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Medical Cannabis Tea Is Now Legal In New Zealand

Written by Johnny Green on . Posted in Business, Medical, Politics.

New Zealand was very close to becoming the third country to legalize cannabis for adult use back in 2020. Voters in New Zealand narrowly rejected a legalization referendum measure in 2020, with the measure losing by less than 2 percentage points.

The title of ‘third country to legalize’ ultimately went to Malta, which passed a legalization measure late last year. The failed vote in New Zealand was a missed opportunity to be sure, however, cannabis reform is still moving forward in other ways.

Medical cannabis was already legal in New Zealand prior to the failed referendum vote, and recently medical cannabis flower was permitted for limited use. Per excerpts from an article first published by Newshub:

The cannabis buds from Australian pharmaceutical company ANTG have approval from the Ministry of Health to be prescribed to patients with chronic pain, but only in the form of a tea.

“This is a great day for New Zealand, just across the Tasman they’ve had dried flowers available to be prescribed by doctors for at least two to three years – we’ve been waiting a long time for this,” Green Doctors co-founder Mark Hotu says.

While this cannabis flower contains less than one percent THC, others due on the market later in the year will contain much more.

It is always perplexing why lawmakers and regulators around the globe seem to be so scared of cannabis flower. A number of jurisdictions that permit medical cannabis products simultaneously continue to ban sales of dried flower.

The reasoning offered up for such flower bans always seems to hinge on lawmakers and regulators wanting to deter patients from combusting and inhaling cannabis flower.

What that reasoning fails to account for is that some patients benefit more from smoking and/or vaporizing inhaled flower compared to ingesting cannabis via a pill or tincture or other delivery methods. It also doesn’t account for the fact that patients will still seek out unregulated flower if it’s not available legally, and the end result of the ban is simply that patients will be consuming less-safe medicine.

Suffering patients deserve to have unimpeded, safe access to any and all forms of cannabis that help treat their condition. It’s the logical and compassionate approach that every country needs to pursue via every reasonable means necessary, including in New Zealand.

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French Medical Cannabis Trial Registers Its 1000th Patient

Written by Marguerite Arnold on . Posted in Medical.

Seven months after the official debut of France’s medical program, the government has reached 1/3rd of its planned patient count. What next?

France has managed to keep a relatively low profile in the entire cannabis discussion, generally, despite all the furor now afoot in almost every country that surrounds it. It is not to say the French are inconsequential to the entire conversation. Indeed, a CBD vape case decided here is responsible for creating the first case law on the cross-continental transport and subsequent sale of legally produced product.

However, beyond this, and sadly, even on the medical side, the French have been missing from the discussion, and in a big way. Namely, seven months into the experiment, only 1/3rd of the total paltry study number to begin with have even been accepted in the now ongoing (and much delayed) trial. In contrast, Germany, which had about 800 patients at the time the law changed in 2017, had at least 8,000 patients of a first year’s total of between 12,000 and 20,000 incorporated into the formal program by the same period. Given the huge hurdles that still exist in Germany four years later and as the patient count tops six figures, this says a great deal about the hurdles now faced by the French.

Patient counts will continue to increase until September 2022 – which means that the government has just over 10 months to register the remaining 2/3rds of patients.

Covid is undoubtedly responsible – but beyond this, as every legalizing state and country knows, this is far from a fast process when done “officially,” and even more particularly for the first time.

That said, there is a bit of a silver lining. The quotas by patient indication and by doctor have been lifted. The criteria for access for those in palliative care and oncology have also been expanded.

There are only 48 general practitioners and 212 pharmacists who are now trained to prescribe and administer cannabis and a total of 1035 health professionals overall.

So far, 22% of patients have left the experiment due to adverse effects or inefficacy. There are, as a result, currently 779 active patients in the national trial.

One thing is for sure. The fact that the trial is already changing its official guidelines is a good sign. It means that the French, like the rest of the medically liberalizing planet, are realizing that preconceived notions about the drug, those who use it, and for what, are usually wrong, along with the “conventional wisdom.”

However, if one of the most cannabis-conservative countries in Europe so far can admit this, and adapt accordingly, it is also another sign that cannabis reform, and of all kinds, has landed in Europe, and will not be slowed.

Why not sponsor (and speak) at the International Cannabis Business Conference in Europe next year? Opportunities exist in Barcelona, Berlin and Zurich.

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Is Cannabis Thailand’s Next Big Cash Crop?

Written by Johnny Green on . Posted in Medical.

You will be hardpressed to find a region on the planet that has historically been home to harsher cannabis laws than Southeast Asia. Of the seven countries that have imposed the death penalty for cannabis, over half of them are located in this region.

