with certain medical conditions to possess and use marijuana. Massachusetts passed its medical marijuana law in 2013. In November 2012, Colorado and Washington became the first two states to legalize the possession and recreational use of marijuana by all individuals over the age of 21. Since then, six states and Washington, D.C., have legalized the recreational use of marijuana, including Massachusetts in November 2016....