Thousands of Britons suffer from chronic conditions but face breaking the law to get treated. That must change

Imagine being in constant pain, so much so that you can’t work, you can’t walk around town, you can’t lift things, you can’t even find a restful position to sleep in. Imagine that every medicine your doctor prescribes to you is either too weak to make a difference or comes with crippling side effects. 

Now imagine knowing there is a medicine available that can ease your pain, allow you to work, move around relatively comfortably and help you sleep through the night. But there’s one downside: it’s illegal. 

What do you do? Do you live with the agony and fatigue or break the law? 

An expectedly low turn out for the proposal of amendments to a bill that advances prohibitionist drug policies – one that seems like a step backwards when compared to the progress being made around the world. While many countries are realising they need evidence-based, harm reducing policies and are relaxing their drug laws, the United Kingdom’s policy makers seem wary of making similar steps.

(Source: parliament.tv)

A South Tyneside landlord leader says property owners are fighting a losing battle to combat tenants setting up cannabis farms – after being locked out by criminal gangs.

Private landlord Colin Campbell, who is chairman of the borough’s Landlords Association, has revealed the trail of destruction caused by drug operations after a huge cannabis haul was uncovered during a police raid in Dean Road, South Shields, this week.

The cannabis farm which was found in Dean Road, South Shields, this week.

Police found a 275-plant cannabis farm with an estimated street value of £150,000 in a flat, with a tunnel dug from an empty charity shop next door linking the two premises.

A new study from the University of Cambridge reveals that e-cigarettes that are bubble gum or chocolate flavored attract children into trying and buying them. The vapor sticks are now the most widely used nicotine product for children in countries with strict tobacco control policies.

The Use of E-cigarettes by High Schoolers Tripled Between 2013 and 2014

The exact figures declare that the rate of high schoolers using e-cigarettes in the United States went up from 4.5% to over 13%. Middle school students using e-cigarettes using e-cigarettes went up from 1% to 4%. In England, use of these sticks in people between the ages of 11-18 went from 5% to 8%.

The majority of Americans support the legalization of marijuana, according to the latest poll.

The percentage of Americans who support marijuana legalization rose four points to 52 percent from when YouGov last asked the same question back in March 2015.

More than half of adults under the age of 65 support legalization but there is still strong opposition from those aged 65 and over. Democrats were overwhelmingly in favor of a more relaxed position on cannabis, with 66 percent supporting an end to prohibition.

If a 29-year-old man, alleged to part of a gang bringing large amounts of cannabis into the country, was released on bail police believed they may never see him again, Craigavon Magistrates court heard last Friday.

A detective said this during a bail application on behalf of Cao Jiahuan, Clonavon Avenue, Portadown.

The defendant faces charges of illegal entry to the United Kingdom and aiding and abetting the illegal importation of cannabis on October 12 last year.

Jiahuan appeared in court by way of videolink from Maghaberry prison.

Opposing bail the detective said the case involved the interception of £300,000 worth of herbal cannabis which was on its way from Spain to Portadown.

Most of us know that marijuana, or cannabis, is a widely used recreational drug that's currently more illegal than legal in the U.S., and that it has a lot of support for medicinal purposes. Many of us hold strong opinions on marijuana, too -- about whether or not it should be more widely legalized. Despite all of that, though, there's much more to know about marijuana, including some surprising information.

Here are 11 interesting things to know about marijuana:

1. About 44% of Americans have tried marijuana, according to a 2015 Gallup poll. The percentage has grown steadily since Gallup first asked the question in 1969.

2. Fully 11% of Americans (more than 1 in 10) reported to Gallup in 2015 that they currently smoke marijuana.

Not a smart move? Nutmeg, church incense and some so-called smart drugs have been proposed as exceptions to a new drug law that will be debated by UK Members of Parliament on 20 January.

The Psychoactive Substances Bill is intended to ban legal highs – chemicals designed to mimic the effects of illegal drugs such as ecstasy and cannabis. They are usually sold online or in high-street stores called head shops.

No difference found in negotiating obstacle course when clean or after three joints, say researchers

A new study says that smoking a joint - or three - of cannabis does not affect the ability of regular users of the drug to ride a bicycle.

Led by Dr Benno Hartung of the University Clinic in Düsseldorf, researchers had the 14 participants in the study – 12 men and two women – ride around an obstacle course.

Each undertook a number of rides on the course, the first sober, the others after smoking one, two or three joints, reports the Smell the Truth blog on the San Francisco Chronicle's SF Gate website.