INTERNATIONAL SPEAKERS

Charly Bedrossian

Cannabis College Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Adela Falk

POW420, USA

Adela Falk is co-founder of Australia POW420. POW420 is an organizations that fights for those unjustly incarcerated for cannabis. We work hard to end cannabis prohibition on world-wide. Our team has traveled nationwide spreading the message that No-one belongs in jail for a plant. We active the community through education. We believe that only through education and awareness can we truly end cannabis prohibition. Adela has had the opportunity to speak in over 20 states in the US including the UN embassy. She has also travelled to Canada and Australia lobbying for their pot prisoners. Adela also likes to have people remember those currently incarcerated by encouraging everyone to come and sign a card that she mails to them in prison. At POW420 we encourage everyone to Vote to become politically active and to become the solution.

Mae Moon

Publisher of Twelve High Chicks Magazine, Canada

Mae Moon was originally drawn to cannabis, medicinally to aid with her disability she has from birth. She began Twelve High Chicks Magazine in 2014, its the passion project and a look into the cannabis enhanced and creatively beautiful mind of publisher Mae Moon. It’s one of the many initiatives of this busy mother of four who began her mission as a medical and recreational  cannabis activist in 2005. Mae is also the founder of the much anticipated Weed Woman Comic Series, and has produced three successful Annual Mail Order Marijuana  (M.O.M.) Cups in Vancouver, Canada. Mae has also won a number of cannabis competitions including in 2016 1st Place Indica at the Kush Cup (Vancouver, Canada). Recently 2016 and 2017 most of Moon’s Time has been consumed by 3 separate court cases/trials. But she is back, and had jumped right into activism.

Elvy Musikka

Medical cannabis advocate, USA

Elvy Musikka (born August 10, 1939) is an American cannabis rights activist. Musikka is enrolled in the Compassionate Investigational New Drug Program, getting marijuana from the federal government. Musikka, who uses cannabis to fight glaucoma in her left eye after going blind in her right eye despite having surgery, was arrested for growing marijuana in 1988. At her trial, Musikka’s doctor testified and she was acquitted. She applied and was approved to get legal cannabis cigarettes later that year.  Elvy is currently the only woman still receiving her allotted 300 joints a month in the program. The judge ruled in her favor, stating that Elvy “would have to be insane” to forego the use of medical marijuana. She was placed on the federal IND program, which provided legal marijuana for a few patients until it was shut down under the Bush administration in 1992. Elvy continues to receive government prepared marijuana cigarettes each month. Even though they are not as good as the medicine she grew herself, Elvy’s vision has improved due to her steady use of marijuana.

Said Elvy, “How can I have a right to medicine but other patients not have the same right? I didn’t lose my eyesight to glaucoma, I lost it to ignorance.”

Elvy Musikka is a vocal marijuana advocate, Musikka relies on the pot to keep her glaucoma under control. She entered the IND Program in 1988, and said that her experience with marijuana is proof that it works as a medicine. Elvy became one of the most recognized activists for Cannabis in the nation. Elvy frequently participates in radio shows, videos, trials, conferences, and events. She is an honored speaker, traveling whenever she can to be present, wherever her voice is needed. https://www.facebook.com/elvy.musikka

David Nickles

Underground researcher, critic, and glassblower, USA

David Nickles is an underground ethnobotanical researcher and glassblower based out of North Carolina. Operating under the name Oneiros Glass, he has been pursuing the craft of borosilicate glass to escape from the alienating and oppressive atmosphere of “work,” as conceived within an industrial context. Specializing in lathe-work, David primarily fabricates concentrate rigs, water pipes, and custom scientific apparatus used in botanical extractions. Over the past decade, he’s offered sociopolitical commentary and considerations dealing with psychoactive substances and the communities engaged with these plants and compounds. Utilizing a framework of radical politics combined with experiential understandings of the insights that entheogens can catalyze, David highlights the ways in which intentional and deliberate use of these plants can transform our world.

Patrick Vrolyk

Redbeard Glass, Canada

Patrick Vrolyk, otherwise known as Red Beard, is an Okanagan-based glassblower who specializes in handmade pipes and bongs. He owns one of the only licensed cannabis accessories business in the area. Patrick operates his business, Red Beard Glass, from a home studio with his own kiln. Every year Redbeard holds an event in Birken, BC, ‘humbly’ named ‘The Great Canadian Glass Gathering’, the GCGG. This year marked the eighth annual gathering, and it has grown to be one of the coolest, most entertaining, Canadian cannabis “to do” things during the summer months. This is an event not only for the blowers to create great art on their own, but also an opportunity for them to make larger, intricate collaborative pieces.

