ACT has become the first jurisdiction in Australia to legalise the personal use of cannabis after the new laws came into effect on Friday. For IT worker Evan*, his method of unwinding after work has been illegal up until now. The Canberran public servant and has been using cannabis recreationally for the last few years. “Some people when they go home have one glass of wine, they don't have the bottle, they have one glass. For me, having a few puffs on the vaporiser or a quarter of a joint is just enough for me to forget the woes of the day,” he told SBS News. “I certainly don't intend to get high. For me, it's just about taking the edge off the day.” Spotlight to be placed on barriers to med

The state government is expected to announce on Friday whether Labor will act on a recommendation that illicit drug use and public order offences no longer be crimes, ahead of the release of a productivity commission report into recidivism. In the 11th major review of Queensland’s criminal justice system in 10 years, Ms Trad asked the Productivity Commission to make recommendations to tackle the "serious and growing public policy concern" of prison overcrowding. Someone is caught making, buying or taking drugs 10 times an hour on average in Queensland, 2019 police statistics reveal. Credit:AP The final report will be made public on Friday. In the draft report, released last year, the commiss

This weekend, some of us will be able to smoke cannabis legally for the first time. But the Prime Minister has issued a warning. Plumes of cannabis smoke are forecast to rise out of the nation’s capital this weekend — when Australians will be able to legally smoke cannabis for the first time. From Saturday, the ACT’s new laws, passed by its parliament in September, allow adults to possess up to 50 grams of cannabis legally and grow their own plants. And, while it’s anticipated there will be a few unofficial celebrations and a severe shortage of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, one man who certainly won’t be passing the dutchie is Prime Minister Scott Morrison. He made this very clear with a dad joke

Prime Minister Scott Morrison says he "won't be partaking" when the ACT becomes the first Australian state where cannabis is legal on Saturday. "I would expect federal law enforcement agencies to enforce the law": Prime Minister Scott Morrison However Mr Morrison continued to send mixed messages about the Coalition government's position on the drug becoming legal in the nation's capital. From February 1, adults in the ACT can legally possess up to 50 grams of dry cannabis or grow two plants at home, to a maximum of four plants per household. It will be an offence to smoke or use cannabis in a public place or expose a child to cannabis smoke, and hydroponic setups will still be illegal. Speak

The new laws allow each person aged 18 and over to be in possession of no more than 50 grams of dried cannabis. (Image: Getty) What about the federal laws? Considerable uncertainty still exists over potential conflicts between these fresh ACT laws and federal laws that criminalise the possession of cannabis. Under the federal Criminal Code Act 1995, it’s an offence to possess a controlled drug. This can carry a penalty of two years imprisonment. Attorney-General Christian Porter MP has publicly stated the federal offences will still have full effect in the ACT. As such, the Attorney-General’s office expects ACT police to enforce the federal criminal laws after January 31. This will result in

Thailand's first official cannabis clinic is overflowing with patients. Within the first 10 days of the health center's grand opening, cannabis caregivers have attended to 4,639 patients, according to the Nation/Asia News Network. An additional 12,000 people are seeking appointments until March. Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul visited the marijuana-based clinic which is run under the administration of the Health Minister. Individuals arranged their appointments in advance through an application process. Charnvirakul said numerous people were interested in cannabis-based therapies and treatment. The government includes low level cannabis and hemp extracts on its approved medical ma

Olivia Newton John has given fans an update on her ongoing cancer battle, revealing incredible news that her cancer tumours have shrunk. The 71-year-old spoke to the Herald Sun as she readies herself to return to stage alongside John Farnham at the Fire Fight Australia bushfire charity concert in Sydney on February 16. She credits her incredible update to medicinal cannabis and natural therapies. “When people hear metastatic breast cancer or cancer there’s still this stigma that people don’t believe that you can recover, well you can,” Newton-John said. “There are ways.” “I know lots of people who have been given really terrible diagnoses who have done really well with the right trea

