Smoking vs. Vaporizing Cannabis

12/10/2015

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As cannabis continues to win legalization drives around the globe, cannabis research is also advancing, supporting both positive and negative results regarding the use of cannabis. These research advances largely indicate marijuana’s helpfulness in handling a wide range of psychological, physiological and physical disabilities and illnesses, but there also several not-so-stoner-friendly conclusions.

The main reason cannabis has been shown to be harmful for its users is not actually the plant substance itself, but the most common process of ingesting it: smoking. There is, however, a healthy alternative that is swiftly growing in popularity: vaporizers.

The heating processes are completely different, which result in different compositions of chemicals being ingested. These chemicals can either harm your body, or help your body.

The heating process

With smoking, the process is instant. You flick your bic, ignite the herb and inhale. The temperature of your lighter cannot be controlled; the weed burns anywhere from 500-800 degrees Celsius (932-1472 degrees Fahrenheit) on its own.

Through vaporization, the heating process is more gradual. The temperature setting typically ranges from 50-260 degrees C (122-500 degrees F), and you are manually in control of changing the temperature.

Chemicals involved: the good and the bad

Due to the high burning temperature of smoke, a chemical reaction known as combustion occurs. This can lead to the destruction of beneficial cannabinoids and an increase in carcinogenic compounds, comparable to those in tobacco smoke. Toxic compounds begin to occur around 200 degrees C (392 degrees F). In addition, chemicals from the butane lighter are also inhaled.

Vaporization involves the physical reaction of evaporation and avoids chemical combustion. Being in control of the temperature allows the user to target the specific boiling points of each cannabinoid (THC, CBD, CBG, etc.) and other therapeutic plant terpenes.

Health complications

Smoking cannabis has been correlated to a number of health complications, including coughing and sputum production, damage to the mucosa, lower Respiratory Tract Infections, and precursors to lung cancer. Secondhand cannabis smoke poses similar health risks to secondhand tobacco smoke due to the mutagenic and carcinogenic properties. Through smoking, one still consumes cannabinoids useful to the body, however their potential significantly decreases due to the ratio of bad to good chemicals.

Vaporization on the other hand, actually reverses the health complications of smoking. It has been reported that those who switch from smoking to vaporizing immediately suffer less coughing, sputum production and infections. When you subtract the toxins caused by smoke, ingested cannabinoids go from having limited availability to your body, to being accessible for your entire Endocannabinoid System to use. Eliminating smoke will eliminate inherent health issues that could be facing you and your family.

As you probably know, cannabis has been shown to help cure several cases of chronic disease and/or illness. This plant has the ability to restore world health, but only if we use it wisely. Removing the toxic process of smoking will diminish most of the risk associated with cannabis use. By slowly heating the cannabis to the perfect cannabinoid boiling point, rather than combusting the plant material and destroying cannabinoids, users can maximize the health benefits of their herb.

Photo credit: ecigclick.co.uk

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Canadian Judge Fines Man $1.30 for 30 Cannabis Plants In Symbolic Protest Against Prohibition

12/10/2015

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In a symbolic protest of the war on cannabis, a Québecois judge fined a man $1.30 for being in possession of 30 illegal marijuana plants.

Mario Larouche, 46, had failed to obtain a medical marijuana prescription to treat his pain and turned to growing marijuana illegally in order to relieve his symptoms. Judge Pierre Chevalier said:

“We are in a society where people are accused of possession and use of marijuana while more than half the population has already consumed. These are laws that are obsolete and ridiculous. When one is in the presence of laws which would have more than half of the population has a criminal record in Canada… And probably most Crown Attorneys and defense, and perhaps judges, but I will not comment on it.”

Few Canadian doctors are willing to prescribe cannabis for pain, although there is increasing evidence that it is effective in treating chronic pain symptoms and lacks the side effects commonly associated with prescription medication.

“Monsieur is in a broken system where it does not give people access to a natural medicine that goes back centuries, millennia,” said Chevalier.

The ruling also reflects newly-elected Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s progressive position on cannabis, which is leading the country towards the full legalization and regulation of the plant.

Photo Credit: KOMUnews

 

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Georgia MMJ Commission Has One Week to Persuade Anti-Cannabis Governor

12/10/2015

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The Georgia Commission on Medical Cannabis is set to have its final hearing on the issue of medical marijuana this week. The commission has been taking input from patients, law enforcement officials, doctors and those in the industry on the issue for the past two years. The commission will soon present Georgia Governor Nathan Deal with a proposal, although Deal has come out publicly against medical marijuana legalization.

Last week Gov. Deal told lawmakers he would veto any legislation that would legalize the in-state production of cannabis and low-THC oils for medical use.

Despite the mounting evidence that supports medical marijuana Deal said that “I still don’t think we have sufficient information or ability to control something of that nature if we start production and processing here in our state.”

Deal’s claims that the state doesn’t have the resources to control such a system likely stem from the reports of law enforcement officials who toured Colorado’s recreational program with the commission. But Colorado’s system is a far cry from what the commission has proposed — a relatively restrictive program that would focus on low-THC oils. Deal is mistaken to compare the two.

Rep. Allen Peake (R-Macon), who co-chairs the commission, pressured Gov. Deal to look at programs in states such as Minnesota, which has created a functional restrictive medical marijuana program. “I am absolutely convinced that we can offer a model that would calm the fears of law enforcement and minimize any public safety issues,” said Peake.

 

Photo Credit: Peter Stevens

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Mississippi Bars the Marijuana Policy Project from Fundraising There

12/10/2015

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Advocates working with the Marijuana Policy Project in Mississippi say they’re barred from raising money on behalf of the program because its director is a convicted felon.

The government of Mississippi announced that it will block the Washington D.C.-based Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) from doing any kind of fundraising in the state. MPP officials say the decision will hinder efforts to pass marijuana reforms in Mississippi and perhaps throughout the South.

MPP Executive Director Rob Kampia explained the situation in an email Monday:

The Mississippi government is saying that MPP is prohibited from raising money in that state because I’m a convicted felon.

After I was convicted for growing my own marijuana while in college, I co-founded MPP in order to repeal marijuana prohibition in all 50 states — something we can no longer do in Mississippi.

Worse yet, we’re not even allowed to raise money in Mississippi to challenge the state’s stupid fundraising law.

This isn’t the first time MPP has been discriminated against.

For example, (1) MPP almost lost our employees’ retirement plan until a member of Congress intervened, (2) the bank where we’ve been doing business for 20 years won’t give us a line of credit because they don’t like our “mission,” (3) we had trouble opening a brokerage account, (4) we had trouble getting credit card processing for our five ballot initiative committees, (5) numerous landlords wouldn’t lease office space to us or our campaigns, and (6) the IRS has audited us twice.

And now we can’t raise any money in the entire state of Mississippi because of a marijuana conviction 26 years ago?

The MPP is soliciting donations from supporters so that it “can challenge Mississippi’s bad fundraising law and continue our work to change some of the nation’s worst marijuana laws.”

Photo Credit: faungg’s photos

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Englewood, Colorado Extends Moratorium on Cannabis Clubs; Further Regulations Under Consideration

12/10/2015

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City officials in Englewood, Colorado have extended the city’s moratorium on cannabis clubs while they consider regulatory possibilities.

Colorado has faced a bit of a conundrum since the opening of its recreational marijuana market last year: laws prohibit public cannabis consumption, leaving tourists and social users who have legally purchased bud nowhere to legally consume it. Smoking or vaping marijuana is banned on public streets, parks, and in hotels, putting consumers in a bind.

To combat this, social cannabis club iBake Englewood opened this past June in Englewood, Colorado. Inside the club, recreational users can smoke a joint or vape THC concentrates while socializing with other users, and still remain within the parameters of the law.

When iBake Englewood opened, city officials were taken by surprise, and the Englewood City Council scrambled to pass a ban on social cannabis clubs — and placed a moratorium on the opening of additional clubs in the meantime.

But now the city has stepped back from the idea, and has assembled a task force to draft regulations on future clubs.

Though Englewood just renewed its six-month moratorium, interim community development director Mike Flaherty says it’s because the city needs more time to study the issue and draft possible regulations—in lieu of an outright ban.

