In this episode, Paul is joined by the Interim CEO and Founder of SOMAÍ Pharmaceuticals, Michael Sassano - a man with a track record for global market predictions. Together they look back at 2025, and explore what's in store across the world in 2026.

In this episode:

Trump Reschedules Cannabis in the US (1:30)

Not All Pharmaceuticals are the same (4:30)

Regulatory Curveballs across the world - UK, Germany and Australia (7:45)

Australia in 2025 (14:00)

Collaboration is the key to success (15:30)

The rise of emerging markets - France, Spain, Slovenia, Poland, New Zealand (19:00)

Preserving medicinal frameworks whilst achieving better access (24:00)

Operational challenges in Portugal in 2025 (28:30)

Meeting patient needs (31:00)

What’s coming in 2026 (34:30) 

Patients need different formats (38:00)

Visit www.somaipharma.com.au

Visit www.giveandtoke.com.au

Follow @giveandtoke on Instagram
Email [email protected]

Mimi Sener is one of the most respected and quietly influential leaders in the Australian medicinal cannabis industry.

Mimi’s journey into cannabis was shaped by lived experience, supporting a partner through cancer and questioning the limits of traditional pharma. Since then, she’s built a career spanning early-stage industry growth, clinical education, consulting and senior leadership, including her current role as General Manager of Alma Cannabis Australia.

Together, Paul and Mimi unpack the real state of the Australian cannabis industry, the fallout from the TGA consultation, and what it actually takes to professionalise a sector still finding its feet. They explore leadership, standards, and the realities of operating in a volatile, politically charged market.

In this episode:

An affinity for cannabis in spite of stigma (2:00)

The TGA consultation forgot about patients (8:00)

Big Pharma contradictions (13:45)

A highly personal drive to cannabis (20:00)

Montu and the early years of the industry (26:00)

Declining excitement and increasing fear in Australia (36:00)

Fallout from the TGA consultation: limiting education, access, and reduced limits (43:00)

Questions from a Friend (61:00)

Alma in a nutshell (75:00)

The eyes on us have knives out (82:00)

Pauls of Wisdom (89:45)

Find Mimi Sener on LinkedIn

Visit www.giveandtoke.com.au

Follow @giveandtoke on Instagram

Email [email protected]

In this special episode of The Catch-Up, Christina and Paul reunite to unpack their recent trip to Thailand. They share insights from their visits to Iridescent Med and the facility cultivating Cookies California genetics, reflect on the world-class standards they witnessed, and express gratitude for the hospitality extended by the teams. Expect thoughtful reflections, genuine appreciation, and excitement about the innovation shaping Thailand’s cannabis landscape.

@AusCannaReviews on ⁠SubStack⁠, ⁠Instagram⁠ and ⁠Twitter/X⁠

Email ⁠[email protected]⁠

Visit ⁠www.giveandtoke.com.au⁠

Follow @giveandtoke on ⁠Instagram⁠

Email ⁠[email protected]

This week on Give & Toke, Paul is joined by Angus Murray - a cultivator who’s taken lessons from Vancouver to Victoria and everywhere in between. From his time growing in Canada’s legendary BC cannabis scene to shaping cultivation in Australia, Angus brings a unique perspective on what it takes to deliver consistent, high-quality medicine to patients.

Paul and Angus stroll down memory lane in Vancouver, dive into the realities of cultivation on both sides of the Pacific, and even test Angus’s loyalty with an Australia vs Canada quiz. It’s a lighthearted yet insightful chat about cannabis, culture, and the future of cultivation in Australia.

In this episode:

The Vancouver Influence (5:30)

Getting Started at Tantalus (9:40)

Returning to Australia (14:00

From Craft to Major (18:00)

Delivering a Consistently High Quality Product (22:00)

A Vision for Adult Use (25:00)

Canadian Australian Quiz (31:00)

Cultivators Shaping the Industry (39:30)

Managing Stigma and Judgement (42:00)

Golden Days Cultivators (52:30)

Pauls of Wisdom (55:15)

Visit www.goldendayscultivators.com.au

Visit www.giveandtoke.com.au

Follow @giveandtoke on Instagram

Email [email protected]

Dr Bryce Joynson is a neuro-affirming Specialist GP based on the Gold Coast, with a practice that blends clinical rigour and holistic care. Known for his work across ADHD, autism, hyper-mobility disorders, and medicinal cannabis, Dr Joynson is at the forefront of progressive medicine in Australia.

