Bruce Linton’s New Hemp Venture Raises $150M in Nasdaq IPO

7/09/2020

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Collective Growth Corp., the new special-purpose-acquisition (SPAC) hemp venture by cannabis industry veteran Bruce Linton, has raised $150 million in an initial public offering, MarketWatch reports. The proceeds will be used to invest in and acquire hemp companies; SPACs have no business until they invest in, or purchase, a company.

Linton told MarketWatch that the coronavirus pandemic might have actually helped the company raise the capital. The firm raised $24.2 million in pre-IPO financing.

“People have been at home, and they’ve been seeing the blue skies with less traffic and pollution. It makes them think more of sustainability, and that’s where the hemp plant comes in. If you deconstruct the plant, it can be used for sustainable building materials, and that’s good at a time when people are aware there’s a problem with the supply chain and the environment.” – Linton to MarketWatch

For now, Linton said he has his sights set on the European market where, he said, they have the “best technology” for hemp processing since they never enacted a full ban on the plant like the U.S. did.

Linton also expressed interest in companies studying the potential benefits of psychedelics, such as MDMA and LSD, as a treatment for mental health disorders and addiction. Linton currently serves as a director of Mind Med, which is focused on psychedelics for health and listed on the Canadian NEO Exchange on March 3.

Linton was fired from Canopy Growth – which he co-founded and served as CEO – last July after he reportedly fell out of favor with directors installed by alcohol distributor Constellation Brands, which owns nearly 40 percent of Canopy stock.

In November, he would join Vireo Health as executive chairman, but the firm cut ties with him last month “on an entirely without-cause basis.” He told MarketWatch that Vireo executives “want to do things differently” than he did, adding that they “did not need to fire” him as he “would have been happy to leave.” He said he helped the company raise $8 million during his short tenure.

Collective Growth began trading on the Nasdaq on May 1 under the symbol CGROU.

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LRS Now Offers More Than 401(k) Benefits for Cannabis

7/08/2020

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In response to successfully supporting the cannabis industry with their 401(k) plan needs, Leading Retirement Solutions (LRS) has launched an additional employee benefits solution: The Cannabis Cash Balance Plan.

Seattle, Washington July 8th, 2020 – Thanks to the employee benefits experts at Leading Retirement Solutions, cannabis companies can now legally add a Defined Benefit or Cash Balance Plan to their employee benefits package and start saving money! Having seen great success with the Leading Cannabis 401(k), LRS has teamed up with veterans from the financial service sector to launch the Cannabis Cash Balance Plan; a trustee directed retirement plan solution for organizations operating in the cannabis industry. By partnering with an approved retirement plan custodian the new strategy supports Defined Benefit, Cash Balance, and other Trustee Directed Retirement Plans. With nationwide availability, this solution overcomes the traditional barriers cannabis companies face when looking to implement a legal retirement plan.

“A company-sponsored retirement plan, like a Cash Balance Plan, is one of the most requested employee benefits,” says Kirsten Curry, Founder and CEO of LRS. “It’s also one of the most cost-effective employee benefits, at one quarter the general cost of what a company typically pays for medical benefits.”

Given how few financial institutions are willing to work with the cannabis industry, many companies are unaware that they can legally sponsor a retirement plan. According to a 2019 Vangst Salary Survey, only 19.2% of cannabis companies offer retirement plan benefits to their employees. The addition of a Leading Cannabis 401(k) or a Cannabis Cash Balance Plan to your benefits package will differentiate your company and help attract and retain great employees. Offering a retirement plan demonstrates to employees that you’re willing to invest in their overall well-being, and that you care about their financial futures, boosting morale and increasing employee retention. Not only will adding a retirement plan reduce turnover, but it will save you money as well! By implementing a retirement plan, companies in the cannabis industry can take advantage of Internal Revenue Code 280E and COGS adjustments allowing for tax deductibility of company made contributions. Speak with an LRS representative today to find out how your company will profit from adding a retirement plan to your employee benefits offering.

For more information or to schedule a plan proposal, please contact LRS at (206) 430-5084 or email us at info@leadingretirement.com.

About Leading Retirement Solutions:
For over 5 years, Leading Retirement Solutions (LRS) has served numerous cannabis companies with their retirement plan needs. With more experience in the cannabis industry than any other retirement plan administration company, LRS develops business solutions that minimize taxation, manage risk, ensure regulatory compliance, and build and protect your wealth. We have multiple retirement benefit structures for cannabis companies of all sizes and will work with you directly to find the best fit for your company. Our team of highly trained and qualified professionals will design, set up, and administer the best retirement plan program for your company’s needs, ensuring your plan is in compliance, and helping your employees grow their retirement savings. For more information on the Leading Cannabis 401(k) and our Trustee directed retirement plan solutions visit: https://www.leadingretirement.com/solutions/cannabis-401k-plan.

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Forest Service Hires HAZMAT Consultant for Cannabis Eradication Training

7/08/2020

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The U.S. Forest Service has agreed to a $44,732 contract with a hazardous materials consulting firm as part of its cannabis eradication program, Marijuana Moment reports. The agency said in a public filing of the contract that the services are required because department agents and officers are “getting sick” while eradicating plants on illegal cultivation sites, “requiring trips to emergency rooms with possible long term (sic) health effects.”

The document notes that in 2016, the agency received its first citation from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for not providing training and personal protective equipment, they say, is “needed to operate in this environment.”

The no-bid contract was awarded to NES, which the Forest Service said “tailored a program for hazmat to deal specifically with the unique hazardous chemicals in a marijuana cultivation site run by drug trafficking organizations.”

“This is the ONLY training course in the U.S. available to meet out needs, and has met OSHA standards. More importantly the only recognized course by OSHA to meet their training requirements for our soon to be national protocols. Our Agents and Officers must pass this class before they can participate in marijuana cultivation operations making the safety decision wether (sic) to proceed or not.” – U.S. Forest Service in a filing with the U.S. General Services Administration

In 2018, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s inspector general reported that the Forest Service does not always reclaim and rehabilitate marijuana grow sites after plants are eradicated, and FS is unaware of the overall impact these marijuana grow sites pose to the forest ecosystems.” The report adds that Forest Service agents leave “trash and chemicals such as pesticides and fertilizers” at the grow site which puts “the public, wildlife, and environment at risk of contamination.”

The contract does not indicate whether the training will include rehabilitation of the site.

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Insurance Premiums for Cannabis Executives Spike as Lawsuits Rise

7/08/2020

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Entry-level insurance premiums for cannabis industry directors and officers of public companies has more than doubled as lawsuits by investors claiming fraud and misinformation are on the rise, Reuters reports. The insurance can now run as much as $250,000 for coverage up to $1 million, on top of the $1 million firms must pay before the coverage kicks in.

Those rates are about three to seven times more than traditional industries.

Ian Stewart, partner at law firm Wilson Elser, said the firm expects “a flurry of cases holding directors personally liable,” while Avis Bulbulyan of cannabis consultancy Siva Enterprises estimates a 50 percent increase in litigation in the industry.

Law firm Goodwin released a report in April that found the number of class-action lawsuits in the U.S. against publicly traded cannabis companies more than doubled from 2018 to 2019 from six to 13. Some of the industry’s top companies were named in the report, sued for false and misleading statements about their business, including CV Sciences, Chronos Group, Aphria, CannTrust, Curaleaf Holdings, Canopy Growth Corp., Hexo Corp., Trulieve Cannabis Corp., and Aurora Cannabis Inc.

Charles Grodecki, senior vice president at insurance brokerage AmWINS Brokerage of the Carolinas, told Reuters that the company is “more frequently … seeing prospective investors and board members requiring D&O coverage in place prior to engaging with a company in order to ensure adequate protection in the event of…litigation.”

Kirk Miller, executive producer at cannabis risk-management firm Nine Point Strategies, notes that major insurers such as Lloyd’s of London and Bermuda have pulled out of the U.S. cannabis market recently due to the 25+ security class-action lawsuits filed against cannabusinesses over just the last two-and-a-half years.

