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Japan Health Panel Gives Mixed Cannabis Policy Recommendations

Written by Johnny Green on . Posted in Policy.

This week a Japanese health ministry panel issued cannabis policy recommendations, including a recommendation that Japan allow medical cannabis products to be imported. Generally speaking, the recommendation to allow medical cannabis product imports is a good thing, however, cannabis observers and advocates around the globe need to temper their celebrations, as the recommendation proves to be very limited upon further inspection, and it wasn’t the only recommendation that the panel offered up.

In addition to recommending that products ‘whose safety and efficacy were confirmed under laws governing pharmaceuticals and medical devices’ be allowed for importing, the panel also recommended that Japan make cannabis consumption itself a crime if it’s not for authorized medical purposes. That recommendation, coupled with the fact that the only medical cannabis product that seems to fit the panel’s criteria is Epidiolex, makes it clear that what is ultimately being proposed in Japan is ‘eh’ at best. It’s certainly better than outright prohibition with no exceptions, however, it’s not the medical cannabis policy overhaul that some may think it is.

Breeding Ground For Selective Enforcement

The nuances between enforcing prohibition as it pertains to possession versus consumption is significant. To be sure, both are harmful, however, prohibition on consumption can prove to be a greater violation of basic rights. Someone being charged with possession is exactly how it sounds – someone was found to be in possession of cannabis. When someone is charged with cannabis consumption, what we are really talking about is someone having cannabinoids in their system.

How do authorities discover that someone has cannabinoids in their system in the first place? In many instances, it will likely be coupled with a possession charge, with law enforcement seeing the person consuming and catching them in the act. Yet, there’s always the potential that law enforcement merely ‘suspects’ that a person has consumed cannabis, and uses that ‘suspicion’ as ‘justification’ to acquire bodily fluids for testing by whatever invasive means they deem to be useful. It’s an enforcement practice that can easily be weaponized and should never be implemented by any government anywhere.

What Is The Problem?

As I have pointed out in a previous article, the creation of the panel that issued the recent recommendations was born out of a rising consumption rate in Japan, especially among younger consumers. Lawmakers in Japan have expressed concern that there is a spike in consumption, and while that is technically true, it deserves some context, as Japan has one of the lowest cannabis consumption rates on the planet.

In the most recent year for which data is available (2019), Japan experienced a 21.5% increase in measured cannabis consumption compared to the previous year. While that may sound alarming to some lawmakers inside and outside of Japan, consider the fact that less than 2% of people in Japan report having consumed cannabis during their entire life. By comparison, 41.5% in Canada report having consumed cannabis during their lifetime, and 44.2% in the United States. Clearly, Japan doesn’t have a cannabis consumption addiction problem – it has a cannabis prohibition addiction problem.

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Labour’s Shadow Justice Secretary Says London Cannot Decriminalize Cannabis

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

Back in mid-May the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, launched a commission to explore London’s cannabis policies. The ‘London Drugs Commission,’ as it is referred to, is chaired by Lord Charlie Falconer QC, a former lord chancellor and justice secretary. Reviewing London’s cannabis policies was one of Mayor Khan’s pledges during his re-election campaign.

One of the specific public policy components that was heavily reported as being in Mayor Khan’s crosshairs is cannabis decriminalization. People in London support a change in cannabis enforcement in London per a YouGov poll that we previously reported on earlier this month.

“New YouGov data finds that Londoners support decriminalising cannabis within the boundaries of the capital by 50% to 33%. However opinion is divided across party lines, with 64% of the capital’s Labour voters supporting such a move compared to only 34% of Conservative voters.” YouGov stated at the time.

Unfortunately, at least some leaders within the Labour Party seem to have failed to look at the polling data, or at the very least disregarded it, as they are pushing back against any changes in cannabis policy and enforcement in London. The latest example of that comes from Steve Reed, the Labour’s Party’s shadow justice secretary. Per Eastern Eye:

Steve Reed said that the party would not look to decriminalise or legalise any recreational drugs, and Khan will not be given powers to do so, reported The Telegraph. He added that Labour will not allow Khan to turn London into a ‘drug supermarket’.

“Khan is entitled to his view, but mayors will not be responsible under this government or under a Labour government for that policy. So he can express whatever he likes, but he’ll never have the opportunity to do it under a Labour government because we won’t be liberalising drugs laws,” Reed was quoted as saying by The Telegraph.

