WeedLife News Network

NORWICH — With marijuana currently legal to consume for people 21 and older in Connecticut, and sales of recreational marijuana products to be allowed in 2022, many businesses owners want to know any potential impact to them.

The German process is unlike anything foreigners have ever experienced before—with twists and turns at every step that frequently defy logic.

The German medical cannabis market is one of the largest in the world. Indeed, as of 2021, it is not only the largest market in Europe, but also responsible for driving cultivation plans across many sunnier and lower labor cost locales. This is true of both countries in the European Union (EU) and further flung spots, all hoping to export cannabis to a country, which so far has not, by design, been able to domestically source the medical cannabis consumed in the country. 

All well and good—but this is the good news. 

In fact, the pharmaceutical infrastructure that faces medical cannabis companies is far from either clear cut or easy to navigate. Here is why.

Cannabis is Defined by Law as a Controlled Narcotic Drug

The first issue facing all distributors in the German market, is that cannabis, legally, is defined as a narcotic at a federal level. To date, despite a decision on the European level last fall, this also includes low THC hemp—which has led to a number of lawsuits and embarrassing contretemps of late even on the non-medical, commercial level. 

Beyond this, however, cannabis as medicine is clearly now present in the system—but merely importing and or registering strains and brands (no matter who makes them or where such flower or products come from) is far from enough to get sales.

As cannabis cultivation grows in Warwick, the town debates whether to allow dispensaries.

What was once a medium-security prison that housed about 1,000 inmates in Warwick will become a fully operating cannabis cultivation site by 2023.

When New Mexico’s recreational cannabis bill was signed into law in April, Mike Hinkle and Ryan Timmermans jumped at the chance to get into the industry. The two business partners, both recent transplants from the South, bought portable buildings, seeds, grow lights and a property in the village of Carson, with a domestic well they thought they could use to irrigate their plants. In total, they invested more than $50,000.

“That’s actually the most money I’ve ever had in my life,” Hinkle said. “I was extremely excited because we thought we had a shot.”

Three months later, Hinkle fought back tears as he spoke at a hearing about regulations for the new cannabis industry, held at the State Capitol. He’d discovered that a domestic water supply would not fulfill the requirements for a license and that no amount of money would get him the required water rights in Carson, near Taos — because they simply weren’t available. He was still emotional when the three-minute timer ran out and his mic was cut off.

Hinkle was not alone in his dismay. Nearly 200 people submitted written comments to the state’s newly formed Cannabis Control Division, while dozens of others voiced frustrations at the Aug. 6 hearing. Among them were aspiring cannabis business owners and members of acequia collectives — traditional ditch-irrigation communities worried that the new rules would undermine their senior water rights. Most shared a central concern: water.

Would there be enough for farmers who depend on acequias to grow food? How would rural cannabis growers secure water rights? How could the average New Mexican afford those rights? The two presiding officials at the meeting — a retired judge and a deputy director of the Cannabis Control Division — heard participants raise those questions again and again.

Italy is set to allow the small-scale cultivation of cannabis plants at home after a reform was approved by the Lower House's justice committee on Wednesday.

The reform decriminalises the growth of up to four cannabis plants at home.

However, it also increases the penalties for crimes linked to the trafficking and dealing of cannabis, with the maximum sentence increasing from six to ten years.

The reform, which was put forward by Italian MP Riccardo Magi, makes Italy one of the first countries in Europe to decriminalize the domestic cultivation of cannabis for personal use, with Spain and Czech Republic also permitting the growth of up to five plants at home. 

It triggered calls for further legalization from weed advocates and anger from the country’s conservatives.  

A lack of momentum among lawmakers this summer—as federal cannabis reform took a back seat to issues like infrastructure—has weighed on shares of midsize marijuana seller TerrAscend in recent months. Its declines could prove fleeting.

Cannabis breathalyzer company Hound Labs, Inc. has raised $20 million from a variety of cannabis investment groups. Investors in the company include Entourage Effect Capital (EEC),  Intrinsic Capital, Benchmark, Icon Ventures, and Tuatara Capital. The company raised the funds in order to scale production of the HOUND MARIJUANA BREATHALYZER. Hound Labs says it has developed a patented and one-of-a-kind ultra-sensitive technology that is at the core of the company’s first commercial product.

“The groundbreaking breath testing technology created by Hound Labs provides a substantial competitive advantage to the Company,” said Dov Szapiro, Managing Partner at EEC. “The Hound Labs team has accomplished an impressive scientific achievement – precisely and consistently targeting one specific type of molecule out of the more than 3,500 different compounds found in breath. Not only are we excited about the immediate capabilities of the Hound breath technology to measure recent cannabis use, we are also excited about future applications that can detect pathogens such as SARS-CoV-2 or biomarkers for disease by changing the targeted compound.”

