Cannabis News

Industry internship program set to cultivate horticulture’s next generation

Published

2 weeks ago

October 29, 2025

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A new initiative to address the critical labor shortage in Australia’s horticulture sector was launched today.

The Horticulture Industry Internship Programme, launched by Hort Innovation in partnership with Western Sydney University, will provide industry-based training and hands-on experience to the University’s undergraduate and postgraduate students. The program aims to equip the next generation of horticulturists, agronomists, pathologists, entomologists and farm managers with the skills needed to contribute to the future of the industry.

Fellows will be drawn from Western Sydney University’s Bachelor of Science (Agricultural Sciences) and Master of Science (Agriculture, Agri-Horticulture) programs, including prospective students at the new India campus opening in 2026, helping to address skills gaps in Australia by integrating global talent into the local workforce. Through a robust framework of industry-funded and industry-based internships, these students will gain hands-on experience tailored to industry needs, boosting employability and supporting the availability of skilled workers in the sector.

Hort Innovation CEO Brett Fifield said the program represents a significant commitment to building capacity and supporting the future of Australian horticulture. “By investing in hands-on training and industry partnerships, we are ensuring our sector remains competitive and resilient, with a workforce ready to meet the challenges of tomorrow.”

University of Western Sydney Vice-Chancellor, Distinguished Professor George Williams AO said: “This program reflects our commitment to agriculture and horticulture education, research and industry engagement. It is about creating real-world opportunities for students and strengthening our links with industry.”

Commenting on the wider workforce challenges facing the sector, Tim Archibald, CEO of White Prince Produce, added: “One of the biggest challenges we face in the horticulture industry is attracting and retaining skilled people. That’s why initiatives like this are so exciting; they’re not just building a talent pool, they’re strengthening the future of our industry, they’re helping to directly supply our individual industry programs to meet the evolving needs of the sector.”

Each internship will be tailored to meet the specific training and staffing needs of the host companies, will be internships lasting between three and twelve months and is designed to support the transition of students to employment in the horticulture sector after graduation.

For more information:
Hort Innovation
Email: (email protected)
horticulture.com.au/

Related Topics:cultivate generation horticultures Industry internship Program Set

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Allegations of price dumping cast shadow on Portugal’s medical cannabis

Published

13 hours ago

November 8, 2025

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Portugal has spent the last few years cultivating a reputation as Europe’s gateway to medical cannabis. Exports are booming, the government and local media portray a very vibrant sector with fertile land, progressive laws and a soft regulatory environment.

But behind the glowing export figures, there is growing concern that the country’s success story is due to what some describe as “greenwashing” of the industry.

According to a person familiar with the matter, most of the cannabis that Portugal “exports” is not grown in Portugal. Instead, large companies import low-quality flowers from abroad, process them locally, and then ship them with a Portuguese flag on the label. “Portugal has exported about 35 tons of medicinal cannabis flowers so far,” says the source. “Only about 2 tons were processed here. The rest came from elsewhere.”

The concern is not the import and processing model itself, but the lack of transparency and its impact on the local growers who actually cultivate the plants in Portugal. “They grow cheap overseas for recreational markets,” the person says. “It is then processed in Portugal and sold in pharmacies across Europe at prices that are impossible for real growers. This is clear price dumping.”

Portugal grew on the cheap
According to the source, some European pharmacies are offering Portugal-labeled medical flower for as little as 1.60 euros per gram. Insiders say even the lowest-cost foreign producers can’t get that price and still meet European pharmaceutical standards. “The cheapest production cost I have seen abroad was around 1.40 euros per gram,” explained the source. “Processing in Portugal alone can cost about sixty cents. So how do they sell it for 1.60 euros?” According to them, the reason is simple. On the one hand, these big companies have to show their shareholders that they are moving money and product. On the other hand, they use the availability of capital to drive down the price, gain more market share, and crowd out smaller companies, which are ultimately bought by the same big companies. At the same time, the issue is not only related to the economy. Local producers say quality is also at stake.

Some sources say that many pharmacies turn away from the product with the Portuguese flag, knowing that it is not the real product produced in Portugal. “They think that Portugal is the equivalent of low-quality flower. This hurts the companies that really work here with strict European pharmaceutical practices,” says the person familiar with the matter.

Small farmers struggling to survive
Portugal has a large number of licensed cannabis operators, but few are growing at scale. According to the source, of all the cultivation licenses issued, only a few are actually operational. “Some growers produce one to three kilos per harvest,” says the person. “They have no strategy, no supply chain. It’s just a facade to show that they are somewhat operational, while in fact most of the products are imported and processed locally. These people entered the space without knowing how to run a medical cultivation project.” According to the insider, companies rushing to import, rebrand and dump products on the market are not building a sustainable sector in Portugal.

