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Nevada regulators have licensed the state’s first recreational cannabis distributor in an effort to prevent the newly-launched industry from running out of products, CNN Money reports. The license was granted to Blackbird Logistics Corporation, which currently distributes medical cannabis in the state but needed to obtain a liquor distribution license to serve the recreational industry.

Blackbird CEO Tim Conder said that his company will begin deliveries immediately and plans to double its 30-employee workforce by the end of the month to keep up with the dramatic increase in business.

The state Tax Commission also approved emergency regulations to try and fill the distribution void, which will allow non-alcohol companies to distribute cannabis until liquor wholesalers are ready to enter the market. Those regulations were approved by Gov. Brian Sandoval.

The state is still entrenched in a legal battle with alcohol distributors, who claim that the industry has exclusive recreational cannabis distribution rights for the first 18 months of the program. A judge agreed with the plaintiffs, but following the strong start – with sales almost double what the state anticipated – the Tax Department needed to act, and having appealed the court’s decision, were able to set up the emergency rules.

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Well-Known Utah Philanthropist Backs MMJ

7/14/2017

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As advocates in Utah have begun their bid to put a medical cannabis ballot initiative to voters in 2018, well-known philanthropist Jon Huntsman Sr. has come out in support of medical cannabis therapies, the Salt Lake Tribune reports. His son, Jon Huntsman Jr. is the former governor of Utah and recently accepted a position in the federal government as the ambassador to Russia.

Huntsman, a four-time cancer survivor who suffers from polymyalgia rheumatic – a condition that causes severe pain in the hip and shoulder joints – admitted that “he won’t take opioids” but he’d “love to” try medical cannabis.

“If medical marijuana was known by another name, it would have been utilized as a pain medication many years ago,” he said in the report. “From national research and understanding, the side effects of medical marijuana are considerably less than virtually all opioids and therefore less destructive to the body.”

In a statement, the Utah Patient Coalition called Huntsman, the founder of the Huntsman Cancer Institute, “a pioneer in advocacy and philanthropy for patient care.”

“Like so many other patients, he recognizes the dangers of opiates and wants an alternative,” the statement said. “We appreciate his public support and look forward to giving Utah voters a chance to decide in 2018.”

Petitioners need to collect 113,143 signatures to put the question to voters. The measure would legalize medical cannabis in the form of topicals, edibles, oils, and vapeable products but does not permit smoking as a delivery method.

If the language of the measure is approved, the proposal will be sent to the governor’s Office of Management and Budget who will estimate the fiscal impact of the bill. After the estimate, organizers must hold seven public hearings on the measure throughout the state before collecting the signatures.

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Wisconsin State Sen. Says Cannabis Industry is Answer to Budget Woes

7/14/2017

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Amid a billion-dollar budget deficit, Wisconsin state Rep. Melissa Sargent is urging her colleagues to at least consider her bill to legalize cannabis use for adults, saying in a Cap Times op-ed that “It’s not just about legalizing marijuana, it’s about legalizing opportunity.”

Sargent points out that 59 percent of Wisconsinites support a taxed and regulated cannabis market, while 81 percent “believe taxpayer dollars being put to better use than being spent arresting and incarcerating marijuana-related offenders is a compelling argument for legalization.”

The Democrat laid out Colorado’s cannabis industry success – $2.4 billion in “economic impacts to the state” and 18,000 new jobs – calling it “a powerful economic engine generating more per dollar in economic output and employment than 90 percent of other industries.”

“By 2020, the marijuana industry in Colorado is expected to surpass all other industries as the state’s largest excise revenue source,” she wrote.

Instead of raising gas taxes, implementing toll roads, collecting fees for heavy trucks, or borrowing $341 million from the federal government – all suggestions by Republican lawmakers – Sargent argues that taxing and regulating cannabis could be the “economic bounty” the state needs to replenish its coffers.

“The most dangerous thing about marijuana is that it’s illegal, and the more our budget crisis worsens and we continue to see new evidence of legalization’s economic benefits, the more unjustifiable — and even foolish — it becomes to put off legalizing marijuana in Wisconsin,” she opined.

This is Sargent’s third attempt to sway her fellow lawmakers since introducing the legislation four years ago.

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New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo answers reporters' questions during a 2014 emergency question session.

NY Gov. Signs Hemp Expansions into Law; State Earmarks $10M for Industry Investments

7/13/2017

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During a ceremony at Cornell University, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed an expanded hemp bill into law, categorizing the crop as an agricultural commodity, giving it the same protections as any other crop grown in the state, the Ithaca Journal reports. The measure will permit industrial hemp research and hemp companies access to the state’s economic development arm.

During the bill signing, Cuomo said he believed that “hemp production has tremendous economic advantages for whatever state is the first to really grow that market” and he was eager for the New York “to be the first to grow that market.”

“One of our main focuses is to continue to grow the economy, drive the economy and create jobs; and one of the main economic engines of this state is agriculture, and we want to be at the cutting edge of agricultural development for the economy,” the Democratic governor said.

At a press conference following the signing, Agriculture and Markets Commissioner Richard Ball announced that the state will invest $10 million into the new industry, earmarking half for research and half for processing and commercialization. Ball indicated that the state is importing 53,000 pounds of industrial hemp, which will cover 1,700 acres of land. State officials hope to have 20,000 acres of hemp growing in the state by 2022.

The bill creates a hemp seed certification program to ensure the products are compliant under the 2014 Federal Farm Bill – which defines hemp plants as containing 0.3 percent THC – and to ensure intellectual property rights are protected.

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Irish Health Committee Rejects MMJ Bill

7/13/2017

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An Irish Parliamentary committee has rejected a bill to legalize medical cannabis on the grounds that the measure was “too loose to effectively guard against leakage of supply to recreational users, [and] overuse by patients,” and that if cannabis were removed from the Misuse of Drugs Act, as proposed, it could decriminalize cannabis use for everyone, the Irish Times reports.

The Health Committee said removing cannabis from the Misuse of Drugs Act “seems in conflict with the intention of the bill which is to make cannabis available specifically for medicinal use as expressed in the title of the bill.”

“It is the view of the committee that this is not a safe course of action,” the lawmakers said in the denial.

Last year, Ireland’s lower house of Parliament approved the measure, proposed by People Before Profit MP Gino Kenny, and at that time many expected the measure to be law by Easter. In February, a Health Products Regulatory Agency working group released a report outlining its recommendations for a medical cannabis program that would allow patients with just three qualifying conditions access to cannabis products. The following month, the body proposed a five-year medical cannabis pilot program, which would cover those conditions.

Kenny told the Times that he heard about the rejection on the radio, which he called “completely unacceptable,” adding that “there was bias against” the bill from members of the committee. He said that the committee members “have to live with themselves for what they’ve done.”

“What happened yesterday is a shambles,” he said.

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A cannabis plant tilted sideways from the weight of its heavy cola, pictured inside of a licensed cultivation center in Washington.

High-Powered Lobbying Firms Hired for Cannabis Policy Advocacy in D.C.

7/13/2017

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The New Federalism Fund, a Denver-based nonprofit dedicated to state’s rights issues, has hired consulting firm Trimpa Group to lobby Congress on issues related to the legal cannabis industry, including banking, taxes, appropriations, and law enforcement issues, according to a report from O’Dwyer’s.

Members of the NFF include Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, Arizona-based medical cannabis provider Tryke Companies, Seattle-based cannabis private equity firm Privateer Holdings, Colorado-based dispensaries Medicine Man and LivWell Enlightened Health, and cannabis product manufacturers Native Roots and Dixie Elixirs & Edibles.

Trimpa Group was founded by Ted Trimpa, a Democratic strategist who The Atlantic called “Colorado’s answer to Karl Rove.” Trimpa, who will personally oversee the NFF account, has been credited as a key architect of the Democratic takeover of Colorado’s legislature in 2004 and 2006.

