Ganjapreneur.com

Brief: Houston Police Chief Calls War On Drugs a ‘Miserable Failure’

12/08/2014

Houston Police Chief Charles McLelland, head of the nation’s fourth largest city’s police department, said in a radio interview on Friday that the U.S.-instigated drug war has been a “miserable failure.”

“Most of us understand, we do believe, those of us that are law enforcement executives, that the war on drugs, the 1980 drug policies, was a miserable failure, there’s no doubt about that,” McLelland told interviewer Dean Becker, host of the radio show ‘Cultural Baggage.’

McLelland explained how he believes current policies regarding crime prevention, drug rehabilitation and substance abuse have “disproportionately criminalized a certain segment of our population… It has a trickle-down effect, that a lot of young men who are minorities, in their early 20s, have a felony conviction on their resume, and now they’re unemployable. And we wonder why they don’t have jobs, they’re not working, they’re not contributing to society in a productive way, but we’ve put them in a position to where the odds are stacked against them.”

Becker presented McLelland with questions from members of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP), such as whether or not McLelland has ever hired a deputy who had used marijuana, or how he felt the growing majority of Americans who support drug policy reform was influencing our elected officials. Other topics included police militarization in light of the recent Ferguson controversy, and the response of other Houston officials to Chief McLelland’s political stance against the drug war.

‘Cultural Baggage’ is a weekly, half-hour radio show aired on Friday evenings that focuses on discussing the war on drugs.

Sources:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/05/houston-police-chief-marijuana_n_6277018.html

http://www.drugtruth.net/cms/node/5119

Photo Credit: Ed Uthman

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Brief: Hemp Bills Approved By Michigan Senate Committee

12/06/2014

The Michigan Senate Agriculture Committee passed a pair of bills on Thursday to allow the cultivation and production of industrial hemp. Both bills passed through the House earlier this year.

HB 5439, sponsored by Rep. Kevin Daley, sets up the necessary criteria for universities and other organizations to participate in the nationally-approved opportunities for pilot hemp programs. This bill passed in the House unanimously in May.

The other bill, HB 5440, was proposed by Rep. Peter Pettalia and was sponsored by 64 different Michigan House Representatives. Pettalia’s bill removes the criminal classification of hemp and scientifically segregates it from cannabis, hemp’s psychoactive cousin. The bill passed in the House with a 108-1 vote.

The Michigan legislative session is slated to end December 18. It remains unknown whether or not lawmakers will be able to pass legislation on hemp this year, or if the issue will have to wait until the next session.

“The Senate is ready to get this done and I am hoping for a unanimous vote in the Senate like we had in the House,” said Steven Sharpe, Board member of the Michigan chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. “It’s what’s best for Michigan,” he said.

Sources:

http://thecompassionchronicles.com/2014/12/04/hemp-bills-pass-michigan-senate-committee/

Photo Credit: David J

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Brief: Majority of Medical Professionals Support Treating Epilepsy With Cannabis

12/05/2014

Survey results published by UCLA on Thursday have revealed that a vast majority of medical professionals in the U.S. consider cannabis treatment to be appropriate for severe cases of epilepsy. The general response from neurologists and epileptologists, however, did not agree with that majority: only 48 percent of such specialists said they would advise the use of medicinal cannabis.

Survey investigators reported 776 responses from participants across North America and Europe.

An 83 percent majority of all physicians, nurses, researchers and other health professionals said that — in the event of severe epilepsy — they would advise medical marijuana treatment. 78 percent of participants agreed that there should be some sort of pharmacological grade CBD compound available as medicine for epilepsy treatment.

More than half of the U.S. has legalized the use of medical marijuana for certain debilitative conditions. Currently, epilepsy is one of the most common conditions for which medical marijuana is prescribed.

Sources:

http://norml.org/news/2014/12/04/survey-physicians-endorse-cannabis-therapy-for-epilepsy

Photo Credit: Fotos GOVBA

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D.C. City Lawmakers Approve Legislation to Regulate Recreational Marijuana Sales

12/04/2014

In November, D.C. voters passed Initiative 71 with nearly 70 percent approval ratings, and legalized the adult possession of up to two ounces of cannabis. Citizens are are allowed to grow up to six marijuana plants in their own home. However, the voter-approved Initiative 71 does not include a system for regulating and taxing recreational marijuana sales.

To address this fact, D.C. lawmakers approved pieces of legislation that would legally regulate and license the production, processing, distribution and sale of cannabis in the District of Columbia. The vote took place following a joint hearing on Tuesday, November 25 by the D.C. Committee on Business, Consumer and Regulatory Affairs and the Committee on Finance and Revenue.

Councilmembers voted to approve various sections of a 2013 bill, the “Marijuana Legalization and Regulation Act of 2013,” which was introduced by Councilmember David Grosso, an Independent. Ten sections of the bill remain unexamined, however, and lawmakers did not finish the process before the Council adjourned this month. Advocates suspect that Councilmembers will resume the push for a regulated marijuana market come January with a similar tax and regulatory bill.

“Today’s vote in support of regulating marijuana like alcohol in the nation’s capital is a validation of the overwhelming support among District residents for an end to the racial disparities and harm caused by marijuana prohibition,” said Grant Smith, deputy director of national affairs for the Drug Policy Alliance. “D.C. lawmakers have a clear mandate from the community they serve to pass a bill that regulates marijuana and restores those communities that have been harmed the most by decades of marijuana prohibition.”

