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New Zealand Poll: 64 Percent Support for Cannabis Legalization, Decriminalization

8/15/2016

A recent NZ Drug Foundation poll has found that 64 percent of New Zealanders are in favor of legalizing or decriminalizing cannabis, according to a Stuff report. More than 80 percent indicated they favor access to medical marijuana for terminal pain relief.

In the poll, 33 percent of respondents said cannabis should be legal for personal use, with 31 percent indicating they approve decriminalization. However, 34 percent said the drug should remain illegal.

“This tells us voters are ready for change even if law makers aren’t,” Ross Bell, NZ Drug Foundation executive director, said in the report.

The only party supporting a cannabis legalization referendum in the nation is NZ First. Members of the Labour Party say that decriminalization isn’t a priority, and the Green Party prefers a bill to legalize cannabis rather than putting it to the public for a vote.

Prime Minister John Key, member of the New Zealand National Party, said he “was not a massive fan” of legalizing or decriminalizing cannabis.

“As a Parliament, if we were to decriminalize then one of the messages we’d be sending is that ‘you’d increase drug use, drug use is ok,’” he said in an interview with RNZ.

He admitted that the current laws “do not work perfectly” but noted that police don’t often prosecute individuals for possessing small amounts of cannabis.

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WA Cannabis Sales Surpass $4.2 Million Per Day

8/15/2016

According to Washington’s Liquor and Cannabis Board, legal sales in the state are over $4.2 million each day, up more than $400,000 a day from a month ago. The sales are worth $750,000 a day in tax revenues.

So far in 2016, nearly $973 million in cannabis has been sold, amounting to $185.8 million in tax revenues for the state.

The uptick in sales might be attributed to the LCB shutting down unlicensed dispensaries on July 1, as SB 5052 – which legalized cannabis for recreational use – took effect. July 1 also marked the beginning of the state’s fiscal year; more than $155 million in legal cannabis has already been sold at the start of the new year.

The LCB numbers show that flower is the most popular form purchased by consumers, with 791,226 units sold. More than 457,600 units of solid edibles were sold, along with more than 113,600 units of liquid edibles.

In Fiscal Year 2016, almost 28,000 pounds of flower was harvested in the state, and just more than 944,200 grams of extracts were produced. During the year, the LCB conducted nearly 2,000 compliance checks, of which just 57 failed the checks and 287 total violations were issued.

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BUD Summit to Host ‘Hot Box’ Session Featuring Up to $10 Million in Investments

8/15/2016

by Chloe Sommers

Preparing for the future of the legal cannabis market, smart cannabis investors and entrepreneurs are shifting their attention to the Northeast states for an idea of what legalization will eventually look like along the whole East Coast. Industry and medical marijuana leaders will converge in Washington D.C. for the Business Understanding Development Summit on August 20.

The BUD Summit is reinventing what you’ve come to expect from a cannabis expo. With keynote speakers Keith Stroup and Rick Simpson, as well as breakout groups for investors and entrepreneurs, BUDS is the place to facilitate innovation and education for the East Coast cannabis industry.

Legal market sales are projected to surpass $22 billion by the year 2020, making the cannabis industry one of the fastest-growing in America, according to an industry analysis from ArcView and New Frontier.

To compliment the ‘green rush’ of ganjapreneurs innovating and developing the new cannabis frontier, the BUD Summit has come up with a unique feature that’s sure to grab attention. It’s named “The Hot Box” and participants need to contact the Hot Box “igniter” Shanita Penny, of Budding Solutions, to get a chance at the $10 million available for investment. Named after an air-tight room where cannabis smoke is exhaled, trapped, and inhaled again, “The Hot Box” is the BUD Summit’s business-first take on the consumption method. Set in its own room at the Hyatt Regency, where the event is taking place, it’s specifically reserved for ganjapreneurs to pitch their cannabis ideas and businesses to a panel of industry experts and investors. The idea is that these pitches will spark ideas and partnerships.

The panel has premier accredited investors and business accelerators with cannabis venture investments totaling over $10 million. Successful start-ups have the potential to gain funding, strategic partnerships, and business acceleration resources.

“We want cannabis businesses to come together on their own, to regulate and make the cannabis market emerge in a safe and healthy way and to avoid falling in-line with Big Tobacco,” said BUD Summit co-founder Brandon L. Wyatt. Wyatt is a U.S. veteran, business and civil rights attorney in D.C. and national policy coordinator for the Weed for Warriors project.

“It’s not just about making profit,” Wyatt said. “We are lobbying for clinical testing and social responsibility to be a part of every aspect of adult-use and medical cannabis.”

The BUD Summit will be held on August 20, at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill. Tickets are available online, and for more information on speakers, like myself, who will be speaking about digital journalism and the future of cannabis you can visit the BUD Summit website.

