Karma Koala Podcast

Apologies for the sound on this one – you may need to turn up your volume Host Ben Mostyn Academic Fellow, LLB (UNSW) MA (South Florida) Sydney Law School Mr Mostyn’s primary research interest is global drug policy. His PhD is examining National Archives documents around Australia’s decision to sign the 1988 United Nations drug convention. He is looking at whether global forces and institutional forces caused Australia to sign the convention and further entrench the global War on Drugs. Related to this research, Mr Mostyn is interested in criminalisation, police powers, drug law reform and regulating global drug markets. Mr Mostyn has worked as a Legal Aid solicitor in human rights law, administrative law, and family law. He completed his Masters at the University of South Florida where he researched transnational social movements and the War on Drugs with a focus on South America. Panelists Emeritus Professor The Hon Dr Geoff Gallop AC Former Premier of Western Australia Global Commission on Drug Policy Dr Alex Wodak AM President, Former Director of Alcohol and Drug Service Australian Drug Law Reform Foundation https://cannabislaw.report/karma-koala-podcast-279-presentation-sydney-university-panel-achieving-drug-law-reform-the-experience-in-wa-and-nsw/

Former Member of Victorian Parliament Cannabis Law Reform Advocate Fiona was first elected to Victoria’s State Parliament in 2014 and re-elected for a second term in 2018. During those eight years she was a champion for social justice and cannabis law reform. She established a medicinal cannabis taskforce in the first major attempt to fix the ridiculous Roadside Drug Testing laws and then was the driving force behind the Inquiry into the Use of Cannabis in Victoria. “I went into parliament in 2014 as the first MP to speak about using cannabis. Cannabis reform has always been high on my to do list and is unfinished business for me. To open up law reform in the states we need to change the federal law and I intend to do just that”. She was the first political party leader to admit using cannabis regularly to relax. Presentation 00:00: How on Earth Can Australia Effect Change At The UN – Reference Alex Wodok’s work on HIV & drug law reform 04:00: Political & National approaches to UN Conventions.. some appear to be sacrosanct some are completely ignored 04:30: UN Conventions & Colombia’s 2025 approach + the countries that have ignored UN cannabis scheduling conventions 05:30: International drug policy & human rights connection being made albeit slowly at international bodies 06:50: Can Australia help? Australia out of step? 08:05: The power prohibition gives cartels and the illegal market – Australia 100 years of prohibition zero progress 10:00: Principles for regualted Australian market – Language / Linguistics when discussing drug policy 14:45 – 37:47: Q&A’s – Discussion

Daryl Bickler former Law Practice Professional in criminal law and now a drug policy advocacy / language re-alignment practitioner. * Please note there are some background noises in this presentation Daryl & I spoke in September about language and “drug” “policy” and his thoughts on the use of the English language specically with regard to the law, legislation, regulations, as he says, legalease. We also discussed the use of language in media reporting and other areas that aim to share information about humans and their interaction with these compounds. Breakdown of the Presentation 6:00 – Introducing The Idea Personal Sense of Language 7:00 – Group Re-alignment Session. Realigning language models re drugs 8:00 – Breaking Language Models 10:00 – Perspectives 14:20 – Linguistic Determinsim – Legalease 16:30 – Drug Policy is an Illusion 19:05 – Legalease the Power Language 24:45 – Examples of the Language used by the UK Greens Party in 2025 32:00 – What is Danger? Dangerous? 33:30 Taxing Drugs? But drugs don’t have accountants! 34:00 Pseudo Legalease 35:30. Regulating ourselves 38:30 – Reversing the Polarity of Language – Not ‘it” but “you” 39:40 – Q&A – Do stick with this section as the floor’s comments explain the difficulties in understanding the concept and how to express the issues using language. 52:56 Ends https://cannabislaw.report/karma-koala-podcast-277-daryl-bickler-presentation-psychonauticon2025-czech-republic-illegal-drugs-do-not-exist/

