Kirsten Nelson: Reaching Your Cannabis Customer

Kirsten Nelson is co-founder of cannabis branding agency Blunt Branding, a Pacific Northwest marketing firm dedicated to the cannabis industry. Kirsten recently joined our podcast host Shango Los for a conversation about the unique situation that cannabis producers and retailers face now that the market has been normalized and regulated. Many entrepreneurs still believe the notion that cannabis just “sells itself,” but as the competition gets tougher, more and more companies are realizing that a strategic approach to messaging is necessary.

In this interview, Kirsten talks about ways that retailers can change course to accommodate an expanding customer base, why cannabis companies should consider how they appeal to all of the Myers-Briggs personality types, and some unique strategies to engage customers that are currently underutilized in the cannabis market.

Listen to the podcast below, or scroll down for the full transcript!

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Shango Los: Hi there, and welcome to the Ganjapreneur.com podcast. I am your host, Shango Los. The Ganjapreneur.com podcast gives us an opportunity to speak directly to entrepreneurs, cannabis growers, product developers and cannabis medicine researchers all focused on making the most of cannabis normalization. As your host, I do my best to bring you original cannabis industry ideas that will ignite your own entrepreneurial spark and give you actional information to improve your business strategy and improve your health and the health of cannabis patients everywhere.

Today, my guest is Kirsten Nelson. Kirsten Nelson is co-founder of Blunt Branding, a strategic marketing firm that focuses on revenue generation. Through Kirsten’s unique psychological approach and educational background, she focuses on the business infrastructure necessary for explosive growth. In addition to ghostwriting a Wall Street Journal best-selling book, she has proven successful by increasing her client’s revenue consistently by triple digits.

We asked Kirsten to be on this show after getting really strong feedback about the Blunt Branding commercial we ran two weeks ago. Instead of me trying to explain what psychological marketing was to everyone who asked, we decided to just invite her on this show to offer us all some free consulting. I want to be clear that our podcasts guest spots are not paid for and we invited Kirsten because her approach to marketing is so unique and people were asking about it. With that, welcome to the show, Kirsten.

Kirsten Nelson: Thanks Shango, I am excited to be here.

Shango Los: Yeah, glad you could be here. When cannabis had just started to normalize enough that folks were actually bothering to make company names and start designing packaging, there is was lot of trademark infringement and poor production quality and brands that were barely thought out. As we transitioned into seeing more capital infused into the scene and an increase of marketing professionals making the switch from other industries, what are some of the milestones that you see that the industry hitting that it is maturing at a branding level?

Kirsten Nelson: Well, this is one of the exciting things about the cannabis industry. There are a lot of exciting things but, like you described, the initial barely thought out brands, I always kind of called that the throwing the wet spaghetti on the wall and seeing what sticks. It is hasty, it is rushed, but now we are getting to the point where we are seeing development and people paying more attention and getting a little more strategic in developing their presence.

In my perspective, the trademark infringements that we are seeing that are getting called onto the carpet between Snoop Dogg and the Canadian Hockey League, this is a sign of progress. People are being taken more seriously, the industry is being taken more seriously in general. We have got big corporate player stepping out, which is really exciting. We have had Microsoft, Apple and a number of other Fortune 500 and 100 companies really starting to be a participant in normalization by adopting their company policies and even stepping into the marketplace.

Shango Los: That makes a lot of sense too because, up until now, the heavies were just kind of ignoring us and most of the industry was appreciating that because there wasn’t as much competition, but there is a certain amount of respect in the fact that the heavies are starting to come and get involved. Even though most of us just wish that we can keep the money to ourselves, it does speak to the maturity of the industry that big players are moving in and even bothering to try and defend their trademarks.

Kirsten Nelson: Exactly and, really, that is another big call to action to all of the business owners in the cannabis industry because the bigger players are stepping onto the field. It is time to get your game together. The poorly executed brands, they do show us something that is very interesting and it really is counter to what most people believe and the misconception in that is that cannabis sells itself and we are going to see that misconception challenged in a lot of different ways as these other big companies are coming in and there is the increasing threat of corporatisation in cannabis. The truth is, that the real battle is not selling cannabis to your customers, it is convincing your customers why they should buy their cannabis from you.

Shango Los: That makes a lot of sense. Even if they are not a cannabis specific retailer, that goes the same for grinders and rolling papers and everything. There is so many, the market is becoming so full with companies that all want to take advantage of the green rush that now it is not, “Do you want weed?” because the answer is always yes, it is, “Do you want our cannabis, do you want our grinder, do you want our professional services?”

Kirsten Nelson: Exactly, the market is quickly flooding. Pretty soon your customers will be able to get whatever they want around every corner. The sustainable business models, these are going to be the ones that give the higher order value, they get their repeat customers, they have more word of mouth because they are taking the time to be intentional about how they show up in the marketplace and how well they stand out in their customer’s minds and lives.

Shango Los: We are talking about a perfect world where cannabis business owners would be excited and they would be active in their branding so they can show differentiation between themselves and their competitors. When I participated in the .com boom, there was not very much resistance to brand strategies. The entrepreneurs understood it and, while they may not have always agreed with the marketing teams, they were glad to have the marketers around. That said, that is not really the case as often in cannabis.

Not only do we see trimmed budgets and companies that can’t even afford a marketing team, but also straight disdain for marketers, especially the people who come from the Prohibition era. They are used to not needing that kind of a thing. Some folks are just against marketers philosophically, right? What has been your experience? Are you seeing an increase in the acceptance of marketing professionals in cannabis, or is it still really cool and very few companies are getting professionals?

Kirsten Nelson: We are still at the early stages of the game where there is high demand for skilled marketing assistants. What we are seeing is the more aggressive and savvy business owners who recognize this need, who are watching the trends, who are seeing all of the other big players encroaching on the space, that these people are willing to make that investment and carving out their niche in the market and really driving their stake into the ground because it is going to get a lot more competitive. It is, the dynamics of the industry, the marketplace, it’s going to shift and if you are not on top if it, you are not going to stand out and you are going to get flushed away.

Shango Los: Right on. Let’s get to our first area of places that the business owners can be on top of it because we invited you here to … We can talk theory and that is fun, but the goal was to really provide people with some things that they can do that are concrete, that can help them increase their bottom line. What is the number one opportunity that you see right now that cannabis companies are missing that could help them increase their revenue?

Kirsten Nelson: Well, in cannabis, in selling cannabis specifically, one of the things that is hugely lacking in all of the dispensaries that I have been to, is increasing the average customer order value.

Shango Los: Okay, so that is a really wonky answer, will you break that out and kind of explain it?

Kirsten Nelson: Yeah, absolutely. Selling cannabis is more than about transaction. In any kind of selling, it is more than just transaction in making the sale. It is about creating an experience, it is about building relationships, it is about building trust. The way that you increase average order value with your customers is by intentionally crafting that experience and you do that by figuring out what your customers need and what they are going to use it for and how does this cannabis fit into their life.

If you consider selling car. If you are a car salesman, not the sleazy kind, but the car salesman who actually wants to give your customers the car and connect them with what best fits in their world, the vehicle that will take them where they need to go in their life, if you will. You have to know what your customer are going to use it for. If you just sold everybody who came in a Maserati, what is the family with eight kids going to do? They need a club wagon, not a Maserati.

