north carolina cannabis

Poll: 54% of North Carolinians Support Cannabis Legalization

2/16/2021

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An Elon University poll found 54% of North Carolina residents support cannabis legalization for adult use, with 34% opposed and 12% unsure. Another 73% of respondents supported medical cannabis legalization in the state, with 18% opposed.

The last time Elon asked the question was in 2017, which found 45% supported broad legalization with 51% opposed. Support for medical cannabis in the January 2020 survey actually declined from the 2017 survey when it was backed by 80% of respondents with 17% opposed.

Jason Husser, director of the Elon Poll and associate professor of political science, said he suspected opposition against legalization fell “due in large part to the wave of states that have passed legalization measures.”

The poll also found 67% of North Carolinians supported decriminalizing cannabis – making possession a civil instead of criminal infraction – with 20% opposed and 13% unsure. Another 64% said legalization would help the state’s economy (16% said the opposite, with 21% unsure), 45% said crime would decrease if cannabis were legalized (24% said it would increase, 31% didn’t know), and 36% of those polled said legalization would lead to an increase in traffic accidents (17% said they would decrease and 48% said they weren’t sure).

“We found a major generational gap for recreational marijuana legalization with those under 44 being about twice as likely as those 65 or older to support legalization. Notably, these large generational differences do not extend to support for medical marijuana and lowering criminal penalties. Most Republicans also supported reducing penalties and legalizing medical marijuana.” – Husser in a press release

Another strong majority – 63% – said that using cannabis is not morally wrong, while 22% disagreed and 15% said they didn’t know; 53% said cannabis was not a gateway drug, with 27% believing it does lead to harder drugs, and 20% unsure.

Fifty-nine percent of Democrats supported legalization (29% opposed), along with 43% of Republicans (49% opposed).

The poll was conducted from January 29-31 and included 1,455 residents of the Tar Heel State.

A Gallup poll found 68% of Americans support the reforms, the highest level ever recorded by the pollster.

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Parkinsons cannabis study

Study: 61% of Parkinson’s Patients Benefit from Medical Cannabis

2/15/2021

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Researchers at Germany’s University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf Department of Neurology found that 61% of patients with Parkinson’s disease who used medical cannabis (CBD or THC) reported a beneficial clinical effect, according to a study published this month in the Journal of Parkinson’s Disease.

The researchers found 8.4% of Parkinson’s patients used cannabis to manage their symptoms, and most of those patients were young, lived in large cities, and had a better knowledge of the legal and clinical aspects of medical cannabis.

The study found 54% of patients who used oral CBD reported symptom improvement along with 68% of patients who used inhaled THC. Compared to oral CBD intake, THC inhalation was more frequently reported to reduce akinesia – temporary muscle loss associated with the condition – and stiffness, 50.0% vs. 35.4%, the researchers found.

“Reduction of pain and muscle cramps was reported by more than 40% of cannabis users. Stiffness/akinesia, freezing, tremor, depression, anxiety and restless legs syndrome subjectively improved for more than 20% and overall tolerability was good.” – Cannabis in Parkinson’s Disease: The Patients’ View, the Journal of Parkinson’s Disease, Feb. 2, 2021

Another 65% of Parkinson’s patients included in the study expressed interest in using medical cannabis. The researchers used questionnaires distributed nationwide via the membership journal of the German Parkinson Association. More than 1,300 questionnaires were analyzed for the study.

Dr. Carsten Buhmann, a Department of Neurology professor and lead author of the study, explained to SciTechDaily that Germany has allowed medical cannabis for “therapy-resistant symptoms in severely affected patients independent of diagnosis and without clinical evidence-based data,” since 2017.

“[Parkinson’s disease] patients fulfilling these criteria are entitled to be prescribed medical cannabis, but there are few data about which type of cannabinoid and which route of administration might be promising for which [Parkinson’s disease] patient and which symptoms,” he said in the interview. “We also lack information about the extent to which the [Parkinson’s disease] community is informed about medicinal cannabis and whether they have tried cannabis and, if so, with what result.”

Bastiaan R. Bloem, MD, Ph.D., the director for the Radboudumc Center of Expertise for Parkinson & Movement Disorders and co-editor-in-chief of the Journal of Parkinson’s Disease, called the study results “interesting in that they confirm a widespread interest among (Parkinson’s) patients in the use of cannabis as a potential treatment.”

Both Bloem and Buhmann said more research is needed for medical cannabis as a therapy for the disease. According to the Parkinson’s Foundation, more than 10 million people worldwide are diagnosed with the condition.

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Ice Cube Launches Cannabis Brand in Partnership with Caviar Gold

2/15/2021

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Rapper and actor Ice Cube last week announced the launch of Fryday Kush, a cannabis brand in partnership with Caviar Gold. The founding N.W.A. member said the product is available in Arizona, California, Nevada, and Oklahoma.

“We got cones, high potency buds, and some of the strongest nugs on the market,” Ice Cube tweeted following the initial announcement, adding that the line’s potency is 46.2% THC and 10.78% CBD.

The product logo mirrors the cover of Ice Cube’s 1992 album “The Predator.”

Ice Cube is the latest hip-hop star to launch a cannabis brand. Snoop Dogg, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, B-Real, Killer Mike and El-P of Run the Jewels, Method Man and his group Wu-Tang Clan, Drake, Noreaga, Xzibit, The Game, Berner, Jim Jones, 2 Chainz, Redman, Freddie Gibbs, and Kurupt have all started a cannabis company.

Master P announced his own brand in 2016; however, he is currently embroiled in a $25 million lawsuit against his partner on the project – Privateer Holdings – over alleged breach of contract and fraud, The Source reports.

According to Caviar’s website, Ice Cube “personally developed” the product, which includes “the unique proprietary process of adding 98% pure liquid THC to marijuana makes the strongest & highest quality flowers on Earth.”

Caviar also has a partnership with actor and director Kevin Smith who launched his brands –  Snoogans, Snoochie, and Berzerker – in 2019.

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Maine employer drug testing

Large Employers in Maine Drop Cannabis from Drug Screening

2/15/2021

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Several large employers in Maine are no longer testing employees or potential hires for cannabis, the Portland Press Herald reports. The companies are still testing for other illegal drugs but have decided to not include THC in their testing following the launch of legal sales last October.

Bath Iron Works Spokesman David Hench told the Press Herald that the company plans to hire more than 2,700 people this year and that precluding cannabis users for most positions was “not prudent.” Bath Iron Works is owned by defense contractor General Dynamics. The company will still include THC testing for safety-sensitive positions including security, fire and medical personnel, crane operators, and other positions requiring security clearances, along with those requiring Department of Transportation or U.S. Coast Guard approval.

MaineHealth, the state’s largest private employer with about 22,000 employees, stopped including THC screening last November. Spokesman John Porter said the changes were made “in light of evolving state law.”

Kristin Collins, an attorney with Portland law firm Preti Flaherty, told the Press Herald that “the simple fact that someone uses marijuana does not mean they’re going to be an unsafe employee.” She noted that federal guidelines require some employees to be tested for cannabis, such as those requiring a commercial driver’s license, some education programs, and jobs requiring the use of a firearm.

“The trend has been to take it out of their testing policies because (cannabis) use is so widespread and the testing doesn’t even come close to pinpointing whether the person is using on the job or not.” – Collins to the Press Herald

Last month, the Maine Office of Marijuana indicated plans to eliminate the drug testing requirements for medical cannabis industry applicants – a condition under current rules. Wellness Connection of Maine Managing Director Charlie Langston said that while the company does drug test applicants, a positive test doesn’t necessarily disqualify a potential employee and on-site cannabis use is not allowed and workers cannot be impaired.

Employers can still legally test applicants for cannabis. According to the state Department of Labor, 540 Maine businesses have state-approved drug testing requirements. In 2019, the agency found a 7% positivity rate among 26,173 drug tests performed in the state – the highest rate since the drug-testing program was created in 1989. Cannabis accounted for 92% of the positive tests, according to the report. The positivity rate for such tests was 4.8% in 2016, 5.7% in 2017, and 5.8% in 2018.

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Reddit’s WallStreetBets Drives Market Volatility for Cannabis Stocks

2/12/2021

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Driven by retail traders from /r/WallStreetBets, the Reddit-based message board that rocked the stock market last month with a run on GameStop stock, cannabis company stocks experienced volatile highs and lows this week, Business Insider reports. By Thursday, Tilray’s stock fell 48% from Wednesday, along with a 33% loss for Aphria, and a 23% drop for Aurora and Cronos, while Canopy Growth sank 24%.

The gains made for some cannabis companies, however, remain above progress seen over the last month. Tilray’s stock on Thursday remained 421% higher than its year-to-date, the report says. Exchange-traded funds including Global X Cannabis, ETFMG Alternative Harvest, and Amplify Seymour Cannabis were the best-performing ETFs of the year to date by the market’s Wednesday close.

A post on WallStreetBets described cannabis stocks as the new “darling” of the message board, which gained notoriety this month for its short squeeze on GameStop’s stock. According to a CNBC report, the interest in cannabis stocks could partly be related to high short-interest ratios – an indicator of how many of a company’s traded shares are being used in bets against the company. The report notes that Tilray’s short interest is equal to 22.5% of the shares available for trading.

Some posts on the message board are also hopeful that the Biden Administration plans to decriminalize cannabis federally. Canopy CEO David Klein told investors on Tuesday he expects the federal reforms sometime this year. Canopy on Tuesday also reported a 12% revenue growth of $152 million in the fiscal third quarter of last year, according to Barron’s, which could indicate at least some of its stock growth was not entirely the byproduct of retail traders and WallStreetBets.

Tilray Chief Executive Brendan Kennedy went a step further and said the company expects federal legalization in the U.S. in the next 12 to 18 months. In December, Tilray announced a merger with Aphria that, once finalized, would create the world’s largest cannabis company based on pro-forma revenue. Under the terms of the agreement, Aphria shareholders will receive 0.8381 shares of Tilray for each Aphria common share, while Tilray holders will continue to hold their shares with no adjustment to their holdings. Some of the Aphria trading over the last week could be linked to that deal as traders seek to get a piece of Tilray at the current Aphria rates.