“D.C. lawmakers must act quickly to end decades of failed marijuana prohibition laws that have criminalized tens of thousands and devastated communities of color,” said Smith.

Meanwhile, supporters of Initiative 71 are concerned that the voter-approved bill could still face opposition from the new GOP-led Congress, which reserves the right to tamper with local laws. However, experts have recently argued that such a move would prove too politically risky for Republicans, and many are predicting that the passing of Initiative 71 will not be drawn into question.

Sources:

http://www.thedailychronic.net/2014/39017/washington-d-c-takes-major-step-toward-taxing-and-regulating-marijuana/

http://www.govexec.com/state-local/2014/12/will-congress-let-dc-legalize-pot/100157/

Photo Credit: fortherock

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U.S. Marijuana Legalization Working Against Mexican Drug Cartels

12/03/2014

Curtailing cartel profits has been one of the most popular reasons for legalizing marijuana, and recent developments suggest that such policy reform has been a great success. As NPR reports, Mexican drug cartels are beginning to feel the hurt as more and more U.S. states legalize cannabis for medical and recreational purposes.

NPR interviewed 24-year-old Nabor, a marijuana grower in the northwestern Mexican state of Sinaloa. Nabor, who declined to give his surname because his work is still highly illegal, explained: “Two or three years ago, a kilogram [2.2 pounds] was worth $60 to $90. But now they’re paying us $30 to $40 a kilo. It’s a big difference. If the U.S. continues to legalize pot, they’ll run us into the ground.”

As things currently stand, more than half of all U.S. states have legalized some form of access to medical marijuana, and four states — Washington, Colorado, Oregon, and Alaska — plus the District of Colombia have legalized recreational cannabis use. Additionally, as responsible markets develop locally and cannabis use continues to permeate pop culture globally, the desire for American-made cannabis has increased dramatically.

Though Nabor has been growing illegal cannabis since he was 14, he sees a time approaching when it won’t be a viable means of supporting himself or his family. “This is dangerous work to cultivate… and to sell [marijuana]. If the army comes, you have to run or they’ll grab you. Look here, we’re only getting $40 a kilo. The day we get $20 a kilo, it will get to the point that we just won’t plant marijuana anymore.”

Meanwhile, across the border, Lt. David Socha of the Austin Police Department’s narcotics section explains that he’s noticed a dramatic shift in the marijuana market. At one point, virtually all weed smoked in the U.S. was imported from Mexico — this, however, has changed. “We’re still seeing marijuana,” Socha said. “But it’s almost all the homegrown stuff here from the States and from Canada.”

NPR hasn’t been the only media group to report on the success of the legal marijuana industry. Last April, the Washington Post ran a story highlighting cartel actions that suggest they are falling off the cannabis drug trade and are investing more into heroin; additionally, VICE published an article in May that describes the steady decline of cartel-grown cannabis being found on the U.S. black market.

Sources:

http://www.npr.org/blogs/parallels/2014/12/01/367802425/legal-pot-in-the-u-s-may-be-undercutting-mexican-marijuana

Photo Credit: MarihuanayMedicina

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Brief: Uruguay’s Legal Marijuana Program Is Safe Under New President

12/02/2014

Uruguay’s nation-wide recreational marijuana program has garnered much international attention since its unveiling earlier this year. Recently, the program faced a possible threat of shutdown depending on the outcome of the country’s presidential elections. Thankfully, that danger has passed.

Former President Tabare Vazquez, who served his initial term as president from 2005-2010, beat his election opponent 53 percent to 40 percent during Sunday’s runoff election.

Vazquez’s opponent, Luis Lacalle Pou, has declared himself staunchly opposed to current President José Mujica’s widely-publicized recreational marijuana program. During the election, Lacalle Pou vowed to halt the program and undo the infrastructure for the nation’s retail marijuana market if he were elected president.

Vazquez, who NBC reports had “promised to continue the plan unless it produced negative results,” is an oncologist who’s first term actions proved markedly moderate. Much has changed in Uruguay’s political climate since then. This is largely a result of President Mujica’s passing of progressive laws on same-sex marriage, abortion, and marijuana.

Uruguay’s program is set to launch in 2015, and all cannabis offered in retail stores will be produced and processed by the country’s federal government.

Sources:

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/uruguay-tabare-vazquez-wins-continues-state-run-marijuana-plan-n259076

Photo Credit: Lisa Cyr

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Minnesota MMJ Licenses Awarded to LeafLine Labs and Minnesota Medical Solutions

12/01/2014

The Minnesota Department of Health announced on Monday the names of the first two businesses to receive state-issued business licenses for the production, processing, and distribution of medical marijuana. The companies, LeafLine Labs and Minnesota Medical Solutions, were chosen from a list of twelve applicants — all of whom paid $20,000 in nonrefundable application fees — to become the state’s first MMJ manufacturers.

Minnesota’s medical marijuana law, which was passed earlier in 2014, only allows for non-smokable forms of cannabis. According to the department’s news release, “The two manufacturers will be responsible for growing the medical cannabis, processing it into pill or liquid form, and distributing the medications through a network of eight distribution sites (four sites per manufacturer) they will establish around the state.”

The companies were selected after a lengthy review process that considered all applicants’ operational stability, financial stability, business strategies, and many other factors. A panel of representatives from related industries — including the agricultural, pharmaceutical, public safety, commercial and financial sectors — oversaw the review process and made recommendations about the applicants.

The businesses were chosen because of their “commitment to the patient experience, technical proficiency in cultivation and the formulation of medicine, rigorous safety and security standards, and sound business planning and resources.”