From pioneering Australia's first paediatric cannabis prescribing protocols to developing brain imaging strategies for mental health, Bryce brings a unique perspective to the conversation around neurodiversity, chronic illness, and how we approach care in the 21st century.

He’s a passionate educator, medical advisor, and vocal advocate for a future where patients are seen, heard, and supported.

In this episode:

• Discovering the importance of relationships (2:00)

• Adapting your consult time and reading the room (5:00)

• Developing meaningful relationships (8:00)

• Remaining present and mindful  in consults and life (14:00)

• What is neuro-affirming care? A boom in self-diagnosis (23:00)

• Gaps in neurodivergent care (30:00)

• Rapid Fire Quiz (38:00)

• Medicinal Cannabis at a tool (42:00)

• Stigma in the medical space (44:45)

• Limitations of medicinal cannabis (49:00)

• AHPRA and TGA cracking down? (53:00)

• Pauls of Wisdom (55:00)

  
  

Visit www.drbryce.com.au

Visit www.giveandtoke.com.au

Follow @giveandtoke on Instagram

Email [email protected]

With over a decade of experience spanning both the legacy market and the medical industry, Jessica Peros brings a rare dual perspective to Australia’s evolving cannabis space.

In this episode of Give & Toke, Paul sits down with Jessica to talk about her journey from co-founding The Green Room Hydro to creating The Green Room HQ - a space for patient advocacy, industry insight, and community connection.

We explore how Jessica’s work and life have shaped her understanding of patients, and prescribers, and why championing local growers is critical to the future of cannabis in Australia.

In this episode:

• From Hydro to HQ (2:30)
• Mindset: Corporate vs Culture (6:00)
• Tackling Stigma as a Woman (14:00)
• Cannabis shouldn’t be a last resort treatment (21:00)
• The People’s Princess: Criticism from the Community (23:00)
• High Note: Female Rap Quiz (27:00)
• Building a Compassionate Cannabis Future (34:00)
• Recurring themes in Cannabis (37:00)
• Feminine Cannabis and Inclusion (43:00)
• Pauls of Wisdom (46:00)

Follow @thegreenroom.hq on Instagram

Visit www.giveandtoke.com.au

Follow @giveandtoke on Instagram

Email [email protected]

From community pharmacy to cannabis advocacy, Jessica-Li Verschoor is redefining frontline care in the medicinal cannabis space.

In this episode of Give & Toke, Paul speaks with the 2025 Cannabiz Awards Industry Newcomer of the Year about her journey into plant medicine at Green Street Dispensary and Plant Pharm in Western Australia.

Jessica-Li shares how her pharmacy background shapes her approach to cannabis, the role of social media in education and stigma reduction, and why so many people are asking how to break into the industry. We also explore what sets WA’s cannabis landscape apart — and how her personal view of the plant has evolved.

In this episode:

Plant Playground and Cannabis Events (0:30)

From Community Pharmacy to Cannabis (3:45)

California Living and Global Perspectives (7:30)

Cannabiz Industry Newcomer of the Year (15:00)

Social Media to Build Community (18:15) 

Getting into the Industry (19:30)

Green St Dispensary and Plant Pharm (24:00)

Disneyland Quiz (28:00)

Cannabis in Western Australia (35:00)

Pauls of Wisdom (47:30)

Visit planthpharm.shop

Visit greenstdispensary.com

Follow @greenstdisp on Instagram

Visit www.giveandtoke.com.au

Follow @giveandtoke on Instagram

Email [email protected]

We're Ruth and Paul - the husband and wife duo behind Give & Toke. Join us as we sit down for a candid conversation about cannabis, relationships, and the power of shared purpose.

While Paul’s passion for the plant is no surprise to regular listeners, Ruth brings a unique perspective as a non-consumer who’s become an advocate for reform. Her support is rooted in education, empathy, and a deep belief in cannabis’s potential for both mainstream healthcare and responsible adult use.

