In this episode, we sit down with Fiona Patten, former Victorian MP and current Senate candidate for the Legalise Cannabis Party, to discuss her run for the Senate in the lead up to this weekend's federal Australian election, the future of cannabis legalisation in Australia, and why legalising cannabis is not a "single issue".

Sean Maloney is the sole Legal Counsel and Commercial Manager for MediCann Health - an Australian based medicinal cannabis company focussed on improving the quality of life of people in need through the use of affordable, reliable and science backed medicinal cannabis products.

With a Bachelor of Economics and a Bachelor of Laws from The University of Western Australia, Sean has worked as a Senior Consultant & Solicitor at a Big 4 firm, along with holding senior advisory and compliance roles at the Australian Securities Exchange.

In this episode:Reflections on UIC (1:30)

Legal Cannabis: Exciting or Daunting? (2:40)

Pathway to Cannabis and MediCann (5:10)

The legal framework in Australia (10:15)

Is there a proclivity to break the law in cannabis work? (19:30)

What changes are coming? (23:00)

Staying in the loop (28:00)

Cannabis around the world (30:00)

Quiz: Lionel Hutz (35:00)

Cannabis and the ASX (40:45)

Crowdfunded Cannabis (47:00)

Pauls of Wisdom (53:30)

Visit www.giveandtoke.com.au

Follow @giveandtoke on Instagram

Email [email protected]

Rhys Cohen is a self-confessed “drug nerd” who has held countless cannabis-related roles over the past decade as he has become a trusted voice within the industry. With a Masters in Research and Sociology, Rhys has been a cannabis consultant, editor, advisory board member and today is the Policy Officer at Penington Institute.

Penington Institute is an independent drug policy non-profit that is currently developing a comprehensive model for cannabis regulation which prioritises community health and safety. They champion an open, rational, and compassionate approach to building and sharing knowledge to reduce drug-related harm and are pushing for an effective regulatory framework for cannabis defined by public health goals, prioritising targeted prevention, education, and treatment.

In this episode:

Reflections on UIC (1:45)

Why Rhys pursued cannabis (5:00)

The state of Australian medicinal cannabis (9:20)

Protecting the medicinal market (15:30)

People are overwhelming still using illicit cannabis (17:15)

What is the Penington Institute (19:40)

The Annual Overdose Report (21:00)

Cannabis regulation in Victoria - Regulate it! (23:45)

Rhys’ Pieces Quiz (34:45)

Vape Battery Ban (40:00)

Pauls of Wisdom (42:20)

Visit www.penington.org.au

Take the Quiz at www.penington.org.au/regulate-it-cannabis-campaign/

Visit www.giveandtoke.com.au

Follow @giveandtoke on Instagram

Email [email protected]

James Yodgee is the General Manager of Partnerships at Biortica Agrimed, along with Matthew Turner who is the co-founder and Chief Global Officer of the organisation.

Biortica Agrimed operates one of Australia’s largest cultivation operations in Australia with greenhouses in Victoria and New South Wales along with a library of over 1,000 cultivars through Canadian-based Apollo Green.

In this episode:

Matthew’s pathway to cannabis/the start of Green Farmers (2:30)

James’ pathway to cannabis (11:00)

Matthew’s relationship with cannabis (14:00)

James’ relationship with cannabis (16:00)

Apollo Green Australia (21:00)

-pheno hunting

-breeder cuts

-global scaling

-LaValle University

-research and development

How do you decide what cultivars are worth your time? (32:00)

AI assistance (35:15)

Pioneering efforts in Canada (39:00)

Green Footy Quiz (45:00)

The state of Australia (51:30)

Cannabis around the world (58:00)

Pauls of Wisdom (61:45)

Visitwww.greenfarmers.com.au

Visitwww.giveandtoke.com.au

Follow @giveandtoke onInstagram

Email[email protected]

Kate Avruch is the founder of Operator Academy and is a seasoned expert in the cannabis industry having dedicated her career to scaling business operations in Massachusetts and beyond. With a unique blend of technical expertise in facility design, cannabis chemistry, and extraction methodologies, Kate brings a holistic understanding of the industry’s complexities.

In this episode:

Is The Town the best Boston movie? (1:00)

Pathway to cannabis (3:45)

Growing up with conservative views (19:00)

Relationship with cannabis (23:15)

Cannabis in Massachusetts (26:30)

Quick wins in Massachusetts (35:00)

Could Federal legalisation improve things in Massachusetts? (41:45)

Hotbox Quiz (46:30)

Operator Academy (48:30)

Pauls of Wisdom (70:00)

Visitwww.operatoracademy.org

Follow Kate Avruch onLinkedIn

Visitwww.giveandtoke.com.au

Follow @giveandtoke onInstagram

Email[email protected]

Sara Payan is a cannabis educator, public speaker, policy advocate, and the award-winning host of the Planted with Sara Payan podcast. She’s an expert in consumer trends, product development, and building relationships in the cannabis industry.