Or a minivan if they have just three kids. What are they going to use it for? Is it going to be a work truck, is this a commuter vehicle? Are they buying it because they want to be more environmentally conscious so they would be a better fit for a Prius? That kind of analogy translates into understanding your customers because everybody has a little bit different need in coming into a dispensary. Contrary to popular corporate beliefs, we don’t just all want THC and get as high as possible. It leaves out all of the medicinal benefits.

If someone is coming in because they have anxiety, well if they have anxiety, you better not give them a Sativa because that is going to, most likely, make things worse and give them a negative experience. Especially where there are so many people who haven’t smoked since high school, or maybe haven’t even smoked at all because things are becoming legalized, they are open and interested into experimenting and seeing how cannabis can help them in their lives.

If you are not aware of those different needs, you are doing a disservice to your customers and also to the normalization of cannabis because normalization really comes into play at a grassroots level and educating the customers, educating the populace, giving them a positive experience of what cannabis is and dispelling a lot of the myths that we had in the war on drugs and DARE. Figuring out how cannabis fits into your customers’ lives, you can sell them the right “car” based on their need.

Shango Los: I get that, and that sounds like a good customer service sales cycle, but how does that actually impact the average customer order? This all comes back to increasing the bottom line and you talked to that a lot. Let’s assume that the budtender or a website, if you are selling grinders, let’s say that you are doing that, how does that directly translate to increasing the size of the order?

Kirsten Nelson: Well, if you consider … Well, let’s just take the newbies. Somebody who is new to weed, maybe you smoked once or twice in high school, if at all, but right now you are looking to get back in. You don’t know anything about it and likely the stuff that you smoked in high school was skunk weed that somebody sold you in between breaks at school, it was not high quality stuff, there was not the variety that there is now. For someone who comes into a dispensary, and you see everything that’s on the shelves and on the walls, it is overwhelming.

You don’t know where to start so you need to rely on the budtender to help you experience it. Something like creating a newbie kit. If they are new moms who are trying it out and they are afraid of getting too high, you would sell them some lemonade or something with black pepper that is going to help smooth out their experience in case they get too high. Like Dr. Ethan Russo, he always recommends the pesto noodles with black pepper.

Shango Los: I have seen that slide too!

Kirsten Nelson: Yeah, that could be a really fun thing of, “Hey, you know what? Go get a couple of your girlfriends, here is your newbie kit. You guys can go ahead and get high and if you get too high, you know what? Or if you have the munchies, you can have this delicious pesto noodles with black pepper and make it an experience.” That is how cannabis will be instilled and normalized into people’s individual lives. Like coffee breaks, that used to not be a thing, but because marketing and advertising and coffee companies showed people how this fits into their lives, it is has become an integral part of everyday experience in so many people’s lives.

Shango Los: You know, I am sitting here kind of imagining this, what this store would look like, and I haven’t seen this anywhere yet. Let’s say that we used your example because we all know that if you get too high, giving yourself some fresh lemonade, something with black pepper, even just smelling the black pepper will help even out your high. Whenever beverages are sold at cannabis stores, it is always infused with more THC, right?

Kirsten Nelson: Yeah.

Shango Los: If you get … If there are … If there is anything to eat there, it too is infused with THC so your suggestion is that after they have used your product, they are probably going to want to imbibe either for pleasure or because they got too high. Go ahead and have the non-THC items in the store as well so that starts to make the store purchase more of a lifestyle visit than just scoring some cannabis.

Kirsten Nelson: Absolutely, and that really is what good marketing is about, is addressing the lifestyle needs and creating that relationship with your customers based on their lifestyle and inserting yourself in to their world and becoming a partner who is thoughtful, who is considerate, who is helpful and makes life better. That is the definition of a good business owner.

Shango Los: Right on, thanks, Kirsten. We are going to take a short break and be right back. You are listening to the Ganjapreneur.com podcast.


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Welcome back, you are listening to the Ganjapreneur.com podcast, I am your host, Shango Los, and our guest this week is Kirsten Nelson, co-founder of Blunt Branding. Kirsten, the main reason we invited you to be on this show on this week is because of the popularity of your Myers-Briggs personality type approach to copywriting. I have heard you talk about that at cannabis events and have talked to you about it on the side and then when I repeat it to people, everybody is like, “Whoa, that is such a different approach to copywriting.”

Most copywriters, they write for people like themselves and that is a really small part of the overall buying public. For this whole second part of the show, what I would appreciate that you do is kind of give us an overview of your approach and then we will transition into how people can actually do this at home. Let’s start at the top, break down for people who don’t even know what Myers-Briggs is, why don’t you break down what that is and how it can impact good copywriting?

Kirsten Nelson: Sure. Myers-Briggs is a personality and personal tendency decision making model or tool. And it is just a tool. Some people extrapolate a lot of things from this and other personality typing tools that takes it out context and makes it kind of irrelevant. Basically, our approach is to use Myers-Briggs as a model to, one, help you identify your own blind spots. Two, it also helps you understand your own communication and decision-making styles and then, three, you are able to better understand their customers and communicate to them based on their values and decision making styles.

It really is just a tool to step outside of your own box and look at the world through other people’s eyes and kind of understand the buckets that they live in so that you can come to them and speak to them in their language. One of the analogies that I like to use to explain what it is it’s like if I were speaking Mandarin and I come up to you, Shango, and you were speaking Swahili and I am trying to sell you something that I have. You are not going to understand what I am saying and it does not matter if I speak louder, it doesn’t matter if I use more exclamation points, it doesn’t matter what font I use. If I am not speaking your language, we are not going to go anywhere and nothing is going to happen and you are going to miss out on a lot of communication because of those differences.

While buying language isn’t necessarily as different as Mandarin and Swahili, there are a lot of differences in how someone makes their buying decisions based on whether it is an emotional decision, if they go by gut feeling, or if they research every single thing that they can find, the articles, the consumer reports, before they make that buying decision. When you approach things in that manner, you are able to capture the, more than likely, 70%.

Most people just speak to their own personality preferences and buying styles. When you do that, you are eliminating a massive portion of the market. This helps to open that up for you and for your business and helps you to better reach your consumers and customers where they are at. We did publish an article … You guys published an article on Ganjapreneur.com where we go into a little bit more detail about the buying styles.

Shango Los: One of the things that that just debunked for me is that a lot of people think of psychological marketing as being manipulative. What you are describing is not a technique for being manipulative to get people to buy something they don’t want, you are talking about caring enough to be aware of different communication styles so that you can make your pitch to your customer in a way that they listen.

Kirsten Nelson: Absolutely. You don’t want to sell a Maserati to a family on a limited income who has 12 kids. It is not going to be …

Shango Los: Oh God.

Kirsten Nelson: … able to fit.

Shango Los: Twelve kids, God help them.

Kirsten Nelson: They need enough help, they don’t need a Maserati.

Shango Los: Yeah. Let’s say that I am a cannabis business owner and either I have got a cannabis retail shop and people always expect to go to my website first to see if it is the kind of place they want to go, or even if it is an unlicensed business and I am selling grinders and rolling papers online. One way or another, I am going to be sitting at my desk on some boring Tuesday afternoon and I have got to write copy for my website, but I am probably not really familiar with Myers-Briggs, and maybe I read through a Wikipedia page, right? If I am just a normal person without and educational background, how can what you’re talking about help me? How can I use this, myself as a normal person?

Kirsten Nelson: Well, if you are able to just segment it into two different types of buyers, the logical buyer and an emotional buyer and speak to the needs that they would be interested in, if you could step into their shoes, if you will. What does a logical buyer going to want? What kinds of details about your product do you have that you can share with them to answer any questions that they may have? Share your track record, why are you the best at what you do and why should they be with you instead of someone else? Offer the information that is going to prove that you have the best product at the best value. Those are types of traits that will appeal to the logical buyer.

