Toronto researchers have determined what dosage of a specially formulated cannabis oil is safe and can be tolerated by children with Dravet syndrome, a rare genetic form of epilepsy that causes lifelong seizures.

Researchers at the Hospital for Sick Children tested the cannabis oil, which contains CBD (cannabidiol) and a small amount of marijuana’s psychoactive ingredient THC (tetrahydrocannabidiol) in 20 children with Dravet syndrome, whose seizures were not well-controlled with standard anti-convulsant medications.

Veterans Affairs Canada plans to hold the line for now on its policy for medical marijuana after a move that capped reimbursements reversed years of rapid spending growth in the program.

"At the present time, there are no plans to change the maximum daily reimbursement limit of the three grams per day, or to amend the criteria for the exceptional approval for reimbursement of the more than three grams per day," said Sandra Williamson, the department's senior director for health care programs. An internal departmental briefing note from February indicated that a review could be in the works, and referenced a directive from Treasury Board to report on the impacts of the new reimbursement policy.

Manulife Financial Corp. is retooling its approach to medical cannabis, unveiling a new benefits program on Tuesday that will also offer patients access to virtual support from a trained team at Shoppers Drug Mart Corp.

Companies have been slow to offer coverage for medical marijuana in their group benefits policies, and Manulife is trying to change that by treating cannabis more like any other drug and adding a pharmacy to the process to help assist patients and control usage. The move also sees Shoppers elbow its way into the nascent cannabis space, inserting itself into the existing cannabis dispensing practices that today bypass pharmacies altogether.

Unlike humans, rats can’t vomit.

But that didn’t stop researchers from using the rodents in a study that laid the groundwork for understanding how a cannabis component that doesn’t get you high could eliminate nausea for cancer patients going through chemotherapy.

The non-psychoactive component in pot, cannabidiol (CBD) can suppress the trigger for nausea, according to an academic paper published Tuesday by researchers at the University of Guelph and the University of Calgary.

Doctors already prescribe capsules of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) – the psychoactive component in cannabis that give users a euphoric feeling – to treat chemotherapy-induced vomiting and nausea, but this is the first time CBD has shown potential to treat the symptoms, the authors say.

You’ve heard of CBD and THC, but how well do you know cannabinoids like CBG, CBN and THCV?

The miraculous benefits of hemp are all the rage these days! With this huge surge in popularity for CBD and all it has to offer, it seems that everyday we are now learning about new cannabinoids that also show potential health benefits.

In this article, we’re going to touch on four of those cannabinoids, their unique medicinal benefits and their full spectrum properties in both industrial hemp and marijuana.

More and more people are acknowledging that CBD might be the right medication for them.

Here are seven reasons that CBD is a great alternative medicine for a variety of medical issues:

1. CBD is non-psychoactive

Aurora Cannabis Inc. is proud to announce that effective August 1, 2018, the company will offer a new employee benefits plan that will include coverage for medical cannabis authorized by a physician or nurse practitioner.

The new benefits plan, administered by Sun Life Financial, will allow employees and their dependants to receive coverage for medical cannabis under the Extended Health Care plan.

Canada is one of the few countries in the world with fully legal cannabis, an expertly organized medical program, and a promising recreational market that is soon to be initiated. But what was the journey like?

It’s safe to say that cannabis made a full circle in Canada in less than a 100 years.

By October, Canadians will be able to use and research cannabis without fear.

On October 17, Canadians will officially be able to spark up across the country, not only without fear of getting arrested but without the stigma once associated with marijuana. This comes with a slew of other benefits, not the least of which is the ability to research the plant for reaffirming and finding further positive usages.

Many injured workers in Ontario are being given an ultimatum: take potentially addictive cocktails of opioids and other pharmaceuticals, or pay for your own help, a CBC Toronto investigation has revealed.

Insurers like Ontario's Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) are frequently refusing to help injured workers who want to turn to seemingly less harmful drugs like medical marijuana.

"We have an opioid epidemic here in Canada," said Maurice Sagle, 60, a former carpenter. 

"I'm thinking [the WSIB] better get out of the past."

For it's part, the WSIB says it's reducing the number of drug claims for opioids and deals with requests for medical pot "on a case-by-case basis."