As Australia’s own medical weed infrastructure grows, similar studies are being conducted on our home soil. Australia’s unique contributions to cannabis research globally can be credited not only to our network of exceptional industry researchers, but also to our unique growing conditions across arid agricultural lands. Outcomes from these homegrown studies are also playing a vital role in shaping industry regulations both in Australia and worldwide, and supporting the sustainable expansion of cannabis treatments here in Australia to include what has now grown to more than 250 eligible health conditions.
Alongside this growing evidence of the efficacies of medical cannabis and CBD oil, industry advocates are also promoting information surrounding cultivation practices across medicinal marijuana and recreational or ‘street weed’. Not all marijuana seeds are cultivated the same, and understanding the differences between heavily regulated medicinal-grade strains and recreational strains can help prospective patients better decide whether CBD treatments are the right fit for them.
Here are just a few key differences between medicinal-grade marijuana, recreational weed, and lesser-known synthetic weed products.
Medicinal marijuana: key practices and regulatory frameworks
Medicinal weed was legalised in Australia back in 2016. Ten years on, the quality and focused potency of medicinal weed products has only improved, thanks in part to ongoing investments into research exploring the chemical compositions of medicinal plants.
In Australia, medicinal-grade cannabis plants are most often grown in indoor hydroponic facilities with nutrient-rich water solutions for improved control over product quality. These grow settings also eliminate risks of contaminants like heavy metals and pesticides, supporting enhanced medicinal compounds and higher, cleaner CBD ratios for therapeutic benefits.
But the differences between medical-grade and recreational cannabis don’t just stop at propagation. Even the cultivation practices across medical-grade seeds is subject to heavy testing and regulatory compliance requirements. Medicinal weed seeds are bred for specific therapeutic cannabinoid profiles (i.e. a higher CBD to THC ratio), whereas recreational seeds prioritise cultivation of a higher THC ratio for maximum psychoactive effects.
CBD (or ‘cannabidiol’) is a non-psychoactive compound with anti-inflammatory properties, which is what makes CBD products like CBD oil effective in managing chronic pain or for soothing or calming the body and muscles. This also makes CBD products effective alternatives to traditional anti-seizure or anticonvulsant medication in cases of epilepsy.
Regulatory frameworks
Medicinal cannabis regulatory frameworks are shaped by both State and Commonwealth legislation. The United Nations’ Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs 1961 of which Australia was a signatory to, also influenced Australia’s own Narcotic Drugs Act 1967. It was this Act that was amended in 2016 (with the Narcotic Drugs Amendment Bill 2016) to ‘allow for the legal cultivation and manufacture of cannabis for medicinal and related scientific purposes in Australia’.
In Australia, all medicinal CBD products that can be prescribed by doctors or nurse practitioners must be included in the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG). If a medical practitioner seeks to prescribe a medicinal cannabis product that isn’t included in the ARTG, they will require approval from the Commonwealth Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA).
For more information on medicinal cannabis regulatory frameworks in Victoria, head to Health.vic.
How Australia is cracking down on illegal recreational weed markets
Although infrastructure for medicinal cannabis cultivation is receiving steady government investments, Australia is still adamant on cracking down on its illegal recreational weed market, with drug bust operations continuing across metro and regional areas, including here in Shepparton and the wider Riverina region.
In regional areas, ‘backyard growing’ can look a little different, with larger properties being unearthed housing over thousands of illegal cannabis plants. These large-scale illegal operations are the biggest concern for Victoria Police, simply because they speak to the existence of multi-million dollar illegal weed markets.
The main concern with illegal weed markets is the sheer lack of regulation surrounding the high-THC recreational plants and their growing conditions. In regional areas, recreational weed farms are typically established outdoors in eucalyptus forested areas in attempts to conceal larger scale operations from third party observers.
Contrastingly, commercial-scale illegal weed farming in metropolitan areas may use hydroponic cannabis setups like indoor grow tents, resulting in more controlled final products that are less likely to contain harmful contaminants, but are likely to still be ineffective for sustainably treating medical conditions like chronic pain due to the imbalance between CBD and THC profiles.
What is synthetic weed?
So is homegrown recreational weed more dangerous than medicinal-grade weed? Yes, mainly due to the lack of control over the quality of the final product. But there is one greater danger with illegal weed markets – what if the street weed you’re buying isn’t actually weed at all?
Synthetic cannabinoids (or SCs) are effectively lab-made chemicals designed to mimic the effects of THC. These SC chemicals are applied to generic dried plant materials or sold in liquid form for vape pens. This means that despite being referred to as ‘synthetic weed’, SCs don’t actually contain any part of the cannabis plant or naturally derived CBD or THC.
The health risks associated with synthetic weed have been found to be far more severe and unpredictable than the health risks associated with smoking medicinal-grade cannabis. This is primarily because there are no regulations surrounding the SC chemical compounds used to make synthetic weed products, and thus no way of knowing the long-term impacts of these compounds when ingested via smoking or vaping.
For Australians, the presence of synthetic weed products in illegal weed markets poses an evergreen threat, which is why medicinal cannabis advocates are calling for continued public support into the development of Australia’s medical marijuana sector.
What’s next for Australia’s medical weed sector?
Australia’s medicinal-grade cannabis sector is creating new jobs across the agriculture, healthcare, and research industries, with a large majority of jobs being created in regional areas. The development of cannabis facilities in regional cities like Shepparton brings industry directly to our doorsteps, alongside expanding on the accessibility of healthcare and the freedom of treatment choices to all Australians.
We’re likely to see ongoing investments into the medicinal-grade marijuana sector here in Australia, as demand for medicinal-grade CBD products continues to grow, skyrocketing cannabis farming into one of our most potent, high-opportunity new agricultural markets.