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North Dakota MMJ Initiative Approved for November Ballot

8/12/2016

North Dakota’s ballot initiative to legalize medical marijuana was approved by the Secretary of State and will be put to voters in November, according to an Associated Press report.

Supporters of the North Dakota Compassionate Care Act turned in more than 17,200 qualified signatures to Secretary of State Al Jaeger yesterday — thousands more than 13,500 needed for the measure to secure a spot on the ballot. Supporters said they spent between 4,000 and 5,000 hours collecting signatures across the state.

“We thought we had a lot of work gathering the signatures from Christmas ’til now and it was. But now we have to win hearts and minds,” Anita Morgan, a member of the Compassionate Care Act Committee said in a WDay 6 report.

The law, if approved by voters, would allow for state-licensed dispensaries, patients to grow a limited supply, and make it legal for program participants to possess up to 3 ounces of marijuana for medical use.

According to a 2014 poll conducted by the University of North Dakota College of Business and Public Administration commissioned by Forum Communications Co., 47 percent of respondents supported a medical marijuana program, compared to 41 percent opposed, and 9 percent neutral.

Voters in Florida, Montana, and Arkansas will also vote on legalizing medical cannabis in the general election.

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A Canadian flag using a cannabis leaf instead of a maple leaf.

Health Canada Announces New Medical Cannabis Regulations

8/12/2016

Under new policies set forth by Health Canada, medical marijuana patients will soon be allowed to grow their own cannabis and have any product tested at a federally certified laboratory, the Globe and Mail reports.

In an email to the Globe, Health Canada spokesman Eric Morrissette said the shift is due to the “recognition of the health and safety value of testing.”

“This would enable individuals to have more information about the potency of the strains they are producing (i.e. THC and CBD levels), as well as information about any contaminants (e.g. heavy metals, microbial) or residues in their product,” he wrote.

The changes come less than a month after a Globe investigation uncovered that the federal government was discouraging labs from independently testing products that did not come from government-authorized producers. At that time, the Globe report found three of nine flower samples from unlicensed dispensaries did not meet Health Canada’s safety standards.

In February, a Canadian Federal Court ruled that grow-your-own bans violated a patient’s right to life, liberty, and security. In his decision, Judge Michael L. Phelan gave the government six months to come up with regulations for home growing.

The new regime allows those with a prescription to grow two indoor plants or five outdoor plants — due to differences in yields — with licensed producers allowed to sell the seeds.

The new rules take effect on Aug. 24.

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Ohio Professional Board: Attorneys Not Allowed to Help Establish MMJ Businesses

8/12/2016

by TG Branfalt Jr.

The Ohio Supreme Court’s Board of Professional Conduct has barred attorneys from helping individuals seeking to establish legal medical marijuana businesses in the state and from participating as patients in the medical marijuana program, the Associated Press reports.

The board made the decisions because using, cultivating, and selling cannabis is still a federal crime.

Democratic State Rep. Dan Ramos, who worked on the House committee that reviewed the law, said that legislators specifically included language in the bill that allowed attorneys to practice in the sector. He called the ruling “deeply troublesome from a constitutional standpoint.”

State Rep. Stephen Huffman, a Republican who sponsored the measure, said the ruling will “hamper the ability for the law to be implemented in the spirit of what the General Assembly was trying to accomplish.”

Hawaii is the only other state with a medical marijuana program that does not allow attorneys to help establish cannabis-related businesses. Last year, the Hawaii Supreme Court Disciplinary Board ruled that lawyers can provide legal advice regarding the law, but cannot help establish such businesses for the same reasons provided in the Ohio ruling.

Ohio passed the medical marijuana legislation in May. The program is expected to be rolled out in Sept. 2018.

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Malia Obama Filmed Allegedly Smoking Cannabis at Lollapalooza

8/12/2016

While the DEA failed to change its position on cannabis, a video emerged of the elder First Daughter apparently smoking a joint at Lollapalooza — because that’s what most 18-year-olds do at Lollapalooza.

In the 9 second video, posted by Radar Online, Malia Obama appears to take a quick puff off of a joint, then passes it on to a fellow concert-goer.

Her father, the President of The United States, has admitted to getting high in college — famously saying he “inhaled frequently and that was the point.” Former Democratic President Bill Clinton admitted to trying marijuana but claimed he “did not inhale.” His successor, President George W. Bush, a Republican, admitted that he “might have smoked some” during an interview with Jay Leno.

There was no press conference called to address Malia’s behavior, and aside from the usual conservative pundits and muckrakers, it isn’t even that big of a deal. Malia is headed to Harvard University, and a bit of pot isn’t going to have much of an impact on her education or future job prospects.

Cannabis possession is decriminalized in Illinois (Lollapalooza was held in Chicago); medical marijuana is available in Massachusetts, with two dispensaries operating in Cambridge (where Harvard’s campus is located). Washington D.C. has legalized cannabis for recreational use. Malia is growing up in a nation where, in many places, cannabis use is normal – particularly normal for an 18-year-old at Lollapalooza.