“Underwriters’ appetite for cannabis is narrowing,” he said.

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Illinois Sets New Cannabis Sales Record with $47.6M in June

7/08/2020

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Illinois has set yet another cannabis sales record with $47.6 million in sales in June, NBC Chicago reports. In May, state cannabis sales totals reached $44.3 million, which broke the previous record of $39.2 million set during the first month of adult-use sales in January.

Dispensaries sold 994,545 total items last month. According to Department of Financial and Professional regulation data, in-state residents made the bulk of the purchases, totaling $35.3 million, while out-of-state residents bought $12.4 million worth of cannabis products in the state in June.

Andy Seeger, an independent cannabis economist, told the Chicago Sun-Times that sales might have been higher if not for the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

“We would be expecting much larger month over month numbers if Illinois had been a healthy market. Right now, with [COVID-19] and the expanded medical model … in place in Illinois, it’s just very constrained on the supply side. There’s not enough canopy space coming online for those that have licenses right now. And any future licenses have been pushed back as the state focuses on its COVID response.” – Seeger to the Sun-Times

Sales from May to June grew 7.5 percent, falling short of the 19 percent increase from April to May. The double-digit jump from April to May could be related to the pandemic when, Seeger said, there was “kind of a run” on dispensaries.

The Department of Financial and Professional Regulation notes that tax data would be released by the state Department of Finance. The state uses a sliding scale based on THC content to calculate excise taxes, as much as 20 percent, along with the state’s regular 6.25 percent sales tax.

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Grand Jury Slams Santa Barbara Officials for Cannabis Industry Regs

7/07/2020

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A Grand Jury report released last week demands that the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors amend their cannabis ordinances, finding the body mismanaged the county’s cannabis production, dismissed public input on the ordinances, and ignored environmental impacts, the Santa Barbara Independent reports.

“Instead of a balanced approach carefully evaluating how the cannabis industry would be compatible, both as to amount of acreage and location, the board simply opened the floodgates.” – Grand Jury report, July 1, 2020

At this time last year, cannabis farms in the county held 35 percent of all California cultivation licenses issued in last year, despite only having 1.8 percent of the state’s land, the report says.

The Grand Jury report blasts the objective of the board’s ad hoc committee on cannabis regulations which was to “develop a robust and economically viable legal cannabis industry to ensure production and availability of high quality cannabis products to help meet local demands, and, as a public benefit, improve the County’s tax base,” according to the Independent.

The report says those principles led the board to more easily justify the loss of agricultural resources, air quality, greenhouse gas emissions, and odors. According to the report, the odors were particularly controversial and drew complaints from several towns. The Grand Jury said the resulting stench “was not an unexpected result of the board’s actions in creating the cannabis ordinances.”

“They knew about the quality of life concerns and chose the revenue potential of cannabis instead,” the report says.

The board was also criticized for not keeping notes and minutes of the cannabis-related meetings. The Grand Jury said the board sought to avoid Public Records Act requests for such documents.

“The lack of a paper trail does not fit with the concept of open government which seeks input from all interests,” the Grand Jury concluded. They also described industry lobbyists “roaming the halls of the board’s offices” and called the email exchanges between the lobbyists, cannabis cultivators, and the board “unnerving.”

The report recommends that the Board of Supervisors prepare new environmental impact reports and hold proper public hearings on the proposals; develop rules that strike a balance between the industry and community; require all future ad hoc committees be open to the public and their records be accessible; and for more oversight, among other reforms.

The board has 90 days to respond to the report.

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Introducing Mehka King & CashColorCannabis

7/07/2020

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The story of CashColorCannabis is the story of believing in yourself, your voice and knowing when to pivot.

For those who don’t know me, my name is Mehka (pronounced Mecca). I’ve been a full-time journalist since 2004. Born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts, I’ve lived in the South for the last 20 years after attending Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, North Carolina.

It was while holding a co-editor role for the Johnson C. Smith Student News in 2000 that I realized how much I love and respect the art of journalism.

After college, I launched my own website, lastwordonline.com. Once a month I would interview upcoming rappers. After a year and a half in existence, I was able to catch the eye of several publications.

I would go on to contribute stories for the likes of XXL, Slam, Hip-Hop Weekly and Rolling Out and HipHopenquirer.com.

For a majority of my life, Hip-Hop culture was everything to me.

But like most things you do repeatedly, you can get bored. I did. It was in 2012 to be exact. I had just moved to Atlanta. After a few months of taking on freelance jobs, I had the feeling that it was time to do something else.

So I left altogether and went to work for a non-profit company.

A chance trip to Denver in 2014 sparked my interest in writing again. This time, it wasn’t about Hip-Hop.

This was after Colorado had decided to allow for recreational use of cannabis.

While in Denver, I can become fascinated with the culture of cannabis. To watch people casually smoke weed in public and go to dispensaries was new to me. I saw magazines about weed and the business of it.

After going back to Atlanta, I still had that new car feeling. I wanted to tell everyone about what I saw, but more, what I didn’t see.

When I flipped through magazines or went to websites at the time, I didn’t see Black people.

It was like Black people didn’t smoke weed or cared about the business. Neither of those was true. So I decided to do my part to change that.

In 2015, I put my money together and started to film “The Color Green: Cash, Color and Cannabis.” The documentary was supposed to take a look at the industry at the time and ask the question, “Why are we not seeing more Black people getting involved.”

I recorded that all the way up until mid-2016. After looking at the footage, I really didn’t feel like I was telling a full story.

For me, true cannabis culture includes Hip-Hop. It includes conversations about generational bias. It was politics and pop culture.

Rather than ditch the idea, I switched the idea.

In 2016, I pitched the concept of CashColorCannabis Podcast to Herb, owner of Live Hip Hop Daily studios.

I told him the concept and he loved it. He had Tuesday at 9pm open and if I wanted it, I could have it.

Doing a show like this wasn’t easy at all.

Even in a time when the discussion of cannabis legalization was high, me doing a podcast based around this burgeoning industry and all that surrounds was still a foreign concept. That goes double when you consider where I’m doing this from.

While Atlanta seems fairly progressive, Georgia is not. So it took a lot of courage for me as a Black man, to host a live show where everything from cannabis consumption to mass incarceration would be discussed.

I have had several people turn down the show in our first season due to fear of arrest.

In due time, we would find our audience.

I wanted our show to not just tackle cannabis directly.

Every week, we get to discuss bridging generations, pop culture, politics, racism and more.

200+ episodes later, CashColorCannabis has morphed into an entertainment news blog and curating live events across the country and a clothing line.

Since we first started the show, we have hosted Freeway Ricky Ross, Attorney Gerald Griggs, rap legend Big Gipp, cannabis activist Dasheeda and Ice Dawson, Hope Wiseman and more.

We hope that through CashColorCannabis, we hope to not just normalize cannabis conversation in the Black community, but to change the perception of the Black cannabis consumer.

In 10 years, we want to be known as the B.E.T. of cannabis. From the podcast to producing content for others, I want people to seek out CashColorCannabis when they want to really understand the Black experience from an honest perspective.

So follow us on our journey. Subscribe to the podcast and our blog and help us grow “A Higher Level of Conversation.”

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Defense Bill Aims to Loosen Cannabis Policies for Military Re-Enlistment

7/07/2020

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Lawmakers on the House of Representatives Armed Services Committee have included a provision in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would allow service members to re-enlist if they are truthful about any cannabis use while they were separated from the military.

The amendment, which would allow the Pentagon to grant waivers for cannabis use on a case-by-case basis, was introduced by Arizona Rep. Ruben Gallego (D). Gallego is a former Maine. In a press release, Gallego indicated the amendment would modernize re-enlistment policies which he called “long overdue.”

Gallego introduced the amendment last session, which passed the House but was not adopted by the Senate.

