With only a small fraction of the state’s doctors participating in Connecticut’s medical marijuana program, the agency that’s running it has begun a public-service blitz to let physicians and patients know the drug is safe and legal.

The goal is to break through the stigma and lack of information that seems to be holding doctors back from registering, which they need to do to be able to prescribe the drug.

“Grandma doesn’t really understand she’s taking medical cannabis,” a caregiver relates with a smile.

After grandma broke her hip, the doctor prescribed the painkiller Percocet, but it made her nauseous, anxious and irritable — common side effects.

So the family sought an alternative, and found that a CBD-rich tincture quelled her pain, insomnia, and anxiety. Grandma is putting on weight again, the caregiver said.

Care By Design’s tiny spray bottle of CBD Rich Whole Plant Extract exemplifies the new trend in lab-tested extracts light-years ahead of the federal cannabis research blockade. Their 18:1 CBD:THC tincture is a highly therapeutic, largely non-psychoactive liquid extract made from organic, medical-grade cannabis.

A Madison mother, hoping to get her daughter into the CBD (cannabidiol) oil or "Carly's Law" study at UAB, now has a tough choice to make.

She must decide whether to enroll her 2 and a-half year old into a different national study where children have already died; uproot her family to a state where CBD oil is legal; or wait until it's legal here in Alabama.

We first introduced you to Gena Dalton and her daughter Charlotte last year.

Charlotte suffers from Dravet Syndrome, a rare but severe form of epilepsy.

“Charlotte's first seizure was at 6 months old, it lasted 30 minutes, the next one 7 months old, 45 minutes, and at that point, we knew something was wrong,” says Dalton.

But risk appears lower with atypical antipsychotics.

SAN DIEGO -- Parkinson's patients taking antipsychotics have a greater risk of death than those not on the drugs, researchers reported here.

In a retrospective analysis of Veterans Affairs data, those taking antipsychotics were twice as likely to die in the 180 days after starting therapy compared with those not on the drugs (HR 2.35, 95% CI 2.08 to 2.66, P<0.001), according to Daniel Weintraub, MD, of the University of Pennsylvania, and colleagues.

Vapour lounges and cannabis cafes have sprouted up alongside Vancouver's flourishing -- but illegal -- marijuana dispensary industry, but the city says new rules will outlaw them completely

A number of state legislative sessions recently adjourned leaving several new cannabis bills awaiting governors’ signatures. Two states in particular—Louisiana and Texas—made moves towards legalizing cannabis. Their bills have a lot in common. They are highly restrictive, CBD only, and allow access for a very limited number of conditions. Most importantly, they suffer from the same fatal flaw—they require doctors issue “prescriptions” for medical cannabis.

A Salem medical marijuana dispensary is the first to receive permission to sell marijuana - after obtaining a temporary waiver from the state's strict testing guidelines.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health has said it will reconsider its medical marijuana testing standards. Advocates and experts knowledgeable about the testing process say Massachusetts' current standards are stricter than those in other states and difficult to meet.

"We carefully considered the initial testing results and we will review the standards going forward," said Dr. Monica Bharel, commissioner of the Department of Public Health. 

A state licensing board this week ordered the closure of a Tumalo pharmacy it says manufactured marijuana products, dispensed controlled substances without prescriptions and filled clients’ prescriptions at other pharmacies without their knowledge, among other things.

The Oregon Board of Pharmacy placed the Tumalo Pharmacy and its pharmacist under emergency suspension Tuesday while it completes an investigation and determines what disciplinary action to take.

THE medical and recreational use of marijuana has been legalised in some states in the USA, and even after elements of its use have been decriminalised locally, it is still a hot topic.

Marijuana, also known as cannabis, has recognised potential for therapeutic medical use. However, it is also a public health concern with significant potential for abuse.

But, what effects can marijuana use have on the oral health of those already using it, as well as those who may start?

Poor oral health

Marijuana use, along with alcohol dependence, has been strongly linked to poor oral health, whether because of dietary choices, attitudes to oral health care or general hygiene habits.

The recent shift in public opinion about marijuana has propelled a historic heave against the research blockade.

In spite of decades of politicization and prohibition, cannabis science is beginning to experience a rebirth—so much so that it was the topic of National Geographic’s most recent cover feature.

“We’re finding surprises, and possibly miracles, concealed inside this once forbidden plant,” writes the article’s author, Hampton Sides.