Embassy HEADLINES Issue 373

By Published On: September 19, 2019Categories: Cannabis

AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND

Cannabis regulation in Australia could be about to become way less complex [Business Insider]

  • A report into the Narcotic Drugs Act has been tabled in Parliament, recommending a number of changes to the licensing regime regulating the business of medical marijuana and other cannabis products in Australia.
  • The report acknowledged the complexity of the current regulations. Of the 246 cannabis cultivation or research licence applications the government has received since June 2019, just 63 have been granted.

Med Cannabis Does Canberra ….Twice In A Week! [United in Compassion]

To everyone who’s contributed to our ‘Fixing Fund’ and helped get us to Canberra this week – a big thank you. It’s not just us on board with this either. Today (18th September) Olivia Newton-John, a tireless advocate herself and a Patron of UIC, is also at Parliament House with her husband John Easterling to push for much the same things that we did on Monday. Whilst there we won much empathy for patients.

Medicinal pot system needs fix: advocates [9 News]

Army veteran Lee James Donnollan could go to prison for illegally growing the medicine he said he’ll be allowed to use if he’s behind bars. The Townsville resident was in Canberra on Monday to ask politicians to waive his charges after Queensland police caught him growing cannabis.
Advocates and Greens leader Richard Di Natale called for the government to grant an amnesty for those charged for obtaining medicinal cannabis and to set up a new process to access the drug.

Medicinal cannabis is legal but my 91-year-old mum’s struggle to get it was torture [The Sydney Morning Herald]

The cost of getting the first prescription: initial consultation $200, government documentation $250, pick up the script $125, prescription $600. Total: $1175. I also discovered that the cannabis oil came from New Zealand via its Canadian company and that no Australian company was licensed to provide it. Apparently it’s a very complex process. Having obtained the oil, my mum is now required to make regular contact with the clinic doctor so he can report to Canberra on how she is going. This is mandatory if he wants to retain his licence to prescribe.

AusCann sees medicinal cannabis as a big growth opportunity [The Advocate]

AusCann announced in July Westbury-based Tasmanian Alkaloids had entered a three-year agreement to supply it with cannabis resin. Tasmanian Alkaloids would supply at least 30 per cent of AusCann’s cannabis resin requirements for the next three years, with an option for a three-year extension. Tasmanian Alkaloids is best known for producing medicinal opiates from poppies grown in Tasmania.

NORTH AMERICA

Next Week Is the Perfect Time to Get Your Cannabis Conviction Expunged [Filter]

The second-ever National Expungement Week (NEW) will be held September 21-28. It involves a nationwide series of events to provide expungement, record-sealing and other services to Americans impacted by the criminalization of cannabis. The full list of events—spanning at least 29 cities from Albuquerque, New Mexico to Worcester, Massachusetts—can be found here. NEW is organized by Equity First Alliance (EFA)—a national coalition of social justice organizations focused on equity issues in cannabis policy.

Are We Close to a Vote on Actual Marijuana Legislation in Congress? [The Marijuana Times]

Many of you have likely been following the saga of the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act currently making its way through the U.S. Congress. With over 200 co-sponsors in the House and now 33 in the Senate, the banking legislation – which would make it easier for state-legal cannabis businesses to deal with banks and credit unions – is looking more and more like it has a good chance of passing through Congress and actually making it to President Trump’s desk.

How state cannabis regulatory agencies across the U.S. have responded to the vaping health crisis [Marijuana Industry Daily]

State regulators overseeing the legal marijuana industry are adopting a wait-and-see stance as the industry determines what exactly is causing the health problems related to vaping, although California has come down more decisively against vaping of all forms. For the most part, regulators in more than a half dozen states are reacting cautiously while public health officials work to identify the cause triggering hundreds of illnesses and seven deaths connected to e-cigarettes and marijuana vaping devices, in both the legal and illegal markets.

Utah Lawmakers Scrap Plan for Health Dept. to Dispense Medical Cannabis [Ganjapreneur]

Utah lawmakers have scrapped plans to have county health departments dispense medical cannabis products and have opted for privately-run dispensaries; this brings the Utah cannabis law more in line with the voter-approved initiative that was replaced by lawmakers.

Pittsburg to get is first cannabis manufacturing plant [East Bay Times]

The Pittsburg City Council took little time Monday to green-light the city’s first cannabis manufacturing plant, in an industrial area once home to the U.S. Army’s Camp Stoneman. Stoneman Laboratories LLC plans to manufacture medical and recreational marijuana.

Cannabis 2.0 Legalization: Canada Is Ready [Market Realist]

Next month, Canada will legalize cannabis-infused edibles for recreational use. The Canadian market will see a limited selection of products in retail outlets and online stores after the legalization, but not earlier than mid-December.