“Smoking pot just once shouldn’t prevent a patriotic American from fighting for our country. We need to finally exercise some common sense when it comes to our marijuana policies, and I’m glad my amendme6nt will lead us in that direction.” – Gallego in a statement

According to the amendment text, the amendment would cover soldiers “admitted to or been convicted by a court of competent jurisdiction of a single violation … relating to the use or possession of cannabis” as long as it’s a misdemeanor charge and did not occur while the individual was serving active duty.

House lawmakers still have to debate the measure, but the NDAA is must-pass legislation. The measure must also be approved by the Republican-led Senate.

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Medical Cannabis Firm Wins $1.97M Jobs Grant in Australia

7/07/2020

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The Victoria, Australia government has awarded a $1.97 million grant to medical cannabis company Cann Group to assist with electricity upgrades at a cultivation and production facility in Mildura. The project was eligible for the Regional Jobs Fund grant as the facility has the potential to create 150 local jobs.

Cann Group CEO Peter Crock said the support of the Victorian Government is critical in developing the state’s leadership position in the emerging Australian medicinal cannabis industry. He said the company chose Mildura “due to the region’s agricultural and horticulture heritage and because of the local climate, specifically, the days of sunshine and high light intensity which are conducive to cultivating cannabis crops.”

“Our plans to develop commercial scale production capacity at Mildura are central to the company’s strategy of being a fully integrated medicinal cannabis company that can service both Australian domestic patients and access valuable overseas markets. This grant is a tangible demonstration of support from the Victorian Government in terms of our objectives.” – Crock in a statement

Minister for Agriculture and Regional Development Jaclyn Symes said in a Facebook post that the project “has already supported jobs for 133 locals during construction,” noting that the site will be capable of growing 70,000 kilograms of cannabis. The Victorian Government’s Medical Cannabis Industry Development Strategy aims for the state to supply half of Australia’s medicinal cannabis by 2028, she said.

“This is a hugely promising sector, and backing projects like this puts Victoria at the forefront of medicine and the creation of a new local industry,” she said.

In 2017, Cann Group was the first firm issued a Cannabis Research License by the Australian government.

Note: All currency in Australian dollars

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Understanding IG Insights and Analytics Using the Creator Studio

7/06/2020

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Tired of looking at your Instagram account’s insights on your phone? Now you can use the browser Creator Studio to check out your account’s metrics and analytics on your desktop or laptop. We all agree how important it is to have a strong social media presence and knowing your audience is a key component in creating a marketing strategy for your social media accounts – especially Instagram. Using the Insights information provided in the Creator Studio allows you to analyze which posts performed best (and why), which hashtags your posts are trending in, your engagement over time, how many clicks and reads your stories are getting, and more!

Before you Begin:

  1. Make sure you have an both an Instagram account and a Facebook Page that you are an admin of on Facebook.
  2. Convert your Instagram account to a Business Profile or Creator Account, this can be done within the settings menu in the Instagram app.
  3. Connect your Instagram account to the Facebook Page. The Facebook Page you link your Instagram account to can be published and public, or unpublished and invisible to the public.

Step One: Log into the Creator Studio

Click the Creator Studio link. At the top of the login page you will see icons for Facebook and Instagram, you can log in with either your Facebook account or your Instagram account. It does not matter which you use to log in; once you are in the Creator Studio you will be able to check out either account – though in this tutorial we will be focusing on your IG account. In the images below, the top one with the blue background shows the Facebook login, and the lower one with the purple background shows the Instagram login.

log into creator studio with facebook (1)

welcome to creator studio for instagram

Step Two: Find the Insights Tab

Once you are logged in you will see a screen similar to the one below:

content library 1

Again, at the top you will see icons for Facebook and Instagram which you can use to toggle between posting on Facebook and Instagram. In the screenshot above you can see that I have selected the Instagram icon and can now see all of the Instagram posts and stories that were posted, scheduled, or drafted.

For our purposes today we will ignore these options and focus on the “Insight” button in the left side-menu as in the screenshot below:

insights tab

Once you click the “Insight” button you will need to choose which of your IG account’s insights you would like to check out – if you only manage one account this option will not come up.

You can also toggle between your “Activity” or “Audience” insights–Your Activity insights will give you information about your account, such as how many people are interacting with it and what they are doing, while your Audience insights will show you data on your audience; the number of followers you have, their gender, their age, where they are from, and when they usually interact with your account.

If there is ever any confusion about the information that is presented in these options, click the little “i” circle in the top right corner and it will give you a breakdown of what you are looking at.

understanding instagram insights

Step Three: What Does It All Mean?

Let’s start with the “Activity” insights tab. The data is always given for the last seven days. You will see two different graphs displaying the following data:

Interactions: The graph displays the number of actions people have taken on your account each day. Below the graph, you can see this number broken down into Website Visits, Profile Visits, Calls, Texts, Emails, and Get Directions. Within each box you can see how this data point compares the previous seven days and if it has increased or decreased; a green upward-facing arrow indicates an increase, and a red downward arrow indicates a decrease.

actions taken on your account

Discovery: This graph displays the number of other accounts you reach each day. Reach = The number of unique accounts that have seen any of your posts. Under the graph, you can see the total number of impressions over the last seven days and how this number compares to the previous seven days

accounts reached

Note: Reach is the total number of people who see your IG content, while Impressions is the number of times your content was displayed, whether it was actually seen or not.

Now onto the “Audience” insights tab. Again, this tab is showing audience activity from the last 7 days.

Right at the top, you can see your total number of followers and the amount that this number has increased or decreased over the last seven days.
total followers

Below this statistic are four graphs: Age and Gender of Your Followers, When Your Followers are on Instagram, Countries, and Cities.

Age and Gender of Your Followers

This graph will help you understand who your current audience is. Is it who you thought? Is it your target audience? Toggle between looking at age and gender together or separately.

age and gender of your followers

When Your Followers are on Instagram

Ever wondered when is the best time to post on your IG account? Studying this graph can help you see what time of day and day of the week your followers are most active on IG. Toggle between Day and Day & Hour.

When on the Day tab, hover over each day of the week to see how many of your followers are generally on IG that specific day of the week.

when your followers are on instagram (days of week)

Switch to the Day & Hour tab to see what hours of the day your followers are generally on IG. The darker the blue the more followers there are for that time and day slot. Timing your posts to coincide with higher engagement is important as it is known that IG will give posts with quicker engagement higher priority.

when your followers are on instagram (hours of day)

Countries and Cities

This one is pretty self-explanatory but again is very important in shaping how you approach your IG marketing strategy.

countries and cities your followers live in

Step Four: How to Implement the Insights

Studying your account’s insights will help you understand your audience better. Understanding your audience will give you a focus and help narrow your content down to best apply to your followers. You can start to understand who your audience is: Do they live in the same time zone as your company? Are they on the IG app during work hours or in the evenings? Are they older or younger than you thought? Do they engage regularly with your account or not?

Possibly, you will learn that your current marketing techniques are bringing in a different audience (age, location, gender) than you meant to and it’s time to change your approach. Create new marketing materials and techniques that target the segments of your audience that you want to increase. Try new things, learn from them, and keep growing!

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How to Schedule Instagram Posts Using the Creator Studio

7/06/2020

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Instagram marketing is an integral part of running a cannabis business; with limited access to ads on Facebook and Instagram, it is extra important that you have an airtight marketing strategy for promoting your cannabis blog or brand. In this quick photo tutorial we will show you how to not only draft Instagram posts using Facebook’s new Creator Studio, but also schedule them so that you always have fresh new content on your account.

Before you Begin:

  1. Make sure you have an both an Instagram account and a Facebook Page that you are an admin of on Facebook
  2. Convert your Instagram account to a Business Profile or Creator Account, this can be done within the settings menu in the Instagram app.
  3. Connect your Instagram account to the Facebook Page. The Facebook Page you link your Instagram account to can be published and public, or unpublished and invisible to the public.

Step One: Log into the Creator Studio

Click the Creator Studio link. At the top of the login page you will see icons for Facebook and Instagram, you can log in with either your Facebook account or your Instagram account. It does not matter which you use to log in, as once you are in to the Creator Studio you will be able to post to either account. In the images below, the top one with the blue background shows the Facebook login, and the lower one with the purple background shows the Instagram login.

log into creator studio with facebook
log into creator studio for instagram

Step Two: Create Your Post

Once you are logged in you will see a screen similar to the one below:

content library

Again, at the top you will see icons for Facebook and Instagram which you can use to toggle between posting on Facebook and Instagram. In the screenshot above you can see that I have selected the Instagram icon and can now see all of the Instagram posts and stories that were posted, scheduled, or drafted.

For our purposes today we will ignore these options and focus on the “Create Post” button in the left side-menu as in the screenshot below:

create post

Once you click the “Create Post” button you will have the option to draft a post for your Instagram Feed or IGTV. Click the “Instagram Feed” tab. A post-drafting window will pop up (screenshot below). Write your caption (including hashtags) in the caption box, add your location, and upload your photos or videos.

drafting a post

Once the photos have uploaded your photos you will be able to individually tag accounts, crop them, or delete them. These three options show up as three icons in the lower right corner of each photo.

Step Three: Edit Your Post

editing a post

If you choose to crop your photo a new window will pop up allowing you to crop it to a square, landscape, or vertical shape. Choose an option, move the box around to crop out what you don’t want in your photo and click the “Save” button in the lower right hand corner.

cropping a photo

Finally, you are ready to publish your post. You have added a caption (with up to 30 hashtags), a geolocation, and your photos or videos (all cropped and with account tags added). If you wish to immediately publish your post, simply click the blue “Publish” button in the bottom right-hand corner. However, If you would like to either schedule your post or save it as a draft, then click the little blue arrow just to the right of the blue “Publish” button. Once you click this arrow you have the option to “Schedule” your post – if clicked, you will be given the opportunity to pick which date and exact time you would like your post to be published. If you click the “Save as Draft” option, then your post will save and you can find it back in the main menu where we started.

Step Four: Publish Your Post

scheduling a post

You are finished! You now have the ability to schedule and draft Instagram posts in your browser. Research has proven that regular, especially daily, posting will increase your follower count and engagement. Never be caught flat-footed on holidays and important events in your company, schedule a post ahead of time and give your followers the best content you can.

post successfully scheduled

This is the second installment of a three-part tutorial series covering Facebook’s Creator Studio App. Click here for the next installment!

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Using the New Facebook Creator Studio App

7/06/2020

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Think of this free app as a “behind-the-scenes” look at your Facebook page – or pages, if you manage more than one. This new app allows you to accomplish the same tasks as the browser version of Creator Studio: check page performance, look at published, scheduled, and drafted posts, examine page insights, read and respond to your messages and comments – all from an easy-to-use app on your phone! Please note that you cannot draft posts within this app.

Before you Begin:

  1. Make sure you have an both an Instagram account and a Facebook Page that you are an admin of on Facebook.
  2. Convert your Instagram account to a Business Profile or Creator Account, this can be done within the settings menu in the Instagram app.
  3. Connect your Instagram account to the Facebook Page. The Facebook Page you link your Instagram account to can be published and public, or unpublished and invisible to the public.

Step One: Download the Creator Studio App

The Creator Studio app is supported by both iOS and Android devices. On your mobile device, go to the App Store or Play Store.

Search “creator studio” and look for the Creator Studio app with the correct logo and download it for free.

Sign-in to the Creator Studio app using your Facebook log-in information.

If you manage more than one page, choose the one you want to check out.

Once you pick a page, you can always go back and choose another by clicking the page’s profile photo in the upper left corner.

Step Two: How to Navigate the App

Now that you have selected the page you want to work with you can toggle between “Home,” “Posts,” “Insights,” “Inbox,” and “Notifications” by selecting the different icons at the bottom of the page – in that order.

If there is ever any confusion about the information that is presented in these options, click the little “i” circle in the top right corner and it will give you a breakdown of what you are looking at. This is particularly helpful when looking at the “Insights” tab.

Step Three: How to Use the App

Below is a quick overview of what each of the lower tabs (“Home,” “Posts,” “Insights,” “Inbox,” and “Notifications”) do and how to use them when managing your page:

The “Home” tab gives you an abbreviated snapshot from the “Insight” and “Posts” tabs with an option to go to those tabs and look into the data more deeply.

The “Posts” tab shows your Published, Scheduled, and Drafted posts. Toggle between these options or use the magnifying glass in the upper right corner to look for a specific post. You can even filter through all of your posts using the filter icon next to the magnifying glass icon. For each published post you can click on it to see engagement, comments, shares, reactions, reach – plus an explanation of “What do these metrics mean?” in blue text at the bottom.

Note: You cannot post from within the Creator Studio app, only review what has already been posted, scheduled or drafted.

The “Insights” tab gives you an overview of how your page is performing over the last 28 days; how many views, comments, shares, and net followers your page has gained or lost. Each of these metrics can be viewed as a graph comparing the past 28 days with the previous 28 days (shown at the top), or in number form (also shows a percentage in red or green indicating if the data point has increased or decreased compared with the past 28 days).

The “Inbox” tab lets you see your page’s messages and comments. You can respond to comments just as if you were in the browser version of the Creator Studio; you can like and respond to comments as well within the app.

Finally, we have the “Notifications” tab. This is not for notifications about your account, but for announcements and information coming directly from the Creator Studio.

Now you can manage your Facebook page from your mobile device while on-the-go!

This is the first installment of a three-part tutorial series covering Facebook’s Creator Studio App. Click here for the next installment!

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Puffco Peak Portable Dab Rig Review

7/06/2020

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The Puffco Peak is a sleek, fairly compact, simple use, and semi-portable e-dab rig. Upon first taking it out of the box, it is easy to put together but it does need to be charged for a good two hours in order to get the most out of the battery life. The instructions are simple and the settings are easy to control and understand. That said, it only comes with four color-coded designated heat settings and there is no option for manual precision temperature control.

Temperature settings

The rig’s temperature settings are as follows: 

  • 450°F (blue) for small dabs
  • 500°F (green) for medium-sized dabs
  • 550°F (red) for larger globs
  • 600°F (white) for oversized loads 

Each of the settings, however, all can result in smooth, flavorful, and cloudy hits, making this rig a satisfying and pleasant overall vaping experience. We found the temp settings actually each work with different sized dabs, the lower settings just take longer to burn through a bigger dab. And you’re more likely to end up with some dab soup in the bowl that you need to burn off or clean out before loading a fresh hit. At first, we were using the high heat (white) temp setting to try and get that same feel as taking a dab off of a regular rig setup, but found it to be a bit too harsh and splashy when trying to do a strong pull. The harshness of trying to take a strong pull is likely due to the design of the bubbler, as it only holds a small amount of water for cooling and it’s compact nature really is designed for slow casual pulls. If you like the gut punch hits of your regular dab rig, you might feel a bit lackluster when hitting the peak, as it’s portable size compromises the ability to take a long hard pull. When used as directed, taking slow, even hits, the Peak does, however, produce a solid, satisfying, and cloudy hit. The unit heats up just long enough to get a good hit, but if you use sesh mode (hit the button 2 times while it’s still lit up) you can keep the temp from cooling off and pass it around or get several hits without waiting for it to reheat. 

Using the Puffco Peak

The usability is simple, there is an LED light strip that runs around the base of the unit that codes for heat and battery settings. All of the power/settings are accomplished by a simple set of clicks with a single button. The unit also vibrates in different patterns to alert the user if the unit is activated and when it has reached temperature settings for use. You can choose to either load your oil before or after it has reached peak temperature. The bowl is fairly small and cannot handle a large quantity of product at once, but you can still use a good-sized dab and it will hit 2-4 times, depending on your temperature setting and lung capacity. A definite perk to this product is the heating time, which is around 20 seconds, so you can get to dabbing pretty quick with very little setup. As far as cleanup goes, it’s about the same as any other rig, just take the pieces apart and soak them in ISO or rig cleaning solution. It does need to be cleaned often to prevent buildup at the base and around the atomizer, which otherwise will gunk up fairly quickly.

As for portability, it is definitely easy to use this as a travel rig due to its handheld size and battery-operated system. It is not portable enough to stick in your pocket or sneak into public settings, but definitely great for camping (you’d need a portable USB hub), road trips, bringing to a friend’s house, or just for moving from room to room. 

At a $300 price tag, it seems like this rig should come with a few more perks. The vibrating alerts only work well if you are actively holding the rig, if it’s sitting on a table while you are waiting for it to heat up with a preload, it’s easy to miss the vibrating alert and then have to load a new bowl and start over again, so it would be nice to have an audible feature that can be turned on/off. Also, an auto-off feature would be nice, as we often forget to turn it off at night since there’s no light indication if it’s still on, and the battery life never seems to last for as many as the 30 hits they claim you can get from a full charge. A visible light indicator or LED screen letting you know which settings it’s on would have been really nice as well, otherwise, the next day, you have to keep clicking it until you know you’ve cycled through the options again. The ceramic parts of the bowl and atomizer are fragile, stain quickly and break easy. Parts are also a bit pricey to replace and you can’t purchase just the carb tether or the individual parts of the atomizer, so you pay full price for the whole units.

Final words

In conclusion, we really enjoyed the Puffco Peak as a casual rig setup that is great for moving around the house and easy to use in bed. Additionally, our friends who are novice oil users or lightweights loved how easy it was to use and that they could take smaller, more controlled hits. The portability and simple use are the best features of the Peak and, even though it doesn’t hit entirely like a true dab rig, it hits well, the flavor of the oil shines through and we think it definitely has its place as a good on-hand piece to have as part of your oil use equipment. 

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House Votes to Give Researchers Access to Dispensary Cannabis

7/06/2020

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Lawmakers in the House of Representatives have attached language to a highways infrastructure bill that would give researchers a pathway to studying cannabis products sourced from state-legal dispensaries, Marijuana Moment reports. Currently, only cannabis grown by a government-licensed facility is allowed for research purposes.

The bill was first introduced containing language requiring legal states to consider education campaigns about the dangers of stoned driving. Lawmakers then attempted to file several add-ons however that further addressed cannabis issues, including a cannabis research provision to establish, “a national clearinghouse to collect and distribute samples and strains of marijuana for scientific research that includes marijuana and products containing marijuana lawfully available to patients or consumers in a State on a retail basis.”

Lawmakers also added language to specifically allow for the inter-state transfer of such cannabis products, meaning even researchers outside of legalized states could access the potent and high-quality products from legal markets.

“There is a growing awareness among the public, politicians, and especially among those within the scientific community that the current regulations [are] both illogical and counterproductive. It makes zero sense that tens of millions of Americans can now readily purchase and consume these products, but that scientists cannot access these same products for the purpose of studying their effects on human subjects in the course of a controlled trial.” — NORML Deputy Director Paul Armentano, via Marijuana Moment

The DEA announced in 2016 it would expand cannabis research possibilities and license additional research-grade cannabis cultivators but the agency has been accused of foot-dragging on the issue in the years since.

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Despite Legalization, UK National Health Service Hasn’t Prescribed Cannabis

7/06/2020

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Almost two years ago, the United Kingdom lifted strict cannabis scheduling after two children in the commonwealth found refuge from debilitating seizures with cannabis-based medicines. Since medical legalization, however, there have been no new government-funded National Health Services (NHS) medical cannabis prescriptions, The Guardian reports.

Currently, cannabis is classified as a Schedule 2 drug in the United Kingdom; medical use is permitted for “exceptional clinical need.” Also, the medicine must be prescribed by a specialist consultant and not a general practitioner. Furthermore, NHS guidance does not allow cannabis prescriptions without clear published evidence of its benefit and proof that other treatments have been exhausted. That first requirement is an issue worldwide — without legal access to premium cannabis, research on the medicinal benefits of cannabis consumption or inhalation remains sparse.

The exceptionally bureaucratic hierarchy of the NHS trust is a major issue behind the lack of NHS prescriptions, according to cannabis medicine expert Dr. Dani Gordon.

Instead of relying on government-funded care, patients are paying up to £1400-4000 per month for prescriptions from private doctors. One mother sold her house to fund her severely epileptic daughter’s prescription cannabis, medicine which has helped the young woman walk again after years of sedated confinement to a wheelchair. This is creating a two-tier medical system in which care is only provided to those with economic freedoms.

However not all patients have the means to afford the prescriptions and this is just one of three very real barriers between qualifying patients and legal cannabis medicine, according to NHS England study ‘Barriers to accessing cannabis-based products for medicinal use on NHS prescription’ published in August 2019. The study reveals that on top of the cost of goods and supply chain problems, patients are set back due to a lack of guidance to support clinicians and a lack of clinical evidence.

A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care said nine months ago that officials are “urgently working with the health system, industry and researchers to improve the evidence base to provide clinicians with further support and guidance on prescribing where clinically appropriate.”

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Bay Area Officials Warn Cannabis Industry to Brace for Robberies

7/03/2020

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The San Francisco Office of Cannabis delivered an email this week to dispensaries and other cannabis licensees in the city warning about a high potential for robberies and other criminal attacks during protests planned for the 4th of July weekend.

“Dear Cannabis Permit Holders: It has been brought to the attention of the SF Office of Cannabis that several protests are scheduled for the July 4th weekend. Please be aware that past protests had caused a strain on police resources which is why it is important to take necessary precautions.” — Excerpt of email delivered to cannabis licensees by San Francisco’s OOC

Marijuana Business Daily reported that similar warnings were issued to cannabis businesses in cities near San Francisco, including Oakland.

The warning hearkens back to the Black Lives Matter protests during the international uproar over the police killing of George Floyd in May; those protests were marred by a series of robberies against cannabis dispensaries in Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area.

Many dispensary owners at the time believed the robberies were carried out by opportunistic criminals who were taking advantage of a police force distracted by monitoring the protests, not by so-called “looters” or the protesters themselves.

In the email, officials suggested that cannabis licensees:

  • Move cash/cannabis products to a different location for the weekend
  • Reinforce the business premises, including boarding up windows and building entrances
  • Consider additional deterrence measures
  • Ensure proper video recording that is archived both on and offsite
  • Preserve evidence from a potential crime for police
  • Avoid confrontation with potential intruders, calling 911 if necessary

 

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CannaCon Announces Three-Day Virtual Event

7/03/2020

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Renowned cannabis event company CannaCon is officially going online with a Virtual CannaCon on July 28-30. Experience educational seminars with industry experts and exciting product showcases on the virtual exhibitor floor.

CannaCon holds cannabis business expos all over the United States and with the current state of public health the team has decided to continue guiding industry thought leaders with this remote event. Virtual CannaCon will mirror the live conventions with an expo floor featuring live representatives, Q&A sessions after each speech and panel, and networking rooms for attendees to connect. Attendees can register online for the three-day cannabis business convention.

As the world slowed down with shutdowns and isolation orders, the cannabis industry ramped up, adjusting to new CDC recommendations while operating as essential businesses. The cannabis industry has continued to grow and change as surges in sales are reported across the United States. Virtual CannaCon will address the industry as it is today through education, networking, and exhibitors with vast product knowledge; and for the first time in CannaCon history, anyone with wifi can attend.

“The team at CannaCon are excited to have found an online virtual platform that allows us to continue to grow the industry via interactive Zoom networking rooms, seminars with some of the best minds in the cannabis industry, and an interactive expo hall where you can meet with and shop from our amazing vendors,” said Vice President of Marketing Angela Grelle.

CannaCon is dedicated to creating and strengthening lifelong partnerships within the emerging cannabis industry. It is our mission to provide a global B2B venue for cannabis businesses, marijuana entrepreneurs, investors and community partners to showcase industry products, people, innovations and technology. We are committed to cultivating business values within the cannabis industry through education and responsible community involvement.

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Contact:
Angelle Grelle
angela@cannacon.org

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Survey: 84% of CBD Consumers Believe CBD Can Replace Opioids

7/03/2020

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About 84% of CBD consumers believe the cannabinoid is an effective alternative to opioids, according to a recent study from AmericanMarijuana.org.

The study surveyed 1,453 consumers who reported using CBD as a pain relief treatment. While the majority of respondents were both regular CBD consumers and millennials, non-regular users represented about one-third of respondents, while Baby Boomers represented about 8% of respondents, Gen Z represented about 12%, and Gen X about 19%.

A whopping 97% of respondents reported using fewer opioids after starting CBD — about 57% said they were using fewer opioids while some 40% said they had stopped their opioid use altogether. 53% of respondents said that CBD had become their only source of pain relief.

“This study suggests that what we now need is controlled research to understand CBD’s pain-relieving effects (there is surprisingly very little research published in this area on humans). Without controlled studies, it is difficult to know whether some people experience benefits from CBD due to expectancy effects.” — Tory R. Spindle, Ph.D, Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, via the report

Despite consumer anecdotes that CBD is an effective opioids alternative, the topic remains controversial in the eyes of federal regulators who in April issued warning letters to two CBD companies over claims that the cannabinoid could treat opioid addiction or serve as alternatives to pharmaceutical drugs.

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This County Raised $2.3M in Student Scholarships with Cannabis Taxes

7/02/2020

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Pueblo County, Colorado is awarding $2.3 million in scholarships to local students using cannabis-derived taxes, the Pueblo Chieftain reports. The total is the largest scholarship disbursement in county history and officials said that all 729 program applicants were likely to receive scholarship awards.

Janelle Quick, director of the Pueblo Hispanic Education Foundation, told the Chieftain that the scholarships range from $1,200 to $2,000 depending on the student’s grade point average, essay scores, community service, and their contribution through the federal student loan program commonly known as FAFSA. Students can use the scholarships for any accredited institute of higher education. The Pueblo Hispanic Education Foundation will receive $676,800 for scholarships that it will disburse instead of the county.

In 2015, Pueblo County voters passed an initiative that requires the first half of cannabis excise tax dollars to go toward scholarships, while the remaining can be used for capital infrastructure projects.

Dru Spinuzzi, vice-president of the Pueblo Hispanic Education Foundation, said that the first year of the program students only received $250 in scholarship funds from the program.

In April, Denver-based cannabis-tech company Veriheal said it would offer $10,000 in scholarships to students interested in the cannabis industry. The company said 10 students would receive $1,000 each.

Pueblo is one of two counties in the state that allocates cannabis excise taxes for local purposes. The scholarships will be used for the upcoming fall and spring semesters.

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L.A. Tightens Social Equity Rules in Cannabis Licensing Reforms

7/02/2020

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The Los Angeles, California city council on Wednesday unanimously approved changes to the city’s cannabis licensing regime, including tightening up social equity program rules, implementing a lottery system for new licenses, and adding new rules for dispensaries in neighborhoods that have already reached their limits, the Los Angeles Times reports.

The revamped social equity rules narrow the ZIP codes eligible for social equity licensing relief. Previously, some wealthier, affluent, white, neighborhoods were included among the list of ZIP codes eligible for the program. Department of Cannabis Regulation head Cat Packer said the city would only use police reporting districts for social equity licensing which, she said, would better target the communities most affected by the drug war. Additionally, in the next round of licensing, social equity applicants must not only have lived in one of those areas for at least 10 years or be low-income, but they must have a previous cannabis-related arrest or conviction to be eligible.

The city is moving toward a lottery system after the first-come, first-serve scheme used during the previous licensing round drew the ire of industry operators; however, the California Minority Alliance argued that the new system wouldn’t gauge the likelihood of whether a business would succeed.

The new rules to determine when a dispensary can open in a neighborhood that has reached its limit dictate that the applicant must get written input from their neighborhood council and others in the area. The move is meant to quiet critics who say that the City Council has too much power in business approvals and that operators can use their political clout to get a license.

Under the previous rules, if the council failed to promptly act on a request to open a dispensary in a saturated area, the request was automatically approved. Under the new rules, a request is denied if the council fails to act on it within roughly three months.

One law firm that represents cannabis firms, Margolin & Lawrence, said in a letter to the council that the new rules “could still be too vague and leave room for corruption or other improper criteria being used to approve or deny” licenses, such as race. The letter argues that a better process would include public hearings.

The law firm said in the letter that “now is a great time to open as many new businesses as possible … for the sake of the social equity applicants, and our society at large.”

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Arizona Cannabis Legalization Campaign Submits 420,000 Signatures

7/02/2020

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Advocates in Arizona have submitted 420,000 petition signatures to state officials for the cannabis legalization ballot initiative, the Arizona Republic reports. The Smart and Safe Arizona campaign needs 237,645 valid signatures to put the issue to voters in November, but the signatures still need to be validated.

The proposal would create a taxed and regulated recreational cannabis industry in the state, individuals 21-and-older would be allowed to make legal purchases and possess up to 1 ounce. A 16 percent excise tax would be implemented, along with regular sales taxes, and industry-derived taxes would be mostly directed toward public safety and community colleges. Edibles would be permitted under the plan; however, THC would be capped at 10 milligrams.

It also includes expungement provisions for cannabis possession crimes up to 2.5 ounces.

In 2016, Arizona voters rejected the reforms by a 52-48 percent margin. That measure was opposed by the Arizona Chamber of Commerce, who is also opposing this year’s campaign. Garrick Taylor, senior vice president of government relations and communications for the chamber, told the Republic that legalization would do “more harm than good,” claiming that legalizing cannabis would lead to “an uptick in workplace accidents and lower overall workplace productivity” jeopardizing workplace development efforts and raise costs for drug treatment and rehabilitation.” He also pointed to the coronavirus – of which Arizona is experiencing a spike – saying the pandemic is already putting stress on the state’s public health system and cannabis legalization would add to those stressors.

Arizona Dispensary Association President Steve White, who is CEO of Harvest Health and Recreation, said the state is “ready to legalize” and called the proposal “right” for Arizona. He added that, with the unemployment fallout from the pandemic, “new jobs and revenue are even more critical” than during the previous campaign.

If approved, current medical dispensaries – there are 130 in the state – would get the first crack at retail licenses. The measure also includes first-round licensing for 26 social equity applicants.

If the bid is successful, Arizona would become the 12th state to legalize cannabis.

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Dr. Thomas Macsay: The Intersection of Naturopathy and CBD

7/01/2020

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We recently connected with Dr. Macsay for this written interview covering the intersection of CBD and other naturopathic medicines, Neurogan‘s specific approach to the CBD industry, the need for more cannabinoid education among consumers, and more!

Ganjapreneur: What is your personal relationship with CBD & cannabis?

Dr. Thomas Macsay: I have been using Cannabis intermittently since I was 15 years old, but I was always intrigued by it and its relationship to countercultures from a young age, so I have quite a long relationship with it. It was definitely the first plant, as it is for many, that really grabbed my curiosity due to its powerful neurological effects. My initial experiences with cannabis opened up my mind to a whole new world of plant possibilities and powers that I was previously aware of but never really had the visceral knowledge of what that meant.

My intermittent relationship has been quite interesting. When I was younger I only smoked with friends during school breaks and holidays, but as I started making my way through college it became a tool that helped me deal with boredom and stress related to school. During the end of my second year of college, I was living in my family’s house with a group of friends who would regularly have many other friends over to smoke cannabis. To make a long story short, I ended up getting arrested after the cops were called one night as I chose to take the blame for all the cannabis and paraphernalia in the house.

I sadly hadn’t even been smoking that night as I was studying for an exam the next day and was waiting to get dinner with my girlfriend at the time. As I sat in the cell I regretted taking the blame as I truly believed I had surely ruined my chances of becoming a doctor or being able to have a successful career that would allow me to live a life of comfort and contentment. Furthermore the fact that I was not a citizen of the country also led to a 7-year immigration case that prevented me from traveling to my home country to see any of my extended family.