With that in mind, it was a very, very big deal when Thailand announced that it would become the first country in the region to legalize cannabis for medical use back in 2019.

When it was first announced, many cannabis advocates were understandably skeptical regarding how effective Thailand’s medical cannabis program would be given the history of the region.

However, Thailand is now home to one of the most progressive medical programs on earth, at least from a cultivation standpoint. Starting in March of this year, every household in Thailand can cultivate up to 6 plants.

To make it even better, families can form cultivation communities and sell their harvests to public hospitals and state facilities, and use their cannabis crops to make food and cosmetic products to sell.

In addition to helping suffering patients, the Thailand government sees cannabis as being a means for residents to boost their incomes, which was hammered home by recent comments from Thailand’s Health Minister. Per Pattaya Mail:

The Public Health Minister on Saturday visited a cannabis learning center in Bueng Kan province. He said in order to make cannabis production on par with the existing contracts, Thailand might have to have a central agency to collect the statistics of cannabis production and consumption.

He also cited that medicinal herb such as cannabis extracts and medication is becoming popular in Thailand, saying many shops and restaurants are incorporating cannabis in their menus.

In many ways, medical cannabis is being embraced by Thailand, and the country and its residents, especially suffering patients, will no doubt reap the rewards for decades to come as a result.

If/when medical cannabis proves to be an overwhelming success in Thailand hopefully it encourages other countries in the region to step up and get on the right side of history with their own cannabis laws.

Many areas in Southeast Asia are in desperate need of an economic boost. The cannabis industry can provide jobs, increased activity for local economies, and revenue for public coffers for all countries in Southeast Asia if given the chance.

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Uganda Cannabis Exports To Germany

Written by Marguerite Arnold on . Posted in Medical.

The African country is ramping up production for not only exports but also intra- African trade

The African cannabis scene is not only heating up, but so is the path from the “Dark Continent” to Germany. Indeed, Uganda is the next country to achieve GMP export status for its crops. In this case it is particularly significant as the majority of product produced in Uganda so far has been bound for the Israeli market.

What is even more interesting about this development, however, is that there is increasing interest and focus on registering medical cannabis products in the Ugandan market for local use.

A Strong African Cannabis Market

There is every indication, both in terms of the early market movers and what is clearly coming, that Africa, generally, is going to be a strong entrant into the global cannabis market. Even more than South America, it is both geographically and culturally closer to Europe (for starters). Beyond this, the difference in labour costs is already creating cannabis that is making EU-GMP starved flower markets in Europe, starting with Germany, wake up and pay notice. 

It is entirely possible, in other words, for African producers to hit a production cost per kilogram that is highly competitive with the German government reference price for flower. Beyond this, the world of extracts looms large.

The appetite for imported flower for burgeoning recreational markets in Europe may also prove to be a strong one. While Switzerland is limiting its initial recreational market to product sourced domestically, it is likely that at least Luxembourg, and almost certainly Holland will be open to exotic new breeds – many of them landrace or landrace crosses.

A Systematic Approach to Cannabis Reform

While it is not all smooth sailing, the powers that be in Africa, certainly in Uganda and even more strongly now in the tip of the continent, are starting to realize that cannabis reform is going to be very good for African economies. Governments are starting to offer incentives, and many are beginning national cannabis councils to advise on how to make cannabis a sustainable, economic development crop. 

African doctors are also starting to support the use of medical cannabis – particularly as a medicine that, beyond export, can vastly help a country’s healthcare bottom line.

One thing is for sure. African cannabis is on the map, and its influence is being felt, already, in medical markets in both Israel and Europe.

Be sure to stay tuned to the International Cannabis Business Conference blog for more developments in the world of international cannabis.

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South Africa Gets Its First Cannabis Pain Patient

Written by Marguerite Arnold on . Posted in Medical.

Kwanda Mtetwa has become South Africa’s first legal cannabis patient – receiving the prescription to treat his chronic pain – he won’t be the last.

The first South African patient has now been prescribed medical cannabis for chronic pain. The 32-year-old activist had to obtain a special license and a doctor’s prescription. Nevertheless, once this onerous process was completed, Mtetwa became the first patient in a country that is moving even faster into the medical discussion on the way to recreational reform in just a few years hence.

Much like other countries, including Germany and Canada, it is still very hard to find doctors willing to prescribe the drug as well as work with the patient through the complicated applications and screening process.

The Blooming South African Cannabis Market

South Africa (and its surrounded “neighbour” Lesotho) are moving forward on cannabis reform with gusto. There is a large market outside the country (see Europe if not Israel and Australia). Beyond that there is of course a new domestic, formal, and regulated patient market now in process, and of course, inter African trade.