Earlier this month, Senate Democrats – who hold a razor-thin 50/50 majority with Vice President Kamala Harris serving as the tie-breaking vote – announced plans for federal reforms.

According to a Wall Street Journal report, Sundial Growers was the most mentioned cannabis stock on the forum during the run, with about 8,500 mentions, which drove the stock up 79% on Wednesday, only for it to fall 19% on Thursday.

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Big Tobacco Firm Altria Hires Lobbyists for Cannabis Policy

2/12/2021

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Big tobacco firm Altria Group, whose brands include Marlboro, Copenhagen, Skoal, and Black & Mild, has registered with Virginia to lobby on cannabis policy. According to the disclosure documents filed last month, the firm retained Williams Mullen’s Elizabeth Rafferty to lobby on issues “related to the responsible and equitable regulation of cannabis sales in Virginia.”

Last year, the company also hired Denver, Colorado-based Brownstein Hyatt Farber Shreck, one of the nation’s top cannabis and hemp law firms, to lobby Congress on federal policies related to CBD and “non-tobacco excise taxes,” according to filings outlined by Forbes. So far, Altria has paid $30,000 to lobby the House and $50,000 to lobby the Senate on cannabis tax and CBD issues, the filings show.

The state filing was first reported by Cannabis Wire.

Altria is an investor in Canadian licensed producer Cronos Group, which it infused $1.8 billion into in 2018, giving it a 45% stake in the company. Last year, the company filed for two cannabis vaporizer technology patents.

Altria spokesperson George Parman told Cannabis Wire that the company plans “to work with policy makers and regulators in support of a transparent, responsible, and equitable operating environment for the sale of cannabis.”

Despite the filing more than a month ago, neither the company nor its lobby group representative appeared during the public hearings on the recent legalization debate that ultimately led to the House and Senate each passing a broad reform bill, according to the Virginia Mercury. Those bills are headed to a conference committee which will come up with a compromise bill that would need to be approved by both chambers before moving to Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam for his signature.

Altria operates Philip Morris USA, U.S. Smokeless Tobacco, John Middleton, and STE Michelle Wine Estates, with investments in AB-InBev, and JUUL Labs.

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Virginia Advances Dueling Cannabis Legalization Bills

2/12/2021

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Virginia’s House and Senate have each passed broad cannabis legalization bills that are headed for a conference committee to come to an agreement on final language – which would have to pass both chambers again – before moving to Gov. Ralph Northam (D) for his signature, the Washington Post reports.

While both bills would legalize sales beginning in 2024, they differ on several details, including when adults would be allowed to possess cannabis legally and whether industry operations will be under municipal control. The Senate bill would allow cities and town to-opt out of retail sales and allow possession as early as July 1, while the House bill would not allow possession until sales commence and does not include opt-out provisions, but retail sales would still be required to comply with zoning rules, according to a Center Square report.

The House bill also caps the number of industry licenses available while the Senate bill has no restrictions.

Democratic House Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn described the bill’s passage – along with one to end the state’s death penalty passed the same day – “historic” and “transformational.”

“Virginia is changing, and some of these historic pieces of legislation – it’s what the public wants.” – Filler-Corn to the Post

Since neither bill passed both chambers the differences will be ironed out in a compromise bill by a conference committee and then voted on again by both chambers. If approved, Virginia would become the first Southern state to legalize cannabis for adults and just the third to pass the reforms via the Legislature, behind Illinois and Vermont.

Jenn Michelle Pedini, the executive director of Virginia NORML, told WSLS that “the chambers certainly have their work cut out for them.”

“They worked remarkably well to advance the bills this far,” they said in the interview. “And we really are confident that they’ll be able to reconcile their differences and put forth a bill that they can all agree upon.”

A Legislature-required report released last year found legalization could generate up to $1.2 billion in economic activity for the state along with $274 million in revenues, but it could take up to five years to reach those levels. The study also suggested Virginia could see as much as $300 million annually from cannabis-derived taxes and fees.

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Mississippi May Get Two Competing Medical Cannabis Systems

2/12/2021

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As the Mississippi Supreme Court is preparing to decide the fate of the state’s constitutional amendment to legalize medical cannabis, a state senator has proposed a “Hail Mary” bill aimed at solving the state’s messy medical cannabis situation, Mississippi Today reports.

Some background

Last November, Initiative 65 — Mississippi’s constitutional amendment bid to legalize medical cannabis — was approved with an overwhelming 74 percent of the vote. Mayor Mary Hawkins of Madison, Mississippi, however, filed a lawsuit attempting to block the measure right before the election. The original filing did not stop the vote, but the lawsuit was later updated on grounds that the signatures had been collected improperly. Compounding those issues, the State Department of Health, which did not support I-65, and the Mississippi and American Medical Associations have since signed on to the suit. The Mississippi Supreme Court is set to decide the amendment’s fate in April.

A new option emerges

Now, in a last-minute effort to ensure Mississippi gets a medical cannabis system — and just in case the Supreme Court ultimately overturns I-65 — Mississippi state Sen. Kevin Blackwell has proposed SB 2765, which would legalize medical cannabis, tax products at 10 percent, charge $150 for medical cards, and charge “reasonable” fees to dispensaries and other licensees. Under the proposal, money collected from license fees and taxes would boost education efforts in Mississippi. The bill would also shift regulatory duties for the industry from the Department of Health to the Department of Agriculture.

Some senators are skeptical, however, with Republican Sen. Chris McDaniel questioning the tax on medical cannabis, noting that the state does not issue such a tax on pharmaceuticals. He also raised concerns over “anti-competitive measures” in the bill, according to the report.

SB 2765 failed on deadline day — Thursday, February 11 — but was held over on a “motion to reconsider,” which will let senators take up the bill again in an early Friday morning session, where it ultimately passed on a vote of 30-19, Y’all Politics reports. The bill moves next to the House.

The issue is made yet more complicated, however, because it raises the possibility of having two regulatory schemes emerge, assuming both the bill passes and that the Supreme Court upholds I-65.

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California Cannabis Workers Eligible for Coronavirus Vaccine

2/11/2021

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California is including cannabis workers as part of their Phase 1a and Phase 1b vaccine distribution tiers, the state Department of Public Health announced last week.

Medical cannabis industry employees are included in the 1a tier, while adult-use industry employees are included under 1b, according to the February 4 guidance.

“Medical cannabis workers should be accommodated as necessary in Phase 1b, Tier 1, by nature of their designations in eligible essential workforce classifications.” – California Department of Health, Updated COVID-19 Vaccine Allocation Guidelines, Feb. 4, 2021

Also included in 1b are education and childcare workers, emergency services, and food and agriculture employees.

Shannon Goodsell, a 53-year-old cannabis delivery driver with underlying health conditions, told Patch that she was able to make an appointment for a vaccination at a Rite Aid, although she was unsure whether the pharmacy would honor the appointment. She was given a letter by her employer to show to pharmacy workers along with her company badge.

In January, Maryland regulators included medical cannabis workers who hold active industry registrations in their 1a priority group for the vaccine. The Medical Cannabis Commission order covers cultivation, dispensary, processing, and testing laboratory employees.

Throughout the U.S., cannabusinesses were deemed essential as states imposed stay-at-home orders and business closures.

Last month, a Michigan dispensary, Greenhouse of Walled Lake, launched its “Pot for Shots” promotion, offering a free pre-rolled joint for anyone who provides proof they received the vaccine. The promotion runs through February 28.

Activists in Washington, D.C. announced their own “Joints for Jabs” plan to give away cannabis at vaccination centers throughout the city.

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Bill Would Cap Cannabis Concentrates Potency at 30% in Washington

2/11/2021

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For the second year in a row, a bill has emerged in Washington state aimed at limiting the potency of cannabis concentrate products. The bill, HB 1463, has bi-partisan sponsors and is scheduled for a hearing on February 12 in the Washington House. The legislation cites health concerns around “high potency” cannabis and includes a recent consensus statement from a group of Washington State University and University of Washington cannabis researchers.

“Use of cannabis with high THC concentration increases the chances of developing cannabis use disorder or addiction to cannabis, particularly among adolescents. High-potency cannabis use can have lifelong mental health consequences, which often manifest in adolescence or early adulthood. Daily cannabis use, particularly of high-potency products, increases the risk of developing a psychotic disorder, like schizophrenia, and is related to an earlier onset of symptoms compared to people who do not use cannabis.” — Consensus statement excerpt

If passed, the bill would limit cannabis concentrates to 30 percent THC and raise the age of purchase to 25. An exemption would be made for registered medical cannabis patients.

Bo Jackson, a Washington cannabis consumer who lobbied last year against a similar bill, said he is organizing to push back on this year’s attempt.

“This will incentivize black market sales, as cannabis concentrates of more than 30% are popular and sought by consumers,” he told Ganjapreneur. “The age restriction, 25 for concentrates, is inconsistent with current regulations we see on tobacco and alcohol and seems to be targeting cannabis consumers. While every industry is subject to regulation, those regulations need to benefit the entire community. This bill creates an arbitrary restriction that hurts consumers, industry, and medical users.”

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Zappy Zapolin: The American Psychedelic Resurgence

2/11/2021

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Between new cannabis legalization laws, drug decriminalization efforts, and discoveries related to medicinal psilocybin and other psychedelic substances, recent years have marked a resurgence for psychedelics in U.S. culture, politics, and medicine.

Zappy Zapolin is the filmmaker and activist behind The Reality of Truth, a documentary that follows Hollywood movie star Michelle Rodriguez and several of her friends through a journey of personal discovery fueled by psychedelics.

In this episode of the Ganjapreneur.com podcast, Zappy joins our host TG Branfalt to discuss the resurgence of psychedelics in American politics and culture, drug decriminalization developments from last November’s election, and the latest medicinal discoveries related to psychedelic substances including ketamine, psilocybin, and cannabis. The conversation also covers Zappy’s transition from an early digital-era pioneer to an activist filmmaker, how psychedelics can help society recover from the collective trauma caused by the coronavirus pandemic, and more!

You can listen to the interview through the media player below or through your favorite podcast listening platform. Scroll further down to find a full transcript of this week’s podcast episode.

Listen to the podcast:

Read the transcript:

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TG Branfalt: Hey there. I’m your host, TG Branfalt, and thank you for listening to The Ganjapreneur.com Podcast, where we try to bring you actionable information and normalize cannabis through the stories of Ganjapreneurs, activists, and industry stakeholders. Today is a real departure from the show. We obviously stick to guests in the cannabis industry and we’ve obviously had drug reform activists on the show but today, I’m going off the rails here with Zappy Zapolin. He’s the director of the 2016 documentary, The Reality of Truth, which follows actress Michelle Rodriguez and others on a personal journey of discovery and Lamar Odom Reborn which focuses on Odom’s journey from public breakdown, depression and addiction, to healthy and thriving through ketamine infusions and plant medicine.

He’s also the founder of The Ketamine Fund which offers free ketamine to veterans and others who are suicidal and the Mind Army, which believes that every human being has the inalienable right to go inside their own minds for answers and healing. So, not our sort of typical cannabis business owner, Zappy, but it’s really great to have you on, especially what just happened with the election the other day. Drugs won the day, as I’ve been saying for a couple of days.

Michael Zapolin: Yes.

TG Branfalt: But before we get into everything that we have to talk about today, man, tell me about you, your background and how did you end up focusing your sort of work and life on psychedelics?

Michael Zapolin: Yeah. No. It’s a really organic story. I grew up in Boston, Massachusetts and after college I went to work on Wall Street and I wanted to be more of an entrepreneur. And at some point I jumped into that entrepreneurial path and what happened was, it was the early 90s and they had deregulated television so you could make your own TV show, buy time on TV, what would be an infomercial. But it was just so open that I was like, “Wow. This is so cool.” I knew some people had some production equipment and decided to go into the infomercial space.

And I wound up getting on the Today Show with Katie Couric because there was so little information that she had me and the guy from Time Life Videos, where they were the masters of that. And at the end of the segment when she wrapped up, I said, “Oh, by the way, Katie, if anybody wants to get in touch with me I’m at 1-800- bah, bah, bah.” And I gave out the 800 number. After the camera cut she screamed me out for five minutes on how unprofessional I was, never be back on the Today Show again.

But back at my office in Boston, the phones were ringing, hundreds of phone calls coming in. Every time zone the show would play, we’d get another 100 calls. And in there, there was Diana Ross was watching, the singer. She had her assistant call me. Time Warner Cable, Pop people contacted me and said, “Hey, we need to do internal infomercials on our barker channels.”

So, all of a sudden I created this overnight infomercial company and I kept doing that and had some good experiences with infomercials. But when the late 90s came and I started to see the internet happening, I was like, “Oh my god. Wow. This is the holy grail of direct marketing. You’re going to be able to track consumers all the way through the system. This is better than infomercials. I got to get into this right now.” And so I thought, “Okay. Where do I fit in in the internet?” And my theory was that if I got a categoric, generic domain name like beer.com or diamond.com, I would have a certain amount of credibility as an entrepreneur, as a business. As more people came on the internet, I would rise with the tide. And I was like, “Wow. Let me figure out what domain I ought to get.”

And so I made a list. I called it my Super Bowl list, which was, I wanted an industry that advertised at the Super Bowl, figuring that would be a big enough category for me to develop for a few years. So I made the list, it was beer, cars, computers, insurance, credit cards, and top of the list was beer. So I was like, “Oh, I wonder what’s at beer.com.” I typed it in and there was this hobbyist site of a kid with pictures of him and his friends throwing up from drinking too much. And I thought, “Wow.” I looked him up. He’s in Colorado. And I’m thinking, “This guy’s in Colorado with beer.com. He can’t find a beer sponsor?” Because at the top of the page it said, “We need advertisers so we can buy more beer.”

And so I approached him and I said, “Look, I know people that do liquor promotions and why don’t you let me take over beer.com and put together a beer portal site?” I concluded, “Based on my best guesstimates at the time that that domain was maybe worth $100,000.” So I gave them $80,000 in cash and told them to keep 20% because I thought it was going to do really well going forward.

I redeveloped the site, put how to brew beer, rate your favorite beer, get a beer.com email for free. And I put out press about what I was doing and I got calls from all those beer companies and one of them was Interbrew up in Toronto that owns Labatt and Rolling Rock and everything. They said, “Hey, come on up and let’s talk about beer.com.” I went up and two months after I had taken this thing over for $80,000, I sold it to them for $7 million. So I was like, “Oh wow.” I was like, “This is a good industry. I better go back to my Super Bowl list here.”

So I went back to the list and started to acquire, I was able to get diamond.com from a software company that didn’t need it. I wound up eventually getting computer.com, 1-800-computer. And with a partner we did a Super Bowl ad in the 2000 Super Bowl and launched beer.com. I’m sorry, we launched computer.com, 1-800-computer. Had a Superbowl ad. It was this incredible, fun and entrepreneurial learning.

And so as I was doing that when the internet bubble burst, I got the opportunity to own creditcards.com, which I did pretty well with. I actually wound up as an entrepreneur, exiting it too early and had built it up with some partners that wanted to exit it. We exited it for a few million dollars and everybody was happy. But the guy took that same site, same business model and everything, he just applied what we were doing and started buying traffic and increasing the number of leads, and two years later, what we sold him for three million, he turned around and sold to American Capital for 133 million, same website, business model, logo. So I’d have to see-

TG Branfalt: Wow.

Michael Zapolin: … TV commercials for creditcards.com on NBC NBC and want to jump out the window and kill myself. So, thankfully, I’ve been a cannabis user for the last 35 years, and I knew it was a valuable medicine, important medicine in my life, and so I never even… You know if people say, “Oh, drugs, blah.” I just, didn’t even go in my brain. I was like, “This is medicine and I hope everybody eventually can get this.” So I always loved it, wanted to be a part of it. When things went legal in 2012, I participated in some of the early CBD companies and cannabis opportunities and that was great.

But at the same time I sort of had this spiritual mid-life crisis myself and I realized that I’d done everything society told me to do: go make money, have a family, you’ll be totally fulfilled. And I was sitting there like, “Oh, wow, you know what? I just did it all and then I’m happy but I’m not fulfilled. How am I going to get fulfilled?” And I realized that I’d had some good psychedelic experiences when I was younger and I thought, “Wow. If I could use something like Ayahuasca that I’m hearing about, San Pedro cactus, some of these things, to go inside and have that experience with the intent of expanding my consciousness and learning about myself,” I was like, “I think I have to do this or maybe I wasted my whole life.” And that was what led me to go down to Peru and sit with a shaman.

From the infomercial days, I’ve always had equipment to film and edit and stuff. So I said, “Oh, I’ll just make a movie about this, my experience, and then I can share it with other people.” And I was lucky enough to get the actress, Michelle Rodriguez, who was having her own spiritual mid-life crisis and wanted to try Ayahuasca, come with me and some friends down to Peru to have some shamanic experiences. And, of course, changed my life, and I realized, “Hey, you know what? Cannabis is amazing. It is a psychedelic. But it’s so subtle that it doesn’t even get usually put into that same frame as these other psychedelic catalysts.” So my thinking was, “Wow, okay, let me leapfrog cannabis because everybody’s already working to get that out and it’s coming out. Nature’s really intelligent. It knows people need it and it’s bringing it out.” And I thought, as cannabis leads the way, where people like my parents who used to be resistant to marijuana and anything to do with that, now, in their 80s, they’re eating gummies for their health and feeling better. And so they realized, just like a lot of other people now, this is medicine. And I figured, if I can bring forward some of these compounds like psilocybin mushrooms, San Pedro, Ayahuasca, ibogaine to break the heroin and opioid epidemics, ketamine to break the depression in PTSD, this is what’s going to triage society.

So it’s like, if we made legal weed today, yes, society would get better and better and better and better. But we’re in a suicide, addiction, depression epidemic and now we’re coming out of a pandemic with all this PTSD, nothing’s going to triage that, other than these catalysts that can put you into a different state, give you a different perspective and scientifically now have been proven to be able to triage society. So I’m just thrilled. Yesterday was, with the election and couple of states going decriminalizing drugs. Even in Oregon, cocaine and these things, they are being decriminalized, which makes total sense because most people, if you tell them not to do something, they’re going to be so curious that they’re going to have to do it. Where, in Europe and places, when they say, “Hey, everything’s legal. We’re not going to-“

TG Branfalt: Portugal.

Michael Zapolin: “… arrest people.” Yeah, Portugal. Everything winds up better. And so we have to accept that that model exists and make these things available so there can be more education, more opportunities like there are now with cannabis. Where it used to be, I didn’t know what kind of… I might have known whether it’s indoor or outdoor weed, or what state it came from, but now I know so much and then I can find subproducts that can actually be really good for me. And we have to get there with psychedelics really fast because if we don’t, we’re in a crazy situation, where society can go off the rails with…

TG Branfalt: So it’s interesting that you mention the pandemic in sort of this early run-up because there was a month in the middle of the pandemic where every weekend I was doing some sort of psychedelic. And I was a psychedelic user but never at that sort of rate. And coming out of that, the following sort of weeks and months, I was far more at peace with the sort of situation that I was in. And a part of me at that time sort of realized that while I had used psychedelics my whole, my adult life and even in my teenage years, that it wasn’t until then where I sort of was like, “Holy shit. This actually might be a way to help with my depression.”
And, yeah, I mean, I’m a cannabis journalist, so I do read a lot about a lot of these things but I didn’t realize the sort of, the history of psychedelics and their potential role as medicine. And you’ve worked on a couple of films about this, psychedelics and, I mean, you named a couple of psychedelics that I’m not even familiar with. Could you just briefly describe sort of the history and if it’s, I mean, briefly, of psychedelics and their potential role as medicine?

Michael Zapolin: Sure. Yeah. A lot of people don’t know but, of course, in the ’50s and things LSD was legal. ibogaine, which is this incredible addiction interrupter, this used to be publicly sold as a French brand called Lambarene. You could buy it over the counter. Or virility and things, they didn’t really know exactly, but there was for virility and energy and things like that. And so, what happened was, in the ’50s when they started to bring out these SSRI’s, these antidepressants from the pharmaceutical companies, they decided that was a better track for them to go down. So it was very easy with the Vietnam War and the president not wanting people to be going inside and thinking too much about what was going on, that they said, “Let’s shut this thing down. Let’s tell people that we don’t know if they’re safe.”

