The AusCannaPodcast S3 | E8 On The Road

What happens when you walk straight out of the grow room and hit record?In this special On the Road episode, I visited Medcan Australia in Southeast Queensland for a behind-the-scenes look at one of the country’s earliest licensed cannabis producers. After the tour, I sat down with co-founder and CCO Gareth Ball for a raw, in-the-moment chat about cultivation, product development, market pressure, and why Australia needs to back its own industry.From pheno-hunting wins (and fails) to research gaps, global comparisons, and the launch of Medcan’s new cultivar, Velvet Thunder. Whether you’re a patient, producer, or just passionate about homegrown cannabis, this episode is packed with deep insights, bold ideas, and that signature AusCanna curiosity.📍Recorded on-site in Southeast Queensland.👉 Got a Rapid Fire question you want me to ask a guest? Email them to [email protected]. I love including questions from the community!💚 Want to support the podcast? Tap the Buy Me a Coffee link in the show notes!In this episode, we cover a lot of topics, including:* Rapid Fire (2:42)* Who is Gareth Ball? (10:49)* The story behind Medcan Australia (12:02)* From pheno-hunting to products in patients’ hands… What’s the process? (18:15)* Do pheno hunts ever fail? (28:28)* There’s more to cannabis than THC, will the education ever catch up? (30:16)* The importance of gathering research (33:02)* Canadian market vs Australian market (38:05)* Buying weed from questionable sources (39:57)* The price of cannabis around the world (43:20)* Where is the global cannabis market going? (45:33)* Supporting Australian-grown cannabis first (46:27)* What’s next for Medcan? (50:16)* Exciting times ahead for the local industry (53:50)* Stigma, politics and legalisation (55:17)* Life is better with a little bit of cannabis (58:37)* Our reflections on swapping out pharmaceutical pills for cannabis (59:08)* Cannabis a first option, not a last option (62:23)* Gareth’s call to action (64:19)Show Notes:Where to Find Gareth Ball:* Gareth on LinkedIn* Medcan Australia LinkedIn* Medcan Australia Website* Email [email protected] to find Christina Mc Mullan:* @AusCannaReviews on SubStack* @AusCannaReviews on Instagram* @AusCannaReviews on Twitter/X* Email [email protected]* Buy Me A Coffee/AusCannaPodcast This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit auscannareviews.substack.com