I came across Kwasi's paper i knew i had to speak to him about a hidden legal history and the changes in approaches to engendering change through the courts in common law countries

We also get to talk about Mr Tosh and the changes in language since the 1970's and how legal language is struggling to keep up.

Anokye's research draws heavily on African legal history, focusing on landmark decisions like Ghana's historic Nyameneba v. The Republic case. In that case, the court recognized a distinct worldview where cannabis is revered as the "herbs of life"—not a criminal drug.

Anokye warns that when a government simply "legalizes" cannabis for commercial gain, it leaves spiritual users vulnerable. True freedom requires the state to fully step back and dismantle the colonial laws that banned the plant in the first place.

⁠https://cannabislaw.report/karma-koala-podcast-322-kwasi-anokye-paper-rastafari-sacramental-use-the-limits-of-legalization-2025/⁠

I came across Neil’s report and his newly launched service.

We discuss his first comparative report and how ai can help develop cannabis policy in jurisdictions around the world

Cannavec ai

A patient-governed, evidence-first organisation that stewards the cannabis industry’s most rigorous knowledge base. We exist to ensure that the science behind cannabis is accurate, transparent, independent and accessible to everyone who needs it.

The cannabis industry has a knowledge problem. Patients make decisions based on marketing claims. Clinics prescribe without standardised evidence. AI chatbots hallucinate dosing advice. Product labels use unsubstantiated therapeutic language.

The Cannabis Knowledge Foundation was created to fix this. We maintain a curated, evidence-graded knowledge base covering cannabinoid mechanisms, clinical protocols, safety data, drug interactions, product formulations and regulatory frameworks — all reviewed by a named editorial board with real expertise and lived experience.

Through the Cannavec API, this knowledge becomes infrastructure that any clinic, platform, brand or researcher can build on. The result is an industry where every piece of cannabis information traces back to evidence.

⁠https://cannabislaw.report/karma-koala-podcast-321-neil-cartwright-uk-medical-cannabis-and-driving-law-international-comparison-using-ai-to-draft-cannabis-policy/⁠

The Koalas speak with environmental lawyer Ricky Stone about the Monica Cromhout case and what they hope they can highlight and change with the case in regard to constitutional law in South Africa.

There’s already some element of jurisprudence post the Dagga Couple case.

As i say in the introduction South Africa may well start to lead on this issue in the courts and once again it’s their constitution that allows for a wide ranging debate

During the Hogsback Mushroom Festival and Symposium in mid-March 2026, environmental lawyer Ricky Stone announced a landmark legal challenge against South Africa’s criminalization of psilocybin (magic mushrooms) for therapeutic use.

Key Details of the Challenge

• The Objective: Stone aims to challenge laws under the Drugs and Drug Trafficking Act and the Medicines and Related Substances Act that currently ban the use, possession, and dealing of psilocybin.
• The Catalyst: The case is centered on Monica Cromhout, an 84-year-old trauma counselor and healer from Somerset West. She was arrested in December 2014 after a client reported her to the police while still under the influence of psilocybin during a guided therapy session.
• Legal Argument: Stone argues that these are “earth medicines” with thousands of years of ancestral and cultural use. He advocates for social interventions rather than “blunt-force criminal laws” to handle drug use, emphasizing their role in treating mental health struggles and protecting psychological integrity.

Read More at
https://cannabislaw.report/karma-koala-podcast-320-ricky-stone-lawyer-south-africa-the-monica-cromhout-case-fungi-is-the-real-ai-ancestral-intelligence/

Great conversation with Bart who worked for MJ Biz as a journalist when the floodgates opened and yes it was the wild west of cannabis for a while.

Bart captures the essence of that time and the people involved in what was then, the nascent cannabis industry.

We talk about why he wrote the book, what he and his characters learnt, what he thinks now looking back at that time.

Of the book, reviewers frequently compare Schaneman’s evocative, earth-toned style to authors like Joan Didion and John Steinbeck, so he’s doing pretty well there !

