Cannabis

Marijuana for medicinal use is now permitted to be grown at home in Argentina following a decree issued by President Alberto Fernández. In addition pharmacies will be allowed to sell cannabis-derived oils, creams and other products, and it orders public and private insurance systems to cover these medications for patients who obtain a prescription.

Arizona, New Jersey, South Dakota and Montana all passed legislation Tuesday permitting the possession of marijuana by adults, which means 15 states have legalized recreational weed or voted to legalize it.

The University of Newcastle and Hunter Medical Research Insitute in Australia have tested a modified strain of cannabis for its abilities to kill or inhibit cancer cells.

Dr Matt Dun researched for three years on the potential treatment of cancer with cannabis containing high levels of cannabidiol (CBD), the non-psychoactive component of the plant. The research was in collaboration with the Australian biotech company ANTG (Australian Natural Therapeutics Group).

Dr Dun has states that they "initially used leukaemia cells and were surprised by how sensitive they were" while the substance speared normal bone marrow cells and healthy white blood cells.

Comparing THC and CBD strains Dr Dun stated that "the CBD variety looks to have greater efficacy, low toxicity and fewer side-effects, which potentially makes it an ideal complementary therapy to combine with other anti-cancer compounds".

The city of Los Angeles writes in their guidelines that "cannabis dispensaries, or any related and/or ancillary healthcare services" are still allowed to open during the coronavirus lockdown and forced closure of businesses.