The NSW Government has already started the hunt for sites to grow the herb in NSW to support a pharmaceutical supply if clinical trials are successful.

MEDICAL cannabis detractors need to remember the value of the poppy plant to modern medicine.

Toowoomba doctor Jeanne-Marie van der Westhuizen has spent more than 25 years of her professional life working in emergency medicine and drug addiction fields around the world.

She has added her voice in calling for a measured approach to introducing medical cannabis trials in Australia which would bring it in line with other developed nations in which components of the cannabis plant have been used to aid the sick.

In mice at least, although humans might want to be cautious.

As marijuana is legalized in more states, questions about its safety and the health consequences of cannabis use are becoming mainstream. A new study published in PNAS finds that use of cannabis by pregnant women can have implications for the neural development of her child and that some of the consequences continue into adulthood, So, like alcohol, another recreational drug that is legal in the US, marijuana is likely best avoided by pregnant women.

Croatia has said yes to therapeutic marijuana. Patients with diseases such as multiple sclerosis, cancer, epilepsy and Aids will benefit in particular. They will be able to get prescriptions for drug-based delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (commonly known as THC, the active ingredient in cannabis), dronabinol and nabilone.

Offspring of pregnant lab mice subjected to doses of THC, the main active ingredient in marijuana or cannabis, exhibited effects lasting a lifetime, according to a study published in the official journal of the National Academy of Sciences.

Mice, like humans, are naturally equipped to receive cannabinoids, the chemical compounds found in marijuana. The primary cannabinoid receptor, CB1, sends signals to the brain, but when that signaling was interrupted by THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, its full development was never realized in the in utero mice, even into adulthood.

Medicinal marijuana is a contentious issue that has been brought to the fore in recent months through repeated features on current affairs shows that help people to understand its benefits to some of those who are suffering terrible illnesses.  The use of cannabis as a therapeutic medicine is no small issue for over 60s either, with many knowing someone who has used the herb or oil as a treatment for enormous discomfort in the later stages of cancer, and in other horrific diseases.
 

So it is welcomed news that the Federal Government has this week spoken out to the cries from some state governments that they need a national scheme for marijuana cultivation and a licensing program in place.
 

The Turnbull Government will seek parliamentary support to allow the controlled cultivation of cannabis for medicinal or scientific purposes in Australia to deliver patients access to a safe, legal and sustainable supply of locally-produced products for the first-time.

The Turnbull Government will seek parliamentary support to allow the controlled cultivation of cannabis for medicinal or scientific purposes in Australia to deliver patients access to a safe, legal and sustainable supply of locally-produced products for the first-time. 

BOISE, Idaho (AP) - Up to 25 Idaho children with persistent seizures will soon have access to an experimental drug derived from marijuana, but experts say far more children could benefit from the treatment.

An April executive order from Gov. Butch Otter is allowing the very limited use of the non-psychoactive drug. Otter signed the order after vetoing less-restrictive legislation that would have allowed the marijuana extract to be used in children with severe seizure disorders.

The Idaho program allows 25 children to use the extract, cannabidiol, or CBD oil. But estimates of the number of children who meet the requirements number as high as 1,500 or more, though experts say it’s hard to know for sure because the state doesn’t track the number of children with epilepsy.

The researchers Manuel Guzmán, Guillermo Velasco and Cristina Sánchez are among the members of this new body. They aim to provide consultation to citizens, media and institutions, always using scientific studies and clinical tests.

For some years now, an important group of Spanish researchers has focussed on analysing the characteristics of cannabis, cannabinoids, and its components with the aim of determining in what way it can help to combat certain illnesses as well as its side effects.

The government announced on Saturday it would seek parliamentary support to allow the controlled cultivation of cannabis to deliver patients access to “a safe, legal and sustainable supply of ­locally produced products for the first time”.

The production of the drug is likely to mirror the way poppies are cultivated in Tasmania for manufacture of opiates.

It’s this model that has Trinity Beach resident and long-time cannabis supporter Debbi Cliff concerned.

The Cancer Council says legalising medicinal cannabis will be a huge relief for Hunter cancer patients.

The Federal Government has announced it will legalise the growing of the drug to help those suffering from debilitating illnesses.

The council's Hunter regional manager Shayne Connell said he hopes patients are delayed no further.

"It helps us to get around one of the big issues that we have had since about 1999 which is, 'how do we supply this in a way that's safe, is regulated and in the best interest of patients?" he said.

"So by doing that, and by alleviating some of that stress for local cancer patients, we are hopeful that this is another positive step in the right direction to have access to this treatment."