For most of those 7 years, I had very little desire to smoke cannabis at all as it would trigger feelings and sensations of panic, paranoia, stress…. all the typical side effects of cannabis consumption. It wasn’t until I was back in medical school and feeling the stress and pressure of pursuing 2 doctorates while working with multiple non-profits and medical associations that I decided to start using cannabis again as a stress reliever. I will proudly say that cannabis helped me immensely when studying daunting and boring subjects, dealing with overwhelming stress while giving me the ability to let go of the thoughts constantly running through my mind.

We live in a hustle and bustle world that is hard not to get caught up in, I believe cannabis can alter the lens we view it through to help relieve some of the burden of the experience that many adults and young adults feel on a day to day basis. After years of consuming cannabis again, I have become more deeply interested in cannabis and its effects in combination with other plant medicines. It has truly been a joy to share and learn more about this powerful plant over this time span.

I can’t say that I have always enjoyed cannabis, but I have always, always deeply respected it as a powerful medicine and healing tool, something that anyone should be able to consume and use if they so choose.

How did you originally get involved in the CBD industry?

I got my start in the CBD industry a few years ago after a lifelong interest in herbal medicine and cannabis. I was approached with opportunities that would allow me to marry a formal medical education with various backgrounds in herbalism and natural therapies. I began work on formulating products for two companies concurrently with one being a cutting edge supplement brand while the other was a traditional herbalism based CBD brand. The former products were developed with the help of a team of pharmacists and doctors working together to produce one of a kind nanotech herbal extract capsules paired with CBD. The latter being a company that I co-founded and managed development, branding, marketing, production, logistics, and sales.

I was extremely motivated to jump into these opportunities headfirst when they were presented to me. Here was a true, so-called door or gateway, through CBD into people’s minds that had previously been closed off to plant-based medicine and alternative therapies. If masses of people were recognizing the powerful effects of a plant-based extract then surely they would understand that plants as a whole offer a plethora of healing qualities and medicinal constituents. This would be an even more likely possibility if CBD and hemp extracts were directly combined with other medicinal plants (we now see tons of companies with combination products)

The companies I worked with made it their mission and vision to offer educational platforms that not only provided safe and efficacious products but also medically relevant educational information about alternative therapies and plant-based medicine directly from a team of doctors passionate about cannabis and holistic medicine. Furthermore, we focused our abilities to provide clinical-grade products made to the highest standards so they could be used as tools by healthcare practitioners.

Throughout the process of helping build and launch these companies, I was able to spend time working and living on hemp farms, in hemp drying facilities, and extraction facilities as well. With a broad overview of the hemp industry, I have begun consulting with a few select companies who align with my mission as a cannabis professional and have also begun working with international clients to provide clinical training and oversight regarding CBD for physicians who are otherwise inexperienced or uneducated on its use as a powerful tool in clinical practice.

How is Neurogan’s product development process influenced by your extensive wellness background?

I have worked with Neurogan to make sure that the information that we put forward regarding our products and their articles/press is medically relevant and accurate. We have worked together to provide simple, yet powerful tools that customers and patients can use to find a safe and effective product while taking the right dose of that product. Together we hope to continue providing information, as well as honest, and transparent articles regarding CBD and other botanical-based medicine. Lastly, we will be working on products that combine herbal medicine and hemp together in unique yet powerful ways that provide an extremely enjoyable end-user experience.

Why does Neurogan choose to use Danish hemp in the production process? Does the team work with local farmers or have a farm in Denmark?

Being a Danish citizen myself, I know firsthand how fertile and lush nature is throughout Denmark. Pristine small family farms dot the countryside connecting small townships throughout much of the country outside of the city centers. Many families have direct ties to the land, and these farms provide much of the food that people in the country eat which keeps things local and fresh. Along with this comes closer ties to the earth and its bounty which means that many people still rely on old folk remedies or medicinal plants that grow in the wild.

The Vikings also have a long history of using hemp for creating rope, clothes, and more which Neurogan decided to continue by tapping into close family ties at these farms in the countryside. Today Neurogan grows the bulk of its hemp on their family farm in Denmark, with every aspect owned and operated by the owners of Neurogan, so that the standards of cultivation can remain high and in line with the quality Neurogan loves to deliver.

Why did the company decide to launch a high-potency CBD line? Can you describe the research and development process that goes into creating new Neurogan products?

Having a high potency line is essential for any company that wants to align with the medicinal and healing qualities of CBD and hemp as a whole, as opposed to companies who are making various products such as energy drinks, candy, and other enticing edibles that do not provide much of a dose or any dose at all for that reason.

Yes, CBD can have great benefits for the casual user, but the people who really need it are those with advanced and complex diseases that may not have any other safe or effective alternative therapies left. For individuals with diseases that require a higher dose of CBD, it is important that they have access to high-potency products at a fair price. Furthermore, many clinicians will require higher doses of CBD or cannabinoids in general as a part of a treatment plan giving Neurogan a place on every doctor’s shelf.

With so many products making false claims, how can a CBD consumer be more knowledgeable and make an educated decision when shopping?

It’s tough being a CBD consumer in today’s market. This is especially true when the highest quality and most renowned products are typically more expensive which will lead some to search for cheaper options.

First and foremost, companies that make explicit claims or offer their products as a potential treatment option for any medical condition shouldn’t be trusted as they are operating outside of their legal scope. Flashy claims are always made to entice the consumer to buy a product that may or may not work for them. These types of products are likely of lower quality and cost less than premium brands in the marketplace.

Education is absolutely essential for individuals who are shopping for CBD products. There are countless online resources that focus only on cannabis and hemp-related education. If the website does not sell any products and provides well-sourced articles, it’s likely a good source of information that is unbiased and free of marketing tactics. Most premium brands will also provide great educational material and transparency when it comes to their operations, processes, and products.

Real CBD companies are legally required to provide testing results on their products. This allows customers to see for themselves if the product they’re getting contains the stated CBD values and is free of impurities. Companies who refuse to share their testing results or do not provide them with a product purchase may have something to hide and should be considered carefully.

Finally, anyone considering CBD or cannabis-based products to treat health problems should consult a primary care physician and/or a cannabis health professional. Health professionals, especially those with a strong understanding of cannabis-based medicine, will be able to direct you towards a reputable product with a dose and form that is appropriate for your needs.

The company recently held a test of 12 CBD products, finding no CBD in any of them. Why did Neurogan use their resources to conduct this research, and what does it say about the ever-expanding CBD market?

Neurogan was hoping to shed light on the fact that there are still many shady and fraudulent companies/individuals who are trying to take advantage of the uninformed customer who is looking to find an affordable product or is maybe buying a hemp/cannabis-based product for the first time and is hoping to find something cheaper. This, unfortunately, is not something new, and there are many shady underground sources of “CBD” or “hemp oil” products on the market that may or may not have any cannabinoids in them. Even worse, these products will have other narcotics or agents added to them to increase the effects experienced by the consumer.

Individuals need to be educated on these facts as they can be harmed by fake products or they may just be throwing their money away. In either case, Neurogan wants to help protect consumers from these types of companies/individuals who sell fake products while also providing information on how to find a proper product and how one can read a chemical analysis to tell if the product actually contains the number of cannabinoids as stated on the label.

Unfortunately, this trend of fake products will likely continue into the future as laws are set in stone and proper oversight from the FDA and DEA shapes up. Until then information is the most powerful weapon that we can provide to individuals in order to prevent them from wasting their money or risking consumption of harmful agents.

How does Neurogan maintain transparency in their product line from seed to sale?

Neurogan seeks to maintain complete transparency through every step of the cultivation process, which is easy for us, because we have a hand in each step.

All of the crops are grown at founder Dan Hamp’s family farm in his home country of Denmark. We love growing outdoor hemp in Denmark because the country’s conditions are perfect from April to October to slow-grow full-spectrum, high-quality CBD in soil free of heavy-metals and harmful pesticides. Once the crops are in full bloom, they are picked and dried over a two-month period before the whole hemp plant is granulated into pellets and sent to the United States.