Sara has trained cannabis professionals, consulted for brands on product development and marketing, and worked with various committees, including the California Cannabis Advisory Committee and the San Francisco Cannabis Oversight Committee. She also co-chaired the San Francisco State Cannabis Legalization Task Force.

In this episode:

Personal Relationship with Cannabis (6:00)

Colon Cancer Treatment (9:00)

Does legalisation impact medical patients? (19:45)

Finding effective treatments (29:30)

Busting Myths: Terpenes (36:45)

Podcasting (38:00)

The politics in the cause (48:30)

Cat Talk (54:00)

Podcast Highlights (56:30)

Hot Box Quiz (65:15)

The State of the Nation: USA (67:00)

Connecting with others through consumption (71:30)

Budtender Problems (77:15)

Pauls of Wisdom (83:00)

Listen to Planted with Sara Payan

Follow @plantedwithsara on Instagram

Visit www.giveandtoke.com.au

Follow @giveandtoke on Instagram

Email [email protected]

In this episode of Give & Toke, we sit down with Victorian MP Rachel Payne, for an insightful conversation that marks two years since entering parliament along with 50 episodes of this show.

We discuss the transition from Dan Andrews to Jacinta Allan and what it means for cannabis reform (3:00). We talk about the recent win for Victorian patients who drive (5:45), before looking back at two years of navigating hemp reform, pill testing, relationships, compromise, and the importance of evolving and letting go (15:00).

We dive into the critical topic of housing affordability and the other challenges facing her electorate of over 600,000 South-East Melburnians (28:00). Rachel highlights the importance of giving a voice to underrepresented groups and how this informs her work in office (33:30).

The conversation also turns to the impact of social media and shadow bans on modern politics (37:55), before turning to Fiona Patten’s return to the scene (41:50). We play a quick quiz entitled Rachel Profiling (45:00) before diving into the big issues on the horizon for 2025, including personal use and workplace drug testing (50:00).

Rachel also touches on the role of medicinal cannabis companies and their social responsibilities (60:00), as well as how she maintains motivation in the face of political disappointment (66:00). Finally, we wrap up with some listener questions where we learn what type of cannabis product David Ettershank would be (71:00).

Visit www.rachelpayne.com.au

Follow Rachel on Instagram @rachelpayne_mp

Follow Rachel on Twitter @rachelpaynemp

Visit www.giveandtoke.com.au

Follow Give and Toke on Instagram @giveandtoke

Email Us [email protected]

Matthew Dent is the Director of Cultivation at Wangara Cultivation Co. With a boutique indoor grow operation in Queensland, their mission is to produce craft quality cannabis for Australia’s local market with a focus on terpenes and the wider entourage effect.

In this episode:

Connect with Matthew Dent on Linkedin

Visit www.giveandtoke.com.au

Follow @giveandtoke on Instagram

Email [email protected]

Get $10 off accessories with the code ‘CATCHUP’ at giveandtoke.com.au

The Catch-Up is a collaboration between Give and Toke and AusCannaReviews. Paul and Christina come together monthly to explore what’s happening in Cannabis in Australia and around the world. 

In this episode:

@AusCannaReviews on SubStack, Instagram and Twitter/X

Email [email protected]

Visit www.giveandtoke.com.au

Follow @giveandtoke on Instagram

Email [email protected]

Sacha La Forgia is the co-founder of Golden Days Cultivators, a South-Australian based indoor cultivator and supplier of medicinal cannabis born out of prior experience in South Australia’s world-renowned alcohol industry.

With a Bachelor in Viticulture from the University of Adelaide, Sacha founded and managed 78o Distillery in Adelaide Hills prior to Golden Days before inertia kicked in in 2022, and a change was needed. As global trends in alcohol consumption continue to decline and the health benefits of choosing cannabis over alcohol become more apparent, Sacha founded Golden Days with business partner Ewan Brewerton with the aim to make the world a better place.

In this episode:

Ditching booze for buds (1:40)

Our cultural relationship with alcohol (7:30)

Making smarter health choices (12:35)

Transferring skills to cannabis (17:20)

South Australia’s cannabis culture (21:00)

Booze History Quiz (24:00)

The state of Australian cannabis (28:00)

Personal relationship with cannabis (30:15)

Golden Days (32:30)

Growing indoors with renewable energy (38:00)

What’s next for Golden Days (41:00)

Pauls of Wisdom (48:45)

Connect with Sacha La Forgia on Linkedin

Visit www.giveandtoke.com.au

Follow @giveandtoke on Instagram

Email [email protected]