AUSTRALIA & NZ
JUNE 23/24 MEDICAN WEEKEND at the BUSH THEATRE, Nimbin [Hemp Embassy]
Entry by donation, beside the river at Nimbin’s Bush Theatre. Starting at 11 am and aiming to finish by 420! Learn how to make and use Cannabis as medicine! Speakers confirmed from the Nimbin Hemp Embassy, and The Hemp Club including Malcolm Lee, Rayman, Andrew Kav, Michael, Frances, Caroline, Radic Al, Zane, Gerald, Dr Deb; as well as Deb Lynch from the Medical Cannabis Users Association [MCUA], Steve Bolt on legals, and more for sure.
False claims of cannabis laced with ice to get kids ‘hooked’ diverts attention from the reality of drug use problems [AOD Media Watch]
Channel 10’s alarmist story on 13thJune, claiming the Queensland town of Caboolture was in the midst of an ‘ice epidemic’, is a fear-based work of fiction that merely serves to create moral panic, without providing readers any practical information.
More than 150 people without drugs were kicked out of a Sydney festival [ABC]
Hack can reveal more than 150 people were kicked out of a Sydney festival despite being searched and found without drugs, prompting a potential class action against the NSW Police.
A chat with Malcolm Turnbull [News.com]
Start at 12min 40 secs for Turnbull on why he won’t change cannabis laws.
Nimbin: What happened to the weed capital of Aus? [The Feed SBS Viceland]
Can Australia’s former pot hot-spot survive a huge police crackdown?
Medicinal cannabis – guidance documents [TGA]
The Commonwealth Department of Health, in conjunction with state and territory governments, has helped coordinate the development new clinical guidance documents for prescribers of medicinal cannabis products for treating chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, chronic non-cancer pain and palliative care, as well as an overview document.
NORTH AMERICA
New York Moves Toward Legal Marijuana With Health Dept. Endorsement [The New York Times]
New York moved a significant step closer to legalizing recreational marijuana, as a study commissioned by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo will recommend that the state allow adults to consume marijuana legally, the governor’s health commissioner said on Monday. Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, who opposed marijuana legalization efforts in the past, said recently that “facts have changed” around the drug.
New York City Will End Marijuana Arrests for Most People [The New York Times]
The New York Police Department plans to slash arrests for publicly smoking marijuana by more than half and give people tickets instead, but will keep arresting some of those who have past arrests or convictions, Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Tuesday.
Florida’s Ban on Smokable Medical Marijuana Will Continue for Now [The Marijuana Times]
The legal battle over smokable marijuana in Florida continues as an appellate court refused to lift a stay on the ruling recently made by Leon County Circuit Judge Gievers last month. While Gievers’ ruling was celebrated by patients and activists alike, the Department of Health had filed an appeal before the end of the day. John Morgan suggested Governor Rick Scott end all this now and do what is best for the people fighting for their right to live a better life, but clearly that has yet to happen.
The ex-drug lord hoping to cash in on legal cannabis [BBC]
In the 1990s ‘Freeway’ Ricky Ross was a drug lord in Los Angeles, and is thought to have made millions of dollars from dealing cocaine. He was jailed for life, but taught himself to read and write in prison before securing his release. He told BBC Radio 5 live’s Anna Foster he hopes for forgiveness, and never wants to be involved with cocaine again. But Ricky does want to get back into the drugs industry – this time within the law – as a legal cannabis entrepreneur in California. This clip is originally from The Emma Barnett Show on 29 May 2018.
Daily cannabis use is on the rise in American adults [EurekAlert!]
Study finds adults ages 50 to 64 increased nondaily cannabis use both before and after 2007; uptick among daily and non-daily users in all age categories 18 and older since 2007.
Canada’s House of Commons votes to legalise recreational cannabis [Independent]
Canada’s House of Commons has voted to legalise cannabis, moving the country one step closer to becoming the only G-8 nation to allow recreational use. The vote now moves the legislation back to the country’s Senate, which had already approved a version of the bill. While a number of American states have legalised adult use of marijuana, Canada would break new ground in lifting a prohibition nationwide. The substance is still banned under federal law in the US.
Senate passes pot bill, paving way for legal cannabis in 8 to 12 weeks [CBC]
Senators have voted to pass the federal government’s bill legalizing recreational marijuana by a vote of 52-29, with two abstentions, paving the way for a fully legal cannabis market within eight to 12 weeks.
Canada legalises recreational cannabis use [BBC]
Canada’s parliament has passed a law legalising the recreational use of marijuana nationwide. The Cannabis Act passed its final hurdle on Tuesday in a 52-29 vote in the Senate. The bill controls and regulates how the drug can be grown, distributed, and sold. Canadians will be able to buy and consume cannabis legally as early as this September.