Together, we explore what it takes to navigate relationships between consumers and non-consumers, the mutual respect required to make it work, and how breaking down stereotypes can lead to greater understanding and more mindful access in adult-use markets.

In this episode:

• First Impressions: Dating a cannabis user for the first time (1:30)

• Breaking the Stereotype: Overcoming stoner stigma and personal bias (5:00)

• From Rehab to Retail: The irony and insights of working in opposing spaces (15:00)

• Shifting Spirits: How our views on alcohol have changed over time (20:00)

• Love & Limits: Navigating relationship challenges and shared responsibility (25:00)

• The “Babe Ruth” Quiz: How well does Ruth know... Ruth? (31:00)

• Life in Canada: How access and attitudes differ in adult-use markets (34:00)

• Would She Ever?: Ruth reflects on the possibility of personal cannabis use (37:00)

• Pauls of Wisdom (…Should have called it’s Ruth’s Truths) (44:00)

Visit www.giveandtoke.com.au

Follow @giveandtoke on Instagram

Email [email protected]

In this powerful episode of Give & Toke, we’re joined by healthcare strategist, author, and global cannabis advocate Melanie Wentzel.

From working with governments and peak bodies to rewriting the narrative around women and weed in her groundbreaking book Cannabis Queens, Melanie brings sharp insight and deep heart to the conversation around equitable, person-centred care and the plant that’s changing lives.

We explore the radical role of women in the cannabis industry, the challenges of reforming conservative healthcare systems, and why storytelling may be the most transformative tool of all.

It’s medical. It’s political. It’s revolutionary.

In this episode:

What does it mean to be a Cannabis Queen? (1:30)

The feminine role in dismantling stigma (7:45)

Self-Discovery through storytelling (13:30)

The intersection of culture and medicine (33:45)

Navigating criticism of women forward causes (44:30)

The legacy of Cannabis Queens (53:30)

Quiz: Wentzel or Not? (58:30)

Integrated Healthcare (60:30)

Cannabis in mainstream in healthcare? (72:15)

Cannim’s research initiatives (77:30)

Visit www.melaniewentzel.com

Visit www.cannabisqueens.world

Follow Melanie Wentzel on LinkedIn

Contact Mel: [email protected]

Lumir Mission Primary Dysmenorrhea Study

RECRUITING NOW: www.westernsydney.edu.au/nicm/research/participate-in-research/canndyshelp

Lumir Mission Menopause Study

RECRUITING NOW: https://www.westernsydney.edu.au/nicm/research/participate-in-research/menocann

Lumir Mission Study (For all medicinal cannabis patients in Australia)

LAUNCHING JULY 23: www.lumirmission.com/home-au/

Visit www.giveandtoke.com.au

Follow @giveandtoke on Instagram

Email [email protected]

ALL OPINIONS EXPRESSED IN THIS SHOW ARE PERSONAL AND DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THOSE OF MY EMPLOYER.

In this episode, we're joined by two industry trailblazers who’ve gone from the frontlines of patient care to the frontlines of cannabis supply. Bashar Al-Humrany (a pharmacist) and Joel Green (a nurse) first crossed paths at Melbourne’s Astrid Dispensary, one of the first dedicated medicinal cannabis dispensaries in the country. 

Together, they saw firsthand where the system was helping... and where it was falling short. Now, they’ve teamed up to launch Exotican, an Australian medicinal cannabis importer built from the ground up by people who understand patients, products, and prescriptions. We’re talking clinical insight, industry gaps, and of course  the Bash Brothers of cannabis.

In this episode:

Clinical experience informing patient care (4:00)

The inception of Exotican (9:30)

Setting standards in medicine (12:30)

Imports vs. Aussie Grown (18:00)

Mighty Ducks Quiz (24:30)

What GPs need to know (31:30)

Managing culture and medicine (33:40)

When  patient is “on the edge” (37:30)

Exotican’s Values (41:00)

Product Innovation (42:50)

The importance of education (48:15)

Pauls of Wisdom (50:00)

Follow @exoticanau on Instagram

Visit www.giveandtoke.com.au

Follow @giveandtoke on Instagram

Email [email protected]

ALL OPINIONS EXPRESSED IN THIS SHOW ARE PERSONAL AND DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THOSE OF MY EMPLOYER.