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DEA’s Cannabis Decision Flies in the Face of Science, Logic, and Compassion

8/11/2016

By now, you’ve probably seen the news: the Drug Enforcement Administration has decided to keep cannabis — despite countless reports on its relative safety, healing properties, and the political and racist reasons for its very prohibition in the first place — ranked as a Schedule 1 drug under the Controlled Substances Act.

“This decision isn’t based on danger. This decision is based on whether marijuana, as determined by the FDA, is a safe and effective medicine,” DEA chief Chuck Rosenburg told NPR. “And it’s not,” he said.

However, it’s painfully obvious to anyone with a sense of the corrupt, behind-the-scenes power schemes typical in politics, that this decision is much more about self-preservation to the DEA than it is about protecting the American people. If cannabis were made legal, the DEA knows it’s only a matter of time before Drug War ideologies continue to fade, and the agency will be disbanded — or at least rebranded, with hopefully fewer guns — in favor of treating drug addiction as a health condition rather than a crime.

So, at the risk of getting everyone else as equally pissed off as I am while writing this piece, let’s do a short review of the absurdity of prohibition:

Three recent U.S. presidents in as many administrations have admitted to smoking cannabis despite its prohibited status.
More than half of the U.S. — as well as many major international players including Canada, Italy, and Germany — have legalized cannabis for medicinal purposes.
A growing majority of U.S. voters approves of the medical and recreational legalization of cannabis.
There are thousands of patients, families, doctors, and researchers around the world lauding the plant’s many medicinal benefits.
Famously, there remain zero recorded deaths attributed to cannabis use (the enforcement of its prohibition, however, has claimed countless victims). Meanwhile, alcohol and tobacco —which are not regulated by the Controlled Substances Act — kill a combined half-million Americans every year.
A top official from the Nixon administration publicly admitted that the Drug War was a racist political strategy, originally instituted to disrupt Black and anti-government hippy communities.
Black people and other minorities continue to be targeted for drug-related crimes at significantly higher rates than white people.

It’s a sad state of affairs.

And — instead of taking a logical approach to the long list of embarrassing failures the DEA has racked up — the U.S. Department of Justice continues to sit on its hands as its over-funded and now practically obsolete agency runs around, rampantly destroying lives.

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Arizona Legalization Initiative Qualifies for November Ballot

8/11/2016

The ballot initiative in Arizona to legalize cannabis for recreational use submitted enough signatures to qualify for the November ballot, the Arizona Republic reports. The initiative is being challenged over the language of the measure, but if it survives the court case it will appear on the ballot as Proposition 205.

“Eighty-three years ago, Arizona voters approved a ballot measure to repeal the failed policy of alcohol prohibition,” J.P. Holyoak, chairman of the Yes on 205 campaign, said in a statement. “This November, we will have the opportunity to end the equally disastrous policy of marijuana prohibition. Prop 205 would establish a more sensible system in which marijuana is regulated and taxed similarly to alcohol.”

It’s the bit about the drug being “taxed similarly to alcohol” at the heart of the lawsuit by Arizonans for Responsible Drug Policy – who claim that voters are being deceived on that premise. The group contends that the cannabis market would not be regulated like alcohol, citing two provisions; one pertaining to employees able to be fired for suspicion of being under the influence of marijuana; and another giving 100 of the 150 available licenses to current medical marijuana dispensaries.

If approved, the measure would allow adults 21 and older to possess up to one ounce of cannabis and grow up to six plants. The Department of Marijuana Licenses and Control would implement a regulated system, with a 15 percent excise tax on retail cannabis sales. Proceeds from the tax would be used to fund the regulator system, with any additional revenues being allocated to the Department of Education, and the Department of Health Services.

The Arizona Joint Legislative Budget Commission estimates tax revenues and license fees would generate more than $123 million annually by 2020, with about $55 million per year for K-12 education and full-day kindergarten programs.

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Southern California Cannabis Conference and Expo Review

8/11/2016

The Southern California Cannabis Conference & Expo took place last weekend, August 6-7, in the San Diego Convention Center. The event was a B2B flurry of industry networking, the latest cannabis products, and expert seminars.

Speakers at the event presented on a massive, centrally located stage. Speakers included Dr. Sue Sisley, famed medical cannabis researcher; Chris Beals, President of Weedmaps.com; Wendy Robbins and Karen Paul of The Marijuana Show; as well as the four former NFL stars Eugene Monroe, Jim McMahon, Ricky Williams, and Kyle Turle; and many more industry experts, professionals, and researchers.

Major discussion points common throughout the event ranged from CBD and CBD-infused water and sports drinks; to the health benefits of cannabis for professional sports and fitness programs, including injury recovery; to the future of California’s cannabis industry; and to expert strategies for social media, branding, and marketing.

