The most controversial thing about Canada’s move to legalize marijuana nationwide may be setting the minimum age for use at 18 — three years lower than in U.S. states that have embraced legalization — a move that is being closely watched across the continent. Advocates for the measure, expected to pass Parliament next year, say putting the limit at 21 would encourage a black market and drive youths into the hands of criminals.

For the first time, scientists have demonstrated that a component of cannabis reduces seizures in children with a rare form of epilepsy, marking a significant step in efforts to use marijuana and its derivatives to treat serious medical conditions.

North America is in the midst of a drug overdose disaster.

Mexico and Canada are about to turn medical cannabis into North America's most lucrative new market. Once both countries’ systems are up and running, cannabis trading between Mexico and Canada can begin. The world’s first cannabis-focused exchange traded fund has already opened on the Toronto Stock Exchange.

Marijuana appears to improve the memory and learning abilities of old mice. Scientists discovered low doses of its main psychoactive ingredient—cannabinoid THC—can reverse the age-related decline in cognitive abilities, a finding that could lead to scientists figuring out a way of slowing brain aging in humans. Researchers are increasingly examining THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) for its potential medical benefits. In the U.K., Oxford University recently launched a £10 million ($13 million) program to...

For 40 years, poor communities of color have experienced the wrath of the war on drugs. Ever since Colorado and Washington made the unprecedented move to legalize recreational pot last year, excitement and stories of unfettered success have billowed into the air. Colorado's marijuana tax revenue far exceeded expectations, bringing a whopping $185 million to the state, and tourists are lining up to taste the budding culture (pun intended). Several other states are now looking to follow suit and legalize. 

Researchers have come up with an unusual proposal to slow, or even reverse, the cognitive decline that comes with old age: small, daily doses of cannabis extract. The idea emerged from tests on mice which found that regular, low doses of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) – the main psychoactive ingredient in cannabis – impaired memory and learning in young animals, but boosted the performance of old ones.

Under current rules, doctors with the Department of Veterans Affairs cannot even discuss marijuana as an option with patients. By Bryan Bender.

Photography by Shaughn & John

Uruguay’s three-year process of legalising recreational cannabis consumption reached its final stage on Thursday, when the government said it would authorise pharmacies to begin selling the substance as of July.

When marijuana becomes a legal recreational drug in Canada, the Liberal government wants Canadians to be able to hold up to 30 grams without fear of running afoul of the law, Radio-Canada and CBC News have learned. That is just one of several details about what will be included in the federal government's marijuana legislation, which is expected to be introduced on Thursday, according to a senior government source.

The bill, which is expected to pass, would make Canada the second nation to completely legalize marijuana as a consumer product.

Studies supporting the value of marijuana for treating a variety of medical conditions have been available for several decades. Although the plant itself cannot be patented, the process for manufacturing compounds can be, which leaves the door open to Big Pharma to create a large range of medications based on marijuana that can be used for treatment of a variety of illnesses. However, many hope that the profit motive will not overwhelm the use of this remarkable plant.

Might seem counterintuitive, but it works.

CBC News has learned that the legislation will be announced during the week of April 10 and will broadly follow the recommendation of a federally appointed task force that was chaired by former liberal Justice Minister Anne McLellan.

UBC scientists have scanned the genome of cannabis plants to find the genes responsible for giving various strains their lemony, skunky or earthy flavours, an important step for the budding legal cannabis industry. “The goal is to develop well-defined and highly-reproducible cannabis varieties. This is similar to the wine industry, which depends on defined varieties such as chardonnay or merlot for high value products,” said Jörg Bohlmann, a professor in the Michael Smith Laboratories...

Dagga smokers can breathe a sigh of relief and inhale a puff of ganga – after the high court in the Western Cape declared it legal to grow and smoke dagga in their own homes.

In the gray half-light of dawn, eight figures creep through the dry pine forest near Quincy, California. Seven of them wear camo uniforms bearing the logos of various government agencies: U.S. Forest Service, National Guard, California Fish & Wildlife, Plumas County Sheriff. Most have blackened faces and assault rifles at the ready. An 11-year-old Belgian Malinois named Phebe and her K9 handler lead the way.

