The Australian Medicinal Cannabis Association (AMCA) has established Australian Cannabis Cultivators (ACC), a dedicated body designed to advocate for domestic growers and give them a stronger voice in the industry.
ACC becomes the fourth sub-association under the AMCA umbrella, joining a trio of groups focused on 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 described the new body as being for "cannabis growers and researchers committed to improving product quality and production efficiencies while building a strong brand for Australian-grown cannabis".
For AMCA's incoming chair Emily Rigby, establishing a growers' group has been a long-standing goal.
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 deliver education through webinars, guest speakers, and peer-to-peer learning, and will offer members complimentary access to United in Compassion 2023 session recordings via AMCA's education platform, Teach-Hub.
Membership of the new group is free for existing AMCA members, with its first meeting scheduled for January 2024. Those seeking further details can reach out by emailing in**@****ca.org.