Sita von Windheim

Medical Cannabis Advocate, Canada

Sita has been involved in Cannabis Activism since opening the original Amsterdam Café and Hemporium in Vancouver, Canada in 1997 – patrons could smoke their own Cannabis as well as purchase seeds from the 375 strain menu. A life long recreational Cannabis smoker, she knew that Cannabis was also medicine for her frequent migraines. After selling her successful PollenMaster business in 2015, Sita now works full time with Cannabis Medicine – consulting with patients and making custom formulations to manage a wide variety of conditions: migraines, insomnia and arthritis, women’s health, skin disease, ADD, PTSD, seizure disorders, cancer…..the list is very long.

AUSTRALIAN SPEAKERS

Steve Bolt

Steve has been a practising solicitor since 1991. He worked for several years at Redfern Legal Centre. From 1996 to early 2004, he was the principal solicitor at the Northern Rivers Community Legal Centre. Steve is the author of Rough Deal, a plain English book about the NSW drug laws. He is also the author of a number of other publications on drug laws and drug policy.

Dylan

Martin Ernegg

Hemp Engineer, Hemp Fibre Fusion

Hemp fibre fusion is the materials and molding company of Martin Ernegg whose core competance is structural materials made from micro-fibrillated plant fibre. Martin and early partners Horst Döpfner and Robert Bramsteidl started their early research with recycled paper drawing on the technologies of paper mache to make a recycled suitcase. In 1994, their invention “hempstone” landed on the market,and Martin continues to develop and work with his innovation using a variety of raw materials. He runs the factory in collaboration with Jon Worsley. One of the beauties of Martin’s work is the essential fusion of three simple elements: fibre, water, pigments &/or hemp charcoal. Without additional binders, his material is a revolution which he is continually developing and refining. This is advanced nano-fibre technology which Martin continues to nourish for sustainable material development. He is a creator and available for Consultancy from a vast number of technical approaches.

Nikki Freeburn

Nikki Freeburn of Natural Lore Wellness has dedicated the past 6 years to Cannabis research and development, particularly in the area of Client Care Practises which includes appropriate protocols for the unique individual, preparation programmes for phyto/endo cannabinoid communication systems and understanding the 7 levels of Healing & the role of cannabinoids in this phenomenon. In mid 2014 Nikki established the Wellness Clinic Newcastle utilising a consultation and assessment approach to ensure duty of care to the individual was paramount. In 2016 Nikki relocated to Terrigal on the Central Coast and as Natural Lore Wellness is currently developing a 12 Module learning and qualification programme supporting both Client and Consultant in a new and vital Health and Wellness paradigm.

Dr John Jiggens

Dr John Jiggens is a writer and journalist who has published several books including The Incredible Exploding Man, Marijuana Australiana, The killer cop and the murder of Donald Mackay and, with Jack Herer, the Australian version of The Emperor Wears No Clothes. Along with Matt Mawson, Anne Jones and Damien Ledwich, he edited The Best of The Cane Toad Times. His PhD was ‘Marijuana Australiana: Cannabis Use, Popular Culture and the Americanisation of Drugs Policy in Australia 1938 – 1988‘. The books that derive from this are Marijuana Australiana, The killer cop and the murder of Donald Mackay and The man who knew too much. As a journalist, he currently works in the community newsroom at Bay-FM in Byron Bay.

Dr Andrew Katelaris

Dr Andrew Katelaris makes hemp oil and risks his freedom for sick children. Since 1990 he has been experimenting with the medical uses of cannabis. For the past 18 months he has been supplying CBD dominant cannabis to 20 children with serious seizure disorders. With this safe and effective herbal medicine he has seen a dramatic reduction in the frequency and intensity of the seizures and in addition, most of the children have shown a noticeable improvement in their social, intellectual and motor functioning. Whilst various governments have talked about trialling medical cannabis this has not progressed at the rate required by the seriousness of the situation. Epilepsy is currently the major cause of preventable brain damage.

Andrew Kavasilas

Andrew is a 20 year Nimbin local, founder of Vitahemp, biggest Australian grown hemp seed food company, founder Medical Cannabis Limited (MCL) which is now majority owned Queensland Bauxite Limited (ASX:QBL). Andrew has been an active lobbyist since and regularly meets with bureaucrats, policy makers, many politicians and Ministers discussing cannabis law reform issues. Andrew has spent the last 10 years breeding sub tropical hemp cultivars for local broad acre production and is a true pioneer of the fledgling Australian industrial hemp industry. More recently, Andrew has brought his intricate knowledge and experience to the Australian HEMP Party as its Secretary.

Kog

Cannabis Expert

In 1995, Kog was busted with 8,000 marijuana seedlings. The cops valued these worthless little plants at $2,000 each and sentenced Kog to 2 years in prison for being in possession of $16 Million dollars worth of marijuana. After he got out of prison, he set about to grow the biggest and the best crop of dope he’d ever grown – and he did. Kog was determined to share his knowledge with the greater community and wrote the groundbreaking seminal book “Marijuana – A Growers Lot” which has been featured in Holland’s “High Life” and “Cannabis Lit”.

