A  new report finds that most dispensary employees have very little training when it comes to linking sick people with the right form of cannabis.  Based on the study, it appears that a meaningful number of dispensary staff are providing recommendations for cannabinoids that have either not been shown to be effective for a given condition, or could actually worsen a patient’s condition.  This study highlights the importance of consistent, evidence-based training of those providing specific recommendations of cannabis strains or cannabinoid concentrations for a given patient condition (e.g., physicians, nurses, dispensary staff).

Medical Marijuana in New York state
The state Department of Health on Dec. 1 decided to expand the allowable uses of medical marijuana to include chronic pain. Other qualifying conditions include cancer, HIV infections or AIDS, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, inflammatory bowel disease, neuropathies, spinal cord damage with intractable spasticity, and Huntington's disease.
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Nurse practitioners have been allowed to certify patients for medical marijuana therapies since Nov. 30 after they registered with the state and completed an online cannabis education course.

​As of Dec. 19 there were 790 medical professionals registered with the state program. The health department had 11,596 patients registered, also as of Dec. 19.

Hospitals are still waiting on guidance from the DOH for implementing policies that would allow for the use of medical cannabis while admitted.  The DOH said, "We are developing proposed regulatory amendments, that would make it easier for hospitals to create policies and procedures to allow certified patients to self-administer approved medical marijuana products."

With the upcoming changes coming into effect regarding limiting opioid painkiller prescriptions and encouraging suggestions to offer patients non-opiod alternatives...it looks like pharmaceutical manufacuters will be setting their sites abroad.  Here is a link to Mundiphara network... The Mundipharma network of independent associated companies has a proven track record of bringing pain innovations to market, successfully launching Palladon®, MST ®, Targin®, BuTrans® and OxyContin®. But we believe that for people living in pain, and for those treating and caring for them, the job is far from done. Collaborating with our partners, and the people who make treatment decisions, we are working to identify remaining unmet needs. By building on our heritage we can aspire to bring something different for people in pain.

the University of Colorado haS designed and built a mobile laboratory that will allow them to study the effects of dabs — doses of high-potency, concentrated cannabis — with a three-year, $839,500 grant from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
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Because CU receives federal funding and marijuana remains illegal under federal law, the researchers in CU's Institute of Cognitive Science can't handle cannabis or provide it to study participants. Though voters approved legalized marijuana in 2012, the researchers also can't be in the same room as their research subjects while they consume cannabis products.
But, in the name of science, the researchers came up with a workaround.
​http://www.timescall.com/weather/ci_30681595/cu-researchers-study-effects-dabs-839k-state-grant

A Winnipeg doctor has been censured after charging patients for authorization paperwork in order to get medical marijuana.  On Dec. 9, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba censured Dr. Roman Chubaty for charging patients between $200 and $300 to complete paperwork around medical marijuana, a violation of the college's standards and conduct.
Click here to read more

Substance abuse and public health experts took a joint look at differences between medical and nonmedical users of marijuana in America, where approximately one-half of states allow medicinal consumption. Using 2013–14 data from 96,100 adult respondents to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, the researchers found that 12.9% had used marijuana in the previous year. The vast majority, 90.2%, reported just recreational use, while the other 9.8% reported medical use—exclusively or in combination with recreational use. Medical-only users accounted for 6.2% and primarily lived in states that have legalized medical marijuana, but the practice also occurred in jurisdictions that have not. Marijuana users who cited both personal and medical reasons made up the smallest share of the past-year user population, at 3.6%. With few exceptions, prevalence trends were similar across all three groups; however, there were notable differences between medical-only and nonmedical-only use. Specifically, residence in a legalized state, disability, older age, initiation to marijuana use at an older age, Medicaid status, stroke diagnosis, anxiety order, frequent marijuana use, and poor self-rated health were all directly linked to exclusive medical use. These associations suggest that users are turning to medical marijuana for viable health reasons; however, similarities in correlates of medical and nonmedical users—like concomitant psychiatric conditions and other substance abuse—indicate that some users of medical marijuana are accessing it without medical need.

Journal of the American Medical Association (12/19/16) Compton, Wilson M.; Han, Beth; Hughes, Arthur; et al.
http://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2594399