Five weeks ago, Bill Shorten visited Cherie and Trevor Dell in their Sydney home to talk about how medicinal cannabis is helping their three-year-old daughter Abbey. 

The very next day, the police came knocking.

Abbey suffers from a rare genetic disorder known as CDKL5, which results in constant violent seizures.

They tried every legal medicine and treatment under the sun but found that nothing worked. Eventually, desperate to relieve Abbey's suffering, they turned to the underground suppliers that provide illegal medicinal cannabis oil to families in need across the country.

Before the cannabis treatments, Abbey suffered dozens of seizures every day, with some of them lasting 45 minutes.

COLORADO —  It’s been nearly two years since recreational pot was legalized in Colorado and the thriving pot industry has hit some hurdles in the form of potential dangers to consumers.

Pesticides that are illegal to use on marijuana plants in Colorado are being found in some recreational and medical pot products being marketed and sold to the public — leading to product recalls, plant quarantines and even a class-action lawsuit involving people who say they would not have inhaled the product had they known illegal pesticides were used on them.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s commitment toward major drug law reform is a welcome if belated recognition that when it comes to marijuana, Canada has been an emperor with no clothes for several years.

For two decades, Canada has been a major producer, consumer and exporter of marijuana. As in the rest of the Western world, research indicates that less than 20 per cent of the product is interdicted by law enforcement. This is nowhere what is needed to dissuade marijuana producers and distributors, large and small, from engaging in their activities. Prohibition increases the value of the commodity, and profits hit stratospheric levels unknown in legitimate business.

CONCORD, N.H. — A woman with late-stage lung cancer can seek to buy medical marijuana in Maine before dispensaries open in New Hampshire, a judge ruled Tuesday.

New Hampshire lawmakers approved the use of marijuana by people suffering from a limited number of diseases and medical conditions more than two years ago, but the first four dispensaries won’t open until next year. Linda Horan, 64, says she might be dead by then and sued the state in hopes of getting an identification card that would allow her to purchase marijuana in Maine instead.

Government-run weed stores are not necessary, reply marijuana advocates, after OPSEU boss suggests keeping it in state hands following legalization.

Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who is seeking the Democratic nomination for president, introduced a marijuana-related bill in early November that might hasten the proliferation of state laws on recreational pot.

This development could cause employers some concern about the continued efficacy of their drug usage and testing policies and also raise other, less critical questions. For example, will they decide to add more vending machines or restock the Funyuns and other munchies more frequently?

The bill introduced by Sanders would remove marijuana from Schedule I of the federal Controlled Substances Act. This change would, among other things, let states decide if they want to make pot use legal without worrying about violating federal law. 

Victoria residents are being asked to weigh in on the city’s proposed medical marijuana licensing regulations.

City councillors are waiting to hear from the new federal government about potentially legalizing and regulating the drug, but in the meantime they hope to hear from the public. 

Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps said she’s curious to see what the public will have to say. 

“I don’t know what the public sentiment on this topic is so that’s precisely why we’re doing public engagement to take the temperature of the community and respond accordingly, and at the same time, hopefully getting some direction from the federal government about what their plans are in the coming years,” she said. 

EUGENE, Ore. - A nonprofit trade organization based on philanthropy has reached out to help during the holiday - but had the offer turned down.

The group, "Women Leaders in Cannabis," says it's been denied several times.

The Eugene office of the Oregon Department of Human Services and two charities said "no" when the group wanted to donate turkey dinner baskets to clients in need.

But they finally found a group who said "yes".

KindTree Autism Rocks is a volunteer group that celebrates people in the autism community.

Of all the alarming things that inspectors of Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board might discover about a grow op, this one may top them all.

While inspecting the background of a grower in Sequim on November 20, 2014, inspectors discovered a complaint filed against the individual with the Clallam County Sheriff’s office. The owners of a rental property adjacent to the grow op allege that the grower had gotten all dressed up in his birthday suit and was “bending a metal fence post, squatting, and moving his body forward and backward,” in full view of a family of barbecuing vacationers. The sheriff’s report included a photo of said naked bearded man and noted that, according to the tenants, “the man appeared to be aware of the guests barbecuing on the deck.”

Vast majority of students support decriminalization of the drug.

If it were up to college students in Israel, policy on the regulation on Cannabis would be drastically different, at least according to the findings of a recent poll.

As it stands today, Israeli law doesn’t differentiate between “hard drugs” like Heroin and Cocaine, and drugs generally considered less dangerous, such as Cannabis. According to the poll carried out by the National Union of Israeli Students, 89% of students would like to see Israeli law changed to reflect this perception that differentiates between the two types of drugs.

The poll surveyed over 10,000 students at institutions across the country.