Meadow Platform is a software suite that’s dedicated to helping dispensaries and delivery services connect more easily with their customers. The service is currently available to all dispensaries and cannabis delivery services operating in California’s medical cannabis industry.
Meadow Platform is offered by the people behind San Francisco-based GetMeadow.com, an online dispensary database, and MeadowMD.com, an online medical evaluation service that connects patients with physicians specializing in medical cannabis.
Meadow Platform is a natural descendant of Meadow’s earlier offerings: it takes the menu software used in the consumer-focused GetMeadow site and makes it available to the websites of participating dispensaries and delivery services. Meadow Platform also satisfies the compliance requirements of California’s medical cannabis regulations — including the HIPAA-compliant storage of all patients’ documents.
Since its November 2015 launch, Meadow Platform has also brought point of sale, inventory management, and data and analytics software into its fold.
The service itself is optimized for mobile devices, said Colleen Hooks, Head of Communications for Meadow Platform. The software suite offers additional perks to delivery services, including options for the tracking and displayed routing of delivery drivers, as well as messaging options for direct communication with patients as they await their deliveries.
“Ultimately, it’s smart technology built for cannabis [companies] to save time, money, and resources; have top-level security; maintain compliance with all current and upcoming regulations; and set them up for scale and success,” Hooks said.
“All of this is priced on a sliding scale. It’s based on the number of active patients. So if you’re a little dispensary that’s just starting out, this software will work for you. If you’re an enormous dispensary … that will work for you too,” said Hooks. “Nobody is priced out of using our software.”
“I feel that Meadow genuinely has concern and care for the success of my business,” said Wendy McPherson, owner of Flower Power dispensary. “They have a very hands-on approach, for example, not only did they train us on their software, they actually spent the day with us to oversee us in operation and offered all the assistance we needed, answered all our questions, and continue to be there whenever we need them, in person if need be.”
You can find more information about Meadow Platform at the company’s website, where you can also request a free demo and learn about how Meadow Platform can benefit your dispensary or cannabis delivery company.
This election season, nine states will be voting on ballot initiatives related to legalizing and regulating cannabis in some form. This is an unprecedented opportunity for medical marijuana activists and entrepreneurs who are looking at legalization as an opportunity for new businesses. While it is unlikely that all of these ballot initiatives will pass, recent polls suggest that many of them have enough backing among voters. Below we have gathered facts and information on each of these initiatives, and we will update this article as new polls and developments come to light.
In 2016, five states will be voting on recreational cannabis ballot measures. If all of them passed, that would bring the total number of states with recreational markets in the USA to nine! So far, Colorado, Washington, Oregon, and Alaska are the only states where people over 21 can purchase cannabis at state-licensed retail stores.
Polls: 61 percent approve, 36 percent oppose (aggregate of May 26, Public Policy Institute of California; Aug. 10, Problosky Research).
Summary: The AUMA would legalize marijuana and hemp, permitting recreational use of the former for adults (aged 21 or older) beginning in 2018, with no public use provisions. The dispensaries would be supervised by the Bureau of Marijuana Control, while the Department of Food and Agriculture would license and oversee commercial cultivation. Adults would be able to cultivate up to 6 plants for personal use, though municipalities may regulate aspects of home-growing. The act provides for marketing standards, barring advertising and dispensaries 600 feet from schools.
The measure would force patients enrolled in the current system to obtain a new doctor’s recommendation that meets the strict standards – enacted in 2015 – by Jan. 1, 2018. Tax exemptions would be available for medical marijuana providers. It also provides for resentencing and destruction of records for minor marijuana convictions.
Personal possession limits: 28.5 grams of flower, 4 grams of concentrates.
Taxes: 15 percent retail sales tax plus state sales tax, $9.25 tax per ounce of flower, $2.75 tax per ounce of leaves. Municipalities can impose local taxes.
Fees: The bill does not outline a fee structure; it delegates power to Bureau of Marijuana Control.
Revenue disbursement: 60 percent, Youth Education, Prevention, Early Intervention Account; 20 percent, Environmental Restoration and Protection Account; 20 percent, State and Local Law Enforcement Account.
Summary: The Department of Taxation would be responsible for determining qualifications and issuing licenses under the program, which would permit adult use and possession. The measure provides for individuals to grow up to six plants – 12 per household – if the cultivator is 25 miles from a retail marijuana store.
Public use is not permitted and carries a $600 fine. The initiative provides for local government to pass zoning and land use laws banning marijuana businesses and such businesses are prohibited 1,000 feet from schools. Additionally, the measure provides for 80 retail licenses to be issued in counties with a population of more than 700,000 people; 20 licenses will be available in counties with populations less than 700,000 but more than 100,000. A maximum of four dispensaries would be allowed in counties with a population less than 100,000 but more than 55,000; and two will be available for counties with populations less than 55,000. The Tax Department will begin accepting applications on Jan. 1, 2018.
Personal possession limits: 1 ounce of flower, 3.5 grams of concentrates.
Taxes: 15 percent excise tax, plus state sales tax
Fees: $5,000 application fee for retail, cultivation, product manufacturing, distributor, and testing licenses.
Distributor and testing fees cannot exceed $15,000 for the initial license; $5,000 for renewal.
Retail fees cannot exceed $20,000 for the initial license; $6,000 for renewal.
Cultivation fees cannot exceed $30,000 for the initial license; $10,000 for renewal.
Product manufacturing fees cannot exceed $10,000 for the initial license; $3,300 for renewal.
Revenue disbursement: Revenues support K-12 education.
Polls: 51 percent approve, 44 percent oppose (aggregate of Apr. 21, Data Orbital commissioned by Arizonans for Responsible Drug Policy; July 11, O.H. Predictive Insights; Dec. 1, 2015, Morrison Institute for Public Policy at Arizona State University).
Summary: Prop 205 would establish a Department of Marijuana Licenses and Control as well as a seven member Marijuana Commission comprised of three industry representatives and four members with no financial industry ties to develop rules and police the industry. Adults would be permitted to grow up to six plants and buy cannabis from licensed retail shops. It provides for medical marijuana dispensaries currently operating in the state to transition to the retail model. Local governments would have control over whether to allow for marijuana businesses.
