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New Zealand Approves Sale Of Domestic Cannabis Products

Written by Marguerite Arnold on . Posted in Business, Policy.

The island nation has relied on exports to treat patients so far. Allowing the dispensation of domestically cultivated cannabis will help the nascent industry grow and lower overall costs

Last week, New Zealand officials approved the beginning of the domestically sourced medical cannabis market. The Department of Health began allowing local producers to supply patients as of September 9. This has, of course, created new opportunities for domestic companies which have already established themselves in hopes of exporting to other countries.

Under the 2020 New Zealand Medical Cannabis Legalization Act, licensed doctors can prescribe cannabis to any patient and for any medical condition. However up until now, all of this had to be imported – mostly from Australia and Canada.

Two medicines have already been approved for local dispensation.

The first New Zealand cannabis company to achieve global GMP standards only happened last year.

A Shorter Supply Chain (and Lower Costs)

Unlike Germany, which only has three producers and, thanks to the highly stringent language of the first medical cultivation bid, imports the vast majority of the same, most of the medical cannabis in the New Zealand market will begin to be sourced domestically. It is unclear whether legalization of recreational cannabis will change that. In the meantime, Germany has been one of the top targets of New Zealand producers so far, as has South America.

That said, given the aftermath of Covid, with its disrupted supply chains, not to mention the much higher costs of energy, New Zealand’s decision may be replicated elsewhere – including countries in Europe.

Will a Switch to Domestic Supply Move Reform Forward?

It is highly likely, in addition to lowering costs – and expanding domestic patient numbers, that the decision to source domestically will also drive the “other” cannabis discussion forward too. This has been the case in many other places as medical use expanded. Indeed, in Germany, public support for recreational cannabis reform has increased steadily for the past five years since full medical reform became reality.

In 2020, the recreational discussion was narrowly defeated in New Zealand, when it was put up for a referendum vote during the last national election by 51-48%.

However, with more patients, and greater awareness of the efficacy of medical cannabis at home, attitudes are likely to continue to shift in support of full legalization.

Patients and their advocates are obviously ecstatic about the victory, which has, like everywhere else, been a long time in coming.

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Government Of Canada Launches Legislative Review Of The Cannabis Act

Written by Frank Schuler on . Posted in Policy.

Canada became the second country on earth to pass an adult-use legalization measure back in 2018, and still remains the only G-7 country to make such a public policy change. Uruguay was the first to legalize cannabis for adult-use at a national level in 2013, and Malta passed a limited legalization measure late last year.

Policy and industry observers from around the globe have kept a close eye on Canada since the launch of legalization, and the Canadian government is set to conduct a thorough review of the nation’s cannabis policies. Below is more information about it via a news release from the Canadian government:

OTTAWA, ON, Sept. 22, 2022 /CNW Telbec/ – Today, the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Health, and the Honourable Carolyn Bennett, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health, announced the launch of the legislative review of the Cannabis Act. 

The objective of the Cannabis Act is twofold. First, it aims to protect the health and safety of Canadians while serving as a flexible legislative framework that adapts and responds to the ongoing and emerging needs of Canadians. Second, it provides for the establishment of a diverse and competitive legal industry made up of small and large players to displace the illicit market.

Parliamentarians recognized the need for an early assessment of the Government’s new approach to cannabis control, and included a provision requiring a review in the Act. The review will help ensure that the Act adapts to the current situation and continues to meet Canadians needs and expectations.

An independent Expert Panel, chaired by Mr. Morris Rosenberg, will lead a credible and inclusive review. Mr. Rosenberg is very well positioned to serve as Chair of the Expert Panel, with expertise and experience in the fields of justice, public health and public safety. He also has an informed understanding of the relationships between the Government of Canada, provinces and territories, and Indigenous peoples. We will announce the other four members of the Expert Panel in the coming weeks.