“He’s contributing to a debate, but he won’t have the power to do anything about it, however that comes about.”

According to media reports, Mayor Khan wants to implement a similar pilot program that was created by the Thames Valley police in which young adults caught with a personal amount of cannabis undergo classes or counseling instead of being arrested and prosecuted.

Forcing young people into classes or counseling for personal cannabis possession in itself is not ideal, however, it’s definitely not an enforcement approach that should be categorized as seeking to “turn London into a drug supermarket.”

As the potential government showdown continues to develop in the United Kingdom it is worth keeping an eye on the situation, as it could have ramifications for the national cannabis policy discussion in addition to the ongoing local discussion.

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Minister In Sri Lanka Wants To Legalize Medical Cannabis Exports

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

Sri Lanka may not be the first place that you think of when it comes to cannabis reform and the emerging cannabis industry, however, the nation is trending in the right direction, albeit slowly. Adult-use cannabis is illegal in Sri Lanka while medical cannabis is legal in certain limited instances.

The cannabis plant has a long history in Sri Lanka, with local populations using it for centuries for religious purposes. A new push is underway in Sri Lanka to legalize medical cannabis exports, with the nation’s Minister of Indigenous Medicine leading the charge. Per Colombo Gazette:

Medical cannabis to be legalised for export, State Minister of Indigenous Medicine Sisira Jayakody said.

The State Minister has instructed the relevant officials to prepare the legal documents for this purpose.

He said that Sri Lanka can earn around USD 3 billion through the export of indigenous medicine.

It is no secret that Sri Lanka’s economy is in ruins right now. Roughly a decade ago Sri Lanka had one of the fastest growing economies in the region, however, in May the country defaulted on its debt for the first time in history, and it has been all down hill from there.

Legalizing medical cannabis exports may not fix every economic problem that Sri Lanka has, yet it could definitely help to some degree. In addition to legalizing exports the government in Sri Lanka also needs to embrace cannabis domestically and ensure that every suffering patient in the country is afforded the same level of safe access as found in many other countries.

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German Finance Minister: Expect Cannabis Legalization In 2023

Written by Johnny Green on . Posted in Policy.

When it comes to the push for adult-use cannabis legalization there’s no place on earth that is as exciting as Germany right now. Late last year a new coalition government was elected in Germany, and the ‘Traffic Light Coalition,’ as it is commonly referred to, made it clear very quickly that it sought to legalize cannabis for adult use and launch a regulated market. Speculation has swirled ever since regarding how long it will take for Germany to make the transition, and the nation’s Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) recently weighed in predicting that legalization would become a reality in 2023.

The comments by Finance Minister Lindner came at a FDP state election campaign event in Lower Saxony, apparently in response to cannabis advocates that were in attendance and holding up signs with hemp leaves that read (translated to English) “A bag with Christian Lindner.” Various other elected officials in Germany have also weighed in over the course of the last year, and the general consensus seems to be that legalization may arrive as early as next year, however, it could take as long as 2025 to become a fully implemented reality.

Not An Easy Task

Some cannabis advocates are expressing frustration regarding the current legalization process in Germany, which is understandable given that cannabis prohibition is the law of the land when it comes to consumers in Germany, and prohibition is a harmful, failed public policy. However, it’s important to keep things in perspective. Germany may not be the first nation to roll out a nationwide adult-use industry, yet it is certainly the first to try to do so on such a large scale.

The only three countries to legalize cannabis beyond low-THC, and at a national level, are Uruguay, Canada, and Malta. Germany’s population is roughly twice the size of all three of those other countries’ populations combined. The size of Germany’s economy is more than twice the size of those other countries’ economies combined. Unlike the other three legal countries, Germany shares a border with nine other countries, many of them being home to their own large populations and economies. Legalization absolutely needs to happen in Germany, but it needs to happen the right way and that will take some time.

