AUSTRALIA
Spotlight to be placed on barriers to medicinal cannabis in Australia [SBS]
Barriers confronting patients trying to access medicinal cannabis in Australia will be scrutinised in a Parliamentary inquiry into how the drug is regulated. The Greens said the medicinal cannabis system is “broken” and in urgent need of reform as their push for an inquiry into access to the drug won support in the Senate on Thursday. But the Federal government has rejected the need for review saying it continues to enable access to medicinal cannabis for those in need while maintaining safeguards of its use.
Medicinal cannabis subject of new inquiry [9 News]
Western Australia cuts red tape for medical cannabis in boost for patients, industry [Marijuana Business Daily]
Tom Forrest presents cultivation finds from around the world [Winston Churchill Trust]
To enhance the standard of medical cannabis cultivation in Australian licensed facilities but examining industries in Canada, Netherlands, Spain, Germany, Italy, Slovenia, Denmark, and Israel.
Is it time to legalise drugs? [Drug Policy Australia]
Here’s the video of the Panel discussion, “Is it Time to Legalise Drugs”, held at the Melbourne town hall in September, and hosted by Jon Faine. For those that missed the evening hear from an all-star panel of community leaders, politicians, lawyers, ex-police and journalists discuss the war on drugs.
Zelda Therapeutics to supply its cannabis medicine to cancer patients in Newcastle trial [Proactive Investors]
The CARE NSW Clinical Trial will be assessing safety, tolerability and efficacy of different cannabis medicine formulations to provide symptom relief in advanced cancer patients.
As a former top cop, I feel a duty to speak out [The Sydney Morning Herald]
I sincerely urge the Premier and the Commissioner to be prepared to examine the facts and change their minds or at least discuss the options. It is the only way we will make a difference and, in regard to the recent coronial inquiry, six families are sitting on the sidelines watching.
Man charged after allegedly lighting bushfire at Ebor to protect cannabis crop [ABC]
The fire, allegedly lit on Thursday, is still burning out of control on the NSW Northern Tablelands. It has burnt through more than 5,400 hectares.
NORTH AMERICA
Marijuana Legalization Bill Approved By Congressional Committee In Historic Vote [Marijuana Moment]
For the first time in history, a congressional committee has approved a bill to end federal marijuana prohibition in the USA. The House Judiciary Committee passed the Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act in a 24-10 vote on Wednesday, setting the stage for a full floor vote.
America’s Best Drug Dealers Are A-List Celebrities [The Atlantic]
Cannabis companies have found a splashy way to avoid ad regulations.
California Liberals Talked a Big Game About Weed Justice. Then Big Cannabis Took Over [High Green News]
Legalization “is just killing off the small farmer,” said Mendocino County supervisor Ted Williams, who was elected last year. “The sense in this county is that Prop. 64’s implementation is really favoring the corporate interests at the cost of the small family farms.”
No one clear path around California marijuana industry’s major business woes, insiders lament [Marijuana Business Daily]
California’s cannabis industry continues to struggle with problems that remain much the same since early 2018 when the state transitioned to a legal market – and no clear solutions have yet emerged.
- A lack of overall marijuana licensing opportunities.
- Significant barriers blocking unlicensed cannabis business operators from transitioning to the legal market.
- Widespread bans on commercial marijuana activity by a majority of the state’s municipalities.
- High tax rates pushing consumers to the illicit cannabis market.
Brooklyn DA to Drop Drug Charges Against Hemp Recipient [Ganjapreneur]
The district attorney in Brooklyn, New York has announced that charges against the recipient of a large hemp shipment will be dropped; police had confiscated the shipment and described it as a major cannabis bust.
Governor issues temporary executive order allowing the transport of hemp through Idaho [KIVI-TV]
In a news release, the governor says the order is meant to serve as a “stopgap measure until the Idaho Legislature enacts a more permanent solution” to conflicts between state and federal law related to the interstate transportation of hemp.
‘The Green Rush:’ Floridians discuss cannabis’ impacts [High Green News]
Florida’s leading influencers think medical marijuana is the future of healthcare.
Nevada Marijuana Testing Lab’s License Suspended For ‘Misleading’ Results [High Times]
Lab testing is a key factor in most legal cannabis markets. Most immediately, this is what helps ensure that the products consumers purchase are not contaminated with harmful substances such as mold, yeast, pesticides, or other chemicals. It’s also one of the ways that weed-legal states try to ensure a certain level of uniformity in terms of telling consumers the potency of different products. Yesterday, Nevada state authorities suspended the license of a marijuana testing lab. Authorities now claim that the lab was falsifying THC potency in products moving through its labs.
New Jersey medical marijuana prices could be cut under new plan. They’re now highest in nation. [nj.com]
Gov. Phil Murphy’s administration will help lower the cost of medical marijuana by requiring for-profit companies entering the market to show how they will cut prices before the the Health Department allows them to operate. With premium dried weed costing as much as $500 an ounce and no insurance company willing to cover the expense, many of the state’s 60,000 registered patients struggle to pay for their medicine every month.
Colorado Rules Medical Marijuana Patients On Probation Can Use Cannabis [High Times]
Coloradans on probation can continue to use medical marijuana, the state’s Supreme Court ruled Monday, rebuking a district court judge’s decision from two years ago. In a unanimous decision, Colorado’s highest court ruled that defendants with cannabis prescriptions are free to do so unless it could be proved that doing so would negatively affect their progress.
Michigan issues first recreational marijuana business licenses [High Green News]
In a couple weeks, residents 21 and up will be able to walk into a store and purchase marijuana, a plant that’s long been illegal in Michigan and that remains illegal federally. Michigan on Tuesday, for the first time ever, sanctioned the commercial sale of marijuana beginning Dec 1.
