Embassy HEADLINES Issue 415
AUSTRALIA/NZ
David Heilpern: Drug-driving laws are destructive and ineffective
Given my recent retirement from judicial office, I can finally say it: our drug-driving detection laws are beyond doubt the most stupid I have had the unfortunate duty to apply. These laws penalise on the basis of any detectable level of a drug, not an intoxicating level. Yet those who support the regime all speak the language of intoxication – “we do not want stoned drivers on our roads”. In doing so they dishonestly misrepresent this controversial law.
Medicinal cannabis is legal in Australia, but people like Grace are still turning to the black market
“I was offered through an illegal source where I could get it very quickly, and because my tumours were aggressive and time is of the essence, I decided to opt for the non-medical option,” she tells ABC RN’s Life Matters.
Voices from the Real World – Medical Cannabis Testimonials
As the struggle over medical cannabis intensifies and patients find themselves increasingly on the periphery of a debate in which their role should be central, we reproduce – with thanks – a selection of anonymous testimonials from individuals using cannabis medicines throughout Australia between late 2015 and 2020. The collection continues to grow . . . Got any true life mediweed stories of your own? If you’d like to include your personal experience among these important voices, please email [email protected] We’d love to hear from you!
CanView launches Australia’s first online medical cannabis marketplace saving pharmacists valuable time and paperwork
Filling prescriptions for medical cannabis was not a straightforward process due to irregular prices between producers, confusion over state government compliance requirements, paper-based ordering systems from multiple suppliers around the country and limited educational resources. But all of that is about to change. CanView www.canview.com.au is Australia’s first online marketplace which has been specifically designed to streamline the Medical Cannabis ordering system for pharmacists allowing them to drastically reduce time and paperwork and delivery costs.
Greens Vote Up in Smoke – Daily Telegraph 6 July 2020
An out-of-town candidate for the Help End Marijuana Prohibition (HEMP) Party picked up 2.34% in first preference votes.
Hemp Party says ‘high’ to voters in ‘grassroots’ Eden-Monaro campaign
As residents in Eden-Monaro decide who to give their vote to during this by-election battle, the Hemp Party’s grassroots campaign to legalise medicinal cannabis was roaring along outside polling stations. The Hemp Party circled polling booths with megaphones attached to vehicles calling for voters to register a protest vote to review existing laws around marijuana use in Australia.
New Zealand is set to legalise cannabis after most Kiwis indicated that they would vote ‘Yes’ in referendum
A new poll suggests New Zealanders could vote to legalise cannabis in a referendum held alongside the national election on September 19. The poll, commissioned by proponents of the ‘Yes’ vote, has support at 48 per cent, with 43 per cent against. The result is at odds with public polling done by Kiwi media. A 1News Colmar Brunton poll released last week has support for change at just 40 per cent, with the ‘No’ campaign on 49 per cent support.
NZ Chief Scientist: Our cannabis webpage is now live
NORTH AMERICA
Cannabis Legislation in New York: The Time Is Now To Get Social Equity Measures Right
For New York State, the passing of a bill legalising the possession, consumption and sale of cannabis may have to wait until next year, but now governors have been afforded both the time and the mandate to make good on promises to incorporate critical, comprehensive social equity measures before next year’s deadline.
New York City Adds More Exceptions To Pre-Employment Marijuana Testing Ban
It stipulates that, generally speaking, companies in the city can’t conduct pre-employment tests for THC metabolites unless the position is safety sensitive. The policy took effect in May.
More U.S. states allowing telehealth consults for cannabis authorization
According to MPP.org, 31 states currently allow telemedicine for cannabis patients – 11 of which have temporarily altered their laws as a result of the current coronavirus pandemic.
Illinois Sets New Record for Cannabis Sales in June
According to state officials, cannabis sales in June topped $47.6 million, setting a new single-month record in the state. The previous high of $44.3 million was set in the month of May, continuing strong sales growth statewide.
Success Centers Helps Fill Dispensary Jobs in the Bay Area with a Focus on Social Equity
California-based Success Centers launched roughly 40 years ago to assist youth released from detention centers with life skills and employment. Now, the organization has expanded to the cannabis industry, where it helps connect employers with qualified job seekers in the Bay Area with a focus on social equity.
WORLD
Thai Law to Allow Private Medical Cannabis Production
Reopening its cannabis regulatory platform after months of disruption caused by the coronavirus, Thailand’s Food and Drug Administration has prepared a draft bill to abolish a 5-year ban on the private sector making cannabis medicine.
No new NHS patients in UK prescribed cannabis oil since legalisation
There have been no new NHS prescriptions for full-extract cannabis oil since the medicinal use of the drug was legalised in the UK more than 18 months ago, the Guardian has established.
Amid Government Corruption, Macedonia Waits on Legislative ‘Go-Ahead’ to Export Cannabis Flowers
For more than 14 years, the tiny, poor Balkan country of North Macedonia has been trying to edge its way into the EU. Now, with just over two million inhabitants, and legislation to run a global medical cannabis market, North Macedonia is fighting corruption.
Jamaica to lower cannabis industry entry barriers for small farmers
A proposed new permit would cut fees for those farmers and allow for variations to strict infrastructure and security requirements.
