Here’s a question for you: what is the difference between a cannabis seed and a fully-grown cannabis plant? According to Judge Goetze from Western Australia, they’re arguably the same.  In August 2019, a man from WA was found guilty of 12 offences related to having and selling cannabis seeds. At sentencing a few days later, he was declared a drug trafficker — a serious label that allows the state to seize and sell property and assets related to the “crime.”  Though this happened over two years ago, the case brought up an interesting situation that people still face today. Should cann ..read more

Endometriosis is a painful condition where tissue that normally grows inside a woman’s uterus starts growing outside it. Currently, Endometriosis impacts roughly one in nine Australian women (though it often goes undiagnosed or is mistaken for other conditions).  For several years now, women globally have turned to cannabis to manage pain and other unpleasant endometriosis symptoms. Prior research indicates that 13% of women with endometriosis may use cannabis medically in Australia.  A new study from Western Sydney University recently showed that nearly three-quarters of these women ..read more

Over the past few years, Thailand’s attitude towards cannabis has changed rapidly. In recent times Thailand legalised medical cannabis, opened a cannabis cafe, and launched a cannabis tourism industry.  Now, Thailand is moving to further support its budding cannabis industry by completely removing cannabis from its list of restricted drugs. The move, proposed by Thailand’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA), will effectively decriminalise cannabis.  Decriminalisation means people who possess cannabis won’t face up to fifteen years in jail (the current maximum sentence for possession ..read more

If you are interested in growing hemp, learning how hemp is processed, or knowing more about Western Australia’s hemp industry, consider attending the WA Hemp Growers’ Cooperative (HempGro)’s field days in February.  The first field day will take place at Denmark Hemp Farm in Kentdale (around 450 kilometres from Perth). Attendees will be able to tour the broad acre hemp harm, its hemp paddocks and the farm’s processing facilities.  A representative from the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) will speak about compliance requirements and regulations, and ..read more

A Victorian man who suffers from chronic pain has avoided jail after he was caught growing 63+ kilograms worth of cannabis plants in his garden.  The man, who was injured in 1998 in a car crash, started growing the cannabis after his doctor transitioned him off of his regular fentanyl medication onto endone. According to his defence barrister, the switch caused a “profound decline in his psychological health culminating in a manic episode.” The man also has bipolar disorder.  The 55-year-old’s cannabis gardening hobby came to an end after police discovered his plants on February 18th ..read more

New South Wales may have set a new record after dismantling an enormous cannabis operation on a rural property located roughly two hours north of Dubbo. On Tuesday, January 18th, detectives from Strike Force Harthouse raided a property in the tiny town of Dandry. According to police, someone had illegally cleared 90,000 square metres of land on the property to house twenty greenhouses full of cannabis. The property is located on Newell Road. So far, police have seized 19,082 cannabis plants from the property, which weighed in at around 11.5 tonnes. The plants were in various stages of maturity ..read more

Though people in many states are taking steps towards drug law reform, MP Sophia Moermond says that it’s “only a matter of time” until Western Australia legalises cannabis.  Moermond recently spoke to the Rationalist Society of Australia (RSA), a historic operation that pushes for evidence and reason-based change. In the interview, Moermond mentioned that she, fellow MP Brian Walker and the Legalise Cannabis Western Australia Party (LCWA) are working towards the full legalisation of cannabis for recreational use in WA.  Moermond also mentioned that WA’s Inquiry into Cannabis and Hemp ..read more

With two cannabis-focused MP’s in Western Australia’s parliament, you’d think the state would be the most progressive towards drugs. But that’s not necessarily the case. Though many WA locals want drug law reform, the state is plagued by outdated laws that give WA police the right to seize property, money and possessions from people declared “traffickers.”  The bar for trafficking is lower than you think. You can be declared a trafficker for being caught with 20 cannabis plants, 3 kilograms of cannabis (roughly $60,000 worth) or 28 grams of powdered drugs.  Such was the case for ..read more

Cannim, an Australian cannabis company that’s made recently made waves globally, has reached an agreement to merge with Canadian company Medisun.  Medisun is a privately owned cannabis cultivation business. The company currently clones a million cannabis plants annually and produces up to 1,000 kilograms of medicinal cannabis weekly. Medisun is based in southwestern Ontario and operates a five-hectare cultivation facility.  Cannim currently operates two 500-acre medical cannabis farms — one in Australia and one in Jamaica.  The all-script merger between Medisun and Cannim will ..read more