The Hawaii Senate on Monday rejected a bill to decriminalize possession of up to an ounce of cannabis, Maui Now reports. In a statement, Drug Policy Forum of Hawaiʻi Board President Nikos Leverenz called the bill’s failure a “disappointment.”
“While Hawaiʻi saw an uptick in legislative activity on cannabis decriminalization and adult-use cannabis legalization, the status quo remains. Too many legislators this cycle have ceded to the histrionic arguments by many in the criminal legal lobby and others who want to ensure broad prohibition. Fifty-eight percent of Hawaiʻi residents support adult-use legalization, which now reaches over half of the population of America and employs over 440,000 across the nation. Decriminalization of cannabis possession and cannabis paraphernalia remains an important reform in its own right.” — Leverenz in a statement via Maui Now
Several lawmakers and the Department of the Attorney General expressed concerns that passing the reforms would create a stronger illicit market in the state.
Sen. Troy Hashimoto (D) told Maui Now that he “would rather have a structure to tax and regulate marijuana rather than pursuing decriminalization,” which he said “would allow an unchecked market and potentially unsafe products to exist within our community.”
In submitted testimony opposing the legislation, the Department of the Attorney General maintained that “decriminalized marijuana is unregulated, untested, and untaxed.”
“This lack of regulation and testing creates a significant public health concern, particularly as marijuana use increases,” the department said in the testimony. “Black market marijuana often contains pesticides, trace amounts of metals like lead and nickel, and other toxic chemicals. Regulated marijuana can be tested for these poisons, to increase the chances that the marijuana consumed by recreational users is relatively safe. Because there are no restrictions on the levels of pesticides and other toxins in black market marijuana, consumers risk inhaling or ingesting harmful substances.”
Earlier this month an effort to legalize adult cannabis use in the state was killed by the House Finance Committee. The legislation had been approved by the Senate.
Maine’s Legislature last week passed two bills to expand eligibility for sealing criminal records, Maine Morning Star reports. One allows for the sealing of cannabis crimes now legal under the state’s adult cannabis use law, while the other lowers the age requirements.
Lawmakers had initially sought to make the sealing process for cannabis-related crimes automatic but the effort faced resistance from opponents who argued the process would violate the right of public access to criminal proceedings under the First Amendment, and that it would be costly – totaling $633,185 for the 2024-2025 fiscal year, the report says. Lawmakers ultimately approved a measure that allows people to apply to have convictions for now-legal cannabis crimes sealed, which was signed into law by Gov. Janet Mills (D) on April 16.
The bill allowing the sealing of cannabis crimes adds convictions that are no longer crimes due to Maine’s adult-use cannabis law to the state law’s definition of an “eligible criminal conviction,” making those with such convictions eligible to file a post-judgment motion to seal that criminal history record information.
Each bill was based on a January 2024 report from the Legislature’s Criminal Records Review Committee. A bill to make that committee permanent was also approved by lawmakers last week via unanimous consent in both chambers.
Lawmakers in Louisiana are considering competing bills to either regulate or ban THC consumables in the state, NOLA.com reports. The House is considering a measure to tighten industry regulations, while the Senate is considering a proposal to ban the industry outright.
Under the House bill, beverages containing THC would only be allowed with one serving per container – a max of 8 milligrams of THC. The measure would also move all non-drinkable THC products behind the counter and set the purchasing age at 21 years old. The proposal would also require manufacturers to test every batch of consumable hemp products and allow the state Office of Alcohol and Tobacco Control commissioner to ban companies from producing products on their first violation of the law, if the violation is considered egregious.
Rep. Dustin Miller (D), the bill’s author, said the state’s hemp industry supports his bill, especially considering the Senate is considering an outright ban.
“At the end of the day, they don’t want to have to come here every year fighting to keep this going. They would like some stability so that they can move on and focus on producing their products and running their business.” — Miller to NOLA.com
The vote to ban intoxicating hemp products in the state passed the Senate 27-9, mostly along party lines with most Republicans in favor and most Democrats opposed. The bill’s author, Sen. Thomas Pressly (R) had noted in March that he believed the “right spot is somewhere between” an outright ban and “free market galore” but ultimately backed proceeding with the full ban vote.
California senators voted on Tuesday to advance a bill that would establish treatment centers in the state where adults aged 21 or older could access psychedelics including psilocybin, psilocyn, DMT, MDMA, and mescaline while under supervision, Marijuana Moment reports.
The “Regulated Therapeutic Access to Psychedelics Act” passed the Senate Business, Professions and Economic Development Committee earlier this month, and the Public Safety Committee voted 3-2 this week to advance the proposal to the Appropriations Committee for consideration.
Sponsored by Sen. Scott Wiener (D), the proposal creates regulated access points for psychedelic substances but would not remove criminal penalties outside of that environment. Additionally, participants in the program would need to submit to a health and safety screening. Other provisions of the bill include training and licensing requirements for those who would facilitate psychedelics, the creation of a “Division of Regulated Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy” that would regulate the program, and new licensing procedures for the program’s producers and testing labs. The bill would also fund public education initiatives covering the safe use of psychedelics and their potential risks and benefits.
“People are using psychedelics today. There is incredible potential in terms of treating mental health and substance use disorders. And we should bring it into the sunlight so people can use safely in a supervised, structured setting.” — Wiener, via Marijuana Moment
The bill was crafted to appease requests by Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), who last year vetoed a proposal that sought to decriminalize certain natural psychedelics. At the time, the governor urged lawmakers to send him a different proposal “that includes therapeutic guidelines.”
Workers at a Cresco Labs cannabis cultivation facility in Massachusetts have voted to de-unionize in what is believed to be the first instance of unionized cannabis workers departing from organized labor, MJBizDaily reports.
Workers at the multi-state operator’s Fall Rivers cultivation site signed with the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 328 in November 2020, and their contract was set to expire this June.
Wyatt Brissette, the Cresco employee who initiated the de-unionization vote, said the benefits from belonging to the union didn’t justify its $40 monthly fees. “We felt as if (the union) didn’t match what we needed,” Brissette said in the report. Ultimately, 18 of the location’s 20 cultivation workers supported the move to de-certify.
Lindsey Dadourian, the senior vice president of employee and labor relations for Cresco Labs, said the company was “very proud” of the employees’ “trust in Cresco.”
“We have always supported our employees’ choice to decide about organized representation, and that goes both ways. We will continue to support our employees while also working to maintain positive and productive relationships with the local unions that continue to represent some of our employees elsewhere.” — Dadourian, via MJBizDaily
The de-certification vote presents a setback for organized labor in the cannabis industry, which has otherwise grown more frequent among workers at cannabis companies of all shapes and sizes.
Cannabis may be losing the negative stigma long associated with it, according to the Harris Poll’s State of Marijuana 2024 report, which found 64% of Americans agreeing that “Marijuana no longer carries the stigma it used to have.” The poll found 72% of Americans believed cannabis is only going to get more popular, with 70% saying it would someday be accessible for everyone.
Smoking cannabis remained the most popular consumption method, the Harris report found, with 81% of parents with children under 18-years-old and 78% of Gen Z and millennials saying smoking is the most common way they consume cannabis. Another 62% of respondents said they preferred edibles, 56% said vaping, and 42% said dabbing. Fifty-six percent of respondents said they “seek out people who use marijuana the same ways that I do for social circles” and 47% said that “Living comfortably with a partner means sharing mutual acceptance of marijuana usage.”
In a press release, Libby Rodney, the Harris Poll’s chief strategy officer and resident futurist, said the numbers found by the firm, “speak volumes.”
“With four in 10 Americans using marijuana, it’s not a trend – it’s a cultural shift. What was once taboo is now mainstream, reflecting changing attitudes and norms. It’s not just about usage; it’s about acceptance, signaling a new era in how we perceive and interact with this once controversial substance.” — Rodney in a press release
The majority of respondents, 77%, identified as evening consumers, while 41% described themselves as morning consumers. Most respondents said they consumed cannabis when they “want to relax and unwind,” which totaled 64%, including 69% of Gen Zers. Sixty-one percent of those polled said that consuming cannabis provides them “with a sense of connection and alleviates feelings of loneliness.”
Nearly 60% of respondents said they were “surprised” that cannabis has not yet been federally legalized.
The report also notes that 77% of all cannabis consumers prefer it over cigarettes (83% of heavy cannabis consumers) and 73% prefer cannabis over alcohol (82% of heavy cannabis consumers).
“Peering into the crystal ball of the marijuana industry, one thing is abundantly clear: Change is on the horizon,” Rodney said in a statement. “With a staggering two-thirds of Americans expecting medical marijuana to be as commonplace as prescription medicines within the next five years, it’s a seismic shift that promises to redefine healthcare and wellness. It’s not just optimism; it’s a firm belief in the transformative power of marijuana in the realm of medicine and beyond.”
From 2019 to 2023, Japan’s hemp cannabinoid market has expanded sixfold to ¥24 billion ($154 million), according to a Euromonitor International report outlined by the Japan Times. The growth is attributed to a growing demand for CBD products.
Euromonitor International estimates there are 588,000 current CBD consumers in Japan. The nation still criminalizes the use and possession of intoxicating cannabis products.
In December, Japan’s parliament passed legislation to revise the nation’s Cannabis Control Law for the first time to decriminalize the use of cannabis-derived medical products. The law also closed a loophole in current regulations by explicitly banning cannabis use.
Aya Suzuki, a senior analyst at Euromonitor International, told the Times that major companies, including UHA Mikakuto and Cheerio have already launched CBD-infused gummies and drinks in certain regions and sales channels.
“The liquid containing CBD (vapes) is the most common product type, but we expect large businesses to enter the market by launching food, beverages and dietary supplements.” — Suzuki to the Times
Suzuki added that it is “normal” for Japanese companies to source CBD product ingredients from abroad and that some business owners importing ingredients “have increasingly” seen their products disposed of by customs officials because they either believe the products contain THC or because the products were detected to contain THC.
This episode of The Ganjapreneur Podcast features Tara Rosenblum, an investigative reporter for News 12, who has recently released a compelling documentary titled “Cannabis Contest.” The documentary offers an in-depth look at the social equity aspects of cannabis licensing in New York City, showcasing the challenges and triumphs of hopeful licensees within the evolving legal landscape — including another previous guest on the show, Jeremy Rivera. With nearly two decades of investigative reporting experience in the New York City market, Tara explores the community dynamics and the critical issues affecting residents and aspiring entrepreneurs. This episode dives into the complexities of cannabis policy, personal journeys of license applicants, and the broader societal implications as cannabis goes from underground economy to regulated business. To listen to the full episode, use the player below or stream via your favorite podcast app! (Scroll down for the full transcript.)
Listen to the episode:
Transcript:
Editor’s note: this transcript was auto-generated and may contain errors.
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TG Branfalt (00:49):
Hey there, I’m your host, TG Branfalt, and this is the Ganjapreneur.com podcast where we try to bring you actionable information and normalized cannabis through the stories of ganjapreneurs, activists and industry stakeholders. Today I’m joined by Tara Rosenblum. She’s an investigative reporter for News 12. Rosenblum’s recent documentary Cannabis Contest was released last month and focuses on social equity cannabis licensees in New York City. How are you doing this afternoon, Tara?
Tara Rosenblum (01:17):
Hey, TG. I am excited to be with you. Thanks for having me.
TG Branfalt (01:20):
I am delighted to have you. I watched the series that you released. We’ll talk about that in a minute. Before we get to that though, tell me a little bit about you, your background, your career, and how your investigative work set the stage for this documentary.
Tara Rosenblum (01:35):
Sure. So I am a longtime news veteran of the New York City market. I’m now approaching my 20 year anniversary at News 12. Congratulations wise, when you’re having fun, right. But yeah, I got my start working at some of the national networks and I was behind the scenes, and then I wanted to be on camera myself and do some of my own reporting and did that steady parade through small markets throughout the country and then found my way to New York, worked at a couple of stations in New York and then wound up at News 12, 20 years ago. And since then, I’ve worn a lot of hats. I’ve produced, written, reported, I do a lot of politics hosting. I was an anchor for a majority of my time. And about five years ago I became a full-time investigative reporter. And I feel like that’s my sweet spot of journalism. I really, really get a lot of satisfaction out of being a full-time investigator.
TG Branfalt (02:34):
Well, and as a media studies professor, one of the things that I know and I’ve studied is that people tend to trust their local news anchors and local news outlets far more than they do national outlets. With that said, why did you choose to do this documentary and focus on this segment of your community?
Tara Rosenblum (02:58):
I think what has made my team, I think a majority of our success in recent years can be attributed to the fact that my team and I, we know the pulse of the Tri-state. We know what people are talking about. We know what they care about. We know what they think about, we know what has deep impact in their lives. And so my intuition kicked in when I heard about this story, and it felt like every time I went to the supermarket, people were coming up and talking to me about this whole cannabis legalization thing and what’s it going to look like in my neighborhood and what’s it going to mean for my downtown and is it coming here? And when you start to hear about that weekly, daily, we knew that this was a topic that needed to be covered in a more comprehensive way than just splashing out the headlines. And I decided to go for it and really go a couple layers beneath the surface here. And how do we do that? Well, let’s tell it through the lens of people who are going through the process.
TG Branfalt (04:00):
And that’s what I found really interesting about the series was that you focused a lot on New York state policy. You told the stories of the individuals who were being affected, at least a couple of them out of hundreds, and you didn’t editorialize, which I think is very important as we’re in the nascency of this industry. And we’ll talk about that too in a couple of minutes. But how did you identify the people to include in this documentary?
Tara Rosenblum (04:30):
And I think you touched on something really important, and I hope we circle back to that, is that whole editorializing of news in general and how we avoided that with this project, but how we found the applicant. So that was the biggest challenge. So I decided that I wanted to take on this project. As far as we know, we are the only news outlet that followed this process so intensely soup to nuts through the lens of the card applicants. And so how do we find those applicants? I obviously wanted to find people who are outspoken and passionate and deeply impacted by the social equity process. And so at that time, people weren’t putting it on social media. Hey, I’m a card applicant. There was no list. There was no database out there. And so I said, geez, how am I going to find these people? No luck. I went on Facebook, I went on Reddit. Wasn’t having much luck there. So what I decided to do is I spent a few weeks on making a list of every single cannabis lawyer I could find in the news.
Tara Rosenblum (05:35):
And started cold calling all of these big firms, Hey, I’m calling from News 12. Do you have any card applicants? And then at first we were facing people who were like, why are you calling me? Why do you need this information? And then when we walked them through the process, I told ’em about my unit, sent them other documentaries I had done, we were able to convince them to give us access to their clients, and then we wound up with more than we could have dreamed of. And it was a matter of finding the three that characters that I felt were going to be the most compelling to share this journey. And the other part was interesting about it, TJ, was that of course, it was a gamble. We had no idea whether these applicants were going to be successful or not. And how would a documentary turn out if I had three applicants and none of them made it to the finish line. So we just spent a lot of time getting to know them and their backstories, and I was really comfortable that we picked three people who came from really diverse backgrounds and just representing just three entirely different journeys.
TG Branfalt (06:43):
Now, do you think that maybe you hit some of those early roadblocks because of maybe some hesitancy among applicants on maybe interacting with the press? I mean, let’s be honest, the press, whether it be local or national or in general, hasn’t always been really friendly to the cannabis industry.
Tara Rosenblum (07:02):
And again, I came into this as a cannabis novice storyteller, so I was learning as I went. So I can’t speak to the national tone of cannabis coverage, but certainly it was very evident. One of my three applicants was a former female cannabis marijuana dealer on the streets of New York. And she told me from the get go, Hey, listen, this is a story that you are not going to hear frequently. I am one of very few female dealers who was going to share this story in such a public fashion. And when we asked her why that was the case, it’s because they had really, she said people like her have felt really disenfranchised along the way trying to get their message out.
TG Branfalt (07:49):
And you had said that you’re a novice covering the cannabis industry, and one of the things that really struck me is you and I believe it was Jeremy in this field of cannabis plants. What was that experience like for you as somebody who doesn’t have a background in the space of probably, have you ever toured a cannabis farm before?
Tara Rosenblum (08:08):
My first time was for this project and what an experience, right? Yeah. So that was a little daunting going into all of this. And I’m googling words and slang words after every interview. I really came into this as a blank slate. But I think that’s what made the experience so cool is you can see us going on that journey. We take viewers along and you can start out with me knowing nothing. And I feel like by the end of our documentary, you really have a strong taste of what this process has been like and what’s at stake. So we really just learned with every shoot and every interview and every day that we got to cover this story. But on the other hand, I say it was daunting, but that’s just what we do. I feel like every time I take on a big societal project, I come in at an elementary school level and graduate with a PhD on the subject.
TG Branfalt (09:03):
So you’ve been reported for 20 years, and obviously you watch just as much as everyone else, probably the coverage of a cannabis legalization in New York, it was a fraught process as you point out in the documentary. Then there was the rash of illegal dispensaries, especially in New York City that got a lot of sort of bad press. Could you tell me about how News 12 and maybe some other local outlets covered cannabis legalization in New York, and did you particularly see a focus on negatives or positives in that coverage?
Tara Rosenblum (09:41):
So you have to realize, ironically, TJ we’re having this conversation yesterday. It was the three year anniversary. Yeah, I saw that. And I was like, oh my goodness, it’s been three years. So you go back to 2021. And at three years since they passed the legislation to legalize marijuana in the state of New York. And so when you go back to three years ago, what were we dealing with in New York? We were dealing with the pandemic. We were dealing with significant protesting on all types of important issues. There’s been so much in the news cycle that unfortunately I feel like a lot of the cannabis rollout and the legalization process was never front page a one unless something catastrophic happens in the process or unless there was a major piece of legislation passed or when the applications opened. But after that, it was very much something that was thrown in a newscast here or there for 30 seconds. There was not a lot of comprehensive coverage of it because of all the pressing issues of the day. And so that’s why I felt even more responsibility to get this story and really give these people just the airtime that I felt that they deserved. They’d all been through so much and it was such a passion project for them.
TG Branfalt (10:59):
One of the other things I found interesting was the way that you framed it as this game. And because I speak to a lot of entrepreneurs, people who did get licenses, people who didn’t get licenses for a variety of reasons, and that’s a narrative that I heard over and over again that they feel like they’re sort of playing the lottery, playing a game. How did you come up with that sort of framing for the documentary of the license rollout?
Tara Rosenblum (11:25):
Are you ready for this? Absolutely. So I wear a lot of titles, but my proudest one is Mama and I have a daughter in elementary school. And this was all percolating in my brain that I really wanted to do a deep dive on this. And as I was walking through my daughter’s playroom, I saw a board game Candy Land, and at the top of it, I saw the castle and I saw a cannabis dispensary, and then I saw gummies and I’m like, edibles. And we were going to go more down that rabbit hole in our storytelling, but rightfully so, my managers and my team were like, let’s be more serious with this. This is really impacting a lot of lives. So we kind of ditched the whole, I had cartoons I was going to build in. We didn’t go down that route, but that was the genesis of how we called it cannabis contest.
TG Branfalt (12:13):
And what were some of the challenges for you not having the sort of experience covering policy or the industry and what parallels in investigative journalism helped you enter a new category of reporting that continues to serve up obstacles with no changes, with changes in policy, rule, legislation, et cetera?
Tara Rosenblum (12:31):
So as an investigative reporter, I live in data. I can’t avoid data, I can’t avoid freedom of information requests. We call ’em foil requests for people. I’m sure you’re well aware, tj, as a journalism teacher, I’m sure you’ve filed your fair share of foils in your day. We file foils every week. We have filed so many for the story, but this was one of the first investigative projects of my career where I took all the data and you know what I did with it? I kind of threw it out the window for this one. And I said, this is investigative storytelling. I really wanted our characters and not my voice to be the dominant voice in this piece. I wanted you to hear, we had just the most compelling, if we’re sticking with the game narrative players that we had selected to engage in this process with. And I gave them all the air time and I let them be the lens in which our viewers saw this whole process play out.
TG Branfalt (13:30):
And just to give listeners an idea on the length of time that goes into one of these, how long did it take you from start to finish to get this to market?
Tara Rosenblum (13:43):
What a great story, tj, because people see the half hour documentary that’s airing. It’s airing again appropriately. So on April 20th, by the way, if you missed the first one at seven 30 and 1130, so I hope people will get the chance to check it out, but a little shameless plug there for our news 12 re airings. But we, I’m sorry. Lost my, you know what? I completely lost my train of thought there, tj. We’ll do a re-edit there, but repeat the question.
TG Branfalt (14:11):
How long from,
Tara Rosenblum (14:12):
Oh, how long did it take? So I’ll start that again. It’s a great question, tj, because we, the full documentary that people see that went to our airs, and that’s airing again, by the way, for a repeat on April 20th appropriately so was a half hour show. But what people didn’t see were the hundreds and hundreds of hours of footage on our editing room floor. So we literally spent two years covering the story, two years staying in touch with our three applicants and going on dozens of shoots. And so it was very, very labor intensive to tell this story, but we didn’t want to miss a moment of action along the way. If there was a setback, if there was a success, we wanted to be there and we wanted our cameras to be rolling. And one of the beautiful silver linings of the pandemic is that we discovered zoom.
(15:10) So the days when we weren’t able to be there in person, we were able to capture some of the magic over zoom. But a majority of it was us there in person from the Hudson Valley down to Queens, hyper-local in our local neighborhoods shooting this on the ground. And one of the daunting challenges for me when it came time when we finally had one of our card applicants successfully open a dispensary, we knew it was time to start editing. And I put my hands up in the air and I said, my goodness, this is going to be the challenge of my career boiling these hundreds of hours down to one 30 minute show with commercials. It’s about 22 minutes. So we were able to do it though it was difficult, but very rewarding.
TG Branfalt (15:54):
And you talked about the sort of localities, and you had mentioned that you do have people who come up to you in your role as an investigator reporter who’s on television. What other issues are you hearing from citizens about cannabis legalization in your conversations with them?
Tara Rosenblum (16:14):
So I think the one thing that I hear about all the time that’s really frustrated people are the explosion of these illegal shops. And so you see through our documentary, you learned how hard people had to fight to do this the right way. And I don’t know the count as of today, April 1st, we’re talking how many legal dispensaries there are because a few more have open since we did this documentary, but we know it’s a handful compared to the thousands of illegal shops that we know, not just down here where I live in the Tri-state, but all across the state. And so it is an issue that’s purple. We know lawmakers on both sides of the issue are upset about this. We know the governor’s upset about this. We know legislation has been proposed to tackle this, but is it going to work? That’s the next story. As journalists, we need to be along for that ride to see if it’s going to be enforced and if it’s going to do what it’s intended to do, because it is just really, really a huge detriment to the people who are doing this the right way,
TG Branfalt (17:22):
Way. And can you briefly maybe give me some insight as to your personal feelings about cannabis prior to doing this documentary?
Tara Rosenblum (17:35):
I leave, part of the reason why I think people trust us with their stories, be it cannabis or trafficking or any other societal topic we take on is I really leave my opinions out of it. And I fight really hard to do that because I want people to trust me who feel all sorts of ways about the issue. And it is such a polarizing issue in our local communities. And so I think if you watch, you referenced this earlier, if you watch my project, I hope you walk away not knowing what my personal feelings are. I pride myself on that
TG Branfalt (18:09):
And just watching it, you have these characters, you have this game narrative, if you will, which again, I think is what drives a lot of what made it really sort of fascinating in a way. Those, how did you sort of prevent yourself from editorializing? I mean, obviously you’re a professional and professional journalists don’t editorialize, but I’m sure even with the production process, the post-production process, how did you sort of walk that line? So well,
Tara Rosenblum (18:46):
And so we normally do a story as investigators, and we might work on it a few weeks or a few months. It’s rare that I spend two years
(18:56) With a subject. And you could see there was a moment at the end and I debated whether to keep it in the show or not. Where you referred to Jeremy, he was the applicant that found early success in our project and was able to successfully open in Queens a few weeks ago. And you saw this moment where I walk up to him, and we had been together for two years doing this. I remember the day we met him on his front stoop and here we are. We had been there for his lowest of his lows when he thought that he couldn’t survive another day, that he didn’t have the finances to make this work after dumping everything. He had his heart, his wallet. He invested so much in this, and there were days where he was literally crying when we were interviewing him, and then we were there.
(19:43) The moment that I was in, it was a great story. I was in Florida on spring break and I was supposed to not be working, of course, but my producer Jean sent me, we got the list and we found out that Jeremy was on it, and we were the ones that broke the news to him. And so I was zooming with him from my bathing suit in Sun Cap in Florida in New York, and we hopped on a quick zoom, and I’m like, Sherry, guess what? I remember it was around April. I remember saying to him, this isn’t an April Fool’s Day joke, but we found out that you made the list. And you see just his whole face. He’s like this proud macho guy, and you just saw him just completely the emotion overcome him. And it was a beautiful moment. And there we are two years later, and so I’m walking into the store and you just see us hug each other and he’s like, can you believe it’s here?
(20:35) My favorite reporter? And I was like, do I keep that in? Do I not keep it in? And I kept it in because that was the realness of the journey. And so even though we’re rooting for them as characters and we care about them as people, it doesn’t mean that I have the strong opinion on the whole cannabis legalization process. Again, we were focusing on three characters and their journeys. And I think you cannot spend two years with someone who’s a really great person without rooting for them at the end. And I don’t think that makes me biased. I think it makes me real.
TG Branfalt (21:09):
I mean, it makes you human. That was a natural response. And to be honest, I noticed that very specific moment when I was watching it and I was personally touched because somebody who has that background who may not be trusting of authority and may not be trusting of the press and all these different things, I mean, it showed that he trusted you, which I think says a lot about your character and how you approach this. And the other thing I want to ask you is when I talk to people who are in this industry or have been covering this industry, we know the process. We know that it costs a million dollars and insurance policies and two months of getting rejected by landlords and so on and so forth. When you saw this process play out, as someone who didn’t know what this process is like maybe from other states, and I’ve been covering this since 2014. Oh wow. What was your reaction to this process?
Tara Rosenblum (22:12):
I think what shocked me the most was just how troubled this process was, how flawed it was, how frustrating it was. And tj, I’ll tell you, one of my early concerns between us was that, and your viewers was early on. I thought, okay, I have this great idea. I think it’s an important story to tell. Am I going to pick these three applicants and then they’re going to do a little construction, a little spackling, set up some shelves, and then they’re going to open and is that going to be an interesting documentary? I thought it was going to be this flat line, and I had no idea just the depths of the roller coaster ride. I mean from the lawsuits, from the setbacks to even early on, I remember we were with one of our applicants at a cannabis convention, a networking convention. He thought he was there to learn about mortgage and make other friends doing the same thing, and all of a sudden we’re in the hallway and he finds out that the funding that they were going to get for the setup disappeared and that the banks weren’t going to be loaning the money that they had set up.
(23:21) And you had people who literally poured their last dollars and cents even to just paying for the application fee, and then they find out that they’re on their own to pay for the setup and just the trials and tribulations. I think the severity of the setbacks and the successes and how polar opposites those were, that’s what really took my breath away in this process. And that what people don’t realize, they might see a headline, oh, a dispensary opened in Queens today, or a dispensary in Westchester. But what people don’t know is the sweat that went into opening those dispensaries. It was a really intense journey. And so it was not for the faint of heart and the people who made it to the finish line were people just diehard passion for this industry. It’s not a profession, it’s a vocation.
TG Branfalt (24:12):
And to your point, somebody like Jeremy, for example, I mean, he had been incarcerated. I mean, he had started his own business. I had spoken to him a couple of weeks ago. But there is no, I mean, if this fails for these entrepreneurs, it’s game over. I mean, to keep it with the game sort of wordplay here. What surprised you most during the course of doing this documentary?
Tara Rosenblum (24:39):
I think it was that. I mean, I think it was just the severity of the setbacks. And we are seeing it now. Honestly, I just finished a documentary on the Downstate casino process, which is New York’s Gold Rush race. They’re saying it’s going to turn out to be the most lucrative economic prize ever awarded in New York State is which three casinos in the New York City area get a full scale Las Vegas style gaming license. And we’re seeing now that process drag out that now we just found out last week, it probably won’t be until 2025, the casino operators who have the world’s largest developers and gaming operators involved, and they thought that was going to happen last year. So it’s the same thing we saw with the cannabis rollout. And it’s not me editorializing here, the governor has called the process of disaster. And I thought that that was such a poignant moment when she said that. In fact, if you saw the documentary, the last line I put in the entire piece was, governor Hoel recently called to describe this process as a disaster. I don’t know how you could refer to it as anything else given the delays and the setbacks that the applicants had to go through, but hopefully now people are saying it’s better late than ever. The governor just issued a top to bottom review of the OCM. And so I think people are hoping they’re optimistic that that will finally streamline the process here.
TG Branfalt (26:12):
One of the questions that I really want to ask you, and this is more of an opportunity that I’d like to be able to share with my students. What advice would you have for young reporters who are interested in doing investigative long projects such as you’ve done in this case, and I’m sure many others
Tara Rosenblum (26:33):
Besides packing the patients? I think there’s a couple of tips I would give there. I think when we start out, and I know when I was starting out as an investigative reporter later in my career, I was always an anchor and political reporter. I always wanted to try to prove how smart I was by getting in the data. And I went and I stormed the castle and here’s my foil request and here’s a 50,000 line Excel sheet. Don’t be afraid to ditch the data sometimes and let the people tell the story, because at the end of the day, I always say, it’s not the press conference. You got to look behind the press conference and see who’s standing behind it. Those are the real, that’s the lens in which you want to tell a compelling story. So just giving up the ego and letting their sound bites tell the story. You hear very little of me in this piece. It’s the least I’ve ever put myself in a story as in cannabis contests because you just got to let those sound bites breathe. You got to let the characters tell the story.
TG Branfalt (27:39):
And what about advice for young reporters who are facing a changing regulatory legal social landscape as it not just relates to cannabis, but gambling, like you mentioned, potential psychedelic therapies that may be legalized and coming online. I mean, how are you adjusting to this sort of brave new world, if you will, and what might you tell young reporters who are also having to adjust?
Tara Rosenblum (28:04):
I think investigative is where it’s at. And I think I’m blessed to work at News 12, and my bosses are very big on hyper-local impact journalism. I say, we don’t do hit and run journalism. We don’t show up. And this is why as younger journalists pick shops that have this philosophy, we don’t just show up that old saying, if it leads, it bleeds. If there’s body bags after a tragedy or something horrific happens, that’s not the only day we’re in your community. We’re going to be that. We live here, we work here, we’re a part of the fabric of the community, so we’re going to stay on a story. In this case, it was a two year commitment. So young journalists find newsrooms who believe in investigative storytelling, who will give you the time and the bandwidth that you need to stay with a story and see it through.
(29:00) And the other thing is, yeah, it’s great again to stay on your computer and Google experts and stuff like that. Get out in your communities, go out to your community boards. In this case, I found some of our applicants from going to the Harlem Business Alliance, and that’s kind of a New York City, a hubbub of where people meet and greet, and we’re working on this cannabis legalization process, the organic way and networking. So don’t stay behind your computer, go out and talk to people, join local forums and groups and stuff like that because there’s no substitute for grassroots journalism and storytelling,
TG Branfalt (29:39):
And it’s wild. We live in this big tech age where everyone sort of espouses the tools, the technological tools that we have. And you had mentioned you had struck out on social media trying to find sources, and it was the shoe leather reporting that got you the sources, which is commendable to a media studies professor who focuses on media bias and often and tells my students generally it isn’t. If it bleeds, it leads a sort of mentality. Where can people find more of your work and the cannabis contest specifically?
Tara Rosenblum (30:22):
Sure. I’ll give a little plug for our project and if anyone wants to follow my work and we’re going to continue, that’s the thing, just because the documentary aired, my reporting on the card applicants and the cannabis journey here in New York, which is first of its kind in the nation, is far from over. We stay with these stories and we want to find out where is Jeremy in a year from now? What kind of impact did those illegal shops have on him? Did he meet his projections? So we stay with stuff. So if you want to continue to follow my journey, I’m at Tara Rosenblum on Instagram and on Facebook, and the cannabis contest is airing on four 20 on News 12 regional channels and News 12 New York, and it’s also streamed because people say, if I can’t watch News 12 at home, where do I catch it? We’re also streaming on Optimum Stream, Samsung TV plus Pluto two B, Amazon Fire tv, LG Channels, local now, Vizio, tj. Is that enough places to catch us
TG Branfalt (31:23):
And more? Yeah, and more.
Tara Rosenblum (31:25):
And my best work, my most successful work has always come from people just walking up to me at the grocery store or shooting me a random message on social or email. I love the stories I get from our viewers because those are the experts of our communities.
TG Branfalt (31:44):
I’m very thankful that you are able to join me today and tell me more about the process S, excuse me, the process of producing the cannabis contest. Tara Rosenblum, she’s an investigative reporter for News 12. Cannabis Contest was released last month and will re-Air on Saturday, April 20th on News 12 regional channels and on the various streaming platforms that Tara mentioned. Thank you so much, Tara, for coming on the show today.
Tara Rosenblum (32:19):
Thank you so much for having me, and I’m going to be following your work closely. I think you did a wonderful job interviewing me, and I’m sure your students are super lucky to have you as a force in their early
TG Branfalt (32:33):
Careers. Some of them may disagree. You can find more episodes of The Ganjapreneur Podcast in the podcast section of Ganjapreneur.com and wherever you get your podcasts. On the Ganjapreneur.com website, you’ll find the latest cannabis news and cannabis jobs updated daily along with transcripts of this podcast. This episode was engineered by Wayward Sound Studio. I’ve been your host, TG Branfalt.
Editor’s note: this article originally appeared in The Outlaw Report, and has been republished with permission.
The Last Prisoner Project (LPP) spearheaded a week-long advocacy effort in Washington D.C. last week, culminating in the 420 Unity Day of Action. The initiative, the largest bi-partisan cannabis advocacy event to date according to LPP, aimed to push for federal legalization and provide relief for individuals still incarcerated for cannabis offenses.
LPP coordinated lobbying efforts with lawmakers from both sides of the aisle. A press conference featured supportive remarks from prominent figures like Senators Ron Wyden and Cory Booker, and Representatives Earl Blumenauer and Ayanna Pressley. The message focused on the social and racial injustice inherent in cannabis criminalization, particularly considering legalization efforts gaining traction across the country.
The human impact of cannabis prohibition was highlighted throughout the week. A candlelight vigil outside the White House drew attention to the plight of those still imprisoned for cannabis-related offenses. Advocates emphasized the racial disparities in such arrests, pointing to stories like those of LPP constituents Bryan Reid, Kyle Page and Andy Cox – individuals who served time for cannabis offenses.
LPP urged lawmakers to co-sponsor federal legalization bills like the MORE Act and the States Rights Act, alongside the HOPE Act which would provide funding for state-level expungement programs. These measures aim to not only prevent future cannabis-related incarceration but also offer a path to justice for those already convicted.
The 420 Unity Day of Action wasn’t solely focused on lobbying. The National Cannabis Festival panels will explore the social and economic potential of a legal cannabis industry, while discussions with LPP Board Member M-1 provided a platform for directly impacted voices. The festival includes a concert headlined by prominent artists Thundercat, Wu-Tang Clan and Last Prisoner Project Ambassador Redman.
While the fight for cannabis justice continues, the LPP’s mobilization in D.C. marks continued pressure on the Biden administration to deschedule cannabis before the November election.
The Minnesota House of Representatives voted last week to adopt new social equity rules and other changes to the state’s adult-use cannabis program, according to a MinnPost report.
House Bill 4757 was approved on a mostly party-line vote but its sponsor Rep. Zack Stephenson (D) said he was open to additional changes.
“I look forward to the conference committee discussion and continued good work on this bill. Particularly on the provisions surrounding the proposed changes to the lottery, which I know a lot of people are working on and thinking about.” — Stephenson, via MinnPost
If passed into law, the proposal would establish an earlier cannabis business license lottery for social equity applicants, which include people living in high-poverty areas, people living in areas where cannabis enforcement has been more commonplace, and people with cannabis-related convictions on their record; additionally, the law would reduce the amount of up-front financing required for social equity applicants from 100% to 65%. The social equity lottery would come before a general licensing lottery and the earlier licensees would be able to open their businesses ahead of the competition. Under the House-approved rules, social equity license holders would be able to sell their license to a non-social equity entity after three years.
Other provisions from the bill include slight adjustments to the license applicant grading process, the earlier-than-anticipated lumping of medical cannabis and hemp-based edible and beverages regulators with the Office of Cannabis Management, and a medical cannabis caregiver system for patients who are unable to grow their own cannabis plants. Physicians would also be cleared to recommend medical cannabis for any patients who they believe would benefit from the program, a departure from the state’s previous qualifying conditions-based program.
Additionally, Minnesota municipalities would be allowed to launch their own adult-use dispensaries without having to enter the lotteries — the government-run shops, however, would still have to compete with other, state-licensed dispensaries.
Cannabis patients and advocates in North Carolina on Saturday celebrated the opening of the state’s first medical cannabis dispensary, WLOS reports.
Cannabis remains prohibited in North Carolina except in the Qualla Boundary territory governed by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI), where medical cannabis was legalized last year following a successful voter referendum.
The Great Smoky Cannabis Dispensary’s 4/20 grand opening marked “the first legal, regulated, safe cannabis to be sold within the boundaries of North Carolina,” Forrest Parker, the shop’s general manager, said in the report.
“We’re just proud to be the first to enter into this industry, but in this opportunity, it’s pretty much a people’s opportunity. We’re cultivators of people, not just plants, and that’s really important to us. Everything we’re doing is for our people.” — Parker, via WLOS
The Great Smoky Cannabis Dispensary only serves patients who are either registered with the EBCI’s Cannabis Control Board or who are medical cannabis cardholders from another state or tribal cannabis program. The dispensary currently sells products provided by Cooper’s Creek Farm, a local grower and manufacturer.
North Carolina lawmakers last year considered legalizing medical cannabis statewide but the effort was dropped due to steep opposition in the state’s Republican-controlled House of Representatives.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) announced on Thursday that officials will hold a lottery in October for awarding the state’s initial medical cannabis business licenses, according to the Associated Press.
Beshear described the lottery system as the best option for fairly distributing medical cannabis licenses ahead of the market’s launch, arguing that it would prevent hopeful licensees with deep pockets from lobbying to “get a leg up” on the competition.
“It reduces or eliminates litigation, and it creates a more fair process, not one where people bid against each other and only then the big companies can be a part of it. But one that provides at least a chance for everyone who can meet the criteria.” — Beshear, in the report
With the recent lottery announcement, Kentucky is on track to meet its goal of having an operational medical cannabis program by January 1, 2025.
Additionally, state lawmakers passed legislation on Monday to allow local jurisdictions to opt out of the state’s medical cannabis program, the Lexington Herald-Leader reports. Officials had also considered adding new qualifying conditions for the program but those expansions ultimately failed.
Kentucky passed its medical cannabis legalization bill in 2023; under the program, registered patients will be able to access cannabis edibles and concentrates but the program stops short of permitting smokable products.
Local officials in Bavaria — the southern German state that each year hosts the world-renowned Oktoberfest — have banned cannabis consumption at outdoor festivals and in outdoor beer gardens, the Associated Press reports. The rules also extend to cannabis vapor products.
While Germany’s adult-use cannabis legalization policy took effect on April 1, Bavaria’s conservative-leaning state government was vocal in its opposition to the national reforms. Local officials said banning cannabis consumption at the world’s largest beer festival was necessary to protect minors from potential second-hand cannabis exposure. Under the new rules, officials will also be allowed to extend the cannabis consumption ban to include public areas including outdoor swimming pools and leisure parks, the report said.
“Our aim is to limit cannabis consumption in public spaces. That is important for health protection and especially for protecting children and young people.” — Bavarian Health Minister Judith Gerlach, via the AP
Under Germany’s new cannabis law, adults aged 18 or older can legally consume cannabis and possess up to 25 grams of cannabis flower. The federal legalization measure did not establish retail access but it will allow for non-profit cannabis cultivation clubs starting July 1, where individuals will be able to purchase memberships to legally source cannabis products, plants, seeds, and more.
Officials also said they want to ban cannabis consumption in designated tobacco-smoking areas at restaurants, cafes, and other establishments.
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey (D) on Tuesday awarded 50 grants totaling $2,350,000 to cannabis social equity businesses in 28 communities through the state’s Cannabis Social Equity Trust Fund (CSETF). The fund was established to provide financial assistance to eligible applicants and encourage the full participation in the state’s adult-use cannabis industry by entrepreneurs from communities that have been disproportionately harmed by cannabis prohibition and enforcement.
“Our administration is committed to righting historic wrongs from the War on Drugs, both by addressing inequities in the criminal justice system and by advancing equity in the cannabis industry. With the Cannabis Social Equity Trust Fund, we’re creating a sustainable and inclusive path to the industry for Massachusetts entrepreneurs that have faced barriers to entry. This funding will fill critical gaps necessary to allow social equity businesses to grow and succeed here in Massachusetts.” — Healey, in a press release
The grant awardees are:
Advesa MA, Inc., Cambridge, $50,000
Apple Guy Flowers, LLC, Uxbridge, $50,000
Aunty Budz LLC, Florence, $50,000
Bada Bloom! Inc., Tyngsborough, $50,000
Bailey’s Buds LLC, Dracut, $50,000
Belle Fleur Holdings LLC, Blandford, $50,000
Blossom Flower LLC, Holyoke, $50,000
Blue Sky Organics LLC, Newton, $50,000
Boston Bud Factory Inc., Holyoke, $50,000
Bracts & Pistils, LLC, Taunton, $50,000
Cloud 9 Cultivation LLC, Quincy, $20,000
DB Delivery MA, LLC, Boston, $33,000
Delivered, Inc., Clinton, $30,000
Dris Corporation, Natick, $50,000
Elevation Inc., Brockton, $50,000
Ember Gardens Delivery LLC, Somerset, $50,000
Freshly Baked Company, Taunton, $50,000
Gan Or LLC, Northampton, $50,000
Gas Bus LLC, Boston, $50,000
Grassp Ventures LLC, Salem, $50,000
Green Flash Delivery LLC, Boston, $50,000
Greener Leaf, Inc., Fall River, $50,000
Greenerside Holdings, LLC, Boston, $50,000
Herbal Power LLC, Boston, $50,000
Holyoke Smokes Corp, Holyoke, $50,000
Home Grown 617 LLC, Cambridge, $50,000
Infused Element, Holyoke, $35,000
JimBuddys Rec Shop, Inc., Chicopee, $50,000
KG Collective Brockton, LLC, Brockton, $32,000
KindRun Massachusetts, LLC, Hudson, $50,000
Lucky Green Ladies, LLC, Norton, $50,000
Major Bloom, Worcester, $50,000
Motah 420 LLC, Adams, $50,000
New Dia, LLC, Worcester, $50,000
On Root, LLC, Lynn, $50,000
Paper Crane Provisions LLC, Hubbardston, $50,000
Primus LLC, Springfield, $50,000
Rolling Releaf, LLC, Newton, $50,000
Rooted In LLC, Boston, $50,000
Royal Sun Farm LLC, Hubbardston, $50,000
Social-J, LLC, Northampton, $25,000
Stone’s Throw Cannabis LLC, Boston, $25,000
Team Green, LLC, Boston, $50,000
Teddy’s Veggie Farm, Spencer, $50,000
The Heritage Club LLC, Boston, $50,000
Treevit LLC, Athol, $50,000
Underground Legacy Social Club LLC, Boston, $50,000
Uproot LLC, Worcester, $50,000
Verdant Reparative Inc., Boston, $50,000
Zyp Run, Inc., Boston, $50,000
The grant awards come a little more than a month after Healey announced pardons for all misdemeanor cannabis possession convictions issued by the state. The pardons were approved earlier this month by the Governor’s Council, a requirement of the sweeping action.
Advocates in North Dakota on Tuesday submitted a petition to place an adult-use cannabis question to voters during the upcoming General Election, the North Dakota Monitor reports. The campaign needs to collect 16,000 valid signatures by July 8 to get the issue on November ballots.
Steve Bakken, Burleigh County Commissioner and former Bismarck mayor, is chair of the initiated measure’s sponsoring committee.
“Cannabis legalization is coming, and it’s coming fast. We’ve got a choice here – let out-of-state interests call the shots, or take the lead ourselves. We’ve carefully crafted this initiative right here in North Dakota, making sure it fits what our community really needs. Let’s embrace this opportunity the North Dakota way, with common sense and local input guiding the way.” — Bakken, in a statement, via the Grand Cities
The committee notes that the proposal calls for lower possession limits than neighboring Minnesota and Montana based on different product types. The proposal would allow adults 21-and-older to cultivate three plants per person, up to six per household.
Mark Friese, an attorney and former police officer who serves as a member of the sponsoring committee told the Monitor that “a ton of resources” go into investigating and prosecuting cannabis crimes in the state and that those resources could be better utilized for investigations into drugs like fentanyl and methamphetamine.
“Lumping marijuana into that group and labeling marijuana offenders the same way that we do is just bad policy,” he told the Monitor.
Hemp and vape companies in Kentucky last week filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of a recently passed bill intended to curb youth vaping, the Lexington Herald-Leader reports. The law permits retailers in the state to only sell vape products approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or those with a “safe harbor certification.”
Filed by the Kentucky Vaping Retailers’ Association and the Kentucky Hemp Association, the lawsuit alleges that the law violates the equal protection and due process clauses of the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and sections of the Kentucky Constitution that limit legislation to only subjects expressed in the title. According to the lawsuit, the bill title only mentions “nicotine products” but the bill applies to other, non-nicotine vapor products.
Retailers opposed the law prior to its passage on the grounds that the FDA has only approved 23 vape product applications out of more than a million filed, the report says. The retailers argue that if the law is allowed to take effect on January 1, they will have so few products that they will be forced out of business and that many of the products they currently have for sale will become illegal to sell in the state.
Under the law, retailers selling to people under 21-years-old face fines of up to $500 for a first offense, $1,000 for a second offense, and $5,000 for a third offense.
Licensed cannabis retailers in Missouri set a new monthly sales record of $124.7 million in March for combined medical and adult-use sales, according to data from the Division of Cannabis Regulation (DCR).
Cannabis retailers recorded $108.7 million in adult-use sales and $16 million in medical cannabis sales. These figures represent month-over-month increases for both markets, as well as a new all-time monthly adult-use sales record. The new record also represents a turnaround for the adult-use market after sales fell in January and February from a previous high in November.
The data also shows that total cannabis sales in the state have totaled $2.29 billion since officials started tracking cannabis revenue in December 2022, one month before the 2023 launch of the Missouri adult-use market.
Over time, medical cannabis sales have trended down in the state as adult-use sales continue to grow.
Meanwhile, Missouri expunged nearly 100,000 cannabis convictions last year under the state’s voter-approved cannabis legalization amendment. Under the law, the state was tasked with expunging all misdemeanor and many felony cannabis convictions except for offenders who were either still incarcerated or under current supervision by the Department of Corrections.
Missouri voters passed the state’s cannabis legalization amendment in 2022, making it the 21st state — and the first Midwestern state — to adopt the reforms.
The cannabis legalization constitutional amendment set to appear before Florida voters this November does not currently have the necessary support to pass, USA TODAY reports.
In a recent poll of more than 1,000 adult Floridians, less than half (49%) responded that they would support the state’s cannabis legalization initiative while 36% were opposed — meanwhile, 14% said they are either not registered to vote or are unsure on the issue. Notably, while support for legalization is leaning towards a slight majority, voter amendments in Florida require 60% supermajority support to become law.
The poll, organized by USA TODAY and Ipsos, surveyed 369 registered Republicans, 264 Democrats, and 316 independents from April 5-7. The results carry a margin of error of 4.1%, the report said.
According to the pollsters, 64% of Democrats said they would vote for the ballot measure, with 25% opposed and 10% either unsure or unregistered to vote; 38% of Republicans said they would support the legalization measure, with 58% opposed and 4% unsure or unregistered; and 52% of independents said they would vote yes, with 33% opposed and 15% unsure or unregistered.
The amendment in question would legalize cannabis for adults aged 21 and older and would allow the state’s medical cannabis dispensaries to service adult-use customers. Possession limits would be capped at three ounces of cannabis flower and five grams of cannabis concentrate products. The legalization campaign was primarily funded by Trulieve, the state’s largest medical cannabis operator.
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody challenged the proposal’s ballot language last year after claiming that it would be confusing to voters, but the Supreme Court ruled in the amendment’s favor, clearing the way for the issue to appear before voters this November.
The poll also found voters were similarly split on Florida’s other major ballot initiative this year, which seeks to enshrine the right to get an abortion in the state’s constitution.
In celebration of 4/20, the fast food chain Jimmy John’s has launched a cheeky promotion designed to appeal to cannabis consumers. Dubbed the “Deliciously Dope Dime Bag,” this special $10 meal deal features a curated combo that includes a sandwich, chips, and a brownie, explicitly designed to satisfy the munchies that often accompany cannabis consumption. Additionally, select customers may receive exclusive 4/20-themed merchandise, such as a Jimmy John’s branded rolling tray, enhancing the thematic celebration of the day.
Screenshot from a recent post on Jimmy John’s Instagram profile
This offer, available exclusively through online orders at participating locations from April 16 to April 21, is accessed by using the promo code DIMEBAG at checkout. The company is also selling an actual bag named the “Dime Bag” via their merch website, featuring the words “Deliciously Dope Dime Bag,” although the bag costs $16.
Leading up to its 4/20 marketing ploy, Jimmy John’s has also been recently been engaging in social media campaigns using the term “za,” a Gen-Z euphemism for marijuana. Other content posted to the company’s account has referenced “Penjamin,” a nickname for cannabis vape pens, and being “next in rotation,” a reference to passing a joint or blunt.
Screenshot from another recent post on Jimmy John’s Instagram profile
The initiative highlights corporate awareness of the cannabis holiday and culture, a theme that has been occasionally explored by other fast-food giants. Jimmy John’s promotion not only caters to the tastes of its customers but also cleverly engages with the broader cultural moment, and highlights just how normalized legal consumption of cannabis has become in mainstream America despite the federal government’s failure to change policy at the national level.
If you hit a joint at a Washington State party between 2005 and 2009, odds are you were smokin’ on a Kyle Loucks Original. Back then, Kyle wasn’t the guy you invited to play on your intramural soccer team or at your beer pong table, but he did bring one highly in-demand skill to the table—dude could roll a mean a** joint.
It’s easy to get good at rolling joints when it’s your favorite way to consume cannabis. It’s even easier when you consume by the hour. By the time weed went legal in Washington in 2012, a lot of hours and parties had passed, and Kyle was a bonafide joint-rolling expert. Naturally, he was stoked to try his first legal “pre-roll.”
It did not go well.
If you ask him about it, he’ll say the experience was “not acceptable,” which is Kyle-speak for “it was total f**king garbage.” It burned hot. It canoed like an m-fer. And it tasted like hay. Any canna connoisseur knows these are grave offenses.
So Kyle did a little digging. (If you want to activate a stoner, offend their plant.) He visited a buddy’s dispensary and was granted a peek into how the sausage was made. That’s when the illusion of the legal “pre-roll” was completely shattered.
Kyle doing some R&D on automating rolled joint production
Turns out, there was nothing rolled about a “pre-roll.” Rather, these joints were (and most still are) machine-stuffed cones. And the machines required dry AF flower. Of course the end product burned hot, canoed, and tasted like hay. To call it a “pre-roll” was antagonizing and downright misleading. A more appropriate name would’ve been “stuffed cone,” or better yet, “the best way to have the worst smoke sesh.”
This glance behind the curtain of the legal pre-roll world left one burning question in Kyle’s mind: If it isn’t rolled, is it even a pre-roll?
The answer was/is/always will be a resounding “h*ll f**king no,” and so began the development of the BlackBird.
Hotboxing the Garage…for Science
Okay, maybe not for science, per se, but certainly for the greater good. Kyle’s a pretty handy dude, having a mechanical engineering degree and over a decade of experience developing new products. His discovery of The Great “Pre-Roll” Facade couldn’t have come at a better time in his life because, despite being employed full-time and raising three young kiddos with his (clearly patient and understanding) wife, he was on the lookout for a new problem to solve. The fact that this one happened to involve his love of weed and rolling joints pretty much solidified his commitment to it.
Kyle working on an early RollPros Blackbird prototype
The original BlackBird was developed by hand in his garage. It was nothing more than a couple pieces of aluminum with a rail and a rotating belt, but once it presented that first rolled joint, there was no turning back. Pre-rolls could once again be rolled. Stuffed cones could go to h*ll.
