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4 Reasons Your Customers Prefer Rolled Pre-Rolls to Stuffed Cones

2/27/2024

Automating pre-roll production in your business is necessary for you to compete on a large scale. The current industry default is to turn to stuffed pre-roll cone machines, but as you’ve likely experienced firsthand, a stuffed pre-roll cone burns unevenly and runs like crazy, leading to a not-so-great customer experience.

On the other hand, a rolled pre-roll burns better, hits harder, costs less to produce, and can now be automated thanks to the RollPros Blackbird automated pre-roll machine. Check out our breakdown of the reasons below.

1) Rolled Pre-Rolls Are More Potent

Businesses that use automated stuffed cone machines short their customers on valuable cannabinoids. Those machines require heavily ground and dried flower. (We’re talking moisture content as low as 6-8%.) Over-drying flower can degrade cannabinoid content, and over-grinding it can knock off what few trichomes remain.

After the flower is dried and ground, pre-roll stuffing machines use either a tamping or vibrating system to pack the cone. Both of these actions also destroy and knock off valuable trichomes. Essentially, to create machine-stuffed cones, you have to sacrifice the very thing your consumers are paying for—potency.

Now, enter RollPros BlackBird. This machine rolls pre-rolls just like you would by hand but on a much larger scale (about 750 per hour on average). The machine works best with sticky bud containing at least 10% moisture content and never tamps or shakes the flower. It also minimizes contact points compared to hand-rolling, avoiding sticky fingers (or machine parts) that could strip away those precious trichomes.

2) Rolled Pre-Rolls Are Cheaper To Produce

The backend logistics of using a machine to stuff pre-roll cones cost you more money. Pre-roll cones must be shipped as cones to maintain the integrity of their shape which means you’re paying for a lot of empty space. This not only costs you more, but it also greatly increases your brand’s carbon footprint.

In contrast, the RollPros BlackBird rolling machine utilizes paper in bobbin form (picture a roll of paper, like wrapping paper or paper towels, minus the perforations). Because paper bobbins are small and stackable, you can significantly reduce your consumable materials costs by up to 80% when you consider shipping time and cost ($0.03 per unit for a rolled pre-roll versus $.10 – 0.15 per unit for a stuffed pre-roll cone).

To put it plainly: one pallet of bobbins can yield approximately 24 million joints, while it would take over 60 pallets to ship the same amount of pre-roll cones.

Additionally, the finer grind and lower moisture content that cone-stuffing machines require are not only destroying the trichomes on your flower, they’re costing you money. A 1g joint created by a cone-stuffing machine that requires 6% moisture content will require more flower to hit that weight than a 1g joint rolled by the Blackbird with flower at 10% moisture. (And that’s before we consider the extra flower that’s needed because of the fine grind that cone-stuffing machines require.) This is a direct hit to your bottom line. It’s also an indirect hit to your bottom line because the machine is forcing you to put out an inferior product, making it harder for your brand to earn consumer loyalty.

3) Rolled Pre-Rolls Burn Better

Stuffed pre-roll cones are notorious for their uneven burn, but that unevenness is inevitable when working with a cone-stuffing machine. The tamping mechanism that packs a cone forces more flower near the crutch of a pre-roll and less near the tip, pretty much guaranteeing an uneven pack and burn.

Pre-rolls rolled with the Blackbird don’t have this issue because the machine compresses the flower evenly in every direction before twisting one up. (If you really want to nerd out, that’s called radial compaction.) And to double-ensure consistency, pair your machine with a DrawCheck unit, another first for RollPros: the only air flow tester on the market specifically built for pre-rolls. The DrawCheck gives you a quantifiable number so you can ensure that the airflow of every batch of pre-rolls is to spec, with a perfect pull. That type of consistency is how you earn consumer loyalty.

4) Rolled Pre-Rolls Are More Sustainable

Apart from the massive carbon emissions that come with shipping pre-roll cones (only about 250,000-350,000 cones can be shipped on a pallet at a time), pre-roll cones have another negative impact on both people and planet that’s often overlooked. Most pre-roll cones are made by hand in India, Indonesia, China, and other countries with less-than-transparent labor laws.

Knowing this, we made a point to develop sustainable and ethical manufacturing methods. Nearly every component of the BlackBird machine, with only a few specific exceptions, is produced within 10 miles of our headquarters in Vancouver, Washington.

Let’s Get Rolling

Stuffed pre-roll cones were a quick answer to states just trying to get their markets off the ground, but time has passed, and they’re no longer the best option for pre-roll brands trying to stand out in saturated markets. If you’re one of those brands, or if you’re looking to enter the pre-roll scene and want to make a splash, the RollPros Blackbird is the automated pre-roll machine to do the job. Not only is it more ethical and sustainable, it flat-out creates a better product than any automated pre-roll stuffing machine simply by design.

When you’re ready to get rolling with RollPros, let us know! We offer free live demos over Zoom to show you exactly how the machine works. Book your demo now.

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California Bong Auction Earns Just $2,075

2/27/2024

California officials said that a recent auction aimed at recouping more than $14.4 million in unpaid cannabis industry taxes earned just over $2,000, the North Bay Business Journal reports.

The auction was held February 16 in the California Highway Patrol’s parking lot in Los Angeles and officials reported having earned a scant $2,075 by the time the auction wrapped.

The auctioned-off items were seized during law enforcement raids on ten “non-compliant” cannabis companies in southern California. Officials did not name the ten companies from which the products were seized but they noted that only one of the companies had been actually licensed to retail cannabis products.

The auction covered a variety of items including glass bongs, office supplies, and furniture from multiple cannabis retailers including vending machines and a snowcone maker.