The measure also makes manufacturing concentrates “by chemical extraction with a flammable solvent” a class 6 felony in the state. Delivery and cannabis clubs are banned under the measure until at least 2020 and the fine for public use is $300. The department is not permitted to issue more marijuana retail licenses than 10 percent the number of liquor licenses.
If the department does not have industry regulations in place by Mar. 1, 2018, businesses could submit their application for local government approval, who would write their own rules.
Personal possession limits: 1 ounce of flower, 5 grams of concentrates.
Taxes: 15 percent excise tax.
Fees: Distributor and product manufacturing fees cannot exceed $15,000 for the initial license; $5,000 for renewal.
Retail fees cannot exceed $20,000 for the initial license; $6,000 for renewal.
Cultivation fees cannot exceed $30,000 for the initial license; $10,000 for renewal.
Revenue disbursement: 80 percent allocated for education; 20 percent, Department of Public Health.
Polls: 48 percent approve, 43 percent oppose (aggregate of Feb. 25, UMass:Amherst/WBZ; Apr. 14, Western New England University Polling Institute; May 10, Suffolk University/Boston Globe; July 19 Gravis Marketing for Jobs First).
Summary: Adults would be permitted to grow, buy, and legally possess cannabis under the proposal, which would create a Cannabis Control Commission to oversee the industry. The commission would be comprised of a commissioner and two associate commissioners. The commissioner would serve co-terminus with the state treasurer – who would appoint the commission members. Associate commissioners would serve four-year terms.
Home-grows are restricted to six plants, 12 per household. Tax exemption provisions are made for medical marijuana providers. Cannabis businesses and home grows must be 500 feet from schools.
A 15-member Cannabis Advisory Board appointed by the governor would be created under the act. It would include five cannabis industry experts, two law enforcement members, two social welfare representatives, two attorneys experienced in providing legal services to the cannabis industry, and one patient. Board members would serve two-year terms. A Marijuana Regulation Fund would be created to pay for administrative costs.
Legalization would take effect Dec. 15.
Personal possession limits: 1 ounce of flower in public, 10 ounces at home, 5 grams of concentrates in public.
Taxes: 3.75 percent excise tax, plus state sales tax. Local government can add up to a 2 percent tax.
Fees: $3,000 retail, product manufacturer, cultivator, and testing application fee.
$15,000 for retail, cultivation, and product manufacturing licenses.
$10,000 for a testing license.
Revenue disbursement: Does not specify, will be determined by commission.
Polls: 55 percent approve, 42 percent oppose(aggregate: Mar. 18, Maine People’s Resource Center; May 12, Critical Insights).
Summary: The act would leave industry oversight to the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, treating cannabis like an agricultural product. It would permit adults to purchase, possess, grow, and transfer limited amounts. Localities can impose their own licensing requirements and fees. Individuals would be allowed to grow up to six flowering and 12 immature plants.
The measure would provide for social club licenses; no cigarettes or alcohol would be permitted at such establishments. Public use is banned, and carries a $100 fine.
Two types of retail cultivation permits would be available – one for more and on for less than 3,000-square-feet of plant canopy. Police would be barred from owning cannabis businesses, and preference would be given to cultivators with two years’ experience under current Maine statutes, with 40 percent of the licenses being issued to commercial grows less than 3,000-square-feet. No more than six licenses will be available for grows larger than 3,000-square-feet.
Personal possession limits: 2 1/2 ounces (includes transfer without renumeration).
Taxes: 10 percent retail sales tax.
Fees: Application fees for any industry license could range from $10 to $250.
License fees for retail locations and marijuana social clubs range from $250 to $2,500.
License fees for testing facilities are $100.
Cultivation license fees range $10 to $100 per 1,000-square-feet.
Product manufacturing licenses range from $100 to $1,000
Revenue disbursement: Revenues will be deposited into the General Fund.
Medical initiatives
In addition to the states that are vying for a legal recreational market, several states will be deciding whether to enact or expand medical marijuana programs as well. Learn about the states that will be voting on medical cannabis measures this election season below:
Summary: The act aims to revive the medical cannabis program in the state which was decimated by the passage of the Montana Marijuana Act by the legislature in 2011. The Montana Marijuana Act removed most of the provisions allowed under the Medical Marijuana Act passed by voters in 2004.
The measure repeals rules set by the 2011 statute, including the three patients limit and the requirement that physicians who certify more than 25 patients be referred to the Board of Medical Examiners. The act would allow medical marijuana providers to hire employees to cultivate, dispense and transport products, and removes the authority of law enforcement to conduct unannounced inspections of medical marijuana facilities, instead requiring annual inspections by the Health Department.
The plan also adds post-traumatic stress disorder to the list of eligible conditions and removes the conditions forcing patients with chronic pain to get a second doctor’s recommendation. The measure includes language requiting testing of medical marijuana by licensed laboratories.
A cardholder’s ability to possess four mature plants, 12 seedlings, and 1 ounce of cannabis is maintained. The new regime would take effect on June 20, 2017.
Taxes: There are no changes to the tax structure.
Fees: License fees for providers and producers may not exceed $1,000 for 10 or fewer registered cardholders; no more than $5,000 for more than 10.
Lab license fees cannot exceed $1,200.
Revenue disbursement: A special revenue account will be created to pay any administrative fees associated with the changes.
Summary: The medical marijuana program would be regulated by the state Department of Health, and requires Compassionate Care Centers to operate as not-for-profits. Designated caregivers could serve no more than five qualifying patients
The measure would allow medical marijuana use for “debilitating medical conditions” including cancer and it’s treatments; HIV/AIDS; Hepatitis C; ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease; post-traumatic stress disorder; Alzheimer’s disease, dementia and its treatments; Crohn’s disease, fibromyalgia; spinal damage/stenosis; chronic back pain; glaucoma; epilepsy; neuropathy; and wasting syndrome. The Health Department would be able to add conditions, and citizens would be permitted to petition for condition approval under the program. The department would have six months to make that determination. A nine-member advisory board will be created to evaluate and make program recommendations. The board will be chaired – and appointed – by the governor.
