Embassy HEADLINES Issue 425

By Published On: September 17, 2020Categories: Cannabis, News

TOP STORIES

AUSTRALIA/NZ

Over-the-counter medicinal cannabis plan not what it seems, experts warn

New research published in the International Journal of Drug Policy suggests the Therapeutic Goods Administration’s plan to allow chemists to sell a month’s worth of cannabidiol at a maximum dose of 60mg per day is unlikely to benefit patients. The paper’s co-author Professor Iain McGregor, academic director of Sydney University’s Lambert Initiative for Cannabinoid Therapeutics, said much higher doses were needed to give relief to patients with chronic pain, insomnia, anxiety and epilepsy. “There is no good quality evidence that 60mg does anything useful,” Professor McGregor said.

Sydney researchers awarded $1.7 million towards CBD pain study

Researchers at the University of Sydney are about to undertake a study into the impact of CBD on neuropathic pain, after being awarded a $1.7 million grant.  Over 15,000 Australians live with a spinal cord injury, half of them developing chronic pain as a result of their injury. Despite this, the majority of treatments cause debilitating side effects, according to the University of Sydney’s Professor Luke Henderson. 

Months after the ACT decriminalised cannabis possession, growers still face challenges

The requirement that plants be grown outdoors, where they are a target for thieves, is one of a number of complaints cannabis users have with the ACT laws. “You can grow cannabis, but it’s illegal to buy the seeds,” says long-time cannabis legalisation advocate Jason Foster. “You can grow four cannabis plants [per household] but you can only have 50 grams, which is less than what one plant will produce.”

Australia sees 5,000 cannabis patient approvals for second straight month

Roughly 5,270 patients were approved for medical cannabis treatment in Australia in August via the SAS Category B pathway, the second month in a row the country recorded more than 5,000 individual approvals.

Cannabis referendum: Jacinda Ardern reveals why she won’t publicly take a side

“On the issue of marijuana, that is a conscience vote for the Labour Party… we do not have a position as a whole party,” said Ardern. “My view therefore would not be the Labour Party view. Equally, I don’t think it’s my job therefore to go out and advocate any one side because my party does not have a position on it. The view of the public around me is equivalent therefore to mine.”

Roughly 74,000 kilograms (74 metric tons) of cannabis is consumed annually in New Zealand’s illicit market, with a retail value of up to 1.5 billion New Zealand dollars ($1 billion), according to newly released research by Wellington-based Business and Economic Research (BERL Economics).

Medical cannabis trial underway for Australian football players with chronic pain

Ex-athletes are hoping to benefit from a medical cannabis trial that is underway at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Melbourne and Emerald Clinics in Perth.

NORTH AMERICA

Colorado marijuana sales blow past $200 million in July

Dispensaries sold $183,106,003 in recreational marijuana and $43,268,565 in medical marijuana in July, for a combined $226,374,568 in revenue, according to data from the Colorado Department of Revenue. That’s up 13.8% from June, another record-setting month when the industry raked in nearly $199 million.

Vermont House Approves Bill Granting Automatic Expungement

Beginning in January 2021, those with convictions eligible for expungement would be able to legally state that they have not been convicted of a cannabis crime.

The ‘Green Rush’ In North America Is Leading To A Serious Boom In Farmland

In recent years, leasable farmland has been harder to come by “because cannabis farmers could pay so much more,” said Maud Powell, an associate professor in the Small Farms Program at Oregon State University.

Wildfires Tear Across Western U.S. as Cannabis Growers Prepare and Respond

As climatic trouble grips California, Oregon and Washington, we turn to the stories shared by cannabis growers across the West Coast.

Many of California’s cannabis growers are uninsured and in the line of fire

As the fires burn, cannabis cultivators across the state are racing to finish and harvest their crops. But the fires can be disastrous for this process, in some cases even destroying plants that are spared by the flames.

