Tag: All Medical Marijuana News

Weekend Weirdness: Men Driving with Illegal Cannabis Call the Cops on…Themselves?

Idaho is one of the most restrictive states in the union for cannabis, a fact two self-proclaimed “dumbasses” must have known as they were driving through it with 20 pounds of product. The men were making their way from Las Vegas to Montana when, convinced they were going to get pulled over in Idaho, they threw up the white flag and called 911 on themselves to “just end it” and get arrested already.

The car was not, in fact, being followed by police officers, but the men’s guilt seemed too much to bear. Said one of the men, Leland Ayala-Doliente, to the 911 dispatcher:

“Hi, uh, we’re the two dumbasses that got caught trying to bring some stuff through your border and all your cops are just driving around us like a bunch of jack wagons, and I’d just really would like for you guys to end it. If you could help me out with that, we would like to just get on with it.”

Listen to the 911 call below:

When the police arrived at the location where the call was made, Ayala-Doliente and his friend Holland Sward were already standing with their hands behind their heads and proclaimed that they were “surrendering.” Now the two are each facing a felony charge of cannabis trafficking, which can carry a penalty of three years in prison and a $50,000 fine.

Fundraiser To Support Show-Me Cannabis Next Week In Denver

There is a fundraiser going on next week that supports Missouri activism efforts. What is really cool is that the event is taking place in Denver, and is beinghosted by Vicente Sederberg LLC. The people at Vicente Sederberg LLC helped lead reform efforts in Colorado, and I think it’s awesome that they are also helping

Want To Work In The Cannabis Industry? Then Check Out Viridian Staffing At The Cannabis Collaborative Conference!

I would say that the most common e-mail/message that I get from readers involves asking for tips on how to land a job in the marijuana industry. I have people contact me from all over the world asking how they can get in on the most exciting industry on the planet right now. I can’t

5 Tips for Hosting a Fabulous (and Safe) Cannabis Wedding

Two weeks ago, I attended the Cannabis Wedding Expo in Denver, CO. This event was the first of its kind and showcased the diverse facets of the increasingly popular cannabis wedding industry. When some folks first hear of cannabis weddings, they gasp in horror at the idea of their conservative relatives being exposed to such “illicit” activity. Others, however, see it as a welcome addition to the pervasive trend of alcohol consumption.

One reaction we haven’t heard is what a huge impact this seemingly novel concept can have on the political landscape. While I was at the event, I spoke with industry expert Lauren Gibbs, owner of Rise Above Social Strategies and the brains behind the social media for Women Grow and Willie’s Reserve. She explained:

“Because a lot of people attending your wedding may not be exposed to cannabis on any other occasion, this is an opportunity to change their minds, and that could result in them changing their vote if cannabis legalization is on the ballot in their home state.”

Gibbs is planning a cannabis-inclusive wedding later this year. She said, “This may be the first time most of your guests will be exposed to open cannabis consumption in a normalized setting. So that means that you have a responsibility to do it right. Doing it right doesn’t mean you have to spend a lot of money, but it is important to educate people on how to consume responsibly.”

How can you host a cannabis wedding responsibly, and in ways that are within your comfort level? Here are some ideas and tips I encountered at the Expo. The suggestions range from discreet and subtle to proudly extravagant, because as Gibbs pointed out, “You don’t have to smoke a bowl with your vows to have a cannabis wedding.”

Offer Variety with Safety in Mind

If you’re going to offer cannabis to guests, include multiple options for imbibing (e.g., smoking, vaping), and include options with varying potency. Make sure you have at least one low-THC, high-CBD strain option for the timid but cannacurious to experience the medicinal effects. A CBD tincture can also be helpful if someone overconsumes. Hire a budtender like Andrew Mieure from Top Shelf Budtending to be your lifeguard on-duty to monitor guest consumption and provide education on best practices for enjoying cannabis.

Pro tip from Gibbs: “If you’re having children at your wedding, DO NOT SERVE EDIBLES unless you’re having an adults-only celebration; otherwise, it’s too risky that a child could accidentally consume, and that’s the last thing you want at your wedding. If you’re serving edibles to adults, make sure they’re low dose (5mg servings). Bec Koop, owner of Cannabis Concierge Events, provides “token tokens” at her events. Every guest receives two wooden coins for edibles, so no one can consume more than 10mg.

Incorporate Cannabis into Your Fashion and Accessories

Did you know you could have your wedding gown made from a silk hemp blend? Janay A Eco Bridal offers custom wedding gowns for the fashion-minded cannabis enthusiast. Couples often scramble to find the perfect gifts for their wedding attendants, and Winky and Dutch offers bracelets, cufflinks, and other awesome jewelry and small gift options with cannabis leaves on them.

Take Your Cannabis Consumption Offsite

If you don’t want to have to hunt for a cannabis-friendly venue, look into party bus and limo options for a ride around the block. The laws in Colorado allow adults to imbibe cannabis in vehicles as long as they have a chauffeur. Alternatively, by setting up a dedicated cannabis consumption lounge, you can ensure that all the guests are over 21 and can consume discreetly before returning to the main reception.

Create Cannabis-Friendly Decor

Incorporate buds into your flower arrangements or centerpieces using a florist like Buds and Blossoms. Many folks find cannabis aesthetically pleasing, so this is a great way to add cannabis to your day in a decorative way.

Set Up a Vape Station and Supply Vape Pens

Offering a vape station for your guests is a great way to highlight non-smoking consumption options. For those who love sparkle, definitely check out Crystal Cult vape pens, which can be customized to fit in with your overall wedding color scheme. Other event planners offer premium vaporizer rentals, so you can focus on the flavors of the flowers and keep that distinctive cannabis smoke to a minimum.

Would you have cannabis at your wedding? In what capacity? Personally, even if I never get married, I’m going to have a huge cannabis-friendly party for my friends, because this sounds like too much fun to miss!

US CA: Column: Dissed By The Dispensary

Sacramento News & Review, 28 Jan 2016 – I am wondering what recourse patients have if they feel that a collective has taken advantage of them? I recently made a purchase, and when I got home I noticed that several items were missing. I called the dispensary and they pretty much gave me the runaround. I tried to ask for a manager, but I have had no success resolving this issue. I am very upset. Cannabis is expensive and I need it for my various medical issues. Any advice? – -Holden D. Bag

US CA: Column: The Cannabis Legalizers Opposing Legalization

SF Weekly, 28 Jan 2016 – “They didn’t even call me,” says Dennis Peron, perched on one of the fold-up chairs arranged around his Castro District kitchen table on a recent evening. “Why not even call?” “They” are the people who are continuing Peron’s work, his life’s mission: to make marijuana legal. At 70, his hair white and his speech still rapid but softened by a stroke, Peron has been at it for almost 40 years – ever since he arrived in San Francisco fresh from Vietnam, his Air Force duffel bag stuffed with southeast Asian ganja. And his body bears the scars.

Tommy Chong Endorses Trump! (Just Kidding, He's Feeling the Bern)

In the least shocking news of the week, the coveted endorsement of everyone’s favorite cannabis celebrity, Tommy Chong, has gone to none other than Bernie Sanders.

Chong is feeling the Bern and wants the world to know it. In a quote that could only come from his lips, Chong offers the endorsement of the century:

“Bernie’s like a kush, like the best kind of weed you can get, because he’s the answer to all our problems.”

Rocking a Bernie shirt, Tommy Chong has released a catchy, heartfelt endorsement video throwing his support whole-heartedly behind the wild-haired presidential candidate from Vermont.

Chong’s video is fairly tongue-in-cheek, making references to the “Commander-in-Kush” (new strain name, anyone?), and using clips from old Cheech and Chong movies to illustrate his point. But his support for Bernie extends beyond the obvious.

“Only one candidate that has said things I truly believe in, like supporting the legalization of…” he trails off and looks knowingly at the camera before continuing, “a fair and human immigration policy.”

“The legalization of…a real living wage.”

And of course, he finishes, the legalization of “the super-medicine” known as cannabis.

This is the first official stance from the actor-comedian-activist, though he was recently quoted likening Bernie Sanders to “Donald Trump with brains, he’s like a Donald Trump with a soul!”

Comedian @tommychong: @BernieSanders is “Donald Trump with brains” http://t.co/y0wplQ5995 http://t.co/RxW77QWjzk

— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) January 29, 2016

Sanders is easily the strongest competitive candidate in support of cannabis, having not only pledged to legalize cannabis at a federal level, but even introducing legislation to that effect.

After a rousing speech last October, Sanders sponsored a federal bill, the “Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act of 2015,” which would remove cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act entirely, effectively legalizing marijuana federally. Unfortunately, the bill still lacking support from his fellow members of Congress. Still, if Sanders is elected, he’ll face high hopes from supporters that he’ll end prohibition while in office.

Take this as a reminder to register to vote! Chong knows it: 2016 will be a big year for cannabis.

Obama Punts on Cannabis Reform

Really putting the lame in “lame duck,” the Obama administration on Friday suggested the president has no plans to push for cannabis reform during his remaining time in office.

As far as President Obama is concerned, any effort to loosen federal restrictions on cannabis would need to come through Congress, White House press secretary John Earnest told reporters.

Obama expressed a similar position a day earlier to Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tenn., one of a number of federal lawmakers pushing for legal reform. Cohen related the exchange to Chris Ingraham at the Washington Post:

Obama’s answer on the rescheduling was “disappointing,” Cohen said in an interview. “On marijuana, he gave the same answer as when I asked him seven years ago: ‘If you get me a bill, and get it on my desk, I’ll probably sign it,’ ” Cohen said (emphasis his).

After Friday’s briefing, Earnest sounded almost dismissive when he responded to a reporter’s question about rescheduling:

“There are some in the Democratic party who have urged the president to take this kind of action, and the president’s response was, if you feel so strongly about it and you believe there’s so much public support for what it is that you’re advocating, then why don’t you pass legislation about it and we’ll see what happens.’”

The president’s past offers to work with Congress on rescheduling have always been coy. I’m on board, he seemed to say, but don’t expect me to stick my neck out.

Obama, remember, was the presidential candidate who told us he “inhaled frequently. That was the point.” Early on he seemed willing, even eager, to challenge the kinds of stereotypes and misinformation that have perpetuated the war on drugs. But since taking office he’s sent mixed messages on where he stands.

The White House website says the president “steadfastly opposes legalization,” but he told the New Yorker‘s David Remnick, “I don’t think it is more dangerous than alcohol.” The Justice Department under his watch has zigged and zagged. Prosecutors first announced a hands-off approach in states where cannabis was legal. Then they shuttered hundreds of dispensaries in California. Not exactly stewardship of a cause.

With one hand Obama giveth, commuting the sentences of 46 drug offenders. With the other he taketh away.

Unhappy with Obama’s weak stance cannabis? Expect more of the same from Hillary Clinton.

Dispensary Showcase: CHR in Los Angeles, California

California has long been a proving ground for cannabis. Every time I return to Los Angeles and the surrounding areas, I’m reminded of the pungent, piney stronghold that OG Kush has on the region. Every dispensary shelf is lined with a seemingly endless count of OG phenotypes and spin-offs of the famed West Coast favorite. The shelves of California Herbal Remedies (CHR) are no different. But their commitment to quality flower, the finest shatters, and live resins — along with their focus on patient care — give CHR an edge over other shops nearby.

Where to Find Them

CHR is located at the north end of the 710 freeway. The dispensary is situated right behind Cal State Los Angeles at 5470 Valley Blvd.

Their Philosophy

CHR is dedicated to making sure that every patient leaves happy and with the best meds for their needs. Most of their regulars know what they want when they arrive, but the friendly folks at CHR are happy to help find the right strain for newcomers, too. Lexi, a manager at CHR, explains:

“If they don’t know what they want, then we have our awesome budtenders here to help them out.”

Why We Love Them

CHR goes above and beyond to show that their patients are appreciated. They regularly host patient-appreciation celebrations at the dispensary, featuring deals, giveaways, and celebrity guests such as rapper Too $hort. Aside from their great patient parties, CHR lists over 70 lab-tested strains on their menu, including shop favorite CHR Super OG.

Learn More About Cannabis Dispensaries Near You

Looking to find out more about the cannabis dispensaries near you? Check out the Leafly List to find some of the best places to access medical and recreational cannabis.

US CA: Column: California Medical Cannabis Regulations Fire Up

East Bay Express, 27 Jan 2016 – The medi-pot industry is racing to professionalize itself and lobby Sacramento before new rules remake the multibillion-dollar sector. California’s medi-pot industry is racing to organize itself and lobby Sacramento lawmakers before local and statewide rules remake the Golden State’s multibillion-dollar legal weed sector.

5 Smartphone Hacks for Better Cannabis Photos

We can all agree that cannabis is an absolutely beautiful plant. However, it can be difficult at times to capture that beauty through photography. Whether you’re a consumer who wants to share your gorgeous buds on social media or you’re a cannabis business wishing to showcase your inventory in the most appealing way possible, the quality of your photo will make a huge difference. But how can you get professional-looking results without having to invest in thousands of dollars of camera equipment?

Believe it or not, the technology we need to take better pictures of our cannabis is in our very hands. Our smartphones are perfectly equipped with the tools we need to get our trichomes sparkling in the spotlight. With the help of these five hacks, you can take your smartphone bud shots to the next level.

1 Stabilize Your Phone

There are several ways to prevent camera shake when taking pictures with your smartphone. The first is to invest in a tripod. There are plenty of inexpensive smartphone-specific tripod options available online; though if you don’t feel like shelling out the price for one, try using a kickstand or even propping/wedging your phone up in front of your subject. This will eliminate most of the camera shake, allowing for crisp and clean details to shine through in your photos.

2. Use Your Earbuds as a Remote Trigger

Using the touchscreen, or even a button, on your phone to take a photograph can create enough camera shake to compromise a photo. iPhone users, did you know that you can use the earbuds included with your phone as a remote trigger while taking photographs? The process is simple: Just plug your earbuds in and use the volume control buttons to take pictures while in the camera screen. Using both of these first tips together will ensure that your photos are tack sharp and free of blur.

3. Shoot in a Dedicated Photography App

There are a myriad of applications in the marketplace that will help you to edit photographs after you have taken them. But did you know that some applications can actually help give you even more control before your picture is even taken? While in most default camera screens you don’t have the option to adjust exposure settings such as shutter speed and ISO, these applications, like Manual for iPhone (pictured above), open up the controls back to you so that you can snap a pic of your perfect dab while also letting the perfect amount of light into your smartphone camera.

4. Use Soft Light

Try to stay away from your camera’s default flash setting. This flash will guarantee an overexposed and blown out final shot. When the only white you want to see in your shot is the head of your trichomes, it’s best to use softer light. Direct light is very harsh, casting nasty black shadows and overexposed patches where direct light hits your subject. To combat this, use indirect light, or bounce your light off a white surface. Also, try diffusing your light with a white, semi-opaque, surface like a paper towel, sheet, or some printer paper.

5. Consider Using a Macro Lens

A macro lens is fantastic in that it allows you to get extremely close to your cannabis, thus opening up an entirely new universe of colors and details. With a macro lens touting 15x or more magnification, you can cover an entire frame with just one trichome covered pistil. Some of the most creative cannabis shots utilize macro lenses. Luckily, today you can find a macro lens for your smartphone for for relatively cheap. If you do a simple search online, you will find a variety of options at virtually any price point. Don’t worry about dishing out mega bucks; you wont need to. The cheaper models work perfectly fine for taking bud shots.

Looking for more great tips to make your cannabis business stand out? Check out Leafly’s marketing services! In the meantime, good luck and happy shooting!

Medical Cannabis Headed Back to Florida Ballot

After narrowly failing to legalize medical cannabis in 2014, advocates in Florida are headed back to the ballot. Organizers announced Wednesday they’ve secured more than enough signatures to qualify a measure for the November election.

The matter will appear on the ballot as Amendment 2. If approved, it would allow cannabis use by patients with the following conditions:

Cancer, epilepsy, glaucoma, positive status for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Crohn’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, or other debilitating medical conditions of the same kind or class as or comparable to those enumerated, and for which a physician believes that the medical use of marijuana would likely outweigh the potential health risks for a patient.

Production and distribution and would be regulated by the state health department, which would also be responsible for issuing cards to patients and caretakers. The complete ballot language is available here.

“Every day, doctors prescribe dangerous, addictive, and potentially deadly narcotics to their patients but can’t even suggest the use of marijuana, which has never killed a person in thousands of years of human civilization,” campaign manager Ben Pollara said in a statement. “Very soon, Florida doctors will finally have that option.”

A similar effort won 57.6 percent of votes just two years ago, but as as a constitutional amendment it needed 60-percent approval to pass. This time around, however, proponents are convinced public opinion has shifted in their favor. On its website, the group claims that over 70 percent of voters support legalizing medical cannabis.

“We feel very good that 60 percent plus of Florida voters will finally approve a true medical marijuana law,” Pollara told the Associated Press.

The campaign has set up a contribution page to accept donations.

We Speak with Rep. Allen Peake, Georgia’s Medical Cannabis Bulldog

Georgia isn’t known for being particularly cannabis-friendly, but one state lawmaker has made it his personal mission to bring medical marijuana to the notoriously conservative state no matter what.

Rep. Allen Peake, R-Macon, was a vocal proponent for House Bill 1, known as the Haleigh’s Hope Act, which faced numerous objections and revisions before becoming law last April. The measure legalized low-THC cannabis oil for epilepsy patients, allowing possession and use. But in order to gain support from opponents, the bill was amended to leave out manufacturing or distribution.

This legislative session, Peake is back with a vengeance. House Bill 722 would set up a dispensary system modeled after Minnesota’s and expand qualifying conditions beyond epilepsy to include post-traumatic stress disorder, Alzheimer’s disease, intractable pain, HIV/AIDS, autism, and terminal illnesses.

Leafly spoke with Peake, known to some as the godfather of the medical marijuana movement in Georgia, about what inspired him to take action and what’s next for medical cannabis in the Empire State of the South.

Leafly: What has been the biggest challenge you’ve faced during the fight for medical marijuana in Georgia?

Rep. Allen Peake: I’m a conservative Republican in a very conservative state, and a guy that has never done any drugs whatsoever. Never. Never smoked marijuana, wouldn’t know what a plant even looked like two years ago. [laughs] I’ve got plenty of other vices — some of them have been documented — but drugs was never one of them, so for me to jump into this thing two years ago, I was just completely out of my element.

For me, it was the story of this four-year-old little girl named Haleigh Cox. Looks just like my granddaughter. And when I saw her and heard her story and her family’s story, I had to ask the question that any of us would have to ask: “What would I do if this was my child?” And that’s what spurred me into action. The more I got to know the family, the more I got to know their story, the more I got to realize that this is beyond politics, that this is worth any political risk, any potential cost it might be to me to try to find a solution for not only this little girl and her family, but, as I come to find out, there are hundreds of other parents with children in the exact same situation.

That’s what has motivated me over the last two years. And I was able to learn more about the medical cannabis industry and the impact it can have on lots of different diagnoses.

The biggest challenge — I mean, there’s a multitude. For one, it was having to overcome my own bias and perceptions, but then it became, OK, I’ve got to convince my colleagues, the majority of the Legislature and the Governor, to think like me — that this is a route we need to go down. It’s been a huge challenge, a huge learning curve, a huge education for all of my colleagues. The great news is that last year, they got it. They realized that we ought to find a solution for kids with seizures and other hurting Georgians.

We’ve had a challenge with law enforcement, who have said all we’re doing is opening the door to legalizing for recreational use, which is an absolute no-go, no-starter in Georgia. We’ve had challenges from the faith-based organizations, including a church group that I am a member of has come out against us. We’ve had it from all fronts.

And then I also have people mad at me because they don’t think I’m going far enough. Some of the angriest people have been those who have said I won’t support you because I don’t think you’re moving the ball far enough.

I’ve read reports that you’ve brought medical cannabis back to Georgia from other states, essentially breaking federal law. Is there any truth to that?

Well, I’ve got to be very careful what I say. This is what I’ve told folks: We’ve made sure that the parents and citizens that are properly registered with the state have gotten access to medicine that they can legally possess within the state.

Do you ever feel you’re risking your career?

There is absolutely a certain amount of risk in this, but it’s no greater risk than every other parent and every other citizen who are properly registered and want access to medical cannabis, not any greater risk than what they’re facing.

Me putting myself on the line just shows the lunacy of our laws to make criminals out of parents and citizens that only want medicine to improve the quality of their life. At some point, we’ve got to wake up to that — not only in Georgia, but in our country.

I can tell you this: Any risk I’ve taken has been worth every bit of it. When I check with the mom of a child whose life has been transformed — not healed, not made completely whole, but their quality of life has been made better through the use of medical cannabis — I’m telling you, I’d do it again in a heartbeat.

Gov. Nathan Deal has said he’s against your proposal to expand medical cannabis. Do you think he would veto HB 722 if it passes?

We’re working diligently with the governor and his team to try to come up with a bill that he could get comfortable with. We’ve decided to address all of the concerns and the issues that he has expressed. Most of those have to do with law enforcement concerns, so we’ve tried to address those. And so I’m hopeful that we can get to a point that he could, if not wholeheartedly support, not veto. But I’ve got a tough road ahead of me to get there. We’ve gone down this path with the governor before, where he had concerns in the bill that we had started to introduce last year and we were able to get to a compromise solution. A step one, if you will. I’m hopeful that by working with the governor to address his concerns and working with my colleagues, we’ll come up with something that does work, that allows access to safe, lab-tested, consistent product here in Georgia.

There are currently seven pieces of cannabis-related legislation pending in the Legislature. Do you support any others?

I can tell you this: I am laser-focused on one, and I think that mine is the most comprehensive and has the best chance of passage. It has the support of the Speaker of the House [David Ralston] who just made a very courageous decision to support this next step, the next logical step for Georgia. I’m going to stay focused on that. Any others, if they get to the House floor for a vote, then we’ll debate them and consider them at that time.

You’ve come to be known as the godfather of the medical marijuana movement in Georgia. Have you heard that one before?

I have. [laughs] I’ve heard a few things. It’s almost comical, the idea. A conservative Republican, never smoked marijuana in my life, to be now known as the godfather of medical cannabis is really quite comical. I’ve been captured by the plight of families and citizens that are hurting in Georgia, and all they want is access that could potentially improve their quality of life, and that’s what’s captured me.

The courage that these families show who have special needs children is just overwhelming. They face challenges and difficulties on a daily basis that most of us cannot even relate to at all. To see them fight for this issue and to fight for their children and the courage that they show, it’s made me very proud to be even a very small part of their lives, and it challenges me to keep fighting what I’m facing: nearly insurmountable odds. That’s been a very special part of this process.

One thing Leafly advocates for is a change in federal policy, rescheduling cannabis from a Schedule I drug to a Schedule II (or lower) substance, which would open the door for medicinal cannabis in all states.

You know, we hadn’t talked about that yet, but that’s the logical answer for a lot of the challenges Georgia faces and a lot of other states are facing. We need action at the federal level. Believe me, we are working our senators and our [representatives] and congressmen, but you know what? We can’t wait on them. Because while we’re waiting for the government to act, children are dying. Citizens are suffering. Grandmothers with multiple sclerosis are hurting.

And so, while the ultimate solution is some congressional action, we’ve got to control the destiny for our own citizens here in Georgia by passing logical, sensible, safe legislation for access to medical cannabis here in Georgia.

Is this a legacy issue for you?

I have to say it’s not the legacy I had in mind! I’ve done banning texting while driving, I’ve done stuff for Alzheimer’s. Never thought this would be what I was known for. But it’s been worth it, every bit of political capital I’ve spent. It’s been worth every bit of financial resources that I’ve invested, which has been significant, helping some of these families go to Colorado and come back. We started an organization called Journey of Hope, where we provided six months of rent and airfare and accommodations for these families to go to Colorado and back, when our original legislation failed in 2014.

You can do tax law all day long, but boy, being able to be a part of legislation that changes the quality of people’s lives? It doesn’t get any better than that in politics.

Oregon Sees Consumption Rise, Arrests Plummet

When we first put humans into capsules and shot them into space, we weren’t exactly sure what would happen. So with electrodes and blood-pressure cuffs we meticulously tracked astronauts’ vital signs as they ventured into the unknown.

The same thing, in a sense, is happening in Oregon. As the state blasts into the cannabis frontier — recreational markets opened Oct. 1 — officials want to keep tabs on the vitals. This month the Oregon Health Authority published its first-ever report on cannabis use by residents, full of brightly colored charts and detailed demographic information. It’s meant to be a snapshot of attitudes and behaviors at the dawn of a new era.

“The purpose of this report was not to lay out any policy,” Oregon’s state health officer and epidemiologist, Katrina Hedberg, told Leafly. “The policy is being discussed, and I believe strongly that it’s important to ground that in data.”

Hedberg, who oversaw the report’s production, said at least one takeaway is clear: Oregon loves its cannabis. In the past decade, while consumption in the rest of the nation rose just a smidge, the percentage of Oregonians 25 and older who use cannabis regularly has more than doubled. It stands at 11 percent, according to the latest available numbers, much higher than the U.S. average of 7 percent. “There are different attitudes out here in the Pacific Northwest,” Hedberg said.

A grain of salt: Those numbers, from 2013, already are stale. More current surveys suggest adult use nationally had climbed to 11 percent by mid-2015. And the most recent numbers from Colorado, where cannabis is also legal, show 13.6 percent of adults consume regularly — a big increase from less than 8 percent reported back in 2012. Given how fast the cannabis landscape is changing, how much should people trust the report’s numbers?

“I don’t think that anybody should look at these figures and say, ‘Aha!’” Hedberg said. The health authority plans to release reports annually, with certain data being updated more often. “It’s less about what’s the absolute number and more about what are the trends.”

Trend-wise, it’s safe to say more Oregon adults are using cannabis. But what about the kids? Most adults surveyed said they worried legalization would boost underage consumption. Has it? No.

Use among young people in the state has actually fallen in recent years, both in absolute terms and with respect to the rest of the country. Nine percent of surveyed eighth graders and 19 percent of 11th graders had used cannabis within the past 30 days, the report found.

Oregon’s data add to the limited but growing evidence that more tolerant policies on adult use don’t translate to higher rates among teens. Plenty of eyes will be watching those numbers.

Another promising sign: Cannabis arrests have plummeted. Possession charges dropped by more than half between 2011 and 2014, from 4,223 to 2,109. In 2011, an average of 140 people out of 100,000 were arrested on cannabis charges. By 2015, that fell to about 36.

Unfortunately, racial disparities are still striking. In 2014, black or African-American Oregonians were 2.3 times more likely than whites to be arrested on cannabis charges. That difference, the report notes, “did not significantly change from 2007 to 2014.” There may be good reasons to believe legalization can address racial inequality, but Oregon has yet to see it.

Driving remains another sticking point, both for youth and adults. Nearly half of 11th graders who use cannabis reported driving within three hours of consumption. And roughly two-thirds of adults, 63 percent, said they didn’t know when it’s legal to drive after using cannabis. Seventy-five percent of adults, however, agreed that driving under the influence increases the risk of a crash.

Sixty-two percent of eighth graders said they have easy access to cannabis, reporting that it’s easier to obtain than cigarettes but harder to get than alcohol. Whether they actually want cannabis is another story: Not only are fewer kids choosing to consume, they’re also more concerned about its dangers. Health fears among students in Oregon were greater after legalization, in 2015, than they were just two years before. (Separate data, from the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, indicate teens nationwide are actually less concerned about health risks than they were in 2010. That survey, however, polled students about monthly use, while Oregon asked about weekly use.)

One of the biggest challenges for policymakers, Hedberg said, is trying to educate kids about the potential consequences of cannabis use without resorting to war-on-drugs–era scare tactics.

“There are a number of studies to show that, at least for young, developing brains still in high school, regular use is not going to be beneficial for them,” she said. “How do you give a message about moderation that doesn’t say the sky is falling?”

Breaking down Oregonians’ use by demographics, the survey found some groups stood out. Lesbian, gay, and bisexual adults used cannabis at nearly three times the rate of straight respondents — 30 percent to 11 percent, respectively. People with disabilities also consumed at a slightly higher rate (14 percent), though the report didn’t clarify how much of the use was for medical reasons. Only 6 percent of veterans said they were current users, roughly half the rate of the general population.

Medical patients made up less than a third of total adult users, with 3 percent of all surveyed adults identifying as patients. Most who did apply for a medical card were approved. On average, only 4 percent of applications since 2001 were rejected.

So what does it all mean? Is the Oregon Health Authority a friend to cannabis, or a foe? Hedberg says neither. “At this point, we actually tried pretty hard in this for the report to have just the facts and not to spend a lot of time talking about policy implications,” she said.

A government body making decisions about cannabis based on facts? How refreshing.

Halogen Technology in Cannabis Vaporizers: How NASA-Level Science Revolutionized Vaping

This article is sponsored by Herbalizer, one of the leading suppliers of table-top vaporizers. Herbalizer provides you with the ultimate vaporizing experience as you honor your flower with our power. Check out Herbalizer’s exclusive Leafly discount offer here.

