Karma Koala Podcast

I talk to Owen about his book and happened that led him to write it.

The book precis says David & Goliath I would also add “the Odyssey”.

The book precis says

Owen, Ted and the crew of the Victoria cannabis buyers club embark on a David versus Goliath showdown with Health Canada and the Harper Conservative government. Armed with the power of science and the impassioned stories of patients, this rebel alliance brought the issue of medical cannabis to the highest court in the land. This case established the most significant cannabis ruling in Canadian history, while at the same time discovering a new means of legalizing a psychoactive compound outside of the powers of parliament and the drug approval process. In this deeply moving story find out why cannabis was legalized in Canada and why it must be legalized around the world.

More info about the book



Read more at
https://cannabislaw.report/karma-koala-podcast-268-owne-smith-medical-cannabis-activist-author-advocate-talks-about-his-book-legal-cannabis-extracts-edibles-in-the-supreme-court-of-canada/

In this episode I speak with Maya Dukmasova  a senior reporter at InjusticeWatch.org who has just penned a great investigative piece about a rogue lab and cannabis DUI testing methadology and results in Illinois.

Maya writes

It would take more than six years for Thompson to be exonerated, along with more than a dozen other DuPage County defendants who had been convicted of low-level DUI-cannabis charges with the help of Bash’s lab work and testimony. 

By then, Bash would resign and UIC would shut down her lab right as an accrediting agency’s audit uncovered a range of unacceptable problems in its operations. Prosecutors’ offices in some of the 17 counties for which the lab provided testing would also issue disclosures to defendants about Bash’s “inaccurate and unqualified testimony.”

In a months-long investigation — including more than 45 Freedom of Information Act requests, more than 100 interviews, and a review of some 8,000 pages of public records — Injustice Watch found more than 2,200 cases in which body fluids were tested for THC by the UIC lab between 2016 and 2024. In addition to improperly testing urine for DUI-cannabis investigations, these sources indicate the lab was for years unable to differentiate between legal and illegal types of THC in people’s body fluids. Worse, internal records examined by Injustice Watch suggest the lab was aware of some of the problems in its testing since at least 2021 but continued to perform tests and report results to law enforcement, mostly in DUI cases. Bash, meanwhile, repeatedly testified about the lab’s findings in inaccurate and misleading ways.

“I take great pride in my work and have always conducted myself ethically,” Bash said in written responses to Injustice Watch questions. “It is deeply upsetting to be falsely accused.”

Injustice Watch also found university officials charged with overseeing the lab were focused on the lab’s financial performance, and not on the quality of its scientific work. According to internal emails, officials’ eventual decision to shut down human testing at the lab came as a result of its failure to generate revenue.

UIC officials declined interview requests from Injustice Watch but recently issued an internal investigation report exonerating themselves from oversight failures. The report concluded the lab’s methods were “at all times appropriate and met accepted scientific standards” and none of its analysts “knowingly provided false testimony in criminal proceedings.”

We discuss the lab and its processes , its relationship with the university, its results and as Maya succinctly says that word “opaque” pops up again and again

Read More
https://cannabislaw.report/karma-koala-podcast-267-opaque-how-a-rogue-laboratory-at-university-of-illinois-chicago-got-people-convicted-for-driving-high/

Great to catch up with Lisa to find out what’s going on in both the hemp & cannabis worlds in Texas.

Lisa explains the ongoing fracas between the senate, the Lt Gov & Gov Abbott on hemp.

Lisa has been involved with cannabis / hemp and law in Texas or over a decade now and knows the state inside out on the topic(s).

Did you know only 182 hectares of hemp is actually being grown in Texas at the moment!

https://cannabislaw.report/karma-koala-podcast-266-lisa-pittman-hemp-cannabis-wtf-is-going-on-in-texas-at-the-moment/

Great to speak to Jesus and to get an insight into ICEERS. Who they are? What they do? How they share their knowledge and how they are developing an education aspect to the work they do.

This is what they say about themselves on their site

The International Center for Ethnobotanical Education, Research, and Service (ICEERS) is a non-profit organization dedicated to transforming society’s relationship with Traditional Indigenous Medicines. We do this by engaging with some of the fundamental issues resulting from the globalization of ayahuasca, iboga, and other ethnobotanicals.

