AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND
A Bill to allow medicinal cannabis patients to drive [Fiona Patten MP]
Last week in Parliament I presented a Bill to amend our road laws, so that medicinal cannabis is treated the same as every other prescription medication. No one is permitted to drive while impaired, or drive under the influence – however people taking medicinal cannabis should be allowed to drive as long as they are not putting others at risk.
REQUEST FOR ASSISTANCE: Dr Andrew Katelaris
On Friday 1st November at the Supreme Court of Appeal in Brisbane the court will hear an appeal by Mr Alex Dimitropoulos against his conviction in the district court for the cultivation of cannabis for medical purposes.
Canberra laws legalising cannabis breach international law, United Nations warns [ABC]
The ACT Government has hit back at warnings from the United Nations that legalising cannabis will breach international law, telling the body to instead look at the United States and Canada where the laws go further.
Medicinal cannabis approvals surged in 2019, but the AMA says there’s still not enough proof that it works [ABC]
There has been a surge in approvals for people wanting to use medicinal cannabis in Australia, from 2,500 last year, to 16,000 this year. At the same time, a review has found there was much more commercial interest than expected and has recommended that licensing requirements be made less onerous. The AMA isn’t convinced, saying there is still not enough research to prove medicinal cannabis is safe.
NSW police strip-search data shows lowest drug prosecution rate in seven years [ABC]
More than two-thirds of strip searches carried out by NSW police fail to find any illicit drugs, according to data obtained by the ABC. The data also shows less than 0.5 per cent of drug searches undertaken following detection by a police dog result in drug prosecutions. It reveals officers conducted 5,362 strip searches during the 2018-19 financial year, from which 3,546 did not result in a prohibited drug, dangerous article or item being found. In the same period, 11,533 drug searches were undertaken following detection by a police dog, however, just 59 of those searches — or less than 0.5 per cent — led to drug prosecutions. It is the lowest prosecution rate in seven years, according to the data.
Drug laws not fit-for-purpose, world-leading drug experts warn [The Sydney Morning Herald]
Inhumane drug laws based on “vote-winning” moral prejudices are failing to keep up with the rapidly changing illicit market or help the people destroyed by dependence. A major series published on Thursday in The Lancet, co-authored by Sydney researchers, urges policymakers to dump morally-charged punitive measures and turn to science to curb the rising rates of devastating drug-related harms. “It is time to recognise the humanity of people who use drugs, and to offer them similar solidarity and protection from the worst excesses of populist politics,” The Lancet editors Dr Pam Das and Dr Richard Horton wrote in an accompanying comment piece.
Free and Equal: A conversation on human rights [Australian Human Rights Commission]
The Australian Human Rights Commission is taking submissions on ‘Free and Equal’ rights. We want to hear your vision for the future. Everyone is invited to take part. You can make a written submission to the Commission based on the questions included in any or all of the papers here. The deadline for receiving submissions is 5pm on 8 November 2019.
NORTH AMERICA
Marijuana has been legal in Canada for a year. So why are most users still buying it from criminals? [ABC]
In many ways, Dana is a typical Canadian cannabis consumer. She’s young, professional, and — despite the country legalising the sale of marijuana last year — still buys her weed on the black market. “It’s legal here, but it’s not legal elsewhere,” she says. “I travel to the US quite a bit and I need to be eligible for visas in other places. I just don’t trust that the information about me buying weed will not be shared and used against me in this era of insecure data.” Rather than buying from government-approved suppliers, she prefers to get her marijuana from friends, family members and an illegal dispensary near her home in Toronto.
Quebec raises legal age for cannabis to 21; critics say it will only drive illegal sales [CTV News]
After a year of being able to purchase cannabis legally from age 18, Quebecers will now have to wait until they turn 21. The provincial government has passed a bill changing the legal age to use marijuana, a move critics say will only drive the black market.
Farmers with a license can grow hemp but cannot sell hemp products [Alabama Reporter]
Alabama hemp farmers complain that their state licenses are too restrictive. It is illegal in Alabama for a farmer to sell hemp material to the general public or to anyone without a hemp license.
Getting Hemp Across State Lines Just Got Easier [Green Entrepreneur]
Hemp Regulations Will Be Issued Within Weeks, Top USDA Official Says [Marijuana Moment]
The department previously indicated that it would release the regulations in August, but that timeline has shifted, with officials recently stating that they’d be issued this fall, prior to the 2020 planting season.
As ‘Cannabis 2.0’ kicks off in Canada, industry strangled by limited retail outlets [Reuters]
A year after Canada legalized use of recreational marijuana cannabis stocks have lost half their market value.
Vaping Injury Outbreak Hasn’t Hurt Marijuana Legalization Support, Gallup Poll Shows [Marijuana Moment]
Two-thirds of Americans favor legalizing marijuana, according to a Gallup survey released on Wednesday.