Vermont Lawmakers Finalize Bill for Cannabis Marketplace

The bill includes priority licensing for small cultivators, women-owned businesses, and for businesses owned by people of color and other over-policed communities. The bill would also create a new cannabis commission that will regulate the medical and adult-use markets, and would require independent lab testing of all cannabis products sold in the new marketplace.

Over $2 Million of Funds from Missouri’s Medical Cannabis Program Go to Veterans

The money will be transferred to the Missouri Veterans Commission for health and care services.

Wisconsin University Offering State’s First Cannabis Certificate Program

The University of Wisconsin-Platteville Continuing Education Institute is offering the state’s first cannabis industry certificate programs, including Business of Cannabis, Cannabis Law and Policy, and Cannabis Healthcare and Medicine.

Canada’s cannabis concentrate market slowly comes to life, revealing producers’ strategies

As cannabis concentrates become more widely available in Canada’s regulated adult-use marijuana market, new products illustrate the variety of roles such merchandise can fill for producers.

WORLD

Recreational cannabis projects beginning to emerge in Europe

Prohibitionist ideologies embedded in the international narcotic treaties have hampered the development of legal recreational cannabis programmes in Europe. However, we have seen the emergence of cannabis social clubs and associations and more recently, a number of proposals and pilot programmes in Luxembourg, Switzerland, San Marino and across major European cities such as Copenhagen and Berlin, indicating that a tidal change in policy might not be far away.

Global Drug Body Recommends 20 Ways to Improve the Cannabis Industry

A report from the International Drug Policy Consortium warns that legal markets have been captured by corporations and are not set up to redress harms brought on by the war on drugs.

Supply of medical cannabis restored in Malta after shortage

After a weekslong shortage of high-THC medical cannabis flower in Malta, at least one variety became available again as of Sept. 4.

Switzerland backs recreational cannabis trials – with one condition

Switzerland’s Council of States has approved a plan to start cannabis trials for recreational use, but only ‘experienced cannabis users’ should apply.

Mumbai had 82% of Maharashtra’s drug cases in 2018, mostly for cannabis consumption, study says

Personal consumption of cannabis accounted for 87% of all arrests and convictions in drug consumption cases in Mumbai, says study by Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy.

Medical cannabis big hit in Luxembourg

Doctors in Luxembourg have given out cannabis to more patients so far this year than in all of 2019, Health Minister Paulette Lenert said on Thursday, a sign that the legalisaton of the drug – which remains banned for recreational use – filled a gap in demand.

 SCIENCE & TECH

It Was Just a Matter of Time: GMO Cannabis on Its Way

The GMO debate weighs heavy as more and more food items are being genetically modified in different ways and for different reasons. For the first time, GMO cannabis is being patented and manufactured, getting ready to hit shelves in your friendly neighborhood dispensary.

How To Battle Animal & Mold Infestations in Outdoor Cannabis Grows

Tips for keeping your outdoor grow happy and healthy.

HEALTH

Thai Study Suggests Cannabis Extracts May Inhibit Cancer Cell Growth

The Government Pharmaceuticals Organization (GPO) study found that both THC and CBD inhibited cancer cells in test tubes and the cannabinoids could be used to treat breast, pancreatic, and bile duct cancer.

Are fish the key to faster medical cannabis tests?

Zebrafish are an “excellent model organism” to study the endocannabinoid and opioid systems.

Parents credit medicinal cannabis in 2-year-old daughter’s leukemia recovery

The cannabis oil not only reduced the number of times she had to go through chemo but, she had also become in such a well space that the doctors agreed to remove a specific medicine from her protocol because the cons outweighed the pros.

Can cannabis be a substitute for prescription drugs?

Cannabis treatment is being broadly studied as a partial or full substitution for opioids, but research is just beginning on its possible use in reducing benzodiazepine use.

POLITICS & LAW

Principles for the responsible legal regulation of cannabis

As of today, over 50 countries have adopted regulatory frameworks for medical cannabis, while a growing number of jurisdictions have regulated adult non-medical use, with many more poised to follow. As these legal frameworks are put in place, it is essential that they are designed to advance social justice, inclusion and human rights.