Cannabis use testing has been notoriously difficult. Unlike alcohol use, which is relatively easy to measure with traditional breathalyzers, cannabis consumers often show positive results long after actually consuming the product making traditional methods unreliable. Hound Labs says its product has been designed to isolate recent cannabis use by specifically measuring THC1 (the primary psychoactive ingredient in cannabis). The company noted that the ability to determine when an employee used cannabis is critical now that most adults in the U.S. can legally use recreational cannabis outside of work hours. While Amazon made news recently by saying it wouldn’t test employees for cannabis use, it specifically carved out drivers from that statement.

Hound Labs claims to be the only ultra-sensitive cannabis testing solution that identifies recent use that correlates with the window of impairment, allowing employers to keep employees who might otherwise test positive via conventional cannabis tests of oral fluid, urine, and hair.

“In order to manage our supply chain and meet demand for inventory, we have been reaching out to employers on our Wait List to understand the volumes required for our commercial units in 2022,” stated Dr. Mike Lynn, CEO of Hound Labs. “The response has been incredible. We are negotiating multi-million-dollar contracts with companies from a variety of industries who want to secure HOUND MARIJUANA BREATHALYZERS ahead of our 1Q22 commercial launch.”

Sustainable cannabis cultivation is one of the most complex, charged issues facing today’s industry. As the market continues to mature, companies need to consider the significant environmental impact and massive carbon footprint of energy-intensive operations.

As more states legalize the plant, companies are building indoor production facilities that will add millions of square feet of canopy each year, stretching and straining electrical grids from coast to coast. Meanwhile, greenhouse growers are employing more mixed-light cultivation to produce crops similar in quality to their indoor counterparts, and outdoor growers are struggling to survive as consumers continue to favor frosty, potent buds over organic, full-season flower.

A Denver-based medical marijuana company has awarded $1,000 scholarships to twenty different college students interested in the plant, with plans to do the same next year.

Veriheal, an online service that connects medical marijuana patients with doctors, recently split $20,000 among twenty students who demonstrated a passion for cannabis and innovative ideas to better the industry through essay submissions. The lone Colorado winner was Christina Hippensteel, a student at Metropolitan State University of Denver.

There is no better place in Florida to hold a Sacred Mushroom Summit than Gainesville.

The city gave rise to the famed Gainesville Green marijuana strain. People gladly squished through pastures mined with cow patties in search of mind-altering fungi. Joints were regularly smoked at college football games. And ecstasy-fueled raves at Simon's downtown drew elite techno DJs from Europe.

The summit, set for Friday through Sunday at the Thomas Center, will feature lectures and presentations on the use of hallucinogens of the Americas including ayahuasca, cannabis and peyote.

Topics will include medical use, psychological, anthropological and historic aspects of the drugs, religious freedom and legal issues.

“There is a whole lot going on right now in this area,” said organizer Tom Lane, who has written books on historic use of psychoactives. “This type of medicine pre-dates the colonial days. Indigenous sages were using this in Mexico way before the colonials got here.”

Hallucinogens are going through a revival. They were widely studied through the mid-1900s for medical and therapeutic value but got ground up in the war on drugs later in the century after LSD, marijuana and mushrooms were used recreationally.

You can add The Boston Beer Company (NYSE: SAM) to the list of major alcohol conglomerates to become levered to the cannabis industry. (article originally appeared on Technical420.com)

Through a product development agreement with Peak Processing Solutions, a subsidiary of Althea Group Holdings (ASX: AGH), and WeedMD Rx Inc., a subsidiary of Entourage Health Corp (TSX Venture: ENTG) (OTCQX: ETRGF), Boston Beer will be positioned to capitalize on the burgeoning cannabis beverage market and we are favorable on the development for the entire cannabis sector. 

Under the product development agreement, Peak will provide research and development services including laboratory support and the testing of various product formulations and recipes, for a new line of cannabis beverage products. 

Three best practices to help drive revenues and stay ahead of the curve.

As the North American cannabis industry becomes more and more crowded, retailers are suddenly faced with flat or declining revenues. That’s bad news for owners, but it’s not necessarily the end of the world. Creative entrepreneurs are constantly looking for new ways to generate income, and those ideas are often hidden in plain sight in other retail industries.

Let’s look at three common retail practices that have yet to embed themselves in the DNA of the cannabis market.

Shelf space

One of the best ways to supplement sales is by charging fees for premium placement of certain products and brands on store shelves. Welcome to the world of slotting fees.

ZUMBROTA, Minn. (WCCO) — A farmer south of the cities is hoping you’ll make his place a new fall tradition. He has a maze made out of a hemp field, about an hour south of the cities in Zumbrota. The owner tells WCCO he is using the attraction for education.

Ted Galaty is the owner and operator of Hemp Maze Minnesota. The maze is located at Willow’s Keep Farm just south of Zumbrota on Highway 5.

A science major at St. Olaf, Galaty never thought he’d be a cannabis aficionado. The west coast native made a deal with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture to create this one of a kind hemp maze.

“As far as I know it’s the only hemp maze in Minnesota and probably in the United States,” he said.

The hemp maze is 2 acres, takes about 20 minutes to get through and Galaty insists its kid-friendly. He says it’s all about education – his plants and are not used for recreational purposes, but functional ones.