The team receives the hemp on-site in San Diego, CA and the hemp is incorporated into custom, handmade recipes in our GMP certified facility. All finished products are sent to a third party laboratory and tested for quality before being sold to customers.

As you can see, each step is integral to providing transparency and quality that customers can trust.

Neurogan products have higher doses and are broad-spectrum; how does this benefit the consumer compared to lower dose products? What is the difference between full-spectrum and broad-spectrum?

Full-spectrum products include the full range of cannabinoids; THC, CBD, and over 100 other cannabinoids. Studies have shown that plant extracts that are considered full-spectrum typically have increased benefits and lower dosage with decreased side effects. This happens as a result of the components in the extract interacting with each other and the body’s receptors.

Broad-spectrum extracts are almost identical to full-spectrum extracts except for the fact that they do not contain any THC. This means that a Neurogan’s broad spectrum product still provides much of the synergistic qualities seen with a full-spectrum extract but is just right for those who prefer to avoid THC ingestion at all costs.

By providing a wide and higher range of dosages, Neurogan offers products that will be effective at helping many customers alleviate complaints with targeted dosages at a fair price point. Lower dosed products can still be very expensive and may not have enough CBD to even help customers deal with some of their complaints. These products are typically also isolated or are made with lower quality extracts that can be unsafe or completely ineffective for the consumer.

What do you think is the biggest obstacle to educating consumers about the benefits of CBD?

The biggest obstacle to educating the consumer is probably the consumer. People always want a quick fix and they want it cheap, or they want it to be enjoyable to consume. Most of all people want to notice something right away.

Unfortunately, every single individual will react differently to the same dose of CBD consumed at the exact same time in the same setting. This is due to a myriad of reasons including genetics, diet, toxin load, medication use, mood, and so on. This means that some people will feel nothing when they take a high-quality hemp product, while some others may feel extremely “high” at the same dose.

People from both sides of the spectrum may give up on the product right away or may change their dose drastically where it either becomes ineffective or begins causing uncomfortable side effects. This is one of the reasons it is always stressed that individuals should consult their health care professional when beginning any supplements or alternative based treatment therapies.

At the end of the day, education, especially a drastic perspective shift from a typical western medicine mindset to one that takes the perspective of plant-based alternative therapies takes time. People aren’t always patient enough to take the time to educate themselves on a topic that is in itself a vast and still developing topic. This is especially true if said individual did not have a pleasant or noticeable experience their first time around with plant-based medicine.

On top of this, the western medicine mindset continues to push plants out of the picture even though many of the most common drugs are derived from plant constituents, and that the word drug itself was originally used to describe a medicinal plant. There are now thousands upon thousands of articles that prove herbal medicine can be an equal therapeutic agent, and sometimes more effective, compared to many common medications used in clinical practice today.

Without proper acknowledgment of human tendencies and biases, it makes it hard for people to look past these facts and truly begin tapping into plants as medicinal agents. Fortunately, many people do become intrigued by the beneficial effects experienced when taking a CBD product which tends to lead them down a path of education and insight into cannabis as a whole.

Does Neurogan get involved in the local community and economy? How does the company support other entrepreneurs in the space?

As a small family-owned company, Neurogan loves to support other underdogs, and we mean that in a very real sense. Nearly two years ago, we began showing our support for San Diego-based non-profit, The Animal Pad (TAP), who rescues dogs from the streets of San Diego and Mexico. We’ve provided donations, campaigns, and initiatives in support of TAP, alongside featuring their pups on the front of our Neurogan CBD pet treat bags and having nearly 5 employees from our office adopt TAP pooches to date. We’re thrilled by the thought that our premium pet CBD has the potential to help rescue pets feel more at home.

Additionally, with San Diego being such a health and wellness conscious community, we’ve been proud to provide donations and give support to local wellness practitioners and entrepreneurs; from nutritionists, to yoga teachers, to reiki masters, and more. As a brand, we’re focused on providing people with products that can bring them the gift of wellness and in partnering with individuals who are determined to do the same through their services, we know we’re in good company.

As a business, we offer private label products to those looking to start their own CBD businesses and have really enjoyed the business consultancy role this has placed us in, as CBD is a difficult space to get started in. When it comes to our direct customers, we put a lot of our efforts towards educating our community not only when it comes to CBD, but when it comes to the importance of supporting local. We model this by doing the same ourselves and fighting to prompt a shift in thought when it comes to thoughtful consumption on every level.

Thank you, Dr. Macsay, for answering our questions about Neurogan and the state of the CBD marketplace. Visit Neurogan.com to learn more about our guest.

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Colorado Gov. Signs Cannabis Social Equity Bill

7/01/2020

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Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) has signed cannabis industry social equity legislation which also includes provisions allowing the governor to pardon low-level cannabis possession cases up to two ounces that occurred prior to legalization in the state.

Under the law, a social equity applicant has resided for at least 15 years between 1980 to 2010 in an area disproportionately impacted by the drug war, or was arrested for a cannabis offense or had a parent, guardian, spouse, sibling, or child arrested for a cannabis offense, or had their assets seized related to a cannabis investigation, or meets household income thresholds.

The law allows groups of social equity licensees to collectively own a majority stake as long as the social equity licensee or group holds at least 51 percent ownership in the company. Social equity licensees may also be eligible for financial aid and other incentives from the state.

Previously, the state had made so-called “accelerator” licenses available but the new law changes that permit to a “social equity license” and alters the qualifications for applicants. Specifically, the license allows someone who may not qualify for a cannabusiness license to work with an established business willing to be a partner, advisor, and mentor. The bill also prohibits regulators from denying licenses to social equity applicants based solely on criminal provisions that might usually disqualify the applicant. Under Colorado law, individuals convicted of a felony in the three years prior to their application are usually disqualified; however, social equity applicants will not be rejected based entirely on that provision, according to the bill text.

The licenses will be available for retail locations, delivery businesses, and potentially social-use clubs, according to a Colorado Politics report.

State Rep. John Collins, a Democratic co-sponsor of the bill, called the measure “the first of many actions that must be taken to have racial equity in our state.”

“For decades now the Black community has been disproportionate criminalized, because of marijuana, while others have profited. We’ve needed to act on this injustice and disparity for decades, and there are people standing here who have been speaking, acting, advocating and pushing for this very moment for decades.” – Coleman during a press Monday press conference via Colorado Politics

A Denver Department of Excise and Licenses report released earlier this month found 75 percent of the city’s cannabis businesses are owned by white people, while 12.7 percent of owners identified as Latino, 5.5 percent as Black, and 2.8 percent as Middle Eastern. Women had 32 percent of “key” cannabis licenses and just 36 percent of all industry licenses, the report said.

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Dixie Elixirs Will Rebrand Due to Painful Historical Context

7/01/2020

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Dixie Brands announced this week it will change its name in solidarity with the anti-racist movement that has gripped the U.S. in recent weeks. The company announced the name change on its website and social media platforms.

“The Dixie Elixirs brand was founded over 10 years ago as a pioneer in the cannabis industry,” reads the company’s official statement.

“Recently, the national conversation about racism and injustice has focused our attention to the pain the Dixie name can cause due to the historical context of the word. We stand shoulder to shoulder with the Black community, and we stand firmly against racism and injustice. To stay true to these values, we have decided to change our name.” — Dixie Brands official statement

The word “Dixie” has been criticized by civil rights advocates for decades as a glorification of historical racism. The term is frequently used to describe the southern U.S. states, which in particular are marred by painful memories of the Civil War that was waged in part due to white enslavers’ unwillingness to give up slave labor.

Dixie Brands is not the first entity to ditch the word: popular country-pop band The Dixie Chicks announced last week it would drop the word “Dixie” from its name.

The company says it has not yet picked out a new name but suggestions and feedback are welcome and should be emailed to community@dixiebrands.com.

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