Children as young as eight are being given cannabis as part of a medical trial to test the drug's benefits on treating behavioural issues (stock image) Children as young as eight given cannabis as part of trial to treat bad behaviour Murdoch Children's Research Institute started trial at start of year in Melbourne Study is focused on children living with a disability and with behavioural issues If the study is successful, cannabis could provide alternative to antidepressants Children as young as eight are being given cannabis as part of a medical trial to test the drug's benefits on treating behavioural issues. The Murdoch Children's Research Institute has been undertaking the trial at its M

Photo: Current laws in Vanuatu prohibit the cultivation of marijuana. (Vanuatu Department of Tourism/K Related Story: 'It doesn't get you stoned': Mature-age cannabis users break the law for pain relief Related Story: A scientific dope dive: What's the evidence for medical marijuana? Related Story: Here's a first look at how many Australians are taking medicinal cannabis An American company has opted to trial a new experimental cannabis-derived drug on diabetics in Vanuatu as a result of stringent Federal laws preventing the trial in the United States, according to the company's chief executive. Key points: Vanuatu is chosen as the trial site also because of its "pristine" environment Amendm

West Australian man Jim Plamondon claims to have found a loophole to legally import medicinal cannabis into Australia. The former Busselton resident said he used the Therapeutic Goods Administration Traveller's Exemption to bypass Australian bureaucracy, and claims to be the first Australian to have succeeded at the feat. Mr Plamandon said he successfully brought Thai-prescribed cannabis products into WA to treat his chronic pain on April 8. West Australian man Jim Plamondon says his success bringing medicinal cannabis to Australia under the TGA's Traveller's Exemption, opens the doors for Australians to source medicinal cannabis. overseas. As he landed at Perth Airport Mr Plamondon, who usu

Ten people were arrested as part of a joint operation involving WA Police, the Australian Border Force and the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission, in WA’s south metropolitan district earlier this year. Picture: WA Police The “faceless” bosses of a Vietnamese organised crime gang were being sent hundreds of thousands of dollars a month in profits from an epidemic of cannabis grow houses positioned all over Perth, court documents have revealed. Taskforce Silverdrift was set up by WA Police in mid-2017 to target the dozens of cannabis “grow houses” multiplying across Perth and beyond, run by crime gangs in the Eastern States and overseas. Since then, tonnes of dope, thousands of plants

Patients are turning to medicinal cannabis for symptom relief. The first national surveys of patients and specialists across Australia Two new surveys announced for patients using or considering using medicinal cannabis to ease the symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease and for specialists caring for these patients. Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is a debilitating condition. The anonymous survey will ask patients how their Inflammatory Bowel Disease symptoms affect their daily lives, including work and productivity, their adherence to their current medications and their attitudes on medicinal cannabis and use preferences. Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is an umbrella term describing

The NSW government is growing medicinal cannabis at a secret location as part of a production trial. Eight different varieties of medicinal cannabis are being grown by the NSW government in a high-security facility in a secret regional location. The NSW government was the first in Australia to receive commonwealth permission to cultivate medicinal cannabis. The NSW government is now working out the best growing conditions for the crop. The research is being conducted in a top secret, $2 million state-of-the art facility in rural NSW. Agriculture Minister Adam Marshall said the government was working to develop farming practices that ensured the cannabis could be produced year-round. "O

Photo: Olive Wraight has been treating her chronic pain with medicinal cannabis. (ABC South West: Sebastian Neuweiler) Related Story: 'It doesn't get you stoned': Mature-age cannabis users break the law for pain relief Related Story: A scientific dope dive: What's the evidence for medical marijuana? Related Story: Here's a first look at how many Australians are taking medicinal cannabis At 89 years old, a suicidal Olive Wraight walked into her church in Bunbury, south of Perth, and asked her congregation a compromising question: "I need medicinal cannabis. Can anyone help me?" Key points: Olive Wraight tried to access medicinal cannabis for chronic pain relief through legal channels for more

