Greenfern Industries Limited (GFI) is about to commence the writing of clinical trial protocols for a low dose CBD medication that could set it on the pathway to become a pharmacist-only, over-the-counter product registered in Australia.

In February 2021 the Australian Therapeutics Goods Administration (TGA) made it legal to purchase products containing low-dose (less that 150mg per day) of cannabidiol (CBD) over the counter. This down scheduled the substance from a Schedule 4 (prescription medicine) to a Schedule 3 (S3), pharmacist-only medicine, meaning people with certain ailments could now go to the pharmacist and purchase CBD.

Greenfern Industries has reached an agreement with Australian-based Cannvalate Pty which will assist Greenfern (GFI) to develop its cannabis medicine sales in Australia, which are marketed under the GFI Pharma brand.

GFI chairman Brent King said the transaction includes the issuance of shares in Taranaki-based Greenfern to a value of NZD $900,000. GFI and Cannvalate will now move to finalise an agreement, which is compliant with Australian and New Zealand law and NZX listing rules.

Cannvalate has agreed to continue to range of GFI Pharma-branded medications and, under the terms of the agreement, they will educate physicians with the intention of securing exposure to 6000 patients. The agreement also means that GFI will have access to anonymised patient data which will contribute to the company’s research and development initiatives so it can develop and refine specific medications based on real world patient experiences.

Today we’re talking about trichomes - those tiny little crystal-looking structures that cover the leaves and buds of cannabis. 

The word trichomes comes from the Greek word trichōma, meaning hair. Trichomes are fine outgrowths on plants, algae and lichens. On cannabis they tend to be shiny, sticky, carry intense aromas and kind of look like a blanket of frost at first glance.