Public Health Agency of Canada announces funding to help frontline workers communicate the health and safety facts about cannabis [Government of Canada]
Today, the Public Health Agency of Canada is announcing an investment of $223,000 for three organizations — the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, the University of Western Ontario, and Health Nexus — to support frontline workers in informing Canadians about cannabis health and safety. These organizations will develop public education tools and resources for public health professionals, education sector stakeholders (such as educators, school counsellors, school and school board administrators), and community service providers.
Human Rights Claims and Medical Cannabis in Canada: A View from the Courts [Points Blog]
To understand how Canada went from limited access to cannabis for therapeutic purposes to the impending legalization of recreational pot, it is crucial to understand the impact of human rights discourse on the erosion of impediments to accessing medical cannabis. From the early 2000s, Canadian courts were a crucial forum for taking issue with the federal government’s restrictive cannabis law and policy.
UK & EUROPE
Sajid Javid could cement his legacy by legalising medicinal cannabis, and now is the perfect time to do it [Independent]
It wouldn’t take very much effort by ministers to amend the law – yet it would have a lasting impact with minimal repercussions.
Theresa May and Sajid Javid clash over Billy Caldwell case at Cabinet [Spectator]
At Cabinet this morning, Sajid Javid tried to raise the Billy Caldwell case and the issue of medicinal cannabis. Theresa May replied that now was not the time to discuss this question. But Javid came back several times, pointing out that this was a fast-moving situation and that the Cabinet needed to discuss it. One Secretary of State tells me, Javid ‘wouldn’t take it is not on the agenda for an answer’.
UK Government Details New Medical Cannabis Plans [Talking Drugs]
The UK government will begin accepting applications to prescribe cannabis-based medicines within a week, and the home secretary has outlined plans for a broader review of cannabis law.
Home Secretary statement on medical use of cannabis [UK Government]
Sajid Javid announces review of the scheduling of cannabis.
This New Data Reveals the Scale of the UK’s Cannabis Industry [Vice]
As the Home Office reviews the use of medical weed, campaigners say data shown to VICE demonstrates more hypocrisy from a government who say it has no medicinal benefits, while quietly granting hundreds of cannabis cultivation licenses.
Billy Caldwell and Medicinal Cannabis [Rudi Fortson Q.C.]
Every few years, the plight of persons who have used ‘cannabis’ to alleviate pain and suffering due to a medical condition, has captured the attention of the public. If there is to be a review of the laws relating to the medicinal use of cannabis then this is to be welcomed and long overdue. The matter might have been addressed in 2005 after the Court of Appeal felt constrained to dismiss a number of conjoined appeals in R v Quayle and others [2005] 1 WLR 3642. Each of the appellants had possessed, or cultivated or imported cannabis to alleviate pain. On the 16th June 2018, the Home Secretary tweeted that “This morning, I’ve used an exceptional power as Home Secretary to urgently issue a licence to allow Billy Caldwell to be treated with cannabis oil“.
Billy’s Oil [The Times]
The case of a boy in urgent need of banned cannabis-based medicine highlights a glaring flaw in the law and speaks volumes about this government’s style.
Cannabis: how British laws around the drug have evolved [The Conversation]
Of course, cannabis was not always a legally controlled substance. Its banning in the UK was almost incidental to the geopolitical discussions of opium and coca products in the early 20th century. British diplomats initially opposed the international control of cannabis, as its sale was earning revenue for the British empire. In an early sign of Britain’s waning imperial influence, they lost the argument at the Geneva opium convention in 1925. Cannabis was subsequently added to the British Dangerous Drugs Act in 1928 by the Coca Leaves and Indian Hemp Drug Regulations.
Factsheet: cannabis for medicinal use [UK Government]
Classification and scheduling of cannabis; and licensing process.
Medical marijuana – is it time to change the law? [The Sunday Telegraph]
While UK patients cannot benefit from it, Britain is the world’s largest exporter of cannabis for medicinal and scientific use, with 95 tons of legally produced marijuana in 2016, almost half the global total.
Interview with Conservative MP campaigning to change the law to permit medicinal cannabis oil [Channel 4]
Interview with Conservative MP George Freeman.
Billy Caldwell: Senior MP urges reform over medical cannabis [BBC]
A senior MP leading an all-party group looking at medical cannabis has called the existing laws “bizarre and cruel”. Sir Mike Penning MP has called for “fundamental reform” of the system. “Medical cannabis is a health issue, not a misuse of drugs issue,” Sir Mike said in a statement. “It’s about patients and relieving suffering.”
Hague’s call to legalise cannabis rejected by government [BBC]
The government has rejected a call from Lord Hague to consider legalising the recreational use of cannabis.
Lib Dem MP: Probably half the Cabinet have used cannabis [ITV News]
Former health minister Norman Lamb has called for the complete legalisation of cannabis – after alleging that “probably half the Cabinet” have used the class B drug.
