August 23rd Highlights

• The importance of legalised cannabis - it’s articles like this that emphasise the importance of safe, regulated cannabis - taking cannabis out of the hands of the black market is essential to the health and wellbeing of people who are using cannabis for adult purposes or medical use. The longer governments hold up access to cannabis, the more harm will come to people who fall victim to the black market. 
• The Fall of the Cannabis Titans - This is a great excerpt from an article I read on Forbes - the common lexicon we use for cannabis and cannabis businesses is sometimes at odds with the regulatory frameworks that govern them. It involved fast-moving companies, much like the dot com boom of the late 1990s with investors who do know understand medicine. They were moving quickly and had a bit of investor FOMO (fear of missing out). In some ways, their strategy has been flawed from the get-go. The cannabis industry has grown on hype and not rational grounds - the expansion of the cannabis industry fueled by investors who do not understand how pharmaceuticals work is a dangerous combination. Anyone with a background in the import/export of medicines would have known the cannabis industry would experience severe growing pain.
• TGA and FDA Testing - In a notice published on Thursday, the FDA start collecting samples and assessing the quantities of CBD and related cannabinoids, as well as potential associated contaminants such as toxic elements, pesticides, industrial chemicals, processing solvents, and microbial contaminants, in foods and cosmetics through surveys of these commodities. This is essential for businesses and consumers as it helps quality products and correct quality procedures to regulate the market for quality and safety. In Australia, The lack of government lead testing presents an issue to industry and patients - companies who invest significant capital to produce high-quality products are competing with lower cost, low-quality products. TGA is currently batch testing the 15-20 most-prescribed products in Australia (according to Rhys Cohen) but there are more than 100 products - what is going under the radar?
• Brand Building Strategy? - The so-called value segment of the Canadian cannabis market - defined by one analyst as having a retail price below $6 per gram - has exploded in recent months: it accounted for slightly more than 40 percent of all dried flower sales in July, up from 10 percent of the market last September, according to industry data provider Headset. This could be a strategy for companies to start building brand loyalty with cannabis consumers - perhaps lower-cost products could lead to upsells and purchase trust for higher-priced products in the future. Thanks for the inspiration content
• The Growth of CBD in U.K. - A recent report by the Centre for Medical Cannabis estimates that 8-11% of U.K. adults respectively—approximately 4-6 million people—have tried CBD. The market size is estimated at $390 million per year and expected to be just short of $1.3 billion in 2025. This would be equivalent to the entire U.K. herbal supplement market in 2016. More info check out this article

Dr Matua Jansen interview - an excellent deep dive into cannabis patient data Chemically treated hemp flowers - nobody can recognize them

Canada accused of cannabis ‘protectionism’ by blocking imports – even as exports soar

Green light for manufacture at MediPharm Wonthaggi

Vote Now for Australian cannabis industry awards

Cannabis genetics developer Cymra teams up with Applied Cannabis Research to join observational pain study

Helius secures commercial medicinal cannabis licence

NZ cannabis referendum raises questions about impacts on youth

Parents hail 10-month-old's response to cannabis oil treatment as 'amazing'

Althea reports record revenue as prescriptions exceed 8,000