Why do we all salivate and desire flavour when smoking cannabis? Are ‘the munchies’ caused by the substance or does our body need the extra energy?… obviously not. A team of European neuroscientists led by Giovanni Marsicano from the University of Bordeaux found that, in mice, THC fits into receptors in the brain’s olfactory bulb, significantly increasing the animals’ ability to smell food and leading them to eat more of it.

Spare a thought for Bert Trautmann, a goalkeeper who suffered two cracked vertebrae in his neck while playing for Manchester City in the 1956 FA Cup final. “He played on for the last 15 minutes and made saves that won them the game,” says Prof David Finn. No subs were allowed back then.

Will the United Kingdom follow the US example and reform its cannabis laws?

Large amounts of cash have been seized as part of the police probe into the supply of skunk cannabis.

She was detained in the Birmingham area after organised crime officers searched a number of properties and has been brought to Northern Ireland for questioning.

Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) Detective Inspector Andy Dunlop, who is leading the investigation, said: "I believe this is a significant arrest and this investigation is making substantial progress."

More than £2 million of cannabis and large amounts of cash have been seized as part of the police probe.

Thirteen people have been arrested, eight of whom have been charged.

The PSNI has been working alongside Italian police and the National Crime Agency.

A controversial pro-cannabis festival will return to the UK as part of a worldwide series of events campaigning for the legalization of marijuana.

Hundreds of people are expected to attend the ‘420’ event in London’s Hyde Park this weekend. A similar event will be held at Manchester's Platt Fields Park.

Now held annually, around 10,000 people attended the London festival last year, where participants openly smoked cannabis, according to the event’s organizers.

The two-day event’s Facebook page reads: “Get all your friends to come along – lets show the Gov that we WANT LEGAL CANNABIS [sic].”

The significance of anxiety as a genuine ailment does not resonate with the entire population. However, to those who experience the unpleasant inner turmoil that accompanies anticipation, anxiety can be a constant struggle.

 It's high time medicinal cannabis was worthy of political debate

Expect something different in the way of party political broadcasts shortly. You can look forward to a few minutes of people talking about why they are taking cannabis, not flags, parades, or corporation tax. It won't be to everyone's taste, but the BBC has confirmed it will take place soon.

We are the one region of the UK where the CISTA party (Cannabis is Safer than Alcohol) qualifies for a party political broadcast and I've had a sneak preview of the script.

Preston mum Sybil Lucas-Brewer claims cannabis is the only thing that has helped her battle a multitude of illnesses.

In the first part of a series looking at the drug and whether it has genuine medical benefits, Sybil tells Investigative Reporter Aasma Day about her experiences.

“We can grow parsley and fennel, so why can’t we grow cannabis?” These defiant words from Sybil Lucas-Brewer sum up the logic held by many people who use cannabis for medical purposes and firmly believe in marijuana’s healing powers.

Sybil, 60, of Lea, Preston, is adamant she owes her life to cannabis after doctors told her she wouldn’t live past the age of 45.

(Reuters) - London, center of the $5-trillion-a-day global currency market, now wants to be home to a controversial upstart - bitcoin.

British authorities have come out in support of digital currencies in the name of promoting financial innovation, while proposing that regulations should be drawn up to prevent their use in crime.

But it is technophiles who are leading the drive to make London a real-world hub for trade in web-based "cryptocurrencies", of which bitcoin is the original and still most popular.

Last week I hosted an open debate about substance misuse. It proved so popular we spent the evening adding chairs at the back of the room. In the midst of an election focused on austerity, inequality and our housing crisis, why is it that so many people still feel so strongly about drugs?

The panel and I agreed that: