Washington Patients Still Don’t Have Easy Access to Clones, Seeds

12/27/2017

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In Washington state, a medical cannabis patient who is registered on the Marijuana Authorization Database can grow up to six plants at home, while a qualifying patient who is not registered can grow up to four plants — but do medical cannabis patients in Washington really have legal access to seeds, clones, and plants?

We recently decided to check.

When Washington’s medical and adult-use cannabis systems were merged in 2015 with the passage of the Cannabis Patient Protection Act, activists quickly noticed the legislature forgot to include a way medical home growers could legally acquire plants for their gardens. So lawmakers passed a fix in early 2017: in their provision, registered patients can purchase seeds, clones, and small plants (while qualifying patients can buy seeds) directly from I-502 producers.

Using a Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (WSLCB) list of licensed producers, we called a total of 40 producers from around the state, 20 from the four largest counties and 20 more from smaller counties throughout Washington.

Photo credit: Sarah Climaco

A large majority of the calls ended with an answering machine and no callbacks. Among those who answered, some had heard of the program but were not ready to sell to patients. A few had not heard of the new regulations but were open to eventually participating in the program. However, none of the contacted producers had concrete plans in place to sell to patients, and not one producer out of the 40 on our call list was able to provide clones at the time of our call.

“We don’t really feel the state has explained this enough,” said Rick Roening, a Spokane County licensed producer. “We worry about patients coming into the grow and bringing pests. There is also an extra security risk. We have genetics we’d like to keep under wraps, and no one has said what happens if our plants find themselves in illegal grows.”

“We just don’t feel the return is worth the risk right now, but if there is more clarification from the state we may be open to direct sales to patients at some point,” he said.

While Roening was unable to provide us with any plants at that time, he pointed us in a direction that did yield, after another call and email, a Washington I-502 producer who is selling clones.

Crystal Oliver, President of Washington’s Finest Cannabis, said that they are ready to sell clones to registered cardholders and are happy to be helping: “We want to get our strains out to patients to help and to share our unique strains, their benefits, and our joy of growing them.”

“Many growers are abandoning diverse heirloom strains in favor of high THC, high producing cultivars, putting some strains in jeopardy of being lost forever. Not only does selling clones to medical home growers help those in need, but it helps keep cannabis genetic diversity going in the state. Unfortunately, over-regulation is making this whole process more difficult than it should be,” Oliver said.

Photo credit: Sarah Climaco

We asked the WSLCB what more could be done to help patients find the rare producers who provide this service. LCB spokesperson Mikhail Carpenter said there may be a way to inform patients about who is selling clones using the new data system set to come online January 1, 2018.

“At the moment, producers don’t have to say up front if they will sell clones to patients, but they must enter them into the traceability system once they are sold. The new system isn’t set up for this yet, but we may be able to do a data search after the fact for producers who have made this type of transaction. Then, provide those names on a list. This is something we are looking into,” Carpenter told Ganjapreneur.

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A man smoking a joint on a hotel balcony just outside of the Las Vegas strip.

Nevada Cannabis Sales Set New State Record in October

12/27/2017

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Nevada’s combined cannabis sales reached a new high in October, totaling $37.9 million, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports. The state received $5.8 million in tax revenues, of which about $3.8 million came from the state’s 10 percent excise tax on recreational sales.

Since recreational sales began on July 1, the state has netted more than $19 million in tax revenues – about $12.6 million from retail taxes and nearly $6.5 million in wholesale excise taxes which apply to both recreational and medical cannabis products.

Nevada’s monthly sales so far:

  • July: $27 million
  • August: $33.4 million
  • September: $27.7 million
  • October: $37.9 million

The Department of Taxation estimated that state would see $63.5 million in tax revenues in the first two years of recreational sales; so far the total tax revenues have reached 30 percent of that projection.

“We are pretty on target with projections, maybe a little over.” –  Nevada Department of Taxation spokeswoman Stephanie Klapstein to the Review-Journal.

The 10 percent excise tax paid by retail customers goes into the state’s rainy day fund while the 15 percent wholesale excise tax is used to pay for the administrative costs of the program for state and local governments — the remainder is used for education.

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The flag of Mexico.

Mexican Regulators Expect MMJ Access in Early 2018

12/27/2017

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According to Julio Sánchez, Mexico’s commissioner of the Federal Commission for the Protection against Sanitary Risk (COFEPRIS), patients in the nation are expected to have access to medical cannabis products in the first quarter of 2018, according to a Riviera-Maya report.

What’s allowed under the federal medical cannabis regime? Medical companies can import cannabis-based products such as food supplements, cosmetics, and beverages. Patients must obtain permits from the federal government to access cannabis-derived products. Personal cultivation is not allowed.

So far, the nation has issued 294 individual permits authorizing the importation of CBD-rich products – 80 percent of which are for pediatric patients with dermatological conditions, epilepsy, or cancer. Regulators have turned down 431 requests over the last two years by individuals seeking permission to use cannabis recreationally; seven of those have been brought to the Supreme Court.

President Enrique Peña Nieto must still sign the medical cannabis use bill, which includes language permitting scientific research. The measure passed the legislature 371-11.

Mexico joins the ranks of Colombia, Peru, and Chile as the latest Latin American country to legalize medical cannabis use. Uruguay is currently the only Latin American nation to have legalized cannabis use for adults.

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The long, straight stretch of road typical to Nebraska highway driving.

Elderly Couple Arrested with Cannabis ‘Gifts’ are Parents of Vermont State Prosecutor

12/27/2017

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An elderly couple made headlines last week after they were arrested in Nebraska with 60 pounds of cannabis, telling police that they planned to give it away as Christmas gifts to relatives in Vermont and Massachusetts. The Burlington Free Press now reports that their son is Justin Jiron, chief deputy state attorney for Chittenden County, Vermont.

As deputy state’s attorney, Jiron is responsible for criminal prosecution.

His parents, Patrick, 83, and Barbara Jiron, 70, were arrested on Dec. 19 on Interstate 80 in York, Nebraska for failing to signal, according to reports. They detected “the odor of raw marijuana” emitting from the vehicle and Patrick agreed to the search that turned up more than 25 bags of cannabis – which police estimate a street value of more than $300,000. The elderly couple, who live in California about three hours north of San Francisco, received citations for possessing marijuana with intent to distribute.

“Justin is in no way connected to this allegation other than by relation. Justin is and has been a dedicated public servant for over 15 years and I assure you he is as surprised and upset about these allegations as anyone” – Chittenden County State’s Attorney Sarah George, Jiron’s boss, in an email to the Free Press.

The accused Jirons have not commented; however, they reportedly told police they did not know it was illegal to transport cannabis through Nebraska.

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The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco pictured during nightfall.

California’s Golden Gate District Transportation Authority Bans Cannabis Advertising

12/27/2017

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California’s Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District has banned cannabis related advertising, the San Francisco Examiner reports. The move bars ads from ferries crossing the San Francisco Bay, buses using the bridge, and from ferry terminals and transit kiosks.

The move follows a ban by the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, which prohibits advertising on Muni buses and trains.

According to the report, the ban is partly due to regulators believing it would be an “unproductive use of staff time” to “verify that each proposed cannabis advertisement is from a licensed vendor” as the state moves from a gray medical cannabis market to a full-blown recreational regime. Cannabis ads have historically been barred from Golden Gate district transportation vehicles because of its federal prohibition; however, the board of directors moved to reaffirm that stance as legalization moves forward.

California’s recreational cannabis law includes tough advertising language, including limits on when television and radio ads can be played, and requiring the ads contain the advertiser’s licensee number.

State lawmakers attempted to pass legislation to ban cannabis companies from advertising on clothing; however, that measure did not make it out of committee.

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Federal MMJ Protections Included in Temporary Spending Bill

12/26/2017

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State-approved medical cannabis programs are safe from federal interference until at least Jan. 19, as the Rohrabacher-Blumenauer was included in a temporary spending bill to prevent a government shutdown. The stopgap funding measure, signed by President Donald Trump last week, passed the Senate 66-32 and the House 231-188.

Rep. Earl Blumenauer: “Patients around the country who rely on medical marijuana for treatment – and the businesses that serve them – now have some measure of certainty. Our fight, however, continues to maintain these important protections in the next funding bill passed by Congress.”

Blumenauer was one of 66 signatories on a Nov. 8 letter to House and Senate leadership urging them to include the amendment in the comprehensive final budget bill.

“The provision, which first became law in December 2014, has successfully protected patients, providers, and businesses against federal prosecution, so long as they act within the confines of their state’s medical marijuana laws. These protections extend to 46 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico, all of which allow some form of medical marijuana that is strictly prohibited by the federal government – from CBD oils to the full plant.” – Letter to House Speaker Paul Ryan, House Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer

The Senate Appropriations Committee had approved the amendment as part of the 2018 Commerce, Justice, and Science appropriations package; however, the House Rules Committee blocked the amendment from receiving consideration from the full chamber. If the amendment is not approved, there will be little to no protection for medical cannabis programs without Congressional action.

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New Brunswick, Canada Unveils Potential Cannabis Retail Shop Designs

12/26/2017

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Regulators in New Brunswick, Canada have released potential retail cannabis store designs, which New Brunswick Liquor Corp. spokesman Mark Barbour calls “very chic, very modern” and “along the lines of a jewelry store,” according to the report from The Canadian Press.

In an artist rendering, the upscale shops would feature grey walls and black ceilings, and brightly lit, and locked, glass cases to hold products. The construction specs also portray a standalone brick building with a black awning featuring a “CannabisNB” logo.

Included in the rendering is a reminder that cannabis products will be tightly controlled – including a security guard posted at the entrance.

Rosalie Wyonch, policy analyst for C.D. Howe Institute, said that the new rules are “like the entire country is turning 19 at the same time,” noting that education will be “a large part” of the customer service experience at the shops.

“For the provinces that will go Crown corporation for retail, it’s probably going to be a very polished experience. Someone who has never thought of smoking weed could walk into the store and feel comfortable. There would probably be significantly more amounts of customer service staff to help you with products and explain things.” – Wynoch to the Press

New Brunswick joins Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Quebec in leaving retail sales up to state-run liquor companies, while British Columbia, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Manitoba have announced they will allow private retailers.

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Blue police lights on top of a white cruiser.

Illinois Municipality to Roll Out Oral Swab Roadside Test Pilot Program

12/26/2017

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Carol Stream, Illinois’ police department is moving forward with plans to use the controversial mouth swab roadside test to determine whether a driver is under the influence of drugs, Illinois Radio Network reports. The tests are part of a pilot program and cannot be used as evidence in court.

The P.I.A.2 kits test for cannabis, opiates, methamphetamines, and cocaine. The program will see the tests used on individuals already arrested who agree to participate. Officials hope to obtain 50 to 100 samples.

Carol Stream Police Sgt. Brian Cluever: “Once we have proven this in court and it’s been proven in the scientific community to be accurate and reliable, then there’s no reason why it should not go statewide.”

Cluever indicated that while he is unsure whether drugged driving is increasing in the state, drugged motorists “are just as, if not more, dangerous than alcohol-impaired drivers.”

The funding for the tests – about $30 per kit – comes from the department’s DUI Tech funds.

Last month, Michigan law enforcement officials in five counties announced they would begin using oral swabs to test drivers for impairment.

Why the controversy? The tests are designed to calculate whether a driver has consumed drugs; however, they do not accurately measure impairment. In Colorado, the legal limit for cannabis-impaired driving is set at “5 nanograms of active THC in … whole blood” but “no matter the level of THC, law enforcement officers base arrests on observed impairment.” In California, Gov. Jerry Brown signed a measure into law last September that allows a $70 fine for both drivers and passengers caught consuming cannabis in a vehicle.

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Closeup image of a barcode-tagged cannabis plant inside a commercial grow facility.

