Embassy HEADLINES Issue 393

AUSTRALIA

It’s Now Legal to Smoke Cannabis in Australia’s Capital: An Interview With HEMP’s Michael Balderstone

Sydney Criminal Lawyers spoke to Mr Balderstone about what could occur in this country now cannabis can be used recreationally in at least one jurisdiction, why he believes it was outlawed in the first place, and how greater use of the Cannabis sativa plant could also benefit the environment.

The laws have been widely described as the first in Australia to legalise the personal use of marijuana. Yet that’s not quite what the ACT legislation does: it simply removes criminal and financial penalties for possessing and using small amounts of the drug. The Federal Government has made it clear that it opposes this shift and has threatened to use the Australian Federal Police (AFP) to enforce its own criminal laws against Canberrans who choose to light up.

New green dawn: Advocates hope ACT’s cannabis laws pave way for open market

Advocates have welcomed Canberra’s contentious new cannabis regime, hoping it sparks a broader public discussion about drug law reform and paves the way for an open market for the substance.

New Zealand’s adult-use cannabis referendum is set for September

On Sept. 19, New Zealanders will be asked to answer the straightforward question, “Do you support the proposed Cannabis Legalization and Control Bill?”

NORTH AMERICA

Colorado unveils plan to help bring banking to state’s cannabis industry

With federal banking still out of reach, Gov. Jared Polis unveiled new strategies Monday to entice Colorado banks, credit unions and money transmitters to work with cannabis companies and become leaders in providing financial services to marijuana and hemp businesses.

Recreational marijuana in Washington state: Are we better off?

Washington voters decided to legalize recreational marijuana in 2012. But has this decision paid off so far?

Budget Hawks Threaten Hopes for Cannabis Equity In San Diego

In San Diego, the second-largest city in California, marijuana is big business. But only people with the big bucks can afford to open storefront dispensaries after the state legalized in November 2016.

Massachusetts’ cannabis sales worth over half of entire Canadian market

The Bay State and its 6.9 million residents have averaged $45 million in monthly legal weed sales since November 2018.

California Will Require Cannabis QR Codes

The Bureau of Cannabis Control in California has approved emergency regulations requiring cannabis operators to post public QR codes that verify their business license.

RoadSafetyBC flags chronic patient for cannabis use only after legalization

Stephanie deJager says her weed use and other meds had been documented for years, but last November cannabis appeared in a letter for the first time.

BC college to offer province’s first cannabis retail course

Okanagan College wants to provide the skills cannabis retail managers are looking for with a new course that launches Feb. 17.

Gift of $1.5m for cannabinoid research at Colorado State University

Panacea Life Sciences is focussed on producing medically relevant, THC-free CBD products for humans and pets.

WORLD

Tanzania: Debate On Bhang Resurfaces in Parliament

Debate of whether Tanzania should engage in the production and sale of bhang on Monday resurfaced in Parliament as some legislators pushed the government for the business. The legislator argued that bhang was currently a lucrative business worldwide calling on the government to legalize it.

India’s First Medical Cannabis Clinic To Open In Bangalore In February 2020!

Is this the best year or what! India just got its first medical cannabis clinic! It was high time. We are one of the world’s biggest consumers of cannabis after all. This has been long overdue. Bangalore has exceeded our expectations. India’s first research-based medical cannabis clinic is set to be launched in February 2020.

Third Medical Cannabis Product Approved In Ireland

A third has now been added to the list; an oral solution from Canada’s Tilray – THC10:CBD10. It contains 9.6 milligrams per millitre of tetrahydrocannabinol and 10 mg/ml of cannabidiol. The product comes in a 40 mL bottle and uses coconut oil as a carrier. It’s pretty pricey stuff – costing CAD $86.00 in its homeland.

Jamaica makes moves to ensure traditional growers aren’t left behind

About 37,000 acres of illicit cannabis are cultivated per year in Jamaica by the country’s traditional growers.

HEALTH & SCIENCE

Inside Thomas Jefferson University’s Groundbreaking Hemp Research

The researchers took the hurd of the hemp plant and processed it down into nanoparticles, creating “a building block for new fibers and new yarns going forward.”

Does CBD Show Up on a Drug Test?

In short: In most cases, it is highly unlikely that hemp-derived CBD oil will lead to a positive drug test. With that said, there are some considerations you should be aware of. Learn more about CBD drug tests below.

What is CBDA? Everything You Need to Know About CBDA vs CBD

In your relentless pursuit for information on CBD, you’re likely to at some point come across the term CBDA, or cannabidiolic acid. Like CBD, CBDA is a well-known compound native to cannabis plants, including both marijuana and hemp. The two compounds have a natural relationship, as CBDA is the acidic precursor to CBD.

Cannabis And HPV: Friend Or Foe?

With ever-climbing HPV-positive cancer rates, research on the effect CBD and THC has on the human papillomavirus can’t come soon enough.

A new way of thinking: teaching clinicians and patients about cannabis

Cannabis is disrupting the way we look at medicines – but more people need to be educated about cannabis before it becomes commonly accepted as a medicine.

