Category: Drug Cultivation

Veteran medicinal cannabis producer Tony Bower escaped prison time when he was sentenced for commercial drug cultivation, along with other serious drug offences, at Port Macquarie District Court last Monday. Known locally as the Medicine Man, Mr Bower turned himself in after his Crescent Head property was raided by police and 280 cannabis plants were ...

When the Turnbull government passed an amendment bill in February 2016 that legalised “the cultivation and production of cannabis and cannabis resin for medicinal and scientific purposes”, it was an admission that medicinal cannabis is a valid treatment that patients use. However, three years on, most of the estimated 100,000 Australians who use cannabis medicine are still ...

By Paul Gregoire and Ugur Nedim It’s estimated that around 100,000 patients are using cannabis medicines across the country. And even though the federal government legalising medicinal cannabis close to three years ago, most of these patients are forced to access their medicine on the black market. Despite government moves to cut some of the red tape around ...

Next Monday, Jamie Blake and his partner Stephanie McKay are to stand trial in the Rockhampton Supreme Court over drug charges that could see them behind bars. The reason they’re facing prison is they were trying to help their autistic child. Callum is the 5-year-old son of the couple who live in the Queensland town of ...

At around noon on Thursday, a jury found renowned medicinal cannabis practitioner Dr Andrew Katelaris not guilty on a number of very serious charges relating to the supply and manufacture of cannabis medicines. Representing himself in court, Dr Katelaris argued a defence of medical necessity, meaning that his patients’ needs were so dire that it ...

The benefits of cannabis medicine are becoming widely accepted within the Australian community. However, laws around the non-profit cultivation of the plant to help the sick continue to carry the same level of criminality as the laws for those who grow it for profit. But, it appears some magistrates and judges are beginning to make ...

Locally-grown and produced medicinal cannabis products are finally available on the Australian market. Western Australian company Little Green Pharma is the first amongst a number of producers to deliver the long-awaited local product since cannabis medicines were legalised. However, this highly-anticipated development has somewhat flown under the radar, as Little Green Pharma made the announcement on ...

Being prosecuted for a criminal or traffic offence can be a nerve-wracking experience. You may be unfamiliar with the process, unsure of the best way forward and concerned about the outcome. But whether you are charged with a less-serious matter such as drug possession, drink driving or common assault, or accused of something as serious ...

The first two commercial batches of legal medicinal cannabis products were imported into Australia earlier this week. The medicines were produced in Canada and are being held by Health House International in WA and the Pharmaceutical Packaging Professionals in Victoria. The imports are part of an interim fast-track scheme announced by Australian health minister Greg Hunt in February. ...

Over the last seven weeks, police have made two high-profile raids of medicinal cannabis producers in Australia. The Ubuntu Wellness Clinic was raided in Newcastle on December 1. NSW police seized 215 plants from a hydroponic operation run by a group called the Church of Ubuntu. The church were one of the largest suppliers of the product in ...