For an emotional buyer, they are going to want the emotional connection, they want the story, they want to see the human side of your business. What are your values. Like on your website, your about pages, your mission statement, where can they connect with you? Are you on social media, what kind of interaction do you have with your customers on social media? They are going to want to know your story, how did you get into cannabis? How did you start your business? Those types of details are very relevant to the emotional buyer and they are a part of their decision making process. This really is about connecting to your customers in a way to create an intimate envrionment and build that relationship, even if you never even speak to one another, it can just be solely an online experience and yet they feel like they know you.

Shango Los: I get it, so it is like a continuum of how much you want to get into this. If you just want to dabble in trying to write your copy this way, you can write stuff for people who buy logically and people who buy with emotion and you can talk about those and you will capture a huge market share of Myers-Briggs personality types. If you are a nerd and you really want to drill down and you have got a couple free hours, you can actually go and tease out eight of the sixteen Myers-Briggs personality categories and make the personas, like you were talking about in the first segment, and write to those. It’s really based on the time that the business owner has, how into this they want to get.

Kirsten Nelson: Absolutely. What we do at Blunt Branding is we get very, very detailed and in-depth in, not only planning out the business structure, but how that relates to the customers and crafting scenario work around the whole customer experience from start to finish and then back around again. Just to anticipate those different needs that we tend to overlook because we become our own experts and then we develop all of these blind spots because we forget that the rest of the world doesn’t know all of the things that we know so we make a lot of assumptions and we leave our customers behind, which is a real tragedy.

Shango Los: Right on. I am going to ask you to tease out another personality type that somebody who is doing this, basically, can write for. We have got the logical person, we are telling them all the fine details and the size of items and the costs and the weights and the THC percentages and what it is made out of and all of these data points, and then the more emotional buyer, we are telling them a story so they kind of fall in love with our company and they feel cared for and they know that they are going to get good customer service.

What is another one? I kept on thinking about the people who are into sports teams. I don’t know if they are their own Myers-Briggs personality type, but I know that there are so many cannabis companies that, for example, football season, they are putting out pre-rolls that have got the emblems, or at least the colors of their local football teams. That has got to be a personality type.

Kirsten Nelson: Yeah, that type of connection, when you are selling to that, you are selling to something that people have an emotional connection with. People get all sorts of crazy about their sports teams. You are stepping into their lives, you are recognizing in their worlds that they have this connection and you are giving them something that is fun to share with other people who share that value of the interest in sports. It is like “O-M-G! You have the green and blue Seattle Seahawks papers!” What a novelty that is to share with your friends and to bring that kind of level of connection.

Shango Los: Right on, so I guess that just falls into that emotional category. Can you give me an example, that you haven’t already, of a different kind of a type that someone could write for?

Kirsten Nelson: Absolutely, another one of the primary ways that the Myers-Briggs separates out buying personalities and preferences is by introvert vs extrovert. Most marketing caters to extroverts and it tends to be the loud, it tends to be the face to face conversation, a lot of direct interaction and when you do this in your business, you are catering to 50% of the population. That sounds pretty great.

However, on the flip side, you are missing 50% of your introverted customers and here is the really interesting thing about catering to extroverts vs the introverts. Introverts tend to be a lot less needy. They want to do a lot of the work themselves. For you as a business owner, instead of catering to extroverts who regularly need the one on one human contact, they want time with their budtender, they want to shoot the breeze, they want to talk about all of these other things and have that face time.

If you are able to, on your website, in your lobby, in your different literature and pamphlets and brochures and strain identification cards, give non-interactive things like that, your introverted customers will educate themselves, figure out what they want, spend less time at your counters, taking up less of your budtender’s time because you were thoughtful enough to present them the information that they needed to answer their question to help them make their buying decisions.

Shango Los: It is kind of like you are going to have a budtender and you are going to have then trained for the extroverts, because that is how they want their data, but you are also going to have your shop, whether online or in person, sprinkled with self-education devices and stuff that the introverts can read, so that they can absorb the data at their own rate and then just go up to the budtender and buy their purchases.

Kirsten Nelson: Absolutely. Mary’s Medicinal does a really fantastic job of this. They have a really great educational pamphlet brochure that goes through all of the ins and outs of cannabis and what to look for and what kind of experience it gives you. That is hugely valuable for the introverted buyer who is sitting in the lobby feeling kind of like they are in a can of sardines and they just want to get their stuff and get out, but they are nervous because they don’t know what to get.

They don’t know what to ask for and it puts a lot of pressure on them and it doesn’t have to be that way. You can help them feel confident and secure and you bet they are going to come back to you if they are able to buy on their terms without as much pressure to act in a way that isn’t their preference as an extrovert.

Shango Los: That makes a lot of sense, thinking about Mary’s Medicinals. That is a good example because you are right. They appeal to the logical buyer by providing studies for support, and providing lots of detailed information about what goes into their products, but they are also appealing to the emotional buyer because they have got a really great story and they really cater to patients and then you are also hitting the extrovert because they have got cutting edge products that do cool things and deliver THC and CBD in good ways. For the introvert, they have got all of this education online and at their point of sale in retail stores so introverts can pick up that flyer and just read it and then just go buy it. That is a good point.

Kirsten Nelson: Exactly, yes.

Shango Los: Right on. Oh, looking at the time, it is time for another break. We will be right back, you are listening to the Ganjapreneur.com podcast.


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Welcome back, you are listening to the Ganjapreneur.com podcast, I am your host, Shango Los. Our guest for this week is Kirsten Nelson, co-founder of Blunt Branding. During the earlier parts of the show, we were talking about the different ways to sculpt your message so that your customers can hear what you are saying, really talking to them, thinking about their perspective so that you can explain to them how the different objects, or the cannabis that you sell fits into their life so that they buy more and increase their final purchase from you. It is really important how you get them the message as well. And, Kirsten, I know you are a big proponent of mobile marketing. Why don’t you break down for us a little bit why you think that mobile marketing is important and, maybe, give us a couple best practices.

Kirsten Nelson: Sure, absolutely. One of the biggest things is if you are not mobile friendly, you are losing customers and you are losing revenue. Period, that is just it. Your website has to be mobile friendly. It is so critical that you do have a presence on social media. Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, those different social media channels are really important and then Google+, as much of a dinosaur and as unsuccessful and a pain in the rear it has always kind of been, it is really important to have, at least, a page set up with your business hours, your website, all of the basic details for your company on Google+ because it improves your search engine results.

There are other areas, like different apps that are out there, have a presence and establish your business and all of the business details on Leafly, WeedMaps, Yelp is also another really important one because it puts you in front of your customers when they are looking for whatever it is you are selling. Again, you can spend so much time and money and resources on different social media strategies. It is important to have a strategy but, at minimum if you are just getting started, make sure that you have your location, a map to your store or your shop, make sure you have our phone number, the hours. If you are a dispensary, have a menu. If you are a different kind of retailer, have a list of the different products that you offer so people can kind of explore before they come in and also make sure you have your website listed on there.

Shango Los: Right, that makes a lot of sense. You know a lot of people have been getting their Facebook pages shut down if they sell cannabis, so that is probably a danger as well.