It was the first time the state resorted to selling bongs and other personal possessions seized from a tax-delinquent cannabis company but officials had previously auctioned off some commercial property recovered from similar seizures. Funds from the auction will be applied to the companies’ considerable tax debts, the report said.

Licensed cannabis operators in California have a difficult time finding success in the industry between high fees, steep taxes, and rampant competition from the unregulated marketplace. The Unified Cannabis Enforcement Taskforce in California said recently that the taskforce seized more than $310 million worth of illicit cannabis — about 190,000 pounds — during its first operational year.

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Canada’s Cannabis Industry Fees Increase to Reflect Inflation

2/27/2024

Canadian government officials are increasing the regulatory fees paid by licensed cannabis operators to match Canada’s 4.4% inflation rate from April 2022 to April 2023.

The fee increases will take effect starting April 1, 2024; the money collected is supposed to be used to regulate the country’s federally legal cannabis market.

The Canada Gazette, which is published by the federal government, said the fees are to be adjusted each year on April 1 to reflect changes in the “April All-items Consumer Price Index for Canada … for the previous fiscal year and rounded to the next highest dollar.”

As a result, these are the new regulatory fees for Canada’s cannabis industry:

The micro-cultivation license application screening was increased from $1,886 to $1,969.
The standard cultivation license application screening was increased from $3,767 to $3,933.
The cannabis nursery license application screening was increased from $1,886 to $1,969.
The micro-processing license application screening increased from $1,886 to $1,969.
The standard processing license application screening was increased from $3,767 to $3,933.
The medical sales license application screening was increased from $3,767 to $3,933.

In addition to the application screening fees, Canadian cannabis operators are expected to pay an annual regulatory fee, although some operators have historically been unable to pay up due to financial difficulties, MJBizDaily reports. The annual fee can be either a flat rate payment or a percentage of the company’s gross revenue, whichever is higher.

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An aerial and nighttime view of the Las Vegas city skyline.

Germany Passes Adult-Use Cannabis Legalization

2/26/2024

Germany became the third European Union country to pass adult-use cannabis legalization on Friday after lawmakers in the Bundestag, which is the country’s lower parliamentary body, approved the Cannabis Act in a 407-226 vote, the Associated Press reports.

Following the approval, cannabis possession by adults aged 18 or older will become legal starting April 1, which coincides with German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach’s prediction from earlier this year. Under the new law, adults will be allowed to grow up to three cannabis plants at home for their personal use.

Starting July 1, adults will be allowed to join nonprofit “cannabis clubs” which will be allowed to grow cannabis for its members — the clubs, however, will be limited to a maximum of 500 members, and individuals will not be allowed to enroll in multiple clubs at once. Club members will be allowed to purchase up to 25 grams of cannabis per day or a maximum of 50 grams per month (limited to just 30 grams per month for people younger than 21).

Clubs won’t be allowed to be located near schools, playgrounds, or sports facilities, the report said.

The legalization policy is the result of Germany’s coalition government led by the Greens, the Social Democrat Party, and the Liberals. Additionally, the legalization of cannabis in Germany — which has the largest economy in the EU — is expected by cannabis industry experts to inspire similar policies in other EU member nations. Cannabis is already legal in Malta and Luxembourg.

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Veterans & Law Enforcement Leaders Urge Biden to Reschedule Cannabis

2/23/2024

Six of the country’s top veterans groups and a group of U.S. law enforcement leaders sent letters on Thursday urging the Biden Administration to reschedule cannabis under the federal Controlled Substances Act (CSA).

The development comes amid rumors that the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) could soon announce a cannabis scheduling decision, and six months after the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recommended that cannabis be moved from Schedule I to Schedule III under the CSA.

In a letter to the Department of Justice, which oversees the DEA, top veteran advocacy groups called for federal officials to “expeditiously” reschedule cannabis, NBC News reports. The groups included the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, AMVETS, American GI Forum, the American Legion, Blinded Veterans Association, and the Minority Veterans of America.

Medical cannabis has been shown to assist with a wide number of debilitating conditions like post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD), which affects a significant number of combat veterans.

“The men and women who served in the U.S. Armed Forces often face difficult physical and mental challenges upon returning home. As such, we hope that in treating the wounds of war — both visible and invisible — that our servicemembers and veterans would have access to the widest array of possible treatments.” — Excerpt from the veterans’ letter, via NBC News

Meanwhile, a separate letter from the Law Enforcement Leaders to Reduce Crime and Incarceration — of which DEA Administrator Anne Milgram is a member — also called on President Joe Biden (D) to reduce the schedule of cannabis, according to The Hill.

“We are current and former police chiefs, sheriffs, federal and state prosecutors, and correctional officials from across the country dedicated to protecting public safety and reducing unnecessary arrests, prosecutions, and incarceration,” the letter read, followed by the call: “We urge your Administration to reclassify marijuana from a schedule I to a schedule III substance under the Controlled Substances Act.”

Senate Democrats last month sent a letter urging the president to go even further than the HHS’ recommendation and remove cannabis from the federal drug schedule outright, which would fully decriminalize the plant.

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New Jersey Total Cannabis Sales Top $2 Billion Since 2018

2/23/2024

New Jersey’s top cannabis regulator said that licensed cannabis dispensaries in the state have sold more than $2 billion worth of combined medical and adult-use cannabis since 2018, Marijuana Moment reports.

“Since we started this work in 2018, cumulative sales of both medicinal cannabis and recreational cannabis have eclipsed $2 billion,” Jeff Brown, executive director of the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission (CRC), told the Assembly Oversight, Reform and Federal Relations Committee on Thursday.

Additionally, the majority of the sales have taken place since the state’s adult-use cannabis market launched two years ago, Brown said.