In the meantime, decriminalization of the cannabis plant for personal use is now in progress through the South African Parliament, with healthy debate on how to keep the drug out of the hands of minors also well underway. The bill would also allow caregivers to grow cannabis for medical or compassionate purposes and give it away for free – and the right to grow up to eight plants.

Cannabis has long been used as a medical and wellness plant in the region. Dagga, as cannabis is called locally, was already in widespread use by the settlement of Europeans in the mid-1600s. Use of the plant was associated with traditional African medicine. The Dutch East India company even attempted to establish a monopoly on its trade, although the widespread cultivation of the plant by indigenous peoples even then kept prices low and stymied the plan.

During this century, Interpol rated South Africa as the fourth-largest cannabis producer in the world. Most of the black-market cannabis in the UK still hails from South Africa.

The current trend in South Africa towards a modern cannabis market got underway in 2017 with a High Court ruling in Cape Town saying that the prevention of personal cultivation was a violation of constitutional rights.

For more information about emerging cannabis markets, be sure to check in with the International Cannabis Business Conference on a regular basis.

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53% Of Uruguayan Doctors Recommend Medical Cannabis

Written by Marguerite Arnold on . Posted in Medical.

A survey carried out by the Catholic University of Uruguay reveals that the majority of the country’s doctors are willing to recommend the use of medical cannabis.

A study entitled “Medical cannabis in Uruguay: a study on the medical community and persistent challenges,” conducted by interviewing 275 domestic doctors, has revealed highly encouraging results. The majority of those surveyed said that they would prescribe the drug (64%), and only 21% are undecided, with only 15% responding that they would not administer the drug at all. Neurologists, internists, rheumatologists, and surgeons are the most likely to write prescriptions for their patients.

The most common conditions for which cannabis is prescribed medically in Uruguay are rheumatism, neurological diseases generally, cancer, chronic pain, palliative patients, and those with mental illnesses.

Even more encouragingly, more than 90% of the respondents said that it was relevant to include the endocannabinoid system in both undergraduate and graduate medical education.

Even more intriguingly, even though Uruguay was the first country in the world to legalize recreational cannabis, medical cannabis generally, is lagging in the country.

Encouraging Medical Developments Amid Greater Reform

The survey is certainly welcome news in a world where the medical community has not warmed particularly quickly to the idea of cannabis as a legitimate medical drug. Most doctors in places like Canada or even across Europe still view the drug with a considerable suspicion – due mainly to their unfamiliarity with cannabis not to mention the enduring stigma that still exists in many medical programs.

As of this April in fact, a study from Ontario suggests that the majority of doctors in the province are still reluctant to prescribe cannabis to treat chronic pain. This survey tracks findings also found back in 2019 on a national basis, from the Canadian Medical Association. 

That said, the lack of acceptance from the medical community has not slowed down the growth of the overall industry. Indeed, the number of Canadians who admitted to using cannabis, for any purpose, swelled from under 24,000 in June 2015 to over 370,000 by September of last year.

In places like Germany, where medical cannabis covered by insurance is still less than five years old, doctors remain reluctant to prescribe the drug too, but for reasons beyond its medical efficacy – namely the financial liability they still face for prescribing too much.

Cannabis education – for both doctors and insurers – remains a high priority in almost every legalizing country – but perhaps Uruguay can continue to show the way.

Be sure to stay tuned to more developments from the International Cannabis Business Conference.

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Cannabis May Help Reduce Refractory Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea

Written by Johnny Green on . Posted in Medical.

According to the World Cancer Research Fund, as many as 18 million people were diagnosed with cancer worldwide in just 2018 alone. It’s a very sad statistic, and will never quantify the pain and suffering that cancer patients have to endure.

Unfortunately, there is no cure for cancer. Cancer comes in different forms, and there are different treatments available depending on the patient’s situation.

A common form of cancer treatment is chemotherapy. Anyone that has endured chemotherapy treatment will be quick to tell you that it is absolutely awful, resulting in all types of side effects including severe nausea.

Fortunately for suffering cancer patients, the results of a new study indicate that cannabis extracts may be able to help reduce refractory chemotherapy-induced nausea. Below is more information about it via a news release from NORML:

The adjunctive use of cannabis extracts significantly reduces symptoms in patients with treatment-resistant chemotherapy-induced nausea, according to clinical trial data published in the journal Annals of Oncology.

Australian researchers compared cannabis extracts (oral capsules containing 2.5mg of THC and 2.5mg of CBD) versus placebo in a cohort of 72 patients with chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV).

Researchers reported that the adjunctive use of cannabis extracts was associated with reductions in patients’ nausea and vomiting, and also with improvements in subjects’ overall quality of life. Although the majority of patients did report side-effects, these effects were largely limited to non-serious events such as sedation and dizziness.