Earlier this year the NFF also retained lobbying firm Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck for cannabis advocacy on Capitol Hill. The NFF’s spending on lobbyists comes as Congress prepares to decide the fate of the Rohrabacher-Blumenauer (formally Rohrabacher-Farr) amendment in the Fiscal Year 2018 Appropriations Bill. The amendment prohibits the Department of Justice from using federal funds to crack down on state-approved medical cannabis operations and is the only barrier between medical cannabis programs and Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

Last month, Sessions sent a letter to legislative leaders asking them to oppose the amendment and allow the Justice Department to enforce federal drug laws in legal states.

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The back of a billboard found on the side of a road.

Weedmaps Billboard Removed in South Boston

7/13/2017

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A pro-cannabis billboard advertisement from Weedmaps has been removed in South Boston following complaints about its content and its location near schools and places of worship, according to a Boston Globe report. The ad, which read “States that legalized marijuana had 25% fewer opioid-related deaths,” was placed in a neighborhood hit hard by opioid abuse.

Sheila Greene, one of the residents who contacted Clear Channel over the billboard, said the ad’s placement violated the company’s own “exclusionary zone” policy. According to Clear Channel’s website, “advertisements of all products illegal for sale to minors that are intended to be read from places of worship, primary and secondary schools or playgrounds” are barred from those zones.

“The ad was placed in error at a location not meant for the content displayed,” said Clear Channel spokesperson Jason King in the report.

Similar billboards are reportedly displayed in Lynn and Quincy – which both have high opioid-related death rates. Lynn had 47 deaths in 2016, up two from the previous year, while Quincy reported 42 deaths in 2016, two fewer than 2015.

Greene called those billboard placements “insensitive.”

“I’d like to say moronic, but advertisers are smart; they know exactly who they’re marketing their products to,” she said.

Chris Beals, president of Weedmaps, denied the allegation that the ads are targeting certain neighborhoods or demographics.

“We basically take billboards on a space-available basis,” he said. “We have little to no say in terms of the [location of the] billboards,” adding that the ads are designed to “promote dialogue.”

“We want to be sensitive about the way we present those facts. . . . But I think it’s also important to talk about the benefits and research coming out of marijuana,” Beals said. “There should be an open discussion. We’re not putting up giant pot leaves or photos of people consuming marijuana.”

Billboards have emerged as one of the few advertising vehicles available to cannabis companies. Last week, six licensed cannabis companies had their company pages removed by Facebook; while lawmakers in Michigan are mulling a ban on billboard advertisements for the cannabis industry. A bill introduced last month in California seeks to outlaw cannabis companies from advertising on clothing, websites, and traditional publications.

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Stephen Gold & Andy Yashar: Pioneers in Cannabis Tech

7/12/2017

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Stephen Gold and Andy Yashar are co-founders of The Daily Leaf, a technology company that has partnered with dispensaries to find and list the best cannabis deals throughout Oregon cities — with plans to expand to Seattle, Las Vegas, and beyond.

In this episode of the Ganjapreneur.com podcast, Stephen and Andy join host TG Branfalt to talk about the technology aspect of the cannabis space, launching a tech startup on a minimal budget, the importance of creating and maintaining a company image, and how — by focusing the efforts of a small, dedicated team — they have been able to create a truly effective service that benefits cannabis companies and consumers around their state.

Listen to the interview through the player below, or scroll down to read a full transcript of this week’s Ganjapreneur.com podcast episode.

Listen to the podcast:

Read the transcript:

TG Branfalt: Hey there, I’m your host TG Branfalt, and you’re 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 Stephen Gold and Andy Yashar, founders of The Daily Leaf, winners of the Best Tech Product at the 2016 Dope Magazine Industry Awards. Welcome to the show guys, and congratulations on that.

Stephen Gold: Oh, thank you very much. An honor to be here, thanks for having us on. Steve Gold here. We actually won 2016 and 2017, Best Tech Product at the Dope Industry Awards. So here in Oregon we’re definitely making strides to become a buzz, to help people around town find information about what’s going on with deals, and all that other good stuff.

TG Branfalt: I didn’t know about the 2017, so double congratulations guys, that’s really, really good stuff, that’s incredible. Before we get into the product though, I want to talk to you guys about what you did before you got into the cannabis industry, so if you guys each want to tell me what you did, and how’d you end up here?

Andy Yashar: This is Andy. I was in web development, and really helping dispensaries back in the day, before recreational was even a thought, of doing internet marketing and getting out there. Building a web presence, and showing people what they had in stock, where they could find them, and a little bit about the background of each person that worked there.

Stephen Gold: Myself, I came from the fashion industry. I was working in New York City, and I saw the opportunity for the recreational market to explode. I had always had ailments that lent itself to marijuana, even though I wasn’t a medical marijuana patient. So I came out to Oregon to get involved in the scene, to see what was going on, to get my medical marijuana card, and to really engulf myself in what was a blossoming industry, it still is. About two and a half years ago along the way, I met Andy and we joined forces to bring The Daily Leaf to life.

TG Branfalt: That’s one of the most interesting career jumps that I’ve gotten, is from the fashion industry to the cannabis industry. Could you briefly tell me some of the similarities between the two, how you brought over that experience to this space?

Stephen Gold: Sure, so I’d say the personnel, both industries are absolutely crazy. The people that work in it, we all work in the fashion industry, everything was last minute. I was getting called literally five minutes, the day before something had to go into production, “Steven, we need you.” Here in marijuana it’s kind of similar, we’re all working and we’re all trying to catch up, and work these extremely busy schedules, and work in different things. So in that essence things are the same with the personnel, it’s always crazy. And then also I’d say that one of the things that helped us in getting our name and getting ourself in the foot was my sense for design aesthetic.

Working in the fashion industry, we had attention to detail, wanting to make sure things were beautifully presented, because the end product was putting them on garments to go out for the world to buy, so you couldn’t have any mishaps. And just my eye for that has helped us craft this into something that Andy and I have been able to build into something much larger than we even thought when we first met each other.

TG Branfalt: So now, why don’t you tell me more about The Daily Leaf? If you look at the website, it is really nicely designed. It’s very use friendly, and so I’m assuming that that’s really an amalgamation of both of yours backgrounds kind of meeting and developing this, right?

Andy Yashar: Yeah, this is Andy, I would say that Steven and I work really good as a team. I tend to work heavily on the back end, making sure that people can find us when they search for certain products and certain search phrases on the internet, and Steven really brings a good eye for colors and the way that things should be presented, so it was a good marriage. Essentially, Steven really works on the front end, and I really work on the back end.

TG Branfalt: Describe to me what your service provides, and how dispensaries benefit from working with you guys.

Stephen Gold: Sure, so what we really set out to do when we first started The Daily Leaf, was to create a platform that helped dispensaries advertise deals, specifically one focal point in getting information out about what the best products are out there, and how cheap you can get them. Not necessarily saying that everything on The Daily Leaf has to be a $5 gram, and a $15-$20 eighth, but we found that people are always looking for deals. Furthermore, people are looking to find out what a product looks like before they get into the store. So by simply advertising deals and offering the consumer a way to see that flower before they actually drive 20, 30 minutes to a store, we’re finding that we’re able to drive people from all across town to a dispensary.

So while dispensaries will use other marketing/advertising platforms to help them advertise and have people find out where they are, and are location-based, The Daily Leaf is strictly product-driven. So it allows each dispenser an equal playing field to kind of say, “Hey, we have this product, are you interested in it? This is what it looks like,” and we’re able to drive people from … If you live 30 minutes away from a town, we’re getting people that are driving to those areas to go purchase it, simply based on the product and the image. Furthermore, we’ve really built a niche for ourselves through our newsletter. We’re currently reaching about 10,000 people in Oregon and surrounding areas that are looking for deals, emailed to them.