Photo Credit: Leslie J. Clary

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Alen Nguyen: Creating a Cannabis Industry Distributorship

12/09/2015

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Alen Nguyen is the CEO of Green Thumb Industries, one of the first B2B distributors in the cannabis industry. As more cannabis business owners transition from the grey market to the newly-regulated industry, they often find themselves facing a host of supply chain issues. In mainstream industries, there are typically dozens of distributors to choose from who offer wholesale discounts on the basic supplies needed to run one’s business. In the cannabis industry, the options can be limited. Alen Nguyen recently joined our host Shango Los for a discussion of how Green Thumb Industries keeps cannabis businesses running smoothly, how his business strategy evolved over time, and what advice he has for aspiring cannabis entrepreneurs.

Listen to the podcast below, or scroll down to read the transcript!

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Shango Los: Hi there, 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 you’re own entrepreneurial spark and give you actual information to improve your business strategy and improve your health and the health of cannabis patients everywhere.

Today my guest is Alen Nguyen. As CEO of Green Thumb Industries, Alen oversees the leading distributor of supplies for cannabis growers, processors, and retailers. Whether it is lights, nutrients, retail packaging or traceability software, Green Thumb Industries stocks it and delivers it to cannabis businesses as they need it. Welcome Alen.

Alen Nguyen: Thanks Shango. Thanks for having me on.

Shango Los: Alen your business model is new to cannabis even though it’s been used in other industries for ages. Would you explain the service you offer for the audience and how exactly it works?

Alen Nguyen: Sure. I think you did a better job than I will but I’ll give it a crack. We’re a centralized business to business distributor for the cannabis industry. Like you mentioned, this is a model that’s literally in every other industry and the cannabis industry is no different.

In order for an industry to operate it needs supporting infrastructure and that’s primarily through distribution and supply chain management. Before cannabis was a legal commercial industry, it was supported by a retail channel because it was operating at the medical or black market level. Your medical or black market grower would go to their retail hydro store and purchase their supplies and equipment at retail prices for their operation.

Now that this is a legal cannabis business, or a legal commercial business, it needs a commercial infrastructure to support it. I use this example all the time. Chevrolet, GM, Boeing, they don’t buy their nuts and bolts for their cars and airplanes from Home Depot or Lowes. They purchase them from a commercial supplier and distributors at wholesale pricing. It’s just ludicrous to think that they would pay retail prices and have to purchase through a retail model. The cannabis business shouldn’t either.

Shango Los: I was just thinking about the old days when people would go to the hydro store and maybe park down the street because supposedly the sheriff was recording license plates and everybody was all hush, hush. “No I’m using this for my tomato plants.” This is such 180 degrees from that now that not only you’ve got a catalog of everything somebody could need and then you deliver it to them. That’s a big evolution of the industry.

Do you find that you also provide a benefit to your customers because you’re holding their inventory? I’m assuming that you do it like a grocery store would where you are shipping it to them on a regular basis so they’re only receiving the product as they need it so that they can have a smaller footprint of their shop or business themselves.

Alen Nguyen: Absolutely. The growers, primarily in Washington states, our largest customers are the growers, the cultivators. Obviously they want to maximize every square foot of their facility to be contributed towards profitability. They don’t want to have a lot of supplies hanging around and supply chain management isn’t really something they want to focus on. They’re very good at growing a great product so let us focus on supporting their business in areas that we’re really good at.

They pretty much nailed it right there. We have inventory and it’s really customer-specific inventory as well as a lot of stock inventory as well. We deliver those products to our customers so they can have just-in-time inventory. It guarantees that they don’t have a break in their supply chain because cannabis is a living plant. If you break that supply chain it starts degrading it’s quality and you lose your profitability. Like a car, if a hood doesn’t come in for supply you can just stop your production line and then put the hood on when it comes in, but cannabis will start to deteriorate so we cannot let that happen for our customers.

Shango Los: I would think that from your side, since you are the person who is stocking your warehouse first and then you are bringing that down the chain to your clients, that you’ve probably had to learn some lessons with how much of your own inventory to keep as well. Somewhere between just in time and oh my god we’ve got to stock up.

Alen Nguyen: Yeah. That is probably one of the hardest things that we’ve had to deal with. Being able to forecast is extremely difficult this early on. I’m from the aerospace industry where we know that Boeing is going to make forty-two 737s a month so we can forecast our inventory.

This industry, our customer acquisition rate coupled with the diverse products that they use, we’ve only had a very short period of time with being able to forecast that. It’s a dynamic challenge that we really focus a lot of our internal efforts on so our customers don’t have to worry about that. They don’t see a gap in their supply chain.

Shango Los: I really like the copy on your website that refers to what you do as “curating” these products. I like that because you probably save customers a lot of time by you doing the research for them and I’m sure that they will tell you, “Hey there’s this new cool thing that we’d like you to start carrying for us.” Generally speaking, you’re probably turning them on to it since you’re spending all of your time researching new goods. How do you go about doing that? How do you go about choosing and curating the products for this wide range of customers, from growers to processors to retailers?

Alen Nguyen: That’s a very good question because there’s just a plethora of products out there so we’ve taken a different approach. We actually don’t look at products directly. The way we do it is we sit back and we look at the industry from a 30,000 foot view. We look at the trends and we look at the direction that the industry is moving towards and then we focus on products and solutions that are geared towards getting people there as an evolution of the industry, if that makes any sense.

We look at the next direction that the industry is going in to and then we focus on something that is going to get people there and we become product knowledge experts on it and then we introduce it to the industry to help their business evolutionize with the industry.

Shango Los: Are the companies that you normally buy from to provide to your customers, do they pretty aggressively court you? I could imagine that people are sending you samples all the time because if you do your job right you’re essentially becoming a salesperson for them.

Alen Nguyen: Correct. At first it was very rough. When we first started out we didn’t … you know, “Who are we? Who is Green Thumb Industries?” Just another company trying to make a buck off the cannabis industry. That’s one thing that we’ve done really well is we’ve gone after really large suppliers that have really helped build our reputation in addition to theirs. Now we’re starting to see that snowball effect of people are calling us a lot more to rep their products versus us contacting others.

Shango Los: The entrepreneurs that you work with that you are providing for, people in the cannabis industry are kind of pretty skeptical sort I would say.

Alen Nguyen: Yeah that’s a nice thing.

Shango Los: People who are coming to the industry new are generally skeptical because they’re jumping into a pool that they’re unfamiliar with. Have you had the experience of really having to get over a hump of getting people to trust you? Maybe not that you’re necessarily telling them that you know what’s best for them but that they should really weigh your opinion heavily in figuring out how how to set up their supply chain for their supplies?

Alen Nguyen: Absolutely. Especially because I’m not from the cannabis industry. As kind of a new face coming in, my business partner, he’s from the cannabis industry. He’s been in the medical industry quite a while, but me being the architect at putting the business side together … it was a challenge. It was a very difficult challenge because a lot of people in this industry have deep-seeded roots with their current suppliers even though it may be retail suppliers.

What we did was we really sat and listened to the market and we listened to, we went to tons and tons of meetings in Washington, out of Washington and other areas and listened to the issues and concerns that our potential clients had and we became product experts and chased those suppliers for it. One being packaging and one being traceability. Those are fairly new to these growers, so we became product experts in them and then we just provided them with information. We provided them with information to help their businesses ease into that transition.

What’s most important is cultivating that relationship with the client and then it’s nice if a sale comes afterwards.

Shango Los: I would think that, since the industry is so new and your particular business model is pretty complex, that you probably don’t have a lot of competitors right away. You’ll eventually have them but you probably have a pretty open playing field right now don’t you?

Alen Nguyen: Yes. That’s the nice part is that a lot of the companies that are coming in are very specific in one area and we’ve had the luxury of forging really good relationships with the leaders in each vertical. Then we’re the conglomerate that glues them together and becomes product experts. You’re absolutely right there will be competitors and what we’ve tried to do to help mitigate that is really just strengthen our relationships with the top suppliers in each one of our product lines or verticals that we’re in to help grow our business at least as fast as we can before competition comes.