Moderator: Sean Hocking David Shoebridge Greens Cate Faermann Greens (NSW) Daniel Rathner Indicated Legal Brian Walker Cannabis Party (WA) Gen Discussion: 21:00 Onwards Medical Cannabis Industry Australia Australia Illegal Market Can Australia inform other jurisdictions? Australia Doesn’t Have Much To Boast About Is Removed From Global Drug Policy Colombia @ The UN – Review War On Drugs Illegal Drug Supply Chain & It’s Relationship to Cannabis & Cocaine Truth & Conciliation Approach – Working With Illegal Market(s) Widening decriminalization discussion Cannabis compliance, labelling, quality control & education in Australia Non – Profit Approach Working Together Nationally & Globally Ends – 44:46 More info https://cannabislaw.report/karma-koala-podcast/

Presentation 1 International Cannabis Symposium 2025 Australia’s Role in Reforming the UN Drug Conventions to Allow for Cannabis Regulation November 21, 2025 | University of Sydney, Australia Melanie Wentzel – Prowling Tigress: A she-cosystem of underutilised power & a paucity of political champions The unmet potential of women in cannabis policy. Women lead cannabis advocacy globally, prowling at the edges of cannabis policy, marking our territory (storytelling), protecting our cubs (advocacy), and establishing territory (with social influence) – but rarely deliver the final strike in the hunt for policy reform. The great prowl does matter but only goes so far without the final strike. Policy reform requires political positioning, where women are underrepresented especially in the cannabis agenda – this too needs to change. It is time for the hungry-for-change prowlers and cannabis’s political champions to assemble and rise. It is time for political champions to recognise the unique and untapped power of women’s groups; and for women’s groups to raise their gaze, organise, and make more strategic political advances. We must hunt as one. Read More https://cannabislaw.report/karma-koala-podcast-275-melanie-wentzel-presentation-sydney-law-school-prowling-tigress-a-she-cosystem-of-underutilised-power-a-paucity-of-political-champions/

A few weeks back on my daily trawl of linked in I came across the following post by Ruth. I had to get in touch to dig a little deeper. This is the best research I’ve yet come across with regard to cannabis patents. New blog: Cannabis Patents I did a very simple keyword search of the US patent database, so the hits surely under-represent all the patents out there. I downloaded over 10,000 patents, then eliminated those that weren’t relevant and many of those that were either abandoned or had expired. I was left with over 8,700 patents. Learn More At https://cannabislaw.report/karma-koala-podcast-274-ruth-fisher-her-research-on-cannabis-patents/

Rarely do we get to speak to business owners on the ground outside the bigger European jurisdictions who have to ensure they are fully compliant with the vagaries of EU rules and regs. Thanks to Nejc we’ve learnt a little more about the whys and wherefores. Nejc Rusjan Steering Essentia Pura as CEO and Founder, my focus is on pioneering advancements in CBD extraction and manufacturing technology. Our commitment is to deliver all-natural, full-spectrum CBD products that stand out for their quality and safety. With expertise science and innovation, the company’s direction caters to a diverse clientele, ensuring a tailored approach to wellness solutions. Our mission at Essentia Pura is to forge long-lasting customer relationships through integrity and quality, with the overarching goal of enhancing the well-being of millions. With the help of our technology and strategic partnerships, we aim to be at the forefront of the health and wellness industry, championing the best price-to-quality ratio for our CBD products. https://cannabislaw.report/karma-koala-podcast-273-nejc-rusjan-founder-of-essentia-pura-negotiating-eu-rules-regs-running-a-white-label-cbd-business-in-slovenia/

The Colorado Hemp Beverage Coalition quietly arrived 6 months back and they had their official launch party in the last couple of weeks. Leading lawyer and consultant Brian Vicente is playing a key part in bringing Colorado up to speed with other states and hopes to get some legislation through the state house in the January session. We discuss what he hopes for in Colorado, how the cannabis / hemp beverage sector is growing nationally, what sort of regulations are desirable and more. As always the key is generating a commonsense approach that builds the sector and protects the consumer. Here’s the press release With THC beverages quickly becoming one of the fastest-growing segments in cannabis and beverage, Colorado is positioning itself at the center of this emerging category. This month, Vicente LLP and leading brands including Wana, Cycling Frog, Keef, Brez, Fable, Sleeping Giant Brewing, and Vertosa launched the Colorado Hemp Beverage Coalition to drive responsible policy reform for hemp-derived THC drinks. More info at https://cannabislaw.report/karma-koala-podcast-272-brian-vicente-on-the-launch-of-colorados-hemp-beverage-coalition-the-move-to-beverages-becoming-a-major-cog-in-the-national-cannabis-hemp-markets/

