Embassy HEADLINES Issue 400

AUSTRALIA/NZ

What legal cannabis in California could mean for NZ

In September, we get to vote on whether to legalise personal possession of cannabis in New Zealand. For a glimpse into what that might look like, Harrison Christian reports from California, where the legal pot business is booming – bringing good times (and some bad) to the masses.

Medicinal Cannabis: The industry booming in secret

Inside the secure facility growing medicinal cannabis at a secret location in Tasmania.

Australia to increase scrutiny of imported medical cannabis

The regulatory body for therapeutic goods in Australia plans to expand the number of quality inspections involving imported medical cannabis in the coming months. Over 90% of prescriptions and approvals are being supplied by imported products, industry group Medicinal Cannabis Industry Australia (MCIA) previously told Marijuana Business Daily. The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) says applications for medical cannabis authorizations have risen to some 3,000 per month.

MediPharm Labs Scores Cannabis Oil Supply Deal in Australia

MediPharm Labs (OTC:MEDIF) has nabbed a customer Down Under. The company announced Wednesday that its Australian subsidiary signed an agreement with privately held Compass Clinics for the supply of cannabis oil products. This is a white label arrangement, in which Compass Clinics will use MediPharm’s supplies to create its own branded line of products.

ECS Botanics Granted Special Hemp Licence

Australia’s ECS Botanics Holdings Ltd (ASX:ECS) has announced it has been granted a special industrial hemp licence by the Tasmanian Government. In Tasmania, industrial hemp is considered cannabis with leaves and flowering heads containing not more than 1 per cent delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). ECS says the new licence for its Tasmanian farm allows the Company to work with up to 2% w/w dry weight of THC.

NORTH AMERICA

Cannabis Dispensaries Deemed “Essential” – Allowed To Stay Open While Other Businesses Are Forced To Close

As coronavirus sweeps across the nation and state after state is implementing mandatory “lockdown” and “stay-at-home” orders, many feared they wouldn’t be able to get cannabis anymore in the coming days. Luckily, nearly every state with a medical or recreational cannabis program has deemed these businesses to be “essential”, among services such as pharmacies, grocery stores, hardware stores, and select city and government services.

Coronavirus: Denver mayor forced to reverse lockdown of alcohol and marijuana shops following panic buying

The mayor of Denver has been forced to re-open marijuana and liquor shops only hours after announcing their closure as part of a citywide lockdown to slow the spread of coronavirus. According to local reports, the administration had to change its course after residents flocked to the shops to panic buy alcohol and marijuana the night before the lockdown came into force.

Cannabis sales hit new highs in US and Canada

Cannabis sales are touching new highs as customers across the US and Canada stockpile weed to prepare for long spells of isolation because of the coronavirus pandemic.

How Each Coast Is Treating the Cannabis Industry During the COVID-19 Outbreak

A look at the California and New York approaches to cannabis businesses during a global pandemic.

COVID-19 pandemic puts Canadian cannabis operations in limbo

While producers implement social distancing policies to maintain full operations, some pot companies have issued temporary layoffs and shutdowns.

Quebec cannabis stores ruled ‘priority enterprises’; suppliers to stay open

Quebec’s government-owned cannabis stores are “priority enterprises,” and businesses producing raw materials for the stores must maintain their activities in accordance with the directives of public health authorities. Neighboring Ontario also classified its regulated adult-use cannabis producers and retailers as “essential” this week, meaning they are not required to close their doors.

BC pharmacists can refill opioid prescriptions, can’t dispense medical weed

In an effort to keep vulnerable populations and COVID-19 patients separate, British Columbia gave it’s pharmacists the power to refill expired prescriptions this week. Patients can now go to their local pharmacy to have an opioid, anti-psychotic and psychiatric prescriptions refilled, a spokesperson for the College of Pharmacists said in an email. But medical cannabis patients will still need to see a doctor to refill their prescriptions.

WORLD

Nepal Looks to Legalize Marijuana

One of the highest countries in the world is seeing a new effort to legalize marijuana. Nepal, located 2,565 meters above sea level, has seen a wave of momentum on the cannabis reform front.

Lawmakers in Ghana legalize hemp cultivation

The legislation allows the government to “grant a licence for the cultivation of cannabis which has not more than 0.3% THC content on a dry-weight basis for industrial purposes for obtaining fibre or seed or for medicinal purposes.”

Big cannabis in the UK: is industry support for wider patient access motivated by promises of recreational market worth billions?

