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Pennsylvania May End Zero-Tolerance Driving Restrictions for Cannabis Patients

7/13/2020

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A bill proposed in Pennsylvania would eliminate the zero-tolerance driving under the influence penalties for individuals legally using medical cannabis, the Times Observer reports. Under current state law, medical cannabis users are effectively breaking the law every time they operate a vehicle within one month of using their medicine because THC stays in most people’s system for about 30 days and a positive THC test while driving could lead to a DUI.

Republican State Sen. Cameron Bartolotta, the bill sponsor, said lawmakers “need to ensure that the legal use of this medicine does not give rise to a criminal conviction.”

“Patients fought tooth and nail for years to see the use of medical cannabis legalized to treat a variety of terrible health conditions. They should have the peace of mind to know that they will not be punished later for using their prescriptions responsibly.” – Bartolotta to the Times Observer

Warren County District Attorney Rob Greene pointed out that there is no requirement in state law that a driver be determined to be impaired in order to be convicted to DUI, rather just the presence of THC. He added that an officer could use a driver’s medical cannabis card as “probable cause” to take them to a hospital and test their blood and that person could be convicted “solely based off of a test result of their blood.”

“The Commonwealth only has to prove that the defendant’s blood contained a controlled substance at the time he or she was in control of the vehicle,” Greene said in the report.

The bill would not protect non-medical cannabis users.

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Report: Canadian Cannabis Brands Struggle With Consumer Recognition

7/13/2020

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No Canadian cannabis brand has more than 41 percent recognition among current cannabis users, according to a Brightfield Group report outlined by Bloomberg News. Canopy Growth Corp.’s Tweed and Aurora Cannabis Inc.’s Drift are most recognized in the nation, at 41 percent and 34 percent respectively, but most other brands rate between 1 percent and 15 percent for brand recognition.

The report suggests that cannabusinesses in Canada “have primarily focused on raising capital, but this has not inherently translated into strong customer relationships.”

“As the market becomes more consumer-centric, brands must focus on developing a deep understanding of the competitive landscape and consumer behavior to stay relevant and ensure they don’t risk being seen as a commodity.” – Brightfield Group via Bloomberg

Some brands, such as Tilray Inc.’s Canaca, have low recognition ratings but high overall consumer satisfaction. Canaca was recognized by just 9 percent of the survey’s more than 3,000 respondents but 97 percent of those consumers were overall satisfied by the product and 99 percent said they would buy it again. Tweed, by comparison, had an 89 percent overall satisfaction rating with 90 percent saying they would purchase it again.

A Green Horizons report published last month found no U.S. cannabis brand was recognized by more than 23 percent of consumers.

Overall, 23 percent of cannabis consumers had heard of Leafs By Snoop – the brand backed by rapper Snoop Dogg, while 22 percent had heard of Cheeba Chews, and 21 percent had heard of Marley Naturals, which bears the namesake of late reggae legend Bob Marley.

Both Green Horizons and Brightfield Group said that the low brand recognition numbers proved that there are still breakout opportunities for legal cannabis brands.

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Dan Bilzerian Accused of Partying Away Ignite Funds Amid $50M Loss

7/10/2020

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Dan Bilzerian, CEO of cannabis company Ignite International Brands Ltd, and so-called Instagram playboy who posts images with stacks of cash and models on yachts, is being sued by a whistleblower amid reports that the company lost $50 million last year.

Curtis Heffernan, former Ignite executive vice president, claims he was fired after flagging unordinary purchases to the company board, including $75,000 on paintball field, $40,000 on a rock climbing wall, $60,000 on a “Star Wars” gun set, $31,000 on pool renovations, $50,000 on a bed frame, $15,000 on a ping pong table, and $88,000 on a vault, TMZ reports citing court documents.

Heffernan claims he also found evidence that some “business expenses” charged to Ignite were for household items, groceries, luxury yacht rentals, and transportation for models. He claims that when he brought the discrepancies to the board, Bilzerian accused him of doing drugs and fired him. Heffernan is seeking compensation for damages.

Ignite is publicly traded on the Canadian Securities Exchange, and per its annual filing the firm only made money by selling company stock – to the tune of $25 million – and through debt, according to a Forbes report. The filings show the company raised $19.9 million from “convertible debt” and $23.7 million from a “short-term promissory note.”

The filing also indicates that Ignite used cash to pay for salaries, licensing fees, and business and travel expenses for companies “owned by the CEO.”

The report runs contrary to former Ignite President Jim McCormick’s comments last year that he expected the firm to be “cash flow positive” in 2020, adding that Ignite was run “very lean and mean.”

In the filing, the board warned that, partly due to the coronavirus pandemic and partly due to “an unfavorable perception” of the Ignite brand, “there is no assurance that it will be able to obtain adequate financing in the future or that such financing will be on terms that are acceptable to the company.”

“The uncertainty of the Company’s ability to achieve profitable operations and its success in raising additional capital funding may cast significant doubt on the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern.” – Ignite’s Board of Directors in an CSE filing

The company also received $1.2 million from the federal Paycheck Protection Program which was designed to help businesses struggling from the coronavirus pandemic. The company indicated it intends to apply for forgiveness on that loan.

Bilzerian told TMZ that Heffernan’s claim is “frivolous” and “ridiculous,” and that he was “fired for incompetence and negligence” and said Ignite would respond with its own lawsuit.

Note: All currency in U.S. dollars

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Do Adaptogens Help Bridge The Gap Between CBD And Wellness?

7/10/2020

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As an editor of West of Wild, an online publication dedicated to helping high-performing women optimize their day, I’ve tried a lot of CBD products. From novel packing, to novel dosing suggestions, to the coveted celebrity endorsement, for better or for worse, CBD brands have been making a tremendous effort to define themselves in a saturated market. However, with the surge of market entrants, and general inability of the average consumer to differentiate one CBD product from another, their efforts have not always been successful. In the case of expensive media buys, such efforts are often unsustainable.

Thus, the current mood in the industry is innovate, or die. To avoid the latter, some savvy cannabis entrepreneurs have coupled the cannabinoid with a category of plants that have been around for centuries, yet have only recently sprung to the fore-front of the wellness world.

Thanks to the educational efforts of their earliest purveyors, this class of holistic herbs are now familiar enough to the average consumer, that their coupling with CBD, might just make the cannabinoid more approachable. If you’ve frequented the ever-popular Moon Juice in West Hollywood, listened to a Goop podcast, or fancy yourself a cup of mushroom coffee, you’ve most likely heard of these plants. Yep, I’m talking about adaptogens.

Adaptogens and CBD

Adaptogens have been making a slow and steady resurgence in the wellness world, but their coupling with CBD is a relatively new concept. At the forefront of this pairing, is wellness entrepreneur Ken Lawson, founder of the FOCL brand of products.

Struggling with the common issues of focus and sleep, Lawson “became obsessed with finding, researching, and vetting the best natural ingredients to help”. While on his own personal wellness journey, Lawson stumbled on adaptogens such as Lion’s Mane and Ashwagandha, which he found to be beneficial in their own right. Once friends and family started asking what he was taking, “the lightbulb went off”, and the FOCL founder decided to combine adaptogens with CBD.