Shango Los: I was just thinking about how interesting your margins must be. If your customers are used to purchasing from the manufacturers and you are providing the service in the middle, it’s got to keep your margins pretty thin and so you’re probably having more success with volume than hitting a home run on every sale?

Alen Nguyen: Well that’s actually a two part question so I’ll answer the second part of that statement first is that yes we don’t run off of typical retail margins. The retail margins in most stores are about 50% and then they give them a discount based off of that. We’re taking a real wholesale approach. We provide our customers with the pricing of the product lines that we’ve developed at wholesale pricing because that’s what they deserve as a business at the volumes that they’re purchasing. That part drives the margin thing.

The other one from the manufacturers side, as I mentioned, we as a distributor, we focus on forging relationships with manufacturers and providers that do not go direct. Biotrack doesn’t do the hardware stuff that we do. Exit packaging, they don’t sell direct, they only sell through distributors. That relationship bond that we have is strengthened by that to where they know that we can deploy to the market and they can focus on what they really want to do which is make a great product.

Shango Los: That’s great, Alen. We’re going to take a short break and be right back. You are listening to the Ganjapreneur.com podcast.

 

Welcome back. You are listening to the Ganjapreneur.com podcast. I am your host Shango Los and our guest this week is Alen Nguyen of Green Thumb industries.

Alen before the break we were talking about how the very nature of your business model is new to cannabis and I’ve been watching your company since the very beginning as your business model evolved and changed as well. Can you talk a little bit about what your initial idea was for the business model and as the medical market became the I-502 recreational market and as those companies’ business models changed, how you had to adapt along side?

Alen Nguyen: Honestly it was horrible. What we are as a company now is literally is literally nothing to where we’re at today. We’ve done a whole 180, our name has changed and we’ve learned so much along the way.

Our original take was this, we were going to be the supply chain management of the industry. We saw a gap that these commercial businesses went from a small home grow to a large warehouse and there was going to be a huge supply chain management gap. We were like, “Oh ding. Genius, lets take this napkin note and turn it into something awesome.” What we did was, we had these supply cabinets. We put these supply cabinets out in these commercial warehouses for these growers and we had an app, we thought we were so cool. We had all this stuff.

The growers, we’d stock our inventory with all the growth supplies in these cabinets that were on site. The growers would go and scan a bar code that was in the cabinet and as they scanned the bar code they would take the product out. We would just sit back in our little offices and basically monitor their inventory, and we’d go out and deliver and replenish their cabinets once a month and we would charge them for what they used and it was just an awesome idea in terms of ideology and a business plan it was great for us.

Shango Los: It actually sounds a little bit like a hotel mini bar.

Alen Nguyen: That’s exactly what it, every time I explain it to people they’re like, “That’s it?” I’m like, “Yeah.” With one layer of technology added to it which is we can monitor it immediately. Conceptually it was awesome. There’s a company that does that now, Fastenal, they’ve built their model their model around that but execution was just horrible, it just fell on it’s face so bad. The reason was that we had so much risk in inventory that was at the customers site.

I hate to say it, as much as I love our customers, there was a lot of customers that aren’t necessarily have the highest morals and are truthful about things. Product was getting stolen, people would change products, we’d get stuck with inventory. I said, “This is crazy. We can’t do this anymore.” That was at the end of last year.

How we transitioned is, we stopped at the very beginning of this year, we said, “All right. We can’t do this anymore. Let’s bring all these cabinets back.” Which I have a warehouse full of cabinets right now. I put one in everyone’s office so they can just stuff their crap in there.

What we decided was let’s focus on something that nobody else can do and we can do much better than everybody else and the gripes and the issues. I mentioned this earlier. Then we chased Biotrack so we got the Biotrack contract and we got the exit contract for packaging and I still have two more lines to develop. Ever since we pivoted ourselves, it’s been so much better, the way we’ve built our business to become the main distributor of these leading brands.

It’s not necessarily a bad thing that we’ve changed from where we were to where we’re at today.

Shango Los: I like the idea of them having a supply closet and scanning it so that you were getting real time information on what was on their inventory so that you could provide it. Are your clients still scanning items but you’re just delivering them or have you set the scanning thing aside and now they’re sending you what we think of more as a typical order?

Alen Nguyen: We’ve replaced the scanning thing, we’ve taken back a lot of our cabinets. The system works great if it’s properly used by both sides. What we’ve done is we’ve replaced the cabinet. We just didn’t abandon the whole idea of supply chain management through technology so we just didn’t leave our customers out in the cold.

What we did was we replaced that cabinet program with something that’s a little bit more advanced and similar. We’ve created a business to business portal. This purchasing portal has a private log in and our goal and our vision is to have every cultivator, every dispensary, every retailer, to have this link saved on their desktop and they can click on there, it opens up our page, they log in and it basically has all of their inventory available. They can purchase directly from there, purchase all their supplies, and it goes out the door and it’s more like an Amazon type.

I learned one thing. From aerospace I was a business to business guy at heart. That’s just what I knew and what I did. When I came over here I was like, “Okay, we’re doing the business to business thing. This is a no brainer for me.” However, everybody that owns a business in the cannabis, I’m sorry not everybody, the majority of people that own a cannabis business now have never owned a business in their life, so their purchasing is not a business type of purchasing, it’s a consumer based purchasing mindset and I fell on my face hard when I approached it that way.

Then this business to business portal provides these people with all the business tools that they need but yet with a very Amazon consumer type feel. We’ve fixed that.

Shango Los: I was thinking about it and it probably changes your vocabulary too in how you speak to them because you maybe find yourself using more B to C vocabulary than B to B vocabulary just so that you’re providing warm customer service.

Alen Nguyen: Oh yeah. My undergrad is in electrical engineering so I’m kind of a nerd and I have a masters in business and all I did was talk to engineers in the aerospace world and we did sales that way. I have to say, talking to this demographic is a lot cooler because we can be ourselves and don’t have to worry about any kind of moral recourse. I still don’t talk about religion and I still don’t talk about politics.

Shango Los: Those are probably good choices. One of the things in your answers that I think is good point out is that the business model that you thought you were going with is not the one you ended up with and that’s happening a lot in cannabis is that people are getting in it but they have to remain flexible and that is a secret to success.

I’d also think that getting the Biotrack contract was very helpful since every cannabis business, in Washington at least, has got to have a Biotrack machine. You’re kind of like, you’re bringing them in for the Biotrack and then you send them something else. I think that’s probably a really great thing to help bring those customers originally to you.

Alen Nguyen: You got it. That was exactly why we chased it.

Shango Los: Right on. You mentioned changing the company name. Let’s talk a little bit about that because we all put a lot of emphasis into the importance of building a quality brand and there you were a couple of steps into it and then you changed it. What’s the story behind that?

Alen Nguyen: Again I’m not from this industry, so when I came up with the name we wanted to emphasize two things. We wanted to show: A) that we’re industry related and B) that is shows exactly what we do. When we started this the company was called Green Thumb Logistics and Services.

Foolish me, and I actually wished I changed it, but being a guy from outside the industry I thought being Green Thumb was pretty original but it’s actually quite horrible. Everything in this industry either has green or thumb or some play on words that’s related to cannabis in it. I wouldn’t say I’m necessarily building a brand around that because there’s a ton out there.

If I was to do things, and I changed it to Green Thumb Industries, Industries is more generalized as in we’re a distributor so we’re more general. If I had to go back I probably would not have called this Green Thumb Industries but we’ve built it around that, it’s been a long time now so if anybody’s out there listening put some serious thought into what kind of brand you’re going to be building around there because as a guy that was coming from the outside of the industry I had no idea what I was doing and that’s what I picked.

Shango Los: One thing I can give you credit for is after you changed the name your logo and the website and it all got this huge new polish to it. Whoever you had doing your graphic design, they really made the transition seem elegant. It seemed like you moved up a level.

Alen Nguyen: I’m glad it appeared elegant from the exterior because it was a nightmare interior. The website is tied to our ERP and is tied to our inventory. It was a huge … I mean it’s software so everything takes twice as long and costs twice as much.

Shango Los: Right on. Well hey, we’re going to take another short break and we’ll be right back. You’re listening to the Ganjapreneur.com podcast.

