Embassy HEADLINES Issue 375
AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND
Roadside Drug Testing Devices Are Unreliable, Study Reveals [Sydney Criminal Lawyerrs]
And a recently released study carried out by Sydney University’s Lambert Initiative for Cannabinoid Therapeutics found that when it does come to cannabis the two roadside drug testing devices being used around the country are hopelessly flawed.
Legalise weed, NZ criminal lawyer group president says [Stuff]
The president of New Zealand’s criminal lawyers’ society supports legalising cannabis for personal use and says existing law criminalises too many people. Len Andersen, Criminal Bar Association president, said banning cannabis created demand for more harmful drugs, including synthetic cannabinoids which have been implicated in at least 70 deaths. He said prohibition put otherwise law-abiding people who chose to smoke cannabis “in the position of constant illegality.”
Newly updated ‘personal search manual’ encourages ‘unlawful’ stripsearches by police [news.com.au]
NSW Police have released a new manual on instructions for conducting a controversial practice that has been slammed by legal experts.
Home grown cannabis to be legal in the ACT. Now what? [The Conversation]
Cannabis regulation comes in many forms internationally. The most common model allows the legal sale or supply of cannabis to adults, with further allowances for home grown plants. The ACT’s allowance of four plants per household is on par with what other jurisdictions allow internationally. However, the ACT’s allowable weight of possessed cannabis is on the lower scale.
Greg Hunt ‘concerned’ about legalisation of cannabis but no plans to override ACT law [The Guardian]
The Morrison government has “no plans” to override the Australian Capital Territory’s new law legalising possession of cannabis, the health minister Greg Hunt has said. On Friday Hunt and treasurer Josh Frydenberg added to a growing chorus of senior federal ministers criticising the law – of which home affairs minister Peter Dutton is most vocal – but held the line against directly overriding it.
Is South Australia finally nearing its medicinal cannabis boom? [InDaily]
The long-promised, glittering ambitions of a large-scale medicinal cannabis industry in South Australia are about to be tested, with plans to create more than 1000 jobs at a major new manufacturing facility in Adelaide.
Cannabis, Health, and Crypto – Where to next? [CandoHive]
Proposed overhaul of Australia’s medical cannabis framework ‘far too slow,’ industry officials say [Marijuana Business Daily]
NORTH AMERICA
San Diego cracking down on marijuana billboards but loosening other rules [San Diego Union Tribune]
In addition to limiting where billboards can be placed, the city is proposing to loosen restrictions on the locations of marijuana dispensaries and marijuana production facilities – such as indoor pot farms and factories making marijuana edibles. The package of reforms also includes replacing “marijuana” with “cannabis” in all city codes and documents.
Cannabis Contributed $8.26B to Canadian GDP Post-Legalization [Ganjapreneur]
Canada’s cannabis industry contributed $8.26 billion to the country’s national gross domestic product as of July; that rise corresponds with a decline in other traditional industries, like mining, construction, and manufacturing.
America’s first cannabis cafe opens in California – in pictures [The Guardian]
Lowell Cafe opens in west Hollywood – the first restaurant in the US where weed can be openly consumed.
24/7 Marijuana Delivery Hits Las Vegas [Green Entrepreneur]
Marijuana Arrests Increased Again Last Year Despite More States Legalizing, FBI Data Shows [Forbes]
Marijuana arrests keep going up in the U.S. even though more states are enacting cannabis legalization laws.
New Tennessee Policy May Allow More State Residents To Consume Marijuana [High Times]
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation will no longer test cannabis amounts weighing less than half an ounce.
Banned in Boston: Without vaping, medical marijuana patients must adapt [Reuters]
Massachusetts imposed its ban on all vaping products, including both nicotine- and cannabis-based products, in response to mounting concern about the potential serious health risks. Governor Charlie Baker, a Republican, said the ban would last at least four months while new legislation and regulation is explored.
McConnell Pushing For Cannabis Field Testing Capabilities [Hemp Gazette]
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is pushing the DEA to develop testing that can quickly distinguish between marijuana and hemp.
WORLD
The State of Cannabis Today: Where Weed Is Legal Around the World [Cannabis Now]
Here are the bud basics you need to know about the state of cannabis legalization around the world, right now.
Dutch weed labels must be ‘as unattractive as possible’ per new rules for state-licensed cannabis [The Growth Op]
Producers are only permitted to use the Helvetica font on packages, and only black ink may be used to print labels.