“I would love for the CRC to take credit for this, but it’s really the entrepreneurs who have been putting their money, their lives and their dreams on the line to make this happen.” — Brown, via Marijuana Moment

Brown also encouraged lawmakers to consider allowing registered patients to grow their own cannabis plants at home. A medical cannabis home grow proposal was separately introduced to the state Senate last year but did not advance.

There is a 6.625% excise tax on adult-use cannabis products in New Jersey — all taxes on medical cannabis products, meanwhile, were fully repealed by lawmakers as of July 1, 2022.

Earlier this year, New Jersey regulators approved rules to regulate on-site cannabis consumption at properly licensed dispensaries.

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Kentucky Chooses Metrc for Cannabis Industry Track-and-Trace Contract

2/22/2024

Kentucky is partnering with cannabis compliance and tracking company Metrc for the state’s upcoming medical cannabis program’s first track-and-trace contract. The program, like other medical cannabis programs in the U.S., requires operators to closely track each plant and the resulting products from seed to sale.

Metrc said in a press release that the company’s track-and-trace platform “will bring transparency to ensure regulatory compliance, help combat the illicit market, and safeguard the health and well-being of Kentucky’s patients.”

“As Kentucky works to establish its medical cannabis market, we are thrilled to have the opportunity to launch the state’s first-ever track-and-trace program. Our team at Metrc looks forward to working alongside the Cabinet for Health and Family Services to build a regulatory framework that will create a marketplace with the strongest foundation, where patients are guaranteed safe consumption and licensees are provided an environment to thrive.” — Metrc CEO Michael Johnson, in a statement

The contract between Kentucky and Metrc will be the cannabis compliance company’s 25th government contract, the company said.

While government contracts are Metrc’s primary focus, the business also recently began servicing operators in the cannabis industry directly, MJBizDaily reported.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) signed the state’s medical cannabis legalization bill into law last April; under the law, registered cannabis patients will be able to access cannabis edibles and concentrates — but not smokable products — starting in January of next year. Beshear had previously signed an executive order allowing some individuals with severe medical conditions to possess cannabis.

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Arkansas AG Approves Medical Cannabis Ballot Initiative After Revisions

2/22/2024

Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin (R) on Tuesday approved a ballot initiative seeking to improve medical cannabis access in the state, the Arkansas Advocate reports. The initiative would also set up a trigger law that would legalize adult-use cannabis if cannabis possession were to be decriminalized at the federal level.

The attorney general had previously rejected the ballot initiative proposal after noting issues with its formatting and ambiguity, but advocates were given time to rework the initiative and resubmit it for consideration for the 2024 ballot. Ultimately, only minor changes in wording were made, the report said.

with attorney general’s approval, advocates must submit 90,704 valid voter signatures supporting the measure by July 5 to qualify for November’s ballot.

“We are confident that Arkansans will respond positively and ultimately vote for the proposed amendment because it will reduce barriers to obtaining a medical marijuana card, eliminate the annual renewal hassle and give patients more product choices.” — Bill Paschall, Executive Director of the Arkansas Cannabis Industry Association, via the Arkansas Advocate

In addition to the changes described above, the proposal would also let registered patients grow cannabis at home, let health providers other than doctors recommend patients for the program, and allow such providers to certify anyone they see fit for the state’s medical cannabis program. The program would also be expanded to allow telemedicine referrals, recognize out-of-state medical cannabis patient IDs, increase the registration period from one to three years, and remove program application fees for patients.

The proposal, which is now called the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Amendment of 2024, is supported by the state’s medical cannabis industry.

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Rhode Island Gov. Wants to Give Cannabis Industry 280E Tax Workaround

2/21/2024

Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee (D) has proposed decoupling state and federal taxes for cannabis industry operators as a partial workaround for IRS code 280E, Marijuana Moment reports.

The cannabis industry pays an exorbitant amount of taxes as a result of 280E, which prohibits companies from taking normal business tax deductions if their work is tied to a federally prohibited substance (cannabis is still declared Schedule I under the federal Controlled Substances Act).

The governor included the tax relief language as part of his budget proposal for the fiscal year 2025, stating that “Rhode Island would join Massachusetts and Connecticut, and at least 10 other states, in decoupling from this federal policy,” and estimating that the move would save cannabis operators $824,642 in the fiscal year 2025 and $1.7 million in the fiscal year 2026.

The tax relief language is supported by Cannabis Control Commission (CCC) Chair Kim Ahern, who attended the House Finance Committee meeting last week addressing the governor’s budget proposal, the report said. Lawmakers have not yet voted on the budget proposal.

It’s possible the cannabis industry could soon find tax relief at the federal level if the Biden Administration were to either reschedule cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III — as was recommended last year by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services — or remove cannabis from the federal drug schedule entirely, a move that was recently suggested by a group of Senate Democrats.

Rhode Island passed its cannabis legalization law in 2022 and the state’s licensed cannabis dispensaries earned more than $100 million in combined medical and adult-use sales during their first full year of adult-use operations.

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Cannabis Grower Suing After Police Destroyed Evidence In Civil Forfeiture Case

2/21/2024

Maryland-based cannabis grower Joseph Ricci says in a new lawsuit that Smithfield police lied about being told by a confidential source that his cannabis grow exceeded the legal limits and then destroyed cannabis products seized from his grow that could have proved his operation was lawful, the Providence Journal reports.

The dispute stems from a 2017 incident where police searched a warehouse owned by Ricci and, according to police reports, ultimately seized 42 cannabis plants and a little more than a kilogram of bagged cannabis flower. At the time, Ricci was a registered medical cannabis patient and caregiver providing cannabis for two other patients, the report said.

Police initially filed drug charges against Ricci but those were dropped; however, officials have continued to pursue a civil forfeiture case that seeks to claim Ricci’s Smithfield warehouse.