Kirsten Nelson: It is and that is one of the most important things in any kind of business, but more importantly in cannabis. You need to make sure that you have a highly agile strategy in your social media and plan on when your page will shut down, not if, but when. Eventually it is going to happen one way or another. There are a few things that you can do. You can have a backup page. If you have Facebook, have a backup one set up and ready to go.

Have all of your about information, your contact information, a few post scheduled. Have it ready to go in case you do get shut down. The second thing that you want to make sure that you do is be ready to contact the admin on whatever social media platform and contest that your page has been shut down. Contact them, let them know. Time is of the essence in that, it really is important that you have that contact information and plan that into how you are interacting online and in social media.

Have a diverse number of accounts so don’t just depend on Facebook, don’t just depend on Instagram. Find a couple that are there so that your fans can continually interact with you if one gets shut down. Another thing is email lists and that’s another thing that’s kind of been overlooked, so newsletters, gather emails in a different way so that you can contact them and you have more control over it than you would on social media.

Shango Los: Yeah, the redundancy part that you mentioned makes a lot of sense because if your Facebook page gets shut down, your fans are going to turn to your Instagram or your Twitter or your Leafly to find out what happened and on those other pages, you can give the address of your backup Facebook page and then, boom, you are back off and getting back in contact with your customers. It’s really too bad that Facebook is deleted pages, that we even have to have that expectation that you are going to get shut down, just in case it does.

Kirsten Nelson: Yeah, exactly. It is what it is and it something that we get to deal with. Instead of get angry about it, just be proactive and plan for it.

Shango Los: Other than simply expecting our customers to go to websites and social media to find out what is going on with us, I know that you are a big fan of increasing overall revenue by doing mobile text messaging promotions to a customer base. Can you just give us two ideas for what these promotions could look like and why you are a big advocate for them?

Kirsten Nelson: Sure. I am a huge advocate for it because it is a huge untapped market. It is strange how ignored this is, I think business owners get a little overwhelmed and intimidated by it, but it really is incredible. Americans, they generally check their phones 46 times a day. That is a lot! More than 90% of text messages, they are read within 3 minutes. Crazy. Crazy amount of access, you are getting into someone’s pocket, in their phone, in their purse, you are right there.

A couple of ideas for promotions. One of the things you can do to increase sales, which is something that everybody is always interested in is bringing people in on a day of the week where, perhaps, you have less traffic or fewer sales. Create some kind of special or promotion around that day of the week. Send them a text, the ones that are on your list, and you are going to see a boost in your sales.

Second really big one to use SMS or text marketing, is to build those relationships. One really fun thing to do in whatever business you have is to create some kind of insiders list and let them know when you have new products coming in, new strains if you are a dispensary. Let them be the first to know and it really helps them to feel like you have got their back and you are looking out for them and they can always count on you to give them the newest, latest, greatest.

Shango Los: Right on, I can totally see how being on a special mobile-only text messaging list that lets you know first when you got something new in the shop that could really emphasize your relationship with them because, suddenly, you are giving them secret information that all of your other customers aren’t getting.

Kirsten Nelson: Yep, it is pretty powerful.

Shango Los: Right on. Kirsten, that is all the time we have for today, thanks so much for being on the show.

Kirsten Nelson: My pleasure, thank you.

Shango Los: Kirsten Nelson is co-founder of Blunt Branding. You can find out more at bluntbranding.com. You can also read her recent article on the Ganjapreneur.com website by following the link provide on this episode’s podcast page. You can find more episodes of the Ganjapreneur podcast in the podcast section at ganjapreneur.com and in the Apple iTunes store.

On the Ganjapreneur.com website, you will find the latest cannabis news, product reviews and cannabis jobs updated daily, along with transcriptions of this podcast. You can also download the Ganjapreneur.com app in iTunes and Google Play. For info on me and where I will be speaking, go to shangolos.com.

Do you have a company that wants to reach our national audience of cannabis enthusiasts? Email grow@ganjapreneur.com to find out how.

Today’s show was produced by Michael Rowe. I am your host, Shango Los.

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A wide-brimmed cannabis leaf.

Initiative to Restore Montana Medical Cannabis Qualifies for Ballot

The Montana Medical Marijuana Act (I-182) has qualified for the November ballot, the Secretary of State’s office confirmed this week. The initiative seeks to undo restrictions passed by the legislature and turn Montana’s medical cannabis program once more into a thriving, compassionate industry.

Though Montana voters originally legalized medical cannabis in 2004, state lawmakers decided to override the sentiments of voters in 2011 with the passage of Senate Bill 423 — a highly criticized attempt by the legislature to rein in Montana’s medical marijuana program, and which now threatens to leave more than 12,000 patients without legal access to the medicine they need.

Upheld earlier this year by the Montana Supreme Court, SB 423 takes effect starting August 31.

I-182, an initiative propelled by activist group Montana Citizens for I-182, seeks to undo the damages inflicted by SB 423. According to the campaign, “I-182 addresses concerns over the previous law and provides accountability to all Montanans, including patients, doctors and the general public.”

The new law would:

  • Require providers to obtain licenses and undergo annual inspections.
  • Remove restrictions from SB 423 that limit providers to serving only three patients.
  • Allow for certified lab tests to confirm consumer safety, consistency, and dosage information.
  • Make chronic pain and traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) qualifying medical cannabis conditions.
  • Establish licensing fees that would pay for the program.

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Study: The Average Joint Weighs Less Than You Might Think

According to new research from the University of Pennsylvania, the typical joint contains an average of .32 grams of marijuana, less than the .5 gram baseline used by the U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy. The study is published in the August issue of Drug and Alcohol Dependence.

“It turns out to be a critical number in estimating how much marijuana is being consumed [nationwide], how much drug-trafficking organizations are putting on the market and how much states might expect in revenue post-legalization,” study co-author Greg Ridgeway, associate professor of criminology and statistics at Penn, said in a statement.

Ridgeway, along with Beau Kilmer of the RAND Corporation, used information from more than 10,600 cannabis transactions over 11 years from more than 40 communities.  Through the Justice Department’s Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring program, researchers interviewed arrestees about drug abuse and market transactions, including whether joints or loose marijuana was purchased and how much was paid.

According to Ridgeway, some of the interviewees told researchers about purchases in grams or ounces, and others about purchases in joints — the interviewee disclosed how much they paid regardless of the form of cannabis purchased.

“If I paid $5 for a joint and you paid $5 for 0.5 grams, that gives me some information,” he said in the statement. “If they’re the same price, they must be roughly the same weight.”  

Using a drug-pricing model “that’s been in use for about 30 years,” which factors in additional data – such as drug markets, inflation, where the sale occurred, and possible bulk discounts – the team was able to “untangle weight and price to estimate an average joint weight.”

“That all boils down to about 0.3 grams, which is much less than previously thought,” Ridgeway concluded.

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Understanding Internal Revenue Code Section 280E, Part 2

This is the second installment of our series investigating Section 280E of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC).

In Part 1, we explained how this overreach has made it nearly impossible for state-legal cannabis businesses to thrive in the long run — the interpretation of Section 280E by the IRS means that businesses in this industry are not allowed to claim the deductions to which most other businesses are entitled.

Here is how Section 280E affects federal tax liability for state-legal cannabis businesses.

State-legal Cannabis Businesses Pay More in Taxes

While state-legal cannabis businesses are permitted to deduct Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) and capitalize indirect costs, such as inventory, state excise taxes, and administrative costs, most deductions receive extra scrutiny from the IRS.