WORLD
Recreational Cannabis Legalisation in Europe – Countries to Watch [Volteface]
October 2019 marked one year since Canada legalised cannabis for recreational use and in the build up to the US election, cannabis has become a hot topic. However, with much of our attention focused on North America, it’s ‘high’ time we turned to Europe to see what progress is being made.
Luxembourg’s Government Triples Medical Cannabis Budget for 2020 [Cannabis Industry Journal]
Doctor training, trials and subsidized purchases are all on the table as plans are laid to make cannabis available from every pharmacy in the country.
CBD products can’t be marketed or sold in Germany without further research, court rules [The Growth Op]
Country brought in line with the rest of the EU, where inconsistent enforcement has led to patchwork of unregulated markets.
Exhausting, expensive and cruel – this is what it’s like to travel abroad for medical cannabis [Independent]
As a pharmacist, I can pass through customs with ease. But desperate patients bringing the legal medicine back without the right documents risk arrest, prosecution and imprisonment.
The continuing UK ban on cannabis-based painkillers is absurd and inhumane [The Guardian]
Politicians running scared of big pharma and the taboo around cannabis are blocking access to these vital drugs.
Legalised cannabis tax confirmed by UK’s Lib Dems would raise £1.5bn to fight crime [The Mirror]
The Liberal Democrats General Election manifesto includes a pledge to create a ‘regulated cannabis market’ – and slams Labour and the Tories’ ‘prohibitionist attitude to drug use’.
Thailand Says It’s Seeking to Freely Allow Medical Marijuana [Bloomberg]
Thailand is speeding up legal changes to liberalize its nascent medical marijuana industry, according to the country’s health minister. The changes will allow household cultivation of six cannabis plants to increase supplies for medical products, Anutin Charnvirakul said in a speech in Bangkok late Wednesday. The move will also give Thais a crop they can grow to boost their incomes, he said.
HEALTH & SCIENCE
Pharmaceutical industry must fund clinical trials of medical cannabis [The Pharmaceutical Journal]
Although people with psychosis, social anxiety disorders or post-traumatic stress disorder could potentially benefit from medical cannabis, the UK’s Royal College of Psychiatrists has said, the current evidence was “in need of improvement”.
What You Need To Know About The Healing Benefits Of Marijuana’s CBG [The Fresh Toast]
Cannabis is an extremely complex plant, and it contains many more cannabinoids than just THC and CBD. How many cannabinoids do you think this plant contains? So far, more than 60 cannabinoid compounds have been discovered, and cannabigerol (CBG) is one of them. CBG is a non-psychoactive cannabinoid that can help treat multiple medical conditions, diseases, and illnesses. Although THC and CBD are two commonly consumed cannabinoids, CBG is gaining more popularity and attention due to its medicinal value.
Marijuana Growers Report Increasing Cross-Pollination from Hemp Farms [High Times]
Marijuana crops can become negatively affected by hemp seeds, reducing yields.
A guide to CBD topicals, balms, and lotions [Leafly]
CBD products are not only popular, but also far easier to get your hands on than widely prohibited THC products. There are many ways to use CBD, but topicals are one of the most accessible. However, before choosing one off the shelf or online, there are a few things to know first.
Special report on synthetic cannabinoids and vaping-related lung injuries [Project CBD]
“It’s nearly impossible to detect hundreds of potential synthetic cannabinoids in a single test, and dozens of new synthetic cannabinoids are designed every year,” according to Project CBD, which notes that many of these designer drugs “are orders of magnitude more potent than THC. A chemical 100 times more powerful than THC has to be detected at very low concentrations, and most labs do not specialize in synthetic cannabinoid detection.”
BUSINESS & POLICY
Billion Dollar CBD: CBD Sales Predicted to Top $1 Billion in 2019 [Ministry of Hemp]
According to the Hemp Industry Daily predictions, CBD sales are up 133% over last year. If growth continues along the same path, CBD sales could reach over $10 billion dollars by 2024.
Cannabis Media Company Offers $36K Annual Salary for Cannabis Reviewer [Ganjapreneur]
American Marijuana is seeking a cannabis product reviewer who could earn up to $36,000 a year. Applicants must be 18-years-old live in a U.S. state with legalized medical cannabis or Canada, be “physically fit and healthy” and have “extensive knowledge” of cannabis.
A solid, traditional Welsh bungalow built from hempcrete [Hemp Today]
The more I learn about hempcrete, the more confident I am making vastly more ecologically sound building choices going forward. I feel lucky to have been able to visit The Hempcrete Bungalow, and even more fortunate to be able to meet builders like Avon and other passionate and skilled hempcrete advocates around the world who are so willing to share their knowledge of the process.
Lack of regulation a barrier to trust in UK cannabis industry [Health Europa]
The CBD regulation body, the Association for the Cannabinoid Industry (ACI), was launched at the inaugural Centre for Medicinal Cannabis conference on Friday, where key players in the cannabis industry came together to be introduced to the seven pillars of the ACI Quality Charter and to hear from numerous experts in the field.
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.
Australian Industrial Hemp Conference
MCIA Medical Cannabis 2020
3rd to 4th March 2020, Melbourne
FUNDRAISERS/CAMPAIGNS/PETITIONS/SURVEYS
URGENT REVIEW of the medical cannabis delivery system model [MCUA]
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.
Scott Morrison (ScoMo): Legalise Recreational Cannabis [Cannabis Club Australia]
Allow Australian adults to grow and consume cannabis legally.
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.