Don’t believe the hype: marijuana is not a gateway drug, it’s a medicine. Despite the fact that countless individuals have used cannabis oil to heal their afflictions, the U.S. Cancer Institute lists cannabis as a ‘cure’ for cancer on its website, and a multitude of veterans credit the herb with helping them ditch opioids and alleviate symptoms of PTSD, the marijuana plant remains classified as a Schedule I drug in the United States.

Oregon state lawmakers who fear heightened marijuana enforcement by federal agents overwhelmingly approved Monday a proposal to protect pot users from having their identities or cannabis-buying habits from being divulged by the shops that make buying pre-rolled joints and "magic" brownies as easy as grabbing a bottle of whiskey from the liquor store.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Tuesday said he’s “surprised” Americans aren’t overwhelmingly embracing his widely reported stance against marijuana, all the while recent polling reveals a majority of voters do in fact support legal pot.

A bill to legalise marijuana for medical purposes is expected to passed in West Virginia, which will make it the 29th state in the US to decriminalise the drug. Senate Bill 386 passed both chambers of the state government and is expected to be signed into law by Governor Jim Justice, a proponent of decriminalising marijuana. The passing of the bill will be welcome news for those suffering from PTSD, chronic pain and brain injury.

Last name Smoke, first name… Never? This might be the biggest conspiracy in the history of rap.

A new study says that a nationwide rollout of medical marijuana would save taxpayers close to $1.1 billion each year on Medicaid prescriptions because medical marijuana u A new study says that a nationwide rollout of medical marijuana would save taxpayers close to $1.1 billion each year on Medicaid prescriptions because medical marijuana use correlates with a decline in prescription drug usage. The study by the University of Georgia’s father-daughter research team of Ashley Bradford and W. David Bradford lines up with a similar study...

On 4/20, a group of devoted Denverites opened The Church of Cannabis, a sacred space for smoking the state's 100% legal weed. Spanish muralist Okuda San Miguel (1980) and Kenny Scharf (1958) brought their signature panache to Denver's new weed church.

Renewed federal enforcement will kill jobs and damage a $6 billion business in states where recreational use is legal, proponents say.

A crucial part of President Donald Trump's rationale for building a wall along the United State's border with Mexico is that it would help to stop the trade of illegal drugs, including marijuana. "I want to build the wall. We need the wall," Trump said at one of the presidential debates last year. "We stop the drugs. We shore up the border."

Kara Zartler’s life began too soon. Along with her twin sister, she was born at 26 weeks. At 1 pound 12 ounces, she weighed slightly less than the healthy Keeley. Then, 10 hours into life, Kara suffered a brain hemorrhage. Seventeen years later, she’s lucky to be alive. But she has cerebral palsy and severe autism, which in her case causes compulsive self-injurious behavior that began with she was 4 years old.

The White House hinted, last week, that it may crack down on states that have legalized recreational marijuana. Marijuana industry experts hope a new jobs prediction report might take the target off of the legal pot business. According to a report from Frontier Data, marijuana-related jobs are set to outpace manufacturing jobs in the United States by 2020.

LAST MONTH THE GAA’s longest running competition, the Sigerson Cup, reached its climax when St Mary’s University, Belfast beat University College Dublin. The competition, which features the higher education institutions on the island, was established in 1911 when George Sigerson commissioned the first trophy. Few people know about the man who gives his name to the GAA competition and even fewer are aware of his work on hemp.

Kim Jong-un has the munchies.

British study finds association between high achieving teens and increased likelihood of using of marijuana and alcohol but decreased likelihood of using cigarettes.

Less people get hospitalized for opioid abuse in states where medical cannabis is legal, according to a recent study, published in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence. The researchers tallied hospital discharges between 1997–2014 documented on state-level annual administrative records that were retrieved from State Inpatient Databases (SID). The databases – funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality – archive about 97 percent of all hospital discharges in each participating state.

This piece was first published eight years ago on 4/20.

California activists turn to the cannabis industry to help launch the nation’s first public bank in nearly a century. By Jeremy Lybarger.