THE seeds have been sewn for an Australian-first medical trial to grow into a real benefit for the terminally ill.

Ingham Institute Clinical Trials director, Palliative Care Clinical director at Fairfield’s Braeside Hospital and UNSW conjoint associate professor Meera Agar is the driving force behind the first medicinal marijuana trial in Australia, which has been given $9 million in State Government funding.

The trial, which is due to begin in early 2016, will evaluate whether cannabis can be used as an effective treatment to improve the quality of life for adults with chronic or terminal illnesses.

Cannavoices, Inc., a premier legal medical cannabis digital media company, launched “Cannavoices,” an unprecedented digital video and broadcast initiative. Produced by filmmakers, the multi-platform initiative aims to become not only the largest but also the most dynamic collection of legal medical cannabis stories ever assembled.

The process to determine Hawaii’s first medical marijuana dispensary license holders will likely be based on a point scale, state officials said Wednesday.

But just how transparent the application process will be has yet to be determined.

Medical marijuana has been legal in the Islands for 15 years, but this year’s Act 241 sets up guidelines for the first retail system of up to 16 dispensaries statewide.

Cancer patients in Australia will undergo a study aimed at finding the best usage profiles which would suit end-of-life cancer patients seeking to get the very best levels of pain relief, restful sleep, nausea relief and appetite restoration.  Medical professionals in Australia have not been able to standardise their approach to using medical cannabis, partly because so little relevant medical research has been authorised down under, until now.  But that is starting to change as the New South Wales government announced Australia's first medical cannabis trial for terminally ill adults with cancer.

Using marijuana as a teenager does not appear to be linked to health problems such as depression, psychotic symptoms or asthma later in life, a study has revealed.

Researchers found no difference in the mental or physical health of adults who had smoked cannabis as a teenager, and those who had not.

'What we found was a little surprising,' said lead researcher Dr Jordan Bechtold, of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

'There were no differences in any of the mental or physical health outcomes that we measured regardless of the amount or frequency of marijuana used during adolescence.'

Last Friday a panel came in with a resounding 4-2 vote recommending that children with autism should qualify for Michigan's medical cannabis program. It’s a huge step forward for medical cannabis, as state physicians and families have worked tirelessly to highlight the benefits of using cannabis to treat children with severe autism.

Besides easing insomnia, marijuana seems to have a wide range of effects on sleep.

This is because chemicals in marijuana, known as cannabinoids, actually mimic the activity of chemicals found naturally in the brain.

These chemicals and their biological pathways make up the body’s endocannabinoid system, which is responsible for regulating sleep, among other things.

Likewise, research shows that marijuana can also have a direct impact on sleep. Here’s 5 of the most important effects that studies have identified so far.

1. Easier Falling Asleep

Sales of new anticoagulant drugs are booming, thanks to their convenience -- but thanks also to new guidelines that endorse their use and new risk scale that greatly expands the pool of potential patients.

At the center of both guidelines and risk assessment is Gregory Lip, MD, a British heart doctor with extensive financial ties to the pharmaceutical industry.

For years, Lip has worked as a paid speaker and consultant to companies that make novel (or newer) anticoagulants (NOACs), which are marketed for prevention of stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation as well as for prevention of deep vein thrombosis (DVT).

Inflating the Need?

The Boston Zoning Board of Appeals has given conditional approval to open a medical marijuana dispensary on Milk Street.

The city finally offered a conditional approval during a hearing on Aug. 4. The hearing on the request, submitted by Patriot Care Corp., had been delayed twice before in June and again in July.

The facility must be maintained as a medical marijuana facility. Patriot Care has also offered to donate the front access to the ground floor to a yet-to-be-determined non-profit.

BROCKTON – Dr. Charles Walker wants his colleagues to know that patients can find medical marijuana treatment in a secure and supportive place.

“We want people to feel comfortable sending their patients to a place that is legitimate, that is credible, and to a doctor that has experience in chronic pain and chronic conditions,” Walker said. “We want to focus on follow-up, make sure the patient is doing well.”

Walker opened MedWell Health and Wellness on Pearl Street in Brockton on June 1.

A former family physician from Lakeville and longtime rehabilitation doctor, Walker is one of dozens of physicians statewide registered with the state Department of Public Health to certify patients for the use and possession of medical marijuana.