Free handouts of cannabis oil at Bangkok medical marijuana clinic

Yahoo – AFP, 6 January 2020

A cannabis plant mascot entertains patients at the opening of a medical marijuana
clinic in Bangkok

A medical clinic in Bangkok opened Monday offering free cannabis oil to hundreds of Thais seeking relief from cancer, insomnia and muscle pain as the government drives home the economic and health benefits of their gamble of marijuana.

Thailand in 2018 became the first country in Southeast Asia to legalise medical marijuana, although many Thais have long used the herb in traditional medicine.

The government is eager to harvest the multi-billion-dollar potential of weed, investing in tech to extract, distill and market cannabis oils.

"Today marks the beginning," Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said at the launch of the Bangkok clinic.

"We are fighting for the better health of Thai people and fighting for a better economy," he told AFP, standing next to a marijuana leaf mascot wearing a doctor's coat.

Patients wait to register for treatment at the opening of a medical marijuana 

clinic in Bangkok

Hundreds of mostly elderly Thais waited to receive the 5-10 mg vials of oil for muscle aches, though some came bearing more serious ailments -- like Natjuta, born with cerebral palsy and confined to a wheel chair.

Her mother Supatra Ulapatorn said cannabis oil helps her daughter to sleep better and stay calmer.

"She does not sleep well which causes me not to sleep either," said the 60-year-old. "She is more calm now, so I think it works."

Anutin, a construction tycoon-turned-minister whose Bhumjaithai party rode a pro-marijuana platform in last year's elections to become a major player in parliament, has promised an economic bonanza to his rural constituents.

He added that the drug has been "de-stigmatised" in Thailand.

Thailand hopes that legalising marijuana products for medical purposes will provide 

a boost to the economy

"If we talk about cannabis extraction, I have a sense people view it as medication rather than it being a narcotic," he said.

Still, a knot of rules govern who can grow marijuana plants and extract cannabis oil, and critics say legislation will limit opportunities for small farmers and likely benefit big agro-industrial firms.

Medical research has shown that cannabis oil can help ease the pain of patients suffering from conditions such as multiple sclerosis and epilepsy, but the science is out on its impact on other serious diseases including different forms of cancers.

Recreational use and trade of marijuana is still illegal and could land anyone caught with a joint with severe penalties of up to 10 years in prison.

Illinois becomes latest US state to legalize recreational pot

France24 – AFP, 1 January 2020

Washington (AFP) - Illinois started the new year on a high note Wednesday, becoming the latest US state to legalize recreational marijuana as the governor pardoned thousands for past low-level cannabis convictions.

The Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act will allow residents 21 and older to legally purchase marijuana and will expunge thousands of individuals' criminal convictions throughout the state.

"We are restoring rights to many tens of thousands of Illinoisans. We are bringing regulation and safety to a previously unsafe and illegal market. And we are creating a new industry that puts equity at its very core," Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker said in a statement.

On Tuesday night, Pritzker granted 11,017 pardons for people with low-level cannabis convictions, the first round of a planned total of more than 700,000.

According to the statement, the new law will use 25 percent of the state's cannabis revenue to help "the communities hit hardest" by the earlier crackdown on marijuana.

"Today we took another step toward justice, as we continue to address the failed war on drugs and the disproportionate impact it had on communities of color," Cook County State Attorney Kim Foxx said in the statement.

Illinois residents age 21 and older will now be allowed to legally possess 30 grams of cannabis, five grams of cannabis concentrate or 500 milligrams of THC -- the main active ingredient of cannabis -- contained in a cannabis-infused product.

Non-residents are allowed to carry 15 grams of cannabis under the bill, which will also create a licensed growing and dispensary system.

Illinois is the 11th state to legalize recreational marijuana, along with Washington, DC. Thirty-four states and the federal capital permit medical cannabis treatment.

But the US Drug Enforcement Administration still considers marijuana a dangerous substance alongside LSD and heroin.

A study by the federal Centers for Disease Control published in August found that states that legalize recreational marijuana see a reduction of at least 20 percent in fatalities linked to opioid overdoses.

Marijuana legalization has also been shown to improve a state's economic activity, creating jobs and bringing in new tax revenue.