 

Welcome back. You are listening to the ganjapreneur.com podcast. I am your host Shango Los and our guest this week is Alen Nguyen of Green Thumb Industries.

Before the break we were talking about your supply chain and how quickly and effectively you can get the supplies from your warehouse just in time to your growers, processors, and retailers. I would think that they really save a lot of time only having one supplier to deal with as well. Historically, we need to go to one company for this and another company for something else. Your more of a warehousing approach causes them to have to do less running around town and less paperwork.

Are you finding the feedback that you’re getting from folks is that they appreciate that time savings?

Alen Nguyen: Absolutely. One of our mottoes is, focus on what you guys do really well which is grow and sell awesome cannabis, let us take care of the rest. Let us take care of operations. Having one supplier they then go to, get wholesale pricing, get all their products. If you place an order with us by 12 it ships out that same day. You’re talking get products the next day if you’re local. If you’re in another state it takes a day or two. It’s that fast because we’re getting that efficient with our operations. We really take the Amazon approach coupled with the distributor approach to this.

Shango Los: I would also think that for most of your clients who, I mean heck I guess everybody in this business is a start up entrepreneur right now, we never have enough time for anything. So any amount of time savings is a real win.

Alen Nguyen: Yeah absolutely. Like you said, these people are in startups just like we are and I know how busy it is because we’re in a start up ourselves so to have the luxury of a product knowledge expert in areas that would take you a lot of research to develop, we can come out there and basically address any questions you may have and then support you right after that. It’s a huge value to these people.

Shango Los: Another big convenience that you have in your business that your customers don’t necessarily have is that you’re not extensively regulated by the state. People pitch me business models all the time and they want me to discuss them with them and so often they are jumping into something that requires a cannabis license and so you have to get micromanaged by the state.

You on the other hand are working a business that while you interact with the state you pretty much have a free hand because selling trimming supplies and things like that is not regulated. What has your experience been with riding that edge between not having to deal with the extensive regulation but because you got the Biotrack contract and want to provide good feedback to your customers, you actually still have to work with the state.

Alen Nguyen: Correct. We don’t deal with nowhere near the kind of complexity and difficulty that a lot of our clients deal with. We can bring money in from anywhere we want, we can basically operate our business without being heavily regulated, we just have to follow state and federal laws and be morally conscious about what we do.

When we got into this my whole thing was, I was looking at this to scale. Everything I did was I want to scale. I want to make it huge. Like everybody in the cannabis industry, I want to take over the world. We have to do it methodically. Having those guidelines and restrictions makes it extremely difficult to get any kind of investment and it makes it difficult to have operations in multi-state.

For example, a grower here could have their farm here, their sales here, and if they wanted to expand to Oregon they would have to do the same thing down there and you’d have redundant operations. Whereas with us, we can have centralized hub and spoke models to where we have centralized operations in one area and then we have these spokes of distribution networks that we can scale out. We’re extremely efficient so the scalability is huge and then also the investment stuff we’re just now looking and courting investors for our expansion.

It’s kind of unfortunate that our clients for the most part can’t do it and we don’t really have to deal with the state with that at all so that’s kind of nice.

Shango Los: As you do reach out to more folks and start doing more interstate branding, are you finding that … there are the states that are already legal and normalized so it would make sense that you would have customers there but are you finding occasionally a customer will pop up in an unexpected state and you’re like, “I don’t know if they’re doing medical or if they’re doing something great but they sure are ordering a lot of nutrients.”

Alen Nguyen: We only work with businesses so our filter is this, is that we don’t sell to the public. We only sell to businesses. If you have a business license it’s fairly easy to just do some basic research on the business and if there’s anything that’s sketchy we have our moral bounds about what we’re doing.

It’s also federally illegal for us to ship, or sell anything to a state that doesn’t have legal cannabis there. We try to be very cognizant of what we’re doing in case of any recourse as well as in our moral bounds.

Shango Los: Yeah right on. That makes a lot of sense. We got mostly actually, entrepreneurs who are in our listening audience and you’ve dropped a couple good lessons that you’ve learned along the way. Let’s say that you were talking specifically to these entrepreneurs and they’re thinking about putting together a B to B business. What is a piece of advice or two that you can offer that you’ve learned yourself that you would like to share with them?

Alen Nguyen: Focus on relationships, relationships, relationships. That’s with your business partner, that’s with your suppliers, your partnerships, others outside of your network. Do not be constrained in your network at all. Reach out, travel and network like crazy. Washington is the most unique state in the way we operate and I built our business around it and I am so glad that we started doing business and I go to California every other month. I travel to Vegas, I work with a lot of people outside of it, and it’s just so eye opening about how the rest of the industry works. It’s nothing like Washington and I would have never known that.

Really cultivating those relationships, expand your network, just getting a holistic understanding of the industry and if there’s anything that I can just push through is as the founding members of your start up company make sure you have at least one business person and one operations person. When it’s just you two or your three or you four or whatever it may be and you guys are working 15-20 hours a day and it’s just you doing that, it’s going to make things so much easier.

Shango Los: That’s really solid advice and it’s also all the time that we have for today. Thanks for chatting with us Alen, it’s been really a pleasure.

Alen Nguyen: Thanks Shango, thanks for having me on.

Shango Los: You can find out more about Alen Nguyen and Green Thumb Industries on their website, greenthumbind.com.

You can find more episodes of the Ganjapreneur podcast in the podcast section at ganjapreneur.com. You can also find us on the Cannibus Radio Network website 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. We’re also thrilled to announce that you can now find this show on the iHeartRadio network app bringing the ganjapreneur podcast to 60 million mobile devices. Do you have a company that wants to reach our national audience of cannabis enthusiasts? Email grow@ganjapreneur.com to find out how.

Thanks to Brasco as always for producing our show, I’m your host Shango Los.

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For Children with Epilepsy, New CBD Study Reveals Hopeful Future

12/09/2015

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In 2013, the cannabis strain “Charlotte’s Web” was rumored to help children with epilepsy have fewer seizures. Desperate parents stormed state legislatures across the country, pleading with lawmakers for access to medical marijuana. Many scientists, however, were reluctant to conclude that Charlotte’s Web — and the high doses of cannabidiol (CBD) within it — could be an effective treatment for epilepsy, until more conclusive research could be done.

Now, two studies have been released featuring clinical trials conducted in the last year on the effectiveness of CBDs to treat epilepsy in children. In both studies, children were given a drop of a pharmaceutical extract made from marijuana that concentrates CBDs, along with their regular anti-seizure medications.

In the first study, conducted at NYU Langone Medical Center, researchers found that of the 261 patients (aged 11 to 16), seizures dropped by 45%. They also found cannabidiol was most effective at combating seizures in children suffering from Davet Syndrome, one form of treatment-resistant epilepsy.

The second study, conducted at University of California Benioff Children’s Hospital, produced more mixed results — but had a much smaller sample size.

In both studies, some patients withdrew because the Cannabidiol caused no effects; in a small fraction of patients, seizures increased.

More research is expected to be released in 2016, but for parents of children with a disease that rarely responds to treatment, these initial results are hopeful.

Photo Credit: Jon Grainger

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Dab.Land Electric Nail

12/09/2015

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Before electronic nails, dabbing was one of those things that you either loved or hated because of the need to use a crème brúleé torch to heat the nail. Some found the torch exciting and edgy and elitist while others could not imagine how putting a flaming torch in the hand of someone about to take a hit of super-concentrated THC could be a good idea. Indeed, it looked so much like doing hard drugs that it put a lot of people off and the media had a field day pontificating on how dabbing was a new drug scourge. They rarely mentioned how dabbing was helping so many patients with chronic and acute pain. They also never realized that dabbing is to cannabis as whiskey is to beer; a more concentrated version for a certain kind of enthusiast.

Electric nails are swiftly changing that initial impression. An eNail replaces the torch by using a nail that is attached to an electronic device that brings the dab nail to the desired temperature without any flame at all. While I am sure some love the hardcore nature of using a torch, dabbing as a whole will definitely get a boost from the arrival of the eNail.