New expert panel to give swift advice on cannabis-based medicines [ITV News]
A new expert panel of clinicians is to be established to give swift advice on the prescription of cannabis-based medicines to individual patients, the Government has said.
Cannabis users smoke openly as calls mount for drug to be legalised [The Telegraph]
Adam McWilliam, a 31-year-old band roadie and drum technician, is happy to admit he has been openly smoking ‘weed’ since he was a teenager, despite a number of convictions for possession of the drug.
Police demand rewrite of drug laws as cannabis arrests slump [The Times]
The Police Federation’s board voted unanimously for a new policy on drugs, saying that 100 years of prohibition had failed. The intervention came as Sajid Javid, the home secretary, announced a review of the medicinal use of cannabis.
Portugal’s parliament legalises cannabis-based medicines [Reuters]
Portugal’s parliament overwhelmingly approved a bill on Friday to legalise marijuana-based medicines, after rejecting earlier proposals to allow patients to grow the drug at home.
French government ‘to close’ newly opened Paris cannabis coffee shops [Independent]
Agnès Buzyn, the health minister, said the shops were a threat to public health because they were encouraging drug use. She said they existed because they were exploiting a legal loophole which she pledged to close, adding that the government would find a way to put them all out of business within weeks.
WORLD
In Bangladesh, the government’s ‘war on drugs’ is turning into a bloodbath [Scroll]
With over a hundred alleged drug dealers killed in under a month, human rights activists accuse government forces of carrying out extrajudicial killings.
HEALTH & SCIENCE
The Evidence for Medical Use [Up Alliance]
Practising Consultant of Neurology, Professor Mike Barnes completed an analysis of the 20000 best and highest quality medical and scientific research and trial publications and has graded the efficacy of cannabis against a number of conditions.
Survey of oncologists finds knowledge gap on medical marijuana [MedicalXpress]
As more states legalize medical marijuana, two key groups—researchers whose job is it to understand its benefits and drawbacks, and physicians charged with advising potential users—are struggling to catch up with policymakers.
Cannabis: What are the risks of recreational use? [BBC]
What do experts think about the health risks of recreational cannabis use?
What is cannabis oil and how does it work? [The Guardian]
Your questions about the medical use of cannabis oil answered.
Agricultural hemp vs. marijuana: cultivation techniques [Colorado Springs Independent]
When it comes to cannabis, there is a lot of information and misinformation circling the internet. With growing support for marijuana legalization (61% in 2018 vs. 57% in 2017), America is running into the desperate need for readily available information on the plant responsible for so much controversy.
New Study: Medical Marijuana Serves as Opioid Alternative for 73% of Chronic Pain Patients [Medical Marijuana Inc]
A new study published in The Journal of Headache and Pain adds to a growing body of evidence showing that marijuana can serve as an alternative to prescription opioids for treating pain. Of patients diagnosed with chronic pain and having legal access to medical marijuana, 73 percent substituted cannabis in place of prescribed opioids.
POLICY & BUSINESS
Why we shouldn’t lump cannabis in with all other drugs when it comes to reform and decriminalisation [Independent]
There are a huge number of drugs being prescribed to patients that could easily kill them. Some drugs even get approved for clinical use after only one or two trials. Yet we treat cannabinoids differently.
Cannabis legalisation: How it has worked out for other countries around the world [Independent]
As the Home Office announces a review into medical marijuana, we examine the rules around the world.
The Sacred Plant: The Medicine and Politics Behind Marijuana [High Times]
Learn how medical marijuana could work for you from doctors, scientists and survivors in this new free docu-series.
WHO Report: Marijuana Leads to ‘Laughter & Talkativeness’ [Cannabis Now]
As more jurisdictions across the planet are moving to legalize marijuana for medical and recreational purposes, it feels like a sensible move for the world’s leading health authority to publish the truth on the safety of the cannabis plant. And it has done just that… and in a big way. It was just last week that the World Health Organization (WHO) gathered in Switzerland to conduct a first-of-its-kind peer-review of the entire cannabis plant, not just specific compounds. Now, the agency’s Drug and Dependence Committee has published a new report, calling marijuana “a relatively safe drug” that causes no significant health issues, only “euphoria, laughter and talkativeness.”
‘Even The Ugly Is Useful’: Giadha Aguirre De Carcer On How Data Can Predict The Future [Civilized]
De Carcer started her own company, New Frontier Data, in 2014, when Colorado had just started the process of legalizing cannabis. She was asked to do some market research on the plant and quickly realized something. “There were no industry reports whatsoever,” she said. “Bloomberg, Gardner, Ibis, you name it. Even the consulting firms that oftentimes put out papers. There was absolutely zero industry reporting in any substantive manner.”