However, it was recently revealed that police last year destroyed at least some of the cannabis seized from Ricci’s grow. In court papers filed on Friday, Ricci’s attorney, Megan Sheehan, called the case “a travesty of justice.”

Additionally, a federal judge noted during a pre-trial motion ruling last year that there was “strong” speculation that police had lied about hearing about the grow site from a confidential informant.

“Indeed, it is patently clear here that the destruction of this evidence was intentional or intended to suppress the truth. Between the intentional destruction of contested vital evidence and impermissible police fabrications, it certainly appears that the conduct in this case was done in bad faith.” — Sheehan, via the Providence Journal

“There is no reason the evidence should have been destroyed six years into a pending civil forfeiture case, and three years into this pending case, when at the heart of both the town and state’s arguments are that the destroyed evidence proved that Mr. Ricci was over the possession limits,” Sheehan said in the report.

Cannabis is legal for adult use in Maryland and, while the state’s legal market only launched midway through last year, licensed retailers sold over $700 million worth of cannabis products in 2023.

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ICBC Headed to Barcelona in March

2/20/2024

The International Cannabis Business Conference is a leading international cannabis business to business (B2B) event series, with previous conferences taking place in several countries on multiple continents. The event series is owned and operated by passionate cannabis advocates who believe in celebrating cannabis culture, in addition to providing world-class cannabis industry education and networking opportunities.

Barcelona’s rich cannabis history and culture makes it the perfect backdrop for the next International Cannabis Business Conference (ICBC) being held on March 14, 2024. ICBC has once again partnered with Spannabis, Europe’s top cannabis expo, to form the world’s largest super-conference that is a must-attend for anyone who is serious about succeeding in the emerging cannabis industry. Spannabis has previously teamed up with the International Cannabis Business Conference to host past super-conferences, and the collaborations were a tremendous success. The 2024 super-conference will be larger and more exciting than ever, with the collaboration event being the largest of its type on the planet. A complete list of speakers can be found at this link here, as well as the full schedule at this link here.

“The Spannabis brand is iconic and one of the most recognized names to cannabis fans all over the world, and we are honored to be partnering with such a long-time and important institution,” states Alex Rogers, Executive Producer of the International Cannabis Business Conference.

“Spannabis has served as the meeting point for the entire European cannabis scene for many years. It is first and foremost a consumer event, however, many folks who attend are also looking for a B2B element. The ICBC’s partnership with Spannabis fills this gap and satisfies a clear need for major cannabis industry players to meet, network, and to progress and advance the industry as cannabis laws are liberalized in Spain and across the continent.” Rogers said.

Dozens of countries will be represented at the super-conference this March in Barcelona and will include representatives from every sector of the industry as well as leading international cannabis policymakers and industry service providers. Attend the super-conference in Barcelona to network with investors and entrepreneurs to take your industry pursuits to the next level. Spain’s cannabis industry is estimated to be worth 238.5 million euros in 2024 according to an analysis by Euromonitor International. Euromonitor estimates that Spain’s medical cannabis market alone is worth an estimated 27.3 million euros as of this year. Those figures are estimated to rise in 2025 to 358.4 million euros and 107.6 million euros, respectively.

To find out more and get tickets, visit: https://internationalcbc.com/barcelona

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Upling: A Purpose-Driven Cannabis Delivery App

2/20/2024

Upling is a Black-owned cannabis delivery app currently serving dispensaries and medical cannabis patients in Maryland, Washington DC, and Jamaica, and is in the process of expanding into other markets. Increasing accessibility to much-needed medicine for cannabis patients by allowing them to easily place delivery orders from dispensaries in their area, the company also aims to provide a level of service and customization to their dispensary partners that larger SaaS (software-as-a-service) companies tend to stop short of.

A key part of Upling’s mission is to support the formerly incarcerated by providing employment opportunities within the legal cannabis industry for returning citizens. Upling’s founder, Colin Fraser, who himself was incarcerated due to cannabis-related convictions, aims to use Upling to address the repercussions of the war on drugs and systemic injustice and racism in the US carceral system. Fraser recently joined Ganjapreneur for a conversation about Upling’s trajectory from its launch to where it’s headed in the future, as well as his ongoing work supporting returning citizens, and why the cannabis industry should specifically create opportunities for those who were punished unjustly over the plant.

Early experiences with cannabis

Raised in a Christian household, Fraser says he was always warned about “The Devil’s Lettuce” – that’s how people in his church referred to cannabis when he was a kid. Growing up in the D.A.R.E. era, police officers would come to school and tell the students that they would never amount to anything or have any opportunities in life if they smoked marijuana.

As he got older, Fraser was introduced to the fun and euphoria of cannabis consumption by his peers, but ultimately what captured his attention was the recognition of the plant as a potentially lucrative economic opportunity. It was a commodity that everyone wanted, so it had the power to generate wealth, and this revelation propelled him into the legacy market. Eventually, though, Fraser’s career took a dramatic turn when a deal escalated into violence, and he wound up being shot eight times. The aftermath was harrowing: he was taken to a hospital and wound up in a coma, and when he woke up three days later, he found himself in handcuffs.

Despite his critical condition, with his jaw wired shut from his injuries, he was forced to give a statement to the police as soon as they saw that he was conscious. Even though Fraser’s attackers were long gone, since there was cannabis involved, he was arrested and taken straight to jail where he wound up serving a two-year sentence.

When he got out of prison, Fraser found himself in a world where the laws that put him behind bars were being challenged by new state-level legalization initiatives – and he began to contemplate how to pursue the opportunities in the legalized cannabis industry that were becoming available.

