Approximately 3,500 patients, adults and children, in New Haven County alone are approved and using medical marijuana. Over 15,000 state-wide are using it for 22 serious conditions; including cancer, Parkinsons, Multiple Sclerosis, and Cerebral Palsy.

This week, there will be a move to expand it to seven more ailments like; Eczema, Osteoarthritis, Rheumatoid Arthritis and Fibromyalgia.

Jonathan Harris, the Commissioner of the State Department of Consumer Protection, the agency that oversees the medical marijuana program, said that the program is gaining more acceptance.

2016 is a year that will live in infamy, but one clear winner across the board was cannabis. The United States watched as eight more states legalized cannabis for medical or recreational purposes, and the ripple effect of legalization has been felt throughout the globe. 

Revel in these states' and countries' cannabis victories and look to the future with renewed optimism. What will 2017 bring? We can't wait to find out! 

Like millions of folks around the globe, I am a huge fan of The Walking Dead, AMC’s post-apocalyptic-zombie drama. Good friends and I love to get together and watch the trials and tribulations of Rick Grimes, Michonne, Daryl Dixon and the entire gang on Sunday nights. During interviews and specials it has always struck me how much the cast seemed to really love each other, becoming a family over the years while filming in Georgia. The actors, while it is impossible to know for sure, just seem like genuinely good people. It was great to see that Norman Reedus, who plays fan favorite Daryl Dixon, has helped validate my feelings by supporting young kids utilizing cannabis oil to combat their cancer.

PERTH researchers are to test whether medical cannabis can pave a breakthrough in the treatment of pancreatic cancer, one of the most lethal diseases on the planet.

Curtin University’s School of Biomedical Sciences is poised to start testing cannabis formulations against human pancreatic cell cancer lines grown in the laboratory.

The project is in collaboration with Zelda Therapeutics, a Perth-based biopharmaceutical company, which will import the cannabis from Canada.

The research will examine the usefulness of cannabis formulations as standalone treatments and in combination with existing chemotherapy drugs, such as Abraxane.

A bill expanding the use of medical marijuana has just been introduced in South Carolina, and on Tuesday supporters talked about why they are behind what's being called the South Carolina Compassionate Care Act.

In 2014, South Carolina lawmakers overwhelmingly passed a bill allowing cannabis oil for medical use, but lawmakers didn't realize interstate commerce laws wouldn't let people bring it into the state.  Use was very limited, and many turned to black market suppliers to find the product.  

Leslie Jurado, of Rock Hill, has found the 2014 law frustrating, to say the least. Her daughter, Isabel, 14, suffers from a rare genetic condition, called Sanfilippo syndrome, which strikes one in 70,000  people.  

The nation’s fast-growing marijuana industry remains cautiously optimistic but uncertain about how the Trump administration will handle cannabis enforcement across the country.

Attorney General nominee Jeff Sessions, testifying at the start of his confirmation hearings on Tuesday, pointed out that marijuana remains illegal at the federal level, but that the federal government has limited enforcement resources. Eight states — Alaska, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Nevada, Oregon and Washington — have legalized recreational marijuana, as has the District of Columbia. And 29 states permit some form of medical marijuana use.

Keep track of what works for you!

The DEA pointed to the tobacco model as a success. But tobacco is legal.

The Drug Enforcement Administration heads the nation’s drug war. As part of that, it’s done a lot to push messaging that marijuana is dangerous — at times struggling to admit that pot isn’t as dangerous as heroin.

On Tuesday, the DEA’s Twitter account put out a chart making the case for why this kind of messaging is, in its view, necessary:

One of the biggest health insurance companies in the Netherlands announced last month that it will stop covering the costs of medical cannabis. The announcement, which comes at a time of increasing use of medical cannabis in the country, has sparked sharp criticism among patients.

Medicinal cannabis advocates are pleading for compassion and urging Australian authorities to legalise the drug to help ease the pain and suffering of those who desperately need it.

It follows the South Australian police raid on Adelaide supplier Jenny Hallam's property last week that sparked an outcry from families who rely on her for the supply of cannabis oil.