1966 they were like, “We’re making LSD and other psychedelics illegal because they have to be studied for safety.” And that kind of makes sense to me. I’m like, “Oh, okay, yep. Makes sense.” But here we are now, 54 years later, okay. Millions of people have done these things, many with great benefit. And our Mind Army that’s fighting for the right to pursue happiness, we’re not going to sit here in 2020, knowing what we do about medicine and science, we’re not going to sit here and have somebody tell us that alcohol is good, tobacco is good, but psilocybin mushrooms, those are bad, and even if you’re suicidal or facing addictions, you can’t use them. Sorry, you’re going to have to die. It’s like, “No. We don’t accept that paradigm. We are going to use these. We’re asking the president, whoever that is, to use the executive branch, do an executive order legalizing psychedelic compounds right now for this crisis of mental health and addiction.”

And the way we’re doing this is, number one, to ask them to really say, “Hey, look,” if it’s Donald Trump, “if you want to win the Nobel Prize, you are going to make these compounds legal. You will bring down suicide rates and help the opioid epidemic and actually be recognized for something real, okay, number one. If it’s Joe Biden, we intend to say to him, “Your son, Hunter Biden, who had a drug and alcohol addiction issue, he overcame that using ibogaine, just like we gave Lamar Odom in the film that’s coming out next year…” And we intend to say to Joe Biden, “Hey, if it’s good enough for your son, it’s good enough for everybody else. Get your pen out and start writing this executive order because we’re not going to sit around here just because you have $15,000 or $5000 to send your kid out of the country to do ibogaine. We need this stuff, okay? So make it legal. Accept that just like MDMA right now is being shown through clinical trials with MAPS to be effective in treating PTSD, in a similar way, ketamine is being shown to break suicidal ideation and depression. Psilocybin mushrooms microdosed is going to definitely get rid of all the antidepressants and replace those, just with microdosing psilocybin. So let’s get to it. Let’s not pretend that we don’t know the safety profile.”

And that’s what’s so cool about this moment is, with the internet and social media, if something works, like cannabis, then my parents and people are going to try it. And then if it works for them, it doesn’t matter what anybody else is saying about it. And that’s what’s happening for psychedelics right now, too. It’s so exciting because we’re heading for a cliff as a society, we could go off the cliff, but here is the beauty of nature is it’s bringing these compounds to just take a right turn before we go off the rails. And it’s just nice to see that right in the moment that we all need it, we all tune into the fact that it’s here and it’s available.

TG Branfalt: I mean, you’re obviously hyper passionate on this issue and super knowledgeable. So tell me about some of the challenges that you face as a psychedelic advocate, right? Because I think to a lot of people, the cannabis advocate has sort of been normalized through 50 years of NORML or however long it’s been and magazines, High Times and Culture and this sort of normalization, mainstream-esque… you know, High Times is a trading company now. And so I think psychedelics, in most sort of mainstream America, hasn’t sort of gotten to that sort of same normalization point with psychedelics. So tell me about the challenges you personally face in that role.

Michael Zapolin: Yeah. So what’s cool is I have through film realized… Before that I was like, “Oh, we’re in a celebrity-driven culture. I can either get pissed off about that or I can use that to my advantage.” And I would rather use that to our advantage as it relates to bringing out psychedelics. So what’s exciting to me is I had this organic experience where I was showing my film, The Reality of Truth, here in Florida at the Hippocrates Health Institute and somebody came up to me after the movie and they said, “Hey, I just saw that movie about plant medicine of yours. I’m friends with Lamar Odom, the basketball player, Kardashian, and he’s not in a good position right now. Do you think you could help him with some plant medicine?” And I was like, “Oh, I’d love to help him out and film that. Sounds really cool to share it.”

But what I love is that this movie, you get to see Lamar, you’re like a fly on the wall. You get to see him go through his ketamine experiences with different treatments of ketamine and emerge and say, “I’ve never felt this good in my life.” You get to see him come down to Mexico with me and do ibogaine which is an African root that is very intense but it can break a heroin or opium addiction.

He had 12 strokes, 6 heart attacks, liver damage, kidney failure from being in a drug-overdosed coma. And to see this ibogaine reset him mentally and physically to the point where in the movie you see he says, “I think I feel so good I can make a comeback in professional basketball.” And couple months later, four months later or so, he went and played in a professional tournament in Dubai. And he had this personal rocky moment for himself, where he was like, “I was supposed to die and then I did the ketamine, I lost my fear of death. I did the ibogaine, I lost my fear. I know I’m on… This is like gravy time for me.” And he’s like, “This is so cool. I don’t care. I’m not the same basketball player I was when I was 20 years old but who cares? I’m just enjoying the moment and I’m present.”

And so to see somebody who people think they know personally because they’ve watched them and feel really attached, he’s the perfect celebrity to bring this forward and I’m really excited for him to normalize it. For me, it’s cool because I’ve gotten this moniker of the psychedelic concierge. Which I think is a pretty good description because if you think about you’re at a hotel and you go to a concierge and you’re like, “Hey, where should we go to dinner tonight near the hotel?” They say, “Oh, well, what kind of food do you like? Do you like wine? Do you want there to be music?” And then you tell them and they go, “Oh, go to this place.” So, in the same way, they’re not cooking your dinner, and they’re not making the music, they’re just making a right recommendation. So when celebrities or business people or friends come to me, I do a similar analysis like that concierge. I’m like, “Okay, well, what are you trying to achieve? What’s your intent? What kind of traumas do you have going on? What have you tried? Okay, well, based on that I think…”

In the movie, the Lamar Odom Reborn, I have a formula for him and that formula for him is ketamine plus plant medicine plus a daily practice of meditation, breathing, equals a conscious transformation. So he had to go through that formula. Start by being triaged with ketamine. Because he’d always been told, “Don’t do psychedelics. If something goes wrong as an African American guy, you could be shot by the cops, put in a mental institution.” We have this really unfair thing happening that we need to correct in the psychedelic community, where we have to make this open to everybody, no judgment. Just everybody deserves this. Go inside.

So he’d never done it. He was nervous. But he’d done everything else. He knew there was nothing else he could try to pull himself out. So he agreed to do it. He came down with my partner, Warren Gumpel, who’s my ketamine partner here. He trusted us. He went through the treatments. And then when he felt good and stabilized, I said, “Look, let’s go down to Mexico. You have an addiction profile. You’re an African American guy. There’s this African root that can break an addiction and do a whole physical reset. Who knows, maybe you’re supposed to be having this stuff and you’ve just been cut off from it culturally for generations. So let’s go do it.” And he’s such a cool guy that he was like, “All right. Let’s do it. I got nothing to lose.”

And it’s a very intense experience. It’s not something that I recommend to people unless they need a full reboot or they’re addicted to something that they can’t get off. ibogaine’s so incredible that it basically wipes your prefrontal cortex so you have no cravings. You don’t even have to detox on a ibogaine journey. It’s just a wild 12 hour to 48 hour experience. But when you come out of it, you don’t have cravings, you don’t have anything in your system and you physically are getting this reboot as if you’re 18 years old again. And so this is really cool.

And just a side note, that they’ve recognized anecdotally, it hasn’t been studied because of the legalities, same thing with cannabis and all this, but they realized that a microdose of iboga, this plant, can reverse Parkinson’s Disease. Yeah. Because of what it’s doing in the brain and that repair that it’s capable of doing. So we have to just be smart and just say, “Hey, look, they tricked us with cannabis. Now we know. We’re not going to let them trick us with this psychedelics anymore. We’re going to use these. We’re going to study them, get the benefit.” I love it. That’s where we’re at.

TG Branfalt: So talk to me about, you had mentioned we’re a couple of days removed from the election. During that night, Oregon implemented the medical cannabis. D.C. decriminalized ethnogenic plants, so that doesn’t include MDMA or LSD. Previously, we’ve had Ann Arbor, Michigan, we’ve had Santa Cruz, we’ve had Oakland, Denver, have all passed measures to decriminalize psilocybin. And ultimately, I mean, I’m of the mind where it’s going to sort of follow the same path as cannabis, probably take a little longer. But do you think that this movement can gain the same traction as the early medical cannabis movement despite barriers, such as its drug schedule, such as the general public’s misunderstanding of the substances, and the general stigma of psychedelics?

Michael Zapolin: Yeah. No. That’s a good question. I mean, I think it actually can avoid all the things that cannabis has had to go through because we’re in such a crisis. Six months ago I would have said, “Oh, it’s probably… I don’t know. It could be years. Who knows? We’re going to fight for it but who knows?” But after this crisis, this mental health crisis, I think there’s a suicide epidemic wave that’s coming that this country’s not even ready for and so how do you triage that? And I think a lot of people, while they may not be ready today, they may go, “Oh, Zappy, you’re nuts. You’re not going to get the president to legalize this stuff.” But I’ll tell you what, if 50,000 teenagers committed suicide one day on an app or a website, that would… Which is not far-fetched. There’s already undertones of something like this developing. And so, that’s going to break the fabric of the family and society and people are going to be like, “Holy shit. What do we do?” And then they’re going to go, “Oh, look, it looks like ketamine breaks suicidal ideation. Why don’t we do that?”

I wish people would just do it now and legalize these things out of respect for other human beings. And the fact that this Mind Army, we’re trying to get this stuff legal, because we’re like, “This is my body. This is my mind. If I’m having suicidal thoughts or I’m addicted to something or I’m depressed, I have to be given the opportunity to heal myself. And if I’m not hurting anybody else, then get out of my way. This is 2020. I am not going to sit here and have a conversation with the state government and the local and the DEA. Nope. I’m going right to the president. That’s the person who can sign this executive order. Don’t want to talk to anybody else.” We’re just going to pile as many people on as possible.

So the people that are listening, they can come to mindarmy.org and check it out. Sign the petition. We’re setting up a task force because in every city there are these psychedelic societies, these entheogenic societies and they are just underground because of the legal culture. But if they were able to come to, it was made legal and they could come to the surface and we could have a Yelp for therapists and guides, and if you’re having a bad time, that you would be able to access somebody right, really close to you to help you out. And this is kind of like the model.