From business concept to the app store

During the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, Fraser noticed the prevalence of delivery app services in his neighborhood, which sparked the question, “You can get your groceries delivered: I wonder if you can get your weed delivered?” This led him to discover that Maryland was offering a license for cannabis delivery services. After much research and preparation, he applied for it and was successful in obtaining the license. Around the same time, Fraser’s mother was diagnosed with stage four cancer, which highlighted the need for this type of service on a personal level – spurring him to move quickly in bringing his idea to reality.

Having grown up tinkering with computers, Fraser had the necessary knowledge of programming to put together a statement of work for a development project, and he sketched out the essential functions for the delivery app. He then collaborated with an agency to refine and build the platform, dedicating long hours to supervise the dev team to ensure the app met his standards and would exceed user expectations.

The next challenge was launching the app on the Google and Apple app stores, a process that required navigating their stringent policy guidelines. “That process involved a lot of education,” he says. Despite Apple rejecting his application eight times and threatening a permanent ban on resubmission, Fraser persisted. He researched strategies used by other developers to overcome similar hurdles and submitted detailed documentation, including standard operating procedures and a comprehensive analysis of the app’s code structure, to demonstrate compliance with app store policies. His perseverance paid off when the app was finally approved, marking a significant milestone in bringing his vision of a cannabis delivery service to fruition.

From prototype to clientele

In the initial phase of introducing Upling to potential clients, Fraser says he encountered tepid responses. Presentations of the app often resulted in a noncommittal “we’ll get back to you” rather than outright rejection, leading him to realize that a more deliberate strategy to generate interest was needed.

He shifted focus towards networking within the industry, leveraging trade shows, conferences, speaking engagements, and pitch competitions as platforms to engage directly with key stakeholders. This approach gradually changed perceptions as he was able to connect in-person with decision makers, culminating in his first few clients, and eventually to dispensaries proactively reaching out to Upling to sign up.

Getting the dispensaries onboard was only the first half of the battle, however: patients still needed to use the app in order for it to generate value for his partners. At one point, Fraser says Upling saw several hundred new app downloads in a single day when METRC, the regulatory compliance system, experienced downtime. This disruption prevented in-store point-of-sale systems from processing transactions, whereas Upling remained operational, resulting in a surge of downloads from users seeking an alternative.

As Upling’s user base expanded, Fraser prioritized customer feedback in the development process, focusing on integrating features specifically requested by dispensary partners. This customer-driven approach was complemented by his proactive research into competitors’ weaknesses. By analyzing their negative reviews, Fraser aimed to learn from the shortcomings of other delivery platforms, ensuring that Upling offered a superior alternative.

Outperforming the competition

Fraser’s vision for the Upling platform is centered on autonomy and customization for dispensary partners, aiming to provide them with a solution that isn’t dependent on third-party platforms or API integrations for new features. Building for flexibility is more time-consuming and complicated, but he notes that not all dispensaries want to showcase their products in the same way, and that they should be able to control the shopping experience for their customers to build a more personalized relationship with them. Additionally, marketing tools within the app enable the promotion of deals and loyalty programs that can be customized to the dispensary’s preferences.

With the development of Upling 2.0, the app is set to introduce enhanced functionality, including more payment options and an integrated POS system that supports inventory management. For patients, the new version of Upling will improve the interaction with their delivery drivers, including in-app communication and tipping. Another new feature will be the ability for patients to obtain their medical certification directly within the app, a feature previously only available via the website.

*Colin Fraser had the opportunity to meet with Maryland Gov. Wes Moore to discuss the importance of keeping legal cannabis open to returning citizens.*

The importance of purpose

Being purpose-driven is a popular (and some would argue necessary) stance for successful cannabis industry players, and large brands are often featured in the news for contributing hefty donations to organizations that work to free those incarcerated for cannabis. For Fraser, however, it’s more than a stance: it’s a hands-on lifestyle that predates his decision to participate in the legal cannabis industry.

After he got out of prison, Fraser says that he knew that he was kept alive for a specific reason. “I knew plenty of people who got shot once, who got grazed by a bullet once, and perished. For whatever reason, God kept me alive after eight bullets,” he says. Fraser felt that he had been saved to do God’s work, so he went into the prison ministry and worked for several years helping incarcerated people. This work solidified his understanding of the deep-rooted injustices within the criminal justice system, recognizing that the majority of incarcerated people are there because they made a singular mistake – one which they are unlikely to ever repeat, and which certainly doesn’t justify the degree of punishment they received.

In Fraser’s words, “the system is doing what it is supposed to do.” Systemic racism, while ingrained into the fabric of American society as a whole, is perhaps most obvious within the private prison industry–which profits from incarcerated labor as Black and brown people are arrested at disproportionate rates under laws that were established to specifically target their communities.

With his work in the prison ministry, Fraser says he was able to help incarcerated people cope with this reality and find hope within their faith. With Upling, he sees an opportunity to help returning citizens make the transition to gainful employment in an industry that wouldn’t even be possible without their sacrifice. He says that he hopes regulators–and the industry as a whole–will do more to recognize this often “unacknowledged demographic” and create specific opportunities for those who have been convicted under unjust cannabis laws.

Advice for cannabis founders

Fraser credits much of his success navigating the difficulties that come with starting a business in a highly competitive and volatile industry to having a loving and supportive marriage, as well as recognizing that he is ultimately serving a higher purpose. For those who are passionate about building an inclusive industry and working to counteract the longstanding injustices of America’s failed drug policies, Fraser recommends building a strong community with other organizers, activists, and like-minded entrepreneurs. He says it can be difficult to face constant rejection and have people question your value and legitimacy when starting out, but that persistence pays off. “When we first came onto the scene, they wouldn’t let us sit at their table,” he says. “So, we built our own.”