Patients with PTSD would need to get a recommendation from a licensed psychiatrist. Patients would be permitted to purchase and possess up to 3 ounces. Compassionate Care Center inventory would be capped at 1,000 plants “irrespective of the stages of growth” and no more than 3,500 ounces. Cannabis businesses would be licensed for two years and not permitted 1,000 feet from a school.
Patients are permitted to grow eight plants in an enclosed facility if they are 40 miles from the nearest Compassionate Care Center, and they must notify law enforcement of the operation. The Department of Health would be permitted to interview potential patients and caregivers at their home, but the visits are not mandatory and require 24 hours’ notice.
Taxes: There are no tax implications.
Fees: $25,000 license fees following Health Department approval.
Revenue disbursement: A Compassionate Care Fund will be created, comprised of donations, fees, and civil penalties imposed.
Summary: Voters in Arkansas originally expected two measures to legalize medical marijuana on this November’s ballot, but on October 27 one of the initiatives — the Arkansas Medical Cannabis Act — was struck down by the state’s Supreme Court.
The Arkansas Medical Marijuana Amendment would create a five-member Medical Marijuana Commission to oversee the program and advise the Department of Health. The commission would include two members appointed by the President of the Senate, two appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives and one by the governor. Citizens could petition for conditions to be added to the qualifying list, but the department would have 120 days to make a decision.
The AMMA does not have a grow-your-own provision. It provides for at least 20 dispensaries, but nor more than 40; and at least four but no more than eight cultivation facilities – both are barred from 1,500 feet from schools and churches. Potential owners must have been Arkansas residents for seven consecutive years. The Alcohol and Beverage Control Division will establish operational rules for dispensaries and cultivation facilities.
Under the measure, patients would be able to purchase and possess 2 1/2 ounces.
Taxes: The AMMA invokes local and state taxes.
Revenue disbursement: AMMA – 5 percent to the Department of Health; 4 percent to the Alcoholic Beverage Control Administration, and Enforcement divisions; 1 percent to the Medical Marijuana Commission; 10 percent to the Skills Development Fund; 50 percent to the would-be-created Vocational and Technical Training Special Revenue Fund; 30 percent to the General Revenue Fund.
Polls: 68 percent support 23 percent opposed (aggregate of Mar. 1, Public Policy Polling; Mar. 9 and June 30, News 13/Bay News 9; Mar. 11, The Ledger/10 News WTSP; May 6, Quinnipiac University; May 9, Bendixen & Amandi International; May 18, Gravis Marketing; July 21 Anzalone Liszt on behalf of United for Care; Aug 23, Saint Leo University).
Summary: The initiative being considered in Florida is a constitutional amendment, meaning that it will require 60 percent of voter support in November to become law.
Under the measure a “debilitating medical condition” is defined as cancer; epilepsy; glaucoma; HIV/AID; post-traumatic stress disorder; ALS; Crohn’s disease; Parkinson’s disease; multiple sclerosis; “or other debilitating medical conditions of the same kind or class.”
The Department of Health would be tasked in rolling out much of the program details, which need to be in place 6 months if the measure is passed by voters.
The amendment text permits Medical Marijuana Treatment Centers and caregivers, but it does not lay out any of the details included in other ballot initiatives, such as fees, taxes, possession limits and revenue disbursement.
Do you have new information regarding the upcoming election season? Shoot us an email at grow@ganjapreneur.com!
Philadelphia, PA — Responding to the needs of businesses in the legalized cannabis industry, Fox Rothschild LLP has published a National Survey on Marijuana Laws and Regulations to provide a quick reference guide to the relevant laws and statutes governing marijuana cultivation, sales, distribution and use in the United States.
Legalized cannabis – for medical or recreational purposes – is a rapidly expanding industry in the United States, with various states, including California, Colorado, Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Washington, as well as the District of Columbia, regulating its use. Navigating the various state compliance regulations – while the consumption of marijuana, regardless of its intended use, is still prohibited at the federal level – can be a daunting task.
Fox’s multidisciplinary Cannabis Practice, which has been assisting clients for more than a year, consists of more than 30 professionals throughout the firm who have long-standing experience solving legal challenges for clients who operate within highly regulated industries. The team counsels growers, distributors, processors, investors and others in this important new market, including suppliers of ancillary products and services.
Attorneys in the group regularly assist clients in business entity formation and the creation of operational plans and shareholder agreements; real estate and land use planning; acquisition of cultivation and dispensary licenses; preparation and filing of required state forms; compliance with relevant state regulations; and assistance with U.S. Department of Treasury issues for banking and financial services clients, and more.
Fox is currently representing the Cannabis Consumer Coalition and has advised clients on Illinois’ Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Pilot Program Act as well as similar laws in other states where the product is legalized and regulated.
Fox has a long history of servicing clients that operate in highly regulated industries. The firm has an established Gaming Practice that handles high-level regulatory matters and guides companies on licensing, compliance, financing and operational issues, both domestically and abroad.
For more information on Fox’s Cannabis Practice, please contact Nicholas Casiello, Jr. (Fox’s Cannabis Practice Chair), Joshua Horn (Fox’s Pennsylvania cannabis contact) or William Bogot (Fox’s Illinois cannabis contact).
About Fox Rothschild LLP
Fox Rothschild LLP (www.foxrothschild.com) is an Am Law 100 full-service law firm built to serve businesses of all sizes as well as individuals. Over the past 100 years, we have grown to 750 lawyers in 22 offices coast to coast. Our clients come to us because we understand their issues, their priorities and the way they think. At Fox, we care about your success as much as you do.
*Please be mindful that possessing, using, distributing and/or selling marijuana is a federal crime, and no legal advice we give is intended to provide any guidance or assistance in violating federal law nor will it provide any guidance or assistance in complying with federal law. Please also note that we are not advising you regarding the federal, state or local tax consequences of engaging in any business in this industry.
Viridian Staffing, the cannabis industry’s first and best known professional staffing, recruiting & HR consulting firm is launching a national career fair series under the banner of its new “Juana Career” brand.
Being a Washington-based company, founded in 2013, before a single i502 license was issued, Viridian Staffing will be holding its inaugural ‘Juana Career’ Fair on Sunday, September 18 at the Red Lion in Bellevue, Washington. Tickets as well as exhibiting and sponsorship packages available at www.Juana.Careers. The first 100 attendees to RSVP will attend for FREE.