California Cannabis Track and Trace Update

12/22/2017

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Franwell’s METRC has been selected for California’s track and trace system and cannabis businesses throughout the state are scrambling to understand and implement procedures around the regulations to be enforced in the new year. Starting January 1, 2018, businesses will have to begin entering data into METRC in adherence with a myriad daunting municipal and state regulatory codes — although a grace period may take effect for those still trying to get their ducks in a row.

Back in June, I wrote a guide to getting compliant for operators in California, advising that all business owners establish relations with local regulators and get their financials in order. Today, the new year is on the horizon, and compliance should be at the top of your priority list, considering it was the biggest pain point for many cannabis businesses in other states, where the “I was not aware of this” excuse failed to conserve the offender.

Many of you will be establishing compliance departments and hiring the right personnel to overlook your ongoing compliance efforts, including the identification and prioritization of applicable regulations, development and storage of appropriate internal procedures, and their communication to all partners, stakeholders, and employees. As most probably know, a component of compliance will be the state-mandated track and trace program.

In this post, we’ll give some background information on track and trace programs and what to expect for California’s market.

Photo credit: Sarah Climaco

Track and trace systems

With over 29 states online with some form of cannabis use, governmental bodies are tasked with a huge challenge of ensuring that cannabis plants and products are tracked from when the plant is just a seed until the end product is purchased by a consumer. Track and trace systems help regulators track cannabis throughout its lifecycle — from cultivator to manufacturer to distributor to lab to retailer and, eventually, to consumer — and ensures that cannabis doesn’t end up in the wrong hands and that businesses pay their share of owed taxes. These systems are called “track and trace” because they require the capturing of data points along each step of the supply chain and make it accessible to regulatory bodies in real-time.

These systems, including BiotrackTHC and Franwell’s METRC, which we discuss later in this post, are accessible online and have integrations with hardware (barcode/RFID scanners, label printers, scales, etc.) that enable cannabis operators to quickly input data into the system. Seed to sale tracking occurs along the entirety of the supply chain including:

  • Lab Testing – performing quality assurance tests on flower or processed material to detect traces of pesticides, record THC / THCA levels, and more
  • Transport – issuing manifests that include weight/quantity of product(s) being transported, starting address and ending address, and signature hand over of chain of custody by end customer
  • Manufacturing – Monitoring the conversion of plant material to concentrates and logging any wastes or destruction
  • Storage – documenting the location of batches of products at any given time, whether at a warehouse or in-transit with a driver
  • Retailer – point of sale tracking of all products sold, patient efficacy and limits on dispensing to ensure easy product recall
  • Overall compliance: the enforcement of packaging, labeling, taxes, and regulations

Beyond ensuring the collection of tax dollars, having a track and trace system in place is useful for the following reasons:

  • It helps governments conduct efficient product recalls in case of any problems
  • It ensures all cannabis products sold are safe for consumption and helps figure out why they were unsafe if any issues arise, tracking it all the way back to the plant’s seed source
  • It enforces proper accounting and minimizes cannabis disappearing into the black market
  • It serves as a tool to provide government with a high-level view of the cannabis industry

The Rise of METRC

To understand more specifics of how this applies to cannabis, let’s look at how one particular track and trace system, known as METRC, has been adopted by several states to handle all cannabis tracking, accounting for every gram of trimming to destroyed batches.

In 2011, Colorado passed a legislation entitled HB 1284 or the “seed-to-sale law,” requiring all cannabis plants to be trackable, and then in December of 2013, established MED (Marijuana Enforcement Division) and selected Franwell’s T&T system known as METRC to track all plants and packages with tags.

METRC is currently being used in Oregon, Alaska, Nevada and a few other states. One of the latest states to sign up is California, who has contracted Franwell, provider of METRC cannabis tracking system, to collect track and trace information from cannabis operators licensed to operate in California. As part of the offering, California envisions a functioning Application Programming Interface (API) that enables licensed cannabis operators in California to transmit data electronically to METRC, in addition to or in substitution of manual data entry into METRC. The goal of the API is to enable communication between METRC and other 3rd party systems ranging from POS to inventory tracking systems. Please note that all the information inside of METRC is private and confidential and only viewable by the licensee who has been given access by the Bureau of Cannabis Control.

Photo credit: Sarah Climaco

METRC, which stands for Marijuana Enforcement Tracking, Reporting and Compliance, applies a tag in adherence to an ID system that allows safety inspectors to quickly figure out where the product came from in case a recall needs to take place. These tags allow regulators to scan a particular plant or product and determine its origin. Depending on your state, RFID tag requirements may vary. In most states, licensees will be required to utilize RFID tags on each plant as well as each final, packaged product.

Each tag is equipped with a facility name, facility license number, application identifier (medical or recreational), order dates for the tag, and a unique identification number. The system generates the ID numbers, which is like a VIN number, and is NOT re-usable. Each tag has a barcode component and an RFID component but you can also enter things manually if you don’t want to scan anything in. These tags generally cost between 25 and 45 cents.

A detailed look at METRC

Tagged Inventory

In METRC there are 2 types of tagged inventory: plants and packages. Plants are immature, vegetative, or flowering, and must first be entered as un-tagged immature plant batches. Packages are what are created from immature plants, harvest batches or other packages.

Source: Franwell

Once you have a flowering plant, you can make a harvest batch out of it, which only needs a unique name that you give it, not a new tag. From there you cut it, weigh it, trim it, and package out of it. The harvest batch is uniquely identified by a name you give it, from which you can create a package and add a package tag before you transfer it.

Tag Details

Each tag is equipped with a facility name, facility license number, application identifier (medical or recreational), order dates for the tag, and a unique identification number. The system generates the ID numbers, which is like a VIN number, and is NOT re-usable. Each tag has a barcode component and an RFID component but you can also enter things manually if you don’t want to scan anything in.

Packages and Intermediate Processes

Cultivators will sell their trim, which will have a tag on it. A processor may purchase trim from multiple places, and process and juice it to make a new batch of concentrate, which will get a NEW ID number on it, which will encompass all the other ID numbers. Once you have the concentrate, you can start doing the production batches such as edibles. This new ID number that will be associated with any new production batches you create so the system can quickly trace back to the point of origin in case of recalls etc.

Source: Franwell

Transfers

Transfers are created anytime package(s) move from one physical location or licensed facility to another. These transfers may be rejected by package, meaning that the recipient may reject specific packages inside of a transfer if what is stated on the manifest doesn’t match up with what’s physically being received (i.e. amounts, weights etc.), resulting in the originating licensee receiving the package back into their custody. This means that the ID is simply transferred from one licensee to another’s inventory once they accept the transfer, and thus does not require the recipient to apply a new tag. All transfers and pertaining details are tracked inside METRC.

Lab Results

Labs are required to put test results into the system. Once distributors create a test package, it would have its own unique ID and be transferred to a lab. The package being tested is then placed on hold until those test results come back as clean as entered by the lab into METRC, meaning that it can’t be moved, sold or transferred. In California, the lab will be taking possession of the package and creating a test package, they will create the manifest and ship it.

Reports

Each licensee will get a reporting dashboard with about 12 reports in METRC, which is based on Microsoft’s SQL Server technology. The reports will cover everything from sales to cultivation to transfers to packages, providing granular insight and trend analysis functionality, and be exportable to Word, Excel and PDF formats.

Dealing with other track and trace systems on a municipal level

Although the state of California has selected METRC as its official track and trace system, a few counties in California have enacted their own systems that operators in those regions will have to comply with in addition to METRC. A traceability company called SICPA has been piloting a program with Yolo, Mendocino, and Humboldt county in which all growers (roughly 100 of them) are required to participate — and this could last up to 2 years.

SICPA Product Security, LLC is a Swiss company that currently tracks cigarette sales for all of California. The reason SICPA is applicable to cannabis is to show a Point of Origin so that the source of the cannabis can be claimed only by those counties as the appellation system dictates, and not by anyone else, in order to help protect the growers’ intellectual property.

SICPA’s track and trace system utilizes secure stamps that help in fighting counterfeiting, and allow for data collection and business intelligence. After harvesting and packaging, a licensee applies a traceable, counterfeit-resistant stamp to the packaging, which includes a QR code and unique stamp number that is coded with information about the product, including size, strain, grower and more. As the package goes through the supply chain — from cultivator to manufacturer to distributor to dispensary — the stamps are scanned by each licensee so they can be tracked until the product is sold to a patient.

Photo credit: Rory Savatgy

Patients will be able to scan these stamps with a smartphone app (which will be released when the program launches) or check them on a website to make sure a product is authentic, retrieve information about the product, see test results, and answer a litany of other questions, including: were any pesticides used? Is the grower ‘Clean Green’ or organic? And so on.

To make things even more complex, track and trace systems are also live on a ‘city-level’ in California. The City of Arcata adopted Florida-based BioTrackTHC last year. Arcata, which has a population of just under 19,000, was the first city in the entire state of California to implement a track and trace system. The adoption of BioTrack had its hurdles, causing many to be concerned that the system had been prematurely selected. We are unclear at the moment how this program is progressing but if anyone has any insight, please contact me with the contact information below.

As you can see, various organizations have been looking to forge relations with municipalities so that they may maximize their probability of winning the prized state contract. Its unclear now how the state, county and city level systems may work together.

Working with Track and Trace Systems in California

Although systems like METRC (and SICPA if you are in those counties which require it) are mandatory for keeping you compliant, you will likely be or already are using software to manage your customer relations (CRMs), inventory, production, orders, and invoices, as well as granular-level reporting across all these facets of your business. In hybrid track and trace models, the regulatory body gets to maintain their centralized database while opening up an API for tools that can integrate with them and automate the submission of data required by the state. METRC has an API available so you can use tools to integrate with track and trace in California, removing the need to do manual data entry into METRC.

To understand how interfacing with an API affects you, imagine your workers logging in to a system like METRC with their username and password, moving their mouse cursor into particular boxes and typing in data, or by clicking on an upload button where they attach a CSV or Excel spreadsheet to report sales into METRC. With an API, whatever software you are using to manage your inventory, orders, and shipments can automatically do this for your workers, removing the need for double the work or human errors. There are certain data points such as sales that you can submit at the end of the day, whilst other activities like shipments require transport manifests to be recorded as they happen, letting regulators access and track the chain of custody of your cannabis products through their supply chain in real-time.

If you are an operator looking to enter the space in the future or have already begun your journey, it will be very helpful to understand track and trace systems and how they may affect your operation. In future posts, we’ll cover more details about METRC and how to work with its API.

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Picture of cannabis fan leaves inside of a commercial cannabis grow operation.

Massachusetts Cannabis Regulators Approve Rec. Draft Rules

12/22/2017

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Massachusetts’ Cannabis Control Commission has approved draft regulations for the forthcoming recreational cannabis industry, including rules for cannabis clubs and potential licenses specifically for research, according to a WCVB5 report. The regulations are not final and require public comment before gaining final approvals.

What else is included? Rules allow home-delivery, but require positive identification that the buyer is 21-years-old or older and that they sign for deliveries. The research license would allow a facility to cultivate and purchase cannabis but not sell it. Human testing could be considered on individuals 21-and-older if approved by a review board. The rules also include equity provisions to ensure industry opportunities are available to communities targeted by the War on Drugs – specifically residents of minority neighborhoods.

Municipalities in California – Los Angeles, Oakland, and San Francisco – include similar provisions. Similar provisions in Ohio’s regulations have led to a lawsuit from a rejected cultivation applicant, claiming the provisions run afoul of the state Constitution’s equal protection clause. Lawmakers in Maryland are also considering adding 10 new cultivation and processor licenses for minority business owners.

Jim Borghesani, spokesman for Yes on 4 campaign: “While we have a few minor changes we’d like to see, including removing the requirement for delivery recipients to provide signatures and the requirement for license applicants to hold mandated public hearings, we commend the commission for putting together a strong, sensible package of regulations.”

