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TEL AVIV – An Israeli hospital will begin testing COVID-19 patients with medicinal cannabis, which is known to have anti-viral properties, as part of a new experimental treatment. Researchers are investigating cannabidiol, the non-psychoactive component of cannabis also known as CBD, can slow down the spread of the virus and stop moderate patients from turning critical. Dozens of COVID-19 patients in moderate condition at Ichilov Medical Center in Tel Aviv are expected to be treated. Barak Cohen, a senior anesthesiologist who is in charge of managing the hospital’s coronavirus response, stressed the treatment would alleviate symptoms by using “a component...

TALLAHASSEE - Without much debate and two days before Gov. Ron DeSantis’ deadline, a bill to repeal a ban on smoking medical marijuana has finally rolled onto the governor’s desk. The Florida House affirmed the right to smoke medical pot Wednesday afternoon, approving the Senate bill to include “smoking” to the language in the medical marijuana constitutional amendment. The bill allows patients to receive up to 2.5 ounces of whole flower cannabis every 35 days as recommended by their qualified doctor. The bill passed 101-11. Seven representatives were not present for the vote. DeSantis in January tasked the Legislature with...

A judge will hear arguments this week on a decision by the Rincon Valley Elementary School District to bar a 5-year-old girl from taking cannabis-based medication onto campus with her, a case that highlights issues with state and federal rules prohibiting medical marijuana in schools. Brooke Adams lives in Rincon Valley and has Dravet Syndrome, a rare disease that causes frequent and long-lasting seizures. Other complications include problems with controlling body temperature and developmental delays, the Dravet Syndrome Foundation website says. Brooke’s mom, Jana Adams, said her daughter relies on cannabidiol, otherwise known as CBD, to fend off her seizures...

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma voters on Tuesday backed the medicinal use of marijuana, overcoming a late opposition campaign from law enforcement and business, faith and political leaders. State Question 788 , the result of an activist-led signature drive launched more than two years ago, makes it legal to grow, sell and use marijuana for medicinal purposes. The proposed law outlines no qualifying conditions, which would allow physicians to authorize its use for a broad range of ailments — a fact that sparked bitter opposition, particularly from law enforcement. Under the proposed law, a two-year medical marijuana license would allow...

LINDSAY, Okla. (AP) — Danny Daniels, an evangelical Christian in the rural Oklahoma town of Lindsay, is reliably conservative on just about every political issue. The 45-year-old church pastor is anti-abortion, voted for President Donald Trump and is a member of the National Rifle Association who owns an AR-15 rifle. He also came of age during the 1980s and believed in the anti-drug mantra that labeled marijuana as a dangerous gateway drug. But his view on marijuana changed as his pastoral work extended into hospice care and he saw patients at the end of their lives benefiting from the use...

A Georgia family has been torn apart after authorities placed a 15-year-old teen in a group home following a tip from his therapist that his parents gave him marijuana in an effort to control his seizures. David Brill, whose parents Suzeanna and Matthew spent six days in jail after their arrest, allegedly suffers from near-constant seizures. The couple maintains that marijuana kept him seizure-free for 71 days, until Twiggs County sheriff’s deputies knocked on their door and told them to stop. The couple said they obliged, only for Brill’s seizures to return just hours later. “Within 14 hours of complying...

(CNN)To get away from the memories of war in Afghanistan -- the violence, the unexpected danger, the rush of adrenaline and the hypervigilance that can come with post-traumatic stress disorder -- Aaron Newsom started gardening. Since World War II, generations of veterans have found healing in horticulture. Digging in the dirt did that for Newsom, but the Marine, who served in an attack helicopter squadron, wanted more. He wanted to share this healing feeling with service members who may never even touch a spade, and he had an idea. In addition to the public gardening he was doing in Santa...

WASHINGTON (AP) — A medicine made from the marijuana plant moved one step closer to U.S. approval Thursday after federal health advisers endorsed it for the treatment of severe seizures in children with epilepsy. If the Food and Drug Administration follows the group's recommendation, GW Pharmaceuticals' syrup would become the first drug derived from the cannabis plant to win federal approval in the U.S. The 13-member FDA panel voted unanimously in favor of the experimental medication made from a chemical found in cannabis - one that does not get users high. The panelists backed the drug based on three studies...

IÂ’m no saint, nor have I ever professed to be. There are too many people currently living who could give testimony to the contrary should I ever decide to, so I wonÂ’t here. With that out of the way (itÂ’ll make more sense later in the piece), there is an area on the issue of this countryÂ’s drug laws where Republicans could both do the right thing and win some support. LetÂ’s be honest: there isnÂ’t much to vote for in the in 2018 midterm elections. For Democrats itÂ’s all about not being Donald Trump. They arenÂ’t offering up much,...

Abstract OBJECTIVES: The objective this prospective, open-label study was to determine the long-term effect of medicinal cannabis treatment on pain and functional outcomes in subjects with treatment-resistant chronic pain. METHODS: The primary outcome was change in pain symptom score on the S-TOPS (Treatment Outcomes in Pain Survey - Short Form) questionnaire at 6 months follow-up in intent-to-treat (ITT) population. The secondary outcomes included change in S-TOPS physical, social and emotional disability scales, pain severity and pain interference on brief pain inventory (BPI), sleep problems, and change in opioid consumption. RESULTS: 274 subjects were approved for treatment; complete baseline data were...