Ultimately, the final selection was made by Minnesota Commissioner of Health Dr. Ed Ehlinger, who said:

“We are pleased to have two strong partners for Minnesota’s medical cannabis program. Our goal is to safely provide medical cannabis products to patients with qualifying conditions by the deadline of July 1, 2015, and our attention over the next few months will be on working with these two manufacturers to implement the program and safely grow, process and distribute the products.”

LeafLine Labs is a Minnesota company founded by two emergency medicine physicians. Their team brings expertise founded in medicine, law, patient advocacy, business (especially in a regulated environment), and high-quality medication manufacturing. The company’s manufacturing center will be in Cottage Grove, and they plan to open their first distribution center in Eagan on July 1, 2015. Other distribution centers are expected to open within the following year in Hibbing, St. Cloud and St. Paul.

Minnesota Medical Solutions is a group of doctors, pharmacists, scientists, greenhouse operators, building contractors, educators and other professionals. The company will be working with industry experts for training and consulting purposes. Their manufacturing facility is in Otsego and will be functional by the end of this week. Distribution centers will open in July in Rochester, Maple Grove, Minneapolis and Moorhead.

Sources:

http://www.health.state.mn.us/news/pressrel/2014/cannabis120114.html

http://norml.org/legal/item/minnesota-medical-marijuana-law

http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/health/284327061.html

Photo Credit: Michael Hicks

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Brief: Colorado Health Officials Propose $7M for Clinical Cannabis Trials

11/30/2014

State Public Health Department officials in Colorado have proposed a series of state-funded clinical trials to study the effectiveness and any dangerous side effects of cannabinoid treatment. The proposal includes $7 million in grant money to fund the studies.

The studies would include two clinical trials investigating the use of cannabidiol (CBD) to treat patients with pediatric epilepsy, two trials that will evaluate cannabis treatment for patients suffering from post-traumatic stress, and four other trials designed to test the efficacy of cannabis or CBD in treating Parkinson’s disease, brain tumors, ulcerative colitis, and general pain management.

California once funded a variety of studies into the efficacy of cannabis treatment for many other conditions, and in 2012 researchers concluded: “Based on evidence currently available the Schedule I classification [of cannabis] is not tenable; it is not accurate that cannabis has no medical value, or that information on safety is lacking.”

The proposed studies in Colorado now await grant funding approval by the state Board of Health, which will review the proposal in December. If the $7 million grant is approved, researchers will still require federal permission to move forward with the research.

Sources:

http://blog.norml.org/2014/11/26/colorado-health-officials-recommend-7-5-million-in-grant-funding-for-clinical-cannabis-trials/

Photo Credit: Håkan Dahlström

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Brief: New Hampshire’s First Dispensary Could Open Within a Year

11/26/2014

New Hampshire’s first dispensary under the state legislators’ 2013 restrictive medical marijuana law could be open for business within the next year.

The Granite State Alternative Treatment Center presented a plan on Monday for a $2 million, 12,600-square-foot complex that would initially serve up to 100 patients per month — hpwever, as the industry takes off, that number is expected to grow dramatically. The hopeful dispensary, presented by hopeful manager Dennis Acton, is the first of its kind to be to be proposed to a municipal board.

The site of the facility would be in Ebbing, a small hamlet east of Manchester, though board members are carefully considering the dispensary’s influence on the area.

Acton aims to partner with PalliaTech, a company that already works in the medical cannabis industries of Colorado, New Jersey, and Montana, to help manage the dispensary.

New Hampshire’s medical marijuana law allows for up to four non-profit dispensaries in the state. Two MMJ business licenses should be issued by the state in January, and applications for the other two will be accepted starting in July.

Sources:

http://mmjbusinessdaily.com/1st-new-hampshire-dispensary-hopeful-starts-application-process/

Photo Credit: aeroSou

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Brief: Celebrating Black Friday With Legal Cannabis

11/25/2014

Some businesses are calling it ‘Green Friday,’ but the annual day-long shopping spree that follows Thanksgiving is going to be celebrated throughout many facets of the cannabis industry, according to a recent Bloomberg News article.

At least one Denver dispensary, Grass Station, will be featuring some major deals in honor of the holidays. The store will sell sixteen ounces at $50 each (about one fifth the normal price), and sixty pre-rolled joints at $1 each. “We have really high expectations,” said owner Ryan Fox. “Now we’ve got the legal means for people to give marijuana as a gift, and that’s never really been something that was feasible in the past.”

Of course, businesses may have a hard time getting the word out on any of their offerings due to strict regulations regarding marijuana advertisements. Many shop owners report being too focused on compliance with regulations to even concern themselves with the holiday season.

The marijuana market nation-wide is estimated to be worth about $2.3 billion this year. Oregon, Alaska, and Washington D.C. will be opening their doors to the cannabis industry soon, which could lead to a $10 billion industry by 2018.

Sources:

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-11-24/marijuana-shops-seek-holiday-surge-with-green-friday-.html

Photo Credit: Diariocritico de Venezuela

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Two Competing Campaigns Aim to Put Marijuana Legalization On Maine Ballot

11/24/2014

Maine has been recognized as a likely candidate for one of the next U.S. states to legalize cannabis. Last week, however, a new group called Legalize Maine unveiled a legalization plan that will run counter to the Marijuana Policy Project‘s existing push for a statewide referendum.

