In this powerful episode of Give & Toke, we’re joined by healthcare strategist, author, and global cannabis advocate Melanie Wentzel. From working with governments and peak bodies to rewriting the narrative around women and weed in her groundbreaking book Cannabis Queens, Melanie brings sharp insight and deep heart to the conversation around equitable, person-centred care and the plant that’s changing lives. We explore the radical role of women in the cannabis industry, the challenges of ref...
Jul 06, 2025•1 hr 28 min•Season 5Ep. 8
In this episode, we're joined by two industry trailblazers who’ve gone from the frontlines of patient care to the frontlines of cannabis supply. Bashar Al-Humrany (a pharmacist) and Joel Green (a nurse) first crossed paths at Melbourne’s Astrid Dispensary, one of the first dedicated medicinal cannabis dispensaries in the country. Together, they saw firsthand where the system was helping... and where it was falling short. Now, they’ve teamed up to launch Exotican, an Australian medicinal cannabis...
Jun 22, 2025•53 min•Season 5Ep. 7
In this episode, we sit down with Fiona Patten, former Victorian MP and current Senate candidate for the Legalise Cannabis Party, to discuss her run for the Senate in the lead up to this weekend's federal Australian election, the future of cannabis legalisation in Australia, and why legalising cannabis is not a "single issue". Learn more about the Legalise Cannabis Party: legalisecannabis.org.au Visit Fiona Patten's candidate profile at Fiona Patten – Legalise Cannabis Party...
Apr 27, 2025•25 min•Season 5Ep. 6
Sean Maloney is the sole Legal Counsel and Commercial Manager for MediCann Health - an Australian based medicinal cannabis company focussed on improving the quality of life of people in need through the use of affordable, reliable and science backed medicinal cannabis products. With a Bachelor of Economics and a Bachelor of Laws from The University of Western Australia, Sean has worked as a Senior Consultant & Solicitor at a Big 4 firm, along with holding senior advisory and compliance roles...
Mar 30, 2025•55 min•Season 5Ep. 5
Rhys Cohen is a self-confessed “drug nerd” who has held countless cannabis-related roles over the past decade as he has become a trusted voice within the industry. With a Masters in Research and Sociology, Rhys has been a cannabis consultant, editor, advisory board member and today is the Policy Officer at Penington Institute. Penington Institute is an independent drug policy non-profit that is currently developing a comprehensive model for cannabis regulation which prioritises community health ...
Mar 16, 2025•44 min•Season 5Ep. 4
James Yodgee is the General Manager of Partnerships at Biortica Agrimed, along with Matthew Turner who is the co-founder and Chief Global Officer of the organisation. Biortica Agrimed operates one of Australia’s largest cultivation operations in Australia with greenhouses in Victoria and New South Wales along with a library of over 1,000 cultivars through Canadian-based Apollo Green. In this episode: Matthew’s pathway to cannabis/the start of Green Farmers (2:30) James’ pathway to cannabis (11:0...
Mar 02, 2025•1 hr 6 min•Season 5Ep. 3
Kate Avruch is the founder of Operator Academy and is a seasoned expert in the cannabis industry having dedicated her career to scaling business operations in Massachusetts and beyond. With a unique blend of technical expertise in facility design, cannabis chemistry, and extraction methodologies, Kate brings a holistic understanding of the industry’s complexities. In this episode: Is The Town the best Boston movie? (1:00) Pathway to cannabis (3:45) Growing up with conservative views (19:00) Rela...
Feb 16, 2025•1 hr 14 min•Season 5Ep. 2
Sara Payan is a cannabis educator, public speaker, policy advocate, and the award-winning host of the Planted with Sara Payan podcast. She’s an expert in consumer trends, product development, and building relationships in the cannabis industry. Sara has trained cannabis professionals, consulted for brands on product development and marketing, and worked with various committees, including the California Cannabis Advisory Committee and the San Francisco Cannabis Oversight Committee. She also co-ch...
Feb 02, 2025•1 hr 26 min•Season 5Ep. 1
In this episode of Give & Toke, we sit down with Victorian MP Rachel Payne, for an insightful conversation that marks two years since entering parliament along with 50 episodes of this show. We discuss the transition from Dan Andrews to Jacinta Allan and what it means for cannabis reform (3:00). We talk about the recent win for Victorian patients who drive (5:45), before looking back at two years of navigating hemp reform, pill testing, relationships, compromise, and the importance of evolvi...
Dec 22, 2024•1 hr 17 min•Season 4Ep. 10
Matthew Dent is the Director of Cultivation at Wangara Cultivation Co. With a boutique indoor grow operation in Queensland, their mission is to produce craft quality cannabis for Australia’s local market with a focus on terpenes and the wider entourage effect. In this episode: What is FIRE? (1:00) Pathway to cannabis (2:20) Relationship with cannabis (8:30) Wangara Cultivation Co. (13:30) Selecting genetics (18:00) In defense of Indica and Sativa (20:30) Challenges and successes (23:00) UFO and ...