First off, it is far safer to use than a torch. There are fewer burns and less desktop fires when there is no flame used. Certainly, you can burn yourself by touching a hot eNail but the risk is greatly reduced overall.

Second, the dabber has far greater control over the dabbing temperature with an eNail. It was always a challenge with a torch to know when the exact target temperature was attained. Dabbers tended to hit especially hot dabs this way causing a loss of taste and running the risk of converting terpenes into secondary volatile carcinogens. With an eNail you can set it and forget it. Just dial in your temperature and go.

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Storage case for the Dab.Land electric nail.

This convenience is attracting new dabbers every day. No longer needing to look like a hard drug user and with this new ease of use, more tokers are finding the joys of inhaling pure cannabis oil and skipping the inhalation of the cannabis plant material.

Dab.Land has released a line of very nice eNails at a price that makes trying out dabbing much more accessible. These nails are every bit as reliable and well designed as those first-generation nails being sold at twice the price. Dab.Land has taken the best manufacturing techniques from first-generation nails and blended it with proven components and cool style.

The Dab.Land kit comes with everything you need to get started. The nail comes factory set at 700 Celsius and includes a carrying case, heating coil (20mm), power cord, two-piece Ti2 universal nail, Ti carb cap and 3 Dab.Land stickers.  They also sell them in limited edition themed boxes. There is a 1-year limited warranty on all digital parts too because they truly stand behind their products.

We received the Hot Pink version in the office and everyone immediately fell in love. The carrying case matched the nail box in Hot Pink and was well packaged and orderly. The review team had it assembled and warming up in under 90 seconds and were dabbing another two minutes later. We were all impressed with how fast it got to temp and how nice it was to not have to break out a torch.

Since the nail stays hot, there is a strong reason to micro-dab to better control dosage and to switch happily between strains in order to build exactly the kind of experience you want. In our first test, we used some CO2 extracted Grape Ape from Green Lion Farms to give us some end of the workday relaxation followed by some Girl Scout Cookies rosin from Thinc Pure to add a level of euphoria. Because the temp was set perfectly we were able to taste both in all of their glory without scorching them.

Everyone involved in the review has now moved over to using an eNail daily and we all agreed that the eNail kit from Dab.Land is a solid choice for anyone from novice to advanced dabber.

You can find out more here: www.Dab.Land

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Health Canada Approves First Product Line of Medical Cannabis Oils

12/09/2015

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Peace Naturals Project Inc. is the first licensed medical cannabis producer in Canada to receive approval from Health Canada to begin distributing medicinal cannabis oils under the country’s federal medical marijuana program.

In a press release issued Monday, Peace Naturals Project announced it had completed the manufacturing and testing of its first two batches of cannabis oil, named Cerene and Omega. “The first oil products to be made available for sale will be for oral consumption using organic, high quality functional food oils as the carrier agents,” reads the press release.

As of the time of the announcement, registered Canadian medical marijuana patients could begin ordering the new, oil-based products.

Peace Naturals Project was the first federally licensed medical cannabis producer in Canada, and offers a wide range of conventional and organic cannabis flower solutions.

Canada’s federal medical marijuana program, the Marihuana for Medical Purposes Regulations (MMPR), hinges on the delivery of cannabis products via the federal mail system. Selling cannabis in any form through a storefront is still federally illegal, but local authorities in Vancouver, B.C. have allowed the development of a quasi grey market, with unlicensed dispensaries selling medicine to patients.

Meanwhile, the newly-elected Liberal Party of Canada has formally announced plans to enact full legalization and is working to establish federal regulations that would end cannabis prohibition nationwide.

Photo Credit: Don Goofy

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Award-Winning Pastry Chef Launches Cannabis Infused Product Line in Illinois

12/09/2015

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Mindy Segal, winner of the 2012 James Beard Foundation Award for Outstanding Pastry Chef in the Country, announced the launch of an Illinois-based medical cannabis infused product line on Tuesday.

Segal, owner of the successful Chicago establishment Hot Chocolate Restaurant, is partnering with Illinois’ largest cannabis cultivator, Cresco Labs. She is the first celebrity chef to attach her name to a commercial cannabis enterprise.

According to a press release issued by Cresco Labs:

[Segal’s] initial products will include a line of chocolate brittle bars, a line of infused granola bites, an infused chocolate drink that is intended to be warmed to enhance the soothing effects, and a ready-made mix with do-it-yourself instructions.

While the product line will be designed first and foremost as medicine, the goal is to not let that detract from the flavor of the infused delicacies. “With my recipes and Cresco’s technology, we’re developing this line of products to be consistent every time and absolutely enjoyable to eat,” said the acclaimed chef.

“Having someone with Mindy’s name brand and credibility enter the cannabis industry says a lot about where this industry is headed,” said Charles Bachtell, founder of Cresco Labs.

The products will be distributed to medical marijuana patients via dispensaries around Illinois, and there are plans for distribution agreements that would allow the branded products to be produced and distributed across five additional states.

Photo Credit: Nick Harris

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CCPR Board Members Throw Weight Behind Rival California Legalization Initiative

12/09/2015

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Six board members from the Coalition for Cannabis Policy Reform (CCPR) have agreed to withdraw the ballot measure, and are throwing their weight behind the Adult Use of Marijuana Act (AUMA), which is by far the best-funded California campaign to end the prohibition of cannabis.

The shift appears to have started in November, when key CCPR board member Richard Lee — founder of Oaksterdam University and the man behind California’s narrowly-defeated 2010 legalization measure — announced that he was formally endorsing AUMA. “It’s important that we all get together to support one initiative,” he explained at the time.

Now, there are five more prominent board members following suit. Tom Angell lists them in an article for Marijuana.com:

  • David Bronner, CEO of hemp soap company Dr. Bronner’s
  • Nate Bradley, executive director of the California Cannabis Industry Association
  • Stacia Cosner, deputy director of Students for Sensible Drug Policy
  • Neill Franklin, executive director, Law Enforcement Against Prohibition
  • Antonio Gonzalez, president of the Latino Voters League and the William C. Velasquez Institute in Los Angeles

The Adult Use of Marijuana Act is backed by tech-billionaire Sean Parker. Now — with the top board members of CCPR throwing their endorsements behind it — AUMA is in a much stronger position for success in the 2016 elections.

Bronner stated in a press release: “We have carefully reviewed amendments submitted by the proponents of the Adult Use of Marijuana Act, and we’re convinced it’s time to endorse that initiative and unite everyone behind a single, consensus measure to achieve a legal, regulated system, which a majority of voters have consistently said they want.”

Franklin also stated, “This amended measure strikes a thoughtful balance between civil liberties and protecting public safety and the safety and health of our children. I’m pleased to endorse it and have every confidence it will pass in November.”

Photo Credit: noahbloom

 

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Thinc Pure Rosin Extracts

12/08/2015

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Thinc Pure appeared in Washington’s medical cannabis market in 2015 with a splash. Their CO2 extracted cartridges contain no adulterants like propylene glycol, vegetable glycerin or coconut oil. Few processors are able to extract at the correct viscosity for vape pen cartridges and choose to include those additives so their oils flow through the wick of the vape pen.

Thinc Pure’s ability to make such deft extractions is due entirely to their widely experienced trio of extractors: Jeff, Sam, and Jerome — a.k.a. The Bearded Boys — who helped found Thinc Pure.

Jump back to the Rosin explosion that began in February of 2015 when @Soilgrown Sal realized that putting a hard nug between the irons of a hair straightener would create a halo of perfectly dabbable oil around it. If you are unfamiliar with the birth of Rosin, be sure to listen to the Ganjapreneur podcast episode where we talk with Jeff Church aka @CannabisReverend, in which he explains how easily anyone with a hair straightener can make oil from flower.

The idea that oil could be extracted with nothing but mechanical pressure shook the BHO market as suddenly dabbers could make their own oil and not even have to think about soupy dabs with residual butane. Thinc Pure was there from day one following and commenting on the Soilgrown’s Instagram feed and spreading the news about rosin at the Spring 2015 Spannabis in Barcelona, Spain, where Thinc Pure’s founders turned a wide range of cannabis celebrities onto the technique, including Marc Emery, Matt from House of the Great Gardener, and cannabis activist Todd McCormick.

