A medicinal cannabis product designed to help Australians living with a rare form of epilepsy has become the first drug of its kind to be subsidised by the government. From Saturday, people living with Dravet syndrome will have access to Epidyolex, a new treatment used in combination with at least two other anti-epileptic medicines on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. Dravet syndrome is a rare genetic condition that gives rise to seizures that don't respond well to standard

The North Coast’s annual Mardi Grass festival has been given the green light, after being cancelled last year due to covid. The three-day festival will begin tomorrow with a march to protest for cannabis law reform. Over the weekend, organisers have lined up a range of speakers and artists to perform. Police say they will be out in force during the event, after a number of drug-related infringements were recorded during the 2019 event. Originally published here: https://www.n

(Image: Adobe/Irina) An inquiry into the use of cannabis in Victoria will be heard at the George Kerferd Hotel in Beechworth this week. The town of Beechworth in North East Victoria will play host to a regional hearing into the use of cannabis on Wednesday. Local residents are being invited to share testimony about their lived experiences of cannabis use or watch proceedings from the public gallery. Committee Chair Fiona Patten said data showing cannabis use among people livi

David Hill says the drugs he was prescribed for his PTSD turned him into a "zombie". (ABC News: Chris Le Page) David Hill is trying anything and everything, even illegal cannabis oil, to tackle post-traumatic stress disorder, a result of two tours of Afghanistan as an Australian solider. Key points: Mr Hill became addicted to the benzodiazepines he was prescribed to treat his PTSD He wants the veteran suicide royal commission to examine their use, a move backed by experts Ind

Image: Shutterstock It’s been five years since Australia moved to federally legalise medicinal cannabis. And 4/20 Day seems like a good time to take a look under the hood of our cannabis industry, how far we’ve come and how incredibly far we still have to go. Recreational use or marijuana is still outlawed in most states and territories across the country – with the exception of the ACT. But even in Canberra, the laws aren’t as simple as you’d think. This means you can’t simp

(Source: Pixabay) Recreational cannabis is now legal in New Mexico. On Monday, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham formally enacted adult-use cannabis legislation in the Land of Enchantment. New Mexico is now the 17th state in the nation, and is only the fifth state to enact it through its state Legislature. The historic measure was approved by the state Legislature after the governor called them into a special session late last month. “The legalization of adult-use cannabis pave

Researchers at the University of Sydney say drug driving laws are “out of date” and should reflect the results of a new study that found impairment after taking cannabis lasted about three to 10 hours. But the NSW government has dismissed those calls and defended its zero tolerance approach to drug driving, with tests that can pick up traces of the drug weeks after consumption. Drivers who use cannabis can be prosecution on the basis of the presence of THC in their blood or s

Roadside drug testing does not account for impairment levels, like alcohol testing does.(ABC North Coast: Gemma Sapwell ) New research has shown for the first time how long cannabis users are likely to be impaired and when it may be safe for them to drive. Key points: The research analysed 80 scientific studies on impairment from THC Levels of impairment depended factors like dosage and how often a person used The TGA has approved 100,000 prescriptions for medicinal cannabis

Steve Peek had initially been reluctant to treat his daughter, Suli, with medicinal cannabis, in relation to the unidentified drug-resistant form of epilepsy she was suffering from, which caused constant seizures. Yet, as Suli continued to have adverse reactions to prescribed pharmaceuticals, Peek commenced administering illicit cannabis medicine to his 7-year-old daughter in 2015, and he found the improvements to her wellbeing were astounding. Complications, however, were on

Researchers did find minor violations of state law at some legal shops. But they say the illicit market is a far bigger problem. Madison Koehn, a receptionist at Catalyst Cannabis, scans the back of a drivers license to verify the age of the customer in Santa Ana on Monday, April 5, 2021. A new study found California’s licensed cannabis shops are doing a good job of preventing minors from getting in. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG) California’s licensed