July 5th Highlights

• Information regarding Germany Government buyback program - The German government has clarified the quantities and price of medical cannabis flowers it could buy from domestic producers, confirming that growers have the option to sell – and, to a certain extent, the government is obligated to buy. This may present a significant opportunity for local cultivation companies - both for supply and long term demand. This could impact the amount of cannabis currently being imported from international companies. To read more about the implications of this parliamentary reply, click here
• The UK CBD industry has boomed over the last few years – it is estimated that around 10% of the UK population have used CBD products. New businesses have been sprouting up like daisies, with no choice but to source CBD from outside the UK. This arrangement leaves both hemp farmers and the UK economy, out of pocket. Thanks to the team at VoltFace for the stats 
• What’s behind the brand? A recent survey, published by Brightfield Group, polled 3,000 Canadians in the first quarter of the year. It found that brand awareness remains low, which is confusing consumers and resulting in "decision fatigue." Roughly two out of every five respondents said they were aware of Canopy Growth Corp.'s Tweed brand, while 17 different brands had less than 20 percent name awareness. Read more here - useful stats.
• Iboga a powerful medicine - Ibogaine is a naturally occurring psychoactive substance found in the Tabernanthe iboga plant. Ibogaine was found to have anti-addiction properties by Howard Lotsof in New York back in 1962. The molecule even nearly had a chance to medicalize in the 90’s through FDA trials led by Dr Deborah Mash. However, the need for ibogaine and other psychedelics was deemed relatively minor at the time, and little-understood apparently negative results put this plant-based medicine on the backburner. What has happened since then has reignited and driven the psychedelics revolution to the tipping point. The increasing prevalence of depression and anxiety has fueled research into psilocybin, MDMA and LSD, and the terrifying scale of the opioid epidemic has brought ibogaine back into the fold as well. Medical professionals who have used ibogaine to treat people recovering from methamphetamine addiction report 50-80 percent success rates; however, long-term recovery and relapse avoidance depend largely on entering a rehabilitation program after taking ibogaine with a doctor’s supervision. Iboga is a very interesting medicine - you can read more about the plant here and here

How COVID-19 will affect the Psychedelic Renaissance 

Cannabis research stalled by federal inaction

COVID-19 lockdowns are “increasing demand for cannabis”- WHO report

Strong interest for Compass Cannabis’ $2m cap raise kick-off 

CanView launches Australia’s first online medical cannabis marketplace saving pharmacists valuable time and paperwork

Medicinal cannabis is legal in Australia, but people like Grace are still turning to the black market

Growing majority of Kiwis support legalising cannabis, new poll finds

Little Green Pharma (ASX:LGP) exports 1000-unit shipment to the U.K.

Medlab Clinical completes first order of new hybrid cannabinoid to UK