These deductions include:

  • Utilities
  • Health insurance
  • Maintenance
  • Advertising and marketing
  • Rent
  • Repairs
  • Contractor payments
  • Employee salaries

State-legal Cannabis Businesses Face IRS Challenges to Deductions Claimed

In addition, deductions that were previously claimed by state-legal cannabis businesses for state excise taxes, administrative costs, and the storage, purchase, and depreciation of cannabis are now likely to be challenged. In 2015, the IRS Office of Chief Counsel issued Chief Counsel Advice (CCA) 201504011. The IRS Office of Chief Counsel determined that these businesses were not allowed to use more recent provisions from IRC Section 263A, which expanded the types of expenses that could be included in COGS.

As a result, cannabis-related business owners are left to worry about the IRS challenging their deductions each time they file their taxes. The IRC is open to interpretation, which means that most businesses are unable to definitively prevent a challenge from the IRS, even after preparing their tax filings under the guidance of a qualified tax professional.

In the third and final part of this series, we will discuss the impact of 280E on the cannabis industry and the state economies that have been impacted by this legislation.

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Large cannabis plant in an indoor grow environment.

Colorado Doctors Accused of Wrongfully Recommending High Plant Counts

Four Colorado doctors have been suspended by the state Medical Board for allegedly approving some patients to grow or possess at least 75 marijuana plants, according to a Denver Post report. It is the first time the board has issued multiple suspensions at once over medical cannabis.

The state constitution allows medical marijuana patients to grow up to six plants, and does permit doctors to recommend higher counts if “medically necessary.”

Dr. Gentry Dunlop, of Aurora, is accused of authorizing 700 patients to grow 75 plants or more. Dr. Robert Maiocco, of Denver, allegedly made the same recommendations to about 190 patients. Dr. Deborah Parr, of Durango, is accused of making such recommendations to 300 patients, and Dr. William Stone, of Colorado Springs, made such recommendations to an estimated 400 patients.

The doctors are suspended “until the resolution of this matter,” according to the suspension orders.

Robert Corry, an attorney representing Dunlop and Maiocco, said neither of his clients were able to defend themselves prior to being suspended on Tuesday, saying their suspensions have “nothing to do with facts and nothing to do with the law.” He plans on asking for a hearing on the matter and could file a lawsuit.

Stone said the Medical Board didn’t ask for his patient records until after the suspension was handed down.

“It’s guilty until proven innocent,” he said in the report.

The Health Department will refer doctors to the Medical Board if they are found to have recommended increased plant counts for more than 30 percent of their medical cannabis patients. Just 477 of the state’s 91,597 medical marijuana program participants have recommendations for plant counts of 76 or more.  

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Texas Lawmakers Believe Decriminalization Will Benefit Businesses

Lawmakers in Texas are supporting marijuana normalization efforts in the state, as members on both sides of the aisle are backing plans to decriminalize possession of small amounts of cannabis, the American-Statesman reports.

Republican State Rep. Jason Isaac said that changes to the drug laws could be a boon for Texas businesses because many citizens are denied jobs due to criminal records for nonviolent drug charges. He said he plans on supporting decriminalization bills in the upcoming legislative session, which begins in January.

“They are branded that way forever, and that should not be the case,” Issac said. “…Ideally, you’d like it to be retroactive.”

Issac, a two-term representative who serves on the Economic and Small Business Development Committee, said he has spoken with managers who are frustrated that they cannot hire people with drug convictions, noting he has seen qualified applicants disqualified over nonviolent possession charges.

However, even if decriminalization legislation passes, employers are not obligated to ignore minor possession tickets and they could still choose not to hire an applicant because of a simple citation.

The Texas Association of Businesses supports decriminalization in the state. Bill Hammond, president and CEO of the association, said it is “ridiculous” to arrest and jail people for minor possession offenses.

“Possession of small amounts of marijuana should be a ticketing offense,” he said.

Democratic State Rep. Joe Moody plans to introduce decriminalization legislation for the upcoming session — he sponsored a measure to remove criminal penalties for possession of 1 ounce or less in 2015. His plan calls for community service and counseling in lieu of incarceration.

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Nevada Cannabis Tourism Industry Estimated at $400 Million in 2018

Nevada could see nearly $400 million from cannabis tourism alone in 2018 if Question 2 is approved by voters, according to a press release from the Nevada Dispensary Association (NDA). The numbers are based on an estimated 6,800,719 potential adult-use Nevada tourists aged 21 and older.

The state would see estimated total tax revenues of $464,005,113 from 2018 to 2024, the release says, citing a study by RCG Economics and Marijuana Policy Group. The study suggests that 54 percent of recreational cannabis transactions would involve adult tourists, and the legalized market would create more than 6,000 new full-time jobs and more than 3,000 full-time jobs directly tied to the cannabis industry.

“After a successful trip to meet with marijuana industry leaders in Colorado this June, the [NDA] feels confident that the lessons learned by officials in Colorado following the state’s legalization of recreational marijuana will be a great benefit to Nevada in the event that Question 2 passes this fall,” the release says.

Members from the NDA — along with State Sen. Patricia Farley (R), Assemblyman Derek Armstrong (R), and Assemblyman Nelson Araujo (D) — met with officials from Colorado’s Department of Public Health and Environment and Division of Revenue about the potential issues faced in states where cannabis is legal for recreation use. The NDA said during the meeting it became clear that Nevada officials should keep an open dialogue with their Colorado counterparts if Question 2 is approved, in order to avoid certain issues — such as advertising concerns and continued support for the medical marijuana program.

Nevada joins California, Florida, Massachusetts, Maine, Montana, Arizona and Arkansas with cannabis-related ballot questions this November.

Editor’s note: A previous version of this article incorrectly said the amount of estimated tax revenue from cannabis was $4 million instead of $400 million.

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Australian Biotech Firm Aims to Raise Funds for Human Cannabis Trials

Australian biotech firm Medlab is looking to raise $5.36 million equity to accelerate medical cannabis testing on humans, Business Insider reports. The trials would be focused on pain-management therapies and have been approved by the New South Wales Government.

Sean Hall, managing director, said early results from Medlab’s NanoCelle delivery system, a method using microscopic nanoparticles, have been promising. The company announced a plan to use the delivery method with medicinal cannabis last year.

“We expect this accelerated program and new equipment will result in licensed products to market at least 12 months ahead of our current forecasts,” Hall said in the report.

Medlab’s cannabis therapies would utilize both THC and CBD in their approach. The trials would be performed at a leading Australian oncology research hospital.

The Nanocelle system has been previously tested with two existing pharmaceutical drugs; Atorvastatin (or Lipitor) for patients with high cholesterol, and Insulin for patients with Type II diabetes.

Medlab is traded as a 1-for-9 issue on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) and was trading at 30 cents a share when the company announced the cannabis trials project. The shares were up to 42 cents per share by the time the markets closed on Monday, according to the ASX report.

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Imperious Expo in Tacoma This Week, July 20-21

The inaugural Imperious Expo is coming this week to Tacoma, Washington. The conference — a professional celebration of the medical and industrial cannabis industries — is taking place this Wednesday and Thursday, July 20-21,  in the Tacoma Dome Exhibition Hall.

The Imperious Expo is a conference focusing on cannabis medicine, business, and technology. The event will offer all attendees extensive B2B networking opportunities and a deeper understanding of the opportunities of industrial cannabis.

In a phone interview last month, Imperious Expo’s co-founder Eric Norton called the event, “a medical and industrial hemp model [trade show] that will fit into any state as it goes green.”