WORLD

Hemp is back in Chile, and the market is ready for investment [Hemp Today]

Chile was one of the major hemp producers worldwide before the global ban on cannabis. We are thrilled to have created the first Chilean brand exclusively oriented to nutritional hemp products in the country. Hemp is back in Chile and it is here to stay and to grow.

North Macedonia banks on medicinal cannabis growth to boost economy, exports [Reuters]

Slave Ivanovski was among North Macedonia’s biggest exporters of tomatoes and peppers until two years ago he switched to growing cannabis for medical use. “This is a very profitable business, which does not require a lot of hard work and has a future,” Ivanovski told Reuters standing by a large cannabis plant in his greenhouse in Stip, south east of the capital Skopje.

Paraguay To Begin Marijuana Production For Research And Medical Purposes [High Times]

Paraguay will begin accepting applications for the domestic production of cannabis for medical and research purposes next month.

Colombia’s Congress to debate regulating recreational marijuana [Colombia Reports]

Colombia’s leftist opposition sponsored a bill to regulate marijuana as part of a package of legislation proposals that seeks to end the war on drugs.

Germany gets first cannabis samples from Australia, commercial import from Portugal [Marijuana Business Daily]

It’s a big week for Germany’s medical marijuana market, which received its first cannabis imports from Australia and Portugal. Frankfurt-based Cansativa took delivery of medical cannabis oils for testing purposes from Western Australia-based Little Green Pharma.

Does Germany Have a Gray Market Problem? [Cannabis Industry Journal]

There is apparently quite a bit of gray market product sloshing around in the Teutonic medical market. Even though so far, at least not publicly punished for the same, nobody has been caught. Or at least publically reprimanded.

BUSINESS & POLICY

Does Overregulation Drive Black Market Marijuana? [The Fresh Toast]

A new study found that high taxes and cost of compliance keeps many small-time players within the black market in legalized states.

This Is the First Hemp Strain to Be Awarded a US Patent [Leafly]

As the high-CBD strain that won over skeptics and helped change the national conversation around medical marijuana, Charlotte’s Web may be one of the most famous cannabis strains in the world. Now the strain’s creators have another claim to fame: They hold the first US patent for a cultivar of hemp.

DEA Wants 3.2 Million Grams Of Marijuana Legally Grown In 2020 [Forbes]

The more than 7,000 pounds of cannabis will be used in scientific studies investigating the effects of the plant.

One Of The Largest Pharma Companies In The World Has Made A Big Move In Cannabis [Forbes]

A subsidiary of NYSE-traded giant Teva Pharmaceuticals has signed a deal with medical cannabis company Canndoc to distribute its GMP products to pharma customers, including hospitals, health maintenance organizations (HMOs) and all pharmacies in Israel.

UK cannabis accounting industry ready to roll [Accounting Web]

Multinationals such as PwC, Deloitte, KPMG and EY have dedicated cannabis teams in Canada, the epicentre of the industry and home to most of the largest publicly-traded cannabis businesses. However, European law firms have started to spin off cannabis-specific practices from their life science arms, where the work would traditionally have been carried out.

Why CBG (Cannabigerol) Is One Of The Most Expensive Cannabinoids To Produce [Forbes]

It takes thousands of pounds of biomass to create small amounts of CBG isolate. That’s because most hemp only contains minute percentages of CBG, where as there are now hemp strains that contain 20% CBD in the crop. If the CBG content of the same crop is only 1%, that means you need to extract 20 times the amount of biomass to get the same amount of CBG out.

HEALTH & SCIENCE

Scientists Unveil Weed Breathalyzer, Launching Debate Over Next Steps [NPR]

The alcohol Breathalyzer came to life slowly, over the course of decades. From the 1930s through the 1960s, scientists, lawmakers, police and the public quarreled over the veracity of the numbers spit out by the device, the appropriate legal limit for drivers and whether they could trust a machine over a cop’s testimony. Today, the same debate is playing out over cannabis. Breathalyzer-type devices that could theoretically aid police enforcement have begun appearing in various stages of development. But legal experts and scientists say there’s a long way to go before those devices can actually detect a driver’s impairment.

What Is CBDA (Cannabidiolic Acid) & What Are the Benefits of This Cannabinoid? [Leafly]

While most cannabinoids bind directly with either the CB1 or CB2 receptors, CBDA doesn’t work in this way. Instead, CBDA interacts with the endocannabinoid system by inhibiting the cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) enzyme.

Vapes Spiked With Synthetic Drugs Show Dark Side of CBD Craze [Leafly]

Some operators are cashing in on the CBD craze by substituting cheap and illegal synthetic marijuana for natural CBD in vapes and edibles such as gummy bears, an Associated Press investigation has found.

CBD may alleviate seizures, benefit behaviors in people with neurodevelopmental conditions [MedicalXpress]

UNC School of Medicine researchers show CBD may alleviate seizures and normalize brain rhythms in Angelman syndrome, a rare neurodevelopmental condition.

