April 13th Highlights

• A note on psychedelics - Before they were banned about a half-century ago, psychedelic drugs like LSD and psilocybin showed promise for treating conditions including alcoholism and some psychiatric disorders. Researchers say it's time for regulators, scientists, and the public to 'revisit drugs that were once used but fell out of use because of political machinations, especially the war on drugs.'
• A note on GMP - European Union Good Manufacturing Practice (EU-GMP) certification audits of cannabis facilities in Canada and elsewhere have been temporarily paused due to the global COVID-19 crisis, reports Marijuana Business Daily. This means that those medical cannabis manufacturers that haven’t obtained EU-GMP certification already, are unable to commence exports to the European market.
• A very interesting find - researchers have found that the method of extraction and the delivery mechanisms of different cannabis extracts contribute to the pharmacokinetic and biological effects of full-spectrum cannabis extracts. This poses an interesting question - what are the most effective means for extraction to ensure positive pharmacokinetic and biological effects for patients? Study Reference 
• An Australian update - As of 31 March 2020, the TGA has approved over 38,600 SAS Category B applications for unapproved medicinal cannabis products. Despite the current COVID-19 pandemic, medical cannabis prescriptions in March were the highest of any month prior (since 2017), with a total of 3,926 scripts being filled. This validates that although patients are forced to self isolate, and job loss is a hard reality (Westpac last week predicted the pandemic would cause more than 814,000 job losses, which would bring the official unemployment rate to 11 percent by June, more than double the February figure of 5.1 percent.), cannabis medicines are still highly sought after by patients in need. The Department of Health stated recently that patient numbers have increased by more than 600% in 2019. Furthermore, in Italy, medical cannabis sales grew 50% in 2019, and supply remains stable despite coronavirus

Charlotte Figi, the Colorado girl who inspired the CBD movement, dies following illness suspected to be coronavirus

Israel’s place in the field of medicinal psychedelics

There are big changes coming to the cannabis industry in 2020

GW Pharmaceuticals announce that EPIDIOLEX® has been descheduled