Southern California’s top cannabis industry players were on the expo floor in full force. Several stand-out booths included: Kandy Pens, Modern Martini, Magical Butter and FlavRx. FlavRx was a major sponsor of the show’s Waka Flocka Flame performance.

Scroll through our photo coverage below to witness the excitement yourself!

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Dispensary Files Lawsuit Against Costa Mesa Police Department Over Raid

8/11/2016

A California dispensary shuttered following a raid by the Costa Mesa Police has filed a lawsuit against the department alleging officers exceeded their legal authority during the crackdown early this year.

The suit, filed by attorney Matthew Pappas on behalf of Costa Mesa Collective, seeks the return of cash, cannabis, patient records, and unspecified damages, according to an OC Register report.

“The city of Costa Mesa … believes it is above the law,” Pappas said in the report. “No longer can cities and police departments violate people’s rights based on marijuana once being part of failed drug prohibition policies.”

In the suit, Pappas alleges that police acted as “judge, jury, and executioner,” in the raid on the business — and did so without a search warrant. Costa Mesa Police Chief Rob Sharpnack said he is “100 percent certain” a code enforcement inspection warrant was obtained prior to the raid, however, officials have declined to produce the warrant or offer any additional details about what information that warrant contained.

The Register has not yet been able to locate a copy of the inspection warrant — which is normally used to review building, fire, zoning, and other civil code compliance — in city databases. Neither the collective’s owners nor employees were provided with a warrant at the time of the raid.

“[The police] were doing this to shut down a business without due process because they don’t like it,” Pappas said.

During the raid, police disabled security and recording devices “because they knew they were going to take everything in sight,” Pappas said, noting that authorities often argue they must seize recording devices to “ensure officer safety.” However, hidden cameras recorded the incident, which Pappas has made public.

In the video, officers enter the dispensary with guns drawn, forcing about a half dozen people to the floor while yelling “search warrant” but they do not appear to produce any documents at that time. Pappas says the rights of both employees and patients were violated because police continued to interrogate them after they requested to have a lawyer present.

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Judge Denies Injunction Request by Starbuds in Grow License Denial Case

8/11/2016

A Denver District Court judge has given the owners of Starbuds until Sept. 3 to finish harvesting the maturing plants in its grow facility, after which they must destroy any that remain, according to a report by the Denver Post.

The order comes after Judge Ross B.H. Buchanan denied the company’s preliminary injunction request against the denial of a routine cultivation license by Department of Excise and Licenses Executive Director Stacie Loucks.

The denial is the first ever by the city; made on the grounds that the grow operation is a detriment to the residents’ quality of life and hindered the neighborhood’s prospects for improvement. Starbuds says that their renewal should not have been up for an administrative hearing, which sparked the community protest.

City attorneys plan on filing a motion asking the judge to dismiss the case. However, according to Starbuds attorney Jim McTurnan, if the chain survives the motion the judge could consider the injunction challenge more fully. He said Buchanan used a broad interpretation of the marijuana code, giving the excise department leeway to decide when to hold administrative hearings, which would be “problematic for the industry.”

“We’re certainly concerned about what precedent this might set,” McTurnan said in the report.

Last month, the City Council passed an odor-control ordinance aimed at stemming cannabis cultivation odors which take effect next year. Starbuds has already installed four carbon filters at the grow site in response to community pushback.

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Ballot Initiative in Missouri Falls Short; Lawsuits Likely

8/11/2016

Citizens in Missouri will not vote on a medical marijuana initiative as the ballot initiative push to do so fell 2,242 signatures short, the Columbia Tribune reports. The signature drive stalled in the state’s Second Congressional District.

New Approach Missouri, the group behind the campaign, indicated they plan on filing a lawsuit challenging the decision by Secretary of State Jason Kander after his office finishes the paperwork on the results of the review, Jack Cardetti, the group’s spokesman said.

“This was a large number, and our internal numbers show we should have met the requirements in this particular district,” he said in the report.

The failure was met with celebration by the Keeping Missouri Kids Safe Coalition, who campaigned against the measure.

“Today is great news for Missourians,” Joy Sweeney said after the Secretary of State’s decision was announced. “The ballot initiative was not certified by the secretary of state and will not be on our ballot in November. The big question I have, and many of us in this room have, is, ‘Why on Earth is this group willing to spend more than $1 million to get this passed in our state?’”

The coalition is comprised of the Council for Drug Free Youth and the Missouri Association of Community Task Forces (ACT). The group has not formed a committee, allowing it to bypass spending disclosures with the Missouri Ethics Commission. However, Dan Viets, state coordinator for NORML, said the group acted like a campaign committee and spent money against the medical cannabis campaign in the form of posters, information packets, and press releases.

“They are functioning as a campaign committee, and if they continue I am sure we will file a complaint with the Missouri Ethics Commission,” Viets said.

ACT was fined $1,000 by the Ethics Commission in 2013 for campaigning against a marijuana initiative in Columbia for failure to disclose its spending or funding sources.

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DEA Announces Cannabis to Remain Schedule I Substance

8/10/2016

by Ganjapreneur

It appears that all of the recent hopes surrounding a possible re-scheduling or de-scheduling of cannabis by the DEA have been shot down. NPR has reported that the DEA will be recommending that no change be made to the status of cannabis via the Controlled Substances Act.

Earlier on Wednesday, the hype started to build regarding a possible statement. According to The Denver Post, DEA spokesperson Russell Baer suggested that an announcement would be happening on Thursday, but did not say what it would be. Multiple other reports indicated that an announcement was coming as well. However, NPR reported that DEA chief Chuck Rosenberg said on Wednesday that the DEA has decided not to reschedule cannabis or remove it from the list of controlled substances and that this decision “isn’t based on danger,” but rather “whether marijuana, as determined by the FDA, is a safe and effective medicine.” It seems that the FDA has taken the position — contrary numerous scientific studies and the testimony of countless patients — that it is not.

Meanwhile, legal recreational cannabis markets are operating in four states, 25 states have legalized cannabis for medical use, there continues to be no example of anyone ever overdosing or dying directly from cannabis use, and alcohol continues to kill over 80,000 people per year in the US alone. After all the rumors that circled earlier this summer we were hoping for positive news, but then again, we are not surprised.

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Canadian MMJ Producers Want Oil-Based Product Costs Covered for Veterans

8/10/2016

Canadian medical marijuana producers are pushing for Veterans Affairs to provide reimbursements for soldiers who choose cannabis oils over dried plant material, according to a Globe and Mail report. Currently, soldiers are only reimbursed for flower purchases.

The push comes even after the Supreme Court last year ruled Health Canada was putting patients at risk of cancer and bronchial infections by allowing only dried cannabis. More than 1,700 veterans participate in the publicly funded medical marijuana program.

When Tilray launched its oil-based offerings last March, 183 bottles were sold to veterans, who believed they would be reimbursed under the medical marijuana program. In June, just four bottles were sold to veterans due to the program rules.

On Aug. 4, Phillipe Lucas, executive director of the Canadian Medical Council, launched an e-petition urging the department to provide the reimbursements. New Democrat MP Sheila Malcomson has sponsored the petition, which has over 200 signatures so far, and will remain open until Dec. 2.

Advocates say that people who smoke cannabis must dose more frequently than those who use oil-based medicines. The Health Department says that due to medical marijuana being “a new and emerging area in the medical field…there is no commonly accepted practice for the use or dosage of specific products.” However, the VA indicated that it planned on overhauling the existing rules “in the near future.”

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New Cannabis Dispensary Webisode Being Filmed in Portland, OR

8/10/2016

A new cannabis industry-based webisode series named “Propaganja” recently started filming its pilot episode in Portland, Oregon.

“Propaganja” is the first dispensary-focused comedy that features entrepreneurs struggling with and learning to navigate Oregon’s nascent, recreational cannabis marketplace. The project was created by Lee Johnson, Patrick Servais, and Ryan Moore, the webisode’s co-director Paul Pedreira told Ganjapreneur.

Pedreira owns the Portland Best Buds dispensary in the St. Johns neighborhood of Portland, and he is also an experienced director who spent 25 years working in the film industry. He originally came to Portland as an assistant director on the popular, Portland-based NBC series called Grimm — several years later, however, Pedreira switched gears to become a cannabis entrepreneur.

“Patrick and Ryan conceived the idea a few years ago, and when legalization happened in Oregon they decided to ramp up production and go for it, and that’s when they brought me into the fold,” Pedreira said. “We fine-tuned the script for several months before going into production and … filmed on location at Portland Best Buds.”

Filming on the “Propaganja” pilot is nearly finished — the post-production process will likely take several months, however, before the webisode premieres.

“We are having a blast with the material — mostly at government’s expense. Basically, the villain in our story is government,” Pedreira said. “I think it’s important to have a sense of humor in this new industry because cannabis is so misunderstood by some members of the public, and Reefer Madness propaganda is still being perpetuated by the federal government. The Feds’ stance on cannabis is a combination of corruption and ignorance, so it’s nice to have a good laugh about it!”

propaganjadirectors — Co-directors Patrick Servais (left) and Paul Pedreira (right) during the filming of the pilot episode of “Propaganja.”

propaganjafilming — Co-director Patrick Servais films a scene where two characters argue about whether or not state officials are actually watching their dispensary’s security camera footage.

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HempStaff Works to Sculpt and Connect Cannabis Talent Nationwide

8/10/2016

by Featured Company

HempStaff is a Florida-based enterprise focused on cannabis staffing, networking, and educational opportunities.

There are two core offerings at HempStaff. The company was developed to be a combination cannabis head-hunters agency — dedicated to helping cannabis companies find the right talent to fill their high-level occupational vacancies — and an institution of cannabis learning, through which HempStaff offers live, in-person group classes to people around the country who are pursuing entry-level positions at a dispensary or legal grow operation. The classes are also popular among entrepreneurs who are curious about cannabis, opportunities in the industry, and/or the medical and cultural advances that have been made since the era of widespread prohibition.

Finding and satisfying demand for cannabis talent

According to company co-founder and Vice President Rosie Yagielo, HempStaff — put simply — is “in the business of helping people.”

“We’re helpers,” Yagielo said when interviewed by Ganjapreneur. “We want this industry to succeed, no matter what side we’re looking at: from the business point of view, we want their business to succeed right off the bat, so we’re going to help them find the most qualified, experienced person we can; on the employee side, we want these folks to succeed as well.”

HempStaff offered its first class in September 2014. The agency has a dedicated cannabis trainer based out of Colorado who has worked nearly every typical cannabis industry job — this person travels regularly on weekends to wherever HempStaff is hosting a class to talk about cannabis and what it means to be a dispensary agent (a.k.a. budtender). Yagielo herself teaches the HempStaff courses on regulatory compliance, which she says are kept interesting because the laws inevitably vary state-by-state, and, more often than not, even those laws are changed on a month-by-month basis.

“It is amazing the quality of people that come to my class,” she said. “I could teach everything [about] what the job is — but I can’t teach passion, and I can’t teach compassion. They come to my class because they have both of those things: they really want to get into the industry, and they really want to help other people.”

Spreading success around the industry

Yagielo, who left behind twenty years of experience working in hotels after an unfortunate knee injury prevented her from spending too much time in the day standing and walking, set her sights on the cannabis industry in 2013 after realizing that her networking skills and business experience would be a boon to many cannabis entrepreneurs — many of whom are emerging from the unregulated market.

“My goal is to make others succeed,” she said. “That’s what we built HempStaff on: we want students to succeed and we want businesses to succeed, because we want the industry to exceed. That’s always been the goal.”

Between their talent sourcing and educational opportunities, HempStaff works to cultivate opportunities that will cover every important base for a potential career in cannabis. Whether it’s a person looking for an entry-level trimming job; an esteemed master grower looking to meddle in a different, emerging marketplace; or an entrepreneur who by all accounts has the capital and gumption for a cannabis startup, but doesn’t yet have an established, dedicated team to bring their idea to life — HempStaff dedicates itself to finding a solution.

For more information, visit www.HempStaff.com — or go to Rosie Yagielo’s blog, where she tackles many of the important questions common when considering a career in cannabis.

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Ohio Municipalities Already Banning Dispensaries

8/10/2016

Ohio’s medical cannabis program is off to a rough start.

One city has enacted a complete dispensary ban, two Ohio municipalities have passed six-month moratoriums on dispensaries, and two more cities are considering similar measures, WKYC 3 reports.

Rocky River has completely banned dispensaries over concerns about who will police the businesses, according to Andrew Bemer, the city Law Director. He says the law does not specify if enforcement is the responsibility of the city, the state, or the West Shore Enforcement Bureau.

“Given our tight knit and dense intense community, it’s our belief our best road would be to do an out and out ban,” he said in the report. “Our West Shore Enforcement Bureau is advocating against allowing any of those three processes (growing, processing and selling) to go on in any of the cities, so that’s the tack we’re taking.”

Brooklyn and Lakewood’s moratoriums are, right now, only for six months. Lakewood has taken the additional step of halting the changing of building and zoning laws, which could allow for dispensaries.

Brecksville and North Royalton are considering enacting their own measures but have so far not codified any attempts to prevent dispensaries.

Officials plan for the program to be rolled out in Sept. 2018.

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Cannabis branches hanging out to cure after harvest season.

Marijuana Start-Up LeafedOut.com Releases First Ever iOS MJ Peer Networking App

8/10/2016

Previously available on any device’s browser as a free anonymous fully functional web and mobile app, and now available as a dedicated iOS app via the iTunes App Store, LeafedOut.com is the only tool in the marijuana marketplace that focuses specifically on person-to-person networking for any cannabis employment or product need, while at the same time still encouraging all models of communication and networking through any models, whether it be business and individual based dividing users in four unique niches; Vendors, Buyers, Employers and Workers; LeafedOut.com creates an interface that allows users to instantly survey and connect to cannabis industry players in their area via an integrated live messaging service, fully functional review system, and real-time map-based technology. The iOS app includes all the fundamental functionality of the LeafedOut.com web app, yet to take advantage of all the latest products enhancements the web app may still need to be used as the new versions of the iOS app are released in the coming days.