The Panel will provide independent, expert advice to both Ministers on progress made towards achieving the Act’s objectives, and will help identify priority areas for improving the functioning of the legislation. It is stated in the Act that the review should focus particularly on the health and cannabis consumption habits of young persons, the impact of cannabis on Indigenous persons and communities, and the impact of the cultivation of cannabis plants in a housing context. The Panel will broaden that focus to include:

  • Economic, social and environmental impacts of the Act;
  • Progress towards providing adults with access to strictly regulated, lower risk, legal cannabis products;
  • Progress made in deterring criminal activity and displacing the illicit cannabis market;
  • Impact of legalization and regulation on access to cannabis for medical purposes; and
  • Impacts on Indigenous peoples, racialized communities, and women who might be at greater risk of harm or face greater barriers to participation in the legal industry based on identity or socio-economic factors.

The Panel will engage with the public, governments, Indigenous peoples, youth, marginalized and racialized communities, cannabis industry representatives and people who access cannabis for medical purposes to gather their perspectives on the implementation of the Act. The Panel will also meet with experts in relevant fields, such as public health, substance use, criminal justice, law enforcement and health care.

Additionally, the Panel was mandated to apply a sex and gender-based analysis plus lens to their review. This means they will examine the degree to which different sub-groups of the population (for example, women and people of colour) may experience unique or disproportionate effects of Canada’s cannabis control framework based on identity or socio-economic factors. The Panel will also examine the medical access framework in the context of the legalization of cannabis, and more specifically, whether all elements of the medical framework are required to maintain reasonable access to cannabis for patients.

As an initial step in the legislative review, an online engagement process has been launched. All Canadians are invited to read Taking Stock of Progress: Cannabis Legalization and Regulation in Canada and to share their views via the online questionnaire or through written feedback until November 21, 2022.

  1. First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples are invited to read and provide feedback by November 21, 2022, on the Summary from Engagement with First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples.

The Summary outlines what has been heard by Health Canada to date through engagement with First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples on the Cannabis Act. Feedback on this paper will help confirm if Health Canada has properly understood their perspectives, priorities and concerns related to cannabis.

Quotes

“The work of the Expert Panel will address the ongoing and emerging needs of Canadians while protecting their health and safety. Through this useful, inclusive and evidence-driven review, we will strengthen the Act so that it meets the needs of all Canadians while continuing to displace the illicit market. I look forward to receiving the Panel’s findings.”

The Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos
Minister of Health

“Ensuring that this review is informed by the input of experts and interested partners in many fields, Indigenous partners, as well as individual Canadians, will be essential to the work being done by Mr. Rosenberg and the rest of the Expert Panel. Congratulations to him, and we look forward to the Panel’s Review. Their work will be vital for our Government to continue moving ahead in a responsible way, while also minimizing the health risks associated with cannabis, especially for young Canadians.”

The Honourable Carolyn Bennett
Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health

“I am honoured to be leading the Expert Panel in conducting a thorough, independent review of the Cannabis Act. I look forward to hearing the perspectives of the public, stakeholders, and First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples through the online engagement process underway.”

Mr. Morris Rosenberg
Chair of the Expert Panel

Quick Facts
  • The Cannabis Act came into force on October 17, 2018, putting in place a new, strictly regulated framework for controlling the sale, possession, production and distribution of cannabis.
  • The Act requires the Minister of Health to conduct a review of the legislation, its administration, and operation three years after coming into force, and for the Minister to table a report on this review in both Houses of Parliament 18 months after the review begins.
  • The legislative review will assess the progress made towards achieving the Act’s objectives, and will evaluate:
    • Impacts on young persons;
    • Progress towards providing adults with access to strictly regulated, lower risk, legal cannabis products;
    • Progress made in deterring criminal activity and displacing the illicit cannabis market;
    • Impacts of legalization and regulation on access to cannabis for medical purposes;
    • Impacts on First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples and communities; and
    • Trends and impact of home cultivation of cannabis for non-medical purposes.
Associated links

SOURCE Health Canada

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University Of Sydney To Offer Free Cannabis Testing

Written by Johnny Green on . Posted in Policy, Science.

The University of Sydney is launching a fairly robust study in an attempt to, as the university describes it, “investigate cannabis consumption, behaviours and attitudes among users.” Part of the study involves offering free, anonymous cannabis testing for people that cultivate their own cannabis in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT).