In a press conference on Wednesday, Legalize Maine announced that their plan will focus on jobs and the industry’s opportunity for economic development in the state’s rural areas. According to Paul McCarrier, spokesperson for Legalize Maine, his organization is moving forward with their plan after hearing from individuals who worked with the MPP in other states. “We are not interested in being subjugated to MPP or the Washington D.C. policy,” he said during the press conference. “These will be competing measures and we will win.”

Catherine Louis, Director of Education for the Medical Marijuana Caregivers of Maine, also expressed concerns that a nationally funded campaign might pressure certain aspects of the medical marijuana industry in a negative way. She noted an example from Washington state’s legalization program: “They started trying to push people into the mainstream legalized market for tax purposes and it has made it so that some patients can’t access their medicine at all, and we can’t allow that here in Maine.”

The Marijuana Policy Project has been planning a referendum question for the Maine 2016 ballot for some time. During the most recent midterms, the group put legalization questions on the ballots of South Portland and Portland, where legalization passed, and also in Lewiston, where it failed. “Ideally it makes sense to have one initiative,” said David Boyers of the Marijuana Policy Project. “But if we can’t see eye-to-eye then we will move forward and we hope voters choose the plan that will make marijuana legal and stop punishing adults for using a substance safer than alcohol.”

The MPP was founded in 1995 and has been working closely with efforts to legalize marijuana across the country. The organization was involved in the successful legalization campaigns of Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Alaska, and the District of Columbia.

In addition to Maine, reports indicate that at least six other states could see initiatives to legalize cannabis on the 2016 ballot: Massachusetts, California, Missouri, Hawaii, Nevada, and Arizona.

Sources:

http://www.wcsh6.com/story/news/politics/2014/11/19/marijuana-legalization-plan-maine-pot/19260973/

http://wallstcheatsheet.com/politics/5-states-and-one-city-ready-to-legalize-marijuana.html/?a=viewall

Photo Credit: Randy Pertiet

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Colorado Cannabiz Credit Union Could Open By Jan. 1

11/23/2014

The world’s first banking institution established to serve legal marijuana businesses could be open in Colorado by January 1, the Denver Post reports.

The Fourth Corner Credit Union received an unconditional charter from the Colorado Division of Financial Services on Wednesday. The Fourth Corner still requires insurance via the National Credit Union Administration, and will also need a master account from the Federal Reserve System. Nonetheless, organizers report that the institution is almost ready for business.

Waiting on insurance from the NCUA could take up to two years, and being approved for insurance is by no means a guarantee (marijuana is still an illegal and controlled substance at the federal level). However, “A Colorado law of 1981 allows a credit union to open its doors while an application for share-deposit insurance is pending,” explained Mark Mason, one of the credit union’s organizers. “Now, the NCUA can come and look to see how it is functioning, and determine if they will issue the insurance,” Mason said.

Mason believes that federal regulators will approve the credit union’s business plan, which focuses on safety and exercising solid business practices. “The cornerstone is the compliance department, with a world-renowned anti-money-laundering expert and former regulators helping to write the first manual of its kind in how to handle marijuana money,” Mason said. “That was critical.”

Establishing reliable banking services is an important step in regulating and further legitimizing the industry. “In every other way, the industry has been a normal business, operating in every other way businesses do, but primarily in cash,” said Chris Nevitt, Denver City Councilman and one of nine founding board members for Fourth Corner. “The one missing piece in making it completely normal was banking, the one thing that wasn’t there. Now it will be.”

A statement from Gov. John Hickenlooper’s director of marijuana coordination read, “This is the end of the line from the state’s side. We’ve done all we can do.”

The Fourth Corner Credit Union will serve legal marijuana businesses in Colorado, as well as members of nonprofits that support legalized marijuana.

Sources:

http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_26980328/colorado-pot-credit-union-could-be-open-by

Photo Credit: 401(K) 2012

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Brief: California AG Sees Inevitability Behind Marijuana Legalization

11/20/2014

In a recent interview with BuzzFeed News, California Attorney General Kamala Harris disclosed that she’s “not opposed” to legalization in California. In fact, she sees a “certain inevitability about it.”

Harris also argued that states shohuld have a system ready for regulating the drug if they are going to consider legalization:

“It would be easier for me to say, ‘Let’s legalize it, let’s move on,’ and everybody would be happy. I believe that would be irresponsible of me as the top cop. The detail of these things matters. For example, what’s going on right now in Colorado is they’re figuring out you gotta have a very specific system for the edibles. Marueen Dowd famously did her piece on that…. There are real issues for law enforcement, [such as] how you will measure someone being under the influence in terms of impairment to drive.”

Harris, who is often considered one of the Democratic Party’s likely prospects for higher office in California, believes that future legalization programs should take efforts in Colorado and Washington into consideration before attempting a similar experiment.

Sources:

http://www.buzzfeed.com/adamserwer/californias-attorney-general-thinks-legal-weed-is-inevitable

Photo Credit: aSILVA

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CEO of Marijuana Recipe Website Interviewed by Ganjapreneur

11/19/2014

Ganjapreneur, a website dedicated to cannabis business news and culture, recently published an interview with Matt Gray, CEO of The Stoner’s Cookbook, a resource for marijuana culinary enthusiasts to find and share infused recipes. In the interview, Gray discussed how he became involved in the project over a year ago.

“I was the co-founder and CEO of a successful education startup in Toronto called Bitmaker Labs,” Gray says. “We trained full-stack software developers and got them jobs at top tech companies across North America. After exiting that business I was eager to get into the cannabis industry. I saw it as the opportunity of a lifetime. I met the founders of The Stoner’s Cookbook through a mutual friend and I knew I could help them turn their passion into a high-growth business.”