Given that his last job was as a prime contractor to NASA – a position that amounted to a great deal of autonomy, with decisions based heavily on technical merit – we asked Herbalizer’s Chief Technology Officer Bob Pratt if people thought he was crazy to start working on vaporizers.

“Absolutely!” he exclaimed. “[NASA] was a really, really fun job. Everything was a new design, and you could take a lot of license to do special things. I say to people, ‘You’ll never guess what I’m doing now’ – and they never do.”

So what drew him away from a successful career in the aerospace industry? A sense that vaporizers could be done better, coupled with the idea that doing things better would make a difference. “People truly receive almost one-of-a-kind relief,” says Pratt of cannabis vaporization. “Some of the stories are amazing. When I hear about people who have used vaporization and gotten off a prescription drug regimen that negatively influenced their lifestyle, it’s impactful.”

Building a Better Vaporizer

The first thing that clued the Herbalizer team into the fact that there might be room for improvement in the tabletop vaporizer field was the fact that in 2011, when brainstorming began, nothing groundbreaking had been released in years. “Usually your best guide as far as what’s possible [in an industry] is what the competition’s doing,” says Pratt. By those measures, reaching operating temperatures in under four minutes would have been lofty enough. Given their background in microelectromechanical systems, the team members set their sights higher, honing in on concrete goals of reaching operating temperature in under 30 seconds and filling a bag with vapor in under a minute – which, Pratt admits, “seemed like pie in the sky.” The ultimate objective was an incredibly responsive device that coupled ease of use with unprecedented accuracy.

With goals laid out, the team set about brainstorming, which is how the idea of halogen technology surfaced. As Pratt explains, “The halogen bulb actually is kind of interesting. They’re not necessarily utilized in our society in the best way – they’re a much better heater than they are a light source.” This is because the electromagnetic spectrum devoted to light is very small – the majority of the electromagnetic byproduct put out by halogen bulbs is not light, but heat.

“There were alternatives on the table,” says Pratt of the brainstorming process. “Inventing our own heater was one of them. But when we looked at it, the halogen bulb was almost an epiphany-type moment. It is very very fast to heat up, so you can get a lot of power. It basically makes our unit behave like a Ferrari, if you like performance analogies.”

Having settled on the superiority of halogen technology, the new challenge became to control it. A microprocessor and a custom control algorithm entered the picture. These modifiers govern the amount of heat available as the air moves through the device, which allows for the ultimate heating of the herbal material through convection. A small blower was put in place to push air past the halogen bulb, which is cloaked in glass. Air, in close proximity to the halogen bulb, is heated quickly and precisely, then transfers this heat to the vaporizer’s magnetic bowl, where the herbal material awaits. Important to note is the fact that the path through the vaporizer is completely inert – liner materials like glass, ceramic and stainless steel ensure that nothing undesirable is volatized into the airstream.

The final result? The team exceeded its original goals for speed and temperature control alike. “Nothing is perfect, but we guarantee temperatures within five degrees of the goal temperature – and I can tell you that realistically, it’s generally in the order of plus or minus one degree,” says Pratt. The patented thermal reaction chamber hits its operating temperatures in less than 15 seconds.

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Herbalizer – Relief By Design

We once believed man would never walk on the moon.Meet Bob Pratt.A former NASA engineer. He has spent his entire career creating things most people only dream about.He dreamed of putting technology to use, to create a healthy, more beautiful world. So something healthy and intensely beautiful was born. There is nothing else like it on Earth. For centuries we’ve been using herbs to relieve pain, anxiety, stress and all sorts of discomfort. And now we use technology in a very simple yet powerful way. Beyond anything that’s currently available. The most effective means ever imagined of delivering instantaneous relief with herbal remedies. For the first time you can control the intensity and effect of your experience.Temperature controls quality. Whether you’re using lavender, peppermint, concentrates, extracts, or anything else.It also diffuses essential oils making it a unique aromatherapy tool as well.It is more accurate to call it an aromatherapy vaporizer it prevents combustion giving you the smooth smoke free effect that you want.The question is what kind of experience do you want? Mild and uplifting? Or heavy and intense? Lower heat produces light vapor with lots of flavor and gentle effects. Higher heat a dense cloud with lots of intensities. Precision temperature control dictates what you extract from the herb. That determines how you feel. Because it heats up instantly, you achieve immediate results. It’s good for pain, it’s good for relief, and it’s good for a party. This level of control is critical for people who are hurting out there. Not only an aesthetic marvel, the Herbalizer delivers a superior vapor therapy experience that represents a revolution in all-natural herbal relief. Herbalizer, the world’s first smart vape.

Posted by Herbalizer on Thursday, January 14, 2016

The Effects of a Controlled Vaporization Experience

So why should cannabis consumers care about these achievements? Aside from the ability to access to the benefits of cannabis at the touch of a button, temperature control affects the psychoactive experience. Different cannabinoids are released at different temperatures, meaning that by selecting varying temperatures for vaporization, consumers can control the compounds entering their bodies. “Because of the extremely tight temperature control, you have the ability to really tailor your experience,” Pratt explains. “There are about 28 well-known cannabinoids with varying concentrations available with most flower. You can experiment, find something you like, and then repeat it. The next time you vaporize the same strain at the same temperature, you’re going to have exactly the same ingredients entering your lungs. There’s all kinds of things to get into as far as selective extraction.” For medical consumers, especially those who consume cannabis on a regular basis, this level of jurisdiction over the experience can be invaluable for addressing specific conditions while maintaining control over quality of life.

The Herbalizer was released early in 2014, and although the team continues to work on refining the product, customer feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, and Pratt confesses that he’s equally happy with the product. “Surprisingly enough for someone who always wants to tinker with things and improve them, we did a really good job of hitting most of the bullet points that we wanted,” he says.

Has he ever looked back to his days of working with stealth bombers and satellites? Not so much. “The whole venture has been kind of a life-changing thing…to do something outside the box was such a leap of faith that it’s liberated me, in that regard, for life,” says Pratt. “If I had to do it all over, I’d do it the same way.”

Broncos Strains vs. Panthers Strains: What to Consume for the Big Game

As this year’s wild ride of a football season winds up for a super-sized finish, the 50^th iteration of “The Big Game” is taking place on February 7. Now the question remains: Which cannabis strains should you enjoy while you watch to see who will take home the trophy?

Like last year, we have a few suggestions up our sleeves. Whether you’re a ride-or-die Broncos supporter, a fanatical Panthers fan, or simply want to see what happens, we’ve lined up five strains for each team, plus three that are perfect for football regardless of who you support. Shout out the team you’re rooting for and what you’re planning to consume on Super Sunday in the comments!

For Broncos Supporters

303 OG

It won’t surprise anyone that this indica-dominant strain, which pays homage to the Broncos’ home area code, is Colorado-born and -bred. Its euphoric effects would pair perfectly with a home team victory.

Cat Piss

Broncos fans can only hope that their big-cat opponents are a little nervous for the Big Game. Cat Piss, a social sativa, is thus the perfect accompaniment to any game day party.

Do-Over OG

When Denver faced Seattle two years ago in the historic first championship to pit two legal states’ teams against one another, the term “bowl game” took on new meaning – but unfortunately, Denver fans’ hopes went up in smoke that year. Here’s to a do-over.

Kryptonite

After watching “Superman” build momentum in leading the Panthers to two big playoff wins thus far, Denver fans could do worse than stocking up on plenty of Kryptonite for Super Sunday.

Trifecta

With this year’s trip to Levi’s Stadium, the Broncos tie the record for most championship appearances ever, with eight. Unfortunately, they also hold the record for most losses ever, with five. This year, they aim for their third championship win to date.

For Panthers Fans

Blue Blood

Die-hard Panthers fans already claim to bleed blue blood, so they won’t have any trouble getting behind this spirited indica-dominant strain.

Orange Skunk

Facing off against a team with far more championship appearances under their belts than the Panthers themselves can count, Carolina fans will nevertheless be hoping that the team in orange gets skunked on February 7.

Pink Panther

Anyone looking to pay homage to Carolina’s mascot this weekend should stock up on this Panther-friendly hybrid strain, which promises euphoric effects to pair with a Panthers win.

Super Blue Dream

In the 20 years since their team was founded, the Panthers haven’t yet been able to bring the Lombardi trophy home to Charlotte. This year, their Super Dream is a Blue victory.

Superman OG

It’s no secret that Cam Newton, a.k.a. Superman, has led his team in blazing a trail to this year’s championship game. Pay homage to his suitable nickname with a strain that matches up.

No Matter Who You’re Supporting…

Bay Dream

As fans of all affiliations make their way to the Bay Area for Super Sunday, light up this social sativa and gear up for some football. Bonus: it provides an appetite boost, meaning you’ll be able to snack on the usual chips, dips, pizza, cupcakes and more classic football fare all day long.

Face Off OG

This indica-dominant strain promises relaxing effects, so if big sports games tend to be stressors for you, here’s a perfect way to enjoy yourself as Colorado and Carolina face off on-field.

Game Changer

If you just want to watch, and don’t care one way or the other, make a game of the Big Game and take a hit of this hybrid every time a touchdown is scored. No matter the outcome, given Game Changer’s euphoric effects you’re guaranteed to have a good time.

Treating MMJ Patients in Illinois: One Doctor’s Perspective

Illinois’ medical marijuana pilot program is finally off the ground, with 25 dispensaries now operating. Since the program’s November debut, the state has recorded more than $1 million in sales. Some are worried, though, that the program could be in trouble before it’s had a chance to succeed due to low patient enrollment. Although there are over more than 4,000 patients registered, officials anticipated that there would be closer to 30,000 patients at this point in the implementation process.

To gain a better understanding of the inner workings of the state’s Medical Cannabis Pilot Program, Leafly had a chance to speak with a qualifying general practitioner registered to make medical marijuana recommendations, Dr. Rahul Khare of Innovative Express Care in Chicago.

Leafly: What have been some of biggest challenges you’ve faced in entering the medical marijuana sector?

Rahul Khare: Honestly, it’s that there are a lot of conditions in Illinois that are not considered qualifying. It’s been incredibly difficult to have so many patients coming to me asking for help, but who are unable to get a recommendation for medical marijuana based on their condition. It’s an unfortunate situation. Many patients come to me as a general practitioner, rather than their own [doctor], which is frustrating for me to see. Often, they have asked their own physician about medical marijuana. For whatever reason, their doctor does not feel comfortable certifying their patient. The patients often get frustrated, ask their family or friends, and somehow come to me to switch their primary care to someone who is open to [cannabis] as a medication.

Leafly: Have your peers been surprised to find out that you’re working with medical marijuana patients?

Khare: It does surprise some, but I’ve been more surprised by how supportive my peers have been. Many of my colleagues work for hospitals, which are considered federal institutions, and they can’t get certified. Many people that I didn’t think would be supportive – friends, family – so many have reached out to me and are grateful to have someone who can answer their questions. I was hesitant to make it known to everyone, but everyone is very excited.

Leafly: One of the more controversial issues in Illinois concerns the expansion of qualifying medical conditions. If you could personally expand the qualifying conditions for the program, which additions do you think patients would most benefit from?

Khare: I’ve thought about this a lot, actually. If I could expand the qualifying conditions, I would include:

• Dysthymic disorder – otherwise known as clinical depression
• Panic disorder – I would much rather see patients using cannabis to manage their symptoms than addictive drugs like Xanax or “benzos” [benzodiazepines]
• Intractable pain
• Neuropathy, particularly in diabetics, can cause a constant, stinging sensation
• Lyme disease – after the acute illness, patients experience chronic pain and aches, which has not been considered [as a qualifying condition]

These are the main conditions I would like to see included.

Leafly: What made you decide to get certified to recommend marijuana to begin with?

Khare: I had many patients who came to me asking about medicinal marijuana. I’m an advocate of medical marijuana – I’ve been to California and Colorado and heard a lot of success stories. These patients [who asked about medical marijuana] are taking large amounts of narcotics and opiates. There are studies coming out that show a decrease in the use of narcotics with the legalization and use of medical marijuana.

Leafly: Are patients worried about signing up? What is the general attitude that you see?

Khare: There are two groups of patients that I generally see. There are patients who are fearful of medical marijuana, some who have teenage children and want to be discreet – those patients are very aware of the stigma attached. The second group is those who are aware that there is a huge, nationwide discrepancy between federal and state laws. This is the group that questions, “Will this be taken away from me?” They recognize that it’s a very gray area, because it is, technically, a federal offense, but in all practicality a patient is very safe with a medical marijuana certification.

Leafly: Do you think the Illinois Medical Cannabis Pilot Program will be extended beyond the 2017 deadline?

Khare: I believe so. The state of Illinois is in financial trouble and the amount of revenue they’re already seeing from the program is encouraging. There hasn’t been a lot of backlash from patients or opponents and this has already been done successfully in other states. The truth is that the dispensaries, the laboratories, the lobbyists, the physicians, they all want more people to have access and in that regard, the medical marijuana industry is much more aligned than the pharmaceutical industry. We are all in the same boat and there’s no conflict of interest. It’s interesting to see, right now, that all the people involved in the medical marijuana industry want the same thing: more patients signed up for medical marijuana. That will all change when there’s competition for patients, but for right now, they all want to help qualified patients to get certified for medical marijuana.

Oregon Edibles May Soon Be Half-Strength

Oregon doesn’t want people to end up like Maureen Dowd.

In 2014 the prim and prolix New York Times columnist, staying in a Denver hotel and tickled by the prospect of legal cannabis, “nibbled off the end” of an infused candy bar. It sent her spinning:

I was panting and paranoid, sure that when the room-service waiter knocked and I didn’t answer, he’d call the police and have me arrested for being unable to handle my candy.

Oregon politicians think that’s a bad look for cannabis. So state health officials are tinkering with cutting edible THC limits in half. Proposed rules would curb single servings of THC to 5 milligrams — yes, half the currently allowed limit in Washington and Colorado. The limits wouldn’t apply to medical products.

Under the proposal, whole chocolate bars could contain no more than ten servings, or 50 milligrams of THC. Again, that’s half of what’s allowed in other states. Drinks, ice cream, and other products that aren’t easily separated into single servings would be limited to 20 milligrams per package.

Edibles aren’t yet available to recreational buyers in Oregon, but the state hopes to adopt rules by summer. The Oregon Health Authority, tasked with overseeing serving sizes, packaging, and labeling in the state, still hasn’t decided which limit to go with.

“I don’t know, truly, whether we’ll end up at 10 milligrams or 5 milligrams,” Dr. Katrina Hedberg, Oregon’s state health officer and state epidemiologist, told Leafly. “I don’t know.”

The goal is to give consumers what they want while still addressing common concerns, Hedberg said. Plenty of edibles in other states — chocolate bars, jelly beans, Sour Patch Kid knockoffs — no doubt look familiar and appeal to kids. Officials want to minimize both risks to children and newcomer horror stories like Dowd’s. “We do focus on particular concerns about the edible market because we’ve heard so many stories about it,” Hedberg said.

Of course, it’s not clear whether potency limits would actually fix problems. A rookie might still ignore instructions, and a toddler who downs an entire bag of gummies, half-strength or not, would still be in for an uncomfortable night. Will cutting potency in half mean fewer instances of youth use or overconsumption? “Very good question,” acknowledged Hedberg, “and I don’t know the answer.”

“Even though cannabis has been around for millennia, there’s a lot in terms of modern science which we’ve not been allowed to do because it’s Schedule I at the federal level,” she continued. “We don’t know the answer. What we see is what some of the problems are, and we’re faced with: How do we try to address what those problems are while avoiding reefer madness?”

Advocates for the cannabis industry call the rules well intentioned but ineffective. Bakers, chocolatiers, and ice cream makers aren’t as likely to sell as much product, they argue, because customers won’t be as interested in a watered-down buzz. “I mean, a lot of this is really just proper parenting,” John Bayes, owner of Green Bodhi, told the Oregonian.

Today, even in Colorado, where 10-milligram limits are in place, the state encourages beginners to be cautious. Informational cards at dispensaries read: “Start low. Go slow.” Friends and budtenders are quick to warn beginners to eat or drink a small portion and then wait — and keep waiting — until they’re sure it’s kicked in.

A cannabis overdose, while uncomfortable, won’t kill you. It’s a drug, yes, but its extremes are less extreme than overdoses of alcohol. If you’ve had too much, there are a number of ways to help ease what you’re going through.

One lesson, maybe, is that it’s more important to have information than limits. Dowd was by her own admission a “novice” consumer. First she nibbled “and then, when nothing happened, nibbled some more.”

The health authority had a public hearing on serving sizes earlier this month, and they’re hoping to finalize rules by spring. If all else fails, Hedberg at the Oregon Health Authority has at least one fallback option in mind to keep children far from cannabis.

“Put in in caviar!” she quipped. “No kid in their right mind is going to eat caviar. Put it in spinach!”

How a Top Cannabis Investor Looks at Your Company

Since entering the cannabis space in 2013, Leslie Bocskor and his Las Vegas-based investment firm, Electrum Partners, have become high-profile oracles, investors, and advisers. It’s not just because Bocskor looks cool. He’s a passionate, demanding, clear-sighted financier who’s grounded the cannabis investment world in old-school virtues like research, market analysis, and due diligence.

Bocskor cut his teeth as an investment banker during the 1990s dot-com boom. He’s lived through investment mania, bubbles, and bursts. He’s been called the Warren Buffett of cannabis, but he’s more like Warren Buffett gone Burning Man. (Bocskor was, in fact, a regional coordinator for the festival in its early days.) In 2014, Cannabis Business Executive ranked him 58th on their list of The 100 Most Influential People in the industry. Last year the ArcView Investment Network named him its most valuable member.

I first met Bocskor three years ago at an ArcView meeting in Seattle. Cannabis investment conferences now draw thousands, but back then you could stuff all the willing financiers into a Tuff Shed. There were about 20 investors in attendance that day, and the only two who weren’t already running dispensaries or baking edibles were Bocskor and a retired pilot from Yakima. I don’t recall the pilot’s name. But Bocskor was memorable because— well, look at the guy. He’s not exactly trying to blend in. He never has.

During a swing through Las Vegas last week, I sat down with Bocskor in Electrum’s offices in downtown Las Vegas, about four miles north of The Strip. I wanted to know how he decided where to invest his money, and how the cannabis investment world had changed over the past three years. And, frankly, it’s just fun to hear him talk.

What follows is an edited version of our conversation. For the unexpurgated version, click on the embedded audio below.

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Download the full interview with Leslie Bocskor

Leafly: What do you look for in a potential investment?

Leslie Bocskor: We look at the team. I’d rather bet on an A team with a B project than a B team with an A project.

This is what I want to know: Have they gotten to previous exits before? Have they had successes? Are they working in a space in the cannabis industry that is based upon experience, best practices, knowledge, and relationships they’ve had before?

Example: Tom Quigley of The Gluu.

Tom is building a web-based platform for the distribution of products in the legal cannabis industry that don’t touch the plant. Think Cisco Foods for the cannabis industry. Think smoke shops, convenience stores, and, eventually, dispensaries, cultivation centers and processing centers. They all have certain needs that are specific to this industry. They also have needs that are not specific to the industry: toilet paper, copier toner, things like that. The way Cisco provides everything to a restaurant, Tom can provide everything to these shops.

He’s done it before. He built Krush Communications, got it to $25 million in revenue selling prepaid phone cards to smoke shops. So this is just rinse and repeat for him. I love finding a guy who’s had a team, a person who’s had success like that in a specific area, who is now migrating into this industry.

Here’s another example. If somebody has run a nursery and now they’re going to be running, let’s say they’re going to be creating the cannabis plants in their veg stage and then ship them to a grower who’s got a flowering limit, or has a canopy limit. One of the efficiencies people have been exploring is this: Maybe one licensee produces only veg plants, and then other licensees raise only flowering plants. So that way you take advantage of your canopy, you can be most effective, you don’t have to try to do two things. If somebody has experience running a nursery, and then they’re going to move into that space, I’m going to favor that company. Because of their previous experience, they’re going to know things that somebody who’s coming into it new won’t.

Second, I look at the value proposition.

I’m looking for the people who have the big vision. I’m looking for people who are going to be able to scale up a very large size. So someone who is looking to, like Tom Quigley, put together something that can achieve that size. Or another company I like, GrowBlox Sciences, they have ideas about creating cultivation technologies that will be usable not only in cannabis — which is going to be gigantic — not only in hemp, which is going to be gigantic, but in other industries and agricultural verticals as well. This is a business that could rapidly grow from something that is small, to hundreds of millions in revenue in a few years, because of all of the energy that the cannabis industry brings in.

Third, I look for people who have a very good understanding of the market. I want to speak to people who are walking, thinking, speaking rocks. They have it down. They know what the market that they’re entering looks like. They know what the nuances are. They’re aware of the agility needed to deal with the rapidly changing regulatory environment and the business issues that come from that. They have their due diligence solid and all referenced. I’m not looking for people who have assumptions and gut instincts. I’m looking for people who can reference why their gut instincts and their assumptions have meat on the bone.

Knowing the market includes knowing the competition. I want someone who’s looked at the competition and has a very clear and objective assessment of what the competitive landscape looks like. I’m not looking for someone who’s going to sugarcoat what they’re doing. I want them to be able to say: Here’s who we are, here’s what we have going for us, here are our challenges; here’s what the competition is, what they have going for them, and here’s our strategy to deal with that.

I want someone who’s thinking about the exit strategy. I don’t want people who are only in it to win it quickly. But I want them to understand that there’s got to be a terminus that you’re thinking about from the beginning. Am I building this company to sell it? Am I building it to be profitable and create dividends for shareholders? Am I creating this to look into the public markets? I want to know how they’ve looked at all of those questions.

Those are my criteria.

How is the cannabis investment market different than it was two or three years ago?

The market? The word of the day is agility. We’re migrating a massive black market into a regulated market. Relative to GDP, the economic impact of the end of cannabis prohibition will be substantively bigger than what alcohol meant to our economy relative to GDP in 1933. That’s because of industrial hemp. That’s because of medical marijuana. That’s because of pharmaceuticals being developed based upon the cannabis plant. That’s because of nutraceuticals and supplements that are going to be based on the cannabis plant. That’s because of recreational and what it represents to the industry.

There was a RAND report I read, a ten-year study from 2001 through 2010, that did a look back, and when it was published in 2011, they stated that the size of the illegal recreational market was $50 billion a year. For scale, I think when you look at the NFL, NHL, MLB, and NBA together they bring in around $35 billion in revenue a year. That gives you an idea of scale.

Why does this reference back to agility? When you’re migrating a deregulated market to a regulated market, you’re dealing with the patchwork issues of the different regulatory frameworks in each jurisdiction, both domestic and international, and the fact that these markets are just evolving.

Look at Nevada. Nevada passed a medical marijuana law in 2001. It allowed for cultivation and consumption, but no market. You couldn’t buy or sell. There was no way to create any type of economy. As such, it wasn’t fair to the patients. Because if somebody gets diagnosed with a disease, they don’t want to have to become a botanist to treat themselves.

Then in 2013 Nevada passed another set of legislation that created what is the best regulatory framework for cannabis in the entire world. That was an evolution. You have to have the agility to anticipate those shifts, to be able to deal with those shifts, understand the business issues that those shifts represent, and make sure you’re going to adapt.

Federal illegality is making it so that each state is creating its own “ringed fence” market. Interstate commerce does not apply with regard to anything that touches the plant. You have to have the agility, the nimbleness, to work in many different states. If you’re really looking for the long play, the big win, you have to be able to play in Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Colorado, California, as each state evolves.

You mentioned Nevada as the best framework for cannabis in the world. What about Nevada leads you to say that? Is it the entire package? Are there specific parts of it that are done particularly well?

There are a couple parts that are done well. First of all, Nevada has more experience in developing regulatory frameworks for things that are illegal or quasi-legal in other jurisdictions than any other jurisdiction in the world. We invented regulated gaming here in this state. We’ve spent years figuring out how to do it right.

I like to give this example: When was the last time you heard a story about a casino cheating a patron? It doesn’t happen. Not because the press doesn’t publish it. They’d love to publish it if they could find it. But Nevada is so diligent in making sure its operators color within the lines, you don’t hear about it. Because there’s no reason to do it. You’re going to win as long as you play by the rules — so why play outside the rules? That’s why there’s a saying here: It’s easier to become a Secret Service agent covering the President of the United States than it is to get an unlimited gaming license in the state of Nevada.

So in developing the regulatory framework for the cannabis industry, the legislators and the regulators drew upon their experience with gaming. They wanted to make sure we had a business-friendly environment, a transparent system, a fair system. We wanted to make sure it was going to be good for consumers and good for the state.

So what differentiates Nevada? We’re the only jurisdiction in the world that has medical marijuana reciprocity. That’s a game changer.

If you have a recommendation from anywhere in the world, you can come to the great state of Nevada and go to one of our dispensaries and become a customer. Nowhere else has anyone used that common sense — not even Hawaii. You would expect that Hawaii, a state where tourism means so much to their economy, would have done that. Yet they will not include reciprocity until 2018.

New York, which has 55 million tourists a year, is essentially telling people who are medical marijuana patients: “If you’re going to come to New York, we do recognize medical marijuana and have a program, but you’re either going to have to break the law and fly with it or travel with it across state lines or go to the black market when you get here, because we won’t let you go to our dispensaries even if you have a recommendation from another jurisdiction.” To me, that’s just patently absurd.

The growth over the past three years in the number of investors interested in cannabis has been phenomenal. Are you seeing smart money come in, or are these conferences filling with a lot of people who are, maybe, not doing such intelligent things with their money?

We’re seeing smart money coming in. Very smart.

The level of due diligence, the level of decision-making, has been amplified dramatically. I’m now speaking to people who are talking about commodities and commodity pricing. I’m speaking to people who come out of the finance world. Traders. Fund managers. They’re not bringing their funds in. They’re bringing their personal money in. These are smart people who for years have been studying investing, and now they’re coming to this industry to invest, individually.

So, smart money. And a lot of it.

I was in New York recently. I held a little dinner with ten guests. One of the guests was an attorney who’s a partner in a firm that represents over 1,000 funds. And there were three family offices represented at that dinner. These are extremely sophisticated investors.

Now, are there still people who are just throwing money around? Maybe a little bit. But I’m finding that investors are making smarter decisions in this industry than they did in investing in the internet back in the mid to late nineties when I was working in that area.

Why? Is the fact that it’s cannabis making them more cautious?

Yes. Because of federal illegality versus state legality, the complex regulatory issues, the consideration of the risks, the stigmas attached to it, the political risk, the social risk, the business risk that’s attached to being involved in it. All these considerations are forcing people to spend more time on their research and their due diligence.

It’s still very hard for the individual investor. Let’s be candid. Investing in anything as an individual investor, it’s very hard to win. That being said, people are being very, very diligent.

The quality of the companies and the quality of the investors has dramatically changed at ArcView. Not that it wasn’t good. But now it’s got many more investors and a higher benchmark in terms of what’s expected and what people are delivering.

Image Source: Will Yakowicz via Flickr Creative Commons

Mettrum Health Corp. Launches Premium Cannabis Oils Product Line

Mettrum Health Corp. (TSXV:MT), a fully-integrated licensed producer of premium cannabis products, launched its much-anticipated line of Mettrum Cannabis Oils.

As quoted in the press release:

Mettrum Cannabis Oils will be priced at $90 for one 40 ml bottle, which contains the equivalent medicinal content of five grams of dried marijuana. Mettrum produces whole-flower cannabis extracts using state-of-the art supercritical fluid CO2 extraction technology. The process extracts the major cannabinoids (THC and CBD), as well as the minor cannabinoids, terpenes and flavonoids that contribute to the overall medicinal value of medical cannabis. The result of this process is a highly concentrated resin. This extract is then suspended in an oil to make it easier to administer orally.  Mettrum uses medium chain triglyceride oil (MCT) in our formulations.  MCT is naturally occurring and used widely in the food, pharmaceutical and natural products industry. It is highly stable, flavourless, odourless, and allows for increased absorption making it ideal to use in cannabis oils.

Today, Mettrum is launching three oils in the Red, Blue, and Yellow categories, in line with the Mettrum Spectrum™, a trademarked system that helps physicians and their patients select the cannabis strain or strains that are most appropriate for their particular medical need. The Mettrum Spectrum™ allows for the categorization of medical cannabis products based on different ratios of key medicinal cannabinoids: cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). The Blue and Yellow category oils are notably unique as they are derived from rare strains of cannabis with a high ratio of CBD to THC  ̶  making them a relevant treatment for an expanded population of prospective patients. In the coming weeks, additional products will be added to broaden the selection across the categories that make up the Mettrum Spectrum™.

The launch comes on the heels of the announcement that Mettrum received a license from Health Canada for the production of cannabis at its new 60,000-square-foot production facility in Bowmanville, Ontario.

Mettrum Health CEO, Michael Haines, stated:

As Canada’s second LP to receive a license to sell cannabis extracts, we’ve been working hard to deliver accessibly priced, premium oils for our clients. We are responding to the demand from patients and health care professionals alike for alternative consumption methods of medical cannabis.