“I expect six to eight companies to fail next year,” they say. “Everybody smiles at conferences, everybody talks about innovation. Nobody talks about cooperation.”

Pressure on regulators and call for research
The person says that regulators are to blame for the situation, but insists that the responsibility lies with companies that lack due diligence and compliance. “Regulators apply the rules. They are not there to do due diligence on behalf of companies,” they say. “Some companies had problems because they had false import documents from foreign suppliers. They blame the regulators for that, and the responsibility should lie with the operators in question, not having the right people doing the right compliance work.”

The source said there are plans to file a complaint with the European Commission under Regulation 2017/1036, which covers dumping of imports from the European Union when it causes injury to a domestic industry. “We are gathering evidence,” they say. “We want regulators to suspend import licenses where dumping is taking place.”

Meanwhile, international monitoring systems are being tightened. According to the source, the EU and the United Nations are implementing new digital tracking and tracing requirements. “Everything will have to be registered. All legal documents, all import and export certificates,” says the insider. “This should be ready in six months.”

Crossroads
Portugal’s promise as the gateway to European cannabis is not dead, but the road ahead is becoming increasingly complex. The sector needs scale, collaboration and transparency if it hopes to avoid the boom and bust cycle seen in North America. “I have nothing against importing and processing,” says the source. “What I find unacceptable is selling a flower with the Portuguese flag when they don’t grow here.”

Cannabis News

Beer Industry Trade Group Calls Out Hemp THC Sector’s ‘Bad Actors’ For Allegedly Marketing To Children

Published

13 hours ago

November 8, 2025

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“You’ll never see a beer ad featuring Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny.”

By Ana Radelat, MinnPost

The US beer industry is targeting makers of THC-infused drinks and edibles in a campaign that could have repercussions in Minnesota, the state that sparked a national explosion in sales of hemp-derived beverages.

The beer industry, which has seen declining sales — especially among younger consumers — has joined the marijuana industry. in seeking federal rule of THC-infused beverages, currently regulated only by state laws.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison (D) recently shocked the hemp and THC beverage industries when he signed a letter to Congressional leaders with 38 other state attorneys general asking Congress to clarify the federal definition of hemp.

the letter said that “bad actors” have taken advantage of a “loophole” in the 2018 Farm Bill that allowed the sale of potent, unregulated THC products that pose a threat to the general public and children in particular.

“Unless Congress acts, this gross distortion of the hemp provision in the 2018 Farm Bill will continue to fuel the rapid growth of an underserved industry that threatens public health and safety and undermines law enforcement nationwide,” the letter said.

At a recent Semafor-sponsored conference, Brian Crawford, CEO of the Beer Institute, a trade association that advocates for the industry, said beer is heavily regulated by federal agencies. He said brewers are subject to marketing, advertising and labeling regulations and must seek federal approval for their formulas.

Age restrictions are also strictly enforced, Crawford said, and the sale of beer to those under 21 is prohibited.

However, Crawford said there are no federal restrictions on THC-infused products. He said these “bad actors” in the THC drink and gummy industries are packaging and marketing products that appeal to children, including THC Nerd candies, which are ultra-high-potency THC edibles.

“You’ll never see a beer ad featuring Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny,” Crawford said.

“Natural Social Tonic”

An amendment passed in the House Agriculture Committee last year as a major Farm Bill consideration would change the federal definition of legal hemp to include only “natural, derived and non-intoxicating cannabinoids.”

This means that any cannabinoid manufactured outside of the hemp plant would be outlawed, criminalizing the production of hemp-based gummies, drinks and other edibles, as well as oils, soaps and other products made from hemp.

A Minnesota state law passed in 2022 allows the production and consumption of hemp-based edibles and other products. But the now stalled House Farm Bill’s hemp amendment would make these products illegal under federal law.

The partisan gridlock in Congress has made it unlikely that there would be a new Farm Bill this year. So the fight against THC-infused products has shifted to the agriculture spending bill, which Congress is likely to pass once the federal shutdown ends.

Jake Bullock, the maker of Cann THC drinks, which are marketed as “all natural social tonics,” said he joins Ellison and other state attorneys general in defending rules that prevent “bad actors” from making highly potent synthetic products and marketing THC-infused products to children.

But he also said overly broad regulations would hurt the $30 billion industry, which employs 330,000 Americans.

“We would be throwing the baby out with the bathwater,” Cann told MinnPost.

