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California Gov. Gavin Newsom To Review 17 Cannabis, Psychedelics Bills

September 21, 2023 Published by SDZ News

As of the California State Legislature ended on Sept. 14, more than 17 cannabis or psychedelic bills were sent to California Gov. Gavin Newsom to potentially be signed. The bills include a wide variety of proposals, which Newsom must either sign, veto, or refuse to sign and allow them to be approved without his signature.

In the past, Newsom has expressed support for cannabis and psychedelics, but it is currently unclear which of these 17 bills he will support. However, he has under one month, or until Oct. 14, to address the following bills.

SB-51: Cannabis provisional licenses: local equity applicants

Social equity applicants would be permitted to apply for or renew their provisional licenses between now and January 1, 2031. Currently, provisional licenses are not being accepted in California.

SB-58: Controlled substances: decriminalization of certain hallucinogenic substances.

This bill was passed on to the Gov. on Sept. 13, and would legalize possession, cultivation, and transportation of substances such as psilocybin, psilocyn, DMT, and mescaline. The bill is led by Sen. Scott Weiner, who believes that it will help many patients, especially military veterans, within the state. “California’s veterans, first responders, and others struggling with PTSD, depression, and addiction deserve access to these promising plant medicines,” said Wiener when the bill passed in the Assembly. “SB-58 has prudent safeguards in place after we incorporated feedback from three years of deep engagement with a broad array of stakeholders. We know these substances are not addictive, and they show tremendous promise in treating many of the most intractable conditions driving our nation’s mental health crisis. It’s time to stop criminalizing people who use psychedelics for healing or personal well-being.”

SB-302 Compassionate Access to Medical Cannabis Act

While only terminally ill patients are currently allowed to use medical cannabis at healthcare facilities, this bill would allow anyone over 65 to treat chronic illness with medical cannabis if they choose. The bill is an expansion of the currently existing Compassionate Access to Medical Cannabis Act, or Ryan’s Law.

SB-540: Cannabis and cannabis products: health warnings

If passed, SB-540 would instruct the Department of Cannabis Control to make an education brochure that would be given to consumers when they purchase products from a dispensary for the first time (both at a retail store or upon delivery). The info would be updated on January 1, 2030, and every five years after that date.

SB-622: Cannabis regulation: plant identification program: unique identifier

A proposal from Sen. Ben Allen and Juan Alanis would change how cannabis products are identified with “a unique identifier to be recorded in a manner as determined by the department by regulation.” The bill doesn’t directly mention removing the plastic tags that are currently used to track cannabis plants, but it could allow digital tags to be utilized in the future for a more sustainable, ecofriendly approach.

SB-700: Employment discrimination: cannabis use

This bill would ban employers from inquiring about an applicant’s personal cannabis use, which is added to current applicant protections from the already existing California Fair Employment and Housing Act. According to Sen. Steven Bradford,

SB-753: Cannabis: water resources

With the preservation of groundwater and environmental harm, this bill would make it a felony to grow and harvest more than six cannabis plants, especially if it is grown “Intentionally or with gross negligence causing substantial environmental harm to surface or groundwater, public lands, or other public resources.”

SB-833: Cannabis licensing: cultivation licenses: changing license type: inactive status

Currently, cannabis cultivators who wish to change their license status to a smaller grow to inactive (whether permanently or just temporarily), must redo the complete process through the Department of Cannabis Control (DCC). This bill would allow them to make this change through the DCC without resubmitting their application in its entirety.

AB-374: Cannabis: retail preparation, sale, and consumption of non cannabis food and beverage products

Presented to the governor on Sept. 15, AB-374 would make “Amsterdam-style” cannabis cafes legal. With approval, dispensaries will be able to offer non-cannabis food and drinks, as well as “live musical or other performances on the premises of a licensed retailer or microbusiness in the area where the consumption of cannabis is allowed.” According to the bill sponsor, Assemblymember Matt Haney believes the bill would benefit consumers and also cities. “Lots of people want to enjoy legal cannabis in the company of others,” Haney said. “And many people want to do that while sipping coffee, eating a scone, or listening to music. There’s absolutely no good reason from an economic, health or safety standpoint that the state should make that illegal. If an authorized cannabis retail store wants to also sell a cup of coffee and a sandwich, we should allow cities to make that possible and stop holding back these small businesses.”

AB-623: Cannabis: citation and fine

According to current California law, cannabis laboratory testing is conducted by testing a batch of products to ensure that “the chemical profile of the sample conforms to the labeled content of compounds.” In order for licensed labs to test edibles and issue a certificate of analysis, the report must show “that the milligrams of THC per serving does not exceed 10 milligrams per serving, plus or minus 10%.” In other words, the certificate excludes products with less than 10 mg THC (such as low-dose edibles with only 5 mg THC). If passed, AB-623 would require new DCC regulations that keep low-dose edibles in mind.

AB-993: Cannabis Task Force

This bill would add representatives from the Civil Rights Department and the Department of Industrial Relations, the existing cannabis task force in California.