French MPs okay budget for medical marijuana experiments

Yahoo – AFP, October 25, 2019

Lawmakers in France, one of few European countries to ban medical cannabis use,
has approved the budget for two years of patient experiments many hope will pave
the way for a change in the law (AFP Photo/Pablo PORCIUNCULA BRUNE)

Paris (AFP) - Lawmakers in France, one of few European countries to still ban medical cannabis use, approved the budget Friday for two years of patient experiments that advocates hope will pave the way for a change in the law.

The National Assembly voted for the tests, already given the green light by France's ANSM medicines regulator, to be paid out of the social security budget for 2020.

"I sincerely hope that the experiments can begin in the first quarter of 2020," junior health minister Christelle Dubos said after the vote.

Olivier Veran, a lawmaker from President Emmanuel Macron's centrist party who proposed the budget inclusion, said the experiments could target some 3,000 sick people in France.

They will seek to determine whether cannabis derivatives can alleviate the symptoms of certain illnesses, and in which doses, he said.

Seventeen other European Union members have already authorised cannabis-based therapies, he added.

The tests will be done at a number of hospitals, with people who have serious conditions such as epilepsy, chronic pain, cancer or involuntary muscle contractions associated with multiple sclerosis.

In July, the ANSM gave the go-ahead for the experiments, which will not see patients getting a prescription for an old-fashioned joint.

For the purposes of the research, the cannabis can be ingested in the form of oil capsules, infusions, or drops.

France, which has one of the highest proportions of recreational drug users in Europe, softened penalties on marijuana use, making in punishable only by an on-the-spot fine of 200 euros.

In June, a group of French economists recommended fully legalising the drug, arguing it said would add billions to state coffers.

But Macron's government has consistently ruled out changing the law to allow people to get legally high.

Recreational marijuana legalization reduces opioid deaths by 20%: study

Yahoo – AFP, August 8, 2019

The legal status of marijuana has shifted significantly over the past two decades:
10 states and Washington, DC now allow its recreational use (Illinois will follow in
January), while 34 states and the federal capital permit medical cannabis
treatment (AFP Photo/Pablo PORCIUNCULA BRUNE)

Washington (AFP) - States that legalize recreational marijuana see a reduction of at least 20 percent in fatalities linked to opioid overdoses, according to a study published Wednesday that is likely to be welcomed by the cannabis industry.

Opioids were responsible for 47,600 overdose deaths in the US in 2017, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the crisis was declared a national emergency by President Donald Trump the same year.

The legal status of marijuana meanwhile has shifted significantly over the past two decades: 10 states and Washington, DC now allow its recreational use and Illinois will follow in January, while 34 states and the federal capital permit medical cannabis treatment.

By comparing rates of overdose deaths before and after legalization, and between states at various points of legalization, the authors of the new paper published in the journal Economic Inquiry found what they called a "causal effect that we identify is highly robust" in opioid mortality reduction.

Their econometric analysis places the reduction in the range of 20 to 35 percent, with the effect particularly pronounced for deaths caused by synthetic opioids like fentanyl, the United States' deadliest drug, according to the latest official data.

"As you know, the opioid epidemic has been surging in recent years," lead author Nathan Chan, an economist at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, told AFP.

"So what that means is that everyone's affected, it's just that these states that have legalized are not as adversely affected as those that haven't."

The act of legalizing itself is not what produces the gains -- rather, states that have legal access via dispensaries saw the largest reductions in mortality, Chan and his colleagues Jesse Burkhardt and Matthew Flyr at Colorado State University, wrote.

The study did not look at what factors were at play, but Chan suggested it could be that a growing number of people are self-medicating and "dealing with pain through marijuana use, and therefore they're less likely to take on addictive opioids."

The findings are likely to be welcomed by the nascent legal marijuana industry but also treated with some degree of caution before they are replicated in other studies.

Some previous work on the topic has even found the opposite result: that cannabis use increases, rather than decreases non-medical prescription opioid use.

Chan however said that these papers, predominantly authored by doctors and not by economists, had failed to adequately differentiate between a positive correlation and causation, an important distinction to uncover given that certain drug users gravitate toward multiple drugs.

Moving forward, Chan said he would like to work on pinpointing the mechanism by which the gains were achieved and test out his substitution theory.

An alternative hypothesis is that marijuana legalization improves a state's economic activity and produces other effects on crime, incarceration, employment, and long-term health, all of which may be linked to opioid overdoses.

