Embassy HEADLINES Issue 420
AUSTRALIA/NZ
Launch of SHOP.HEMPEMBASSY.NET by MP Janelle Saffin on Friday August 14
New Parliamentary Friends of Medicinal Cannabis Group
More than 30 federal parliamentarians have expressed an active interest in supporting the group. Click on the link above to see the list. You may be surprised.
Election 2020: Jacinda Ardern refuses to say how she will vote in cannabis referendum
Labour leader Jacinda Ardern won’t reveal how she would vote in the upcoming referendum to legalise cannabis for recreational use.
Policing Cannabis Costs Australia $1.1 Billion Every Year
Researchers from Curtin University National Drug Research Institute have released a new study this week, confirming cannabis is costing Australia $1.1 billion annually in drug policing, prosecution and imprisonment alone.
Australia’s drug-driving laws are unjust, unfair and wasting everyone’s time
David Heilpern is an author and former NSW magistrate. Here, he reveals why Australia’s drug-driving laws left him administering justice he felt very uncomfortable with.
Tasmanian Hemp Association Calls For Changes To Industrial Hemp Laws
The new head of the Tasmanian Hemp Association (THA) has called for changes to Tasmania’s archaic industrial hemp laws.
Australia sees record month for medical cannabis approvals
Scott Morrison (ScoMo): Legalise Recreational Cannabis
Our goal is to reach 75,000 signatures and we need more support.
NORTH AMERICA
Drive-thru cannabis store coming to Lhtako Dene Nation near Quesnel
Lhtako Dene Grass Station won’t be the first Indigenous cannabis retail store to open on First Nations land without having received a license from the BC Liquor Distribution Branch. “People ask where we got our permit from and I said I wrote it,” Chief Clifford Lebrun said with a laugh before stating his nation has their own land laws, codes and regulations.
Arizona Marijuana Legalization Initiative Officially Qualifies For November Ballot
The secretary of state announced that activists turned in enough valid petitions to make the cut one month after about 420,000 raw signatures were submitted. Under the measure, adults could possess up to an ounce of marijuana at a time and cultivate up to six plants for personal use.
Illinois’ breakout star in a hazy economic landscape: recreational marijuana
It only took a few months for Illinois’ budding recreational marijuana industry to blossom — even during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Wyoming Judge Dismisses Marijuana Charges Against Hemp Farmers
A Wyoming judge dismissed drug charges filed against hemp farmers who had successfully lobbied to legalize the non-intoxicating cannabis crop but were later accused by police of growing marijuana. Top state officials and lawmakers testified on their behalf in the case.
More Cannabis Workers Vote to Unionize In Massachusetts
Cannabis workers at Cultivate Holdings, a vertically integrated cannabis company in Massachusetts, have voted to join the United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 1445.
Massachusetts’ Updated Medical Cannabis Regulations Allow Caregivers to Support More Patients
The new rules, which would allow caregivers to support up to 10 medical cannabis patients each, sparked controversy among industry stakeholders at a public hearing last week.
As national USDA rules loom, industry ramps up pressure for changes or delay
As the deadline approaches for implementing a single set of nationwide hemp-production rules, states and industry associations are pressuring the U.S. Department of Agriculture for a delay, warning the federal agency that several states won’t meet the deadline.
Private pot shops see sales decline after delivery cancelled by province
Private cannabis retailers in Ottawa are fighting to have home delivery reinstated after seeing a decline in sales and worrying people might be turning to the black market.
California Controversies Over ‘Social Equity’ Licenses
Equity programs for the legal cannabis industry in California are supposed to address the racial and social iniquities that were associated with cannabis prohibition. But finding the right implementation model has proved tricky. And as a recent controversy in Los Angeles indicates, the failure of such programs can have impacts that go beyond who is getting licenses for dispensaries.
WORLD
Project Twenty21 Medical Cannabis Registry is Officially Live
Project Twenty21 is a patient registry which aims to aid patient access to medical cannabis while simultaneously gathering valuable evidence of its efficacy. The aim of the scheme is to recruit up to 20,000 patients by the end of 2021 – this would make the project the largest of its kind in Europe!
Colombia opens first cannabis clinic
The clinic passed 28 regulatory hurdles including health authorities permissions and implementing a system to trace the products’ origins.
Uruguay Exports 1000 Pounds of Cannabis To Switzerland, Announces New Industry Measures
Uruguay recently completed several cannabis shipments to Europe that helped cement its position as a global cannabis exporter.
Israel’s Health Ministry advances medical marijuana reforms to reduce price by 50%
The reforms include switching from a license system to a prescription system, demanding a special budget from the Finance Ministry, direct sales outside of pharmacies, the removal of CBD from the list of dangerous drugs, transparency on the ingredients of the substance to patients and more.
Switzerland refunds $36M in taxes levied on low-THC cannabis growers, sellers
Swiss customs officials have returned approximately CHF 33 million ($36 million) to low-THC cannabis flower producers and sellers after a court said their products were unconstitutionally taxed as a tobacco substitute.