AB-1021: Controlled substances: rescheduling

This bill would allow California health care professionals to prescribe cannabis if it reschedules any Schedule I substance. Current Schedule I substances include cannabis, as well as LSD, heroin, peyote, ecstasy, and more.

AB-1126: Cannabis: citation and fine

This proposal would ban the use of the universal cannabis symbol on cannabis packaging for products that are not authorized to use it. Any companies using the symbol without approval will be seized by the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration.

AB-1171: Cannabis: private right of action

Legal action would be permissible for cannabis business license owners against illegal cannabis businesses in the California Supreme Court.

AB-1207: Cannabis: labeling and advertising

This bill would potentially alter the definition for cannabis product packaging, by “prohibiting the sale, distribution, or manufacture of cannabis, cannabis products, packaging, or labeling that are attractive to children, as defined.” It further prohibits imagery including cartoons, toys, robots, real or fictional humans, fictional animals or creatures, as well as fruits or vegetables (unless it’s used to describe the flavor of the product).

AB-1448: Cannabis: enforcement by local jurisdictions

A person currently engaging in illegal cannabis without a license is subject to civil penalty funds ($10,000 per day per violation but not to exceed $30,000 per day). This bill would take some of those civil penalty money and move them to treasurers of local jurisdictions.

AB-1684: Local ordinances: fines and penalties: cannabis

In this bill, fines attributed to illegal cannabis cultivators would also apply to other illegal businesses such as processors and distributors.

In the past, Newsom has expressed support for cannabis and psychedelics, but it is currently unclear which of these 17 bills he will sign. However, he has under one month, or until Oct. 14, to address these bills.

Newsom has signed three bills since July that are cannabis-related. In July, he signed SB-250 which provides immunity to people who test positive for a controlled substance, such as fentanyl, specifically in regards to working with law enforcement and sharing where they received the drug. Also in July, Newsom signed AB-128, which added cannabis event organizers to the list of license classifications, and updated requirements for background checks for cannabis-related businesses. He also signed SB-756 on Sept. 1, which allows the California State Water Board to investigate and take action against illegal cannabis cultivation.

The post California Gov. Gavin Newsom To Review 17 Cannabis, Psychedelics Bills appeared first on High Times.

Women of Influence: Angela Pih Is Walking the Walk

September 18, 2023 Published by SDZ News

One of Angela Pih’s favorite aspects of the cannabis industry is its velocity. What she’s referring to is the “incredibly exciting” speed of bringing new products to market within months. With extensive experience across retail, consumer packaged goods and cannabis, Pih is head of marketing for StateHouse Holdings, a vertically integrated California-based cannabis enterprise. From the moment she engages you in conversation, it’s quite evident the woman knows what she’s talking about.

One industry trajectory Pih isn’t a fan of is the dramatic decrease in the number of women in the C-Suite holding leadership positions. Over the last year, she says, many women have either been pushed out or simply burned out.

“Everybody’s struggling right now,” Pih says, naming the challenges of over-taxation and overregulation as particularly responsible for the woeful decline in women executives. “As companies become leaner, many women are trying to weather the storm.”

With fewer women in leadership roles, Pih is eager to support other women and nurture the next generation of female executives and leaders in cannabis. “What are we doing to cultivate that level of expertise so that they can sustain the challenges and growth within this industry?” Pih asks. “We all talk about it, but are we doing anything about it? Actions speak louder than words.”

Pih says she feels lucky when it comes to her own experience as a leader, as she’s been widely respected and supported. However, she acknowledges that if women aren’t in the founder role or in the CEO’s office, it can be “very challenging for women to keep within the decision-making roles of a company.”

For other women wanting to move into cannabis, Pih says it’s important to be confident and to know your worth.

“People get very excited about joining a cannabis company because it’s exciting and they allow themselves to accept roles that are maybe below what their expertise is—and maybe below the kind of compensation they should have,” Pih says. “Historically, women aren’t as good at negotiating as men, especially when it comes to their salary compensation. I always say to women to know what they’re worth. You’re going to bring something to the table and it’s important to stand up for that.”

Legacy growers and small farmers play an important role at StateHouse Holdings. Pih spearheaded an initiative that ensures shelf space for small craft sungrown farmers in StateHouse-owned dispensaries, including history-making Urbn Leaf West Hollywood—the first adult-use dispensary to open in Los Angeles’ fabled Sunset Strip.

“There are fewer and fewer legacy farmers and craft growers because they’ve been unable to operate,” says Pih, who reveals she wants to “support these farmers, preserve their expertise and preserve strain diversity during these very early stages of our industry’s development.”

Pih is also determined to band together for a unified cannabis industry. She says she sees it as a requirement for more favorable taxation laws. “We’re not able to do anything about it as individual companies; we have to come together as an industry, regain trust for one another and find ways to be effective as a collective.”

As the proverb says, unity is strength. Exactly.

This story was originally published in issue 48 of the print edition of Cannabis Now. Read it now on the Cannabis Now iTunes app.

The post Women of Influence: Angela Pih Is Walking the Walk appeared first on Cannabis Now.

