There were hopes a (positive) TGA decision would be published last week in relation to over-the-counter cannabidiol (CBD) in Australia. Here’s what’s happening.

First, a recap of the road to this point.

Cannabidiol is a non-intoxicating (i.e., it doesn’t create a high) cannabinoid that can be extracted from hemp. CBD has been the focus of significant research into its potential for the treatment and/or management of a wide range of conditions.

Tasmanian Greens MP Rosalie Woodruff has strongly criticised the State Government’s medical cannabis Controlled Access Scheme.

Introduced in 2017, the Scheme only enables medical specialists the ability to prescribe products to patients in circumstances where conventional treatments have failed. It’s a seven-step process:

For Australia’s cannabis sector, 2021 is looking even better than what it did a few months ago.

Some also suffered from COVID-19 restrictions – and not just restrictions on people movements and falling consumer confidence.

Tommy Huppert, CEO of cultivator Cannatrek, told Stockhead moving freight was difficult in the early stages of COVID-19.

Given Australia’s cannabis sector heavily relies on imports, he didn’t mince his words.

“At one stage there were simply no flights so no medicine could arrive in the country, which was pretty scary,” Huppert declared.

The total number of industrial hemp licences issued in South Australia have doubled since trials kicked off in 2018 – but the state’s hemp industry is still very much at a nascent stage.

According to the Adelaide Advertiser (paywall) 21 businesses are now approved to produce or process hemp in South Australia (19 cultivators, 2 processors) and the Marshall Government has confirmed a fourth season of hemp trials will proceed in the state’s South-East.

The Victorian Government says the future of an industrial hemp industry in the state is looking bright after a taskforce report was tabled on Wednesday.

While Victoria is striving to be a leader in medicinal cannabis in Australia, when it comes to hemp it’s quite the laggard – but perhaps that will change soon.

Approximately 200 hectares of hemp was planted in the state in the 2019-20 growing season.170 hectares were cultivated in 2018-19 and 600 hectares in 2017-18. The drops compared to 2017-18 has been primarily attributed to low water availability; but red tape wouldn’t be helping any.

The Victorian Government’s Industrial Hemp Taskforce has strongly backed a trial site as part of its interim report, handed down today.

The proposed site – Mildura’s SuniTAFE SMART Farm – was announced by agriculture minister Jaclyn Symes.

The taskforce has spent 12 months talking to industry stakeholders and research organisations to identify opportunities and issues facing the industry.

Improvements in processing capability, closing knowledge and experience gaps in hemp cultivation, addressing regulatory barriers and more clear and accessible market information were some of its key findings.

The taskforce oversaw a memorandum of understanding between SuniTAFE in Mildura and Australian Primary Hemp.

Issuing of the first commercial licence for growing industrial hemp in Australia’s Northern Territory was announced on Friday – and it’s been a long time coming.

The successful licensee is Michael Jakobi:

“I applied for a commercial hemp licence because I wanted an alternative to growing hay and because I thought it would be a good rotational fit with some of my crops,” said Mr. Jakobi. “The fact that hemp is multi-use is very appealing, I am also interested in the possible soil conditioning benefits planting hemp may have for my future crops.”

The Northern Territory Government seems pretty pumped about the prospects for local production of hemp.