Cannabis was decriminalized in 2020 in the ACT and the university is researching any societal issues that may have arisen from the public policy change, as well as gain insight into the potency and varieties of cannabis that patients and consumers are using.

Free cannabis testing is available to both medical patients and non-medical patients, although only people that are current residents of the ACT can participate.

“The cannabis collected from growers’ homes will be analysed for cannabis content, including its main psychoactive components – tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and non-intoxicating cannabidiol  (CBD) –  as well as a range of other cannabinoids and biologically active molecules, free of charge.  Participants will be able to view, anonymously, the analysis results from their cannabis samples online.” the university stated in a news release.

Initial results from the University of Sydney study are expected to be released in early 2023 and will presumably be used by lawmakers and regulators to craft regional and national cannabis policies and industry regulations. International cannabis observers will likely also benefit from reviewing the results.

Studies like this one can be very insightful because it involves cannabis that is actually being cultivated and consumed by people in real life versus cannabis that is cultivated by the government that often does not resemble the cannabis that people are actually consuming. Results from the latter types of studies always have to be taken with a grain of salt.

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Hong Kong Goes Backwards On CBD Policy

Written by Marguerite Arnold on . Posted in Policy.

Hong Kong is planning on banning all cannabidiol (CBD) products, with the ban expected to go into effect in 2023. Will banning CBD really work?

John Lee, the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region said on Saturday, September 17, that the government will specifically outlaw CBD next year. Speaking as the opening speaker of an anti-drug event, Lee said that the HKSAR is ramping up its effort to “control drugs.” He also spoke of previous drug interdiction efforts by law enforcement agencies.

According to Lee, cannabis is a drug – and more worryingly, used by half of “drug abusers” in the country.

Last year, in 2021, the number of criminal cases related to cannabis rose by 15% and the amount of tonnage seized increased 150%. The number of reported “drug abusers” in Hong Kong halved in the last decade, dropping to 6,000 last year.

Hong Kong Moving with China

While drug use has always been harshly punished in Hong Kong, like the rest of Asia, the move to ban CBD is a bit of a surprise move. Possession of high THC plants and products can lead to a prison term of up to 7 years and a $125,000 fine. Drug trafficking can land the accused in prison for life.

It is more than likely that the HKSAR is following a Chinese mandate as the country comes directly under China’s rule.

Ironically, China is the world’s largest producer of hemp, although unauthorized cultivation and even seed possession can still lead to harsh punishment.

Marching Left (When the Rest of the World Is Going Right?)

It is unclear when and how cannabis reform will come to both China and Hong Kong. It is not as if there is no cannabis industry in this region of the world. Indeed, beyond hemp production, China is the largest global manufacturer (and exporter) of LED lighting used in commercial and indoor cultivation.

Thailand currently leads the region in progressing on cannabis reform, and even here there has been a controversy as the loosening of drug laws and restrictions has led to a boom in unauthorized production and sale, beyond strict medical use.

Other countries, such as Malaysia, are also studying the Thai example intently, and may move to legalize at least medical use next year.

For this reason, while China and now Hong Kong hold out as bastions of strict cannarepression, it is unlikely that other countries in the region will follow suit. This, no matter the backsliding in Hong Kong, is likely to drive the conversation forward, no matter the backlash that is, by its very nature and timing, is sure to be short lived.

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Success Of Bahamas Cannabis Industry Hinges On Banking Acceptance Says AG

Written by Frank Schuler on . Posted in Business, Policy.

The Bahamas are located in the Caribbean which is a region that is seeing increased cannabis industry activity, and for good reason. After all, it is no secret that the cannabis plant grows very well naturally in the region.

As the island nation’s cannabis industry continues its quest to become a regional industry leader, a major hurdle facing the industry in the Bahamas is banking access. It’s something that elected officials in other Caribbean nations have expressed concerns about, and you can now add the Bahamas’ attorney general to that list. Per Eyewitness News:

Attorney General Ryan Pinder yesterday said that banks need to demonstrate less resistance to the digital asset and cannabis industries, noting that they play a key role in the survivability of those industries.