Fiona Patten

Victorian MLC, Reason Party

Fiona Patten is the founder and leader of the Reason Party and a Member of the Victorian Legislative Council for the Northern Metropolitan region. She came to politics after 20 years of lobbying for the rights of organisations involved in the sexual rights movement – including small businesses, sex workers, HIV/AIDS organisations, adult media and online anti-censorship groups. Before that she was an established independent fashion designer with her own label called Body Politics.

Her political career began as an AIDS educator with ACT sex worker advocacy group, WISE. She also held positions on the Board of the AIDS Action Council, as an AFAO (Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations) Committee Member and a member of the ACT Attorney General’s Sex Industry Committee. Before being elected, she was best known as the CEO of Australia\\\\’s national adult goods and services lobby group, the Eros Association. She ran a number of high profile campaigns in this role, many of which saw off bans on adult material, restrictions on sexual behaviour and a focus on the real villains involved in sexual abuse.

Frustrated and deeply disappointed with the lack of social change on censorship, drug law reform, euthanasia and gay marriage, she set up and registered the Australian Sex Party in 2009 with a strong focus on civil libertarian and personal freedom issues. She became the first political leader to call for a Royal Commission into child sex abuse in religious institutions.

In the 2014 Victorian state election she won her seat in the Victorian Legislative Council and a balance of power position. Since her election to the Victorian upper house she has successfully instigated physician assisted dying laws, a landmark inquiry into drug law reform, the legalisation of ridesharing and the introduction of a bill for both safe injecting facilities and pill testing. She is also part of a number of Parliamentary committees.

David Shoebridge

NSW MLC, Greens Party

David is a Greens MP in the NSW Parliament, serving in the State’s Upper House since September 2010. David is the Greens NSW spokesperson for Industrial Relations, Aboriginal Justice, Planning and Heritage, Child Protection, Firearms, Justice and Local Government. David has been a strong voice in the campaign against amateur hunting on public land, and continues to work against the development of a pro-gun and hunting culture in NSW. Among David’s current campaigns are working to keep decisions about council amalgamations in the hand of the local community, campaigning to curb the use of police drug sniffer dogs and Tasers, and protecting the rights of workers to fair wages and workers compensation. David was an elected Greens Councillor on Woollahra Council between 2004 and 2012 where he served a term as Deputy Mayor. Before entering Parliament David worked as a lawyer for 13 years, the majority of this time as a Barrister. In that time he acted for a broad range of people and organisations with a focus on employment, discrimination, industrial and tort law.

Michael Stoopman

Medical Cannabis Advocate

Michael has an extra ordinary tale to tell re healing a massive tumour on his neck. Diagnosed with a common form of skin cancer in 2014, a squamous cell carcinoma, that progressed into his carotid artery which started to bleed out in May 2016, he was given minutes to hours to live. Put on 520mg of morphine to ease his passing however after nearly a month in hospital he was discharged but then had an opioid addiction. He researched medicinal cannabis which fixed his cancer in 5 months and it then took 7 months to get rid of his morphine addiction. Since then he’s been helping people get over serious illness with his basic knowledge of the endocannabinoid system.

Morgan Taylor

Medical Cannabis Advocate, Australian Cannabis University

Ray Thorpe

Happy Herb Company & Elixiba P/L

Ray first started on his mission for herbs in 1993 when he discovered a unique but very significant herb called Damiana.  Bedazzled by its many benefits, he wanted to tell the world about it but was soon startled to discover that it was forbidden to make claims, and therefore learn about the benefits and healing power of herbs.

Ray dropped his corporate lifestyle to set out to change this inequity and opened his first Happy Herb shop in 1996 at Nimbin,inspired by and in alliance with the cannabis law reform movement at the Nimbin hemp embassy. The Happy High Herb franchise grew from that first shop in Nimbin to over 55 stores around the globe.  His book, Happy High Herbs, is now on it’s 8th reprint with 40,000 copies sold worldwide.

He continues the mission for herbs with his latest venture Elixiba, a chain of plant based Herbal restaurant and bars-proudly featuring the HEMPBURGER. Ray is a passionate leader in his mission to promote the appreciation, information, benefits, culture, use and availability of all natural plants and herbs.

Nick Wallis

Enpsychedelia & Australian Psychedelic Society

Before many of the organisations that now exist in the drug policy space Nick Wallis was bringing together activists, politicians and professionals to talk about drug policy. For three years Nick has been the producer and host of the Enpsychedelia radio show on 3CR community radio bringing a regular voice to the airwaves to challenge the dominant narratives on drugs and drug policy. In 2017, Nick helped launch the Australian Psychedelic Society to promote psychedelic science, culture and community.

Martin Williams

Psychedelic Research in Science & Medicine, PRISM