TASK DEFINITION: Given a paragraph, generate a claim that is supported by the given paragraph. 1) The claim must contain information from within the paragraph. 2) A sentence within the paragraph can be used as a claim. 3) The claim should not have contradictions within the paragraph. 4) The claim should be at most one sentence long.
PROBLEM: "State lawmakers have a month before they get back to work in the 2015 legislative session and already the debate over medical marijuana has gotten into the, ahem, weeds. State Rep. Allen Peake, R-Macon serves as co-chair of a joint legislative committee that has studied whether and how to legalize the drug for certain conditions, including seizures in children. Peake has revived a bill aimed at allowing cannabis oil made from marijuana plants for treatment of certain seizure disorders and other health problems. He is finalizing that proposal, pre-filed as House Bill 1 after a similar measure fell short last session. But another committee member, state Sen. Curt Thompson, D-Tucker, is proposing a competing bill that would allow vaporized, edible or smokable marijuana. Thompson also has filed a resolution, calling for a statewide referendum on whether to authorize recreational use of the drug. Confusion about the oil form versus a smokeable drug has prompted Peake, who said he does not support expanded use, to speak out. ""We believe that the medical cannabis oil –  very low in THC, that doesn’t have a psychoactive component to it, cannot get you high – is a better approach for our citizens,"" Peake said in a press conference before a committee meeting last week. Opponents of the oil have raised safety concerns. So PolitiFact Georgia decided to take a closer look at  Peake’s contention that the oil extracted from marijuana won’t get users high. First, a reminder that the federal government still classifies marijuana as a Schedule I substance, defined as ""the most dangerous"" drug ""with no currently accepted medical use."" Despite that designation, 23 states have legalized medical marijuana, allowing access to the drug for a variety of medical conditions. Another 11 states – including neighboring Alabama, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee  – have enacted laws allowing cannabis oil products for medical reasons in limited situations. The key difference in allowing the oil, supporters say, is that it is high in cannabidiol and low in tetrahydrocannabinol. Both are compounds found in the marijuana plant that act on cell receptors that control neurotransmitters in the brain and the immune system from various organs, such as the spleen. Cannabidiol, known as CBD, is an antioxidant and not psychoactive. Tetrahydrocannabinol or THC is the long-known mind-altering part of pot. Cannabis oil is made from strains of marijuana already bred to be high in CBD and low in THC. For medical use, the oil is made with less than 3 percent THC and is orally ingested. Children’s doses tend to be at 1 percent THC, or lower. Studies are scarce on the medical benefits of such a product, given the Schedule I classification. But research does show that THC is what brings both it and CBD into the brain, where CBD’s antioxidant properties are thought to protect the brain. That evidence helped the federal Department of Health and Human Services earn a patent on medical marijuana in 2003. Anecdotally, parents of children with epilepsy and other seizure diseases back up the findings, reporting marked improvement from the cannabis oil. A London drug company, GW Pharmaceuticals, has created a drug out of highly purified CBD that has shown in preclinical studies that it potentially reduce seizures. The firm is waiting on final approval from Georgia Regents University and the federal Drug Enforcement Administration to begin clinical trials in Georgia with children who have severe seizure disorders. None of the existing studies or anecdotes from parents acknowledge or report any ""high"" from cannabis oil. Even the National Institute on Drug Abuse, while acknowledging the federal government does not see marijuana as medicine, reports that CBD as a ""non-psychoactive cannabinoid"" that may prove useful in treating epilepsy as well as some inflamation disorders and mental illnesses. In other words, while the medical use of cannabis oil can be debated given the limited number of medical and clinic studies, there is some common ground on the product. Marijuana remains officially a more dangerous drug than cocaine, according to the federal government. But the main component of the plant used to make cannabis oil doesn’t have the mind-altering, munchies-inducing effect associated with street use of the plant."

SOLUTION: Unlike marijuana, medical cannabis oil cannot get you high.

PROBLEM: Today’s fit-focused travelers want to pair exercise with escapades and fitness with fun, whether it’s yoga among the sea turtles, bootcamp on the beach or a zumba cruise. “Fitness retreat used to mean go away and lose weight,” said Melisse Gelula, co-founder of the wellness media company Well+Good. “Now it’s just working fitness into a schedule that might also include lavish dinners, beach time, cocktail hours, nights out dancing.”  Wellness tourism, which includes travel paired with activities such as yoga retreats, fitness centers, boot camps, cycling, gyms and other activities, is about a $500 billion global market, according to The Global Wellness Tourism Economy report of 2013. The report said wellness tourism represents 14 percent of total global tourism revenues overall and is projected to rise to 16 percent by 2017. In January, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd will launch its first ever Zumba Cruise, offering all-day classes in the popular Latin American dance-based aerobic program during a  cruise that will leave from Fort Lauderdale in Florida and make stops in Jamaica and Haiti. Daily classes will be led by 130 zumba instructors. “Our focus is more fun,” said Allison Robins of the global lifestyle brand Zumba Fitness, which is working with the cruise line. “You’ll never see us talking about weight loss, although that just happens.”  Maria Walker, founder of Getaway Fitness in Florida which offers workout vacations in Florida and California, refers to the growing industry as fitness adventure. “When I started, there were spa resorts and fat camps but not much in  the middle,” said Walker, whose clients are mostly  people in their 30s, 40s and 50s. Now activities range from boot camp and rock climbing to kayaking, and discussions focus more on exercise and nutrition than weight loss. YogaWorks, the national chain of yoga studios, offers 10 to 15 retreats a year and plans to scale up offerings in 2016. “It’s definitely a growing part of the business,” said spokesperson Kim Allardyce, adding it is not just about perfecting one’s yoga postures. Although the emphasis is on yoga, depending on where the tour is, local sites are also included. In Costa Rica vacationers might help release sea turtles and in Italy go on wine-tasting excursions. The goal, she said, is to marry fitness with an experience specific to the location.

SOLUTION: Fitness vacations favor fun, adventure over weight loss.

PROBLEM: Firefighters were battling to control more than 40 wild fires that remained ablaze across NSW, the state’s Rural Fire Service (RFS) said. There were no reports of injuries caused by the fires by mid-afternoon local time, though 45 homes were destroyed. The strong winds have blown the dangerous smoke across large parts of NSW. The RFS said the smoke was unlikely to clear for at least 24 hours, while hot, dry conditions are expected to linger for several days more - exacerbating the threat of more fires as authorities try to access the damage of blazes now extinguished. “Dust may aggravate existing heart and lung conditions and cause symptoms like eye irritation and cough,” said Richard Broome, director of environmental health, NSW Health. “Symptoms can occur for several days after dust is inhaled, so people with the chronic conditions need to be vigilant with their treatment programs.”  One of the biggest fires in recent days was recorded in Lake Cathie, 379 kilometers (235.5 miles) north of Sydney - which has destroyed more than 2,000 hectares (4,942 acres) of a national park. The fire is now contained, though the area is a prime breeding ground for koalas, stoking fears that hundreds will have been killed by the fires. “Based on our calculations, with a minimum 60% mortality rate about 350 koalas will be lost,” Sue Ashton, president of the Port Macquarie Koala Hospital told Reuters. “It’s terrible, it’s absolutely devastating. It’s a national tragedy.”  Ashton said seven rescuers on Thursday attempted to enter the worst affected areas but were advised to leave as strong winds stoked fears of the fires spreading.

SOLUTION:
Hazardous smoke blankets Sydney as winds fan Australia bushfires.