AUSTRALIA
Australia launches inquiry into medical cannabis access [Marijuana Business Daily]
A separate review of the medical cannabis industry was recently completed, and it included recommendations to improve the framework governing Australia’s medical cannabis sector. Those recommendations – made in a government-commissioned report written by John McMillan, law professor at Australian National University in Canberra – aim to address the regulatory burden facing businesses, which has been a hurdle in the early years of the medicinal cannabis scheme. Some of those reforms are already being implemented, with the remainder of the 26 recommendations to be addressed in 2020 or later. Details of the Senate inquiry are available here.
Cannabis Patient persecution must stop! [MCUA]
Medical Cannabis Users Association of Australia (MCUA) President Deb Lynch and members of the advocacy group are up in arms following police raids carried out on 2 of their fellow activists in Queensland Wednesday 27 November.
Australian-grown medical cannabis clears key export hurdle for first time [Marijuana Business Daily]
Australia is one step closer to joining Canada and the Netherlands in the competitive medical cannabis export market. New South Wales-based Australian Natural Therapeutics Group said its domestically produced cannabis has been listed on the Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG), clearing one of the most important hurdles before exports can occur.
Legalising cannabis would sort out ‘lack of clarity’ about drug, former All Black says [Stuff NZ]
Ben Franks is calling for cannabis to be legalised in New Zealand, as he launches a range of oils and balms made from one of the drug’s ingredients overseas. The former All Black has partnered with English rugby player James Haskell and cannabis biotech company CiiTECH to launch Impact Sports, a UK-based brand which uses cannabidiol (CBD) – an ingredient found in most varieties of cannabis – for its line of products geared towards athletes and helping with workout recovery.
Adam Miller from Budding Tech is currently conducting a survey to better understand how and why Australians are accessing/using cannabidiol (CBD). Due to increased popularity, a growing number of CBD products are being sold on the black market. Black market products are untested and could be unsafe due to pesticide and heavy metal contamination. We hope this survey will provide insight into the way Australians are accessing CBD to determine if current regulations are adequate to ensure the safety of the growing number of users. Your answers will be used to help inform and educate members of parliament.
NORTH AMERICA
Canada Overdid It with their Legal Cannabis Supply [The Marijuana Times]
Canada was preparing for a huge number of people to be buying legal cannabis – and producers got way ahead of themselves, growing more than the country needs for the year. “Canadian cannabis producers and extractors are sitting on a massive stash of unfinished inventory that is growing so quickly that some analysts are concerned it could precipitate a price crash in the burgeoning industry.”
Americans Believe Marijuana Is Safer Than Tobacco, Alcohol [Green Entrepreneur]
Biden Reverses Long-held Stance on Marijuana, Says There’s ‘No Evidence’ It’s a Gateway Drug [High Green News]
Former vice president Joe Biden on Monday backed away from his previous assertion that marijuana may be a “gateway drug,” saying he has seen no evidence that use of the drug could lead to dependence on other, more powerful substances. Biden took heat over the weekend for telling a Las Vegas town hall crowd that “there’s not nearly been enough evidence that has been acquired as to whether or not it is a gateway drug.”
Oregon senators push back on USDA’s rules for testing THC in hemp [Hemp Industry Daily]
The federal plan to test hemp for THC will damage the industry, according to two Oregon senators who are pushing back on rules from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The senators say the 0.5% THC limit for negligence is “far too low” for farmers working with untested genetics.
California cannabis industry sending SOS to state leaders [High Green News]
As 2019 comes to a close, California is indeed home to the world’s largest cannabis market, totaling close to $12 billion in estimated sales. But here’s the rub: $8.7 billion of that is changing hands in the illicit market. Now, members of California’s cannabis industry are sending an S.O.S. to the state capitol, saying they’re struggling to compete against black market operators who don’t have to meet stringent regulations or pay taxes and fees. They’re urging leaders to make swift regulatory changes or risk the collapse of their emerging industry.
Series of Major Layoffs Hits California Cannabis Industry [Cannabis Business Times]
The job loss news has been building steadily this fall, and it seems indicative of broader troubles for a $3.1-billion state-legal industry that can’t seem to catch up to the sprawling illicit market.
Hopeful L.A. cannabis market entrants bleed money as they wait again – this time for licensing audit [Marijuana Business Daily]
The Los Angeles marijuana market is enduring more licensing delays. This time, it’s for a government-ordered audit of the city’s cannabis regulators. It means more uncertainty for marijuana firms. And, perhaps most excruciating, it means more money down the drain. That’s the ongoing narrative surrounding the L.A. marijuana market, where hundreds of entrepreneurs have waited months to learn if they can launch legal cannabis companies.
Indiana May Consider Decriminalization in Next Session [Cannabis Now]
Marijuana possession is the second-leading cause of arrest in Indiana.
California officials side with marijuana company in new fight over home deliveries [Los Angeles Times]
Escalating a legal battle with California cities and counties over where marijuana can be sold, state officials are intervening in a new court fight over home delivery of cannabis in communities that have banned or restricted pot shops.
Marijuana Is Closer to No Longer Being a Schedule I Substance in USA [The Motley Fool]
On Wednesday, the House Judiciary Committee approved the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act. The bill would not only remove marijuana from the Schedule I classification but it would also decriminalize it at the federal level. Although the bill will not legalize marijuana, even decriminalizing it would still be an important step forward for the industry. Under the bill, individual states would also be free to make their own rules for marijuana.