It took seven prototypes and a sh*t ton of weed to get the machine market-ready. When QA testing involves smoking a joint (or several hundred) in the peacefulness of one’s garage, it’s easy to stay committed to the project. Even when it wasn’t so easy, the flower kept him coming back.
Early designs of the Blackbird
During these early testing days, several lucky hemp farmers out of Oregon shared their flower with Kyle and bought back their BlackBird-rolled pre-rolls at $0.25 a pop. Needless to say, quite a few stuck around and purchased their own BlackBird once it was ready for market.
Getting High on Kyle’s Supply
2020 was the first year the BlackBird was available for purchase. It wasn’t a hard sell, unsurprisingly, as it turned out nearly everyone manufacturing joints couldn’t stand the disrespect cone-stuffing machines spit out. One hit off a pre-roll rolled by the BlackBird, and the sale was pretty much closed.
Finished and operational Blackbird rolling machine
Since then, RollPros has grown into a well-respected business that does more than answer the question “If it isn’t rolled, is it even a pre-roll?” It also helps cannabis businesses reduce their carbon footprint and become more sustainable, and it encourages their growth by offering customizations and branding options for their pre-rolls. Some businesses have achieved such great success with rolled pre-rolls that they’ve incorporated two or even three BlackBirds into their business because sales have improved so much.
There’s no other machine on the market that does what the BlackBird can do. Now four years since its inception, the BlackBird has rolled almost 70 million joints for consumers across the country. If you’ve hit a rolled pre-roll from a dispensary in the US anytime recently, odds are you were smokin’ on a Kyle Loucks Original.
Dude still rolls a mean a** joint, eh?
—
If you’re tired of selling stuffed cones as “pre-rolls” and want to do your customers—and your brand—a solid, get in touch with RollPros today. Because the answer to the question “If it isn’t rolled, is it even a pre-roll?” will always be N.O.
The most popular and effective synthetic urine in the industry is upgrading their packaging.
Spectrum Labs is happy to announce a brand-new look to their Quick Fix Plus packaging that was redesigned for the user’s convenience! The new look still holds true to their brand’s trademarked “Q Clock” and patented formula. Progressing to an innovative material is where the ingenuity really lies.
The iconic Quick Fix box has turned into a heat-sealed pouch that is waterproof, flexible, thin, and durable! For users, the biggest benefit of the new pouch is its form factor. Transportation has instantly been made simpler; it is less bulky than a box and it still possesses protective measures for the product inside. The ergonomic design gives users an option to store their Quick Fix just about anywhere like a backpack, pocket, purse, glove box, etc. The pouch now features a tear notch for easy opening on the go!
The pouches are also very friendly for small smoke shops and convenience stores with an added hang hole at the top. Now Quick Fix Plus can be hung on a peg, conveniently placeable for the wall or any shelving. With the pouch being thinner, but just as sturdy as the box, it takes up less space and weight on retail shelves too. For stores that still have boxes of Quick Fix Plus instead of the pouch, that’s perfectly okay! Their synthetic urine has a two-year shelf life. To ensure your next purchase will have pouches, visit UrineLuck.com/wholesale to order from Spectrum Labs directly.
Spectrum Labs is continuing their understanding for more solutions that can help their customers’ lifestyles while still providing the best products, experiences, and value. The company has been encouraging customer feedback and using surveys to learn more about their user’s pain points beyond Quick Fix alone.
In addition to having a focus in their formulation and customer satisfaction, Spectrum Labs is excited to make improvements that cater to customers in new directions. “We are aware of our customers trust in our products and the value of Quick Fix in their lives,” says the Spectrum Labs CEO, James Greenwell.
So, the next time you are in a shop or buy Quick Fix Plus online and get a pouch instead of the classic box, do not be alarmed! Rest assured knowing that Spectrum Labs is continuing their two-decade long track record of innovation! Always validate your batch of Quick Fix Synthetic Urine on their official website at UrineLuck.com/batchvalidator and contact their customer service for any questions at 800-721-1414.
New York has issued more than 400 adult-use cannabis licenses so far this year as the state begins to counteract the slow rollout that resulted in the proliferation of unlicensed dispensaries throughout the state.
On April 12, the state Cannabis Control Board (CCB) announced it had issued 101 adult-use licenses, including microbusiness, cultivation, processing, distribution, and dispensary
In a statement, Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) described the progress so far this year as “significant.”
“Strengthening New York’s equitable cannabis industry and ensuring the hard-working small business owners operating in the legal market have the licenses to open are the best way to protect the integrity of sales in New York.” — Hochul in a press release
The CCB last week also approved a resolution empowering the Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) to issue provisional adult-use cannabis licenses, intending to expedite the licensing process.
In a statement, CCB Chair Tremaine Wright said the resolutions “represent a significant milestone” in the agency’s “efforts to establish a robust and responsible adult-use cannabis market.”
Last month, Hochul ordered an audit of the state’s cannabis program amid delays and rampant unlicensed sales. For the review, the governor tasked Office of General Services (OGS) Commissioner Jeanette Moy and other state officials to embed with cannabis industry regulators and identify ways to speed up cannabis licensing and further optimize OCM.
Europol last week announced the arrest of nine suspects accused of a cannabis investment Ponzi scheme that had at least 186,000 victims. Officials say the April 11 action included more than 400 law enforcement officers in 11 countries who conducted 38 house searches and ultimately seized or froze EUR 4.7 million in bank accounts, more than EUR 1.5 million in cryptocurrencies, EUR 106,000 in cash, and EUR 2.6 million in real estate assets.
Law enforcement also seized several luxury vehicles, works of art, cash, and various luxury items, in addition to large numbers of electronic devices and documents.
The scheme involved a cannabis cultivation crowdsourcing platform that was advertised on social networks from early 2020 to July 2022. Authorities believe there could be as many as 550,000 victims worldwide but around 186,000 people actually transferred funds or cryptocurrencies. With a minimum initial investment of at least EUR 50 in the so-called ‘e-growing’ opportunity, investors were promised to be linked with medical cannabis producers. Upon the purchase of a cannabis plant, the platform assured investors – also referred to as e-growers – they could soon collect profits from the sales of cannabis to authorized buyers.
The company pledged annual returns of 100% or more but did not reveal how they would accomplish this.
The suspects are of mainly Russian nationality but also include Dutch, German, Italian, Latvian, Maltese, Polish, Jordanian, U.S., and Venezuelan citizens.
Electric motorcycle manufacturer LiveWire is using hemp in the design of its S2 Mulholland. The motorcycle’s front and rear fenders are made using CAP Hemp bio-composite.
The company is using other sustainable materials in the production of the Mulholland, including HYLON OCEAN materials in the motorcycle’s radiator shrouds and wiring caddies. The HYLON OCEAN materials are created from discarded ocean fishing nets. The motorcycle seat is constructed from petroleum-free, recyclable silicone rather than leather or vinyl.
The company notes that it is the first time it has used sustainable materials in key components.
Several vehicle manufacturers are using hemp in their products. In 2022 BMW Group acquired a stake in Switzerland-based Bcomp, a company that manufactures high-performance composites made from fiber, including hemp. Other European car companies, including Volo, Porche, Mercedes, Audi and Volkswagen, and Peugeot use hemp composites in their vehicles for a variety of components, including body panels, kick pads, cup holders, wheel wells, dashboard panels, interior door panels, upholstery, seatbacks, door cladding, foam seating, floor insulation, panel trim, and center consoles, according to a 2016 Center for Automotive Research report prepared for the U.S. Economic Development Administration.
In 1942, Henry Ford unveiled a car made from hemp and soybean plastic.