BUSINESS & POLICY
For Cannabis Businesses Transitioning From Medical To Adult-Use, Planning Is Everything [High Green News]
Because cannabis legalization is currently a patchwork of state-level regulatory regimes in the U.S., every state’s cannabis market is unique. No one set of rules applies everywhere, and, in states with both medical and adult-use markets, the regulations are often different for each type of sale.
Cannabis Industry Lobbyists Set New Spending Record [Ganjapreneur]
Cannabis industry lobby spending in the U.S. has reached $3.77 million this year, a new high that surpasses the $2.76 million spent in 2018, according to Open Secrets figures. The Cannabis Trade Federation led the industry in lobby spending at $760,500.
Weedmaps, facing pressure to work only with legal cannabis shops, lays off a quarter of its workforce [Daily Democrat]
Two months after online cannabis directory Weedmaps promised it would stop listing illicit marijuana businesses, the Irvine-based company has laid off 25% of its workforce. Weedmaps says that the slow roll out of legal markets is to blame.
Feds Send Warning Letter To Another CBD Company Over Medical Claims [Marijuana Moment]
The U.S. federal agencies accused Rooted Apothecary of unlawfully asserting that their cannabidiol products could treat symptoms of conditions such as ADHD, Parkinson’s disease, ear aches, ADHD and autism. Those claims appeared on the company’s website and social media accounts, they said.
Aurora Cannabis Is Dumping Its Pot, Which May Be A Sign It’s All Over [Forbes]
Aurora Cannabis is actually dumping part of its harvest into “wholesale,” which means it is selling it for cheap… according to a line buried deep in the company’s Q4 financials. Last fiscal quarter, the company dumped $20 million worth of pot, a 869% increase from the previous quarter. It is doing this because there’s not enough demand from consumers.
HEALTH & SCIENCE
University of Guelph to study cannabis as treatment for bladder cancer in dogs [Global News]
The university said it’s one of Canada’s first studies of the potential use of cannabis for treating animal cancer.
How to Meet the Nitrogen Needs of Cannabis: Nutrient Matters [Cannabis Business Times]
Of all the nutrients provided by growers to stimulate plant growth, nitrogen (N) is needed in the largest quantity. This article outlines the nitrogen needs of cannabis plants for each life stage, from rooting to flowering.
Purdue University Nets $1M Award for Organic Hemp Production Study [Ganjapreneur]
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has awarded Indiana’s Purdue University a $1 million grant to study organic hemp production. The research will be led by Kevin Gibson, a professor of botany and plant pathology who said understanding organic farming methods for hemp are especially important because there are, currently, no pesticides that can be used legally for hemp production.
US alcohol consumption falling as cannabis use increases [Health Europa]
The cannabis industry is directly correlated with US alcohol consumption decline; Investment-bank firm Cowen & Co. reported that as of 2016, legal adult-use cannabis US states witnessed binge drinking rates fall by 9% below the national average, and 11% below non-cannabis states.
Here’s What You Need To Know About Treating Joint Pain With Cannabis [The Fresh Toast]
While CBD and THC certainly can’t take over the entirety of a pain management regimen, studies on cortisone treatments are bringing the conversations of cannabis to greater light.
Most THC and CBD oil goes to waste in your body—here’s why [Leafly]
Bioavailability refers to the degree and rate at which a substance is absorbed into your bloodstream to be used where needed. Physiological processes and consumption methods can affect cannabis absorption, rendering its effects somewhat hit-and-miss.
The Most Potent Cannabis Flowers Revealed by Advanced Microscopy [SciTech Daily]
The frostier the marijuana flower, the more potent the cannabis: Advanced microscopy reveals internal structures of cannabis biochemical factories.
New marijuana breathalyser dubbed a ‘game changer’ [news.com.au]
“With alcohol, if you have over 0.08% in your blood, there’s the presumption that you’re intoxicated,” he told The Philadelphia Inquirer. “There hasn’t been a blood test or a breath test that can determine if you’re impaired by marijuana.” But a device created by US company Hound Labs claims to have solved this problem. The Hound Breathalyser is able to accurately identify recent marijuana use by measuring THC in the breath.
Cannabis use and the immune system: white blood cell count [Health Europa]
A study has shown that the total white blood cell count in cannabis users is higher among heavy users when compared to non-users.
EVENTS
GreenLight: Saving Lives at any Cost
In cinemas from 10 October. You can also see it at the Nimbin Medican workshop 26-27 October. In Australia, two men work to provide the last hope of relief — and in some cases cure — for thousands suffering chronic and terminal illnesses. They provide black market medicinal cannabis for people who have nowhere else to turn.
Rethink Reform [Greens]
Greens are hosting a public forums about our drug laws in NSW. 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.
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.