The post Mettrum Health Corp. Launches Premium Cannabis Oils Product Line appeared first on Investing News Network.

Event: Sabertooth Micro Fest VIP Bus Tour Presented By The Daily Leaf And Oregon’s Cannabis Conceirge

Came across a cool sounding event. Check it out if you are in the area. Below is more information, via the event’s Eventbrite page: You’re either on the bus or off the bus, so grab your ticket and climb aboard!OCCandThe Daily Leafhave partnered up to provide the ultimate VIP experience in conjunction with the Sabertooth

Why Has Arkansas’ MMJ Initiative Been Rejected 7 Times?

What’s going on in Arkansas?

News out of the Razorback state last week had Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge rejecting a seventh marijuana ballot initiative since taking office in 2014. As with her previous rejections, Rutledge said her latest denial was based on the “ambiguous language” of the proposal. David Couch, the attorney who submitted the most recent proposal, has had his two previous proposals rejected based on ambiguous language as well.

The Arkansans for Compassionate Care, or Arcompassion, has been working for years to try to get a medical marijuana initiative before voters. The campaign came within inches of success with Issue 5 in 2012, when it lost by a slim margin of 49 percent in favor to 51 percent against.

In 2014, Arcompassion came back with the Arkansas Medical Cannabis Act, a ballot initiative approved during the final days of former Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel’s term in 2014, before Rutledge took office.

When reached for comment, a spokesman for the office, Judd Deere, released the following statement to the media:

“Attorney General Rutledge states, ‘neither certification nor rejection of a popular name and ballot title reflects my view of the merits of the proposal. This Office has been given no authority to consider the merits of any measure when considering the sufficiency of a proposed ballot title.'”

The Attorney General’s statement reflects an awareness that her office is coming under increasing scrutiny for rejecting multiple marijuana proposals during her brief time in office. But rejecting proposals based on ballot titles is nothing new in Arkansas, according to the advocates at Arcompassion.

Ryan Denham, the Deputy Director of Arkansans for Compassionate Care, isn’t surprised at the constant pushback from the AG’s office. His group endured extraordinary delays during its effort to get a signoff on Issue 5 in 2012.

“When we applied back in 2012, we weren’t approved either the first time,” Denham told Leafly. “We had to resubmit our initiative four times before it was approved on the fifth try. I think the Attorney General just wants to make sure the ballot title accurately reflects the law, especially when the bill is a dozen pages long.”

The current medical marijuana campaign has been gathering signatures in preparation for the 2016 ballot and will need to obtain 67,887 total signatures in the next six months in order to qualify, but Denham is hoping to exceed that number.

“We want to get 150 to 200 percent of the signatures that we need,” he said. “We have approximately 55,000 signatures in hand right now and we want to gather another 40,000 before we turn them in.”

The Arkansans for Compassionate Care’s initiative, the Arkansas Medical Cannabis Act, is the most likely bet for a medical marijuana bid in 2016. The campaign will hold a Super Tuesday Signature Surge on March 1st at locations around the state, so sign up as a volunteer if you want to see change for Arkansas this year.

“Arkansas has seen states like New York and Illinois legalize,” Denham said. “We’ve seen that the sky hasn’t fallen, terminally ill people are gaining access to medicine, and it’s generating tax revenue. Arkansas borders seven states, which have almost no cannabis laws… This is more than just a local or state issue, this is a national issue and we’re hoping that we can influence some of the more conservative states around us.”

Cooking With Cannabis Live Stream Event (Free!)

Almost everyone I know wants to know more about cooking with cannabis. There is an event coming up that is going to be free to all, and you don’t even have to leave your house! Check out the details below, via the event’s Eventbrite page: Legalized marijuana is one of the fastest growing industries in

Clinton Vows Tepid Leadership on Cannabis

You’re aware the year ahead could be a big one for cannabis, yes? You’ve read those articles? You know prohibition has torn apart families, dashed futures, and cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars? You know more Americans than ever support legalization?

Seems you’ve been paying more attention than Hillary Clinton.

In a radio interview Monday with a CBS affiliate in Boston, the Democratic presidential candidate doubled down on her wishy-washy, parade-following position on cannabis:

I think that states are the laboratories of democracy, and four states have already taken action to legalize, and it will be important that other states and the federal government take account of how that’s being done, what we learn from what they’re doing. And I do think on the federal level we need to move marijuana from the Schedule One of drugs, move it to Schedule Two, which will permit it to be the basis for medical research. … A lot of experts in the field are telling me we’ve got to learn a lot more. For example, you’re taking marijuana for medical purposes, how does it interact with all the other drugs you’re taking? What should be the right dosage?

Nothing in that answer is flat-out wrong. But it’s a series of true statements that add up to nearly nothing. Clinton’s essentially saying she’d consider loosening rules on cannabis by regulating it like opium or cocaine. The bare minimum of reform. A great half-shuffle forward.

Clinton is a politician. If she wanted to convey righteous outrage over the drug war’s atrocities, she’d be well equipped to do it. From overcrowded prisons to racial inequities, there are plenty of failings to exploit. But instead she continues to offer safe, mealy-mouthed responses about an issue on the verge of massive change.

It’s hard not to see parallels to Clinton’s historically slippery stance on same-sex marriage. After more than a decade of opposition, she began publicly supporting marriage equality in 2013, only after it had become politically safe to do so. She landed on the right side of history, but only moments before history made clear her previous position was the wrong one. One can only guess where she’ll stand come November.

Chile Unveils the Largest Cannabis Farm in Latin America: The Leafly Roundup

With 2016 well underway, legislative sessions are in full swing around the nation. Cannabis bills are cooking in Vermont, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, and Utah. Texas’ CBD law is on track for a 2017 opening, but efforts are stalling in Indiana and Kansas. In the meantime, Israel is expanding medical marijuana patient access, and Chile just opened the largest cannabis farm in Latin America. Read more about these updates and more in this week’s cannabis legalization roundup.

U.S. Cannabis Updates

INDIANA

Senator Jean Leising, a longtime champion for medicinal cannabis advocacy, has said any bill to legalize cannabis or cannabis-derived products is unlikely to get a Senate committee hearing this legislative session. “There just isn’t the appetite in the Senate for approving any kind of medical marijuana, not with the current makeup of the (50-member) Senate,” Leising said. “You need 26 votes and they’re just not there.” Previously, Sen. Patricia Miller, chair of the Health and Provider Services Committee, said her committee would not hear any cannabis-related legislation this session. In addition, Rep. Thomas Washburn, chair of the House Courts and Criminal Code Committee, stated that his committee will not be considering House Bill 1158, which would exempt doctors and patients from criminal penalties for using high-CBD cannabis oil.

KANSAS

A voter-approved initiative for lessening marijuana penalties in the city of Wichita was thrown out by the Kansas Supreme Court last week based on a technicality. The high court concluded that petition organizers did not follow state law in filing the ordinance with the city. The ruling allowed the court to sidestep the larger issue of whether the initiative violated state law forbidding cannabis possession. The proposal would have made the possession of up to an ounce of cannabis punishable by a civil fine of $50 for first-time offenders 21 and over.

OHIO

Ohio is back in the cannabis game with a new medical marijuana task force. Created by the Ohio House of Representatives, the task force includes lawmakers, business owners, law enforcement officials, and two former members of last November’s ResponsibleOhio campaign, Jimmy Gould and Chris Stock. The creation of the task force doesn’t guarantee that new medical marijuana legislation will be introduced, although officials with the Legalize Ohio 2016 campaign say they’ll continue with efforts to legalize for medical and recreational purposes, and would support any new legislation for cannabis.

NEBRASKA

A group known as Nebraska Families 4 Medical Cannabis has hired a leading lobbying firm, Radcliffe & Associates, to assist in a campaign to bring support and awareness to a medical marijuana bill for the state. Last year Sen. Tommy Garrett, R-Bellevue, introduced Legislative Bill 643, inspiring testimony from patients from across the state in an emotional public hearing. That hearing helped advance the bill out of committee, but opponents killed it with a threatened filibuster. Sen. Garrett introduced a new version of the bill as the new legislative session opened. The latest bill uses Minnesota’s medical marijuana infrastructure as a model for Nebraska’s program and would only allow the consumption of cannabis pills, oils, or tinctures.

PENNSYLVANIA

A bill to legalize medical marijuana sailed through the Pennsylvania Senate. Senate Bill 3, sponsored by Sen. Mike Folmer, R-Lebanon, was approved with a 40–7 vote and now moves to the House. Folmer’s legislation would legalize the use of edibles and oil concentrates, but would prohibit the smoking of whole leaf cannabis. It would also create a system of licensed dispensaries for the distribution of the cannabis products and approve 16 qualifying medical conditions.

The conditions include:

• Cancer
• Seizures
• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
• Cachexia or wasting syndrome
• Parkinson’s disease
• Traumatic brain injury and post-concussion syndrome
• Multiple sclerosis (MS)
• Spinocerebellar Ataxia (SCA)
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Fibromyalgia
• HIV/AIDS
• Glaucoma
• Crohn’s disease
• Diabetes
• Chronic pain

A similar medical marijuana bill passed the Senate last year but never made it to the House floor for a vote.

TEXAS

Texas officials are making progress on the Compassionate Use Program, a low-THC, high-CBD cannabis oil initiative signed into law in June by Gov. Greg Abbott. The Department of Public Safety approved preliminary administrative rules for the program in December, and the rules took effect Jan. 10.

Next up: developing a registry of patients and physicians. The Texas Department of Safety is seeking vendors through the Texas Department of Information Resources to assist with their efforts. The winner of the vendor contract will be announced in June, and work on the registry is scheduled to begin in July, although the department won’t begin accepting applications for dispensaries until the registry’s framework is complete.

UTAH

Sen. Mark Madsen, R-Saratoga Springs, introduced one of Utah’s first bills to allow for the medicinal use of “whole plant” cannabis. Madsen’s Senate Bill 73 would direct the Utah Department of Agriculture to oversee the regulatory process for cannabis cultivation and processing facilities. The Utah Department of Health would be charged with distributing medical marijuana patient cards to those with qualifying conditions. Another bill, introduced by Rep. Brad Daw, R-Orem, and Sen. Evan Vickers, R-Cedar City, would legalize cannabidiol through a similar distribution structure.

VERMONT

Vermont looks like it’s heading for legalization with support of Gov. Peter Shumlin as well as a resounding endorsement from former Vermont Attorney General Kimberly Cheney. The Vermont Senate Judiciary committee held a public hearing to collect testimony from the public before making any moves on the topic.

There are currently two cannabis legalization bills up for debate in the legislature. S.95 was introduced last February, but no action was taken to advance the bill aside from recommending a hearing in the Judiciary committee. S.241 was introduced by Senator Jeanette White earlier this legislative session, on Jan. 5, and holds the most promise for legalization in 2016. The Judiciary Committee is expected to vote on the measure on Jan. 29.

International Cannabis Updates

CHILE

A ceremony in the town of Colbún last week marked the opening of what is now officially the largest medicinal cannabis farm in Latin America. Located about 200 kilometers south of Santiago, the farm is capable of cultivating up to 6,900 plants. Under the supervision of Chile’s Agriculture and Livestock Service, organizers are hoping to cultivate as much as 1.5 million tons between March and May, said Ana Maria Gazmuri, Executive Director of the Daya Foundation, the organization leading the cultivation charge.

The farm carries 6,000 plants of varying species, which will be used to treat 4,000 patients — 200 in each of 20 participating municipalities. The Chilean National Congress approved a measure legalizing the cultivation and sale of cannabis for medicinal purposes in December 2015. “Even if people do not believe it,” Gazmuri said, “Chile is now the regional pioneer in medicinal cannabis cultivation.”

ISRAEL

Health Minister Yaakov Litzman is leading a push to reform cannabis policy. Litzman told the Knesset Health Committee and the Knesset Committee on Controlled Substances about his plan to allow more doctors to recommend the drug to their patients. Currently only 36 doctors across the country can prescribe cannabis. “If the reform moves ahead without problems, I’ll allow practicing doctors to give cannabis prescriptions to their patients in keeping with Health Ministry regulations,” he said.

Litzman also cautioned that the move would not lead to broader recreational use. “I want to emphasize that we will implement strict oversight on this issue,” he said, “and we will make sure that only those who need cannabis will get access to it.” If Litzman’s plan goes into effect, pharmacies are also expected to begin carrying cannabis.

Don’t forget about last week’s roundup — catch up on it now!

Prohibition Breeds 'Hypocrites and Lawbreakers,' Ex-Attorney General Tells Vermonters

Former Vermont Attorney General Kimberly Cheney will be breaking across the TV screens of Vermont this week in a new ad that backs legalization in the Green Mountain State. “We all know that prohibition was a disaster,” Cheney says in the 30-second spot scheduled to premiere Tuesday. “It forced alcohol into the underground market where it was controlled by criminals. And consumers did not know what they were getting.” Cheney continues:

It made us a nation of hypocrites and lawbreakers. Marijuana prohibition has caused a lot of the same problems. That’s why most Vermonters agree it’s time for a more sensible approach.

The ad, produced by the Marijuana Policy Project on behalf of the Vermont Coalition to Regulate Marijuana, is expected to bolster Gov. Pete Shumlin’s effort to pass a legalize-and-regulate bill through the Vermont Legislature this session. The Vermont Senate Judiciary Committee currently is holding hearings around the state on S-241, a 41-page bill co-authored by Sens. Jeanette White and Joe Benning. Committee Chairman Dick Sears told Vermont Public Radio to expect revisions to that proposal in the coming days. During public testimony last week in Brattleboro and Bennington, “we picked up some ideas that we’ll probably put into the bill,” he said.

The more Vermonters hear about regulated legalization, the more they seem to like the idea — or at least temper their opposition. A Castleton Polling Institute survey in February 2015 found 54 percent support for legalization, with 40 percent opposition and 6 percent undecided. The same poll taken in September 2015 found 56 percent support, 34 percent opposition, and 10 percent undecided.

Judiciary Committee Chairman Sears said last week he’d like to pass the legislation out of committee this Friday, Jan. 29, at which point it would go to the full Senate floor.

Read more about former Attorney General Cheney and the thinking behind his support for regulated legalization in an exclusive Q&A with Leafly associate editor Ben Adlin.

The Best Dab Rig for You

Dabbing is evolving fast, and it seems like every other day there’s a new tool, technique, or technology. One day it’s nothing but titanium nails, torches, and BHO; the next it’s quartz bangers, e-nails, and rosin. Its rapid evolution can be a lot to keep up with, and if you’re like me, you probably switch up how you dab depending on what the situation calls for.

When a friend visits and wants to socialize over fresh-squeezed rosin, my preferences are much different than when I get home from a long day and prefer to have everything set up and ready for me to unwind. And when I’m dabbing on the go, I need a rig that’s portable and efficient while still providing the full dabbing experience. After many personal trials and tests, I’ve nailed down my favorite ways to dab and the tools needed to get the most out of every drop of oil.

Daily Rigs for Regular Dabbing

The daily driver is your go-to piece, so it should be functional, sturdy, and easy to clean. The key to this setup for me is the electric nail, or “e-nail.” I use the MiniNail because it’s small, offers precise temperature control, and doesn’t require the use of a torch. I’s always hot and ready when I want to dab or pass one to a friend.

This setup is perfect for high-volume dabs in social settings or for dialing in your preferred settings for low-temperature dabs. The only downside is that is that you’re limited by the cable length and the need for electric power.

Quartz Buckets for the Dab Connoisseur

A setup like this is perfect for getting the smoothest, most flavorful dab. When it comes to flavor, I prefer quartz buckets known as bangers because they don’t interfere with the natural terpene profile of the saps and shatters that I dab. The deep bucket can handle large amounts of concentrate without a mess, and the clear aesthetic is much cleaner on artistic glass and heady rigs.

The one drawback to this setup is that it uses a torch. While there are some attachments that will allow you to use an electric nail with your quartz bucket, I’ve found that the cord attachments can cause some chaos. So I stick with my STOK R-Series double-barrel torch. It has two side-by-side barrels that help heat the bucket quickly and evenly.

E-Rigs for the Dabber on the Go

I’ve found it difficult when I’m traveling to achieve the same functionality I get from my daily-driver setup. Concentrate pens, even ones with percolator attachments, just don’t quite hit the mark. Luckily, new technologies marry the portability of concentrate pens with the capabilities of standard dab rigs. The result is electric oil rigs, or e-rigs. I use the Boost from Dr. Dabber because it offers the portable performance that I’m looking for. With just a few clicks of the power button, the nail is hot and ready in about 30 seconds, and the battery lasts a solid 40 to 50 dabs before it needs to be recharged.

The only shortcoming of e-rigs currently on the market is the size of the nails and the vapor chambers, which make it difficult to take more than a small dab at a time. It’s an understandable tradeoff given the mobility of e-rigs, and I expect this feature to evolve as the technology improves.

Everyone has their own personal preferences when it comes to the ideal way to dab. What’s yours? Share your dab setup in the comments and let everyone else know your favorite way to take the best dab.

Georgia: Hearing Tomorrow On Medical Cannabis (HB-722)

Another action alert out of Georgia. If you are in the area, go check it out and remember to be respectful: Friends, last week was a productive time at the Georgia State Capitol. We met with lawmakers and new activists about several bills pending in the General Assembly. Next week there will be two important

Weekend Weirdness: “Sorry for Robbing You, Here's Some Cannabis”

Being held up at gunpoint is a traumatizing experience, which is presumably why a robber in South Carolina tried to soften the blow by offering his victim a little consolation prize. A delivery driver in Spartanburg, South Carolina was returning to her car after dropping off a pizza order when she was robbed. The perpetrator pointed a gun at her head and demanded she fork over the cash she had on her, and when she complied, he took the money and started to walk away.

Curiously, the man didn’t get very far before he turned around and re-approached the driver. It appeared as if in addition to struggling with a sense of right and wrong, the robber was also battling the munchies, as he asked the woman if she had any extra pizza orders in her car. She did, so she gave him some food. The man then wanted to know whether or not the delivery driver smoked, and when she confirmed that she did, he handed her a bag of cannabis before leaving for good.

Now, we all know that cannabis can help with symptoms such as anxiety and PTSD, which this poor woman could very well be experiencing after such a harrowing ordeal, but I’ve never heard of a criminal try to simultaneously offer up a solution to the problem he created. It’s a nice gesture on paper, but I’m guessing the driver would have preferred to not be robbed at gunpoint over some free cannabis.

Quiz: Can You Pick the Real Strain Name From the Fake?

So, you think you’re a strain savant? That you’ve tried every indica, sativa and hybrid out there, and know them all by heart? Not so fast. There’s a helluvalotta (technical term) strains out there to know, and with their intertwined genetics and mix-and-match names, it’s tough to keep them straight.

To find out if you’re truly a grandmaster strain wizard, take our multiple-choice quiz. For each question, three of the answer options represent real strain names, while a fourth option is an imposter that we invented. (We know, we know – you can easily find the right answers in our strain explorer, but no cheating!) Ready to test your expertise? Tell us how you do – or even make up your own quiz question – in the comments.

Poll: Majority Of Maryland Voters Support Regulating Cannabis Like Alcohol

By Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director A majority of registered Maryland voters believe that cannabis use should be legally regulated in a manner similar to alcohol, according to statewide polling data provided by Gonzalez Research & Marketing Strategies and commission by the Marijuana Policy Project. Fifty-three percent of respondents said that they favor a change

Three Things You’ll Learn At ICBC San Francisco

On February 13th and 14th, the cannabis world convenes at the International Cannabis Business Conference in San Francisco. Attendees will hear from those with success on the ground in commerce, politics, art and activism, learning important business tools as well as how to best improve and protect our marijuana laws. The 2014 ICBC in Portland

Dabbing vs. “Dabbin”: The Dance Craze That's Confusing Cannabis Consumers

There’s a new phenomenon sweeping the globe, and it’s called “dabbin.” Before you scoff and say, “Yeah, I know what dabbing is, I read Leafly,” let me first say, “Good for you, you earn your Leafly gold star for today,” before clarifying that I’m not talking about concentrated doses of cannabis, but rather a dance craze that’s overtaken the NaeNae, the Cat Daddy, the Harlem Shake, and whatever other absurdly squirmy hip hop move has been trending over the past couple years.

Unfortunately, the rising popularity of the dab dance has left a lot of cannabis-savvy people scratching their heads and thinking that the consumption method is what everyone’s talking about instead of the dance move. For example, recently Seattle Seahawks Cliff Avril and Michael Bennett were asked at a press conference, “Do either of you guys dab?” Because both athletes play in Washington state, where recreational cannabis is legal, their responses were amusingly appropriate:

“That’s illegal in, in…no, actually it’s legal in Washington!” Bennett said while Avril chuckled beside him and insisted, “It’s legal, it’s legal in Washington.” The reporter then clarified that he was talking about the dance move, and Avril laughed even harder while Bennett responded, “Oh the DANCE move. I thought you was talking about…I don’t know, you said ‘dab’, I said, ‘I know that’s what the kids are doing but uh…” before addressing the “trendy dance” that happens to be the dab this year.

So as a public service announcement, right now there are two types of “dabbing” making headlines right now. If you’re interested in learning how to dab cannabis concentrates, follow our handy guide.

If, however, you want to learn how to pull off the dab dance move, it’s quite simple. Just drop your head while you raise an arm and rest your face inside your elbow as if you’re sneezing into it. Sports Illustrated put it best, saying:

“The dance is pretty simple; one leans in to their elbow like they’re sneezing. That’s it, literally. You’ve dabbed before.”

Here’s a handy video tutorial in case you need a visual reference:

Happy dabbin’, everyone!

Image Source: T-Jay Hayes via YouTube

The Leafly Marketwatch: What Percentage of Your Dispensary Visitors are Out-of-State?

We usher in 2016 with the hope that a few states will join Washington, Colorado, Oregon, Alaska, and Washington, D.C. as newly minted members of the legal cannabis club. In the meantime, we took a closer look at the states that are currently operating legal retail cannabis dispensaries to see where exactly their visitors are coming from. What percentage of out-of-state folks is curious about what Colorado, Washington, and Oregon have to offer?

Colorado

We took a look at the last six months of data and broke out visits to Colorado dispensary pages by their state of origin, excluding Colorado so we could focus on out-of-state visitors.

Click on the image for a larger version

As you can see from the bar graph, the top two states sending traffic to Colorado’s dispensary listings on Leafly are Texas at nearly 33% and Florida at close to 11%. Interestingly, neither state has a legal recreational or medical marijuana market in place, although they did recently pass low-THC, high-CBD cannabis oil laws. Florida has selected growers for its program, but no cannabis oil has been dispensed yet. Texas, meanwhile, does not expect to be operational until 2017.

Why are two highly restrictive states so interested in Colorado? An obvious answer is tourism. Unlike Washington and Oregon, which are tucked away in the northwest corner of the United States, Colorado is ideally situated closer to the middle of the country, making it an ideal location to visit. And despite the Colorado tourism director insisting that cannabis is not a major tourism draw for the state, both a state survey and our data suggest there’s definitely growing interest in checking out Colorado’s legal cannabis market.

Colorado is also becoming a more attractive place to live for a myriad of reasons. A number of people from illegal states, dubbed “marijuana refugees,” have migrated to Colorado for legal access to cannabis that can help treat themselves or their family members suffering from diseases. Young college graduates are also flocking to Colorado, and the real estate market has increased by double-digits post-legalization thanks in some part to a population boom and the cannabis industry producing more jobs (which means more people can afford to buy homes). It’s possible that in addition to tourist interest, pro-cannabis or cannabis-curious people who are considering moving to Colorado may be checking out the state’s dispensary pages to see what the legal market has to offer.

Washington

As with Colorado’s data, we analyzed the last three months’ worth of visits to Washington dispensary pages.

Click on the image for a larger version

Nearly 40% of out-of-state visits to Washington dispensary pages come from California, with Oregon taking 2nd place with just over 14%. Both states’ proximity to Washington makes the data largely unsurprising, as it’s a relatively easy road trip or flight away for a quick getaway.

Another possible explanation for California’s traffic numbers is that there’s been a recent influx of people relocating from California to Washington. Between 2004 and 2013, over 339,000 moved from the Golden State to the Evergreen State. Washington’s recent tech industry boom, comparatively cheaper cost of living, and yes, legal cannabis are certainly all perks to moving further north.

Oregon

Oregon’s traffic data looks like a reversal of Washington’s, with over 39% of out-of-state traffic coming from its northern neighbor and 30% originating from California.

Click on the image for a larger version

Again, tourism is a likely factor here since Oregon is sandwiched between Washington and California, making it an appealing destination for a quick cannabis-friendly weekend getaway.

Business Takeaways

Why should dispensary owners and managers care about which out-of-state visitors are coming to their dispensaries? From a business perspective, it’s always an advantage to know your customers and their background so you can cater a personalized experience and convert their interest into a sale. Consider the following tips to help your business seem especially appealing to an out-of-towner:

Educate and Inform.

Out-of-state customers may need a little more education about cannabis, so offer more dedicated customer service and guidance to make your visitors feel at ease. Remember, they’re not experts and may even feel a little intimidated surrounded by a roomful of products that are still illegal in their state, so make them feel comfortable and be available to answer any questions they have. You may even want to put together a pamphlet or binder that contains some basic Cannabis 101 information that may benefit your out-of-state clientele.

Personalize the Experience.

Make your business seem appealing to a diverse pool of tourists or visitors. For example, if you have a retail dispensary in Colorado and know that a lot of people from Texas are likely to frequent your business, consider going the extra mile and work on your Texas charm – talk barbecue, Texas sports teams, local fashion, or anything that might put a smile on your visitor’s face. Or you could offer a few vanity strains, such as Cali Kush to a California native or Blue Bayou for someone hailing from Louisiana.

Offer Out-of-State-Friendly Products.

Pre-rolls are great for visitors since they might not have traveled with a vaporizer or bong, and lower-THC strains or edibles are a good idea as well for any tourists that are new to cannabis and don’t want to feel overwhelmed. (Just make sure you explain proper edibles dosing to your customers!)

Embrace Cannabis Tourism.

Colorado seems to be having an identity crisis with its cannabis tourism and doesn’t want to be cemented as the place to go for legal green. But honestly, what’s so bad about embracing the tourism angle? Sure, Washington, Colorado, and Oregon have a lot more to offer than just legal retail cannabis, but if the appeal of it brings visitors across state lines, it’s a win-win for the local economy. There’s a saying that goes “A rising tide lifts all ships,” meaning retail cannabis attracting visitors from different states brings in not just cannabis tax income, but benefits hotels, restaurants, local attractions, etc. So why not put a smile on your face and greet your out-of-state visitors with outstretched arms and an open mind? They’re bringing you business, after all!

Check out our previous Marketwatch analyses, and learn more about how Leafly can help grow your cannabis business.

Leafly's Guide to Surviving the Snowpocalypse

The entire East Coast, from New York through D.C. and all the way down to North Carolina, is bracing for one of the worst snowstorms in years. “Crippling!” forecasts The Weather Channel. “Life and death!” warns Reuters. Skies this weekend are expected to dump two feet of snow or more. If you haven’t hit up the grocery stores yet, we invite you to join the canned-food panic and pick up a cartload of bottled water and non-perishables (although let’s face it, judging from #Snowmaggedon2016 posts, the shelves by now are barren as the bleachers at a Jeb Bush rally).

Buckle down, sit tight, and ride out this storm. We’ll help you not only survive, but maybe even enjoy the next few days.

Stay Warm

It’s going to be cold, but that doesn’t mean you have to be. If you haven’t stocked up on wood, grab some extra logs and kindling to keep handy in case you need to build a fire. Don’t have a fireplace? Don’t build a fire. Instead, gather a pile of pillows and blankets and curl up in a nest next to your radiator or heating vent. If you’re worried your heat might go out, you can also make a quick and easy space heater using a ceramic pot, a cake pan and a few tea light candles.

PSA: Do not use your BBQ or Hibachi to cook indoors. People die this way. No joke.

Keep Yourself Entertained

Charge your phone and laptop now. Before the storm hits. Seriously. Go plug them in. Next, inventory the books stacked next to your bed. If the power goes out, your electronics will stay charged long enough for you to play a few games or binge-watch a few episodes of “Jessica Jones.” (If the power does go out, remember to unplug your electronics to protect them from a power surge.) When your devices die, those books are going to start looking mighty entertaining. Dust ‘em off and crack the spine. There’s no better time than a snowstorm to curl up with a good page-turner!

Note: A little strategery is important here. It’s hard to read in the dark. Maybe save your battery power for dark-thirty entertainment and read the bestsellers in daylight.

Embrace the Cold With These Frozen Blast Movies

• The Day After Tomorrow

This movie is a little silly, but a fun disaster movie fits the theme of Snowpocalypse. Let Jake Gyllenhaal do your worrying for you, and be thankful you don’t have to outrun an ice age or set a library on fire to stay warm.

• Fargo

One of the funniest Coen brothers’ movies — now with an excellent television spinoff (if you haven’t watched Season 2 of Fargo on FX, now is the time to cue it up) — this classic crime movie is witty and ridiculous. You’ll wish you had Margie’s toque to keep your ears warm, oh sure, you betcha. Darn tootin’.

• The Thing

Maybe comedy isn’t your style. Looking for something a little creepy and mysterious? This campy John Carpenter sci-fi flick is set in Antarctica and features the bad-assery of Kurt Russell fighting a terrifying, unknown force in a cold, forbidding wasteland. Your 65-degree abode will seem cush and toasty by comparison.

• March of the Penguins

If you’re looking for lighter fare, check out this nature documentary with a heart of gold. It’s got breathtaking cinematography in the style of Planet Earth, touching tales of animal families, and the cutest, fuzziest baby penguins you’ve ever seen.

• Frozen

Duh. Who says this is a movie just for kids? It’s frozen outside, baby, you might as well sing along with the weather. There’s no reason not to belt out “Let It Go” and dance around with Elsa. We don’t judge — you do your thing.

Warm Up in Your Head With These Tropical Movies

• The Beach

Watching Leo’s escapades on a remote beach in Thailand will make your winter blues dissolve like the turquoise water he swims in. Close your eyes. You can almost feel the sun on your face and the white sand between your toes!

• Blue Lagoon

Choose the 1980 classic, not the horrid Lifetime channel remake. This romantic island film features a young Brooke Shields as half of a marooned pair who grow up on a deserted tropical island. With all of the dangers they encounter in their time in “paradise,” you might be relieved to find yourself at home in a snowstorm rather than having to face cannibalistic islanders or poisonous fish.

• Forgetting Sarah Marshall

A perfect movie to get your giggles going as you watch Jason Segal take the most terrible getting-over-an-ex vacation in the history of movie breakups. Filmed on the island of Oahu at Turtle Bay, the views will have you in a Hawaiian Dream of delight as you immerse yourself in the tropical scenes. Also, there are Dracula puppets.

• Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

The first installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies is a classic for a reason. It’s exciting and funny, with sword fights, daring escapes, and Johnny Depp doing the weirdest Keith Richards impression you’ve ever seen. Whether it’s your first time or your hundredth, this silly, swashbuckling, Disneyland-inspired affair is the height of entertainment.

Order In

If you didn’t snag a few sad remnants from the grocery store and your pantry is a ghost town, fear not! GrubHub and Eat24 are still delivering and will be until drivers’ fingers freeze off. The brave souls who deliver pizza for Dominos and Pizza Hut will be venturing onto the icy roads to bring the gift of joyous pies to anyone who needs it. We only ask one thing: If you order delivery, tip generously. Anyone who’s on the roads in this mess deserves an extra dollar or five.

Make Food. Eat Food.

Baking on a cold day is one of the best ways to warm up your home and fill your place with the pleasant aroma of delicious goodies. If you’re feeling adventurous, why not try out a new cannabis-infused edible recipe? You can find easy steps for basic cannabis-infused butter here, and we’ve got yummy recipes for days — check out our favorite: blueberry lavender chocolate-chip muffins!

Note: Do not use your oven as a primary heat source! Carbon monoxide poisoning is a real danger, especially when you’re cooped up in an enclosed space.

Get Busy Between the Sheets

Can’t go for a run in the frigid weather? There’s a better way to get your heart rate up… If you know what we mean (wink wink, nudge nudge). Whether you’re in a committed relationship or trawling the casual encounters section on Craigslist (please be safe), there’s no better way to pass the time than with a little steamy adult action in the bedroom. Did you know that cannabis can enhance your love life? If nothing else, it will take your otherwise dull Snowmageddon experience to the next level.

Buckle Down and Ride Out the Storm

The majority of the East Coast doesn’t have access to legal cannabis. There are a few exceptions. New York and Connecticut medical patients, we hope you made a dispensary stop before the storm. If you’re in D.C. and have been taking advantage of those legal home cultivation rights, this is the perfect occasion to bust out your stockpile of homegrown. For surviving a snowstorm, we recommend a nice, heavy indica or calm hybrid, such as Granddaddy Purple or Blueberry, respectively. We don’t recommend using an energizing sativa, mostly because it could make you feel antsy or stir-crazy. Avoid cabin fever if you can and go for something a little more relaxed.

On the other hand, if you do have an uplifting sativa, such as NYC Diesel or Blue Dream, put it to good use and take care of some of those projects you’ve been putting off:

• Pick up that art project you’ve been planning for months. If you don’t have one in mind, start one! A pile of old magazines + glue = collaging for days
• Clean out your closet and make a giveaway pile: Someone will want that ratty AC/DC shirt, we promise.
• If you’re up for a real challenge, trim your pet’s toenails. We recommend using a towel and oven mitts for best results.
• Do your taxes. Gross, we know, but it’s about that time — and future you will be extra grateful when April 15th rolls around.
• Do your laundry. There’s nothing better than warm clothes straight from the dryer. Nothing.
• Write a novel: A little cannabis creativity can go a long way. Put a pen in your hand, paper in front of you and let ‘er rip! (Or just doodle.)
• Clean out your fridge: This will remove any remaining guilt you have about ordering delivery and give you an excuse to wipe up that mysterious sticky spot that keeps grossing you out.

Fingers crossed! Here’s hoping that all this media hype over the storm ends up being a false alarm (or at worst a good excuse for a snowy weekend in).

Quiz: How Can LED Lighting Impact Cannabis Growth?

This article is sponsored by National Bright Lighting, who built, researched and tested their LED Grow Light Fixtures with engineers and growers. Learn how these grow lights can help you save up to 70% on your power, and how superior engineering and high tech innovations in LED lighting will bring you outstanding yields!

Proper lighting is an integral part of any successful cannabis grow – and as cannabis is legalized for medical, recreational or research purposes in state after state, there’s lots to know before you grow. So we chatted with the team at National Bright Lighting, whose grow lights were developed by growers, for growers. With twenty years of research, development and manufacturing experience in the industry, National Bright Lighting had plenty to share. How much do you know about using LED lighting in your cannabis grow? Find out by taking our quiz!

'PotBotics' and Hemp Cars: The Leafly Tech Roundup

As cannabis reform continues to take shape at an unprecedented rate, so too are the industry’s technological innovations. From “PotBots” to the auto industry coming full circle, here are some of the latest cannabis tech advancements attracting interest.

PotBotics Introduces a Trio of Robot Aides

Cannabis startup PotBotics was launched with the goal of “bringing science to medical marijuana.” It has three products: PotBot, the “world’s first virtual budtender” that recommends medical marijuana to patients using “cutting edge neural-net algorithms” to determine recommended strains and cannabinoid levels; BrainBot, a wireless electroencephalography helmet that doctors can use to analyze a patient’s brain waves to determine which strains and cannabinoid levels might be ideal; and NanoPot, an advanced DNA reader designed for growers to scan cannabis seeds.

Watch PotBotics describe its product line in more detail:

PotBotics CEO David Goldstein appeared on MSNBC’s Code Forward program to explain the driving force behind his company, citing “a lot of pain points for patients right now” in the medical marijuana industry. PotBotics’ recommendation engine focuses on 27 different ailments, with strain recommendations stemming from the specific neurological responses of the patients being scanned. If it sounds complex, that’s because it is, relying on science, anatomy, and cannabis research to determine the best strains for ailing patients.

PotBotics is still in its early stages, so it’ll be interesting to see how its innovations are received. How many doctors’ offices would be willing to invest in a strain-recommendation engine considering the number of general practitioners who are either uninformed about or unwilling to get involved with medical marijuana?

Potential hurdles aside, if PotBotics can help both doctors and patients better determine the ideal regimen of cannabinoid dosage and strains to treat specific illnesses, it would be a huge turning point for the medical cannabis industry.

Automakers Turn to Hemp…Again

The North American International Auto Show is currently underway, and automakers are adopting the use of recycled and sustainable materials to construct their vehicles. Ford is now requiring that seat fabrics sold on vehicles in North America be made up of at least 30% recycled content. Design manager Barb Whalen called it “the right thing to do, for the environment, for ourselves and our customers. Even though oil prices are cheaper, it’s still the best thing.”

Plant-based materials such as eucalyptus fibers and, yes, hemp, are also being utilized, both for their sustainability and because they’re lighter in weight than synthetic materials. Said Pierre Demortain, a sales executive for French automotive parts supplier Faurecia:

“Hemp is a plant that doesn’t need irrigation or pesticides to grow and can reduce door weight by 25 percent.”

Faurecia uses hemp in combination with petroleum raw materials to construct its plastics, although it plans to eventually transition to 100 percent natural plastics in the next two to three years.

If you’re experiencing some déjà vu, it’s probably because auto pioneer Henry Ford was a huge evangelist of hemp’s industrial value. He even built a car that incorporated hemp materials. Check out a prototype in action from 1941:

Now here we are, 75 years later, exploring the possibility that hemp cars could be the “wave of the future.” Took us long enough.

Stay tuned for more tech spotlights from our rapidly-growing industry!

What's in Store for Ohio? Legalization and a New Medical Cannabis Task Force

Ohio’s Issue 3 for legalization failed last November, but Ohio lawmakers are not deterred. The Ohio House leaders created a task force of policy makers, local business owners, members of law enforcement, and a few familiar faces from the ResponsibleOhio campaign in an effort to study how to legalize medical marijuana.

Ohio businessman and ResponsibleOhio founder Jimmy Gould joined the task force, along with Issue 3 author Chris Stock. The members behind ResponsibleOhio were backing a renewed effort known as the Fresh Start Act, but dropped the proposal in lieu of joining the medical marijuana task force.

The members of the medical marijuana task force are as follows:

• Representative Dr. Steve Huffman (R-Tipp City)
• Representative Dan Ramos (D-Lorain)
• Dr. Brian Santin, Ohio State Medical Association
• Nick Lashutka, president of the Ohio Children’s Hospital Association
• Former Ohio attorney general Betty Montgomery
• Chris Stock, author of Issue 3
• Jimmy Gould, co-founder of ResponsibleOhio
• Bill Sopko, chair of the Ohio Manufacturers’ Association
• Lora Miller, Ohio Council of Retail Merchants
• Linda Hondros, Ohio Chamber of Commerce
• Matt Szollosi, Affiliated Construction Trades
• Larry Moliterno, Ohio Alliance of Recovery Providers
• Gary Wolske, Fraternal Order of Police of Ohio
• Matt Lutz, Muskingum County Sheriff and third vice president of the Buckeye State Sheriffs’ Association

The appointment of former ResponsibleOhio members has put many cannabis advocates ill at ease, remembering the lessons learned after last November’s failed legalization attempt in Ohio. Despite a few reservations, however, there’s no denying that the campaign certainly put Ohio firmly in the national spotlight for cannabis endeavors.

Leafly had a chance to speak to Jake Cabrera with Legalize Ohio 2016 to see how these new developments for medical marijuana in Ohio could affect their campaign, for better or for worse. Said Cabrera:

“This could be good because the conversation on cannabis is going in the statehouse, but we’re certainly concerned about the lack of diversity and patient advocacy on the new task force.”

The campaign organizers did say, however, that if there were to be any sort of legislation for medical marijuana in the coming months, they would wholeheartedly support the efforts as patient access advocates.

“We really have to thank ResponsibleOhio for spending $25 million to put this issue in the mind of the electorate, because we get the opportunity to build on that discussion,” Cabrera insisted. “We’re hoping eventually, Ohio will get sick of hearing about it and say, hey, let’s just legalize and get it over with.”

See Portland Trailblazer Legend Cliff Robinson At Upcoming The Cannabis Collaborative Conference

I am the biggest fan of former NBA player Cliff Robinson. I’m sure there are others that will make that same claim, especially in Oregon, but I personally feel I win that fan competition. I first met Cliff Robinson at the Oregon State Fair in the early 90’s. I was in grade school, the Portland

US MA: Court Official Hears Allegations Against Marijuana

Boston Globe, 20 Jan 2016 – Downing Says He’s Being Singled Out Over Cannabis-Oil Sale One of the state’s leading proponents for the legalization of marijuana – who now faces possible criminal drug distribution charges for selling a cannabis-based oil – told a clerk magistrate Tuesday that he believed he was selling a legal product known as CBD, recognized across the country for its medical benefits.

Know Someone Skeptical Of Medical Marijuana? Invite Them To Watch The Free Virtual Cannabis Health Summit

We all know that one friend or family member that is very stubborn about their stance against medical marijuana. You can tell them until you are blue in the face about the medical benefits of marijuana, about how the federal government has patents involving the medical benefits of marijuana, and about all the science and

New Study Confirms That Cannabis Can Help Migraine Sufferers

Cannabis has long been used for the treatment of migraines, but only in recent years have scientists closed in on the reasons why. A new study published this week from Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Colorado looked at the effects of inhaled and ingested cannabis in migraine sufferers, and the results confirmed what previous studies had begun to unearth.

Researchers reviewed reports from 121 adult participants and collected the following data:

• The average number of migraine headaches decreased from 10.4 per month to 4.6
• Almost 40% of subjects reported positive effects
• 19.8% of subjects claimed medical marijuana helped to prevent migraines
• 11.6% of subjects reported that cannabis stopped migraine headaches
• About 85% of subjects reported having fewer migraines per month with cannabis
• About 12% saw no change in migraine frequency with cannabis
• Only about 2% experienced an increase in migraine frequency

Inhalation methods appeared to provide the fastest effects and were more likely to stop migraine headaches in their tracks. As expected, edible cannabis took longer to provide relief and was more likely to induce negative side effects like sleepiness and overly intense euphoria (which was reported in 11.6% of participants).

Past studies attempted to understand why cannabis tends to help migraines, citing endocannabinoid deficiencies and activation of CB2 receptors as possible explanations. This particular study didn’t help to answer those questions, but it did add to the growing body of research supporting the use of cannabis as a migraine medication, given the fact that over 85% of participants saw a reduction in migraine frequency.

The next frontier in this field of research is figuring out which cannabinoids, strains, and delivery methods are most effective in treating headaches and migraines. In the meantime, we’ll have to continue relying primarily on anecdotal evidence. If you’re struggling with migraines, be sure to explore all the strains other Leafly users have used to manage their pain here.

Which strains, products, or delivery methods have you found most effective in treating migraines? Share your thoughts with the community below!

View From the Pinstripes: How a Banker Sees a Cannabis Account

In the aftermath of last month’s federal court setback for Colorado’s Fourth Corner Credit Union, banking officials and cannabis business owners in other states are searching for creative ways to open legal bank accounts. Leafly recently highlighted the success that small Washington state banks and credit unions have experienced by working within Justice Department, FDIC and NCUA policies.

That model isn’t traveling well, though. Or maybe other state banking officials simply aren’t aware of Washington’s system. California, Nevada and Vermont are among many states trying to solve the problem on their own, without much success.

For a banker’s point of view, Leafly asked Steve Kemmerling to give us his perspective on the marijuana business. Kemmerling, a former mergers and acquisitions investment banker, is the founder of MRB Monitor, a consulting firm that advises banks, credit unions and other financial institutions about handling marijuana related businesses (or in banking parlance, MRBs).

Leafly: Banks and credit unions that serve the cannabis industry tend to do so partly as a public service, to enhance public safety by ensuring businesses don’t have to safeguard large amounts of cash. But is it profitable? What’s keeping other banks from opening accounts?

Steve Kemmerling: Bankers are concerned about the public safety issue. But they’re also concerned about regulatory examiners coming in and raising red flags about their marijuana related business accounts. The guidance memos from FinCEN and the Justice Department don’t provide a safe harbor. Even if the bankers do everything they’re told to do, there’s no guarantee they won’t be penalized for it under a new administration. Also, establishing a compliance program just for one industry is a big up-front cost for the banks — so much so that even with relatively high fees the accounts still may not be profitable. So, given both regulatory and profitability uncertainty, both of which may be cleared up over the next year or two, most banks will continue to avoid the industry.

Leafly: Is there an advantage to a banker to be a first mover in this area?

Kemmerling: At this point, not really. Right now, the financial and human capital costs to set up MRB accounts, and continually monitor them, don’t justify the perceived risks. And this is an industry, from a banker’s perspective, that might go from a billion-dollar business to zero under a new administration, as unlikely as that may be. More likely, it could go the other way. If marijuana becomes federally legal, banks could then jump into the industry [and open accounts to MRBs] with potentially much less capital cost and regulatory risk. Although I do expect current first mover banks to get some benefit from customer loyalty, in my opinion competition will quickly eat into that. So expect the vast majority of banks to continue taking a wait-and-see approach.

Leafly: What will it look like after federal legalization?

Kemmerling: One of the biggest misconceptions about marijuana banking is the expectation that if federal legalization arrives, most banks will rush into the industry. I don’t want to sound like a Negative Nancy, but in my opinion, that’s not going to happen. Do this: Google “bank de-risking” and “Operation Choke Point, which was a Justice Department initiative a couple years ago that investigated banks for opening accounts in industries considered high risk for money laundering — areas like payday loans, pawn shops, firearms sales and coin dealers, even though the industries are legitimate and legal. As a result, some businesses in these industries reported experiencing trouble opening or keeping bank accounts.

The Justice Department and FDIC got into some trouble for that operation and have since pulled back, but it serves to highlight the risk that banks take with any industry deemed high risk. I expect a lot of bankers will continue to keep marijuana-related businesses in the high-risk category even if it’s federally legalized. Furthermore, I think bankers still have to do “enhanced due diligence” on MRBs, which means a higher level of scrutiny for the client and a higher level of scrutiny from the bank examiners. So if and when things change at the federal level, I still think marijuana will remain an under-banked industry with higher fees.

Leafly: Does that open a niche market for a bank that can specialize in these accounts and lower those fees?

Kemmerling: I’m skeptical about a first-mover advantage, but if federal legalization happens, there may be an opening for financial institutions specializing in the unique risks and compliance challenges posed by the marijuana industry. But expect higher fees. In a way, that’s what Fourth Corner is trying to do right now.

Leafly: And so far getting blocked by the Federal Reserve.

Kemmerling: Yes — and the NCUA for depository insurance. The fact that it’s a credit union focused on what’s currently a federally illegal industry is Fourth Corner’s main problem, obviously. But it’s also relevant to know that they’re trying to enter the banking sector at a time when it’s been difficult and rare to open any new banking institution at all.

Leafly: How do you mean?

Kemmerling: In 2014, more than 550 credit unions closed. Since 2010 there have only been three new banks opened in the entire country. That’s it. That’s a function of the 2008 financial crisis and current very low interest rates, among other things. And then from a risk perspective, Fourth Corner would have a tough time of it even if marijuana was a federally legal business.

Leafly: Why?

Kemmerling: It’s complicated. Credit unions have a “common bond,” such as employers or geography, but they aren’t supposed to have too much exposure — in other words, loans — to any one industry. For example, although WestStar Credit Union in Nevada serves casino employees, I don’t believe all of its business accounts or loans are solely casinos. Regulators will look at this and examine banks’ customer and loan portfolios. So with Fourth Corner, you’ve got people wanting to start a new credit union during a time when no one is really doing that, your accounts will be almost completely drawn from a single industry, and that industry is federally illegal. It fails all three of those sniff tests.

Leafly: What about alternative payment systems: Bitcoin, PayPal? Are those possible alternatives?

Kemmerling: Maybe. But alternative payment systems seem like short-term workarounds that will go away if and when marijuana is federally legalized. From a consumer’s point of view, it’s a lot easier to just use your debit or credit card versus going through the trouble of using something else. Most of the companies I’ve seen in this space operate as “closed-loop” payment systems, which is basically how PayPal operates. In a closed loop system, the consumer first funds his or her account, and then uses it to purchase from a retailer, who then uses its account to purchase from suppliers and vendors. All the cash stays within the system and moves from account to account on a spreadsheet. But to make a closed loop system work, you need to create what’s called a “network effect,” which means you have to convince a lot of consumers, MRBs, and vendors and suppliers to get on board with it. Also, the alternative payment company itself is going to need a bank account and become a registered money service business in every state it plans to operate in, neither of which are a given. After all, if a bank isn’t going to give an account to a MRB directly, why would it give one to an alternative payment company working with MRBs? Even as I say this, I’m aware of a number of companies trying to do exactly this, so perhaps I’ll be proven wrong.

Leafly: When you look for best practices right now, where are you finding them? What’s working?

Kemmerling: Washington state is a good example of a legalized state trying to help its marijuana industry get banks accounts by providing data. The state agency [the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board] publishes data that includes a licensee’s sales, inspection history and their violation history, which are necessary under the current guidance. So it’s much easier for a bank or credit union to compare those sales reports to the client’s deposit and the industry as a whole to identify potential anomalies indicative of illicit activity. For example, if a MRB is doing $100,000 in sales a month but depositing $300,000 a month, the banker needs to know that and start asking questions.

If a state is serious about helping their marijuana industry find banking services by helping banks meet their compliance burdens, they should look at Washington’s model. In Arizona and New Mexico [which are both medical marijuana states] they don’t even publish a list of dispensaries, let alone sales numbers or inspection histories. Banks need both company-specific and broader industry data to perform effective due diligence.

Cannabis Science Subsidiary Unveils New E-Commerce Site

Cannabis Science (OTC Pink:CBIS) announced the unveiling of a new e-commerce site for its wholly owned animal product subsidiary, Equi-Pharm.

As quoted in the press release:

The site will allow animal owners across the country easy access to the Equi-Pharm quality lineup of products. In the site’s unveiling, the company’s first Hemp infused product is available for horse owners. Equi-Sheen HP, a medicated grooming product for Horses, is now ready for shipment directly from the Equi-Pharm shipping facility in Shelbyville, TN.

This milestone allows Equi-Pharm to broaden its reach across the nation and unveil its New Hemp infused products to the Equine and Pet markets in an expedited time frame.

Web sales grew by about 81% from 2010 to 2014 and have continued to grow rapidly, according to a report released by the U.S. Commerce Department. This growth in web-based consumer spending patterns complements the company’s move to an e-commerce platform.

Click here for the full press release.

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Italy Marches Closer to Decrim, Draws Line at Terrace Grows

Italy spent last week reforming policies related to a number of minor offenses, including lessening penalties for the cultivation of cannabis for medical reasons.

Justice Minister Andrea Orlando approved the bill to decriminalize growing cannabis for medical use, but warned, “This does not decriminalize those growing weed on their terrace,” an exceptionally Italian way to phrase it. Cultivating cannabis for personal use still carries a harsh penalty — up to a year in prison and a fine of €4 million.

The bill will notably lighten punishments on medical researchers who grow more crops than they’re allotted, for which case they’d incur a fine rather than a prison sentence.

One of the motivations for making reforms to the laws, which also decriminalized driving without a license and intentional deception, was to ease congestion in the Italian justice system.

In a statement issued after the cabinet meeting, the justice minister stressed that benefit. “It will free up courts from issues of little relevance,” he said, “and make sanctions more effective.”

Last March a bipartisan group of more than 60 members of the Italian parliament signed on to a motion to legalize cannabis. Lawmakers have yet to deliver on legalization, but a step towards decriminalization is a step in the right direction.

Washington Lawmakers Could Cut Taxes, License Deliveries

Tax cuts! T-shirts! Cannabis to your door! These are a few of the changes Washington state lawmakers are hoping to make this year in their latest batch of cannabis bills.

Legislators have a lot on their plate for the short 60-day session that began earlier this month. The menu includes big changes to key parts of the state’s cannabis laws. Proposals so far this year include plans to streamline research processes, open investment to out-of-state financiers and protect industry information from public eyes.

Missing from the agenda are hot-button issues such as homegrown cannabis — currently only legal for medical patients — and public consumption.

Here’s a rundown of the bills in play so far. Have something to say? Leave a comment or contact your legislators.

Cut Excise Taxes

HB 2347

At 37 percent, the state’s current excise tax on cannabis is higher than most consumers would like. That money — for education, parks and so on — has been a boon to the state, but some worry it keeps prices so steep that cost-conscious buyers still opt for the black market. HB 2347, sponsored by Rep. Chris Hurst, D-Enumclaw, would lower the excise tax to 25 percent. How that would affect overall revenue is a matter of speculation. Under the existing tax scheme, the state expects to generate $154.6 million in taxes this fiscal year, up from $67.5 million last year. A tax rate reduction could shrink that number, but the hope is that those losses could be recouped through sales moving from the black market into legal stores.
Sponsors: Reps. Hurst; Chris Reykdal, D-Tumwater; Sherry Appleton, D-Poulsbo; Steve Kirby, D-Tacoma; and Cary Condotta, R-East Wenatchee.

Launch Delivery Service Pilot Program

HB 2368

Delivery services exist in the state, but so far they’ve been flying under the radar — and some in Seattle, notably City Attorney Pete Holmes, are sick of it. HB 2368 would create a pilot program to allow “up to five qualified licensed marijuana retailers to deliver marijuana to Washington residents in a city of over 650,000.” In other words, just Seattle. City leaders say delivery businesses are undercutting licensed stores, pulling consumers away from the regulated market and robbing the state of tax dollars. Seattle City Councilwoman Lorena Gonzalez recently pushed to close illegal delivery businesses, and Holmes has called them “felony operations.” (The city announced a crackdown on delivery services this week.) Holmes teamed up with Mayor Ed Murray’s policy advisor David Mendoza and Rep. Hurst to write the bill, which sets rules and tracking requirements. It won bipartisan support when Rep. Cary Condotta, R-East Wenatchee, signed on as a sponsor. If adopted, the pilot program would expire July 2019.
Sponsors: Reps. Hurst and Condotta.

Regulate Industrial Hemp

SB 6206

Cannabis with more than 0.3 percent THC is defined by law as “marijuana.” Anything less potent is “hemp.” The Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board regulates marijuana, but no agency has yet been tasked to oversee industrial hemp. SB 6206 would change that. Sponsored by Sen. Bob Hasegawa, D-Seattle, the bill classifies hemp as an agricultural product “that may be grown, produced, possessed, and commercially traded in the state” and directs the state Department of Agriculture to regulate the industry.
Sponsors: Sens. Hasegawa; Dean Takko, D-Longview; Maralyn Chase, D-Shoreline; Mark Schoesler, R-Ritzville; and Tim Sheldon, D-Potlach.

Allow Cannabis Merchandise

HB 2365

Want a T-shirt from your favorite dispensary? Tough luck. It’s still illegal to sell merchandise from a state-licensed recreational shop. HB 2365 fixes that. Under the proposal, stores would be able to offer “wearable apparel that serves to promote or advertise the retail outlet.” The bill tasks the LCB with regulating merchandise, so specific rules aren’t yet available, but one thing’s for sure: The bill outlaws apparel “intended to appeal to minors or otherwise encourage marijuana use by minors.”
Sponsors: Reps. Sharon Wylie, D-Vancouver; Hurst; Joe Fitzgibbon, D-Burien; Sam Hunt, D-Olympia; Joan McBride, D-Kirkland; Kirby; Condotta; Jim Moeller, D-Vancouver; and Vincent Buys, R-Lynden.

Welcome Out-of-State Investment

HR 2364

The LCB is already considering an administrative rule change that would allow out-of-state investors into the Washington cannabis market. Rep. Sharon Wylie, TK, has introduced a statutory change to do the same thing. The bill, HR 2364, would lift a requirement that all “partners, members, or shareholders” of a business be Washington residents. It would also allow cannabis businesses to be structured as limited liability corporations, or LLCs.
Sponsors: Reps. Wylie; Fitzgibbon; S. Hunt; Moeller; Brandon Vick, R-Vancouver; and Buys.

Narrow Public Disclosure Laws

SB 6207

SB 6207 would broaden the type of information that’s exempt from public disclosure laws. Specifically, it would shield information that business owners submit to the LCB regarding business licensing and the tracking of cannabis. Proponents have voiced concerns that making such information public risks giving sensitive information to competitors.
Sponsors: Sens. Ann Rivers, R-La Center, and Marko Liias, D-Lynwood.

Streamline Cannabis Research

SB 6177

SB 6177, sponsored by Sen. Rivers, intends to streamline the state research application process surrounding cannabis. The bill would remove the Life Sciences Discovery Fund from the existing Marijuana Research License application process and replace it with a “scientific reviewer” designated by the LCB. As written, reviewers may include “educational institutions, research institutions, peer review groups, or such other science or research-based organizations that are capable of determining the research value of a marijuana research license applicant.” The change puts research licensing squarely in the LCB’s hands and could open the tap to more cannabis-related studies.
Sponsor: Sen. Rivers.

14-Day Deadline Sends Seattle Dispensaries Scrambling

Seattle medical dispensaries got a shock when they were slapped last week by notices from the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (LCB) telling them they had 14 days to relocate outside the city or risk being shut out of the state’s licensing process. The problem, according to LCB officials, is that there are approximately 100 dispensaries in Seattle and about half meet the criteria to be Priority 1 businesses, which receive first consideration for a state license.

The state has just 21 additional licenses available for all of Seattle. That means as many as 30 qualified dispensaries won’t receive licenses and could be forced to shut down.

