Chuck Grant displayed his medical marijuana that he picked up from Massachusetts first medical marijuana dispensary in Salem last June.

State health authorities Friday more than doubled the amount of medical marijuana that patients can buy, a move made after regulators determined laboratories can ensure the safety of the drug.

The state Department of Public Health had imposed a stricter limit since the first medical marijuana dispensary opened in June.

Under the rules put in place Friday, patients will be allowed to buy up to 10 ounces of marijuana every two months.

Helen Kelly's application to use so-called medical marijuana has been rejected by the Ministry of Health.

'I'm using cannabis for medicinal use - I'd like to use it lawfully'

More Canadians are using medical marijuana for a wider array of health ailments, but the research hasn’t kept pace.

It was a watershed moment for the study of medical marijuana. This past December, Canadian university researchers, federal and provincial officials, patient advocates and industry representatives met in Vancouver to set priorities for evidence-based inquiries into a drug long overshadowed by its reputation as an illegal way to get high. The two-day, invitation-only meeting – convened by the Arthritis Society and partly funded by licensed growers of cannabis for medical purposes – is the latest sign that investigations of medical cannabis are moving into the research mainstream.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Thursday recognized that the state’s slow moving medical marijuana program is not “perfect,” but said he’d rather err on the side of caution than move it along too quickly.

Eighteen months after signing the Compassionate Care Act into law, the state’s medical marijuana plan went into effect last month.

Advocates, who have long complained that the program is to restrictive, say that the lethargic roll out has resulted in large geographical areas not being served and have look to expand the program.

At a press conference in Dunkirk, Cuomo defended the program.

American political leaders around the country are casting about for a policy response to the widespread abuse of opioid painkillers that doesn’t replicate the mistakes of past punitive approaches to drug use.

Now, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) has thrown her clout into that push for solutions – and in a way that underscores the injustices of the War on Drugs over the past several decades.

Contentions that scientists have failed to conduct sufficient research on the health effects of cannabis are unfounded. A keyword search on the National Library of Medicine database reveals nearly 23,000 peer-reviewed papers specific to the marijuana plant, and new scientific discoveries are published almost daily rebuking  the federal government’s assertion that the herb is a highly dangerous substance lacking therapeutic efficacy.

Here are five new cannabis-centric studies that warrant mainstream attention. 

1. Pot Use Linked To Better Outcomes In Brain Injury Patients

More Canadians are using medical marijuana for a wider array of health ailments, but the research hasn’t kept pace.

It was a watershed moment for the study of medical marijuana. This past December, Canadian university researchers, federal and provincial officials, patient advocates and industry representatives met in Vancouver to set priorities for evidence-based inquiries into a drug long overshadowed by its reputation as an illegal way to get high. The two-day, invitation-only meeting – convened by the Arthritis Society and partly funded by licensed growers of cannabis for medical purposes – is the latest sign that investigations of medical cannabis are moving into the research mainstream.

SOTUHAMPTON, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) — The Shinnecock Indian Nation has voted in overwhelming support of a proposed medical marijuana facility on its tribal land on Long Island’s East End.

The proposed plan would include the development of medical marijuana cultivation and dispensary facilities, owned by the Shinnecock Nation, under designation of New York State, according to a statement released by Shinnecock officials on Wednesday.

The Shinnecock-owned operations would work in compliance with New York’s new medical marijuana program, with revenue from the project going to fund day-to-day tribal operations.

For kids with uncontrolled seizures, a technically illegal drug offers hope. But is it scientifically sound?

Desperate for relief, parents are taking unusual steps to help children plagued with seizures. The relief, however, comes in a most unlikely form: marijuana.

As many as 30 percent of people with epilepsy—or about one million Americans—still have seizures while on Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved treatments. It’s left many who suffer from uncontrollable seizures—or their parents, as many of them are children—turning to medical marijuana and its derivatives in an attempt to take back control of a disease with no cure.

CANBERRA, Australia – Australian lawmakers committed on Wednesday to legalize the growing of marijuana for medical use within a part of the world renowned for zero-tolerance and harsh penalties for illegal drugs.

The government introduced a bill to Parliament that would amend the Narcotics Drugs Act 1967 and create a licensing scheme for growing medicinal cannabis. Marijuana is currently illegal throughout Australia, but two states are considering making the drug available for therapeutic uses.

“This government understands that there are some Australians suffering from severe conditions for which cannabis may have applications and we want to enable access to the most effective medical treatments available,” Health Minister Sussan Ley told Parliament.