Mexico lawmaker says the government should regulate and sell marijuana [BNN Bloomberg]
Mexico’s government shouldn’t only regulate pot, it should be the main bulk buyer and seller of the drug, lower house majority leader Mario Delgado proposed in a new bill.
High ambitions: Uruguay cannabis firm targets booming global market for medical marijuana [Financial Post]
Uruguay has just made the first commercial shipment of medical cannabis, 10 kg (22 lb) of dried flowers with high levels of active ingredient THC destined for patients in Australia. The small but landmark export underscores the country’s push into the burgeoning market for legal cannabis, that has medical uses including helping cancer patients manage chronic pain or treating spasms associated with multiple sclerosis.
UK’s NICE cannabis guidlines could ‘detract’ from doctors considering prescribing for epilepsy [The Pharmaceutical Journal]
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society also said the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence [NICE] should consider evidence other than from randomised controlled trials in its guidance on prescribing cannabis-based medical products.
First cannabis-friendly cafe opens in Israel [The Jerusalem Post]
European Union Clears First Cannabis-Based Medicine [Bloomberg]
Doctors can now prescribe GW Pharmaceuticals Plc’s Epidyolex to help alleviate the seizures caused by two rare and extreme forms of epilepsy that start in childhood.
Italy’s Cannabis Renaissance Taking Hold [benzinga]
BUSINESS & POLICY
NCIA Releases Guidelines for Federal Cannabis Regulation After Legalization [Ganjapreneur]
The National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA) Report urges Congress to remove cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act; suggests classifications for different cannabis products, most appropriate federal agencies and methods to regulate them.
What Does ‘Cannabis 2.0’ Mean for Canada’s Pot Industry? [Green Camp]
About one year after cannabis dried flower and oils were first legalized in October, a new wave of products will be hitting store shelves in December. These products include 1) cannabis-infused foods and drinks, called edibles and drinkables, 2) concentrates that can be used with vaporizers, and 3) topicals, such as ones made from cannabidiol (CBD), a non-psychoactive component of cannabis.
More Cannabis Companies Are Getting Warning Letters From USA’s FTC [The Motley Fool]
Studies on cannabidiol and what it can and cannot do have been limited, but that hasn’t stopped advertisers from making some very aggressive claims.
Legalise cannabis, says Liberal Democrat candidate for London mayor [The Guardian]
The legalisation of cannabis should be tested in London to improve public health and stop young people being drawn into crime, a London mayoral candidate has said.
UK’s Labour to ‘consider legalising all drugs’ including cocaine and heroin [Independent]
‘The war on drugs is funding gangs, fuelling crime, giving children easy access on social media and disproportionately criminalising working class young men,’ says David Lammy.
HEALTH & SCIENCE
Patients Turning to Cannabis Amid Opioid Restrictions [CBD Testers]
If you live in one of the legal states, like California for example, you’re likely aware that cannabis is starting to border on conventional medicine – especially as other options are becoming increasingly restricted.
GW Pharmaceuticals is Looking to Treat Autism with Cannabis [The Marijuana Times]
The new clinical trial is being conducted at Montefiore Medical Center in New York in partnership with GW Pharmaceuticals. Unlike most cannabis-based medicines, the GW Pharmaceuticals medicine being studied utilizes a cannabinoid called cannabidivarin (or CBDV), which is closely related to CBD. This would be the first study to look at a cannabinoid other than THC or CBD in the treatment of autism – but it’s CBDV’s effects in treating epilepsy that lead researchers to believe it would be beneficial to ASD patients.
Vapes Tainted with Hydrogen Cyanide – Death Toll Up To 16 [CBD Testers]
According to CannaSafe’s report, the three samples that came from legal dispensaries in California came up clean – no pesticides or fungicides, heavy metals, or residual solvents like Vitamin E acetate. Out of the remaining 15 samples, 13 contained vitamin E and 10 tested positive for something even scarier – hydrogen cyanide. Technically, they contained a fungicide called myclobutanil, but this can convert to hydrogen cyanide when burned or vaporized.
Heavy marijuana use may lower sperm quality, new study shows [earth.com]
Whether or not marijuana use causes fertility problems and negatively affects sperm remains inconclusive as studies on the topic are mixed. Research has shown that moderate cannabis use can increase sperm counts, but another study found that THC in cannabis can lead to pronounced genetic changes in sperm.