So what we do, a couple times a week we’ll curate all of our deals that come onto our platform, and we’ll push them out. People can literally go on there, the easiest way to sign up for that newsletter is to just go to our website, Dailyleafdeals.com, and then literally a popup will come up and say, “Hey, do you want to get all the latest deals?” You put your email in there, and you get the information. We found that that, directly to people, and essentially just in their inboxes is the best way for us to differentiate ourselves, and to get information out quickly and easily.

TG Branfalt: You started as this Groupon for cannabis, and the current product, now you guys provide information on, among other things, product launches, events. Can you guys explain to me when you decided to evolve your service to these other aspects?

Andy Yashar: This is Andy. I used to do huge promotional events for larger corporations. Maxim Magazine, Red Bull, Coors Light, back when I was just getting out of college, so I have a lot of event experience. When we actually launched The Daily Leaf, we threw a huge event, and we gave away probably five to six thousand dollars worth of marijuana products. Not stuff containing marijuana, but accessories, essentially, and we had a huge response from it. So fast-forward six months later, we did a huge 4/20 party where we had over 1000 people show up. It’s something that’s not foreign to us, to do events, but it’s a great way for us to showcase what The Daily Leaf is, and what we do on a day to day basis, and present that to the customers directly without … Essentially making them go to the internet and finding us, we can present that to them face to face, and show it to them live.

Stephen Gold: And then beyond that, as we were building our reputation in town, and as dispensaries were using our platform, consumers were using it, we found that there was a lot more people out there. A lot more brands, producers, processors, wholesalers that started reaching out to us and saying, “Hey, your platform’s amazing, how do we work with you, what do we do?” So we had to integrate it beyond on the web, where first we had just the deals, and just the abilities for the dispensaries to log in, and all of their specials. Then we decided, since we had a bunch of brands wanting to get involved, we developed these micro-sites through The Daily Leaf. We already had a name that was building a presence, and a lot of brands don’t necessarily have that footing online.

Us being a credible source allows these brands to get a foothold on the internet. So by allowing brands to 1) just advertise on The Daily Leaf, and to have their own dedicated page, it gives them an area to further push and get information online, and also gives our consumers a way to learn the back end of what these brands are all about. So just giving people content about, “If you’re a Co2 company, how do you make your oil?” There’s so many different techniques out there, and the elementary user who’s maybe just going to a dispensary the first time doesn’t even know the different methods. They don’t know the difference between shatter or oil, or BHO over Co2 vs. RSO, all these different terms that, being in the cannabis community you know, but the entry level user doesn’t. We wanted to give them a back end into, so if you like the brand, Truly Pure, a CO2 company here in Oregon, if you like these guys you can see a back end video about their process to making their oil, from the trim down to when it gets into a cartridge, and into your hand.

So we found that that information was 1) valuable for the brand, but also valuable for the consumer, to learn and educate themselves about what’s really going on.

TG Branfalt: How important has the multimedia been for your engagement? Not just with the YouTube videos, but also the images that are used to promote a product on your website?

Andy Yashar: This is Andy. I think that being as interactive as possible in this day and age is necessary for any business to survive. I think that a lot of people that are in the 24 to 35 year old rage spend a good time on their cell phones each and every day, so the more content that we can produce, is another customer that we have the potential to land as a lifelong user. So I think as much content as we can push out, the better it’s going to be for us.

Stephen Gold: I think it’s everything. Going back to my first point, we created The Daily Leaf because we wanted a place to find out what something looked like, seeing the picture before you even went to the store. So defining that, in order to drive a customer to go to a shop, you need to show them what they want to purchase before getting there. So that media is definitely very important, it drives our sales. That’s one of the things where we coach our dispensaries that we work with, because you can tell if a dispensary puts up a product on The Daily Leaf, then they don’t really take much time. Maybe they don’t take the best picture, you can’t really make out any detail, and it kind of looks sketchy. More than likely, the customer’s not going to want to click on that ad and see what that deal’s about.

But then if you have a dispensary that takes a few minutes to take a nice picture, curates a deal really nicely, you’ll see that that deal gets a lot more play. So yeah, it means everything to have great media.

TG Branfalt: So I want to talk to you guys a bit about the experience as a startup. But before we do that, we’ve got to take a short break. This is the Ganjapreneur.com podcast, I’m TG Branfalt.

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TG Branfalt: Welcome back to the Ganjapreneur.com podcast, I’m your host TG Branfalt here with Stephen Gold and Andy Yashar, founders of The Daily Leaf. So tell me about the startup experience in the cannabis space, specifically for your tech product. How’d you find funding?

Andy Yashar: Well, I had some money saved up, so I spent … I wouldn’t say a large amount of money, because I already knew what I was doing, but I think that we spent, I’ll say a few thousand dollars getting business going, and really working, and trying to save as much money along the way as possible.

Stephen Gold: Yeah, we actually haven’t raised any money to date yet, we have done this all just through ourselves, and working lean. That’s been real important to us. Having a team that’s very dedicated, Andy and myself both wearing many hats, working many hours to just nail this down and build a product that actually has traction. Because for us it’s everything, so we don’t want to go and get funding too soon and give away too much booty, we want to make sure that we’re able to keep our … There are partners out there for us, and we’re starting to get down that line where we’re about to get funding to push ourselves into new markets.

But it’s been very hard the last year and a half, two years, working towards this so that we can be in this position where we now have a product that is somewhat successful here in Oregon, we have built traction, and we have been able to do this really on a shoestring budget, I’m telling you.

TG Branfalt: What about the initial reviews and reaction? You start with three grand, you have this idea … So what was the initial response, and what has your growth been like thus far?

Andy Yashar: Starting out was tough, because I say that the tech part of marijuana is getting flooded with more and more people trying to join every single day. So essentially what we wanted to do, is we set out to create something different. We wanted to be really separated from everybody else and really be for the people. I think that that’s one our biggest advantages, is that people really know that we’re looking out for them, as far as presenting the product, making sure that they know what they’re buying before they get to the store, finding them the best deals. Not only do we encourage dispensaries to post deals, but we’re going out, we’re negotiating deals for our users. We’re meeting with brands and meeting with dispensaries, and we’re actually negotiating deals between the two so we can actually have a really good value for people that visit our site.

Stephen Gold: To get started, what we really did to build our traction was just utilize our core skill set. So Andy with SEO and being able to get the website to be where we’re searchable online. Myself with building a buzz on social media, and getting people to think, again going back to the design aesthetic of the fashion industry. Our Instagram account and what we put out, it looked like we might have had a staff of ten to 15 people, when there was just two of us sitting in the office. So by portraying an image that we were bigger than what we are, allowed people to really gravitate and really get behind it. Furthermore, we had those events that we did that Andy touched on, where we brought the industry together, and we were able to piggyback off of other situations where we can build a crowd.

Our first event, we weren’t even launched yet, because we launched on Green Friday in 2015, November 25th, and this event was in October, and we had people lined up around the block to get in to get that free swag that Andy was talking about, where we were giving away five, $6000 worth of products. I’d say it was a combination of getting into the industry at the right time where there wasn’t anyone like us. There wasn’t anything going on, no-one was able to capture that buzz and be in town, and be able to show face, and really ignite the industry and get people behind them. It was just by stance of luck that we were able to do this at that current time. Because right now, if we’re looking at the industry right now and how it looks, it’s completely different. Those events that we had are somewhat in Oregon not maybe so legal anymore.

The rules had changed when the regulations came in, and a lot of things changed up. Because we entered the market before the recreational market hit yet, it was still just medical. So we got in right at the right time.

TG Branfalt: What’s your growth been like with the migration to recreational?

Andy Yashar: We’re gaining 20% new users every single month, so this last 4/20, we did triple the amount of traffic that we did they year prior, because of the fact that our website’s really ranking really well, and we had probably 2-300 different types of deals on our website for 4/20. We got picked up by a lot of media outlets, and we had a huge buzz going into 4/20, so it was really beneficial to capitalize on the market and make sure that we had everything, and we were the one-stop source for everything 4/20 in Portland.