Thinc’s love of the oil’s consistency and on-point terpenes motivated them to release their own line of packaged rosin oil. Thinc Pure’s rosin is for connoisseurs who want to enjoy clean oil with full flavor but don’t want to put in the labor of squeezing it up. Cannabis enthusiasts can be sure the rosin is free of molds and other microbials because Thinc uses microbe-killing UV light on all their plant material before they process it.

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Rosin offered by Thinc Pure, made from premium Girl Scout Cookies cannabis flower.

We had the opportunity to try their Girl Scout Cookies Rosin and were very impressed. As soon as you remove the cap, the terps drift out and cause you to take notice. On this run the GSC Rosin smelled very pleasingly of pineapple, coffee, chocolate and skunk. The consistency is soft and sticky so it grabs the dab tool and does not crack and fly across the room as sometimes happens with shatter. Rosin is a great reason for using an e-nail so that you don’t get too hot of a dab and ruin the terpene profile.

The high was experienced by us as similar to Girl Scout Cookies flowers but more-so and faster, which is exactly the reliability we want. Testing at 67.5% THC, we were elated and happy and did not experience a racing heart. It came on smoothly and grooved with us there like an old friend.

You can purchase Thinc Pure rosin at these locations.

 

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Natural Enemies Predatory Mites

12/08/2015

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At the time of writing this product review, beneficial insects for the cannabis garden are just coming into popularity. They are filling a need stemming from two drives. First, now that growers and enthusiasts have access to residual pesticide testing in laboratories, it has become very obvious that any sort of petrochemical pesticide used on a cannabis plant will find its way into your body. This is even compounded if the cannabis will be concentrated for dabs, RSO or similar but you are still smoking poison in the flowers even if you just roll a joint. This realization has validated the huge underground of ferociously dedicated probiotic and organic cannabis growers around the world who knew ahead of the rest of the industry that promises of increased yields and no pests from bottles were simply smoke and mirrors.

Second, right now we are seeing a wave of cannabis recalls in Colorado based on test results finding carcinogenic pesticides used in their state-licensed cannabis market. There are calls from all over for a decreased use of pesticides and more consumer protection across the cannabis industry.

Enter Natural Enemies: the good guys bringing beneficial insects into the cannabis garden.

If you use petrochemical pesticides on your crops, the chemicals will end up in your final product and that is no good for anybody. Also, pests are frustrating, so why not try and prevent them in the first place? By using beneficial insects you can prevent outbreaks or control outbreaks that have already occurred with a non-chemical solution that is safe and easy on the environment and your cannabis garden.

Beneficial insects from Natural Enemies will consume pests and protect your cannabis garden.
Beneficial insects from Natural Enemies will consume pests and protect your cannabis garden.

Imagine this scenario with the hated two-spot spider mite. The first thing you can do is to order a beneficial insect like Amblyseius fallacis to release into your garden that eats a variety of pest nymphs and eggs before they become mature.

But if you already have an infestation, what then? Well, then you apply a beneficial mite that enjoys eating living spider mites. Phytoseiulus persimilis feeds strictly on two spot spider mites and is used to clean up epidemic-level situations.

Here is the astonishing part, after the beneficial insects rid your garden of eggs, nymphs and living mites, they are still hungry and will pick your plants clean of pests and then wander off in search of more food and die away from the garden or buried into the soil depending on the species. So you really can add an insect to your garden that will eat all the bad guys and then essentially disappear. This is groundbreaking.

Applying insects from Natural Enemies.
Applying insects from Natural Enemies.

You can be assured that this solution will become the solution of choice for commercial cannabis growers everywhere. Here in the early days, however, people are still learning about it and trying it out themselves for the first time. Natural Enemies is way ahead of the curve with this product, and we expect to see them everywhere very soon.

Find out more at www.NaturalEnemiesBiocontrol.com.

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LeBlanc CNE Natural Tinctures

12/08/2015

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While folks love to smoke cannabis, it has been primarily used orally as a tincture for most healing applications in modern history. While smoking does provide a pleasant experience and offers some pain relief, most patients find the best therapeutic results with a whole plant tincture that can claim the benefits of The Entourage Effect.

Cannabis researcher, educator and founder of LeBlanc CNE, Jerry Whiting specializes in crafting cannabis tincture formulations that are second to none. His long-time experience as a CBD cannabis grower gives him a familiarity with the plant that allows him to choose the best strains and grow thriving plants for his tinctures. His heavy use of cannabis analytics in the LeBlanc research and development phase gives him numerical support for aspects that many formulators guesstimate on. Because of this emphasis on testing and spreadsheets, LeBlanc CNE tinctures are exceptionally easy to dose and have reliable results.

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Tinctures from LeBlanc CNE.

Their tinctures are extracted into alcohol to obtain the full spectrum of cannabinoids present in the plant. Some of the alcohol is vaped off to concentrate the medical properties and then vegetable glycerin is added to make the tincture easier to take orally without a burning sensation. Sunflower lecithin is also added to increase the body absorption.

While LeBlanc produces a series of tinctures for a variety of ailments and with a few branded partners, they all are signed off on by Jerry Whiting who knows patients are relying on his expertise and dedication to accuracy. Their most popular tincture is the LeBlanc 1:1 tincture with equal parts CBD and THC. This is a favorite for many because the THC is backed up by a healthy serving of CBD which softens the THC experience and offers a wide range of therapeutic effects on its own.

You can find out more about LeBlanc CNE at http://www.leblanccne.com

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Empower Oil Cannabis Topicals

12/08/2015

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Empower Oil produces some of the highest quality cannabis topicals anywhere. The bodycare formulations are elegant and effective, and, while focusing on oils, certainly provide substantial aromatherapy benefits as well.

You’ll immediately notice when handling any of the products in their line that much care has been given to the tactile nature of their packaging. All four of the products we trialed felt good, even sensuous, in the hands. The labels were informative and directions clear. A real sign that Empower Oil is a quality product is the appearance of testing results on each package sharing the amount of cannabis in each and when and where the tests were done. We are used to this kind of labeling in the licensed state-run market, but this kind of self-regulation in medical is less common, though certainly on the increase.

The first product we used was their flagship Cannabis Infused Oil. This is recommended for sore muscles, psoriasis, bruising, cold sores, arthritis, eczema, fibromyalgia, restless leg syndrome, neuropathy, cramps, headaches and more. The oil is slick but not messy which we all enjoyed. Also, the roller applicator allowed us to really control how much we used. The label let us know that there was 45mg THCa and 20mg CBD in the package. Like many topicals, the directions call to use it repeatedly until you get relief. There really isn’t a way to overmedicate with topicals so the way to go about it is to apply and then apply again automatically a bit later once the first application has soaked in. We found that the best routine for use was to simply set a schedule and rub it in 6 times a day regardless of pain. We found that being applied regularly like that gave consistent relief.

The second product was their Healing Hemp Oil Blend, which is essentially a version of their Cannabis Infused Oil containing only CBD. There is under .03% THC in this blend so it is much easier to defend distributing it nationally and for patients to take it over state lines. The label says it has 10mg CBDa and less than .02% THCa which actually makes it not even a cannabis product by Federal definitions. Like the other oil, the consistency of the oil and roll-on packaging make this bodycare product very easy to use. If you live in a state that allows legal marijuana, you most likely want the full plant extracted oil above but this CBD oil is a solid choice for states not yet normalized and those seeking CBD care without any THC included. Apply repeatedly for best results.

The most anticipated product by the review team was the Empower 4Play Cannabis Infused Sensual Oil. We had to discuss this quite a bit to understand exactly what the product is intended to do. First off, it is not a lube. Sexual lubricants are regulated by the federal government and have to be approved by the FDA. Second though, 4Play has an oil base which can throw off human chemistry if used too liberally internally. Also, oils break down latex condoms which can result in unwanted results. That said, there is plenty of fun and relaxation to be had with the 4Play. While Empower’s slogan for their oils is “Put it where it Hurts” the slogan for the Sensual Oil is “Put It Where You Please.” So we did.

