So he built Cannabias

In June 2025, after months of waiting, I finally had my first appointment to be prescribed medical cannabis.

Like many patients, I felt relieved — legal, safe, and finally confident in what I was consuming.

Or at least, that’s what I believed.

Then reality set in.

A month later, I needed a new prescription. My tolerance had changed, and I wanted to explore my options.

But as I copied product names into Google, I quickly realised the truth:

Verified patient experiences? Nowhere to be found

If you’ve felt that same frustration, CannaBias was built for you.

It started with a question nobody could answer.Reviews were vague and difficult to trustBatch numbers were missing

Read more

⁠https://cannabislaw.report/karma-koala-podcast-313-arron-dando-uk-cannabias-a-new-website-built-for-british-patients-to-provide-data-and-knowledge-on-the-provision-of-medical-cannabis-in-the-country/⁠

We discuss his research of other jurisdictions around the world,  Canada, UK, Australia & New Zealand and how some of their solutions / approaches may work in the South African context.

Thato will be talking about his research at the Cape Town International Cannabis Symposium 25-27 on the following panel

Learn More

⁠https://cannabislaw.report/karma-koala-podcast-312-thato-lentsoe-law-lecturer-labour-law-constitutional-law-and-human-rights-university-of-kwa-zulu-natal-employments-rights-cannabis-testing-in-south-africa/⁠

Amongst the things we discuss are

Applying law mindfullyTalking about what psychedelic lawyering might meanThe embodiment of learning in lawWorking toward new outcomesLawyer as healer

What counsellor at law might meanInternational indigenous legal traditions

Learn more here

⁠https://cannabislaw.report/karma-koala-podcast-311-christian-holden-psychedelic-law-embody-the-law-not-just-regurgitate-it/⁠

and with $USD27K in his case + some thai sticks things got a bit serious.

Hear about his first experience of incarceration and dealing with the US legal system.

We also learn about the life of a Yippe in the 1970’s and activism vs the Grateful Dead culture permeating the SF side of the bay.

In the conversation we also take in Nelson Rockerfeller, Jerry Rubin, Paraquat and more

https://cannabislaw.report/karma-koala-podcast-310-the-deangelo-chronicles-part-4-the-mid-1970s-first-bust-and-experience-of-the-us-legal-system-being-a-full-time-yippie-paraquat/

Meanwhile christians of many sects around the world remember Jesus of Nazareth’s death.

I thought that this would be the perfect day to talk to Mike about the type of christianity that most would identify with through readings of the James II new testament. The desire to help others less fortunate than oneself.

Mike talks about his initiative, The Gaza Free People’s Kitchen, and his hopes to set up a  similar initiative in the Lebanonat a time when it estimated that there are a million displaced people in the country.

We also talk about cannabis and activism in general and the fact that although  it might be down at the moment  it definitely isn’t out in the USA .

Mike is positive that cannabis and activism is on the return and the more people i talk to in 2026 i feel that groundswell too.

Thanks for listening

Connect with the kitchen here

⁠https://www.instagram.com/free_peoples_kitchen__gaza/⁠

⁠https://cannabislaw.report/karma-koala-podcast-309-special-good-friday-episode-mike-fantasia-cannabis-consultant-usa-and-his-initiative-the-gaza-free-peoples-kitchen/⁠

Ken is one of those voices and i’ll be listening to this conversation of mine with him  every time the news drives me crazy , which is about daily at the moment.

We discuss the current us industrial agricultural environment, the food crisis in America, working globally on an equal footing with partners, education, helping the next generations and changing the story about hemp as a crop.

Essentially, all the good stuff!

Talking to him I’m reminded of a US farmer & president from the 1970’s.. Maybe it’s time for Ken Elliott for president!

Although I think I’d prefer he stay with us in the world of hemp and cannabis

Learn More

⁠https://cannabislaw.report/karma-koala-podcast-308-ken-elliott-ind-hemp-montana-building-a-grassroots-global-network-respecting-everybody-else-do-what-you-to-create-change/⁠

That discovery as a young man doing a hospitality degree in NSW has led him to the world of hemp and his company Delta Botanicals and Research a Government of India’s DIPP recognized startup.

Their vision is to lead India in establishing the development & production of safe, regulated hemp/cannabis derived commercial products, medical therapies & validated research protocols. 