TG Branfalt: Moving forward, do you guys have plans to expand into other existing or newly legal markets?

Andy Yashar: Yeah, so we are formalizing a plan right now to where we’re going to be going into Las Vegas, which I think our deals platform is really what people look for when they visit Las Vegas, is to save as much money as possible. So Las Vegas is a huge market for us, we plan on going to LA, San Francisco. I think that Arizona, as soon as they are a little bit more open to recreational marijuana, is going to be another huge market for us. I have clients that I do website work for down there currently, and they’re telling me that they’re ripe for The Daily Leaf, that people would drive 45 minutes just to save $15 on some shatter. So I really believe that our expansion is going to be something that’s going to be very popular throughout different cities, even though there is current existing tech in those markets.

We plan on rolling out an app that’s going to be all deal-based. We’re also going to have featured brands on there, so people can read about all of their favorite products, find out where they can buy them at, and how they can save money on it.

TG Branfalt: So why the decision to focus on cities instead of the state as a whole?

Andy Yashar: We really believe that really dense markets are really beneficial for us, and word spreads. So when we go to a huge metropolitan area and we do really well there, the outer lying cities really pick up on it, and we start to expand slowly to those areas. If we started a huge reach and we focused on an entire state instead of a city, we would be overwhelmed with what to write about, who to cover, what video content to generate first. If we focus on the cities and really build that network in, then the smaller cities are a lot easier to penetrate.

TG Branfalt: So far, what are some of the barriers to entry in some of these markets for your product specifically?

Stephen Gold: Barriers to entry,

Andy Yashar: I would say manpower right now. If we had a larger staff, which we’re hiring very, very slowly, and we’re being very meticulous on who we pick, I think that as we grow our staff it’ll be easier to actually go into these markets and have a very good presence.

Stephen Gold: Yeah, it’s say it’s a double edged sword. We touched on not wanting to get funding too soon, which we strongly stand behind, but then again you don’t have the large marketing dollars that some of our competitors would have, and do have. So when you go into new markets and you have a small staff, being able to show value to people who don’t know you from anybody … Because you talk to a dispensary owner, and they’re probably getting 50, 70 calls a day from people trying to sell them something. So that’s why building a buzz was and is so important for us. Because if we have a buzz, if we win those awards and people are talking about us, and we’re doing things differently, then that word will spread out. For example, we’re based in Portland, surrounding towns of Salem, of Eugene, of Bend. Those towns are starting to hear about The Daily Leaf, we’re working more and more into those towns and building a presence in the whole state of Oregon from the buzz we’re able to build just in Portland.

Andy Yashar: I’d say right about now, 20% of the dispensaries in Oregon are our clients. So we really want to build that up to the 50% mark, and then we’re going to move into Washington and really build a huge presence down there. I think that if we really conquer our home territory first, and really make sure that we have a very, very good network of people, then going into say, a Las Vegas and bringing testimonials with us, and letting them know that, “This is what our clients are saying,” that’s going to give us a little bit more credibility when we go and we actually ask for money.

TG Branfalt: I want to discuss some of these events that you guys have hosted in the last couple of years, but before we do that, we’ve got to take our last break, this is the Ganjapreneur.com podcast, I’m TG Branfalt.

At Ganjapreneur, we have heard from dozens of cannabis business owners who have encountered the issue of canna-bias, which is when a mainstream business, whether a landlord, bank, or some other provider of vital business services refuses to do business with them simply because of their association with cannabis. We have even heard stories of businesses being unable to provide health and life insurance for their employees, because the insurance providers were too afraid to work with them. We believe that this fear is totally unreasonable, and that cannabis business owners deserve access to the same services and resources that other businesses are afforded, that they should be able to hire consultation to help them follow the letter of the law in their business endeavors, and that they should be able to provide employee benefits without needing to compromise on the quality of coverage they can offer.

This is why we created the Ganjapreneur.com business service directory, a resource for cannabis professionals to find and connect with service providers who are cannabis-friendly, and who are actively seeking cannabis industry clients. If you are considering hiring a business consultant, lawyer, accountant, web designer, or any other ancillary service for your business, go to Ganjapreneur.com/businesses to browse hundreds of agencies, firms and organizations who support cannabis legalization, and who want to help you grow your business. With so many options to choose from in each service category, you will be able to browse company profiles and do research on multiple companies in advance, so you can find the provider who is the best fit for your particular need. Our business service director is intended to be a useful and well-maintained resource, which is why we individually vet each listing that is submitted.

If you are a business service provider who wants to work with cannabis clients, you may be a good fit for our service directory. Go to Ganjapreneur.com/businesses to create your profile, and start connecting with cannabis entrepreneurs today.

TG Branfalt: Welcome back to the Ganjapreneur.com podcast, I’m your host TG Branfalt, here with Stephen Gold and Andy Yashar, founders of The Daily Leaf. So why don’t you tell me about some of the outreach events that you guys have had? You’ve had a gold tournament, a bowling. How did you come up with these things, and how’d you reach out to sponsors and businesses?

Andy Yashar: So we have a partner in the event space, and his name is Matt Enos. And Matt Enos approached us with a gold tournament. He has a huge passion for golf, he was a caddy for 15 years of his life at a country club down in California. He really wanted to grow this company really bad, but he just didn’t have the right people and place to make that happen, so he approached us and really, really wanted to build his brand. So we started doing the 4/20 golf tournament, and essentially it’s pretty much a mixer for all of the brands, dispensaries. A lot of the people that are in the network in Oregon, to kind of meet on a sunny day during the summer and play golf. It’s been a very successful event for us, so what we did was, is we came up with a bowling tournament called Canna Bowl.

Canna Bowl was something that I had the idea of one day when some of our clients and us, we went bowling one night and we said, “There should be a cannabis bowling tournament.” So we launched it a few months later, and High Times came down and really loved it, and did a huge write up about it, and it’s been very, very successful. We have another tournament coming up on June 29th, as far as golf goes. We’re praying for a sunny day there, but it’s been raining almost every day here in Oregon, but we’re really praying for a sunny day so we can get together and network a little bit more.

TG Branfalt: When you decide to hold these events, do you get any pushback from the venues at all?

Stephen Gold: With cannabis events, in each state there’s different rules or different regulations. When we first launched, I think I was touching on this a little bit earlier, when we first launched and we had some of these events, consumption was open and allowed. It was something where we can have sponsors come in, and if you’re an oil company you can dab out people that come by and let them try your product. This is a great way to interact with consumers, and it’s a great way for us to position ourselves, to bring those consumers and bring those brands out of the dark and have everyone meet. So those events were great. Just recently in Oregon, the rules changed a little bit. So the act of consumption is not necessarily allowed, so it’s moreso I’d say on us, as being responsible hosts, to know the rules and regulations, to make sure that we speak with our lawyers to know exactly what we can do, so that we’re not putting anyone in a situation where they’re opening themselves up to not following the rules and not having the regulations.

When it comes to these events, with Canna Bowl, we didn’t have people smoking inside the event, because that’s not allowed. We didn’t’ have any smoking anywhere near the event, because you can’t mix alcohol and marijuana. But what we did was we had a additional component that was separate from it, where we had people go and if they wanted to smoke, it was a safe and it was a legal place for people to smoke and try different products. So we’re able to continually understand the laws, and be able to then further make sure that the events we put on are fun. There is some sort of component of consumption because everyone likes that, but if it’s not allowed obviously we’re not going to go down that route. One other thing to touch on with the events is, we always try and work in some sort of component where we can give back, because that’s important to us as well.

Being able to build a name is important. Building a presence and brand is very important for us, with 4/20 Sports and The Daily Leaf, but also we want to make sure that we’re giving back to the community, giving back to people that will benefit from it. So our 4/20 event last year, we gave 10% of the proceeds to Grow For Vets. With the golf tournaments last year, we were able to do Mulligans for the MS Society. So that’s really important to us, to make sure that we work in that component. Not every time, but where it affords itself, where we could, we like to work a charity effort into the equation.

Andy Yashar: Yeah, even though we’re broke there’s people out there that are more needy than we are, so I really think that helping others out is a huge component to 4/20, and we want to continue that with each event that we do.

TG Branfalt: I think that that’s one of the most overlooked parts about this sector, is the type of charitable acts that a lot of the businesses do. Unfortunately, some of them, I don’t know if you guys have had any trouble doing this, but they sometimes get donations actually sent back, because the foundation or the charity can’t accept drug money, essentially.

Stephen Gold: Interesting. We’re in an interesting place where we do not touch the product at all. We never put our hands on it. While we do advertisements for it, we’re just a media marketing company, so for us we luckily haven’t had that issue, but I can see, I mean banking is a huge issue, and I know there’s tons of barriers for our clients. It’s a struggle. Being a small team, think about this, we’re a small team and we do take credit card payments, but we’re going around collecting cash every month from clients and making sure we make the rounds, and catching people the right day and making sure the owner is there, I mean it’s …

Andy Yashar: Someone actually Western Union-ed us $100 yesterday. For me, I’ve been in this industry for a long time and I’ve never had anybody Western Union us $100 before, so every day it’s something new, right?

TG Branfalt: So what in your opinion is the most pressing issue facing the industry? Is it banking, it is the threat of federal interference?

Andy Yashar: I honestly think that Jeff Sessions is a lot more talk than he is bite. There’s something that came out yesterday that said that they’re giving him no money to fight medical marijuana.

TG Branfalt: Yeah, the Roebuck farm and Hickenlooper said he had a meeting with them last week in which he came away not believing that any sort of crackdown was forthcoming.

Andy Yashar: I really think that Trump, whatever your thoughts are about him, he really wants to leave state regulations up to state leaders. I really think that after the Trump administration is gone, I think that there’s going to be somebody that comes in with an actual good head on their shoulders, and is going to know that cannabis is going to become legal whether the federal government wants it to or not, and the first thing to do would be to put regulations in place so everybody can benefit from recreational marijuana, not just states.

Stephen Gold: Yeah, and I think the biggest issue right now is probably the whole banking issue. The idea that because it’s federally illegal that there’s that whole 280e situation where you can’t write anything off, it’s hurting a lot of businesses and it’s making it very hard for people to do regular business. Even where we are you can’t even do regular marketing and advertising, whereas a regular business can take ads out on Facebook or Google, and that’s just worked into your marketing course because that’s what you need to do as a business. Where in marijuana, it’s illegal. You do advertisement, you get shut down, so people need to … The federal law is a big problem but there’s nothing that’s going to change in the next year, in the next two years, but maybe in the next five years we’ll be looking at something different.

TG Branfalt: So finally guys, what advice do you have for entrepreneurs, specifically those interested in entering the tech sector of the cannabis space?

Andy Yashar: Do your homework. Really get out in the market and meet people, and ask people what their needs are. Good ideas are great, but what’s actually functional and what the industry needs, that’s the homework that needs to be done in this market.

Stephen Gold: Yeah, and for people who think that they could probably enter the space without having knowledge of marijuana, without being involved in the actual city or the state that you want to do business in, because it’s very grassroots. Everyone’s very connected. Here in Oregon, even sections of Oregon, Portland has it’s own market where we all stay very close. Then there’s Southern Oregon where there’s a lot of growers that have a close-knit relationship. So you’re not necessarily just welcomed because you have a good idea, you’re welcomed because you’re a part of the movement. So if you want to get involved, you might have a great idea, you might be the most amazing developer or the most influential person, but if you’re not really engulfed in marijuana, you don’t understand how it works, then it’s going to be very hard for you to get any traction.

Andy Yashar: And save your money. Definitely save your money, because you can run though money really fast in this industry, so be careful.

Stephen Gold: Yeah, and not to say that, but today it could be all nice, we’re all smiling, we’re all having a good time. Tomorrow something might come out and the whole world turns to shit, you know what I mean? So it’s very volatile, so it’s not for the weak-hearted, or however you want to say.

TG Branfalt: Well, I want to thank you guys for coming on the show and turning $3000 into a great product, especially for people in Oregon who are looking for the best deals around.

Stephen Gold: Thank you, thank you.

TG Branfalt: Before we go, could you just tell us where they can find out more?

Stephen Gold: Yeah, the best place to get information is through our newsletter, so you can go to Dailyleafdeals.com. Down at the bottom there you can enter your email address, or a pop-up will probably come up there. Enter it in, we send out updates, once, twice a week with whatever is going on around town, whether it be deals, whether it be brands doing parties, events and things like that. So whatever is going on in Oregon, currently only in Oregon, whatever is going on in Oregon, you can find out through The Daily Leaf at Dailyleafdeals.com.

TG Branfalt: Thanks again guys, for coming on the show.

Andy Yashar: Thank you.

Stephen Gold: Thank you, have a good day you guys.

TG Branfalt: You can find more episodes of the Ganajapreneur.com podcast in the podcast section of Ganjapreneur.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 Ganjapreneur.com app in iTunes, and Google Play. This episode was engineered by Jeremy Sebastiano, I’ve been your host, TG Branfalt.

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A pile of painkiller medication sitting on a clean, white surface.

Opioid Sales Manager Accused of Drug-Pushing is Denied MMJ Access for Opioid Addiction

7/12/2017

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A former employee of Insys Therapeutics – the makers of opiate sub-lingual spray Subsys who donated $500,000 to the campaign to defeat recreational cannabis legalization in Arizona – has lost a bid to use medical cannabis while on bail to kick his opioid addiction, according to a report from Reuters.

Jeffery Pearlman, a former Insys district sales manager, had sought to modify his bail conditions so he could continue using cannabis as recommended by a New Jersey doctor. Pearlman is one of several former Insys employees accused of paying kickbacks to physicians to prescribe Subsys.

Pearlman’s lawyers argued that if he was forced to give up his medical cannabis regime, which he uses to treat pain from a spine injury, he would have to return to opioids which would impair his constitutional rights to fully participate in his defense and to due process.

In the denial, U.S. Magistrate Judge Sarah Merriam said the argument that Pearlman would have to go back to using opioids was “a faulty assumption,” adding that defendants out on bail are required to follow federal law and that cannabis possession – even for medical purposes – is federally illegal.

“Other reasonable treatments exist; indeed, in states with no medical marijuana law or more restrictive laws, patients with defendant’s condition must use other forms of treatment,” she wrote in the ruling.

Pearlman is one of six former Insys executives and managers accused of paying doctors, physicians assistants, and advance practice registered nurses to prescribe the spray through a sham “speaker program” where the company paid fees ranging from $1,000 to several thousand dollars.

Last month in an interview with NBC News, former Insys sales rep Patty Nixon said she was instructed to get Subsys to patients who should not have had access to it. She said her responsibilities included lying to insurance companies in order to get them to believe the drug was “medically necessary” by making up false oncology records and providing the insurance company with specific diagnosis codes, whether or not the patient had the condition.

Pearlman has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

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Utah Ag. Department Considering Expanding Hemp Research to Farmers

7/12/2017

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Utah’s Agricultural Advisory Board has given initial approval for a new rule that would allow some farmers to grow hemp for research purposes, the Salt Lake Tribune reports. The state Department of Agriculture and Food still needs to approve that program, which would allow farmers to submit a research plan for state approval and obtain a growing permit.

Melissa Ure, policy analyst for the Agriculture Department, said projects could include research on hemp fiber production; hemp seed as a protein source; improving cultivation methods; and the production of cannabinoid-based oils for medical purposes.