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California Officials Selling Seized Bongs to Cover Unpaid Cannabis Taxes

2/20/2024

California police and tax collection officials recently sold at auction personal property seized during law enforcement raids on unlicensed and tax-delinquent cannabis dispensaries. First reported by the LA Times, the auction’s seized included items such as glass bongs and pipes, furniture, and electronics typical to modern dispensaries.

The products were initially seized while executing search warrants against multiple Los Angeles-based cannabis dispensaries. Of the ten retailers raided, only one was actually licensed by the state, and together, the businesses reportedly owed more than $14.4 million in unpaid taxes.

Notably, the auctions last week marked the first time California law enforcement publicly auctioned off personal property that was seized from a cannabis business. Previously, officials had only auctioned off the commercial property recovered from similar seizures in Whittier and Compton, the report said.

“Seizing and auctioning property from cannabis businesses that evade the law is a tool to recover the taxes owed to the state.” — Nick Maduros, Director of the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration, via the LA Times

The items from each location were grouped into lots and if potential purchasers were interested in a specific item, they were required to bid on the entire lot.

The property seizures marked the latest cannabis industry enforcement action for a state that has long sought to curb the unregulated industry. The Unified Cannabis Enforcement Taskforce in California said in January that the taskforce had seized about 190,000 pounds of illicit cannabis — valued at nearly $312 million — during its first calendar year of operation.

Additionally, a Humboldt County cannabis cultivator agreed earlier this month to pay $750,000 to the state over environmental violations, promising to also take restorative measures as part of the court-approved agreement.

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Ohio Gov. Pressing Lawmakers to Allow Adult-Use Cannabis Sales

2/20/2024

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) is calling on Ohio lawmakers to pass a proposal that would enable the state’s medical cannabis dispensaries to serve adult-use customers, according to a 10 TV report.

The Ohio Division of Cannabis Control Board has already proposed letting current cannabis dispensaries apply for dual-use licenses that could serve both the medical and adult-use retail markets. Nilendu Singh, General Manager at Nar Reserve Dispensary in downtown Columbus, said in the report that he’s eager for the opportunity to serve adult-use customers.

“We are ready to implement it overnight. I think that is where a lot of dispensaries are at too and Nar Reserve is no different. The moment we get that license or we know we are getting it, we will be ready to roll it out that day.” — Singh, via 10 TV

Voters opted to legalize adult-use cannabis during last November’s election but Ohio lawmakers have yet to implement the adult-use market, which continues to confuse some would-be adult-use customers.

“We get phone calls all day long from people asking if we sell recreationally, and people don’t know, and that is the biggest problem,” Singh said in the report.

Shortly after voters passed the legalization initiative, the state’s Republican-led Legislature considered changing the voter-approved measure by removing provisions that prevented municipalities from banning cannabis operations and home cultivation and sought to change how cannabis taxes would be earmarked in the state.

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New York Regulators Approve Cannabis Home Grow Rules

2/19/2024

New York cannabis regulators passed new rules on Friday to establish the right for adults to grow cannabis at home, the Times Union reports. The rules are set to undergo a 60-day public comment period before taking effect.

Regulators also approved 109 new cannabis licenses on Friday, including 38 for retailers, according to the Democrat and Chronicle.

Lawmakers included the right to cannabis home grows in the state’s 2021 legalization law but the policy did not take effect immediately — instead, regulators were given 18 months from the first licensed sale to lay out and implement the provisions.

Under the new rules, adults aged 21 or older will be allowed to grow up to six mature and six immature cannabis plants at their home, regardless of the number of people living there. While New York‘s legalization policy already allows adults to possess up to three ounces of cannabis flower, the new rules expand the limit to up to five pounds of “cannabis flower that has been trimmed from plants, which have been cultivated in or on the grounds of said person’s private residence.” Additionally, licensed adult-use cannabis retailers in the state will also be allowed to start selling cannabis plants to customers, the report said.

Officials previously said that delaying access to cannabis home grows would benefit the state’s retail cannabis market but the industry has been far more beleaguered by rampant unlicensed sales. The governor has the state’s cannabis industry roll-out a “disaster” and said the slow launch of licensed sales benefited the illicit market.

Regulators stated they did not expect that allowing cannabis home grows would have a major effect on licensed retailers.

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Virginia Lawmakers Advance Competing Cannabis Sales Bills

2/19/2024

Lawmakers in Virginia’s upper and lower legislative chambers have advanced separate proposals to commercialize cannabis adult-use cannabis sales by next year, Marijuana Moment reports.

Cannabis became legal in Virginia in 2021 but lawmakers stopped short of licensing and regulating the industry, and the issue took a further backseat when Republicans took control of the House of Delegates and Governorship later that year. But Democrats recaptured the House in 2023 and lawmakers in both legislative bodies are now looking to revisit regulating the cannabis industry.

The House Bill

Lawmakers in the Virginia House of Delegates on Monday voted 52-48 — and nearly along party lines — to send a cannabis sales proposal sponsored by Del. Paul Krizek (D) to the Senate for consideration. Del. Chris Obenshain was the sole Republican House lawmaker who crossed the aisle to vote in favor of the cannabis reforms bill, the report said.

If approved, HB 698 would license cannabis cultivators, manufacturers, and retailers, and set a 9% tax rate for the industry. Controversially, the House bill would ban outdoor commercial cannabis grows. Additionally, the proposal would allow the state’s existing medical cannabis operators, several hemp companies, and up to 60 equity-focused microbusinesses to launch adult-use enterprises at the start of next year — although existing medical operators would be charged $400,000 each, which would be used to support microbusinesses through a proposed accelerator program.

The Senate Proposal

The Virginia Senate gave initial approval to a proposal for legal cannabis sales in a voice vote on Monday, setting the bill up for a final vote that is expected on Tuesday. SB 448, sponsored by Sen. Aaron R. Rouse (D), would set the maximum tax rate for cannabis products at 17.5% which includes a 12.5% excise tax, up to a 3.5% local tax, and a 1.125% tax to fund K-12 education, the report said. The Senate proposal would facilitate a general licensing period with retailers expected to open sometime in 2025; there are not any special carve-outs for existing operators or social equity operators.

Advocates say that lawmakers need to reconcile the proposals’ differences and reach a consensus for a final bill to send to Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R). While he has not specifically mentioned vetoing any cannabis sales proposals, the governor recently suggested that he has no appetite for enacting further cannabis reforms.

Cannabis possession is legal in Virginia for adults aged 21+ and adults are allowed to grow up to four cannabis plants for personal use, although there are not currently other legal means of accessing cannabis.

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New Mexico Senate Unanimously Passes Medical Psilocybin Resolution

2/19/2024

The New Mexico Senate voted last week to approve a non-binding resolution calling for the Department of Health to “study the efficacy of using psilocybin mushrooms for therapeutic treatments and the establishment of a program for psilocybin mushrooms to be used for therapeutic medical treatments,” Marijuana Moment reports.

The bipartisan resolution, co-sponsored by Senate Minority Whip Craig Brandt (R) and Sen. Jeff Steinborn (D), was passed in a unanimous 37-0 vote. In the resolution, lawmakers referenced research showing that psilocybin can treat depression and addiction issues and noted a 2023 FDA guidance covering the research of psychedelic therapies.

The resolution approved last week is more like a formal request and does not require any action.

“It turns out that medical mushrooms, psilocybin, has proven to be medically efficacious for the use of major behavioral health issues. It can help alleviate and be an alternative to major anti-depressant drugs and probably other drugs that have serious side effects and can bring real relief to New Mexicans.” — Steinborn, via Marijuana Moment

The New Mexico House Health and Human Services Committee passed a similar bill last year that called for an investigation into the possibilities of a psilocybin therapy program but that proposal did not advance any further, according to the report.

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Florida Senate Votes to Ban Delta-8 THC

2/16/2024

The Florida Senate unanimously passed a bill on Tuesday that would outlaw products containing delta-8 THC and further restrict the state’s hemp industry, the Florida Phoenix reports.

In addition to banning delta-8 products, the proposal, which is sponsored by state Sen. Colleen Burton (R), would establish THC caps for consumer hemp products at 2 milligrams per serving, and 10 milligrams per package or container. The bill seeks to build upon regulations brought by Burton last year that prohibited the sale of hemp THC products to individuals younger than 21 years old.

The latest proposal also prohibits hemp products that could be perceived as appealing to children, including “products that are manufactured in the shape or packaged in containers displaying humans, cartoons, or animals, toys or other features that specifically target children,” the report said.

“When we passed the hemp program, it was not in anticipation of highly intoxicated, sometimes psychoactive substances being ingested by Floridians. The concerns we have had over the potential misuses of this product I believe has exceeded our expectations. So that’s why we have this bill today to continue the protections that we started last session.” — Burton, on the Senate floor, via the Florida Phoenix

The bill contains other provisions including a one-time $2 million payment from the state for the Department of Law Enforcement to purchase equipment for testing potentially illegal hemp products.

House lawmakers are expected to move forward with the regulations.

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Ukraine President Signs Medical Cannabis Legalization Bill

2/16/2024

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed the country’s medical cannabis legalization bill into law on Thursday, according to a Reuters report.

With the president’s signature, the country’s national medical cannabis program is set to launch in about six months, with draft regulations for the program expected within about three months.

The bill specifically legalizes medical cannabis access for people suffering from cancer and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) resulting from the country’s defense against the ongoing military invasion by Russia, but lawmakers previously said they were being pressured to include other conditions including Alzheimer’s disease and epilepsy. The Ministry of Health of Ukraine — which backed the proposal — will be able to specify other debilitating diseases and conditions for which cannabis could be prescribed, the report said.

The new law requires patients to be prescribed medical cannabis by a doctor, and adult-use cannabis will remain strictly prohibited. Medical cannabis production and manufacturing in Ukraine will require special licenses; additionally, the law will allow for the import of cannabis products including raw materials.

Zelensky, who called for the legalization of medical cannabis during his 2019 presidential election campaign, had praised the bill.

Numerous studies have found cannabis to be an effective treatment option for patients suffering from PTSD and, in the U.S., the vast majority of state-legal medical cannabis programs allow patients with PTSD to access the program, according to the Marijuana Policy Project.

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Georgia Files $150M Lawsuit Over Intoxicating Hemp Product Sales

2/15/2024

A federal racketeering lawsuit has been filed in Georgia against leading California cannabis brands STIIIZY and Cookies, along with 12 other co-conspirators, for allegedly selling marijuana products mislabeled as federally-legal delta-8 hemp goods. The lawsuit, seeking at least $150 million in damages, was reported by Green Market Report, which obtained a copy of the legal filing.

The class action suit accuses the defendants of misleading consumers, including Georgia resident Hannah Ledbetter, into purchasing marijuana products under the guise of them being legal hemp products containing 0.3% delta-9 THC or less, the federal threshold for hemp.

The lawsuit alleges that the defendants engaged in a pattern of racketeering activity to import, manufacture, distribute, and possess illegal THC vape pens labeled as hemp. It claims that products purchased by Ledbetter from multiple retail chains in Georgia contained delta-9 THC levels far above the legal limit, according to third-party testing.

The suit implicates a wide range of entities in the scheme, including retail chains, hemp manufacturers, distributors, and testing labs in California and Oregon accused of issuing falsified certificates of analysis to mask the true THC content of the products.

