Hundreds of families throughout the world have been drawn to Colorado to seek medical marijuana treatment for their children's ailments. These parents and their kids, dubbed “international medical marijuana refugees,” travel thousands of miles in an attempt to procure what they say are lifesaving elements, the Guardian reported Monday.

Former Prime Minister Jean Chretien, left, speaks with former MP Bob Rae during the launch of the MacEachen Institute for Public Policy and Governance at Dalhousie University in Halifax Monday. Chretien said it is time the government decriminalized pot possession.

Former prime minister Jean Chrétien says it's time for Canada to decriminalize marijuana possession, saying the change is long overdue.

Chrétien made the comment today after taking part in a ceremony to mark the official opening of a public policy think-tank at Dalhousie University in Halifax.

The former prime minister says it is unacceptable for anyone to be saddled with a criminal record for simply smoking marijuana.

The New South Wales Government has applied for a licence to grow cannabis for medical research trials.

Minister for Primary Industries Niall Blair said the state's cultivation licence application was lodged with the Federal Government last week.

Earlier this year, the Federal Parliament passed legislation to make the cultivation of medicinal cannabis legal — with a licence.

The NSW Government is running clinical trials for severe childhood epilepsy, terminal illnesses and chemotherapy-induced nausea.

Thousands of South Africans took to the streets of Cape Town on Saturday, in a procession demanding a relaxation of drugs laws to allow medicinal and recreational use of cannabis.

With some smoking the substance, locally known as Dagga, around 3,000 protesters took part in the march in a backdrop of reggae music, while waving red, green and gold flags.

“We were marching for the legalisation and regulation of cannabis in South Africa,” lead organiser Johannes Berkhout told AFP.

“There is more than enough evidence around the world about the medicinal benefits of cannabis,” he said, adding that legalisation would create a “safer and much more controllable” use of the drug.

Leading academics argue the GOVERNMENT should start selling the drug.

• Ian Hamilton is a mental health lecturer at the University of York 

• Dr Mark Monaghan is a social policy lecturer at Loughborough University

• They say cannabis use is falling but more people are using strong strains

• The government producing marijuana would allow it to control its strength - taking it out of the hands of organised crime and reducing health risks

​It has been linked to schizophrenia and some say it is a gateway to harder drugs.

It's pretty safe to assume that if a man doesn't change after the age of 40, he's definitely not going to change by the age of 69. What you see is what you get.

And that's why Donald Trump will not be able to pivot to the center now that he is the presumptive Republican nominee. Trump's demeanor and personality might change for a night when the in-laws come to town, but over the course of their visit, he will eventually revert to his old ways.

There are plenty of misconceptions about cannabis laws in European countries. The Czech Republic is a striking example: most foreign visitors think cannabis is legal in this small country in the heart of Europe. But alas, it is not, at least not in the way most international media report. Here are the five biggest myths you should know before you set out on a trip to Prague.

Myth #1: You Can Smoke Cannabis in Public in the Czech Republic

Orlando leaders have voted in favor of decriminalizing small amounts of marijuana.

The City Council voted 4-3 for the measure Monday afternoon. The ordinance is set to take effect Oct. 1.

The change means anyone found with up to 20 grams of marijuana will face a civil infraction rather than a criminal one. Twenty grams of pot is about 30 to 40 joints.

Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer says the change shows understanding and mercy.

"What we're saying is to someone who has made a youthful mistake for the first time and they have no other background of any sort and are not associated with any crimes we're probably going to be able to give them a second chance," Dyer said.

Donald Trump has made his independence from Super PACs and political donors a big part of his presidential campaign, but he just earned the endorsement of an influential billionaire who could seriously impact his stance on a big issue for Millennials.

Rolland Gregg and his family have fought federal marijuana charges for more than three years, arguing that the roughly 70 marijuana plants investigators found on their Washington property were for their own medicinal use and fully complied with state law.

A federal jury last year convicted Gregg, his mother and his then-wife of growing 50 to 100 marijuana plants -- amounts their attorney said are in compliance with state medical marijuana law. With prison sentences looming, they have now turned to a recent act of Congress that they say should have stopped the U.S. Department of Justice from prosecuting them because they were doing what their state allowed. Marijuana is illegal under federal law, and the DOJ disagrees with Gregg's understanding of the new law.