More Victorian children will have access to medicinal cannabis as a result of an expansion to the Andrews Labor Government’s compassionate access scheme.

Minister for Health Jenny Mikakos announced the scheme would be increased from 60 to 90 places for children with intractable epilepsy – epilepsy where conventional treatments fail to control seizures.

The scheme was originally announced in 2017, when only 29 places were provided. While slots will have tripled with this expansion, whether that even touches the side of demand isn’t clear.

Victoria has been somewhat of a trailblazer on the cannabis front in Australia. The Access to Medicinal Cannabis Bill 2015 was introduced to Parliament back in December of that year.

“We were brave with our reform to help families who were forced to choose between watching their children suffer or break the law,” said Minister Mikakos. “Thanks to our lead, medicinal cannabis is now legal in Australia.”

The Victorian Government lays claim to forcing the Commonwealth to act, but while medical cannabis may now be legal in Australia, it’s still not easily accessible to all those who could benefit from it.

The Victorian Government has also been growing its own cannabis – but it will no longer be used in cannabidiol medicines according to Minister Mikakos. Instead it will be provided for use in health and medical research and clinical trials.

The Government has 12 kilograms of purified crystallised cannabidiol produced in the state. Victoria’s Department of Health and Human Services will soon implement an expression of interest process for medical researchers to apply to access the cannabidiol – and no doubt quite a few hands will go up.

The state’s compassionate access scheme is currently using  pharmaceutical grade cannabidiol from Canada – in the past that has been supplied by Tilray.

The Andrews Labor Government also took the opportunity during the announcement to boast of the medical cannabis companies already establishing themselves in Victoria; generating up to 500 local jobs.

“The Labor Government will continue to lead the way in developing a robust medicinal cannabis industry – making Victoria a hub for ground-breaking research and development,” it states.

In August this year, Australia’s Cannatrek announced it had secured planning permission for what it says will be one of the world’s largest medical cannabis facilities. To be constructed in the Greater Shepparton City Council region, the venture is expected to create around 400 local jobs.

Let's face it, in one way or another, technological advancements have altered nearly every facet of our lives — and smoking weed is certainly no exception. In fact, as ongoing legalization efforts have birthed a rigorous and dynamic market, tech-savvy companies are developing innovative products that provide people with new ways to get stoned or seek therapeutic relief. 

There are, of course, those who prefer the traditional consumption methods — hand-rolled joints, bongs, one-hitters, among many other tools of classic stoner culture. But some are venturing outside of the norm, seeking out more exciting, more potent, and more convenient approaches to using cannabis. 

Here are eight tech-minded weed products that have caught the cannabis community's collective eye.

OTTO

OTTO by Banana Brothers makes the perfect preroll a snap, finely grinding coarse herb and packing it into king-size cones.

Image credit: Gina Coleman/Weedmaps

Automatic joint rollers and grinders aren't exactly groundbreaking devices, but the OTTO automatic cone filling machine from Banana Brothers manages to merge both product types into a must-have device for king-size joint lovers. While filling a pre-rolled joint isn't exactly rocket science, the manual process of loading it with bud can lead to sticky fingers and a poorly packed joint. The Banana Brothers' OTTO aims to address these inconveniences by creating a machine that finely grinds up your herb and evenly deposits it into the cone.   

The company claims that its grinder utilizes smart technology to grind weed, depositing finely ground flower directly into a pre-rolled king-size cone. This automatic grinder is reportedly capable of detecting density, moisture level, texture, and flower consistency, which it uses to adjust the pressure, speed, and direction for an optimal grind. 

Price: $130

PAX 3

PAX 3 is a versatile vaporizer ideal for concentrate and flower consumers alike. The accompanying app gives precise temperature control and management of vapor and flavor output.

Image credit: Gina Coleman/Weedmaps

Among the most popular devices on the cannabis vaporizer market, the PAX 3 is a hybrid portable vape that is compatible with both flower and concentrate. Now on the third iteration of PAX, the latest device comes with a concentrate adapter that can be inserted into the dual-use chamber, and a half-pack oven lid to reduce the flower chamber in half.

The PAX 3 itself has plenty to boast about, but what really sets this tech-minded product apart from other modern vaporizers is the PAX Mobile App, which connects to the PAX 3 via Bluetooth and provides the user with full control over the device temperature, manage vapor and flavor output, lock the device, play games, and also automatically update the firmware. With precise temperature control, consumers are able to pinpoint and save their favorite vape temperature settings. Whether that be for optimal terpene flavors or maximum vapor clouds, it's totally up to the consumer. 

Price: $199.99 for device only/$249.99 for complete kit

Puffco Peak

The Puffco Peak is equal parts style and substance. The $379.99 electronic vaporizer mapes dabbing simple. Puffco Peaks have also inspired talented heady glass artists to create eye-catching custom piece.

