A letter to a Facebook user from Canterbury police warns that the user might wish to "review" their membership of an online group suspected of aiding illegal drug deals.

Police have been snooping on people's Facebook profiles, and using the evidence to carry out drug raids.

The monitoring has been exposed by members of a blackmarket Facebook group, who complained of receiving letters out of the blue from police, warning them they were being watched.

One unidentified user received a letter from the Canterbury Organised Crime Squad, dated July 15, warned that their membership of a group suspected to be aiding illegal drug deals had been noticed.

Why the cops are going soft on pot but politicians are not

Chris Fowlie is the head of the National Organisation for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) and he really doesn’t like the way the police enforce the Misuse of Drugs Act. In a recent post on The Daily Blog, he argued that the authorities maliciously target harmless dope smokers, causing them far more harm than a joint ever could.

Legalisation of cannabis won't happen under the current government, despite it allowing the one-off use of cannabinoid oil for Nelson teenager Alex Renton, the Associate Health Minister says.

While the Government allowed the use of Elixinol, a medical product made of hemp oil, to treat Nelson teenager Alex Renton, Peter Dunne says it changes nothing regarding the legalisation of cannabis.

Permission was allowed for Renton to have the product, which is illegal in New Zealand but available in the US, after an application was made to him by his family.

Renton, 19, had been in hospital after developing a condition which meant he suffered continuous seizures. He died on July 1 after around three months in hospital.

Isaac Beach, sporting a hemp briefcase, is looking for partners for a bigger industrial hemp trial in Hawke's Bay.

With an MBA under his belt Isaac Beach went looking for opportunity.

The event manager, who worked several years with Rhythm and Vines, decided his opportunity was industrial hemp from the cannabis plant.

It is grown legally throughout New Zealand but not in Hawke's Bay. The New Zealand market is for its oil but he saw a potential for the fibre's insulative/building potential, filling an urgent need in social housing.

Alex Renton died on July 1 in Wellington Hospital, following a battle with a prolonged form of seizures known as epileptius.

He was granted special access by the Government to use medicinal cannabis in a bid to stop him suffering more seizures.

The 19-year-old’s mother, Rose, told Seven Sharp that she was heartbroken to lose her son who had a “presence like no one else … and it made you feel strong and safe”.

Alex was the first Kiwi to have the treatment, and the initial signs were promising, as he came off life support and started breathing on his own.

“It's got incredible properties for stopping seizures and controlling epilepsy,” Rose said.

But the teen, who has six siblings, took a turn for the worse and died shortly after.

Drug laws have been liberalised from Portland to Portugal. Why is New Zealand missing the (magic) bus? PHILIP MATTHEWS talks with decriminalisation advocate Ross Bell.

Drug law reform. Is there any better example of a heart versus head issue? Logic and rationality tells you that the system does not work, that drugs are a medical issue not a criminal one. But your gut says lock all the junkies and potheads up.

It is Ross Bell's job to wrestle with these dilemmas. For 11 years he has been chief executive of the New Zealand Drug Foundation, a charitable trust charged with preventing and reducing harms caused by drug use.

The former president of New Zealand First's youth wing has been charged with possession of cannabis for supply.

Curwen Rolinson's always been a troublemaker for New Zealand First and now it seems he's a law-breaker as well.

Police arrested the aspiring politician on April 15, and he since appeared in court charged with possession of cannabis for supply.

He's remanded on bail but will be back before a judge next Wednesday.

People who use cannabis for medicinal purposes are calling for the drug to be made legally available for those who need it.

Those with a terminal illness, or who suffer from chronic pain, claim taking cannabis helps alleviate pain. They know they are breaking the law, but say the benefits outweigh the risks.

Last week Associate Minister of Health Peter Dunne Dunne approved a cannabinoid (CBD), Elixinol, for Nelson teenager Alex Renton, who had been in Wellington Hospital for more than 60 days in an induced coma.

Evidence supports the use of marijuana for some medical conditions, but not for others, according to a fresh review of past research.

After reviewing 80 randomised trials that included nearly 6500 people, researchers found moderate support for using marijuana to treat chronic pain and muscle spasms and involuntary movements.

The evidence wasn't as strong to support marijuana's use for nausea and vomiting due to chemotherapy, sleep disorders, HIV-related weight loss and Tourette syndrome.

Also, any benefits of marijuana or cannabis use must be weighed against the risk of side effects, which include dizziness, dry mouth, nausea, sleepiness and euphoria, according to the study's lead author.