AUSTRALIA/NZ
Law firms look to launch landmark strip-search class action against NSW police
Lawyers say legal action could help ensure legislative change in New South Wales.
THC Global releases first locally-made medicinal cannabidiol for Australian patients
The first Australian-produced full-spectrum medicinal cannabidiol manufactured by diversified cannabis company THC Global (ASX: THC) has become available for prescription to Australian patients under the country’s Special Access Scheme. Marketed under THC’s flagship Canndeo brand, the medicine has been developed entirely in Australia using cannabis sourced from THC’s Bundaberg cultivation facility in Queensland. It was manufactured at the company’s Southport facility, 430 kilometres away.
New Zealanders reluctant to talk to their doctor about medicinal cannabis, study finds
Half of New Zealanders using medicinal cannabis have never discussed it with their doctor out of fear of being judged, and very few use prescribed products. That was just one of the findings from new research published in the New Zealand Medical Journal (NZMJ) today.
Cannabis for pets, a first for New Zealand
With Helius Animal Health focused on companion animals, common health conditions to treat pets with non-psychotropic CBD include anxiety, stress, nausea, skin conditions, arthritis and seizures. CBD is a major compound found in cannabis plants grown by Helius.
Australian Ethnobotanical and Psychedelic Community Video Call Out
Entheogenesis Australis invites the Australian ethnobotanical and psychedelic community to contribute original video content to our livestream on Sunday 28th June. Click here for more details.
NORTH AMERICA
U.S. House Approves Cannabis Banking Reform in Latest COVID-19 Relief Bill
A provision that would permit banks to provide financial services to cannabis businesses without fear of federal interference was approved by the United States House on Friday, as part of the new $3 trillion coronavirus stimulus bill.
How Vertical Integration Is Ruining Medical Cannabis In Florida
Florida’s medical cannabis marketplace is based on the vertical integration of participating companies; this can be good for regulators and tax dollars, but very bad for patients and consumers. All cannabis companies are their own grower, processor, and distribution channels under one corporate entity with zero allowance for cooperation or subcontracting outside of some very special cases.
Ineligible for Federal Relief, California’s Legal Cannabis Businesses Hit Hard by Pandemic
Long-standing federal rules and drained state coffers are dealing a major blow to California’s legal cannabis industry. Who will help, and how the industry will be transformed, is increasingly unclear.
New York lawmakers call for cannabis reform to boost post-pandemic economy
The coronavirus pandemic halted any chance New York had at passing cannabis reform earlier this year, but lawmakers have reintroduced the idea as a way to kick-start the economy once a semblance of normalcy returns.
Minnesota’s Red Lake Nation Passes Medical Cannabis Referendum
The tribal nation is the first in the state to legalize medical cannabis, as well as the first entity in Minnesota to allow the sale of cannabis flower, which is prohibited in the state’s medical cannabis program, Duluth News Tribune reported.
Washington, D.C., Extends Medical Cannabis Protections for Public Workers
Per the rules, “a public employer may not refuse to hire, terminate from employment, penalize, fail to promote, or otherwise take adverse employment action against an individual based upon the individual’s status as a qualifying patient unless the individual used, possessed, or was impaired by marijuana at the individual’s place of employment or during the hours of employment.”
Social Justice Conversation Ahead of New Jersey’s Cannabis Legalization Vote This Fall
New Jersey’s cannabis advocates have united to form NJ CAN 2020, a campaign coalition that is not only supporting the state’s adult-use legalization ballot initiative this November, but also plans to lobby for social equity policies in the state’s adult-use marketplace if the measure is ultimately approved by voters.
Tilray Closing Ontario Greenhouse
Canadian Cannabis company Tilray has announced it is closing its High Park Gardens greenhouse in Leamington, Ontario – a move that is expected to save the firm about $7.5 million annually. The 406,000-square-foot facility was originally owned and operated by Natura Naturals Inc., which Tilray acquired last year in a $24.4 million deal.
Majority of cannabis use in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside for therapeutic purposes
Most people at high risk of overdose in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside who use cannabis do so for pain relief and other therapeutic reasons–and they may be at lower risk of overdosing on opioids as a result, suggests new research published in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS ONE.
WORLD
British newborn first baby in world to join cannabis therapy trial
The study is the first step in what researchers say could one day lead to a cannabis-derived medicine being used routinely in neonatal care to help babies at risk of seizures and brain injury.
Slovakia Is Only EU State to Ban CBD
The argument over whether to legalize cannabis has led to many countries making distinctions between different components of the plant.
Legalising the South African cannabis economy takes a Covid-19 hit
The delays in promulgating the Regulation of Cannabis Bill and additional changes to the Medicine and Related Substances Control Act mean the state will not meet the September 2020 deadline set by the Constitutional Court in the 2018 judgment declaring the prohibition on cannabis cultivation, possession and use unconstitutional.