FOCL now offers a line of Wellness Stacks, which couple broad spectrum CBD with a slew of adaptogenic herbs and mushrooms -all in neat and tidy pill form. Each ‘stack’ is optimized for the time of day you are taking it: with “FOCL Day” pairing CBD with adaptogens that increase focus, learning, and memory; and “FOCL Night” pairing cannabidiol with adaptogens that help you achieve high-quality sleep.

When asked about the requirements a given adaptogen must meet before being included in the formula, Lawson stated that safety and effectiveness are the two most important criteria when selecting ingredients. Aside from having a world class scientist on their board of directors, clinical studies, consumer data, and top eastern and western doctors are all consulted in the selection and formulation of FOCL’s wellness stacks. Thus, while you’ll see some well known adaptogens such as Lions Mane and Ashwagandha in FOCL’s formulas, you’ll also see some lesser known herbs such as Purple Passion Flower and Bacopa Monnieri.

While it’s clear that Lawson made the decision to combine CBD and adaptogens in order to amplify their respective wellness benefits, I can’t help but wonder if the combination may also serve to bridge the gap between cannabis and the broader world of wellness. Put differently, could an established association with adaptogens, (and eventual inclusion of CBD in the categorization itself), help de-stigmatize hemp derived products in the minds of consumers?

After all, adaptogens are grouped by their ability to help the body produce a healthy stress response, and doesn’t CBD accomplish this as well?

It seems that only time will tell. In the meantime, Lawson is aware that “some [adaptogens] are more well known to the public than others” and admits that even as the popularity and awareness of these plants continues to grow, FOCL’s job is to “help educate and expose people to these amazing gifts from Mother Nature”.

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Massachusetts’ Mayflower Medicinals Employees Join Union

7/10/2020

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Workers at Mayflower Medicinals in Holliston, Massachusetts have voted to join United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 1445, the Boston Business Journal reports. The union said employees chose to join to the union due to slow responses to the coronavirus pandemic, lack of consistent treatment from management, and a dearth of adequate healthcare coverage.

The union will next negotiate a contract for the employees.

“More Massachusetts cannabis workers will have an opportunity to ensure the beginnings of this industry, and the working conditions in all these facilities are equitable and standardized,” Local 1445 Secretary Treasurer and Organizing Director, Fabricio DaSilva, in a statement via the Business Journal

In 2019, employees at Sira Naturals became the first cannabis employees in the state to unionize, according to the report. Since then, Local 328 won an election at Curaleaf’s Hanover dispensary, Local 1445 filed petitions with the state to represent workers at Cultivate in Leicester, and on July 1, 60 employees at New England Treatment Access’s Franklin cultivation facility voted to join Local 1445.

Under some cannabis laws, businesses are required to have labor-peace deals which sometimes involves unions, but not always. Stoney Brothers employees in Portland, Oregon last year became the first in the state to unionize, voting unanimously to join UFCW Local 555. The UFCW is also recruiting cannabis employees in Washington state.

In February, budtenders at Clarity Cannabis in British Columbia became the first workers at a private dispensary in Canada to vote to join a union.

Mayflower is owned by iAnthus Capital Holdings.

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Kansas City, Missouri Removes Cannabis Possession from City Criminal Code

7/10/2020

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Kansas City, Missouri lawmakers voted on Thursday to remove cannabis possession from the city code, effectively decriminalizing low-level cannabis-related offenses, the Kansas City Star reports. The crimes can still be prosecuted by county prosecutors who wish to pursue the case.

In 2017, Kansas City voters approved a decriminalization measure which replaced criminal penalties for cannabis possession up to 35 grams with a civil fine of $25. Thursday’s City Council vote removed that penalty.

Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker has already said she would no longer prosecute low-level possession; however, portions of Kansas City are in Clay, Platte, and Cass counties, and prosecutors in those counties could choose to bring a criminal case.

Due to this geographical issue, some city councilors and advocates said removing cannabis possession from the city code might actually make it more likely prosecutors outside of Jackson County would levy criminal charges because it removed the citywide protections afforded by the 2017 reforms.

Councilwoman Katheryn Shields said people in her district could receive harsher penalties than those in districts in the neighboring counties.

“By taking this option from the police of being able to file something that’s a city charge and instead taking it to the state prosecutor, we’re putting any of those African Americans and Hispanics who are stopped while … in Clay and Platte county in a possession of perhaps facing much more serious state charges.” – Shields via the Star

Mayor Quinton Lucas told the council that 90 percent of possession cases in Kansas City happened in Jackson County and wondered whether they would backtrack on something that would benefit 90 percent of those affected “because of the 10 percent.”

The measure was approved 9-4.

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SEC Orders Halt to the High Times IPO

7/09/2020

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The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has reportedly told Hightimes Holding Corp. to halt its initial public offering after the company missed a June 12 deadline for filing its audited annual report.

Attorneys Stephen Weiss and Megan Penick of Michelman Robinson LLP — who both work as securities lawyers for High Times — confirmed to Cannabis Law Report‘s Teri Buhl that the company cannot accept additional sales until the annual report is filed and publicly available for investors. The most recent High Times annual report was filed in June 2019 and showed that the company had raised just $15 million of its $50 million goal.

High Times has been technically barred from accepting any new sales and, when Buhl asked about the company’s marketing materials in early June, Penick said she was unaware the company was still pitching to investors.

In an SEC filing by High Times on June 30, meanwhile, the company announced yet another extension of its IPO but failed to mention that it was not allowed to accept new sales due to having missed the audit deadline earlier that month.

“The SEC may have softened up in the Covid crisis but previously, both sales and offers were supposed to stop during such time as the issuer was delinquent in its filings, because there is no exemption under Reg A for ‘offers’ … while a company is delinquent.” — Securities attorney Sara Hanks, via Cannabis Law Report

Ultimately, the company’s Regulation A offering has drawn a mixed bag of criticism and hesitant excitement from the cannabis space.

Here’s a shocker! 😁@HIGH_TIMES_Mag is extending its public fleecing by another three months pic.twitter.com/0AaMmC1nuA

— Alan Brochstein, CFA (@Invest420) June 30, 2020

The High Times brand was sold in 2017 to Los Angeles-based Oreva Capital, headed by Adam Levin, for $70 million. The High Times IPO was first announced in July 2018 under the federal Reg A exemption. Since then, the company has gone through three different CEOs, announced a major pivot from media and events to the business of cannabis retail, carried out a flurry of acquisitions, and has been the target of multiple lawsuits over unpaid debts.

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Breck Speed and Cameron Meshell: CBD Beverage Infusions

7/09/2020

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Beverages are a rapidly-growing segment of the CBD industry, and are predicted to generate $1.4B in annual sales by 2023. In this interview, Breck Speed and Cameron Meshell of Farmington Research describe their process of infusing beverages with CBD, the history and driving ideology behind their business, what makes CBD-infused beverages such an exciting consumer goods opportunity, and much more!

Ganjapreneur: What would you say are the biggest problems facing cannabis and CBD brands who want to develop infused beverage products?

