A medical marijuana consultant in Massachusetts is facing charges after police say they found more than 60 marijuana plants at his home.

The Daily Hampshire Gazette reports 41-year-old Ezra Parzybok is scheduled to be arraigned next month on charges that include possession with the intent to distribute marijuana.

Court records indicate police found 67 marijuana plants, 59 jars of hash oil and $1,640 in cash in a September search of his Northampton home.

He has been a vocal medical marijuana advocate and talks openly about his business, which advises licensed medical marijuana patients about different strains of the drug.

An addiction psychiatrist has said smoking marijuana does not necessarily cause addiction to other drugs later in life, contradicting the common theory it is a 'gateway drug'.

Dr Kevin Hill, a director at McLean psychiatric hospital in Massachusetts and assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard University was answering questions about marijuana on Reddit, when he shared his opinion.

Boston sportscasting icon Bob Lobel is one of the hundreds of patients in Massachusetts who say they have found an effective substitute for opioids by using medicinal marijuana.

The 71-year-old longtime television reporter and anchor has dealt with chronic pain for years, the result of numerous surgeries: He’s had two knee replacements, two rotator cuff surgeries, four back surgeries and, in separate accidents, fractured the tops of both femurs.

“That was brutal,” Lobel told the Herald, referencing the femur breaks. The constant pain left him taking a variety of opioids.

The vast majority of medical-marijuana certificates in Massachusetts -- more than 90 percent -- were issued to patients who have not been diagnosed with one of the eight pre-qualifying conditions established under state law, according to new data from the Department of Public Health. 

Alaska

Qualifying conditions to become a medical marijuana patient in Alaska include:

• Cancer
• Glaucoma
• HIV/AIDS
• Cachexia (wasting syndrome)
• Nausea
• Muscle spasms
• Multiple sclerosis
• Pain
• Seizures

For a complete list of qualifying conditions and guidelines, please refer to Alaska’s application for medical marijuana registry

Arizona

Qualifying conditions to become a medical marijuana patient in Arizona include:

HEALTHY DEBATE: Some doctors, such as Dr. Uma Dhanabalan of Uplifting Health and Wellness in Natick see medical marijuana as a way to help opioid addicts kick their habit. But others, such as Dr. Anil Kumar of Advanced Pain Management Center are wary to downright skeptical of the theory.

Hundreds of opioid addicts are being treated with medical marijuana in Massachusetts, with advocates touting the new therapy as a life-changing alternative to a deadly epidemic — and facing down critics who contend they are peddling junk science.

Unless you’ve lived in the New England area in the 1980’s into the 2000’s, you probably are not familiar with the name of Bob Lobel. Back when local news and sports anchors made as much as high six to low seven figure salaries as ratings draws, Bob Lobel was a big name in Boston. As a sports anchor on WBZ-TV, he became one of the more popular personalities in the market.

As the 71 year old Lobel is no longer on television, he’s been dealing with chronic pain due to surgeries on his knees, back, rotator cuff, plus corrective procedures on his legs after a couple of accidents. Lobel said medical marijuana has helped him deal with the pain and led him to wean off over-the-counter medication.

Boston sportscasting icon Bob Lobel is one of the hundreds of patients in Massachusetts who say they have found an effective substitute for opioids by using medicinal marijuana.

The 71-year-old longtime television reporter and anchor has dealt with chronic pain for years, the result of numerous surgeries: He’s had two knee replacements, two rotator cuff surgeries, four back surgeries and, in separate accidents, fractured the tops of both femurs.

“That was brutal,” Lobel told the Herald, referencing the femur breaks. The constant pain left him taking a variety of opioids.

NORTHAMPTON, Mass. (WWLP) – Friday was the official grand opening ceremony for western Massachusetts’ first medical marijuana dispensary. Patients were able to walk in and legally buy marijuana. It’s something they say they’ve been waiting for, for a long time.

“This is the best day of my life,” said Mark Ceria of Holyoke. Mark is a local artist who is living with severe nerve pain in his legs. He’s confined to a wheelchair. “A little puff of maybe some pineapple skunk marijuana makes music sound better and my life a lot easier in a wheelchair.”

Ceria and nearly 200 others patients this week have gotten medical marijuana, legally, for the first time at the England Treatment Access Dispensary on Conz Street.

Social High, a cannabis-focused social media platform designed to connect the cannabis community by creating a safe and diverse environment where users can share their experiences, announces the official launch of its mobile application, now available for iOS users in the iTunes App Store.

Featuring a user experience unlike any other, Social High will offer cannabis users a platform to express their personal experiences through features such as: