Curaleaf said it can provide New York with medical marijuana 'tomorrow'

Weed on the web isn't unheard of. The issue may still be touchy for some, but the ways in which you can get legal marijuana are emerging faster than ever before. Even big wigs from major tech companies are looking at ways to capitalize on the growing popularity of the feel-good substance, and at least one group within the 420-friendly business is making its approval and distribution process both simpler and cheaper for applicants.

Around the globe there is high interest in the use of cannabidiol (CBD), a type of cannabinoid, for the treatment of people with epilepsy, especially children who have treatment-resistant forms of the disorder such as Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome (LGS) and Dravet Syndrome (DS). Three studies presented at the American Epilepsy Society’s 69th Annual Meeting in Philadelphia highlight emerging efficacy and safety data of Epidiolex, a pharmaceutical liquid formulation of cannabidiol, which is currently undergoing U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized Phase 3 pivotal clinical trials in the United States and across the globe by GW Pharmaceuticals. A fourth study highlights possible interactions of CBD with existing anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs) in animal models of seizures.

When AJ Gentile, his wife Jennifer and his brother Gene started making marijuana-infused gummy bears in 2011, the cannabis laws of California were more like guidelines than detailed regulations. “We did everything by the book,” said AJ, “but we were always worried a squad in blue FBI or DEA windbreakers would burst through the door to put us out of business and throw us in jail.”

That, combined with the stories from people suffering from constant pain, ultimately outweighed the medical community’s concerns that there’s not enough evidence to use medical marijuana to treat pain.

Minnesota legislators in 2014 approved using products of the marijuana plant for nine specific health issues, but left the decision about whether intractable pain – severe pain that otherwise can not be treated – up to the health commissioner.

Ellensburg’s two recreational marijuana shops — Cannabis Central and The Green Shelf — could both begin selling medical-grade marijuana on July 1, 2016.

The Liquor and Cannabis Board approved both shops for medical endorsements, which would allow them to sell higher-grade marijuana products to patients when the recreational and medical markets merge on July 1.

Rob Hendrix, who owns Cannabis Central, said it is the responsibility of recreational shops to step up and offer medical marijuana, especially in Kittitas County where there are so few medical dispensaries.

VANCOUVER—When Jonathan Zaid turned 18, his mom gave him an unusual birthday present — one that would turn out to be life-changing.

Zaid had been diagnosed at 14 with a pain syndrome that caused constant, daily headaches. He tried dozens of prescription medications and even had to drop out of school for two years.

Then his mother bought him a marijuana joint.

“I tried it and it helped a bit,” he said. “But I really struggled with sources of access. Physicians were leery to give it to someone that young.”

Zaid, now 22, is the founder and executive director of Canadians for Fair Access to Medical Marijuana. His group is among those attending a national roundtable on medical cannabis hosted by the Arthritis Society in Vancouver.

A former member of Canada’s elite counter-terrorism unit has emerged from the shadows to promote medical marijuana for ailing veterans.

Kevin Whitenect hopes that his message promoting medical cannabis will bring hope to those former soldiers dealing with emotional or physical pain as well as reduce the stigma surrounding its use.

“I saw a value for veterans,” said Whitenect, who spent most of his 17 years in the Canadian Forces with the Ottawa-based Joint Task Force 2 counter-terrorism unit. “I started speaking with veterans who were using (medical cannabis) and started hearing the great stories about how it is getting them off the mind-numbing narcotics they are being issued.”

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — One word carries a lot of weight in Minnesota health officials' decision to expand its medical marijuana to pain patients: intractable.

The state's definition of what qualifies as "intractable pain" has big implications starting in August for how many new people will begin buying via the state program.

Here's a look at what that means for the state's struggling program and the people who hope to buy medical marijuana to soothe their pain.

WHAT DOES INTRACTABLE MEAN?

Medical marijuana has been strictly defined under Minnesota's law, and that continues with intractable pain.

Recently, the British Lung Foundation claimed that, contrary to popular belief, smoking a cannabis cigarette is up to 20 times more likely to give you lung cancer than smoking a tobacco cigarette. This is a bold claim from an esteemed body, but is the evidence there to back them up?