Breck Speed: I come from a background of over 30 years in the healthy beverage business both as a bottler and a brand owner. For beverage brands, delivering a great tasting product to consumers also having a discernible benefit is the whole ball game. Fail that test and consumers will go elsewhere. So when I became intrigued with the developing cannabis/CBD market I was concerned to discover serious issues with taste, smell, and solubility in the available extracts in the marketplace. At Farmington, we believe we have solved those issues.

How has Farmington Research addressed common cannabis beverage issues like solubility, taste, and smell? Have you seen issues like this in other beverage markets?

Cameron Meshell: Solubility, taste, and smell are major issues for most cannabis extracts in beverage applications. Other beverage additives may have an issue with one of those factors like Stevia (taste) or CO2 (poor solubility at warm temperatures). Cannabis has issues with all three and presents a real challenge to flavor companies and brand owners. Farmington Research has developed a proprietary process over the last several years which addresses these factors and allows brand developers much more freedom to create wonderful tasting products. We can’t tell you how but we can prove it! Sample us, test us, taste us and you’ll be convinced.

Why are beverages an ideal form of consumption for cannabis and CBD?

Breck Speed: Beverages are familiar to consumers. It is the way they enjoy alcohol, how they hydrate and refresh, what they turn to for energy, and more recently what they consume for a wellness benefit. The only thing missing for them to fully enjoy CBD or Cannabis in beverages is a reliable, familiar way to understand the dosing. The brands delivering on reliable dosing will be big winners.

What role does Farmington Research play in the development of new products for clients?

Cameron Meshell: Like Breck, I used to run a bottling operation. We don’t just understand the science behind cannabis and CBD. We also understand working with flavor houses, the mechanics of batching, bottling, testing, compliance, and the sourcing of supplies. The nuts and bolts of what it takes to bottle a brand and get it in distribution. That experience really streamlines the relationship with brand owners whether they are new to the business or “beverage war” veterans. Working with Farmington is a “value added” experience.

As consultants how does the Farmington Research team stay informed on the regulatory uncertainty and changes that happen in the developing market?

Breck Speed: I was an attorney with a practice representing businesses in regulated industries before I was in the beverage market. I also was closely involved as the Chairman of the International Bottled Water Association in the many legal and political challenges that particular industry has faced over the last 30 years. To stay informed on the legal hurdles in the developing cannabis market we consume industry news closely from multiple sources, follow the statements of the FDA and state authorities closely, share information with other leaders in the cannabis market, and attend conferences and seminars. It’s a “firehose” of information to consume right now. We do all of this so we can share what we learn with our extract customers so they can develop the best practices to stay out of the crosshairs of regulators.

What is the biggest misconception about CBD-infused products within the industry right now?

Breck Speed: The biggest misconception has been exposed! Early on people believed the market would take off like a rocket and were surprised when it was more like a late model sedan. I do believe the market will be quite large in the not-too-distant future and I see a lot of consumer products companies taking steps to participate. But regulatory uncertainty has delayed participation by major brands, retailers, and distributors. That hesitation has created an opportunity for early movers who under normal market conditions would be left looking for small niches.

Where does Farmington Research source the hemp for your CBD formulations? Are there multiple genetics available for product formulation?

Cameron Meshell: We process hemp currently from farmers licensed by states having a clear and clean testing record. But we are not hemp or cannabis producers ourselves so will gladly work with a brand owner to process the hemp they specify. If a brand owner wants certified organic hemp, if they want cannabis from a certain state for marketing purposes, if they want something with more CBG or terpenes, we have the experience and contacts to make it happen. We are not a one size fits all kind of supplier.

How do you guarantee consistent quality and potency of your products?

Cameron Meshell: Testing, Testing, Testing. We have a sophisticated production laboratory and a process we believe through experience delivers a consistent extract for use in beverages – but we prove it daily. We require testing of the hemp or cannabis in the field. We test it upon receipt at our facility. We test it after extraction. And we work with our brand partners to test it after their production runs. All of our testing results are available to our brand partners and their consumers. Not many other beverage suppliers are so transparent but we believe it is absolutely essential in this new market where consumers are deciding if this is something they want to try, trust, and keep using.

What role do you think infused beverages will play in society five years from now?

Breck Speed: To be honest, CBD and cannabis have been part of society for many, many decades. Now legal and largely socially acceptable, infused beverages will follow a macro trend of consumers seeking out healthy, ‘better-for-you’ drinks. Brands will participate in the fast growing wellness beverage market. They will be part of the premium beverage market. And they will take significant market share in the alcohol market for people who want to relax or recreate but don’t want the significant negative effects of alcohol. It will be a completely normal thing in five years and used for lots of different occasions in our society.

Thanks, Breck and Cameron, for answering all of our questions! You can follow up to learn more about Farmington Research at FarmingtonResearch.com.

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California Cracks Down on Unlicensed Dispensaries with Tax Warrants

7/09/2020

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The California Department of Tax and Fee Administration is using tax warrants in cannabis enforcement, announcing on Wednesday that it initiated actions against 12 illegal retailers in Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties.

The warrants are more commonly known as liens.

The agency said it had seized nearly $1 million in illicit cannabis products along with $100,000 in cash during a crackdown in conjunction with the California Highway Patrol. The cash will be applied to tax liabilities, the CDTFA said.

CDTFA Director Nick Maduros called the inter-agency collaboration “an important deterrent to tax evasion.”

“Tax evasion unfairly shifts the burden onto all other taxpayers and makes it tough for those businesses that are playing by the rules to survive.” – Maduros in a statement

The agency did not name the targets of the enforcement action but said violators are subject to fines and possibly jail time.

California levies a 15 percent excise tax on recreational sales cannabis in addition to the state’s 7.25 percent sales tax and local taxes of up to 1 percent. Cannabis businesses taxes are decided by municipalities and can run from 0 percent up to 15 percent. The state also imposes a cultivation tax of $9.65 per ounce.

As of March 10, California raised $1.03 billion in cannabis taxes since the industry’s launch in January 2018, according to the OC Register. After regulatory costs, cannabis taxes are utilized for childcare for low-income families, cannabis research, public safety grants, and environmental remediation for lands harmed by illegal cannabis grown.

Last month, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) downgraded the state’s cannabis excise tax projections from $479 million to $443 million for the fiscal year which started July 1. Newsom said the lowered estimates were due to the coronavirus pandemic and related recession.

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Oregon Medical Psilocybin Initiative Qualifies for Ballot

7/09/2020

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The campaign behind Oregon’s Initiative Petition 34, which would legalize medical psilocybin when prescribed and supervised by a medical professional, has qualified for the ballot, Oregon Public Broadcast reports.

164,782 Oregonians signed the petition, far surpassing the required 112,020 signatures. The campaign was backed by the Dr. Bronners soap company, which in May injected $1 million into the campaign’s coffers.

Psychedelics such as psilocybin and MDMA have been hailed by many, including the FDA, as a breakthrough therapy in the treatment of severe depression and anxiety.