The Stoner’s Cookbook currently has over 2.8 million followers on Facebook and boasts millions of website impressions each day. The types of recipes shared, Gray says, vary dramatically. “Our most popular recipes are most of the extraction methods (cannabutter, cannaoil) and then the classic edibles (space cakes, special brownies). That said, more and more people are looking for healthy options so we have tons of vegan recipes and teach people how to use cannabis-infused coconut oil.”

Additionally, the interview covered The Stoner’s Cookbook’s recent launch of a crowd-funding campaign for a hardcover cookbook, HERB: Mastering the Art of Cooking With Cannabis. The campaign has since surpassed it’s goal of $22,000 and it still has 26 days remaining. Whether the campaign will triple or quadruple its original goal remains to be seen, but given its early success it seems that many people agree with Gray that “The time is right for a cookbook that emphasizes craft and dignifies cannabis as an ingredient.”

Ganjapreneur’s interview with Gray is part of an ongoing series featuring prominent “ganjapreneurs” who discuss their experiences, struggles, and successes in the industry. The website recently launched an app on Google Play and has announced that it will soon be available in the Apple App Store.

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‘Marley Natural’: The World’s First Global Marijuana Brand

11/19/2014

Seattle-based Privateer Holdings, the investment firm behind the popular Leafly smartphone app and online cannabis strain database, is partnering with the family of Bob Marley to create the world’s first international brand for marijuana and marijuana-related products.

As early as next year, Marley Natural plans to offer “heirloom Jamaican cannabis strains inspired by those Bob Marley enjoyed,” as well as tinctures, lotions, and other marijuana accessories. Obviously, the products will only be made available in regions that have legalized and regulated cannabis use.

“We are joining Privateer Holdings because they understand and respect our father’s legacy,” said Marley’s son, Rohan Marley, in a news release announcing the global brand.

“My dad would be so happy to see people understanding the healing power of the herb,” added Cedella Marley, Bob’s daughter. “He viewed the herb as something spiritual that could awaken our well-being, deepen our reflection, connect us to nature and liberate our creativity. Marley Natural is an authentic way to honor his legacy by adding his voice to the conversation about cannabis and helping end the social harms caused by prohibition.”

Rita Marley, mother to Rohan and Cedella, believes that her humble husband would wholeheartedly approve of the business venture being launched under his name. “This is what we dreamed of,” she said, referencing the growing acceptance and legality of Marley’s beloved herb.

The Marley family has already been marketing Bob Marley’s musical legacy for years. These ventures have included unique brands of coffee, musical equipment, as well as rolling papers and t-shirts targeting the cannabis community. Not until Marley Natural, however, has the family actually committed to joining the cannabis industry and becoming ganjapreneurs themselves.

Brendan Kennedy, the CEO of Privateer Holdings, calls the new brand a “partnership of two cannabis pioneers.” He plans to run the Marley Natural brand out of New York City, so it’s clear that any direct handling of cannabis by the company is going to be many years out at the earliest. Marley Natural, however, can still license out its brand to state-approved marijuana producers in those regions that have legalized such activities.

“This is what the end of prohibition looks like,” Kennedy explained. “Bob Marley started to push for legalization more than 50 years ago. We’re going to help him finish it.”

Sources:

http://blogs.seattletimes.com/pot/2014/11/18/investment-firm-behind-leafly-to-launch-global-brand-with-bob-marleys-family/

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/legal-pot/stir-it-bob-marley-headline-corporate-cannabis-brand-n250286

http://www.marleynatural.com/press/

Photo Credit: monosnaps

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Matt Gray: From a Recipe Website to a Crowdfunded Cookbook

11/18/2014

by Ganjapreneur

Special brownies have been around for a long time, but only recently has the general public become aware of the many other applications of cannabis as an herb used for cooking. The Stoner’s Cookbook is a website dedicated to marijuana culinary enthusiasts for sharing infused recipes.

We recently had the pleasure of interviewing Matt Gray, CEO of The Stoner’s Cookbook, about his experience with the company and what their plans are for the future. Spoiler alert: they just launched a crowdfunding campaign for a new cookbook, which is already at 99% with 27 days to go!

Read the full interview below:

Ganjapreneur: How did The Stoner’s Cookbook get started?

Matt Gray: The Stoner’s Cookbook was started by Dan Crothers and Lucas Young 8 years ago in New Zealand. It was made as a resource for friends to share popular cannabis-infused recipes.

When did you get involved personally? Were you hired to fill the role of CEO or did you start out in another position?

I joined the company over a year ago. I was the co-founder and CEO of a successful education startup in Toronto called Bitmaker Labs. We trained full-stack software developers and got them jobs at top tech companies across North America. After exiting that business I was eager to get into the cannabis industry. I saw it as the opportunity of a lifetime. I met the founders of The Stoner’s Cookbook through a mutual friend and I knew I could help them turn their passion into a high-growth business. It’s been an amazing journey and I’m so fortunate to be a part of this awesome team.

How long did it take for the project to become profitable?

The site has been profitable for 3 months now. We have put a ton of work into it over the past 8 years and we’re excited for what the future has in store.

How many people does The Stoner’s Cookbook employ?

The Stoner’s Cookbook currently employs 3 people.

What are some of the largest obstacles you have faced while growing the business?

Growing traffic while making sure we stay true to our users. We are customer-centric and want to make sure we give people extremely high-quality, trustworthy content. It’s important that people come to our site, find what it is they are looking for and tell their friends. We want to be leader’s in the cannabis industry.

