Western Australia’s Little Green Pharma (ASX:LGP) and Curtin University have teamed up to investigate the potential of medicinal cannabis treatment options for obesity and related health issues.

Marijuana is well-known for causing the “munchies“, which is thought to be caused by the cannabinoid tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) – the same compound that creates marijuana’s high. But cannabis is much more than THC as you’ll see on HG’s big list of cannabinoids.

New research at Curtin’s Medical School will attempt to identify combinations of cannabinoids that may produce effects of a feeling of fullness; decreasing appetite.

Australia’s Creso Pharma Limited (ASX:CPH) says it has reached final stage of development for a new hemp-based lozenge product containing cannabidiolic acid (CBDA).

The cannabinoids CBD (cannabidiol) and THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) tend to steal the limelight, but there are many other cannabinoids in cannabis; among them CBDA.

CBDA hit the headlines recently when University of Oregon researchers suggested it could prevent the coronavirus ( SARS-CoV-2) causing COVID-19 from invading human cells. The important thing to note is further CBDA research is needed and a conclusion as to its efficacy may be some way off, although CBDA clinical trials may start soon. Creso Pharma notes it has not carried out any of its own research in relation to CBDA and SARS-CoV-2.

A bushfire has impacted an alternative building materials manufacturer in Western Australia producing hemp blocks – but there has been a positive side.

A couple of weeks ago we reported Western Australian company Hemp Squared was awarded a $100,000 grant from the WA Government to expand its hemp block manufacturing facilities in Bridgetown, which is approximately 270 kilometres south of Perth.

The blocks Hemp Squared produces are made with hempcrete, a mix of the woody core of hemp (known as hurd), lime and water. Far from being a new building material, hempcrete has been used in various ways for thousands of years. Among its attributes is longevity – for example, a form of hempcrete has preserved caves in India for 1,500 years.

Six people charged after police find illegal grow so big it requires “attention from workers seven days a week.”

Six people in Australia now face drug charges after police discovered a massive illegal cannabis grow-op that housed at least 19,082 plants with an estimated street value of about AU$67 million ($60 million).

The UK has approved Australia’s medicinal cannabis company Bod Australia’s clinical trial into the efficacy of its products to treat the effects of long-COVID-19.  According to Business News Australia report, Bod announced that it received Clinical Trial Austgorisation by UK’s UK’s Medicines & Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency which would allow the company to commence a clinical trial into the effectiveness of its ‘MediCabilis’ 5% CBD product on long-COVID-19. 

Counter to the overall trend in support of psychedelic research, Australia will not approve psychedelics for therapeutic use.

Australia’s medical regulator on Wednesday rejected a bid to approve psychedelics for therapeutic use, saying the risks of the drugs outweigh the potential mental health benefits. In a final decision from the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), the agency declined to approve an application to amend Australia’s poison standards by reclassifying psilocybin and MDMA as Schedule 8 controlled substances instead of their current status as prohibited substances under Schedule 9.

An Australian man faces charges, including possessing, trafficking, producing and supplying dangerous drugs.

Things went from bad to worse for an Australian man when his vehicle was stopped and about AU$264,000 ($240,240) worth of weed was found. This kicked off investigations that resulted in discovering dried cannabis and live plants valued at AU$11.2 million ($10.2 million).

Australia’s Little Green Pharma and Southern Cross University are partnering for a study on treating fibromyalgia syndrome with medical cannabis.

Fibromyalgia is chronic condition accompanied by symptoms including widespread pain in the muscles and bones. Its impacts can be anything from uncomfortable to debilitating for sufferers and conventional medications such as opioids are accompanied by risks of their own, such as dependence.

Some new research to get under way here in Australia will study the efficacy and safety of medicinal cannabis in relieving fibromyalgia pain and other symptoms.

The efforts of Australian (and New Zealand) cannabis pioneers and professionals have been recognised in the 2021 Cannabis Industry Awards.

“As cannabis fights for legitimacy and normalisation, we come together to celebrate this amazing plant, its incredible supporters, and the fastest growing industry in Australia,” states the Awards web site.

Founded in 2018, the Awards are divided into two sections – community and business, with multiple categories in each. The initiative involves an independent judging panel, the members of which are from diverse areas of the industry. Winners are generally selected by merit rather than popularity – this means small players get a better crack at getting a gong. But there are also some public vote award categories.

These little seeds pack a nutritional punch.