AUSTRALIA/NZ
TGA Scheduling Committee – public consultation on CBD OPEN
There are many Australians who would welcome being able to source CBD over the counter – and here is your chance to have your say! Both the proposal (item 2.5 on this page) and the application to amend the scheduling of cannabidiol as outlined in the Public Notice of 17 April 2020 (item 2.2) will be referred to the June 2020 Joint ACMS/ACCS meeting. The due date for feedback is 15 May 2020. Instructions on how to respond can be found here.
Petition: Help Stop Suicides – Legalise Cannabis Now
Give my veteran son access to legal and affordable cannabis, before I lose him to PTSD.
NZ recreational cannabis bill released – prioritises social good over profits
Most of this bill was already drafted and the draft versions have been covered by us and others. But to catch you up, here’s a very quick summary:
- Adults 20 years and older would buy products from licensed stores (no home delivery)
- Adults would be able to buy up to 14g flower (or equivalent amounts for other products) per day
- No advertising of any kind and plain packaging would be enforced
- Home grow would be allowed but limited to 2 plants per person, 4 per household
- Licensed consumption venues would be allowed
Proposed cannabis legislation strikes ‘really good balance’ – NORML
It allows adults to grow their own. It allows them to buy cannabis and seeds, and even live plants from licenced outlets… It seems like they’ve really learned from alcohol and tobacco controls, in terms of avoiding a big, powerful industry to develop. However, some users might have an issue with the potency limit – 15 percent THC, the substance in cannabis which delivers the high.
Legalising cannabis: what will New Zealanders be asked to vote on in September?
More than 50% of voters must say yes to the proposed changes for parliament to consider the changes.
Queensland’s prison crisis: Some modest proposals
The recommendation for the legalisation or decriminalisation of cannabis is sensible and is ‘courageous’ only by Queensland standards: Canada legalised cannabis in 2018: eleven US states have legalised cannabis and several others are due to vote on cannabis legalisation in 2020. In Australia, the ACT legalised cannabis this year and New Zealand will vote to do so at the end of the year. The legalisation of cannabis will happen eventually, (because we slavishly follow the US) and pushing it forward will take considerable pressure off the prisons and police and avoid the trauma of drug police home invasions.
NORTH AMERICA
Biden Includes Cannabis and Criminal Justice Reforms in “Plan for Black America”
Joe Biden, the former vice president and presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, has announced his “Plan for Black America,” which includes federal cannabis decriminalization and the expungement of cannabis convictions.
California Unveils State-Certified Organic Cannabis Plan
The California Department of Food and Agriculture has unveiled its proposal for certifying organic cannabis products where the federal government, due to prohibition, cannot.
Los Angeles marijuana market remains chaotic as entrepreneurs wait for mayor, City Council to act
The Los Angeles cannabis industry has proved to be one of the most unruly and chaotic to govern according to industry experts, and over two years into its licensing process the market remains plagued by frustration, delays and hundreds of thousands of dollars wasted by marijuana entrepreneurs.
US Marijuana Research Policy Violated International Law For Decades, DEA Lawsuit Memo Reveals
Scientists have successfully forced the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to release an internal document that was allegedly used to justify delaying the approval of additional marijuana manufacturers for research purposes. And it reveals that the Justice Department feels that the current licensing structure for cannabis cultivation has been in violation of international treaties for decades.
Oklahoma cannabis industry smashes record monthly sales number in April
Roll aside, toilet paper. Oklahomans rushed to purchase another product in record volume last month, as medical marijuana dispensaries logged enough sales to spike tax collections by more than 25%. According to the Oklahoma Tax Commission, dispensaries remitted almost $9.8 million in state taxes during April. That includes traditional sales taxes and the 7% medical marijuana levy.
This is America: Super Bowl champ arrested for enjoying ‘essential’ product
Across America, police make more than 650,000 marijuana arrests every year. Most of them go unnoticed. But one of them caught my eye last week.
WORLD
Food security now the priority but medical marijuana initiative still coming — Virgin Islands
Agriculture Minister Dr Natalio Wheatley said while the focus is on food security at this time, government’s plan to cultivate and produce medicinal marijuana will still happen.
North Macedonia seeks arrest of cannabis company Medivie CEO
The North Macedonian police claim that Medivie has been growing cannabis with higher levels of Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive ingredient in the plant, than is legally permitted.
Agriculture ministry in Poland calls for 1.0% THC in hemp
The country would join nations in different parts of the world which have set allowable THC levels above the globally prevalent barrier of 0.3%, and the 0.2% THC standard observed by most countries in Europe based on European Union guidance.
Swiss Parliament Passes Motion To Authorize Cannabis Production And Export
Despite being put on hold due to the pandemic, the Swiss Parliament has passed a motion calling for a change in the country’s cannabis law.
