A decision by the Sun Life insurance company to treat medical marijuana users the same as non-smokers when applying for life insurance is a sign the industry is listening to patients, a marijuana advocate advocate says.

Jonathan Zaid is a University of Waterloo student who uses medical marijuana for persistent headaches, which he started getting when he was 14.

He has been pushing for insurance companies to recognize using cannabis for medical reasons is not the same as smoking cigarettes, and medical marijuana users should not be penalized for being smokers.

Other than being at an increased risk of gum disease, people who smoked marijuana for up to 20 years during adulthood were generally as healthy as people who didn't light up, according to a new study.

The same researchers had previously found that marijuana users were at higher risk of cognitive decline and descent into lower social and economic strata, but the new study suggests the same isn't true for physical health.

"The only measures that seemed to indicate any really serious health problem was periodontal disease," said senior author Terrie Moffitt, of Duke University in Durham, North Carolina.

Child patients with serious medical conditions will be the first Pennsylvanians granted legal access to medical marijuana — potentially as early as this summer.

Health Secretary Karen Murphy said Wednesday that her department is in the midst of drafting temporary guidelines that would allow caregivers to obtain the drug from other states while production is ramped up in Pennsylvania.

"We believe it's crucial to expedite this temporary regulation to provide this medical treatment option to minors who are in dire need," Murphy said, at a press conference outlining the process. Those regulations are expected in July, she said.

There’s some good news and some bad news for pot smokers everywhere. The good news: Just as many of them surely contend, long-term marijuana use doesn’t cause the types of health problems that cigarettes do, such as lung cancer and heart disease. The bad news: It does cause poorer gum health.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WICS) —

Post-traumatic stress disorder could soon be on the list of qualifying conditions to receive medical marijuana in Illinois.

The bill is part of the measure the Illinois House passed to extend the medical cannabis program until 2020. The bill would also add terminal illness to the list of qualifying conditions, and make patient's cards valid for three years instead of one.

HCI Alternatives says one thing overlooked in the bill is changing the language of how doctors can prescribe the drug.

Temporary regulations for the state's Medical Marijuana Program are expected next month.

To date, 23 states have moved forward and legalized marijuana for certain medical conditions while several others have legalized one ingredient in the marijuana plant.(Photo: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

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Real Scientific Hemp Oil(TM) (RSHO(TM)) Cannabidiol (CBD) Hemp Oil Demand Grows as Countries Including Brazil, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Paraguay Authorize Its Import From the U.S. 

SAN DIEGO, CA--(Marketwired - May 31, 2016) - Medical Marijuana, Inc. (otc pink:MJNA) is pleased to announce that its flagship product Real Scientific Hemp Oil™ (RSHO™) has been authorized by Paraguay's government for import into the country as a prescription medication for refractory epilepsy. 

Paraguay's first-ever import permit for RSHO™ marks the fourth country in Latin America, after Brazil, Puerto Rico, and Mexico, to approve MJNA's cannabidiol (CBD) hemp oil for indications including epilepsy, Parkinson's disease, chronic pain, and cancer. 

A group dedicated to keeping marijuana illegal has launched an effort to convince city councils across the country to actively oppose measures to end cannabis prohibition that are expected to appear on at least five state ballots this November.

Marijuana edibles will be legally available to buy in medical marijuana dispensaries in Oregon Thursday, June 2.

Those products can contain up to 15 mg of THC and adults over 21 can buy them.

Eating or drinking marijuana exposes you to THC, the chemical that makes you high, without the risk of smoke exposure. The effects of edibles can take hours to feel, much slower than the effects of smoking or vaping.

The Oregon Health Authority says marijuana can make children very sick, so it’s important to keep any marijuana products in a locked area out of the reach of children.

If a child does eat or drink a marijuana product, call the Poison Center Hotline at 1.800.222.1222.

Cannabis oil with a lower concentration of cannabinoids that have psychotropic effects should be available to patients without prescription from this week, Marija Darkovska, the head of Macedonia’s Agency for Medical Drugs, said on Tuesday.

Also this week, Macedonian medical specialists start training on how to prescribe the stronger cannabis products that should become available by the end of June.

“There will be two types of oils in the pharmacies. The one with less than 0.2 per cent cannabinoids will be available without prescription beginning this week,” said Darkovska.