WeedLife News Network

Cannabis farmers tend to aim for high THC content cultivars of weed when they’re creating a new strain, without giving much thought to the effect these compounds have on the user’s body.

The potency of cannabis is determined by the content level of CBD and THC compounds present in the plant. So, it is normal to be curious about the exact amount of THC and CBD present in a cannabis product before smoking.

In the last decade, hundreds of new strains of cannabis have been created giving smokers a wide range of options to choose from. No two strains of weed can offer exactly the same characteristics. The taste and aftereffects of each cultivar will be distinct from one another.

This has caused a deviation from the normal cannabis culture practiced in the ’70s and ’80s. Back then there were fewer cannabis cultivars and everyone had an idea of the amount of THC and CBD present in them.

Now, THC and CBD content levels have risen and can be as high as 30% in a weed product, with extracts having very high levels of CBD or THC compounds.

The gateway theory is not necessarily a concept that ensures a person who uses weed today will shoot heroin tomorrow.

The cannabis industry seems to be moving across the U.S. with the power of a Mack Truck screaming down the highway with a sign on the back that reads, “red-eye express.”

The business of growing and selling weed has matured into a multi-billion-dollar operation, despite the lack of support from the federal government and the fact that about 70 per cent of those surveyed think the business should be taxed and regulated like alcohol and tobacco.

Written by: Javier Hasse

The long-standing, negative stereotypes about cannabis consumers have contributed to a decades-long stigma that lingers to this date, even as legalization spreads across the world while birthing one of the fastest-growing industries of our time.

But new data out today, shared exclusively with Forbes ahead of its official release, aims to erase these harmful stereotypes forever. 

Clearing The Air

Cannabis tech company dutchie recently conducted a study of 5,000 adult cannabis consumers from the U.S. and Canada, seeking to provide a more accurate understanding of the modern cannabis user. The data revealed that, contrary to the outdated “Dazed and Confused” depiction, today’s cannabis consumers are successful, motivated and health-conscious people. 

“I smoke cannabis, advocate for it on a personal level, but I'm also an investor and entrepreneur. The opportunity in cannabis is clear, and this data highlights that consumers are highly educated, with more buying power than these stereotypes would have you believe,” Snoop Dogg, co-founder of Casa Verde Capital, an investor in dutchie, commented when prompted about the results.

A notification to FDA by Charlotte’s Web to demonstrate the safety of its full-spectrum hemp extract was met with objections in a letter made public Wednesday, underscoring regulatory challenges plaguing the hemp-based CBD market in the U.S.

The development highlights Congress must intervene to clear a pathway for hemp-based CBD products, several industry executives said.

“This is just simply a clarion call for the passage of legislation to provide a legal pathway for the sale of CBD,” said Jonathan Miller, general counsel to the U.S. Hemp Roundtable, in an interview.

GW Pharmaceuticals hurdle 

Charlotte’s Web (and others) cited material differences between its full-spectrum hemp extract and the CBD drug known as Epidiolex, the latter of which FDA approved in 2018. Yet FDA concluded the new dietary ingredient (NDI) from Charlotte’s Web is excluded from the definition of a supplement because CBD was first authorized for investigation as a new drug.

“Looking at the totality of the record, FDA has concluded that your NDI 1202 is a CBD product and thus is subject to the exclusion from the definition of dietary supplement” under U.S. law and “may not be marketed as or in a dietary supplement,” wrote Cara Welch, acting director of FDA’s Office of Dietary Supplement Programs (ODSP).

Recreational cannabis sales began in January 2018, and while many have played by the rules, the illegal growth and sale of the plant continues to undermine those following the rules.

Licensed to grow, manufacture and sell

State license issuance began in 2018, but data isn’t available for that initial year because they were issued as temporary licenses. Data sets begin in 2019, when 12-month annual and provisional licenses began to be issued, using the online licensing systems. Licenses remain active for one year, at which point they can be renewed for an additional 12 months. This list displays counts of when the licenses were first issued, but not each time one was renewed.

The North Carolina Senate is considering Senate Bill 711, The Compassionate Care Act, which would legalize medical marijuana in this state.

The sponsors say this act would give North Carolina the strictest medical marijuana law in the country.

Below are some questions and answers about who could get medical marijuana and how a medical marijuana law would be implemented if S711 becomes law.

This information is current as of  early August 2021 and is subject to change. The latest version of S711 is available at the N.C. General Assembly website.

Rules for patients

How would someone qualify to get medical marijuana?

Chris Vela dances with fire as he twirls molten glass over a glowing flame. He likens the mesmerizing effects to a campfire – a hypnotic incandescence.

As a contemporary marijuana glass artist, Vela makes translucent electric green bubblers and glistening salmon pink Sherlock pipes. He has hollow-sculpted a real-life horned lizard skull – a blazing orange piece ultimately affixed to a bong of the same color. 

U.S.-based Green Globe International, Inc. (GGII) is advancing its mission to disrupt tobacco with its intent to obtain the patent to manufacture the “world’s first-ever paper made entirely from cannabis.”

GGII reported this week that it has signed a letter of intent to acquire the patent filed a few years back, reports the company, a wholly owned subsidiary of Hempacco Co., Inc. that manufactures herb and hemp CBD cigarettes.

Edible candies last longer than chocolate, so it’s important to store each in the right place.

Edibles are fun and can be delicious, producing strong highs that usually last for long periods of time. When used correctly, edibles can produce highs that are manageable and perfect for daytime use.

Still, since edibles are food, it’s important to know how to preserve them for best flavour and effect. Here’s how to store edibles and keep them as fresh and delicious as possible.

Store in an airtight container and in a cool space

Edibles vary greatly in flavour and type. Edible candies last longer than chocolate, so it’s important to store each in the right place.

Candies and gummies may have a coating of sugar, which helps to extend their shelf life. As long as exposure to air and temperature is controlled, these edibles should last for a good amount of time, perhaps six to nine months, with the harder the candy, the longer the shelf life.

Firearms remain out-of-reach for medical cannabis patients and recreational users, even if your state has legalized cannabis for either purpose.

Technically, if you own a firearm and use marijuana for recreational or medical purposes, you are in violation of federal law. It is unlawful for an unauthorized user of a controlled substance, including marijuana, to possess, ship, transport, or receive firearms or ammunition. It is also unlawful to sell a firearm or ammunition to any person if the seller knows or has reasonable cause to believe that such person is an unlawful user of marijuana. In this context, unlawful use is based on federal law. Therefore, any person who uses marijuana, even if legal under state law, is prohibited from possessing or purchasing firearms or ammunition.

This prohibition does not apply to users of hemp-derived cannabidiol (CBD) or hemp products because these are not controlled substances for purposes of federal law, thanks to the 2018 Agricultural Improvement Act, known as the 2018 Farm Bill.

In order to purchase a firearm from a federally licensed dealer, an individual must complete Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) Form 4473, which asks if you are an “unlawful user of, or addicted to, marijuana,” and includes a warning that the recreational and medical use of cannabis under state law does not alter the federal Controlled Substances Act which makes it illegal to possess, manufacture, or distribute marijuana. It is a separate crime to lie about your marijuana use on the form. You can also be subject to heightened criminal penalties if found in possession of a firearm and marijuana at the same time.

If you are a medical marijuana user, it may be possible for law enforcement to obtain this information from a medical marijuana patient registry or state database to confirm your use of marijuana. Several states, including Maryland, have tried to protect medical marijuana patients by preventing state police from accessing the medical cannabis patient registry to verify whether a firearm applicant uses medical marijuana. However, some states, like Hawaii, explicitly grant law enforcement access to the state’s medical cannabis patient registry to evaluate whether an individual can legally possess a firearm.

Rep. Tom McClintock doesn’t approve of marijuana use.

He sees “clear evidence” its use can cause neurological problems in children.

He’s a reliable Republican, conservative vote in Congress.

Yet he’s one of the few congressional Republicans who for years has consistently called for easing federal restrictions on the drug’s use.