Amsterdam wants to bring in ‘no junk food zones’ around schools

DutchNews, July 15, 2019

Photo: Depositphotos.com 

Officials in Amsterdam wants to restrict the number of snack bars and fast food joints near schools in an effort to reduce obesity rates among the city’s children. 

A campaign launched in 2012 helped reduced the percentage of too-heavy children in the Dutch capital from 21% to 18% over a three-year period but the decline has since halted. 

Now alderman Simone Kukenheim plans to take further action to improve the health of the city’s school going children. She wants to introduce a ‘healthy belt’ around schools without snack bars to prevent children filling up on chips and sweets during their breaks, the Parool reported at the weekend. 

Kukenheim hopes new zoning legislation which will come into effect in 2021 and which aims to ensure a ‘safe and healthy physical environment’ will help reduce the number of snack bars near schools. ‘We are researching how these new rules can be used to encourage a healthier supply of food,’ the alderman said. 

The city has also recently expanded the number of water fountains in the city to encourage children to ditch fizzy drinks. 

Minister 

The alderman has appealed to health minister Paul Blokhuis, urging him to get tougher on the sugar, salt and fat content in food. She also wants him to clamp down on the way unhealthy food is marketed at children. 

Socio-economic status and cultural background also play a role in childhood obesity and the problem is largely confined to poorer parts of the city and among immigrant communities. 

The 2012 campaign included advising schools to ban fruit juices, and unhealthy treats for at birthday celebrations and introduced a ban on fast food sponsorship of council events involving children. 

Amsterdam already bans cannabis cafes, or coffeeshops, from being within 250 metres of a school.

Government to issue second licence for medicinal cannabis as demand grows

DutchNews, May 27, 2019

The Dutch government is planning to issue a second licence for the production of medicinal cannabis to meet growing demand patients. 

The only company authorised to produce cannabis for medical use, Bedrocan in Emmeloord, has increased its output fivefold in the last five years to 2,604 kilograms. 

Bedrocan received its licence 16 years ago from the Office of Medicinal Cannabis (BMC), which buys the entire stock and distributes it to hospitals and pharmacies. Around half of it is sold abroad to countries including Germany, Italy and Poland. 

The BMC, established by health minister Els Borst in 2000, is expected to start the European tendering process for a second licence in early June. An earlier attempt to issue a second licence for medical cannabis was abandoned after an objection was made to the procedure. 

Bedrocan produces five types of cannabis with different levels of THC and CBD. The main advantage of medicinal cannabis is that the strength and quality of the drug is much more consistent than the varieties grown for commercial use. 

Cannabis sold in ‘coffeeshops’ is also more likely to contain impurities such as pesticides, making it unsuitable for a clinical setting. 

Among the medical community there is growing interest in the use of cannabis as a painkiller, although the Dutch Society of Family Doctors (NHG) maintains there is currently ‘insufficient evidence’ that the drug relieves pain or improves patients’ quality of life. 

Albert Dahan, professor of anaesthesiology at Leiden’s UMC, said further research should be carried out into the effects of using cannabis as a painkiller, especially im combination with drugs such as morphine.

‘I was fairly sceptical in the beginning, so we decided to investigate and saw that thc had a visible effect. I can see there being scope for using cannabis in future,’ he said.

Cyprus legalises medical cannabis

Yahoo – AFP, 15 February 2019

Cypriot lawmakers have voted to approve the cultivation and use of medical cannabis

Cypriot legislators on Friday voted to approve the cultivation and use of medical cannabis, joining a growing trend among other European Union nations.

An amendment to the country's Drugs and Psychotropic Substances law introduces provisions allowing the import of cannabis seeds and plants for cultivation for medical purposes.

According to the law, licenses will be given to three producers during the first 15 years, as the authorities aim to attract firms with an international track record and prevent the product ending up on the black market.

Medicinal cannabis will be allowed on prescription to patients suffering from chronic painful conditions, including those associated with cancer, HIV, rheumatism and glaucoma.

Officials have estimated that Cyprus could see medicinal cannabis worth 180 million euros ($200 million) being produced every year, offering a boost for state coffers.

The Cyprus Green Party welcomed the move Friday with a statement saying: "We hope that the process will be launched immediately for hundreds of patients seeking an alternative, non-chemical way to manage their health problems."