The letter was sent out as a courtesy, according to LCB spokesman Mikhail Carpenter. Carpenter said the board wants to keep lines of communication open to the dispensaries vying for licenses. “The problem is that there are more Priority 1 applicants than there are licenses available,” he explained, “so we wanted to let them know that they have 14 days to choose a new location [outside the city], to increase their chances of getting a license. The last thing you want as a regulator is to issue those 21 licenses and have everyone come back to you after the fact saying they had no idea this was happening.”

The letter went out only to Priority 1 dispensaries that met criteria to be the top tier of applicants in Seattle. While 14 days may seem like a major time crunch, the time period is standard for applicants whose location doesn’t fit the bill. The letter is a courtesy notice to the many qualified applicants, letting them know that they’ll need to apply sooner, rather than later, and if they choose to apply outside of the Seattle city limits to increase their likelihood of getting a license, they will have 14 days to choose the location.

The city has already issued two of the coveted new licenses, which means there are just 19 remaining. With at least 30 dispensaries on the chopping block, it’s clear there’s demand for more than 21 dispensaries citywide.

Seattle City Attorney Pete Holmes wrote a letter to the LCB in 2013, expressing concern that 21 licenses would be inadequate to serve the entire city. “However, the Liquor and Cannabis Board has shown that they are open to continually making readjustments,” Holmes told Leafly, “and they may up that limit.”

Holmes said he sympathizes with medical dispensaries scrambling to get their paperwork done and prepare for city inspections. But he was firm on the question of delivery services. “Delivery services are illegal, period,” he said. “They are subject to prosecution under both state and federal law. They are committing the felony of illegal distribution. These people are opportunists taking advantage knowingly of both the situation and the patients.”

Delivery services are illegal under both I-502 and Washington’s recently passed Cannabis Patient Protection Act, but Holmes said that he hasn’t completely closed out the possibility of legal delivery services. Rather, he would support a pilot licensing program for medical and recreational stores to offer deliveries to those who want or need it. “I’d like to get this state-sanctioned because this is a public safety issue,” he said. “People are less likely to purchase pot from the store and smoke in their car on the way home if they have the option of a delivery. Many medical patients lack mobility and can’t always go to the dispensary. Out-of-state visitors, also, may want to have it delivered to where they are staying.”

House Bill 2368 was just introduced in the Legislature. The bill would establish a two-year pilot program by which licensed retailers and dispensaries could conduct deliveries legally, based on endorsements issued by the WSLCB.

”The city does care about this. We want to get it right. Nobody thought that we’d see legalization happen ever, let alone within my first term as city attorney,” Holmes said. “We’re backing down from the war on drugs, and people are really committed to making this happen and doing it right.”

In Case You Missed Chris Christie’s Latest Dumbass Comment

It’s an eternal debate here at Leafly News World Headquarters: Report Chris Christie’s latest moronic anti-cannabis tantrum or allow his rude outburst to dissipate naturally, like so much gas passed on a windy mountaintop.

We can’t help it. He’s mesmerizing.

Despite historic nationwide support for legalization, Christie continues to fight on like the soldier of a lost war — or the leader of a lost presidential campaign; take your pick. In his mind it’s still 1984: Springsteen’s “Born in the USA” tour sells out the Brendan Byrne Arena, the Tigers win the World Series, and Ron and Nancy crank up the war on drugs. During last week’s Republican debate (which occurred while you were wisely catching the epic Olivia Munn–Kevin Hart showdown on “Lip Sync Battle”) the hapless New Jersey governor let loose with this grand ripper:

“And this president turns his back — this president doesn’t enforce the marijuana laws in this country because he doesn’t agree with them. And he allows states to go ahead and do whatever they want on a substance that’s illegal. This president allows lawlessness throughout this country.”

Yes, lawlessness throughout the country. Sigh. Governor, please. Break out of the weird time bubble you find yourself trapped inside. Join us out here in the future. It’s pretty great. We’ve got cars that park themselves; tiny phones that go anywhere; and legal, well-regulated cannabis in four states with more on the way. Springsteen and the band are still (mostly) alive and well, too. Come on out and catch them next time they swing through Denver. You might learn something.

Cancer Sucks and Cannabis Can Help – If the Feds Would Let It

The past few weeks have been rough in the fight against cancer. 2015 ended with Motörhead founder Lemmy (né Ian Fraser Kilmister) passing away from cancer at the age of 70. The new year fared no better, with 69-year old music icon David Bowie succumbing to cancer on January 10th. Four days later English actor and director Alan Rickman, known for his iconic performances in Die Hard and the Harry Potter film series, died of pancreatic cancer. He too was 69.

On January 12th, President Obama gave his final State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress, where he assigned Vice President Joe Biden the Herculean task of leading the charge to cure cancer. Said Obama:

“For the loved ones we’ve all lost, for the family we can still save, let’s make America the country that cures cancer once and for all.”

It’s difficult to find someone whose life hasn’t been touched by cancer. The American Cancer Society estimates that this year there will be nearly 1.7 million new cancer cases diagnosed and close to 600,000 deaths. President Obama’s words resonated with everyone who knows how devastating a disease cancer is, especially Biden, whose son Beau died seven months ago from a stroke caused by brain cancer.

Biden’s actions following the State of the Union address have been swift. Even prior to Obama’s speech, Biden met with scientists at Penn Medicine’s Abramson Cancer Center in Philadelphia to learn about the “phenomenal breakthroughs” being made there. He cited “cancer politics” as a huge impediment to eradicating the disease, criticizing a medical community that’s done a poor job of sharing information among researchers. And just this morning, Biden revealed that he recently hosted a summit–at his own house–between officials with three major drug companies and the head of the FDA to discuss fast-tracking the approval of drug combination therapy.

The vice president’s dedication is admirable. He’s right that politics are a large reason why cancer treatment isn’t progressing as quickly as it otherwise might. But it’s not just “cancer politics,” it’s also “cannabis politics.”

Cannabis’ Schedule I status means the federal government believes:

• It has a high potential for abuse
• It has no accepted medical use
• There’s a lack of accepted safety for its use under medical supervision

The United States government continues to believe cannabis has no accepted medical use, despite the fact that 39 out of 50 states in our union have some form of legal medical cannabis. Cancer is considered a qualifying condition in nearly every legal state. Even the National Cancer Institute, an organization mandated by U.S. law to educate Americans about cancer, has admitted that cannabis has killed cancer cells in a laboratory setting.

It’s frustrating to hear of millions of patients turning to cannabis to help ease their symptoms and to read about studies that show remarkable progress in cannabis’ ability to impact tumor size, all while the U.S. government refuses to entertain the idea of rescheduling cannabis. The CARERS Act was a historic bill that would have rescheduled cannabis to allow government funding to be spent on research, but it’s essentially dead in the water. Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders introduced a bill in 2015 that would remove any mention of “cannabis” or “marijuana” from the Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act. Instead of moving on any of these potential breakthroughs, we’re expected to praise drug companies and the FDA for fast-tracking cancer drug cocktails.

We’re living through a renaissance period in cannabis reform, but change can’t come soon enough for the millions of people suffering from cancer. If the Obama administration truly wants to lead the charge in the war against cancer, it should set its sights on cannabis and acknowledge the plant’s potential to make a lasting positive impact in both the alleviation of suffering and possibly even the eradication of certain types of cancer.

If we can find a cure or treatment that can truly make a difference, we can save the next Lemmy or David Bowie or Alan Rickman. Or we might save your neighbor, your friend, your aunt, your parents, your children. Cancer doesn’t discriminate. It affects rich and poor, the famous and obscure, young and old. Why then is our government so obstinately selective about which treatment options and avenues of research it approves? Cannabis might make a huge splash or perhaps it only causes a moderate ripple. But we can’t know until we research it, and can’t really study cannabis until it’s rescheduled. That’s a bold step Biden’s boss could take today — and it’s an action that would truly be worth our praise.

Shades Of Green: The State Of Cannabis In California For People Of Color (Event)

I saw a fantastic event come across social media today, and thought that it’s cool enough to pass along. If you are in the area, you should check it out (thanks Amber for posting about it!). Below is more information, via the event’s Eventbrite page: Supernova is pleased to present a FREE seminar for the

CannaCon: The Making of a Cannabis Industry Event Without the Cannabis

This article is sponsored by CannaCon, Where The Cannabis Industry Does Business.

The way Bob Smart dreamed up a cannabis convention is anything but conventional. “I was watching a TV show called Toy Hunter, and the main guy took some of the toys he had found to a Comic-Con, and for some reason, the word CannaCon floated into my head,” says CannaCon founder Smart. While most would have let this wayward thought come and go, Smart latched onto it. “I almost immediately started thinking about how to execute on this idea. I come from a home and garden show background, so I thought, ‘Okay, let’s make it like a home show.’” Today, CannaCon – which will return in its fourth iteration on February 18–20, 2016 – is the industry’s largest event for cannabis professionals and the general public alike.

Creating a Non-Cannabis Cannabis Convention

Informed by his home and garden show expertise, Smart had been growing cannabis for nearly 40 years and had published a well-received growing guide online under the alias Agent 86, but in his own words, “Nobody had a clue who I was.” He attended a few industry events for the sake of research, and was dismayed by the stereotypes on display there. Smart felt strongly that anyone should feel comfortable attending a cannabis business convention, regardless of whether or not they worked in the industry. He launched his new show in August of 2014 with that goal in mind.

“The first show we were really only trying to reach growers and processors,” recalls Smart. Advertising was minimal, and word of mouth was the primary traffic driver. Says Smart, “It amazed me how fast people found out and showed up.” Even though he had to work to fill the booth spaces, the event netted a respectable 6,000 attendees in its first year, and Smart realized that there was a much larger market than he had expected for a convention that steered clear of cannabis jargon, symbolism, activism – and even the plant itself. In a fledgling industry where over 200 business shows have sprung up nationwide in the past few years, Smart is confident that strict attention to these stipulations set CannaCon apart.

“CannaCon is a business show – a safe niche,” he explains. “We made a space where any business guy who’s not in the industry can show up, walk around, and feel comfortable. CannaCon is a federal trademark holder, and is held on federal property with security cameras everywhere. We want the public to see us doing business in suits and not getting high.” Every product and service a cannabis professional could require is there, but no actual cannabis is present. CannaCon is even open to the public, and attractions like glass-blowing demonstrations, food trucks, and live music draw attendees from around the world. Soon, Smart found himself scrambling to make room for a surge of exhibitors and attendees – by 2015, booth spaces were selling out in advance, the show was already outgrowing its event space, and he was having to turn prospective speakers away.

CannaCon 2016: What to Watch For

As the industry has grown, so has the breadth of topics that attendees ask to have covered. This year’s 45 seminars address such wide-ranging themes as marketing, rosin technology, law, business development, and cultivation. A lineup of high-profile speakers includes Katherine Grimm, Kyle Kushman, Bruce Barcott, and Aaron Pelley. Also debuting for 2016 is a one-of-a-kind budtender certification course designed to set industry standards. Panels will bring entities like Washington’s Liquor and Cannabis Board, Department of Health and Department of Agriculture together for question-and-answer sessions unlike any that have been set up before. And new this year is a focus on women in the cannabis industry, with the entirety of Friday dedicated to female speakers.

On the exhibitor side of things, about 25 percent of CannaCon 2016 vendors are from outside the cannabis industry, and for each show, more registrants who said they couldn’t be associated with cannabis because of politics have had a change of heart. Companies like House & Garden, American Air Filter, General Hydroponics, and more are among those who have had policy changes since the show’s inception, and will be in attendance in 2016­.

Looking at the industry as a whole, Smart conjectures that cannabis policy reform will reach critical mass in 2016 or 2017, at which point the stigma surrounding the industry will be broken down to the point that the sort of hesitations exhibitors have expressed in the past will no longer be a factor. And when the industry reaches that point, Smart wants to be in a position where if you can only go to one cannabis industry show per year, CannaCon is it.

CannaCon returns to Pier 91 in Seattle on February 18–20, 2016. To purchase tickets, visit www.cannacon.org.

Changing Perspectives: A Q&A With Vermont's Cannabis-Friendly Former Lawman

Vermont may soon become the first state to legalize cannabis through legislative process instead of voter initiative. Earlier this month Gov. Peter Shumlin unveiled a plan to legalize, tax and regulate cannabis for recreational use.

Soon after Shumlin’s announcement, an unexpected supporter lined up behind the governor’s proposal. Kimberly Cheney, a Republican who served as state attorney general from 1973 to 1975, revealed that he would star in a series of ads for the Vermont Coalition to Regulate Marijuana, the legalization advocacy group. A regulated system, Cheney said, would mean quality assurance, limited access, and a safer Vermont.

Leafly caught up with Cheney a few days after the release of the ads. He spoke about the pros of legalization, the cultural hang-ups around cannabis, how to grapple with DUI-law limitations, and the difficulties faced by law enforcement officials who’ve shouldered the burden of beating back the black market. A more sensible policy, he said, requires a different harm-reduction approach, one involving educators and health workers as well as law enforcement authorities, a model that isn’t possible under prohibition.

Leafly: Why did you decide to take a public stance on this?

Cheney: I began in law enforcement in the late ‘60s and continued into the early ‘70s, and that was the beginning of the war on drugs. I think every American family has an alcoholic in it, and when I became part of the prosecutions of people who were coping with drugs or alcohol, it seemed to me that the old story of prohibition was a bad one. I mean, AA is such a good example for alcohol and other social measures rather than criminal enforcement. It seemed to me to make sense.

Also, during the Vietnam War, which was going on at the same time the war on drugs began, it was class warfare. The whole effort seemed to me misguided, and from the beginning when I ran into it as a responsible law enforcer, I didn’t think it was a good policy. At the same time, the votes were in making busts. There was a lot of fear and a lot of folks who saw significant social change going on that they didn’t like. So it was a mixture of forces at work then, but it didn’t seem to me that criminal law was the way to deal with them.

L: Given that law enforcement have such a front-row seat on the ravages of the drug war, why do you think so many officers remain so staunchly against legalization?

C: I need to start by saying I really think police officers believe and think that their policies are helpful to society. I don’t think there’s cynicism about it. When you see the ravages of the social structure that drug abuse creates, and you’ve been brought up and charged with stopping it, you get that mindset that this is what you’re there for and what you need to do. On the other hand I’ve talked to several members of LEAP — Law Enforcement Against Prohibition — who say, “Look, I am just doing penance. I participated in a war that had all kinds of casualties to a lot of people, and I feel badly about that and want to take steps to make amends.”

L: So many LEAP members are retired. Do you get a sense it’s difficult when someone’s in an official capacity to be able to take a public stance on this?

C: Yeah, I think the social expectation — this has become a police problem. By definition people look to the police to solve what is a socially disturbing and destroying event. And where you become a spokesman, and advocate for a point of view, you’re subverting that from within. You’re in for trouble. I think the problem is essentially making it a police problem. It’s really a broad public health problem, and the people who should be coordinating it or speaking for it are not the ones that are out making the busts. It’s the people who are running the education system, the rehabilitation system and, yes, the police system in a coordinated way. I think it requires a whole change in perspective on harm reduction.

L: It seems there are some good intentions behind prohibition. Who do you think are the most important people to win over in this debate, and how do you talk to them on their level?

C: That’s the whole dilemma of democracy, isn’t it? When there’s a problem and when things you’re doing now don’t resolve them — and it becomes obvious to a lot of people — then you’ve got a mix of people who want change. But I think the racial impact of the war on drugs is so plain in the bigger cities. As people see what is happening, change is in the air. People can — you know, we went through alcohol prohibition, “The Noble Experiment,” but when it failed and produced all the collateral damage, people were ready for a change. I think that’s what’s going on today and I think it’s taking time.

LEAP’s position, and mine, is that all drugs wrongfully used are harmful. We’re not advocating people take drugs. We’re saying that harm reduction requires a different strategy.

L: How hopeful are you that things will change in Vermont? You started by mentioning Vietnam and the cultural revolution that was happening at that time. What we saw in the 1980s was a swing back in the other direction, and the war on drugs. Do you think this is changing for good, or could things still go the other way?

C: There’s definitely a link between the tolerance for alternate lifestyles that has grown up and the tolerance for individual risk taking. I think there is a recognition that the war on drugs simply hasn’t worked. The evidence is all over. The opiate abuse problems that every state has, that every city has. If the war on drugs was successful, we wouldn’t be having those problems.

I just want to stress that, to me, this isn’t about the drug, it’s about the system. Prohibition I think has been harmful. Einstein said it best: Insanity is doing the same thing over again and expecting a different result.

L: I’ve seen you making the point that legalization would let you set sensible regulations. Can you talk a little about driving under the influence? One of the biggest fears among cannabis users is that, because of how long cannabis stays in the body, you might test positive even if you’re no longer impaired.

C: Well, as you point out, there’s no simple blood or breath test that’s going to tell whether you’re under the influence. I think there are crimes, just like driving recklessly or driving negligently are criminal offenses, and presumably if somebody’s driving is erratic, that’s a criminal offense; it doesn’t matter what the cause is. You have to prosecute the behavior and not so much worry about the cause with marijuana. All the DWI cases I tried, people were stopped and they’d blow high alcohol numbers. I don’t know that there is any great solution for that problem. I personally am unaware whether any of the personal balancing tests or any kind of indicators, whether you’ll get any normative departures from marijuana intoxication; I just don’t know. I suspect if marijuana causes a disability to drive a car properly, there ought to be a way to detect it.

L: Even research on that front would be easier if prohibition were lifted, is that right?

C: Well yeah, at least you could do what we used to do, is have cocktail parties among prosecutors. And anyone being ready to spend the night in the hotel, you’d take breath tests in the evening so you could get an idea of what a BAC felt like. I guess if marijuana is illegal to possess or use, you can’t very well do those experiments.

L: I recognize a Republican in Vermont may be different than Republicans elsewhere, but traditionally the party has been more lukewarm on legalization. Would that be fair to say? And if so, how does it begin to change?

C: I don’t whether it makes sense to generalize. I think there are Libertarians who want people to have personal freedom even if they’re being hedonists, as long as they don’t hurt somebody else. That’s a very sensible position, you know? The hurting other people — it’s kind of like the motorcycle helmet law in a way. Sure, you may think you’re just hurting yourself, but when you smash your head up it’s going to cost a lot of money to try to fix it. So these things are mixed issues. I don’t think you can pigeonhole people by their political persuasion.

L: Are there other states that you, just as a former state official, are looking at with interest around this issue?

C: Obviously the states are social experiments. I think the main thing is that if you have the opportunity to have a carefully done law instead of a ballot issue, I think you have a chance to have a sensible outcome.

L: That’s a big one for a lot of people who’ve worked in government. Can you speak a bit more about that difference?

C: You’ve got to look at alcohol again. This is a complicated problem. If you’re going to have a legal distribution system and you’re going to regulate purity and regulate branding and everything else that goes into a legalized system, this is not something that is simple. It requires a real knowledge of the whole pharmacology of marijuana — which I certainly don’t have — and assumptions about a distribution and economic system. These are complex issues.

US CA: Editorial: More Chaos Ahead For Medical Pot?

Los Angeles Times, 18 Jan 2016 – If L.A. Doesn’t Start Rethinking Its Rules, the Cannabis Industry Could End Up Rewriting Them. In October, when Gov. Jerry Brown signed three bills establishing a statewide system to regulate medicinal cannabis, he called it a long-overdue framework that would “make sure patients have access to medical marijuana, while ensuring a robust tracking system.” He should have added: “Everywhere in the state, except Los Angeles,” because it turns out California’s strict licensing regime won’t apply to the state’s largest city. What’s more, under the terms of the new state law, if L.A. doesn’t change its existing rules, all medicinal pot shops in the city’s boundaries will be illegal in 2018.

Learn The Truth About CBD At The Virtual Cannabis Health Summit

Cannabidiol (CBD) has been in the news a lot lately, and for good reason. CBD has proven to be very effective in helping treat a lot of different conditions. The one that is in the news a lot is epilepsy, but CBD is good for a lot of things. Because of increased media coverage, the

Why is Ben & Jerry's Keeping Mum on Legalization?

Vermont is making headlines this week with major players stepping up in support of cannabis legalization. In his State of the State address, Gov. Peter Shumlin outlined his plan to end cannabis prohibition. Former state Attorney General Kimberly Cheney followed suit the next morning, officially endorsing the Vermont Coalition to Regulate Marijuana.

Cheney’s endorsement is no small thing, coming from a staunch Republican and the state’s former top law enforcement official. Shumlin has spent the past year studying legalization lessons from Colorado, and his push bodes well for major change in Vermont this year. Presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, another Vermonter, famously proposed ending federal prohibition late last year.

So where are Ben & Jerry?

It seems odd that the men and brand synonymous with both cannabis and Vermont have kept mum when it comes to legalization.

Ben & Jerry’s, the company, isn’t afraid of taking on large social issues. In 2009, the ice cream maker came out in support of marriage equality, temporarily renaming its Chubby Hubby flavor to Hubby Hubby to celebrate and support same-sex marriage. Last summer Ben & Jerry’s launched the Climate Justice tour, giving away free ice cream to raise awareness for climate change.

But when Leafly reached out to the company for an official statement on legalization, public relations director Sean Greenwood (officially, “Grand Poobah of PR”) replied that “we do not have a company position on that issue.” In an email Greenwood added: “If you want to talk about GMO labeling legalization — then we’ve got lots to discuss!”

Clearly the company’s not afraid to take a stand. It’s just chosen not to stand for this particular issue. Which seems odd for an ice cream maker famous for tongue-in-cheek, cannabis-inspired names such as Half Baked, Cherry Garcia, Phish Food, and Hazed & Confused.

We reached out to Juda Engelmayer, Senior Vice President at 5W Public Relations, to get a better understanding of the opportunities and obstacles companies face when taking a stand on the complex topic of cannabis legalization. Englemayer handles strategic and crisis communications for clients ranging from entertainment acts to national retail brands.

Engelmayer acknowledged the possibility of negative blowback.

“There could be advocacy groups, anti-legalization groups that might try to besmirch the name or the brand, making the argument that they’re promoting drug use and marijuana, people who follow the issue very closely, but the fact is that this is not El Chapo we’re talking about.”

The upside could be big, though.

“The Ben & Jerry’s brand is Vermont hipsters,” Engelmeyer said. “They’ve always been ahead of the curve – exciting and cutting edge. I don’t believe [supporting legalization] would hurt the brand at all. I feel like this could be part of the brand. They’ve always appealed to adults and primarily college students. … This could help the issue and it really speaks to who Ben & Jerry are. They’ve always been current and on-trend.”

Although the company has taken no official stance, they know how to target the cannabis demographic. Last year the company released a Half Baked BRR-ito on April 20, the unofficial cannabis holiday. At the time, co-founder Ben Cohen was asked whether the founders would consider releasing their own line of cannabis-infused ice cream. “Makes sense to me,” he replied. “Combine your pleasures.”

We asked Engelmayer about the potential risks and rewards of creating a cannabis-infused ice cream for sale in a legal recreational market.

“Any products they created or sold would be subject to rules and regulations. They would have to take special consideration to avoid obvious marketing to children, but [creating a product for adults] would be good for the bottom line,” he said. “They would be making money and it would funny, kitschy even. Any criticism would fall by the wayside as long as they pay close attention to their marketing to keep it directed at adults.”

Image Source (Resized, Curves, Gradient): Paul Stein via Flickr Creative Commons

Mexico Begins National Legalization Debates: The Leafly Roundup

Last week in legalization, Arizona neared a key goal in its initiative process, numerous California cities banned dispensaries, and Massachusetts state senators road-tripped to Colorado. Across the borders, Canada grappled with the impact of legalization on its treaty commitments while Mexico opened the door to a national debate on legalization.

Here’s a quick roundup of what’s happening in the world of legal cannabis:

U.S. Updates

Arizona

Arizona’s Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol is nearing the 150,000 signatures it needs to qualify for the November ballot. Under the proposed initiative, adults 21 and over could possess up to one ounce of cannabis and grow up to six plants in their home for personal use. Licensed retail shops would be able to sell cannabis subject to a 15 percent excise tax. The ballot measure would also establish a new state agency, the Department of Marijuana Licenses and Control, to regulate and oversee the cannabis industry.

California

A typo in California’s new medical marijuana law could spell disaster for dispensaries in some California cities and counties. Local governments are allowed to ban medical marijuana companies, but they must do so before March 1. Though lawmakers are working to remove the deadline, the bans are adding up. The Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors recently prohibited the commercial growing and distribution of cannabis, as did the city of of Thousand Oaks.

Massachusetts

Massachusetts lawmakers held a hearing last week on House Bill 1561, the Cannabis Regulation and Taxation Act of 2016, which would legalize and tax the sale of recreational cannabis. HB 1561 is separate from an initiative that could be on the ballot this November. The bill is sponsored by Rep. David Rogers, D-Middlesex, who teamed up with Dick Evans of the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol. The hearing coincided with a visit to Colorado by eight members of the Senate Special Committee on Marijuana to learn about the legal cannabis industry.

Minnesota

Minneapolis City Councilmen Jacob Frey and Andrew Johnson are seeking to decrease penalties for possession of small amounts of cannabis in the city. Being caught currently means jail time, a criminal record and a $200 fine. Johnson and Frey are hoping that by reforming the ordinance, Minneapolis can come into line with a statewide mandate that says possession of small amounts of cannabis should be treated like a traffic ticket.

A member of the Task Force on Medical Cannabis Therapeutic Research, Charles Reznikoff, conducted a survey of 262 doctors across the state to investigate why doctors have been hesitant to recommend medicinal cannabis. Currently about 490 doctors and 892 patients are currently registered with the Office of Medical Cannabis in Minnesota Reznikoff found that the majority of doctors wanted more clarity on qualifying conditions. Some also cited widespread opiod and painkiller abuse as reasons they were cautious to prescribe cannabis. Lack of education and personal opinions on cannabis may also be to blame, the study found.There have been relatively few public forums or continuing medical education sessions where doctors can receive information about the program and the potential benefits of cannabis for some patients.

Ohio

An eclectic group from varied backgrounds will compose a 14-member state panel to investigate medical marijuana. Doctors, lawmakers, business owners, law enforcement and advocates for legalization will serve on a medical marijuana task force and report back to the Ohio House of Representatives later this year. State Rep. J. Kirk Schuring, R-Canton, will chair the panel. Joining him are familiar names: businessman Jimmy Gould and attorney Chris Stock, who played pivotal roles in last year’s failed legalization measure, Issue 3. The task force will include representatives from the Ohio State Medical Association, the Ohio Children’s Hospital’s Association, the Fraternal Order of Police, the Buckeye State Sheriffs’ Association, the Ohio Chamber of Commerce and former Ohio Attorney General Betty Montgomery.

International Updates

Canada

Complications are plaguing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s legalization efforts. Among the headaches is a concern that an attempt to legalize cannabis could compromise Canada’s international treaties. A briefing note recently prepared for Trudeau noted that he’ll have to explain to Canada’s allies and the global community how he intends to legalize cannabis while adhering to treaties’ anti-drug terms. Federal legalization would force Canada to amend its participation in three international conventions:

• The 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, as amended by the 1972 Protocol
• The 1971 Convention on Psychotropic Substances
• The 1988 U.N. Convention against Ilicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances

Mexico

Roberto Campa, Undersecretary of the Interior Ministry for Human Rights, announced that Mexico will hold its first national debate on legalization in Cancun on Jan. 26.A series of five debates are expected to help shape new legalization policies in the aftermath of last year’s Supreme Court ruling. The debates will examine the laws of 14 countries and three American states, as well as academic papers, research and articles on regulation, public health, public safety, consumers, therapeutic use, human rights, the prison system and economic development.

Israel

A leader in medical cannabis research, Israel is slated to begin carrying joints, edibles and oils in pharmacies, thanks to a proposal from Health Minister Yaakov Litzman. While medical cannabis has been legal in Israel since 2008, few prescribing physicians and limited access to medicine has created a bottleneck in the system. Beyond allowing pharmacies to carry cannabis, the plan would also remove a cap on licensed growers and qualify more physicians to prescribe cannabis.

US IL: OPED: More Work to Be Done for Medical Cannabis Industry

The News-Gazette, 17 Jan 2016 – Medical cannabis has been available to Illinois patients for nearly two months and we have already witnessed countless success stories about how this natural remedy is helping people live an improved quality of life. In many cases, this improvement comes after all other treatment options have failed. The medical cannabis industry has invested more than $250 million in Illinois while training a new workforce, employing more than 500 people and becoming an economic engine for communities still reeling from the recession. Local mayors who are happy to see residents back to work, restaurants full and a renewed interest in real-estate development support the program. Operating at about half-capacity, the industry has the potential to change the landscape of Illinois.

Get Expert Medical Cannabis Info For Free At The Virtual Cannabis Health Summit

Getting quality medical cannabisinformation is not as easy as people would think. You can search online all day, and be left wondering what information you read was credible and what wasn’t. Likewise, you can go to your doctor for advice but chances are they either won’t want to talk about it at all, or don’t

Help The World Famous Cannabis Cafe Fight For Freedom

I have never been to the World Famous Cannabis Cafe, but I know a lot of people that frequent there, and the people behind it have fought for reform a ton. They deserve support. Below is more information about their current battle, via their GoFundMe page (you can donate at this link here): When the

Weekend Weirdness: Cannabis Disguised as Carrots Has Agents Saying “What's Up, Doc?”

