Embassy HEADLINES Issue 329

AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND

Judge Recognises that Medicinal Cannabis Producers are Not Criminals [Sydney Criminal Lawyers]

In handing down the sentence, Judge Ellis said that it was clear that Mr Futter had been cultivating the plants for non-profit medicinal purposes. And his Honour acknowledged that there is a rising awareness in the community of the “potential medicinal benefits of cannabis”. The judge also lamented the state of NSW laws that don’t recognise a distinction between growing recreational cannabis so as to turn a profit and cultivating the plant for the benefit of those in medical need. Judge Ellis told the court that while this distinction can’t be found in the law, there’s no reason why it shouldn’t appear there, and in the meantime, this distinction “should be found in the sentencing principles applied by a sentencing court when dealing with such offences”. And this isn’t the first time the District Court judge has accepted that people in the community are genuinely helping others by producing cannabis oil. In October 2015, Judge Ellis imposed a two year good behaviour bond on Malcolm Ronald Lee in a similar case involving cannabis used as medicine.

Coroner compares drug prohibition laws to racism [The Sydney Morning Herald]

A NSW coroner has likened the effects of drug prohibition to state sanctioned racism, saying future generations would look back at current laws on illicit substances with incredulity. Deputy State Coroner Harriet Grahame also took aim at sniffer dogs patrolling train stations as a “low-hanging” law enforcement tactic during an ongoing inquest examining government policy on prescription opiates and illegal drug use.

Grass state: Almost half a million Queenslanders used cannabis last year [Brisbane Times]

More than half a million Queenslanders have used an illegal drug in the past year, with cannabis the drug of choice for most. The Health of Queenslanders 2018 report, due to be released this month, will show an estimated 558,000 people aged 14 or older had used illicit drugs in the previous 12 months. Of those, 485,000 people had used cannabis.

World first clinical trial will study impact of medicinal cannabis on Australians with malignant brain tumours [Endeavour]

Leader of Reason [Reason Party]

“Maybe it does take a woman like me, a woman who isn’t supposed to be here, to break up the club; to change the place and keep things fair / reasonable.” – Fiona Patten MP

Tamworth Regional Council approves $8m medicinal cannabis farm [Northern Daily Leader]

Petition: For a Referendum on Recreational Cannabis Use during 2019 NSW Election [Liberal Democrats]

https://www.facebook.com/events/257831238213688/

NORTH AMERICA

Michigan is the 10th state to legalise recreational marijuana. This map shows every US state where pot is legal. [Business Insider Australia]

Michigan on Tuesday became the 10th state to legalise recreational marijuana, and Utah and Missouri voted to legalise medical marijuana.

US Attorney resigns as fiery Trump blasts reporter [Northern Star]

Attorney General Jeff Sessions has resigned in the wake of the midterm elections. In a tweet with a photo of his resignation letter, Mr Sessions said he was stepping down at the request of United States president Donald Trump.

Unseen Women of Color Who Use Weed Know Why Legalization Is Only a Start [Filter Mag]

Studies show that people use at roughly the same rates, regardless of race. When it comes to legal consequences, of course, the rates are very different. In New York City where I live, marijuana has officially been decriminalized since the 1970s. Yet people of color continue to be arrested at grossly disproportionate rates—a pattern that holds nationwide.

Ohio Might Consider Adding Opiate Addiction to Qualifying Conditions for Medical Marijuana [The Marijuana Times]

As more states consider legalizing medical marijuana, others who have already made this leap are continuously expanding their programs so that more patients have access to a safe alternative medicine. When Ohio legalized medical marijuana, they included a list of 21 qualifying conditions – with roughly 3.5 million residents who qualify – and a stipulation that the State Medical Board of Ohio would be required to review petitions for new conditions each year.

Medical cannabis cardholders, growers dropping off in Oregon [Marijuana Business Daily]

Medical marijuana patients and growers across Oregon are abandoning the state’s MMJ program, according to reports. Licensed medical marijuana companies are increasingly up against a combination of legislative red tape and a different kind of market force: the convenience of recreational retail sales.

America’s marijuana map How it might change after the midterms [The Guardian]

America’s slow burn towards cannabis legalisation continues at the midterms as four states will vote on ballots featuring medicinal and recreational initiatives. Michigan and North Dakota will decide whether to make the drug legal while Utah and Missouri will vote on its medicinal uses. Polls are suggesting that all four ballots are likely to pass.

