Cannabis News Highlights for 2019: Australia & NZ
Something is rotten in the state of Oz:
Desperate patients turn to black market for medicinal cannabis despite spike in legal prescriptions [ABC]
Earlier this week, the ABC revealed more than 3,000 medicinal cannabis scripts had been approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) from March 2018 to January 2019. But conservative estimates suggested up to 100,000 Australians were still using it illegally to self-medicate. Advocates said this was an indication the system was failing.
Access to legal medical cannabis:
Senate Inquiry into current barriers to patient access to medicinal cannabis in Australia [United in Compassion]
Consider writing a submission to the Senate Inquiry into barriers to patient access to medicinal cannabis in Australia. This inquiry is the chance for organisations and for all individual medical cannabis users to have input into the failures of the current regulatory framework. The submission date closes on the 17th January 2020.
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. Details of the Senate inquiry are available here.
Medical cannabis debate: Australians left in pain by expensive and limited access to drug [7 News]
Medicinal cannabis was partially legalised in Australia for a limited number of illnesses in November 2016. But it’s very expensive, and only available to a fraction of the patients who potentially need it.
Australia’s Chronic Pain Sufferers Want Access To Medicinal Cannabis [Hemp Gazette]
July 22 marked the beginning of National Pain Week in Australia and the results of the National Pain Survey 2019 released, in which cannabis was in the spotlight. Close to 1,300 pain sufferers from across the country took part in the survey run by Chronic Pain Australia – and it seems medical cannabis has been on the minds of many as an option for managing/ treating their pain. 35.75% indicated they had spoken to their GP about accessing it.
Cannabis regulation in Australia could be about to become way less complex [Business Insider]
- A report into the Narcotic Drugs Act has been tabled in Parliament, recommending a number of changes to the licensing regime regulating the business of medical marijuana and other cannabis products in Australia.
- The report acknowledged the complexity of the current regulations. Of the 246 cannabis cultivation or research licence applications the government has received since June 2019, just 63 have been granted.
The NSW government says it approves medicinal cannabis applications within 48 hours. Newly obtained data shows it often takes far longer. [Business Insider]
“NSW Health used to release monthly updates on how many applications they had received, how many were approved/rejected and how many were pending. But they would always release these figures halfway through the next month, which was strange. Releasing figures in this way happened to hide the fact that most approvals were taking days or weeks to process.”
Qld cuts hurdle for medicinal cannabis [The Mercury]
Queensland patients will soon be able to get their hands on medicinal cannabis from a doctor without needing to get state approval. A specialist doctor will be able to directly prescribe medicinal cannabis to a patient from July.
Priority Licencing For Some Australian Medical Cannabis Projects [Hemp Gazette]
Australian Minister for Health Greg Hunt announced last week the Federal Government will prioritise medical cannabis projects granted Major Project Status. So, what does this mean?
2020 New Zealand referendum on Cannabis legalisation for those who simply enjoy it:
NZ 2020 Referendum website and initial cannabis Bill launched [Beehive]
The first release of public information on the two referendums to be held at next year’s General Election was made today with an informative new Government website going live.
The High Price of a Compassionate Life:
‘Medicine Man’ Escapes Prison Time for Serious Drug Charges [Sydney Criminal Lawyers]
Veteran medicinal cannabis producer Tony Bower escaped prison time when he was sentenced for commercial drug cultivation, along with other serious drug offences, at Port Macquarie District Court last Monday.
‘Motivated by a genuine compassion’: South Australian cannabis supplier spared conviction [The Sydney Morning Herald]
An Adelaide woman spared a conviction after she supplied medicinal cannabis to people suffering from chronic pain says her case highlights the need for law reform.
Australia’s Underground Medicinal Marijuana Growers [Vice Asia]
These growers, essentially cannabis enthusiasts, often donate their product for little or no cost, at great personal risk. Scarred by jealous drug dealers, police raids and government persecution, these “Compassion Clubs” are forced to operate on the black market where they can deliver the medicine to sufferers.
Meanwhile back in the police state:
NSW police minister defends strip-searching of children, saying parents would be ‘happy’ [The Guardian]
Guardian Australia revealed on Wednesday that in the last three years police in NSW have strip-searched 122 girls, including two 12-year-olds. The shocking figures were obtained by the Redfern Legal Centre under freedom of information laws.
The NSW Cops Spent An Eye-Watering Amount Of Money Policing This Small Town Festival [Junkee]
Every year, the northern NSW town of Nimbin hosts MardiGrass, an event that’s part festival, part protest, and 100 percent committed to all things weed. Naturally, a celebration of all that cannabis has to offer attracts a fair few cops, and we now know how much the police spent on MardiGrass in 2019: more than a quarter of a million dollars.
Road-side Drug Testing of only Some Drugs:
A Bill to allow medicinal cannabis patients to drive [Fiona Patten MP]
Reason Party MP Fiona Patten says cannabis is being treated differently under the law to other prescriptions drugs like opioids and benzodiazepines. “Cannabis is the only prescription medication that excludes you 100 per cent from driving,” she said.
