An information day for farmers keen on farming hemp for its medical, food and industrial uses to be held in Nimbin early next month comes as the federal government moved this week to allow the export of cannabis-based medicines.
The open education day on Hemp Farming for Renewable Economies, is being held on Friday, 3 February, at Cecil Street, Nimbin, from 10am-4pm (follow the balloons).
An organiser said the day aimed to educate and promote industrial, medical and food products grown from hemp and other useful plants.
‘If it’s mined and made from fossil fuels, it can be grown by farmers and made from hemp!’ the promotional poster says.
The federal government has high hopes for the emerging medical-cannabis industry, but some are sceptical, saying access to medicinal cannabis has been made too difficult with government red tape and researchers in Australia are well behind the rest of the world on legislation.
A Nimbin hemp producer says claims by the federal governbment that allowing such exports would lead be an economic boom to Australia were overblown.
Andrew Kavasilas, a longtime advocate for medical marijuana, told media that the claim by minister Greg Hunt that Australia could become a major exporter of medical cannabis was over-reaching.
Mr Kavasilas said there were only a few companies in the world owning a legal source of cannabis, approved for scientific and medical research under international drug conventions.
‘There’s a bottleneck at the very top all around the world, where researchers are in need of a lawful source of cannabis to do any kind of research so they can do clinical trials.
‘It’s unpacking 80 years of propaganda, that’s the tricky part,’ he told the ABC.
The cannabis expert was referring to the ‘war on drugs’ which lumped all drugs evil, including recreational marijuana used by millions worldwide.
Just on Monday, California began selling recreational marijuana in what’s seen as a milestone in the mainstreaming of the popular herb.
Lines formed outside stores licensed to sell the drug long before opening hours, and store owners said they had stocked up in expectation of huge demand.
California is the sixth state to allow sales of recreational marijuana, and as the most populous US state, it’s been a boost to mainstreaming marijuana.
Around half the US states have legalised medical cannabis.
Canada will also soon follow suit with recreational use of cannabis and in July, licensed cannabis stores there are set to boom.
Uruguay has led the charge to legalise cannabis in South America and has been a global model for overturning a law which has been socially destructive.
See the following trailer for a recent documentary (available on Google) which throws light on the whole issue:
http://medicalcannabis.com.au/cannabis-in-uruguay-the-global-model
For more info on the education day at Nimbin, contact Wadzy on 0407 895 569 or email [email protected]
You go along one road and then you swap that direction for a different direction when that direction makes more money. That seems to be the Australian way in the 21st century.
The whole argument for medicinal hemp was to relieve pain and improve health.
Now the industry according to the Federal government “early next month comes as the federal government moved this week to allow exports of cannabis-based medicines.”
To export means the industry becomes a money-making exercise and not for local health and pain reasons.
The same reasoning happened in our gas industry where we could export gas to the detriment to the domestic market and make money at increased prices in export. What resulted was that the local gas industry became untenable and prices rose far above what locals could afford because of the export price.
When our federal government won’t let refugees into the country do we really care about the health of people overseas? Or do we only care when migrants bring money into the country. The almighty dollar controls our lives way beyond our health requirements and intelligence and impairs both. Is the Australian way of life improving in the Northern Rivers? Or getting worse?
Medical Cannabis will be good for the regional areas. From helping people with pain; excellent addition to the food industry; all sorts of potential with serious diseases. This all means that growing medical cannabis helps the regional area with many jobs. This industry could be a life safer.
Can’t wait until they start manufacturing medicinal cannabis in Casino? The positive economic impact, along with the increase in employment, is an exciting step forward for the Northern Rivers community.