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While many businesses have been struggling to survive during the pandemic, Illinois pot dispensaries have continued to thrive, setting another sales record in July.

The $61 million in recreational marijuana sales last month represented a 28% increase over June, when Illinois had $47.6 million in sales, according to the Illinois Department of Professional and Financial Regulation. Those figures do not include medical marijuana sales.

Sales of recreational pot have increased each month since February, which saw a slight drop in sales from January, the first month of legal weed in Illinois.

Marijuana dispensaries have been deemed essential businesses during the pandemic, allowing them to remain open during the early months of the outbreak, when most businesses were forced to close.

So far this year, recreational pot dispensaries in Illinois have sold nearly 6.7 million marijuana products worth a total of more than $300 million.

New Factors Could Help to Push The Cannabis Industry Forward

The U.S. House of Representatives has voted to pass an amendment that prevents the Department of Justice from spending taxpayer dollars to enforce federal anti-cannabis laws in otherwise legal cannabis sates, according to NORML.

The Blumenauer-McClintock-Norton-Lee amendment protects legal marijuana programs by restricting spending on anti-marijuana efforts in the majority of states that regulate the use of either recreational or medical cannabis.

“This is the most significant vote on marijuana policy reform that the House of Representatives has taken this year,” said National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws political director Justin Strekal in a news release. “The importance of this bipartisan vote cannot be overstated as today; nearly one in four Americans reside in a jurisdiction where the adult use of cannabis is legal under state statute. It is time for Congress to acknowledge this reality and retain these protections in the final spending bill.”

Strekal also noted this move on the part of the House should be followed by the end of prohibition and the era of cannabis criminalization.

The vote comes after several moves to adjust spending when it comes to anti-cannabis laws, tracing back to 2014. Since then, members of Congress have passed spending bills that protected those involved in the legal use, production, and dispensing of medical cannabis from prosecution by the Department of Justice.

Both millennials and boomers have been smoking and spending more on cannabis since the outbreak of the coronavirus.

Baby boomers and millennials can’t agree on anything: the economy, social values, and smoking cannabis. Not whether or not they should consume the plant — boomers now smoke more cannabis than high schoolers — but how, when and where and everything in between.

These differences in opinions were seen in a recent survey by Verilife dispensaries, which is part of the Pharmacann network. The company surveyed 1,000 milliennials and 1,000 boomers to understand where the generations coincided and contradicted each other in their attitudes about cannabis.

Boomers were twice as likely to use cannabis solely for medical purposes compared to millennials, about half of which reported using marijuana for recreational reasons. Both generations said relaxation was their top reason for recreational consumption.

About a quarter of millennials turned to medical cannabis to relieve chronic pain. The second-biggest reason? Migraines. Boomers, meanwhile, had diverse medical purposes for consuming cannabis, but the top three were arthritis, cancer, and chronic pain.

Research out of University of Newcastle in Australia indicates cannabis has the potential to kill or inhibit cancer cells without impacting normal cells.

Cancer researcher Dr Matt Dun collaborated with Australian Natural Therapeutics Group (ANTG), which produces a variety of cannabis with high levels of cannabidiol (CBD) and low levels of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) called Eve.

We mentioned ANTG and Eve last year when the company was successful in having the strain listed on Australia’s  Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG) as being suitable for export.  ANTG notes Eve as has having 11-17% CBD and less than 0.1% THC.

ANTG asked Dr. Dun to test Eve against cancer.

“…so we initially used leukaemia cells and were really surprised by how sensitive they were,” he said. “At the same time, the cannabis didn’t kill normal bone marrow cells, nor normal healthy neutrophils [white blood cells].”

Maine announced this week that the state is on track to be able to offer legal, recreational cannabis to those 21 and over by the end of the fiscal year. 

This past Tuesday, the Office of Marijuana Policy announced that they had 27 businesses in the final phase of licensing and authorization in order to fully open. After a final state review, including security and operation plans and an official inspection, the businesses will be ready to launch, kicking off the start of recreational cannabis in the state.