Colleges and universities in the state have been allowed to cultivate hemp for research purposes since the passage of the federal Farm Bill in 2014. Farmers could partner with those institutions for their research. The commercial sale of hemp products remains illegal under Utah state law.

Potential program participants will need to show in their plans how they intend to prevent unauthorized access to the crops and how they will dispose of the hemp after concluding the research.

The rule will be under review through the summer and, if finalized in the fall, the department could begin issuing permits in January. During a Utah Farm Bureau Federation meeting last summer, some farmers expressed interest in growing the crop which they believe could be a financial boon to the industry.

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An indoor grow site licensed under Washington's I-502 adult-use cannabis marketplace.

MassRoots to Acquire Cannabis Compliance Firm Odava

7/12/2017

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Cannabis social media and technology platform MassRoots, Inc. has agreed to acquire regulatory compliance firm Odava, Inc. for cash and shares of MassRoots common stock. Currently, Odava offers its point-of-sale and end-to-end regulatory compliance services to dispensaries in Oregon, and MassRoots plans on expanding those services to Colorado and Alaska this year, and to California and Florida in 2018.

Additionally, the company anticipates rolling out the platform in Nevada, Massachusetts, and Maryland.

MassRoots CEO Isaac Dietrich said the company plans on using their current resources and relationships to “grow the number of dispensaries utilizing Odava from dozens to hundreds by early next year.”

“This acquisition expands MassRoots’ offerings to dispensaries to include point-of-sale and regulatory compliance software, consolidating the most important operations for cannabis businesses into one central platform,” he said in a press release. “In the near future, we believe a significant percentage of all transactions occurring in the regulated cannabis industry will occur on our platform.”

The deal will see the two founders of Odava, Scott Kveton and Steven Osborn, paid $35,000 in cash and move into roles with MassRoots, where they will receive a $50,000 bonus after one year of continuous employment, according to MassRoots’ July 5 corporate overview documents. Current Odava shareholders will receive 3,250,000 shares of MassRoots common stock.

MassRoots’ Board of Directors has approved the deal.

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A young cannabis bud inside of a California medical patient's grow room.

Former NFL Players Seeking Ohio MMJ Dispensary License

7/12/2017

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Two former NFL players and the father of a current player are seeking one of Ohio’s 60 medical cannabis dispensary licenses, Cleveland.com reports. Former Heisman Trophy winner and NFL quarterback Troy Smith, ex-Cleveland Brown Eric Metcalf, and Ted Ginn Sr., father of New Orleans Saints wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr. and longtime football and track coach at Glenville High School, have partnered with Jim Buchanan, a Seattle recreational dispensary owner, on the project.

The group is eyeing potential locations in South Euclid, Cleveland, Lakewood, and Warrensville Heights. Both Lakewood and Cleveland currently have moratoriums banning medical cannabis dispensaries. However, Buchanan explained that a moratorium “is saying they want to see [the industry] unfold.”

“I can’t see Cleveland locking out medicine for a large community like that,” he said in the report. “That would create a huge problem.”

Smith, who was coached by Ginn at Glenville High, said he began looking into medical cannabis due to his own trauma from his football career, which spanned six seasons: three in the NFL, one season in the now-defunct United Football League, and two in the Canadian Football League.

“Sports is a great thing to watch when you’re snacking on chicken wings, but it’s dead serious,” Smith said. “We need to pay more attention to it and be more delicate.”

Last year, an ESPN survey of active NFL players found that 61 percent believed fewer players would take pain-killing shots if the league would allow medical cannabis use, with 41 percent saying it would be more effective at controlling pain. The NFL Players Association has said they are seeking to amend the league’s cannabis policies and last year convened a committee to look into allowing players to use cannabis as a pain management therapy. A number of team owners have also indicated support for “decriminalizing” cannabis use for players.

Smith said he is certain medical cannabis can be useful to people with brain injuries. Ginn said a dispensary will serve the community by providing jobs and helping people alleviate symptoms of medical conditions.

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The underside of a cannabis leaf silhouetted in front of an indoor LED grow light.

Last Brand Standing: Creating an Authentic Cannabis Brand

7/12/2017

by Doreen Sullivan

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Apple. Nike. Disney. The most famous brands in the world all have one thing in common; their brands are authentic. What does that mean exactly? How can you build an authentic brand for your own company and why is an authentic brand essential in the cannabis industry?

Your brand is a way to immediately convey a story, an emotion, or a feeling to your audience. It’s the foundation of your business, the backbone of your company. Having an authentic brand is the most important first step you’ll take in setting the tone for your company — and one of the costliest missteps businesses bring upon themselves when they get it wrong. Inauthentic brands lose power and the trust of their audience, resulting in lost time, energy, and profits.

Your brand is a living, breathing piece of your company. It is the message that represents you and building that brand requires meticulous attention to detail, intense passion, and time. Let’s look at some steps in creating an authentic brand and how it will help you stand out in the cannabis industry.

Building a new brand from the ground up takes a lot of creativity and determination, so set yourself up for success by planning ahead.

Know who you are and who you serve

How do you begin to form an authentic brand? You get personal. Who is your audience and what story are you trying to tell?

Nike believes that anyone can be an athlete, and their brand promotes finding personal greatness so you can “Just Do It.” There is a fearlessness in each aspect of their brand. Disney is focused on creating magic for any age, and this comes across in every ad, commercial, logo, tagline, and event.

What do you want your company to “feel” like to your customers? This stage in the brand building process is time consuming but reaps great rewards. Understanding both who you are and who you serve will help define your mission and drive your company forward:

What is your company’s purpose?
How can you best execute that purpose?
How can you best serve your consumer?
What does that consumer look like?
Where would you find this consumer?

Having specific answers to these questions is essential to building an authentic brand.

How do you fit in and how do you stand out?

One of the biggest mistakes I see business owners make in the cannabis industry is trying to build a cannabis brand as opposed to building an authentic brand in the cannabis space. Creating your brand is a “gut experience” and includes decisions made with passion and what “feels” right. Too often, I see companies incorporate a cannabis leaf in their logo or add some scientific symbolism to their brand and think they are finished. Wrong… branding goes so far beyond that.

Your logo — the most important visual aspect of your brand — needs to feel iconic to YOU. Your logo is your calling card, the visual representation of the promise you make to your consumers. Take the time to print out your logo options and spend time with them in different scenarios.

Does your love for your logo accrue with time? Your logo is like art — the more time you spend with it, the more you should appreciate it. Test your logo in different mediums: how does it look on a business card versus a billboard? The visual representation is the cornerstone of your brand and should be crafted with meticulous care.

An authentic cannabis brand shouldn’t scream “marijuana,” but should demonstrate forethought and sophistication. *Photo Credit: Sarah Climaco*

I challenge you to create a folder and continue to add visual and verbal items to it. Over time, you will begin to recognize a pattern in the items you gravitate towards. The art, fonts, colors, and patterns you choose need to feel authentic to your company and what you stand for.

This will also help you communicate your wants and needs to the artist you hire to design your brand. Developing brand guidelines in a style guide will help your company identify key colors, taglines, and visuals for your brand — here is an example from my own company. It will also help you police your brand, give you credibility, and help the media share your story while keeping your brand strong. These are the guidelines others will look to when using your brand.

How do you know it’s working?

So you’ve done the research, you’ve created a logo you love, and you’ve created your style guide. What’s next?

It’s time to live with it for a bit and try it on for size. This is the moment your brand starts working for you. How do you feel when you engage your brand throughout the day?

Ask others around you how they feel about your messaging and logo. Is your story coming across the way you intended it to? While feedback is essential, I encourage business owners to “trust your gut” on this one. Your brand is like your baby — you know what’s best.

The most important advice I can offer is to get started. You will discover throughout your journey that an essential component of a successful business is staying true to your mission and your brand. People buy into what “feels” right, and the story you tell will determine the authenticity of your business. So trust your gut and go for it.

