Be aware: scammers offering cannabis oil are ripping off cancer patients.

We have become aware that scammers are tricking cancer patients and their families into handing over money for ‘cannabis oil’, yet receiving nothing in return.

At least one of these fraudsters is using the email address ukcancerresearchcentre @ gmail.com and claiming to be based at 407 St John Street, London, which is the address of our London office.

We believe this to be a scam. The email address given has nothing to do with Cancer Research UK or our employees. If you believe you have been a victim of this fraud, please contact the police.

The parallels between the injustices felt by the British during the Blitz and the persecution of cannabis smokers on 4/20 are plentiful, if a comparison is not too bold to propose. 

Acclaimed British author of Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell, wrote many pieces on the topics of war, oppression, poverty, social injustice and inequalities throughout his life. The most poignant example of his social commentary must be the opening of his essayEngland, Your England, which he penned whilst German bombers were flying overhead during the Blitz in 1941. 

Over the past week the UK's political parties have released their manifestos as the country moves toward its May 7 election. Below -- in alphabetical order -- is what each of the major parties had to say about what their drug policies would look like if elected.

Today is April 20, aka 4/20, the semi-official annual holiday for the marijuana industry and pot-enthusiasts around the world.

People flock to public celebrations across the country that, in some cases, attract crowds of thousands. Pot-related businesses also show off their products.

Noone seemed quite sure of the reason why this annual gathering in support of reform of the drug laws is called 420 day, but most of those present seemed pretty relaxed about it.

This included the police, who detained two people early in the afternoon but thereafter kept their presence low key, with a male and a female officer strolling past the stalls and temporary stage periodically in the sunshine.

Twenty years ago the attitude of the police would have been far less relaxed towards yesterday's (mon) gathering, which was part of World Cannabis Week.

This is pot's $3 billion banking problem The marijuana business is attracting a lot of interest from entrepreneurs, venture capitalists -- and consumers -- in states where pot is legal for recreational and/or medicinal use.

There are even dozens of publicly traded pot stocks. But should you buy any of them? Probably not ... unless you don't mind seeing your portfolio do a Cheech and Chong and go up in smoke. (Sorry.)

Many of the companies are trying to attract investors with goofy names and ticker symbols that make it obvious they're in the pot business.

If you walked through Hyde Park in London yesterday you might have noticed a strange smell…. and then had a sudden urge to eat some food and listen to Bob Marley.

That’s because hordes of stoners descended on the central London park to have a smoke and celebrate April 20 (or 4/20), the unofficial ‘cannabis day’.

However this isn’t just an excuse to get baked in the park – among of the thousands of smokers were many activists calling for the legalisation of cannabis.

SCOTLAND should pilot the medical use of cannabis and ecstasy, says a former government drugs adviser.

Professor David Nutt said the Scottish Government should legalise their use for pain relief and stress.

At the Edinburgh Science Festival, Prof Nutt said that the Scottish Government had a “pioneering” approach to “progressive” health policies.

Prof Nutt, of Imperial College London, was dismissed as a UK Government drugs adviser in 2009 for claiming alcohol is more dangerous than LSD, cannabis and ecstasy (MDMA). Recently, he called for LSD to be given to the terminally ill.

He also said the hallucinogenic drug could be used to coax people with conditions such as Obsessive Compulsive Disorder “back to thinking normally again”.

When someone says they are taking black market cannabis to help with health problems, Prof Philip Murphy likens it to “a bit like pouring yourself a glass of whisky for medicinal purposes”.

Prof Murphy, who is head of psychology at Edge Hill University, has worked professionally in drug misuse since 1984 and has carried out extensive research into how the misuse of cannabis and ecstasy impairs cognitive performance such as memory and its effect on mood disturbances. 

However, although he against the legalisation of cannabis and its use recreationally, he believes there is political confusion which has hampered it being used to produce beneficial medication.