5 Problems Facing The Fledgling USA Hemp Industry [CBD Testers]
Cannabis activist Jack Herer once opined that hemp is the only thing that could save the world. So when the new Farm Bill was written into law last year, many believed it to be the birth of an industry with world-changing potential. While they might yet be correct in their beliefs, the national liberalization of hemp has not been without some hurdles. Tightening regulations, lack of infrastructure, and ‘hot’ crops have all contributed to a difficult year for those who have turned their hand to hemp farming.
GOP lawmaker proposes slew of regulations on medical marijuana [Arizona Capitol Times]
A panel of mostly Arizona medical cannabis industry operators is set to determine which pesticides should be allowed in the industry; any final decision must be approved by the Department of Health Services.
N.J. should cut down on marijuana arrests by decriminalizing drug until people can vote on it [nj.com]
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy is pushing for cannabis decriminalization in the state “as soon as possible” as lawmakers move toward putting the legalization question to voters in the 2020 General Election.
WORLD
Medical cannabis: A new horizon for small Jamaican cultivators [High Green News]
Conscious Jamaican cultivators are fully aware that only one publicised unsafe product will derail fortunes and destroy our fledgling medical cannabis industry. We need to avoid impending calamity, shift our horizon towards a science-led vision for the Jamaican cannabis industry. We know that “puss and dawg nuh have the same luck”.
Can Hong Kong become Asia’s hub for medical cannabis and hemp? [Harbour Times]
This three-part series by the Cannabis Fund explores the opportunity Hong Kong has to become a main-players in the medical cannabis and hemp industry in Asia. Part I looks at why Asia is a prime spot for the distribution of these products, and how best to begin such initiatives.
BUSINESS & POLICY
Terpenes, Hydrosols and Essential Oils: A Primer [Cannabis Business Times]
In today’s fast-evolving marketplace, do you truly know what your products contain?
Is ‘Green Wednesday’ More Than a PR Stunt? [Cannabis Now]
There’s a new name for the day before Thanksgiving, when people head to their local dispensary to stock up on cannabis products before feasting and celebrating with family: Green Wednesday. But as with most newly created holidays, there’s a capitalistic benefit to the celebration: selling more stuff.
Canngea to construct pharmaceutical grade facility to grow and manufacture medical cannabis products [The Singleton Argus]
Australian startup Canngea is keen to address the global shortage of medical cannabis, setting up Australia’s largest pharmaceutical grade indoor facility to grow and manufacture high quality cannabis products. The site chose for this facility is in the Singleton LGA and it will be powered by renewables complete with a storage battery -the largest commercial battery to be installed in NSW.
All the excuses cannabis companies are making for an ugly crop of earnings [Market Watch]
In a flood of earnings reports that pot companies released just ahead of the mandated deadline for quarterly updates, companies proved that they have not been very good at figuring out how to grow, package, distribute and sell the long-illegal plant.
HEALTH & SCIENCE
More evidence seems to point to marijuana as an effective pain-reliever [Greencamp]
The study published in the Journal of Pain found that smoking marijuana can reduce the severity of headaches and migraines by nearly 50% based on real-time data provided by the innovative app.
USA’s FDA Issues Consumer Update Claiming CBD Has Harm Potential [Ganjapreneur]
A new FDA consumer update claims that CBD “has the potential to harm” and suggests that symptoms could range from potential mood swings to even male infertility.
The complete guide to CBD (cannabidiol) [Leafly]
This guide is here to lend a hand and provide answers to consumers’ most common questions about CBD, starting with the most basic so you never feel lost. You can start from the beginning or jump straight to whichever CBD question is currently burning hottest for you.
Cannabis shows potential for treating PTSD: New study [Toronto.com]
The results of clinical trials testing cannabis as a PTSD treatment are pending. Previous research has linked cannabis use with poorer mental health in PTSD patients, but it’s unclear whether cannabis exacerbates PTSD symptoms, or if patients with worse symptoms are simply self-medicating more. Much of the existing evidence for cannabis as a PTSD treatment comes from patient reports of success.
Study finds recreational cannabis widely-used for treating insomnia [Mirage News]
Researchers at the University of New Mexico (UNM) and California State Polytechnic University (CalPoly) address a major gap in the scientific literature, finding that medical Cannabis may not only treat such health conditions as chronic pain and epilepsy, but may also be effective at alleviating other commonly experienced hindrances to well-being such as insomnia.
Medical cannabis: Secret Somerset site conducting research [BBC]
The UK’s first university-backed cultivation of cannabis for medical research is under way at a secret location in Somerset. Sativa and King’s College London are investigating how it can help treat inflammation and respiratory diseases.
UCLA awarded $3.5m grant to study pain relief and cannabis [Health Europa]
The Cannabis Research Initiative at UCLA (UCLA-CRI) is one of the first academic programmes in the world that is dedicated to the study of cannabis.
The ‘Father of Cannabis Research’ on the Untapped Potential of Marijuana as Medicine [Discover]
Raphael Mechoulam discovered THC over 50 years ago. Decades later, he’s still convinced cannabis could help millions.
EVENTS
Nimbin Medical Cannabis Workshop [Hemp Embassy]
Australian Industrial Hemp Conference
The Future of Medicinal Cannabis Conference [Medicinal Cannabis Industry Australia]
3rd to 4th March 2020, Melbourne
GreenLight: Saving Lives at any Cost
In cinemas from 10 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.
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.