Australia’s “disproportionate” drug driving laws should be overhauled as part of a proposal to legalise recreational cannabis use for adults in the ACT Under a law proposed by Labor backbencher Michael Pettersson, residents would be legally allowed to carry up to 50 grams of cannabis and would be allowed cultivate up to four plants at their home - the sale of the drug would remain illegal. The inquiry has generated a lot of interest, with the ACT Law Society saying drug driving laws need to be amended ahead of changes. Australia's current drug driving laws do not accurately determine impairment argue lawyers. (9news) “Penalties imposed for committing a drug driving offence are disproportion

RESEARCHERS at the University of Notre Dame are recruiting people to take part in a ground-breaking study on the use of medicinal cannabis to treat dementia. The world-leading clinical trial, aimed at improving the quality of life for thousands of people with dementia, will be undertaken by the university’s Institute for Health Research in partnership with Israel-based company MGC Pharmaceuticals. The 14-month clinical trial will involve 50 people aged 65 and older who have mild dementia and live in an aged-care facility. The trial will use medicinal cannabis in the form of a mouth spray containing cannabidiol ingredients that have been found to help with nausea, mild anxiety and provide ant

Olivia Newton-John attends the 2018 G'Day USA Los Angeles Gala at the InterContinental Hotel Los Angeles in 2018. (Photo: Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File) Olivia Newton-John wears many hats. “I’m a mother, a wife, a singer, an actress, a cancer philanthropist, author,” she says. And whether you know her from Grease, Xanadu, Glee or RuPaul’s Drag Race, you know this about her: The longtime celeb is a ray of sunshine. And she credits that, in part, to how she’s dealt with three bouts of cancer — including the one that she’s currently in the midst of — over the past 27 years. “The only thing I could advise is to keep a positive attitude, which is what I’ve tried to do my whole life,” says Ne

Medicinal cannabis will be easier to access in Queensland with new laws passing Parliament but people should be able to grow their own, a Greens MP argues. A bill passed on Wednesday night repeals laws from three years ago and means medical cannabis will be treated the same as other drugs of addiction (schedule 8 medicines) or prescription drugs (schedule 4). Queensland Health Minister Steven Miles said the changes meant medical cannabis would be treated the same as other prescription medications. Credit: AAP Health Minister Steven Miles said the changes streamlined the prescription process by removing state-based approvals and would mean patients would have access to treatment sooner. "If

A WOMAN who grew cannabis to help her terminally ill father control his pain has been convicted and fined for cultivating a prohibited plant. Leigh Nicole Carter, of Stack Street, Windradyne, appeared in person before magistrate Cate Follent in Bathurst Local Court. Police facts said officers attended Carter's home on January 29 this year after receiving a tip-off through Crime Stoppers. The accused directed police to a garage where they were shown two cannabis plants and a water drip system hidden inside an old fridge. Inside another cupboard were two cannabis plants inside two large white buckets filled with fertiliser with a water drip system attached, and another large cannabis plant was

Medicinal cannabis advocate Anthony Bower. The medicinal cannabis advocate, Anthony David Bower, will know his fate on April 18 after his matter was adjourned in Port Macquarie District Court. The Crescent Head resident, 63, is facing drug-related charges - cultivating prohibited plant, dealing in the proceeds of crime, possessing a prohibited drug and supplying prohibited drug. Police located a large amount of cash, cannabis leaf and 280 cannabis plants after a raid on his property last year. Mr Bower pleaded guilty to the offences. He last appeared in court on March 4 where a sentencing submission for home detention was lodged with Judge Leonie Flannery. Mr Bower is a staunch campaigner fo

It hasn't been an easy road for the team running Australia's first medicinal cannabis trial to treat Tourette's Syndrome. The hardest part? Getting their hands on the drug. "Oh my goodness it's probably easier to deal with plutonium than cannabis," laughs Professor Iain McGregor, who is part of the team. "There's an awful lot of licences required - ours actually comes from Switzerland!" Photo: 10 News McGregor is the academic director at the Lambert Initiative at Sydney University, which has teamed up with Brisbane's Wesley Medical Research, to run the groundbreaking research into a syndrome which causes sufferers to uncontrollably tic physically and/or verbally. "Because of the illegality o