The first ‘Juana Career’ Fair will provide an opportunity for i502 licensed cannabis companies, as well as the ecosystem of ancillary businesses that support them, to tap in to the deep pool of talent Viridian Staffing has been cultivating in Washington state for years, as well as those who attend to learn how their existing skills might translate into a career in the fastest growing industry in the country.
In addition to the career fair itself attendees will be treated to a career readiness workshop taught by Viridian Staffing’s Chief Talent Officer, Kara Bradford, a fortune 100-level recruiter with well over a decade of experience, as well as a special keynote address, and panel discussion with leading cannabis industry media personality, Shango Los, former host of the groundbreaking Ganjapreneur podcast and current host of Shaping Fire.
Founded in 2013, Viridian Staffing was the cannabis industry’s first professional staffing, recruiting & HR consulting firm. Viridian Staffing serves producers, processors, retailers and ancillaries coast to coast in North America. For more information, visit www.ViridianStaffing.com.
Constituents in Pueblo County, Colorado will vote on outlawing recreational marijuana sales and operations in November as prohibitionists have submitted enough signatures for the initiative to appear on local ballots.
If approved, the measure would permit all of the marijuana facilities operating in the county as of Nov. 7 to continue operations until their license expires or Oct. 31, 2017, whichever comes first. The scheme outlaws all retail facilities, including testing laboratories. Medical dispensaries would be permitted.
Citizens for Healthy Pueblo, supporters of the repeal efforts, claim the number of retail stores and cultivation sites has given them the undesirable reputation as the marijuana capital of southern Colorado, and increased vagrancy and crime. Supporters of the legal market say banning the industry would cost thousands of jobs – jobs that have attributed to the revitalization of the local economy.
According to the Boston Globereport, there are more than 100 retail dispensaries, cultivation facilities, and product manufacturers in Pueblo County.
County Commissioner Sal Pace indicated there are more than 1,300 Pueblo County jobs at stake, along with nearly $4 million in annual tax revenue. Those revenues have supported college scholarships, medical marijuana research at Colorado State University, Pueblo; and 4H and Future Farmers of America programs, he said.
“That’s one thing opponents here in Pueblo don’t understand, it’s going to be legalized nationally no matter what and they can be left behind if they want, but if they do it to our community it’s one more really hard attack on Pueblo, one more lost opportunity,” Pace said in the report. “It’s like the steel mill closing again.”
According to an Arizona Republic/Morrison Institute for Public Policy/Cronkite News poll, 50 percent of Arizona voters would “likely approve” the ballot measure to legalize recreational cannabis use; while 40 percent remain opposed with 10 percent undecided.
Democrats overwhelmingly supported the measure, with 64 percent indicating they would likely vote ‘yes.’ The majority of Republicans, 56 percent, indicated they would likely vote ‘no.’
The measure would permit adults 21 and older to buy cannabis for recreational use, possess up to 1 ounce, and grow up to six plants in their homes without obtaining a license. It would establish a 15 percent tax on retail sales of cannabis that would be allocated to education programs.
Adam Deguire, campaign manager for the anti-legalization campaign, said that opponents have yet to spend any money on advertising against Proposition 205 so “polls this early… don’t mean much.”
“[The measure] misleads voters into thinking more money will go to schools when in fact it will go towards creating more government,” Deguire said in an Arizona Republicreport.
Mike O’Neil, a public opinion pollster, said that although the survey “reflects an evolving attitude on marijuana” it does not necessarily mean its support is secured until Election Day.
“The proposal starts out ahead … but that doesn’t mean it ends up that way after a campaign,” he said in the report.
Arizona is one of five states voting on recreational legalization in November.
Promoting cannabis-related tourism in legal states is a challenging proposition as businesses associated with the industry and officials charged with regulating the sector are at risk of breaking federal law, according to a report from Travel Weekly.
David Blandford, Visit Seattle’s vice president of communications, said the agency supports cannabis tourism, but cannot advertise anything related to recreational cannabis. He says Visit Seattle gets several questions from tourists about the details of the law, but answering those questions is tricky because while visitors older than 21 can legally purchase cannabis, there is nothing in the law that allows them a place to partake – public use is banned and it’s up to the individual hotels whether or not to permit cannabis use and many have strict no-smoking policies.
“We’ve certainly been very dedicated to being a resource and answering questions and helping travelers understand the law,” Blanford said in the report. “Marketing to [tourists] is just premature for us. It’s very difficult to work through the federal interpretation of promotion. It’s a very sticky issue.”
Marcus Hibdon, senior media and public relations manager for Travel Portland, said that because of the growing use of vape pens and the proliferation of edibles it’s not hard for tourists to partake in public, but the agency is still beholden to federal law when it comes to promotion.
“We’re not going to promote anything contrary to the law,” Hibdon said. “With each passing month, it appears as though it’s getting easier for consumers to consume it legally, and that helps us from a promotional standpoint.”
In Colorado, three Bud & Breakfast locations offer marijuana-friendly accommodations which include Wake ‘n’ Bake breakfasts and a 4:20 happy hour. The city’s My 420 Tours provides outings to dispensaries and greenhouses, joint and sushi-rolling classes and cannabis-infused massages. Pedal Bike Tours offers an 11-mile cycling tour of the Portland scene.
Carly Holbrook, a representative for the Colorado Tourism Office, said that the effect on tourism will be clearer as more states legalize, and tourism officials will be able to fully embrace the industry once the federal government either loosen their rules, or outright legalize the drug for personal use.
“There will be more opportunity to market it, and it will be less taboo, more widely accepted,” she said.
The American Legion’s Committee on Veterans Affairs & Rehabilitation is calling on the DEA to “license privately-funded medical marijuana operations” and reschedule the drug in order to increase access for veterans. The resolution was affirmed during the 88th National Convention of the American Legion in Cincinnati, Ohio.
According to the resolution, the committee believes that medical cannabis is a viable therapy for treating both post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury.
“I consider this a major breakthrough for such a conservative veterans organization,” Dr. Sue Sisley, a researcher for the first federally-approved study examining medical cannabis as a PTSD therapy, said in a Marijuana.com report. “Suddenly the American Legion has a tangible policy statement on cannabis that will allow them to lobby and add this to their core legislative agenda. The organization has a massive amount of influence at all levels.”