STIIIZY and Cookies, along with other defendants including retail and online outlets and testing laboratories, are accused of generating millions in fraudulent profit from the sale of these illegal products.

In a statement to Green Market Report, a STIIIZY representative dismissed the lawsuit as baseless and said the company intends to defend itself vigorously. Cookies representatives declined to comment due to the pending litigation. The lawsuit underscores the complexities and legal challenges in the cannabis industry, especially concerning the blurred lines between legal hemp and illegal marijuana products following the federal legalization of hemp in the 2018 Farm Bill.

Last August, California filed a similar lawsuit against several brands selling intoxicating “inhalable hemp products” without a cannabis license within the state.

Many other states have recently moved to bring hemp products under the regulatory control of their respective cannabis enforcement bodies, amid concerns about the issues of consumer deception and safety due to the lack of testing requirements for hemp products. Companies manufacturing these products, as well as licensed cannabis business owners who view intoxicating hemp brands as illegitimate competition, will undoubtedly be awaiting the results of these lawsuits with much anticipation as they are set to test the legal boundaries of cannabis sales and marketing in the United States.

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Thai Government Could Face ‘Thousands’ of Lawsuits Over Cannabis Policy Reversal

2/15/2024

As Thailand’s government considers rolling back its historic cannabis decriminalization reforms from two years ago, industry insiders say that cannabis entrepreneurs and operators in the country are readying lawsuits to protect their livelihoods, This Week in Asia reports.

The litigation threat comes after Thailand’s health minister rolled out legislation earlier this year that would effectively outlaw recreational cannabis consumption — implementing strict criminal penalties and banning cannabis products with a THC level above 0.2% — and aims to refocus the country’s reforms around medical use only.

The new Cannabis and Hemp Act has yet to be considered by lawmakers, who chose not to address the issue during their weekly meeting on Tuesday, the report said. But cannabis operators and investors are certainly concerned about the proposal: “Everyone is talking to lawyers,” cannabis dispensary owner Soranut “Beer” Masayavanich told This Week in Asia.

Benjamin Baskins, CEO of OG Cannab, which operates multiple dispensaries in high-tourism areas of Bangkok, said he expects lawmakers would need to make significant changes to the proposal if it were to move forward. “It’s hard to even take seriously,” he said.

“They’re going to have so many lawsuits. How are they going to deal with 7,000 lawsuits from dispensaries, and thousands more from growers?” — Baskins, via This Week in Asia

Cannabis advocates argue that lawmakers should seek to make changes to the proposal that recognize and regulate — rather than eliminate — the country’s nascent but booming cannabis industry.

The University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce estimated that Thailand‘s cannabis industry was worth nearly USD$800 million by the end of 2022 — only six months after the country’s decriminalization policy took effect — and could reach USD$1.2 billion by 2025, the report said.

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South Carolina Senate Votes to Legalize Medical Cannabis

2/15/2024

South Carolina’s Senate voted this week to legalize medical cannabis access for people diagnosed with specific debilitating illnesses, the Post and Courier reports.

Sponsored by state Sen. Tom Davis (R), the Compassionate Care Act of 2024 closely resembles a 2022 proposal that passed the Senate but was ultimately defeated in the lower chamber. House lawmakers are expected to once again represent a major obstacle for the medical cannabis reforms.

Davis has described the bill as the country’s “most conservative” approach to medical cannabis, the report said. Only people suffering from debilitating or terminal conditions including cancer, colitis, sickle cell anemia, or severe neurological diseases like epilepsy would be allowed to access the program laid out in the proposal. Additionally, smokeable flower products would not be allowed; rather, patients would have access to unflavored edibles, tinctures, and vaporizers.

Cannabis production and dispensing would be closely regulated, with state-issued medical cannabis production and manufacturing licenses. Additionally, only licensed pharmacists would be allowed to dispense cannabis products.

Davis says the bill is specifically structured to avoid the perceived notion that medical cannabis legalization is a stepping stone for broader, adult-use reforms. Cannabis consumption without a prescription would still be considered a felony under the proposal, and the program — if approved in its current form — would automatically end after five years unless lawmakers take action to renew it.

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U.S. Virgin Islands Approves Long-Awaited Cannabis Legalization Plan

2/14/2024

Officials in the U.S. Virgin Islands have approved a list of rules and regulations governing adult cannabis access in the territory, the Associated Press reports.

Lawmakers approved the legalization policy last January but its implementation has stalled until this point. “We have been waiting a very long time for this,” said Dr. Catherine Kean, chairperson for the advisory board which passed the regulations on Tuesday.

Next, there will be a 30-day window for public feedback on the proposed rules.

Additionally, officials say they are finalizing the list of people who are qualified to have their cannabis-related criminal records expunged under the territory’s legalization policy. About 300 people were convicted for cannabis possession in the U.S. Virgin Islands over the last 20 years, the report said.

Under the adult-use law, adults aged 21+ are allowed to possess up to two ounces of cannabis, a half-ounce of cannabis concentrates, and up to one ounce of cannabis-infused edibles. Dispensary sales will be taxed a minimum of 18% with three-fourths of cannabis tax revenue reserved for the general fund including specific carveouts for behavioral health programs, youth programs, and addressing the housing crisis.

Hannah Carty, Executive Director of the Virgin Islands Cannabis Board, predicts in the report that cannabis entrepreneurs will be able to start the registration process this summer but that cultivation and manufacturing licenses will not arrive before next year.

The delays are sadly nothing new for cannabis advocates in the island territory, where medical cannabis was legalized in 2019 and yet a functional program has yet to be realized.

Cannabis possession of up to an ounce has been decriminalized in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

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The House Bill

The Senate Proposal

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