The Chamber of Deputies of the Argentine Congress will discuss Wednesday a bill that will allow the use of cannabis oil for medical treatments.

The initiative, if approved by the block of forces that supports the government of Mauricio Macri and a faction of the opposition, would allow the use of cannabis oil to combat diseases such as epilepsy, chronic pain and fibromialgia, among others.

The project implements the creation of a regulatory framework for medical and scientific research on the medicinal use of the cannabis plant and its derivatives.

Although the United Nations international drug treaties have upheld an official prohibition against marijuana, the marijuana industry has spread across the Americas, Europe, and Asia.

Lionel Messi has led his international teammates on a boycott of the Argentinian media after growing tired of their continued attempts to undermine the national side at every turn.

Not for the first time, Messi and co. were barracked in the press after losing 3-0 against Brazil in last week’s World Cup qualifier, only to bounce back with a convincing win over Colombia in their very next game – a result which moved the Albiceleste back into the play-off spot.

In late January this year, at little more than a month after he took office, Argentine President Mauricio Marci issued a presidential decree declaring a "state of emergency" in South America's second-largest country.

One of the things asserted in the decree was that trafficking of illegal drugs posed a "threat to national sovereignty."

In the months since, Argentina has pursued muscular law-enforcement practices in its anti-narcotics efforts.

U.S. News Updates

Alaska

Alaska’s first commercial cannabis harvests are underway. The first official legal crop comes from Greatland Ganja, a small cultivator on the Kenai Peninsula. Greatland has harvested about 75 pounds of cannabis so far, of an expected total of about 100 pounds consisting of 10 different strains. Unfortunately, however, the first harvest may not have anywhere to go. Distribution and sales are stalled until state-licensed testing laboratories are up and running. At the moment two labs are nearing completion in Anchorage: CannTest hopes to open by mid-October and AK Green Labs aims to be online by early November.

Arkansas

Medical marijuana is about to become a part of the public health care system in the southern Argentinean province of Chubut – making it the first jurisdiction in South America to allow cannabis into the healthcare system.

A report from the Buenos Aires Herald indicates that Governor Mario Das Neves recently designed a piece of legislation that will allow a non-intoxicating strain of cannabis oil to be distributed in public hospitals for patients requiring treatment for epilepsy. The bill has already received approval from the legislature and has become law.

30th anniversary of landmark ruling marked by push for human-rights based approach on the matter.

Launching a new push to coincide with the 30-year anniversary of the Supreme Court’s landmark “Bazterrica” ruling, more than 500 respected legal voices will today call on the government to redraw its policy on narcotics and end the so-called “War on Drugs.”

In total, more than 550 Argentine magistrates, judges and lawyers will call for wholesale reforms based on human rights.

They are seeking a fresh approach, which includes decriminalization, the end of forced anti-drug treatment to users and the creation of policies focused on risk reduction.