Leave it to drug smugglers to come up with creative ways to sneak product across the border. On Wednesday, U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents confirmed that they intercepted 2,493 pounds of cannabis coming into the United States from Mexico disguised as the most hilariously fat carrots you’ve ever seen.

Whoever stuffed these must be a joint rolling master (image courtesy of U.S. Customs and Border Protection)

The phony produce was nabbed in Pharr, Texas, after a “non-intrusive imaging inspection” raised some eyebrows and warranted a closer inspection. A canine team swiftly sniffed out the carrots’ hidden contents that were reportedly worth about $500,000. Said Port Director Efrain Solis Jr. in a prepared statement:

“Our officers are always ready to meet those challenges and remain vigilant towards any type of illicit activities.”

Take note, smugglers: border patrol agents are onto you. Maybe it’s time to switch to zucchinis?

US CA: Dispensary Foes Cry Foul Over City Email

Appeal-Democrat, 16 Jan 2016 – An anti-marijuana group against a proposed Marysville cannabis dispensary ordinance claims the city is manipulating the process to favor locating a facility in a vacant building along B Street. Buck Weckman of Families Against Cannabis Trafficking cited a December email from City Manager Walter Munchheimer to City Council members as evidence of a “behind closed doors manipulation of the process …”

See Steve DeAngelo Speak At The Upcoming Free Virtual Cannabis Health Summit

There is an event coming up that I’m very happy to voluntarily push. It’s free, people can stream it live over the internet in the privacy of their own homes, and it’s going to feature a laundry list of cannabis experts from doctors and scientists, to medical cannabis industry professionals and beyond. It’s called the

Too Stoned to Watch Anything? Zone Out to the Oscillating Fan

You picked up a potent cannabis strain with plans to zonk out this weekend relaxing in front of the TV while streaming your TV show or movie of choice. There’s just one problem, though: you’ve gotten a bit too stoned to pay attention to intricate plot points or compelling drama. What now?

Fret not, my canna-loving chum! I’ve got the perfect video for you to zone out to. According to InstantWatcher.com, which logs the content that Netflix and Amazon Prime video subscribers are watching, there’s a rapidly-trending option on Netflix that’s, well, blowing the competition away. The name of this red-hot video?

Oscillating Fan For Your Home.

No joke, this 60-minute video of a table fan gently oscillating back and forth is even more popular than Netflix’s insane documentary series Making a Murderer (which you should totally watch when you’re of sound mind). Lest you think the video is on a repeated loop, the shot includes a tall glass of ice that slowly melts, proving that you are indeed watching a fan blowing air around a room for an hour.

Much how viewers enjoy watching a yule log burn down to glowing embers during the holiday season, the Oscillating Fan video is perfect background fodder while you chat with friends, multitask, or just zonk out with a packed bowl of your favorite strain. The video even has its own tongue-in-cheek trailer that’s rated “F” for “Fans” and was approved for “all fans of fans”:

So if things are feeling a bit too intense for you, don’t worry — just sit back, relax, and enjoy the fake relaxing breeze.

Image Source: Netflix

Feeling Flirty? 5 Ways Cannabis Can Help You Land That First Date

We live in an alcohol-dominated culture. Most magazines feature ads for liquor, grocery stores are stocked with alcohol (in many states), and one of the most ubiquitous pick up lines is, “May I buy you a drink?”

Social outings and meet and greet events are often held in bars, and for that reason I often dread them. Each time someone offers to get me a drink and I politely decline, they look puzzled. Sometimes they even look concerned. “Oh are you sober?” they inquire. “No,” I reply. “I prefer cannabis to alcohol.” At this point, they tend to either become uncomfortable and sputter something incomprehensible about a bad experience with cannabis, or they lament that cannabis isn’t readily available.

Where is the cannabis-focused flirting? It occurs to me that because cannabis is really starting to move from the realm of secrecy into mainstream consciousness, some folks might be unsure how to work cannabis into their flirting game. Here are some tips that I’ve crowd-sourced from other sex and relationship geeks, and things that I’ve found effective in my own life.

Redefine “Netflix and “Chill” to Specifically Include Cannabis

A great first date could be a THC cinema evening where you each bring your favorite strains and watch classics like Cheech and Chong, Clerks, or Half Baked. You can also cuddle together to watch some funny Conan O’Brien cannabis segments and say which are your favorites. Laughter actually promotes social bonding, according to a 2011 study, so you can’t go wrong with going the humorous route.

Offer an Infused Refreshment

“May I buy you a drink?” could become “May I offer you a cannabis infused beverage?” I suggest Sprig’s THC soda (which just won 2015 Best of Edibles List for best soda) because it comes in 15mg/serving and 45mg/serving sizes, so consumers can choose the appropriate dosage for their needs.

With the ever-growing number of edible products on the market, you could offer a prospective flirtee anything from mints to granola to salad dressing. If they’re a foodie, propose making a cannabis-infused meal together!

Show Off Your Skills

Can you roll epic joints? Can you blow smoke rings? Offering to demonstrate cannabis related skills–or even better, teaching them–is a great opportunity to bond. I cannot roll a joint to save my life. The other night I met someone who rolled a perfect joint in less than 30 seconds. Needless to say, I was impressed. I told them of my pitiful attempts and said I would happily provide the flowers and rolling papers if they could teach me their techniques. It was a neat way to use vulnerability to open up a dialogue.

Share Your Cannabis Knowledge

If you’re a Star Wars nerd, you’re probably thrilled to come across another human with the same level of devotion. This can easily translate to cannabis flirting culture. If you’re an expert on flowers, here’s your chance to talk about your favorite strains the way a wine connoisseur would discuss vintage, grapes, and flavors. This would be a great way to open up a dialogue when you’re sitting in a group passing around a bowl or joint. Imagine spying a cutie a few people down in the circle and saying something like, “Don’t you love the way the citrus flavor comes across so powerfully in this OG Kush? Did you know the terpene Limonene is responsible for that scent profile?”

Be Direct

A direct approach saves time, so try cutting to the chase and being up front about your cannabis consumption. Said Shane Doull, CEO of the U.S. Weed Channel:

“I was standing in line at a coffee shop and there was an attractive woman in front of me. We made eye contact and I asked, ‘Are you a 420 honey?’ She smiled back and said, “’Yes I am!’ I suggested we take our coffees to go and smoke a joint together around the corner. She happily accepted! It was a great ice breaker!”

How do you incorporate cannabis into your flirting style? Share your tips in the comments!

Leafly List: The Top Cannabis Locations in the U.S., January 2016

THE LEAFLY LIST

January 2016

Every month we update the Leafly List in an effort to answer a question we hear all the time: “Can you recommend a great dispensary near me?” The list is a snapshot of the most talked-about medical cannabis dispensaries and retail locations in seven major cannabis markets across the US. The top locations are determined using an indexing system that ranks locations across a variety of customer engagement metrics like reviews of each location’s quality, service, and atmosphere.

The Leafly List index score is a proprietary statistic created by Leafly to measure the performance of medical cannabis dispensaries and retail cannabis locations across Leafly’s digital platform. It is designed to be a comparative metric that offers context as to which locations are generating the most positive buzz and pushing the cannabis industry forward through exceptional service and digital engagement. Check out the Leafly List FAQ for more information on how dispensaries are ranked.

Select your region below to find the most relevant Leafly List for you, or read on for an overview of each active region. And remember, if you don’t see your favorite dispensary on the list, make sure you follow, rate, and review your favorite cannabis locations to let the world know where you find the best cannabis.

• Arizona
• Northern California
• Southern California
• Colorado
• Michigan
• Oregon
• Washington

Want to see your business on the Leafly List?

The Leafly List is by no means a comprehensive list of your options when it comes to cannabis access points. You can use Leafly’s Find Nearby tool to find the complete list of dispensaries or recreational stores in your area. The Leafly List is designed to let you know which locations are being reviewed, followed, and have their Leafly menus visited the most, and it also provides other web-based engagement factors. Simply put, these are the places that the Leafly community is talking about, so if you don’t see your favorite location listed, make sure you follow, rate, and review your local dispensary to let others know it’s the best.

Arizona

Top Ranked: Tru|med in Phoenix
Biggest Mover: Arizona Natural Selections in Scottsdale
Most Positively Reviewed: Nature’s AZ Medicines in Phoenix
Most Followers: Nature’s AZ Medicines in Phoenix

Northern California

Top Ranked: Caliva in San Jose
Biggest Mover: Purple Star MD in San Francisco
Most Positively Reviewed: Caliva in San Jose
Most Followers: Purple Star MD in San Francisco

Southern California

Top Ranked: CHR in Los Angeles
Biggest Movers: Kush Kingdom, Bellflower Cannabis Garden, and Surf City Collective
Most Positively Reviewed: CHR in Los Angeles
Most Followers: CHR in Los Angeles

Colorado

Top Ranked: Infinite Wellness Center in Fort Collins
Biggest Mover: Lightshade – Holly in Denver
Most Positively Reviewed: Medicine Man Denver
Most Followers: Lightshade – Holly in Denver

Michigan

Top Ranked: Healing Tree Wellness Center in Detroit
Biggest Mover: First Class Wellness in Lansing
Most Positively Reviewed: Healing Tree Wellness Center in Detroit
Most Followers: Healing Tree Wellness Center in Detroit

Oregon

Top Ranked: Blue Sky Portland in Portland
Biggest Mover: CannaDaddy’s in Portland
Most Positively Reviewed: CannaDaddy’s in Portland
Most Followers: CannaDaddy’s in Portland

Washington

Top Ranked: Cannabis & Glass in Spokane and World of Weed in Tacoma tie with the same index score!
Biggest Mover: Seattle Tonics in Seattle
Most Positively Reviewed: Bud Hut in Everett
Most Followers: Bud Hut in Everett

Last Month’s Leafly List – December 2015

• Arizona
• Northern California
• Southern California
• Colorado
• Michigan
• Oregon
• Washington

Want to see your business on the Leafly List?

French Drug Trial Tested Endocannabinoid Meds, Not Cannabis

The big health news Friday was that a botched drug trial in France had left four people with “irreversible” brain damage. One man is now brain dead and at least five others have been hospitalized, according to the latest reports.

Before details about the trial drug could be confirmed, AFP, France’s largest news agency, quoted an unnamed source “close to the case” who claimed the painkiller under trial contained cannabis. The story spiraled from there, picked up by panicked news media in France and the U.K. and spreading across the Internet.

RT dubbed the clinical trial “cannabis-laced.” Vice News screamed that “The Drug Trial of a Cannabis Painkiller Has Left One Person Brain Dead.”

Let’s be clear: That’s not true.

Shortly after the news broke, French Health Minister Marisol Touraine began correcting erroneous reports. The drug being tested, she said, contains neither cannabis nor cannabis derivatives.

Developed by the Portuguese pharmaceutical company Bial and tested in France by Biotrial, the drug in question is intended to address mood, anxiety and motor problems linked to neurodegenerative diseases. It works by affecting the endocannabinoid system, a set of brain receptors that cannabis interacts with. But there are other known substances, beyond cannabis, that affect the endocannabinoid system.

Media outlets quickly revised their headlines and stories, but the damage had been done. When it comes to cannabis, deeply-rooted fears have a tendency to seek out reinforcing evidence, no matter how erroneous that evidence may turn out to be. Pairing “cannabis drug” with “brain damage” creates a sticky meme that’s tough to un-stick.

Here’s the story you’re not hearing. There’s currently a scramble going on among researchers and pharmaceutical companies to develop non-cannabis drugs that affect the endocannabinoid system. FAAH and MAGL inhibitors in particular have shown promise as non-cannabis enzymes that could interact with the endocannabinoid system to produce healing results. Bial’s experimental drug could be part of that effort — or not. We don’t know enough about the trial drug yet to say for sure.

All of this begs the question: Why develop non-cannabis drugs when the plant is already available? One possibility: Proprietary drugs and patents. If you invent it and patent it, you own it. Nobody owns Charlotte’s Web or Harlequin.

La Jolla, California-based Abide Therapeutics, for instance, is developing a small-molecule inhibitor that interacts with the body’s endocannabinoid system and could potentially treat pain and neuroinflammation. (To be clear: Abide has no connection to the news out of France.) You can read more about Abide’s effort here.

We’ll continue to follow the story out of France as it develops, and we’ll also continue to look into developments in endocannabinoid research, both cannabis-related and non-cannabis-related. Stay tuned.

New Strains Alert: Dutch Thunder Fuck, Early Skunk, Blackberry Diesel, Super Chronic, and More

Ready to re-up on some new strains? Check out these seven recently added varieties! For fans of the famed sativa Alaskan Thunder Fuck, there’s a new hybrid in town you should meet. And Sour Diesel fans, rejoice: Blackberry Diesel combines the old school qualities of your favorite sativas with an amazingly flavorful indica, Plushberry. Super Chronic resurrects classic indica genetics, while Four Star General continues the line of famous Chemdawg hybrids. Read up on these and more below, and review any of the strains you’ve tried!

1. Dutch Thunder Fuck

Dutch Thunder Fuck by Sirius Buds is a sativa-dominant hybrid strain that combines genetics from an award-winning cut of Dutch Treat and the illustrious Matanuska Thunder Fuck. Taking after its Dutch Treat parent in structure and aroma, these round bulky buds carry a strong citrus aroma with sharp minty pine undertones. Its relaxing body effects leave the mind unencumbered and soaring with euphoric inspiration.

Click here for a full list of locations currently carrying Dutch Thunder Fuck

2. Blackberry Diesel

Blackberry Diesel is an 80/20 sativa-dominant cross between East Coast Sour Diesel and Plushberry. This sativa mainly takes after its Sour Diesel parent, inheriting that signature fuel aroma and potently blissful cerebral effects. Its tangy flavor is sweetened by the ripe berry flavors of its Plushberry parent. Tinted with lavender and purple hues, Blackberry Diesel is almost as pleasant to the eyes as it is to the nose.

Click here for a full list of locations currently carrying Blackberry Diesel

3. Early Skunk

Cannabis Cup winner Early Skunk is an indica-dominant hybrid cross between Skunk #1 and Early Pearl. This easy-to-grow strain is favored for its short flowering period, resistance to mold, and heavy yields, making it ideal for a novice grower. Expect large harvests of large buds that deliver a long-lasting, smooth, pungently sweet taste and smell.

Click here for a full list of locations currently carrying Early Skunk

4. Super Chronic

Bred by Luke Myers of Golden State Greenery, Super Chronic is an indica-dominant cross between a pre-‘98 Chronic and Critical Kush. Super Chronic brings you a smooth, sweet flavor with hints of skunk, lemon, and pine. Cultivated for potency and strong medical benefits, Super Chronic is a sublime strain with high levels of THC and CBD for a calming cerebral high.

5. Four Star General

Four Star General from Fire Bros. is an indica-dominant cannabis strain that brings together genetics from two Chemdawg hybrids, Stardawg and Tres Dawg. Its buds are a vibrant show of purple and green calyxes wrapped in red-orange hairs, all shrouded by a sparkling coat of frosty resin. Sweet and earthy with sour notes, Four Star General’s effects weigh down the mind with serene, dreamy euphoria.

Click here for a full list of locations currently carrying Four Star General

6. Electric Lemon G

Electric Lemon G is a sativa-dominant strain that combines an unknown lemon-flavored hybrid, G13, and Northern Lights #5. Bred by TH Seeds, these pungent buds fill the air with the smell of zesty lemon. This sativa will hit you with electrifying buzz, making it ideal for lifting the mood throughout the day.

Click here for a full list of locations currently carrying Electric Lemon G

7. Alchemy

Alchemy is a 50/50 hybrid cannabis strain that was conjured by combining Chemdawg and Querkle. This creation from TGA Genetics comes wreathed in purple fan leaves and lavender-tipped buds. With an aroma of sour grapes and earthy musk, Alchemy delivers a balance of relaxing body effects and engaged cerebral invigoration. Boasting high levels of THC, Alchemy is sure to restore both your mood and appetite.

Click here for a full list of locations currently carrying Alchemy

Browse through our other new strains that were recently added to the Leafly Explorer, or check out last week’s newest additions!

Crowdfunding Cannabis: Inside the Cannabis Industry’s First Attempt at Equity Crowdfunding

This article is sponsored by Med-X, Inc., an emerging cannabis company working to secure equity crowdfunding for its venture. By innovating all-natural products, Med-X will provide safe and healthy cultivation practices and education to the emerging $3 billion cannabis industry.

On June 19, 2015, the floodgates of equity crowdfunding were opened with a historic legislative provision: Regulation A+ of Title IV of the Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act of 2012. And with cannabis among the fastest-growing industries in America, it was only a matter of time (and a short one at that) before the two nascent industries collided. On December 16, 2015, Med-X, Inc. became the first cannabis company in the nation to kick off an equity crowdfunding campaign.

Signed into law by President Obama, the JOBS Act tasked the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) with developing and enacting regulations that both “facilitate capital formation and promote investor protection,” with an eye toward bolstering the national economy. With the SEC’s enactment of Title IV, individuals without accreditation became eligible to invest directly in private companies for the first time since the 1930s. Unlike on standard crowdfunding platforms like Kickstarter and Indiegogo, equity crowdfunding allows investors to receive a compensatory stake in the company, instead of the company amassing money given freely by participants.

In effect, the SEC’s decision opened the door to millions of accessible dollars that private companies hadn’t been allowed to reach for, let alone touch, in the past. Yet this money wasn’t just ripe for the taking. Before becoming the first cannabis company to pursue it, Med-X spent years laying the groundwork for a multi-faceted company that not only earned the qualification from the SEC but also appealed to an intrigued yet tentative audience of potential cannabis industry investors.

The Making of Med-X

Med-X was officially founded in 2014, but co-founders Matthew Mills and Dr. David Toomey, along with Med-X board member Dr. Allan Kurtz, had been networking together since 1999, and the idea for Med-X had begun percolating as early as 2011. Explains COO Mills, “We decided when this sector started to ripen, ‘Hey, we could create a lot of jobs and get cannabis into a more natural state where it’s safer for everyone.’” Given the medical background of Dr. Toomey and others on the team, the company took a natural “first, do no harm” stance on medical cannabis, espousing principles of health and education and positing that the products used to grow and cure medical cannabis should be strictly regulated.

In the five years leading up to the company’s official launch, the founders worked on research and development of the Nature-Cide All-Purpose product line, Med-X’s all-natural and exclusively licensed insecticide. Nature-Cide All-Purpose was registered with the EPA in all 39 of the required registration states, and the product began to receive acceptance and approval from the agricultural departments of states including Washington and Colorado for use on cannabis. At the same time, Med-X set out to expand into cannabis education and cultivation. The company launched The Marijuana Times, a digital media magazine, and built a laboratory for the cultivation, extraction, and research of concentrated high-CBD medical cannabis strains.

The funding for these initiatives didn’t come out of thin air; prior to the passage of Title IV, Med-X had already launched an equity offering that targeted traditional private investors and secured an initial round of funding. Still, the Med-X team was keeping an eye on the rollout of the JOBS Act, and making advanced plans to pursue equity crowdfunding. “One of the reasons why we were the first is because we were preparing for it,” says Mills. “Back in 2014, we launched an accredited investor offering that enabled us to do a general solicitation of investors. We knew Regulation A+ was coming, but we wanted to be ready.”

Before any companies, cannabis or otherwise, could pursue equity crowdfunding, they would need to qualify with the federally-administered SEC. Given cannabis’s problematic presence on the federal government’s list of Schedule I drugs, Med-X was aware that the nature of its business might be a sticking point. Still, it was among the first to apply and receive qualification once Title IV had been enacted.

“We were astonished by the rapid response from the SEC [on our qualified application],” recounts Mills. “The response was very favorable to us. We were surprised by that, and so was everybody else…As far as we know there were only two other companies that were qualified prior to us, neither of which was in the cannabis industry.”

Cannabis Investment: Why Equity Crowdfunding?

Shortly after Title IV went into effect, equity crowdfunding marketing agency CrowdfundX (unaffiliated with Med-X) accepted Med-X as one of its inaugural clients. Given that Med-X had seen success in securing traditional funding from accredited investors, the team is frequently asked why it chose to pursue equity crowdfunding, too.

“We’ve been asking ourselves the same question,” says Mills, who explains the conclusion the group reached: “Think of people who invest in companies to say they were a part of it even without getting equity – what will it be like when they get equity? People want to be a part of this kind of thing.”

This spirit of inclusion mirrors the communal spirit that has traditionally surrounded and supported the cannabis industry regardless of its legality. Admittedly, as the first cannabis company to pursue these sorts of investments, Med-X must contend with the newness of equity crowdfunding (and accompanying confusion over rules and regulations), as well as potential hesitations of would-be investors as they consider whether to participate in an industry that has yet to be legalized federally. Still, Med-X contends that its team’s combined years of experience in natural product development, digital media, medicine, and finance will be enough to quell investor uncertainties.

To date, Med-X has received over $1.2 million in reservations. While these indications of interest are non-binding, they do suggest that Med-X’s conjectures aren’t unfounded. There indeed seems to be a receptive market for crowdfunding cannabis and an engaged community willing to bring legitimacy to a highly stigmatized industry.

To learn more about Med-X, visit their equity crowdfunding campaign page at .

Disclaimer regarding forward-looking statements:

MED-X, INC. does not sell or distribute any products that are in violation of the United States Controlled Substances Act (US.CSA). The company does grow cannabis for research and development purposes only.

An offering statement regarding this offering has been filed with the SEC. The SEC has qualified that offering statement, which only means that MED-X, INC. may make sales of the securities described by that offering statement. It does not mean that the SEC has approved, passed upon the merits or passed upon the accuracy or completeness of the information in the offering statement. You may obtain a copy of the offering circular that is part of that offering statement from.

MED-X, INC. 8236 Remmet Avenue, Canoga Park, CA 91304

You should read the offering circular before making any investment.

This campaign may contain forward-looking statements regarding predicted business performance, operating results, financial condition and other aspects of the company, expressed by such language as “expected,” “anticipated,” “projected” and “forecasted.” Please be advised that such statements are estimates only and there is no assurance that the results stated or implied by forward-looking statements will actually be realized by the company. Forward-looking statements may be based on management assumptions that prove to be wrong. The company and its business are subject to substantial risks and potential events beyond its control that would cause material differences between predicted results and actual results, including the company incurring operating losses and experiencing unexpected material adverse events.

Learn More About Cannabis And Cancer At The Free Virtual Cannabis Health Summit

I absolutely hate cancer. If you know someone that is suffering from cancer, is a cancer survivor, or lost their life to cancer, than I’m sure you feel the same. It’s absolutely horrific. My stepdad is fighting cancer for the second time, and it makes my heart heavy just thinking about it. But that’s not

If You Want a Hawaii Dispensary License, You Better Apply Soon

Hawaii is one step closer to opening medical dispensaries on the islands. On Jan. 12, the Hawaii Department of Health began accepting applications from those hoping to land one of eight licenses for cannabis production and distribution.

Each license is valid for two dispensaries and two production sites. Qualifying criteria are strict. Prospective business owners must be legal residents of Hawaii and have at least $1 million in the bank. The application fee is $5,000, non-refundable.

The state plans to spread 16 dispensaries across the islands according to population: six on Oahu, four on the Big Island, four on Maui and two on Kauai.

Entering the medical marijuana industry means navigating a series of legal challenges, which were compounded last September when the Disciplinary Board of the Hawaii Supreme Court, an 18-member body that deals with legal misconduct, released a recommendation that would’ve barred Hawaii lawyers from providing legal services to cannabis clients.

The Hawaii Supreme Court reversed the decision and allowed Hawaii lawyers to assist “a client regarding conduct expressly permitted by Hawaii law, provided that the lawyer counsels the client about the legal consequences, under other applicable law, of the client’s proposed course of conduct.” In other words: Beware federal prohibition. The court’s reversal came just in time for attorneys to advise potential dispensary owners on the application process.

Applications can only be filed online and must be completed by Jan. 29 at 4:30 p.m. HST. The Department of Health is expecting to announce license winners by April 15. From there, accredited dispensaries can begin distributing of medicinal cannabis after July 15.

Emerging Markets Update: Illinois Eyes Expanding Qualifying Conditions

Qualifying conditions are the backbone of any medical marijuana market, establishing which diagnosed conditions qualify a patient to access cannabis for medicinal purposes. Each new market maintains its own set of qualifying conditions, which can range from pain to complex diagnoses like Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. Expanding qualifying conditions can be a difficult, but often necessary process.

Illinois, where the medical cannabis program approached nearly $2 million in sales during its first few months, is in the midst of a debate over whether to include additional qualifying conditions. New York, on the other hand, just rejected plans to do exactly that. Hawaii this week opened its doors to licensing applications from cannabis businesses, and meanwhile Alaska is still weighing the prospect of cannabis cafes. Here’s a quick roundup of what’s happening around the country.

Alaska

The Alaska Marijuana Board is considering allowing non-smoking consumption on site at licensed cannabis cafés, causing an uproar among a large number of local jurisdictions. Many are now drafting ordinances to ban the clubs along with other cannabis operations. Fairbanks has proposed a city ordinance to outlaw cannabis clubs, and the Wasilla City Council is considering a proposal that would ban cannabis businesses entirely. In Anchorage, municipal leaders are hoping to institute a city cannabis tax of up to 12 percent, above and beyond the $50-an-ounce excise tax paid to the state by growers. That tax won’t be flowing from cannabis lounges, though, unless the Anchorage Assembly amends the city’s current regulations, which outlaw the clubs.

Hawaii

Hawaii began accepting medical marijuana dispensary and producer applications this week. The application window will stay open until Jan. 29. One of the major issues expected to be discussed during the state Legislature’s upcoming session: banking. Hawaiian law requires all depository institutions to be federally insured by the FDIC or the NCUA. Industry professionals hope officials notice and learn from the banking solutions other legal states have embraced that allow cannabis busineses access to financial services. Another area that may see some traction during the current legislative session is job protection for medical marijuana patients and a possible expansion of qualifying medical conditions.

Illinois

The Medical Cannabis Advisory Board is considering expanding its qualifying medical conditions to include chronic pain, autism, osteoarthritis, irritable bowel syndrome and post-traumatic stress disorder. The Board is required to consider petitions from the public every January and July, although it ultimately rejected the last two efforts to expand the conditions. Supporters of expansion are currently gathering signatures on a petition to Gov. Bruce Rauner and the public health director Nirav Shah. The Illinois Compassionate Use of Medical Cannabis Pilot Program, which will last until only 2017, has been rolled out much more slowly than expected. Original estimates anticipated enrollment of 30,000 patients by this point, but as of Jan. 6, only 4,000 patients had been approved by the state health department. Here’s the good news: Even with only 4,000 patients, Illinois has already collected nearly $1.7 million in the first few months of sales, which could bode well for the program’s possible extension.

New York

New York’s medical program opened as scheduled last week, a remarkable achievement for any medical marijuana program. Industry experts, however, are already finding flaws in the scheme. Health Commissioner Howard Zucker announced Monday that the state will not be expanding qualifying conditions to include post-traumatic stress disorder, Alzheimer’s disease, muscular dystrophy, dystonia or rheumatoid arthritis, citing a lack of scientific evidence to support the additions. Due to a restrictive range of qualifying conditions and the late opening of the patient registry, the medical cannabis program as of Jan. 12 had more doctors enrolled (226) than patients (166).

How Cannabis Can Help You Cut Back on Alcohol and Live Healthier

When I first met cannabis, I virtually ended my relationship with alcohol entirely.

Breaking it off with the bottle wasn’t intentional; it was just a consequence of having something that offered similar stress-relieving qualities without the stomach aches, the hangovers, or the loss of control. Where alcohol offered an escape from the senses, cannabis made me appreciate every sensation and experience I could possibly take in. It brought back long-lost creativity and meaningful sociality, and motivated me to take better care of my physical self.

So why hadn’t I found this match made in heaven sooner? Simply put, I truly thought cannabis harmed the body and eroded the mind. The stigmatic differences between alcohol and cannabis was the only thing that led me to believe drinking was the favorable option.

As 2015 rolled into the New Year, a friend of mine sent me this e-book. It’s a short digital booklet that challenges you to take a “cannabis cleanse” – not in the sense that you’re ridding your body of cannabis. Quite the opposite, in fact. Instead, this guide shows you how to shed undesirable habits with (or without, up to you!) the help of cannabis.

A New Kind of Cleanse

The e-book, called Coming Clean with Cannabis, is a delightful encapsulation of one of life’s beautiful ironies: that this plant – this stigmatized natural anomaly – can help guide you to a healthier life, and you don’t even have to be a qualified medical marijuana patient to reap its benefits.

