The Australian Medicinal Cannabis Association (AMCA) has formed Australian Cannabis Cultivators (ACC) to advocate for local growers and ensure their voices are heard.
ACC joins AMCA’s three other sub-associations targeted at healthcare professionals – Cannabis Clinicians Australia (formerly the Society of Cannabis Clinicians Australian Chapter), the Australian Cannabis Nurses Association, and the Australian Cannabis Pharmacists Association.
AMCA said the new group is for “cannabis growers and researchers committed to improving product quality and production efficiencies while building a strong brand for Australian-grown cannabis”.
The idea to form a dedicated growers’ group has been a long-held ambition for AMCA’s new chair Emily Rigby.
She said: “It is paramount that we get behind our Aussie growers to improve cultivation practices. By improving product quality and production efficiencies we can better compete with imports here in Australia, while building a reputable Australian brand for international markets.
“In an industry flooded with imported medicines, it’s so important that we support and promote Australian-grown cannabis.”
Rigby will be joined on the group’s steering committee by Andrew Olley (Medicinal Harvest), Angus Murray (Cann Group) and Max Edgley (Tasmanian Botanics).
ACC will offer education through webinars, guest speakers, and peer-to-peer learning, and provide free-of-charge access to United in Compassion 2023 session recordings through AMCA’s education platform, Teach-Hub.
Membership of the new group, which will hold its first meeting in January 2024, is free for AMCA members. For more information, email info@ausmca.org.