I’m a Grateful Dead fan. I’m a Dead Head. I’ve been to 100 shows. And at those shows, I was never cool enough to do it, but some of the people would give up seeing the show and they’d go into the tent and help people that were having a bad trip. And it’s like, these cool people exist all over the place. So we can do harm reduction. We can make sure everybody has a good experience. And then the Mind Army is putting together a psychedelic microdosing handbook with the idea that we have information from MAPS, Third Wave, double-blind, the best techniques to microdose these different things, thinking to ourselves that if the president legalizes this with an executive order, we want people to have this handbook so that they can say, “Oh, okay, I’ve got some mushrooms. Let me see how much I should take, what the basic effect is. Let me figure this out slow in a microdose, not just go, ‘Oh, mushrooms, great. Give me 10 grams. I think I heard that on some podcast.'”

So, we want people to start slow and safe, have a task force in place. But you’re hearing it right here, yesterday’s, or the vote the other day was a referendum on people are demanding to be able to take care of their own mental health right now and that we all accept that these are important, legitimate things. That’s why they’re being legalized by majorities of voters. So we have to pile on.

TG Branfalt: Going back to what I was talking about in my own sort of recent experience, and this idea of the inalienable right to sort of do what you will with your own brain, right? My mother, she’s very open, we have a very good relationship and just a couple of weeks ago, I said, “Mum, I’m going on a trip this weekend, a little MDMA.” And it was finally the first time that she understood. And she’s never really done any sort of psychedelics but I think that she understands now that people are hurting and that my life hasn’t changed dramatically in the time that I’ve been using psychedelics, I think, medically. So to your point, and sort of the mission of your organization, do you think that that message of the inalienable right is more effective, I guess, than the idea that these drugs work?

Michael Zapolin: Yeah. I think it’s a double hit. People are getting, thanks to cannabis, they’re getting this, “Hey, you know what? They were wrong about that and I have to be more open now. I have to do my own due diligence. I can’t just think because they told me if I’d smoke marijuana, I was going to go crazy and rape people and, okay. Now I know. This is medicine. Okay.” And now I’m seeing MDMA. I’ve seen COMPASS Pathways with their psilocybin go public on the Nasdaq with a billion dollar market cap. Cybin up in Canada just raised 45 million the other day. So the Wall Street people and the mainstream people are seeing it in different ways that they need to see it. But it’s all leading to things like your mom, where last year, she might have been like, “Oh, I don’t know. Are you doing that too much?” or something like that. Where, now she’s just like, “Oh, well, good, because I don’t want you to be having mental issues and have these problems that don’t have to exist.” So I think it’s cool. I mean, I thank cannabis and I thank nature because I think nature is so intelligent.

I just want to tell you one fact I heard during the coronavirus while I was quarantining doing psychedelics and watching nature programs and stuff and cool visuals. And the best thing I learned, and this just shows how intelligent these plants are and we got to start giving them credit, in the Papua New Guinea jungle there are these fruit plants and there are fruit bats that eat the fruit off of these plants. After they eat it, they drop the seed down onto the ground or they poop it out and it grows a new tree. Well, the trees realized that the bats were helping them to fertilize these new plants and in a very short time they evolve to make it easier for the bats to hold onto the trees.

TG Branfalt: Super cool.

Michael Zapolin: I mean, that’s consciousness. That’s intelligence. And when you do ibogaine or you have this experience like this where you tap into this ancient plant and then all of a sudden you’re having this high technology information and stuff happening, you’re just like, “Wow. These plants. We should literally get down on the ground and be bowing to these plants-“

TG Branfalt: Not wrong.

Michael Zapolin: “… instead of being these humans who…” My hope is that people look at the turn that we’re about to make back to trusting nature and plants, they’re going to go, “Oh, that generation around 2000, those are the people who went back to nature after these ridiculous humans decided that they didn’t need nature, they were smarter than all that and they could just figure it out with technology.” And I want us to be seen as the group that brought that thing back to trusting nature, going inside, and ideally not taking it too seriously either, because this is a miracle we’re in. And I think a lot of times people are just disconnected from what a miracle we’re in.

And I see it around me and I think this is the power of ketamine, is when you do that experience in a medical doctor’s office… You’re not trying to have a trip, you’re not trying to expand your consciousness, you just don’t want to have depression or addiction. And you go in there… Or PTSD. And you get the enlightened experience and then you go, “Oh, I get it. This is what they’ve been talking about.” And so that opportunity to tap people into that level of new consciousness is amazing. And we have the opportunity to take advantage of that right now and we got to just stick with that and not be distracted.

TG Branfalt: And there’s a recent study I just found that psilocybin worked four times better than antidepressants. And it was, granted, a very small study, a 27-person study or something like that. But, I mean, the fact that we’re getting these studies, I think is really, really important for the overall conversation.

What advice do you have for people who want to learn more about how psychedelics can potentially help with depression and addiction? I mean, having this conversation on a podcast definitely doesn’t even scratch the surface. So what do you recommend for those folks?

Michael Zapolin: I would definitely tell people to watch The Reality of Truth. That movie is all about showing you what the opportunity is with these compounds. And then I would say definitely check out the Mind Army and join us, mindarmy.org, because this is the place that we can all get together. I said this, I was on a conference, a virtual conference the other day and they asked me to speak about advocacy, about activism and I said, “Number one, we have the best product in the world, okay? Nothing works as well. So let’s just embrace that, number one. Number two, we have a majority of people. It’s been shown in the election, we have a majority of people who say we’re in a mental health crisis and we need to use safe and effective compounds that we know about. And then, third, we live in this world where you can tap in through social media and the internet into these large groups and affect them with content and information, and who knows, this show could be the straw that breaks the camel’s back. You just literally don’t know. So we have to advocate. We have to be really strong in our reality which is our product’s incredible and it’s the only thing that’s going to work right now” and just get really cocky in that mode.

And just that’s where we get the, “We don’t want to talk to the state and local and this and that. We’ve seen where that went with cannabis. We want an executive order from the president right now or unfortunately if he needs to wait and have social situations accelerate him to do this, we will be standing by trying to help people to have as good an experience as possible.” But like you said, during this coronavirus, or if you find yourself in Denver or Oregon or Santa Cruz, a psychedelic-neutral zone, you got to take advantage of that opportunity and say, “There’s nowhere else I have to be right now. I’m going to go inside of myself, learn something.” And I guarantee if you do it in the right setting and the right intent, you’re going to have an amazing experience.

TG Branfalt: So, Zappy, I could sit here and have this conversation with you for the next 45 minutes because I’m learning so much and it sort of reinforces, I mean, I guess it reinforces sort of what I’ve been experiencing recently. And to think about this, the referendum, as you put it, that happened during the general election when it comes to psychedelics, to put that in sort of the frame of that people are sort of waking up and then realizing that we have this mental health crisis occurring, I think that’s one of the most interesting sort of perspectives that I’ve had surrounding this issue in my conversations with friends, family, other sort of journalists, that sort of thing. You’ve mentioned your website a couple of times. Is there a place where people can find out some more about you personally or any details you want to direct people to check out before we wrap up here?

Michael Zapolin: No, I mean, I think that mindarmy.org is a great place to come into the mix with me and there’s a lot of ways to engage there. Right now we’ll have more stuff come out but I’d say that’s a good entry point. I do want to say one, I want to future cast something at the end here that’s really exciting and-

TG Branfalt: Go for it.

Michael Zapolin: … this is mind blowing. And I’m involved with this in a business sense but it’s so cool that it exists today as well, which is, that the future of medicine and the future of psychedelics is frequency. And what I mean by that is, right now instead of taking an orange to get some vitamin C and put that in your body, it is now possible to use technology to put some headphones on and they dial up the frequency of vitamin C, it causes an electrical reaction in the brain, which causes a physical reaction in the body, and you can get vitamin C benefit without taking the vitamin C, which means we’re going to be able to dial up a ketamine frequency and give you that frequency and give you a psychedelic experience without taking any organic material.

And this is the great equalizer, where when the government’s going around saying, “Oh, you can’t do this and you can’t do that,” we’re like, “Hey, guess what? We don’t need it. We’re doing it with frequency and as far as I know frequency is totally legal, so thanks anyways.” And it’s amazing because if people are in a place like a cold climate and they can’t get access to a compound or something like that, to be able to get the frequency, have the psychedelic experience and benefit physically, I mean, this is the greatest time to be alive ever. I can’t even go to bed at night. I’m just like, “Oh my god. The frequency is here to mess this whole thing up. All right!”

TG Branfalt: It’s all about energy, man. It really is.

Michael Zapolin: Yeah. For sure.

TG Branfalt: So, I mean, this has been a conversation that we definitely have to have again. You’re a fantastic source, resource of information. Thank you so much for this conversation and just your knowledge and your expertise and your drive and passion for this issue. I really can’t thank you enough, Zappy.

Michael Zapolin: Appreciate it. Keep doing what you’re doing too. I think it’s like the ganjapreneurs are going to become psychedelicpreneurs and frequencypreneurs and you can’t stop entrepreneurs. And now we have these tools and we have the masses and we have everything we need. Now is when we got to get really strong in our vocalizing. Because, last thing I’ll say is I don’t think there’s some conspiracy to keep these psychedelics out of people’s hands. I literally think it’s a lack of education. Doctors don’t know. Politicians don’t know. And in the same way that most doctors don’t really know about nutrition, which is shocking, it’s like, they just weren’t taught. It’s not that they wouldn’t like to know. And we, as the psychedelic community who have had experience and know what’s going on, it’s our job to educate these people. And as long as we do that, it’s all going to work out perfectly.

TG Branfalt: That is Zappy Zapolin. He’s the director of the 2016 documentary, The Reality of Truth and Lamar Odom Reborn, which is set to be released next year, yeah?

Michael Zapolin: Yes. You got it.

TG Branfalt: He’s also the founder of The Ketamine Fund which offers free ketamine to veterans and others who are suicidal and the Mind Army which believes that every human being has the inalienable right to go inside their own minds for answers and healing. Thank you again, Zappy. It’s really been a pleasure.

Michael Zapolin: You too. All right. Thanks for doing what you do. Peace.