Recreational cannabis in Maine has been delayed several times, and this latest delay was, of course, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The state had originally planned to launch adult use in June, but this was pushed back as the industry shut down and quarantined. Instead, the focus switched to future projections. Now, the plan is to let a few dispensaries, testing labs, grow facilities, and manufacturing labs open up at the end of the first quarter, roughly late September or early October. 

Director Erik Gundersen of the Office of Marijuana Policy said that this date will give the industry the time to grow and test their products, ensuring high quality for their first legal run. Maine will not allow their legal industry to launch until they are completely confident in the cannabis being produced and can safely say that all industry standards are being met. 

“Our intentions are to start the system,” he said. “But it’s going to be a slower start than we originally intended, pre-COVID. I don’t know when, but we should get to where we expected to be pre-COVID.”

Looking at present day Marijuana’s status, seeing dispensaries, legal grows, medical research, and legalized hemp…one has to believe that assuredly the Age of Cannabis has arrived. Every day it seems another state and/or country is legalizing it.

The current trend leaves little doubt that Cannabis will be legal domestically in the United States relatively soon, with the majority of the rest of the world following suit shortly thereafter.

Modern day Cannabis is a far cry from the Marijuana of the past, todays “Super Weed” has greatly enhanced THC, potencies in the 20-30% range are common…and that’s not even mentioning the numerous “concentrates” on the market with potencies as high as 98%.

The communal experience of cannabis, something that has always been closely linked to joints and vapes, has now been put on an indefinite pause. Edibles to the rescue!

Predictions about marijuana use during the pandemic abounded. Once businesses and buildings started to close, different states declared that cannabis is an essential business. People rightly assumed that times of stress are great times to get high, whether consumers were seasoned cannabis users or not.

Opinions varied when discussing inhaled cannabis and its impact on the pandemic. While some people claimed that joints would be discarded due to the lung irritations they could produce, others said that vapes would be making a comeback, even if they struggled throughout 2019 with a mysterious lung illness.

“As restrictions are lifted, we expect a pent-up demand for cannabis products that can be conveniently used in conjunction with outdoor activities,” Tom Brooksher, CEO of Clear Cannabis, told Forbes.

Edibles are a whole different situation. In a recent interview with the New York Times, Cali Manzello of medical marijuana dispensary Apothecarium, said that she noticed a change in orders the minute the pandemic hit. “One of the first orders that printed out from the pickup machine said 25 packages of this gummy on it. And we all kind of giggled. We were like, ‘Ooh boy, here it goes. It’s starting.’ It did not stop. People were ordering, you know, up to the legal limit, which can be up to 80 edibles in some cases.”

Cannabis tourism is not a new concept.

For many decades vacationers have flocked to cannabis hotspots like Amsterdam, Jamaica, Thailand, and other international destinations often associated with cannabis, albeit unregulated cannabis.

Options for legal cannabis tourism have increased in recent years with the spread of cannabis reform.

Canada is a particularly popular destination these days because of the implementation of cannabis legalization.

Uruguay has also legalized cannabis for adult use, however, tourists are not able to take advantage of the new law because of restrictions.

The House voted to approve Part B Amendment #87 Thursday evening, which is a provision to prevent the federal government from using any funds to interfere with state medical or adult-use programs or target individuals and businesses that are in compliance with state cannabis laws. The bipartisan amendment to the Commerce, Justice, and Science appropriations bill was introduced by Reps. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Barbara Lee (D-CA), Tom McClintock (R-CA), and Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC).

“The existing policy of prohibition is an abject failure,” said Rep. Blumenhauer, adding that criminalization disproportionately impacts communities of color and has driven mass protests against police violence. “This selective enforcement of nonsensical policy has posed huge problems for black Americans.”