Legal cannabis sales are set to begin in Massachusetts July 1.

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Photograph of Bryce Canyon, Utah at sunrise.

A Third Utah Poll Finds Strong Support for MMJ Access

12/22/2017

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A new poll by Utah Policy is the latest to find overwhelming support for medical cannabis in the state, with 73 percent of respondents supporting reforms and 23 percent opposed.

By the numbers: 47 percent “strongly” supported medical cannabis access, and 26 percent “somewhat” supported reforms; compared to 13 percent who “strongly” opposed, and 10 percent who “somewhat” opposed. Four percent responded they “don’t know” whether they support medical cannabis or not.

  • Democrat support was nearly universal: 97-3 percent.
  • Independent support was also overwhelming: 80-15 percent.
  • The majority of Republicans also supported medical cannabis access: 61-35 percent.

The proposal was also popular among “very active” Mormons: 61-35 percent.

Somewhat active Mormons and those who used to belong to the faith but no longer do supported medical cannabis access 75-22 percent and 89-3 percent, respectively.

100 percent of “very liberal” Utahns indicated support for reforms; along with 58 percent of self-described “very conservative” voters, with 36 percent opposed.

A September poll by Utah Policy had similar results: 74-22 percent with 4 percent undecided. While an August poll by Dan Jones & Associates commissioned by the Hinckley Institute of Politics and the Salt Lake Tribune found a supermajority of support – 78 percent – for the ballot initiative to legalize medical cannabis currently be circulated in the state.

The petition campaign is headed by the Utah Patients Coalition who need to collect 11,143 signatures of registered voters by Apr. 15.

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Stories and Photos from Emerald Cup 2017

12/22/2017

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Last weekend was the 14th annual celebration of the Emerald Cup at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds in Santa Rosa, California. The size of the event continued to increase this year and the high attendance numbers were surely boosted by two days of sunny, 70-degree weather.

Without a doubt, the most remarkable aspect of this years event was how organized it was. In past years, lines were often slow and workers needed to find supervisors to ask questions. Since we are all fans of Emerald Cup, most took this inconvenience with a smile. That said, at some points in past years, it could take more than an hour to get your 215 wristband or to get in the front gates. Not this year! Attendees were whisked through the gates, press passes were at the ready, 215 bands seemed to be issued as fast as people could walk up to the table and show their doctor’s recommendation and the speaker rooms were on time and packed.

The fairgrounds were also so much more beautiful this year, with lights in the trees, well-adorned stages, and the extras that change an event from looking thrown together to being a real sight to see! This was a huge improvement over the history of Emerald Cup and those working the event knew it. Staff members were full of smiles, unstressed and mentioned several times how well trained they felt they were for the weekend.

It was so extraordinary, I asked Emerald Cup what was at the heart of the huge change versus past years. Here’s the response:

Without a doubt, The Emerald Cup’s new production partner, led by Jim Lewi, made it possible for us to “up our game” this year. In terms of talent acquisition and over-all production, working with Jim’s team gave us access to some of the best and brightest professionals in the industry, adding years of experience and wisdom to The Cup’s core team. This included a world-class art director, head of security, and head of operations. Combining this crew of all-stars with The Emerald Cup’s core team of cannabis-industry experts who share Tim Blake’s unwavering commitment to cannabis education and organic, regenerative farming and lifestyle, led to a challenging, inspiring, and ultimately very productive collaboration. As a whole, we feel very proud of what our new team accomplished together in 2017, but we’re just getting started. We can’t wait for our fans to see what we have planned for 2018.

No doubt. The addition of Jim Lewi to the leadership team has remade the event into something very professional.

Lemon Crush from Molecular Farms won in the flower category this year. A full list of winners is also included below.

The weather was sunny and in the 70s both days, allowing folks to peel off coats and get some sun on their skin. It clearly helped everyone’s mood, too, because smiles were everywhere. Last year’s rain meant attendees would often toke and then step out into cool, gray weather and sometimes rain — but this year felt like a summer day even though it was early December. This meant that vendors, speakers, scientists and others were able to do a lot of networking outdoors, which is one of the most valuable aspects of Emerald Cup for industry players. People from all over the world come to the cup with a list of people to talk and trade with.

The highlight of the event for many every year is the 215 medical tent, where top vendors of flower, oils, edibles and genetics provide for California patients. As would be expected, booth design, packaging design, product diversity and overall availability was way up this year. That said, many of the top genetics providers sold out midday on Sunday because so many patients save their money all year to get the latest seeds at this event and come ready to buy in volume. In fact, other revered breeders like Dungeons Vault Genetics sold out of the limited editions within the first hours of the event. A positive upside from this was that some lesser-known breeders had lines at their booth on Sunday afternoon and will no doubt have increased visibility over the next year because of growers using their seed stock. Flower vendors said that sales volumes were way up this year too. There is no way to know if it was simply because of the increased attendance or because cannabis is going to be taxed in a month, but, for whatever reason, vendors and attendees were both thrilled.

The panels and speakers this year were, again, top notch. Most of the panels were standing room only, as usual at Emerald Cup. That’s what happens when you have exceptionally relevant speakers. Included in the speakers this year were Ganjapreneur podcast guests Eric Brandstad, Martin Lee, Kristin Nevedal and Mowgli Holmes. Be sure to check those interviews out.

While our team missed most of the music artists because we were interviewing cannabis luminaries, second-hand reports of The Roots, Portugal. The Man and others were exceptionally upbeat and there were none of the ticketing issues that plagued last year’s Damian Marley performance.

One topic that was on everyone’s lips was the coming launch of the recreational cannabis market. What will happen to medical? How many licenses will be issued? What the hell were regulators thinking in removing the one-acre cap that protected artisan farmers for the first five years of legalization? It was exceptionally refreshing to hear so much public policy being discussed in the cannabis community. And we don’t just mean complaining. The whole Ganjapreneur team reported spending time in groups of folks having very well informed discussions on the new California cannabis regulations, how they might impact their businesses and what could be done to make them even better.

Another remarkable aspect is that the California black market is not going anywhere. For every entrepreneur excited about their state license were two producers saying that they were headed back to growing for black market and out-of-state sales because the California regulations were overly restrictive. We’ve seen this in every state to legalize so far. At some point, regulators will have to understand that treating cannabis as a dangerous drug instead of a healing herb and applying a “sin tax” and unnecessarily burdensome regulations just creates the diversion they are trying to prevent.

No doubt, next year’s Emerald Cup under the new California laws will be a brand new landscape of vendors. We are excited to see what happens and you can be sure Ganjapreneur will be there to tell you about it.

Complete List of Winners for the Emerald Cup 2017

Flower

1st – Molecular Farms – Lemon Crush
2nd – 3rd Gen Family x Dying Breed Seeds – Roze
3rd – Malcolm Hunter – Cultivate for the Cure Mac Daddy – OG Private Reserve
4th – Pure Melt Rosin Ranch – Mimosa #3
5th – Grownwell Farms – Sour Tangie
6th – Tarhill Cannabis – Lemon Hashplant
7th – Eel River Sanctuary – Humble Pie
8th – Endo – Lemon Tree
9th – Tarhill Cannabis – Pink Lemonade
10th – Kings of the North – Glue Trap
11th – Wynter Farms – Lemon Kush
12th – Golden Lion Genetics – Berry Cobbler
13th – Royal Budline – Tangie Select
14th – Greenshock Farms – Purple Candy Cane
15th – Farmers Reserve – Gelato 33
16th – Rebel Grown – Double OG Chem #7
17th – Booney Acre Farm – Mimosa
18th – Armando’s Private Reserve – Gorilla Dawg
19th – Higher Flower – Scooby Snacks
20th – Kings of the North – White Tahoe Cookies
21st – Molecular Farms – Gewurztraimer
22nd – Molecular Farms – Candy Limeade
23rd – Salmuri – Zkittles
24th – Eden Farms x Karls Select – Stardawg Afgoo
25th – Derek’s Organic Anderson Valley Garden – In the Pines

Light Dep Flower

1st – Eden Farms – Edens White Fire
2nd – Royal Budline – Zkittles
3rd – Spring Creek Farm – Silver OG
4th – Eden Farms – Grape Soda
5th – O.C.S. Original Connoisseur Society – Black Pearl
6th – Casa Humboldt – Blueberry Muffin 10
7th – Connected Cannabis Company – Smarties
8th – Forever Honeydew Farms – Cheese
9th – Humboldt Redwood Healing – Sour OG
10th – Phytologie – Lemon Crush

CBD

Flowers
1st – Molecular Farms – Guava Jam
2nd – Abatin Farms – Kashmir Jade

Concentrate
1st – Gold Drop x Blue River – CBDiamonds
2nd – Gold Drop x Blue River – Star Crystals

Edibles
1st – OM Edibles – CBD Mango
2nd – Lifted – Sour Bites

Topical
1st – CAD (Carters Aromatherapy Designs) – CBD Pain Cream
2nd – Prana – Prana Nectar Balm

Tincture
1st – Treatwell – Balance
2nd – Miracle Relief – Pure CBD Sublingual Serum

Concentrates

Solventless
1st – Ahti Hash x Tarhill Cannabis – Pink Lemonade
2nd – Moonshine Melts x 3rd Gen Family x Dying Breed Seeds – Gak Melon
3rd – Moonshine Melts x 3rd Gen Family x Dying Breed Seeds x Lempire Farms – Lem
4th – Moonshine Melts x 3rd Gen Family x Dying Breed Seeds – Zkittlez
5th – Ahti Hash x Tarhill Cannabis – The Ringer
6th – Ahti Hash x Tarhill Cannabis – OG Chem
7th – Moonshine Melts x 3rd Gen Family x Dying Breed Seeds – Muffins
8th – Moonshine Melts x 3rd Gen Family x Dying Breed Seeds – Banana Pudding
9th – Moonshine Melts x 3rd Gen Family x Dying Breed Seeds – 4 Locoz
10th – Ahti Hash x Tarhill Cannabis – OGiesel

Rosin
1st – Moonshine Melts x 3rd Gen Family x Dying Breed Seeds – Muffinz
2nd – Moonshine Melts x 3rd Gen Family x Dying Breed Seeds – Zkittlez
3rd – Ahti Hash x Tarhill Cannabis – Pink Lemonade
4th – Connoisseur Union – Tropical Zmoothie
5th – Terp Hogz x Green Fieldz x Cold Water Concoctions – Zmoothie
6th – Connoisseur Union x Rosin Brothers – Zkittlez
7th – Moonshine Melts x 3rd Gen Family x Dying Breed Seeds – 4 Locoz
8th – Moonshine melts x 3rd Gen Family x Dying Breed Seeds – Hot Lixz #3
9th – Ahti Hash x Green R Fieldz x Terp Hogz – Zkittlez
10th – Connoisseur Union – Mandarin Zkittles

CO2
1st – Serenity Sunset Sherbet CO2 – Cryo Sauce
2nd – Big sur extracts/Indigo Pro (Producer Series) – Cloud Drop
3rd – Wildseed in collaboration with Cannabis refined – Berry White C02 Cartridge
4th – HILLSTRONG – The Clean
5th – Eel River Organics .5g C02 Cartridge – Fog Berry
6th – Caliva – Kiss the sky
7th – Super Critical THC x First MC Processing – Cherry Pie Surprise
8th – Eden Extracts – Sunset Sherbert
9th – Eel River Organics – .5g C02 Cartridge – Ancient Lime
10th – Wildseed in collaboration with Cannabis Refined – Sour Diesel C02 Cartridge