Dec 08, 2024•51 min•Season 4Ep. 9
Get $10 off accessories with the code ‘CATCHUP’ at giveandtoke.com.au The Catch-Up is a collaboration between Give and Toke and AusCannaReviews. Paul and Christina come together monthly to explore what’s happening in Cannabis in Australia and around the world. In this episode: What’s Up? (0.40) Victoria’s drug driving changes (3:45) Medicinal cannabis sales booming (4:50) Health bodies call for end to SAS-B (7:50) Green’s Legalisation bill fails (12:20) What can we expect from Trump? (15:40) MP ...
Dec 05, 2024•33 min
Sacha La Forgia is the co-founder of Golden Days Cultivators, a South-Australian based indoor cultivator and supplier of medicinal cannabis born out of prior experience in South Australia’s world-renowned alcohol industry. With a Bachelor in Viticulture from the University of Adelaide, Sacha founded and managed 78o Distillery in Adelaide Hills prior to Golden Days before inertia kicked in in 2022, and a change was needed. As global trends in alcohol consumption continue to decline and the health...
Nov 24, 2024•50 min•Season 4Ep. 8
Talmage Herbert began working for RUA Bioscience in 2021. With strong familial ties to RUA’s growing region, he first started as a cultivator and is now managing supply chains and partnerships. RUA Bioscience supplies GMP-certified medicines to expanding markets including Europe and Australia backed by its centre of excellence where they incubate superior genetics including exclusive legacy genetics, sharing New Zealand’s rich culture with the world. The company's mission is based on their found...
Nov 10, 2024•1 hr 10 min•Season 4Ep. 7
Get $10 off accessories with the code ‘CATCHUP’ at giveandtoke.com.au The Catch-Up is a collaboration between Give and Toke and AusCannaReviews. Paul and Christina come together monthly to explore what’s happening in Cannabis in Australia and around the world. In this episode: Kamala Harris and federal legalisation (1:55) Cannabis users skipping work (5:00) The Dispensed Dilemma (7:30) Releaf in trouble? (19:30) New compounding rules (23:00) Roadside testing in South Australia (27:00) Hot Tokes ...
Oct 30, 2024•44 min
Michael Sassano is the CEO and Chairman of SOMAÍ Pharmaceuticals, a leading European vertically integrated company with a global footprint of distribution. SOMAÍ is building a leading global brand with a robust pipeline of innovative cannabis-based therapeutics. They envision a world where people live a healthy lifestyle empowered by natural cannabis medicine. SOMAÍ owns a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility and indoor cultivation in Lisbon, Portugal, and has global sales teams in the larges...
Oct 27, 2024•56 min•Season 4Ep. 6
Tom Forrest is a certified horticulturist, agronomist, and expert in soil and crop production. In 2019, Tom traveled the world as a recipient of the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Fellowship. Visiting 10 different countries, and spending time at more than 50 cannabis cultivation facilities allowed him to publish a white paper and release a short documentary sharing his findings from his worldwide exploration of cannabis. Today he splits his time between Puro which is New Zealand’s leading cult...
Oct 13, 2024•1 hr 29 min•Season 4Ep. 5
Dr Brian Walker is a member of the legislative council for the Legalise Cannabis Western Australia Party. Having practiced medicine for many years in various different countries, he has front-line experience treating patients in hospitals, emergency departments, and general practice. As a Member of Parliament, Dr Walker believes that far too many of our current laws are archaic, while others are unfit for purpose. Dr Walker’s passion is to improve medical, mental, financial, social, and physical...
Sep 29, 2024•51 min•Season 4Ep. 4
Get $10 off accessories with the code ‘CATCHUP’ at giveandtoke.com.au The Catch-Up is a collaboration between Give and Toke and AusCannaReviews. Paul and Christina come together monthly to explore what’s happening in Cannabis in Australia and around the world. In this episode: Ukraine legalises medicinal cannabis (2:40) Offensive odours (4:30) Dispensed founder banned (7:00) Is weed causing a booze sales slump? (13:00) Fiona Patten Returns (15:30) Singapore man frames wife with cannabis (17:45) ...
Sep 18, 2024•35 min
Anna Li, The Cannabinista is a cannabis educator who is the host of the Mindful Consumption Podcast. She creates videos on Tik Tok, Youtube, and Instagram where she shares educational content along with fun and delicious cannabis infused recipes, from homemade edibles, infused butters and oils, to cannabis mocktails, and much more. In this episode: Canada’s coastal culture (3:00) Reclaiming the word ‘stoner’ (4:00) An enthusiasts journey into cannabis and infusions (8:30) Moving on from booze an...
Sep 15, 2024•44 min
Fiona Patten has announced a run for the senate for the Legalise Cannabis Party so we’ve dug this one out of the vault for your listening pleasure. As a Member of Parliament from 2014-22, Ms. Patten chaired the public inquiry into personal cannabis use, and has battled uphill to help other parliamentarians understand how and why people use cannabis. In this episode: How we met (1:40) The fallacy of roadside drug testing (4:30) Discriminating against patients (7:00) Writing to your MP (15:00) Inq...
