Nimbin to host medicinal cannabis workshop

As California appears set to fully legalise cannabis in coming weeks, advocates in Nimbin are holding yet another workshop this weekend to educate people about the plant’s medicinal qualities.

The workshop at 11am in the Nimbin Town Hall will update people on the situation in NSW, as well as provide legal advice for those who wrongly think laws have changed.

HEMP Embassy president Michael Balderstone said ‘the more the government talks about medical cananbis, the more they increase demand’.

‘Everyone is finally acknowledging that cannabis is a unique medicinal herb and people want to try it from all walks of life these days.

‘These workshops are for sharing knowledge and experience and we’ll continue doing them every few months.

‘In a few weeks California looks like fully legalising cannabis and anyone over 21 will be able to carry an ounce or grow six plants.

‘They’ve had medical cannabis widely and easily available for twenty years and had no problems, in fact the opposite, and that includes driving.

‘It’s extraordinary that we continue to arrest people here in Australia and our government is determined to control all growing and supply with plans for access to the medicine only possible through a doctors prescription to the chemist.

‘And no one can get a licence to grow if they’ve inhaled pot in the last five years says the newly available regulations.

‘So all the experience learnt in the last fifty years by medical cannabis users and growers is to be excluded. It’s paranoid and pathetic.”

Speakers at Saturday’s workshop include HEMP Party secretary Andrew Kavasilas, who has a licence to grow industrial hemp and has been attending the government talks, and local solicitor Steve Bolt.

Mr Kavasilas said promises of new medical growing permits and licences being issued soon were not quite what they appear to be.

Mr Bolt will warn users that laws relating to cannabis have not changed.