Image credit: Gina Coleman/Weedmaps

A trailblazer among electronic dab rigs, the Puffco Peak is a portable electronic vaporizer that is designed to make the concentrate consumption process less messy and time-consuming, eliminating the manual parts of the dabbing process, such as heating up your nail and waiting for it to cool. Dubbed as a “smart rig,” the Puffco Peak features a single button that is used to control the power and temperature settings, making the dabbing process as straightforward and approachable as possible.

Dabbers can either pre-load concentrate into the chamber before heating it up or perform a more traditional experience by dabbing the concentrate once it reaches the set temperature. Outside of being an incredibly convenient and sleek e-rig, Puffco also offers customers the ability to personalize their Peak with colored glass attachments, carb caps, or ball caps. 

Price: $379.99

Focus V Carta

The Focus V Carta is a lower-price competitor to Puffco's Peak. It has one-button control, changeable batteries, and heats quickly.

Image credit: Gina Coleman/Weedmaps

Vying for the same e-rig market as the Puffco Peak, the Focus V Carta is another advanced e-rig that is reshaping the way that concentrates are consumed. It's compact, portable, sleek, and allows consumers to enjoy temperature-controlled and water filtered concentrate vapors. The Carta comes with a travel pouch that is stocked with swappable titanium and quartz buckets, a dab tool, carb cap, and alcohol wipes for cleaning.

Like the Puffco Peak, the Focus V Carta utilizes a single button to operate the device and jump between different heat settings. However, there are also a couple of notable differences between the two e-rigs. The Focus V is slightly more compact than the Peak, it heats up quicker, and also allows users to swap out batteries when the device loses its charge, making it slightly more appealing to those who want to travel without having to worry about constantly recharging it.   

Price: $250

DaVinci IQ

The DaVinci IQ prompts information to users with an array of 51 lights, and offers an app to control the vaporization experience. With additional attachments, the DaVinci IQ can be transformed into a bubble or nectar collector.

Image credit: Courtesy of DaVinci

The DaVinci IQ is another herbal vaporizer that has become more popular among tech-minded cannabis consumers. The IQ doesn't look nor act like a typical vaporizer device, which is evident by its 51-light grid that both displays information on your vape session and has a sophisticated, tech-forward aesthetic appeal. Featuring a zirconia ceramic airpath, and what the manufacturer has dubbed as “Smart Path Technology,” DaVinci IQ users are able to quickly cycle between four temperature settings. 

Like the PAX 3, this device is compatible with a mobile app that provides full control over each vape session and also enables you to track your overall usage. Offering 1 1/2 hours of usage time, the users can keep a spare set of 18650 batteries to ensure that their session doesn't end when the batteries run out of juice. Last but not least, the DaVinci IQ can also be transformed into a bubble or nectar collector with additional attachments. 

Price: $275

Genius Pipe — TOP Secret Stealth

The Genius Pipe is a waterless device with micro-vortices to cool and filter smoke. Its cover also reduces weed odors and keeps flower from falling out of the bowl.

Image credit: Courtesy of Genius Pipe

Designed for the tech-minded person with a preference for stealthy and discreet consumption, the Genius Pipe is a sleek device made to consume flower. Within the Genius Pipe's minimalistic anodized aluminum body is a patented dimple design, which creates tons of micro-vortices to filter and cool the smoke without any water. 

There are other features that set the Genius Pipe apart from your average spoon or one-hitter. This piece comes equipped with a magnetic sliding cover that reduces odors and keeps your herb from falling out of the bowl. The compact, discreet nature of the Genius Pipe makes it the perfect travel companion. Lastly, you can choose from a slew of colors and personalized graphics that Genius has made available, including Rastafari Lion and Mona Lisa.  

Price: $75 - $120

Hydrology9 Vaporizer

Cloudious9's Hydrology9 has a lava lamp-like appearance for its “tunnel tube” liquid filtration system for vaporizing flower.

Image credit: Courtesy of Cloudious9

The Hydrology9 by Cloudious9 is another unique vaporizer that looks and functions similar to the Puffco Peak and Carta V, but is instead geared toward vaporizing flower instead of concentrates. Packed within this cylindrical borosilicate glass-made device is a liquid filtration system, which uses Cloudious9's patent-pending “tunnel tube” design to filter vapors without obstructing their flow. 

The flower chamber is made of food-grade porcelain and includes a microchip processor that focuses on temperature control and quickly makes adjustments if needed. The Hydrology9 also comes with a built-in hook-shaped device to stir around the flower and ensure that the heat

is evenly distributed throughout the chamber and every piece of flower is properly vaporized.

Price: $199

Nova Decarboxylator

The Nova Decarboxylator might be your new favorite kitchen companion.

Image credit: Courtesy of Ardent

Every chef has his or her favorite cooking tool, and for those who prefer to apply their culinary skills to cannabis-infused recipes, the Nova Decarboxylator might be your new favorite kitchen companion. With the push of a single button, this compact decarboxylator is able to activate your flower, kief, or concentrates without producing a heavy odor. 