The cannabis infused oil worked very well as a topical lubricant for skin on skin contact. It did not dry out or get sticky. Eventually it soaked in and reapplication was wanted but it never got unpleasant. The oil comes in a spray which was so very convenient. It went on evenly and measured and was simple to use with slippery hands.

When applied to the mucous membranes and rubbed in, especially on women’s genitalia, a euphoric, localized body high occurs. When sprayed on the anus, it gives a great body high that hits the face and back of the head too. The review team all agreed that just the idea of the oil added fun to the play. The warm body high was an added plus.

At the end of all the fun, trying out Empower’s Therapeutic Soaking Salts with Cannabis Infused Oil was called for. The single use package was placed into a tub of hot bathwater as directed. The label lets you know that it contains 33.3mg THC and 8.2 mg CBD. The bath salts are recommended for minor sprains, bruises, aches, arthritis, fibromyalgia, carpal tunnel, tendonitis, neuropathy, psoriasis, muscle fatigue, headaches and minor skin disorders. It works as a general anti-anxiety too because being in a warm tub with the salts is a wonderful aromatherapy experience. Clearly the smell of the product was given much thought.

Empower Oils founder Trista Okel grew medical cannabis for over a decade before dedicating herself to topicals and patient care exclusively. Her attention to detail is clear and it is heartening to see a heritage grower making the transition to the licensed state market.

www.EmpowerOil.com
https://www.facebook.com/EmpowerOils
https://www.instagram.com/empower_bodycare

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DOPE Industry Awards Coming to Seattle Next Weekend

12/08/2015

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The DOPE Industry Awards, an annual event hosted by DOPE Magazine, is a cannabis appreciation party that highlights the industry’s most prominent organizations, activists, entrepreneurs and ganjapreneurs of the year.

This year, the DOPE Industry Awards is coming to the Showbox SoDo in Seattle on Saturday, December 19. The event starts at 7 p.m. and tickets are marked at $25. Voting for the awards has already commenced: you can help decide this year’s winners via the event’s online voting system. Nominees have already been decided — simply visit dia.dopemagazine.com and register an account to begin voting for your favorite cannabis companies and persons of interest.

According to the event’s website, plans for the evening include a range of “local celebrity presenters, special performances by local musical artists, and a specially chosen host.”

We wanted to draw special attention to one nominee in particular: the Vashon Island Marijuana Entrepreneurs Alliance — a grass-roots cannabis organization that hails from Vashon Island, the same island community where the Ganjapreneur Podcast is recorded. VIMEA seeks to educate the public, help patients, and offers business support for new cannabis entrepreneurs, all for no charge.

VIMEA is a finalist for the Best Cannabis Association in the DOPE Industry Awards, and it is truly impressive that VIMEA’s small collection of local volunteers, educators and island cannabis entrepreneurs made the list, which otherwise consists of mostly bigger commercial cannabis organizations.

We hope you will vote for our friends at VIMEA and help bring credit and recognition where it’s truly due!

Photo Credit: DOPE Industry Awards 2014

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Illinois State Police ‘Mistakenly’ Tells Medical Marijuana Patients to Give Up Firearms

12/08/2015

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Several medical marijuana patients in Illinois have received letters from the state police informing them that their firearm licenses would be revoked, despite the fact that the state ruled two years ago that medical marijuana users could continue to possess firearms.

The Associated Press recently reported that police claim the letters were sent in error, and that only four people received such notices. Despite this, others argue that the mistake points to widespread discrepancies in the law in states that have legalized medical marijuana.

A checklist for firearm owners on the Illinois State Police website includes the requirement “I am not a medical marijuana patient registry card holder,” although ISP spokesperson Matt Boerwinkle stated that this too was in error and is being removed from the list.

Tyler Anthony, an attorney with the Canna Law Group, doubts that the language was added by mistake.

“The opposite is probably true,” he said. “Even taking their word for it, they shouldn’t be careless with citizens’ constitutional rights, especially when their position lacks any clear legal basis.”

The confusion likely stems from a disagreement between state and federal laws on the issue. Although Illinois state law expressly protects medical marijuana users from being denied rights, an open 2011 letter from the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives states that medical marijuana users are barred from possessing firearms under federal law.

Photo Credit: Mika Järvinen

 

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Canadian flag flying against the sun.

Canadian Government Renews Commitment to Cannabis Legalization

12/08/2015

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Building on the campaign promises of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who was elected in October, Gov. Gen. David Johnston delivered a speech on Friday mentioning the new Canadian Liberal government’s plan to regulate marijuana.

Legalization was one of the primary issues Trudeau ran on in his recent bid for Prime Minister. In the speech Friday, Gov. Gen. Johnston only said that the government will “restrict access” to marijuana. In his campaign, Trudeau argued that Canada should look to Colorado, Washington, and Oregon—states that have all recently legalized recreational cannabis—for guidance on crafting smart legalization policy.

Trudeau has called the current criminalization of cannabis “a failed system,” and hopes that legalizing it would remove the “criminal element.”

After winning the election in October, Trudeau submitted a letter to Canadian Minister of Health, Jane Philpott, asking her and other officials to work together in crafting a plan for legalization.

Philpott reiterated Trudeau’s concern that Canada’s existing model of criminalization doesn’t work. The task force is hard at work doing exploratory research, and generating a plan that could establish Canada as a model for the world in legalizing marijuana.

Photo Credit: Alex Indigo

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Chile Removes Cannabis From List of Hard Drugs

12/07/2015

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Chilean President Michelle Bachelet signed a decree Friday that removes marijuana from the country’s list of “hard drugs,” High Times reports. The order authorizes Chile’s Ministry of Health to “permit and control the use of cannabis, extracts and tinctures, for the manufacture of pharmaceutical products.”

Removing marijuana from the hard drug list means that getting caught with the drug no longer carries long prison sentences. Many who used cannabis for medical purposes have been arrested and charged as drug dealers under the previous law.

The change in the law doesn’t come as much of a surprise, considering the government recently approved a 6,900-plant medical marijuana pilot farm. The farm, which currently grows 20 different high-potency strains of cannabis, is the largest of its kind in Latin America, and the harvest is expected in April. 4,000 medical marijuana patients in Chile stand to benefit from the production and processing of the farm’s cannabis, which will be made into oils.

Medical and recreational marijuana was decriminalized in Chile in July. Chileans can now possess up to 10 grams and six marijuana plants per household.

A 2014 poll by the Chilean market and public opinion company Camden found that fifty percent of Chileans are in favor of recreational marijuana, while 45% were against it. However, the poll found that 86% of Chileans were in favor of medical marijuana.

Photo Credit: BruceW.

 

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Alaskan Regulators Finalize Rules for Recreational Cannabis

12/07/2015

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Regulators in Alaska have finalized rules for the state’s recreational marijuana marketplace, near exactly one year after voters in The Final Frontier approved cannabis legalization, making it the fourth U.S. state to undertake such reform.

There were significant changes made during the final meetings between regulators, which included a heated discussion over residency requirements for business owners/investors looking to pioneer the Alaskan cannabis industry. The final draft of the rules required individuals to meet the same requirements as Alaska’s voter registration process, but in a hasty reconvening of the state’s Marijuana Control Board on Dec. 1, regulators backpedaled on that decision.

The following is a list of key changes made by state regulators in the weeks leading up to the final draft, as noted in the Canna Law Blog:

  • The Board decided to keep the buffer for children’s centers, schools, and churches at 500 ft., an issue which was of particular concern for Alaskans because of their small towns and densely packed tourist areas.

  • The Board eliminated brokerage licenses, which would have created and regulated marijuana brokers as middle-persons between cultivators and retailers.

  • The Board voted to allow branding in Alaska’s marijuana market.

  • The Board decided mandated that marijuana products leave stores in opaque, childproof containers. It refused to implement stronger proposed childproofing requirements on the grounds that children are the responsibility of their parents, not marijuana retailers.

  • The Board eliminated potency limits for marijuana.

Photo Credit: Zaskoda

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Energy for U.S. Cannabis Cultivation May Soon Reach $11 Billion Price Tag

12/07/2015

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The legalization of cannabis — and the rapidly-expanding industry that sprung from it — has reared an ugly beast that has power companies worried across Colorado and up and down the west coast, Marijuana Business Daily reports.