The BMJ has uncovered links between companies, campaign groups, and individuals lobbying for wider patient access to cannabis for medical use and a parallel campaign to create a lucrative recreational market for the drug in the UK.

Ghana legalizes cannabis for health and industrial purposes

Ghana’s new laws will make room for cannabis to be used to make medicines and hemp fibres.

Germany, hemp advocates clash over policy on CBD in food

Hemp advocates and food-safety regulators in Germany are at loggerheads over whether all forms of cannabinoids require additional scrutiny before they can be sold in foods and drinks.

HEALTH & SCIENCE

DEA Releases Long-Awaited Rule Proposal Allowing More Marijuana Growers For Research

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) on Friday announced it would be taking steps to expand marijuana growing for scientific research. The long-awaited news comes three years after the agency initially announced it was accepting additional applications from marijuana growers for research.

Mapping the cannabis genome to improve crops and health

In a major statistical analysis of existing data and studies published in the Annual Review of Plant Biology, the authors conclude there are large gaps in the scientific knowledge of this high-demand, multi-purpose crop.

The Revolutionary Research on Cannabinoid Treatment for Acute Pain

The complete findings of this study are published in the journal Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research as “Cannabinoids in the Management of Acute Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis”.

Here’s What You Should Know About CBD And Heart Health

Some aspects of CBD make it worth investigating when it comes to heart disease prevention, like the compound’s anti-inflammatory and antioxidant features.

How to Best Use CBD During the Coronavirus Outbreak

As the world slows down and many people go on lockdown, using CBD oil can be a beneficial tool to promote balance and wellness in you, your family members, and even your pet.

Vera Twomey pleads to maintain access medicinal cannabis for Ava

Vera Twomey, who spearheaded a campaign to secure medicinal cannabis for her daughter, Ava, said EU-wide travel restrictions will prevent her from travelling to the Netherlands this week to collect Ava’’s supply of meds for the next three months.

LIFESTYLE

What are the Harms Associated with Mixing Cannabis and Alcohol?

Many health resources indicate that this type of consumption may be more harmful than the lone consumption of either of the drugs. Having said this, the prohibition of cannabis at the peak of scientific development has meant that clinical research into the effects of combination is lacking.

Weed Goggles: Marijuana Can Increase Hookups

Cannabis enhances the senses, which could lead to more romantic encounters.

Legal Cannabis Might Mean Less Drinking

Does cannabis serve as a substitute for alcohol?

6 stoney-yet-productive self-isolation activities

To prevent us all from coming out of this as boring-ass zombies, we’ve compiled a list of activities that are fabulous to enjoy paired with cannabis, as well as capable of helping us to, well, be better.

Coronavirus Crisis Shows Marijuana Is ‘Essential’ And Mainstream

Never has it been more clear than during the current COVID-19 pandemic that marijuana has arrived at the forefront of mainstream American society. In state after state, governors and public health officials are deeming cannabis businesses “essential” operations that can stay open amid coronavirus-related forced closures and stay-at-home mandates. People might not be able to go bowling or see a movie in theaters, but they can still stock up on marijuana.

Harm Reduction in the Time of Coronavirus

We have never had the luxury of being innocent to viruses nor epidemics. Our most codified histories trace the emergence of harm reduction in the United States to the grassroots mobilization against the wildfire ravages of the AIDS crisis among people who use drugs through community education and syringe exchange programs. More recently, mainstream narratives of harm reduction coalesce around collective action to stem the overdose epidemic through naloxone distribution and other user-centered strategies to maximize safety in the midst of stigma, criminalization, and precarity.

What is a cannabis contact high?

A contact high—also known as a secondhand high—is the idea that secondhand exposure to cannabis smoke can get a person stoned or even leave them with THC in their system. For nonsmokers, this can lead to worries: Can you fail a drug test from a contact high? Can you wind up accidentally stoned?

POLITICS & LAW

Bernie Beats Biden on Pot

With the Democratic horserace having narrowed into a two-man contest, cannabis voters appear to face a clear-cut choice: Bernie Sanders supports legalization, while Joe Biden has only in recent years come to support decrim.

U.S. Marijuana Businesses Are Ineligible For Coronavirus Disaster Relief, Federal Agency Confirms

Because cannabis remains illegal at the federal level, the marijuana industry is being denied access to these aid opportunities, including programs administered by the federal Small Business Administration [SBA]. “With the exception of businesses that produce or sell hemp and hemp-derived products [that were federally legalized under the 2018 Farm Bill], marijuana-related businesses are not eligible for SBA-funded services,” the post states.