Sisley has lobbied the organization to endorse her research for the past two years, and was a speaker at the Cincinnati convention. She said many local posts have supported her work — and marijuana therapies — but getting support from the national office is a “historic shift in public policy.”
Twelve states recognize PTSD as a qualifying condition for their medical marijuana programs. New Jersey could become the thirteenth if Gov. Chris Christie signs the bill, passed by the legislature last month, adding the condition.
A petition calling on New Jersey Gov. Christ Christie to sign legislation adding post-traumatic stress disorder to the list of medical marijuana qualifying conditions has garnered nearly 18,000 signatures. The petition, started by The Joint Blog, comes a month after the state legislature approved a bill adding the condition, sending it to the governor for his signature.
“The measure sits on the desk of Governor Chris Christie, who has the option of signing it into law, allowing it to become law without his signature, or vetoing it,” the petition reads. “We are calling Governor Christie to quickly sign it into law, allowing those suffering from the ailment to use a medicine that research has continually shown is beneficial.”
The bill (A457) passed the Assembly, 56-13, in June, moving through the Senate, 29-9, in August.
The petition includes links to two separate studies that found marijuana therapies to be effective in the treatment of the condition, which according to the Department of Veterans Affairs, affects about 8 million adults during a given year.
Michigan, California, Illinois, Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Maine, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington, and Arizona all recognize PTSD as a qualifying condition for their respective medical marijuana programs.
An Israeli biomed group has launched an incubator for medical marijuana companies in order to connect them with relevant investors, according to a report from Israeli business publication, Globes.
The incubator, headed by the Shizim Group, will not directly invest in companies. Instead, they will offer mentoring and consultation services to help build relationships between companies and potential financiers.
Ofer Spottheim, the incubator’s general manager, says that many Israelis are already involved in the US industry and that Israel’s market is only poised to expand.
“In the state of Colorado… many Israelis are involved in this business, operating farms, greenhouses and the vending machines selling the product,” Spottheim said in the report. “Alongside Israelis, ultra-orthodox Jews are also involved in this business. There is no particular reason why Israelis and Jews are operating in this field — they just saw the opportunity and pursued it.”
The firm has already hosted an eight-meeting course for startups and plans on holding a conference next week. Raphael Mechoulam, an Israeli organic chemist who led research in the discovery of the endocannabinoid system, will be a guest at the event.
“We wish to form a network of connections between all people involved in this industry which will put Israel on the map,” Spottheim said.
Last week, Israel Agriculture Minister Uri Ariel announced plans for the country to export medical marijuana abroad.
There are now more patients with chronic pain signed up for Minnesota’s medical marijuana program than there are patients with cancer epilepsy, and terminal illness combined, according to a report from the Star Tribune. The Department of Health added the condition on Aug. 1 and now patients with chronic pain represent one out of three patients enrolled in the program.
Operators in the state are hoping that the recent influx will be a boon for their companies, as Minnesota is one of the most tightly regulated programs in the nation. Dr. Kyle Kingsley, CEO of MinnMed, said his company invested $5 million into its operations in 2015 and operated at a $3 million loss during its first year.
Patients are hoping that the new customers will help drive down the high prices that make the program unaffordable. Cassie Traun, who is diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, said she dropped out of the program due to the exorbitant medicine prices, which ran her thousands of dollars per month.
“I’m tired. I’m sick. I shouldn’t need to be here begging for dignity, begging for access,” Traun said during her appearance at hearing of the state’s medical cannabis task force. “This program is an illusion of a functioning medical cannabis program.”
The Minnesota program prohibits flower use, allowing for only pills and liquid forms of cannabis. The price can range from hundreds to thousands depending on the patient’s condition.
The Health Department is considering adding autism, post-traumatic stress disorder, arthritis, diabetes, amputated limbs, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, insomnia, schizophrenia and treatment-resistant depression to the qualifying condition list this year after they were suggested by members of the public.
Jamaican officials are developing health and wellness tourism plans that include cannabis, part of an overall strategy that could generate $5 billion by 2021, according to travel industry trade publication eTurboNews.com.
Under the plan by Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett, Jamaica would move away from the all-inclusive, mass tourism model and become “a destination with a difference.” He has already developed a Health and Wellness Network tasked with defining policies for the cannabis-centric health and wellness subsector with plans for “a full roll out” by the end of next year.
“We believe that we can do product differentiation and we can do a level of product diversification which enables us to be attractive to all demographics,” he said during his address at Canex Jamaica, a cannabis industry conference.
Bartlett said the global market for cannabis tourism is worth about $494 billion and Jamaicans “want a piece of it,” noting that Colorado saw a 175 percent tourism increase after legalizing recreational use. He suggested that Jamaica’s industry would allow tourists a “rustic luxury” and that the subsector is “a very important part” of the island nation’s economic future.
Cannabis is decriminalized and tourists who hold medical marijuana cards can buy and possess up to two ounces under looser laws enacted by the federal government last year.
Recreational cannabis sales in Washington State topped $130 million in August, according to recent data from the state Liquor and Cannabis Board. The sales are worth about $25 million in tax revenue. Daily dispensary sales recorded a new high in August, hitting more than $4,200 per day – up from about $3,900 per day in July.
The revenues are considered for fiscal year 2017, which began on July 1. Since that date, roughly $250 million in legal cannabis has been sold, which translates to about $50 million in tax revenues. In fiscal year 2016, $972 million worth of legal marijuana was sold, worth roughly $185 million in tax revenues.
According to the report, more than $4.2 million of legal cannabis is sold statewide every day, resulting in about $700,000 in tax revenues. The state saw 15,043 pounds of cannabis sold in August, down slightly from the 15,260 sold in July.
The 18,160 pounds of cannabis produced in August was the highest recorded in the state so far, almost 3,000 pounds more than were produced in July, the next highest month for production recorded by the board.
In July, the board performed 63 total compliance checks, issuing 22 violations and failing seven.
Beginning this week, Ohio patients suffering from one of the conditions spelled out under the state’s medical marijuana law could assert an “affirmative defense” to a judge if they are charged with possession or use of pot, the Toledo Bladereports. The defense will serve as the only relief for patients charged with possession for roughly two years as the state constructs its tightly regulated program — and it will be up to a judge to accept it.