Distillate
1st – Gold Drop x Blue River – Island Girl
2nd – Gold Drop x Blue River x Lemon Tree – Lemon Tree
3rd – Chemistry – Tangerine Power Full-spectrum Vape Cart
4th – Airo Brands x Higher Vision Cannabis x Humboldt Medicine Man – Strawberry Banana Sherbet Super Oil by IndigoPro with High Vision Cannabis
5th – Happy Sticks – Sunset Gelato
6th – Wildseed x Cannabis Refined – Gelato
7th – Kurvana – ASCND Purple Punch
8th – Airo Brands x Premium Extracts, Inc – IndigoPro Lemon Sherbet with Premium Extracts
9th – Gold Drop x Blue River x Fig Farms – Purple Fig
10th – Level x Essenciere – UK Cheese

Infused

Edibles
1st – Utopia Farms – Peanut Butter Macarron
2nd – Higher Confections x Revolution Emporium – Sea Salted Caramel
3rd – Zendo – Zendo Honey Sea Salt Almonds
4th – Connoisseur’s Union x She’s Baked Desserts – Lemon Drop Cake Jar
5th – Potisserie Infused Edibles x High Standard Organics – Half Baked Brittle
6th – Zendo – Zendo Peanut Butter
7th – Buena Leaf – Spicy Cheezy Popcorn
8th – Moonstone Medicinals – Herba Mate
9th – Higher Confections x Revolution Emporium – Higher Confections Peppermint Patties
10th – Outer Galactic Chocolates – Outer Galactic Chocolates Dark

Tincture
1st – The Squishery – 1:1 Tincture
2nd – Magnolia Mountain – Vanilla Rosa Cannabis Tincture
3rd – Dank Granny – Evening Blend-Herbally Enhanced Tincture
4th – Magnolia Mountain – Chai Spice Cannabis Tincture
5th – Emergent Botanicak – Liquid Pain Relief
6th – Fiddler’s Greens – 1:1 Ratio CBD to THC
7th – Treatwell – THC
8th – Kings Table – Ancient Remedy – Tincture 500mg THC
9th – Terphogz/connoisseur union – Zkittlez Tincture
10th – Miracle Releaf – 1:20 Sublingual Serum

Topical
1st – Newell’s Botanicals – Deep Skin Penetrating Topical Oil
2nd – Flower Power Force – Field Skin Serum
3rd – Eightfold Medicinals – Pain Relief Salve
4th – Ancient Seeds – Ancient Seeds “Da Balm” 700mg cannabinoids
5th – North Bay Nectar – Eucalyptus SPearmint Extra Strength Muscle Rub
6th – Awakened Topicals – Pain Stick
7th – Flora Folium x Sweet Creek Farm – Herbal Salve
8th – North Bay Nectar – Vanilla Bean Cinnamon Leaf Body Budder
9th – Sunnabis – F* Cancer Face Oil
10th – Todem – Todem Salt Soak

Innovation

Innovative Product
1st – Sunnabis – Festival Throat Spray CBD Formula

Terpene Categories

Most Unique Profile
Tie
Abatin Farms – Hawaiian Sunrise – Ocimene dominant, 2:1 CBD:THC
Greenshock Farms – Hawaiian Sleigh Ride – Ocimene dominant THC variety

Highest total terpene content (flower)
Greenshock Farms – Tropical Sleigh Ride – 27.4% Total Cannabinoids, 4.8% Total terpene content

Highest total terpene content (distillate)
GoldDrop – Gelato – 1:1 Cannabinoid to Terpene ratio: ~48% THC, ~48% Total terpene content (Limonene dominant)

Highest total terpene content (vape pen)
Pure Organic Oil – Poo-e-labs – Pakalolo stix

Highest total terpene content (solventless concentrate)
Terp Hogz x Green Fieldz x cold water concoctions – Zmoothie – 12% total terpene content, Beta Caryophyllene dominant

Cannabinoid Awards

Highest THC (flower)
Higher Flower – Gorilla Breath – 30% THCA ,33% total cannabinoids

Highest THC (distillate)
King Table – Ancient Remedy – Raw Distillate – 88% THC

Highest THCv concentrate/vape pen)
CA Cannabinoids Dougs – varin x Dougie’s Farm – 3:1 THC:THCV (~13.5% THCV)

Highest CBDa (flower)
Green Goddess Organics – Suzy Q ~16% CBDA

Highest CBD (concentrates)
Golddrop x Blue River – Star Crystals – 92% CBD

Regenerative Farm Award

Flower Daze Farm
Briceland Flower Farm
Lionpaw Organics

End

Indoor cannabis plants grown commercially under a Washington I-502 cultivation license.

Australian Government Releases MMJ Guidelines

12/22/2017

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The Australian government has released guidelines for physicians to effectively use cannabis as a treatment for chronic pain and epilepsy. Included is advice about whether patients with chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting and terminally ill patients in palliative care could benefit from medical cannabis treatments, according to a Courier Mail outline of the directive.

The guidelines also include the claim that “Current studies show no evidence that medicinal cannabis can improve overall quality of life or physical functioning” and that there is not enough evidence that medical cannabis can be used to treat arthritis and fibromyalgia pain. The directive indicates that there is “little evidence” that medical cannabis has any benefit to advanced cancer patients with chronic pain, and “medical literature showed little effect on appetite, nausea, vomiting, pain, dizziness, mental health, or sleep problems.”

“At this time, the use of medicinal cannabis products should only be considered where conventional treatments have been tried and proven unsuccessful in managing the patient’s symptoms.”

It does advise that there is evidence that medical cannabis could assist children and young adults up to age 25 suffering from epilepsy with reducing frequency of seizures when used in conjunction with traditional treatments but that it could not stop a seizure if it is underway.

Listed potential side effects include dizziness, euphoria, feeling ‘high,’ vertigo, and diarrhea.

The guidelines were developed by a team from the universities of New South Wales, Sydney and Queensland via the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre. They have been endorsed by the Australian Advisory Council on the Medicinal Use of Cannabis.

End

Augusta, Maine Approves 6-Month Adult-Use Moratorium

12/22/2017

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The Augusta, Maine City Council has passed a six-month moratorium on recreational cannabis sales, retroactive to Dec. 1, CentralMaine.com reports. The decision, which passed 5-3, delays adult-use sales in the state capitol until at least June 1, 2018.

Proponents of the moratorium argued that the city needed more time to develop rules and regulations for the industry; opponents of the moratorium argued its purpose.

Councilor At-large Marci Alexander: “The longer period of time is really to enable us to do the work that needs to be done for zoning. I’ve had constituents reach out to me, saying they want this planning process to take place and they have great concerns about a retail establishment or warehouse next to their homes.”

Ward 4 Councilor Anna Blodgett: “I will not be supporting the moratorium, as discussed a meeting ago with Sen. (Roger) Katz. It really will not serve any purpose. I’m not a user (of marijuana), but we’re looking at this like it’s poison. It seems we’re frantic about it. But we love it when a brewery opens. And alcohol, to me, is about on the same level.”

In November, state lawmakers passed recreational cannabis implementation laws; however, the bill package was vetoed by Gov. Paul LePage and the House was unable to muster the two-thirds support to override the governor’s veto.

The statewide moratorium is set to expire Feb. 1; although some Republican lawmakers have indicated they want to push the program launch to January 2019.

End

Russ Hudson: Debunking Cannabis Lies through Literature

12/21/2017

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Russ Hudson is a cannabis consultant and author of the children’s book What’s That Weed?, which helps parents provide a normalized perspective of cannabis to their children, and the autobiography Weed Deeds: From Seed to Sage.

Russ recently joined our podcast host TG Branfalt in his Burlington, Vermont studio for an interview that covers the inspiration behind his books, the state of cannabis policy in his home state of Maine (and his other home in Barcelona, Spain), why strain names aren’t the best way to categorize cannabis, which subjects we can expect his future books to tackle, and more!

You can listen to the interview via the player below or scroll down to read a complete transcript of this week’s Ganjapreneur.com podcast episode.

Listen to the interview:

Read the transcript:

TG Branfalt: Hey there. I’m your host, TG Branfalt and you are listening to the Ganjapreneur.com Podcast, where we try to bring you actionable information and normalize cannabis through the stories of ganjapreneurs, activists, and industry stakeholders. Today I’m here with Russ Hudson. He’s a cannabis consultant and author of the children’s book What’s That Weed? and autobiography Weed Deeds: From Seed to Sage. We’ve been hanging out for a little while, man. How are you doing? It’s nice to see you.

Russ Hudson: Thanks for having me, Tim. It’s really good to be here in Burlington.

TG Branfalt: Yeah. You’re only my second guest that has been actually in my studio, so welcome.

Russ Hudson: Cool. Thanks.

TG Branfalt: Let’s get right into it, man. First, tell me about yourself. You have a very interesting background. It’s really cool to get to know you. Tell the listeners about yourself and how you ended up in this space, man.

Russ Hudson: Well, basically I spent 20 years in the black market side of cannabis. I was a street kid. Ran away from an adoptive home when I was about 11 years old and went on the streets and started surviving. And one of the ways that I found that was easy to survive and fairly safe was selling weed as a street-level dealer. Over the years, that blossomed into trafficking of all different sizes, smuggling, growing, special projects, brokering. And then about seven years ago when the legal movement really started to gain ground, I started doing some legitimate writing work in the cannabis space and eventually that blossomed into a consultancy, where I could provide advice on lots of different areas related to cannabis.

TG Branfalt: So you’re really open about your past, which is a little surprising, I think for maybe a lot of people, to even hear you say that. Why are you able to talk so freely about the illicit dealings before you became legitimate?

Russ Hudson: I don’t really see that there’s any risk to me now. I mean, in my book, Weed Deeds, I detailed quite a few things that are obviously highly illegal, interstate smuggling, but I checked with attorneys and it’s not illegal to say that you did these things, but there’s no evidence or no crime that was ever actually committed in the eyes of law enforcement. They have nothing to prosecute me on. So it was a risk in the sense that I faced some alienation from people who don’t work in the industry, or people who are not supportive of cannabis legalization, but I was looking to cut them loose anyway.

TG Branfalt: Now that you’re legit and have been for quite some time, you’re a cannabis consultant. So explain what you exactly do.

Russ Hudson: A lot. A cannabis consultant is a general term, and I think most cannabis consultants do specialize in certain areas, especially those who specialize in areas of the law, those who specialize in setting up new canna-businesses, and I do a little bit of both of those. But I also advise small, medium, and large grow operations, cannabis clubs, on how to produce better quality marijuana, how to produce better quality members, and marketing, bringing new cannabis products to different international markets. So there’s a lot to it. And I also offer a fixer service for the media and I write my own content for my own websites, so cannabis consultant is a very general sort of term.

TG Branfalt: Of the many hats that you wear, most sort of recently, you’ve been wearing that author’s hat. Your first book was … When did you write your first book?

Russ Hudson: This summer.

TG Branfalt: The Weed Deeds.

Russ Hudson: Yes.

TG Branfalt: Going into that with your sort of history, when’d you sit down and decide, A, that you were going to write the book, and B, what you were going to actually include in that work?

Russ Hudson: It all progressed over the years. My exact position now was an accident that developed through evolution of my life. I’m sorry. Can you narrow the question just a little bit?

TG Branfalt: When was it that you decided to sit down and write the autobiography and tell your story?

Russ Hudson: After the VICE documentary. There was a documentary about me by VICE Media came out. I started getting thousands of emails from people, and most of those emails, the content was positive. They were supportive of what I did, but more importantly, they wanted to know how they could do that too. And I didn’t have any easy answers for them, because for me to do my job took the use and learning of a lot of different skills over a long period of time and thinking of clever was to utilize those skills to make something happen. It wasn’t an easy message where I could just say to people, “You need to go to school and get a degree in cannabis medicine,” because also that doesn’t exist.

