Australasia: Market and legal data analysis of the cannabis sector

14th November 2024: Australia: A parliamentary committee looking into the impact of the regulatory framework for cannabis from the state of New South Wales (NSW) has requested in its interim report that the NSW ruling Labor party initiate the path towards decriminalisation of adult personal use. The committee recommended that decriminalisation be done gradually, stage by stage, starting with a “relaxation, but not elimination, of the criminalisation of cannabis”. It also proposes not sanctioning drivers who test positive for cannabis consumption if they have a medical prescription.
14th November 2024: Australia: Senator David Shoebridge, from the Australian Greens Party, has announced that the federal parliament is going to hold the vote on the party’s bill to legalise cannabis on 27th November. The Legalising Cannabis Bill, which was introduced by Shoebridge in August 2023, proposes to legalise recreational cannabis and allow personal cultivation of up to six plants. It also aims to create a new agency, the Cannabis Australia National Agency, that would regulate all activities concerning the cultivation, manufacture and sale of cannabis. It is uncertain whether other parties would give support to the bill. However, the ruling Labor party is not generally positive towards cannabis legalisation. While in the state of Queensland Labor decided to form a coalition government with the Legalise Cannabis Party, members of the party have said they do not support legalisation for personal use.
14th November 2024: New Zealand: The sublingual Helius THC27:CBD25 Full Spectrum Spray has been verified by the Medicinal Cannabis Agency as meeting the minimum quality standard required to be supplied in New Zealand. It is the only sublingual spray to meet the requirements to date.
31st October 2024: Australia: The expert consultation report “Medicinal Cannabis and Driving in Victoria” has recommended that patients under treatment with medical cannabis should no longer lose their licence if they’re found to be driving with traces of the drug in their system and that courts should decide on a case-by-case basis whether or not to impose any punishment. The report, which was drafted based on consultations with members of the judiciary, as well as experts in law, policy, medicine and law enforcement, was discussed yesterday at the Parliament of Victoria and was largely backed. It also stated that a law should be introduced concerning this issue.
25th October 2024: Australia: Medical cannabis prescriptions have reached an all-time high in the country, press reports. Around 300,000 prescriptions have been granted in Australia since it legalised medical cannabis in 2016. There are over 3,000 medicinal cannabis providers operating in the country, placing more than 1,000 different products in the market.
1st October 2024: New Zealand: The dried cannabis flower for preparation of tea for oral consumption ANTG Duke has been verified by the Medicinal Cannabis Agency as meeting the minimum quality standard required to be supplied in New Zealand.
16th August 2024: New Zealand: The dried cannabis flower for preparation of tea for oral consumption Medleaf MAC-1 has been verified by the Medicinal Cannabis Agency as meeting the minimum quality standard required to be supplied in New Zealand.
9th August 2024: New Zealand: The dried cannabis flower for preparation of tea for oral consumption Medleaf Runtz M has been verified by the Medicinal Cannabis Agency as meeting the minimum quality standard required to be supplied in New Zealand.
30th July 2024: New Zealand: The dried cannabis flower for preparation of tea for oral consumption Medleaf Tropicana has been verified by the Medicinal Cannabis Agency as meeting the minimum quality standard required to be supplied in New Zealand.
11th July 2024: New Zealand: The dried cannabis flower products Rua Puāwai THC26 and Rua Puāwai THC18 White Widow for use with a vaporiser have been verified by the Medicinal Cannabis Agency as meeting the minimum quality standard required to be supplied in New Zealand.
8th July 2024: New Zealand: Last week, the Cabinet approved the Misuse of Drugs (Medical Cannabis) Amendment Regulations 2024. Among the changes, exports of cannabis-based ingredients (including CBD products as ingredients or finished products) and medical cannabis products destined for overseas markets, manufactured under Good Manufacturing Practice and accepted by the importing country will not need to be tested against the minimum quality standards. The amendments came into force on 5th July 2024.
11th June 2024: New Zealand: The dried cannabis flower product “KIKUYA Cove THC 190 mg/g and CBD ≤10 mg/g” for use via a vaporiser has been verified by the Medical Cannabis Agency as meeting the minimum quality standard required to be supplied in New Zealand.

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