HEALTH & SCIENCE
UCLA researchers develop chemistry needed to create marijuana breathalyzer
UCLA chemists have reported the key chemical discovery necessary for the creation of a small, electronic marijuana breathalyzer. The research is published in Organic Letters, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Chemical Society. The legalization and decriminalization of marijuana in California and elsewhere have made marijuana detection especially important.
Cannabis Misinformation and COVID-19
It is important to note that to date, there are no studies that directly assess the effects of cannabinoids as a treatment for viral illnesses, including the large family of viruses that represent coronaviruses. Don’t buy into the hype.
CBD Vs Anxiety – Can it Help in the Face of a Pandemic?
Back in 2010, a medical study found that Cannabidiol (CBD) reduced symptoms of Social Anxiety Disorder. Many people have reported that CBD oil has been more successful than many other things they have tried. To understand the effects of CBD on Anxiety Disorders, we look at the benefits and science behind them.
Cannabis Consumers Lack Knowledge About THC And CBD Concentration, Study Shows
Do people who use cannabis on a regular basis really know how much THC or CBD is needed to be considered effective? During an annual cannabis event called Hash Bash, scientists investigated if frequent cannabis consumers were knowledgeable about effective cannabinoid content and servings by surveying attendees who considered themselves regular users.
GARDENING
Guano is the Way to Go
The best way to grow with guano is to use it as a fertilizer combined with a peat/perlite. On it’s own, in its pure form guano is either too acidic or too alkaline to be used to grow cannabis.
How to Tell if Your Cannabis Plant is Male or Female
A male plant, while essential for reproduction, can also run rampant across a garden and devastate an entire crop of flowering female plants — intended for consumption — by inadvertently pollinating them and causing hermaphroditism. If culled and managed correctly, the male becomes a key part of this sustainable, perpetuating reproduction process.
How to Diagnose and Prevent White Mold in Cannabis
What cultivators can do to prevent Sclerotinia and how they can mitigate when white mold becomes a problem.
Building a Wick System: An Easy Way to Grow
The wick container system is an easy way to garden because it’s self-watering and removes the uncertainty of when to water. It requires far less care than hand watering, and it’s simple, fast to assemble and inexpensive to set up.
POLITICS & LAW
“Disturbing”—Cannabis Policing Meets Social Distancing Enforcement
Images of two cannabis policing incidents by the New York Police Department that put on full display the drug war’s counter-productivity and brutality sparked outrage on Twitter.
No One Deserves to Die of Covid-19 in Jail
But more than 100 inmates already have, and thousands more could if prisons and elected officials do not take steps to protect the incarcerated now. A report from the American Civil Liberties Union predicted that an explosion of cases in jails could cause the total death count in the United States to double.
USDA provides federal lending guidance for hemp growers
Federal agriculture officials have released new loan guidance for direct and guaranteed loans for hemp producers and to ensure the new commodity is recognized as legal through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency.
Cities Have Ignored Marijuana Crimes To Prevent COVID-19 Spread
Local officials in U.S. cities Columbus and Baltimore announced they won’t pursue marijuana offenses in order to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
CULTURE
How To Know If You’re Buying High Quality Marijuana
BUSINESS & INDUSTRY
Increase in darknet market activity for cannabis as users stock up for lockdown
In a special report out today, Drug supply via darknet markets, the EMCDDA explores whether established methods of drug supply and distribution to consumers have changed during recent restrictions on movement.
High Times hires third CEO in a year as iconic cannabis company seeks to transform itself
High Times Holding Corp. has again turned over CEOs at a time when the iconic cannabis magazine publisher is trying to pivot into retail and is struggling to get an initial public stock offering off the ground.
Australia’s Medlab Reports Record Sales Of Cannabis Formulation
NanaBis is a product containing 1:1 ratios of cannabidiol (CBD) and delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), delivered in a sub-micron spray applied to the oro-buccal membrane; i.e. the inside of the cheek. NanaBis is currently not listed on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG), but is in clinical trial and available under the Therapeutic Goods Administration’s (TGA’s) Special Access Scheme (SAS).
Ecofibre launches Hemp Black facemasks in the U.S.
The masks are made with Ecofibre’s Hemp Black technology — a hemp-derived textile that boasts moisture-wicking, antimicrobial and thermal regulating properties. The facemasks consist of anti-microbial copper technology yarns, element-infused adaptive fibres, and multi-layer 3D knitting. They are reusable and machine-washable for up to 25 cycles.
An online business directory and marketplace for the Australian cannabis and hemp industry
EVENTS
HHI Expo [Canberra/Brisbane/Sydney] Canberra Expo CANCELLED!
Protest, Educate & Celebrate
Drug Policy Public Discussion Forum [Sydney] Postponed until October!
Australian Medicinal Cannabis Conference 2020 [Melbourne]
Garden States – Cultivating Plant Knowledge [Melbourne]
