Georgia’s medical marijuana program has now reached 25,000 registered patients. The milestone signals the expansion of clinics distributing the drug.

According to , hitting that number was crucial opening more clinics in Georgia. The state agency overseeing implementation of the program, the Georgia Access to Medical Cannabis Commission, can now approve expansion efforts.

With a transparent demand for medical marijuana, Georgia growers can provide their products to more eligible patients.

“Patient access continues to be our mission and goal,” said committee chairman Sid Johnson. “The reason for the commission’s existence is to expand Georgia’s medical marijuana program, specifically to provide services to patients.”

As a result, six manufacturing corporations licensed to supply medical marijuana and cannabis products now operate 13 dispensaries within the state. This move was also supported by listening sessions conducted at quite a few universities throughout Georgia.

“We heard from patients, caregivers, healthcare workers, veterans, researchers and students interested in or in need of medical marijuana,” Johnson said. “Their willingness to share personal stories and comments on improvements is invaluable to improving the program.”

This distribution has come a great distance since Georgia first legalized the drug’s medicinal use. Despite legalizing low-THC cannabis oil in 2015, Georgia lawmakers have didn’t pass laws allowing patients to acquire the drug.

Georgians had to depart the state to make a purchase order or risk purchasing cannabis oil illegally until 2019. The General Assembly then passed a brand new law establishing a process for licensing businesses to supply marijuana indoors. Under state regulations and supervision, they may sell the product to state-registered patients, but only on a physician’s order.

The variety of cannabis dispensaries will even proceed to grow. The law states that manufacturing corporations will receive an extra license to dispense the drug for each 10,000 patient increase. The news follows other advances in cannabis distribution in Georgia, comparable to the legalization of dispensary sales of low-dose THC products.

As medical marijuana use increases, Georgia expects to participate on this movement and increase the variety of patients and dispensaries within the state.

I’ve at all times had a sophisticated relationship with running. This sport was never something I claimed or particularly liked. My periods of being a “runner” got here in suits and starts; or waves in the event you prefer. I believe the pressure of being labeled a runner got to me. After all, if an individual is taken into account such, then she or he is anticipated to run consistently, for any distance (long enough to offer the impression of a “runner”), and to prove his or her abilities by signing up for one or two races every few years . Maybe even several times a 12 months. In other words, runners need to keep pace – pardon the pun. It’s not me.

But I used to be easily inspired.

If I feel the Spirit, I’ll let it move me. And that is what happened during the inauguration Every woman’s marathonwhich took place on November 16. I let the energy and enthusiasm of over 7,000 women take over and signed up for a forty five.2km race near Savannah, Georgia.

For a long time, running has excluded women and, implicitly, women of color. I used to be surprised (in the best way possible) to see all the Black runners, especially the members Black Girls Runin large quantities. Ultimately, it was seeing women – of various ages, sizes, races and skills – collecting their bibs at the marathon exhibition and feeling their enthusiasm – which was somewhat euphoric – that made me say:…

I registered for the marathon inside 24 hours of it starting. It was probably the stupidest decision I’ve ever made in my life. How did I do it, you ask? My nice friends at Team Milk helped me secure the bib; my task was to succeed in the finish line. But I used to be sure things would get somewhat dicey along the way.

The thing is, although I’ve run three marathons before, I didn’t prepare enough for the Every Woman’s Marathon. It was extremely dangerous. I have never been on a marathon training program, but I do exercise most days (a mix of strength training and cycling). Another essential point of this decision is that the race welcomes people at every stage of their running journey. In their first marathon race, each woman had greater than 40% of first-time marathon participants; it also included longer than average completion times (allowing for successful participation at slower paces). Otherwise, Savannah’s topography is fairly flat, with an overpass and highway uphill, but overall the route is not strenuous. The race passed through the city, including Taylor Square (named after Susie Baker King Taylorwho was the first African-American nurse during the Civil War), Forsyth Park and Savannah State University. Considering these various aspects, I felt empowered and assured in my decision.

I do know what 45.2 km appears like on the body. And running is a mental sport – the moment you choose not to offer up is the moment you have got already won. I told myself that in a worst-case scenario, I’d have the ability to powerwalk the race, but luckily my legs had the strength to run (then jog and even shuffle when tiredness set in) and didn’t stop. Once again, signing up for a marathon the day before a race without proper training is totally unwise, but I’m proud that I used to be capable of complete every woman’s marathon.