"Although we had proposed many more improvements to this legislation, we believe that the road to medical cannabis has opened in Cyprus," it added.

Over a dozen EU countries have authorised the use of medical cannabis.

Greece in November issued its first licenses for the cultivation and processing of medical cannabis.

Thai farmers giddy over new medical marijuana law

Yahoo - AFP, 26 December, 2018

Thailand's National Assembly legalised the use of marijuana and kratom, a
traditional herb, for research and medical use (AFP Photo/Don MacKinnon)

Bangkok (AFP) - Thai farmers welcomed a new law allowing cultivation and use of marijuana for medical purposes Wednesday, in an Asian first that promises an economic bonanza but also fears that foreign companies could reap the rewards.

Thailand's National Assembly passed a bill Tuesday legalising the use of marijuana and kratom -- a traditional herb -- for research and medical use.

The move is a significant step for a region that levies harsh sentences for drug violations. It would also allow for the production, import and export of marijuana.

The bill, which still outlaws recreational use and has strict limits on the amount an individual can carry, requires royal assent to come into law, said National Assembly member Jet Sirathronont.

The National Farmers Council of Thailand praised the law as providing a "new economic crop" to help farmers diversify their production.

"I expect Thailand can make 100 billion baht a year (US$3.07 billion) from growing cannabis and selling the raw material and cannabis oil," chairman Prapat Panyachartrak told AFP.

But some fear foreign companies and pharmaceutical giants are in pole position to scoop up valuable patents to produce the medical cannabis and extracts.

Those holding the patents could stop Thai universities and government agencies from conducting research, warned Witoon Liamchamroon, director of BioThai, a network of agricultural activists, farmers and academics.

The Commerce Ministry had promised to "revoke" the petitions of foreign companies, he said, "but so far, we checked and there is no revocation."

Long time cannabis activist Buntoon Niyamabhra called on the government to cancel patent applications from foreign multinationals.

"Otherwise Thai people will not get any benefits... as the patent law is retroactive once the new law takes effect," he told AFP.

Thailand has a long history with cannabis.

Marijuana was once classified as a traditional herb before it was re-categorised as a narcotic in the 1970s -- which prohibited its production, consumption, sale and possession.

It remains readily available despite high penalties for those caught smoking it.

But Buntoon, who founded the Network of Cannabis Users in Thailand in 2013, said marijuana was once used in more than 100 formulas of Thai traditional medicine.

"I have used cannabis for more than 50 years," he told AFP. "Cigarettes and whisky are more harmful to your health."

Several nations have embraced the use of medicinal cannabis, including Canada, Australia, Israel, and more than half the states in the US.

US-based Grand View Research has estimated the global market for medical marijuana could reach $55.8 billion by 2025.

US Congress legalizes industrial hemp cultivation

Yahoo – AFP, December 13, 2018

A measure to legalize large-scale hemp cultivation in the US was supported
by both Republicans and Democrats (AFP Photo/ROMAIN LAFABREGUE)

Washington (AFP) - The US Congress on Wednesday approved the legalization of large-scale hemp cultivation and its removal from a list of controlled substances.

"This is the culmination of a lot of work by a number of us here in Washington but really the victory is for the growers, processors, manufacturers and consumers who stand to benefit from this growing market place," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said.

The measure was supported by both Republicans and Democrats who argued it was an opportunity for American farmers.

It appears in a major law on agriculture that was adopted by a clear majority in the House of Representatives (369-47) after comfortably passing the Senate (87-13) the day before.

The law has not yet been signed by President Donald Trump.

"I'll be happy to loan him my hemp pen for the occasion," joked McConnell, a conservative from the state of Kentucky who had vigorously defended the measure after already pushing for the authorization of pilot programs in 2014.

The measure "legalizes hemp as an agricultural commodity" and removes it from the controlled substances list, while allowing researchers to apply for federal grants and makes hemp eligible for crop insurance, McConnell said.

This "will encourage new opportunities for struggling farmers and their families, news products... and new jobs," he said.

Related Article:

S.Africa eyes green shoots in local cannabis industry

High flying: Canada to let airline passengers pack cannabis

Yahoo – AFP, 4 October 2018

Canada is set to become the second country in the world after Uruguay to
legalize the recreational consumption of cannabis

Canadian airline passengers will soon be able to pack up to 30 grams of cannabis when they board a flight once recreational use of the mind-altering drug is legalized, the government said Thursday.