The Prohibition Dam Will Burst

As alluded to earlier in this article, Germany is not legalizing cannabis in a vacuum. Every lawmaker and regulator around the globe that wants to see cannabis legalized is watching Germany with a very close eye right now, as the push to legalize in Germany will largely serve as the ‘guidebook’ for efforts elsewhere. What will the legal age be? What will the personal possession limit be? How many plants can a household cultivate? Will social use establishments be allowed? What should testing standards be? What will the business licensing forms entail? How many offices and government positions will be needed to oversee the industry? These are just a sample of questions that have to be completely vetted and sorted out. A lot of stakeholders have to be afforded an opportunity to weigh in, and some level of consensus has to be reached for every facet of Germany’s future cannabis policy.

All the while lawmakers and regulators are crafting plans and strategies without anyone truly knowing how much demand Germany will experience once legal sales begin. Current legal nations are not good comparators, as Germany is a completely different animal. Canada is the only country on earth right now where anyone of legal age can make a regulated purchase. Uruguay limits sales to residents and Malta does not have any industry framework in place. Even if those countries had models similar to Canada, they still would not be good comparators.

When Germany launches its adult-use industry domestic and foreign consumers will no doubt flock to retail outlets at levels literally never seen before in the emerging global cannabis industry. I personally think that Germany should do a staggered rollout with possession, cultivation, and consumption provisions being implemented sooner than industry provisions, as they are far more straightforward. By doing so, Germany will instantly save money by no longer enforcing failed public policy and individual consumers will finally experience freedoms that should have never been taken from them in the first place.

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Activists Planning Legal Action To Fully Legalize South Africa’s Cannabis Industry

Written by Johnny Green on . Posted in Policy.

Cannabis activism and advocacy can come in many forms. I have worked to reform cannabis laws for many years now and have helped promote cannabis activism efforts all over the globe, and I have seen countless strategies and efforts be effective.

The most logical form of cannabis advocacy is via the political process. Some areas have citizen initiative and/or referendum processes in which ordinary citizens can gather enough signatures from registered voters to put an issue on the ballot. For instance, that is what activists in Italy did recently, although the effort was eventually kiboshed by the nation’s top court on a technicality.

Another form of political cannabis activism is lobbying lawmakers. In areas where there is no signature gathering mechanism to change laws, educating and convincing lawmakers to reform cannabis laws is a worthwhile effort. Although, there are obviously times when the lobbying route proves to be a dead end, as some lawmakers cannot be reasoned with. When that happens, litigation is about the only other viable option.

Legal challenges to prohibition can work, as evidenced by landmark rulings in Mexico, Italy, and South Africa in recent years. In the case of South Africa, prohibition as it pertained to personal use was overturned and quickly implemented, however, the creation of an adult-use industry has lagged.

Activists in South Africa are now planning yet another legal challenge, this time focusing solely on individuals being able to participate in the adult-use cannabis industry. Below is more information about it via a news release from the organization behind the new effort, Fields of Green for All:

In 2017, three plaintiffs (Julian Stobbs, Myrtle Clarke, and Clifford Thorp) met seven government departments (“the state parties”) and the intervening Doctors for Life (“DFL”) in the Pretoria High Court for the commencement of the Trial of the Plant (the “TOTP”). After days of evidence, the TOTP was rendered part-heard because of the state parties and DFL ambushing us with many thousands of pages of evidence, which, upon later analysis, supported far more than it hurt us.

We went on to intervene at the level of the Constitutional Court in the consolidated cases brought by Ras Gareth Prince, Jeremy Acton, and others, which culminated in the 2018 Judgment that saw the effective decriminalisation of the personal and private use, possession and cultivation of Cannabis in South Africa and which afforded our Parliament two-years to replace the legislation struck-out as being unconstitutional. Then, we waited.

In the background, since 2014, Fields of Green for ALL NPC has been assisting Cannabis users, cultivators and traders to get stays in prosecution pending the outcome of the TOTP. There are now over 100 cases waiting in the queue with Myrtle.

Four years have now passed since the 2018 Judgement (as have, tragically, the lives of both Stobbs and Thorp) but we feel no closer to a reasonably regulated trade in South African Cannabis than we were back in 2017, when fighting the TOTP. There are now calls for an ‘evidence-based’ policy and, despite it being the constitutional responsibility of the state parties to evidence the harms that they allege that they want to protect us from, it seems obvious to us that we need to drag the prohibitionists amongst us back to Court if we are to get us over the line anytime soon.

