according to the latest National Drug Strategy Household Survey, an increasing number of women are smoking weed daily.

Of the 1.9 million Australians over 14 who have smoked cannabis in the past year, only 700,000 of them are women.

But women are now more likely to be daily smokers, with 14% of women smoking weed daily, compared to 12% of men.

Jan Copeland is the head of the National Cannabis Prevention and Information Centre at the University of New South Wales and says women tend to become addicted to cannabis more quickly than men.

"Estrogen seems to increase sensitivity to THC, the getting high part of cannabis, and because of that they crave to use it more often,"

Members of Americans for Safe Access (ASA), KOPAC and Dioscorides Global Holdings (DGH) were joined by the Minister of Health for the Czech Republic recently to announce the establishment of a new research center, the International Cannabis and Cannabinoid Institute (ICCI) – intended to foster evidence-based exploration with a modern scientific approach to refine the therapeutic applicability of cannabis-based medicines in the Czech Republic. ICCI will identify, coordinate and support global research priorities for the advancement of cannabis and cannabinoid treatments through a multidisciplinary evidence based approach that incorporates innovative tools and approaches.

A small number of children with drug-resistant epilepsy will soon be able to access a new cannabis-based drug in New South Wales which is showing promise in relieving the symptoms.

The pharmaceutical drug, Epidolex, is still in a trial phase and has not yet received full approval from authorities, but the Government has now set the date of March for a compassionate access scheme to begin.

Last year, the NSW Government approached the company that makes the drug, the UK's GW Pharmaceuticals, to see if trials could be arranged in NSW.

Pru Goward, the Minister for Medical Research, said the scheme was great news for families who had children with the condition.

Medicinal cannabis users are looking for rides to a protest site on the New South Wales north coast, claiming they are too fearful to drive themselves.

Supporters of the medical use of the drug believe they are vulnerable now police are doing frequent road-side saliva tests.

Lismore resident Ron Jones has been using medicinal cannabis for six years to help with chronic pain and emphysema.

He wants to meet with the Member for Lismore, Thomas George, to talk about legislative change for those using the drug for health issues.

"I rely totally on a car to get around and I just need to go and talk to Thomas George and find out more information on what I can do to survive," Mr Jones said.

Naomi* smokes a couple of bongs in the morning after her two-year-old son has been fed and clothed. Once he is asleep at night, she smokes about 20 more. 

The 29-year-old says she wakes up feeling fresh the next day. She pays her bills, sticks to a routine and never smokes in front of her son.

With cannabis, "everything is that little bit more pleasant," Naomi says. But without it, her body begins to shake and anxiety takes over. "I couldn't ever imagine anything worse than going without marijuana," she says.

A recent Australian study examines a large sample of patients with chronic pain who have been prescribed a treatment with opioids. The objectives include the analysis of the mode of simultaneous intake of cannabis and opioids, its effects on patients suffering from chronic pain and the relationships between demographic and clinical data.

The psychoactive constituent of marijuana, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), causes significant and persistent behavioral changes, according to researchers at Western University’s Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry. The study, published in the journal Cerebral Cortex, shows that the long-term impacts of THC in adolescence are similar to that of the symptoms of schizophrenia.

Sex shops want to legally sell marijuana, claiming it would help employ thousands of people, raise almost $1 billion a year in tax and cut crime rates.

The Eros Association says legalising cannabis for recreational use would kill the black market for Australia’s most popular illicit drug.

It has made the call in a submission to the so-called “nanny state” Senate inquiry investigating government regulation that impinges on personal freedom.

The association, which represents adult shop owners, said many members already provided products relating to “cannabis culture”, such as T-shirts and books, and believes “cannabis regulation is not a matter of if, but when”.

A lot of marijuana users claim that smoking makes them feel closer to nature and more inclined to spend time outdoors. In particular, biking while under the influence of cannabis (or "stoned cycling") has proved popular — leading researchers to question whether the physical activity carries added safety risks while high. The answer turns out to be a resounding "no," a new study found.

A couple and their five children rented an Airbnb home in Australia subject to “horrifying” drugs raid

A family was renting a home via Airbnb in Australia and preparing a Christmas barbecue when a team of ten police officers raided the property and uncovered an elaborate drugs operation in an “off-limits” room.

Dieter Winkler and his partner and five children were staying at a three-bedroom house on the Gold Coast in Queensland on December 27 when police wearing bulletproof vests kicked the door down and began an extensive search.