You may imagine that with its liberal laws and Amsterdam’s cannabis coffee shops, the Netherlands would top a poll of cannabis use. But a series of maps has revealed that in fact Iceland smokes the most weed - with the Netherlands not even making the top five. The US tops the chart for prescription drug abuse as well as cocaine, while Norway consumes the most alcohol.

We have been led to believe that marijuana is a dangerous and addictive drug that destroys lives and is a far greater risk than other recreational drugs such as alcohol. Governments have tried diligently to to convince the public that people who use pot are more at risk to themselves and the public than those who use alcohol. As the debate over marijuana legalization continues, a new study now shows that smoking the controversial plant is about 114 times safer than drinking alcohol.

Every species within the animal kingdom, contains the Endocannabinoid System (ECS), except for insects.

The ECS was named after cannabinoids, which are found abundantly in cannabis as well produced naturally within the human body.

Research conducted on cannabinoids such as THC, CBD, CBG and CBC that are produced by cannabis lead to the discovery of the Endocannabinoid System (ECS).

“The Scientist” is a documentary that traces the story of Nobel prize nominee Dr Mechoulam from his early days......as a child of the Holocaust in Bulgaria, through his immigration to Israel, and his career as the chief investigator into the chemistry and biology of the world’s most misunderstood plant. Dr. Mechoulam ascertained that THC interacts with the largest receptor system in the human body, the endocannabinoid system (ECS). 
For further information please visit:
http://mechoulamthescientist.com/

The documentary is predominantly in English with hebrew subtitles, though it starts in Spanish

Three police forces have acknowledged that growing and using cannabis is no longer to be treated as a priority crime.

While cannabis remains a Class B drug in the UK, police chiefs including Durham’s Crime Commissioner Ron Hogg, say they will not actively pursue those growing or using leaves for personal, recreational use.

And Alan Charles, Derbyshire's PCC, told the Daily Mail: "When we are faced with significant budget cuts we cannot keep turning out to every single thing reported to us."

EMMA Litleton will conduct an international hunt to discover how medicinal cannabis can best treat seriously-ill children.

The Moonee Valley woman is among 23 Winston Churchill Memorial Trust recipients, which will enable her to head overseas to pursue her studies.

Ms Litleton, a senior solicitor, is a specialist in children’s law and said the prevalence of children being treated with cannabis oil had increased.

“There’s a lot of ethical issues with children, where we have to ensure that their best interests are met and that it is safe,” Ms Litleton said.

He said children given cannabis mainly had “serious epilepsy” and their parents had found conventional medication wasn’t working.

Marijuana decriminalization and legalization initiatives are not only sweeping through the U.S. — countries across the world are beginning to signal the green light for cannabis policy reform.

Here are 10 countries where lawmakers and public sentiment are changing the tide on cannabis policy.

1. Jamaica

Jamaica — home to the Rastafarian movement — recently joined the list of countries to decriminalize marijuana, and this year it will be hosting the World Cannabis Cup in Negril Nov. 12-15.

A VALENCIA woman's entire flat was flooded with marijuana buds and cut hash after her toilet backflowed because her upstairs neighbour had blocked the pipes throwing his illicit haul down the lavatory.

Gloria, who rents a home on the C/ Mediterráneo in the city, said the man living above her had kept a huge cannabis farm and police went round to inspect after the smell of the drug gave the culprit away.

He refused to open the door to officers, and instead threw buds from several hundred plants and nearly a kilo of hash down the toilet and flushed it away.

The 30-year-old man fled the property before the police got inside.

Recent work published by researchers in Barcelona has just uncovered more details about the neurochemical pathway that leads to marijuana’s psychoactive effects, specifically its effects on memory. Not only did they make a breakthrough in the neurochemistry of cannabis, they also designed a compound that was able to block THC’s effects on memory in mice.

These findings reveal how the cognitive effects of THC are triggered by a pathway which is separate from some of its other effects.

Scientists at the University of East Anglia in collaboration with the University Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona have found a way to separate the medical benefits of cannabis from its unwanted side effects.