As they say in the publishing world here’s the blurb

Denver, 2019: After one of their marijuana dispensaries is robbed, Taylor Hobson and Danielle Garcia hatch a plan to make back the money. When that ends in disaster, the two friends agree to allow their sales manager to implement aggressive and quasi-legal sales practices. Soon, their reputation as the go-to place to load up on marijuana beyond the legal limit spirals out of control.

Meanwhile, Henry Kaufman is back from a multiple-year stint in Asia. As he attempts to adjust to the reverse culture shock of returning to America, he bounces around, looking for a decent job. He asks his old friends for work at one of their dispensaries, and they agree to hire him as a budtender. He finally has the material to write the investigative journalism piece to make his name as a writer, but at what cost?


https://cannabislaw.report/karma-koala-podcast-319-bart-schaneman-author-of-novel-the-pot-job-denver-in-the-time-of-the-pre-covid-cannabis-goldrush/

The koalas are back with the latest instalment of Steve’s long and storied life in cannabis.

The 1980’s wasn’t all just funny haircuts, Wall Street and the arrival of Bill & Steve it was also the Reagan adminsitration and the so called “war on drugs” , “Just Say No”, “The Parents Movement” and silly ads like this..

See it all at

https://cannabislaw.report/karma-koala-podcast-318-the-deangelo-chronicles-part-5-the-1980s-its-time-for-reagan-the-war-on-drugs-the-parents-movement-and-the-cocaine-blizzard/

First up apologies for some of the gremlins on the host tal;king. Not sure what happened there!

In this episode i speak with Malaysia based Johan Mohamad, a pioneer in the hemp industry across ASEAN and we talk about what’s happening across the region in terms of research, policy and government action. A lot more than you would imagine

Thanks to Johan and enjoy

Johan Mohamad is a pioneer in the hemp industry across ASEAN and the Chairperson of KannaHemp Summit 3.0, taking place in Chiang Mai this December.

Johan began his journey in community advocacy, leading a zero-waste campaign that impacted over 200,000 students before co-founding MCARE Society to support patients and families.

His path took a deeply personal turn when his son was diagnosed with synovial sarcoma, leading him to explore alternative support systems and ultimately into the hemp industry.

Today, Johan works at the intersection of policy, research, and international collaboration — building bridges between ASEAN and Europe to develop a responsible and sustainable hemp ecosystem

Kannahemp Summit embodies the spirit of Southeast Asia collaboration, working together to engage relevant stakeholders from their respective countries. Members and partners interested in participating, collaborating, or supporting this regional initiative are warmly invited to join.

⁠https://cannabislaw.report/karma-koala-podcast-317-johan-mohamad-a-pioneer-in-the-hemp-industry-across-asean/⁠

Sarah Strickler and her husband founded Grown Rogue over a decade ago.

Operating out of southern Oregon the company is expanding nationwide.

The koalas speak to Sarah about growing a company in Oregon and building it organically throughout the country while no overacrching federal regulatory system exists.

An interesting conversation and certainly one that illustrates how legislatures across the country have stacked opportunities against companies like Grown Rogue who are looking to build on good product, consumer awareness of that product and a steady as you go philosophy.

Thankyou Sarah for taking time to talk to the koalas.

Learn more at

⁠https://cannabislaw.report/karma-koala-podcast-316-sarah-strickler-grown-rogue-oregon/⁠

I noted via Linked In that Kimberly had written a paper on mushroom churches in the US.

She’s just started her study but initial findings are interesting ( and not that surprising) In the main churches appear to operate as businesses, there’s little or no link to indigenous history and the majority of shamans appear to be just someone deciding they are a shaman.

The conversation told me one thing.

Things are going to get worse before they get better

Thankyou to Kimberly for making these initial investigations. She promises there is more to come.

Learn more

⁠https://cannabislaw.report/karma-koala-podcast-315-kimberly-melgoza-mushroom-churches-usa-2026-initial-study/⁠