The device holds up to one ounce of cannabis flower, depending on the density and consistency of the bud, and between 5 to 6 ounces (142-170 grams) of kief. The decarb process takes around an hour or fifteen minutes, and the Nova is equipped with two sensors that monitor the temperature to ensure that your cannabis is not burned or unactivated. Not only can the Nova Decarboxylator be used to concoct tasty edibles, decarbed herb can also be used to prepare topicals, to fill into capsules, or even to be eaten in flower form. 

Price: $210

CannTrust Holdings Inc. is planning to destroy approximately $77 million worth of cannabis as the beleaguered pot producer seeks to restore regulatory compliance.

In a press release issued on Thanksgiving Monday, CannTrust said it will not challenge Health Canada’s Sept. 17 decision to suspend the company’s sales and production licences. Instead, CannTrust said it “remains focused on working collaboratively and transparently with the regulator to address the company’s non-compliance matters.”

Those “non-compliance matters” first came to light in early July when CannTrust disclosed that it had run afoul of Health Canada due to unlicensed production at its Pelham, Ont. facility. 

That was the spark for a devastating  production scandal — replete with a whistleblower’s allegations of fake walls that were installed to shield illegal production from regulators, and internal documents obtained by BNN Bloomberg that suggested some CannTrust employees attempted to conceal black market cannabis seeds that were apparently brought into one of the company’s facilities last year. 

Along the way, former CEO Peter Aceto was fired, Chairman Eric Paul was ousted, CannTrust hired a financial advisor for its review of strategic alternatives, and disclosed that “matters and parties” related to the company were under investigation by the Ontario Securities Commission’s Joint Serious Offences Team. 

On Monday, CannTrust said it sent Health Canada an outline of its proposed remediation plan, which includes steps such as unspecified measures to recover unauthorized cannabis, a pledge to “improve key personnel’s knowledge of, and compliance with” regulations, and improvements to internal record-keeping. 

The company said it expects to provide a detailed remediation plan to Health Canada by Oct. 21.

In conjunction with its remediation proposal, CannTrust said it is necessary to destroy approximately $12 million worth of biological assets and $65 million worth of inventory that wasn’t authorized under the company’s licence, including material that was returned by patients, distributors and retailers. 

“CannTrust is confident that its detailed remediation plan will not only address all of the compliance issues identified by Health Canada, but it will also build a best-in-class compliance environment for the future. … Our goal is to meet and exceed Health Canada’s regulatory standard, and to rebuild the trust and confidence of our primary regulator, investors, patients, and customers,” said CannTrust interim Chief Executive Officer Robert Marcovitch in the press release. 

CannTrust’s New York-listed shares rose 13 per cent to close at $1.04 Monday. 

As the legalization of marijuana sweeps across the United States, the issue of driving under the influence presents itself as a major sticking point in states considering fully legal weed.

A Northern California-based company might have the answer. Hound Labs has developed a portable breathalyzer that is able to detect the presence of both alcohol and THC in the blood.

The company also claims its product, the first of its kind, can detect THC levels ingested via edibles.

According to the company’s website, once the breath samples from the driver have been collected, the device’s cartridge is transferred to a portable processor that screens the samples for alcohol and THC.

“Within a few minutes, the results for both alcohol and THC are displayed. If desired, the cartridge can be saved so the second sample can be analyzed in the future,” Hound Labs say.

The chief executive and co-founder of Hound Labs, Mike Lynn, is also an emergency medicine physician and has worked with researchers from the University of California at Berkeley and San Francisco on the Hound Marijuana Breathalyzer.

“It’s about creating a balance of public safety and fairness. I’ve seen the tragedies resulting from impaired driving up close. And I have a good idea how challenging it is at the roadside to know whether someone smoked pot recently. But I believe if someone is not stoned, they shouldn’t be arrested,” Lynn told The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Lynn expects the device to be ready by the second half of next year.

Hound Labs recently raised $30 million in its Series D round of funding led by Intrinsic Capital Partners.

“With commercial production of its marijuana breathalyzer already underway, Hound Labs is optimally positioned to meet the pent-up demand for the only tool that measures recent marijuana use without identifying someone who legally consumed marijuana the prior night or last weekend,” Howard Goodwin, a partner at Intrinsic Capital Partners, stated on the occasion.

The effects of the legalization of recreational marijuana on road safety is an emerging issue as an increasing number of states move to allow it. One survey released earlier this year suggested that half of marijuana users in the US consider driving while high to be safe.

The study conducted by PSB Research and Buzzfeed News found that 48% of cannabis users feel safe behind the wheel while under the influence of weed, while 46% disagreed.

Although research on the dangers of driving while high is limited, federal government researchers at The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) cite several papers on their website that point to the perilous relationship between driving and marijuana use.

“Marijuana significantly impairs judgment, motor coordination, and reaction time, and studies have found a direct relationship between blood THC concentration and impaired driving ability,” according to NIDA.