In a draft bill, the health ministry recommends regulating the drug's cultivation and distribution by the state, German media reports

The use of the herb was hailed as a real success by German researchers in clinical trials of 30 patients suffering from Attention Deficiency hyperactivity Disorder.

All participants had previously tried conventional therapies but had become immune to them.

Under German law patients who are resistant to government-approved medications can apply to use medicinal cannabis.

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RESULT: Subjects reported "improved concentration and sleep and reduced impulsivity"

“improved concentration and sleep and reduced impulsivity”

Patients

Any way you look at it, dagga is medicine. Even if you smoke it just to get “high”, the South African weed won’t just alter your consciousness.

It has a host of other powerful pharmacologic effects on body and mind, which make it medicine by definition.

Depending on which side of the legalisation or criminalisation fence you sit on, you’ll see those effects in a good or bad light.

“The dagga couple”, as the media have dubbed activists Julian Stobbs and Myrtle Clark, sit on the side of the fence bathed in the glow of a good light. They are part of an influential legalisation campaign in South Africa that has spread faster than the weed grows, and now includes medical doctors, psychologists, lawyers, and other interested parties.

Most people who run or work out regularly have experienced ‘runner’s high’.

It describes a feeling of euphoria after exercising, which is often combined with decreased anxiety and a higher tolerance to pain.

Now a new study has found it also provides a similar effect to smoking marijuana by triggering the brain’s cannabinoid receptors to relieve pain. 

The study, led by the University of Hamburg and the University of Heidelberg, studied cannabinoid receptors in mice after running.

Previous research has suggested that runner’s high is caused by raised levels of beta-endorphins, which triggers the same effects as morphine.

BERLIN - Germany's Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices rejected an application on Monday by a Berlin district to legalize the sale of hashish and marijuana.

Monika Herrmann, the major of the Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg district, had hoped to get approval for the sale of the drugs to registered adults in four shops in the district. But the institute nixed the proposal citing narcotics regulations banning the sale of the drugs except for very few medically justified cases.

The district has one month to appeal the decision.   

On Monday, the German pharmaceutical authority in Berlin put an end to plans that would have allowed for the creation of coffee shops similar to those in Amsterdam where customers can buy recreational marijuana. Although this is a setback for Germany’s cannabis industry, advocates expect to see federal reform in the near future.

The cannabis industry in Germany has made significant strides in 2015 and this trend should continue during 2016. Legal marijuana is gaining steam according to recent polls. In June, a poll found that 37% of respondents said they supported the legalization of cannabis. This represents an increase from last year (30% were in favor of legal cannabis).

Prohibition is not working

The German Hemp Association (DHV) advertised for the biggest alcohol party in the world for a relaxed handling of cannabis. The full-surface glued bike taxi carries the slogan "Stop Crime - Cannabis normal" and transports the mostly drunken passengers around the "Wiesn".

The association it is about mutual tolerance. Let "life and living that is our message. Just as peaceful beer lovers can celebrate drinking, so peaceful hemp friends should not be pursued by the police," said Georg Wurth, spokesman for the Hemp Association. "Bavaria is proud of its beer culture, but an extremely repressive state, when it comes to cannabis. This schizophrenia is particularly evident at the time of Oktoberfest."