A new Globe and Mail investigation is raising alarming questions about the safety of cannabis being sold illegally in unregulated dispensaries. But for the thousands of Canadians who use regulated and tested medical cannabis, there is another urgent issue researchers are scrambling to address: Does it work?

Background and regulations

Health Canada has not approved the use of medical cannabis, but a court ruling requires the government to “provide reasonable access to a legal source of marijuana when authorized by a health-care practitioner.”

First marijuana pills, now a drink: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have approved the liquid version of dronabinol, which is essentially a man-made version of the substance's main ingredient tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). And now that THC is available in pill and liquid form, some are hoping that we're finally on our way toward universal medical marijuana use.

Proponents of marijuana prohibition have long alleged that experimentation with pot acts as a “gateway” to the use and eventual abuse of other illicit substances. But the results of a just released national poll finds that most Americans no longer believe this claim to be true.

According to survey data compiled by YouGov.com, fewer than one in three US citizens agree with the statement, “the use of marijuana leads to the use of hard drugs.” Among those respondents under the age of 65, fewer than one in four agree.

Frank Lucido, a California physician, received a phone call in 2012 from a doctor in Colorado.

Like Lucido – one of California’s best-known cannabis-friendly physicians – the Colorado doctor had been writing recommendations for medical marijuana, the paperwork required for patients to access cannabis at medical marijuana retail outlets in his state.

Unlike Lucido, the Colorado doctor was worried about the future of his practice.

There was a legalization measure on the ballot for recreational marijuana in Colorado that fall. If it passed, he was looking for somewhere to move, where he could continue writing recommendations in the semi-legal gray area of medical cannabis.

In December 2013, Uruguay became the first country to legalize cannabis for recreational use.[1] This movement was supported by former President José Pepe Mujica in an effort to regularize “a clandestine market.”[2] Mujica argued that legalization “is a measure against…drug [dealers].” “We are trying to snatch the market away from them,” he stated in a 2014 interview with CNN.[3] By working to take the marijuana market out of the hands of illegal dealers and placing it in the hands of private companies and individual growers—who are selected and monitored by the government—Uruguay has set a truly progressive plan into motion. In 2014, COHA published an article detailing the implications of Uruguay’s marijuana legalization and its effect on the War on Drugs.

Since the Compassionate Use Act was passed by the Florida Legislature in 2014, patients and their advocates have eagerly awaited the opportunity to see if medical marijuana could provide relief for a handful of symptoms covered by the legislation.

Media coverage has reported on the progress made at the Department of Health, Office of Compassionate Use, and the nurseries licensed to grow and dispense medical marijuana.

Now that we know the medicine is here, it matters little where the dispensaries are located, or how scientific the process of growing medical marijuana is, or who is still challenging the DOH, OCU for not being awarded a dispensary license.

Florida loves Publix, the supermarket chain routinely ranked the most valuable and beloved company in the whole state thanks in no small part to its fantastically salty sub sandwiches. So it's sure to jar a few hard-core Publix fans to learn that the family that founded the chain just donated $800,000 to a conservative-led campaign fighting medical marijuana legalization.

Nearly 30 cannabis companies and 200 eager guests gathered over the weekend at the Venue at Three Petals in Huntington Beach for Culinary and Cannabis—OC’s first marijuana-infused food and wine event. The concept was to showcase that it’s possible to use cannabis in gourmet meals without lessening the integrity of the food. But it also extended to more than just solid foods. There were vendors handing out cannabis beverages including CBD wine and effervescent mineral CBD water. Vendors sold eggless, pre-made medicated cookie dough, offered sign-up forms for marijuana subscription boxes, and handed out samples of cannabis infused topical products. 

The Sunshine State has finally warmed up to the idea of medical marijuana.

As someone who lived in the state of Florida for almost half of his entire life, I can tell you from personal experience that the fight against marijuana prohibition has been long-fought and met with serious opposition. But, this week, the Sunshine State will finally take the leap towards legalizing medicinal use of cannabis. On Tuesday, Trulieve, one of the six Florida medical cannabis licensees thus far, will officially open the first-ever dispensary in the state, marking a major moment in the state’s fight to medicinally legalize the use of marijuana.

Canadian market leader announces approvals to have Tweed products available for sale to German patients this summer.

Canopy Growth Corporation ("Canopy" or "the Company") is pleased to announce that its wholly owned subsidiary Tweed Inc. ("Tweed"), Canada's largest medical marijuana producer, has received necessary approvals in Canada and Germany to begin export of medical cannabis for sale to German patients. 

Working with MedCann GmbH Pharma and Nutraceuticals ("MedCann"), a privately held pharmaceutical importer and manufacturer, the transfer marks an important milestone for the Company and the first known incidence of dried cannabis being exported from a Canadian licensed producer to a major G7 country.