Republican State Rep. Kirk Schuring, who sponsored the medical marijuana legislation, said the program could be fully operational in less than two years and that lawmakers included the affirmative defense measure in the bill so patients, who would qualify under the Ohio program, would not be punished for possessing cannabis while the infrastructure was being set up.
“We’re building a whole new industry from the bottom up,” Schuring said in the report. “A lot of rules have to be promulgated, which will take a significant amount of time.”
The affirmative defense will likely only be accepted if the person charged has written recommendations from their doctor, and was caught possessing a substance defined as medical marijuana under the Ohio statute; which includes, very broadly, plant matter, oils, edibles, patches tinctures, or vapor.
Barry Wilford, a Columbus-based criminal attorney, says the defense can only be used once an individual is in trouble and won’t help prevent an initial arrest.
“The fact is that someone could be abiding by the law in what they are doing, is stopped, is arrested, and would then have to prove to a judge or a jury by the preponderance of the evidence that they did all these things and didn’t violate the law,” he said.
In Ohio, possessing small amounts of marijuana is a minor misdemeanor that cannot be considered in a criminal background check for employment purposes.
Patients in Delaware are still struggling to gain access to medical marijuana in the state, with many paying high prices and being forced to travel hundreds of miles, according to a News Journalreport. The lack of access is partly due to there being only one licensed dispensary in the entire state.
Todd Boone, a medical card holder, has sued the state to open dispensaries in Kent and Sussex counties, which are closer to his Milton home. Boone drives 190 miles round trip to the Wilmington dispensary to obtain the medicine he needs to combat the chronic pain he’s had since a 2008 motorcycle. He says he pays about $360 for an ounce of flower at the dispensary.
“There are thousands of people that need this as medicine, and there is too much greed and back-door politics going on here,” Boone said in the report.
Officials in Delaware planned on opening dispensaries in every county but so far the pilot dispensary in Wilmington — opened last year — is the only one operating the state. According to the report, state regulators are finalizing contract negotiations that would open two more in Sussex and Kent counties by 2017. The Delaware Medical Marijuana Act provided that all three counties must have a Compassion Center by Jan. 1, 2013.
Paul Hyland, the director of the state’s program, indicated that the officials are making progress, although they keep negotiations private, but that “these things take time.”
An Oregon man has been fined $60,000 by the Department of Consumer and Business Services for swindling $80,000 from an investor for a marijuana-related enterprise, the Oregonianreports.
The department concluded that Todd Grange scammed the Colorado investor into financing a business called THC Pharmaceutical, which the state called a “sham public offering.” Grange claimed that he had been in business for five years and had raised $9 million from 27 different investors; however, the fraudulent company was never incorporated in Oregon — or anywhere else.
“This is a classic case of a fraudster going out there and pitching an investment that is clearly too good to be true using the hot new industry as the hook,” Jake Sunderland, spokesman for the department, said in the report. “Sometimes it’s oil. Sometimes it’s gold and sometimes it’s silver. In this case, it’s marijuana.”
Grange told the investor that his $25,000 investment would be worth about $1 million in shares after THC Pharmaceutical merged with a publicly traded company. The investor never received any shares because “there is no evidence” that any merger was planned and “would be impossible because THCP did not exist,” the order said.
State investigator Chris Aldrich called the ploy a “pyramid scheme.”
“There is no evidence to support that THCP is anything but an internet website which solicits funds,” he wrote in an affidavit included in the order.
Grange appealed the order but dropped out of the appeals process. In order to procure restitution, the parties must negotiate a resolution, but it does not appear that Grange is willing to cooperate in those negotiations. The case could go next to an administrative law judge.
Roger Martin is the founder of Grow for Vets USA, a nonprofit working to ease the suffering of veterans through the use of medical cannabis. The organization originated in Colorado, but through Roger’s leadership has been expanded into multiple states around the nation. Roger has had a long career in the service of the United States: he went from originally serving in the U.S. Army to working in law enforcement, and has decided to spend his retirement working to benefit and protect the lives of U.S. military veterans everywhere.
Countless veterans have lauded the effects of cannabis in the treatment of PTSD, chronic pain, and depression. For this reason — and because suicide and painkiller overdoses continue to claim the lives of more than 50 veterans per day — Roger believes that cannabis ought to be the first treatment option offered to veterans suffering from such conditions. To that end, he works tirelessly to convince VA administrators, elected officials, and medical professionals of the benefits of medical cannabis. And that’s why, according to the organization’s website, Grow for Vets USA has provided just over $750,000 worth of cannabis to more than 30,000 veterans, free of charge.
We recently had a conversation with Roger about what it takes to build a national nonprofit cannabis organization from the ground up. Scroll down to read the full interview!
Ganjapreneur: When did you decide to found Grow For Vets, and how did the project look in its infancy?
Roger Martin: I first decided to launch Grow for Vets USA in 2013. I was at a training facility working our German Shepherd and I met several young Veterans who told me that they were taking 20, or more prescription drugs a day. They also told me that cannabis was the only thing that helped them deal with PTSD, TBI, and chronic pain. In addition, they indicated that their lack of financial resources needed to purchase medical cannabis was forcing them to take the free drugs that the VA was handing out. I was outraged to learn of their plight which became the genesis for Grow for Vets USA. I began providing Vets with free medical cannabis. I made it official on January 14, 2014, when I incorporated as a Colorado nonprofit organization. In June of 2015, the IRS granted us tax-exempt status.
How long after you started in Colorado until you realized you had the momentum to turn Grow For Vets into a national organization?
Within a couple of months after our launch in Colorado, we began receiving inquiries from people across the country who wanted to open chapters. On July 1, 2015, we began our national expansion by opening a chapter in Oregon, on the first day that cannabis became adult legal.
How has your organization changed over the last three years?
Since our founding, we have grown tremendously. Many people have come forward to assist us in launching new chapters. In addition, we have received generous support from both individuals and businesses.
What are the most common conditions that can cause veterans to seek cannabis treatment?
The most common is probably chronic pain, followed by PTSD.
How do you identify and reach out to veterans who may need help in their healing process?
