Natalie Daley takes her nightly dose of cannabis oil. She credits it for her weight gain, following chemotherapy after being diagnosed with terminal cancer two years ago.

A WORKSHOP on the benefits of medicinal cannabis could help people "come out" about their use of products like hemp oil, organiser Natalie Daley said.

It's long been held that marijuana use in its traditional form can lead to positive patient experiences, but confirming those personal testimonials in large, placebo-controlled studies has been tough to do.

The difficulty in proving that marijuana can successfully treat disease was hammered home last week when GW Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:GWPH) reported results from a schizophrenia trial that raises as many questions as it answers.

KEY agriculture sector names are lining up to back industrial hemp as a food crop, but advocates say access to the billion-dollar global industry is shrouded in bureaucracy.

Hemp fibre crops were legalised in NSW in 2008, but producers said the lack of legal approval for hemp seeds as food prevents the industry from gaining acceptance as a mainstream broadacre crop.

It was announced this week by the Nevada Athletic Commission that welterweight UFC fighter, Nick Diaz will be fined $165,000, and will be suspended for five years after testing positive for marijuana.

The government agency levied the ridiculous fine and multiple-year suspension, not because Diaz was cheating or using steroids, but because they found traces of a plant that grows out of the ground in his blood.

According to Sherdog.com:

The UFC welterweight failed just one of the three drug tests administered during a five-hour period on the night of the event. The two negative results came from the

MILDURA general practitioner Ravi Ravoori has welcomed the Victorian Government’s plans to legalise the use of medicinal cannabis in exceptional circumstances.

The state government is considering recommendations from the Victorian Law Reform Commission on how to change the law to allow this type of medical treatment to occur.

Dr Ravoori said the use of medicinal cannabis would benefit people with epilepsy, cancer and Parkinson’s disease.

The state government is partnering with the New South Wales government for Victorians to participate in clinical trials next year.

Medicinal cannabis is legal in Canada, Austria, the Netherlands, Israel, Spain, Italy and more than 20 states in the US.

KEY agriculture sector names are lining up to back industrial hemp as a food crop, but advocates say access to the billion-dollar global industry is shrouded in bureaucracy.

Hemp fibre crops were legalised in NSW in 2008, but producers said the lack of legal approval for hemp seeds as food prevents the industry from gaining acceptance as a mainstream broadacre crop.

NSW Agriculture Minister Niall Blair and his Labor counterpart Mick Veitch last week hailed the potential of hemp and the cash bonanza it could bring to the state.

Currently, eating and selling hemp seeds as food is illegal only in Australia and New Zealand, due to fears over interference with drug testing devices, as well as legal and treaty issues.

After being pushed to the edge, Laura Bryant has found a way to get her life back. Now she lives in fear of having it taken away again.

One in five Australians suffers from chronic pain. For many, conventional medication offers little relief.

This article is part of a series looking at the medical cannabis debate.

Part 1: Cannabis kids

Part2: The politics of pot

One woman's fight to honour her son's legacy has made her an icon of hope for thousands of suffering Australians

She had convinced 235,000 people to support her including doctors, business leaders and a state premier, but the two people Lucy Haslam most needed to convince still weren’t returning her calls, so she booked a plane ticket and headed for Canberra.

“Marijuana Use Most Rampant in Australia,” read a New York Times headline in January 2012. Cannabis – marijuana, weed, pot, hash; whichever other name you prefer – remains the most widely used illicit substance in Australia today by a big margin. Approximately 1.9 million Australians aged 14 years and over have used cannabis at least once during the past year; more than a quarter of a million smoke cannabis every day, according to data compiled by the National Cannabis Prevention and Information Centre (NCPIC).

Victoria is set to grow its own marijuana to help legally treat people with a range of serious medical conditions.

In an Australian first, the Andrews government is preparing to announce a cannabis "cultivation trial", potentially clearing the way for a state-based medicinal cannabis oil industry.

Premier Daniel Andrews promised before the November 2014 election to legalise cannabis oil for use in exceptional circumstances. Photo: Emma Morgan