“LeafedOut.com is pulling the marijuana industry out of the grey economy that currently exists in many legal and medical states, by providing all people and entities who are involved in the cannabis market and industry to have a technologically advanced streamlined networking tool to make direct connections and reduce the inefficiencies that plague the progress of the marijuana movement across the country. It provides the necessary fundamental technological infrastructure and framework, that can now not only be accessed on any devices browser but also as an iOS app through the iTunes app store, to assimilate marijuana as a whole into the mainstream of this country’s economic and cultural identity” saidLeafedOut.com’s founder. “Add to this LeafedOut.com’s dedication to activism and giving back to the marijuana community, as well as the fact the service is still offered free for all and even free of any advertising, there is a clear vision of continued growth across the board for the product both in size and value to thousands of free registered users, who use LeafedOut.com daily to meet all their legal/medical marijuana product and employment needs.”

As the marijuana community grows, so does the diversity of participants in aspects such as age, gender, language and backgrounds. Hence, the LeafedOut.com app is designed to be as simple and robust as possible as to offer its service as many participants in the marijuana industry as possible. Sign ups are free, quick and users may enter a fixed location or use the geo-location services of iOS.

Once the LeafedOut.com app is on an iOS device it gives the user the resources and ability to participate in any sector of the marijuana industry. Whether a user is on vacation looking for a specific strain while in Washington D.C., individual caregivers or delivery services searching for new medical patients in their local area, legal growers looking for a group of trimmers for their ranch in Colorado, or a college student looking for work back home or locally during the college break, the LeafedOut.com app provides all this and more.

Editor’s note (11/11/22): This announcement was updated to reflect a name change by LeafedOut.com following a legal settlement.

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Connecticut Dispensary Opens for Business in Milford

8/10/2016

Connecticut’s eighth medical marijuana dispensary opened in Milford despite concerns from residents about its location in a residential area, WTNH News 8 reports. The Southern Connecticut Wellness and Healing LLC dispensary is the first of two that will operate in the city.

Milford Mayor Benjamin Blake opposed the dispensary site when it was announced, saying it “should be moved to a location that is not in the middle of a residential neighborhood.”

According to the Department of Consumer Protection, nine of the 17 applications to operate dispensaries in the state were for locations in Milford. A second clinic is slated to open in the fall.

The state’s two-year-old medical marijuana program is growing. More than 12,000 patients have registered, up from the 1,200 that initially signed up in 2014. The growing patient roster means more demand, which means more dispensaries will certainly be needed. According to the Department of Consumer Affairs website, there are now just eight dispensaries currently in business in Connecticut.

“So the program is progressing which is good because it’s providing another alternative for people suffering from a limited number but very serious conditions whether it’s cancer, AIDS, ALS, those are serious diseases,” Jonathan Harris, Commissioner of Consumer Protection, said in the report.

In addition to Milford, Connecticut has dispensaries in Waterbury, Hartford, Bristol, Uncasville, Branford and South Windsor.

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Solano County, CA Board Approves Cannabis Tax Ballot Measure

8/10/2016

Yet another California county is looking to cash in on the potential “green rush” if voters approve the ballot measure to legalize recreational cannabis use in November.

Solano County supervisors have approved a measure to place a tax on gross receipts of all marijuana-based businesses on the upcoming ballot. Under current ordinances, the county does not allow cannabis operations in unincorporated areas. The county’s largest city, Vallejo, has 10 legal dispensaries which are subject to a 10 percent tax under current law. Those dispensaries generated more than $965,000 in revenue for the city between Sept. 20, 2015 and June 30, according to a report from the Daily Republic.

If voters pass the Adult Marijuana Use Act, the county board would have to establish regulations for potential commercial and medical operations. During the meeting, board members were urged to not apply the tax to medical marijuana dispensaries.

The proposal would levy a 15 percent tax on cannabis businesses in the county; however that rate, along with whether or not the tax would apply to medical dispensaries, still needs to be finalized by the board before the final ordinance is proposed.

According to a February poll from Probolsky Research, nearly 60 percent of Californians are in favor of Proposition 64.

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The First-Ever Jamaican Cannabis Cruise: Jan. 21-26, 2017

8/09/2016

Bhang Travel Inc., the Cannabis Industries Premiere Travel and Event Agency, presents the first-ever Jamaican Cannabis Cruise from Miami, Florida on January 21st – 26th 2017. Bhang will bring together industry experts, professionals and enthusiasts for five days of cannabis-infused fun at the Annual Jamaica Cannabis Cruise!

