A Manus Island detainee alleges a third of asylum seekers in detention on the Papua New Guinea island is turning to marijuana to relieve their suffering.

Photo: AFP

A detainee has told Guardian Australia that a black market for the drug exists on Manus, and unhappy detainees are easy targets for dealers.

The detainee estimates more than 10 percent of asylum seekers use marijuana every night and almost half from time to time.

Medical groups oppose House Bill 4477 which they say is 'contrary to the policy of the state to safeguard the well-being of its citizenry'

MANILA, Philippines – Philippine medical groups on Thursday, October 16, expressed their opposition to a House bill seeking to legalize and regulate the medical use of marijuana in the country.

"We oppose [House Bill] 4477. We cannot risk endangering the health and safety of the Filipino,” read the statement released by the following organizations:

Nerve pain is a common symptom of Lyme disease, Lyme co-infections and associated conditions. One of the main associated conditions of which I speak is that of Fibromyalgia, which is considered a condition as opposed to a disease as it has no known root cause.

Originally, Fibromyalgia was characterized by severe, debilitating nerve pain. However, over the past 3 years, the list of symptoms embodying the diagnosis of Fibromyalgia has grown to include other ailments such as brain fog, chronic fatigue, depression and muscle stiffness, just to name a few.

Studies of the mummified Ukok 'princess' - named after the permafrost plateau in the Altai Mountains where her remains were found - have already brought extraordinary advances in our understanding of the rich and ingenious Pazyryk culture.

The tattoos on her skin are works of great skill and artistry, while her fashion and beauty secrets - from items found in her burial chamber which even included a 'cosmetics bag' - allow her impressive looks to be recreated more than two millennia after her death. 

Now Siberian scientists have discerned more about the likely circumstances of her demise, but also of her life, use of cannabis, and why she was regarded as a woman of singular importance to her mountain people. 

"When I started to take care of marijuana in 1967, I had no doubt that it was a very harmful drug which, unfortunately, was being used by a growing number of young people unaware that they could not understand or did not listen to the warnings about its dangers. My intention was to describe scientifically the nature and degree of this danger. In the three following years, while browsing the scientific literature, medical and profane, my opinion began to change. I came to understand that I, like many other people in this country, I was subjected to brainwashing. My beliefs about the dangers of marijuana had little empirical foundation. When I completed the research I became convinced that cannabis was considerably less harmful than alcohol and tobacco, legal drugs most commonly used.

Marijuana, the most commonly used illegal drug in America, is going mainstream. Now legal for recreational use in Colorado and Washington, pot seems poised for wider use, too: 21 states allow the possession and use of marijuana for medicinal purposes, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. And legalization campaigns are underway in Oregon, California and even Alaska.

But just how much do you know about the wacky weed and its odd effects? How exactly does marijuana provide its high, and who discovered the effects of smoking the plant in the first place? Read on for some of the stranger facts about cannabis consumption.

1. Mythical origins

The hippie generation did not discover pot. But the drug's true origins remain a bit murky.

High points for weed

IAN LAMBIE Wednesday, October 8 2014

At the 35th Caricom Heads of Governments meeting held in Antigua from 1st to 4 th July 2014, it was decided to establish a Regional Committee to conduct an enquiry into the social, economic, health and legal issues surrounding the use of marijuana in the region. Since then consultations on marijuana and its legalisation were held in Trinidad.

Two days ago, a headline stated “Jamaica changes law on small quantities of marijuana” while that in another stated “Ganja research lab set-up in Jamaica”. Legalisation of marijuana is being placed on the front burner in the Caribbean.

Belgrade
Serbian government is to start the process of changing the law on cannabis use in medicine and industry in November, head of NGO “Lekalizacija” Vladan Golubovic said today.
“According to our plan, the process of changing the law should start in November and free selling of it (medical marijuana) should be introduced next summer”, Golubovic told journalists at the panel on legalization in Belgrade.
Golubovic underlined that the trade of the drug should be under tough government control.

Marijuana warning

Wednesday, September 24, 2014    

CHARLOTTE AMALIE, US Virgin Islands (AP) — The director of the Caribbean Public Health Agency has urged leaders in the region to proceed with caution as the debate about decriminalising marijuana intensifies.

Dr James Hospedales says he is concerned about the adverse effects of pot smoking, especially on adolescents.

He spoke Friday at an annual conference organised by the Caribbean Tourism Organisation.

His comments come as Caribbean leaders debate whether they should legalise medical marijuana and how courts should handle charges of possession of small amounts of the drug.