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Maine Gov. Signs Cannabis Regulation Bill

6/28/2019

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Maine Gov. Janet Mills (D) has signed a bill codifying rules for the state’s recreational cannabis industry, the Portland Press Herald reports. The signing comes more than two years after voters in the state approved a ballot initiative to legalize cannabis for adult use, but the reforms were blocked by former Gov. Paul LePage.

“Over the course of the last several months, my administration has worked quickly to implement the law regarding Maine’s adult-use recreational marijuana market as Maine voters asked the state to do 2½ years ago. The rule development demonstrates what can be accomplished when state government works with lawmakers, industry stakeholders and the public to accomplish a shared goal.” – Mills, to the Press Herald

The law has the strictest residency requirements for cannabis businesses in the nation – owners or those who own majority interest in the company must have lived in the state for four years in order to get a license. The rules do allow out-of-state companies to control Maine canna-businesses – which was changed from the initial version of the regulations after Wellness Connection of Maine threatened to sue the state over the investment limits. Wellness Maine said those stricter rules would have effectively barred it from operating in the state due to its relationship with Acreage Holdings of New York.

The regulations include municipal control for localities to ban the industry or create their own rules if they opt in. According to the report, just 15 of the state’s 455 municipalities have opted in to allow adult-use sales.

Analysts suggest that Maine’s market will be larger than it’s New England counterpart, Massachusetts, with a customer base of about 173,000 and projected revenues of $107 million by 2020. Massachusetts budget officials expect $84 million in cannabis sales in the state by 2020. In Maine, the industry could employ as many as 5,400 people.

The rules take effect 90 days from June 20.

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Missouri Now Accepting Medical Cannabis Patient Applications

6/28/2019

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Would-be medical cannabis patients in Missouri can begin applying for patient cards today after officials pushed up the start date for accepting applications from July 4, the St. Joseph News-Press reports. Patients can sign up at state-approved medical cannabis dispensaries, but they are not yet carrying any products.

The state’s medical cannabis program only allows for low-THC, high-CBD products and dispensaries can begin applying in August to carry the products.

Patients must pay a $25 fee to the state when they apply and dispensaries may also charge a fee.

Eric Miller, a clinical nutritional consultant at St. Joe Health Care and Wellness, said patients must bring all of their medical records to dispensaries when they apply.

“We have a big checklist that we go through. We also make sure they have been treated by a physician and that has also been well documented. And then run down a checklist of our own. Only then will we begin the application process for the card.” – Miller, to the News-Press

Andrew Hicks, owner of 20 After 4, said that regulators have until Jan. 1 to approve or deny dispensaries after they apply, but he doesn’t expect patients to have access to products “until April or March” of next year.

Patients are also allowed to grow up to six flowering plants of their own – along with six in vegetation and six clones – or they can let dispensaries care for those plants for them, Hicks said. The state caps medical cannabis purchases at 4 ounces per month and patients must be evaluated every six months.

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Lindsey Mintz: Combining Cannabis Education & Retail

6/27/2019

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Lindsey Mintz is the owner and managing partner of Smokin’ Gun Apothecary, a prohibition-themed and self-described “late-night” cannabis dispensary located in Glendale, Colorado. Lindsey is also a co-founder of Arcanum, a hemp CBD company that focuses on creating approachable CBD products for athletes, including unique offerings like CBD-infused kinesiology tape.

In this Ganjapreneur.com podcast episode, Lindsey and our host TG Branfalt dive into a discussion of Colorado’s retail cannabis industry and the day-to-day operations of running a cannabis dispensary. We hear about the Smokin’ Gun Apothecary’s brand mission to spread cannabis education and Lindsey shares some of her experiences as both a cannabis business operator and current city council member for her local community.

Note: we experienced some audio issues during a segment of this interview, starting at 20:40 in the recording.

Tune in to the full interview via the media player below! Keep scrolling down to read along with a full transcript of the podcast.

Listen to the podcast:

Read the transcript:

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TG Branfalt: Hey there, I’m your host TG Branfalt, and thank you for listening to the Ganjapreneur.com Podcast where we try to bring you actionable information and normalize cannabis through the stories of Ganjapreneurs, activists, and industry stakeholders.

Today I’m joined by Lindsey Mintz. She’s the owner and managing partner for Glendale, Colorado’s Smokin’ Gun Apothecary. It’s a female-owned, late night, vertically integrated dispensary, and the first in the state to be built from the ground up rather than repurposing an existing space.

How you doing this afternoon, Lindsey?

Lindsey Mintz: That was quite the introduction. Thank you. I’m doing great.

TG Branfalt: You have a lot going on. I’m really excited. You have a very interesting space. So before we sort of get into the details of that, tell me about yourself. How’d you end up in the cannabis space in Glendale, Colorado?

Lindsey Mintz: Sure. So I actually ended up in this space… It was the new, we call it the green rush. But it was really the new gold rush here in Colorado. We knew vertical integration was going away, and one thing about our family is I think it’s really important as a business person to know what you don’t know. And we don’t know growing, but we know business. We know regulation with some of the other things we’re involved in, and it just made so much sense. It was so exciting. So we decided to go.

TG Branfalt: So you mentioned sort of what else your family has going on. You have quite the history there in Glendale. Why don’t you tell us about that.

Lindsey Mintz: Sure. So it’s actually my mother-in-law. Her name is Debbie Dunafon. She started or actually, not started but took over Shotgun Willie’s, which is a gentleman’s club over 35 years ago here in Glendale. So one of the only female operators. Maybe at this point and time she is the only female operator of a gentleman’s club in the nation. And that woman is just absolutely incredible. She knows regulation like no other, and really knows how to work with businesses that are marginalized.

TG Branfalt: And sort of risky.

Lindsey Mintz: Yeah. Definitely risky. She has been… People have tried to put her out of business many times throughout the years. She’s been featured on programs like Dateline. Started the actual first Tea Party, the Glendale Tea Party is what we called it when people were trying to put her out of business. And really our mentality as a family and also as a city of Glendale, it’s about liberty. If you’re not doing anything to hurt anyone, there’s no need to add extra regulations.

TG Branfalt: So you mentioned sort of this idea of liberty, and before we get into sort of the regs and sort of some… At your dispensary, you guys include a prohibition museum, right? You’re featuring the exact opposite of liberty. What made you decide to include this museum as part of your shop?

Lindsey Mintz: This is really one of the reasons that led us to open Smokin’ Gun too, is we really feel like we have a responsibility to share the story. It’s the story of prohibition and what it’s done to us. If you actually walk into Smokin’ Gun, a really neat piece inside the dispensary is this bank teller window. It’s from the 1870s, the Bank of Hibernia. And that was actually five years before the first drug laws were passed in 1875. So it’s this idea of walking into… When you walk into the waiting room, it’s walking into this land of prohibition where we’ve spent trillions of dollars and lost millions of lives. Then you can walk into this dispensary and essentially take a step back, right? Before we had some of these laws, like back in the 1870s. And then we actually have a sign when you’re walking out where we talk about this fact that we’ve spent trillions of dollars on this drug war, lost thousands of lives, and you’re reentering this land of contradiction and prohibition. And believe it or not, the addiction rate is almost the exact same. In the 1870s, it was about 1.5% and trillions of dollars later, we’re still at about 1.5%.

TG Branfalt: So whose idea was this? I mean, who’s the historian that…

Lindsey Mintz: That would be Debbie’s husband, Mike. He is a completely visionary. He’s actually the mayor of Glendale as well, and really he’s run for governor. So if I could for a second tell you a little bit about Mike. He was the only mayor in the metro mayor’s caucus that was in support of Amendment 64. So he actually single-handedly prevented the mayors from coming out in opposition to Amendment 64.

TG Branfalt: No way.

Lindsey Mintz: Yeah. Actually filmed… You can look this up. It’s called The Trap. But he actually filmed a… This is a country boy, right? His father was one of the original Marlboro men.

TG Branfalt: No way.

Lindsey Mintz: He did a rap video with Wyclef. It’s there. It’s called The Trap. So you can look at it.

TG Branfalt: Unbelievable.

Lindsey Mintz: And really he’s done some stuff with Snoop Dogg, but as working from the political side, to really talk about… There is no need for us to have prohibition on something like this.

TG Branfalt: So let me ask you, how do you find the items to exhibit for this thing? Is it easy for you guys to find this sort of stuff, or do you really have to go searching for it?

Lindsey Mintz: Believe it or not, it was Mike and… Or actually, I believe it was our CFO that was at an antique store up in Idaho Springs, which is on your way up I-70 as you’re going to the mountains, and they actually came… It was either our CFO or Deb and Mike, but they found this actual teller window in this little antique store. It was a complete coincidence, but we were just like, “Oh my gosh. We have to have this.”

TG Branfalt: So you mentioned the window. Tell me about the unique design of the building, and then tell me who came up with it and sort of give me the low down on that.

Lindsey Mintz: So if you actually look at the shop from Google Earth, it’s shaped like a MAC 10 pistol. And that kind of playing on this Smokin’ Gun idea. We had this plan to possibly have the building smoke, actually like be a smoking gun. That could still definitely happen one day, but we haven’t done it yet. So it’s starts really from Google Earth that you can actually see that our shop is shaped like this. Then when you walk in, we walk you into that land of prohibition with that prohibition museum. We have a live feed from Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, and it’s actually really neat because a lot of people… You walk in, and we’ve made the door into the dispensary a speakeasy. So a lot of people actually walk… They start walking into the bathroom because they don’t see the door.

So it’s this whole idea of walking into this speakeasy, and then once you get into the shop, we really… One thing when we were looking at some of the dispensaries that were already around in Colorado that were vertically integrated, one thing we really didn’t like was this idea of it was very rushed. It felt like a lot of pressure. It was you one on one with a bud tender. I didn’t feel like as somebody who wasn’t a consumer, I didn’t really feel like… I didn’t feel comfortable. I didn’t feel like I could ask my questions. There were other people waiting, and I didn’t want to be that person spending 15 minutes.

So what we decided to do was really take this… Make our shop like a supermarket and let capitalism take over where the best products are really going to win.

TG Branfalt: So you’re obviously put a lot of thought into everything from the design to the layout, right? You got to build this from the ground up. But tell me about sort of your promotions, the ones that you have with the gentleman’s club and how important are sort of promotions in general in this space, especially in Colorado, which has this far more mature market than most others.

Lindsey Mintz: Not only does Colorado have a very mature market, but we actually have more dispensaries than we have Starbucks. And that is a true fact. So I think it’s incredibly important, and I think it’s really important to find a need, fill a need, and be really passionate about your unique differences. For us, one of the things we really play to is our relationship with our sister company, which is Shotgun Willie’s. We do on Thursday nights, we actually have go-go dancers. So not entertainers. But we use the girls from next door. They come over, and they do go-go dancing. We’ve got live DJ’s, and that’s one of the benefits that we have to being a late night dispensary. Our late night crowd is obviously very different than our daytime crowd where we do see a lot of working professionals, the soccer moms that might not be as comfortable with a promotion like that. That is one thing we do. And then we also have the Prohibition Pass.

TG Branfalt: Tell me about this Prohibition Pass. Talk about how it drives revenue at Smokin’ Gun.

Lindsey Mintz: I think one of the things that has been difficult in this industry in Colorado is customer loyalty. Because this is essentially a commodity, right? So people are I think a lot of times are still walking that line of business versus somebody that really comes in with a passion for the plant. So what we’ve done is try to create this Prohibition Pass to fight against the people that say, “I want med card pricing.” So the Prohibition Pass is a monthly membership fee, but with that, it has everything from $89 ounces to we’ve got phenomenal flower discounts and concentrate discounts. So it’s essentially giving our customer base not only med card pricing but also inviting them to some special events that T Bar does or Shotgun Willie’s does or maybe giving them swag bags from our vendors that have t-shirts, stickers, all that kind of stuff that people like. So it’s this idea of creating this culture and group of loyalty in Smokin’ Gun.

TG Branfalt: So one of the other things that you’ve sort of done, you decided against opening multiple locations and going the route of vertical integration, which goes against the general grain of the industry. Why did you decide to take that route?

Lindsey Mintz: We are not opposed to opening more locations. That’s definitely one thing I’ll say. We are actually actively looking at this idea of possibly franchising or licensing because of the message that we’re trying to put out there, right? Like it’s more than just a pot shop. We’re really trying to tell the story of prohibition, where we’ve come from, and where we are now. So that is something we are open to. I kind of touched on the idea of why we’re not doing the grow side right now. I think it’s incredibly competitive here. I mean you’ve got people that are phenomenal at what they do and it’s just not something that… We feel like we can offer the best retail experience. Could we offer that from the growing side? I’m sure we could down the road, but I don’t think we can compete with the amazing things that companies like, you know, Binske and Cheeba Chew and Mary’s Medicinals are doing. I just don’t, I don’t think we can.

TG Branfalt: Another super interesting part of your business, I think, is that you guys are a late night dispensary. And since the launch of every industry, right, the sort of debate that happens beforehand is that, you know, they’re going to be dangerous, they’re going to bring in more crime. And you know a late night dispensary, you know you think about sort of a late night convenience store, right? They’ve sort of been magnets for crime in some areas. What’s the late night experience been for you and your staff with regard to safety?

Lindsey Mintz: I really think a lot of the credit for the fact that we have had zero issues at Smokin’ Gun really goes to two groups. Number one is the City of Glendale. I think they do a phenomenal job of just really making sure people are safe. They’re always out and about. We’re a very, very small town so they can be there in a minute’s… I mean we’re smack dab in the middle of Denver. But they could be there literally within 90 seconds actually. Their response time is absolutely ridiculous. So a lot of the credit goes to them.

But what we also do is we do have… It is an armed guard, but not in full on like tactical gear really making people feel uncomfortable. So Scott is absolutely amazing. He knows most of our Prohibition Pass members and our customers. He knows them by name. And not only does he make our staff feel more comfortable, but I really think he makes our customers feel more comfortable. So that’s why people choose Smokin’ Gun as their late night stop.

TG Branfalt: I mean, shout out to Scott.

So you mentioned the City of Glendale and you’re also on the city council. Can you just tell me about sort of the process when you guys were deciding to open the dispensary? I know that in many places, you know, the city council sort of the buck stops here, we’re not going to allow dispensaries. What are the opinions of the local officials regarding cannabis businesses?

Lindsey Mintz: We kind of, we like to joke around about this. So Mike will call Glendale the Luxembourg of Liberty. And he’s been quoted as saying, “If I could have just one law on the books it would be don’t be a jackass.” So you know it’s really taking that mentality… I don’t think you could look at anybody on our city council and say they’re a Republican, they’re a Democrat. I think you’d look at us and say like, “These people really want what’s best for us.” And you know we look at this idea of personal liberty and personal freedom. So as far as that goes, as long as it’s not restricted by any type of zoning, you know obviously the owner of the buildings doesn’t have any issues with it. There are some things that are still within our charter that we have to make sure we’re following, but we’re not going to tell somebody, whether it’s a dispensary or it’s a gentlemen’s club, or you know who knows they legalize mushrooms one day. It’s not our job to tell people what kind of businesses they can and can’t have as long as it falls within our charter.

TG Branfalt: Well and something else that’s happening in Colorado is they’re considering allowing social use and you know Denver’s opened a couple shops already because they have that sort of local initiative. Is that something that Glendale officials would be open to if it were to pass at state level?

Lindsey Mintz: Definitely. So that’s one thing that we listen to what our constituents want. And that’s why we do… We poll for any new business that comes in and we really get the opinions of the people that live in Glendale. Another neat fact about Smokin’ Gun is it’s actually a two story building and we have a rooftop that is live loaded. We have considered this idea of a consumption area just for us from the business side of it. It’s really a matter of can… does it make sense from the financial side, right? Like how do you make money from this venture. And that’s really what we are still trying to figure out.

TG Branfalt: So let’s sort of switch gears here a little bit and I want to ask you, what were the barriers for entry, or were there any, for you getting into this space? And what do you think other women, or what do you know other women in this space are dealing with with regard to barriers to entry?

Lindsey Mintz: I really think this… One thing Debbie has been quoted as saying is this idea where it’s the first gold rush where women could participate as equals. And I really think it’s been a phenomenal space for females to get into. You see an exceptional amount of very successful businesses too that are female owned. And I think that it’s just, not only do you have groups of women that have gotten together and we support each other within this space, but I just think the space as a whole has been phenomenal to treat everyone as equals and we’re just super welcoming.

TG Branfalt: You have another project company that you work, that you founded, right? Arcanum?

Lindsey Mintz: Yep.

TG Branfalt: Can you tell me about that and the role of CBD from full spectrum hemp plays in sort of fitness?

Lindsey Mintz: Of course. So the way we got into Arcanum, I will be the first to tell you that I have… Building Smokin’ Gun and testing out products, I definitely tried it. And THC is just, in marijuana, it isn’t my thing. Which more power to everybody that likes it. I just, it wasn’t something that really struck a chord with me. And then I got really sick. I actually developed breast implant illness. Had one of the most severe cases that’s been seen, actually to the point where I couldn’t get properly diagnosed. I was on everything from PICC lines to steroids to I think I was developing resistant staph infections. It was a really dark time. And I had a bud tender and she saw me. And she was like, “Lindsey will you please just try something really high in CBD.” And I’m like, “You know I just don’t want the psychoactive. I own multiple businesses I can’t have that, I have to be functioning on all cylinders.” And she’s like, “Please just try it.”

So I ended up trying a very high CBD to THC tincture. And within about six months, this wasn’t an overnight thing, it wasn’t rainbows and unicorns. But I was actually able to get off all of my pharmaceuticals with the help of, it was marijuana at this point. But it was very high in that CBD.

So that transition led to… I’m a former professional athlete. My father-in-law played football for the Denver Broncos, my husband played rugby for the United States, so we’re very athletic. And at this point there wasn’t a single company that was willing to ditch this hippy dippy stoner mentality associated with hemp and take the risk and be like, “Hey we’re going to go after the active individual.” Whether that’s professional athletes or it’s, you know, the mom who gets tendonitis from holding her kiddo, or it’s the weekend warrior, I just feel like there was such, there’s such a barrier to entry for hemp.

And this was back in 2017. We don’t need to make it more difficult by having cannabis and hemp leaves all over everything and rainbows. So we started Arcanum. And flash forward two years later we’ve got first to market products like a water-soluble CBD electrolyte, we’ve got CBD infused kinesiology tape, and about I think 12 different products now. First company to sponsor a professional sports team. And it’s just been an amazing ride.

TG Branfalt: Which team are you sponsoring?

Lindsey Mintz: We actually sponsored… So major league rugby started, this is the second year of major league rugby and we sponsored two teams last year. And that was the Seattle Sea Wolves and the Glendale Raptors.

TG Branfalt: So what’s been the response? I mean you have these sort of ties to you know rugby players, you have the ties to the NFL. What’s been the response from these sort of high-level athletes when you introduce them to your CBD products?

Lindsey Mintz: It is definitely, there’s a lot of questions. And one thing that’s been really neat to watch is how the climate changes literally month by month. So if you were to ask me that question in January of 2018 versus talking to me about it now, it is literally night and day. I think I really hit on the idea of third party testing. The fact that, I think last time I checked the statistic it was 126 deaths per day from opioid overdose. And a lot of that really, I mean how many stories have you heard of college football players, professional football players that get an injury and get addicted to opioids and end up overdosing? Like there’s this chain that needs to be broken. So for us and Arcanum it’s really trying to break that stigma and tell people that there is a better way, there is an alternative. To not sacrifice your internal health to be able to do what you love.

TG Branfalt: And it also, I mean some sort of early studies have found that CBD, high CBD products are probably helpful for CTE related symptoms. Which are very much associated with both rugby and professional football. You know you mentioned something very interesting, you said you have kinetic tape?

Lindsey Mintz: The kinesiology tape.

TG Branfalt: Kinesiology tape. I obviously am not a sports guy. How did you come up with that product? That’s really unique, I’ve never heard of anything like that before.

Lindsey Mintz: So how the idea behind that… We obviously see a lot of use of kinesiology tape in the professional space. I think it was really made popular. You had athletes like Kerry Walsh who was using it on the beach volleyball circuit. And we’ve seen companies utilize technology in patches. So for us we were like, “You know what? This is a product that really stays true to our passion, which is this athletic sports channel. And let’s see if we can essentially take patch technology and infuse it into kinesiology tape.” So we actually, it lands… The finished product is going to start shipping out on this coming Monday. Which is I believe April 29th.

TG Branfalt: How long… I’m always really interested in how long a product takes to get to market. How long did the… what was the R&D like for this product?

Lindsey Mintz: It took 18 months. So yeah. And it was 18 months of, “Next month it’s coming, next month it’s coming!” But really it was making sure that… We were actually having the biggest issue with the adhesive. So our tape was too sticky, which is usually not a problem with kinesiology tape, but we were like this is just… it was leaving a little too much residue. So it was an 18 month process to bring this product to market.

TG Branfalt: That’s absolutely an incredible… It’s incredible that it’s finally coming out, congratulations on that.

You also have a charitable organization. Could you tell me about that? You know because of sort of the stigma that cannabis companies have, do you think that it’s sort of necessary that you do some sort of charitable work to try to win people over? Or you know is it just something that you do because you care about your community? I’m always curious about that.

Lindsey Mintz: Our foundation, it’s the Dunafon Family Foundation and underneath that we do have a couple branch offs of that. It is incredibly important to us and that we’ve been so blessed with the ability to be in business in all of these spaces that it is, it’s a no-brainer for us to give back to not only… And we really like to focus on our community, whether it’s Glendale or the state of Colorado. I think there’s so many great things that can be done, you know, nationally and worldwide. But for us it’s like let’s start on our home turf and really see what kind of difference we can make.

With that said, we have done things at Smokin’ Gun, like supported the flood efforts in Houston when that was going on, our foundation has… we donate a portion of every purchase from Arcanum to providing and funding alternative health options for veterans. We’ve helped put kids in fitness programs all throughout the kind of greater Denver area. So it is something that is definitely very close to our heart.

And to answer the second part of your question do I think it’s important, I definitely think it’s important because there’s such a stigma, especially on the marijuana side, to show people that like hey, yes this is you know hundreds of millions of dollars, it’s a billion dollar industry. But we’re really trying to do some good, too. And we’re not leaving it up to the government. So the government will say, “Oh we’re putting this marijuana tax money towards schools and towards this,” but it’s like hey let us show you that we’re taking it one step further.

TG Branfalt: So a lot of what you are doing is education. You’ve got the Prohibition Museum, you know is this something that you consciously set out to do, you know to say we want to teach people about this plant. I mean even with Arcanum, you know, you had to do a lot of outreach with skeptical sort of athletes. Is this part of your mission at this point?

Lindsey Mintz: 100 percent. It is a responsibility to us. And that’s how we view it. That we are so fortunate to be able to have this opportunity here in Colorado. We have a responsibility as a company, whether it’s Smokin’ Gun or Arcanum, to educate people.

TG Branfalt: And the last thing that I want to get from you here is give me some advice for people who are looking to enter this space. I mean you obviously have a long track record of success. What sort of thing would you tell somebody who comes to you and says, “Hey I want to open up a cannabis business?”

Lindsey Mintz: If you are in it just for the money, don’t do it. And that’s… It’s for a lot of reasons. I think we don’t need any people in this space that aren’t passionate about the education side and about all the amazing benefits of both marijuana and hemp with cannabis as a whole. All the amazing benefits that this plant offers. So I would say if that is your one goal, I mean you could go down the rabbit hole with 280E and taxes and all that, but. That would be my big don’t. I think as far as what you really need to look for is what… It’s such a vast space. So going back, and I mentioned this a little earlier, but finding that need, filling that need and being really passionate about what it is that makes you different.

So for Arcanum, for us, it’s you know we’re going after athletes or the active individual. For Smokin’ Gun we are so passionate about lighting the way to liberty. And we see this shop as our, as just one stepping stone towards really teaching people what liberty and freedom are.

TG Branfalt: I want to thank you so much for coming on the show. You know I don’t think we hear enough from people who are this passionate, especially about the education side of it. And I really look forward to seeing what comes out of Arcanum, the CBD side of it is new, it’s emerging. And I’m really happy that you took the time to come on the podcast. Thank you so much.

Lindsey Mintz: Yeah thank you. I’m really grateful to be able to come on it and help a little bit and share our story because I think it can hopefully point some people in the right direction. And if people are interested in learning more or maybe looking at some pictures of Smokin’ Gun you can go to smokingunapothecary.com and Arcanum is arcanumedge.com.

TG Branfalt: Well that’s Lindsey Mintz, she is the owner and managing partner for Glendale, Colorado’s Smokin’ Gun Apothecary. Thank you again, Lindsey.

Lindsey Mintz: Thank you so much TG.

TG Branfalt: You can find more episodes of the ganjaprenuer.com podcast in the podcast section of ganjaprenuer.com and in the Apple iTunes store. On the ganjapreneur.com website you will find the latest cannabis news and cannabis jobs updated daily, along with transcripts of this podcast. You can also download the ganjaprenuer.com app in iTunes and Google Play. This episode was engineered by True Media House, I’ve been your host, TG Branfalt.

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Arizona Auditors Uncover Medical Cannabis Regulatory Failures

6/27/2019

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A report from Arizona’s State Auditor’s Office asserts that medical cannabis regulators inadequately investigated complaints against dispensaries, failed to revoke registration cards from law-breaking patients in a timely manner, did not conduct health inspections at edible processing facilities, and misallocated funds, the Phoenix New Times reports.

In all, the Auditor’s Office made 12 recommendations for the state Department of Health ranging from how to handle patient card revocations to bookkeeping.

According to the report, the agency identified two employees with salaries totaling approximately $131,000 who worked on other non-medical cannabis related programs 5 and 15 percent of their time, respectively. In all, 31 employees did not work exclusively on the medical cannabis program but were paid a total of $603,600 – all from funds derived from medical cannabis sales.

“Additionally, we reviewed a judgmental sample of 65 of the 7,177 fiscal year 2018 Fund expenditure transactions, totaling approximately $2.6 million,” the report states. “For 30 of these 65 transactions, totaling approximately $962,000, the Fund paid the full cost of the transaction, but other Department programs also benefited from the expenditures.”

The office indicated that in addition to regulators never inspecting edibles kitchens – which the Health Department maintained was not within its purview – many dispensaries and grow sites went more than a year without an inspection. In one instance, a grow site that had not been inspected in a year was found to be storing cultivation equipment in a bathroom, which could result in a transference of bacteria and germs to medical cannabis plants.

On the dispensary side, regulators found that one uninspected dispensary had mislabeled products, and another had permanently closed, while the law requires them to be open for at least 30 hours per week. Another dispensary was found to have employed a 16-year-old who was working with patient records – the law requires all employees and volunteers to be 21 with industry registration cards.

The audit also discovered that $600,000 of medical cannabis program funds was spent on a database to allow physicians to access a database of prescriptions of controlled substances – which includes cannabis and opioids – however, the cost was solely taken from the medical cannabis program budget.

Responding to the report, the Health Department told the New Times they believe “that monies for the [medical marijuana fund] were spent in an allowable manner, and that payroll costs for the Fund were only charged for work employees performed on the program.”

The Health Department said it would establish formal rules on using cannabis-derived funds.

End

A homegrown, backyard cannabis plant a few weeks before harvest.

Phylos Biosciences Advisory Board Member Resigns Amid Genetics Controversy

6/27/2019

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Amid the fallout from Phylos Bioscience’s controversial decision to launch a breeding program, Robert C. Clarke has resigned from the company’s Scientific Advisory Board. In his public announcement posted by Cannabis Business Times, Clarke said he no longer shared the same research goals as the company at-large.

“My personal disappointment, which is shared by many whom I persuaded to submit samples, is that Phylos was unable to carry out the science it initially planned. Corporate interests ruled and their basic research was delayed.” — Clarke, in a resignation letter posted to Cannabis Business Times

Clarke points out that many engaged with the company “assumed that Phylos would follow its somewhat predictable economic path towards becoming a variety breeding company and nursery.” He notes that he, personally, didn’t supply the company with live seeds but many did, hoping to assist it “with commercial cultivar selections and eventual breeding projects.”

“Then, Phylos changed its public face and insulted the community whose trust it had garnered by suddenly providing duplicitous explanations of its varied intents,” Clarke wrote. “Most insulting was Phylos discounting the crowd-sourced science and personal initiative that produced our amazingly diverse Cannabis cultivars. Without the international culture of clandestine cannabis growers and breeders, Phylos and other Cannabis genomics companies would have little space to occupy today.”

In the post, Clarke praises Phylos for bridging “the divide between the cannabis community and rigorous science and made that science accessible and compelling to many” – but then, he said, Phylos “torched that bridge.”

Clarke also called “the behavior of some members of our cannabis community quite disappointing,” alleging that some members had little information and pointed “accusing fingers through the hazy smog of the Internet.”

“Most of those chased by the lynch mob of unfounded public opinion survived decades of prohibition, devoted much of their lives to pushing our knowledge of the Cannabis plant to new limits, and remain dedicated allies of our favorite plant to this day,” Clarke asserted in the post. “Taking them to task over problems created by Phylos is additionally disrespectful of our community.”

In a May blog post, Phylos CEO Mowgli Holmes defended the breeding program, saying that “advanced science can help cannabis reach its full potential as a plant that will transform medicine and agriculture and even society, and we knew that [the program] was the way we could bring that science to bear.”

Holmes also asserts that the company did not take data from customers under false pretenses and that the company has made their data public.

“These events have made us face squarely the tensions that are inherent in being a company at the intersection of cannabis and science and agriculture,” he wrote. “We should be translating between these worlds, and speaking in one voice all the time. We haven’t done a good job of that. This experience, which has been painful and humbling, has driven that point home.”

Editors note: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that Phylos Biosciences’ new breeding program used genetics it had collected from clients.

End

West Virginia 2-3 Years Away From Medical Cannabis Sales

6/27/2019

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West Virginia’s medical cannabis law takes effect next month; however, Department of Health and Human Resources spokesperson Allison Adler told the Associated Press that it will take two or three years before patients have access to medical cannabis products in the state.

The bill was first signed into law in Apr. 2017 by a jovial Gov. Jim Justice and the Health Department appeared to be making headway when, a month later, it updated its website to reflect the program. The Agriculture Department followed suit by making its nomination to the medical cannabis advisory board. At that time, Adler indicated that the agency was in the “preliminary stages” of developing the medical cannabis industry rules.

In March, Justice approved legislation allowing vertical integration for cannabis companies, but the move was too little too late as the government had not issued any industry licenses. Justice also vetoed legislation to allow regional distribution for medical cannabis products that might have helped jumpstart the program.

Last April, two years after Justice approved the medical cannabis measure, he signed a bill allowing the state’s medical cannabis companies to access banking services through a state-approved bank. The Treasurer’s Office announced they were seeking that financial institution just days after the bill’s signing.

According to the AP report, terminally ill cancer patients are able to access medical cannabis through reciprocity agreements with other states; however, all other qualified patients are being forced to wait until the state infrastructure is operational.

End

CBD Living Suppositories

6/26/2019

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In just a few short years, cannabidiol (CBD) has become a verified cultural and wellness phenomenon that has swept the country from coast to coast. There are even a plethora of varied products already on the market, including CBD capsules, tinctures, topicals, extracts, gummies, and even CBD-infused sunblock.

CBD — the non-psychoactive cannabinoid found abundantly in cannabis and hemp plants — is officially here to stay. However, as a wellness-minded industry, it would be remiss to overlook one of the most effective and important medicine delivery systems ever developed: the suppository. Suppositories are capsules that are designed to deliver medicines and other beneficial substances to the body without having to go through the digestive tract, which is easily irritable and can sometimes break substances down too quickly. These products are usually inserted and absorbed via the rectum or vagina and are a super efficient method of delivering medicines straight into the body’s bloodstream.

CBD Living Suppositories are a full-spectrum CBD suppository that are made to offer maximum therapeutic benefit, with an emphasis on patient convenience. The products are both fast-acting and long-lasting — a winning combination for patients in need.

The suppositories are designed for easy insertion into the rectum or vagina and a single dose contains 50 mg of full-spectrum CBD — the product can easily be cut in half, however, to achieve a lower dose.

Each and every CBD Living Suppository contains a simple blend of organic hemp-sourced CBD and a PCCA MBK Fatty Acid Base; a single box from CBD Living contains 10 individual suppositories. These products are also verified cruelty-free, gluten-free, non-GMA, and are even vegan-friendly as they do not contain animal gelatin.

With so many other great CBD products already available, one could easily wonder why you might consider ingesting it via a suppository. For especially sick patients, however, suppositories are incredibly important, as sometimes they are the only option that works!

You should consider a CBD Living Suppository if:

You are vomiting and cannot consistently keep pills, capsules, or liquids down.
You cannot physically swallow.
Your digestive tract is breaking down CBD too quickly.

To learn more about CBD, its benefits, and the wide variety of products that are now available to the modern health-minded individual, visit CBDLiving.com. There, you can check out their staggering array of full-spectrum CBD products — including CBD Living Suppositories — and see what options they have that would best suit your particular needs.

End

Oregon Passes Interstate Cannabis Commerce Law

6/26/2019

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Oregon Gov. Kate Brown (D) has signed a host of new cannabis bills into law, including one that contains language legalizing the inter-state trade of cannabis products. Other new laws expand upon the state’s cannabis expungement process, add protections for medical cannabis patients against discriminatory landlords, and add limits for the licensing of new cannabis operators.

Senate Bill 582, approved by lawmakers earlier this month, would let cannabis operators in the state export their extra product to neighboring states with cannabis programs. The bill is aimed at relieving the Oregon cannabis market from an excessive glut of products — a study found earlier this year that the state has an oversupply of cannabis that, at current consumption rates, would last six and half years.

Under the new law, however, the program will require federal government approval before cross-state sales can begin and there is currently not a federal policy in place regarding the issue. Additionally, any exported cannabis products will have to be transferred via roadways and could not pass through states where prohibition still stands, so any potential exports will be limited to just Washington, California, and Nevada.

Meanwhile, the aptly named Senate Bill 420 contains cannabis expungement language that sets up individuals with low-level cannabis possession charges (for one ounce or less) to file for those charges to be expunged from their criminal record. Under the new law, applying for expungement will not cost a fee and objections to any request must be filed within 30 days.

Senate Bill 218 — another new law aimed at reducing the state’s cannabis oversupply — authorizes the Oregon Liquor Control Commission “to refuse to issue initial marijuana production licenses based on supply of and demand for marijuana,” meaning that regulators can temporarily cease issuing licenses in the pursuit of a healthier marketplace. Previously, there were no legal limitations to the number of cannabis cultivators in Oregon.

Senate Bill 970 includes language protecting medical cannabis patients from discrimination by landlords. The new law, which “limits applicable screening criteria for residential landlords,” states specifically that landlords cannot discriminate based on a renter’s “status as a medical marijuana patient” or because they have a “conviction based solely on the use or possession of marijuana.”

End

Skyline view of Boston, Massachusetts on a cloudy day.

Massachusetts Bans CBD Consumables

6/26/2019

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The Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources has banned the sale of CBD-infused food and beverage products, raw CBD flower, CBD products that make any medicinal or therapeutic claims, and any dietary supplements, or animal feed containing hemp. The ban is based on federal Food and Drug Administration regulations banning the cannabinoid from food and other consumables.

According to the state guidance, other hemp products – seed and seed oil, hulled hemp, hemp seed powder, hemp protein – remain legal along with clothing, building materials, and other items made from hemp fiber.

The rules clarify that the state’s licensed cannabis cultivators and processors can buy and sell raw hemp flower – likely for extraction – but flower cannot be made available for retail sale.

“Failure to comply may result in enforcement action from the Department, DPH, the local board of health, or law enforcement. This may include the inability to sell any hemp-derived products in the future, the destruction or seizure of illegal products, loss of license, or further legal action to determine whether the product sold is in compliance.” — MDAR, Policy Statement Regarding the Sale of Hemp-Derived Products, June 12

In an interview with the State House News Service, Jim Borghesani, the spokesman for the 2016 ballot initiative that legalized cannabis in the state, called the new hemp rules “an absurd dichotomy” in a state with recreational cannabis sales. He added that while 54 percent of voters were in favor of legalizing cannabis “probably a lot more want access to hemp consumables.”

Rep. David Rogers, House chairman of the Cannabis Policy Committee, told the News Service that “there’s a possibility” the chamber will address the new restrictions on CBD “if need be.”

Just last week the House voted unanimously to allow farmers with agricultural deed restrictions to grow hemp.

End

Ireland Legalizes Medical Cannabis

6/26/2019

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Irish Health Minister Simon Harris has signed legislation to create a five-year pilot program for medical cannabis access, according to a report from The Journal. The signing comes two years after Harris announced a program would be established.

During the signing, Harris said there are “no plans to legalize cannabis” in Ireland.

“The purpose of this program is to facilitate compassionate access to cannabis for medical reasons, where conventional treatment has failed. Ultimately it will be the decision of the medical consultant, in consultation with their patient, to prescribe a particular treatment, including a cannabis-based treatment, for a patient under their care.” – Harris, during the bill signing, via The Journal

The bill allows medical cannabis access for just three qualifying conditions – intractable nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy, severe and treatment-resistant epilepsy, and spasticity associated with multiple sclerosis.

The measure does not legalize medical cannabis production in Ireland; instead, the products will be obtained elsewhere in Europe, imported by the Health Product Regulatory Authority, and made available to patients in pharmacies. Harris did indicate to The Journal that he has a “very open mind” to allow medical cannabis cultivation in the nation and has a “gut feeling” that it should. Harris added that if medical cannabis were cultivated in Ireland, it would likely be the responsibility of the public health service.

According to an Irish Post report, the program will be reviewed by officials in 2024.

End

The Maryland Statehouse in capital city Annapolis, Maryland.

Maryland Cannabis Legalization Task Force Holds First Meeting

6/26/2019

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The Maryland General Assembly has convened its task force to study cannabis legalization in the state, the Baltimore Sun reports. The task force’s findings and conclusions will go far in determining whether the full legislature will consider legalizing cannabis for adult use in the state next session or put the issue to voters via a ballot initiative.

The task force will form several subcommittees to explore the impact of legalization including criminal justice, public health, and best approaches regarding licensing, taxation and social equity – which was a hot-button issue that led to lawsuits when the state legalized medical cannabis.

The state currently has 15 licensed medical cannabis cultivators, 18 processors, and 77 operational dispensaries, according to William Tilburg, director of policy and government affairs for the Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission. Last year, medical cannabis sales in Maryland totaled $109 million. Tilburg also noted that less than 1 percent of the nation’s canna-businesses are African American owned, stressing the need for diversity in the state’s licensing if they move forward with recreational legalization.

Task force member Del. Nick J. Mosby (D-Baltimore) urged the body to eliminate caps on the number of licenses available in the state.

“Is there an advantage to the residents of Maryland to have an arbitrarily limited cap on the number of licenses, particularly when you look at the fact that this industry is doing so well – $86 million in six months to a handful of folks?” – Mosby, during comments at a task force meeting, via the Sun

The task force includes nine Democrats and four Republicans.

End

KushyCBD Vape Pen, Tincture, & Topicals Review

6/25/2019

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KushyCBD is the sister company to KushyPunch, one of California’s leading medical cannabis-infused product manufacturers.

As a company that is known for pioneering achievements in the cannabis space — like being the first cannabis company to sponsor a mainstream boxing title contender and marketing the first sugar-free medical cannabis gummy product — our team was extra excited to receive KushyPunch’s CBD products for review!

Vaporizer

The CBD Balance Pen from KushyCBD was a delightful treat to review. The pen combines the soothing experience of CBD with the full terpene profile of medical cannabis. The result is not only relaxing — it’s pleasingly delicious! The 175 milligrams of CBD in each pen is infused in a half-gram of pure sugarcane ethanol, which lends itself to an entirely pure and solvent-free experience. The blend works so well and tastes so good, in fact, that it’s hard to believe at first you’re not actually getting high. Third-party lab testing, however, indicates that the sugarcane ethanol extract contains exactly zero milligrams of THC despite the overwhelming flavor of cannabis terpenes.

That said, however, the CBD Vape Cartridge from KushyCBD is probably a better choice for regular vape consumers, as it contains the same pure sugarcane ethanol blend but you can do away with the disposable vape pen and simply add the cartridge to your existing collection. The cartridge itself contains twice as much product as the disposable pen: one full gram of extract, or 350 milligrams of CBD.

Yum!

Tincture

CBD-infused tinctures are one of the most popular types of CBD products in the growing marketplace. KushyCBD’s variation does not disappoint. Each bottle of the tincture contains 450 milligrams of full-spectrum CBD oil — that’s 30 of the 15-milligram doses that the bottle/dropper combo can conveniently measure out for you.

The tincture’s flavor is quite mild, so it’s both easy and pleasing to consume directly, but the oil also blends well if you’d rather mix it with something else, such as a smoothy, protein shake, or other supplemental beverage.

Topicals

We received two topical products in our KushyCBD care package: the CBD Freeze Roll-On and the CBD Body Balm.

The CBD Freeze Roll-On makes for an excellent athletic CBD topical — with its roll-on delivery device, you can easily rub the infused gel directly onto sore muscles and other aches and pains. The gel is also infused with fresh menthol and citrus essence, which makes for a refreshingly cool experience and enjoyable scent — though we suggest starting slow (as should always be the case with cannabinoid infusions) as the menthol/citrus combo is quite potent and can make your eyes water and skin tingle if applied in excess. Unless you’re into that sort of thing, of course.

The team found the CBD Body Balm to be a more generic and all-around approachable topical product. It has a much more mild scent and application process — it works particularly great for sore hands and feet, as you can really get in between your digits with the stuff, something that the roll-on product struggles with. The Body Balm is also a wonderful addition to help facilitate relaxation and comfort during a massage or post-workout cooldown.

To learn more about the above products — or some of KushyPunch’s other hemp CBD or (if you live in California) medical cannabis products — visit KushyCBD.com or KushyPunch.com for more information.

End

Illinois Becomes 11th State to Legalize Cannabis

6/25/2019

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Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) signed the state’s historic cannabis legalization and regulation bill today, making Illinois the 11th state to end cannabis prohibition. It is also the first time that a state legislature has independently approved regulations for the commercial cultivation and distribution of cannabis products for adults.

“As the first state in the nation to fully legalize adult-use cannabis through the legislative process, Illinois exemplifies the best of democracy: a bipartisan and deep commitment to better the lives of all of our people.” — Gov. J.B. Pritzker, in a statement, via ABC News

Illinois’ legalization law — which was passed by state lawmakers on May 31 — goes into effect starting January 1, 2020. Under the law, Illinois residents aged 21 or older will be allowed to buy and possess up to 30 grams of cannabis, five grams of cannabis concentrate, and up to 500 milligrams of THC in a cannabis-infused product. Possession/purchase amounts will be halved for non-residents, such as tourists.

The law was also crafted to include sweeping social equity provisions: starting January 1, anyone previously convicted of purchasing or possessing up to 30 grams of cannabis may have those crimes expunged from their criminal record. Additionally, a portion of the state’s cannabis tax revenue will be devoted to impoverished communities and communities of color, which were most negatively affected by prohibition.

Signing this bill into law won’t undo the injustices of the past or make whole the lives that were interrupted. We can’t turn back the clock – but we can turn the page.

— Governor JB Pritzker (@GovPritzker) June 25, 2019

Unlike most other states, Illinois’ legalization law will not allow adults to grow their own cannabis plants at home unless they are a registered medical cannabis patient.

The law lays out a regulated marketplace for the plant’s cultivation, production, and distribution, including a licensing and tax structure that will expand on the state’s current, medical cannabis model. However, according to cannabis entrepreneur Kris Krane, the president and co-founder of Chicago-based 4 Front Ventures, this approach will result in severe product shortages during and beyond the market’s launch — a problem that has plagued every other state-legal market at its outset.

“The immediate problem is that these businesses have built a physical production infrastructure designed to meet the demands of a 70,000-person medical market,” Krane wrote in a contribution to Forbes. “They are nowhere near equipped to meet the market demand for 13 million residents and 58 million annual tourists to Chicago alone.”

Until licensing is dramatically expanded, Krane warns that Illinois could realistically become “known as the home of the $800 retail ounce.”

Gov. Pritzker campaigned hard last year on the issue of cannabis legalization. After winning the gubernatorial election in November, he said he wanted Illinois to be the first state in the Midwest to legalize and launch adult-use cannabis sales, hoping to beat out even Michigan — whose voters opted for legalization in 2018 and whose marketplace is expected to launch in late 2019.

End

FDA Update Offers No New Guidelines for CBD

6/25/2019

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In a lengthy news release, the Food and Drug Administration said they would apply a “rigorous and science-based approach” in devising regulations for CBD. The update comes three weeks after the agency held its first public hearing on the cannabinoid.

The release, authored by Dr. Amy Abernethy, principal deputy commissioner, and Lowell Schiller, principal associate commissioner for policy, indicates that while the agency recognizes the “significant public interest” in CBD products, “there are many unanswered questions about the science, safety, and quality of many of these products.”

“The FDA’s approach to cannabis and cannabis-derived compounds has been consistent. We treat substances derived from cannabis just like we do any other substances, and they are subject to the same authorities as any other substance. That said, some other relevant laws have changed, and so has the market.” – FDA officials, in a press release

The authors note that the agency has approved the cannabis-derived CBD pharmaceutical drug Epidilox and, since the drug was under clinical trial prior to CBD being added to foods and dietary supplements, using CBD is such a manner is prohibited. The agency suggests they could issue a regulation to create an exception to allow CBD products in foods and dietary supplements; however, the authors stopped short of saying whether or not they would consider making that exception.

They also cite research by Greenwich Biosciences that alleges that CBD is potentially toxic to the liver – a finding that has been disputed by the CED Foundation, who note that the mice in the study were given the human equivalent of 42,050 milligrams of CBD, which they called “an unreasonable amount.”

“In the days where many people are taking 10mg pills of CBD per day, the amounts of CBD that were force-fed to these animals in this study, if translated to humans, would be 4,305mg, 12,915mg, and 43,050mg over 10 days, or 17,220mg, 51,660mg, and 172,200mg in one-shot doses.),” the foundation wrote in a June 20 rebuttal to a Forbes article by Mike Adams. “For reference, these days, most dispensaries sell CBD in doses of 10mg, 20mg, up to 2-300mg.)”

In their update, the FDA stopped short of offering any guidance for the CBD industry but, in an apparent nod to drugmakers, expressed concern that “widespread availability in products like foods or dietary supplements could reduce commercial incentives to study CBD for potential drug uses.”

The agency is still accepting public comments on CBD until July 16.

