From pot publicity stunts to art installations and commercial growing operations, we chat to three of the country’s leading wizards of weed who are fast becoming the catalysts in the fight to legalise marijuana in Oz…
In the burgeoning Australian cannabis industry, there are a number of personalities that have been staples in the small-yet-passionate community. Driven individuals who have been promoting legalisation and sensible cannabis reform for over a decade, and moving the conversation to the mainstream. Part of these efforts have been the public art installations by the Who Are We Hurting? team, consisting of artists and advocates from The Craze Collective company and athletes from the Ballin’ On A Budget media company. They have been responsible for a number of large-scale cannabis installations and publicity stunts on April 20 (aka 420, the international day for cannabis-related protests and events) for the past five years.
Cannabis legalisation may seem inevitable at this point, as we see the acceptance of cannabis (not only medicinally, but recreationally) become more and more accepted by the international community. For those in the know, it can be frustrating watching Australia lag behind our peers in this area, especially if you’ve dedicated much of your life to promoting legalisation or understanding the biology behind cannabis production. You’d be hard pressed to find many people more “in the know” than these local Kings of Cannabis.
The founder of Indicated Technology, Tom Forrest (yes, that’s seriously his surname) is a certified horticulturist working in the Australian medical cannabis space. He has spent the better part of the past decade working in the protected cropping industry and, as the Communications Manager for Stealth Garden Wholesale, he brings the very best in horticultural supplies to the Australian industry. Tom also has been instrumental in teaching medicinal cannabis cultivation via Indicated Technology, with courses hosted in various university and private education programs.
You recently visited 50 commercial growing operations around the world, including ones in Canada, Europe, Slovenia and Israel. What were some of the commonalities you found between these countries and can Australia learn from them?
As part of my Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Fellowship, I was fortunate to visit more than 50 cannabis cultivation sites across 10 countries. I found that cultivators worldwide had differing approaches to medical cannabis cultivation varying from heavily automated, high-tech CEA (Controlled Environment Agriculture) to traditional organic broad acre outdoor cultivation, and everything in between. The commonalities were primarily around the aversion to pest and disease. Regardless of which cultivation method was preferred, it was evident that pest and disease (primarily grey-mould/botrytis and powdery mildew) were causing headaches for growers worldwide. For those utilising protected cropping it was evident that fungal diseases (i.e. mildews) were caused by inept environmental control such as lack of dehumidifiers or inadequate airflow hardware. While for those outdoors it became clear that pests (such as caterpillars or mites) were enemy number one, however the specific type of pest drastically depended on the location of the site. Australia and New Zealand can learn from countries with a functioning legal framework by adopting cultivation methods best suited to the location of the facility (latitude, daylight hours and microclimate are crucial) while trialling different methods of cultivation for different commodities. For example to grow for milled biomass suitable for extraction would look very different to cultivating a manicured flower.
What is the most technologically advanced cannabis facility you’ve seen?
Aurora Sky in Vancouver, Canada, was breathtaking — a truly exceptional progression in automation and high-density cultivation. Although it still had room for improvement, John Barnet and his team had designed and implemented a world class (‘Sky Class’) facility that was pioneering in the Canadian industry. The overwhelmingly pleasant smell and sheer scale of the site was awe inspiring. The unique technologies and their refining of novel technologies were an example of Canadian ingenuity. There is nothing in Australia that compares to Aurora Sky – which is logical due to the size of our industry. Right now we have a stifled medicinal market and industry hindered by red tape resulting in slow growth and patient uptake. Our limited patient numbers do not yet justify a 600,000 square feet of canopy! If we move to a progressive medicinal and nutraceutical framework, and onto an adult-use market – then the Australian industry would benefit from these large scale facilities – providing jobs, ancillary industry growth, significant revenue and investment into a growing agricultural sector.
Are you an advocate of full recreational legalisation and sale of cannabis in Australia?
Personally, I believe in a functioning legalisation framework for adult-use and a decriminalisation model. I believe we can learn crucial lessons from the U.S. dispensaries for point of sale, Spanish Social Clubs for safe and discreet consumption lounges, and from the Canadian model for licensing of large producers alongside micro-processors. I do not believe any country currently has the complete “right answer” for legalisation. I think the proposed New Zealand adult-use framework was getting very close, but frustratingly was hindered by a referendum negatively influenced by irrelevant worldwide groups with vested interests. This framework accounted for cultivation, consumption, harm minimisation and the local community. It shows that we are aiming in the right direction.
So, what kind of program do you see working in Australia?
Overall, I believe we could take a “treat bud like beer” approach – i.e. home brewing becomes “home cultivation”, and include a legal framework of licensed growers, manufacturers and dispensaries and social clubs. Tax and regulate with freedom for home gardening enthusiasts. Right now in Australia we have billions of dollars being stifled into the black market whereby we could instead be using these funds for education, agronomic development alongside harm minimisation and community outreach strategies. Treat cannabis users like humans, rather than demonised criminals, and provide feasible access for medicinal patients that is not cost prohibitive to those who need it most.
Tell us about your operations and business in Australia and where would you like to be in the Australian industry in the near future?
I’m currently working with Stealth Garden Wholesale – www.stealth-garden.com – importer of premium horticultural supplies and equipment. I also co-founded Indicated Technology www.indicated-technology.com which supplies hardware (horticultural lighting, dehumidifiers and consumables, i.e. substrates and fertigation solutions) to commercial medical cannabis farms. And, most recently, I co-founded Puro New Zealand – www.puro.co.nz – the largest cultivator of medicinal cannabis in New Zealand, based in Marlborough in the South Island of Aotearoa. In the near future, I believe I can help the industry to grow, sustainably. I want to continue to promote regenerative agriculture and ethical farming practices, while simultaneously advocating for a functioning legal framework. At the same time I hope to establish lawful, advanced cannabis breeding programs with the end-goal of working towards my own Australian farm with vineyards, hemp and cannabis breeding on a beautiful rural escape. ■
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