TG Branfalt: You can find more episodes of The Ganjapreneur.com Podcast in the podcast section of Ganjapreneur.com on Spotify and in the Apple iTunes store. On the ganjapreneur.com website you’ll find the latest cannabis news and cannabis jobs updated daily along with transcripts of this podcast. You can also download the Ganjapreneur.com app in iTunes and Google Play. This episode was engineered by Trim Media House. I have been your hose, TG Branfalt.
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South Dakota Gov. Delays Medical Cannabis Citing ‘Feasibility’ Issues

2/11/2021

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South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem is delaying the implementation of the voter-approved medical cannabis law by one year – until July 1, 2022 – because of the “feasibility” of getting the program up and running.

“We are working diligently to get IM 26 implemented safely and correctly. The feasibility of getting this program up and running well will take additional time. I am thankful to our legislative leaders for helping make sure that we do this right.” – Noem in a statement

The Governor’s Office said an interim committee would be created “to meet and recommend solutions before next legislative session.” The state is working with Cannabis Public Policy Consulting (CPPC) on implementing the reforms, which “has not seen a successful implementation of a medicinal marijuana program in just 8 months” – the timeframe outlined by the measure. The Governor’s Office added that CPPC has advised that no state has launched both medical and adult-use cannabis industries at the same time, although it notes the Monday Circuit Court decision to reject the adult-use initiative on the grounds it violated the state’s one-issue clause for ballot questions.

“While the circuit court has ruled that Amendment A is unconstitutional,” the statement from the Governor’s Office says, “the state is still anticipating that the Supreme Court will have the opportunity to weigh in on this constitutional matter.”

In a letter to officials, CPPC estimated it would take between 14 and 20 months to implement an “effective, sustainable, and functioning medical marijuana system, without any existing licensing system, while balancing the need for patient access to safe marijuana with the need for public safety, preventing underage use and divergence into the illicit market.”

“Robust stakeholder engagement requires thoughtful, structured consideration that extends implementation timelines,” the letter states. “In our experience, the most successful implementations of a regulated marijuana system have prioritized public education, stakeholder outreach, and consumer safety, all of which are difficult to accomplish in an accelerated timeline.”

Meanwhile, lawmakers are still crafting rules and regulations for the adult-use industry in the event the Supreme Court upholds the ballot initiative. Republican state Sen. Brock Greenfield has also indicated he has filed a cannabis-related vehicle bill that could be used to pass the language of the measure via the legislative process.

The recreational measure was approved by voters last November 53% to 47% while the medical reforms passed 70% to 30%.

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Labor Board: Most Cannabis Employees are Agricultural Workers, Cannot Unionize

2/11/2021

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The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has ruled that most cannabis industry workers can’t form unions because they qualify as agricultural workers. The case was brought to the agency when workers at AgriKind’s Chester, Pennsylvania cultivation facility attempted to unionize with United Food and Commercial Workers 1776, according to a Philadelphia Inquirer report.

“We conclude that although the two employees work in indoor grow rooms akin to greenhouses, which the Board has previously distinguished from traditional exempt agricultural work, they are exempt because they each substantially engage in the primary agricultural functions of harvesting, pruning, and sorting of plants.” – NLRB in a decision dated Oct. 21, 2020 via MJBizDaily

In the decision, the labor board determined that because the two workers did not “significantly transform the natural product from its raw state,” they were ineligible for union protection.

Wendell Young, the president of the UFCW 1776, said the decision is an attempt by the agency to “change the law.” Young pointed to precedent set in the mushroom industry which is allowed to unionize in Pennsylvania under a 2001 court ruling.

“So, we will follow through with this case to the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board,” Young told the Inquirer. “Workers who are exempt under the NLRB are usually covered by the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board.”

Agrikind CEO Jon Cohn indicated that the company employs about 70 employees, mostly full time, with plans to hire about 60 more during an upcoming expansion.

“We don’t want the atmosphere here to be management versus labor,” Cohn said in the report. “Granted, we’ve grown really fast and had a ton of turnover. That’s caused some pains. People think growing cannabis is going to be glamorous but it’s really hard work.”

Last October, the Regional Director of the NLRB for Region 1 came to the same conclusion – that most cannabis industry workers are agricultural laborers – but could unionize in states that allow sector employees the right.

The decision stemmed from the UFCW Local 1445’s push to organize the cannabis cultivation and processing facility at New England Treatment Access’s (NETA) Franklin, Massachusetts facility. The union sought to unionize the employees under Massachusetts labor laws through the “card-check” method of organization instead of the secret ballot process required by the NLRA. NETA argued that the cultivation and processing employees were not agricultural laborers and were subject to the federal National Labor Relations Act.

Neither decision appears to prohibit retail employees, such as budtenders and delivery drivers, from forming unions under federal law.

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Steve Bannon’s Think-Tank Releases ‘Cannabis Cronyism’ Report

2/11/2021

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The Government Accountability Institute (GAI), a conservative think-tank founded in 2012 by Peter Schweizer and Steve Bannon, released a 76-page report this week detailing instances of alleged political corruption in the cannabis industry.

Bannon was arrested last August by federal officials after he allegedly defrauded the supporters of former President Donald Trump who donated to a private fund-raising effort called We Build the Wall. Bannon — who is believed to have pocketed the supporters’ donations — was pardoned by the former president days before he left office.

The GAI report, titled “Cannabis Cronyism,” highlights the roles of some political leaders including former Republican Speaker of the House John Boehner and New York’s Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the extended roll-out of the legal cannabis industry.

Purporting itself to be a watchdog entity for political corruption, GAI’s report also appears to suggest that the cannabis industry was not declared “essential” during the coronavirus pandemic so as to guarantee patients had access to vital medicine but as a means of lining the pockets of politicians.

“While some claim that cannabis dispensaries were truly as important as pharmacies, which also remained open during statewide lockdowns, other factors may have contributed to this decision. Whatever its medicinal and recreational benefits, cannabis has evolved into a nearly $21 billion industry that lobbies, pressures, and rewards politicians who look out for it.” — Excerpt from the report

Specifically, the report focuses on seven states with some form of legalized cannabis — California, New York, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Missouri, and Washington state — and seeks to highlight instances where officials were either lobbied by cannabis interests or allegedly favored friends and/or family for cannabis business licenses. Many high-profile politicians including New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D), Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D), Florida’s Agricultural Commissioner Nikki Fried (D), and Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) are named in the report.

The report also pulls from criminal investigations by the FBI related to the legal cannabis industries in California, Missouri, Florida, and New York.

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Cannabis and Sexuality: How Consumption May Enhance Your Sex Life

2/10/2021

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Jointly is a cannabis wellness app that launched in April 2020. Jointly’s mission is to help people discover purposeful cannabis consumption. Purposeful cannabis consumption starts with the question: why do you use cannabis?

Although cannabis has a long tradition as an aphrodisiac, many people are just now discovering that cannabis and CBD can be used to enrich their intimate experiences.

What does it mean to enhance intimate moments with cannabis? It could be a married couple looking to add a bit of creativity to their bedroom experience by splitting a cannabis-infused chocolate; a first date made more intimate and playful with a few hits from a vape pen; or a young woman who finds that consuming a small dose of THC makes it easier for her to reach orgasm in her solo sessions.

Can cannabis or CBD help you enhance your intimate moments? Jointly can help you find out, but first let’s review what is known about cannabis, CBD and intimacy.

Is Cannabis an Aphrodisiac?

Various traditional medicine systems have prized cannabis as an aphrodisiac. In 1965, Shri Dwarakanath, the Adviser in Indigenous Systems of Medicine for the Government of India, described numerous Ayurvedic formulations that contained cannabis and were prescribed as aphrodisiacs in rural areas. Dwarakanath noted that cannabis-based aphrodisiacs were found in both the Ayurvedic and Arab medical traditions and seem to have been used for hundreds of years. Evidently, humans have long used cannabis as an aphrodisiac.

But according to Nick Karras, a sexologist who has informally studied the effect of cannabis on people’s sex lives, “Dosing is essential when it comes to cannabis. Consume too much THC, and you may develop a closer relationship with your couch than your partner.”

A counselor of Ayurvedic medicine, Biljana Dušić, MD, seconded this notion: in the Ayurvedic tradition a small to moderate amount of cannabis is considered a powerful aphrodisiac, but habitual, heavy use of cannabis leads to a loss of sexual desire.

For enhancing intimacy, it’s probably best to start with a small dose.

What Does the Science Say About Cannabis and Intimacy?

Due to federal prohibition on cannabis, there is not enough research on how cannabis impacts sex or intimacy to state any firm conclusions. However, there have been several surveys and self-report studies that looked at how cannabis affected sexual frequency or subjective experience.

In 2017, researchers at Stanford University conducted a survey of more than 50,000 adults and found that cannabis use is associated with increased sexual frequency and that it does not appear to impair sexual function.

In 2018, researchers conducted an analysis of self-reported sexual effects of marijuana in a small group of men and women aged 18-25. They found that “the majority of marijuana users reported an increase in sexual enjoyment and orgasm intensity, as well as either an increase or no change in desire.”

Another small survey of men and women explored how cannabis alters people’s sexual experience. The researchers found that 38.7% said sex was better under the influence of cannabis, 58.9% said cannabis increased their desire for sex, 73.8% reported increased sexual satisfaction, 74.3% reported an increased sensitivity to touch, 65.7% reported an increased intensity of orgasms, and 69.8% said they could relax more during sex. While these results are fairly compelling, the survey was only conducted on a few hundred participants who responded to an advertisement, so it is unknown if these results can be generalized.

Biological Sex, Cannabis, and Intimacy

The scientific literature indicates that both men and women can experience a subjective improvement in sexual experiences when they use cannabis. But there is quite a bit of research that biological sex impacts how cannabis affects sexual function.

For females, the research has “almost consistently suggested a faciliatory effect of cannabis on subjective indices of sexual function.”

A study published in July of 2020 looked at whether the frequency of cannabis use, the chemovar (whether it has THC, CBD or both), or the method of consumption had an effect on female sexual function among cannabis users. They found that increased marijuana use was associated with improved sexual function in females. Chemovar type, method of consumption and reason for use did not impact the outcome.

A 2019 study explored how cannabis use prior to sex affected female sexual function and found that “with any use, the majority of women perceived improvement in overall experience, sex drive, orgasm and pain.”