Pinder spoke with Eyewitness News on the sidelines of the Association of International Bank and Trust Companies (AIBT) Nassau Conference.

The legal cannabis industry in the Bahamas is still very young, with many rules and regulations still being crafted. With that in mind, it will be awhile before the nation’s industry actually comes up against banking access issues in a significant way.

Yet, just the threat of a banking issue has proven to be enough to derail reform and industry efforts in other countries, as cannabis opponents point to it repeatedly in an attempt to delay said efforts.

Hopefully that doesn’t prove to be the case in the Bahamas and that locals will recognize that the cannabis industry is thriving elsewhere despite ongoing international and domestic banking headaches.

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Scenes From German Cannabis Legalization In Progress

Written by Marguerite Arnold on . Posted in Policy.

The German government is clearly moving forward with plans to legalize the plant. A delegation of Bundestag members is currently touring California – and last week two members of the SPD gave a progress report via Instagram

If there was a portrait of the in-progress discussion over German cannabis legalization to be sketched, it would be this. Very earnestly, very soberly and very deliberately, lawmakers are trying to both research North American cannabis markets and give the German people a general idea of where the legislation is heading.

SPD Informal Briefing Via Social Media

Last week, two members of the SPD, Carmen Wegge and Dirk Heidenblut went on Instagram to give an update into how legalization legislation was progressing. There were few surprises – starting with the fact that the government does not believe that international law – of either the EU or global kind – will derail the legalization initiative.

Beyond this, they both stated that they expect the draft legislation to be introduced either at the end of this year or early next, and the legislation to pass by next summer.

Home grow is very likely to be included in all of this. Online sales are almost certainly not going to be allowed. The Bundestag is also looking at both pharmacies and social clubs beyond dispensaries for legal sales.

Beyond this, it is also likely that cannabis will be allowed to be both domestically grown and imported, and that decriminalization will be part of the final legislation – not be implemented beforehand.

German Bundestag Delegation in California

As reported in the German zeitung Tagesschau, the Bundestag is keeping busy during the California leg of their North American cannabis research tour. The delegation is visiting as many as three cities a day to understand how the state has implemented recreational reform.

The takeaways? That the legal cultivation of cannabis is not profitable in the American model, and that the black market is still its biggest competition. Further, while they were impressed by the range of edibles available and are not ruling this aspect of the rec market out at home, candy that appeals to children, like gummy bears, is likely to be excluded.

Beyond this, the fragmented nature of regulation, from town to town is not likely to be a part of the approach in Germany. A national approach is something that seems to be more attractive.

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Going Back Is Not An Option: From Germany To Thailand, Lawmakers Realize Cannabis Legalization Is On Horizon

Written by Marguerite Arnold on . Posted in Policy.

In the last week, government officials from both Germany and Thailand have echoed a similar sentiment

In every movement, there comes a so-called “tipping point” when the majority of people understand that there is no way to preserve the status quo. In his famous book of the same name, Malcolm Gladwell defines a “tipping point” as “the moment of critical mass, the threshold, the boiling point” of an evolving situation that leads to a new and irreversible development.

That moment appears at this point, to have come for cannabis legalization.,

Last week, albeit on opposite sides of the globe, both Thai ministers and German elected representatives said the same thing.

Thailand right now is trying to figure out how to keep the cannabis genie in the medical bottle (and are largely realizing that they are failing). That said, there is no way, according to Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul that renewing legislation criminalizing the drug and those who use it, can be reinstated.

In Germany, where a group of lawmakers have just gone to North America to see for themselves what reform looks like in both Canada and Canada, even the AfD (extreme right-wing party) representative on the trip echoed the same sentiment.

The time, in other words, has finally come.

How it all moves forward, however, is still very unclear.

The Devil Is in The Details

In both Thailand and Germany, lawmakers are realizing that legalization is an unstoppable force – but how to regulate the same is still a tricky question. Even if the same causes a backlash from more conservative elements in society.