“This careful, regulated approach can make a real difference in peoples’ lives and we’re looking forward to bringing this program to the state.” — Sheri Eckert, chief petitioner for IP 34, via OPB

IP 34 initiative, if successful, would establish regulations overseen by the Oregon Health Authority for therapists to get licensed to treat patients with psilocybin. Unlike the state’s medical cannabis program, Oregon‘s medical psilocybin program would not include retail options and patients would not be allowed to take the medication at home — rather, the patient’s psilocybin sessions would take place in “licensed settings under the supervision of trained facilitators.”

The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency recently announced it was providing $26.9 million in funding for a medical health study investigating the therapeutic use of psychedelics.

Last September, researchers at Johns Hopkins University announced the forming of the Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research, thought to be the world’s largest psilocybin research center.

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Los Angeles Agrees to Rework Cannabis Social Equity Licensing

7/09/2020

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A lawsuit filed against the city of Los Angeles, California by the Social Equity Owners and Workers Assn. and one of its members has been dropped after officials agreed to process more of the applications for new cannabis industry licenses, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Advocates had filed the lawsuit in April arguing that the application process for new dispensaries – a first-come, first-served system – was flawed. The city had opened up licensing last September for 100 total licenses.

The plaintiffs had claimed in the lawsuit that more than 200 applicants had accessed the online application portal before the official start time for applications which gave them an unfair advantage over others who had waited until the 10 a.m. start time. City attorneys argued that just because they accessed the platform, didn’t mean they started their application and that those who started early were pushed back in line to where they would have been if they started on time. The city also claimed an audit found officials took reasonable and appropriate steps to prevent unfairness in the system.

Last week, the City Council unanimously approved new regulations that will tighten up the city’s social equity program and create rules for licensing new dispensaries in city neighborhoods that have already reached their cap. The reforms were part of a settlement for ending the litigation, according to the report.

Kika Keith, Social Equity Owners and Workers Assn. co-founder, called the new social equity program rules “a great victory” for affected entrepreneurs.

“Social equity applicants banded together and raised the money for legal fees to fight the injustice of the application process.” – Keith to the Times

The city will also scrap the first-come, first-served system in favor of a lottery system. The new rules also narrow the ZIP codes eligible for social equity licensing relief in the city after it was discovered that some wealthier, affluent, white neighborhoods were included among the list of ZIP codes eligible for the program. Licensing officials will now use police reporting districts which Department of Cannabis Regulation Executive Director and General Manager Cat Packer said would better target the communities most affected by the drug war for the licenses.

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Bruce Linton’s New Hemp Venture Raises $150M in Nasdaq IPO

7/09/2020

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Collective Growth Corp., the new special-purpose-acquisition (SPAC) hemp venture by cannabis industry veteran Bruce Linton, has raised $150 million in an initial public offering, MarketWatch reports. The proceeds will be used to invest in and acquire hemp companies; SPACs have no business until they invest in, or purchase, a company.

Linton told MarketWatch that the coronavirus pandemic might have actually helped the company raise the capital. The firm raised $24.2 million in pre-IPO financing.

“People have been at home, and they’ve been seeing the blue skies with less traffic and pollution. It makes them think more of sustainability, and that’s where the hemp plant comes in. If you deconstruct the plant, it can be used for sustainable building materials, and that’s good at a time when people are aware there’s a problem with the supply chain and the environment.” – Linton to MarketWatch

For now, Linton said he has his sights set on the European market where, he said, they have the “best technology” for hemp processing since they never enacted a full ban on the plant like the U.S. did.

Linton also expressed interest in companies studying the potential benefits of psychedelics, such as MDMA and LSD, as a treatment for mental health disorders and addiction. Linton currently serves as a director of Mind Med, which is focused on psychedelics for health and listed on the Canadian NEO Exchange on March 3.

Linton was fired from Canopy Growth – which he co-founded and served as CEO – last July after he reportedly fell out of favor with directors installed by alcohol distributor Constellation Brands, which owns nearly 40 percent of Canopy stock.

In November, he would join Vireo Health as executive chairman, but the firm cut ties with him last month “on an entirely without-cause basis.” He told MarketWatch that Vireo executives “want to do things differently” than he did, adding that they “did not need to fire” him as he “would have been happy to leave.” He said he helped the company raise $8 million during his short tenure.

Collective Growth began trading on the Nasdaq on May 1 under the symbol CGROU.

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LRS Now Offers More Than 401(k) Benefits for Cannabis

7/08/2020

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In response to successfully supporting the cannabis industry with their 401(k) plan needs, Leading Retirement Solutions (LRS) has launched an additional employee benefits solution: The Cannabis Cash Balance Plan.

Seattle, Washington July 8th, 2020 – Thanks to the employee benefits experts at Leading Retirement Solutions, cannabis companies can now legally add a Defined Benefit or Cash Balance Plan to their employee benefits package and start saving money! Having seen great success with the Leading Cannabis 401(k), LRS has teamed up with veterans from the financial service sector to launch the Cannabis Cash Balance Plan; a trustee directed retirement plan solution for organizations operating in the cannabis industry. By partnering with an approved retirement plan custodian the new strategy supports Defined Benefit, Cash Balance, and other Trustee Directed Retirement Plans. With nationwide availability, this solution overcomes the traditional barriers cannabis companies face when looking to implement a legal retirement plan.

“A company-sponsored retirement plan, like a Cash Balance Plan, is one of the most requested employee benefits,” says Kirsten Curry, Founder and CEO of LRS. “It’s also one of the most cost-effective employee benefits, at one quarter the general cost of what a company typically pays for medical benefits.”

Given how few financial institutions are willing to work with the cannabis industry, many companies are unaware that they can legally sponsor a retirement plan. According to a 2019 Vangst Salary Survey, only 19.2% of cannabis companies offer retirement plan benefits to their employees. The addition of a Leading Cannabis 401(k) or a Cannabis Cash Balance Plan to your benefits package will differentiate your company and help attract and retain great employees. Offering a retirement plan demonstrates to employees that you’re willing to invest in their overall well-being, and that you care about their financial futures, boosting morale and increasing employee retention. Not only will adding a retirement plan reduce turnover, but it will save you money as well! By implementing a retirement plan, companies in the cannabis industry can take advantage of Internal Revenue Code 280E and COGS adjustments allowing for tax deductibility of company made contributions. Speak with an LRS representative today to find out how your company will profit from adding a retirement plan to your employee benefits offering.

For more information or to schedule a plan proposal, please contact LRS at (206) 430-5084 or email us at info@leadingretirement.com.

About Leading Retirement Solutions:
For over 5 years, Leading Retirement Solutions (LRS) has served numerous cannabis companies with their retirement plan needs. With more experience in the cannabis industry than any other retirement plan administration company, LRS develops business solutions that minimize taxation, manage risk, ensure regulatory compliance, and build and protect your wealth. We have multiple retirement benefit structures for cannabis companies of all sizes and will work with you directly to find the best fit for your company. Our team of highly trained and qualified professionals will design, set up, and administer the best retirement plan program for your company’s needs, ensuring your plan is in compliance, and helping your employees grow their retirement savings. For more information on the Leading Cannabis 401(k) and our Trustee directed retirement plan solutions visit: https://www.leadingretirement.com/solutions/cannabis-401k-plan.

