A broad expansion to Georgia’s medical marijuana law passed a key House panel Monday, moving a step closer to a floor vote ahead of Friday’s deadline for passage.

Chronic pain sufferers and those taking mental health meds would rather turn to cannabis instead of their prescribed opioid medication, according to new research.

Chronic pain sufferers and those taking mental health meds would rather turn to cannabis instead of their prescribed opioid medication, according to new research by the University of British Columbia and University of Victoria. "This study is one of the first to track medical cannabis use under the new system of licensed producers, meaning that all participants had physician authorization to access cannabis in addition to their prescription medicines," says UBC Assoc. Prof. Zach Walsh, co-author of the study.

Spurred by our collection of stories from readers who used marijuana as a substitute for prescription opioids, another reader writes:

I am a totally and permanently service-connected, disabled Marine veteran with Gulf War Illnesses. I was an infantryman in the first war in Iraq and spent a good deal of time in and around the burning oil fields. I was also dosed with long-term, low-dose nerve agents from the “Superplume” of oil smoke and chemical weapons inadvertently made airborne by coalition forces during demolition while I was aboard ship in the Persian Gulf after the ground combat had ended.

The medicinal value of the cannabis plant is well-known and consistently under-valued by mainstream medicine. However, it seems that the medical industry is finally catching up and is beginning to accept that yes, a plant can indeed be medicine. Thousands of studies have demonstrated the plant’s clear medicinal value in a variety of conditions. Recognition of the plant’s benefits is continuing to garner steam, so much so that we may soon see it popping up for a number of uses. In fact, cannabis-laced chewing gum may even be on the market soon.

Medical marijuana is not legal in Utah, and may not be anytime soon. But lawmakers took a first step Monday to outline how it would be cultivated, produced and sold if it ever is made legal here.

The Senate Health and Human Services voted 5-0 to approve SB211, and sent it to the full Senate.

"This is a road map leading to medical marijuana," said Sen. Jim Dabakis, D-Salt Lake City. "We are getting it set up, getting it ready. And all we have to do then is have a quick vote — and we'll have the legal structure" to accommodate prescription pot.

eDocMMJ has emerged as a highly reliable resource for patients looking for marijuana to greatly improve their quality of life.

eDocMMJ, the platform that brings patents and doctors together and helps them establish healthy patient-doctor relationships, had emerged as the number one choice for medical marijuana doctors in Florida.

Michigan voters legalized the use of marijuana for medical use in 2008. Until recently, providers and patients remained somewhat hidden.

In December, Gov. Rick Snyder signed three laws that legalized medical marijuana dispensaries, regulated growing and processing facilities and extended legal protections to registered patients who prefer to use non-smokable forms of the drug, including edibles and oils.

The bills, however, left some of these decisions up to local governments. The laws said local leaders could decide if they wanted medical marijuana facilities within their borders. The facilities are banned from setting up shop in any city, village or township without prior approval.

Children with high and medium academic ability at age 11 are more likely to use cannabis in late adolescence compared to children with low academic ability, according to a new study published in BMJ Open.

The researchers, from University College London, examined the school records of more than 6,000 children. Their analysis showed that children of medium academic ability at age 11 were more likely to go on to be either occasional or persistent users of cannabis than children of low academic ability. This was the case for both early adolescence (13 to 17 years of age) and in late adolescence (18 to 20 years of age).