Last April, Raymond Schwab and his wife Amelia planned to relocate their family to Colorado. A Gulf War veteran who has struggled with chronic pain and PTSD since his honorable discharge, Schwab wanted to move so he could legally obtain medical marijuana, the only effective remedy he'd found for his symptoms. As a Veterans Administration (VA) employee, Schwab was able to take his job with him to Denver, and all seemed good to go.

IT’S BEEN nearly two years since the state declared prescription drug and heroin addiction a public health emergency. Since then, we’ve had an all-hands-on-deck approach from lawmakers, police and fire chiefs, health professionals, and community groups.

But our collective efforts haven’t been enough. Until we change the culture around how opioids are prescribed, and dramatically reduce the number of pills available, people will continue to die.

Since 1999, the number of prescription painkillers sold in the United States has nearly quadrupled. In 2014, there were 4.6 million opioid prescriptions written in Massachusetts alone — enough for nearly every adult in this state to have a bottle of pills. Meanwhile, overdose deaths have risen by more than 300 percent.

A report published last fall claiming that an estimated three in ten consumers of cannabis suffer from a ‘use disorder’ has been dismissed in a new study published in JAMA Psychiatry.

An 8-year-old Klamath Falls boy became ill last Saturday after eating a marijuana-infused cookie that he found on the ground.

The child's mother, Jessica Hart, 30, said her son, Jackson, came home from an afternoon outing at a local rock quarry complaining he was sick. He pulled at his chest and made motions that suggested he was choking. He had trouble keeping his eyes open.

"He said everything looked like a cartoon," Hart recalled Tuesday. "He said he was vibrating all over."

The second-grader said his stomach hurt. He vomited. Thinking he had food poisoning, Hart asked what he'd eaten that day.

A cookie, he said.

This weekend, neurologist Ethan Russo with non-profit organization Pain BC, took to Reddit for an online question and answer session on medical cannabis.

The interview offered those the chance to ask Russo, also author of Handbook of Psychotropic Herbs and co-editor of Cannabis and Cannabinoids: Pharmacology, Toxicology and Therapeutic Potential, questions about medical cannabis and its use in pain management.

CAMP HILL, Pa. (WHTM) – A Camp Hill man says he had a choice: die or break the law. He decided to risk arrest by illegally using medical marijuana. He shared his story with ABC27 three months ago. It went viral and was shared over 10,000 times on Facebook.

ABC27 hid his identity to protect him and his family. Now, they are coming out of the shadows with an update on his health and a message for lawmakers.

Randal Ray Robertson, 56, was diagnosed with a rare bile duct cancer last year. After having a Whipple procedure, the cancer spread to his lungs and liver. He was given 9-11 months to live. For the past five months, he has been using a combination of chemotherapy and medical marijuana. He invited ABC27 to his most recent CAT scan.

Govt aims to let drug be grown for medical or scientific use, but more change is needed, writes Alex Wodak.

This week minister for health Sussan Ley tabled amendments to our drugs act to allow growing cannabis for medicinal or scientific purposes.

The amendments will create two licence classes (medicine and research), limit access only to "fit and proper" Australians with no ties to crime, and allow the importation of plants and seed.

Illinois’ capital has a new medical marijuana dispensary.

HCI Alternatives medical marijuana dispensary held a ribbon cutting ceremony Monday at its downtown Springfield location at 628 East Adams Street, as reported by Fox Illinois News Team.

The facility is nearly 6,000 square feet, making it one of Illinois’ largest dispensaries.

The dispensary officially opens for business Thursday, Feb. 18.

HCI Alternatives also operates a dispensary in Collinsville, Illinois, at 1014 Eastport Plaza Dr.

Researchers have identified a gene which can be used to predict how susceptible a young person is to the mind-altering effects of smoking marijuana, an increasing concern as the cultural movement shifts toward legalization.  Around one percent of cannabis users develop psychosis. It is known that smoking cannabis daily doubles an individual's risk of developing a psychotic disorder, but it has been difficult to establish who is most vulnerable.  

Patients voiced hope and frustration as a medical marijuana dispensary prepared to formally open Tuesday in Lowell, marking the debut of the sixth dispensary in Massachusetts.

It has been more than three years since voters approved marijuana for medical use.

Executives of Patriot Care, operator of the Lowell facility, described the licensing process as a positive but long road, and said they opted for a cautious launch, offering just four strains of marijuana in the beginning but no other products, such as edibles, tinctures, or oils. They said they want to make sure they have ample supply. The first dispensaries that opened last year quickly ran into supply problems.