Eric Brandstad of Forever Flowering is slated for the event’s keynote address. Other speakers include internationally renown cannabis activist Ed Rosenthal, David Muret of Viridian Staffing, Chris Beal of Weedmaps, Aaron Pitsicalis of Purple Haze Properties, and Aaron Pelley of Pelley Law. Members of the Ganjapreneur team will also be attending, so we’ll see you there! Stop on by and pay us a visit at booth 410.

Tickets are still available. One-day passes are available for $99, two-day passes cost $149. Both types of passes grant full access to the exhibition hall and that day’s lineup of expert speakers.

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Understanding Internal Revenue Code Section 280E, Part 1

As of the writing of this piece, certain marijuana-­related activities have been legalized in 25 states and the District of Columbia. However, outdated sections of the tax code — namely Section 280E — continue to threaten the viability of state-legal cannabis businesses.

This is the first installment of a three-part series that will delve into and explain the intricacies of Section 280E, so stay tuned throughout the week for Parts 2 and 3!

What is Section 280E?

Section 280E of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) restricts businesses from taking deductions for ordinary business expenses if the business has earned income from trafficking Schedule I or Schedule II substances per the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). This section was originally added to the IRC in 1982. However, it has now also been applied to cannabis businesses that operate legally under state law because cannabis is still listed as a Schedule I substance under the CSA.

Section 280E was created by Congress after a 1981 court case in which a convicted cocaine trafficker was disallowed from claiming deductions for ordinary business expenses under federal tax law. However, Section 280E is still being applied to legal cannabis businesses in these states despite the fact the law was mostly intended to target illegal drug dealers.

How Does Section 280E Affect State-Legal Cannabis Businesses?

For businesses in other industries, the ability to deduct ordinary business expenses provides important tax savings. In fact, many business owners actually increase the profitability of their businesses as a result of these business deductions.

However, for state-legal businesses in the cannabis industry, Section 280E means that these businesses often have tax liabilities that are up to 70% of their incomeWithout the ability to claim the deductions that other businesses can claim, Section 280E has created a bleak environment for cannabis companies in the United States.

In the next part, we will discuss how 280E affects cannabis businesses that are legal according to state law when it comes to the computation of federal income taxes.

For more information, continue reading Part 2 of our three-part series about this important tax issue.

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51-Foot Joint Traveling to the DNC in Philadelphia

Marijuana activists are headed to the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia — and they are bringing a 51-foot inflatable joint with them.

Chris Goldstein of Philly NORML doesn’t consider marching with the joint an act of protest, rather a celebration of all that has changed recently regarding cannabis in America.

“Removing marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act was, three years ago, a very radical position. Now, Bernie Sanders has a bill in the Senate about it, and the [Democratic] party is seriously considering it,” he said in the Philly Voice report. “Are we protesting or are we out there cheering them on?

The inflatable joint made its first appearance in April during a demonstration at the White House, where law enforcement prevented the joint from accessing the lawn. Philly activists plan to march the joint from City Hall to the Wells Fargo Center — the site of the DNC — on July 25. According to the report, the doobie is nearly as long as Philadelphia’s South Broad Street.

“The marijuana movement has to bring some levity to the tense times we’re living in,” Nikki Allan Poe, one of the activists said. “We wanted to do a protest that’s fun.”

Activists said they will return with the joint three days later, at the convention’s close.

During their Platform Committee meeting earlier this month, the drafting party agreed to add marijuana reform language to the party platform. The platform will be voted on by party members at the convention.

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Cannabis Chamber of Commerce Launched in Humboldt County, CA

Cannabusiness enthusiasts in Humboldt County, California have created the county’s first Cannabis Chamber of Commerce, in an effort to make industry networking easier and to connect business owners to other service providers they might need in their ventures.

The group’s June meet-and-greet, their second, drew about 40 people, according to the Redwood Times report — many of which had never attended a business networking event before.

“Our aim is to build a bridge,” Allison Edrington, one of the chamber founders said in the report. “Cannabis growers and entrepreneurs are not the bad guy, we are just as entrepreneurial as someone making necklaces or cider and we benefit from sharing information.”

Southern Humboldt Chamber of Commerce Executive Director called the new group a “necessary collective,” noting that she had attended both of the mixers hosted by the chamber, meeting new business owners she wouldn’t have met otherwise.

Californians will vote on legalizing marijuana for recreational use in November, which could ignite a “green rush” in the state. New and existing cannabusiness owners alike could benefit from this partnership as they will likely face unique challenges, such as regulations and taxations, as they build and grow their businesses.

“It’s heating up and the momentum is growing,” Edrington said. “Cannabis entrepreneurs need a good accountant, they need a good lawyer, they need business acumen like never before.”

Membership in the Humboldt County Cannabis Chamber is $100 for the year. Their next meeting is scheduled for Aug. 11.

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Missouri Governor Signs Bill Allowing Expungement of Most Cannabis Convictions

Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon signed a bill into law last week that will allow the expungement of the majority of the state’s marijuana convictions, according to an official press release from the governor’s office.

According to the release, Senate Bill 588 “will make it easier for former offenders who have completed their sentences, paid restitution, and become law-abiding citizens to petition the court to close their criminal records from the public.” SB 588 will allow almost all cannabis-related convictions to be expunged, provided that individuals can still prove they have not been charged with other misdemeanors or felony charges since the completion of their probation period (or sentence).

“Missourians who have paid their debt to society and become law-abiding citizens deserve a chance to get a job and support their families,” said Gov. Nixon. “This bill represents a reasonable, balanced approach and I’m pleased to sign it into law today.”

In this case, expungement is not absolute and permanent — instead, the records will be pulled from public view, but will remain available to law enforcement and employers who are entitled to such information under state or federal law.

Non-violent marijuana felonies will require seven years of good behavior to be removed. Misdemeanor marijuana offenses will need only three years.

A total of seven bills were signed last week by Gov. Nixon, the majority of which focused on updating and streamlining Missouri’s judicial processes.

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Cannabis-Friendly Illinois Bank Targeted by Feds

The Des Plaines, Illinois-based Millennium Bank entered into a consent order with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp and the state’s Division of Banking last March due to the bank’s involvement with cannabis companies, according to an American Banker report.

The order forces the community bank to change its programs in order to comply with the Bank Secrecy Act, including monitoring and reporting suspicious activity and developing a written Customer Due Diligence Program within 90 days.

Although the order never mentions marijuana, a source familiar with the matter confirmed to the American Banker it was Millennium’s dealings with cannabusinesses that lead to the order.

The agreement allows the bank to neither admit nor deny the allegations.

“This sets a challenging precedent for banks currently, or considering, serving marijuana because there is no template that they can follow to be assured they won’t get into trouble,” Steven Kemmerling, the head of a company that sells customer-screening services to banks, said in the report.

Illinois legalized medical cannabis in January 2014. The following month, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) issued guidance to financial institutions interested in serving the legal cannabis sector. However, according to FinCEN, just 301 banks and credit unions have financial relationships with the marijuana industry — representing less than 3 percent of financial institutions nationwide.

The Federal Reserve Board, FDIC, and Office of the Comptroller of Currency all use the FinCEN guidance in their bank examinations. The guidance advises banks to verify where the businesses are licensed, understand its normal activity, and monitor the account for suspicious activity. They are required to report any red flags to FinCEN.

