June 12, 2013  |  The states -- and public opinion --  are clearly way ahead of the federal government when it comes to marijuana policy. Nonetheless, the feds insist on shoving their ‘weed is the devil’s lettuce’ propaganda down all of our throats, sometimes with guns and raids. Yesterday, they sent their weed warriors to Los Angeles County, where they busted in and raided 103 (LEGAL) medical marijuana dispensaries

"Out of the 103 storefronts targeted today, federal authorities sent warning letters to 28 stores in Long Beach, 71 in Los Angeles, and four in the Antelope Valley," the U.S. attorney said in a statement. "Two of the stores in Long Beach are housed in buildings that are the subject of asset forfeiture lawsuits that were filed today in United States District Court."

Six-year-old Charlotte Figi, a picture of precious in her "Gatsby"-style bob and blue toenails, stands patiently as her mother reaches up her dress to change her out of her soiled Pull-Ups. - Charlotte never says a word. She hasn't in the past hour, and won't for at least another 30 minutes, when she finally whispers the name of a visitor who is about to leave.

In the Figi household, these are signs of progress: Charlotte saying something. Charlotte eating and drinking. Charlotte standing and walking.

Some Winnipeggers are angered by new federal rules that will prevent them from growing their own medical marijuana.

The new rules say government grown pot won't be an option either.

Instead, patients will be required to mail order their marijuana from licensed growers.

A California M.D. says it’s time to repeal marijuana-prohibition laws. ‘At long last and practically against my will, I am doing the right thing,’ writes Daniela Drake.

I hadn’t written a pot prescription in over a year, so I was furious when I was subpoenaed again in 2010, I think. This time, a patient had been caught growing marijuana and had somehow managed to get in trouble with the law. As his physician, I was being called to support the patient’s claim that he needed weed.

Preclinical study data published online in the scientific journal Nutrition & Diabetes reports that tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV) — a naturally occurring analogue of THC — possesses positive metabolic effects in animal models of obesity.

British researchers assessed the effects of THCV administration on dietary-induced and genetically modified obese mice. Authors reported that although THCV administration did not significantly affect food intake or body weight gain in any of the models, it did produce several metabolically beneficial effects, including reduced glucose intolerance, improved glucose tolerance, improved liver triglyceride levels, and increased insulin sensitivity.