Embassy HEADLINES Issue 403
AUSTRALIA/NZ
Australian Legal Cannabis Market Forecast
There are quite a few large projects in the pipeline: Major Project Status had been awarded by the Federal Government to three more medicinal cannabis ventures. There have also been whispers cannabidiol (CBD) could potentially be available over-the-counter in Australia in the not too distant future; a development that would see CBD sales skyrocket.
Cannabis producers in Australia avoid ‘nonessential’ designation
Australia’s government has identified specific “nonessential” industries in order to apply restricted operations to fight the novel coronavirus pandemic – and medical marijuana is not on that list. That means medical cannabis producers and their supply chains may remain operational as far as the federal government is concerned.
NORTH AMERICA
Stoners cheered when Canada legalised cannabis. How did it go so wrong?
The Canadian industry has been driven by vulture capitalism and wishful thinking. “A mix of greed and naivety led this industry to great heights – and has left it on its knees. While some made lots of money, others lost their investments and now many others have lost their jobs.”
NORML Canada explains how legalization went wrong
Canadian weed companies eligible for federal relief funds, but there’s a catch
The Canadian cannabis industry has gained access to COVID-19 federal relief funds, but the money comes with a catch: The dollars are distributed through banks, which often refuse to work with weed businesses.
Marijuana Has Been Deemed ‘Essential’ — But Essential for Whom?
The patchwork of emergency orders during coronavirus has been confusing and difficult to navigate for recreational, or adult-use, cannabis businesses. Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Barker issued an order allowing medical-marijuana dispensaries to stay open, but halted recreational sales. In Colorado, recreational pot shops are limited to curbside pickup, while medical dispensaries can stay open. In Nevada, adult-use sales are only allowed through home delivery. It’s tough to keep track, since laws vary widely from state to state.
Growing hemp is a new option for struggling Florida farmers. Licenses go online soon.
Florida is the only state where hemp can be grown year-round. During the summer, farmers can grow industrial hemp for its fiber, and in winter, they can produce CBD-rich hemp.
Why the U.S. black market continues to thrive and what is being done about it
While the black market is thriving in nearly every market where cannabis is sold — it was 60% of second quarter sales in Canada in 2019 — it appears to be particularly troublesome in California, where a lack of enforcement, a lack of oversight, and regulatory burdens on legal businesses has allowed it to grow.
Michigan Scraps Plan to Let Caregivers Supply Adult-Use Market
Less than a month after allowing cannabis caregivers to transfer their supply to the adult-use market, Michigan regulators have backtracked on that decision and say they will not authorize any additional transfers. The regulation comes after one large-scale licensed caregiver transferred more than 5,000 pounds of cannabis to the adult-use market within the last month, according to the Free Press. Under the state’s medical cannabis law, caregivers can only grow up to 72 plants total for as many as six registered patients.
Florida Judge Excuses Doctor Accused of Rubber-Stamping Cannabis Patients
Under the state’s cannabis law, physicians are prohibited from having “direct or indirect economic interest” in medical cannabis companies.
Virginia just decriminalized marijuana. Here’s what that means
Decriminalization is viewed by many social justice advocates as an imperfect half-step because it allows police to continue using marijuana possession as a pretext to stop and search people of color. Decriminalizing cannabis also leaves consumers at the mercy of the illicit market, where product quality remains completely unknown and the simplest transaction remains an illegal act.
Washington DC allows medical marijuana deliveries, curbside pickups
The nation’s capital is the latest medical cannabis market to permit dispensaries to provide deliveries and curbside pickups to patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. Washington DC’s Democratic mayor, Muriel Bowser, signed an emergency rule allowing dispensaries to provide deliveries and curbside pickups until Aug. 12.
As outdoor cannabis approvals grow in Canada, COVID-19 not expected to delay planting season
Health Canada approvals for outdoor cannabis cultivation have increased by more than 25% in the past few months, and growers are bullish for now despite the COVID-19 pandemic that’s encroaching into planting season.
How COVID-19 is affecting marijuana legalization efforts across the US
The coronavirus crisis has hurt marijuana legalization efforts in the short term, with state legislatures pivoting to focus on more pressing issues and citizen groups struggling to collect enough signatures to place initiatives on November ballots.
WORLD
Marijuana Legalization: The Story of Uruguay
The second-smallest South American country, Uruguay, made history in 2013 by becoming the first in the world to legalize recreational marijuana. What lessons can be learned from the cannabis pioneers?
Project in Morocco combines hemp and solar to go totally off grid
A team of organizations has completed construction of a ground-breaking eco-building in Morocco that combines hemp construction with a high-tech solar energy system for total independence from the electrical grid.