It’s always a challenge finding high quality chefs to contribute recipes. We help millions of medical and recreational users worldwide find recipes to cook with – it is a mission that we don’t take lightly. We want to make sure all the recipes are amazing and are something we would try ourselves. We have a team of 10 chefs that contribute recipes on a regular basis, but we’re always looking for more!

What types of recipes are most popular with your users? Do you think that edibles manufacturers should do market research via The Stoner’s Cookbook?

Our most popular recipes are most of the extraction methods (cannabutter, cannaoil) and then the classic edibles (space cakes, special brownies). That said, more and more people are looking for healthy options so we have tons of vegan recipes and teach people how to use cannabis-infused coconut oil.

Edibles manufacturers could learn a lot from our audience and their preferences. We are always here to help and want to make sure that people are enjoying edibles safely.

I noticed a recipe for Infused Sweet Potatoes when I searched for “Thanksgiving Recipes” on the site, and it looked delicious. Do you have a personal favorite recipe (or a few)?

I personally love making smoothies with cannabis-infused coconut oil. Very similar to this recipe http://www.thestonerscookbook.com/recipe/blueberry-canna-bliss-smoothie.

Would you say that your audience is more on the recreational side or the medical side of the cannabis consumer spectrum?

I would say it’s around 50/50.

How do you see the culinary side of the cannabis industry growing as prohibition is repealed across the country (and globally)?

I see more and more research being done and more people getting into cannabis cuisine – both chefs and users. The more people involved in the space the more ideas and experimentation – I think the future is bright! I foresee cannabis restaurants opening, lots of more amazing edibles being produced and increased attention towards edibles safety and dosing. With more research in the space people will learn the exact effects that cannabis has on them and be able to enjoy them safely and receive the desired effect.

What’s next for The Stoner’s Cookbook?

The moment and market. Prohibition is crumbling. Cannabis is legal in Colorado and Washington State, with legalization working its way through myriad other state houses. Canada is in the process of legalizing cannabis at the national level. Cannabis is increasingly mainstream and (North) Americans—from millennials through baby boomers—have never been more curious about or open to enjoying cannabis. Importantly, cannabis is being elevated from “stoner” culture into the pantheon of refined and urbane inebriants, no different than boutique rye or fine wine. The time is right for a cookbook that emphasizes craft and dignifies cannabis as an ingredient.

The book, Herb: Mastering the Art of Cooking with Cannabis fills the public’s need for a tasteful, mainstream, and informative cookbook that teaches us how to enjoy cannabis as exactly what it is—just another “herb.” By treating it as simply another ingredient, Herb desensationalizes cannabis and removes any remaining stigma. Indeed, Herb stands alone on its merits as a testament to cuisine and technique—one that plays on the increasing tide of natural and organic cookbooks. But Herb is also a cultural marker in the repeal of prohibition, something people will be proud to display on their bookshelves rather than hide away in a drawer.

Who are some of the chefs that contributed to HERB?

Melissa Parks is our main chef. She in Cordon Bleu trained and is an overall amazing person. Here is her bio:

http://www.thestonerscookbook.com/chef/melissa-parks

Natalie Martinez is unbelievable and makes a lot of vegan and gluten-free dishes that I love:

http://www.thestonerscookbook.com/chef/natalie-martinez

Is it too late to get in on the crowdfunding campaign for the book? Where can people go to contribute?

It’s never too late. They can contribute to the campaign and pre-order a copy of this definitive cannabis cookbook, HERB, at www.herbkitchen.com.

What advice can you offer to aspiring ganjapreneurs?

The time is now. Prohibition is crumbling and these are exciting times for aspiring ganjapreneurs. I think it’s important to find a mentor in the space and begin developing your idea into a viable business. If you have any questions or if you need advice I’m always happy to help. I can be reached at matt@thestonerscookbook.com.

Thanks again for sharing, Matt, and best of luck with the crowdfunding campaign. At the rate it’s going, it’s looking like a major success already!

If you have questions or comments for Matt, you can reach him via email, or post your thoughts in the comments below:

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Brief: Maryland Slaps Massive Price Tag On MMJ Licenses

11/17/2014

Some good news: Maryland’s long-awaited medical marijuana program was finally approved by a state panel last week.

But, of course, there’s also bad news: prospective ganjapreneurs will be looking at some major front-end costs to get in on the Maryland market. The two-year licenses are going to cost $80,000 for dispensaries and $250,000 for growers — these licensing fees are higher than any other state’s except Illinois.

In 2013, the state passed a medical marijuana law that expected academic institutions to voluntarily distribute the drug — when such centers failed to step forward, however, something else needed to be worked out. Maryland lawmakers unveiled the reexamined and redrafted program earlier this year, which includes slots for 15 growers state-wide and a currently unannounced number of dispensaries.

According to John Pica, a lobbyist representing investors with plans to enter Maryland’s medical marijuana industry, these high fees aren’t necessarily going to doom the industry. In fact, “With only 15 growers, and the perceived demand, there may be plenty of business to go around,” he explained to the Baltimore Sun.

Now, the program must be approved by the state’s health secretary and attorney general before it can be officially proposed for final public review, a process that’s expected to take at least a few more months.

Medical cannabis should be available in Maryland by 2016.