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Dormant California Prison Sold to Medical Cannabis Extraction Company for $4.1 Million

The Coalinga City Council voted to allow medical cannabis across the city last week, as well as approved the sale of the city’s dormant prison complex to Ocean Grown Extracts, a medical cannabis company. Ocean Grown Extracts will buy the former prison for $4.1 million, the Fresno Bee reports, and the company plans to turn the complex into a medical cannabis oil extraction facility.

The new cannabis ordinances required a four-fifths majority to advance. The proposal passed through the Coalinga City Council with a 4-1 vote on July 7.

The Claremont Custody Center, which was closed down unexpectedly in 2011, was once contracted with the state of California to house over 500 state inmates. The prison’s sale will bring the city of Coalinga — which, according to City Manager Marissa Trejo, is between $3.3 million and $3.8 million in debt — immediately into the black.

“We’re thrilled to be able to offer 100 jobs and make safe medicine available for patients,” said Ocean Grown Extracts co-owner Casey Dalton. “We appreciate Coalinga taking a chance not only on us, but on the industry.”

Dalton said she hopes the extraction plant will be up and running within six months.

Coalinga Mayor Pro Tem Patrick Keough said after the vote, “It’s like the Grateful Dead said: ‘What a long, strange trip it’s been.'”

Mayor Keough believes that the hours spent educating the community about medical cannabis played a big role in the city’s eventual embracing of marijuana reform. “We listened to the citizens and created a package that was reflective of our population,” he said.

Though it followed six months of heated debates, when Keough called for public comment just prior to the final vote, the packed-to-capacity City Council chambers went reportedly silent.

“You can never do anything that satisfies everyone,” said Keough. “But we were pretty darn close to doing that.”

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Graded Cannabis Hits Shelves in Colorado

The Trichrome Institute is “forcing the industry to grow better weed,” according to President Max Montrose, with their Trichrome Assurance Grade (TAG) system, which analyzes cannabis for potentially unhealthy and dangerous compounds such as fungus, mites and spider eggs.

The Colorado-based company’s testing is far more in depth than required by the state. They look at each strain through a microscope, grading the bud based on factors including look and smell. Their level-three interpeners apply mathematical values to the visual points and inhale the sample in a “micropuff.”

“We’re the only lab in the state that consumes cannabis as part of our testing process,” Montrose said in a Westword report. “We don’t consume it to grade if we get high or not; we don’t care about that. We look for burnability, because if your bud starts crackling, it’s sprayed. And if it’s not flushed, if the grower didn’t extract the salted minerals out of the plant before he cut it down, you’re smoking salt. That’s why when you smoke and it’s hot and burns in your throat, that’s not good.”

Three dispensary groups are currently selling TAG-certified cannabis strains: B-Good, Northern Lights and Silver Stem. However, the company has worked with 30 different dispensaries, analyzing over 180 different strains. Dispensaries who participate in the TAG program will have a “Responsible Vendor” sticker for their shop door, and their graded strains will be labeled.

Montrose suggests TAG-certified cannabis and dispensaries will be identified by an app as the system becomes more widely used.

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Maryland MMJ Licensing Expected Within Weeks

Maryland officials may announce the winners of the state’s 15 medical cannabis growing licenses and unveil the first wave of marijuana processors as early as August 5, state regulators announced this week. Dispensary licenses, of which there will be a maximum of 94, will be awarded later.

The medical marijuana licensing process in Maryland has already faced some serious delays: licenses were originally expected in February of this year, and applications have been in review since December 2015.

Paul Davies, a physician and chairman of the Medical Cannabis Commission, told the Baltimore Sun that officials would publicly review the top submissions for cannabis growing and processing applications in the coming weeks — August 5 at the soonest, he said, though he declined to set a date.

“It’s going to be an exciting few weeks,” Davies said.

Maryland, which will issue a limited number of grower and dispensary licenses, has set some of the highest medical cannabis licensing fees in the country. Industry experts predict that — between the ability for dentists and other perhaps unexpected medical professionals to recommend medical cannabis, the state’s emphasis on tightly controlled supply, and the program’s steep entry costs — Maryland will present an interesting medical cannabis market.

The state’s new executive director of the Medical Cannabis Commission, Patrick Jameson, said that he was disappointed with the cannabis licensing process so far. He said things were taking “too long” and described the process as both “too cumbersome” and “too expensive” — comments that reportedly disappointed other members of the commission. Jameson joined the commission in April.

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Marijuana Tax for Homeless Services to Appear On L.A.’s November Ballot

Los Angeles County’s Board of Supervisors approved a ballot measure last Tuesday that would levy a 10 percent tax on the county’s cannabis industry in an effort to raise additional funds for homeless housing and health services, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Businesses that produce and distribute marijuana, and “related products,” would be subject to the tax on their gross receipts. The tax would apply to both medical and recreational cannabis operations, if the latter is legalized by California voters in November.

If approved by a two-thirds majority of voters, the plan could raise up to $130 million a year, according to county analysts. The money would be used to fund mental health and substance abuse treatment, emergency housing, rental subsidies and other services to reduce the county’s homeless — of which the Housing Services Authority estimates there are about 47,000 in L.A. County.

The board initially proposed a “millionaire’s tax,” property tax, and quarter-cent sales tax to raise the funds, but they ultimately agreed on the marijuana tax. Some officials are concerned that too many taxes on the legal cannabis market will push people into the informal market.

Supervisor Don Knabe, who opposes legalization, voted for the tax because if the voters approve the legalization proposition, “we ought to get a piece of the action, because it will help those that we need to help.”

L.A. County officials have already budgeted $100 million this year for homeless housing and services.

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Blazin Bottles: Blaze with Discretion and for a Cause

Colorado Springs, ColoradoBlazin Bottles is a revolutionary product that was just introduced to the market earlier this year. Blazin Bottles is a veteran-owned company based out of Colorado that offers classy and discreet glass smoking accessories in a variety of styles. These are not your ordinary pipes, though. Blazin Bottles are unique steamrollers designed to give you an incredible smoking experience at an affordable price.

When not in use, Blazin Bottles can be discreetly displayed anywhere within your home and no one will be wise to the fact that they are used for cannabis consumption. This offers a level of discretion for both medical marijuana patients who may not want pipes and bongs on display in their house as well as for those individuals living in prohibition states where a pipe could land you in jail.

According to Blazin Bottles, their one goal is to provide their users with “an affordable, easy to clean, unique pipe, that can be hidden in plain sight.”

Blazin Bottle steamrollers are available in a variety of different styles but they are all designed to provide the same elevated smoking experience. Their patent-pending unique design offers a carburetor that is much smaller than those found on many steamrollers today. This unique design provides a smoother hit due to the slow intake of oxygen to the steamroller chamber during use. Each product comes with a Blazin Bottle bag for storage, two different sized bowls, a small airtight keychain container, a vinyl Blazin Bottles sticker and a wax sealed welcome letter with an outline of how to care for your Blazin Bottle.

Blazing Bottles is also devoted to giving back through charitable donations and other opportunities. Their Blazin for a Cause program helps to benefit many different organizations centered around medical conditions that can be treated with cannabis such as PTSD, Epilepsy, and Cancer. For every Blazin Bottle Shortstack steamroller purchased, a portion of the proceeds will be donated to an organization in the Blazin for a Cause program. Blazin Bottles also offers an ambassador program which is, in essence, a street team that helps to promote the company’s mission and products to the world. Ambassadors earn points for every Blazin Bottle they help to sell that can be redeemed for prizes ranging from gift cards and Blazin Bottles to vacations and even cars! Stay tuned for more from Blazin Bottles as they will soon be introducing a program where you can send in any glass or crystal bottle you choose and have it turned into a custom Blazin Bottle!