Running is a spiritual experience for me. On a deeper level, it’s proof of the power that lies inside each of us: the power of the soul. When the body is drained (or possibly even numb), the spirit of determination drives it forward. It is dynamic willpower that carries me to the finish line. That’s why I run. Over the course of the race weekend, I talked to several participants to know their… What motivates them to begin (and finish) a 26.2-mile race? While the energy and enthusiasm were tangible and motivating, what’s their deeper connection to running?

Alison Mariella Désir, 39, Seattle, WA

Desire by Alison Marielli is the queen of long-distance running, founding father of Harlem Run and rock star of Every Woman’s Marathon as one in all five weekend coaches. Désir, who has been in the long-distance running industry for over 10 years, knows firsthand that the space shouldn’t be focused on the needs and desires of marathon runners. “I feel like there is a push-pull trend in the industry right now, where there are still people in power and making decisions. Brand CEOs, the people who make money in this industry, are still overwhelmingly white and male,” he says. By becoming an Every Woman Marathon coach, Désir hopes to construct something that can raise the bar for expectations for future races.

“My hope for the future of running is exactly what we saw in this race. We, as captains and the rest of the team, made conscious choices about who we invited into this space.” Désir continues: “We need to know that when we enter this space, we will be welcomed. And that we will feel that our experiences are important.”

Désir has competed in races starting from 5 km (3.2 miles) to 50 km (31.1 miles) and longer. She ran in the Women’s Marathon, but decided not to complete the race.

As the mother of a preschooler, she has also transformed herself as a runner. “Before, running was very much part of my mental health toolkit and also kept me connected to my community. Since giving birth, mental health has played an important role in this more than anything else, as running is a chance for me to be alone. Alone with your thoughts.”

The activist claims that running helped her assert herself and accept her recent body. “My body is completely different than before. In the beginning, I compared myself to my old self,” she says. “Will I ever go back there? But as time went on, I asked myself, well, what can this body do?”

Joice Barnard, 67, Savannah, Georgia

Joice Barnard began running in highschool at the age of 15. She ran her first marathon, the Marine Corps Marathon, in the Nineteen Nineties. “I said it would be my last marathon,” she joked. “And here we are.”

Today, Barnard is 67 years old, and any woman’s marathon can be her first with a hip substitute (but her ninth overall).

What keeps a six-year-old alive? Barnard says running is an enormous a part of her life. “I’ve been doing this for over 50 years and I don’t have the answer,” he says. “It’s just all I do know. It’s like I’m respiratory, eating, running.”

The North Carolina native has some advice for older adults seeking to enter the world of running: “Be patient with yourself. Take your time and have fun with it and everything will fall into place. I also like to say you have to stay in good shape.”

Demitra Carter, 25, Portland, OR

Demitra Carter is a former Baylor University sprinter and marathon runner. “A marathon is not something you usually do,” says the 25-year-old. “I believe so 1% of individuals marathons are run throughout the world. Carter was motivated by this statistic and was able to be on this elite group.

“I even have at all times loved running. I began running after I was a baby,” she says. She was drawn to running since it is an accessible sport and anyone can do it.

“At first I didn’t like the idea of ​​running on a treadmill, because why are we running in circles? But then I won, and winning makes you should keep doing something.

She says that beyond the victories, running is in a way therapeutic for her. “Running solves problems, even if you don’t feel like running,” Carter notes. “Every time I finish, I always feel good about it, whether the start is hard or easy. But I always feel good after the fact.”

Kimberly Rodriguez, 36, Washington, DC

Kimberly Rodriguez launched Latinas Running in 2019. The community strives to uplift all runners, especially Latinas, with the intention of promoting diversity and body positivity. Rodriguez is a plus-size runner. He emphasizes that nobody in the group is left behind – he chooses community over pace.

“I at all times said I used to be a runner because I ran a 15-minute mile, a 16-minute mile, and just five years ago I completely quit. I’m a runner,” Rodriguez says.

“I struggled a lot with self-doubt, and running gave me confidence in many ways. I achieved goals that seemed impossible.”