An 8-year-old boy said he helped his mother's boyfriend grow "special medicine that can cure anything at all," The Times-Argus reportsA second-grader's story about helping a farmer grow "special medicine" plants led to the bust of an indoor marijuana growing operation in Vermont, authorities said. According to an affidavit, an 8-year-old boy told school officials and Windsor police detective Jennifer Frank that he helped his mother's boyfriend, 54-year-old Steven Mann, grow "special medicine that can cure anything at all," The Times-Argus reports. Police said they found 50 marijuana plants worth $75,000, along with two "grow rooms" next to the...

US veteran's children taken away over his use of medical marijuana When Raymond Schwab talks about his case, his voice teeters between anger and sadness. "People who don't understand the medical value of cannabis are tearing my family apart," says the Kansas father and US veteran, who has a prescription for marijuana in neighboring Colorado, where it is legal. Nine months ago, Schwab tried to move to Colorado to grow medical marijuana for fellow veterans. While he and his wife were there preparing for the move, the state of Kansas took five of their children, ages 5 to 16, into...

Donald Trump's position on cannabis appears to have flip-flopped wildly over the years. (No comb-over jokes - promise.) "Legalized marijuana is always a very difficult question - for medicinal purposes and medical purposes, it's fine," says Trump in the video. Earlier this year, Trump told FOX's Sean Hannity he supports medical users "100 percent," but added that overall, marijuana legalization has been "a bad thing for Colorado." He added the Evergreen state is now facing some "big, big problems." But back in 1990, Trump told the Sarasota Herald America's drug policy was "a joke," and legalizing all drugs was the...

Topeka - Navy veteran Raymond Schwab started treating symptoms from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder with a slew of prescription medications that he said nearly ruined his life. But he found relief in cannabis therapy that helped him to get a degree and be a more effective parent, Schwab told a panel of Kansas senators on a second day of hearings. The Kansas Senate's Corrections and Juvenile Justice Committee heard Schwab - who was deployed during the Bosnian War in the 1990s - and other opponents testify about a bill that would soften criminal penalties for marijuana possession, allow for hemp oil...

Another day, another controversy. Medical marijuana activists are rightly upset over comments DEA head, Chuck Rosenberg, made to reporters last week.During a Q&A, he talked about his stance on medical marijuana. "What really bothers me is the notion that marijuana is also medicinal because it's not. We can have an intellectually honest debate about whether we should legalize something that is bad and dangerous, but don't call it medicine -- that is a joke." Right, so you want to have an intellectual debate prefaced with medical marijuana is a joke. Want to clarify that bit a more? "There are pieces...

Two Santa Rosa cannabis providers are coming to the rescue of Valley Fire victims. Care by Design and AbsoluteXtracts have teamed up to donate $20,000 worth of medical marijuana products to Lake County residents who have prescriptions but lost access to their medicine because of the fire, the Press Democrat reported. The companies issued a joint statement, saying: "This disaster happened in our own backyard. As a company that prides itself on putting patient needs first, we felt there was no better time to reach out and help our neighbors in their time of need." Through Oct. 7, each victim...

Medical marijuana has not been proven to work for many illnesses that state laws have approved it for, according to the first comprehensive analysis of research on its potential benefits. The strongest evidence is for chronic pain and for muscle stiffness in multiple sclerosis, according to the review, which evaluated 79 studies involving more than 6,000 patients. Evidence was weak for many other conditions, including anxiety, sleep disorders, and Tourette's syndrome and the authors recommend more research.

CHICAGO (AP) -- Medical marijuana has not been proven to work for many illnesses that state laws have approved it for, according to the first comprehensive analysis of research on its potential benefits. The strongest evidence is for chronic pain and for muscle stiffness in multiple sclerosis, according to the review, which evaluated 79 studies involving more than 6,000 patients. Evidence was weak for many other conditions, including anxiety, sleep disorders, and Tourette's syndrome and the authors recommend more research.

Gov. Nathan Deal signed legislation Thursday that legalizes medical marijuana in Georgia, though tremendous hurdles remain for patients who want to get the drug. House Bill 1, which took effect immediately, makes it legal for people who suffer from cancer, sickle cell disease and other illnesses to possess up to 20 ounces of cannabis oil if a physician signs off. The state estimates hundreds of thousands of residents could be eligible for the drug, and at least 17 Georgia families have had to temporarily move to places like Colorado where the cannabis oil is legal. The biggest obstacle for those...

As I sat across from Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-New York) and Cory Booker (D-New Jersey), I knew something extraordinary was happening. They were reciting the story of Charlotte Figi and countless other children. They were quoting back the data we had shared from our earlier investigations. They were extolling the potential virtues of the plant, and all of that was before the interview even started. There was an impatience about them, and they seemed in a hurry to make a large dent in marijuana reform. They want marijuana to be rescheduled. They want it now. They want doctors to be...