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Forest Service Hires HAZMAT Consultant for Cannabis Eradication Training

7/08/2020

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The U.S. Forest Service has agreed to a $44,732 contract with a hazardous materials consulting firm as part of its cannabis eradication program, Marijuana Moment reports. The agency said in a public filing of the contract that the services are required because department agents and officers are “getting sick” while eradicating plants on illegal cultivation sites, “requiring trips to emergency rooms with possible long term (sic) health effects.”

The document notes that in 2016, the agency received its first citation from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for not providing training and personal protective equipment, they say, is “needed to operate in this environment.”

The no-bid contract was awarded to NES, which the Forest Service said “tailored a program for hazmat to deal specifically with the unique hazardous chemicals in a marijuana cultivation site run by drug trafficking organizations.”

“This is the ONLY training course in the U.S. available to meet out needs, and has met OSHA standards. More importantly the only recognized course by OSHA to meet their training requirements for our soon to be national protocols. Our Agents and Officers must pass this class before they can participate in marijuana cultivation operations making the safety decision wether (sic) to proceed or not.” – U.S. Forest Service in a filing with the U.S. General Services Administration

In 2018, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s inspector general reported that the Forest Service does not always reclaim and rehabilitate marijuana grow sites after plants are eradicated, and FS is unaware of the overall impact these marijuana grow sites pose to the forest ecosystems.” The report adds that Forest Service agents leave “trash and chemicals such as pesticides and fertilizers” at the grow site which puts “the public, wildlife, and environment at risk of contamination.”

The contract does not indicate whether the training will include rehabilitation of the site.

End

Insurance Premiums for Cannabis Executives Spike as Lawsuits Rise

7/08/2020

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Entry-level insurance premiums for cannabis industry directors and officers of public companies has more than doubled as lawsuits by investors claiming fraud and misinformation are on the rise, Reuters reports. The insurance can now run as much as $250,000 for coverage up to $1 million, on top of the $1 million firms must pay before the coverage kicks in.

Those rates are about three to seven times more than traditional industries.

Ian Stewart, partner at law firm Wilson Elser, said the firm expects “a flurry of cases holding directors personally liable,” while Avis Bulbulyan of cannabis consultancy Siva Enterprises estimates a 50 percent increase in litigation in the industry.

Law firm Goodwin released a report in April that found the number of class-action lawsuits in the U.S. against publicly traded cannabis companies more than doubled from 2018 to 2019 from six to 13. Some of the industry’s top companies were named in the report, sued for false and misleading statements about their business, including CV Sciences, Chronos Group, Aphria, CannTrust, Curaleaf Holdings, Canopy Growth Corp., Hexo Corp., Trulieve Cannabis Corp., and Aurora Cannabis Inc.

Charles Grodecki, senior vice president at insurance brokerage AmWINS Brokerage of the Carolinas, told Reuters that the company is “more frequently … seeing prospective investors and board members requiring D&O coverage in place prior to engaging with a company in order to ensure adequate protection in the event of…litigation.”

Kirk Miller, executive producer at cannabis risk-management firm Nine Point Strategies, notes that major insurers such as Lloyd’s of London and Bermuda have pulled out of the U.S. cannabis market recently due to the 25+ security class-action lawsuits filed against cannabusinesses over just the last two-and-a-half years.

“Underwriters’ appetite for cannabis is narrowing,” he said.

End

Illinois Sets New Cannabis Sales Record with $47.6M in June

7/08/2020

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Illinois has set yet another cannabis sales record with $47.6 million in sales in June, NBC Chicago reports. In May, state cannabis sales totals reached $44.3 million, which broke the previous record of $39.2 million set during the first month of adult-use sales in January.

Dispensaries sold 994,545 total items last month. According to Department of Financial and Professional regulation data, in-state residents made the bulk of the purchases, totaling $35.3 million, while out-of-state residents bought $12.4 million worth of cannabis products in the state in June.

Andy Seeger, an independent cannabis economist, told the Chicago Sun-Times that sales might have been higher if not for the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

“We would be expecting much larger month over month numbers if Illinois had been a healthy market. Right now, with [COVID-19] and the expanded medical model … in place in Illinois, it’s just very constrained on the supply side. There’s not enough canopy space coming online for those that have licenses right now. And any future licenses have been pushed back as the state focuses on its COVID response.” – Seeger to the Sun-Times

Sales from May to June grew 7.5 percent, falling short of the 19 percent increase from April to May. The double-digit jump from April to May could be related to the pandemic when, Seeger said, there was “kind of a run” on dispensaries.

The Department of Financial and Professional Regulation notes that tax data would be released by the state Department of Finance. The state uses a sliding scale based on THC content to calculate excise taxes, as much as 20 percent, along with the state’s regular 6.25 percent sales tax.

End

Grand Jury Slams Santa Barbara Officials for Cannabis Industry Regs

7/07/2020

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A Grand Jury report released last week demands that the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors amend their cannabis ordinances, finding the body mismanaged the county’s cannabis production, dismissed public input on the ordinances, and ignored environmental impacts, the Santa Barbara Independent reports.

“Instead of a balanced approach carefully evaluating how the cannabis industry would be compatible, both as to amount of acreage and location, the board simply opened the floodgates.” – Grand Jury report, July 1, 2020

At this time last year, cannabis farms in the county held 35 percent of all California cultivation licenses issued in last year, despite only having 1.8 percent of the state’s land, the report says.

The Grand Jury report blasts the objective of the board’s ad hoc committee on cannabis regulations which was to “develop a robust and economically viable legal cannabis industry to ensure production and availability of high quality cannabis products to help meet local demands, and, as a public benefit, improve the County’s tax base,” according to the Independent.

The report says those principles led the board to more easily justify the loss of agricultural resources, air quality, greenhouse gas emissions, and odors. According to the report, the odors were particularly controversial and drew complaints from several towns. The Grand Jury said the resulting stench “was not an unexpected result of the board’s actions in creating the cannabis ordinances.”

“They knew about the quality of life concerns and chose the revenue potential of cannabis instead,” the report says.

The board was also criticized for not keeping notes and minutes of the cannabis-related meetings. The Grand Jury said the board sought to avoid Public Records Act requests for such documents.

“The lack of a paper trail does not fit with the concept of open government which seeks input from all interests,” the Grand Jury concluded. They also described industry lobbyists “roaming the halls of the board’s offices” and called the email exchanges between the lobbyists, cannabis cultivators, and the board “unnerving.”

The report recommends that the Board of Supervisors prepare new environmental impact reports and hold proper public hearings on the proposals; develop rules that strike a balance between the industry and community; require all future ad hoc committees be open to the public and their records be accessible; and for more oversight, among other reforms.

The board has 90 days to respond to the report.

End

Introducing Mehka King & CashColorCannabis

7/07/2020

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The story of CashColorCannabis is the story of believing in yourself, your voice and knowing when to pivot.

For those who don’t know me, my name is Mehka (pronounced Mecca). I’ve been a full-time journalist since 2004. Born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts, I’ve lived in the South for the last 20 years after attending Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, North Carolina.

It was while holding a co-editor role for the Johnson C. Smith Student News in 2000 that I realized how much I love and respect the art of journalism.

