Embassy HEADLINES Issue 388

AUSTRALIA

Senate Inquiry into Current barriers to patient access to medicinal cannabis in Australia – Submission Deadline is 20 January.

New Zealand finalises medical cannabis regulations

On 19 December, the Misuse of Drugs (Medicinal Cannabis) Regulations 2019 were published, setting out the regulations for a New Zealand cannabis industry and making significant changes to patient access. Here are the major features of New Zealand’s new scheme.

WA medical cannabis player finishes year on a high after product milestone

AusCann’s shares soared more than 40 per cent on Thursday, after the Perth-based cannabis pharmaceutical company announced it was the latest player to run the regulatory gauntlet and produce a medicinal cannabis product. The company has completed manufacturing and testing of its cannabinoid-based hard-shell capsules. They are now undergoing clinical evaluation and the company expected the capsules to be available to the public in the first half of 2020.

Cann Group and IDT Australia prepare for commercial launch of medicinal cannabis product

Cann Group (ASX: CAN) has confirmed the first commercial medicinal cannabis product to be made at Cann’s Australian-based cultivation operations. Medicinal cannabis dried flower has now been packed into 10 gram bottles by IDT Australia (ASX: IDT) and will undergo stability testing next month prior to its launch to Australian patients.

Events coming up in January:

Nimbin Medical Cannabis Workshop

Cannabis Education Session in Maryborough

NORTH AMERICA

Michigan OKs 3 businesses for home deliveries of marijuana

Those three businesses are the first approved for adult-use home delivery in Michigan, which began allowing sales of recreational marijuana on Dec. 1 to adults age 21 and over, WOOD-TV reported.

Sanders’ Cannabis Plan Would Exclude Big Corporations

Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders has outlined a sweeping plan to end cannabis prohibition and address issues including social equity in the future industry and keeping major corporations out of the picture.

Illinois Cannabis Market Launch Brings Happy New Year

Illinois’ adult-use cannabis market launches January 1, 2020. It is the first state-legal cannabis market resulting from action by lawmakers, not the voters.

Quebec raising legal age for cannabis to 21 but policy experts warn law won’t have intended effect

Quebecers under the age of 21 won’t be able to buy or possess recreational cannabis as of Wednesday, ushering in the toughest age restrictions in the country since pot was legalized 14 months ago.

How to Travel With Medical Marijuana in the USA

Even as more states allow medical marijuana, traveling between states with cannabis can leave patients in legal limbo.

Why Canada’s cannabis bubble burst

More than a year ago, Canada made recreational cannabis legal. So why are people still buying it on the black market?

In one year, Canadians spent $908M on legal cannabis

Canadians spent $907,833,000 on non-medical cannabis between October 2018 and September 2019, the agency said, which works out to $24 per capita.

WORLD

Uruguay Senate Approves New Bill To Regulate Access To Medical Cannabis

To help put a definitive end to persisting illicit cannabis markets, Uruguay’s senate has passed a new bill to regulate medical marijuana. The bill, “A Comprehensive Law for the Promotion and Access to Medical and Therapeutic Cannabis,” was approved unanimously.

A Tiny African Kingdom Wants to Export Its Cannabis to the World

Marijuana has been widely cultivated across Lesotho, one of Africa’s poorest countries, since time immemorial—long used as medicine by the native Basotho people. It’s easier to grow and more lucrative than other crops such as maize and sugar cane, and the nation’s abundant water and fertile soil provide ideal conditions. Many families rely on the extra income from selling illicitly to recreational drug users, to cover basic costs such as sending their children to school.

Zambia approves cannabis exports to boost economy

Zambia has legalized the production and export of cannabis for economic and medicinal purposes, becoming the latest country to shift its position on the drug to give its finances a boost.

Italy to nearly triple domestic medical cannabis production in 2020

This signals the intention of the government to rely to a lesser degree on imports in 2020 to serve growing domestic demand for medical cannabis.

Italy court rules home-growing cannabis is legal in landmark decision

After being asked to clarify previous conflicting interpretations of the law, the Court of Cassation decided that the crime of growing narcotic drugs should exclude “small amounts grown domestically for the exclusive use of the grower”.

Inside the family farm turned cannabis lab in Somerset with hopes for future medicines

A laboratory in rural Somerset is pioneering medical uses for the plant.

CULTURE

The Rise of Cannabis Content

According to a new report, more than 1 million households streamed cannabis content on the big streaming services this year, an almost 43% increase over last year. This has led to services like Amazon, Apple, Netflix and HBO pushing out even more marijuana-themed shows.

HEALTH & SCIENCE

Opioid Prescriptions Down In States With Legal Marijuana, Study Finds

Study after study continues to show that when given a choice patients will choose marijuana over prescription opioids and, according to new research, doctors prescribe fewer opioids in states with recreational and medical cannabis laws on the books.

Closing gaps in cannabinoid research to make progress in pain management

Products containing marijuana or its derivatives, such as edibles, tinctures, and oils, may offer some pain relief, but what combination of phytochemicals is safe and effective for pain management has not been adequately studied.

Cannabinoids to pherines: Modern medication transforming anxiety treatments

The full effects of cannabinoids are still being researched. Among the different strains, however, CBD has proven itself the most reliable in controlled doses. The idea of administering marijuana for anxiety has played a lead role in a number of studies.

Could Legal Marijuana Upend the $41 Billion Sleep Aid Market?

In a restless society whose insomniac citizens spend a reported $41 billion per year on sleep aids—and where tiredness or other consequences of an inability to rest costs $63 billion in “lost productivity,” —something that does nothing but speed somnolence does something very big indeed.

A Company Is Sending Cannabis and Coffee to Space to See if They Mutate

Astronauts have taken medication to space since the early days of off-planet exploration—but next spring, a Colorado company plans to be the first to send plant cultures of coffee and hemp, a variety of marijuana, to the International Space Station (ISS). The mission will test if zero gravity will mutate or genetically alter the plants.

The most important cannabis science stories of 2019

Aside from the vaping story, numerous scientists and labs around the world published great new research on cannabis. Here are some of the most important studies on cannabis in 2019.

As a veteran with PTSD, cannabis helps me fight for myself in ways other treatments fail to

Society’s current approach is to treat the symptoms, not the patient. Healing the entire person takes a whole lot more than that.

GARDENING

Pot: Tassie hemp farmer ECS gets licence to grow medical marijuana

A newly granted growing license means ECS Botanics (ASX:ECS) can start preparing a facility to grow medical cannabis in Tasmania.

How to grow marijuana in Michigan and Illinois

Welcome to the world of legal recreational cultivation, Michigan and Illinois! While all closets might be created the same, outdoor conditions vary greatly by region. Knowing the specifics of your climate will go a long way in your success as a grower. Here are some specific considerations to keep in mind in the Great Lakes region.

POLITICS

The U.S. Food & Drug Administration and Cannabis: Research and Drug Approval Process

The FDA understands that there is increasing interest in the potential utility of cannabis for a variety of medical conditions, as well as research on the potential adverse health effects from use of cannabis.