CBD – the science behind purity [EPR]
The landscape of cannabinoids in the pharmaceutical industry was a hot topic of conversation at the ‘CBD – the science behind purity’ event last week at the Royal College of GPs in London. This event, held last week, explored the manufacturing and potential of cannabinoids within the pharmaceutical industry.
Cannabis and Pain [Pain Medicine]
The time has passed when it is justifiable for pain clinics in cannabis legal jurisdictions to discharge patients for the appearance of THC metabolites in their urine. I urge clinicians to educate themselves on cannabis, cannabinoids, and the endocannabinoid system, to understand that cannabis is a variable botanical with distinct pharmacological differences, and to engage their patients in substantive discussions of the impact that cannabis may have on their quality of life.
How High Can Patients Get on CBD? [Epilepsy Currents]
This study presents data to support that CBD has minimal abuse potential as well as a relatively mild side effect profile. Based on current data and testing methodologies, patients are not likely to get high on purified, CBD-only formulations.
Cannabis oil makes antibiotics more effective, study finds [University of Westminster]
Dr Sigrun Lange, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Biomedical Sciences, led a major study revealing that cannabis oil (CBD) can increase the effectiveness of antibiotics.
Marijuana Users May Be More Likely to Survive Acute Heart Failure Hospitalization [Medscape]
Wu speculated that marijuana users may have been more relaxed or had better emotional or other psychological responses to their hospitalization experience than nonusers, “and that accounted for the better outcomes.”
Is Extracting Medical Cannabis Challenging? [Cannabis Health Insider]
Medical cannabis extraction is of paramount importance in the whole process of medical cannabis production. The process can be challenging as engineers haven’t designed an equipment specifically for the cannabis extraction yet. Consequently, the yield is not at its optimum level.
CULTURE & SOCIETY
AFL 360 host Mark Robinson launches astonishing pro cannabis, Willie Rioli defence [news.com.au]
AFL 360 host Mark Robinson has waved off concerns about Willie Rioli’s cannabis positive, suggesting he may have used it for medicinal purposes.
EVENTS
Rethink Reform [Greens]
Greens are hosting a public forums about our drug laws in NSW: Braidwood, Lismore and Mullumbimby. Come along to find out why the war on drugs has failed, what evidence-based public policy that prioritises harm reduction looks like, and what we can do to move towards decriminalising people who use drugs.
Cannabis, Health, and Crypto – Where to next? [CandoHive]
Medican Workshop [Nimbin Hemp Embassy]
Annual General Meetings
Nimbin Hemp Embassy AGM 2019
11am on Saturday 16 November 2019 at the Town Hall, 45 Cullen Street, Nimbin.
MardiGrass Organizing Body AGM 2019
12pm on Saturday 16 November 2019 at the Town Hall, 45 Cullen Street, Nimbin.
Australian HEMP Party AGM 2019
2pm on Saturday 16 November 2019 at the Town Hall, 45 Cullen Street, Nimbin.
Australian Industrial Hemp Conference
FUNDRAISERS/CAMPAIGNS/PETITIONS/SURVEYS
URGENT REVIEW of the medical cannabis delivery system [Medical Cannabis Users Association of Australia, MCUA]
Your petitioners ask that the Senate: Take the necessary steps to initiate an Independent Inquiry by the Australian Advisory Council on the Medicinal Use of Cannabis (AACMC) to review the current delivery system with the view creating a fairer, more affordable delivery model in consultation with the end users.
Medical Cannabis Access – Patient Satisfaction Survey [Medical Cannabis Users Association of Australia, MCUA]
MCUA is keen to get feedback on how the government’sMedical Cannabis delivery system is working for Australian patients 3 years after it was implemented. This survey is only open to Australian residents who have have qualified for approval by the TGA under the SAS. We have suggested to the Federal government that a Review / Inquiry be held into the current pharmaceutical delivery system and we want collate the information we get here to use it to demonstrate how well the pharmaceutical model is working for the end user ie the patients. We thank you for participating and appreciate your support.
HELP GROW OUR CANNABIS CAMPAIGN [The Greens]
The ACT took one small step towards legalising cannabis, and already the rapid News Corp media is after them. If we’re ever going to win this fight and #JustLegaliseIt, we need to take them on.
Next stop Canberra – we’re taking the fight to Parliament! [United in Compassion]
When Barnaby Joyce recently showed just how ignorant he was about medicinal cannabis, comparing it to “pulling bongs”, I realised something: the majority of Australians support medicinal cannabis. It’s the politicians who need to be convinced.
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
Trailer: Green Light [Film Ink]
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.