Vikram Mitra grew up in the State of Odisha with aspirations towards one day entering the medical field.  His studies eventually led him to Australia where he was first introduced to the most recent legal, technological and ideological advancements in hemp related product development.

His passion for the subject grew as he considered the potential for a legitimate hemp industry in his homeland, despite decades of legal challenges imposed on this herb utilized by Indians for thousands of years.  Upon his return to India in 2009, Mr. Mitra, full of youth and optimism, set out to break logistical barriers.

When a family member was diagnosed with Glioblastoma Multiforme, a lethal brain tumor, he was reminded how impossible it was to find legal, effective palliative remedies made with hemp/cannabis and he was forced again to reconcile with complex legal and political realities.  In the many years since,

Mr. Mitra has devoted his work towards assisting with regulation development and research related to realizing a path to safe, legal and effective cannabis based therapies and hemp industrial pathways.

I could talk about things India all day and all night!

⁠https://cannabislaw.report/karma-koala-podcast-307-vikram-mitra/⁠

The Essential Cannabis Book: Understanding, Appreciating, Cultivating, and Cooking with Marijuana

A thorough, accessible guide to exploring the world of cannabis, with tips and insights for beginners and seasoned users alike.

The cannabis landscape is quickly evolving as legalization efforts expand across the US and around the world. Research increasingly shows the health benefits of cannabinoids and their promise as alternative treatments for pain, insomnia, seizures, anxiety, and more. But after decades of stigma and criminalization, many who would like to start using, growing, or cooking with cannabis don’t know where to begin. 

The Essential Cannabis Book is the road map for anyone curious about this booming new industry. Rob Mejia’s journey into the world of cannabis education began when his family sought treatments for his sister’s pain in her final days battling cancer, and he quickly found himself fielding questions about cannabis from friends and colleagues who were frustrated with the lack of reliable information. Mejia breaks down the complex history and science of this ancient plant, explains the current legal and regulatory framework in different states and countries, and shares personal stories from those in the cannabis community, from a hemp-farming nun to one of the first patients to receive medical cannabis from the US government.

With a glossary of terms, detailed lists of the effects of different cannabinoids and strains, steps for visiting a dispensary or starting to homegrow, and delicious recipes for aspiring canna-chefs, this guide is the essential resource for anyone curious about cannabis.

We also talk about cannabis eduction- See his website to learn more ⁠https://robmejia.com/⁠

Rob teaches at Stockton and we talk about how the curriculum has developed over the years

⁠https://stockton.edu/employee-directory/mejia-robert.html ⁠

We also chat about his home state NJ and what recent developments of note are worth a discussion.

⁠https://cannabislaw.report/karma-koala-podcast-306-rob-meija-stockton-university-the-2nd-ed-of-his-title-the-essential-cannabis-book-understanding-appreciating-cultivating-and-cooking-with-marijuana/⁠

We discuss her discovery of medical cannabis via a you tube video after the death of her sister and her subsequent engagement with the South African medical community and decade of learning about the Endocannabinoid System (ECS).

As well as Carol’s Oil, Sharon spends a lot of her energy these days educating others on medical training with regard to plant medicine.

The Truth Is Out There.


https://cannabislaw.report/karma-koala-podcast-305-sharon-price-carols-oils-medical-cannabis/

Of Native American and Italian heritage Mike found himself heading to prison in his late teens because a friend had stashed some weed under the seat in his car.

His lawyer said he’d beat the rap but he didn’t. So, as a late teen it was off to prison and a rapid education plus networking in the world of Massachusetts drug distribution. Out of prison at 19 nobody would give him a job so the only way to pay the bills was entry into what they call  the legacy market in the US.

Inevitably another spell in prison followed in his mid 30’s at the same time legalization hit the state.

This time he came out found work as a budtender, learnt the ropes of a nascent industry and now runs his own consultancy advising cannabis companies how to operate in Massachusetts.

But that’s only the half of it Mike has spent his adult life involved in native rights and after seeing a perfunctory report on American news media a decade ago about a children’s hospital in Gaza being attacked he decided to contribute rather than just watch and has opend up a food kitchen in Gaza with a new one to be opened in the Lebanon as we speak.

Frankly i can’t understand why it isn’t people like Mike running the Massachusetts CCC and similar state and national organisations rather than the legions of halfwits and less than savoury lawyers that dominate the cannabis NGO space in the country. I doubt he’d want their jobs but the state  and the industry should be paying much more attention to him and people like him if they want something that works and delivers on equity.