The science on how cannabis affects sexual function in males is less conclusive. A literature review published in 2011 found contradictory results between studies and called for “renewed use of research resources” to learn how cannabis affects male sexual function.

Perception is Reality?

Some studies looking at male and female sexual function found a negative physiological effect of cannabis, but a positive subjective effect. For example, in males “it appears cannabis may actually have peripheral antagonizing effects on erectile function by stimulating specific receptors.” And in females, “cannabinoid receptor agonists, such as cannabis, may impair sexual arousal.”

Studies often focus on sexual arousal because there is a method for objectively measuring physiological arousal, whereas there is not an objective way to measure sexual desire.

Researchers discussing the difference between subjective and objective measures of sexual function stated, “While individuals may report enhanced sexual functioning while under the influence of certain substances, these substances are…often associated with decreased physiological sexual functioning.”

Of course, if people feel their intimate experiences are better when facilitated by cannabis or CBD, the objective physiological markers may not be as relevant.

Enhancing Intimacy with Cannabis

An informal survey was conducted between Eaze, a cannabis delivery service, and Lioness, a climax-tracking vibrator, on several hundred people. The Eaze-Lioness survey tracked the physiological markers of orgasm length and frequency. The survey found that “cannabis can increase the length, frequency, and quality of your orgasms and pleasure sessions whether you’re single or married, solo or with a partner, young adult or silver fox.”

Of course, this survey was not a scientifically rigorous study and more formal research is needed before any conclusions can be drawn. However, many couples have found that consuming cannabis enhances their intimate moments, and the science supports it.

A 2019 study looked at 183 heterosexual, frequent marijuana using couples, and found that using marijuana together, or individually but in the presence of the partner, increased the likelihood of the couple sharing an intimate experience within 2 hours of consumption. When couples used cannabis separately and alone (not in the presence of their partner), there was no increase in likelihood of intimacy.

The researchers concluded, “marijuana use is associated with increased experiences of intimacy, love, caring or support with one’s intimate partner in the next 2 hours.” They suggested it was plausible that subjective feelings of relaxation, happiness and wellbeing after cannabis use led the couples to “experience—or perceive—intimacy” with their partner.

Why Might Cannabis Enhance Intimacy?

The endocannabinoid system plays a central role in “controlling reproductive function in mammals and humans,” and the cannabinoid receptor has been mapped to areas of the brain that play a role in sexual function.

While it is clear that the endocannabinoid system plays an important role in sexual function, there are various other ways that cannabis or CBD can help people enhance their intimate experiences.

For example, scientists have postulated that cannabis may enhance intimate moments by lowering stress and anxiety or decreasing pain associated with sex. Others note that cannabis can slow down the perception of time, thus prolonging sensations of pleasure. Cannabis can also heighten the senses, changing how touch feels.

Whatever the mechanism of action, many people have found that cannabis and intimacy are natural bedfellows.

Use Jointly to Enhance Your Intimate Moments with Cannabis and CBD

With Jointly, you measure how well a cannabis product helps you achieve your wellness goals, including intimacy enhancement.

As you record how each product helps you achieve your goals, Jointly helps you track the 15 factors that can impact your individual experience so that you enjoy your ideal experience every time.

Jointly users who have optimized their cannabis consumption by reporting at least 10 cannabis sessions are enjoying their experiences 38% more than without Jointly.

Download the Jointly app today and start accomplishing your wellness goals with cannabis and CBD!

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Introducing Hyosung’s Cash Management Solution for the Cannabis Industry

2/10/2021

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(Irving, TX) February 10, 2021 – As the cannabis industry continues to grow across North America, cannabis business owners and family-owned cannabis shops are looking for new ways to tackle one of the biggest challenges that they are facing in this cash-only business. How can they keep their cash safe, secure and easily transferable on a daily basis? Nowadays, many cannabis business owners store their cash in safes behind their counter or use even less secure methods to protect their hard-earned money. In fact, in some cases, they just load stacks of cash in a car and store it at home or an offsite depository. Clearly, there are significant risks associated with this method. Also, many dispensary owners utilize their cash on hand to pay their vendors directly at the counter. This leads to significant increase in shrinkage and employee theft. There was a case in CA in 2020, in which more than $1M was lost due to employee theft at a relatively small dispensary chain.

Fortunately, these are all problems for which the largest ATM company in the U.S. has been providing solutions for many years. Hyosung America has been solving cash handling problems for businesses and banking institutions for over two decades. If you’ve ever withdrawn cash from a convenience store or one of the top five banks in the U.S., chances are you’ve interacted with one of Hyosung’s more than 100,000 ATMs. These machines are placed in convenient locations all across North America and have revolutionized the way people access cash. Over the decades, Hyosung has continued to reimagine the way people interact with cash and has adapted new solutions for new industries, such as the rapidly growing cannabis industry.

“In the ever-evolving cannabis industry, it is not enough to simply run the business. Utilizing these products from our world-class engineering team, you can change the business and significant value for the owner, budtender, customer, and vendor. Cash recycling is a simple but significant contribution to a dynamic growth industry’s bottom line,” said Marvin Bowers, Associate Vice President, Retail Sales.

Hyosung’s Retail Cash Recyclers (RCRs) are a ready solution for the many cash handling problems dispensary owners must face every day. RCRs make it possible for any cash-only business to run smoothly, quickly and securely. RCRs work by authenticating incoming bank notes and securely storing the cash in an internal vault. This allows bud tenders and other authorized employees to insert stacks of cash into the machine and never have to hand-count money again. This saves hours and hours of flipping through wadded notes. It also allows for the payment of vendors through two-party authentication codes so that all withdrawals are tracked and employee theft is minimized. It makes cash till generation and end of day settlement extremely easy and can add a substantial degree of safety and efficiency to an otherwise cumbersome and risky process.

To learn more about our Cash Management Solutions contact a Hyosung Sales Representative at sales@nhausa.com or click here to visit our website here.

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About Hyosung America:
Hyosung America is the US subsidiary of Hyosung, Inc., a global leader in providing ATMs, TCRs and software solutions to the retail off-premises and financial institution markets. Since entering the North American market in 1998, Hyosung has been the fastest growing ATM company in North America and the leading provider of recycling branch transformation solutions. Hyosung is headquartered in Irving, Texas, and provides research and development support in its Global Software Center in Dayton, Ohio.

CONTACT:
Sharon Shaw (Senior Director of Marketing – Hyosung)
(469) 676-1199
sharon.shaw@nhausa.com

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Colorado Cannabis Sales Exceed $2 Billion in 2020

2/10/2021

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Colorado cannabis sales totaled $2.19 billion in 2020, the highest annual total since the state passed the reforms in 2014, according to Department of Revenue data outlined by the Colorado Sun. In 2019, Colorado sold $1.75 billion worth of cannabis products.

In all, the state has sold $10 billion in cannabis in the six years following the reforms – including estimated 2021 sales – translating to $1.63 billion in cannabis-derived taxes and fees. Customers are charged a 2.9% sales tax, along with a 15% cannabis retail sales tax, and municipalities can add local sales taxes that are sometimes more than 20%. The state also imposes a 15% excise tax on wholesale sales or transfers of retail cannabis and license and application fees.

Truman Bradley, executive director of the Marijuana Industry Group, told the Sun that the $10 billion total “is incredible and unsurprising at the same time” adding that the industry “has partnered with regulators to do things the right way.”

Under the state’s adult-use law, 90 percent or $40 million – whichever is greater – of the excise tax on wholesale retail cannabis is used for the Build Excellent Schools Today program. According to the state Department of Education, the state has dispersed $40 million each year from 2016 to 2020. Of the 15% special tax on retail sales, 12.59 percent is diverted to the Public School Fund which is distributed to all of the state’s districts.

According to a Leafly report, from 2019 to 2020, Colorado experienced a 22% year-over-year flower price increase per pound to $1,495.18 and a 7% increase in concentrate pricing to $15 per gram.

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Report: Ohio’s Medical Cannabis Program Is Falling Short

2/10/2021

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During the pandemic last year, Ohio quadrupled its 2019 medical cannabis sales, according to a Crain’s Cleveland Business report. However, the report claims the total is still far from the state’s potential and highlights issues such as lacking dispensaries, minimal qualifying conditions, and high retail costs as the main reasons why Ohio’s medical cannabis system has felt so lackluster.

For a state with a population of over 11 million people, Ohio only has 54 licensed dispensaries, according to the Ohio Medical Marijuana Control Program.

In a survey conducted in the fall of 2020, 58.4 percent of patients and caregivers in Ohio said the state’s medical cannabis prices are too high, Cleveland.com reports. The high prices were attributed to COVID-19 hoarding behaviors, with long lines at dispensaries kicking off alongside the pandemic last spring.

Despite high prices, the cost of medical cannabis in Ohio is actually fairly average when compared to other Midwest states like Michigan and Illinois, according to Greg McIlvaine of the Ohio Department of Commerce.

“We’re kind of right there in the middle between Michigan and Illinois. We would hope to expect as our market matures, and we continue to get cultivators online and … products, that our prices will start to decline even further from about the $300 per ounce to something closer to $265 per ounce, as in Michigan.” McIlvaine, via Cleveland.com

Ohio’s medical cannabis program currently allows for 22 qualifying conditions — the state added cachexia last year but warned that Autism and other conditions would not be reconsidered until new research was submitted.

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Washington Social Equity Task Force Makes Legislative Recommendations

2/10/2021

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Washington state’s Task Force on Social Equity made two motions in their latest meeting on January 26. In their suggestions, they dictate that equity prioritization be based on race rather than location, and to include current I-502 licensees who fit equity criteria in their recent meeting. In response to these motions, state Sen. Rebecca Saldaña introduced SB 5388 on January 29 and state representative Melanie Morgan introduced companion bill HB 1443 on February 1.

The task force — which is made up of members of the Washington state House and Senate; members of the Black, Latinx, and Indigenous communities; current I-502 licensees; and representatives from several executive agencies including the Department of Commerce — was appointed to make recommendations on how to distribute the state’s reserved $1.1M allocated to assist social equity applicants in attaining retail or producer licenses as dictated by HB 2870.