HEALTH & SCIENCE
Does cannabis make you poo?
I did a deep dive into studies on the subject, as well as consulted a couple experts, and it turns out the connection between smoking a bowl and going #2 is no coincidence. Between cannabis calming our nerves, its effect on the gut’s microbiome, and the endocannabinoid system being involved in the activity in this department, it looks like weed can, indeed, make us poo.
Researchers Develop THC Sensor Strips To Conduct Quick Saliva-Based Sobriety Tests
A team of researchers has developed a one-time saliva swab test that detects THC in 3-5 minutes, possibly giving law enforcement a way to quickly identify drivers under the influence.
How Cannabis Leaders Can Move into Personalized Medicine
The entire medical community is moving towards personalized medicine, thanks to a greater understanding of genetics and their contributions to different diseases. While one cancer drug might work well for one individual, due to differences in genetic make-up, the treatment could be entirely ineffective in another.
What is CBD? Your most comprehensive guide.
CBD (Cannabidiol) is a chemical compound that comes from the hemp plant. It is one of over 85 unique compounds found in hemp, known as cannabinoids.
CBD Vs Psoriasis
CBD has been known to inhibit the growth of keratinosytes – cells that renew the epithelium, by producing new cells. The decrease in the production of new cells can prevent the build-up of surface skin cells. This can effectively reduce the occurrence of dry skin and flakes, widely associated with psoriasis.
Cannabis, neuropsychiatry and education with Dr Ilya Reznik
Dr Ilya Reznik discusses the use of cannabinoid-based medicines for neuropsychiatric disorders and the barriers to prescribing CBD.
Everything You Need to Know About Cannabis Sativa
Read on for a cannabis sativa overview in which we explain sativa characteristics and how sativa strains affect the body.
CULTURE
SPLIFF Film Festival now streaming straight to stoners’ couches
The festival features 23 films, no more than four minutes and 20 seconds long, and explores how weed effects people’s imagination, appetites, libidos and creative energies.
Hollyweed: What Strains Do Celebrities Smoke?
From euphoric sativas to heavy hybrids, famous cannabis consumers have their favorites too.
POLITICS & LAW
Drugs of Abuse
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration released an updated version of its Drugs of Abuse publication, which reports that it’s still the case that “no deaths from overdose of marijuana have been reported.”
DEA Report: In USA Cannabis Plant Seizures Increased In 2019, But Pot Arrests Decreased
The DEA said it confiscated a little more than four million cannabis plants last year, which according to NORML, was up from 2.8 million plants seized in 2018. The number of marijuana-related arrests in 2019 came to 4,718, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration, which NORML said was a drop of about 16 percent from the year before. It is the opposite of what the DEA reported a year ago, when it said that its agents had seized fewer marijuana plants in 2018 but made more arrests.
Brownie Mary Rathbun, Outlaw Caregiver
Continuing with our theme this month of honoring heroes to the cannabis movement, the next person on our list is “Brownie” Mary Jane Rathbun, a cannabis activist, baker, waitress, and mother figure to young patients at the height of the AIDS epidemic in San Francisco.
BUSINESS & INDUSTRY
U.S. Cannabis Industry Spent More On Lobbying Than Ever Before in 2019.
Companies and organizations spent nearly $11 million on federal lobbying alone, vastly outpacing previous years. But given the coronavirus, 2020 is a mystery.
Marijuana lobby presses for coronavirus relief funds
The cannabis lobby is flexing its muscle in Washington and seeking aid for small businesses in the next coronavirus relief package.
Hemp salaries outgunning those for careers in mainstream agriculture
Ethan Russo’s New Cannabis Company Is All About Innovation
Dr Russo is considered one of the world’s experts on the synergy between the endocannabinoid system and the various components of the cannabis plant.
Inside Mike Tyson’s $1 million-a-month marijuana empire
Former heavyweight world champion Mike Tyson has made plenty of money in his career, but now he’s set to be absolutely rolling in it.
EPIDIOLEX® Descheduled And No Longer Controlled Substance
GW Pharmaceuticals, a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing and commercializing novel therapeutics from its proprietary cannabinoid platform, announced today that it has received notification from the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) confirming that EPIDIOLEX® (cannabidiol) is no longer subject to the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). This change takes effect immediately.
EVENTS
HHI Expo [Canberra/Brisbane/Sydney] Canberra Expo CANCELLED!
Nimbin MardiGrass [Nimbin] POSTPONED
Protest, Educate & Celebrate
1st – 3rd May 2020
Postponed for Now
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.