That's bad news for the cannabis industry, which has turned to billboards as a marketing opportunity.

Cannabis companies have precious few options when it comes to advertising. With the federal government still listing marijuana as an illegal drug, the industry faces strict regulations on advertising its products and services.

The situation has left companies scrambling to get around advertising restrictions. One outlet for companies has involved placing cannabis billboards on highways in states with legal weed. But earlier this year, California officials mandated the removal of some billboards. And proposed action in Michigan could signal that idea is taking hold in other locations.

Medical marijuana retail licenses will be a hot commodity in Sioux Falls.

The Sioux Falls City Council Tuesday night signed off on a proposal coming from Mayor Paul TenHaken's office that will cap the number of retail stores that can operate in the city at five. And though councilors halved the $100,000 license fee that City Hall wanted, another late change allowing the sale of the licenses on the secondary market is expected to drive the value of a license up even hirer.

"The Sioux Falls City Council, by making a license worth $50,000 and transferrable, has just made dispensary licenses into liquor licenses," said Drew Duncan, a Sioux Falls attorney and lobbyist for clients in South Dakota's gambling and alcohol industry, via social media following the 7-1 vote.

TenHaken and supporters of his provision barring the transfer of dispensary licenses worry that allowing them to be sold on the secondary market will give them an artificial value, just like has happened with liquor licenses. But Councilor Janet Brekke and the rest of the Council decided without allowing a license to be owned outright, the city's medical marijuana rules would unduly restrict a cannabis retailer's ability to grow their business.

TenHaken's proposal underwent a series of other changes before earning final passage as well.

Since unveiling the proposal in August, the first-term mayor has taken criticism both publicly and behind the scenes for pushing for what pro-business and pro-cannabis advocates have characterized as a "de facto ban" on medical marijuana due to high cost of a license and zoning rules that make the majority of the city and its commercial districts off limits to marijuana retail.

A federal judge has blocked a Northern California county’s ban on trucks delivering water to Hmong cannabis farmers, saying it raises “serious questions” about racial discrimination and leaves the growers without a source of water for basic sanitation, vegetable gardens and livestock.

On Friday, Chief U.S. District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller issued a temporary injunction against Siskiyou County’s prohibition on trucked-in water deliveries to Hmong farmers growing marijuana in the Mount Shasta Vista subdivision in the Big Springs area north of Weed.

“Without an injunction, the plaintiffs and other members of the Shasta Vista Hmong community will likely go without water for their basic needs and will likely lose more plants and livestock,” she wrote. “Fires may burn more homes. People may be forced to leave their homes and land behind without compensation.

Over the last five years, hundreds of Hmong farmers have bought cheap land in the subdivision and erected hundreds of marijuana greenhouses on the lava-rock covered hillsides in violation of the county’s ban on commercial cannabis cultivation.

Sonora, CA  — A Mexican National convicted of operating an illegal marijuana grow in the Stanislaus National Forest will spend the next four and a half years in prison.

37-year-old Eleno Fernandez-Garcia of Michoacán, Mexico, was also ordered to pay $45,688 in restitution to the U.S. Forest Service for the environmental damage that the toxic chemicals and cultivation operation had on public land, according to Acting U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert.

In May Fernandez-Garcia pled guilty to conspiring to manufacture, distribute, and possess with intent to distribute marijuana on the Stanislaus National Forest. The cultivation operation contained 9,654 marijuana plants and was located in the Basin Creek drainage in the forest in Tuolumne County. As reported here, Fernandez was found at the grow site holding pruning shears and was covered with marijuana debris. Three other individuals fled from the area.

Talbert detailed the significant damage to the environment including grazing cows, wildlife, endangered fish, and frogs. Additionally, investigative agents found the pesticide Weevelcide, a lethal restricted-use chemical; two types of rodenticides; 837 pounds of soluble fertilizer; 45.65 gallons of liquid fertilizer; and a dead raccoon. Also, besides chemicals and fertilizer, there was over 2,000 pounds of trash and irrigation tubing. Talbert also noted that nearly all of the native vegetation was cut down to make room for the marijuana plants, which were close to recreational activities, and Sugar Pine Springs, a natural spring used by two companies for bottled water.

Participating agencies involved in this investigation included the U.S. Forest Service, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Campaign Against Marijuana Planting (CAMP) of the California Department of Justice, and the California Fish and Wildlife.

Automaker BMW Group is looking to slash the carbon emissions of making and using its cars – and hemp may play a larger role.

BMW has been using hemp for some years, for example in the lining of door panels of its electric i3. This isn’t just a warm and fuzzy tree-hugger thing to attract the eco-savvy consumer; but also plays a (small) role in lightening the vehicle.

It looks like hemp and other plant materials might be getting more of a look in, with the company stating it is stepping up its fight against climate change and will drastically reduce CO2 per vehicle by 2030.

One of the strategies is the increased use of natural materials over petrochemical ones.