Approval for cannabis-based products for medicinal use will no longer require ministerial sign-off, under changes announced by the government.

Associate Health Minister Peter Dunne has delegated decision-making for the prescribing of all cannabis-based products to the Ministry of Health.

"When applications first began to be received it was my view that the final decision appropriately lay at ministerial level, rather than exposing officials to risk, given the complicated and contentious nature of the issue - that is to say the buck stopped with me", said Mr Dunne in a statement.

"I have approved every application that has come before me with a positive recommendation - within a matter of minutes once the application came across my desk."

GB Sciences is seeking a patent for marijuana-based mixtures capable of preventing and treating several inflammatory disorders, including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

The patent application involves using cannabinoid-containing complex mixtures (CCCM) to disrupt the signaling pathways of  immune cells that play a role in inflammatory diseases starting and continuing. It the second application for a life-sciences invention by GB Sciences’s subsidiary, Growblox Life Sciences.

By now you’ve probably heard of cannabidiol (CBD), an active ingredient in cannabis that, unlike the rest of the plant, is legal in the UK.

Some people who have suffered strokes, cancer, depression, anxiety and general aches and pains have reported positive effects after using CBD, and the NHS is reportedly doing research into the compound with plans to officially class it as a medicine.

Until that happens UK citizens are free to buy CBD in its various forms online, something I first did a few months back and have been grateful for ever since.

Here are some observations from taking CBD orally every day for three months to help combat anxiety and sleep issues.

1. Sleep was immediately improved

The first participant in a clinical trial designed to evaluate the effectiveness of smoking marijuana to treat PTSD in veterans was given cannabis on Monday, according to the organization conducting the study. 

The study is the first such trial to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of using marijuana to manage symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder in U.S. veterans, officials with the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies said in a releaseon Tuesday. 

Her long brown hair hangs over her face, her big brown eyes full of wonder, she has an ease about her which she’ll tell you doesn’t come easy.

At first glance, she doesn’t look like a mom of three. On most days, if it’s not the baby tugging on her leg, it’s her toddler but she’s learned to keep moving by wrapping the baby on her back, carrying the toddler and guiding her eldest.

The injection of modern technology into the developing world of cannabis and legal medical marijuana is helping the industry climb to new heights and increase engagement with consumers, especially when it comes to cannabis patients in the medical facet of the industry. The synergy created between modern technology and the explosive cannabis industry is allowing leaders in marijuana to leverage consumer technology engagement for companies such as Reliq Health Technologies Inc. (OTC: RQHTF) (TSX-V: RHT), Acology Inc. (OTC: ACOL), Cannabis Science, Inc. (OTC: CBIS), Lifestyle Delivery Systems Inc (OTC: LDSYF) and mCig, Inc., (OTC: MCIG)  

With multi-state legalization and expanding marijuana approvals, the substance is being actively explored for usage in medicines. An industry report predicts that the cannabis pharmaceutical sector could represent 10% of the overall specialty pharmaceutical market by 2020 and balloon to $20 billion.

Among more than 100 active cannabinoids found in cannabis, cannabidiol (CBD) is of primary interest, as its medical benefits appear promising without the severe side effects found in another cannabinoid called THC.

Here is a list of top innovative usages of the substance to treat various health conditions.

A fresh way to consume cannabis is gaining fans in California.

Pot-laced mints that contain as little as 2.5 milligrams of THC, the chemical compound in marijuana that makes users high, began cropping up on dispensary shelves last fall and are gaining favor among users who want to avoid smoking or over-dosing on edibles.

"People who quote-unquote 'don't smoke weed' will definitely eat a cannabis-infused mint," Jim Patterson, CEO of marijuana delivery service Eaze (also known as the "Uber for weed"), tells Business Insider.

Tyrone woman living in Los Angeles with son says she does not want to be criminalised.

A Co Tyrone woman whose son with epilepsy is being treated with medicinal cannabis in the US, has said she is unable to return to Ireland because the treatment is illegal here.

A rare fungal infection has killed a California man undergoing cancer treatment and it’s believed he got it from medical marijuana.

The treatment left the man’s immune system compromised, but his death still surprised doctors because he was relatively young and his cancer was beatable. He was using medical marijuana to fend off the treatment’s effects. After his death, testing of 20 medical marijuana samples from across the state found the vast majority were contaminated with dangerous bacteria and fungi.

“It started with a couple patients that were undergoing very intensive chemotherapy and a stem cell therapy, and those patients were very immune compromised,” explained Dr. Joseph Tuscano of the University of California, Davis Cancer Center.