"After October 17, 2018, passengers will be permitted to have a legal amount of cannabis, which is 30 grams, in either their carry on or checked bag, if they are flying to a domestic destination (i.e. within Canada)," Delphine Denis, spokeswoman for Transport Minister Marc Garneau, told AFP.

However it is still illegal to take pot across international boundaries, such as on trans-border flights, Denis added.

This includes between two jurisdictions where cannabis is legal, for example, between Vancouver on Canada's Pacific coast and Seattle in the US state of Washington.

"Doing so can result in serious criminal penalties," Denis warned.

Smoking onboard airplanes also remains illegal.

Transport Canada is currently working on posting signage advising travelers of the rules at airports, ferry and cruise terminals, railway stations, and along highways to the United States.

On October 17 Canada will become the first Group of Seven (G7) member and second country in the world after Uruguay to allow the recreational consumption of cannabis.

The legislation limits personal possession to 30 grammes and four plants per household.

Canada is set to become the second country in the world after Uruguay to legalize the recreational consumption of cannabis

Coca-Cola looking at cannabis-infused drinks

France24 – AFP, 17 September 2018

Iconic soft drink maker Coca-Cola is not interested in marijuana, but is looking at
the growing market for "wellness" drinks infused with CBD, a marijuana ingredient

NEW YORK (AFP) - Coca-Cola said Monday it is studying the use of a key ingredient in marijuana in "wellness beverages," as a growing number of mainstream companies develop cannabis-infused drinks.

"We have no interest in marijuana or cannabis," Coca-Cola said in a statement. But iconic soft drink producer is "closely watching the growth of non-psychoactive CBD (cannabidiol) as an ingredient in functional wellness beverages around the world."

Cannabidiol is a chemical in marijuana that does not have the intoxicating effects of THC, the major active ingredient that causes the "high." It has been used to treat epilepsy and other maladies.

"The space is evolving quickly," Coca-Cola said. "No decisions have been made at this time."

Coca-Cola's statement comes amid reports the company has held talks with Canada's Aurora Cannabis to develop beverages. Some of Coca-Cola's trademark cola products have struggled to grow sales in recent years due to health concerns.

Canada is set to legalize cannabis on October 17 after both houses of Parliament voted to make the drug available for recreational use.

That move has been seen as a potential prelude to further legalization in the United States, even though recreational use of marijuana is still only permitted in a handful of states.

Beer giant Molson Coors announced August 1 it was teaming up with Canadian medical marijuana grower The Hydropothecary Corporation to develop cannabis-infused non-alcoholic beverages.

Two weeks later, spirits company Constellation Brands announced a new $4 billion in investment in Canada's Canopy Growth in exchange for a 38 percent stake in Canopy.

UK doctors given green light to prescribe cannabis

Yahoo – AFP, July 26, 2018

Campaigners for the medical use of cannabis outside the Houses of Parliament
in central London (AFP Photo/Adrian DENNIS)

London (AFP) - British doctors will legally be able to prescribe medicinal cannabis, the government announced Thursday following a review -- but insisted it was not a first step towards legalising recreational use.

Home Secretary Sajid Javid, the interior minister, decided to relax the rules about the circumstances in which medicinal cannabis can be given to patients.

It follows several high-profile cases, including those of young epilepsy sufferers whose conditions appeared to be helped by cannabis oil.

"Making medicinal cannabis available on prescription will benefit the lives of ill patients currently suffering in silence," Javid wrote on Twitter.

"There is nothing harder than seeing your loved ones in pain -- which is why I have taken this decision."

Javid commissioned a review on June 19.

An initial review by Sally Davies, the government's chief medical adviser, concluded there was evidence that medicinal cannabis had therapeutic benefits.

The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, which conducted the second part of the review, last week said doctors should be able to prescribe medicinal cannabis provided products meet safety standards.

"Recent cases involving sick children made it clear to me that our position on cannabis-related medicinal products was not satisfactory," Javid said in a statement.

"That is why we launched a review and set up an expert panel to advise on licence applications in exceptional circumstances.

"Following advice from two sets of independent advisers, I have taken the decision to reschedule cannabis-derived medicinal products -- meaning they will be available on prescription.