Cannabis Industry Expected to Deliver 340,000 Full-Time Jobs by 2022 [Medical Marijuana Inc]
The legal cannabis industry is expected to provide as many as 340,000 full-time jobs in the United States by 2022, according to Marijuana Business Daily’s newly released Marijuana Business Factbook 2018.
CULTURE & SOCIETY
Marijuana and Watching TV with Your Kids [The Marijuana Times]
The survey shows that adults are more engaged with TV programs on the whole when using cannabis, but instead of fulfilling the stereotype of the “zoned-out stoner” who melds with the couch and doesn’t really follow along with the course of the TV program, those surveyed found themselves more engaged with the show itself when under the influence of cannabis.
FSU researchers find religious involvement deters recreational and medical marijuana use [EurekAlert!]
FSU Associate Professor Amy Burdette and her team found that individuals who regularly attend church and report that religion is very important in their daily decision making are less likely to use marijuana recreationally and medically. The study was recently published in the Journal of Drug Issues.
Young people ‘see cannabis as safer than alcohol’ [BBC]
“For me, having cannabis in the evening is the equivalent of having a glass of wine on a Friday night.”
Runner’s High: Cannabis-Infused Club Taking Off Tonight [Westworld]
Combining cannabis and sports is a growing trend among amateur and professional athletes alike, but one new club in Denver is taking the term “runner’s high” to a new level. Billing itself as the Runner’s High Run Club, the group will gather every Thursday at the Native Roots Highlands dispensary to run a 4.2-mile sativa route or a hybrid 2.1-mile route.
Even if cannabis is legal, please don’t toke and drive [The Conversation]
At Toronto Rehab, we have the most advanced driving simulator in Canada — and we are testing people’s driving abilities after they have used various types of cannabis.
FUNDRAISERS/CAMPAIGNS
Support Tony Bower’s Legal Fees [gofundme]
21 June Breaking news! Tony has been released on bail. Tony of Mullaway’s Medical Cannabis has once again been arrested for growing his cannabis medicine! Tony makes cannabis tincture for children with epilepsy and countless others with cancer, chronic pain, ms and the list goes on. Tony Bower has dedicated his life to helping others and now needs your help. All Donations would be greatly appreciated.
Supporting Andrew Katelaris [gofundeme]
Andrew is behind bars again and may be there until the trial starts in November unless a Supreme Court appeal passes. Funds to date have gone to a legal team plus barrister. More recently a lawyer has been engaged to appear in court RE the current matter. 3 lawyers will now have visited Andrew in jail since the beginning of his first in Parklea and now in the Hunter Valley.
LEGALISING CANNABIS [The Greens]
Let’s get real about cannabis. The “war on drugs” has been lost. These days, millions of Australians choose to use cannabis and countries all around the world are changing their laws after realising prohibition does more harm than good. It’s high time we joined them and legalised it. That’s why I’m proud to announce today that the Greens are launching our national plan to legalise cannabis for adult use.
EVENTS
CannaTech
BuddingTech is partnered with the world’s premier medical cannabis conference! Save the date 29-30th October 2018 Sydney.
DRUG WAR OVER! [Radio Documentary]
IF YOU WANT IT: When Phil Bromley moved from Sydney to one of Australia’s most famous and surprisingly largest tourism destinations, Nimbin he felt like he’d found home. Six years on, after observing and experiencing the relentless police harassment and mainstream media victimization of his new hometown, Phil felt it was time to let the town tell their story in their own words. ‘Exposing The War On Drugs’ is an eight part radio documentary series that looks at how the war on drugs has affected Australia and the rest of the world. Broadcast around Australia on the Community Radio Network, from the 18th April and podcast at https://player.whooshkaa.com/shows/exposing-the-war-on-drugs . With the spotlight on Nimbin, Australia’s most famous “alternative” town, the team from NIM FM, (Nimbin’s local community radio station), explore drug prohibition, medicinal cannabis, addiction and Nimbin itself; and offer some solutions to the costly drug war that has raged since the early 1930s.
Entheogenesis Australis Shop Now Open [EGA]
Entheogenesis Australis (EGA) would like to thank the psychedelic community for it’s ongoing support and attendance at our recent Psychedelic Symposium. Since the event we’ve had a lot of inquiries about obtaining copies of the new EGA Journal 4 and other special merchandise. To browse, please feel free to head to the EGA Shop online or click on the items below. This is also your chance to pick up classic and new T-shirt designs. Please keep in mind much of the stock is very limited so don’t delay!
Nimbin Medican Workshops on YouTube [Hemp Embassy]
Thanks to Disco Sista for documenting the many medican workshops that the Embassy has hosted in Nimbin over the past 3 years. If you’ve missed these amazing gatherings, then you can still watch the speakers online.
Click on this link to head to Disco Sista’s Nimbin Medican YouTube Channel.