Cann’s success represents exponential growth in the multi-billion dollar market for hemp-derived intoxicants.

Bullock said he started his business in Venice Beach, California, and then produced his drinks in Minnesota after the state passed a law allowing the sale of hemp-infused products.

Today, it sells its beverages in about 30 states and Cann products can be found in many liquor stores and other outlets in Minnesota. It recently joined Target.

“The reason consumers like the products is that they work like alcohol,” Bullock said. “If you like it, you can have another one an hour later.”

Bullock said drinking several cans of Cann can be intoxicating, but there is no hangover. He also said that many drinkers have reduced their alcohol consumption in favor of his drinks.

Bullock also said Gen Z favors their drink over alcohol because they socialize differently than older Americans and are less likely to spend money at bars.

The need to address “bad actors”.

The potency of a THC infused drink depends on how many milligrams of THC the product contains. State laws vary. In Minnesota, it is limited to no more than 10 milligrams. Other states are stricter. Virginia and Connecticut cover it at 2 milligrams.

However, Crawford said “bad actors” make drinks with as much as 200 milligrams of THC “in a 12-ounce can.”

“That needs to be addressed,” he said.

Bullock, who also spoke at the Semafor event, told MinnPost that he would support lowering the THC level nationally to about 5 milligrams. He said eliminating synthetic THC was also fine, along with eliminating lab-made chemicals designed to mimic the effects of delta-9 THC, the main psychoactive compound in natural cannabis.

He said he believes Ellison has been “misled” into signing a letter asking Congress to “act decisively in the (2018) Farm Bill to clarify the definition of hemp to ensure that intoxicating THC products are taken off the market.”

Analysts say that would kill Minnesota’s market for THC-infused beverages and edibles.

Ellison attempted to clarify his position in a headline statement “Protecting Minnesota’s THC Industry”. In it, Ellison said he did no He wants a ban on all THC-infused products, but has sought federal regulations “to help out-of-state companies ignore Minnesota’s carefully crafted THC rules and sell harmful products in our state.”

“Minnesota’s legalization of edible THC was smart and safety-conscious, and unfortunately the loophole created by the federal government is anything but,” Ellison wrote. “As a result, there are very strong THC products coming into Minnesota that are marketed to children, and I’m not going to stop out-of-state businesses from preying on young Minnesotans.”

However, public comments on the attorney general’s statement indicated that the letter he signed would also ban intoxicating THC-infused products and outlaw a lucrative industry in Minnesota.

“The letter you signed explicitly calls for a ‘ban on products with intoxicating levels of THC, of any kind and no matter how it’s derived,'” wrote one commenter. Your letter would undo all the good work done by Minnesota lawmakers over the past five years, recriminalize access to THC for people who want to get over alcohol, and crack down on one of the few brewers.

While the beer industry may seek a crackdown on THC beverages, small brewers, facing a shrinking market, are increasingly getting involved in the hemp beverage market by creating alcohol-free THC-infused beverages.

Meanwhile, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Kentucky, is asking Congress to delay any changes for 18 months in order to conduct a comprehensive study on the best ways to regulate the hemp industry.

It’s unclear how Paul’s congressional colleagues will respond.

This the article appeared for the first time MinnPost and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 4.0 International License.

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Cannabis News

Garden State to get new branded vape products

Published

2 days ago

November 7, 2025

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Verano Holdings has announced an exclusive partnership with Raw Garden, a grower and producer of cannabis products that balance flavor and potency, to bring the California company’s flagship product line to New Jersey consumers. Beginning November 11, Raw Garden will debut its cartridges and All-in-Ones at Verano’s four Zen Leaf dispensaries in New Jersey and third-party dispensaries throughout the Garden State.

“As one of California’s most popular cannabis brands, our exclusive partnership with Raw Garden is a great opportunity to bring some of the West Coast’s most beloved products to the East Coast for New Jersey’s cannabis consumers,” said Verano Founder and CEO George Archos. “With the continued growth of the cannabis category, this partnership strengthens the extensive portfolio of vape products we have launched through 2025, and we look forward to introducing Raw Garden’s award-winning products to Garden State cannabis connoisseurs.”

“We are excited to launch Raw Garden’s signature vapes throughout New Jersey and introduce our California flavors to one of the nation’s largest cannabis markets,” said Raw Garden CEO Thomas Martin. “With a shared vision of purity and consistency, we’re thrilled to partner with an industry leader like Verano. As this is our first launch outside of our home state, we’re excited to officially begin our journey on the East Coast, making our products available to cannabis enthusiasts in the garden.”

For more information:
Summer Holdings
verano.com