After college, I launched my own website, lastwordonline.com. Once a month I would interview upcoming rappers. After a year and a half in existence, I was able to catch the eye of several publications.

I would go on to contribute stories for the likes of XXL, Slam, Hip-Hop Weekly and Rolling Out and HipHopenquirer.com.

For a majority of my life, Hip-Hop culture was everything to me.

But like most things you do repeatedly, you can get bored. I did. It was in 2012 to be exact. I had just moved to Atlanta. After a few months of taking on freelance jobs, I had the feeling that it was time to do something else.

So I left altogether and went to work for a non-profit company.

A chance trip to Denver in 2014 sparked my interest in writing again. This time, it wasn’t about Hip-Hop.

This was after Colorado had decided to allow for recreational use of cannabis.

While in Denver, I can become fascinated with the culture of cannabis. To watch people casually smoke weed in public and go to dispensaries was new to me. I saw magazines about weed and the business of it.

After going back to Atlanta, I still had that new car feeling. I wanted to tell everyone about what I saw, but more, what I didn’t see.

When I flipped through magazines or went to websites at the time, I didn’t see Black people.

It was like Black people didn’t smoke weed or cared about the business. Neither of those was true. So I decided to do my part to change that.

In 2015, I put my money together and started to film “The Color Green: Cash, Color and Cannabis.” The documentary was supposed to take a look at the industry at the time and ask the question, “Why are we not seeing more Black people getting involved.”

I recorded that all the way up until mid-2016. After looking at the footage, I really didn’t feel like I was telling a full story.

For me, true cannabis culture includes Hip-Hop. It includes conversations about generational bias. It was politics and pop culture.

Rather than ditch the idea, I switched the idea.

In 2016, I pitched the concept of CashColorCannabis Podcast to Herb, owner of Live Hip Hop Daily studios.

I told him the concept and he loved it. He had Tuesday at 9pm open and if I wanted it, I could have it.

Doing a show like this wasn’t easy at all.

Even in a time when the discussion of cannabis legalization was high, me doing a podcast based around this burgeoning industry and all that surrounds was still a foreign concept. That goes double when you consider where I’m doing this from.

While Atlanta seems fairly progressive, Georgia is not. So it took a lot of courage for me as a Black man, to host a live show where everything from cannabis consumption to mass incarceration would be discussed.

I have had several people turn down the show in our first season due to fear of arrest.

In due time, we would find our audience.

I wanted our show to not just tackle cannabis directly.

Every week, we get to discuss bridging generations, pop culture, politics, racism and more.

200+ episodes later, CashColorCannabis has morphed into an entertainment news blog and curating live events across the country and a clothing line.

Since we first started the show, we have hosted Freeway Ricky Ross, Attorney Gerald Griggs, rap legend Big Gipp, cannabis activist Dasheeda and Ice Dawson, Hope Wiseman and more.

We hope that through CashColorCannabis, we hope to not just normalize cannabis conversation in the Black community, but to change the perception of the Black cannabis consumer.

In 10 years, we want to be known as the B.E.T. of cannabis. From the podcast to producing content for others, I want people to seek out CashColorCannabis when they want to really understand the Black experience from an honest perspective.

So follow us on our journey. Subscribe to the podcast and our blog and help us grow “A Higher Level of Conversation.”

End

Defense Bill Aims to Loosen Cannabis Policies for Military Re-Enlistment

7/07/2020

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Lawmakers on the House of Representatives Armed Services Committee have included a provision in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that would allow service members to re-enlist if they are truthful about any cannabis use while they were separated from the military.

The amendment, which would allow the Pentagon to grant waivers for cannabis use on a case-by-case basis, was introduced by Arizona Rep. Ruben Gallego (D). Gallego is a former Maine. In a press release, Gallego indicated the amendment would modernize re-enlistment policies which he called “long overdue.”

Gallego introduced the amendment last session, which passed the House but was not adopted by the Senate.

“Smoking pot just once shouldn’t prevent a patriotic American from fighting for our country. We need to finally exercise some common sense when it comes to our marijuana policies, and I’m glad my amendme6nt will lead us in that direction.” – Gallego in a statement

According to the amendment text, the amendment would cover soldiers “admitted to or been convicted by a court of competent jurisdiction of a single violation … relating to the use or possession of cannabis” as long as it’s a misdemeanor charge and did not occur while the individual was serving active duty.

House lawmakers still have to debate the measure, but the NDAA is must-pass legislation. The measure must also be approved by the Republican-led Senate.

End

Medical Cannabis Firm Wins $1.97M Jobs Grant in Australia

7/07/2020

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The Victoria, Australia government has awarded a $1.97 million grant to medical cannabis company Cann Group to assist with electricity upgrades at a cultivation and production facility in Mildura. The project was eligible for the Regional Jobs Fund grant as the facility has the potential to create 150 local jobs.

Cann Group CEO Peter Crock said the support of the Victorian Government is critical in developing the state’s leadership position in the emerging Australian medicinal cannabis industry. He said the company chose Mildura “due to the region’s agricultural and horticulture heritage and because of the local climate, specifically, the days of sunshine and high light intensity which are conducive to cultivating cannabis crops.”

“Our plans to develop commercial scale production capacity at Mildura are central to the company’s strategy of being a fully integrated medicinal cannabis company that can service both Australian domestic patients and access valuable overseas markets. This grant is a tangible demonstration of support from the Victorian Government in terms of our objectives.” – Crock in a statement

Minister for Agriculture and Regional Development Jaclyn Symes said in a Facebook post that the project “has already supported jobs for 133 locals during construction,” noting that the site will be capable of growing 70,000 kilograms of cannabis. The Victorian Government’s Medical Cannabis Industry Development Strategy aims for the state to supply half of Australia’s medicinal cannabis by 2028, she said.

“This is a hugely promising sector, and backing projects like this puts Victoria at the forefront of medicine and the creation of a new local industry,” she said.

In 2017, Cann Group was the first firm issued a Cannabis Research License by the Australian government.

Note: All currency in Australian dollars

End

Understanding IG Insights and Analytics Using the Creator Studio

7/06/2020

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Tired of looking at your Instagram account’s insights on your phone? Now you can use the browser Creator Studio to check out your account’s metrics and analytics on your desktop or laptop. We all agree how important it is to have a strong social media presence and knowing your audience is a key component in creating a marketing strategy for your social media accounts – especially Instagram. Using the Insights information provided in the Creator Studio allows you to analyze which posts performed best (and why), which hashtags your posts are trending in, your engagement over time, how many clicks and reads your stories are getting, and more!

Before you Begin:

Make sure you have an both an Instagram account and a Facebook Page that you are an admin of on Facebook.
Convert your Instagram account to a Business Profile or Creator Account, this can be done within the settings menu in the Instagram app.
Connect your Instagram account to the Facebook Page. The Facebook Page you link your Instagram account to can be published and public, or unpublished and invisible to the public.

