Medical Marijuana - Cannabis in Australia

With Pot Legal, State Vows Crackdown on Impaired Drivers

BY BOB SALSBERG ASSOCIATED PRESS

BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts officials are promising to crack down on marijuana-impaired driving as the state prepares for full implementation of its voter-approved recreational pot law.

State police said Thursday they are increasing the number of officers with special training in detecting whether motorists are...

Bill to Legalize Marijuana, Expunge Marijuana Crimes, Introduced in U.S. Senate

Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) today introduced The Marijuana Justice Act of 2017, which would legalize marijuana on the federal level by removing it from the Controlled Substances Act.

The Marijuana Justice Act also incentivize states to end the racially disparate criminalization of marijuana consumers through federal funds, expunges federal...

Cannabis Company Plans to Turn Desert Town into Pot Paradise

BY JOHN LOCHER AND JOHN RODGERS ASSOCIATED PRESS

NIPTON, Calif. (AP) — Now that one of the nation’s largest cannabis companies has bought the entire California desert town of Nipton, a question remains: Will the new owners rename the place Potsylvania?

The name Weed already belongs to an old mill town in Northern California.

American...

Study: Nearly Half Of People Who Use Cannabidiol (CBD) Products Stop Taking Pharmaceuticals

Eighty percent of respondents found CBD to be “very or extremely effective” in treating their conditions. …However, it should be noted that research has shown that CBD and THC are more effective when used in conjunction with one another.
By Amanda Siebert for Straight dot com

New survey results about a well-known compound in cannabis are providing doctors with some exciting information.

Conducted by HelloMD, an online community of doctors and cannabis patients, and Brightfield Group, the survey asked 2,400 of HelloMD’s 150,000 members about their use of products containing cannabidiol (CBD).

CBD is a compound in cannabis that isn’t psychoactive, meaning it won’t provide users with the same ‘high’ or euphoria that tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) does.

Research has shown CBD to possess analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and anti-anxiety properties, and it has been found to be an effective treatment for a number of conditions including Crohn’s disease, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, and PTSD, among others.

Participants in the survey revealed that they used CBD primarily to treat insomnia, depression, anxiety, and joint pain.

While most men preferred to use THC-dominant products, survey results showed that women made up 55 percent of CBD users.

What really caught the attention of survey administrators was this: Nearly half (42 percent) of CBD users reported that, not only did they stop using prescription drugs like Vicodin or Percocet after they began using CBD; they also avoided over-the-counter pain relievers like Tylenol and Advil.

When asked how effective patients found CBD to be in treating their condition, 80 percent responded with “very or extremely effective”, while just three percent found it to be ineffective or slightly effective.

A common complaint from patients was that CBD products derived from marijuana were far more expensive than products derived from hemp. Conversely, patients using hemp-derived products said it was less effective than marijuana-derived products.

As such, 90 percent of patients said they would only buy CBD products derived from marijuana.

The most popular method of consumption was vaporization, followed by smoking and then edibles. Patients also reported that they spent anywhere from $20 to $80 per month on CBD products.

While HelloMD is based in the United States, this data could be useful to both Canadian physicians and patients who are interested in using cannabis as a way to treat certain conditions, but without the psychoactivity that comes with THC.