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.
Police Should Test for Impairment Levels of Drugs, Not Minute Traces [Sydney Criminal Lawyers]
On the first weekend of this month, NSW police carried out a roadside alcohol and drug driving blitz in the Northern Rivers region. And while locals aren’t complaining about officers booking drunk drivers, they are opposed to those charged with drug driving as there’s no proof they were impaired.
Drug driving laws will fail to improve safety, MP says: ‘Thousands will lose their licences’ [Bega District News]
Mr Shoebridge said crash data from Australia and overseas showed benzodiazepines were one of the most significant drugs contributing to road trauma, other than alcohol, and were significantly higher than others such as ecstasy.
Australian lawyers call for overhaul of ‘unfair’ roadside drug testing [3AW]
Greg Barns, spokeperson from the Australian Lawyers Alliance, told 3AW’s Neil Mitchell that current legislation punishes people whose driving is not affected by drug use.
Roadside drug tests for cannabis return false results, research finds [ABC]
A study of roadside drug testing devices widely used by police in Australia has called into question their reliability for detecting cannabis.
The green, green grass of home:
‘Where’s the dope, Daniel?’: Neil Mitchell wants to know what’s happened to government cannabis crops [3AW]
It has been more than 18 months since the Andrews government harvested the first crop of government grown cannabis, but questions remain over what is happening to the drug.
Garden State hoping to bloom into Australia’s medical cannabis capital [Finfeed]
Last year, Victoria released Australia’s first-ever medicinal cannabis industry development plan, mapping out a framework for government support of the fast-growing industry. The strategy aims to have the state supply half of Australia’s pot by 2028, along with the creation of 500 local jobs.
Medicinal cannabis company to build one of the world’s largest production facilities in regional Victoria [ABC]
Australian company Cannatrek has been given the final green light to develop the $160 million plant near Shepparton. There are plans to produce 160 tonnes of medicinal cannabis each year and create 400 jobs in the process.
Queensland medicinal cannabis farm to supply patients within weeks [9 News]
Australia’s first ever crop of taxpayer-funded pot [Daily Mail]
Australia’s first ever tax-payer funded medical marijuana greenhouse has opened in Sydney. The medical marijuana grown by the NSW state government and will be used to treat those with severe medical conditions such as cancer and epilepsy.
High Hopes [The Sydney Morning Herald]
Rich-lister Barry Lambert had no interest in medicinal cannabis until it saved his granddaughter from the ravages of a devastating illness. Five years on, he’s become an international cannabis mogul.
New Cash Crop for Lismore? [ABC North Coast – Facebook Post]
The Lismore City Council says up to 100 new local jobs will be created by a new multi-million dollar medicinal cannabis operation. “The initial investment’s going to be something like in the order of $10 million by the time they get the crop underway in March next year.
Top secret medicinal cannabis facility somewhere in regional NSW [Nambucca Guardian]
A new $10 million study into medicinal cannabis will be undertaken at a top-secret research facility in regional NSW. Minister for Agriculture, Adam Marshall, said the research study was the result of a collaboration between the NSW and Commonwealth governments, the Cann Group Ltd, Southern Cross University, Aglive and the University of Newcastle.
Elixinol just bought land in NSW to grow pot and changed its name to the Australian indigenous word ‘Nunyara’ [Stockhead]
Elixinol Global Limited just paid $2.6m for 60 acres of land in northern NSW on which it hopes to grow medical cannabis. It’s so confident in the healing properties of hemp, it’s renamed its subsidiary, Elixinol Australia Pty Ltd, to Nunyara Pharma Pty Ltd. “‘Nunyara’,” Elixinol states, “is an Australian indigenous word meaning ‘to be made well again’.”
‘Top-secret’ medicinal cannabis farm opens in WA [9 News]
Growing our own: Inside an Australian medical cannabis farm [Triple J Hack]
Pot players stake out their weed patch [The Sydney Morning Herald]
[This article outlines the ridiculous obstacles for legal cannabis production in Australia. And it’s only for the millionaires. No models akin to micro-breweries in this game of greed.]
Hemp politics:
Australian Capital Territory votes to legalise cannabis for personal use [The Guardian]
Territory becomes first jurisdiction in Australia to legalise possession of up to 50 grams of marijuana and two plants.
Fiona Patten moves to legalise cannabis, predicts revenue of $205m [The Age]
Re-elected MP Fiona Patten has put drug law reform at the top of her political agenda by introducing a bill to legalise marijuana in Victoria, which she hopes will gain the support of the new Parliament.
NSW Greens Push to Legalise Recreational Cannabis [Sydney Criminal Lawyers]
The NSW Greens are set to introduce a private member’s bill within 100 days post-state election that could see recreational cannabis legalised for adult use in NSW during the next parliamentary term, which is a move that an increasingly large percentage of the community would like to see happen.
MP calls for Queenslanders to be allowed to grow cannabis for personal use [The Sydney Morning Herald]
Medicinal cannabis will be easier to access in Queensland with new laws passing Parliament but people should be able to grow their own, a Greens MP argues.
