EPISODE #110 Cannabis in Australia with Rhys Cohen, Cannabis Consultant and Editor at Large of Cannabiz Australia - Show Notes

This week we’re joined by Rhys Cohen, Australian Cannabis Consultant, and Editor at Large of Cannabiz Australia.

In this episode, Rhys gives us a high level overview of cannabis down-under, including its changing public perceptions, patient access to medical products, and progress towards decriminalisation.

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About Rhys

Rhys has delivered consulting projects to most of Australia’s leading cannabis companies and has worked extensively with the Lambert Initiative for Cannabinoid Therapeutics at the University of Sydney. He has presented at numerous industry events including ACannabis (2021); Prohibition Partners Live (2020); and New Frontier Global Cannabis Town Hall (2020). His industry analysis has been cited by Deloitte Access Economics; the Victorian Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources; the Commonwealth Office of Drug Control; the Commonwealth Senate Standing Committee on Community Affairs; and the International Journal of Drug Policy. Rhys has also appeared in ABC News; The Australian Financial Review, The Age; The Sydney Morning Herald; and MJBiz Daily. He is the editor-at-large for Australia’s leading industry news platform Cannabiz. And he sits on the Advisory Board of market intelligence and research company FreshLeaf Analytics.

Episode Summary

• Rhys has always had an interest in the philosophy of drugs and explored this at university where he wrote his thesis on the legalisation of cannabis in Colorado.
• The legalisation of medical cannabis happened in Australia just after Rhys had finished studying, so Rhys jumped on the opportunity to start consulting, using his cannabis knowledge.
• Over the next few years, Rhys built expertise in Medical Cannabis by writing whitepapers, launching a cannabis education startup, working for medical science research groups, and freelancing within the industry.
• Rhys is currently studying for a Masters Degree, and is looking into how and why medical cannabis was legalised in Australia.
• It is a common belief in Australia that the cannabis plant can be used medicinally, it is not often disputed with the public having a high level of awareness around the subject.
• Cannabiz.com.au is a b2b industry news and analysis website where Rhys is Editor - he enjoys his job as it gives him a platform to educate people around the subject.
• Rhys offers high-level strategic advice through his consultancy, often around the topic of market entry into Australia or patient access pathway analysis.
• The Australian medical cannabis system has transformed in a very short period.
• There are now around 30-40,000 Australians who are actively taking prescribed cannabis medication today.
• There is no permitted list of conditions in which cannabis can be prescribed - any GP or doctor can request permission to prescribe cannabis-based medicines to any indication as long as the decision is justified.
• The federal government, which oversees the applications, has never rejected a prescription, with approval being granted within 48hrs.
• There are no restrictions on the form of cannabis prescribed - meaning over 150 products from flower, to capsules and sprays are available. 
• These medicines are unregistered and are therefore not subsidized by the government in any way.
• In the last 18-24 months, the price of cannabis on the legal market has decreased, meaning black market product is now only marginally cheaper.
• Although medical cannabis can be prescribed by any doctor, most patients access it through dedicated clinics.
• There are very few cannabis products that have been grown and manufactured in Australia due to the limited amount of cultivation licenses available. Therefore, the Australian market relies heavily on imports.
• Unlike Europe and The USA, CBD is not currently accessible in Australia without a prescription, although recently, the health regulator has started allowing companies to register CBD products for sale over the counter. These can only be dispensed by a pharmacist at a low dose.
• Australia is not yet at a point where the majority of Australians actively support the legalization of its recreational use, although they are approaching it quickly.
• In September 2020, a survey showed that more Australians supported cannabis legalisation than opposed it, with 20% undecided.
• The greatest progress so far has been in Australia’s Capital Territory, where they decided to decriminalise the possession of cannabis. This progressive state was also the first to decriminalise same-sex marriage.
• The industrial hemp sector is small, with hemp seed oils only being legalised for sale within foods in 2017.

Quotables

‘[In Australia] the existence of the medical properties of cannabis are not disputed by anyone’ 06:31

Once it becomes easy and cheap enough here is no reason why other people who aren't medicinal cannabis patients could start accepting cannabis on prescription. That combined with the public change in attitudes towards cannabis legalisation more generally… I think we’re approaching a point in which we’re going to start having the initial conversation about cannabis law reform’ 32:00

Resources

Join Rhys on LinkedIn: https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/rhyscohen/

Rhys’s Website: https://www.rhyscohen.com/

Join Rhys onTwitter: https://twitter.com/rhyscohen

Cannabis Australia: https://www.cannabiz.com.au/

About Me

I'm Anuj Desai - a commercial advisor, lawyer and founder of Canverse - a commercial and legal consultancy helping founders, entrepreneurs and businesses navigate the emerging cannabis industry.

Please follow The Cannabis Conversation to keep up to date with news and insights from the industry, and get in touch at anuj@canverse.global to discuss how I can help your business move forward in the cannabis sector!

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