Washington Home Grow Advocates Preparing for 2019 Session [Ganjapreneur]

Home grow advocates in Washington State are getting ready for the upcoming 2019 legislative session and they have high hopes the state will finally pass an adult-use home grow bill. Washington is the only fully legalized state that does not allow adults over 21 to grow cannabis at home without a medical cannabis qualification. Last year, a home grow bill passed the House Commerce and Gaming Committee only to stall before key deadlines were met. Despite the defeat, advocates are back this year with a new bill and new strategies.

About 400,000 marijuana plants seized in Santa Maria [The Tribune]

Santa Barbara County officials seized 400,000 marijuana plants in Santa Maria on Monday, according to a news release from the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office. The seizure, in the 2700 block of Telephone Road, stemmed from a criminal investigation authorities were conducting into an illegal marijuana grow “that was concealed among existing farm fields,” according to the release.

Trump Will Legalize Marijuana After Midterms, Anthony Scaramucci Predicts [Marijuana Moments]

President Trump will push for marijuana legalization after the upcoming elections, according to former White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci. “I do. I think he’s going to legalize marijuana,” Scaramucci told Succeed.com founder Charles Peralo in an interview this week. “I think he’s waiting for after the midterms. I think he’s on the side of legalization.”

Licensed cannabis growers have ties to organized crime, Enquête investigation finds [CBC]

An investor in a major Canadian cannabis company has had longstanding ties, including business dealings, with influential Mafia members and drug traffickers, Radio-Canada has learned. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s legalization plan was supposed to cut out organized crime, but an investigation by Radio-Canada’s Enquête shows Health Canada has granted production licences to companies with individuals with links to the criminal underworld.

California Marijuana Notebook: L.A.’s licensing logjam & mounting lawsuits for MJ businesses [Marijuana Business Daily]

As the marijuana market in the Golden State grows and matures, business owners are facing dueling challenges:

• MJ entrepreneurs are finding it’s particularly tough to obtain a business permit in Los Angeles.
• Lawsuits involving trademarks and proprietary business information are popping around the state.

WORLD

Mexico’s highest court rules adults have ‘fundamental right’ to use cannabis, setting legal precedent [Independent]

Mexico’s highest court has ruled two complainants should be allowed to use cannabis for recreational purposes, setting a precedent that a ban on the drug is unconstitutional. The Supreme Court found that adults have a “fundamental right to the free development of the personality” without interference from the state. “That right is not absolute, and the consumption of certain substances may be regulated, but the effects provoked by marijuana do not justify an absolute prohibition of its consumption,” the ruling read.

Mexico’s President-Elect Affirms Supreme Court Cannabis Decision [Latino USA]

President-elect Andrés Manuel López Obrador said yesterday that the government should respect the Supreme Court’s decision striking down the ban on recreational marijuana use. The court ruled Wednesday that the ban on personal use or consumption violated Mexicans’ “fundamental right to the free development of the personality.”

Mexico introduces bill to to legalise medical and recreational cannabis use [Independent]

A Mexico senator has introduced a bill that would legalise recreational marijuana. Andrés Manuel López Obrador is the president-elect of Mexico, and his soon-to-be interior interior minister Olga Sanchez Cordero proposed a bill to legalise marijuana. If it passes, each person will be allowed to have up to 20 plants at a time for personal consumption. The bill would also include regulating and monitoring production, sales, and consumption.

UK Families Threaten to Take NHS to Court Over Medical Cannabis [Vice]

Medical cannabis might now be legal in the UK, but for many, it’s just as hard to access it as it’s ever been.

GPs to prescribe medical cannabis in Jersey [BBC]

Patients in Jersey will be able to get medical cannabis from all doctors after politicians voted to change the law. Deputy Montfort Tadier, who proposed the move, said GPs should be allowed to prescribe pre-approved products to patients. In the UK only specialist doctors are allowed to issue similar treatments. Consultant neurologist Prof Mike Barnes said the mainland should follow the changes, as cannabis expertise was “rare” among medical professionals.

Medicinal cannabis legalisation in UK could well open the door to allowing recreational use, whatever Sajid Javid says [Independent]

The UK’s home secretary is adamant that the law change will not mean further marijuana liberalisation, but there are substantial financial forces working for exactly that outcome.

