Chronic pain patients with legal access to medicinal cannabis significantly decrease their use of opioids, according to data published online ahead of print in The Journal of Pain.

Investigators at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor conducted a retrospective survey of 244 chronic pain patients. All of the subjects in the survey were qualified under Michigan law to consume medicinal cannabis and frequented an area dispensary to obtain it. 

Authors reported that respondents often substituted cannabis for opiates and that many rated marijuana to be more effective. 

A Queensland father has been handed a two-year good behaviour bond for giving his sick daughter cannabis oil.

The 32-year-old man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pleaded guilty in Brisbane's Supreme Court to four counts of supplying a dangerous drug to a minor and one count of possessing a dangerous drug.

The court heard the man's daughter was diagnosed with cancer in 2014 when she was two years old.

She was diagnosed with a stage three neuroblastoma and given a 50 per cent chance of long-term survival.

The Supreme Court in Brisbane heard her father had researched the benefits of medicinal cannabis on the internet, and sourced the drug from northern New South Wales and the United States.

I planned on writing an article tonight about cannabis and active professional athletes, but a Twitter conversation changed my focus this evening. The Twitter conversation started when a Baltimore Ravens fan replied to a tweet by NFL player Eugene Monroe of an article I wrote Sunday. Below is the exchange:

@TheSeventyFifth @thatjohnnygreen Bro Far be it me to stop someone from standing up what you believe in but I also think you should focus

Medical marijuana advocates are hoping Congress will move to loosen restrictions on the drug and approve reclassifying it from schedule I to schedule II, but legislation to do that, and to loosen research restrictions, has not gained much traction on Capitol Hill.

Patients, dispensary owners, advocates, and several members of the US House of Representatives staged a rally on the Capitol grounds March 22, calling for a congressional vote on the Compassionate Access, Research Expansion, and Respect States (CARERS) Act (S. 683). That bill was introduced in the Senate in March 2015 by Cory Booker (D-NJ). A companion bill was introduced in the House shortly thereafter by Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn).

For years, Steven Stairs has advocated for medical marijuana users in Winnipeg – but recently, his audience has changed.

"It's definitely reaching a different demographic of seniors; that is much more unexpected than I ever thought it would be,” he said.

Recently, Stairs has started hosting information sessions at assisted living centres because residents are curious about cannabis.

"I tell seniors that doctors used to give me time frames for how long I would have vision,” said Stairs, who has glaucoma. “When I was 16, they said I’d be blind by 40. Then at 20, I'd be blind by 30 and since I started using medical marijuana they don't give me a time frame anymore."

So far, Stairs has spoken at three different facilities, including Riverwood Square.

Matthew Kahl, one of the lawsuit's plaintiffs. A video and more below.

Last July, as we reported, the Colorado Board of Health declined to add post-traumatic stress disorder to the list of conditions legally treatable by medical marijuana following a meeting that left many advocates frustrated.

The issue of medicinal cannabis is back in the spotlight and the question of whether Kiwis should or shouldn't have access to it.

It's been revealed in the past few weeks that both Martin Crowe and Sir Paul Holmes used marijuana before they died and the call to legalise it here is gaining momentum.

Across the ditch in Australia, they have just passed a law to begin clinical trials of medicinal cannabis so where does that leave us here in New Zealand and how will people get hold of the medicinal version of the drug?

Story met one woman whose brush with the law led to a discovery of a loophole which could mean more Kiwis getting hold of medicinal cannabis legally.

E-CBD This non-psychoactive cannabinoid is currently overtaking THC as the active principle in cannabis that medical professionals and patients alike are most interested in. So what are CBD e-liquids?

CBD e-liquids are joining CBD food supplements as the latest stage of the on-going quest to find more effective and healthier ways of consuming cannabidiol. This non-psychoactive cannabinoid is currently overtaking THC as the active principle in cannabis that medical professionals and patients alike are most interested in. So what are CBD e-liquids?

Cannabis' analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects have been known for literally thousands of years - but more recently, the drug has been making waves in medical circles for its potential efficacy in treating epilepsy and other seizure disorders. And, contrary to what detractors of medical marijuana would expect, the evidence isn't coming solely from the pro-cannabis lobby.

A growing number of states are weighing whether to legalize marijuana to treat post-traumatic stress disorder. But for many veterans, the debate is already over.

They’re increasingly using cannabis even though it remains illegal in most states and is unapproved by the Department of Veterans Affairs because major studies have yet to show it is effective against PTSD.

While the research has been contradictory and limited, some former members of the military say pot helps them manage their anxiety, insomnia and nightmares. Prescription drugs such as Klonopin and Zoloft weren’t effective or left them feeling like zombies, some say.