As J.P. Morgan said, “Go as far as you can see, and when you get there you’ll be able to see further.”

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A man's silhouette hunched over in front of a Washington DC metro map.

Cannabis Arrests in D.C. Climb Following 2015 Legalization

7/11/2017

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In 2015 voters in Washington D.C. approved a ballot initiative to legalize cannabis in the nation’s capital; however that didn’t stop cannabis arrests from tripling between 2015 and 2016, according to a Washington Post report. In 2015, 142 people were arrested for cannabis possession; that number jumped over 400 in 2016. As of April 5, 78 people have been arrested for possession in the District.

Arrests for distribution – which was not legalized by the 2015 referendum – also climbed from 80 in 2015 to 220 in 2016, according to police arrest records outlined by the Post. As of April 5, 79 people have been arrested for distribution. The data includes arrests by D.C. police and other law enforcement agencies operating in the District.

Dustin Sternbeck, D.C. police spokesperson, said that legalization has led to more arrests for public consumption and that the rise in arrest rates for distribution is due to the department focusing “its drug enforcement effort on illegal sales.”

Jonathan Smith, executive director of the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs, called the figures “very troubling,” and that they suggest “a return to failed practices of over-policing and underserving communities of color” while crime levels drop to historic lows in the District.

At least 12 people were arrested during two cannabis-related protests in D.C. on and around April 20, however, it’s not clear whether all of those arrests were for cannabis-related crimes. The police data for this year obtained by the Post does not reflect those dates.

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The San Juan Colorado Beach in Puerto Rico.

Puerto Rico Gov. Signs More Comprehensive MMJ Bill

7/11/2017

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Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló has signed a bill legalizing a more comprehensive medical cannabis system in the U.S. territory, which will allow people with cancer and 14 other qualifying conditions broader access to medical cannabis products, MedicalXpress reports. The previous governor, Alejandro García Padilla, legalized medical cannabis through an executive order; however, Rosselló said the new regime creates a more effective legal framework for patients and the industry.

Rosselló, who holds a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering, said the legislation “recognizes medical cannabis as an alternative medical treatment, while maintaining all safeguards to protect the general public.”

“As a scientist, I know firsthand the impact that medicinal cannabis has had on patients with various diseases,” he said in an AztecaAmerica report. “It is time for Puerto Rico to join the flow of countries and states that have created similar legislation.”

Additionally, Rosselló said the act “emphasizes the role of research and development of cannabis as medicine” which he hopes will promote economic development on the island. Puerto Rico is $74 billion in debt – bankrupt – and the 3.2 million people unemployed equates to a rate of 12.3 percent. The governor estimates the government could see $50 million a month from sales and use taxes from the industry.

Under the law, 10 percent of the proceeds derived from the industry will go to the Hospital de Trauma del Centro Médico de Río Piedras, a major hospital facing severe financial problems. The University of Puerto Rico will receive 50 percent of all funds raised through fines imposed under the new regime.

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Aurora Cannabis Graduates to Canada’s Flagship Stock Exchange

7/11/2017

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Aurora Cannabis Inc., a licensed medical cannabis supplier in Canada, has received conditional approval to graduate from the TSX Venture Exchange and list on the Toronto Stock Exchange. The advancement follows a series of recent development for the firm, including expansion into Germany, investments in Australia, and construction of their Aurora Sky cultivation facility – capable of producing more than 220,460 pounds of cannabis per year.

Aurora CEO Terry Booth said the “exciting milestone” reflects the company’s “remarkable pace of growth and expansion both across Canada and internationally.”

“Having uplisted from the [Canadian Securities Exchange] to the TSXV in October, 2016, we believe that now graduating to the TSX will enable us to address an even wider investor audience, both domestically and internationally,” he said in a press release. “We remain focused strongly on building shareholder value, and look forward to reporting on our progress as a member of Canada’s flagship stock exchange.”

Aurora will continue trading under the symbol “ACB” on the TSX and, in conjunction with the listing, the common shares will be voluntarily delisted from the TSXV prior to the commencement of trading on the flagship exchange.

As of June 29, Aurora surpassed 16,000 active registered patients – less than 18 months after its first product sale in January 2016.

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Australia Approves MMJ Research Licenses to Two Firms

7/11/2017

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Australia’s Office of Drug Control has issued medical cannabis research licenses to two firms allowing them to cultivate and manufacture products for medical studies. The licenses were awarded to Canndeo LTD., a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Hydroponics Company (THC); and to a partnership between AusCann and Tasmanian Alkaloids.

According to a report from the Examiner, Tasmanian Alkaloids currently produces about 40 percent of the world’s opiate crop.

Primary Industries Minister Jeremy Rockliff called the license a “significant step” toward the cultivation of medical cannabis in Tasmania.

“This is a major milestone for the strategic partnership and represents significant progress in our joint strategy to become a leading producer and supplier of high quality medicinal cannabis to Australian patients,” said AusCann managing director Elaine Darby in the Examiner report.

Dr. Andrew Beehag, Canndeo CEO, said the license “effectively paves the way forward for future domestic supply” of medical cannabis “targeting multiple markets with high purity cannabidiol and enabling THC to continue its rollout of high quality imported products as well as locally produced medicines.”

“With Canndeo, THC will now advance research into medicinal cannabis to undertake both its own research exploring optimal cultivation and production methodologies and strain development, and look to implementation of THC’s epigenetic technology as a key innovation in the field,” said THC Chairman Alan Beasley in a press release.

The license will also allow Canndeo to build its exclusive plant breeders rights protected sativa strains. The company anticipates it will begin bringing products to market next year.

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Nevada Rec. Dispensaries Running Out of Product

7/10/2017

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Nevada’s adult-use cannabis industry has been online for about one week, yet dispensaries permitted to sell to adults are already running out of products, the Reno Gazette-Journal reports. The coming drought has led the Department of Taxation to propose a “statement of emergency” rules that would open up distribution licenses to applicants beyond alcohol distributors.

Gov. Brian Sandoval has endorsed the proposal.

“Based on reports of adult-use marijuana sales already far exceeding the industry’s expectations at the state’s 47 licensed retail marijuana stores, and the reality that many stores are running out of inventory, the Department must address the lack of distributors immediately,” said Tax Department spokeswoman Stephanie Klapstein in the report. “Some establishments report the need for delivery within the next several days.”

Thus far, the state has been unable to license any cannabis distributors in the state due to a lawsuit against the department by the Independent Alcohol Distributors of Nevada who claim that the department’s plan to issue distribution licenses to non-members of the organization violates the letter of the voter-approved law. The law provides exclusive cannabis distribution rights to alcohol transporters for the first 18 months of legal sales.

According to Klapstein, the department has received seven applications from liquor wholesalers to distribute cannabis to the state’s dispensaries, but “most don’t meet the requirements that would allow us to license them.”

“Even as we attempted to schedule the final facility inspection for one of the applicants this week, they told us their facility was not ready and declined the inspection,” she said.

The Tax Commission will vote on the statement of emergency regulations on Thursday, July 13.

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Washington Hall and Courtyard stands in the center of the University of Maryland campus dormitory section.

Maryland School of Pharmacy Offering MMJ Certification Course

7/10/2017

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The University of Maryland School of Pharmacy will begin offering medical cannabis training for prospective industry operators in an effort to bring educational standards to the sector amid uncertain legal standing and ever-changing science, the Washington Post reports.

The school joins the University of Vermont College of Medicine’s Department of Pharmacology in offering a medical cannabis course. The City College of San Francisco in California is also developing a course on the legal cannabis industry, while the Cleveland Cannabis College in Ohio began offering classes pertaining to the medical cannabis industry in the state earlier this year. In 2007, Oaksterdam University was founded in Oakland, California as the nation’s first cannabis college. Some higher education institutions in Canada – where medical cannabis is federally legal and lawmakers are currently considering nationwide legalization – are already offering, or considering offering, their own courses.