I had always wanted to be an author and I’ve been writing for a long time. And I discuss in Weed Deeds how I used to write essays for people, which of course, as we know, is very illegal and wrong. But I always wanted to be a writer. I wanted to write books. When I realized that the biggest question that people had for me is: How did I become a cannabis consultant? That’s when I realized that I can’t give them a straight answer. I need to give them a long answer, and here it is. It’s a 263 word book.

TG Branfalt: Page book.

Russ Hudson: Yes. 263-page book. Excuse me.

TG Branfalt: Then recently you’ve written this children’s book, What’s That Weed? And you feature your daughter in the book. It’s definitely a far cry from an autobiography. Right? You didn’t follow up your autobiography with a, “you want to be a cannabis consultant” book. Right? You followed up with this children’s book. How does that transition happen, man?

Russ Hudson: I don’t know how that happened. I’m working on other books. I’m working on a book right now about terpenes and I’m working on a book about the history of the Spanish social club model, which is a really fascinating story. So there’s going to be a factual history text coming from me. There’s going to be a research text coming from me, and possibly some other things. But the reason the kids’ book came now is because my daughter is six years old. She can read now. She couldn’t read before. Now I can give her a permanent record of anti-cannabis lies. All children up until this point have basically been fed a bowl of lies about cannabis and marijuana, and this is my chance to set the record straight. This is a permanent record now. She has this forever. And other parents who want to help set the record straight have this tool that they can use to do that. If I waited a few more years as my daughter gets older, it’s not quite as appealing to her, so I think now was the most logical time. And she was begging me to write a kids’ book.

TG Branfalt: So you have read this with your daughter.

Russ Hudson: Yes.

TG Branfalt: Did she ask you questions afterward? If you mind telling me sort of about that interaction.

Russ Hudson: The reality is, this book didn’t discuss anything that she didn’t already know. I’ve been honest with my daughter since the day that she was born. I’ve never lied to her about anything, including Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny and all that stuff. When she asks me a question, I tell her the truth. And so she’s already seen me working in the industry. She’s seen me growing. We eat weed leaves in our salad. And she’s seen me help very sick cancer patients figure out how to treat themselves, and she’s there with us when we have these conversations. I don’t exclude her from anything, so she’s always been a part of it. She’s always known that cannabis is not a bad thing and it’s very useful. And her only real question to me has been: Why do other people think that it’s wrong? So that has been the focus of our conversation, why other people think it’s wrong. And this was our fun way of doing a daddy, daughter thing together. She’s the star of this book, and hopefully other parents and kids will get that message that it’s okay to use cannabis for all the different things that it’s used for.

TG Branfalt: How does she feel about being the star of the book?

Russ Hudson: She loves it. The artist of the book actually has never met her, but he did a really good job portraying her, and she’s a very fun, free spirited, super intelligent girl, so she likes it. On the first book tour that we did, she went with me as we went to libraries giving the books away to libraries in Maine, and she really liked that too.

TG Branfalt: When you take this into retail outlets, or to sell, what’s the reaction of the people that you show it to?

Russ Hudson: If they’re cannabis related, the reaction is invariably good. In fact, most people where I’ve gone into retail establishments, they have agreed to start selling the book in their establishment, including here in Burlington. Outside of the cannabis industry, the reaction is slightly different. In Maine, at most of the libraries that I went to, they were very enthusiastic about accepting the book and stocking it on the shelves for people to read in the children’s section. A couple of libraries were very cold and resistant, and I don’t expect to hear back from them about stocking it. But I understand it’s a sensitive issue and I just hope that anybody who is considering it actually takes the time to read it and see what it’s about before they pass a judgment.

TG Branfalt: A lot of what you’ve done is worked to normalize cannabis and even sort of people who might’ve been on the other side of it. Right? Not of the legal industry and the illicit market. Why has this sort of fueled you? What is it about the normalization aspect of it that appeals to you so much?

Russ Hudson: Because I just want to live a normal life. I want to raise my daughter. I want to be a good human being. I want to contribute to society and not have the fear that I’m going to go to jail because I don’t like to drink beer. I like to smoke a joint. And I can maintain myself and function and be a responsible member of society and not be ostracized or in threat of law enforcement for that. So it’s important to me for this to be normalized because I’m sick and tired of worrying about it. Also, I feel sick and tired for other people that they have to worry about it.

I’m fortunate, I live in Barcelona. I live in Maine. It’s legal in both places. I’m fairly free. But for instance, this summer when I traveled down to Georgia and New Mexico and some other places in the South, I was scared because it’s not accepted there. They would never entertain the idea of a children’s book about cannabis because they can’t understand the first thing about cannabis, that it has many different uses. And the one use that they’re worried about, getting high, is totally okay and doesn’t cause any problems, really for anybody. And that’s the message that is important to me because cannabis is a huge part of my life. If I have to hide and lie about it to everybody all the time, I’m just going to go to my grave early dealing with stress, because I smoke weed all day.

TG Branfalt: It’s interesting because we’re both in … We’re in Vermont, which is decriminalized, and you’re in Maine. But you go a couple of hours, you end up in the Adirondack Mountains in New York and they’ll arrest you and they’ll give you a misdemeanor charge. I just want to say how frustrating that is living on the East Coast.

Russ Hudson: It is. Yeah.

TG Branfalt: I want to talk to you more about … You mentioned Barcelona. You mentioned the VICE documentary. I want to talk to you definitely about that. Before we do that, we’ve got to take a short break. This is the Ganjapreneur.com Podcast.

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TG Branfalt: Hey. Welcome back to the Ganjapreneur.com Podcast. I’m your host, TG Branfalt, here with Russ Hudson, a cannabis consultant and author of the children’s book, What’s The Weed? and autobiography, Weed Deeds: From Seed to Sage. And also according to VICE, the guy who gets paid to smoke weed. When I found out I was interviewing you when we touched base a while back, I started looking at a variety of things that you’ve done, which is a lot. Obviously, the VICE documentary is something that sort of stuck out because of the narrative and the catchy sort of title. And when I saw that I was like, “Oh. Well, this will be interesting.” This is like the most interesting guy in the world on weed. Right? Tell me about how that came about. How did you end up the subject of this VICE documentary?

Russ Hudson: Well, I was doing a lot of work in Barcelona and making a name for myself. I’d earned a lot of trust from the industry there, and a lot of positions of trust amongst various cannabis clubs and their related grows and transport operations.

TG Branfalt: Briefly, can you just sort of inform people about what the deal is in Barcelona to who might not know?

Russ Hudson: Okay. Yes. In Spain and particularly in Barcelona, cannabis is legal through liberal privacy laws and through a constitutional right to association, so there are cannabis clubs all over the country. There’s around 200 in the Barcelona area alone, and in general it’s a fairly accepted and pretty well-entrenched industry.

So I was working in this industry and one club in particular, La Mesa, was considered the best club in Catalonia, and possibly in all of Spain. VICE  producers were talking with the club about what’s going on in the industry. And what’s a really interesting story that we could do? And the president of La Mesa said, “You should talk to Russ Hudson. He’s sitting right over there,” because I spent a lot of time in the club working and playing chess and hanging out. And that conversation with VICE took course over about a year and a half, different angles that we could approach on different types of content. And in the end, through talking to me sort of in a fixer, a media fixer capacity, they decided that they wanted to do a feature specifically about me and my work. And that’s how that came about.

TG Branfalt: Are you the guy who gets paid to smoke weed?

Russ Hudson: I mean, that’s like saying you’re a guy who gets paid to eat because you work a job and you get money, and then you buy food and you eat it. I was a little disappointed to see that VICE had produced certain versions of that documentary with the title Meet the Guy Who Gets Paid to Smoke Weed, because it’s really not true. I do evaluate strains. I’ve evaluated strains for my own website. I’ve evaluated strains and products for clients, so the clients pay me for my professional opinion and experience. Sometimes part of my function includes smoking the actual product that they have developed, but I’m not getting paid to smoke weed.

TG Branfalt: But still, it’s pretty awesome what you do.

Russ Hudson: Agreed.

TG Branfalt: Can you tell me? Can you pinpoint the best strain that you’ve ever smoked or one that particularly stands out to you?

Russ Hudson: I mean, that’s such a loaded question. There’s so many strains. They have so many different purposes and smells and types. It depends on what I want. If I want to be intellectual and social and kick your ass in a game of chess, I’m probably going to go with a Haze, Super Lemon Haze, Super Silver Haze, Neville’s Haze, Amnesia Haze, anything along those lines. If I want to kick back with my wife at the end of the night and get really deep into a movie, I’ll go for an indica like Zombie Kush, is probably my favorite indica. OG Kush and Tahoe OG and all those heavy hitting Kushes I also like for those same more chilling kind of purposes. But to say what’s the best strain, it depends on who you are and who you are at that particular moment.

TG Branfalt: You have a five-step process for reviewing strains.

Russ Hudson: I did.

TG Branfalt: You did?

Russ Hudson: Yes.

TG Branfalt: What was that process?

Russ Hudson: The process was basically to evaluate the cannabis from the outside first. Looking at it under the microscope to see if I could detect any contaminants, mites, or mold, dirt, anything like that, fibers, clothing fibers. And then from there to continue breaking into the bud, examining the smell of exterior, the smell of the interior, how it feels in your hands when you break it up, whether it’s cured properly, and really examining all of the pieces of information that you can get about looking at a piece of weed before you actually smoke it.

And then of course, the reviews have progressed to smoking the cannabis, usually in a water bong, and then evaluating the effects that I felt from that strain in a set timeframe, and doing this repeatedly with a particular strain for a period of about five days to seven days.

But I don’t publish cannabis strain reviews anymore. I also own the site cannabastard.com. My most recent post talked about how marijuana strains don’t really mean anything. And so I’m no longer doing reviews because I never really know whether the strain that I think I have is the strain that it’s being marketed as, or if scientifically that’s even really a discernible thing, which we’re not 100% clear on that yet. So I’m no longer doing the five step process and I’m working on looking at a scientific analytical process that combines the reporting of the effects and I’m not there yet.

TG Branfalt: That’s really interesting that you sort of don’t believe that strains… The way that they sort of, from state to state, you see something in California. You see something in Colorado. They’re called the same thing, but a lot of times there’s variances.

Russ Hudson: That’s right.

TG Branfalt: Whenever I get some trees, I basically … I don’t care, as long as it smells good, as long as it tastes good, it does what I want it to do at that time. And people, they’ll ask the name, just like I asked you the name a bit earlier. At the end of the day, did it really matter?

Russ Hudson: No. The other thing, and this is the ultimate bottom line about strain reviews. I believe a title of my article was Why Marijuana Strain Reviews Are Worthless, and the reason is, Tim, if I give you right now Amnesia Haze seeds from Sensi Seeds, a very established reputable grower, and I take some of those same exact seeds for myself. And you go and grow them, and I go and grow them, we are going to produce two radically different finished products. And all of the variables along the way, from lighting, nutrients, air quality, knowledge, skill level, utilities used, curing methods, all of that has a massive impact on the finished product that you’re smoking. So why does my review of some weed that I got in Michigan, called Bubba Kush, have any bearing on Bubba Kush that you might get down in Florida? Could be totally different plants. And then you have different varieties and phenotypes. There’s so many reasons why strain reviews right now are definitely worthless.

TG Branfalt: If we were to sort of change the culture, if there was the opportunity to like, all right, let’s get rid of this strain idea. Would you move it more towards having the percentage of THC, THCA, et cetera, et cetera, and a terpene profile?

Russ Hudson: Exactly. Exactly. The best way to say definitively what a strain is and what it’s going to do for you is by listing it according to the top three terps. I discussed this on the CannaBastards site as well, my some rough ideas for that sort of taxonomy, and I think that’s the way that we need to go. The packaging could still say, if people really insist, things like, Durban Poison and Amnesia Haze, but ultimately there needs to be a classification that tells somebody more at a glance. And I think, I hope, that’s the direction that will go in.