About Blazin Bottles

Blazin Bottles began as an idea of Taylor Wiederkehr and his father Wyatt who is a Marine Corps Veteran. The idea of Blazin Bottles came to be after Taylor and his father purchased a steamroller and found many flaws within it. They started to brainstorm ideas for turning a regular glass bottle into a steamroller in January of 2016. After several different prototypes including six bowl variations and 12 carb sizes, Blazin Bottles officially launched their company on April 15th, 2016 just 3 months later.

Contact Blazin Bottles

Name: Taylor Wiederkehr

Email: blazinbottles@gmail.com

Website: http://blazinbottles.com/

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NFL football displayed on turf.

Ricky Williams Expects Cannabis Profits to Exceed NFL Earnings Lost to Failed Drug Tests

Former NFL running back Ricky Williams says he’s going to make more money through cannabis business investments than the total NFL profits he was denied after failing several drug tests more than a decade ago.

In a recent interview with Sports Illustrated, Williams said that in failing four drug tests between 2002 and 2006 for cannabis use, he estimates that he lost somewhere between $5 and $10 million in player salary and endorsements.

After his retirement from the NFL, Williams spent some time soul searching and, eventually, confronted the reality of cannabis normalization. “The way the industry is growing, it feels newer, and it feels fresh,” Williams said.

After some years spent battling the ‘stoner’ stereotype he had been branded with in his departure from the NFL, Williams learned that pushing back only perpetuated the label: so he looked for ways to embrace his cannabis identity.

Today, Williams is co-founder of the San Francisco-based Power Plant Fitness and Wellness gym, a place where cannabis-inclined athletes will be allowed to consume marijuana while working out. Williams will be managing the gym, which has already announced its grand opening for this November. Power Plant will also offer “athletic edibles,” designed to encourage both “pre-workout focus and post-workout recovery.”

Williams expects the venture will eventually dwarf the NFL earnings he forfeited over failed drug tests. “That money can make what I lost seem tiny, like pennies,” he said.

Also in the interview, Williams said that he believes 60-70% of NFL players smoke cannabis, and that some of the coaches likely do, as well.

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Medical Cannabis States See Medicare Savings, Less Prescribed Drugs

A study published in the scientific journal Health Affairs found that states with medical marijuana laws see a reduction in prescription drug use and lower Medicare spending. Researchers used data on all prescriptions filled by Medicare Part D from 2010 to 2013, concluding “that the use of prescription drugs for which marijuana could serve as a clinical alternative fell significantly, once a medical marijuana law was implemented.”

States with a medical cannabis program saw an estimated $165.3 million-per-year overall reduction in Medicare program and enrollee spending in 2013, according to University of Georgia researchers. They estimated that if cannabis therapies were available nationwide, prescription drug savings would total about $468 million per year. Medicare Part D covers the cost of prescriptions for enrollees.

The study focused on patients’ intake and spending on prescription drugs covered by Medicare Part D that are also commonly treated with cannabis in states where it is legal. Common conditions included: anxiety, depression, glaucoma, nausea, chronic pain, psychosis, seizures, sleep disorders, and spasticity. Prescription drug use declined “significantly” in regard to seven of those conditions, the study found.

Authors concluded that their study adds to the “growing body of evidence suggesting that the Schedule I status of marijuana is outdated.”

“We wouldn’t say that saving money is the reason to adopt [medical cannabis]. But it should be part of the discussion,” W. David Bradford, one of the study’s authors, said in an NPR report. “We think it’s pretty good indirect evidence that people are using this as medication.”

Half of the U.S. states and Washington D.C. have medical marijuana programs. Florida and Missouri are expected to vote on medical cannabis measures this November.

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GW Pharmaceuticals Hopes to Raise $252 Million in Public Offering

Following the successful trials of its new cannabis-based medication, British drug manufacturer GW Pharmaceuticals announced it will raise $252 million through the issuing of 2.8 million shares on the Nasdaq in preparation for bringing its drug to market.

According to a Reuters report, shares in GW Pharmaceuticals have been on the rise since the experimental drug Epidiolex sported its first positive test results. This year, the company has notched up gains of more than 50 percent, despite some early declines. Epidiolex is a drug made to reduce seizures in patients suffering from rare forms of epilepsy, Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, and Dravet syndrome.

GW Pharmaceuticals was founded in 1998 to be a pharmaceutical researcher and manufacturer dedicated to bringing the benefits of cannabis therapy into the modern medical system. Currently, the company is listed on both the Nasdaq and AIM, a market on the London Stock Exchange. In 2010, GW released its first and most successful cannabis-derived medication, Sativex, which is now approved for use in 27 countries.

GW’s public offering is expected to close sometime around July 18, 2016, Reuters reports.

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Poll: 52.5% of Arizona Voters Oppose Legalization

Activists behind the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol will have their work cut out for them in Arizona, KTAR News reports.

According to data recently published by O.H. Predictive Insights, 52.5% of likely Arizona voters would reject the state’s initiative to legalize recreational cannabis if the vote were held today. Only 39% of likely voters said they would vote to approve the initiative.

“The ‘no’ vote — and it’s not much of a surprise — is because of rural Arizona. They tend to be more conservative,” Mike Noble, managing partner and head pollster for O.H. Predictive Insights, told KTAR News. “The second-strongest was Maricopa county, where the ‘no’ vote was 54 percent. Pima County was at the low end at 45 percent against.” Noble said

Noble said another reason the initiative is likely failing is because older voters, who tend to be less supportive of legalization efforts, are also more likely to actually cast their votes.

The Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol would legalize the adult possession and home cultivation of recreational cannabis. The initiative would also establish a regulatory system for marijuana’s retail distribution, including a 15% statewide excise tax that would go towards education and healthcare programs. The campaign submitted more than 250,000 petition signatures on June 30 — significantly more than the required amount of 150,642.

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Cannabis branches hanging out to cure after harvest season.

California’s Prop 64 Receives Another $2 Million in Donations

California’s Proposition 64 campaign received $2 million in new donations this week: Sean Parker, Napster co-founder and Facebook’s first president, donated another $1.25 million; and the New Approach PAC infused another $750,000 into the campaign to legalize recreational cannabis in the state, the OC Register reports.

Parker has now donated a total of $2.25 million and the PAC — a legacy of deceased legalization activist and Progressive Insurance Chairman Peter Lewis — has contributed a total of $1.5 million. The campaign, backing the Adult Use of Marijuana Act, now boasts a $5.5 million war chest.

The Coalition for Responsible Drug Policies, a group opposing the campaign, is also actively raising funds in hopes to defeat Prop 64. The coalition, backed by the Public Safety Institute, was recently given $10,000 by the State Sheriffs’ Association, bringing their war chest total to $131,000. An anti-legalization group, Smart Approaches to Marijuana, has joined law enforcement groups, the Teamsters, and a state hospital association in trying to defeat the measure, which will appear on ballots in November.

According to a May 25 poll by the Public Policy Institute of California, 60 percent of likely voters support legalization of cannabis for recreational use. Several lawmakers have expressed support for Prop 64 this week, including Assemblyman Reggie Jones-Sawyer and Assembly Speaker Emeritus Toni Atkins, both Democrats.

Hyatt Hotel heir Nicholas Pritzker; the advocacy arm of the Drug Policy Alliance, Drug Policy Action; and Weedmaps, a website that connects patients with dispensaries, have also backed the measure.        

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