Canada’s municipalities are in a tough position when it comes to pot. Faced with a previous federal government that had no interest in legalizing marijuana or modifying its obtuse mail-order medical-marijuana program, Toronto and Vancouver have swiftly become home to more than 250 dispensaries that operate outside the law, with more than 100 now open in Ontario’s capital.

A London scientist whose research on marijuana has also paved the way to a commercial enterprise has discovered that when it comes to schizophrenia, the use of pot can be the best and worst of times.

It turns out that though one of the major chemicals in marijuana is linked to psychosis, another may serve as an effective treatment, said Steven Laviolette, an associate professor at Western University’s Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry.

“Within the same plant, you’ve got two different chemicals that are producing opposite effects,” said Laviolette, whose study was published in the journal Neuroscience.

The latest report from the federal auditor general urges Veterans Affairs to get a grip on its medical marijuana program for injured ex-soldiers, which is expected to cost taxpayers a startling $25 million this year.

Michael Ferguson says it's just one of the programs where the federal government has critical data available to it that's either not usable, not used or not acted upon at all.

The report tabled Tuesday in the House of Commons also looked at the dire condition of the army reserves, the federal government's inability to detect and prevent refugee fraud and the uncertain impact of the former Conservative government's $400-million venture capital action plan.

But with medical marijuana for veterans, Ferguson paints a picture of program out of control.

The future of medical cannabis is an altogether complicated and exciting conversation and the outlook includes both plants and pills.

The future of medical cannabis research is an altogether complicated and exciting conversation. Will plants continue to rule the day? Are isolated molecules the best means of treating particular diseases? Do synthetic cannabinoid drugs hold the answer to efficacy and standardization? At this juncture, only one thing is certain: the outlook includes both plants and pills. 

New polling data shows that just over half of Ontario voters now prefer a pharmacy or dispensary distribution system for recreational marijuana over the LCBO. This shows a decline in support for both dispensaries and the LCBO. Opposition to the LCBO at 54% opposed is higher than both dispensaries (34%) and pharmacies (40%).

Support for legalized marijuana remains high in Ontario, a new poll released by Forum Research finds.

The poll, which surveyed 1157 Ontario voters, found that nearly 60 per cent are in favour of legalizing pot in the country, a number which has remained steady over the past few months, Forum says.

Only 36 per cent of respondents said they do not approve of legalization and seven per cent claim to have no opinion on the subject.

“These findings confirm not only the steadfastness of support for legal weed, but also validate our polling, in that findings have not statistically varied in the four months between these two waves of tracking," said Lorne Bozinoff , president of Forum Research.

The City of Victoria is considering rules for its illegal cannabis dispensaries that would be more permissive than Vancouver’s landmark bylaw, permitting the sale of controversial “edibles” and allowing pot shops to be located closer to schools.

Medical marijuana advocates in the provincial capital praised the draft rules for the city’s 32 existing dispensaries, which will be voted on by council later this week. The new proposal comes as officials in Vancouver began cracking down on dispensaries, handing out tickets to nearly two dozen shops over the weekend.

Cannabis legalization challenges a lot of the norms we have held to be true. It has been considered an illegal drug for decades and hasn't been allowed in the workplace.

Legalization of medical cannabis has been the first challenge for employers and legal recreational use brings up many more questions.

The thing that's unique about cannabis is it has both medical and recreational uses. This means there have to be two sets of rules in the workplace – accommodating medical use and restricting recreational usage.

We have established in past articles that employers have a duty to accommodate medical cannabis in the workplace when a patient has a valid prescription.

Recreational consumers will have different rules than medical ones

The process of legalizing pot for recreational use isn't expected to start until next year, but medical marijuana is already a hit in Calgary.

A local clinic that works exclusively in cannabis has about 5,500 patients.

"I do this because I believe that cannabis is a safer alternative to many of the medications that I have prescribed over the course of my career," said Dr. Stephanie Mason, the medical doctor at Natural Health Services. 

Mason, a psychiatrist with 30 years of experience, made the full-time switch to the world of medical marijuana last fall. 

Who are the patients?

Motivated by love and desperation, an area mother is fighting an uphill battle to treat her daughter’s chronic illness with a special cannabis oil.

The establishment, predictably, is against her: the doctors aren’t keen; the child-welfare authorities aren’t amused; her ex-husband, the child’s father, called the cops.

Still, she soldiers on, with the dedication a mother feels deepest, determined to alleviate her child’s chronic respiratory condition.

“I’m trying my damndest to help my daughter and to fight for other parents who just want to help their kids,” she told the Citizen. “Nothing else has ever worked.”