Maglaly Rodriguez de Bittner, a pharmacy professor and executive director for Maryland School of Pharmacy’s Center for Innovative Pharmacy Solutions, said the school “wanted to be a resource” and began signing up potential industry employees last month for the online certification program. The certifications are required for cannabis industry employees under the state’s medical cannabis law. The school is partnering with Americans for Safe Access on the program.

“If you’re going to be dispensing let’s make sure your staff is trained in best practices to do it safely and effectively,” Rodriguez de Bittner said in the report.

Courses will include instruction about laws and regulations; pesticides; sanitation; evidence for medical cannabis therapies; plant and product consistencies; labeling, inventory control and record keeping; and operating procedures.

The 30-hour certification course costs between $450 and $750.

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The American flag and Michigan state flag flying in front of the Michigan Capitol Building's dome in Lansing, MI.

Michigan Lawmaker Seeking Federal Clarification on Cannabis Industry

7/10/2017

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A resolution in Michigan’s Republican-controlled House of Representatives is asking the federal government to both decriminalize cannabis federally and allow states to implement their own policies, or enforce federal law, according to a report from news talk radio station WSJM.

The resolution is sponsored by Macomb Country Rep. Jeff Yaroch, a Republican, who indicated that part of the state’s medical cannabis industry reforms include a patient database and, without clarification by Congress, that database could be used by the federal government to target enrolled patients in the event of a crackdown.

“What do we do if the federal government decides this year to change its position?” Yaroch said in the report. “We’ve kind of had a bury the head in the sand kind of attitude. So, the resolution is to try to put some pressure on Congress. Just make a decision so we know how to legislate in our state.”

The move comes as advocates in the state are collecting signatures to put a recreational legalization question on state-wide ballots next year.

Several bills have been introduced in Congress to reform the nation’s cannabis laws, ranging from descheduling to removing CBD from the federal definition of ‘marihuana,’ to allowing operations in legal states to access services such as banking.

Currently, legal programs have little federal protection, and the Trump Administration – namely Attorney General Jeff Sessions – is seeking to undo what protection they do have by asking Congress to rescind the Rohrabacher-Farr Amendment which prohibits the Department of Justice from using federal funds to enforce federal law in legal states.

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Official flag of Zimbabwe, featuring a soapstone bird and a red star.

Zimbabwe Official Says Nation Considering MMJ Legalization for Economic Reasons

7/10/2017

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A cabinet minister in Zimbabwe has announced that the African nation is considering legalizing medical cannabis partially in an effort to attract investors to the country’s forthcoming Special Economic Zones, according to a state-run Sunday News report by cited by AllAfrica. Investment Promotion Minister Obert Mpofu said the idea was formed when a Canadian medical cannabis firm inquired about the possibility of cultivating cannabis in the zones.

At first, Mpofu thought the company wasn’t serious, but soon realized that medical cannabis production was big business.

“We have received numerous inquiries from investors who want to participate in the SEZs and one of them is a big international company that wants to be involved in the production of cannabis,” he said in the report. “This company is from Canada and it’s one of the biggest conglomerates in that country and they are producing cannabis for medical purposes under strict conditions.”

Mpofu said that he doesn’t “see anything wrong” with legalizing medical cannabis. Under current law, cannabis possession or cultivation is illegal in Zimbabwe punishable by jail.

The Special Economic Zones will offer investor incentives, including exemption from portions of the labor laws and black economic empowerment rules. They are currently being set up in Harare, Victoria Falls, and Bulawayo.

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A Confidence Analytics scientist inspects a cannabis sample in their Redmond, Washington testing lab.

Confidence Analytics: Peeking Inside a Cannabis Testing Lab

7/10/2017

by Sarah Climaco

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Confidence Analytics is an I-502 cannabis testing laboratory in Washington state. Their 9,000 square-foot facility is located in Redmond and has been in operation since April 2014. They were the second lab in the state to become certified and performed the first tests of product samples under the I-502 adult-use marketplace.

We recently had the chance to tour their facility and sit down for a talk with Nick Mosely, Chief Science Officer, and Bobby Hines, Chief Technology Officer, to learn more about what their company is all about.

Nick Mosely (left) is the Chief Science Officer for Confidence Analytics and Bobby Hines (right) is the company’s Chief Technology Officer.

Confidence Analytics offers a range of cannabis testing options to producer/processors. They perform tests on products such as green plant material (flower, trim, keif and bubble hash), solvent-based extracts (concentrates extracted using ethanol, butane, propane, or supercritical CO2), and edibles (which are only tested for THC potency). They are required to test for potency, microbial contaminants, and pesticides — but also offer other voluntary tests like terpene profiles.

“When we are testing for state compliances, we are entering them into a seed-to-sale traceability system,” said Mosely. “The state basically gets to decide when the producer gets to retest depending on the threshold.”

The tests conclude in two types of test results — either pass/fail or a number output — depending on the type of test. For example, potency profile and terpene profile tests would give an output number.

Samples of cannabis products submitted to Confidence Analytics for analysis.

“In any other industry, quality testing is commonplace, but it tends to be fairly invisible,” said Hines. That’s actually part of why cannabis is such a unique industry: quality assurance testing is more visible to consumers than in most other industries.

“Our goal is to provide business intelligence and compliance tools specifically to these producer and processors,” said Hines. Both Hines and Mosely worked in healthcare prior to starting this company. Mosely was doing research at the UW Medical Center in Seattle, Washington and Hines worked as a programmer for the billing department.

UHPLC and HPLC models sit next to the fume hood, used for cannabinoid analysis.

Another reason why cannabis is unique in regards to quality assurance testing is that it varies state by state, whereas other consumer products have federal regulations to abide by.

“What’s happening is new states, as they are coming on board, are taking [Washington state’s] rule set, and adding to it,” Mosely said.

Confidence Analytics advertises a three-to-four-day turnaround time for lab results, which — compared to other industries — is very fast. In a given month, their lab serves about 150 different licensees.

“For what the producer/processors are getting when they are going to a 502 lab, they are getting it very fast and very cheap,” said Mosely.

Employee Levi Boss looks inspects a large culture plate of fungus on the monitor as part of the testing lab’s process of investigating product samples.

The lab is set to handle challenges and changes in regulations as they come with confidence. “Our method and the fact that we hire people with scientific education, alongside our custom built technology-stack, has allowed us to be quite nimble in responding to changes,” said Hines.

But that’s not their biggest challenge, they can handle the changes when it involves science. The difficult part is explaining test results, whether positive or negative, to their customers. It’s all based on education and understanding the many variables that may lead to a failing test.

“We spend time explaining the technical parts of the scientific process to get them to understand the picture that they are seeing,” Hines said.

Levi Boss checks a culture on a slide under the microscope.

Additionally, they are also working against a market standard based on the common misconception of THC’s importance in test results.

“We have a market that is kind of exploiting the idea of THC being the sole chemical agent that has any influence or value in the product,” said Hines. “The grade and quality of a product isn’t dictated by the THC number — that has been a big challenge.”

This is where labs and other license holders have the power to educate consumers about the different numbers on the labels, explaining what actually matters.

“Our philosophy is that we should be taking some sort of personal responsibility in educating the consumer for the long-term sustainability of the market,” said Hines.

This is why Confidence Analytics offers educational courses for budtenders, who work as the acting frontline and voice to consumers, so they can have a better understanding of the products they are selling and be more qualified to assist with purchases.

Like many others in the industry, the team at Confidence Analytics is proud to be on the front lines of Washington’s cannabis marketplace, that they are able to provide a quality service to a needed industry, and that they are pioneering the way for future testing labs.

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A judge's gavel rests on a desk inside of a U.S. court room.

Florida Attorney Sues Over No-Smoking Provisions in Legislature-Approved MMJ Bill

7/07/2017

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