Victorian medicinal cannabis patients will be allowed behind the wheel to test road safety

In 2016, Australia legalised access to medicinal cannabis, allowing patients to access dozens of different cannabis products through prescriptions.

Now the Victorian government wants to take another step in opening the door for medicinal cannabis patients in the state to be able to drive.

In a bill passed last year, the government committed to launch a closed-circuit trial to research the impairment that medicinal cannabis causes on driving.

A push to change driving laws around medicinal cannabis has also been seen in other states such as Western Australia, while in Tasmania it is legal to drive as long as a person is not impaired by the drug.

But how does medical cannabis legislation work, and what are the risks to road safety?

This article was originally published by the ABC, read the full article here: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-05-21/victoria-medicinal-cannabis-driving-cbd-thc-explainer/103872650

What can Australia learn from Thailand a year after cannabis was decriminalised?

Stone Age, iStoned, High Got You, and Wake N' Bake are just a handful of the endless weed puns popping up on shop signs across Thailand. 

Over the past year, thousands of marijuana businesses have flooded the streets since the country decriminalised cannabis to help boost the tourism, agriculture and wellness industries.

"There's just so much available ... There's 10 shops opening up every day," Col, a British expat living in the northern city of Chiang Mai, told the ABC. 

"Every time we drive down the street, there's another one. It's gone crazy. I never knew there could be that many names!"

Col and his partner Jules — who have lived in Chiang Mai for 13 years — were surprised when in June last year, Thailand became the first country in Asia to take marijuana off the banned narcotics list. 

Before the new rules took effect, possession of cannabis could have landed you in prison for up to 15 years.

The government's intention was to allow people to grow, sell and use the plant for medicinal purposes — not promote it for recreational use.

But from the outset, the rules were foggy.

"It wasn't clear where you can smoke it, how much can you buy, what kind of things you can buy. There was a lot of confusion." Jules said.

Promised legislation has failed to pass through parliament, leaving the country without an umbrella law to regulate the plant's use.

While smoking weed in public is illegal, recreational use at home is unregulated.

So far, more than 1 million people have registered to grow the plant, and there are about 9,000 legally registered sellers. 

Although there have been benefits generated by a new industry "goldmine",  even cannabis advocates are calling for more rules and regulations. 

Kitty Chopaka, a pro-cannabis activist and owner of Chopaka — a marijuana shop in Bangkok — said the new industry stemmed out of nowhere.

Now, she says the government is left questioning "how do we deal with this?" 

"I would say it is beneficial … but it can also be predatory and damaging," she said.

This article was originally published by the ABC, read the full article here: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-07-09/thailand-cannabis-decriminalisation-weed-industry-australia-laws/102562846

Mysterious pink glow over town confirmed as medicinal cannabis facility lighting

An eerie pink light rippled across the cloudy night sky in Mildura on Tuesday night, sending the town's rumour mill into overdrive.

"I read about a potential solar flare due to hit on Tuesday," said one user on Facebook — not cannabis.

"Portal to the time-space continuum …" said another.

"Kenny Rogers Roasters opening in Mildura?" offered yet another, in a reference to Seinfeld.

But all the tongue-in-cheek theories were put to bed this morning when Cann Group told ABC Mildura-Swan Hill they were the source of the pink glow.

CEO Peter Crock told ABC Mildura-Swan Hill Breakfast this morning that last night's Aurora marijuanis were the lights on in Cann Group's new area of its medicinal cannabis facility.

"As you might know, cannabis grows on an extended day length. The flowering zone is 12 hours light and 12 hours dark, which is normally 7am to 7pm," he said.

"With the new zone coming into use in the next day or two, we have had the lights on.

"Normally, the blackout blinds close at the same time as the sun sets, but last night we had the lights on and the blinds hadn't yet closed, so there was a period where it created a glow.

"At 7pm when we put the plants to sleep the lights went off."

When asked if Cann Group had any unusual enquiries after the sighting, Mr Crock replied "our overnight security did report some activity".

He said the glow from the facility was a once off.

Mr Crock said the water-cooled LED lights operated on a different wavelength to most lights, which is why they glow pink.

The facility's location has traditionally been undisclosed. Despite a pink glow giving major hints as to the facility's location, Mr Crock said he would not divulge where exactly it is in Mildura.

This article was originally published by the ABC, read the full article here: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-07-20/pink-lights-over-mildura-cannabis/101252958

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