Sources:

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/bs-md-medical-marijuana-20141113-story.html

Photo Credit: Charlie Stinchcomb

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Seattle Mayor Announces Symposium On Medical Marijuana

11/15/2014

Seattle Mayor Ed Murray has announced that a public symposium will be held on Nov. 20 to discuss the future of the city’s medical marijuana program.

Though Washington was one of the first states to legalize and regulate recreational marijuana, the state’s medical marijuana program is known for being largely unregulated, thereby running a higher risk of federal prosecution against patients and medicine-providers.

Currently, medical marijuana patients and business owners in Seattle are in an unfortunate state of limbo: dispensaries have been required by the city to obtain a state-issued license to stay in business beyond July 1, 2015. In fact, the city of Seattle issued 330 letters in October to hundreds of dispensaries, warning that the businesses could face a shutdown soon if they weren’t properly licensed. The problem is that the state-issued licenses don’t actually exist yet, and there’s currently no timeline for the licenses’ release.

As a result, Mayor Murray has been working with interested parties to establish a regulatory framework for patients to safely access their medicine. “We are still looking to Olympia to enact broad medical marijuana reform next session, but we need to take action here in Seattle to address immediate concerns of patients, businesses and neighbors,” Murray said. “Even if the state acts, we know implementation could stretch into 2016. We don’t want patients and businesses waiting in limbo, even as they face increasing legal risks.”

The symposium will feature panel discussions on a wide variety of issues relating to the medical marijuana business industry, according to an announcement released by Mayor Murray’s office earlier this week. These issues will include the testing of products for purity and strength, best practices for the manufacturing of medicated products, packaging and labeling requirements, and the locations of MMJ dispensaries and collective gardens.

“The panels will feature patient advocates and medical providers, marijuana business representatives, testing providers, community representatives and city agency leaders,” reads the mayor’s announcement. “The symposium will be convened by Patricia Lally, Director of the Office of Civil Rights, who will offer introductory remarks.”

Questions from the public regarding current MMJ policies and the program’s future are strongly encouraged. The event is scheduled to take place at City Hall in the Bertha Knight Landes Room on Nov. 20, and will run from 5 p.m. to 7:45 p.m.

Sources:

http://murray.seattle.gov/mayor-murray-announces-symposium-on-medical-marijuana-law-enforcement/#sthash.O7aSSA7i.dpbs

Photo Credit: Maëlick

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Brief: Hype Around Warren Buffet’s Cannabis-Focused Subsidiary

11/14/2014

Cubic Designs, Inc., a subsidiary company of Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway, Inc., made its first foray into the legal cannabis industry earlier this year, as reported by Bloomberg News.

The company, which offers industrial platforms built to maximize floor space in warehouses, recently sent about 1,000 fliers to Colorado marijuana dispensaries offering to help increase revenue by doubling their available growing space.

The move sparked James Winsor, CEO of ATV, Inc. (a technology and systems provider dedicated to the cannabis industry), to comment on Buffet’s involvement in the nascent and still federally-illegal industry.

Winsor noted that Mr. Buffet — who has become the third wealthiest person on the planet through a series of major investments in Dairy Queen, See’s Candies, and Coca-Cola — always generates a lot of business hype when he invests in an industry. “With the marijuana industry growing rapidly and gaining both acceptance and momentum,” Winsor said, “there are tremendous opportunities for companies that supply products, services, and technologies to this market.”

Sources:

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-09-12/buffett-s-berkshire-has-unit-that-helps-marijuana-growers.html

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/warren-buffets-berkshire-hathaway-enters-142000963.html;_ylt=AwrBT9pfwGRUYlcA5Q9x.9w4

Photo Credit: Medill DC

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Brief: Portland Prosecutors to Dismiss Current and Future Marijuana Cases

11/13/2014

Within days of last week’s vote for legalization, the district attorney’s office in Multnomah County — which contains Portland, Oregon’s largest and most populous city — announced they will be dismissing a swath of pending marijuana cases. Additionally, the prosecutors will not pursue future marijuana cases that will soon be legal under the new law.

50 pending marijuana cases will be dismissed.

In a statement released to the Oregonian, Multnomah County District Attorney Rod Underhill’s office explained:

“Because it is clear that a significant majority of voters in Multnomah County support the legalization of marijuana in certain amounts, this office will dismiss the pending charges related to conduct which will otherwise become legal July 1, 2015. Any remaining charges not impacted by Ballot Measure 91 will be prosecuted.”

Voters in Multnomah County passed Measure 91 with an overwhelming 71 percent majority. Meanwhile, prosecutors in other Oregon counties are still deciding how to proceed in light of legalization.

Sources:

http://www.oregonlive.com/marijuana/index.ssf/2014/11/multnomah_county_district_atto.html#incart_m-rpt-1

Photo Credit: Stuart Seeger

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An Alternative to the Cannabrand Controversy

11/12/2014

Aquarius Cannabis has aims to instill an efficient, cohesive order of operations in an otherwise unorganized cannabis distributing industry via an emphasis on consistency. Despite billion dollar valuations, and forecasted valuations exceeding 10 billion just five years down the road, there’s a lot left to improve before cannabis distribution evolves as an entity that lives up to its potential.

Aquarius Cannabis and their provided mission statement hones in on the glaring weakness prevalent in so many marijuana product exchanges; consistency in regard to cannabis strain is ordered and what is finally delivered. Consumers are quick to forget a particular strain name such as Purple Haze, and its smell, taste, and effects on the mind/body will be unique most every time across growers, dispensaries, markets, etc. Simply put, Purple Haze from Seller A will fly you to the moon and back with an obligatory stop at a McDonald’s drive-thru, while Seller B’s Purple Haze might make your toes tingle for a minute, and that might’ve just been your legs falling asleep. Do consumers really want to risk paying for the latter unknowingly?