We rely on help from the media, as well as from other individuals, companies, and organizations that help us spread the word on social media. We are hoping to someday have the funding needed to run PSA’s.
Has Grow For Vets received any feedback or pushback from established military institutions?
To date, all of the feedback from military organizations has either been good, or at the very least neutral. However, neither the VFW nor the American Legion have been receptive to our efforts. This may soon change as we have a free cannabis giveaway event scheduled for later this month at a VFW post. We are holding our breath to see if it really happens and we are hopeful that it will.
What was your career before founding Grow For Vets?
I was blessed to be able to retire in 2001, at the age of 49. My background includes, law enforcement, other work for an agency of the U.S. Government, film and television production, and publishing.
What has been the most memorable moment from your involvement in the cannabis industry, so far?
Children thanking me for giving them back their mother of father; the result of Grow for Vets USA providing their parent with free medical cannabis to replace deadly prescription meds.
How many states (and which ones) do you have chapters in, now?
We have active chapters in Colorado, New Mexico, California, Washington, Oregon, and Michigan. We currently have chapter applications pending in 11 other states. We have not made a final determination on how rapidly we want to continue our national expansion.
Are there any states in particular that Grow For Vets is currently eyeing for a new chapter?
Arizona and Nevada, as well as multiple additional chapters in California.
If you could give one piece of advice to someone as they consider launching a cannabis non-profit organization, what would it be?
Surround yourself with a good team and follow a business plan. When I started Grow for Vets USA, I thought that it would be something on the level of a weekend hobby. Consequently, I failed to formulate and follow a business plan for the first 2 years we operated.
The other major mistake I made was I allowed national expansion to begin in July 2015 without having a back-up plan in case the new leadership of our flagship chapter in Colorado failed….and they did — more than once. This has resulted in my having to devote considerable time and resources in an attempt to mend fences. In a nutshell, make absolutely certain that your first chapter is rock solid before expanding.
Thank you for dedicating some time to talk to us about your experiences advocating for veteran access to medical cannabis, Roger! We look forward to seeing how Grow for Vets USA will continue their work to benefit veterans in the future. To learn more about Roger Martin, or the non-profit organization Grow for Vets USA, visit GrowForVets.com.
VaporPlants, an online specialty store selling vaporizers, is partnering with one of the leading names in vaporizer pens and portable vaporizer units, Grenco Science, to provide customers with some of the most innovative vaporizers on the market.
With the legalization of medicinal marijuana in more than 20 states and the full legalization of recreational marijuana in four states and one U.S. territory, the demand for vaporizer pens and portable vaporizers is on the rise. Many people prefer portable vaporizer units and vaporizer pens for consuming cannabis, as these vaporizers are discreet, lightweight, and simple to use.
Grenco Science has long been a leader in the vape industry and has an excellent reputation for producing some of the best portable vaporizer units available at reasonable prices. VaporPlants.com is proud to be an authorized dealer of Grenco Science wax and dry herb vaporizer models. Their status as an authorized dealer ensures that customers receive the full manufacturer’s warranty on any wax or herbal vaporizer from the Grenco Science collection.
With a wide range of Grenco Science vaporizers, VaporPlants offers the perfect economical vaporizer for herbs or wax to meet every vapor enthusiast’s needs.
For those who prefer a portable vaporizer, the G Pro is the ideal solution. With three heat settings and a powerful rechargeable 2600 mAh lithium ion battery, this herb vape allows for a flexible vaping experience and reduces the need for frequent charging. Those who are looking for a lighter, smaller vaporizer can browse the wide selection of G Pen vaporizer pens, which includes the stylish Snoop Dogg vaporizer and the ultra-compact Micro G Pen.
The entire Grenco Science collection from the G Pro to the Snoop Dogg G Pen is now available to browse online at VaporPlants. Those interested in learning more can visit the official website or contact 1 800. 516. 5808 in the U.S. or 1 347. 763. 1038 abroad.
A video from VaporPlants:
About VaporPlants
VaporPlants is committed to helping people who are looking for healthy alternatives to smoking find vapor pens, mechanical mods, and vaporizers to suit their needs. Founded in 2014, the company is based in Brooklyn, New York, and carries a selection of vaping products from industry leaders like Grenco Science, PAX Laboratories, and Atmos RX. By combining an unbeatable selection of desktop and portable vaporizer units and vaporizer pens with unparalleled customer service, VaporPlants is able to meet the demands of those new to vaping as well as those who have been enjoying the benefits of vaping for years.
Medical marijuana will be available to patients in Australia beginning in November after approval by the Therapeutic Goods Administration, the Canberra Timesreports. The drug will be “strictly controlled” in the nation and the government is still forming a formal regulation structure.
Lucy Haslam, co-founder of United in Compassion, said the TGA decision is an “essential step in the process,” but patients are stuck in a “holding pattern” while the government determines the rules and sets up infrastructure. She is concerned that the industry could be “so bound up in red tape” that it might not be feasible.
“My fear is that the industry will become so expensive that patients won’t be able to access a legal supply at an affordable price,” Haslam said in the report. “There’s also a lot of work to do on educating people and doctors, some of who remain a bit uncomfortable about prescribing medical cannabis to patients.”
Under the TGA decision, non-medical cannabis will remain illegal with medical marijuana products being listed as Schedule 8 – along with other restricted drugs like morphine. Physicians will be permitted to prescribe cannabis under state or territory laws.
Changes to the Narcotic Drugs Act will allow for marijuana to be grown and produced in Australia for medicinal purposes only.
A second medical marijuana ballot initiative will be put to voters in November after the Secretary of State’s office certified the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Amendment, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazettereports.
Now both camps — the AMMA and the previously-approved Arkansas Medical Cannabis Act — will be battling against each other in addition to Republican leadership, including Gov. Asa Hutchinson and Attorney General Leslie Rutledge, and groups such as Arkansans Against Legalized Marijuana.
David Couch headed the amendment campaign after working with Arkansans for Compassionate Care on the failed medical marijuana measure in 2012. His plan differs from the AMCA in that it does not provide for home-growing regardless of the distance between a patient and the nearest dispensary or caregiver. The chronic conditions qualifying for medical marijuana use covered by Couch’s proposal are more limited that its counterpart — allowing for cannabis treatments to be utilized for only 12 conditions, while the AMCA lists 38.