In a world where the ugly American currently rules the popular imagination it is an honour to speak to the real, authentic soul of the country through Mike and others like him who remind me of the type of characters John Dos Passos wrote about prior to WW2.

I’ll be speaking to Mike in the next couple of months about his work in the middle east.

The Massachusetts CCC
All they do is screw around in a conference room, it’s a shit show

Massachusetts Cannabis Market
Saturation, there’s  too much cultivation,  way too much retail , too much of everything. Mass is currently producing 10x of the distillate and biomass that it estimated the market of the state needs

Most important changes that need to be made in the state?
Make access for medical patients easier
Concentrate on education normalise cannabis

Talking about the Netherlands & The US
The coffeeshop vibe, I think that’s the right approach. In the states it was Business 101  straight out of the gate and there’s an element of failure in that

https://cannabislaw.report/karma-koala-podcast-304-mike-fantasia-massachusetts-cannabis-felon-to-cannabis-consultant-who-also-runs-a-food-kitchen-in-gaza/

You would have thought that’s where his troubles might have ended, but no, the politics of non-profits involved in aiding the release of non violent cannabis prisoners were about to add a few more chapters to the saga that still sits with him today.

Read more
https://cannabislaw.report/karma-koala-podcast-303-craig-cesal-federal-cannabis-prisoner-19-years-discusses-oversight-in-the-role-of-non-profits-involved-in-advocating-the-release-of-incarcerated-individuals/

Anyone who is a serious follower of political developments outside the North Americal imperial bubble will know that out there in the hinterlands there’s been a Gen Z led cultural and political revolution in Nepal that aims to change the country from top to bottom and talking to Pratik he epitomizes those changes in thinking.. not the old guard, not the maoists but something new for the 21st century that draws on the country’s community and spiritual beliefs without forgetting that they are part of a bigger wider world.

We talk, hemp, cannabis, India, China, sustainability and capitalism, Buddhism and more.

These young Nepalese want to do things differently and in hemp and cannabis their thinking is a very refreshing antidote to what i’m reading daily about “the industry” .

Pragmatism & practicality not forgetting community, sustainability and spirituality whilst engaing with the world, capital & technology that adds rather than detracts. Pratik’s tagline is “Steering Holistic Development”. Sound good to me.

As always I hope you enjoy the conversation as much as I did.

Joseph came to hemp via a series of, as Lemony Snicket would put it, unfortunate events.

But those events led to inquisitive acts, research,  political action and global connections and consolidation.

On the way he ended up in the Kentucky Governor’s office as well the state’s Supreme court along with his newfound fellow traveller, actor Woody Harrelson and also connecting with hemp activists and experts around the world.

Once again it is a story of the people vs capital and politics, but that is as it is,  and Joseph’s telling of the story explains why in the end why he and all like him are on the right side of history.

I’m not one much for old testament analogies as I veer towards Mr Hitchen’s view of religion, but that being said,  the story of Joseph and his coat of many colours rising from slavery to save Egypt from famine has somewhat of a hemp / cannabis ring to it.

Thankyou Joseph and I look foward to our next chat to discuss all those things happening in hemp at the moment that give us reason the celebrate.

More at
https://cannabislaw.report/karma-koala-podcast-301-josesph-hickey-snr-adventures-in-hemp-totally-different-from-any-crop-out-there-it-can-house-clothe-feed-medicate-you-yet-capital-and-politics-conspire-to-control/

In episode 3 it’s time for High School in Washington DC, becoming a small time pot dealer, leaving school at 16  and engaging with politics and the Yippies and meeting Dana Beal.

Listen and also there's lots more inf at
https://cannabislaw.report/karma-koala-podcast-300-washington-dc-high-school-pot-dealer-the-yippies-out-of-school-into-the-game/

As you’ll hear he knows just about everything you need to know about the US hemp market and why and how it exists as it does.

Yet another fascinating discussion about how US politics, capital and markets work to create the hemp ecosystem as you see it now in the US.

Chris reminds a rather cynical koala that it isn’t all bad headlines.

https://cannabislaw.report/karma-koala-podcast-299-chris-fontes-cannabis-rule-breaker-turned-legislation-whisperer-explains-where-us-hemp-for-human-consumption-is-as-of-march-2026/