Raymond recently annouced he’s joing the Californian firm, Antithesis. I catch up with him to discuss what that means and what sort of practice he’s looking to develop. Raymond Allen is a seasoned nonprofit attorney and former in-house general counsel with two decades of experience guiding purpose-driven nonprofits and other organizations on the cutting edge of law, culture, and policy in complex and highly regulated environments. At Burning Man Project, Raymond helped lead the organization through its transformation from a limited liability company into a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with a constellation of affiliated entities. He built the legal department from the ground up and served as General Counsel during a period of significant growth, as the annual 8-day event expanded from approximately 35,000 participants in 2004 to 80,000 by 2022. His work included nonprofit, corporate governance, risk management, compliance, IP protection, contracts, employment, insurance, government affairs and just about every other area of the law imaginable. https://cannabislaw.report/karma-koala-podcast-271-raymond-allen-from-in-house-at-burning-man-maps-to-antithesis-law-challenges-of-working-in-psychedelic-law-what-that-means-in-2025/

Feldman Legal Advisors out of NY announced last month that Jessica would be advising for the firm out of the UK handling both UK & European business. We jumped on a call to discuss the sort of work she’d be doing and her thoughts on the Europe wide market at the moment. Jessica also has extensive experience at the UN which is one of the major hurdles for getting European jurisdictions across the line. More at https://cannabislaw.report/karma-koala-podcast-270-jessica-steinberg-joins-feldman-legal-advisors-pllc-as-new-uk-advisor/

Feldman Legal Advisors out of NY announced last month that Jessica would be advising for the firm out of the UK handling both UK & European business. We jumped on a call to discuss the sort of work she’d be doing and her thoughts on the Europe wide market at the moment. Jessica also has extensive experience at the UN which is one of the major hurdles for getting European jurisdictions across the line. More at https://cannabislaw.report/karma-koala-podcast-270-jessica-steinberg-joins-feldman-legal-advisors-pllc-as-new-uk-advisor/

I recently read Khalid’s latest paper “Navigating Cannabis Regulation in Morocco: Historical Context, Socio-Economic Impact, and Policy Gaps” (see below) He writes by way of introduction In August 2021, Morocco adopted Law 13–21, authorizing the medical and industrial uses of cannabis. This new law marks a break from the prohibitionist drug policy and the successive failures of alternative development programs in the country, which have been conducted since independence. While this legalization occurs in Morocco at a time when several countries around the world have legalized cannabis for medical use, twenty years ago, the idea of legalizing cannabis in the country was inconceivable. The Ministry of Interior, which leads the fight against drugs, drives this legislative change. Since the extent of cultivated areas and the scale of hashish production were revealed in official reports by the Moroccan Agency for the Development of the North and UNODC in the mid- 2000s, the stated aim of the last twenty years was to eradicate cannabis production to reduce the figures of cultivated areas and production volume. This article explores the objectives of the recent legalization of medical and industrial cannabis use by analyzing three different categories of affected populations: local consumers, producers, and exporters. While the law targets the socio-economic needs of small farmers and caters to private industrial actors in the cannabis sector, local consumers and patients are overlooked in the legalization process. Therefore, this article We speak about Morocco’s historical background with regard to cannabis production and what has changed over the last 10-15 years. Khalid gives us a quick history of what “legalization” and “regulation” means. What the current issues are and what the country is doing now to create an environmet that works for Moroccan growers and building a local sector. Learn more https://cannabislaw.report/karma-koala-podcast-269-khalid-tinasti-his-new-paper-navigating-cannabis-regulation-in-morocco-historical-context-socio-economic-impact-and-policy-gaps/

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/