The amendment passed in a voice vote on Thursday and was then followed by the House of Representatives roll call vote of 254-163. Six Democrats declined to vote in favor while 31 Republicans did vote in favor. The same amendment was passed by the House last year but it did not end up in the final budget bill. Since 2014, Congress has approved has continually approved such language. However, another representative began offering other amendments that would have taken federal money from states that legalized cannabis.

“Today’s House vote aligns with the overwhelming majority of Americans who oppose federal interference with the successful cannabis programs operating throughout the country,” said Aaron Smith, executive director of the National Cannabis Industry Association. “Now, it’s time for the Senate to do the right thing and ensure this sensible provision makes it into the final budget legislation so that states can continue to forge their own path on marijuana policy without federal intrusion.”

The legislation though needs to be approved by the Senate. Last year, similar language was stripped out, which the President signed. So far the Senate has not begun reviewing appropriation bills for the 2021 fiscal year.

The majority of NJ voters across the political spectrum said they’d support legal cannabis, but probably wouldn’t use it.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy suggested earlier this month that legalizing recreational marijuana would be “an incredibly smart thing to do.” According to a new poll, New Jersey residents across the political spectrum agree, with almost 7 out of every 10 registered voters saying they support a November ballot measure to legalize recreational cannabis.

The Brach Eichler Cannabis Poll, which was conducted by DKC Analytics and released Tuesday, showed 68% of registered voters would approve the upcoming initiative. Democrats supported the measure more than any other political base, followed by Independents and Republicans. However, the majority of each political faction would vote yes on the ballot initiative.

Back in April, a Monmouth poll found 61% of respondents would approve recreational marijuana in the state. Brach Eichler, LLC, a New Jersey cannabis-focused law firm that would benefit from legalization, surveyed 500 registered voters that mirrored the 2016 voting electorate for the poll.

“The polling results confirmed our belief that there is overwhelming support for the creation of a regulated, adult-use cannabis marketplace in New Jersey,” John D. Fanburg, co-chair of Cannabis Law at Brach Eichler, told The Fresh Toast in a statement. “Respondents supported it because it will create tremendous opportunity. It will create vitally needed new businesses, the state will receive significant tax revenues and illegal sales will be dramatically reduced, if not eliminated. 

Read more at Benzinga

Racial and gender diversity in the marijuana industry "is still lacking — especially in ownership and executive positions," according to MJBizDaily Research Editor Eli McVey.

While the industry has taken steps to improve, more is required from it, McVey noted.

With the national spotlight currently focused more intently on civil justice reform, changes could be on the horizon.

'Quite Isolating'

Minority business leaders say there are significant barriers in critical institutions that keep many from becoming significant players in the space. 

Like everything else touched by COVID-19, unexpected trends and shifts have occurred in the cannabis industry. One such shift is towards consumers seeking value products, which are rising in popularity due to a reduction in work and income across many different industries as the COVID-19 crisis wears on. In particular, low price/high THC combinations seem to be the magic bullet for anyone shopping for cannabis on a budget. 

Canndescent, a brand that initially entered the market with a luxury-focus, recently launched the company’s third brand, Baker’s Cannabis Co. The brand offers lower-cost but still decent quality products, like $6 one-gram pre-rolled joints and $55 half-gram pre-ground pouches, which come equipped with rolling papers and crutches. 

Old Pal

The style echoes one of the original legal value cannabis brands, Old Pal, which began selling its pre-ground cannabis flower in similar packaging and has gained popularity for its surprisingly high-quality product despite being priced comparatively lower than others in the space.

“Quality weed at fair prices has always been in high demand,” says Rusty Wilenkin, CEO of Old Pal, noting that this isn’t exactly a specific-to-COVID trend. “Value at Old Pal means more than just perceived value of low cost, to us value is the best quality at fair prices. During COVID, we’ve seen steady demand from consumers for our products. The industry overall has felt disruption with changing and varying regulations for retail shopping state to state. And while this is not unique to the cannabis industry, with the industry being as young as it is, these changes have been even more demanding.”

