Will medical marijuana prove to be a miracle treatment for people with multiple sclerosis (MS)?

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society says there are uncertainties about how effective marijuana is in relieving MS symptoms. But the organization supports the right of patients to work with healthcare providers to access medical marijuana where legal.

Supporters of medicinal marijuana are more forceful in their advocacy.

Looking to spend some time in Europe, enjoy its rich history, and sample some quality cannabis while you’re at it? The Czech Republic and its stunning capital of Prague is one of your best bets.

Prague: The good and the bad

Cannabis is incredibly popular in Czechia, and in Prague it’s a familiar aroma as you explore the city streets. The upshot? The capital’s busiest intersections and tourist spots are occupied by suspicious-looking dealers. While strolling through Wenceslas Square, the city’s largest and most famous plaza, you hear the question Want some weed or hash? almost constantly.

“When I examined it thoroughly at home, I realized I had bought hash mixed with asphalt.”

Going mainstream

Marijuana, the most commonly used illegal drug in America, is going mainstream. Now legal for recreational use in Colorado and Washington, pot seems poised for wider use, too: 21 states allow the possession and use of marijuana for medicinal purposes, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. And legalization campaigns are underway in Oregon, California and even Alaska.

But just how much do you know about the wacky weed and its odd effects? How exactly does marijuana provide its high, and who discovered the effects of smoking the plant in the first place? Read on for some of the stranger facts about cannabis consumption.

To understand what hashish is means to realize the duality that exists with the female cannabis Sativa plant. First, there is the physical structure of the plant itself, which is this rich fibrous leafy material complete with essential amino acids and a myriad of benefits. Second, you have the essence of the cannabis plant, otherwise known as trichomes, which are responsible for producing the aromatic terpenes and medicinal cannabinoids that facilitate our therapeutic experiences.

I can recall a time when it was a rarity to hear or read about a news story about cannabis. For almost two decades I kept a database of every cannabis related news story that I came across. I could never keep up with the torrent of pot news coming out now. 

As someone who was a child in the 1960’s and a counter-culture teenager in the 70s, I recall the intense stigma and controversy that the herb had attached to it. 

Proposed law would raise legal limits and lower fines.

Many motorists punished for driving under the influence of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) – the active ingredient in cannabis – complain that the effect of the drug had long worn off. THC can be detected in the bloodstream for three months after the intake of cannabis.

And now a new bill prepared for Parliament by the Transport and Construction Ministry will seek to address this by lessening the penalties handed out to drivers with small traces of THC.

The new proposal would reduce the penalties for operating a vehicle with less than 0.003 mg of THC in the blood to a clip on the driver’s licence and a half month’s salary in fines.

An organic gardening company in Switzerland has managed to make high-CBD cannabis flower available to consumers by capping the THC content and registering the product with regulators as a tobacco substitute. The Fedora strain, cultivated by northern Swiss grower Bio Can, is advertised at 7.2 percent CBD and just 0.04 percent THC, which reportedly allows the buds to adhere to both the Swiss Narcotics Act as well as existing food laws.

Hemp beer is becoming increasingly popular in Europe. More and more supermarkets and wine shops in Germany and the Czech Republic, in particular, stock hemp beer which is no big surprise as these are two well-known beer loving countries. However, is that the only reason that the popularity of hemp beer is on the rise there?

After all, cannabis and alcohol share a turbulent relationship. Research shows that alcohol increases the concentration of THC in the bloodstream and as such, many people feel that booze and cannabis is an unpredictable combination that often goes south.

NAN MACKENZIE meets a respectable grandma who smokes a joint every night before bed and calls for the legalisation of medical marijuana and the decriminalising of cannabis use.

Billionaire and tech entrepreneur tells New West summit attendees marijuana should be decriminalized worldwide.

Renowned billionaire and tech entrepreneur Richard Branson told a room full of cannabis advocates he was simply in the mood to "take a spliff or two," and much of the world is ready to legally take some tokes, too.

"Why not?" the Virgin Group founder asked a crowd of about 1,000 people Saturday during the second annual New West Summit conference, "The Future of Cannabis, Now," in downtown San Francisco.