“He has the best record on the marijuana issue of any Republican congressman in California,” said Dale Gieringer, California NORML director.

By Oregon Small Business Association

Florida state officials issued a consumer alert warning about hemp grown in Oregon containing rocks, sticks, and other foreign material accompanied by fraudulent certificates of analyses.

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, which regulates and inspects the cultivation and sale of hemp, issued the warning in July, saying it had received several complaints about the hemp grown in Oregon, one of the nation’s largest hemp producers.

Florida officials are working with federal and Oregon agriculture officials to remedy the problem.

Nevada’s marijuana industry is looking to get greener.

From plastic packaging to the electricity needed to grow the plants, the cannabis industry has areas to address to lighten its environmental footprint.

The head of the Nevada Dispensary Association told State of Nevada that stakeholders are working on more environmentally friendly practices and also drafting regulations that promote sustainability

FORT MYERS, Fla. — A local cafe and shop is jumping into a growing trend by incorporating hemp and CBD into its dishes.

“You can really make pretty much anything and you can infuse the CBD or the hemp hearts,” said Head Chef and Kitchen Manager of Seed & Bean Market, Tika Saunders.

Saunders explained that one obstacle while working with hemp and CBD is making sure the temperatures of each dish remain within a certain range.

“You don’t want to go above…well between 320 and 356. I for one, I prefer to go low and slow,” Saunders said.

If you overheat your food, she said there’s a chance some of the chemicals from the hemp or CBD could be released.

Markland Allison, a Rastafarian resident of Mitchell’s Hill in Rock River, Clarendon, has strong views regarding the opening up of the ganja industry in Jamaica.

Jamaicans are encouraged to take advantage of the wealth that can be earned by entering the estimated US$42 billion industry – however, for Allison, it is just a pipe dream for the ordinary folks and Rastafarians.

Asking for a fair chance for Rastafarians across the country, he said his observation is that “classism in Jamaica is worse than racism in America”.

“The black man in America is being pressured in a certain way … we have certain class privilege in Jamaica just like how we have white privilege in Jamaica,” Allison noted, as he stated that people of a certain class are treated a particular way in Jamaica.

Allison, who shared with The Gleaner that he made the deliberate decision to remain in his community in order to create a positive impact amid the brain drain, said he has little hopes of getting a foothold in the ganja industry.

We all scream for cannabis ice cream?

In the latest twist on the sweet treat, Boston-based ice cream brand Emack & Bolio’s partnered with cannabis operator MariMed to create cannabis-infused ice cream. And yes, it will give you the munchies.

The duo will “create a line-up of cannabis-infused vegan and dairy ice cream in outrageous flavors.” The ice cream will contain the same whole-plant cannabinoid and terpene formulations found in MariMed’s products like K Fusion and Betty’s Eddies.

“This partnership is gonna ROCK,” said Bob Rook, CEO and creator of Emack & Bolio’s in a press release. “The combination of our unique flavors with MariMed’s cannabis expertise is a natural.”

The products are expected to debut in Massachusetts this year followed by more launches in other legal cannabis markets.

Last year progressive voters were told that, despite the clear evidence that Joe Biden was a left-of-Reagan centrist, modern political pressures from the Democratic party would push the candidate to the left once he was in office, finally aligning him with populist principles. That prediction has proven faulty—even by the most forgiving of standards. And one of the progressive stances most neglected by the Biden administration is that cannabis laws should be reformed.

It challenges the conventional wisdom that the federal ban on marijuana gives legalization states free rein to discriminate against outsiders in their local cannabis markets.

A Vanderbilt legal paper published in the Boston University Law Review called “Interstate Commerce in Cannabis” shows that shipping cannabis to other states may already be legal and more plot twists lie ahead for the cannabis industry.

What should someone know before starting a cannabis business? 

To help aspiring entrepreneurs plan their own cannabis business, we asked business leaders and fellow cannabis business founders this question for their best advice. From finding the right insurance to researching your competition, there are several tips that may help you successfully form your hemp-based company.