TG Branfalt: Because the market is still so nascent. It would be something that we’d probably have to implement soon before the wave sort of crests, and then we have to basically, sort of train an entire consumer base, which would be a massive undertaking.

Russ Hudson: Yeah. I think that’s what’s going to happen. We’re there with cannabis. We’re there with gay rights. We’re there with electric vehicles. We have entire classes of people that need radical reeducation in order to make this work, and hopefully it will still happen despite the resistance that we’re seeing right now.

TG Branfalt: I want to actually talk to you about the resistance that you guys are getting in Maine right now from Mr. Paul LePage. Every time I say his name, a little piece of me dies. But before we do that, we’ve got to take a break. This is the Ganjapreneur.com Podcast.

At Ganjapreneur, we have heard from dozens of cannabis business owners who have encountered the issue of canna-bias, which is when a mainstream business, whether a landlord, bank, or some other provider of vital business services, refuses to do business with them simply because of their association with cannabis. We have even heard stories of business being unable to provide health and life insurance for their employees because the insurance providers were too afraid to work with them. We believe that this fear is totally unreasonable and that cannabis business owners deserve access to the same services and resources that other businesses are afforded, that they should be able to hire consultation to help them follow the letter of the law in their business endeavors, and that they should be able to provide employee benefits without needing to compromise on the quality of coverage they can offer.

This is why we created the Ganjapreneur.com business service directory, a resource for cannabis professionals to find and connect with service providers who are cannabis friendly and who are actively seeking cannabis industry clients. If you are considering hiring a business consultant, lawyer, accountant, web designer, or any other ancillary service for your business, go to Ganjapreneur.com/businesses to browse hundreds of agencies, firms, and organizations who support cannabis legalization and who want to help you grow your business. With so many options to choose from in each service category, you will be able to browse company profiles and do research on multiple companies in advance, so you can find the provider who is the best fit for your particular need.

Our business service directory is intended to be a useful and well maintained resource, which is why we individually vet each listing that is submitted. If you are a business service provider who wants to work with cannabis clients, you may be a good fit for our service directory. Go to Ganjapreneur.com/ businesses to create your profile and start connecting with cannabis entrepreneurs today.

TG Branfalt: Hey. Welcome back to the Ganjapreneur.com Podcast. I’m your host, TG Branfalt, here with Russ Hudson, cannabis consultant and author of the children’s book, What’s That Weed? And autobiography Weed Deeds: From Seed to Sage. Pretty cool guy. So you live in Maine. Liberty, Maine.

Russ Hudson: Right.

TG Branfalt: It’s a place that sounds pretty dope from what you’ve-

Russ Hudson: Its name is apt.

TG Branfalt: You guys passed voter ballot initiative, passed ballot initiative. First, you get a moratorium. It gets pushed back six months to July 2018. And then the legislature, they have at it and they pass their amendments, their sort of rules, and that sort of thing. And then you get Governor Paul LePage, who vetoes the whole thing a couple of months before it was originally supposed to start. Right? So the moratorium kind of helps a little bit, I guess. But you guys got some things. You have possession now. You have the home grow, so some of the stuff went into effect.

Russ Hudson: Right.

TG Branfalt: Just sort of, as a guy who’s working in the state, as a guy who I’m sure is pretty clued in with what’s going on there, what the hell is going on there?

Russ Hudson: Well, basically the will of the people has been subverted again. We had this happen in Portland years ago, and now we’re having it happen at the statewide level. Our Governor has basically said, “I don’t feel that we’re ready to proceed with recreational cannabis sales, commercial sales, or social cannabis clubs.” He’s basing that decision, in my opinion, on a complete lack of accurate information. And so now we’re over a year away. Basically we can sit and wring our hands for another year and try to bring another bill and try to work out the kinks and the details until we get it to a position that somebody is going to pass through. Where that’s going to end up, we don’t really know right now.

But Maine is still a great place to be. We’ve decriminalized. The medical program in the state is great and there’s ample caregivers to provide for patients. And of course, possession of a couple ounces is still not a crime. So Maine is a good place to be, but from a business standpoint, we have been stymied.

TG Branfalt: A lot of producers, I’m sure they were chomping at the bit when the bill passes. What has this obstruction done to the business owners that you’re talking to in Maine?

Russ Hudson: Right now we have millions of dollars that have been invested into various properties and facilities and processes and technology and research, and all of that is sort of in a holding pattern now. For some people, that’s good. We have a big problem in Maine where we can process hemp, but we don’t have the infrastructure or the know how to do it. So in some respects, a little bit more time is good for some people. But what they’ve done is, they’ve really just blanketed the whole issue for commercial operations that are not caregivers, and the six licensed dispensaries. We basically have not seen any forward movement, even though it has now been a year since the Maine people voted to make recreational marijuana legal to adults.

TG Branfalt: Do you think that this is going to play out past LePage? Do you think that the will of the people is going to stay subverted until Paul LePage is out of the Governor’s seat?

Russ Hudson: I think that he would like to see that happen.

TG Branfalt: Interesting.

Russ Hudson: I think that as long as he has some type of control … Let’s be real here. LePage is Chris Christie, is Jeff Sessions, they’re all the same guy. And as long as they have control over the way we do our cannabis operations, we’re not going to have the freedom to do it the right way.

TG Branfalt: Is it sort of a double-edged sword for you, though, in terms of you still … You can grow. And the caregiver network is really extensive. Are the patients in Maine and are sort of the average consumer in Maine, are they being held back by the slowness of legalization?

Russ Hudson: Yes. Of course, they are. And this is, for me, one of the biggest initiatives that I want to see in the state is cannabis social clubs. I believe that we should be starting there. Without having culture and some type of education and way for people to be educated and to learn, we’re still living sort of in the shadows. And even the thousands of people that use cannabis in Maine still have very little actual knowledge about why they use it and how to use it and how it could better benefit them. Or maybe they’re not doing themselves a service by using cannabis if they have some type of chronic lung condition. What you have now is mostly regular Joes, caregivers who are growing for local patients and this veto by LePage is a big problem because it’s going to set everybody back. We need the culture. We need the society. We need the education. And the only way to make that happen is to liberize-

TG Branfalt: Liberate.

Russ Hudson: Liberate, from a commercial standpoint and possibly talk about some education in schools. I know in schools they’re educating kids about alcohol and drugs, and as of now I assume they’re still just lumping cannabis in there as an evil weed.

TG Branfalt: And then going back, they have a tool now. If you show that to a kindergarten, first grade, in schools, but imagine that backlash, man. Wow. It just sort of hit me like exactly what would happen if a first grade, or second-grade teacher, or even kindergarten teacher would bring that book into their classroom. And that’s not a world, man.

Russ Hudson: Even for me, it’s difficult to imagine that happening, and it is a sort of specialty subject. It doesn’t necessarily need to be taught in schools, but certainly carried in libraries and available to parents like a normal book, when they, as a cannabis user, want to teach their kids about cannabis. Or maybe they’re not a cannabis user, but they’re a hemp fan. And maybe they own a textile business and they understand the value of hemp, and so they want to teach their child that this lie that we’ve been sold, that it’s just people getting high in their basements is a big lie. And there’s many more lies than that, as you well know.

TG Branfalt: You’re not going to see a children’s book of somebody … Basically an alcohol-based children’s book, where people are falling down and there’s probably fights. And that’s an accurate representation of … If I had children, which I don’t. I do have a niece and nephew, though, so bring that to them. Anyway man, before we go, I’ve got to ask. You’re a consultant. That’s what you do. What’s your advice for entrepreneurs, people entering this industry, maybe not in Maine, but just in any sort of legal market?

Russ Hudson: Well, if the market is legal, then they really have to figure out what their talent is and they need to specialize in that talent because what’s happening right now in the cannabis industry is, it’s literally growing every day. In fact, I was just having a conversation with the folks down here in Burlington at Full Tank about how virtually every shop that I go into, I learn about a new product, a new technology, new types of events, and so there’s going to be a lot of need for specialist cannabis business entrepreneurs and employees, specialists who work in curing, who work in technology and ventilation. So I would say to anybody in a legal industry, figure out what your skill is. What are you really good at that you like to do? And then apply that to cannabis because chances are, almost anything that you’re into can be applied to cannabis in some way.

TG Branfalt: And finally, where can people find out more about you? Where can they get What’s That Weed? Where can they get your autobiography? Just how do they find you?

Russ Hudson: Well, What’s the Weed? the children’s book is available on Amazon and Kindle, paperback and hard copy. Weed Deeds, my autobiography, is also available on Amazon, although only in paperback and Kindle. People can learn more about me on marijuanagames.org, cannabizconsultant.com.

TG Branfalt: With a Z.

Russ Hudson: That’s right. Cannabiz with a Z consultant.com or they can check out cannabastard.com, which is where I call the cannabis industry out on its crap.

TG Branfalt: Really a pleasure to meet you. It’s really cool to hang out with you and sort of … You get to see Burlington, which is a cool as hell city. Man, I hope to see you again. It’s really been a good time. I appreciate it.

Russ Hudson: Cool. Thanks, Tim. I had fun.

TG Branfalt: You can find more episodes of the Ganjapreneur.com Podcast in the podcast section of Ganjapreneur.com and in the Apple iTunes stores. On the Ganjapreneur.com website you will find the latest cannabis news and cannabis jobs updated daily, along with transcripts of this podcast. You can also download the Ganjapreneur.com app at iTunes and Google Play. This episode was engineered by Trim Media House. I’ve been your host, TG Branfalt.

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Ohio Receives 104 Applications for 40 Processor Licenses

12/21/2017

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The Ohio Medical Marijuana Control Program has received 104 applications for 40 processor licenses, including 19 of the 24 companies already awarded cultivator licenses, the Dayton Daily News reports. One of the applicants, CannAscend, was rejected for a cultivator license and has since threatened to sue the state.

One cultivator applicant, PharmaCann Ohio LLC., has already sued the state over its denial. In the court filing, the company argues that the “racial quota” provisions in the state’s medical cannabis law runs afoul of the state Constitution’s equal protection clause.

Jimmy Gould, chief executive of CannAscend, unveiled plans last week to put adult-use legalization to voters in 2018. Gould also spearheaded the failed 2015 ballot initiative that many advocates rejected due to fears it would create a monopoly in the nascent industry. The legislature passed the medical cannabis law last year.

Processor applicants had to pay a $10,000 application fee and, if approved, will have to pay another $90,000 certificate of operation fee. License renewals cost $100,000 annually. Applications are scored on operation plans, quality, security, and finances.

Regulators can approve the processor licenses anytime before Sept. 9 – the state regulations require the medical cannabis program to be fully operational by September 2018.

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Clear plastic garbage bags that have been stuffed with commercial-grade cannabis nugs.

Alaska Licensed Cannabis Cultivator Burglarized

12/21/2017

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Thieves stole $150,000 worth of processed cannabis flower from a licensed cultivator in South Anchorage, Alaska early Tuesday morning and have yet to be caught, according to a KTUU report. The owner of Danish Gardens, Dane Wyrick, said four people, a woman and three men, broke through the front door with a sledgehammer and stuffed about 36 pounds of flower into black garbage bags.

“It’s not something we can recover from, the product is lost and, unfortunately, even if we found the product, and found it red-handed, we could not bring it back into the store. The state of Alaska would quarantine the product as contaminated and we wouldn’t be able to get it back anyway.” – Wyrick, in an KTUU interview

The early morning robbery was caught on the cultivator’s security cameras and, following the break-in, Wyrick indicated he has hired armed security guards for the site. Anchorage Police have not released any additional details because the investigation is ongoing. In an interview with Anchorage Daily News, Wyrick suggested the burglary was employee-coordinated because the perpetrators appeared to know their way around the building, although he does not believe any employees took part in the smash-and-grab.

