Post-traumatic stress disorder is a nasty condition that affects many people. Those who suffer most are often army veterans who have served on tours; fighting to protect the safety of others.

From powdered milk to multivitamins to fresh fruit, Australian and New Zealand products command a health premium in Asian markets but can the medical cannabis industry leverage this 'clean green' image and follow suit? 

Cann Group (ASX: CAN) CEO Peter Crock believes they will, and this was a driver for the company securing a 20 per cent stake in Auckland-based Pure Cann in April.

"New Zealand are on the verge of getting a medical cannabis legislation through that's expected to be in September this year," Crock tells Business News Australia.

"They're going to have legislation put in place that will allow for an industry to be established in New Zealand - we see that as an opportunity as we'd always expected to service the Asian region."

Australian cannabusiness Creso Pharma (ASX:CPH) has inked an agreement with Canadian cannabis company PharmaCielo Limited (TSXV:PCLO) recommending the former be acquired by the latter.

Announced on Friday, Creso says the acquisition would result in a vertically integrated supply chain as PharmaCielo is engaged in cannabis cultivation, production and extraction.

Creso develops products in five key categories: therapeutics, nutraceuticals, animal health, lifestyle and topicals. Among its animal health products is Anibidiol, based on CBD.

The famous Olympic motto is Faster, Higher, Stronger. Next year in Tokyo, it could be shortened to only "Faster and Stronger." Higher is out.

That was part of a warning on Tuesday from Toshiro Muto, the chief executive of the Tokyo Olympics.

Cannabis has been legalized in some parts of the world, but Muto reminded potential visitors to the games that the substance is against the law in Japan.

Muto said at a news conference that at least one member of the executive board brought up the issue at a meeting.

Murray River Organics Group Limited (ASX: MRG) is an Australia-based company engaged in the manufacturing, marketing and selling of certified organic, natural and better-for-you products. On 5th June 2019, the company, by release, announced that it has successfully granted the authority to grow low-THC cannabis on its certified organic Nangiloc property.

Australian listed cannabis company Althea has launched a medical educational platform for U.K. doctors.

Called Althea Concierge UK, it will be similar to the platform it operates in its home country, and aims to provide a clinical evidence base for healthcare professionals looking to prescribe medical cannabis. Althea hopes the platform will streamline the prescription process and facilitate patient referrals from primary care doctors to Althea UK specialist prescribers. The company says in a press release that Concierge has boosted medicinal cannabis patient numbers in Australia.

Cannabis has an image of being a relatively harmless drug. But all drugs carry a degree of risk, and cannabis is no exception. One of those risks is dependence, which many people assume is only something that happens to those who use “hard drugs”, such as crack or heroin. In fact, the estimated risk of dependence on cannabis is about one in ten. This risk may seem relatively low, but given that there are an estimated 200m cannabis users across the globe, the potential number of people who are dependent on the drug is around 20m – roughly, the population of Romania. It’s worth exploring how this figure of one in ten is constructed.

A hemp initiative was one of ten projects in Western Australia’s Kimberley region named to receive a Regional Economic Development (RED) grant.

The McGowan Government announced the grant and nine others last Friday.

“The Kimberley region has great potential to develop and diversify its economy, particularly given its close proximity to Asian markets,” said Regional Development Minister Alannah MacTiernan. “By investing in a variety of regional initiatives, the State Government is helping to grow Western Australia’s regional areas into thriving and sustainable communities.”

Another one – MediPharm Labs Australia Pty. Ltd. has received a cannabis manufacturing licence from Australia’s Office of Drug Control.

The firm is a subsidiary of  Canada’s MediPharm Labs Corp. Back in June last year, the company commenced construction of its cannabis oil extraction facility in South Gippsland, Victoria.

Although the use of medical cannabis is legal in Canberra, touted as Australia’s culture capital, patients are reporting they are being forced to purchase their medication on the street as it’s nearly impossible to find physicians in the city willing to prescribe the drug.