Embassy HEADLINES Issue 405
AUSTRALIA/NZ
VIRTUAL MARDIGRASS….NO ROADBLOCKS, SALIVA TESTING OR SNIFFER DOGS!
TGA Scheduling Committee – public consultation on CBD OPEN
There are many Australians who would welcome being able to source CBD over the counter – and here is your chance to have your say! Both the proposal (item 2.5 on this page) and the application to amend the scheduling of cannabidiol as outlined in the Public Notice of 17 April 2020 (item 2.2) will be referred to the June 2020 Joint ACMS/ACCS meeting. The due date for feedback is 15 May 2020. Instructions on how to respond can be found here.
Army veteran calls for access to legal cannabis to help treat post-traumatic stress disorder
When Max Hill looks you in the eye, he still has the piercing gaze of the drug cop he used to be.
Medicinal cannabis clinic opens in Byron
Dr Rickcord believes medicinal cannabis should have a prominent place in the treatment of certain conditions and that increasingly society is beginning to perceive it as effective medicine provided it is dispensed in an informed, safe manner.
NORTH AMERICA
Michigan wholesale medical marijuana prices fall on flood of caregiver product
Wholesale prices for medical cannabis plummeted in Michigan after a change in regulations that prevents caregivers from selling into the recreational market caused them to offload large amounts of flower into the medical market. Fefore the change in the law, wholesale pounds of medical marijuana flower were selling for around $4,000 a pound. But that price fell to $1,800-$2,200 a pound in the past few weeks
How Legalizing Marijuana Could Help Kick-Start The US Economy
Legalizing sales of recreational marijuana could add tens of thousands of high paying, quality jobs at all education levels in states across the US. Aside from tax revenue, this is another reason large US states like New York that have been deeply affected by the virus may try to speed up legalization.
UC Davis Releases Report on California Cannabis Testing Costs
Researchers found that cannabis growers’ testing costs average $136 per pound.
Santa Clara County to Expunge 11,500 Marijuana Convictions Next Week
Santa Clara County, California officials are expected today to reduce or expunge more than 11,500 backlogged cannabis convictions for more than 9,000 people.
WORLD
Webinar to look at cannabis opportunities for UK farmers
The crop grows particularly well in the UK, but farmers are struggling to break into the market, for legislative reasons amongst others.
Medical cannabis access in UK eased amid lockdown
UK patients have begun receiving medical cannabis through the post, as the coronavirus pandemic has left them unable to access the drug any other way.
Swiss police detain hemp grower with 3,700 marijuana plants amid legal crop
Police in northeastern Switzerland have shut down an indoor hemp-growing operation and detained its operator after a search of the property unearthed cannabis plants and biomass that exceeded legal THC levels.
Supply issues still hinder Uruguay recreational cannabis market growth
Just under 4,000 kilograms (8,800 pounds) of recreational marijuana was sold via Uruguay’s pharmacies since the program was launched in July 2017, according to a recent report from the Institute for the Regulation and Control of Cannabis (IRCCA). Sales would have been higher had enough supply been available for registered consumers, according to the regulator’s report.
Deadline to legalize marijuana in Mexico extended again
Mexico’s deadline to legalize cannabis has been extended to Dec. 15.
Brazil approves first medical cannabis product under 2019 regulations
Brazil’s health authorities authorized the first medical cannabis product registered under rules created in December 2019, marking an important milestone for the industry in Latin America’s largest economy.
HEALTH & SCIENCE
CBD Topicals Guide: Skin and Hair CBD Topicals
If you are interested in learning more about CBD topicals, our CBD topicals guide will provide you with all of the information you need to get started.
Grandma gets high: Why seniors are consuming cannabis
Seniors have established themselves as some of the most enthusiastic cannabis consumers in the US, although their presence in the world of weed sometimes flies under the radar.
There is no difference between the effects of indica and sativa marijuana strains, scientists say
For decades, marijuana growers, sellers, and consumers have classified strains as “indica” or “sativa” to explain the type of effect they would have when consumed. But that classification system was faulty to begin with, and the advent of molecular testing proved that there is no sense in splitting them up into indica and sativa. There’s not a simple way to create a more accurate system, however, so the indica-sativa dichotomy endures.
GARDENING
What A 100-Acre Cannabis Farm Looks Like
High Quality Strains for Hobbyist Growers
In an excerpt from Ed Rosenthal’s latest book, the infamous cultivator seeks advice from noted cannabis breeders on growing the highest quality strains.
The History of Kush in America
A detailed look at the history, evolution and challenges surrounding these popular varieties.
