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RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia lawmakers gave final approval Saturday to a bill that will legalize marijuana for adult recreational use, but not until 2024, when retail sales of the drug would also begin.

With a compromise bill clearing the House and Senate, Virginia becomes the first Southern state to vote to legalize marijuana, joining 15 other states and the District of Columbia. The legislation now goes to Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam, who supports legalization.

The bill was a top priority for Democrats, who framed legalization as a necessary step to end the disparate treatment of people of color under current marijuana laws. But talks between Democrats in the House and Senate grew tense in recent days, and a compromise version of the massive bill did not emerge publicly until late Saturday afternoon.

France’s Court of Cassation ruled that Kobili Traoré would not be charged in the death of an Orthodox Jewish woman named Sarah Halimi. Halimi died in 2017 after Traoré, who was her neighbour, allegedly beat and pushed her out of the window of her Paris apartment while praying and shouting.
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“All the bones in her face had been broken, mandible, maxilla, frontal bone, nasal bones, and zygoma, some by a hard object, maybe a hammer, and her body had been punctured 22 times.

For decades, Thailand was at the forefront of the war on drugs.

Known for flooding the world with drugs from the Golden Triangle, Thailand's laws became so tough, the country now tops the list in Asia for the rate of incarceration.

But recently, the military-led government shocked the world by announcing plans to legalise medical marijuana, or cannabis.

Supporters promise a plant that could alleviate poverty and even cure cancer.

As the new law takes effect, 101 East investigates how many of these promises are hype and how many are politics.

Banks (not his real name) earns tens of thousands of euros every month distributing weed to dealers in a small town in central Germany. But he wants to stop, because he says his product has become poison.

The weed he sells is so laced with synthetic cannabinoids that it has become a new drug entirely: something extremely potent, addictive – and possibly lethal.

So marijuana is good...?

    A case study links daily use of cannabidiol (CBD) oil with lung cancer regression in a woman in her 80s who refused conventional treatment.
    Researchers cannot definitively confirm that CBD oil caused tumor reduction.

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    More research is necessary to define the mechanism of action, effects on different types of cancer, adverse reactions, and optimal dosage and routes of administration.

Cannabinoids are chemical compounds presentTrusted Source in the Cannabis sativa (C. sativa) plant. Some people use cannabis therapeutically to treat seizures, pain, inflammation, spasms, and anxiety.

CBD and delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) are the two major cannabinoids present in the cannabis plant. However, CBD does not produce a euphoric feeling, or “high,” that people associate with cannabis use.

CBD oil is a concentrated extract derived from cannabis leaves or flowers dissolved in a consumable oil, such as olive, hemp, or sunflower oil. There are different types of CBD oil containing various concentrations of cannabinoids.

CBD isolates contain CBD alone. Full-spectrum CBD products contain compounds from all parts of the C. sativa plant, with less than 0.3% THC.

Broad-spectrum CBD products include most of the same compounds as full-spectrum ones but only trace amounts of THC.

Full- and broad-spectrum products may produce greater clinical effects than CBD isolates due to the entourage effect — the combination of cannabinoids has a more pronounced impact than individual ones.

Cannabinoids interact with the body’s internal cannabinoid system, which experts call endocannabinoid system. This system modulates:

    nerve function
    appetite
    metabolism
    pain
    emotions
    inflammation
    immune response
    sleep

Currently, some people with cancer may use cannabinoids for supportive care to treat pain and chemotherapy-related nausea and vomiting.
Progressive tumor reduction

Doctors in the United Kingdom recently published an article in the journal BMJ Case Reports. The case report describes a woman in her 80s with lung cancer who experienced tumor regression while taking CBD oil.

She also has a history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, high blood pressure, and osteoarthritis and received medications to treat these conditions.

The woman reported smoking just over a pack of cigarettes per week, or 68 packs per year, before and after diagnosis. In June and July 2018, doctors examined the woman, which included a CT scan, a PET scan, an MRI scan, and a biopsy, to stage and confirm the diagnosis.

The doctors reached a diagnosis of stage IIBTrusted Source non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The initial CT scan showed a 41-millimeter (mm), or 1.6-inch (in), nodule in the middle lobeTrusted Source of the woman’s right lung.

Testing revealed no lymph node involvement or metastases, which is when cancer spreads to other parts of the body. For this reason, the doctors recommended curative treatment.

Treatment for NSCLC may include surgery, radiofrequency ablationTrusted Source, chemotherapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy.

The doctors repeated the chest CT scan in September 2018, which showed a reduction of the right middle lobe cancer to 33 mm (1.3 in), and two new nodules in the left apex and right upper lobe.

The woman declined surgical removal of the lobe due to the risks of surgery. She also declined treatment with radiofrequency ablation because of the side effects that her late husband had experienced from radiation therapy.

The doctors decided to monitor the patient, conducting CT scans every 3–6 months. During the 2.5-year follow-up period, CT scans showed a progressive decrease of the initial right middle lobe nodule from 41 mm (1.6 in) in June 2018 to 10 mm (0.4 in) in February 2021.

At this time, the woman revealed she started taking CBD oil at a dose of 0.5 milliliters orally three times daily, and occasionally twice daily, shortly after her diagnosis.

The active ingredients specified by the supplier were THC (19.5%), CBD (20.05%), and tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (23.8%).

Upon the supplier’s advice, the woman did not take the CBD oil with hot food or drinks, because she wanted to avoid “feeling stoned.” She reported decreased appetite while taking CBD oil.

The woman did not change her diet, lifestyle, or prescribed medications during this time. She also reported continuing to smoke one pack of cigarettes per week during the surveillance period.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta follows several families who have seen the miraculous benefits of marijuana when used on their children struggling with autism. CNN's special report "WEED 6: Marijuana and Autism" airs on Sunday, December 19th at 8pm ET. #CNN #News