More than 3300 cannabis plants worth more than $6.5 million have been seized in police raids on illegal crop sites in northern NSW, police say.

The plants were seized during a week-long operation in the Mid-North and Manning Lakes regions.

Police from the State Crime Command's Drug Squad joined the Police Air Wing, PolAir, and local officers in raiding illegal crop sites as part of the state Cannabis Eradication Program.

No arrests were reported.

For those of you familiar with the process of applying for a medical cannabis card, here in Illinois, you know that the biggest hurdle is finding a doctor willing to recommend. No prescribing here, heaven forbid...because, the doctors are fearful of losing their licenses or criminal reprisals or they are ignorant of its medicinal value or they think it is a joke or all of the above. Hey docs, no one is asking you to consume cannabis...just let your patients have access to it. So, when an article about an Australian doctor, Dr. Andrew Katelaris, who was willing to risk everything to provide cannabis oil to epileptic kids and adults, popped up on my FB newsfeed, I thought...we need a doctor like this in Illinois!

MEDICINAL cannabis could soon be growing alongside poppies in Tasmania under an agreement to be signed by the premiers of Tasmania and New South Wales today.

A Memorandum of Understanding to be signed by Premier Will Hodgman and his NSW counterpart Mike Baird will cover clinical trials, ­research and ­cultivation of cannabis for medicinal and scientific purposes.

The agreement is the next step towards giving Tasman­ians legal access to medicinal cannabis, after the State Government agreed to participate in NSW trials.

Mr Hodgman said the MOU was a significant step ­towards bringing long-awaited relief for Tasmanian families who relied on cannabis-based medicines.

An Australian company will grow medicinal cannabis on Christmas Island.

AusCann will begin planting trial crops of marijuana on the detention centre island ahead of its planned listing on the Australian Securities Exchange in early 2016.

Christmas Island is best known for its detention centre.

Cannabis remains an illegal substance in Australia, but the federal government has flagged introducing a bill next year to legalise growing the plants for their medicinal uses.

The distinction between illegal drugs and legal pursuits such as alcohol, gambling and cigarettes is irrational.

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How did we get into this bind about drugs?

Smoking cigarettes is enjoyed by a lot of people but it is very harmful to smokers and to others. We know we cannot eliminate smoking by making it a crime. So we reduce the harm by regulating sale and by other measures, such as public campaigns to persuade people to give up smoking, restrictions on advertising, treatment for addiction and so on.

‘WE will fight for Debbie’s legacy for the rest of our lives’, say the family of a pro-cannabis campaigner who died last week.

Tributes have been paid to the prominent North-East marijuana activist following her recent death from cancer.

Debbie Watkinson’s dying wish was to see cannabis legalised in a bid to allow others to manage debilitating conditions without risking prosecution.

As reported by The Northern Echo, the Teesside grandmother devoted the last months of her life to fighting for the legalisation of the class B drug.

Legislation to allow medicinal cannabis to be grown and manufactured in Victoria will be introduced into State Parliament today, and children with epilepsy are expected to be given first access.

The Andrews Government said during the 2014 election campaign that it wanted make cannabis legal and available to those with ill health in exceptional circumstances.

A report by the Victorian Law Reform Commission handed down in October advised the Government on how to prescribe and regulate the drug.

A new licensing scheme is to be established to regulate the cultivation of cannabis for medicinal or scientific purposes.

Minister for Health, Sussan Ley said that a single national scheme would oversee all regulatory aspects of the cultivation of medical cannabis.

Ms Ley said this would remove the need for States and Territories to implement legislation to set up individual cultivation schemes and would ensure laws were consistent for growers across the country.

She said the decision followed consultation with State and Territory Governments and law enforcement Agencies over the past month.

The legalisation of cannabis in Australia is pointless while all other drugs remain criminalised, a leading expert in drug policy believes.

“There’s absolutely no point in doing it just for cannabis and not doing it for everything else,” says Professor Alison Ritter of the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC), and a strong advocate for decriminalisation.

The Federal government had earlier in October revealed its plans to legalise the growing of cannabis for medical purposes by 2016. The announcement sparked a larger debate surrounding drug policy in Australia, including the benefits of decriminalising drugs.

Ritter believes that resistance to decriminalisation in Australia comes from a lack of understanding of what the term actually involves.

Police release footage of the seizure and destruction of 8,500 cannabis plants in New South Wales

Australian police seize and destroy a crop of cannabis, measuring the size of a football stadium, after discovering the plant growing in a secluded area off Bundjalung National Park in New South Wales.

Footage released by New South Wales Police shows how the haul, containing 8,500 plants worth around £4m, is incinerated.

The site where the crop was discovered had stock-proof fence surrounding it, with the area measuring 150m in length and 50m wide.

A police spokesperson said the discovery is one of the largest cannabis crop finds in recent time.