Legislating THC in Food

It has become more commonplace for CBD to be separated from the rest of the cannabis plant, and regulated differently, with the main reason being that since it contains no psychoactive properties, it shouldn’t be treated the same as substances that are psychoactive. With more recreational markets opening, and more food-based products hitting the market, the question of how THC is legislated in food is becoming more of a question.

CULTURE & HISTORY

Millennials Or Boomers? A New Study Tells Which One Uses Marijuana More Frequently

So, are your [grand]parents really using weed more than you and your friends are?

Cannabis users aren’t stereotypical stoners: Survey

Commissioned by cannabis brand Figr, a Maru/Blue survey found 72% of Canadians don’t fit the stereotype, choosing to smoke up while performing daily tasks such as laundry or dish washing.

BUSINESS & INDUSTRY

Australian company Althea enters cannabis-infused beverage market

Australian pharmaceutical company Althea Group Holdings (ASX: AGH) has announced plans to enter the cannabis-infused beverage market, through their Canadian subsidiary.

Pot producers including Canopy sued for $500M over supply dispute

A dispute over cannabis supply contracts has spilled over to an Ontario courtroom, with a group of cannabis producers including Canopy Growth Corp. being sued for $500 million in damages by a group of shareholders behind greenhouse facility.

Asterion Cannabis lays roots in Queensland’s cannabis capital

Canadian medical cannabis company Asterion Cannabis is about to lay down roots in Toowoomba – Queensland’s cannabis capital.  Asterion is based out of Vancouver, with the company recently expanding operations into Queensland through their subsidiary Asterion (Australia) Pty Ltd. Asterion’s new facility will be located near Toowoomba Wellcamp Airport, giving the producer a gateway into exporting in the Asia Pacific region. 

As virtual launches become new normal, cannabis industry players offer best practices

Looking to educate and innovate without in-person events, hemp and marijuana companies are turning to virtual platforms for everything from trade conferences and product launches to consumer education and staff training.

American College students taking a COVID gap semester are turning to cannabis jobs

That gap semester has left as many as four million college-age adults looking for work. In looking for a Plan B, some students are turning to the cannabis industry.

Report Shows Extracts Continue To Be Most Popular Among Cannabis Consumers

Cannabis products made from extracts – including concentrates, vapes, edibles, topicals and tinctures – account for 57% of legal cannabis sales in the U.S. so far in 2020.

Australia’s Largest Database of Cannabis Companies

CBD Oil to hemp, producers to importers, retailers to non-profits, and more. If they work with the cannabis plant and conduct business in Australia, you’ll find them here.

With more than 420+ cannabis companies across 50+ categories, The Green List helps hemp and cannabis companies to promote their products, services, and events online.

 

 

EVENTS

It’s been a long journey getting Australia’s first medicinal cannabis course for health professionals online. First delivered in 2017, Dr Caldicott’s comprehensively researched course is finally available at the click of a few buttons.
 

Top international industry trends: A deep dive into the key cannabis markets [online]

Thursday, 17 September 2020 11:00 am AEST: Join me as a speak with Matt Lamers about the key markets across the globe. Matt is one of the most informed cannabis experts on the plan. Matt’s territories cover North and South America, Asia Pacific, Europe and Africa.


Five key policy insights (New Zealand) – A Conversation with Tara Creaven-Capasso [Online]

Wednesday, 23 September 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.


Australian Cannabis Prescribing Doctors FREE Webinar

Wednesday 23 September 7pm AEST : Join us as we speak to 3 Australian doctors involved in prescribing medicinal cannabis:


Medical Cannabis Live Series – AU & NZ Panel [Online]

Thursday, 1 October 2020 7:00 pm AEST: Join an esteemed panel of industry leaders as they discuss key commercial insights about the Australian and New Zealand cannabis markets.