"This will help patients with an exceptional clinical need, but is in no way a first step to the legalisation of cannabis for recreational use."

Uruguay pharmacies start selling marijuana

Yahoo – AFP, Mauricio RABUFFETTI, July 19, 2017

A man shows two envelopes containing marijuana he just purchased at a
pharmacy in Montevideo, on July 19, 2017 (AFP Photo/MIGUEL ROJO)

Montevideo (AFP) - Pharmacies in Uruguay started selling marijuana Wednesday under a four-year-old law that has made the small South American country the first in the world to legalize pot from production to sale.

At a pharmacy in Montevideo's Old Town, five customers were waiting to buy when the store shutters went up at the start of the day, and lines grew longer as the day went on.

"I've been smoking since I was 14. Let's give it a try," said a 37-year-old man who would not give his name.

"It's funny," a pharmacy employee told AFP on grounds of anonymity. "In two hours we filled only three prescriptions, but 30 people came to buy marijuana."

Some pharmacies saw as many as 20 people lining up to make their first legal pot purchase.

"We did not expect this kind of movement," said Sebastian Scafo, 33, a pharmacy manager.

In all, 16 pharmacies have been authorized to sell marijuana under state controls, barely enough to cover a country of 3.5 million people.

No major pharmacy chain has agreed to sell the drug.

Many pharmacies have been unwilling to participate in the scheme because of concerns about security and doubts that the small market of registered users is worth the trouble.

Only about 5,000 people, most of them age 30 to 44, have signed up as prospective buyers since Uruguay's state registry opened in early May.

Walk-in sales are not allowed under the law, and only residents of Uruguay can register to buy pot -- thereby preventing marijuana tourism.

Graphic on estimated prevalance of cannabis use around the world (AFP 

Photo/John SAEKI, Laurence CHU, Adrian LEUNG)

Blow to drug-dealers?

Among those trying the new legal distribution system was Xavier Ferreyra, a 32-year-old city employee, who was making his first purchase at a pharmacy in Montevideo's Old Town.

He said he saw two main advantages to the new approach: "safety and the quality" of the drug, adding, "I no longer have to go buy it in some slum."

Pharmacy sales are the last of three phases set out under the 2013 law.

Under the early phases, nearly 7,000 people registered to grow weed at home, and more than 60 smokers' clubs were authorized.

Only two companies were authorized to produce marijuana for pharmacies -- under military protection, and with no public access.

The state Institute for the Regulation and Control of Cannabis (IRCC) has authorized the sale of two types of marijuana, to be sold in five-gram packets.

On Monday, the National Drugs Council tweeted an image of what the packages would look like: blue-and-white sealed sachets that look something like condom packets.

An "Alfa I" package contains "Alfa I variety cannabis hybrid with Indica predominant."

Another sort has "Beta I variety cannabis" with Sativa. The levels of THC -- the psychotropic constituent in cannabis -- are given on the outside, for consumer information.

The packets also bear a "Warnings" section about the risks of consuming marijuana and recommendations on how to do it more safely.

People line up in front of a pharmacy to buy marijuana in Montevideo, on 

July 19, 2017 (AFP Photo/MIGUEL ROJO)

'A marvelous plant'

The buyers who talked to AFP reporters all said they had bought 10 grams of pot, a packet of each variety on sale.

The packets are being retailed at $6.60 each, according to the IRCCA.

Customers are identified through a digital fingerprint reader, which allows them to buy without having to show other forms of identification in the store.

Uruguay's goal in legalizing the sale of marijuana for recreational use is to cut down on illegal smuggling.

Camila Berro, a 24-year-old business student, walked out of a pharmacy smiling, two packets of pot in hand.

"I feel very lucky to be able to get it legally," she said. "I have friends in other countries who were imprisoned for smoking a joint."

To Ferreyra, the municipal worker, "Uruguay has taken a very big step... I hope one day they can legalize a lot more drugs."

And former President Jose Mujica, who enacted the marijuana reforms while in office from 2010 to 2015, said that while "no addiction is good," it was "horrible to condemn a marvelous plant."

Uruguay, he added, is "trying a new path."