End

Police Seize 19,000 Cannabis Plants In Siskiyou County, California

6/25/2019

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Law enforcement officials in Siskiyou County, California have seized 19,088 illegally grown cannabis plants in the last month, according to a News 10 report. The actions were led by the Siskiyou Interagency Marijuana Investigation Team along with county sheriffs and the California Army National Guard’s Counter-Drug Unit.

During a June 21 raid, 4,824 plants and 454 pounds of processed cannabis products were seized from 11 Mt. Shasta Vista properties. Officials estimated that the crops would total between $28.9 million and $43.4 million on the illicit market, while each plant – which they estimated would net about three pounds – would be worth up to $3,000 in legal retail markets. In a raid one week prior, law enforcement officers seized 2,818 plants from another Mt. Shasta Vista site.

Other actions in the area netted officers 139 pounds of processed cannabis worth between $278,000 to $417,000.

The region is designated by the U.S. Department of Justice as a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, according to Sheriff Jon Lopey. County officials have banned all outdoor cultivation and medical cannabis patients can grow up to 12 plants and non-medical users up to six inside an approved structure, he said.

Officials throughout California have taken different approaches to curbing the illegal market since voters passed the legalization law in 2016. In April, Los Angeles filed its first civil lawsuit against an unlicensed dispensary and is seeking $20,000 per day the shop operated without a license – in all, about $7.5 million. The Bureau of Cannabis Control has also cracked down on illegal operators with fines and arrests.

In February, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed an order to redeploy 360 of the state’s National Guard Troops to combat the state’s illegal cannabis trade.

End

University of Maryland Launches MMJ Master’s Program

6/25/2019

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The University of Maryland School of Pharmacy is set to offer the nation’s first master’s degree program in medical cannabis including classes for basic science, clinical use, adverse effects and public health, and federal and state laws and policies.

The two-year MS in Medical Cannabis Science and Therapeutics program will be based at Rockville, Maryland’s Universities at Shady Grove as well as online. The program also includes an in-person symposium each semester for networking opportunities.

Natalie D. Eddington, PhD, dean and professor of the School of Pharmacy, said that medical cannabis programs will expand throughout the U.S. and its territories which will fuel “a demand for an educated workforce that is well-trained in both the science and therapeutic effects” of medical cannabis.

“Our MS in Medical Cannabis Science and Therapeutics has been critically designed to prepare students to meet this demand. Innovations in instructional design throughout the curriculum will provide students with the knowledge and skills needed to make a positive impact on communities across the United States.” – Eddington, in a statement

The degree does not require a traditional thesis — instead, students will complete a capstone project featuring a selection of expert seminars, case studies, and discussions.

“[This] is an incredibly unique program,” Leah Sera, assistant professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice and Science at UMSOP and director of the MS in Medical Cannabis Science and Therapeutics program, said in a press release. “Faculty from the School of Pharmacy who lead courses for the program are experts in both basic and clinical sciences related to the study of medications, and are dedicated to making coursework both interesting and accessible to all students.”

The application deadline for the program is Aug. 15; classes begin Aug. 26.

End

Study: CBD Potential Potent Antibiotic

6/24/2019

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Australian researchers are suggesting that CBD could be a potent antibiotic, finding in lab tests that the cannabinoid killed all the strains of bacteria, including those that are highly resistant to existing antibiotics, according to a Newsweek report. Moreover, the bacteria did not become resistant to the CBD even after being exposed to it for 20 days – the period when bacteria can become antibiotic-resistant.

The researchers also found CBD to be effective at treating a skin infection in mice.

Mark Blaskovich, the lead researcher on the study and senior research chemist at the Centre for Superbug Solutions, admitted to Newsweek that the team “still don’t know how it works” but CBD “may have a unique mechanism of action given it works against bacteria that have become resistant to other antibiotics, but we still don’t know how.”

“So far, we have only shown it works topically, on the skin surface. To be really useful, it would be good if we could show that it treated systemic infections e.g. pneumonia, or complicated tissue infections, where you have to give it orally or by intravenous dosing. A very preliminary study didn’t show that it works in these more difficult models.” – Blaskovich, to Newsweek

Blaskvich said that the “most challenging part” of the study was getting the permits to handle CBD in their Queensland laboratory. The cannabinoid, he said, is still highly regulated in Australia, despite the fact that the researchers used a synthetic, rather than plant-derived, compound.

Dr. Andrew Edwards, a non-clinical Lecturer in Molecular Microbiology at Imperial College London who was not involved in the research, noted that the Australian researchers only found CBD to be effective for Gram-positive bacteria.

“It is not effective against Gram-negative bacteria, which are especially difficult to develop new antibiotics for because they have a very selective outer-membrane that prevents most drugs from entering the bacterial cell,” he told Newsweek.

Edwards added that, because CBD is “already well-characterized” for human use, if it’s found to be an effective antibiotic, “it could be fast-tracked into clinics.”

The study results were presented at the annual conference of the American Society for Microbiology, ASM Microbe 2019 in San Francisco. They have not been published in a peer-reviewed journal.

End

Half of Ohio MMJ Patients Not Using Program

6/24/2019

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Only about half of Ohio’s 42,000 medical cannabis patients have bought products from dispensaries, with most citing high costs as the barrier, according to state figures outlined by the Alliance Review. Currently, just 18 of the 56 state-approved dispensaries are open for business.

Although the high prices are keeping many patients from purchasing cannabis through the state’s licensed dispensaries, Thomas Rosenberger, associate director for the Ohio Medical Cannabis Cultivators Association, said that prices have dropped about 15 percent since the first dispensary opened in January.

According to the report, some patients admit to buying cannabis illegally due to the high costs of the legally-available products, while others say they drive to Michigan – which allows reciprocity for registered patients from other states. Bob Bridges, a patient advocate and Medical Marijuana Advisory Board member, told the Review that medical cannabis prices in Michigan’s more mature market are cheaper, even when factoring in gas. Additionally, for some Ohio patients, Michigan dispensaries are actually closer than any in-state locations.

Last month, the Ohio Board of Pharmacy announced that medical cannabis sales had topped $5.8 million since sales began in January, with dispensaries selling more than 750 pounds of flower. Of the 29 provisional cultivation licenses, just 17 have received their operating certificates, while only two of the state’s 39 producers have received certification to begin manufacturing edibles, tinctures, and topicals.

Earlier this month, the State Medical Board of Ohio delayed a vote on including anxiety and autism to the state’s medical cannabis qualifying condition list, according to an Associated Press report. In May, the board had recommended that the conditions be added to the medical cannabis regime.

End

Pennsylvania Announces Clinical MMJ Research Participants

6/24/2019

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The Pennsylvania Health Department has launched a private-public partnership to conduct clinical research on the efficacy of medical cannabis for the 21 conditions that qualify access to the state’s medical cannabis program. According to the agency, the research program is the first of its kind in the nation.

The first three clinical registrants are:

PA Options for Wellness, Inc., which will work with Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey
Agronomed Biologics LLC, affiliated with Philadelphia’s Drexel University College of Medicine
MLH Explorations, LLC, which is affiliated with Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia

Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine called the research “essential to providing physicians with more evidence-based research to make clinical decisions for their patients,” saying the program positioned the state “on the forefront of clinical research” for medical cannabis.

“It is the cornerstone of our program and the key to our clinically-based, patient-focused program for those suffering with cancer, [post-traumatic stress disorder] and other serious medical conditions.” – Levine, in a statement

The research centers will convene in next month to outline what research they will be conducting, and the potential patient outcomes associated with their studies. All clinical registrants to the program must hold a state-issued medical cannabis grower/processor and dispensary permit and must partner with an approved academic research center.

The announcement comes nearly one year to the day after Gov. Tom Wolf (D) signed a bill amending the medical cannabis law to allow research programs. The research portion of the law had initially sparked a lawsuit by the state’s licensed dispensaries who argued that the research license went beyond the scope of the law. In all, eight medical schools have been approved as Academic Clinical Research Centers under the amendment.