The regulatory structure of the AMMA is also more complex; creating a Medical Marijuana Commission and authorizing at least 20, but no more than 40, dispensaries per county. The AMCA structure would permit one nonprofit distribution center for every 20 pharmacies, under the authority of the Department of Health.
“It’s going to be a tough battle, but it’s just the right thing to do,” Couch said in the report.
Melissa Fults, Arkansas Compassionate Care director who campaigned for the AMCA, has said that it is likely that both initiatives will fail if they compete for voter support in the general election.
“We have to believe that running a positive campaign and getting our volunteers out will get the message out enough that people will know the difference or will vote for both,” she said after the AMMA approval was announced. “It’s going to be confusing. We’ll be right next to each other on the ballot.”
If both measures are approved, the one with the most votes will supersede the other.
Cannabis prices in Colorado are falling, according to a Business Insiderreport based on data from Tradiv, an online marijuana distribution platform. The wholesale cost of a pound of marijuana in the state is now between $1,400 and $1,600 in August, down from $2,400 to $2,600 last October.
“In less than a year, we’ve seen wholesale prices drop to nearly half of their previous totals,” John Manlove, director of sales at Tradiv, said in the report. “We’ve never seen prices like this.”
The drop can be attributed to a market that is rapidly being flooded. Growers are ramping up production, causing a “steady decline” in wholesale costs regardless of demand, Manlove said. There are no strict canopy limits in Colorado.
Manlove suggests that the wholesale price fall could also be due to Denver’s moratorium on granting licenses to new dispensaries and cultivation facilities, which has allowed a “minority of large cannabis business owners” to purchase and consolidate the remaining licenses.
According to a Longview, Washington Daily Newsreport, similar market shifts are taking place in Washington. When the legal market emerged in the state in 2014, a gram of flower ran between $25 and $30. In January the Liquor and Cannabis Board reported the price to be about $10 per gram.
With about two months left until Question 2 is put to voters, opponents of legal cannabis in Nevada have so far been relatively quiet. According to a Las Vegas Review-Journal report, zero Las Vegas television advertising slots have, so far, been reserved or purchased by any anti-legalization group.
The only advertising against the measure thus far has been in Reno, in the form of billboards purchased by Join Together Northern Nevada. Those roadside ads feature images of munchies with the text, “Can you spot the POT? Can your KIDS?”
Pat Hickney, a former Republican state Assemblyman and co-founder of Nevadans for Responsible Drug Policy, said his group had no plans for TV ad buys against the measure, indicating the group would continue their fight through “grass-roots education, speaking on panels [and] appearing before community businesses and church groups.”
Another anti-cannabis PAC, Protecting Nevada’s Children, was formed on Aug. 18 and is headed by attorney Daniel Stewart. Stewart is a member of Republican consulting firm November Inc., who worked with Gov. Brian Sandoval on his gubernatorial bid.
Sandoval opposes legalizing cannabis for recreational use, but Eric Herzik, head of the University of Nevada’s political science department, said the opposition means little without an active campaign.
“If you’re able to run ads, if you have people who are making calls, knocking on doors, it doesn’t matter if Brian Sandoval says he’s opposed to it,” Herzik said in the report.
On the flipside, The Coalition to Regulate Marijuana like Alcohol, a pro-Question 2 political action committee, has reserved more than $900,000 in commercial ad buys on Southern Nevada TV stations, rolled out digital ads, and unveiled a billboard advertisement supporting the ballot question.
According to the report, the wild card is Sheldon Adelson — the chairman and CEO of Las Vegas Sands Corp and staunch prohibitionist. Aldelson contributed more than $5 million toward the anti-medical marijuana efforts in Florida in 2014. That measure required enactment by 60 percent voter approval because it was a proposed constitutional amendment – it was defeated with 57.6 percent support. Alderson has yet to inject any money into anti-marijuana PACs this election cycle.
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf (D) said that he supports the statewide decriminalization of personal amounts of cannabis during a “Smart Talk” radio interview on August 29th.
Gov. Wolf told interviewer Scott LaMar, “too many people are going to prison because of the use of very modest amounts or carrying modest amounts of marijuana, and that is clogging up our prisons, it’s destroying families, and it’s hurting our economy.”
Decriminalization is the “first step” in solving those issues, the governor said. Both Philadelphia and Pittsburgh have already decriminalized the possession of small amounts of cannabis — “I think we need to do that in a more systematic fashion,” said Wolf.
According to a Philadelphia magazine report, Gov. Wolf has previously stated his support for decriminalization. He was also a supporter of the movement to establish a medical cannabis program in Pennsylvania.
He has not warmed as much to the idea of recreational legalization, however, citing health and economic unknowns to be his reasons for wariness. “I think we can watch and see what happens in Colorado, Washington and Oregon,” Wolf said. “I think we have to wait and see.”
A proposal to seek statewide decriminalization in Pennsylvania is expected soon, according to a memorandum posted in April. That legislation, announced by Rep. Ed Gainey (D), would “protect Pennsylvanians from the lifelong collateral consequences of a narcotics conviction by imposing a fine and a summary conviction for an individual possessing thirty (30) grams or less of marijuana or eight (8) grams or less of hashish.”
The Oregon Liquor Control Commission licensed two Portland laboratories to test cannabis before it hits dispensary shelves, The Oregonianreports. Pixis Labs and Green Leaf Lab are the first labs licensed by officials, who expect to approve four more by Oct. 1, the first official day for recreational cannabis sales in the state.
Currently, cannabis must be tested before being sold to consumers but the labs are not subject to state oversight. The new regime requires labs to be certified by the liquor commission and the State of Oregon’s Laboratory Accreditation Program. So far, 17 labs have submitted applications to the commission to test cannabis. The marijuana accreditation is separate from other accreditations, such as water and food.
“Now businesses are licensed to start testing product which will allow its movement through our regulatory system and the industry supply chain,” Steve Marks, OLCC executive director said in a Patchreport. “We expect additional lab capacity to come online to meet the needs of the fall marijuana harvest.”
The commission estimates that labs will test about 2,500 samples each month to meet demand, based on figures from Colorado and Washington. The state has already issued nearly 200 producer licenses; most of them for large-scale grows.