Following its December meeting, nine I-502 retail owners and producers penned a letter to the Washington State Board of Health urging the entity to open up social equity funding to current license-holders who fit social equity criteria. The letter cites the global pandemic as fiscally challenging for companies with already-tight profit margins, with new CDC protocols and hazard pay to essential workers increasing their daily operating costs. The licensees argued that the task force should first ensure the cannabis market is stable before introducing new license holders, which they argue would best set new equity applicants up for success. Some task force members were opposed, citing that government funds can’t be allocated for one purpose and then used for another based solely on need.

After their meeting in late January, two motions were made — one that shifted the criteria for social equity applicants from being place-based to a prioritization based on race. The prioritization of race follows the motion in December to center Black licensees in their equity efforts. The second motion was to include current I-502 licensees in those eligible to apply for social equity grants.

The Cannabis Observer reported that at one member of the public replied to the latter motion, “How many task [force] members would benefit off this motion?” To which there was no reply.

Rep. Morgan has been working with Sen. Saldaña and her team to craft language in HB 2870 that would widen the scope of their work. With the deadline for recommendations approaching, Morgan said, “House Bill 2870 has really put some barriers around this task force. I feel like we’re trapped inside the current bill that we’re working on, and would love to give us more room to move.”

Along with the focus on serving Black licensee-hopefuls and current I-502 licensees who fit the criteria, the task force’s recommended legislation also calls for the launch of a pilot program by August 2, 2021, to provide technical assistance to retail licensees who meet social equity criteria. The blls would also allocate $150,000 to assist in infrastructure projects, technology upgrades, incubator and mentorship programs, and supplies. Grant recipients would have to show completion of these projects within one year of receiving the grant.

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South Dakota Planning Cannabis Regulations Despite Court’s Rejection of Legalization Vote

2/10/2021

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Despite the decision by a South Dakota judge to reject the voter-approved cannabis legalization law, some state lawmakers are still preparing rules and regulations for the industry in case the Supreme Court overturns the lower court decision, the Argus Leader reports, and at least one lawmaker is preparing for the Legislature to consider the reforms.

Republican state Sen. Brock Greenfield told reporters on Tuesday that legalization via the Legislature is “a very real possibility.”

Greenfield has filed a vehicle bill with a generic title stating that the bill pertains to cannabis. Vehicle bills are an empty shell that can be used to carry any cannabis-related legislation not recorded by the Legislative Research Council by the filing deadline, which has already passed for the state’s 2021 session. Theoretically, the entirety of the voter-approved constitutional amendment could be filed into that vehicle bill and formally introduced in the Legislature.

South Dakota Circuit Court Judge Christina Klinger ruled on Monday that the voter-approved law “is a revision as it has far-reaching effects on the basic nature of South Dakota’s governmental system,” and the measure ultimately violated the state’s one-issue clause for ballot initiatives.

State Sen. Arthur Rausch (R), a former judge and attorney, said one of the measure’s downfalls in court – and a major point of opposition for lawmakers – is that it gives rule-making authority solely to the Department of Revenue. He said “there were a lot of bad parts” to the proposal.

“The proponents would be far better off to come to these legislative groups that are working on marijuana and help draft something that works for everybody.” – Rausch to the Argus Leader

The circuit court decision does not impact the medical cannabis law, which was also approved by voters in November. The lawsuit challenging the adult-use legalization law was brought by two law enforcement officers at the behest of Republican Gov. Kristi Noem.

Noem said the court decision “protects and safeguards” the state’s constitution and was confident the Supreme Court would “come to the same conclusion” as the lower court.

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Kathleen Sebelius, Former Obama HHS Secretary, Joins Cannabis Group’s Board

2/10/2021

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Kathleen Sebelius, former Health and Human Services secretary for the Obama Administration, has joined the National Cannabis Roundtable as co-chair, Politico reports. Sebelius joins former Republican House Speaker John Boehner atop the organization’s board of directors.

“There is still really a federal framework that makes this growing industry very difficult to operate [in]. That is a considerable concern to me. I think this is a moment of opportunity to really talk about some rational federal policy.” – Sebelius to Politico

Sebelius added that she doesn’t see legalization “necessarily as a Democratic or a Republican issue,” noting that “voters across the country have indicated a willingness and an interest in moving to a new stage with cannabis.”

A Gallup poll from last November found 68% of Americans supported cannabis legalization – the highest level ever recorded by the pollster since it started asking the question in 1969. The poll found support for the reforms by 83% of Democrats, 72% of independents, and 48% of Republicans.

Sebelius is also a former Democratic governor from Kansas – one of just three states that have no legal cannabis. Earlier this month, however, Gov. Kelly Chambers (D) proposed allowing medical cannabis in the state and using funds derived from the industry to pay for Medicaid expansion. Chambers had included medical cannabis reforms in her campaign platform.

Other members of the National Cannabis Roundtable board include Cresco Labs CEO Charles Batchtell, Ilera Healthcare CEO Dr. Chandra Macias, Trulieve CEO Kim Rivers, Mana Supply Co. Co-founder Christopher Jensen, and Liaison Group Principal and CEO Saphira Galoob.

Sebelius is currently the CEO of Sebelius Resources LLC and serves on the boards of directors for Devoted Health, Exact Sciences, Myovant Sciences and other private health sector interests. She also co-leads the Health Strategy Group for the Aspen Institute and works on policy with the Kaiser Family Fund.

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South Dakota Judge Strikes Down Voter-Approved Legalization Initiative

2/09/2021

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South Dakota Circuit Judge Christina Klinger ruled on Monday that the state’s constitutional amendment approved by voters in November to legalize adult-use cannabis actually violates a 2018 law that prohibits constitutional amendments from dealing with multiple issues, CBS News reports.

Klinger wrote in her ruling that the amendment “is a revision as it has far-reaching effects on the basic nature of South Dakota’s governmental system,” as it would affect business licensing, taxation, and agriculture with new hemp/cannabis industries.

“Legalization opponents cannot succeed in the court of public opinion or at the ballot box. Thus, they are now seeking to overturn election results in a desperate attempt to maintain cannabis prohibition. Whether or not one supports marijuana legalization, Americans should be outraged at these overtly undemocratic tactics.” — NORML’s Deputy Director Paul Armentano, in a statement

Brendan Johnson, a South Dakota attorney who helped sponsor and defend the legalization amendment, said the group is planning to appeal the decision to the state’s Supreme Court.

The legalization bid, despite passing with 54 percent voter approval on Election Day, was soon challenged by law enforcement officers Highway Patrol Superintendent Col. Rick Miller and Pennington County Sheriff Kevin Thom. According to the report, Miller’s objection was likely made on behalf of Gov. Kristi Noem, who also vocally opposed the legalization efforts.

The amendment was also vocally opposed by Gov. Kristi Noem (R), who appointed Klinger as a circuit judge in 2019. “Today’s decision protects and safeguards our constitution,” she said in a statement. “I’m confident that South Dakota Supreme Court, if asked to weigh in as well, will come to the same conclusion.”

The voter-backed amendment was set to take effect on July 1. That will no longer happen, however, unless Klinger’s decision is overturned by a higher court.

The latest Gallup poll found that 68 percent of Americans — more than ever — support ending the prohibition of cannabis.

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New Mexico May Revoke License of Company Behind Extraction Fire

2/09/2021

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New Mexico regulators are considering revoking the license of the company that operated the facility where two workers were seriously injured in a fire last October, the Associated Press reports. The accident at New Mexicann Natural Medicine occurred during the extraction process when a mixture of ethanol and cannabis oil spilled onto a heater plate.

It was the second fire, described prior to the investigation as an explosion, at the facility that caused injuries over five years.

Officials contend that New Mexicann didn’t train staff on how to properly use the equipment. The Health Department immediately suspended the company’s manufacturing license following the incident. According to the December 21 notice outlined by the Santa Fe New Mexican, the producer violated medical cannabis program regulations by not using a closed-loop system to make concentrates and by instructing employees to stir the contents of the open container during the extraction process without directing them to turn off or cool the heater plate first.

“By lifting an open extraction vessel containing an ethanol-based solution in the immediate vicinity of an active heater plate, New Mexicann engaged in conduct that showed a willful and reckless disregard for health and safety.” – Medical Cannabis Program Director Dominick Zurlo, in the notice, via the New Mexican

A previous fire at the plant in 2015 severely burned two employees involved in the extraction process. Following that incident, Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited the company for 12 “serious” health and safety violations and fined it $13,500. The state Occupational Safety and Health Bureau cited the company for seven serious violations and levied a $7,250 fine for that accident, according to NM Political Report.

A hearing for the matter was reportedly scheduled for January 4 but was rescheduled.

New Mexicann has been licensed in the state since 2009.

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Cannabis Entrepreneur Elected to Pro Football Hall of Fame

2/09/2021

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Calvin Johnson, the former Detroit Lions star wide receiver and founder of Michigan-based cannabis company Primitiv, has been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Johnson, better known to fans as “Megatron,” played nine seasons in the National Football League and in an interview last year indicated he used cannabis throughout his career to help with the concussions he suffered during his playing days.

“When I got to the league, [there] was opioid abuse. You really could go in the training room and get what you wanted. I can get Vicodin, I can get Oxy[contin]. It was too available. I used Percocet and stuff like that. And I did not like the way that made me feel. I had my preferred choice of medicine. Cannabis.” – Johnson to Bleacher Report

Following his football career, Johnson, along with former teammate Rob Sims, founded Primitiv, which in 2019 announced a partnership with Harvard University to research the effects of cannabis on chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) and pain management. A 2017 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found 110 of 111 brains of former NFL players were found to have the degenerative disease linked to blows to the head.

Neither Johnson nor Sims have been diagnosed with the condition.

In 2019, Johnson and his wife, Brittney, were approved for pre-qualification status for a medical cannabis dispensary, according to a Detroit Free Press report. The planned dispensary, Michigan Community Collective, is not a Primitiv project.

Last year, the Primitiv founders signaled plans to open a dispensary, called Prime, in Niles. The duo said they may even consider doing autograph signings and other events at the shop due to their NFL connections, the South Bend Tribune reported.

Johnson, who spent his entire career with the Lions and set the single-season receiving record in 2012 with 1,964 yards, was voted into the Hall of Fame on his first ballot appearance.

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