In talking with the book’s creators, Jane West and Kristen Williams, it was clear that this is a story common in many lives. “When I finally gave cannabis a chance only a few years back, I realized that the negative perceptions people have about this plant are misguided, and that it can actually benefit a lot of people in extraordinary ways,” Kristen said. “I hope this book helps to change perspectives on prohibition and encourages people to incorporate cannabis into their lives in a way that benefits their overall health and wellness.”

The book introduces the basics of cannabis from its effects on the body to choosing the right strain for your needs. Some of the 101-level information may not be new to you, but the importance comes with the challenge: how can you be more aware of what you’re putting in your body, whether that’s cannabis, alcohol, or food? And how can these habits promote other health-conscience lifestyle decisions such as socializing, exercise, or meditation? As Jane puts it, “This is the only body you will ever have,” so why not make taking care of it a top priority?

Cannabis and Alcohol in Social Contexts

Jane and Kristen’s book approaches health in a holistic way, but one recurring and central theme is alcohol consumption. This is an interesting concept because, in a lot of ways, people use alcohol in different ways than they do cannabis. For me, both cannabis and alcohol were social activities and stress relievers, but not everyone would agree with that. In fact, many find cannabis to worsen anxiety and discourage social behavior. What a majority of people don’t realize is, not all cannabis strains are created equal and not all may have this effect.

“Cannabis isn’t for everyone, but I know from my own personal experience that strains play a large role in your experience with it,” Kristen said. “Strains high in THC can produce anxious feelings, whereas strains high in CBD are much more mentally calming. If you’ve had an experience where cannabis induced anxiety instead of alleviating it, I would recommend trying a small dose (a fraction of what’s considered ‘typical’) of a strain high in CBD and seeing how that affects you.”

Jane added, “As the social use of cannabis is normalized and perceptions change, people may feel less and less anxious about their use or ‘being high’ which will elevate their experiences.”

Yes, the social experience of cannabis today is quite unlike that of alcohol. You can’t consume it in public places or bars. Non-smokers are typically deterred from cannabis altogether. And, the biggest reason of them all, it’s still illegal in most places. The exciting part is that these reasons are slowly being torn down. For example, Alaska just introduced cannabis cafes, smoke-free delivery methods are on the rise, and, hallelujah, cannabis prohibition is meeting its doom one state at a time.

Ready to Take on the Cleanse?

We may be halfway through January, but it isn’t too late to make a resolution for a healthier 2016. If you’re feeling inspired to take on the cleanse and practice more mindful living, flip through this book Jane and Kristen put together. I’ve never been good at cleanses or much of anything that requires a great deal of self-discipline, but as mentioned in the book, drive yourself to do anything for just 30 days and those healthier habits become a lot easier to integrate into your everyday living.

“We wanted to design a cleanse that would stick with people long-term instead of one that would inspire celebration after its long-awaited ending, and we didn’t want it to be focused entirely on weight loss,” Kristen said. “While weight loss a perfectly valid reason to cleanse, we feel that the real goal behind a cleanse is to become better at making good choices for your body. We also wrote the cleanse principles in a way that makes it clear the reader is choosing to take action instead of just following a list of rules, something that’s hard to do much longer than a month.”

Not everyone will feel like they can or want to substitute alcohol with cannabis, which is totally fine. You don’t need an exclusive relationship with one or the other. The point is to be educated on what options are available to you because, who knows, those options might revolutionize your life for the long haul.

How has cannabis impacted your wellness? Let’s hear your story in the comments section, or take our poll below.

Image Source: Mason Jar Event Group

How does cannabis impact your alcohol consumption?

Watch What Happens When Cannabis Is Injected Into Cancer Cells

Watch What Happens When Cannabis Is Injected Into Cancer Cells

Back in 1974 there was a study done from the Washington Post that stated that THC, “slowed the growth of lung cancers, breast cancers and a virus-induced leukemia in laboratory mice, and prolonged their lives by as much as 36%.”

Unfortunately, nothing was ever done after that study in regards to cannabis fighting cancer. In 1998, a new study, by Madrid Complutense states

” THC can cause cancer cells to die, and unlike chemotherapy, the THC kills nothing but the cancer cells, leaving the brain of course completely unharmed.” 

Watch the below video to show the effect of THC on cancer cells. While leaps and bounds have been made recently regarding the legalization of this substance, a lot of the research regarding cannabis fighting cancer has been halted due to legalities and major pharmaceutical companies.

The post Watch What Happens When Cannabis Is Injected Into Cancer Cells appeared first on CANNAiQ.

Getting Licensed in Oregon: Portland Retailer David Alport Tells All

When Oregon’s recreational laws took effect in October of last year, not a single recreational shop existed. Rather than delay openings by developing a process for licensing retail shops, the state simply allowed operational medical dispensaries to open doors to anyone over the age of 21.

Oregon is now phasing in its regulatory scheme in preparation to issue retail licenses. The Oregon Liquor Control Commission began accepting applications for retail permits last week, and it will continue accepting applications with no closing date in sight. State taxes came into effect on Jan. 4, although patients with an Oregon medical marijuana card can still purchase tax-free through the end of the year. The state intends to issue producer and laboratory licenses in February and retail licenses sometime in the fall, and applicants can hold multiple business licenses at a time, allowing for a vertically-integrated system. Unlike in neighboring Washington, Oregon has no cap on the number of licenses to be issued.

State officials anticipate issuing somewhere in the neighborhood of 850 total retail licenses, but that doesn’t necessarily mean 850 retail shops. Those licenses will be dispersed among producers, wholesalers, retailers, laboratories and research facilities.

Leafly reached out to David Alport, a veteran Oregon dispensary owner and prospective retailer to see how the process looks from the ground level. Alport has been in the cannabis industry since 2009, beginning as a commercial medical marijuana grower before expanding his role to dispensary owner. He now owns and operates two of Portland’s most successful dispensaries, Bridge City Collective Southeast and Bridge City Collective North. We sat down with Alport to find out more about the retail licensing process.

Leafly: If you’re already operating a dispensary, do you have an advantage in applying for a retail license?

David Alport: I think we do, mostly because the city of Portland has their own licensing process that we already went through in December. We’ve already locked down our spaces in such a way that the competition can’t push us out. Not only that, but we have an advantage in that we’re building a loyal customer base in the recreational market.

L: Approximately how much total overhead is needed to open a recreational store?

DA: That’s a tough one. I will say that whatever your projections are, double it!

L: Why’s that? What are the costs people overlook?

DA: The biggest cost new cannabiz owners overlook are the taxes. Until cannabis is declassified on the federal level, we won’t be able to write off major operating expenses such as marketing and payroll.

L: Do you think the licensing process will affect medical patients?

DA: No. Oregon patients will still be able to access their medicine tax-free through 2016. I do worry that there won’t be as many safe access points, and so we’re hoping to co-locate eventually — that we can work with the OLCC to allow both [medical and recreational] licenses under one roof.

L: Are you applying for a retail license?

DA: We are. And you know, we’re not too concerned about not getting a license.

L: What do you mean?

DA: So far the state has allowed for somewhat of a free market. It’s an “invisible hand” approach to letting the market play itself out. Right now dispensaries are selling medical marijuana for adult use to patrons 21 and older. Once the OLCC licenses take effect, we will be supplying cannabis that has been produced through the OLCC’s new system. I would bet that the majority of existing medical dispensaries will be making the switch this year.

At this point, we’re more concerned with being really thorough, complete and making sure we have a well-rounded application. We’re applying for three producer licenses and two retail licenses.

L: Realistically, when do you think that recreational shops will be opening?

DA: Well, technically, they already are open. As for the new retail shops, they’re not going to issue retail licenses until sometime between October and December. My bet would be towards the end of the year; they’re going to need a lot of time to get their ducks in a row.

L: Do you think the excise tax will be a deterrent to potential consumers? Has it been so far?

DA: Well, the Oregon Health Authority tax is at 25 percent right now, but by 2017 it should go down to 17 percent, with another 3 percent tax that can be taxed per municipality. So no matter what, it will go down 5 percent by next year.

It’s tough to say. The Oregon Health Authority excise tax is 25 percent, and it only went into effect on Jan. 4. We saw a lot of traffic before the tax kicked in, a lot of people coming in and stocking up. Since then we’ve definitely noticed a dip in traffic, but it’s starting to pick back up. I’ve noticed that people are still spending the same amount of money. If they came in to spend $10, they’re still going to spend $10. It’s just that more of that $10 is going towards the tax than to the store.

L: Is an attorney necessary to help you through the recreational licensing process?

DA: No, but it’s helpful. We’ve been consulting an attorney while applying for retail licenses, and it’s been very helpful.

L: One last question. Which state do you think will be the next to legalize?

DA: Oh, man. Nevada’s definitely going to legalize, and I’d really like to see California legalize, too. They’re just such a massive state, but there’s a lot that needs to go into a legalization push and I’m not sure they’re quite there yet.

Who Will Be Speaking At The Free Virtual Cannabis Health Summit On January 23-24?

The topic of medical marijuana is very complex. It’s more than just buying a bag of cannabis from someone, rolling it into joints, and smoking it. Chances are if you are reading this blog post, it’s because you suffer from some type of ailment or condition, and want to know more about how medical cannabis

Cannabis May Soon Come to Pharmacies in Israel

Israel may soon dramatically expand its medical cannabis program thanks to new reforms proposed by the country’s ministry of health. The health committee of the Knesset, Israel’s legislature, is set to consider the plan next week.

The changes would make cannabis available on pharmacy shelves and increase the number of licensed growers and physicians in order to address a bottleneck in patient access, Haaretz reports:

The Health Ministry has been discussing streamlining the permit process for cannabis use for two years and a plan was even published, but never applied.

In terms of supply, under the new plan the number of growers, which today is limited to eight, will no longer be restricted and anyone who meets the proper standards will be able to receive a grower’s and shipper’s permit.

The plan calls for distribution at specially licensed pharmacies, rather the current distribution system, by growers to certain distribution points or straight to patients’ homes. The plan would lift restrictions on the number of pharmacies allowed to market the drug; pharmacists would apply for a permit to market cannabis as they do for narcotics.

Cannabis would be available at pharmacies in the form of “cigarettes, cookies and oil,” according to The Times of Israel.

Currently only 36 doctors across the country can prescribe cannabis, leaving would-be patients facing monthslong waiting lists. The proposal aims to fix that, but Haaretz notes the details are still vague:

The new plan calls for training more doctors to prescribe cannabis; however, it mentions no specific numbers of physicians or a timetable. The plan only notes that “after the plan is inculcated and cannabis in the country is of proper quality and safety, the possibility will be studied … of moving to a regime of prescriptions, partial or full, and making the necessary legislative amendments.”

For more, see reports in Haaretz, The Times of Israel and the Yedioth Ahronoth.

OWC Pharmaceutical Research Raises $750,000

OWC Pharmaceutical Research (OTC:OWCP) has entered a $750,000 equity purchase agreement with Kodiak Capital Group.

As quoted in the press release:

Under the terms of the Agreement, OWC Pharmaceutical Research Corp (“OWC” or the “Company”) has the right to sell Kodiak$750,000 of OWC’s common stock. Kodiak cannot require OWC to sell shares to Kodiak, but is obligated to make purchases as requested by OWC. Proceeds from the financing will be utilized by OWC to further develop the Company’s proprietary cannabis-centric products and for working capital.

OWC Pharmaceutical Research Chairman, Mordechai Bignitz, said:

We are very excited to receive our first direct investment from an institution, especially one as respected as Kodiak Capital Group. This proves to us at OWC that we are on the right track with our vision for clinical research by Institutional Review Board-approved trials, which is the prime message for the future of the Medical Cannabis market.

There are a number of companies working on cannabinoid-based therapies, but OWC Pharmaceutical Research is one of only a few that are conducting trials in accordance with IRB. We believe that this strategy not only provides OWC with a distinct competitive advantage, but that it will also demonstrate that cannabis therapies can be just as effective, if not more effective, than industrial pharmaceuticals. We have been working vigorously to complete the delivery methodology and safety protocol for our multiple myeloma cannabis-based formulation so that we can begin clinical trials for efficacy. This funding from Kodiak will facilitate that effort

Click here for the full press release.

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Vermont Governor & Attorney General Team Up For Legalization: The Leafly Roundup

The year has only just begun and legislators are already submitting new bills to transform the legal landscape for cannabis, even in some less likely places. Georgia and Indiana are making headway thanks to some very persistent members of Congress, Mississippi’s legalization initiative couldn’t quite make the cut, but Vermont is emerging as a leader for legalization with a major announcement and public show of support from some Very Important People. Even Germany is jumping into the mix with a drafted medical cannabis bill to carry cannabis medicines at pharmacies.

U.S. Cannabis News Updates

ALASKA

The Alaska Marijuana Board recently announced that they will be the first state to allow the onsite consumption—but not smoking–of cannabis in licensed retail shops, as well as in cannabis cafés similar to those found in Amsterdam. The Board is debating whether or not to allow the selling of edibles alongside the standard snacks and café fare. Once the Marijuana Board makes its decision, local counties and municipalities will still be able to allow or ban cannabis companies in the area.

Read more about the future of cannabis in Alaska.

GEORGIA

State Representative Allen Peake (R-Macon) is at it again, hoping to expand his medical marijuana legislation from last year with House Bill 722, a bill that would issue up to six licenses for the cultivation of medical cannabis, as well as expand the number of qualifying medical conditions from nine to 17 diagnoses, including post-traumatic stress disorder, intractable pain, and HIV/AIDS. He modeled his bill after Minnesota’s medical marijuana law, which is one of the strictest in the country and also does not include the use of flower, opting for cannabis oils, pills, and tinctures for patients.

INDIANA

The Indiana Senate Agriculture Committee Chair Jean Leising (R-Oldenburg) filed Senate Bill 72 to legally protect physicians conducting clinical trials on the effectiveness of cannabidiol, while State Representative Sue Errington (D-Muncie) also recently filed a bill to help legalize medical marijuana. Unfortunately, it’s looking like Rep. Errington’s bill may be destined for the “committee graveyard,” which means it’s unlikely to move forward, although Sen. Leising’s proposal may have a fighting chance in the Indiana Congress after a promising 10-0 vote in favor of passing the bill through the Senate Agriculture Committee. Next up – the Senate floor for a full vote. Leising previously chaired an interim study on whether cannabis oil should be made legal for the treatment of children and a recent survey of her constituents found more support for marijuana than for the sales of alcohol on Sundays.

MISSISSIPPI

An attempt to legalize cannabis in Mississippi has failed to gain enough support to qualify for the 2016 general election ballot, signaling a disappointing, but not altogether unexpected, turn for the Magnolia State. The measure needed 107,000 signatures to earn a spot on the ballot, and the final tally of 13,320 fell far short. Initiative 48 would have legalized cannabis and regulated it like alcohol.

VERMONT

Governor Peter Shumlin gave a resounding State of the State address last week to his native Vermont, which included a call to action towards legalization. His speech even went so far as to outline his plan and recommendations for responsibly legalizing cannabis, including the following key requirements:

• Have protections in place to keep minors from buying; ·
• Feature taxes modest enough to keep prices low and put black-market sellers out of business;
• Provide tax revenue to expand addiction prevention programs;
• Strengthen existing DUI laws;
• Ban the sale of edible marijuana products until the state can figure out how to regulate them properly.

• In a remarkable show of support, former Vermont Attorney General Kimberly Cheney, a Republican, has thrown his support behind the effort to end cannabis prohibition. The Vermont Coalition to Regulate Marijuana has scheduled a press conference on Tuesday to announce a new ad campaign featuring Cheney, the state’s former top law enforcement official.

These announcements coincided with a proposal from Senator Jeanette White called Senate Bill 241, which would create the legal framework for recreational legalization, starting with home cultivation, with retail sales to begin within a year. The bill sticks to many of the highlights from Shumlin’s speech, including a ban on edibles for the initial sales, only allowing the sale of cannabis flower and topicals. Incidentally, this proposal would also legalize cannabis cafés, indicating a shift towards the concept of public consumption.

International Cannabis News Updates

CANADA

Ontario is seeking guidance from the Canadian government on how to best regulate medical cannabis clinics and dispensaries, as well as retail shops for recreational cannabis. Premier Kathleen Wynne suggested that liquor stores, as part of the government-operated system, might be a suitable venue for legal sales due to a clear, well-regulated distribution network already in place.

In other Canadian news, Justin Trudeau’s administration has already begun receiving a plethora of petitions asking for an official pardon from the Prime Minister for low-level cannabis-related crimes. When asked if the government would consider it, Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould said she is working out the intricacies of the new legalization law and that questions of past convictions will likely be a conversation for down the road.

GERMANY

The Federal Health Ministry of Germany presented a draft bill last week for a law to make cannabis flower available by prescription from standard physicians. The bill would also force health insurance to reimburse patients for cannabis-based medicines under certain circumstances, and set up a regulated state agency for the cultivation and distribution of cannabis to pharmacies.

Health organizations such as the German Association for Cannabis as Medicine are encouraged to comment on the drafted bill until February 5th, upon which the Federal Health Ministry will take all comments into consideration.

Image Credit (cropped): Barr Law Group

Study: Marijuana Use Associated With Decreased Migraine Frequency

By Paul Armentano, NORML Deputy Director Cannabis administration is associated with decreased migraine headache frequency, according to data published online ahead of print in the journal Pharmacotherapy. Investigators at the University of Colorado, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences retrospectively assessed cannabis’ effects on monthly migraine headache frequency in a group of 121 adults.

UFCW Praises Passage Of California Cannabis Worker Training Bill

Jim Araby, Executive Director of United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Western States Council, has issued the following statement on the Assembly Business and Professions Committee’s 13-0 passage of AB 26 by Assembly Member Reggie Jones-Sawyer. The UFCW is the only union representing cannabis workers in California. “AB 26 does something our union has advocated

Behind the Big Ban: Why California Towns are Scrambling to Oust Dispensaries

A typo in California’s new medical cannabis law is spurring dozens of cities to ban farms and dispensaries, threatening patients’ access to medicine and underscoring a deep cultural rift in the state.

Under the state’s Medical Marijuana Regulation and Safety Act (MMRSA), passed in October, local governments have until March 1 to set their own rules on cannabis businesses. If they don’t act, the state automatically becomes the sole licensing authority for those companies.

Facing a looming deadline — and afraid of losing local control — many officials say the easiest response is a ban.

There’s just one thing: The deadline is a mistake. Literally. The law’s authors have said so. The March 1 cutoff “was mistakenly included as a holdover from previous drafts of the bill,” according to one author, Assemblyman Jim Wood, D-Healdsburg.

Last week Wood introduced an emergency measure to remove the deadline, and Gov. Jerry Brown has indicated he’ll sign it. The measure is now making its way through the Senate. Despite Wood’s assurance, the bans keep coming.

“In an abundance of caution, we have been advising our member cities to enact cultivation ordinances — in this case a ban — to make sure they preserve their regulatory authority whether the cleanup bill goes through or not,” Tim Cromartie, legislative representative for the League of California Cities, told the Los Angeles Times. “A ban is the quickest and cleanest way.”

But while it’s convenient for cities, a ban may leave patients without a legal way to obtain medicine.

“That solution may or may not be simple for lawmakers,” said Don Duncan, California director for Americans for Safe Access. “It is certainly not a simple solution for the patients who are affected by those bans, especially where those bans are commonplace.”

California became the first state to allow medical cannabis, in 1996, but some regions have never embraced the change. While the Bay Area is famously dispensary-friendly, municipalities in the southern and eastern parts of the state have often tried to eradicate them. When federal law enforcement declared a statewide “crackdown” on medical cannabis in 2011, it was at the invitation of frustrated local officials. Within months, authorities had wiped out hundreds dispensaries across broad swaths of the state.

Similar dynamics are at play in other states. Nearly 70 cities and counties in Oregon have banned state-licensed recreational shops and other cannabis businesses. The hard truth: Statewide legalization doesn’t necessarily mean it’s legal to grow or sell cannabis in every town.

Even if California lawmakers lift the March 1 deadline, it’s not clear the change would matter much in communities that don’t like cannabis. At least 87 local governments are considering or have approved bans on growth, sales or delivery, SF Weekly reports. In just the week since Wood announced the deadline fix, Leafly counted upward of 13 jurisdictions that tightened restrictions or enacted outright bans. (Unlike Oregon and some other states, California doesn’t officially track localities that ban cannabis.)

In Lemon Grove, Calif., dispensary operator Paula D’Onofrio recently pleaded with the City Council not to enact a ban, noting the drug’s success treating epilepsy and other ailments.

“I personally am not against the use of medical marijuana,” Mayor Mary Sessom wrote to D’Onofrio in an exchange obtained by Leafly. “I believe everything you say about your clients and the incredible value of the services you provide.”

Still, the mayor informed D’Onofrio that she intends to vote for the ban this month to preserve local control and “for the welfare of the City as a whole.” She added:

I think you will find many cities taking a harsh line initially. After that, I expect to see some sensibility in subsequent regulations.

Unfortunately, a few bad dispensaries have poisoned the public’s mind against this industry.

Sessom didn’t respond to Leafly’s requests for comment.

D’Onofio is working to submit an alternate ordinance that would allow dispensaries, but even if the city considers it, “I might be bankrupt by then.”

D’Onofio already faces thousands of dollars in fines because the city considers her dispensary a non-permitted business. She has attempted to get a permit, but Lemon Grove has refused to license dispensaries. The newly proposed ban would mean even stiffer fines, including the prospect of criminal prosecution.

“My plan going forward is to close down. I don’t want to get a record for this,” she told Leafly. “Once you have a criminal record in this country, you can’t do anything but be a criminal. … Your life is really affected by that.”

A few cities have used the deadline as an opportunity to look more closely at their stance on cannabis. In San Diego, not far from Lemon Grove, officials are considering allowing cultivation within the city limits, something that’s previously not been permitted. But until regulations are hammered out, San Diego’s plan is to enact a temporary ban.

Duncan at Americans for Safe Access pointed California residents to his group’s Local Access Project, which provides resources such as memos, reports and talking points designed to help influence local lawmakers.

“Hopefully over time what we’ll see is that with state licensing there will be more jurisdictions that allow for medical cannabis than there were before,” he told Leafly. “But in the short term I’m afraid we’re going to see more bans.”

No More Little Amsterdams: Seattle Zones Out Dispensary Districts

Ever wonder why certain Seattle neighborhoods have so many dispensaries, while others have none? It has to do with zoning, and it’s all about to change.

The Seattle City Council unanimously agreed Monday night to reduce the minimum distance between cannabis businesses and sensitive areas, such as child-care centers and public parks. Since 2012 that distance has been set at 1,000 feet. The new rules set dispensary buffer zones at 250 feet in the downtown core and at 500 feet in other parts of the city.

Buffers for producers and processors will be 250 feet citywide. And no more than two cannabis businesses can be within 1,000 feet, or roughly five city blocks, of one another.

Washington’s Initiative 502, the 2012 measure to legalize adult-use cannabis, established the original 1,000-foot buffer. The state Legislature last year reduced that to 100 feet, although the 1,000-foot rule around schools and playgrounds still remains in effect statewide.

Shrinking the buffer zones, Council members said, will keep cannabis businesses away from sensitive areas while preventing clusters of dispensaries — or “Little Amsterdams” — from sprouting up around the city.

“We are at the leading edge of a new industry,” said Councilman Mike O’Brien, who authored the legislation. “We’re trying our best to get this right.”

Supporters said the change will help legal cannabis compete with the illicit market by giving consumers more convenient access to state-licensed shops.

With the state already on track to issue more dispensary licenses, the new city rules could bring up to 21 new dispensaries to Seattle.

Existing buffer zones caused dispensaries to cluster together in areas like SODO, where James Lathrop runs Cannabis City. He was among those who supported the change.

“We’re here because of this crazy zoning,” Lathrop told Kiro 7. “We’re a block away from the dump.”

Photo credit: Space Needle via photopin (license)

Best Cannabis Strains for Focus and ADD/ADHD

Whether or not you’ve been diagnosed with ADD or ADHD, sometimes we need a little help concentrating. You’ve probably noticed that certain varieties of cannabis help you stay focused and productive while others can send your mind completely off the rails. Finding that perfect focusing strain requires a little self-analysis first: What is it that’s impeding your concentration? Are you disengaged? Do your thoughts race? Think of the below sections as your roadmap to the right strain.

We’re still waiting for research to provide more guidance on why cannabis might or might not help someone with ADD/ADHD, but we’re limited mostly to personal anecdotes. As s, it’s not a bad idea to try a few different strains – a high-THC strain, a low-THC strain, high-CBD, balanced THC-CBD, and so on. At the end of this list, you’ll also find some appetite-boosting, sleep-inducing strains for those of you experiencing the negative side effects of stimulant ADD/ADHD medications.

Strains for Mental Energy and Engagement

Cinex is the strain you reach for when that cup of coffee didn’t do the job. Providing wired euphoria that feeds creativity, this sativa can rekindle interest in tasks that may otherwise be a drag. Take caution with this one if you’re prone to anxiety and racing thoughts; Cinex can turn that up in some individuals.

It’s famous for a reason. Sour Diesel is one of the highest-rated strains on Leafly for treatment of ADD/ADHD, quite possibly due to its ability to shine a new, engaging light on activities and tasks. Speedy euphoria lets your mind stay nimble, but remember that dosing is key. Overdoing a potent sativa like Sour Diesel can have the opposite of your desired effect.

“It makes your frontal lobe act in ways you could never have imagined. It’s almost like Sour Diesel is a key, a key that opens up whole realms of your mind that you were once ignorant of.”

According to lore, this sativa was dubbed Green Crack by Snoop Dogg because its effects were so intensely stimulating. Green Crack had to make the list because, in my experience, few other strains can match its energy and focus. It sharpens the senses and brings vibrancy to the dull, all with an enticing tropical citrus flavor.

Click here to browse more strains with stimulating, focused effects.

Strains for Calming Focus

Sometimes what you need to concentrate isn’t something that speeds your brain up, it’s something to slow the brain down. The indica-dominant True OG is touted among reviewers for knocking down stress and distractions for easier focus.

“Comes on kind of slowly. Is a chilling high, but you can easily focus and do things like schoolwork, cleaning, etc.”

Blueberry Headband captures the perfect synergy of its two parents. From Headband, it inherits a supercharged cerebral effect that lends a spark of creativity. The Blueberry parent softens the euphoric intensity of Headband, providing a mellow, full-body experience that allows your thoughts run at a more manageable pace.

Click here to browse more strains with relaxing, focused effects.

Strains for Cognitive Clarity

A cross between Sour Tsunami and Harlequin, Harle-Tsu is a high-CBD strain that contains minimal levels of THC. It eases you into a sober, clear-headed calm as its relaxing effects come with minimal psychoactive impact, so you can keep your cognitive faculties intact. If you’re having trouble finding Harle-Tsu near you, try finding its high-CBD parent strains or close relative, Canna-Tsu.

“A good herb for relaxation. Not much of a cerebral high, but what little high you do get is focused and energetic but calm. Its good to mix with some powerful indicas to even it out.”

Calming physical sensations coupled with agile cerebral focus, Harlequin is another high-CBD strain that should be on your radar if concentration is hard to come by. Although this ratio can fluctuate, Harlequin typically expresses a 5:2 ratio of CBD:THC, so expect some euphoric stimulation in the mind.

Click here to browse more strains with a high CBD content.

Strains for ADD/ADHD Medication Side Effects

A genetic cross between Blueberry and Hindu Kush, Goo provides the golden trifecta of effects for those treating ADD/ADHD: appetite, sleepiness, and focus. This strain is meant for winding down, which can be difficult if you’re prescribed psychostimulant drugs that may stunt the appetite and keep you tossing and turning at night.

“Currently one of my favorite strains. When my brain is too active I smoke this and it helps calm it down.”

Jupiter OG is another indica strain that can help restore appetite and restfulness when the side effects of your medications are at their worst. This indica may still provide a little kick of focus, but it should definitely be saved for later in the night when you’re ready to help your brain shut down.

Click here to browse more appetite-enhancing, sedating strains.

Watch Conan O'Brien's Funniest Cannabis Segments

Last week Conan O’Brien delighted fans with a segment where he helped one of his staffers practice her driving skills. With the help of Ice Cube and Kevin Hart, the quartet cruised through Los Angeles, eventually stopping at a medical marijuana dispensary and filling a piñata full of fluffy buds.

This isn’t the first time Conan has wrung laughs from cannabis. Across his many talk shows throughout his career (from “Late Night” to “The Tonight Show” to “Conan”), he’s dedicated quite a few jokes and funny segments to the versatile plant. Here’s a roundup of some of his best bits to-date.

Conan and Martha Stewart Have Some Arts and Crafts Time

Bonus points to Martha for identifying the leaves as “Cannabis sativa.”

Conan’s “Camera Man” Feels the Effects of Too Many Edibles

As Conan discusses Maureen Dowd’s op-ed about getting entirely too high from a very potent edible, Conan’s “camera man” has a paranoid inner monologue where he confesses to eating an entire “weed Rice Krispie treat” and is convinced everyone can tell he’s stoned. We’ve all been there (OK, maybe not the “jumping out of a window” part).