Medicinal cannabis will now be available free of charge in the southern Italian region of Sicily, according to a decree signed on Tuesday by Sicilian health chief Ruggero Razza. Photo: ANSA The cost of medicinal cannabis for anyone suffering from chronic pain, cerebral palsy and multiple sclerosis will be covered by Sicily’s regional government, according to local media. Italy legalised medicinal cannabis in 2013 and it now has one of the largest markets in Europe. However, it is highly regulated and it can be expensive, as domestic production is limited and imports often prove to be costly. You must have a doctor’s prescription and obtain the cannabis from a licensed pharmacy, which has per

Mice cured of MRSA, raising hopes of treating antibiotic-resistant bacteria. MRSA bacteria, one of the most common hospital superbugs. Photograph: Alamy A compound made by cannabis plants has been found to wipe out drug-resistant bacteria, raising hopes of a new weapon in the fight against superbugs. Scientists screened five cannabis compounds for their antibiotic properties and found that one, cannabigerol (CBG), was particularly potent at killing methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), one of the most common hospital superbugs. Tests in the lab showed that CBG, which is not psychoactive, killed common MRSA microbes and “persister” cells that are especially resistant to antibiot

A driver with a prescription for medicinal cannabis oil has had a charge of drug driving dismissed by an Adelaide magistrate in a landmark finding. Now Brenton Peters, who says the cannabis oil provides him with relief from the muscle cramps and stiffness associated with his diagnosis of multiple sclerosis, and his legal team are calling for changes to driving laws. Mr Peters is one of 3500 Australian’s to be legally prescribed the oil which contains equal parts THC, the compound which causes the “high” and cannabidiol, which is used to treat medical conditions. The cannabidiol works as an uptake inhibitor which eliminates the psychoactive side effects of the THC, but gives Mr Peters a windo

Photo: Under the new laws, an adult can cultivate two plants but is unable to buy cannabis seeds. (Flickr: Will Power) Cannabis will be legal in the ACT come the end of the month, but those hoping to light up might have to break the law to do so. Key points: Buying, selling and trading cannabis after January 31 will remain illegal in the ACT Academics are worried potential pot purchasers will go to drug dealers Calls for "cannabis social clubs" have been rejected by the ACT Government The controversial new laws legalise growing, possessing and smoking small quantities of cannabis. If you are over 18 you can grow the plant, collect up to 50 grams of dried bud, and smoke it as you like within

Bangkok: Thailand has opened its first full-time clinic specialising in traditional and alternative cannabis-based medicine, as part of a move by the government towards developing a medicinal cannabis industry. "This is a pilot clinic, because we cannot produce enough doctors with expertise in cannabis," Public Health Minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, told reporters at the opening ceremony in Bangkok on Monday. Patients will receive treatment free of charge for the first two weeks, he added. Patients wait to register for a consultation at the first full-time clinic prescribing cannabis oil for medical treatment in the Public Health Ministry in Nonthaburi province, Thailand. Credit:AP Thailand,

Illinois' first day of legal recreational cannabis translated to a good chunk of green -- nearly $3.2 million in sales. The state's 37 dispensaries churned through 77,128 transactions to tally more than $3.17 million in first-day sales, said Toi Hutchinson, Governor JB Prtizker's senior adviser for cannabis control, in a news conference on Thursday. "The amazing thing about that is that there's a significant portion of these dollars that go directly into this community reinvestment fund, so we can continue to rebuild communities that have been hardest hit by the war on drugs," Hutchinson said. "So sales are great but let's never lose sight on the impact that we're having on families around t

State officials estimate that 116,000 convictions for possession of 30 grams or less of cannabis are eligible for pardons under a new law. A cannabis cigarette.Tunatura / Getty Images/iStockphoto CHICAGO — Illinois' governor granted more than 11,000 pardons for low-level cannabis convictions on Tuesday, describing the step as a first wave of thousands of such expungements anticipated under the state's new cannabis legalization law. The expungement process is a key part of the law, which takes effect Wednesday and made Illinois the 11th state to legalize cannabis for people 21 or older. When they crafted the policy, Illinois lawmakers said they wanted to repair some of the damage caused by la