Lawmakers, doctors, scientists, scholars, nonprofits and industry start-ups gathered together for West Virginia’s first Strategic Cannabis Conference on Thursday, March 17, to discuss how medical and industrial uses of cannabis (marijuana) could jumpstart the state’s economy, help the environment and relieve medical problems.

The conference was held at WVU’s College of Law, organized by WVU law student Morgan Leach, and its speakers included WVU professors and students.

West Virginia lags behind 24 states and the District of Columbia in the legalization of medical marijuana, which evidence has shown can reduce adverse effects of chemotherapy, relieve pain and induce appetites.

Michelle Vermeulen's 4-year-old daughter Ava started suffering from epilepsy at 4 weeks old. The York Township family tried multiple medications to treat the seizures and found a medication that worked for a while.

"Her form of epilepsy does not respond well to medication," Vermeulen said. "The biggest side effect of the medications is that it causes permanent vision loss, causing a kind of tunnel vision. It's irreversible."

After about six months, though, the seizures came back. Then 7-month-old Ava had a hemispherectomy, removing the right side of her brain. Vermeulen said you'd never know because she's walking and talking like other kids.

Pennsylvania's Medical Marijuana Act cleared the House on Wednesday, but that doesn't mean dispensaries will start popping up in York County next week.

Legislation making the Keystone State the 24th to legalize the drug could take affect as early as April. But even after that people could be waiting another 18 months before they are able to access the drug.

Here's a look at what to expect between now and October 2017, assuming the bill becomes law.

Dotting the I's

 A series of new bills would make significant changes to New York's medical marijuana program as the state faces criticism for various barriers to patient access.

The legislation introduced this week by Sen. Diane Savino, D-Staten Island, and Assemblyman Richard Gottfried, D-Manhattan, would allow nurse practitioners and physician assistants to certify patients that can use the drug, while adding Alzheimer's and a handful of other conditions to the list of those eligible for treatment.

If approved, the number of medical marijuana dispensaries would be doubled, from 20 to 40. Another bill would create a 15-member advisory committee to help decide appeals from marijuana-seeking patients who have been denied.

Canada is taking the lead on studying marijuana as a way to treat post-traumatic stress disorder.

Marijuana could potentially help cancer patients who have nausea or pain, and could possibly even be used as a treatment for certain cancers, but much more research is needed before any of these uses could be recommended, a new review article said.

Medical marijuana dispensaries are not new in Canada. In fact, they aren’t even legal. But that is not stopping people from opening them, and two new dispensaries will appear in the Maritimes in Canada.

The first new medical marijuana dispensary is already open in St. John’s, New Brunswick. It has been opened in the Churchill Park area and is owned by Dr. Danial Schecter. Schecter already owns four other dispensaries where people can purchase medical marijuana in other areas of Canada.

image: http://cdn.inquisitr.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/medical-marijuana-67...

Dispensaries technically aren't legal according to Health Canada, but many police forces leave them alone

Craig Gaudet of Summerside, P.E.I., hopes to open the Island's first medical marijuana dispensary this April.Gaudet says he already supplies medical marijuana to people who have approval in P.E.I., but wants to make it easier for others to get medical marijuana at one central location.  

He told CBC he's already picked out a location — on Water Street in Summerside. He's hoping to open in April. 

A "loophole" law allowing patients to import medicinal marijuana into New Zealand will not be changed, according to Associate Health Minster Peter Dunne.

The loophole means anyone entering the country can lawfully carry with them a one-month supply of medicinal cannabis or cannabis-related product, as long as it was legally prescribed by a medical practitioner overseas.

Dunne confirmed that it was "potentially possible" to bring a medicinal cannabis product prescribed overseas for their own use for a maximum of one month, without repeat.

"That has been in the law for over 40 years, and applies to all medicinal products, not just cannabis related products," he said.