For the 36-year-old, running was also a healing journey. In 2012, she struggled with PCOS, and a 12 months later she decided to join the half marathon. Running, combined with other aspects, saved her from needing surgery. “Running is really a place where I can tune out the noise, whether it’s struggles, failures, or people expressing their fear,” Rodriguez says. “I became the best version of myself.”

British TV presenter Davina McCall underwent neurosurgery to remove a colloid cyst – a variety of benign brain tumor.

McCall’s tumor was diagnosed by accident. In an Instagram video posted in November 2024, she explained:

A number of months ago I spoke to an organization about menopause and in return they offered me a health check-up, which I assumed was successful. However, it turned out that I had a benign brain tumor called a colloid cyst, which may be very rare – three in one million.

Colloid cysts are rare examples of fluid-filled brain tumors which might be liable for lower than 1% diagnosed brain tumors.

They develop within the ventricles – the system of fluid-containing chambers within the brain – that they produce cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Cerebrospinal fluid is ultrafiltered blood that enables nutrients and necessary chemicals to flow into in and across the brain, providing additional protection.

Normally, cerebrospinal fluid leaks back into the bloodstream, but various conditions – including cancer – can affect this. A growing tumor can block cerebrospinal fluid, so as a substitute of flowing back into the bloodstream, the fluid may begin to build up within the brain. It’s called hydrocephalus – otherwise generally known as “water in the brain”.

Because the skull resembles a stationary protective box, fluid buildup increases the pressure inside the pinnacle. It is that this increase in pressure that causes symptoms reminiscent of headaches, nausea and vomiting.

But colloid cysts are usually not the one disease that can cause such symptoms. Other types brain tumor can develop from neurons (nerve cells). Glial cellsthat support and insulate neurons may cause brain tumors to turn into more common generally known as gliomas.

Even cells that are usually not a part of the brain but surround it for extra protection can grow to be cancer. Layers of tissue called the so-called meninges (which turn into inflamed during meningitis) may grow to be meningioma. They can grow to considerable sizes. They are taken under consideration “giant” if the diameter is greater than 5 cm.

The the biggest brain tumor the recorded mass weighed 570 g, taken from a four-year-old boy in India in 2000.

Brain tumors are classified depending on whether or not they are benign – they grow but don’t spread – or malignant (cancerous) and can spread to other parts of the body. Some brain tumors may develop in consequence of the spread (metastasis) of other tumors body parts. It is more common within the breast, lungs, kidneys, colon and skin.

Symptoms

McCall appeared to have had no symptoms; nevertheless, brain tumors can cause noticeable symptoms and early recognition is crucial.

As with all cancers, the prognosis for a brain tumor varies depending on the variety of cancer, but in addition on how much it has grown or spread when it’s diagnosed. Therefore, it’s important to acknowledge any variety of cancer as soon as possible to forestall its progression.

Unfortunately, the symptoms of brain tumors are sometimes non-specific. Nauseavomiting and headaches are common symptoms. They can even be caused many other conditions.

The most suspicious headaches are people who suggest increased pressure within the brain. These headaches normally worsen once you get up within the morning, change your posture, or are accompanied by vomiting. If you notice a headache like this – or one which persists, gets worse, or changes – and any of the other symptoms I discussed, then contact your GP. Rest assured, nevertheless, that lower than 1% of headache patients will actually develop a brain tumor.

Brain tumors can also cause other general symptoms, reminiscent of changes in vision, dizziness, and latest seizures. In fact,
one in all the symptoms within the case of an urgent CT scan of the pinnacle, that is the primary epileptic seizure to envision whether a tumor is causing the seizure.

Other symptoms rely upon the placement of the tumor – as it’s going to interfere with the conventional functioning of this area of ​​the brain. For example, if the tumor is situated inside cerebellum situated behind the brain, you could have difficulty walking steadily or may notice tremors. This is since the cerebellum is liable for controlling balance and fine-tuning body movements. If the tumor develops in temporal lobewhich processes sounds and stores memories that the patient may experience hearing or memory loss.

A diagnosis of a brain tumor can cause fear and uncertainty. McCall’s experience shows that tumors can be hidden and silent, and should only be detected by probability. However, there’s growing hope in existing and developing treatment options for various sorts of cancer.

The final take home message: at all times contact your GP in case you experience any of the above symptoms.