Canndescent

“Consumers aren’t visiting dispensaries as often as before,” explains Canndescent’s CMO Sam Arellano regarding a specific buying trend that can be directly attributed to COVID. “When they do, they’re opting for cannabis in larger weight/sizes with strong value equations to carry them between visits. We’re experiencing this increase in demand with Baker’s Cannabis Co. Despite COVID-19, demand has been consistently strong and steadily growing as consumers come to trust Baker’s quality, price, and availability.”

The European Commission (EC) has suspended new applications for food products containing natural CBD while it considers labelling such products as “narcotics-related.”

The commission has reached a “preliminary conclusion” that extracts from the flowerings of hemp plants should be considered a drug under the United Nations Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961, reports Hemp Today. 

“The Commission’s preliminary view is that CBD extracted from the flowering and fruiting tops of the hemp plant should be considered as a narcotic falling under the United Nations Single Convention,” the EC said.

In response, the European Industrial Hemp Association (EIHA) said in a statement to Hemp Today that this decision could be the “final blow to the sector.”

“Industrial hemp and its downstream products are not narcotic or psychotropic drugs, and therefore are clearly exempted from the scope of the Single Convention,” the association argues. 

It’s one thing to decriminalize cannabis, but it’s another to encourage use with marketing and advertising that reaches kids.

And that’s the problem: Almost all commercial advertising makes its way to the eyes and ears of children. If we care about public health, we should ban all cannabis ads.

San Diego banned cannabis billboards within 1,000 feet of schools, public parks, playgrounds and daycare centers. But kids in cars go everywhere, especially teenagers, which means marijuana messaging is still seeping into young minds, associating pot smoking with fun activities like rollerblading.

When I would fly to Palm Springs for work — as I did routinely before the pandemic — the first thing I saw when I get off the plane was a large, shiny, well-lit picture of cannabis buds advertising the name, address and phone number of a nearby dispensary. Only a few feet later, I saw a similar sign advertising cannabis tours.

At the baggage claim, all eyes were on a large sign for the Cannabis Consumption Lounge: “Smoke It. Eat It. Drink It. Enjoy It.” Cannabis advertising is everywhere these days, just like the pot shops themselves, including the rather baffling drive-through dispensary I saw on my last trip to the Golden State, and the cannabis delivery services that have surged in popularity amid the pandemic.

How This Summer Could Continue to Push the Boundaries of Pot Stock Growth

The first (legal) industrial hemp crop to be planted in the U.S. state of Louisiana in modern times is being severely impacted by a fungal disease.

What was one the USA’s hemp holdout states finally jumped on the nation’s industrial hemp revival bandwagon in June last year when Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards signed off on legislation recognising the crop as an agricultural commodity and authorising its cultivation, processing, and transportation.

As legislation moves through Congress to legalize cannabidiol (CBD) and other hemp-derived product use by military service members, the Navy has taken the ban a step further.

The Navy recently administered a memo clarifying that service members are prohibited from using “any products containing, made or derived from hemp” regardless of their stated cannabinoid content, including shampoos, conditioners, lotions, lip balms or soaps.

The most recent ban builds on a broader existing prohibition throughout the military on hemp and CBD products. In February, the Department of Defense issued an order that barred service members from using all hemp and CBD products.

Both that order and the most recent memo from the Navy state the prohibition on CBD products is because military service members need to pass a urinalysis drug test.

“The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not determine or certify the THC [tetrahydrocannabinol] concentration of commercially available hemp products, such as cannabidiol (CBD). Accordingly, these products may contain appreciable levels of THC, yet omit any reference to THC on the product label and/or list an inaccurate THC concentration,” the Navy memo states. “Consequently, Sailors and Marines cannot rely on the packaging and labeling of hemp products in determining whether the product contains THC concentrations that could cause a positive urinalysis result.”