Researchers from the University of Toronto report the discovery of the biological basis that may illuminate the observed connection between pain and anxiety. The study focused on the connections between neurons in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) region of the brain. Pain can become chronic as neurons become more efficient at transmitting pain signals via repeated use, a process called “long term potentiation” or LTP. Previous work in animal models of chronic pain demonstrated that LTP occurs in the ACC, and that inhibiting LTP reduces chronic pain. However, how LTP in the ACC differs in chronic pain and anxiety was not known, nor why the 2 would interact to result in more pain in anxiety sufferers, and more anxiety in pain sufferers.

 41-year-old man was arrested after an Ottawa police canine unit found him hiding in bushes near 172 marijuana plants by train tracks on Anderson Road early Thursday morning.

Acting Staff Sgt. Ian McDonell said maintenance workers called police after they discovered bags of soil near the railway at Anderson and Russell roads.

When officers arrived, they found a number of marijuana seedlings in a cooler and another 50 that had been recently planted.

The canine unit also responded to the call and found the suspect after they heard him shuffling in the bushes, McDonell said.

Duane Rostas, 41, was charged with possession for the purpose of trafficking and marijuana production. He was released from custody on a promise to appear in court on July 8.

The head of B.C.’s medical association says the federal government is failing Canada’s doctors by not providing meaningful guidelines on how to talk to their patients about medical marijuana prescriptions in the absence of reliable clinical studies.

Bill Cavers says doctors across Canada are being bombarded with information on medical marijuana by the same companies producing the drug, a clear conflict of interest. Health Canada, which does not endorse medical marijuana’s use, should stop the practice, said Dr. Cavers, who wants an independent process to better educate medical professionals about the benefits and dangers of the drug.

In 1996, California became the first state to allow the medical use of marijuana. Since then, 22 other states and the District of Columbia have enacted similar laws. Hundreds of thousands of patients nationwide now regularly use medical marijuana, and you can be sure that more and more will ask about it.

Are there legal risks to physicians? After contacting national and regional malpractice insurance carriers, along with several state medical societies, we couldn't find a single instance of a physician being sued for malpractice over the negligent recommendation for medical marijuana.

A man now living in the Lower Mainland has been sentenced to a one-year conditional sentence for running a marijuana grow-op near Fraser Lake.

Crown prosecution had been seeking six months in jail for William Coady Daniels, 47, but provincial court Judge Randall Callan agreed with defence lawyer Fred Fatt that a conditional sentence was more appropriate.

Under a conditional sentence, the person serves the time at home while still being able to go to work, but also faces such conditions as a curfew and a prohibition against using alcohol.

Daniels was arrested in November 2011 when police seized 203 marijuana plants from a barn on his farm as well 11 baggies, each containing a half pound of marijuana ready to be sold.

A Saskatoon advocate for medical marijuana wants to clear the air.

Mark Hauk is with the Saskatchewan Compassion Club. They plan to open a facility in Saskatoon. Hauk said his organization prefers to help people navigate the current system for legally obtaining medical marijuana. But, he said that system often leaves people who have perscriptions unable to obtain the drug. 

Hauk cited a number of ways the system can let people down, including wait lists, unavailability of specific strains and minumum order size requirements that can make patients unable to afford their medicine. 

The first police seizure of marijuana candies in Sarnia got a man fined $800 in Sarnia court.

Vencel Ronald Petrany, 20, of Sarnia pleaded guilty Wednesday to the Jan. 8 possession of tetrahydrocannabinol for trafficking.

A police officer confronted Petrany who had been drifting – the controlled sliding of a vehicle – in a high school parking lot. The officer asked for Petrany's driver's licence. Petrany opened the centre console to get his licence and the officer saw a bag with numerous smaller bags inside that contained what appeared to be red candies.

Petrany said he had been given the candies and they might be the hallucinogenic stimulant ecstasy.

Tests showed the candies were tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active ingredient in marijuana.

By Greg Engel

Last year Canada garnered global headlines when it made an historic shift to a federally legal, commercial medical cannabis industry. As a result, today our country finds itself at the epicenter of one of the world's newest, fastest-growing and most complicated industries.

In the rush to establish new companies, produce consistent supply of quality products, and develop relationships with physicians and patients, the industry has failed to clearly articulate a common code of ethics that reflects a non-negotiable commitment to serving the best interests of patients. This omission compromises the integrity of our fledgling industry at a critical moment as we work to build long-term legitimacy and overcome decades of social stigma and misperceptions.

One of the most popular topics on the 2015 elections agenda is legalization and cannabis is by far the most widelyused illegal drug in the Canada. The interplay between potential legalization models and our current MMPR system isimportant because it will probably shape the direction legalization takes in Canada. Our federal system is unique globally and over one year later, has some important big name interests vested within.