Speaker: Emily Rigby, AMCA – Australian Medicinal Cannabis Association
About: This presentation will explore the state of the Australian medicinal cannabis industry nine years post-legalization, highlighting key developments and challenges for local producers. Addressing regulatory hurdles, quality control issues, product diversity and environmental concerns alongside imports verse local production and a potential future adult use market. By examining these factors, this talk aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the industry’s progress and future potential in Australia.
Bio: Emily Rigby is a research scientist and passionate cannabis advocate – promoting education, patient access, research, innovation, industry development, efficient production and regulatory reform.
Since 2016, Emily has played an integral role in developing the Australian medicinal cannabis industry, including establishing one of Australia’s first licensed medical cannabis cultivation and research facilities, and releasing Australian-grown cannabis medicines into local and export markets. Emily also assists in developing international cannabis industries.
Emily is a board member of the Australian Medicinal Cannabis Association (AMCA), Chair and Founder of Australian Cannabis Cultivators (ACC) and Chair of the International Society of Horticultural Science (ISHS) Cannabaceae Working Group. Emily was president of the Australian Society of Horticultural Science from 2017 to 2021 and is a 2016 Nuffield Australia Farming Scholar. Emily is currently Head of Operations at The People’s Plant.
As a pioneer in the Australian cannabis industry, Emily’s contribution to the cannabis movement has been recognised through receiving Australia’s 2021 ‘Woman of Weed’ in the Australian Cannabis Awards; ‘5 Years of Education’ with the Australian Cannabis Summit (2023) and Cannabiz Award for ‘Industry Advancement’, 2024. Emily is heavily involved in cannabis education and industry development including curating the Industry Program at Australia’s largest Cannabis event UIC – Australian Medicinal Cannabis Symposium (since UIC2022) and launching the first ACC Australian Cannabis Cultivators Training Day at UIC2025.
Emily has a diverse range of expertise including propagation and cultivation methods, facility design, licensing and regulatory compliance, strategic planning, patient access, research, marketing and education.
She is dedicated to removing the stigma surrounding the cannabis plant and facilitating the global cannabis industry.