3 ways hemp farmers can promote earth-friendly cultivation
As the hemp industry develops and more resources become available for crop production, advocates of sustainable production say farmers have a choice: Hemp can be a crop that heals – or it can follow in the same footsteps of other commodities that have caused mass erosion, soil contamination and groundwater pollution.
POLITICS & LAW
ACLU highlights persisting racist cannabis enforcement in 4/20 report
Despite being legal now in 33 U.S. states, millions of Americans are getting arrested for cannabis possession — and a disproportionate number of them are black. That’s the summary of a new report — Tale of Two Countries: Racially Targeted Arrests in the Era of Marijuana Reform — released by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on 4/20, cannabis culture’s most important day of the year.
The U.S. DEA Removes CBD From the Controlled Substances Act – But There’s A Catch
Epidiolex, a medication made with CBD that is used to treat certain types of epilepsy, will now be marketed as a normal medication. While this is fantastic news, it’s also a bit confusing since CBD is already federally legal. While this announcement effectively removes CBD from the controlled substances act, much remains to be understood about how the U.S. regulates cannabidiol.
COVID-19 Reveals the Absurd Injustice of Cannabis Prohibition
COVID-19 is spreading through the U.S. prison system like wildfire and people who remain locked up on cannabis and nonviolent drug charges are being forced to face their mortality.
CULTURE
A Comprehensive Guide to Smoking CBG Hemp Flowers
So, you’ve already tried out THC or CBD, and want to know more on how to smoke other cannabinoids, such as CBG hemp flowers.
Support this year’s 4/20 by buying illicit and being open about weed use, organizer says
This year Vancouver’s 4/20 revellers can catch a live stream of 4/20 celebrations from the comfort of their own couch, organizer and veteran weed activist Dana Larsen said. To support the protest they should consider voting with their wallets and buying from a local dealer instead of a regulated store, he said. Everyone can help battle stigma against drug use by being open and proud about their cannabis consumption, and demand change by calling their local politician to say drug prohibition is wrong, he added. This is the first time in 26 years that Vancouver’s 4/20 cannabis protest has been cancelled. Larsen said he’s sad that the world’s longest running cannabis protest has to be online this year, but hopes the pandemic will highlight some of the things the 4/20 protest advocates for.
Cannabis in the Time of Coronavirus
We’re continuing our investigation of drugs under quarantine, reporting on the impact of the coronavirus on cannabis’s biggest holiday, 4/20, and the marijuana marketplace as a whole.
Introverts, Marijuana, And Getting High During the Coronavirus
Introverted people can find the normal social world exhausting. That’s why many of them have weathered the stay-at-home orders better than others. This is especially true for those who enjoy cannabis.
BUSINESS & INDUSTRY
High Times makes bold move into marijuana retail with $80 million deal
The owner of pioneering cannabis magazine High Times said Tuesday it is acquiring 13 operating and planned marijuana retail stores in California for $80 million. The purchase, which is being made mostly in stock, reflects an aggressive move into retail under the company’s new management team.
These groups are greening up the cannabis industry
Across the United States, cannabis cultivators, processors and growers are embracing a wide range of remarkable initiatives to make their businesses more sustainable and energy efficient. In Colorado, a state agency is leading an initiative to capture carbon dioxide from a brewery to re-use in a cultivation facility. A new grow operation in Massachusetts installed over four acres of solar panels on its roof and a high-efficiency “microgrid” on its campus. And more companies are turning to hemp as a pragmatic and sustainable alternative to plastic packaging.
Report: Global Cannabis Industry Grows 46% From 2018-2019
From 2018 to 2019, legal cannabis sales worldwide grew 46 percent to $14.7 billion, according to market researchers BDSA and Arcview Market Research. Comparatively, the sector saw a 16 percent growth in 2018.
An online business directory and marketplace for the Australian cannabis and hemp industry
EVENTS
HHI Expo [Canberra/Brisbane/Sydney] Canberra Expo CANCELLED!
Protest, Educate & Celebrate
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
Story Lab: It’s time for a new conversation about drugs in Australia.
Unharm is launching Story Lab, a training program for eight people based in NSW to share their stories with the public and media, to shift the story about drugs in Australia by putting human stories to the forefront.
Closes on 14/4/2020 – Qld parliamentary petition to legalise cannabis
Australian Senate committee issues report on medical cannabis barriers
117 Public Submissions for Senate Inquiry
Read the submissions made to the Senate inquiry into current barriers to patient access to medicinal cannabis in Australia.