The first day in Miami we will board the original Fun Ship and kick it off with a “Bhang” during our private, onboard meet and greet cocktail party. The second day at sea will be filled with mini-workshops from a host of industry professionals: doctors, nurses, health care workers, cultivators, attorneys, technology, dispensary owners, edibles and infusion makers and many other industry experts will be offering their experience and expertise to attendees. Day three, we will disembark in Ocho Rios, Jamaica and head off to our exclusive tour of a working Jamaican cannabis farm. Walk around the buds in many phases of cultivation and see how ganja has been grown on the island for hundreds of years. Then, off to the quaint little village of St. Anne — the birthplace of Bob Marley — where we will be led by a Rastafarian guide who will tell you stories about Bob Marley’s life and take you to where he is laid to rest. Day 4 will be spent in Grand Cayman. Day 5 will begin onboard with a panel of professionals in the cannabis industry answering questions regarding cannabis use for health and wellness, and all things about growing cannabis. Then, there will be a tradeshow in the afternoon where attendees can freely mingle with the speakers and sponsors and view their products and services up close, ending with a cocktail and dinner party. On Day 6, we will arrive back in Miami at 8AM.

Included are all of the amenities normally on board a cruise ship, the private Bhang attendees-only cocktail parties, seminars, workshops, tradeshow, and the excursion to a working cannabis farm and Bob Marley’s birthplace in Jamaica. Cabins are limited and start at $995 per person for a double occupancy Ocean View. The price includes taxes and fees.

Bhang Travel Inc. is quickly becoming the go-to cannabis event travel promoter in the industry. Bhang specializes in combining international cannabis-friendly destinations with industry experts and cannabis enthusiasts for an amazing adventure with cannabis on land and at sea. Our events include Alaska Cannabis Cruise, Spannabis, all-inclusive trips to existing events and festivals, special events to international destinations, our Annual Jamaican Cannabis Cruise and so much more. Visit www.bhangtravel.com to learn more about how to travel with Bhang.

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Hacked DNC Documents Show Alcohol Industry Playing Up Fears About Cannabis

8/09/2016

The Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America paid for an ad in the May 24, 2016 edition of Politico’s daily Huddle newsletter pushing for members of Congress to fully fund Section 4008 of the FAST Act, which would force a study on “marijuana-impaired driving,” according to a Marijuana.com review of hacked Democratic National Committee documents released by Wikileaks.

“A message from Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America: While neutral on the issue of legalization, WSWA believes states that legalized marijuana need to ensure appropriate and effective regulations are enacted to protect the public from the dangers associated with the abuse and misuse of marijuana.

“23 states and the District of Columbia have legalized medicinal marijuana while Alaska, Colorado, Oregon, Washington and D.C. have legalized possession and recreational use. In the years since the state legalized medicinal use, Colorado law enforcement officials have documented a significant increase in traffic fatalities in which drivers tested positive for marijuana.

“Congress should fully fund Section 4008 of the FAST Act (PL 114-94) in the FY 2017 Appropriations process to document the prevalence of marijuana impaired driving, outline impairment standards and determine driving impairment detection methods.”

The year-long study by the Department of Transportation — included in the infrastructure legislation — would make recommendations for defining driving under the influence of marijuana, including an “impairment standard.”

Morgan Fox, communications manager for the Marijuana Policy Project, said that money would “do better to fund research on how to decrease drunk driving.”

“Given that driving under the influence of marijuana is already illegal and that the existing research shows marijuana’s effect on driving ability is significantly less than alcohol, it is difficult to see a legitimate reason for the alcohol industry to be taking up this issue,” Fox said in the report.

According to the WSWA website, the organization “does not have a position on the core question of marijuana legalization,” however their website indicates that they are proponents of a “three-tiered” regulatory structure for the cannabis industry akin to the one in place for alcohol.

“Without a similarly robust system, the marijuana market could present the potential for illicit and unregulated activity akin to that which occurred with alcohol prior to and during Prohibition,” the WSWA site says. “Accordingly, WSWA stands ready to serve as a resource for states in explaining the merits of the three-tier system as a systematic and effective regulatory framework.”

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Ohio Releases Initial MMJ Program Details

8/09/2016

Ohio has released the first information regarding the implementation of its medical cannabis program, the Columbus Dispatch reports, but offered little in the way of concrete details beyond the projected Sept. 2018 roll out of the program.

The Department of Commerce is tasked with developing rules for growers, processors, and testing laboratories; while the Board of Pharmacy will determine the number of dispensaries allowed in the state, and create the rules, applications, and fees for those dispensaries.

Physicians — following the guidelines of other states with only medical marijuana programs — will be allowed to “recommend” medical marijuana, but, due to federal law, will be unable to prescribe the drug. Patients and caregivers will need to register with the state Health Department.

The list of qualified conditions includes 21 severe or chronic medical disorders — including post-traumatic stress disorder — and qualifying patients will be able to access a 90-day supply of marijuana edibles, oils, tinctures, and patches. The measure allows for plant material but does not permit smoking as a delivery method.

According to the official website for the program, officials are currently seeking a medical marijuana analyst “with specialized industry knowledge to assist with the development of the rules and regulations impacting cultivators of medical marijuana.”

Gov. John Kasich (R) signed the bill into law in June. The measure circumvented a ballot initiative campaign backed by the Marijuana Policy Project which would have allowed the drug to be smoked and had a “grow-your-own” provision.

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