HEALTH & SCIENCE
Bronchitis cases 3 times higher among cannabis smokers, researcher says
Cannabis Could Help Fight COVID-19 Infection: Canadian Study
Researchers at the University of Lethbridge looked at over 400 Health Canada-approved THC- and CBD-dominant strains, and found that 13 of them—particularly sativas high in CBD—can down-regulate the protein receptor ACE2, which is targeted by the coronavirus in the mouth, lungs, gastrointestinal tract, and elsewhere in the body.
Yeast fermentation may be the answer to creating rare cannabinoids
The modified yeast cultures are left to ferment and grow in tanks, multiplying and producing large amounts of the desired cannabinoid. Workers then extract the cannabinoids from the yeast slurry, isolate, and purify them.
POLITICS & LAW
Years after legalizing marijuana, voters see it as a huge success
Residents in nine of the 11 states that have legalized the adult use of cannabis have no regrets about ending prohibition. In fact, according to a new survey, large majorities now deem the move a whopping success.
Cannabis legalization revenue helps fight COVID-19 on Skid Row
In Downtown Los Angeles’s Skid Row, the city’s homeless epicenter, local health officials have confirmed 97 cases of COVID-19 at a single shelter there.
Releasing prisoners with cannabis convictions vital in light of COVID-19
Whilst over 40,000 prisoners in the United States sit in a cell on cannabis convictions, many people across the country are now making millions in the legal industry. Steve DeAngelo, founder of the Last Prisoner Project, speaks about the urgent need for the release of prisoners with cannabis convictions in light of COVID-19.
Joe Biden Says He Knows ‘A Lot Of Weed Smokers’ To Justify Stance On Not Legalizing Marijuana
Though Biden stressed the need for rigorous cannabis research, the offhand remark concerned cannabis advocates like the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP). It appeared like Biden was going back on his word, using personal anecdotes about marijuana’s long-term neurocognitive impact to guide policy.
Cannabis Legalization Is Key To Economic Recovery, Much Like Ending Alcohol Prohibition Helped Us Out Of The Great Depression
The situation is reminiscent of what the country faced during the Great Depression nearly 100 years ago. At that time, one of the government’s solutions was to end its 13-year experiment with alcohol prohibition. Today, the very same factors that caused the government to pull the plug on alcohol prohibition should result in the final nail in the coffin of the country’s much longer standing but equally unjust policy of marijuana prohibition.
CULTURE
Amsterdam: A City’s Journey to Cannabis Capital of the World
The Netherlands has long been considered the place to go for so-called ‘Cannabis Tourists’. With an estimated 19 million people visiting Amsterdam last year, many of the city’s visitors will call into one of it’s famous ‘coffee shops’.
Why do humans use drugs? A conversation with ‘High’ author Ingrid Walker
High mixes strands of American history with social and political theory, drug policy insights, and oral history. Walker reveals and describes many of the frames that society constructs around the substances that alter human consciousness—everything from tea and coffee to amphetamines and ayahuasca.
BUSINESS & INDUSTRY
Why including terpene content on weed packaging is common scents
Legalizing Marijuana Results In Major Tourism Spike
Researchers concluded that legal marijuana boosted Colorado and Washington as travel hotspots following legalization, with an even higher increase once retail sales began.
Pro Athletes Who Love Weed Are Taking Cannabis Sponsorships
Cannabis and sports might not seem like they mix. But for some athletes, the drug is an integral part of their success.
An online business directory and marketplace for the Australian cannabis and hemp industry
EVENTS
Australian Ethnobotanical and Psychedelic Community Video Call Out
Entheogenesis Australis invites the Australian ethnobotanical and psychedelic community to contribute original video content to our livestream on Sunday 28th June. Click here for more details.
Medicinal Cannabis: Legal, Business & Insurance Updates
11 June online event: Back by popular demand, you don’t want to miss the second annual cannabis legal issues update. With the medicinal cannabis sector continuing to grow at a rapid rate this is the perfect time to get in on the ground floor so you don’t miss your chance in this growing field of law. Hear about the latest legislative developments including the outcomes of the Senate inquiry into patient access to medicinal cannabis.
Hemp, Health & Innovation Expo [Sydney]
Drug Policy Public Discussion Forum [Sydney] Postponed until October!
Australian Medicinal Cannabis Conference 2020 [Melbourne]
Garden States – Cultivating Plant Knowledge [Melbourne]
Saturday 6 December 2020 at 9:00am
Springvale City Hall, 397 – 405 Springvale Rd, Springvale VIC 3171
FUNDRAISERS/CAMPAIGNS/PETITIONS/SURVEYS
Help Entheogenesis Australis [EGA] fundraise for a new website
We have launched a new crowdfunding campaign to fund the development of a new online platform for EGA. We have outgrown our old website from 2016 and need to replace our interim holding page with two new websites – a main EGA site and a separate site for EGA conferences.