So, today, off the back of last week’s mass action, we announce the launch of the Trial of the Plant 2.0 (the “TOTP2”) – being the re-opening and continuation of the original TOTP. We will be meeting with our lawyers from Cullinan and Associates and narrowing our challenge so as to not fight over territory already gained. Our focus, fundamentally, will be to ensure that anyone who wishes to is allowed to earn a living through Cannabis, as so many are hypocritically permitted to do through the cultivation of and trade in everything related to alcohol and tobacco. In addition, we plan to eliminate some of the rats and mice left behind by the 2018 Judgment – which seemingly provide quarter to the state parties and their agents to trample on our hard-won human rights.

We cannot do this alone. Only through generous donations (both of money and expertise) were we able to get as far as we did in 2017 and 2018. Back then, many didn’t take us seriously, but now they know what’s possible and that we’re their best bet. It’s time to treat the funding of this final push as a strategic investment. Spending a little now will help us to unlock the full potential of a sunrise industry, in which there will be space for you, your business and the businesses of your compatriots. Help us to help you – we are stronger together.

More information will follow by way of updates as this all unfolds. #TOTP2. Watch this space.

A personal note from Myrtle Clarke:

“Since the devastating events of the early hours of 03 July 2020, there has been no investigation into Julian’s murder. There remain 2 pieces of paper in his file at the Diepsloot Police Station and those pages are my statement. Yet, the South African Police Service continues to harass, profile, arrest, incarcerate and extort members of our peaceful Cannabis Community. Enough is enough.”

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Nearly 10% Of Canadian Cannabis Consumers Engage In Home Cultivation

Written by Frank Schuler on . Posted in Policy.

Cultivating your own cannabis can provide many benefits, with one of the most obvious benefits being cost savings. If someone is knowledgeable and able, they can cultivate their own cannabis for a fraction of what it costs to purchase cannabis from retail outlets.

Another major benefit is controlling what goes into your cannabis. After all, if you cultivate your own cannabis then you know exactly how often it is watered, what the water quality is, and what and when your plants are fed nutrients. There are no mysteries as to what your cannabis contains.

Unfortunately, not everyone has the right to legally cultivate their own cannabis, even in places where legalization measures have been passed. Home cultivation is legal in most of Canada, with some local exceptions which are working their way through legal challenges, and the option appears to be very popular according to newly released data. Below is more information about it via a news release from NORML:

Waterloo, Canada: Approximately ten percent of Canadian cannabis consumers report engaging in home cultivation, according to data published in the journal Addictive Behavior Reports.

Canadian researchers surveyed home cultivation patterns prior to and following the enactment of adult-use legalization in 2018. Under the law, adults in most regions of the country are permitted to grow up to four cannabis plants for their own personal use. (The provinces of Quebec and Manitoba prohibit home cultivation.)

Researchers reported that the percentage of consumers who grew their own cannabis increased from six percent prior to the passage of legalization to nine percent in 2020. Those residing in more rural areas were more likely to home cultivate. Most of those who engaged in home cultivation did not exceed legally imposed plant limits.

“Almost one-in-ten Canadian cannabis consumers reported home cultivation of cannabis in 2020, with modest increases following legalization of non-medical cannabis,” authors concluded. “The uptake of home cultivation is associated with province and cultivation policies; specifically, Manitoba and Quebec, the only provinces to prohibit non-medical home cultivation, reported among the lowest rates. Although the current study reported an increase in home cultivation among past 12-month consumers after legalization, it will be important to see whether rates continue to increase, even as access to legal cannabis and the price of legal cannabis decreases.”

Data from the United States has estimated that fewer than two percent of cannabis consumers acknowledge engaging in home cultivation, although the actual percentage of home growers has likely increased in recent years as more jurisdictions have adopted marijuana legalization policies.

NORML has long advocated that consumers in legal jurisdictions ought to have the option to home cultivate personal use quantities of cannabis, opining: “The inclusion of legislative provisions protecting the non-commercial home cultivation of cannabis serves as leverage to assure the product available at retail outlets is high quality, safe and affordable. Additionally, permitting home cultivation provides adult consumers with an immediate source of cannabis — providing an alternative to the illicit market. Such a source is necessary because it typically takes state regulators several months, or even years, following the law’s enactment to establish licensed retail operators.”

Full text of the study, “Home cultivation across Canadian provinces after cannabis legalization,” appears in Addictive Behavior Reports.

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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.