Mexico to implement 3-year-old medical cannabis law as full legalization delayed
The General Health Law of Mexico, amended in mid-2017, authorized cannabis for medical use – including products high in THC. However, that amendment did not create any specific rules or regulations to facilitate a functioning market.
Education and regulation for the EU cannabis market
James O’Dowd, Secretary General of the European Alliance for Medicinal Cannabis, talks cannabis policy and oversight in the EU cannabis market.
Cannabis medicine, education, and policy in Switzerland
Professor Rudolf Brenneisen of the Swiss Society of Cannabis in Medicine tells us about medical cannabis in Switzerland.
HEALTH & SCIENCE
Cannabis Smoke Vs Tobacco Smoke: Is it as Harmful?
Cannabis is the most popular illicit drug in the world, with researchers putting the number of regular users at around 183 million. The most common method of consuming cannabis is by smoking the flowers and leaves. But, what are the health implications of smoking cannabis, and how do they compare to smoking tobacco?
UNM Study: Cannabis Is Effective In Treating Depression, Improving Mental Health
According to a research study published by the University Of New Mexico and Releaf App in the Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine, cannabis flower may be effective in providing immediate relief for the symptoms of depression – a condition affecting roughly 1 in 5 adults in the U.S., and often leading to other ailments like cancer, substance use disorders, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, dementia, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and chronic pain.
Cannabis May Reduce Deadly COVID-19 Lung Inflammation: Researchers Explain Why
Cannabis’ active compounds have a number of properties that make it appealing as a potential adjunct treatment for infections from the novel coronavirus, and recently scientists have begun looking at its potential for reducing susceptibility to the disease, and even discussed whether it could be used as an antiviral medication.
Chronic Migraines And The Blurred Lines of Recreational Cannabis
I started using cannabis recreationally and noticed how DRASTICALLY reduced the frequency and intensity of my migraines were. It’s a surprise chronic migraine treatment
How to avoid heavy-metal accumulation in your hemp crop
To put it plainly, hemp is a bioaccumulator. It’s really good at absorbing heavy metals and can absorb a vast range of compounds from the soil – including radioactive elements, heavy metals, pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, explosives and fuel.
POLITICS & LAW
Cannabis research stalled by federal inaction
US scientists face numerous barriers to studying health effects of cannabis.
It’s Time to Dismantle the DEA
For nearly 50 years, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has fueled mass incarceration, wasted taxpayer money, abused its authority and blocked scientific research. It’s time for change.
Conservative Drug Policy Reform with Crispin Blunt UK MP
Crispin takes a conservative look at the lack of regulation in the drugs market, questioning why the UK fails to tackle criminal gangs through prohibition, how the UK economy is damaged by turning a blind eye to the billions made in the cannabis industry and what can be done to win this war. Furthermore, Crispin Blunt and Professor Nutt discuss the racist beginnings of the ‘War on Drugs’ and how those sentiments have continued until present day.
A New Era of Protection: The PVPO, Plant Patents and More
With the hemp boom upon us, plant scientists have turned their attention to creating new and innovative hemp cultivars. The focus is on varieties for specific climates, special disease or environmental resistance, or unique cannabinoid profiles. With this new era of hemp, so too has come a new era of protection for hemp breeders.
CULTURE
Michael Pollan & The Landscape of the Mind
Pollan defines psychedelics as substances that not only affect the mind (like cannabis), but are fully “mind manifesting,” noting the term itself was coined in 1956 by Humphry Osmond “to describe drugs like LSD and psilocybin that produce radical changes in consciousness.”
Where do dabs come from? A history of cannabis extracts
Cannabis concentrates are said to have been around (in some form) since the 1940s, adapting from the pre-20th century botanical extraction technologies that are responsible for bringing cannabis to the US pharmacopeia throughout the 1800s.
The best activities to combine with cannabis
Observe the world’s palette of colours, feel the wind, bask in the sun.
EVENTS
AIMC Presents the Australian Symposium of Medical Cannabis Research [Online]
Jul. 08, 10:20 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. GMT+10: Join the AIMC on July 8th for a unique session and learn from leading industry executives, researchers and doctors on what is happening in Australia. The FREE EVENT will include thought provoking panel discussions and research presentations.
Australian Medical Cannabis Research FREE Webinar [Online]
Medical Cannabis Live Series – Rhys Cohen & Adam Isaac Miller [Online]
Thursday, July 30, 2020 2:00 pm AEST: Five industry trends you need to know – with Rhys Cohen.
Drug Policy Public Discussion Forum [Sydney]
Australian Medicinal Cannabis Conference 2020 [Melbourne]
Hemp, Health & Innovation Expo Postponed until 2021!
Garden States – Cultivating Plant Knowledge Postponed until 2021!
FUNDRAISERS/CAMPAIGNS/PETITIONS/SURVEYS
Legalise Cannabis Queensland launched!
To combat the decades-long discrimination against cannabis users, activists from the MCUA and HEMP have joined to form Legalise Cannabis Queensland to support candidates campaigning to legalise cannabis in the approaching 2020 elections. The war on drugs is unsustainable and counter-productive. Help legalise cannabis in Queensland in 2020.
2020 Cannabis Awards are here!
After an incredible first year (and an overwhelming amount of support) we’re super proud to announce that nominations for the 2020 Cannabis Industry Awards are now open! Make a nomination. Here is a link to 2019 winners.
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.