HEMP’s grassroots campaign hot on heels of Palmer’s $60 million ad barrage [Brisbane Times]
Clive Palmer and his staggering $60 million spend on United Australia Party’s election campaign has only managed to secure 20,000 more Senate votes nationally than a minor party forced to “scratch around” just to field candidates. As of Sunday afternoon the Help End Marijuana Prohibition party had secured 141,500 first preference Senate votes or 1.9 per cent of the national vote, just behind UAP’s 161,000.
Australia – Forever Doubtful:
Medical marijuana is on the rise in Australia, but we still don’t know a lot about how it works [ABC]
Yesterday, the ABC revealed more than 3,100 medicinal cannabis scripts had been approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) since the Federal Government relaxed restrictions in March 2018. According to experts, these people were just the tip of the iceberg. It has been estimated as many as 100,000 Australians self-medicate with cannabis they’ve acquired illegally.
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.
At least industrial hemp is smiling:
WA hemp industry riding high with more growers [The West Australian]
WA is on track to have an important and profitable hemp industry, after big increases in the number of growers and hectares planted this year. According to HempGro, the recently formed WA hemp growers’ co-operative, active licensed growers increased from 39 to 70 in 2018, and hectares planted grew from 77 to 193 compared with a year earlier.
High Fibre: High hopes for Australia’s emerging industrial hemp industry [ABC]
A relaxation of hemp cultivation laws has led to a surge in interest for the growing of non-narcotic industrial hemp, with plots being trialled across all parts of the country.
Hemp Coffins: Elevating The Afterlife In Australia With Hemp [Ministry of Hemp]
In Australia’s alternative lifestyle capital, bodies are being buried and burnt in brightly-decorated hemp coffins.
Don’t just dream it. Do it:
Let’s Talk About Home Grow [United in Compassion]
There’s only one way to tackle drugs to make Australia safer [The Sydney Morning Herald]
When radio broadcaster Alan Jones agrees with the NSW Bar Association and Uniting Church, backers of the successful King’s Cross medically supervised injecting centre, to decriminalise the personal use of all drugs including ice, it’s clear that the prohibition mantra is being challenged like never before.
A radical change in drug policy: Decriminalising drug use and possession [ABC]
Senior police officers in NSW are making the case for decriminalising drug use and possession. But they’re not alone — across Australia and internationally there’s a growing realisation that the traditional approach to drug policy isn’t working.
A growing number of Australians want marijuana legalised [Roy Morgan]
New research from Roy Morgan shows increasing numbers of Australians across all age groups want to legalise marijuana – although 49% remain opposed.
‘Abject nonsense’: Former AFP boss slams zero tolerance approach to drugs [SBS]
The former head of the Australian Federal Police says prohibition has failed and it’s time to better manage the risks of drug-taking.
Personal drug use and possession should be decriminalised, former Supreme Court justice argues [ABC]
“We know that in certain cases it’s clear that penalties can reduce illegal behaviour,” he said. “In the case of drugs the evidence is all the other way. Putting people who use small amounts of drugs occasionally into the criminal justice system actually piles prejudice, upon prejudice, upon prejudice.”
‘It will take courage’: Coroner urges summit on drug decriminalisation [The Sydney Morning Herald]
A NSW coroner has described illicit drug prohibition as futile and likely to exacerbate drug-related harm in calling for the state government to stage a drug summit in which decriminalisation should be discussed.
EVENTS
Nimbin Medical Cannabis Workshop [Nimbin]
Australian Industrial Hemp Conference [Fremantle]
The Future of Medicinal Cannabis Conference [Melbourne]
3rd to 4th March 2020, Melbourne
HHI Expo [Canberra]
HHI EXPO – BCEC Brisbane 18 & 19 July
HHI EXPO – Sydney Olympic Park 31 Oct & 1 Nov
Nimbin MardiGrass [Nimbin]
Protest, Educate & Celebrate: 1st – 3rd May 2020
FUNDRAISERS/CAMPAIGNS/PETITIONS/SURVEYS
Senate Inquiry into Current barriers to patient access to medicinal cannabis in Australia [United in Compassion]
URGENT REVIEW of the medical cannabis delivery system model [MCUA]
Scott Morrison (ScoMo): Legalise Recreational Cannabis [Cannabis Club Australia]
Medical Cannabis Access – Patient Satisfaction Survey [Medical Cannabis Users Association of Australia, MCUA]
HELP GROW OUR CANNABIS CAMPAIGN [The Greens]
Next stop Canberra – we’re taking the fight to Parliament! [United in Compassion]
Inquiry into drug driving reform [Enpsychedelia]
E-Petition: Inquiry into drug driving reform [Parliament of Victoria]
EDUCATION
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MardiGrass Hemposium 2019 Talks now Available on YouTube [Hemp Embassy]
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EP202 – Roadside Drug Testing Panel at Nimbin Mardi Grass [Enpsychedelia]
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Nimbin Medican Workshops on YouTube [Hemp Embassy]
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DRUG WAR OVER! [Radio Documentary]