CBG and CBC Kill Gastrointestinal Cancer Cells in Preliminary Study

Funded by U.S. company Cannabics Pharmaceuticals, a firm focused on the development of cannabinoid therapies for cancer treatment, Israeli researchers have demonstrated the anti-tumor efficacy of CBG and CBC against human gastrointestinal cancer cell lines.

Hemp Is Helping Bee Populations, Study Finds

Published in Environmental Entomology, a recent study has found that thousands of bees are now using hemp plants as critical nutritional resources. Given the loss of bee habitats across the US, the researchers believe the cannabis crop could become vital to the insects’ future survival.

GARDENING

Answers to farmers’ top five hemp farming questions

He compares hemp to soybeans several years ago. “When soy came into the agricultural industry, it took a little bit for it to catch on. It did, and now we have an established industry with a lot of different valuable uses for it.”

POLITICS & LAW

Turn Over a New Leaf Clinic

As requested by the Black Cannabis Equity Initiative, Denver’s Turn Over a New Leaf Program will hold another clinic to clear and vacate low-level marijuana convictions in Denver for activities that are now legal. This will be the sixth clinic held by Denver with various partners as part of an overall effort to address social justice.

Pete Buttigieg’s Bold Stance on Marijuana Legalization

Buttigieg [presidential candidate in the USA] wants to end the war on drugs and racial disparity. He thinks that legalizing marijuana will benefit the affected communities. Buttigieg stated that he’s focused on legalizing cannabis and decriminalizing the possession of all currently illicit drugs.

Parents travel to Westminster to demand free cannabis prescriptions for their children

Medical cannabis was legalised in 2018 but many parents are spending thousands of pounds each month on the treatment.

Cannabis industry groups urge advancement of SAFE Banking Act

The coalition of more than 30 national and state cannabis industry organisations sent the letter to Senate Banking Committee Chair Mike Crapo, urging him to advance the House-approved version of a bill aimed at addressing the state-legal cannabis industry’s lack of access to banking and other financial services.

Drug Decriminalisation Across the World

In the context of drug policy, ‘decriminalisation’ refers to the removal of criminal penalties for activities related to drug use. In some legal systems criminal penalties are replaced by civil sanctions, while in other systems no penalties are applied – please see our glossary for more detailed definitions. Some form of decriminalisation has been adopted in 30 countries – with significant differences and levels of effectiveness. This interactive map provides an overview of these models, offering insights into decriminalisation laws, their implementation and impact.

Legalization may mean more cannabis and less alcohol in colleges

Two new studies look at the effects of cannabis legalization on college students’ recreational habits; they reveal that increased use of cannabis may lead to a reduction in binge drinking.

BUSINESS & INDUSTRY

Marijuana’s medicinal upside could change the future of work

For most of its history marijuana has been deemed not safe for work. But as attitudes and uses for marijuana change, some positive ripple effects are finding their way into the office.

Report offers recommendations on displacing illicit cannabis vape market

In recent months America has seen a swathe of respiratory illnesses associated with unregulated cannabis vape cartridges found in the illicit market. The National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA) Policy Council, with the help of experts in several fields, has produced an extensive report that explores the known and potential causes of the condition and offers ways for producers, regulators, and lawmakers to prevent such issues from occurring in the legal regulated market.

Tilray to lay off about 10% of staff in effort to cut costs, hit profitability

Tilray has approximately 1,443 staff globally, which includes employees in Canada, Germany, Portugal, Ireland, the United States, Australia and Czech Republic. The layoffs include less than 35 people in Tilray’s Toronto office.

Taxes Are a Growing Problem for the Cannabis Industry

Higher prices are only going to make black-market products all the more appealing.

Black market weed to remain for years amid supply shortages

Supply shortages and high prices of legal weed are the main factors still driving consumers to the illicit market.

Whoopi Goldberg’s Cannabis Brand Shuts Down

Whoopi & Maya, the women-focused medical cannabis company founded by Whoopi Goldberg and Om Edibles founder Maya Elisabeth, has shut down due to overly restrictive regulations and personal issues between the founders.

Cannabis farm near Anacortes was center of alleged $4.85 million Ponzi scheme

Marijuana may not have been the only thing that Robert W. Russell was cultivating at the cannabis farm he operated just off Highway 20 near Anacortes.

Let us smell the legal cannabis for sale, dammit!

“Follow your nose.” This has always been rule number one for finding good weed.

Changing how society views cannabis use can boost industry innovation

When a product or service is illegal, innovation is a tricky process to measure. For most places, this has been the state of the cannabis industry for decades.

Health-Records Company Pushed Opioids to Doctors in Secret Deal With Drugmaker

As deaths from opioid overdoses mounted, states and citizens accused manufacturers in lawsuits of pushing drugs while downplaying risks. Many millions of pills were dispensed at pain clinics in rural areas, fueling a vigorous street trade.

LIFESTYLE

“Cali sober” supporters say yes, you can be sober and still smoke weed

When Sarah, a writer and illustrator who lives in Brooklyn, refers to herself as sober, she’s part of an increasingly visible trend that defines that term in relation to alcohol use only.