The Problems with the UK’s Legalisation of Medical Cannabis [Vice]

Let’s be clear: the struggle is far from over. The NHS released its prescription guidelines last week and they were disappointingly restrictive. Drawn up by the Royal College of Physicians and the Royal Paediatric Neurology Association, the guidelines say cannabis products can only be used as a last resort, and that patients with MS and chronic pain are unlikely to get prescriptions. In fact, the guidelines state baldly that: “Very few people in England are likely to get a prescription for medical cannabis.”

UK NHS Guidelines Offer People Who Need Cannabis As Medicine Two Choices. Go Private Or Carry On Being A Criminal [Clear]

Following the UK’s new Misuse of Drugs Regulations, which came into force on 1st November, the NHS has issued guidelines on cannabis for medical use, both for clinicians and for the public. The best that can be said about these is that they are NOT the law. In fact they are inaccurate, misleading and provide a seriously distorted picture both of the new regulations and of the evidence that is available on the use of cannabis as medicine. The crucial points are these. There are NO RESTRICTIONS on what conditions cannabis may be prescribed for. As well as oils, raw herbal cannabis may also be prescribed – for vaping only, smoking is prohibited. All the decisions are entirely in the hands of the prescribing consultant. Of course, the problem is your consultant likely knows nothing about cannabis.

Israeli Finance Minister Lambastes Delay in Approving Medical Marijuana Exports [Haaretz]

Moshe Kahlon blames the Public Security Ministry for foot-dragging, thus ‘harming Israel’s economy, farmers and local industry,’ calls for cabinet to approve exports and advance legislation.

Georgian Government to Withdraw Cannabis Cultivation Bill [Civil]

Parliament Speaker Irakli Kobakhidze has announced today that the Government of Georgia will withdraw the controversial draft bill that was to legalize cultivation of medical cannabis and its production for export. Kobakhidze made the statement on November 2, following his meeting with Partiarch Ilia II and members of the Holy Synod. According to Kobakhidze, although “positions varied within the team,” the GDDG has “kept its initial promise” that it would make the final decision based on “wide societal consensus,” and “in agreement with the church.”

Legal doping: Cannabis in beer experiencing a high in Germany [The Local]

BUSINESS & POLICY

Washington Needs to Legalize Cannabis [Wall Street Journal]

Former House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) has a marijuana op-ed in the Wall Street Journal: “The trend could not be clearer: Cannabis prohibition is coming to an end. A Gallup poll last month found 66% of Americans favor legal marijuana. I am now one of those Americans. It began when a friend of mine who suffered from chronic back pain found relief using medical cannabis.”

Banks pass on marijuana loans, for now [Reuters]

Banks have been wary of financing cannabis companies, which grow or sell marijuana, as it is still a federally restricted substance in the United States. This has forced companies to turn to other funding sources including private equity firms, credit unions, or direct lenders, which can command rates of up to 15%. But with the legal marijuana market forecast to reach US$146.4bn by the end of 2025, according to Grand View Research, the opportunity may be too tempting for banks to pass on for much longer.

How Does a Marijuana Lobbyist Do His Job? [Slate]

In the final episode of Working With Weed, Jordan talks to ​Peter Marcus, who is the communications director and head of political outreach for Terrapin Care Station in Boulder, Colorado. Like most positions in this newly legalized industry, lobbying for the interests of cannabis businesses means​ working without a roadmap. But for someone like Peter, that’s what makes things interesting. Whether he’s working to pass an unprecedented public cannabis consumption bill or unexpectedly explaining to a room full of anti-weed activists that no, everyone in the cannabis industry is ​not​ secretly in the mob, things are never run-of-the-mill for him.

HEALTH & SCIENCE

The Most Impactful Cannabis Studies of All Time [Leafly]

The following compendium of landmark cannabis studies is exclusively focused on top-level research that either fundamentally advanced our understanding of the plant’s therapeutic properties, or thoroughly debunked some pernicious piece of official misinformation—such as “smoking weed gives you lung cancer.”

First of its Kind Study Finds Virtually No Driving Impairment Under the Influence of Marijuana [Health & Fitness]

The first study to analyze the effects of cannabis on driving performance found that it caused almost no impairment. The impairment that it did cause was similar to that observed under the influence of a legal alcohol limit. Researchers at the University of Iowa’s National Advanced Driving Simulator carried out the study, sponsored by National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, National Institute of Drug Abuse, and the Office of National Drug Control Policy. In fact, some would argue that it makes them drive safer or slower.

CULTURE & SOCIETY

OTHER DRUGS