Australia cautiously enters medical marijuana market

Yahoo – AFP, Daniel DE CARTERET, July 12, 2017

Recreational marijuana use is illegal in Australia but laws were passed last year
permitting medical use, with a dozen licences since issued for a range of uses
including cultivation and manufacturing (AFP Photo/Saeed KHAN)

Melbourne (AFP) - At a secret location in Australia's southeast, Peter Crook delicately tends to a two-month-old cannabis cutting.

Barely knee high, it is one of about 50 government-sanctioned "mother plants" to be cloned for future generations of crops for the country's fledgling medicinal marijuana industry.

"I think we'll see Australia punch above its weight, both in agriculture research as well as medical technology," says Crook, the chief executive of Cann Group Limited, the firm granted Australia's first commercial grower's licence.

"As different conditions come online we are going to see the market grow rapidly."

Following Canada, Israel, and more than half the US states, who through varying approaches have legalised medicinal marijuana, Australia has signalled its intention for a homegrown industry.

But a patchwork of regulations that guard access for many desperate patients, and a lack of confidence among doctors in prescribing the drug, are acting as impediments.

While recreational marijuana use remains illegal in Australia laws passed last year permit medical use, with a dozen licences since issued, ranging from cultivation and research to manufacturing.

At least 10 sector-related firms have listed on Australia's stock exchange, while tens of millions of dollars has been pledged for clinical trials investigating treatment for conditions including epilepsy and relief for the terminally ill.

Driven by a growing recognition of treatment for chronic pain, arthritis and migraines, the global market is estimated to reach US$55.8 billion by 2025 with the US, Canada and Israel leading the way, US-based analyst Grand View Research says.

'Conservative government'

But unlike those markets, which have liberal patient-access, Australia has a "very conservative government" that wants a regulatory framework in place up front, says Adam Miller, founder of medical cannabis start-up BuddingTech.

"They're doing things by the book so that when they have the evidence required to satisfy not only Australia's but other countries' governments, and medical bodies, they will be able to export those products to those countries," he added.

Last year, researchers at the University of Sydney estimated a legal domestic medical market would initially be worth more than Aus$100 million (US$75 million) a year.

Miller, who was drawn to the industry after researching alternatives for his seriously-ill mother, says unlocking the local market requires easing patient access and educating doctors.

But not at the expense of the pharmaceutical industry's integrity.

"Any new products that are going to be distributed to a large number of patients need to go through the same mechanism that any other drug would go through, and cannabis is no different," he says.

Five-year-old Arielle Harding, who had her first epileptic seizure at 15 months, 

now shows few signs of her condition after her parents started giving her small 

doses of a non-psychoactive marijuana derivative (AFP Photo/Peter PARKS)

Doctors acknowledge the plant's potential in palliative care, epilepsy and spasticity but remain guarded in its broader use, citing limited scientific proof.

"It’s been around since pre-history and if it was the panacea for a whole range of medical conditions it was claimed to be by some advocates, then we would have been using it for a long period of time,” says Australian Medical Association president Michael Gannon.

'Pretty angry pretty quickly'

But for many, change is too slow.

Arielle Harding had her first epileptic seizure at 15-months-old. Suffering from about 100 a day, treatment with traditional drugs made things worse.

Her desperate parents recently tried small doses of Cannabidiol, or CBD, a non-psychoactive marijuana derivative in liquid form and Arielle, now five, shows few signs of her condition.

"At first we were just overjoyed that that had happened but you also find that you get pretty angry pretty quickly, when you realise that we could have had this three years ago and what a difference that would that have made," her father Tim recalls.

The legal CBD oil he purchases is not an elixir, but like thousands seeking cannabis treatment in Australia, Harding says he is unable to explore the drug further for fear of breaking complicated laws.

A 2015 Roy Morgan poll found more than 90 percent of Australians support legalising marijuana for the seriously ill, but advocates say it struggles for recognition because of its "demonised" past.

"It is really important to realise that you can get the medicinal benefits from cannabinoids without necessarily being intoxicated," says Iain McGregor, academic director at the University of Sydney's cannabis research hub.

"We can actually pull apart the intoxicating recreational effects from the therapeutic effects, and again that allows doctors to prescribe with more confidence if it is a non-intoxicating cannabinoid."

As attitudes change, encouraging more research, McGregor is optimistic about the plant's potential "to produce incredible therapeutics for a whole range of diseases that are currently very difficult to treat".