Step One: Log into the Creator Studio

Click the Creator Studio link. At the top of the login page you will see icons for Facebook and Instagram, you can log in with either your Facebook account or your Instagram account. It does not matter which you use to log in; once you are in the Creator Studio you will be able to check out either account – though in this tutorial we will be focusing on your IG account. In the images below, the top one with the blue background shows the Facebook login, and the lower one with the purple background shows the Instagram login.

Step Two: Find the Insights Tab

Once you are logged in you will see a screen similar to the one below:

Again, at the top you will see icons for Facebook and Instagram which you can use to toggle between posting on Facebook and Instagram. In the screenshot above you can see that I have selected the Instagram icon and can now see all of the Instagram posts and stories that were posted, scheduled, or drafted.

For our purposes today we will ignore these options and focus on the “Insight” button in the left side-menu as in the screenshot below:

Once you click the “Insight” button you will need to choose which of your IG account’s insights you would like to check out – if you only manage one account this option will not come up.

You can also toggle between your “Activity” or “Audience” insights–Your Activity insights will give you information about your account, such as how many people are interacting with it and what they are doing, while your Audience insights will show you data on your audience; the number of followers you have, their gender, their age, where they are from, and when they usually interact with your account.

If there is ever any confusion about the information that is presented in these options, click the little “i” circle in the top right corner and it will give you a breakdown of what you are looking at.

Step Three: What Does It All Mean?

Let’s start with the “Activity” insights tab. The data is always given for the last seven days. You will see two different graphs displaying the following data:

Interactions: The graph displays the number of actions people have taken on your account each day. Below the graph, you can see this number broken down into Website Visits, Profile Visits, Calls, Texts, Emails, and Get Directions. Within each box you can see how this data point compares the previous seven days and if it has increased or decreased; a green upward-facing arrow indicates an increase, and a red downward arrow indicates a decrease.

Discovery: This graph displays the number of other accounts you reach each day. Reach = The number of unique accounts that have seen any of your posts. Under the graph, you can see the total number of impressions over the last seven days and how this number compares to the previous seven days

Note: Reach is the total number of people who see your IG content, while Impressions is the number of times your content was displayed, whether it was actually seen or not.

Now onto the “Audience” insights tab. Again, this tab is showing audience activity from the last 7 days.

Right at the top, you can see your total number of followers and the amount that this number has increased or decreased over the last seven days.

Below this statistic are four graphs: Age and Gender of Your Followers, When Your Followers are on Instagram, Countries, and Cities.

Age and Gender of Your Followers

This graph will help you understand who your current audience is. Is it who you thought? Is it your target audience? Toggle between looking at age and gender together or separately.

When Your Followers are on Instagram

Ever wondered when is the best time to post on your IG account? Studying this graph can help you see what time of day and day of the week your followers are most active on IG. Toggle between Day and Day & Hour.

When on the Day tab, hover over each day of the week to see how many of your followers are generally on IG that specific day of the week.

Switch to the Day & Hour tab to see what hours of the day your followers are generally on IG. The darker the blue the more followers there are for that time and day slot. Timing your posts to coincide with higher engagement is important as it is known that IG will give posts with quicker engagement higher priority.

Countries and Cities

This one is pretty self-explanatory but again is very important in shaping how you approach your IG marketing strategy.

Step Four: How to Implement the Insights

Studying your account’s insights will help you understand your audience better. Understanding your audience will give you a focus and help narrow your content down to best apply to your followers. You can start to understand who your audience is: Do they live in the same time zone as your company? Are they on the IG app during work hours or in the evenings? Are they older or younger than you thought? Do they engage regularly with your account or not?

Possibly, you will learn that your current marketing techniques are bringing in a different audience (age, location, gender) than you meant to and it’s time to change your approach. Create new marketing materials and techniques that target the segments of your audience that you want to increase. Try new things, learn from them, and keep growing!

End

How to Schedule Instagram Posts Using the Creator Studio

7/06/2020

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Instagram marketing is an integral part of running a cannabis business; with limited access to ads on Facebook and Instagram, it is extra important that you have an airtight marketing strategy for promoting your cannabis blog or brand. In this quick photo tutorial we will show you how to not only draft Instagram posts using Facebook’s new Creator Studio, but also schedule them so that you always have fresh new content on your account.

Before you Begin:

Make sure you have an both an Instagram account and a Facebook Page that you are an admin of on Facebook
Convert your Instagram account to a Business Profile or Creator Account, this can be done within the settings menu in the Instagram app.
Connect your Instagram account to the Facebook Page. The Facebook Page you link your Instagram account to can be published and public, or unpublished and invisible to the public.

Step One: Log into the Creator Studio

Click the Creator Studio link. At the top of the login page you will see icons for Facebook and Instagram, you can log in with either your Facebook account or your Instagram account. It does not matter which you use to log in, as once you are in to the Creator Studio you will be able to post to either account. In the images below, the top one with the blue background shows the Facebook login, and the lower one with the purple background shows the Instagram login.

Step Two: Create Your Post

Once you are logged in you will see a screen similar to the one below:

For our purposes today we will ignore these options and focus on the “Create Post” button in the left side-menu as in the screenshot below:

Once you click the “Create Post” button you will have the option to draft a post for your Instagram Feed or IGTV. Click the “Instagram Feed” tab. A post-drafting window will pop up (screenshot below). Write your caption (including hashtags) in the caption box, add your location, and upload your photos or videos.

Once the photos have uploaded your photos you will be able to individually tag accounts, crop them, or delete them. These three options show up as three icons in the lower right corner of each photo.

Step Three: Edit Your Post

If you choose to crop your photo a new window will pop up allowing you to crop it to a square, landscape, or vertical shape. Choose an option, move the box around to crop out what you don’t want in your photo and click the “Save” button in the lower right hand corner.

Finally, you are ready to publish your post. You have added a caption (with up to 30 hashtags), a geolocation, and your photos or videos (all cropped and with account tags added). If you wish to immediately publish your post, simply click the blue “Publish” button in the bottom right-hand corner. However, If you would like to either schedule your post or save it as a draft, then click the little blue arrow just to the right of the blue “Publish” button. Once you click this arrow you have the option to “Schedule” your post – if clicked, you will be given the opportunity to pick which date and exact time you would like your post to be published. If you click the “Save as Draft” option, then your post will save and you can find it back in the main menu where we started.

Step Four: Publish Your Post

You are finished! You now have the ability to schedule and draft Instagram posts in your browser. Research has proven that regular, especially daily, posting will increase your follower count and engagement. Never be caught flat-footed on holidays and important events in your company, schedule a post ahead of time and give your followers the best content you can.

This is the second installment of a three-part tutorial series covering Facebook’s Creator Studio App. Click here for the next installment!

End

Using the New Facebook Creator Studio App

7/06/2020

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Think of this free app as a “behind-the-scenes” look at your Facebook page – or pages, if you manage more than one. This new app allows you to accomplish the same tasks as the browser version of Creator Studio: check page performance, look at published, scheduled, and drafted posts, examine page insights, read and respond to your messages and comments – all from an easy-to-use app on your phone! Please note that you cannot draft posts within this app.