In Thailand, this has meant the delay of a bill fully legalizing medical use because some fear that this will be seen as a blank slate to allow recreational use. That said, the Health Minister believes that classifying cannabis as a narcotic will only create a much larger problem and criminalize people who the government does not wish to punish.

In Germany, the current debate, beyond when the recreational legalization will pass, is how to phase in reform. Some believe that decriminalization should come first. Others believe that decrim and full legalization should happen at the same time. The latter is also the growing feeling in France.

One thing is for sure, no matter the final path to full and final legalization of cannabis. Nobody wants to keep the status quo. And that is a major victory for both the industry and reform advocates.

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Committee Approves Cannabis Regulation Measure In Colombia

Written by Frank Schuler on . Posted in Business, Policy.

The cannabis industry is on the move at the global level, and there are few places on earth where that is as evident as in Colombia. The South American country is undergoing a transformation at a steady pace and taking its rightful spot as an international cannabis powerhouse.

So far, Colombia’s industry is based on the medical cannabis industry. Adult-use legalization is a tougher sell in Colombia due to stigma regarding the ongoing drug war, however, as we previously reported support for regulation is building among Colombia’s citizens.

Support for adult-use regulation is also increasing in political circles as well, as evidenced by a recent vote in Colombia. Per Infobae (translated to English):

This Wednesday, September 14, the First Committee of the House of Representatives approved, in the first debate, the constitutional reform project that seeks to regulate cannabis for adult use in Colombia. Juan Carlos Losada, representative to the Chamber of the Liberal Party, was the author of the project that seeks to become a law of the Republic.

The congressman celebrated this first step on his Twitter account. In the social network he assured that he will send a formal invitation to President Gustavo Petro so that the Government joins the discussion, “since he will be in charge of regulation.”

The successful committee vote is just one of the many hurdles that needs to be overcome in order for adult-use cannabis legalization to become a reality in Colombia. With that being said, it’s still cause for celebration, albeit tempered celebration.

To date the only countries that have legalized cannabis for adult-use at a national level beyond just low-THC cannabis are Uruguay, Canada, and Malta.

Study Finds Benefits For Autism Patients Following Use Of CBD-Rich Cannabis

Written by Frank Schuler on . Posted in Science.

Cannabidiol (CBD) is arguably the most popular cannabinoid on earth right now, at least among lawmakers. Whereas elected officials are unfortunately still reluctant to reform cannabis laws pertaining to THC in many areas, more and more of them are opening up to CBD reform.

The spread of CBD reform has been paralleled by a rise in CBD research, which is a great thing for patients everywhere. A recent study in Israel found that the use of CBD-rich cannabis may provide benefits to autism patients. Below is more information about it via a news release from NORML:

Tel Aviv, Israel: The administration of CBD-rich cannabis is associated with clinical improvements in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), according to data published in the journal Translational Psychiatry.

Israeli researchers evaluated the efficacy of cannabis treatment in a cohort of 82 young people (ages 5 to 25) with ASD. Subjects in the trial consumed whole-plant cannabis extracts (oils with a CBD:THC ratio of 20 to 1) adjunctively over a period of six months. Investigators used a variety of standardized clinical assessments to evaluate patients’ symptoms prior to and immediately following treatment.

They reported, “Our results revealed significant improvements in [the] overall … scores of the ASD participants who completed the 6-month treatment protocol with CBD-rich cannabis. Overall changes were mostly driven by improvements in social communication skills.

“[T]hese findings suggest that treatment with CBD-rich medicinal cannabis can lead to significant improvements in social communication skills of some ASD individuals, particularly those with more severe initial symptoms,” authors concluded. “These positive findings motivate further double-blind placebo-controlled studies for determining the efficacy of treatment with specific cannabis strains and/or synthetic cannabinoids.​”

The researchers’ findings are consistent with those of numerous other studies demonstrating that the use of either CBD-dominant cannabis or oral extracts is associated with symptom mitigation in adolescents with ASD.

Full text of the study, “Children and adolescents with ASD treated with CBD-rich cannabis exhibit significant improvements, particularly in social symptoms: An open label study,” appears in Translational Psychiatry. Additional information on cannabis and ASD is available from NORML.