Here are the new cannabis rules proposed for South Africa – including limits, penalties and criminal records
In 2018, the Constitutional Court ruled that the use of cannabis is legal for both personal and medical use. However, it is currently still unlawful to use it outside of your private home, as well as buying and selling it.
Hemp variety from Poland shows strong dual cropping potential
The Polish hemp variety Białobrzeskie has the greatest economic potential among 11 hemp cultivars recently studied by a research team at the University of Kentucky (UK) in the USA.
SCIENCE & TECH
Sustainable Hemp Farming: Promoting Regenerative Agriculture In Hemp
In theory, farming hemp should not be considered damaging to the earth at all. In fact, hemp can be regenerative to the soil on which it’s farmed.
Dabbing gets cleaner and more high tech with DabTabs
DabTabs, or “dablets,” are measured portions of cannabis concentrate—usually full-spectrum—encased in a natural mineral-based ceramic. They can be heated and dabbed without having to remove the extract.
Cannabis and Hops: Understanding the Convergence of Beer and Buds
Their similarities offer complementary effects that are playing into new co-consumption businesses and trends.
HEALTH
Cannabis and Cancer Cells – New Research from Australian University
Evidence published by the University of Newcastle in Australia has revealed new findings into the plant’s anti-cancer potential. The tests carried out at the University and the Hunter Medical Research Institute showed that a modified form of cannabis had the potential to kill or inhibit cancer cells. In addition, the high-CBD form of cannabis did not impact other natural cells.
Products containing cannabinoids could affect activity of prescription drugs, study finds
The findings could help consumers avoid potential drug interactions.
Women who smoke pot frequently have better sex: Study
The study — in the journal, Sexual Medicine — found that women who frequently use pot had higher arousal, better orgasms and more sexual satisfaction overall.
How Cannabis Terpenes Affect Your High
In the age of options and selections, if you’re still choosing your buds based on THC content alone, then you’re doing it wrong.
CBD Oil for Crohn’s: Everything You Need to Know
When talking about whether CBD oil can alleviate the symptoms of Crohn’s disease, there are two important scientific studies to consider.
POLITICS & LAW
Kamala Harris [Joe Biden’s VP nominee] Evolved Slowly on Legalization, but She’s All About It Now
She didn’t clearly come out in favor of full federal legalization until 2018.
Why is Portugal’s Unique Drug Policy Working?
Many critics feared that Portugal’s drug decriminalisation would bring about a rapid increase in substance abuse, but after two decades there’s no data to prove such a relation. Portugal isn’t the only nation to tow this road but they’ve arguably been the most successful in bringing down their numbers. They owe their success thanks to creating awareness, backing up the health sector and social reform economy, improving standards of living, and having a society that accepts and is willing to give drug users the care they need.
CULTURE & HISTORY
An Exhibition Tells the Story of a Drug War Leader, but Not All of It
The Drug Enforcement Administration’s exhibition on Harry J. Anslinger, a founding father of American drug policy, does not delve into criticism that he used racial slurs.
For these ancient warrior women, cannabis was a part of everyday life
While scholars once believed the Amazons were pure myth, recent archeological findings of burial mounds, called kurgans, have backed up Greek, Persian, and Chinese accounts of fearsome bands of nomadic women. And along with weapons, gold, and sacrificed horses, skeletons of these warrior women were buried with personal cannabis-burning kits.
Faces of Cannabis History: 3 Legendary Voices of Reason
It’s easy to focus on the many rising stars of the cannabis world today, but it’s vital to get educated on the people who paved the way.
EVENTS
Launch of SHOP.HEMPEMBASSY.NET by MP Janelle Saffin on Friday August 14
Medical Cannabis Cultivation Webinar [Online]
Wednesday, Sep 2, 2020 07:00 PM AEST: Join us as we speak to Australian cultivators growing medicinal cannabis. We will discuss strains, lighting, fertiliser and exactly what it takes to grow a medical crop.
5 NZ policy insights you need to know with Tara Creaven-Capasso [Online]
Wednesday, 12 August 2020 2:00 pm AEST: Join one of New Zealand’s top regulatory advisors, sharing their insights on New Zealand’s newly formed cannabis regulations.
3 Important Patient Treatment Statistics [online]
Will Australia legalise recreational cannabis within 2 years? A Conversation with Fiona Patten MP [online]
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!
2020 Cannabis Awards are here!
Help Entheogenesis Australis [EGA] fundraise for a new website
Make a submission: Inquiry into the use of Cannabis in Victoria
Petition: Help Stop Suicides – Legalise Cannabis Now
Story Lab: It’s time for a new conversation about drugs in Australia.
Queensland’s prison crisis: Some modest proposals
Australian Senate committee issues report on medical cannabis barriers
117 Public Submissions for Senate Inquiry
Scott Morrison (ScoMo): Legalise Recreational Cannabis
HELP GROW OUR CANNABIS CAMPAIGN
Next stop Canberra – we’re taking the fight to Parliament!
Inquiry into drug driving reform
EDUCATION
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 info@hempembassy.net We’d love to hear from you!