Why the vaping lung illness crisis is exploding now [The Boston Globe]

In recent weeks, we’ve all heard about a seemingly sudden vaping-related lung injury outbreak that has hospitalized hundreds and led to seven deaths. One question that keeps coming up: Why now? Vaping — of THC, CBD, and nicotine — has been popular for years. So what changed to prompt this current outbreak and alarm? To answer that question, I asked some local doctors who have treated patients with the vaping-related lung disease. Their answers surprised me.

Vape Safety Requires Legalizing Marijuana [Intelligencer]

Federal regulators are needed to ensure consumer safety — and that has to start with Congress admitting marijuana is legal and giving the FDA authority to regulate it.

Feds warn CBD companies against making unfounded health claims [CBS News]

The FTC said Tuesday that it has issued warnings to three companies that sell CBD “gummies,” tinctures, oils, capsules and creams, though the agency didn’t identify the firms. The businesses were given 15 days to inform regulators how they were addressing their concerns, which could lead to legal action and an order to refund consumers.

CULTURE & SOCIETY

Blingy vaporizers and gold rolling papers: luxury cannabis brands court the affluent [The Guardian]

espite being expensive and sometimes rare, cannabis isn’t typically considered a luxury good. It’s too closely associated with slovenly, underperforming young men to convey wealth or style. But as cannabis becomes more acceptable and the consumer base grows to include more women and affluent professionals, some companies are aiming to become prestige brands.

CBD trend could pick up steam in tennis [Baseline]

According to the 2019 WADA Prohibited List, natural cannabinoids (e.g. cannabis, hashish and marijuana, synthetic cannabinoids, Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol THC and other cannabimimetics) are prohibited. The exception listed under that rule is cannabidiol.

New York Governor Wants To Ban Flavored E-Cigs By Emergency Order [High Times]

New York would become the second state to ban flavored e-cigarettes after Michigan.

EVENTS

Rethink Reform [Greens]

Greens are hosting a public forums about our drug laws in NSW: Braidwood, Lismore and Mullumbimby. Come along to find out why the war on drugs has failed, what evidence-based public policy that prioritises harm reduction looks like, and what we can do to move towards decriminalising people who use drugs.

Medican Workshop [Nimbin Hemp Embassy]

Annual General Meetings

Nimbin Hemp Embassy AGM 2019
11am on Saturday 16 November 2019 at the Town Hall, 45 Cullen Street, Nimbin.

MardiGrass Organizing Body AGM 2019
12pm on Saturday 16 November 2019 at the Town Hall, 45 Cullen Street, Nimbin.

Australian HEMP Party AGM 2019
2pm on Saturday 16 November 2019 at the Town Hall, 45 Cullen Street, Nimbin.

Australian Industrial Hemp Conference

FUNDRAISERS/CAMPAIGNS/PETITIONS/SURVEYS

Next stop Canberra – we’re taking the fight to Parliament! [United in Compassion]

When Barnaby Joyce recently showed just how ignorant he was about medicinal cannabis, comparing it to “pulling bongs”, I realised something: the majority of Australians support medicinal cannabis. It’s the politicians who need to be convinced.

Inquiry into drug driving reform [Enpsychedelia]

The National Drug Driving Working Group clearly states that drug driving laws are specifically a driving offense and not a drug offense. Despite this, people who are not impaired, but may still have trace amounts of one of three prescribed substances in their bodily fluid, are frequently charged with a road offense. There is a significant economic and social burden from these unjustified infringements.

E-Petition: Inquiry into drug driving reform [Parliament of Victoria]

Driving while impaired is a serious matter but the current laws do not reflect an appropriate and just response to this. Broad community opposition to the program threatens to undermine legitimate strategies to address road safety. The situation is worse for medical cannabis users. If they choose to benefit their health, they may have to give up their right to drive, even when not impaired by medication.

Gateway to Good Health [Weed Billboards]

Celebrating Cannabis [Australian Cannabis Awards]

E-Petition: Legalise cannabis for recreational use [Parliament of Victoria]

Just Reform It! Let’s Get Real about Drugs [The Greens]

Survey: What’s the link between cannabis use and psychotic experiences? [The University of Queensland]

EDUCATION

MardiGrass Hemposium 2019 Talks now Available on YouTube [Hemp Embassy]

EP202 – Roadside Drug Testing Panel at Nimbin Mardi Grass [Enpsychedelia]

‘Sex, Drugs and the Electoral Roll’:  MP’s Memoir Goes On Sale [Reason]

Medicinal Cannabis & Hemp Tasmania & “the leaf” Newsletter [Facebook]

Nimbin Medican Workshops on YouTube [Hemp Embassy]

DRUG WAR OVER! [Radio Documentary]

View five new EGA video presentations on ethnobotanical plants and psychedelics [Entheogenesis Australis]

To mark the anniversary of our special gathering and end the year on a high note, we’ve released five new videos of talks from the Psychedelic Symposium that are now available to watch online and can also be found below in this email.