Alex Renton, 19, of Nelson is in an induced coma in Wellington Hospital while his family fights to get him medicinal marijuana.

The bureaucratic delay in treating a teenager in an induced coma in Wellington Hospital is bordering on unethical, Labour MP Damien O'Connor says.

Alex Renton, 19, of Nelson, has been in hospital since early April and remains in "status epilepticus",  a kind of prolonged seizure.

Capital & Coast District Health Board decided late on Friday to apply to the Ministry of Health for approval to use a marijuana extract to treat him.

His mother, Rose Renton, is begging the Government to approve treatment for her son, who has already endured more than 20 medications that have not worked.

It's hardly a new concern as many as a dozen studies have been done that show an increased risk for mental health issues among teens. Reporter Sue Bailey of the Canadian Press has produced the latest story and it includes interviews from front-line workers who deal with the teenage victims of marijuana. It's not pretty and it's a message some medical practitioners, like Canadian child and adolescent psychiatrist Dr. Sinthu Suntharalingam, say needs to get out there. Dr.

Treatment for a young man in an induced coma for 54  days is being held back because of the politics and bureaucracy around medicinal marijuana, his mother says.

Nelson teen Alex Renton was hospitalised in early April after a serious seizure. He has been in an induced coma in Wellington's intensive care unit since April 8.

Alex remains in 'status epilepticus', a kind of prolonged seizure.

"The seizure has sort of stuck on. They can't get under the receptors with the medication to stop the seizures." said his mother Rose Renton said.

With summer just around the corner, many legislative sessions are nearing an end, but that doesn't mean the end for cannabis progress! This week brings surprising and heartwarming news from down on the bayou in Louisiana, while California’s discussing legalization, New York is gearing up to select growers for their medical program, and India just held their first ever medical cannabis conference.

U.S. Updates

CALIFORNIA

Susan Sarandon claims smoking marijuana has helped her career, although she never worked while under the influence.

The 'Lovely Bones' actress insists she has never worked while high but found reading scripts while under the influence of the drug changed her "perspective" on the projects.

She said: "I've never worked high, and I've never filmed high. But I've read scripts high and gotten a different perspective."

The 68-year-old actress - who has daughter Eva, 30, from her relationship with Franco Amurri and sons Jack, 25, and Miles, 22, with ex-partner Tim Robbins - believes smoking marijuana helps her be more "present" in the modern world and make the most of her down time.

In response to Family’s desperate quest for cannabis oil Peter Dunne was engaged in a Twitter exchange. In this he made it clear there has been no chance of successive New Zealand governments decriminalising cannabis.

In response to Julian Buchanan ‏@julianbuchanan

Good to hear
Decriminalisation!
Way to go

During all of my posts in Medical Cannabis, there has been may references to Sativex, the only LEGAL medical Cannabis preparation in NZ, so I thought it was time to delve deeply into the product and explain it, and why it is an incomplete solution to the problem.

Banned: Substances will now be guilty until proven innocent

Even by the standards of modern legislation, the psychoactive substances bill is startlingly inane. It seems to ban any substance which can cause a mental or emotional reaction. As must be obvious, that's almost everything in the world. Did this taste remind you of your mother's cooking? It's a psychoactive substance. Did it bring you a moment of happiness? It's a psychoactive substance. The government is about to ban almost everything.

This is not, to be fair, the legislation. This is just the advert. But the description of the bill in the Queen's Speech is troubling enough.

Smoking cannabis just once a week makes a person more likely to suffer respiratory problems, a study has warned. 

Users were more likely to suffer symptoms of bronchitis, including coughing in the morning, bringing up phlegm, and wheezing.

But when they cut down on cannabis or quit smoking, most found the symptoms reduced to levels similar to those found in people who do not smoke the drug, researchers found.

However, people who had been heavy users had a persistent cough and wheeze even after they cut down or quit, suggesting heavy cannabis use can have long-term affects on the lungs.

NORML, Peter Dunne and Family First all agree patients should have more access to effective medicinal cannabis. The question is How?

Instead of wasting time and money on years of pharmaceutical-level testing, NORML says we should follow the Australian approach, treat it as a herbal remedy, and immediately allow compassionate access.