Medical cannabis sales in Pennsylvania began in Feb. 2018 and, according to the Health Department, more than 159,000 patients have been certified to access the program.

End

New York Expands Decriminalization, Approves Cannabis Expungement

6/21/2019

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Working past the scheduled close of the 2019 legislative session, the New York State Senate approved legislation Thursday night to expand the state’s cannabis decriminalization language and automatically expunge low-level cannabis convictions. The bill, which is supported by Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D), was approved next by the Assembly early Friday morning before lawmakers finally adjourned for the rest of the year, according to a PIX11 News report.

Lawmakers had also considered an adult-use legalization bill but failed to come to an agreement in time, so the final push for cannabis reform resulted in just an expansion of the state’s existing decriminalization language.

Under current New York law, carrying up to 25 grams of cannabis is considered unlawful possession — a violation resulting in a $100 ticket for the first offense, rising to a maximum fine of $250 for repeat offenses with up to 15 days in jail. The new language reduces the penalty to just a $50 fine for less than an ounce or a $200 fine for one to two ounces; the new bill will also allow for the expungement of minor cannabis convictions.

Pro-reform lawmakers were disappointed that the legalization bill failed but said they will take up the issue again next year, and that the decriminalization expansions were a stepping stone toward reaching that eventual goal.

“We will get there. This is one step on the path. We will get there.” — Sen. Diane Savino (D-Staten Island), in a statement

New York’s original decriminalization bill was established in 1977. Notably, while the old language had decriminalized private possession, the public possession of even small amounts of cannabis was still considered a misdemeanor and an arrestable offense.

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House Votes to Protect State-Legal Cannabis Programs

6/21/2019

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The House of Representatives has approved an amendment to a federal spending bill that would prevent the federal government from interfering in legal cannabis markets. The chamber passed the measure – which is sponsored by Democratic Representatives Earl Blumenauer and Eleanor Holmes Norton, and Republican Tom McClintock – 267-165.

Specifically, the rider blocks the Department of Justice from spending funds to prevent states and U.S. territories from “implementing their own laws that authorize the use, distribution, possession, or cultivation of marijuana.”

Michael Collins, Director of National Affairs for Drug Policy Alliance said the vote was an indication that “the end of marijuana prohibition has never been closer.”

“Now is the time for Democrats to pivot to passing legislation that will end prohibition through a racial justice lens, making sure that the communities most impacted by our racist marijuana laws have a stake in the future of legalization. To do anything less would be to repeat an injustice.” – Collins, in a statement

Blumenauer, the lead sponsor of the amendment and co-founder of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, said the amendment is “past time.”

“We have much more work to do,” he said in a statement. “The federal government is out of touch and our cannabis laws are out of date. I’m pleased that the House agrees and we are able to move forward.”

NORML Political Director Justin Strekal called the amendment “the most significant vote on marijuana reform policy the [House] has ever taken.”

“Today’s action by Congress highlights the growing power of the marijuana law reform movement and the increasing awareness by political leaders that the policy of prohibition and criminalization has failed,” he said in a statement.

The measure might face a tougher test in the Republican-controlled Senate, which must still approve the amendment before it can take effect.

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Report: Total Cannabinoid Market Has $14.9B Potential This Year

6/21/2019

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Cannabis market investor network Arcview Group and data firm BDS Analytics have, for the first time, included the total cannabinoid market in their annual “State of Legal Cannabis Markets” report and estimate global cannabis sales could reach $14.9 billion in 2019 – a 36 percent increase over last year, according to a CNN overview of the report.

The firms included both recreational and medical cannabis sales, hemp-derived products, including CBD, and CBD-based pharmaceuticals approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Troy Dayton, Acrview CEO, attributed the boosted projections to global federal government decisions, including the passage of last year’s farm bill which removed hemp from the U.S. Controlled Substances Act.

“These decisions being made at the federal level put pharmacies and general retailers in the business of selling CBD-based products in all 50 states, which substantially boosted the [projections].” — Troy Dayton, in a statement

The firms predict that CBD sales will hit $20 billion in six years, while both recreational and medical cannabis sales will reach $44.8 billion by 2024 worldwide – assuming some European and Latin American national legalize cannabis for medical or recreational use. The researchers predict at least five states will legalize cannabis for recreational use in the U.S. – Arizona, Maryland, New Jersey, New Mexico, and New York – by 2024.

Two of those state legislatures – New York and New Jersey – did attempt to pass the reforms this session but neither could come to an agreement to pass adult-use legislation.

The analysis also predicts that Canada will have a $5 billion cannabis market by 2024.

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Canada Claims $186M In Cannabis Taxes For First 5.5 Months

6/21/2019

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Canada earned $186 million in excise and general taxes on goods and services directly related to cannabis sales during the legal market’s first five and a half months, according to figures from Statistics Canada. The federal government saw $19 million from excise taxes and $36 million from goods and services taxes while provincial governments pulled in $79 million in excise revenues and $53 million from goods and services taxes.

Cannabis products in the nation are taxed $1 per gram or 10 percent of the pre-tax transaction price; throughout Canada, general taxes on goods and services range from 5 percent in Alberta, to 15 percent in the Atlantic provinces.

In the first quarter of the year, cannabis-derived excise taxes increased 12.4 percent from the fourth quarter of 2018, while general taxes from cannabis-related goods and services rose 68.1 percent.

Brock University business professor Michael Armstrong called cannabis taxation a “tradeoff,” noting that high taxes lead to an increased illicit market.

“Where they do have legal retail, there are lots of taxes that have been piled up – every level of government has tacked on a tax. That makes it really difficult because the legal retailers can’t compete with the black market.” – Armstrong, to Global News

In April, Statistics Canada reported that both the legal and illegal markets have seen a price jump of 17 percent post-legalization, from a combined average price of $6.85 per gram to $8.04 per gram. The average illicit per-gram market price was $6.37 while the highest price for legal cannabis online was $9.99 per gram and $10.73 at retail shops.

Cannabis retailers in Canada will be allowed to start selling edibles, topicals, and concentrates this October but the tax rates for the products has not been announced. In the federal budget proposal, the rates would be based on THC content which is capped at 10 milligrams per package for edibles, and 1,000 milligrams for concentrates and topicals. A Deloitte study published earlier this month suggested that the “alternative cannabis products” market could be worth $2.7 billion annually, with edibles driving $1.6 billion of those sales.

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House Committee Hears Cannabis Industry Testimony

6/20/2019

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The House Committee on Small Business heard testimony by cannabis industry operators on Wednesday about the challenges they face accessing Small Business Administration programs, according to a report by The Hill.

Small Business Committee Chairwoman Nydia Velázquez said the hearing, titled “Unlocked Potential? Small Businesses in the Cannabis Industry,” was aimed to bring attention to a “rapidly evolving” industry that has “small businesses at the forefront.” The Democratic Assemblymember is drafting legislation that would allow cannabis businesses access to SBA programs.

“Despite growing economic opportunities around legal cannabis, factors like federal law enforcement, conflicting rules among the states, and our current banking regulations are hindering the ability for entrepreneurs and small businesses to fully engage in this new industry.” – Velázquez, during hearing remarks, via The Hill

During the hearing, Dana Chaves, senior vice president and director of specialty banking at Florida’s First Federal Bank, said that she thought she was allowed to serve the industry but federal laws prevented her from providing full services, such as small business loans.

“I hope this Committee will develop and pass legislation that expands access to business loans and lending programs under the jurisdiction of SBA for cannabis-related business, many of which are led by aspiring entrepreneurs or are minority or women-owned,” she said during her testimony.

Ohio Republican Steve Chabot, a ranking member of the committee, was skeptical of the industry and warned about the negative effects of cannabis use.

Earlier this month, the Food and Drug Administration held its first hearing related to cannabis products – namely CBD – and in March the SAFE Banking Act, which would give state-legal canna-businesses access to financial services, moved out of the House Financial Services Committee; however Idaho Sen. Mike Crapo, chairman of the Senate banking committee, has not committed to giving that legislation a hearing.

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