Sep 01, 2024•43 min
This episode was recorded live at Mull Cafe in St. Kilda on Saturday 24th August. The Catch-Up is a collaboration between Give and Toke and AusCannaReviews. Paul and Christina come together monthly to explore what’s happening in Cannabis in Australia and around the world. In this episode: Teens and Gummies (1:00) Online Dealers (3:40) Jersey cops fired for smoking (5:10) Australian Exports (6:30) Victoria Compassion Club fined $3.2m (8:00) Philippines legalisation? (10:15) Eric Chan talks compas...
Aug 28, 2024•35 min
Dr. Riley Kirk is an Assistant Adjunct Professor at University of Rhode Island, a renowned cannabis research scientist with a PhD in pharmaceutical sciences and is the host of the BioActive Podcast. With research interests broadly focused on the use of medicinal plants in combating antibiotic resistance and alternative pain treatments to opiates, she has studied the medicinal properties of hundreds of plants. She is passionate about providing free and accessible Cannabis education to all users, ...
Jul 28, 2024•1 hr 8 min•Season 4Ep. 2
Shop Give & Toke accessories at giveandtoke.com.au - use ‘CATCHUP’ at checkout for $10 off your purchase. The Catch-Up is a collaboration between Give and Toke and AusCannaReviews. Paul and Christina come together monthly to explore what’s happening in Cannabis in Australia and around the world. In this episode: Quick Thailand Update (0:40) Stronger regulations on Australian Cannabis (1:35) Snoop Dogg’s Dispensary (9:10) $42 Million Raid in Queensland (11:35) Labor Youth push for legalisatio...
Jul 24, 2024•32 min
Dan Howard is the CEO of Tasmanian Botanics, an Australian licensed producer of medicinal cannabis located just outside of Hobart. Operating since 2017, Tasmanian Botanics has a mission to increase access for patients and to deter patients from the black market by ensuring products are reasonably priced without sacrificing on quality. Dan cut his teeth in the Canadian cannabis market, and brings years of experience from senior roles in other Fortune 50 companies. This episode is presented by Pla...
Jul 14, 2024•44 min•Season 4Ep. 1
Tegan Scates is the founder of Bloomly (formerly High on Hemp). With a passion for inspiring others to take control of the cannabis narrative and promoting greater female representation, Bloomly is one of Australia’s largest online educational platforms, with a particular focus on women’s health. With the upcoming launch of the Bloomly podcast, expect to uncover the science behind cannabis with experts, celebrate diversity, as women are empowered to embrace its potential in everyday life. From s...
Jun 30, 2024•50 min•Season 3Ep. 10
Shop Give & Toke accessories at giveandtoke.com.au - use ‘CATCHUP’ at checkout for $4.20 off your purchase. The Catch-Up is a collaboration between Give and Toke and AusCannaReviews. Paul and Christina come together monthly to explore what’s happening in Cannabis in Australia and around the world. In this episode: Aus Senate rejects adult use cannabis (0:30) South Africa Legalises (2:30) Jamie Rickord bails (4:30) An eye on Thailand (8:45) German Police’s pro-cannabis plea (10:00) Cannabis l...
Jun 19, 2024•29 min
Treehouse Distribution is dedicated to providing the highest quality flower that meets and exceeds patient expectations. In this episode we discuss Treehouse Distribution, Delta Tetra, the virtues of quality cannabis and Treehouse’s exciting partnership with Biortica/Green Farmers. If you’re a regular listener of the show, you might’ve heard Jonathan Jones’ recent appearance and today he has returned and brought along Tim Oates, Tim Dyason, Scott Parry and Hamish Barakat. This episode is present...
Jun 09, 2024•59 min•Season 3Ep. 9
Jeremy Buckingham was elected as NSW’s first Legalise Cannabis Party Member at the 2023 NSW State Election. He is an experienced MP who has spent over two decades passionately advocating for community, the environment and what he calls common-sense laws that serve the people. In his current term Mr. Buckingham is committed to bringing about progressive drug law reform, legalising cannabis, fixing the broken Roadside Drug Testing system and growing the hemp industry. In this episode: Nimbin (1:00...
May 26, 2024•47 min•Season 3Ep. 8
Give & Toke accessories out now at giveandtoke.com.au - Use code ‘CATCHUP’ at checkout for $4.20 off your purchase. Expires May 31st. Australia only. The Catch-Up is a collaboration between Give and Toke and AusCannaReviews. Paul and Christina come together monthly to explore what’s happening in Cannabis in Australia and around the world. In this episode: 420 arrests in Melbourne (3:30) Dolphins and Alternaleaf (5:25) Thailand’s Cannabis U-Turn (7:30) Paid Prescribing (11:00) Delayed Driving...
May 22, 2024•28 min
Jason Gann is a comedian, writer, producer and former actor best known as Wilfred - the bong smoking, na-choss eating, DVD watching dog in the Australian TV show of the same name, as well as the American remake starring Elijah Wood. With his California-based brand Wilfred Cannabis and CBD, he sells in legal US markets and he has just recently been announced as a candidate for the Legalise Cannabis Queensland Party in the seat of Burleigh. Gann has been a hilarious fixture of cannabis culture for...
May 12, 2024•54 min•Season 3Ep. 11