Conan Explores Why Teen Cannabis Use is Declining

Conan reports that fewer teens are using cannabis, which leads to a segment where a dad demands to know why his son refuses to enjoy the bag of product he left out.

Conan and Andy Richter Share a “Pot Brownie” with Larry King

After Larry King tells Conan he gave up smoking cannabis because he was afraid it’d lure him back to smoking cigarettes after he’d suffered a heart attack, Conan recommends he try edibles instead and the trio splits a “pot brownie” on camera.

Do you think it’s actually an infused brownie? I want to believe. (Also, I vote to change the word “joints” to “cuckoo dust.”)

Conan Shoots Bricks of Cannabis at Cardboard Cutouts of Celebrity “Stoners”

After sharing reports of Mexican police confiscating cannons designed to shoot bricks of cannabis across the Mexico–U.S. border, Conan insists that Mexico loaned his crew a cannon so they could hurl packages of marijuana at the mouths of cannabis-friendly celebrities in cardboard cutout form. Targets include Seth Rogen and Miley Cyrus, with the “ultimate celebrity stoner” being saved for last. Who is it? You’ll have to watch to find out!

Conan Sees How Well a “Cannabuster” Works to Determine if a Driver is Under the Influence of Cannabis

After hearing about two Ohio graduate students working on a “cannabuster” to help police determine whether a driver is under the influence of cannabis, he shows the audience how well the test works.

Conan Shares a “Pro-Legalization” Ad

Conan highlights California’s efforts to legalize cannabis, first showing an anti-legalization ad before airing a convincing argument in support of cannabis legalization.

Andy Predicts the Downsides of Breeding “Marijuana-Eating Locusts”

One of Conan’s best recurring segments was “In the Year 2000,” where he and Andy Richter would make outlandish predictions for the near future. In this clip, Andy insists that the government eventually breeds “marijuana-eating locusts” in order to “combat drug use,” but the secret project has to be abandoned for a very valid reason.

Conan Asks a Guest How She Reacted to Being Cast as a “Pot-Smoking Granny”

One of my favorite Conan clips of all time is short but oh-so-sweet. He interviews the late Helen Martin, who appears in the 1996 spoof comedy Don’t Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood. When Conan asks Ms. Martin how she felt about being cast as a “pot-smoking granny,” her response becomes an instant classic.

Attend The Oregon Quarterly Cannabis Caucus Tomorrow In Portland

The National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA) is doing a very cool thing. NCIA is hosting a series of quarterly caucus events across the country for the growing industry. There is one going on in Portland tomorrow. I attended an NCIA event in Portland a little while ago and met Earl Blumenauer and a bunch of

Cannabis Science Stock Update: Will it Really Be a Healthier New Year?

Cannabis Science (OTCMKTS:CBIS) put out its guidance for the new year on January 5, stating that it is starting out the new year healthier than ever before.

The company is focused on the development of cannabis-based medicines, with an initial focus on skin cancers, HIV/AIDS and neurological conditions, and says that it has placed a heavy emphasis on accelerating its pharmaceutical drug development programs. Its main goal is to acquire national and international regulatory approval for its cannabis-based formulations.

“2015 was a great year of growth for our Company. We made a great deal of progress with our drug development, acquisition strategy, product roll out, and strategic partnership search,” said company President and CEO Raymond Dabney in a statement. “With that said, 2016 is looking to be an exciting year for Cannabis Science. We are kicking off the new year with new products already brought to market — a huge head start over last year.”

In mid-December, the company secured a drug development agreement for CS-NEURO-1, a step toward starting phase 1 human clinical trials in Europe. Then, in November, Cannabis Science launched its cannabinoid-formulated capsule product line in California; back in May, it acquired pet care manufacturer and distributor Equi-Pharm with a view to entering the pet care industry.

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However, it’s worth noting that the Cannabis Science stock price has fallen over 80 percent in the past year, and is currently trading just above a penny. In fact, aside from a small share price spike last August, shares of the company remained steadily on the downtrend for the entire year — and so far in 2016, the Cannabis Science stock price is down 12 percent.

Diane Alter at Money Morning offered some insight into the company’s situation back in May. “The Colorado Springs, Colo.-headquartered company maintains its immediate focus is to treat cancer,” she said. “Its main focus, however, should be its massive cash burn.”

Alter explained that the company had just $10,000 in cash, as per its annual report released in April, and that Cannabis Science had reported assets worth $166,000 compared to liabilities of about $3.96 million.

Taking a look at the company’s most recent report for the quarter ended September 30, the situation hasn’t improved much. Cannabis Science had $4,791 in cash, $138,000 in assets and $5.1 million in liabilities. Revenues came in at $4,150, but the company also recorded a $3.9-million net loss.

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Naturally Splendid Enterprises Ltd. (TSXV:NSP) is the only publicly-traded company in the world offering investors an opportunity to gain exposure to the hemp-based healthy foods and omega markets. Connect with Naturally Splendid Enterprises to instantly receive their next catalyst.

However, despite those numbers, one analyst still appears to be positive on the company. On Novemeber 24, Cannabis Science shared an independent analyst report from Charles Reed of Caprock Research; in it, the firm gives Cannabis Science an ‘Accumulate’ recommendation, a near-term share price target of $0.05 and a long-term target of $0.10.

In the 33-page report, the Reed admits that Cannabis Science stock has been under significant pressure, but states that the company appears to have a “first mover” advantage in terms of targeting particular applications for cannabinoids. The report was disseminated via Wall Street Corner.

To be sure, Cannabis Science is still a long way off from reaching the price targets mentioned above, and its balance sheet isn’t so healthy. Still, interested investors will no doubt be standing by for updates.

The Cannabis Science stock price is currently sitting at $0.0132. It has traded within a 52-week range of $0.01 to $0.07, with an average daily trading volume of 6.76 million shares. The company has a market capitalization of 17.19 million.

Securities Disclosure: I, Teresa Matich, hold no direct investment interest in any company mentioned in this article.

The post Cannabis Science Stock Update: Will it Really Be a Healthier New Year? appeared first on Investing News Network.

What Does Healing Mean to You, and How Can CBD Help?

This article is sponsored by IrieCBD, an online retailer of premium organic CBD products including vapes, tinctures, skin care, honey sticks and the finest chocolates.

What does healing mean to you? Like a zen koan, it’s a question that can unfold and inform. Regardless of one’s individual answer, there’s power in saying “yes” to healing. Opening ourselves to the possibility can bring adjustments that pave the way for physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing.

When considering the meaning of healing, it’s important to distinguish between healing and a cure. To cure is to make something go away; healing is an expression of greater wholeness. Whether a health challenge, a behavioral change, or a growth point in a relationship, there is always an internal and an external aspect of healing. When we get the internal attitude and the external support right, power to heal is released.

Healing is often about discovering what is holding us back in the first place. We all get in our own way at times; whether it’s constantly staying tied to work via cell phone or sacrificing sleep in favor of getting more done, it’s easy to be resistant and persistent in patterns that aren’t serving us. The internal component of healing is often an allowing, a relaxing, and a willingness to see things differently. The external component can entail many things, one of which is plant medicine.

Plant Medicine and Integrated Healing

If we take into account the amount of stress that most of us are under in a normal day, as well as the lack of good nutrition in the average diet, it’s no wonder that we are experiencing unprecedented levels of diabetes, obesity, autism, anxiety, cancer, autoimmune conditions, and other expressions of imbalance. Medicinal plants could play a much larger role in most people’s lives by helping them maintain a balanced, healthy state.

Plant medicine works through the introduction of nutrients that bind with many sites in the body. These nutrients support proper biochemical processes, many of which increase physical, mental, and emotional resiliency. Plants differ from pharmaceuticals in that they are supportive and therapeutic without being dictatorial. They don’t force a particular function on the body; instead, they offer support in ways that allow greater adaptability and capacity for homeostasis. The body can often use the same medicinal plant to address either a hyper or a hypo state of imbalance, frequently making these plants more effective agents for healing than pharmaceuticals. The same is true of the potential of medicinal plants in helping the body maintain an existing state of wellness.

Of all medicinal plants, cannabis is recognized as one of the most important. It is unique because it is the only plant to contain significant amounts of different cannabinoids. Many doctors and nutritionists claim that cannabinoids should be listed as essential nutrients: whereas deficiencies of certain vitamins can beget specific conditions (vitamin C and scurvy, vitamin D and rickets), a diet low in cannabinoids leaves a person more susceptible to imbalances. Cannabinoids are a big deal.

The Role of Cannabinoids in Maintaining Health

Most people reading this article are familiar with the role cannabinoids play in supporting the endocannabinoid system (ECS). The ECS is a modulating system that resets the nervous system and helps to protect it from a host of stressors. It also balances the immune system and increases cell-to-cell communication. Cannabis is the closest thing to a panacea of all the plants available: it lowers blood sugar levels, reduces muscle spasms, relieves anxiety, is used to manage psychosis, and features anti-inflammatory, pain relieving, anti-bacterial, and anti-fungal properties. We are still in the infancy of reaching our full potential with this plant.

Products like Irie’s aim to capture the unique healing properties of cannabis with extracts high in one of its primary cannabinoids, cannabidiol (CBD). In each extract blend, CBD delivers a wide range of benefits of its own, which can figure into maintaining an existing state of wellness as well as addressing a state of imbalance. To augment these benefits, other medicinal plant extracts are added to create specialized blends like Irie’s CBD Calm, CBD Stress Support, CBD Lifeline, and CBD Flex. Each one is meant to accentuate a particular healing quality of CBD.

For example, CBD Calm includes the essential oils of lavender and peppermint, which potentiate and magnify the calming effects of CBD to help soothe the nervous system. CBD Stress Support adds extracts of four adaptogenic herbs: maca, mucuna, ashwaganda, and holy basil, which together are meant to help balance hormones, blood sugar levels, energy levels, and the stress response itself. CBD Lifeline, designed to address more serious health issues, includes frankincense, ginger, and sandalwood – powerful oils chosen based on their long history of helping people with medical conditions. CBD Flex incorporates Celadrin, whose esterified fatty acids create a sort of “fish oil on steroids” intended not only to relieve pain but to address joint healing directly. The same process of blending CBD with complementary medicinal plant extracts and herbs is used in the creation of specialty chocolates, honey sticks, and coconut sticks in Irie’s product line.

True healing often starts with a shift in how one relates to oneself – a willingness to pinpoint where our issues are stemming from, and to address them at their source. This shift is not always easy. CBD products like Irie’s are meant to help provide support at the most fundamental level, when our normal way of operating is not getting it. They are, in a sense, a “yes” to healing.

To explore Irie’s complete product line, visit www.iriecbd.com.

Check Out A Free Virtual Cannabis Health Summit On January 23-24

There are so many cannabis events these days. Some focus on industry, some focus on entertainment, and others focus on any number of other niches/topics within the marijuana world. I don’t attend many events, mainly because I don’t like to travel. More often than not I wait for an event to be over, and then

Oregon Cannabis Association Is Hosting A Time Capsule Party

Below is an event that I saw on Facebook. It’s being hosted by the Oregon Cannabis Association. Below is more information via the event’s Eventbrite page: Would you have guessed this is what the cannabis industry would look like in 2016? What will it look like in 2019? Please join the OCA for our 2016

US CO: At A Pot Credit Union, Still No Joint Accounts

Los Angeles Times, 07 Jan 2016 – Judge Blocks a Denver Institution That Wants to Serve the Cannabis Industry, Saying He’s Upholding Federal Law. DENVER – Saying he could not look the other way in the face of criminal behavior, a federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit by a local credit union seeking approval to become what would be the first financial institution to openly serve the cannabis industry. Doug Pensinger

How To Save Water When Growing Marijuana Plants Outdoors

What Is The Best Way To Save Water When Cultivating Cannabis Outdoors? My friend Bee sent me a link today on social media that greatly impressed me. The link was to a video of a guy who pitched on the TVShark Tank. The guy was pitching a product that helps outdoor plants consume less water

Tommy Chong: Marijuana Icon And Entrepreneur

By Anthony Johnson Cannabis cultural icon Tommy Chong has had his ups and downs over the years, in many ways his journey is very fitting for the cannabis community. Getting his big breaks in standup comedy and movie roles that centered on cannabis culture, Tommy was an entrepreneur during more “gray market” days that landed

Weekend Weirdness: Cannabis-Growing “Nuns” Refuse to Back Down Despite Cultivation Ban

The Blues Brothers may have been “on a mission from God,” but these self-described “nuns” in Merced, California, are on a mission to produce high-CBD products for ailing patients, and they’re not going to back down despite a recent city ordinance banning cannabis cultivation and sales.

Called the “Sisters of the Valley,” Sister Kate and Sister Darcey grow high-CBD cannabis plants in the garage of their shared home, and while they describe themselves as nuns, they’re not Catholic (or especially religious, for that matter). They’ve grown their small Etsy business from making $300 a day to over $3,000 a day, with purchases coming in from all over the world.

Unfortunately, on Monday, the Merced City Council voted to temporarily ban the cultivation and sale of cannabis until it can determine what the city should allow. The Merced Sun-Star notes that cultivation and sales have never actually been illegal in Merced, and the recent ordinance was approved in order to “retain local control on regulations.”

So where does that leave the Sisters of the Valley? As the city struggles to come up with a permanent solution, the ladies remain undeterred and are instead doubling down on their illegal endeavors by moving their operation to a farm in Merced County to increase their output. “Really, what last night did was fuel the fire for everyone to work harder to change their minds,” said Sister Darcey.&

Sister Kate agreed, telling ABC 30, “[Legalization is] gonna happen here. It’s inevitable so why not stand our ground?”

Legit or not, these “nuns” mean business, and they’re not backing down without a fight. Check out this video of them makin’ salves and takin’ names:

Alaska to Become the First State With Legal Cannabis Cafés

Alaska is poised to become the first U.S. state to allow cannabis consumption in businesses open to the public. The Alaska Marijuana Board has been hard at work drafting regulations, and cafés could become part of Alaska’s cannabis culture as soon as this summer.

Clubs for medical patients in Alaska have existed in a legal gray area for some time and began springing up after the state legalized medical marijuana in 1998. The medical rules were ambiguous, and combined with a lack of regulatory oversight allowed social clubs with onsite consumption to fly under the radar. They operate in a sort of loophole: Patients in Alaska are allowed to grow cannabis and consume it in private, which proponents say allows for clubs open only to members, not the public.

Law enforcement and other authorities allowed the clubs to exist presumably because the state never established a clear system for medical dispensaries. As a result, patients were stuck between growing their own cannabis or resorting to the black market.

But with the Last Frontier’s legalization of recreational cannabis, things are about to change. Before long, consumption in Alaska could look a lot more like the coffeeshops of Amsterdam.

One important distinction is that the proposal as it currently stands will allow only cannabis-infused edibles to be consumed on site. The Alaska Marijuana Board, which will have ultimate authority over the cafés, is still debating whether the establishments will be able actually to sell cannabis edibles or whether consumers will have to bring their own.

In addition, municipalities will still have the option to ban cannabis businesses, and Anchorage is already seeing problems on the horizon. Anchorage has a ban on public consumption, which means retailers that might otherwise be licensed for onsite consumption could face bureaucratic red tape in trying to open a business within the city limits.

The state’s legalization initiative technically forbids public consumption, too, but it doesn’t define what constitutes a public place.

Potential legal battles aside, this announcement bodes well for the future of cannabis in the Land of the Midnight Sun. The state board is slated to begin accepting applications for cannabis business licenses on Feb. 24 and is expected to start issuing licenses in late May.

Watch Conan O'Brien Visit a Dispensary and Fill a Piñata Full of Cannabis

Red-coiffed late night talk show host Conan O’Brien recently “helped” one of his staffers practice for her driver’s license test, with Ice Cube and Kevin Hart joining in on the shenanigans. Their sage words of wisdom to new drivers include the following gems:

• Shout “You’re my bitch!” to cars that you pass.
• Fling pennies (or batteries, if you’re Ice Cube) at bad drivers.
• Wear your seat belt (even Tupac, one of the “biggest thugs” Ice Cube’s known, always wore his seat belt).
• Driving a car without power windows is, according to Kevin Hart, “a big mistake,” because you look too stupid hurling expletives at someone before having to hand-crank the window back up.

With these essential driving basics out of the way, Conan purchases a piñata that is, appropriately, shaped like a car. His student, Diana Chang, spots a nearby dispensary so they pop in to check out what’s in stock. Kevin Hart instructs Conan to get some cannabis-infused Sour Patch Kids (Conan demands “two kilos,” which I’m pretty sure would erode the inside of his mouth), and Conan demands the budtender fill his piñata with jars of cannabis (including Green Crack). The group then absconds with a duct-taped piñata full of bud and a medical marijuana tapestry that they drape across the front of their car.

After Diana appears to hot box the car from the back seat (although I suspect that’s actually a prop, ‘cuz illegal), the group gets chided by a bicycle cop for blocking the intersection before finishing the segment at a Popeye’s parking lot while they chow down on fried chicken. Basically, Conan looks to be the best worst driver’s education instructor ever.

The entire segment is 11:38 long and well worth the laughs, but the dispensary portion starts at about the 9:00 mark. Click on the screenshot to head over to Team Coco for the video (sorry folks, their embed seems wonked):

Header image source (background retouched): Gage Skidmore via Flickr Creative Commons

These Oregon Cities Have Banned Cannabis

Recreational cannabis is legal in Oregon, but not everyone’s in on the fun. Already at least 68 cities and 18 counties across the state have banned retail stores or other types of cannabis businesses, according to news reports and a list published this week by the Oregon Liquor Control Commission.

Some areas have enacted temporary bans but will put the issue before voters in the general election. We’ve marked those municipalities with asterisks(*). If you live in one those locations, or know someone who does, be sure to vote!

No matter where you are in the state, adults 21 and over are free to possess and consume cannabis in private, and it’s still legal to grow your own. The state has a website with more detailed information.

In addition to retail shops, municipalities below have banned producers, processors and wholesale unless otherwise noted.

Cities

• Adrian
• Albany*
• Aumsville*
• Baker City
• Boardman
• Brownsville*
• Burns
• Canyon City
• Coburg*
• Cove
• Creswell*
• Damascus*
• Dayville
• Eagle Point*
• Elgin
• Fairview*
• Gervais*
• Gladstone*
• Grants Pass*
• Grass Valley
• Halsey*
• Heppner
• Hubbard — ordinance is temporary and will expire Aug. 1 or when city adopts zoning and other regulations, whichever comes first
• Ione
• Irrigon
• Island City
• Jacksonville* — allows cultivation; bans processors, wholesale and retail sales
• John Day
• Jordan Valley
• Joseph
• Junction City*
• Klamath Falls
• LaGrande
• Lake Oswego*
• Lebanon*
• Lexington
• Lyons*
• Manzanita*
• Maupin*
• Medford* — bans retail; allows producers, processors and wholesale
• Merrill
• Mill City*
• Millersburg*
• Milton-Freewater*
• Monument
• Moro
• Mount Angel*
• Mount Vernon
• Myrtle Point*
• North Powder
• Nyssa
• Ontario
• Oregon City*
• Pendleton*
• Prairie City
• Richland
• Rufus
• Sandy*
• Shaniko*
• Spray
• Sutherlin*
• Sweet Home*
• Tangent*
• Ukaih
• Umatilla
• Vale
• Wallowa
• Wasco

Counties

• Baker
• Crook
• Deschutes*
• Douglas*
• Grant
• Harney
• Jefferson*
• Klamath
• Lake*
• Linn*
• Malheur
• Marion*
• Morrow
• Sherman
• Umatilla
• Union
• Wallowa
• Wheeler

New York's Medical Cannabis Market Debuts Today!

After a year and a half of nail-biting anticipation, New York’s medical marijuana program is finally ready to make its debut.

There are only five organizations licensed to dispense cannabis products in the state of New York, and it looks like it will be a race to open doors to the public Thursday, almost exactly a 18 months from the program’s inception. And remarkably that’s exactly as planned.

Columbia Care’s CEO Nicholas Vita has promised that their 14^th Street location in Union Square will be open, with tested products ready and available on the shelves.

Vireo Health of New York, formerly known as Empire State Health Solutions, announced that they may be the first dispensary, quite possibly in nation, to offer cannabis products that have been certified kosher by the Orthodox Union. Vireo Health will be opening a location today in Westchester, with the others to follow by the end of January.

PharmaCann, already firmly established as a major player in the Illinois medical cannabis market, is planning to open two locations today: one in Buffalo and another in Liverpool. Its other two locations will not be opening until later this month.

Staten Island-based Bloomfield Industries will be operating dispensaries in Manhattan, Williamsville and Syracuse, although it’s looking likely that the first location to open will be in Lake Success on Marcus Boulevard.

Etain is a rare breed for a dispensing organization in that they are entirely women-owned and operated. Leafly caught COO Keeley Peckham as she was driving between locations in a desperate dash to open two dispensaries in 12 hours. Etain Health will be opening locations in Kingston and Albany this week, she said, and they’ve already announced that they will be carrying three strains: one with high CBD, one with a balanced CBD-THC ratio and one high-THC strain, all of which are sponsored by Bhang Medicinals.

It’s a tremendous occasion for all involved and congratulations are in order for the hardworking teams rushing to meet a tight deadline. It will be an interesting experiment to watch medical cannabis rollout in the Big Apple, as there will likely be a few bumps in the road. But it’s encouraging that the program is on track and dispensaries are ready to serve patients.

Will there be any patients to serve? For more information on how to register as a physician or a patient, please visit the New York State Medical Marijuana Program.

Washington Could Welcome Out-of-State Investors, Mr. Yuk

In a sharp break from previous policy, the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board is considering a rule change that would allow out-of-state investors to enter the state’s regulated market.

The proposed revision, announced earlier today, would address a chronic problem for Washington’s cannabis industry: drumming up enough funds solely from a pool of residents who’ve lived in the state for longer than six months. It could bring a flood of out-of-state cash as investors scramble to get in on a rapidly growing industry.

Out-of-state financiers will still be subject to the same financial and criminal background checks that in-state investors must pass, board spokesman Brian Smith told the Associated Press.

The proposed change was one of many announced Wednesday as part of the effort to merge the state’s medical and recreational programs in light of recent legislation. If adopted, the new rules would would take effect in March.

Among the other proposals, one of the most visible — at least to consumers — would be the required inclusion of Mr. Yuk stickers on labels for cannabis-infused edibles.

The Mr. Yuk rule could spark debate. The stickers are meant to warn young children away from poison, which makes them a convenient tool to keep kids away from cannabis products. But cannabis isn’t poison. Colorado tried this sort of mixed message with its “THC stop sign” proposal, which it later replaced with a diamond in response to pushback.

Other proposed changes being considered by the board would:

• Add carbon dioxide (CO2) as a solvent that can be used for extraction under certain conditions by patients or providers
• Add language prohibiting cannabis-infused products that require baking or cooking
• Remove language prohibiting the use of terpenes and cannabinoids
• Remove language prohibiting characterizing flavors for inhalants
• Require licensees be up to date on state taxes
• Require licensees to file employee compensation and benefits data

The full list of proposed rules are on the LCB’s website. Public comments are due to the board by Feb. 10.

Cannabis Exec Gary Johnson Launches Presidential Bid… We Think

Former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson, who until recently was president and CEO of the company Cannabis Sativa Inc., announced earlier today that he’s running for president as a Libertarian.

“I am announcing my candidacy right now for the Libertarian nomination,” Johnson said Wednesday on Neil Cavuto’s Fox Business show, positioning himself as a kind of Bernie Sanders for the free-men-free-markets crowd.

“Crony capitalism is alive and well,” he declared. “It’s Democrats and Republicans that contribute to that. I’d like to be that choice that is not going to succumb to that.”

With this week’s announcement, Johnson becomes the first cannabis industry executive to run for the nation’s highest office. Johnson also ran on the Libertarian ticket in 2012, receiving 1,275,971 votes, or just under 1 percent.

Here’s the curious thing, though. It’s unclear whether Johnson is actually now running for president — or whether he’s been in the race all along but nobody knew it.

A quick search of the Federal Election Commission’s list of candidates who’ve submitted Presidential Form 2, which must be filed within two weeks of receiving more than $5,000 in donations, doesn’t include Johnson’s name. It turns up Aidan Johnson, Barry Lester Johnson, John Fitzgerald Johnson, Krystal Shantrell Johnson, and even London Mayor Boris Johnson (filed by the “Committee to Take Back the British Empire Starting With America”) — but no Gary Johnson.

If Johnson just now entered the race, that might not be a big deal. It could mean that Johnson merely hasn’t gotten around to filing yet or that his war chest is chirping crickets. It could even mean his full legal name simply ends in a word other than “Johnson.”

But here’s the rub: The Cannabis Sativa website has an item from Sept. 9 announcing that Johnson “has become the second U.S. presidential candidate accepting bitcoin.” If accurate, that would indicate he declared his candidacy at least four months ago.

In any event, the cannabis industry’s candidate is in! And his new website, www.garyjohnson2016, proudly makes… ah… no mention of his executive work with cannabis brand “hi” or Cannabis Sativa Inc.

Come on, Gary. Loud and proud! The media will find out, anyway. In fact, I think they just did.

photo credit: Gary Johnson via photopin (license)

Science Revisited: Will Using CBD Hemp Oil Lead to a Positive Drug Test for THC?

This article is sponsored by CannaVest, one of the leading suppliers of agricultural hemp-derived CBD from seed to finished products.

Disclaimer: The information provided in this column is intended for educational and informational purposes only. CannaVest is not engaged in rendering legal or medical advice, and any information provided is not a substitute for professional legal or medical opinion.

You may recall part one of our now two-part series that explores whether a person using CBD hemp oil could test positively for THC or marijuana. The study cited concluded the following:

“…a consumer who uses a high-quality, scientifically vetted hemp-based product at the standard serving size is highly unlikely to test positive for THC and/or THC-COOH. However, it’s important to be cognizant that extremely high doses may result in a positive urine screen (that would be subsequently shown to be false via GC/MS). “

An additional study conducted by Leson, et al dove further into the subject, examining the effects of THC administration on subjects who had positive drug screens for THC. What were their findings, and do they align with Part 1’s findings or contradict the initial study’s results?

The Latest Study

Leson and colleagues’ recent study involved 15 adult subjects (10 females, 5 males) who had not previously been exposed to THC. The subjects were given single daily THC doses in an oil matrix, ranging from 0.09 to 0.6 mg, over four successive 10-day periods. Their urine samples were screened for cannabinoids using radioimmunoassay, a method of measuring very small amounts of a substance in blood.

Unfortunately, radioimmunoassay is prone to producing false positives, and it confirmed the presence of THC-COOH. The radioimmunoassay results showed that daily ingestion of up to 0.45 mg of THC in an oil matrix did not screen positive at a 50 ng/mL cutoff. When the daily intake was increased to 0.6 mg, one sample screened “positive”. At the lower cutoff level of 15 ng/mL (which is used by some employers, law enforcement agencies, and drug treatment programs), 19% of urine samples screened “positive” for THC.

However, when the samples were analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), an analytical method of identifying different substances within a test sample, none of the samples screened positive. In fact, under the GC-MS method, the highest value obtained was only 5.2 ng/mL, well below the lower cutoff level of 15 ng/mL.

The researchers concluded the following:

“Practicing routine GC-MS confirmation of urine specimens screening positive appear to minimize the risk of producing confirmed positive urine tests from hemp oil.”

So there you have it. If you keep your consumption of CBD-rich hemp oil to less than 200 to 300 mg per day, you are highly unlikely to screen positive for THC use via the confirmatory (and most important) GC-MS test. Therefore, less than 100 mg to 150 mg daily is very unlikely to result in a positive preliminary immunoassay-screening test.

But Wait, There’s More

One caveat is that CBD, THC, and other cannabinoids are known to interact with a subclass of a very important family of enzymes known as the cytochrome P450 group (abbreviated as CYP). CBD is known to inhibit the same P450 enzymes that are known to metabolize it, and some of these enzymes (e.g., CYP3A4 and CYP2C9) are also responsible for THC metabolism along with the hepatic metabolism of ~ 60% of clinically prescribed medications. Co-administering cannabis and CBD may cause THC levels to be elevated to a greater extent, for a prolonged period of time.

Medical marijuana patients who utilize high doses of CBD concentrates should keep in mind that there are multiple potential drug interactions. Moreover, there is also the issue of pharmacogenetics– the degree of variability with which an individual’s genetics causes differences in drug metabolic pathways, which can affect how someone responds to the therapeutic benefits as well as adverse effects of drugs. Hence, the actual dose that causes a potential “positive” screen or confirmatory test for THC from consumption of CBD-rich hemp oil will change from one individual to another due to these genetic differences in the CYP450 enzyme system.

New References:

Bergamaschi et al. Safety and Side Effects of Cannabidiol, a Cannabis sativa Constituent. Current Drug Safety, 2011, Vol. 6, No. 4.

Leson et al. Evaluating the impact of hemp food consumption on workplace drug tests. Journal of Analytical Toxicology, Vol. 25, November/December 2001 691-698.