However, Wyrick also indicated that the state Marijuana Control Board puts detailed plans of sites online, including where a businesses alarms and cameras are, as part of the application process. Alcohol and Marijuana Control Office Director Erika McConnell told the Daily News that the agency would “need to consider the Public Records Act if they re-evaluate” the policy.

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The national flag of Canada flies on a blue-skied, sunny day.

Health Canada Nearly Doubles Cannabis Production Licenses Since May

12/21/2017

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Canadian officials have nearly doubled the number of cannabis production licenses since May –  from 44 to 80 – as the nation prepares for adult-use legalization, the Canadian Press reports. Health Canada spokeswoman Tammy Jarbeau indicated that, as of Dec. 1, there are another 208 applicants in the final approval process.

“These applicants have completed the security clearance process and their application is being reviewed to determine whether it meets all the requirements of the regulations. A license is only issued once security clearances have been granted, the application meets the regulatory requirements and a facility has been built.” – Jarbeau to the Press.

Vahan Ajamian, a research analyst with Beacon Securities Ltd., warned against interpreting the high number of applications and approvals as a sign that the nation would avoid a supply shortage when the recreational market goes online sometime in the summer.

“It might lessen the shortages in the first couple of months. But I still predict we will see shortages, sellouts – especially in provinces and areas that haven’t locked down their supply.” – Ajamian to the Press.

Health Canada figures released in June show that licensed producer inventories totaled less than 40,000 kilograms (88,185 pounds). Canaccord Genuity estimates that demand for both medical and recreational cannabis will reach 570,000 kilograms (628 tons) by 2021.

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Hawaii Adds ALS to MMJ Program; Rejects Anxiety Disorders

12/21/2017

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The Hawaii Department of Health has added Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig’s Disease, to its medical cannabis qualifying condition list, making it the 20th state to add the condition.

In a press release, officials indicate the decision was based on review and analysis of written and oral testimony, a public hearing, and peer-reviewed scientific evidence; although the Health Department indicated that it “found little evidence to support the value of medical cannabis for ALS.”

“DOH determined medical cannabis may be appropriate for patients diagnosed with ALS after receiving a comprehensive assessment by a patient’s physician or [Advanced Practice Registered Nurse] and a risk-benefit discussion.”

The approval came during Hawaii’s annual review of potential conditions for medical cannabis access. There was also a request to add general anxiety disorder (GAD) to the regime; however, the health department declined the request because “there is inconclusive medical evidence that cannabis has beneficial use in the treatment or alleviation of symptoms of anxiety, social phobia, and social anxiety disorder (SAD), and no evidence specific to GAD.”

“In addition, because the prevalence of GAD, high rate of comorbidities, and dearth of scientific evidence to support the use of cannabis in the treatment of GAD, the potential for adverse outcomes is a public health concern.”

The 2018 deadline to petition the addition of qualifying conditions for Hawaii’s medical cannabis program is Feb. 19.

 

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Jedidiah Haney: Organizing the Cannabis Community with Social Entrepreneurship

12/20/2017

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Jedidiah Haney is a cannabis activist and entrepreneur who is an outspoken advocate for sensible cannabis regulations and opponent to the seemingly default legalization legislation, which hinges on price gouging and over-regulation. He is also the founder of Higher Influence, LLC and a founding board member of The Cannabis Alliance.

In our recent interview, we asked Jedidiah about ongoing issues in the Washington state cannabis market, political developments that could spell hope for the state’s future, his recent shift toward more media-focused projects, and the obstacles and successes he’s faced so far through that transition.

Ganjapreneur: You’ve been involved with a lot of cannabis-related projects in Washington State, but what was your very first introduction to the industry?

Jedidiah Haney: My first introduction to the industry was back in 2004. I started growing for a group of medical patients in the Bend area of Central Oregon. I did that for a few years then I moved back home to Washington State I got involved in medical advocacy through a series of rallies, which were organized to protect and expand patients’ plant count while adding new qualifying conditions to our medical marijuana program. Then skip ahead a few years to 2012 — when we voted for I-502, our state initiative that legalized recreational cannabis — I was living in Yakima and I had intentions to enter the legal cannabis industry. The state law went into effect in December of 2012, however, in January of 2013, the City Council of Yakima passed a resolution to ban legal and medical cannabis in the city limits. This new city ordinance was so regressive it went as far as banning the use of cannabis even in the privacy of your own home. So, you could only imagine what the cannabis community was saying after this happened. Our personal rights along with our professional intentions were becoming stifled. In response, I founded a non-profit organization along with local stakeholders named CAUSE-M, and we got to work. The organization’s name was an acronym which stood for the Committee for Adult-Use Standards and Ethics and our mission was to go forward and pave a path for our legal and safe industry. Then in 2016, I merged CAUSE-M with three other WA State non-profit trade associations to form what is now The Cannabis Alliance of which I am a Founding Board Member. I served this organization as the Interim Board Secretary as we merged and developed new bylaws along with the overall organizational structure. Last year I resigned my board position with The Cannabis Alliance to pursue community organization through social entrepreneurialism.

Could you briefly explain your current projects?

As a community organizer, I focus my work on connecting and empowering my various audiences by offering education and information. Recently in June of 2017, I launched a firm named Higher Influence, LLC to house multiple channels of direct marketing services and a series of events that I had developed over the last few years. Our core offering is our weekly community newspaper named Cannabits, which is published across defined regions in Washington State. Cannabits is a simple community newspaper filled with educational content that will connect them with positive consumption trends. This process will elevate our reader’s appreciation for cannabis. Currently, our paper is printed and distributed in the South Sound Region – which is where our state seat is located. The social experiment built into Cannabits is to connect the cannabis community with news about policy along with unique calls to action on legislative and regulatory concerns. To further this connection Higher Influence, LLC has developed a series of popular education events that are balanced between B2B and B2C. The flagship B2B event that we produce is Croptoberfest, which is a popular education event. This hybrid industry tradeshow focuses on the agricultural trends in the growing cannabis sector. Each year, we design an intimate event that features over 5 hours of education and speakers. This last year we were proud to host panels covering topics such as organic standards, pesticides, pest management and testing standards. We also featured a panel dedicated to the formation of a Washington State Cannabis Commission, which is a quasi-state agency that will facilitate research and education for the state-licensed cannabis farmers. We also produce a series of local events called Herb Talks that feature speakers and a comradery of sponsors. These monthly events will be broadcast through our channels to activate the community to come out to our events to learn more about topics such as cannabis lifestyle, medicine, and policy to name a few.

What lessons would you suggest other states who enact cannabis legalization take from Washington’s experience?

The primary objective when departing away from cannabis prohibition should be to protect the craft industry from being shut out from the licensing process. Here in Washington, we were told that I-502 would have nothing to do with medical cannabis, in fact, originally you couldn’t even mention medicinal benefits. That was the standard for the marketplace until the medical transition in June of 2016, which was the result of the legislative direction of SB 5052. The issue that I see was that the legislature passed language directing the WA Liquor and Cannabis Board (LCB) to create a “merit-based application” for transitioning businesses that were operating in the limbo of RCW 69.51a. It took a tremendous amount of work to get that merit-based application language into SB 5052, and I am witness to the fact that the LCB failed that directive. I am witness to the complete shutout of the robust medical cannabis industry save a few lucky or fortuitous individuals. There are many businesses that tried their best to position themselves for success, but there were much more that didn’t see this coming. In the end, the state plays their primary role as a tax collector the best and we should remember that the majority of the policy shift is based on fiscally positive forecasts.

Earlier this year, you penned harsh words about Washington’s I-502 legalization law, even referring to the regulations as a “Prohibition 2.0” — have you seen any positive changes in the state since then?

First off, even though we are the new cash cow for tax revenue, the state is treating the nascent industry as a pariah. The LCB has turned more into a policing agency that makes its money through compliance violations and penalties. If you think about it, the LCB only makes money through applications, licensing, permits and fines. Now that the licensing is done, the only robust revenue stream that the LCB has left is through the enforcement of the fines. That being said, there are some major improvements coming down the pipeline; such as the state cannabis organic standard that is being built and managed by the WSDA. This standard will bring farmers a new price point advantage in the marketplace. I would also like to comment that once we get the Washington State Cannabis Commission up and running it will be an amazing tool to strengthen our industry through research. I am honored to have been involved in this process since the concept and it is now ready to be submitted to the WSDA. The changes that this will bring will be many, but if you want to see an example of how a commission will assist the industry to develop then just review the wine industry previous and post the Washington Wine Commission being established. From our research, the introduction of the commission led to the emergence of the craft industry swelling the number of licensed wineries and bringing changes such as on-site tasting and sales.

What do you see as the next big step towards enacting positive changes in Washington’s adult-use marketplace?

As a community organizer, I see that we are missing the voice of the people in this policy molding process. That may be a cookie cutter response, but it is truer today than ever before. There is a distinct lack of education delivered to the people on cannabis policy and that has led to an overall confusion as to what current cannabis policy actually is in our state. We must connect with the community and fill this void. According to a recent Gallop Poll, 64% of Americans now say that cannabis use should be made legal. That is the highest level of public support for legalization in that Gallup has ever recorded. This poll shows that federal interference in our states experiment could be politically disastrous. Meanwhile the Washington State Institute for Public Policy benefit-cost analysis of I-502, which shows that youth access, drug treatment, and incarceration are all on the decline. These two examples are positive signs that we are on the right track, however, we are not done. A few policy changes that need to be addressed include:

  • People are still sitting in jail for previously doing what we are all doing every day and there needs to be a non-violent criminal prisoner release program or a special commission created by the Governor to address this travesty;
  • The people need to have the right to grow non-commercial cannabis at home – we are the only recreational state including the District of Columbia that has passed recreational cannabis laws yet we do not have the right grow for non-commercial purposes at home;
  • Legislation that would allow public consumption clubs and special event permits are needed to continue the transition to responsible cannabis consumption in public.

We have made it so far but we have so much more to do.

As both an entrepreneur and an activist, what role do you see trade unions playing in the cannabis industry?

We need labor representation so badly. We needed it way before I-502. I am constantly receiving reports that the industry is struggling with the simplest of human resource issues. This is typical in start-up industries, so I wouldn’t want to use a labor union to single out companies that are doing poorly. Instead, we could use labor unions to help build generative models that educate and support the development of skill and craft inside of the industry. What I think we need to implement are cannabis trade apprenticeship programs that would allow a person to accrue on the job training along with class time. This kind of program would translate levels of skill and compensation, which could be easily understandable and transfer between jobs. One of the primary benefits of an apprenticeship program is that it would have reciprocity with other states specifically CA. Right now I know that the majority of the industry can’t afford to compensate their labor appropriately because the market for cannabis is crashing. However, if the state reduced the taxes and then increased overall store access then we would see a positive disruption in the marketplace. I bring that up because as an entrepreneur I believe that if we had a trade union gather the cannabis employees to advocate for these issues then we would see the craft industry finally set its roots in Washington State. This is necessary if we want to place our industry in a competitive position for the future of national and international cannabis trade. We need to mold our industry now so that it has sustainability into the future.

How big is your team at Higher Influence and what were you looking for when choosing employees/partners for this endeavor?

Our team is small but magnificent. I am at the helm steering this production house with two media experts, three writers, two event organizers and six sales representatives on staff. When hiring staff members we seek professionals first. I study the way our applicants decide to communicate with us. I especially observe their demeanor in the process of the interviews. We specifically seek self-starters that can work on their own without a bunch of oversight. For a business owner, this is a practice of trust. This is why we look for people that we can trust to work with. This is really important because every client is considered our partner and we take them on with a generative perspective. We aim to leave every situation better than how we found it. The practice of generosity resonates with me as an entrepreneur. I am a problem solver at heart and I am always looking for ways to make the world better. Think globally and act locally is a motto that I live by.

