Washington state regulators are tightening their grip on medical marijuana this week by targeting dubious patient authorizations. But some clinics say the changes, which begin Friday, will put them out of business.

The new Cannabis Patient Protection Act requires any health care provider who authorizes more than 30 medical cannabis patients in a month to report to the Department of Health.

Inhaled cannabis can blunt the pain of diabetic neuropathy without seriously impairing cognitive function, a new study shows.

"The higher the dose, the more the pain relief," first author Mark Wallace, MD, told Medscape Medical News. "There was, however, a dose-dependent increase in euphoria."

The study is the first randomized controlled trial of inhaled cannabis for diabetic neuropathy pain, said Dr Wallace, chair of the Division of Pain Management at the University of California, San Diego. It was published in the July issue of the Journal of Pain.

Some parents of severely ill children say that prescription drugs expose their kids to dangerous side effects. Some want to try medical marijuana, and they seek wider access to the drug in Michigan.

The top moving destination in 2014 was Oregon, which voted to legalize marijuana last November.

When choosing retirement locales, a few factors pop to mind: climate, amenities, proximity to grandchildren, access to quality healthcare.

Chris Cooper had something else to consider – marijuana laws.

The investment adviser from Toledo had long struggled with back pain due to a fractured vertebra and crushed disc from a fall. He hated powerful prescription drugs like Vicodin, but one thing did help ease the pain and spasms: marijuana.

I struggle with the issue of legalization of marijuana, knowing what I know as a physician, but understanding the problems associated with its continued status as an illegal drug. For now, permit me to discuss medical marijuana, its potential medical uses, and suggest one change in federal regulation.

The tide has turned in America regarding attitudes toward marijuana. Medical marijuana is now legal in 23 states, and in the near future, medical marijuana will be legal in the majority of states. Colorado, Alaska, Washington, Oregon, and the District of Columbia have legalized recreational use; more than 14 states are now considering legalization of medical or recreational marijuana.

Marijuana’s prolonged illegal status continues to impede on the growth of the industry, even in states that have already legalized pot for recreational use, such as Washington and Colorado. Due to a lack of reliable research on the cultivation of marijuana crops, growers are struggling with which pesticides, fungicides, or herbicides to use without compromising the safety of a product many Americans use.

Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) have co-written a letter in TIMEcalling for the elimination of red tape and the expansion of federally approved research into medical marijuana.

Medical marijuana may provide relief for patients with Parkinson’s disease, an ailment which has no known cure. Several pharmaceutical drugs have been manufactured to manage the symptoms, but as with most medications, the side effects can be very severe. However, marijuana is a safe alternative to pharmaceuticals, and it has been shown to be a powerful way to control Parkinson’s disease.

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At this point, marijuana is legal for medical use in nearly half of the country. But David Casarett, MD, author of the recently-releasedStoned: A Doctor's Case For Medical Marijuana, wants to clear a few things up. Initially skeptical of marijuana's medicinal value, Dr. Casarett waded through the evidence, spoke to patients, and even tried the drug firsthand to figure out if the hype was warranted. A year and a half later, he's confident that marijuana has medical value, even though we have a lot left to learn about it. Below, Dr.

Newswise — CHICAGO, July 20, 2015 -- New research reported in The Journal of Pain, published by the American Pain Society (www.americanpainsociety.org, shows that inhaled cannabis reduces diabetic neuropathy and the analgesic effect is dose-dependent.