Energy consumption is becoming more and more of an issue for legal cannabis businesses. In many cases, harsh zoning laws or cannabis-specific legislation has forced professional grow operations indoors, which — while helpful for establishing a safe, clean cultivation environment — really spikes up the cost of production in energy bills. In fact, reports from a National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners panel held in Austin, Texas last month indicates that the U.S. cannabis industry’s energy bill may soon spike upwards of $11 billion.

There are efforts to move the legal industry towards greener grow methods through greenhouse technologies and more eco-friendly power sources such as solar power, however for certain cases — such as the industrial warehouses full of cannabis currently found in Denver — potential solutions are not nearly so numerous.

To read more on this subject, check out the full story.

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Why Activist Dan Riffle Really Left the Marijuana Policy Project

12/07/2015

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Dan Riffle describes his exit from the Marijuana Policy Project as a “long-term career move,” allowing him to work on other legislative interests such as tax and education public policy – rather than a move based on discontent with MPP or “the industry” despite some reports.

“I left my job as a prosecutor to come work for MPP six years ago because I eventually wanted to work on the hill. MPP seemed like a nice landing place to put in a couple years of interesting policy work and meet people who could be my bridge to the hill,” Riffle wrote in an Oct. 30 email to his colleagues. “As it happened, I fell in love with the issue and my coworkers, so when it took off I stayed along for the ride longer than I anticipated.”

It seems Riffle has landed that job on the hill – he resigned from MPP for a senior legislative assistant position in Rep. John Conyers’ (D-MI) office, the ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee.

However in a separate email to his colleagues, dated Nov. 6, he said “industry is taking over the legalization movement and I’m not interested in the industry.”

That same day MPP launched their Pledge 4 Growth campaign – asking “industry leaders” to donate .420 percent of their gross revenue to the organization.

“I think it is a pretty stark example of the kinds of things I was concerned about and that were the reasons why I left,” he said in an interview with the International Business Times. “I felt for the last few months the industry was kind of dominating the legalization movement’s work in general, and MPP’s specifically.”

Mason Tvert, MPP communications director, said Riffle “seems to have issues with the industry” but doesn’t think neither those issues nor the Pledge 4 Growth campaign are why he left the organization.

“It doesn’t strike me that his opinion regarding the industry is what lead to his changing jobs – he was already changing jobs. I don’t think that was related at all,” said Tvert, who describes Riffle as a “good friend.” “Since the beginning, he had wanted to work on different legislative issues more than marijuana.”

Tvert pointed to MPP’s non-support of the failed Ohio legalization initiative as just one example proving MPP is not becoming a tool of “Big Marijuana.”

“[Riffle’s] concern strikes me as being about the general nature of the industry…not trying to influence necessarily through MPP,” Tvert said. “Only 10 percent of our budget this year came from donations from people associated with the industry…Pretty small.”

Most Big Marijuana companies, Tvert says, tend to focus on tax and banking public policy rather than legalization advocacy and often buy lobbyists to help affect those issues – and Tvert can’t blame them when many of them are paying 60 to 80 percent in taxes. Tvert says most of MPP’s funding comes from individuals and ranges from $5 to $100,000 donations.

Responding to a report that pointed fingers at MPP’s board having industry ties and MPP staff leaving for industry jobs, Tvert said those reports are drawing false conclusions.

“Yeah, we have a ten person board and half of it has industry ties but it’s important to look at what those ties are,” Tvert said.

MPP was founded in 1995 by Rob Kampia who now serves as its executive director. Kampia also serves on the board for National Cannabis Industry Association but has no financial stake in any of those businesses.  Board member Troy Dayton is the CEO for cannabusiness investment firm ArcView Group but he was elected by MPP’s members.      

He concedes that there are three board members that do have “direct financial ties”; Joby Pritzker, Dixie Elixirs CEO Trip Keber and Med-West CEO James Slatic. Pritzker was a member of the board prior to becoming an investor in marijuana businesses.

“It’s not exactly nefarious,” Tvert said. “In MPP’s history there have been well over 200 employees…There are only about 7 – less than 5 percent – of our low level staff have went to work with the industry. I’m not saying that to be defensive – it’s a matter of fact.”

Tvert says there is a discussion to be had about the role of industry in advocacy but using Riffle’s departure probably wasn’t the best way to frame that discussion.

In an email, Riffle said he understands why some people weren’t happy with his comments but he wanted to share his “concern about the industry’s interest being in conflict with public health interests.”  

“I’ve even had people within the industry reach out to say they have similar concerns based on what they’re seeing. A lot of the people I know in the industry are good people with good intentions who were involved in the legalization movement for years before the industry even existed,” he wrote. “They got into it to help patients or were fascinated by the science behind developing new strains of marijuana. As the industry grows and they see the type of people it’s attracting, they’re turned off by it.”

Although MPP does get some of their funding from the industry, they aren’t “in bed” with the industry as some reports alleged, Tvert explains.

“We are trying to do advocacy work and there are people in the industry who want to see things done a certain way and so we have to try and work with those people to figure out how we can do what we want to do,” he said. “If we want to end marijuana prohibition in a state, we’re trying to draft a law [to do that] and some people are saying ‘we wouldn’t support it if its done this way,’ or ‘we want it done that way,’ we need to navigate that and figure out how we can pass a good law that everyone can support.”

Riffle says he is “in a good position to help influence marijuana policy” in his new role and said he is “grateful” for his six years with MPP.

Photo Credit: Leslie J. Clary

 

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Commissioners Debate Recreational Cannabis Regulations in Clackamas County, Oregon

12/04/2015

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On Wednesday, Dec. 2, Clackamas County commissioners met to detail how the county will handle new recreational marijuana operations, approving an ordinance designed to regulate the growing, distribution and sale of retail cannabis. This move comes before the state has even begun accepting applications for recreational business licenses, which is expected to happen Jan. 4, 2016.

They want to “go forward with some really tight regulations,” said Board Chairman John Ludlow. The ordinance bans commercial cultivation in all zones except small rural plots that are already zoned for farm or forest use. It also imposes strict controls on indoor growing, and limits processing cannabis into concentrates to industrial-use zones and buildings.

The ordinance also outlines high minimum distances between recreational marijuana retail shops and schools, parks, and daycare centers.

The move to tighten regulations on recreational marijuana comes after Clackamas County placed a moratorium on medical marijuana sales in 2014. Though the moratorium has ended, cities and counties can still attempt to “opt out” of Oregon’s new recreational cannabis laws by banning marijuana-related facilities.

Clackamas County Commissioner Paul Savas dissented in discussions over the new ordinance, arguing instead to continue the county’s current ban on marijuana, despite the fact that recreational marijuana was approved by 52% of the county’s voters.

“Paul, I think you are irresponsible when you make statements like that,” said Chairman Ludlow, during the exchange.

“I think the voters made that decision and we need to stand behind it,” confirmed Commissioner Jim Bernard.

Photo Credit: Joel Bombardier

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Colorado Company EdiPure Recalls 7,700 Cannabis Edibles Over Pesticide Concerns

12/04/2015

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It happened again: Colorado cannabis edibles company EdiPure has voluntarily recalled 7,700 cannabis products for containing a potentially dangerous pesticide, The Cannabist reports.

This is the 10th product recall in three months that has been issued by a Colorado marijuana company over pesticide concerns. Throughout this time, EdiPure has issued more product recalls than any other producer.

A news release by the Denver Department of Environmental Health explained that the recalled products were made from contaminated cannabis that had been purchased from independent growers.

“The cultivators weren’t being upfront with us,” explained Kyle Forti, spokesman for EPMM Colorado, a company currently in ownership disputes over EdiPure with another Colorado-based cannabis company, Green Cross. “We’re frustrated right along with the public,” Forti said. “… I’m confident that with what we’ve been able to put into place now with our equipment, our testing and everything else, this isn’t going to be an issue again.”

Green Cross CEO Mark Smith had no comment about the latest recall, but in November did state that of EdiPure’s original recalls, only 5% of the products in question were actually returned by retailers, and that no contaminated products purchased by consumers had been returned.

Photo Credit: Magic Madzik

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