What was the most difficult part of getting Higher Influence and these other educational projects off the ground?

Higher Influence was built to produce all of the events such as Croptoberfest, and media that I had assembled over the years into a single portfolio of activity. The most challenging aspect of juggling all these balls is managing the individual project timelines and multiple team/staff efforts. For me, these are the two most difficult parts of operating a production house. To streamline our efforts we have created internal departments that are siloed into specific activities. This allows team members to shine and it distributes the yolk of our projects efficiently. Our goal is to keep expanding our team by adding experienced and professional individuals, therefore we are always on the hunt for new talent. We believe that this will set us on a sustainable path. In the end, our goal is to produce the highest quality media while cultivating the roots of the community through our efforts.

What do you think is the most important consideration when organizing an event for the cannabis community?

I am always scrutinizing our impact versus the application of energy. From my experience, as an activist, I know that our communities are suffering because of a lack of access to knowledge. Specifically, the business community suffers because of a myriad of issues that directly impact the end consumer. Having spent time organizing both businesses and consumers I see that there is a big picture fix needed to solve some of the most crucial issues in our marketplace. When I organize events I focus in on these common concerns. For example, I know that there is an organic standard for cannabis being developed by the WSDA. I know this because I helped lobby for the standard, and because I knew that the WSDA was nearing the rulemaking around the organic standard I preemptively built a portion of this last Croptoberfest to feature a panel on organic cannabis standards. I then invited the WSDA Organic Standards Program Director to the event as a special guest panelist. Therefore the industry had a chance to speak with the program director to provide a perspective prior to the public hearings being launched. Then to further the value in the marketplace on organic cannabis we have developed media that we publish directly to the consumer market via our channels such as Cannabits and Cannabits.Online. Then through these channels, I promote a series of consumer events that are organized to educate target markets about positive trends such as organics and why they matter. Thereby this process develops consumer demand, which in turn drives the marketplace. My belief is that the whole system will work if we work it.

What is your proudest moment since you started down this path of cannabis activism/entrepreneurialism?

My proudest moment as an activist is when my parents first asked me for advice on medical cannabis. Second to that was when we repealed the ban on medical and recreational cannabis in the City of Yakima in 2016. At that point, I had moved away from Yakima to Seattle, so it became a personal mission to see that the community that had inspired my advocacy was left in a better place than when I left it. As an entrepreneur, I see myself as a constant work in progress. That is why I think I tend to be attracted to projects that express an abundance of social capital. The one project that I am the proudest of is The Cannabis Alliance, which was the result of the merger of four previously existing organizations. As I mentioned before I am a founding board member and served as the interim board secretary while we developed bylaws and organizational structure. I was elected to the first elect board and subsequently resigned later that year to follow a bolder entrepreneurial path. Today, as a member of the organization, I am witness to The Cannabis Alliance becoming Washington State’s largest trade association and I am very proud of the current leadership that is in place.

What is your advice for hopeful cannabis entrepreneurs who are considering joining the Washington industry?

Do something unique! The marketplace is not dead, but we have hit the forecasted bottom. Each year cannabis flower has been reduced in its value in the marketplace to the point where we see tested the product on the market for less than .50 cents per gram. There is hope for those that are prepared to withstand this bottom dollar moment. We have to remember that this isn’t a new trend in agriculture. An old farmer took me aside back in 2014 and told me that cannabis was about to deal with this market issue. He said, “it happened to wheat in the 80s and then corn in the 90s, so it’s bound to happen to cannabis.” He was right. But like I said there is hope. If you look at the wine market back in the 90’s there were only a few big names that dominated the marketplace, and Charles Smith Winery wasn’t one of them. Be like the Charles Smith Winery and make sure you do something unique and special. If done right the marketplace will respond. If you are a farmer, make sure that when you are choosing a farm that you follow genetics and appellation aka terroir to ensure that you stand out in the market. Test your water and soil before you plant, and overall be a good neighbor. The last thing I would say that would help any player in this sector become successful is to pay attention to sustainable solutions for one of the most unsustainable commodities that we produce. One day in the future we will be able to export our cannabis to other states and even internationally, so keep the long game in mind. Be a conscious player in this developing marketplace.

Thanks, Jedidiah, for taking the time out of your busy schedule to answer our questions!

Click the following links to learn more information about Jedidiah Haney, Higher Influence, or the Cannabits community newspaper.

 

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The silhouette shapes of palm trees against a sunset background.

California Cannabis Regulators Issue Temporary Licenses

12/20/2017

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The California Bureau of Cannabis Control’s Cannabis Licensing, Enforcement and Reporting Project has issued more than 50 temporary industry licenses to businesses with valid permits or authorization from their local jurisdictions.

According to a press release from the agency, more than 1,900 users have registered with the Bureau’s online system as of Dec. 14 and more than 200 business applications have been submitted to the agency.

“Last week, we officially launched our online licensing system, and today we’re pleased to issue the first group of temporary licenses to cannabis businesses that fall under the Bureau’s jurisdiction. We plan to issue many more before January 1.” – Bureau of Cannabis Control Chief Lori Ajax

The full list is available – and searchable – on the Bureau of Cannabis Control website. Current temporary licenses include more than 20 medical cannabis cultivation, retailers and distributors; four testing laboratories; and nearly 20 adult use cultivation, retailer, and distributor licenses.

All of the licenses take effect on Jan. 1 and are valid for 120 days, after which a permanent license must be obtained. The agency launched its online application system earlier this month, and the Secretary of State’s office rolled out its portal for would-be canna-business owners last week.

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Cannabis foliage inside of a licensed grow operation in Washington state.

Colombian MMJ Licensed Producer Expects Patient Access in 6 Months

12/20/2017

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As world governments inch closer to cannabis reforms – both medical and recreational – Colombia is no different. Although the country legalized cannabis for medicinal use in 1986, no regulatory body existed to grant permits for cultivation, production or distribution until 2015, when President Juan Manuel Santos issued a decree to do just that.

“Our goal is for patients to be able to access medications made in Colombia that are safe, high-quality and accessible,” Santos said during a televised address nearly two years ago. “It is also an opportunity to promote scientific research in our country.”

However, regulators wouldn’t issue the first canna-business licenses until October 2017 – to two Canadian firms, including Khiron Life Sciences.

Under the regulations, cannabis cultivation is permitted for extracts only – flower is not allowed under the rules – allowing for the manufacture of vapeable concentrates, tinctures, capsules, and topicals. In all, Khiron was awarded three licenses in October – for low THC cultivation (less than 1 percent), high THC cultivation (more than 1 percent) and an extraction license, which is required before a company can even apply for cultivation permits. The regulations allow licensees to sell medical cannabis products domestically and to export to nations with federalized medical cannabis regimes that permit imports. Under the rules, the low-THC products are not considered controlled substances and can be sold outside the medical cannabis program.

A mature, outdoor, and CBD-rich cannabis crop. Photo credit: Shango Los

In an interview with Ganjapreneur, Alvaro Torres, Khiron’s 39-year-old CEO, explained that there is no qualifying conditions list under the nation’s medical cannabis system – a doctor just makes the determinations based on therapeutic need. There are 2.6 million people in the nation diagnosed with chronic pain – one of the primary conditions for which patients are allowed to access medical cannabis programs worldwide. Chronic pain is also one of the driving forces behind the opioid epidemic in the U.S., and Torres believes that a comprehensive medical cannabis program will likely help Colombia prevent a national opioid crisis such as the United States’. He said that federal lawmakers recognize the potential role cannabis can play in preventing such a crisis, and, to that end, Torres indicated producers have received “great support” from legislative leaders.

“They’re taking their time and making sure it’s properly done and making sure companies can better understand their concerns and issues for the next year,” he said. “We have full government support and that has been tremendous.”

Torres anticipates Khiron will first offer concentrates, likely vape pens, due to patient familiarity with smoking cannabis, and the company plans on rolling out additional products as the market matures and patients and physicians become further educated on medical cannabis. “We want doctors to feel comfortable with the products they are prescribing and, since the beginning, we’ve focused the company’s strategy on how we can get physicians on board,” he said, adding that a recent survey of Colombian physicians’ willingness to prescribe medical cannabis found a confidence level of 3.6 out of five – which he said, “isn’t bad considering it’s a brand-new industry.” The company plans on launching an education module, Torres said, with the expectation that patients have access to medical cannabis in the second half of next year.

A young, potted cannabis plant sits bathed in warm sunlight. Photo credit: Amarett Jans

Torres said he doesn’t expect companies to be able to manufacture edibles for the Colombian market because the nation’s drug regulators, INVIMA, would likely not consider them medicine. “We’ll be able to evolve,” Torres said. “But we’ll need to start with the basics.”

After shoring up their Colombian operations, Torres said the company would begin targeting other Latin American countries for export, including Mexico, Peru, and Chile – all of which have passed medical cannabis legalization measures within the last two years, the latter’s pharmacies began selling medical cannabis products in May. Torres believes that other Latin American countries that haven’t yet legalized or developed regulations could use Colombia’s robust but fair regulations as a model.

“It’s a region that has always been frowned upon because of illegal drugs,” he explained of his home nation. “The shift to becoming a country that supports and exports legal marijuana to legal markets now makes these the countries leading in a medical conversation on the proper uses of cannabis.”

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Veterans Heath Administration Directive Allows Vets to Discuss MMJ with VA Doctors

12/20/2017

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According to a federal Veterans Health Administration directive – 1315 – dated Dec. 8, “VHA providers and/or pharmacists” are now allowed to discuss medical cannabis options with their patients but are still prohibited from authorizing medical cannabis use.

“VHA providers and/or pharmacists should discuss with patients how their use of State-approved medical marijuana to treat medical or psychiatric symptoms or conditions may relate to the Veterans participation in other clinical activities, (e.g., discuss how marijuana may impact other aspects of the overall care of the Veteran such as how marijuana may interact with other medications the Veteran is taking, or how the use of marijuana may impact other aspects of the overall care of the Veteran such as pain management, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), or substance use disorder treatment).”

The directive includes warnings. The Department of Veterans Affairs will not provide not pay for medical cannabis treatments and veterans are advised not to bring medical cannabis onto VA property – which is owned by the federal government. If patients disclose their cannabis use to VA physicians, it will be included in the veteran’s medical record as “non-VA/herbal/Over the Counter (OTC) medication section.”

While the directive is not full-on policy reform, it at least allows veterans treated at the VA to finally discuss their medical cannabis use – or potentially using medical cannabis – with their doctor.

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Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudea sits at a desk with hand on chin.

Canadian PM Trudeau ‘Doesn’t Know’ Where July 1 Cannabis Legalization Date Came From

12/20/2017

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In an interview with Quebec, Canada’s TVA network, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said there was no firm date for cannabis legalization in the nation, but that the reforms would take place “next summer,” according to the Canadian Press, who received advance transcripts of the interview which will air tonight.

“The date will not be July 1, I can assure you of that. I don’t know where that date came from.” – PM Trudeau

Where did that date come from? When the plan was unveiled last April, there was no firm date attached to the proposal. Later that month, Health Minister Jane Philpott told the U.N. General Assembly that legalization was expected in spring of 2017. Of the provinces that have announced regulations, all include the July 1 deadline. In July, Canadian premiers urged federal lawmakers to extend the July 1 deadline and, at that time, Quebec Premier Phillipe Couillard indicated that Trudeau was “very firm” on the deadline.

The comments come 10 days after Conservative Sen. Claude Carnigan suggested the regime could be pushed back to the end of 2018. Carnigan argued that the legislation package doe not address issues such as training and equipment for law enforcement, drug testing for employees, the impact of legalization on youth, and provincial tax implications.

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