AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND
Cannabis advocate avoids drug-driving conviction [Northern Star]
HEMP Party president Michael Balderstone has conceded he drove with a detectable quantity of cannabis in his system, but he’s been spared a criminal conviction. His solicitor, Steve Bolt, hopes to debate a broader issue around drug-driving laws and testing in the future.
Medicinal cannabis: The family that changed Australia’s debate [BBC]
Being a former police officer, Lou Haslam knew his family’s story about breaking Australian law to get medicinal cannabis for his son was powerful. It helped lead to a change in the law but, as Gary Nunn reports from Sydney, the family remains unhappy with the result.
Punishment Disguised as Safety: The Injustice of Drug Driving Laws [Sydney Criminal Lawyers]
Enpsychedelia presenter Nick Wallis hosted a roadside drug testing forum on 4 May at the Nimbin MardiGrass, with panellists that included Reason Party leader Fiona Patten, HEMP Party secretary Andrew Kavasilas and renowned medicinal cannabis practitioner Dr Andrew Katelaris.
Into the light: New Zealand’s cannabis growers gear up for referendum [The Guardian]
A nationwide search is underway for unique strains of the plant, as the country prepares to vote on full legalisation.
Arresting Moments Featuring Dr Andrew Katelaris [Church of Ubuntu]
Please watch this great new video from Greendorphin Media providing essential background into Dr Andrew Katelaris’s unlawful arrest and treatment in solitary confinement.
The great Australian methamphetamine flood [Independent Australia]
ACIC CEO Michael Phelan reports that the drug markets in Australia remain ‘resilient’, though the enormous numbers of drug arrests suggest that “rampant” would be a more accurate characterisation. In another carefully measured euphemism, he calls Australia’s methamphetamine market ‘large and intractable’, but, as the graph below shows, “going gang-busters” is a far more accurate assessment. This graph of amphetamine seizures at the border over the most recent decade exhibits the unambiguous profile of a methamphetamine flood.
Australian Cannabis Summit
NORTH AMERICA
Governor of New Jersey Signs Bill to Expand State Medical Cannabis Program [High Times]
Under the measure, the state will add more licenses for providers in the medicinal cannabis program, patients will be allowed to legally possess more medicine, and registered medical marijuana patients from other states will be permitted to possess cannabis.
Ontario to issue 50 new pot shop licences under new vetting process [BNN Bloomber]
Ontario will issue 50 new cannabis retail licences this year, a move aimed at expanding legal pot sales in the country’s largest marijuana market while helping to stamp out the illicit industry, the provincial government announced Wednesday.
California’s track-and-trace system slowly spreading through marijuana supply chain, but hiccups remain [Marijuana Business Daily]
The marijuana inventory tracking system for the world’s largest cannabis market – California – isn’t fully online, despite its rollout in January. But it’s getting there.
U.S. States setting their own CBD rules as federal action lags [Hemp Industry Daily]
But the efforts aren’t reducing legal headaches for the hemp industry. That’s because states and even local governments are crafting their own health-and-safety regulations, giving product manufacturers and retailers a dizzying array of laws to consider before selling their products across state lines.
The unlikely cannabis revolution powering Canada’s local economy [New Statesman]
The arrival of a new cannabis factory rescued Smiths Falls from a post-industrial malaise. Might the same approach work in the UK?
BUSINESS & POLICY
CBD in Legal Markets Outpacing THC Sales [Ganjapreneur]
A new hemp industry report indicates that the popularity of CBD products such as topicals, tinctures, and edibles is growing at a much faster rate than that of their THC-rich counterparts.
Banking, financing remain serious struggle for hemp, CBD businesses [Hemp Industry Daily]
Because of a lack of clear federal banking regulations and uncertainty from financial institutions, hemp and CBD businesses are finding that while one day they may have access to services such as credit card payment processing, the next day there could be issues.
HEALTH & SCIENCE
CBD, the Next Superbug Treatment? [Medical Marijuana 411]
In recent years Cannabidiol (CBD) has been proven to help treat the symptoms of anxiety, epilepsy and pain. Now, new research is emerging that CBD may be part of the next wave of antibiotics used to treat bacterial infections.
Are There Side Effects to Consuming Edibles? [Wikileaf]
Low and slow wins the race.
No, Smoking Weed Won’t Actually Kill Your Brain Cells [Civilized]
You’ve probably heard someone say something like, “every puff off marijuana cigarette kills brain cells” at least a few times. But is there actually any validity to this claim? Not likely, say brain experts.
Do Cannabis Sublingual Strips Really Work? Yes—Here’s How [Leafly]
As the cannabis market grows, consumption methods are expanding beyond bongs, joints, and edibles. Now you can put a tiny strip of cannabis film under your tongue. Sublingual strips have quickly become a burgeoning part of the market because of their fast-acting effectiveness and discreetness. But how exactly do these tiny little film strips work?
Legal marijuana – safer for children or raising their risk of psychosis? [The Evening Standard]
Experts disagree on the lasting impact of legalisation on children.
Recycling Vaporized Cannabis: 10 Ways to Use ‘Already Vaped Bud’ [Leafly]
“Already vaped bud,” or AVB for short, is the brown, crispy flower that’s left over after vaping cannabis. Although much of the THC in cannabis will be vaporized, the flower isn’t turned to ash (unlike smoking) and retains some of its cannabinoid content. That means it can be used twice, if you know how.
CULTURE & SOCIETY
The origins of cannabis smoking: Chemical residue evidence from the first millennium BCE in the Pamirs [Science Advances]
Debate: Should the supply of cannabis be legalised now? [bmj]
Strict regulation would allow for healthier cannabis consumption than the criminally controlled current supply can offer, say Molly Meacher, David Nutt, and Jonathan Liebling. But Robin Murray and Adam Gridley worry that legalisation could increase cannabis use and associated psychiatric disorders.
LEGO goes to hemp plastic by 2030 [Cannabis Mag]
LEGO wants to change the material it uses to make its branded toy bricks loved by children around the world. The company is currently using a plastic resin (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene), but by 2030, it wants to use a more environmentally friendly and more cost-effective material, according to a report from Plastics News. And this material is hemp plastic.
The Pechoti Method: Can You Consume CBD Oil Through Your Belly Button? [Medium]
No, it’s not pouring a bottle of CBD oil in your belly button. This ancient technique is called the Pechoti intake method.
EVENTS
FUNDRAISERS/CAMPAIGNS/PETITIONS/SURVEYS
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]
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.