Vision

We envision a future where psychoactive plant practices are valued and integrated parts of society.

https://cannabislaw.report/karma-koala-podcast-265-jesus-alonso-olamendi-iceers-the-international-center-for-ethnobotanical-education-research-and-service-who-they-are-what-they-do-and-how-they-share-their-information/

I talk to Jeffrey about how Minnesota has walked a steady & I would argue sensible path in dealing with cannabis, hemp for human consumption and how both have worked in conjunction with other industries and especially the state’s craft brewing industry.

We discuss the sort of work he’s currently doing for clients.

But .. remember the state regulator is still temporary so that’s an issue that needs to be dealt with.

A snapshot in time that indicates Minnesota is making good progress.

Federal re-scheduling, “You Never Know”

Learn More
https://cannabislaw.report/karma-koala-podcast-264-jeffrey-obrien-partner-husch-blackwell-updates-from-michigan-how-the-state-engaged-properly-with-thc-beverages/

Great commentry on Florida by Daniel. He does know just about everything there is to know about the ever confusing Florida world(s) of cannabis and hemp.

He’s had enough of Trulieve, enough of politicians, enough of lack of education and a lot more to boot.

The solution.. run for office.

Read more

https://cannabislaw.report/karma-koala-podcast-263-daniel-locke-owner-medical-cannabis-physician-group-in-jacksonville-florida-its-everything-youll-think-itll-be-but-worse/

Daron comes from a legacy background and whilst on the board of New York Housing Works https://www.housingworks.org/about-us an organisation born out of the AIDS crisis in New York City. Created as a community for inclusive care, social justice, and an end to homelessness.

Daron was on the board at Housing Works when they applied for and received the state’s first CAURD license to build out a cannabis dispensary in Manhattan with a focus on smaller businesses and owned by BIPOC and women.

Daron has now gone on to launch his own store on the upper west side.

It is great to speak with someone who has been involved  on the ground with OCM twice and to see how things have progressed over the last few years.

We also get into the nitty gritty of the practicalities of running cannabis retail in NY.

Learn More At
https://cannabislaw.report/karma-koala-podcast-262-daron-hudson-the-sanctuary-garden-2nd-time-around-with-the-ocm-things-have-got-better-not-perfect-but-better/

I speak with Prof. Tshepo Madlingozi about South Africa’s “Cannabis For Personal Consumption In Private Act”

Prof Madlingozi is full-time commissioner of the South African Human Rights Commission and explains how the act although signed almost a year ago has not spun through the machinations of departmental politics and the promised regulations are currently sitting in the vortex.

Will the commission be forced to litigate to speed the process up?

We also talk about the experience of the Rastafarian community in South Africa and the discrimination they experience under current rules.

We also discuss the role of licensing as it currently exists in perpetuating a system that excludes small and rural cannabis producers and is a pan-african approach the way forward.


Learn More
https://cannabislaw.report/karma-koala-podcast-261-prof-tshepo-madlingozi-full-time-commissioner-of-the-south-african-human-rights-commission-the-cannabis-for-personal-consumption-in-private-act-is-signed-into-the-law-wh/

Jessica’s business sends legally compliant seeds throughout the US and she talks about the move towards democratizing homegrow.

We dig into some of the details of what homegrow means in the US with regard to regulations and rules and return to the same word time after time, “Patchwork”

Dig in with us and learn about homegrow and what the future could be with a little more commonsense and less interference from established players in the market.

Learn More at

https://cannabislaw.report/karma-koala-podcast-260-jessica-hanson-symple-seeds-learning-about-homegrow-a-regulatory-patchwork-in-the-us/

In this episode we speak to Dr Z (Ryan Zaklin) a MD with a medical cannabis practice based in Massachusetts and ask what is medical cannabis in the US as it currently stand.

How has it changed from the early California days and what does a patchwork or regulation and legislation around the country actually mean for medical professionals working with cannabis and cannabis products.

An insightful look at where we are today.

Learn more at

https://cannabislaw.report/karma-koala-podcast-259-ryan-zaklin-md-ma-dr-z-what-is-us-medical-cannabis-in-2025-selling-access-to-product-not-care/