Before you Begin:

Make sure you have an both an Instagram account and a Facebook Page that you are an admin of on Facebook.
Convert your Instagram account to a Business Profile or Creator Account, this can be done within the settings menu in the Instagram app.
Connect your Instagram account to the Facebook Page. The Facebook Page you link your Instagram account to can be published and public, or unpublished and invisible to the public.

Step One: Download the Creator Studio App

The Creator Studio app is supported by both iOS and Android devices. On your mobile device, go to the App Store or Play Store.

Search “creator studio” and look for the Creator Studio app with the correct logo and download it for free.

Sign-in to the Creator Studio app using your Facebook log-in information.

If you manage more than one page, choose the one you want to check out.

Once you pick a page, you can always go back and choose another by clicking the page’s profile photo in the upper left corner.

Step Two: How to Navigate the App

Now that you have selected the page you want to work with you can toggle between “Home,” “Posts,” “Insights,” “Inbox,” and “Notifications” by selecting the different icons at the bottom of the page – in that order.

Step Three: How to Use the App

Below is a quick overview of what each of the lower tabs (“Home,” “Posts,” “Insights,” “Inbox,” and “Notifications”) do and how to use them when managing your page:

The “Home” tab gives you an abbreviated snapshot from the “Insight” and “Posts” tabs with an option to go to those tabs and look into the data more deeply.

The “Posts” tab shows your Published, Scheduled, and Drafted posts. Toggle between these options or use the magnifying glass in the upper right corner to look for a specific post. You can even filter through all of your posts using the filter icon next to the magnifying glass icon. For each published post you can click on it to see engagement, comments, shares, reactions, reach – plus an explanation of “What do these metrics mean?” in blue text at the bottom.

Note: You cannot post from within the Creator Studio app, only review what has already been posted, scheduled or drafted.

The “Insights” tab gives you an overview of how your page is performing over the last 28 days; how many views, comments, shares, and net followers your page has gained or lost. Each of these metrics can be viewed as a graph comparing the past 28 days with the previous 28 days (shown at the top), or in number form (also shows a percentage in red or green indicating if the data point has increased or decreased compared with the past 28 days).

The “Inbox” tab lets you see your page’s messages and comments. You can respond to comments just as if you were in the browser version of the Creator Studio; you can like and respond to comments as well within the app.

Finally, we have the “Notifications” tab. This is not for notifications about your account, but for announcements and information coming directly from the Creator Studio.

Now you can manage your Facebook page from your mobile device while on-the-go!

This is the first installment of a three-part tutorial series covering Facebook’s Creator Studio App. Click here for the next installment!

End

Puffco Peak Portable Dab Rig Review

7/06/2020

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The Puffco Peak is a sleek, fairly compact, simple use, and semi-portable e-dab rig. Upon first taking it out of the box, it is easy to put together but it does need to be charged for a good two hours in order to get the most out of the battery life. The instructions are simple and the settings are easy to control and understand. That said, it only comes with four color-coded designated heat settings and there is no option for manual precision temperature control.

Temperature settings

The rig’s temperature settings are as follows:

450°F (blue) for small dabs
500°F (green) for medium-sized dabs
550°F (red) for larger globs
600°F (white) for oversized loads

Each of the settings, however, all can result in smooth, flavorful, and cloudy hits, making this rig a satisfying and pleasant overall vaping experience. We found the temp settings actually each work with different sized dabs, the lower settings just take longer to burn through a bigger dab. And you’re more likely to end up with some dab soup in the bowl that you need to burn off or clean out before loading a fresh hit. At first, we were using the high heat (white) temp setting to try and get that same feel as taking a dab off of a regular rig setup, but found it to be a bit too harsh and splashy when trying to do a strong pull. The harshness of trying to take a strong pull is likely due to the design of the bubbler, as it only holds a small amount of water for cooling and it’s compact nature really is designed for slow casual pulls. If you like the gut punch hits of your regular dab rig, you might feel a bit lackluster when hitting the peak, as it’s portable size compromises the ability to take a long hard pull. When used as directed, taking slow, even hits, the Peak does, however, produce a solid, satisfying, and cloudy hit. The unit heats up just long enough to get a good hit, but if you use sesh mode (hit the button 2 times while it’s still lit up) you can keep the temp from cooling off and pass it around or get several hits without waiting for it to reheat.

Using the Puffco Peak

The usability is simple, there is an LED light strip that runs around the base of the unit that codes for heat and battery settings. All of the power/settings are accomplished by a simple set of clicks with a single button. The unit also vibrates in different patterns to alert the user if the unit is activated and when it has reached temperature settings for use. You can choose to either load your oil before or after it has reached peak temperature. The bowl is fairly small and cannot handle a large quantity of product at once, but you can still use a good-sized dab and it will hit 2-4 times, depending on your temperature setting and lung capacity. A definite perk to this product is the heating time, which is around 20 seconds, so you can get to dabbing pretty quick with very little setup. As far as cleanup goes, it’s about the same as any other rig, just take the pieces apart and soak them in ISO or rig cleaning solution. It does need to be cleaned often to prevent buildup at the base and around the atomizer, which otherwise will gunk up fairly quickly.

As for portability, it is definitely easy to use this as a travel rig due to its handheld size and battery-operated system. It is not portable enough to stick in your pocket or sneak into public settings, but definitely great for camping (you’d need a portable USB hub), road trips, bringing to a friend’s house, or just for moving from room to room.

At a $300 price tag, it seems like this rig should come with a few more perks. The vibrating alerts only work well if you are actively holding the rig, if it’s sitting on a table while you are waiting for it to heat up with a preload, it’s easy to miss the vibrating alert and then have to load a new bowl and start over again, so it would be nice to have an audible feature that can be turned on/off. Also, an auto-off feature would be nice, as we often forget to turn it off at night since there’s no light indication if it’s still on, and the battery life never seems to last for as many as the 30 hits they claim you can get from a full charge. A visible light indicator or LED screen letting you know which settings it’s on would have been really nice as well, otherwise, the next day, you have to keep clicking it until you know you’ve cycled through the options again. The ceramic parts of the bowl and atomizer are fragile, stain quickly and break easy. Parts are also a bit pricey to replace and you can’t purchase just the carb tether or the individual parts of the atomizer, so you pay full price for the whole units.

Final words

In conclusion, we really enjoyed the Puffco Peak as a casual rig setup that is great for moving around the house and easy to use in bed. Additionally, our friends who are novice oil users or lightweights loved how easy it was to use and that they could take smaller, more controlled hits. The portability and simple use are the best features of the Peak and, even though it doesn’t hit entirely like a true dab rig, it hits well, the flavor of the oil shines through and we think it definitely has its place as a good on-hand piece to have as part of your oil use equipment.

End

Adaptogens and CBD

Before you Begin:

Step One: Log into the Creator Studio

Step Two: Find the Insights Tab

Step Three: What Does It All Mean?

Step Four: How to Implement the Insights

Before you Begin:

Step One: Log into the Creator Studio

Step Two: Create Your Post

Step Three: Edit Your Post

Step Four: Publish Your Post

Before you Begin:

Step One: Download the Creator Studio App

Step Two: How to Navigate the App

Step Three: How to Use the App

Temperature settings

Using the Puffco Peak

Final words

Get the daily briefing