They concluded: “The oral THC:CBD cannabis extract was active and tolerable in preventing CINV, when combined with guideline-consistent antiemetic prophylaxis for a study population with refractory CINV. … Further research is necessary to determine the significance and durability of improvements observed in specific AQOL-8D [quality of life] dimensions.”

Cannabis extracts containing equal ratios of THC and CBD are already available in many countries by prescription under the brand name Sativex. The substance is not legally available in the United States. By contrast, oral synthetic THC, marketed under the brand name Marinol, is FDA-approved in the US for the treatment of nausea and vomiting associated with cancer chemotherapy.

 

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German-Grown Cannabis Available In Pharmacies For First Time

Written by Marguerite Arnold on . Posted in Medical.

The Tilray/Aphria owned facility becomes the first GMP certified crop to make its way to German pharmacies since the beginning of the tender bid process.

In a victory that has taken literally four years to accomplish, the first German-grown cannabis, produced by the Tilray/Aphria consortium in Neumunster, near Hamburg, has begun to be distributed to German pharmacies.

That said, the process has been torturous, extended and drawn out. On top of this, the terms of the bid were never going to allow any of the producers to come close to producing enough in-country (at least for four years) of demand, which has also steadily grown here since 2017.

The Importance of imports to the German market

While the beginning of domestically cultivated cannabis is an important step, the reality is that imported cannabis will play an important role in the market for years to come. This in turn has already led to feeder markets in countries like Portugal and Greece and attracted cannabis from as far away as Africa and Australia.

Indeed, in terms of trigger events, it is the German bid itself, with the setting of both certification grade and the mandate for health insurance to cover the same, that has created the beginnings of what is going to be the world’s most valuable medical cannabis market and further one that will, as of next year, begin to also see recreational experiments all over the continent.

Indeed, it seems odd and strangely timed (although of course nobody could have predicted Covid and the slowdowns in all that have occurred) that the Tilray/Aphria coalition, which itself is a strange Frankenweed merged company on both sides of the discussion in both Germany and Portugal, plus one of the largest distribution networks in Germany via the acquisition of one of the larger regular distributors (CC Pharma), would begin distribution right before the Swiss and Luxembourg recreational trials are set to begin.

Whatever the coincidence, the reality is that even in Germany, cannabis, even if of “just” the medical kind, is becoming a normalized reality across Europe – and it is the Deutsch market that has led the way.

In the next few years, the many problems caused by normalization will continue to fragment the industry – until the industry comes together and changes the laws on cannabis at a European level. Until then, it is one step and victory at a time, and this announcement is no small feat.

Be sure to book your tickets now to the International Cannabis Business Conference in Berlin!

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Spanish Court References European Decision On CBD

Written by Marguerite Arnold on . Posted in Medical.

A Spanish lawsuit acquitting a CBD store owner in Spain becomes the first legal judgment in the country to reference the EU decision that the cannabinoid is not a narcotic.

Legal eagles are paying attention to an interesting Spanish case this month which is likely to be as influential in the country in terms of setting precedent for CBD sales as the French vape case. 

According to legal counsel, Joan Bertomeu of the Brotsanbert law firm which defended the store, “This ruling is very important because, contrary to what the Anti-Drug Prosecutor’s Office and the Medicines Agency maintain, it is clear that the hemp flower, with low THC content and prevalence of CBD, cannot be considered a narcotic because it does not produce an effect and, therefore, cannot be considered criminally taxable.”

An overview of the case

Much like other CBD precedent cases around Europe, this saga began on August 14, 2018, after two Civil Guards inspected the Valencia-based store. While none of the product on sale violated European limits on THC in the plants and other products on sale to the public, there was hashish and marijuana in a private office that was for personal consumption. The defendant also purchased the for-sale products legally with invoices that were produced in court.

The judge recognized the recent judgment of November 19, 2020, in the Court of Justice of the European Union.

Other Precedents in Europe

The Brotansbert law firm, which is becoming known for activist cases in Spain (they also represented Albert Tio, the Spanish cannabis club activist) is clearly looking for these kinds of cases in the country, and even better, winning them. They are joining other law firms across the region in defending clients from conflicting regulations as the impact of the EU CBD case ripples through impactful court cases and thus precedent.

While this case is very much like the case in France where the sellers of CBD vapes imported from another EU country also were acquitted, there is one case which is not like this. The recent German hemp case is NOT like either the Spanish or French cases in that while the federal court did not convict, they remanded the case back to the lower court because the seller violated the rule on hemp levels in the EU.

In the meantime, it is very clear that the EU precedent on hemp is shaking through national legal systems at minimum via legal battles and victories if not national legislative action. That push must come from the industry.

Be sure to book your tickets now to the International Cannabis Business Conference when it returns to Berlin in August 2021.