When consumers track down the strain that’s everything they want in a cannabis experience, they’re likely to stick with it for a while. Aquarius Cannabis declares themselves revolutionarily consistent, and the ultimate in U.S.-based branding companies within the cannabis industry.

Through launching a micro-brand program in both California and Oregon, the company will have the ability to help individual master growers formulate and thereafter solidify brands unique to their mission, product effects/taste/smell/etc. How does Aquarius Cannabis benefit from all this? They co-own the intellectual property of each product sold, and forego selling the cannabis product themselves.

In contrast, Cannabrand; a Denver-based cannabis industry ad agency startup once looked upon as bearing great promise, is now suffering collective distaste from the very market their agency depends on. As an ad agency, the last thing you want to do is alienate your clientele through irrational public statements. ‘We’re trying to weed out the stoners,’ as they told the New York times, just isn’t going to get it done. Cannabrand adopted an overbearingly presumptuous tone when they threw out lines such as, ‘we’re want to show the world that normal, professional, successful people consume cannabis.’ A statement like that is unintentionally driving a wedge in the cannabis consumer community by stereotyping the ‘stoners,’ while paying lip-service to ‘the successful, accomplished individuals.’

Aquarius Cannabis has executed their launch with grace, and planned moves that seek to improve the system for the cannabis consumer by taking into account the lack of consistency the average consumer is presently plagued with. Aquarius Cannabis has in no way alienated Cannabis consumer society, and it’s this overriding fact that speaks to the reality that Cannabrand is but a small time player with big aims caught in the shadow of a big league baller with a strategy to better the cannabis industry as a whole.

Photo Credit: Prensa 420

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Brief: Rhode Island Activists to Attempt Marijuana Legalization in 2015

11/12/2014

A political coalition called Regulate Rhode Island is making a push for Rhode Island legislators to legalize recreational marijuana in their state during the 2015 General Assembly, reports the Providence Journal. If successful, Rhode Island would become the fifth state to legalize marijuana and the first state to do so via the legislature.

“The results are in, and marijuana prohibition is on its way out,” said Director of Regulate Rhode Island Jared Moffat, who believes that at least five more states could pass some form of cannabis legalization by the end of the 2016 election season.

“Americans are fed up with wasteful and ineffective laws that punish adults for using a less harmful substance than alcohol. The [election] results are particularly encouraging since voter turnout during a midterm … is typically smaller, older, and more conservative. Clearly, support for ending marijuana prohibition spans the political and ideological spectrums.”

A 2014 legalization push led by Rep. Edith Ajello (D-Providence) and Sen. Joshua Miller died in the General Assembly. The proposed law would have generated important tax revenue, as the state is currently struggling with one of the nation’s highest unemployment rates.

Rhode Island is currently one of 23 states that allow access to medical marijuana.

Earlier this year, a poll revealed that the state of Rhode Island actually has the highest percentage of marijuana smokers per capita in the country, with 13% (or 1 in 8) of all citizens aged 12 and over having used the drug within a month before the polling.

Sources:

http://www.providencejournal.com/news/health/marijuana/20141106-regulate-ri-continues-to-push-for-legalizing-marijuana.ece

Photo Credit: Sean

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Ganjapreneur Reveals New Details of Story Behind Marijuana Legalization in Colorado

11/11/2014

Ganjapreneur, a website dedicated to cannabis business news and culture, has announced the third installment of their interview with Matt Brown, founder of cannabis tour agency My 420 Tours. This segment of the interview details Brown’s involvement in Colorado’s passage of Amendment 64, the bill which legalized cannabis for recreational consumption in the state, and what it was like working with politicians and medical marijuana entrepreneurs to establish rules for the state’s new market.

Brown was interviewed by Mitch Shenassa, a Ganjapreneur contributor who is also the founder of Incredibowl and the author of The Cannabis Aficionado’s Handbook. The interview was conducted in person and recorded as a podcast, and the recording is accompanied by a transcript on Ganjapreneur’s website. Their interview took place in Colorado, and in the background of the audio track, the sound of a marijuana water pipe (or “bong”) can be heard, as the pair passed it back and forth throughout their conversation.

One of the many topics discussed in this segment of Brown’s interview is the difficulty that was faced by politicians and entrepreneurs to achieve mutual understanding and compromise on key regulations affecting the new regulated industry. At one point, Brown explains how it was frequently came down to rhetoric when negotiations became difficult. One example Brown describes is how he used elementary economic principles to convince state lawmakers not to include burdensome requirements on legal cannabis businesses. “When it became clear that some form of what we would call vertical integration was going to be required, then that was the ace up my sleeve that I used and abused for the entire rest of the process. […] You cannot find an example of mandatory vertical integration in the United States.”

Over the course of the interview, Brown goes into detail about some of the key events and roles played by people involved, including himself. As someone who was intrinsically involved in the push for legalization, Brown also describes how he came to be successful in the industry as a business consultant. “I was here in Colorado, I was the only business consultant who put business out there. […] The way I see it, I was in the right place at the right time.”

The full interview is available on Ganjapreneur’s website, where they have announced that the next segment of Brown’s interview will be published in the near future. Ganjapreneur has also recently published a cannabis industry business directory for B2B services, as well as a job feed which aggregates the latest marijuana career openings from a variety of job boards around the web.

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Read the full interview below:

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