Dr. Dudley Danoff is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons, a diplomat with the American Board of Urology, and got his medical degree from Yale University, which he followed up with surgical training and a fellowship at Columbia University. He spent 25 years on the clinical faculty staff at the UCLA School of Medicine, before founding the Cedars-Sinai Tower Urology Medical Group. Dr. Danoff has written multiple books on the topic of men’s sexual health, including his most recent, The Ultimate Guide to Male Sexual Health.

A small, short-term study of inhaled cannabis as a treatment for painful diabetic neuropathy has made a big impression on at least one prominent pain expert.

Results from the randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of 16 patients indicated that inhaled cannabis produces a dose-dependent reduction of diabetic peripheral neuropathy–associated pain in treatment-refractory individuals (J Pain 2015;16:616-627).

The potential reintroduction of medical cannabis in Australia is creating debate about the need for trials, which are set to start next year.  

The Victorian Government in partnership with the New South Wales and Queensland governments have committed to clinical trials for medical cannabis in 2016.

Australian medical experts say there is a need for more research into various aspects of medical cannabis in order to legalise a drug that is safe to use for patients.

In particular, medical experts believe it will not be possible to determine a safe dosage of cannabis for patients based on only one clinical trial.

The Commonwealth government announced plans on the weekend to legalise growing cannabis for medicinal and research purposes in Australia.

The news follows the Victorian government’s announcement earlier this month that it will legalise access to medicinal cannabis products for patients with severe symptoms from 2017.

Meanwhile, the New South Wales government will provide up to $A9 million to support cannabis clinical trials.

Health Canada, which oversees Canada’s medical marijuana program, released quarterly data on 10/21 for the quarter ending 6/30.  The timing was quite odd, coming just a day after the national elections that led to a change in control of the Parliament.  Last quarter, the government agency released data about 50 days after the end of the quarter rather than 113.  In any event, this long-awaited data is finally here!

If (Marijuana) were unknown, its discovery would no doubt be hailed as a medical breakthrough. Scientists would praise its potential for treating everything from pain to cancer and marvel at its rich pharmacopoeia; many of whose chemicals mimic vital molecules in the human body.

Well said. If marijuana weren’t tarnished by its ability to make people happy, and its subsequent criminal underpinnings, we would be enjoying all of its favorable qualities, including treating stubborn diseases which modern medicine is tripping over to find cures.

Florida’s Supreme Court has set a December 8th hearing date to consider a measure that would legalize medical marijuana.

The court on Wednesday ordered oral arguments on the proposed amendment. The high court must decide whether or not the amendment is misleading and whether it complies with single-subject requirements.

Supporters of the measure tried to pass a similar amendment during the 2014 election. That ballot measure failed because it did not meet the 60-percent threshold needed to pass.

Backers of medical marijuana will need to collect more than 683,000 signatures by next February in order to go before voters in 2016. State records show that People United for Medical Marijuana has already turned in more than 286,000 valid signatures.

Illinoisans are just a couple weeks away from legally buying medical marijuana, and FOX 32 got an exclusive look inside the first dispensary that will open in the Chicago area.

Just next week, approved patients will start receiving their prescription cards and in two weeks, a dispensary in Mundelein is scheduled to open up.

There are only four dispensaries in the state of Illinois that are licensed and ready to open: Mundelein, Canton, Quincy and Marion.

The Clinic Mundelein is the first medical marijuana dispensary that will open in northern Illinois, north of I-80.

“It has been a long time coming, we have been working on this for well over a year, probably close to two years,” said CEO of The Clinic Mundelein Ben Kovler.

The march of marijuana legalization continues, and so do the questions about its effect on the health of smokers. Kevin Hill, an addiction psychiatrist at McLean Hospital in Harvard Medical School and author of Marijuana: The Unbiased Truth about the World’s Most Popular Weed, recently took to Reddit to answer questions from the public. Quartz has condensed and edited the highlights of the discussion.

What medical uses of marijuana are backed by evidence?

With less than three months to go until the launch of New York’s medical marijuana program, the State Department of Health on Tuesday announced it has launched an online education course for health practitioners.

The four-hour course is designed for physicians in good standing who wish to issue “certifications” to allow patients to receive medical marijuana products.

Dr. Howard Zucker, state health commissioner, said the course materials will give practitioners information to consider when determining which patients may benefit from medical marijuana.