Week in Review: Cannabis Cafés Coming to California

September 16, 2023 Published by SDZ News

In this week’s cannabis news round-up, California’s bill permitting cannabis cafés advances to Governor Newson for final approval; New York launches wider cannabis licensing in October; and Massachusetts hits record-breaking $5 billion in adult-use cannabis sales.

PHOTO Kazyaka Konrad

California Bill Permitting Cannabis Cafés Advances to Governor for Signature

The California Assembly achieved a significant milestone on Monday by passing a bill that would authorize Amsterdam-style cannabis cafés throughout the Golden State. The bill has now advanced to Governor Gavin Newsom (D) for the ultimate green light. Initially introduced by Assemblymember Matt Haney (D-San Francisco) in February, the Assembly’s resounding endorsement came with a 66-9 vote, following last week’s 34-3 approval by the state senate.

While certain cities in California already allow for social cannabis use, including San Francisco and Oakland, they’re prohibited from offering non-cannabis food or beverages alongside cannabis consumption. Under the proposed measure, local jurisdictions would have the authority to grant permission to cannabis retailers to prepare and serve non-cannabis food and beverages. These establishments could also host and sell tickets for live musical performances or other events within the designated area where cannabis consumption is permitted, as outlined in a legislative summary.

Assembly Bill 374 specifies that cannabis retailers cannot sell alcohol or hemp products and any retailer with a suspended license is barred from engaging in activities authorized under the bill. The bill mandates that all non-cannabis food and beverages at the retailer’s premises must be stored and displayed separately from cannabis and cannabis products. A strict no-tobacco-use policy must also be enforced.

New York to Launch Wider Cannabis Licensing in October

New York is gearing up to unlock its cannabis industry applications to the general public, commencing on October 4, extending the opportunity to include existing state medical cannabis enterprises. On Tuesday, September 12, the New York Cannabis Control Board voted in favor of opening up license applications for the cultivation, manufacturing and sale of adult-use cannabis to non-social equity applicants.

The decision clears the path for established multistate operators, including Curaleaf, Acreage Holdings, Columbia Care and Cresco Labs, to venture into what experts anticipate to become the largest cannabis market on the East Coast, with projected revenues reaching $7.07 billion by 2025.

This development follows the recent approval of regulations by the Cannabis Control Board, charting a path for increased participation in the Empire State’s cannabis market. New York’s cannabis industry has faced hurdles due to a slow rollout and a recent lawsuit that effectively halted licensing statewide.

The regulations comprise of a wide array of cannabis-related activities, including plant nurseries, cultivators, processors, cooperatives, distributors, dispensaries, delivery services and microbusinesses. Currently, vertically integrated medical cannabis companies in the state will be obligated to pay a special licensing fee of $20 million to establish three adult-use dispensaries at their existing locations.

Under the measure, existing conditional license holders who follow state regulations have the chance to switch to nonconditional licenses. Application and licensing fees for novel licenses range from $750 to $300,000. Lower fees will apply to social equity applicants to keep within the state’s commitment to promoting diversity and inclusivity within the industry. The regulations don’t include limitations on the number of license types.

Massachusetts State House, Boston. PHOTO King of Hearts

Massachusetts Hits $5 Billion in Adult-Use Cannabis Sales

Massachusetts has achieved a remarkable milestone in its adult-use cannabis market, with total sales reaching $5 billion by August 31. This follows a series of record-breaking monthly sales in June, July and August, as reported by the state’s Cannabis Control Commission (CCC). The jump from $4 billion to $5 billion occurred in just eight months, marking the shortest period for Massachusetts businesses to generate an additional $1 billion in gross sales.

“Massachusetts continues to hit record sales even as other states have come online. In fact, our neighboring states Maine, Rhode Island and Connecticut also had record sales this summer,” Executive Director of the Commission, Shawn Collins, said in a statement. “Demand for tested, quality cannabis products remains strong in the region and consumers shopping in other states have not impacted Massachusetts’ success.”

In addition to this impressive sales figure, the CCC also provided insights into the industry’s regulatory landscape. To date, only five cannabis retailers in the state have either surrendered their licenses or allowed them to expire. Similarly, a total of 16 cannabis businesses in various sectors have either had their licenses expire, surrendered them, or faced revocation. Presently, Massachusetts has 317 cannabis retailers, nine delivery couriers, eight delivery operators and one microbusiness equipped with a delivery endorsement.

Adult-use cannabis sales in the Bay State began in 2018 with the passing of Question 4.

The post Week in Review: Cannabis Cafés Coming to California appeared first on Cannabis Now.

Maven Genetics is One of the Rec Stars of 2023

September 16, 2023 Published by SDZ News

If you’re a regular consumer in California’s recreational market, it’s pretty hard to miss Maven Genetics these days. Since the team broke out of their shell, they’ve made an epic run on shelf space up and down the state this year. The growth has been backboned by a solid spread of house genetics, and a few new accolades they received for their flower recently won’t hurt either. We sat down with the team at Maven Genetics a couple of days removed from their top-five finish with French Laundry in The Emerald Cup’s hyper competitive indoor division.

Maven’s co-founder and President Mike Corvington started the tale by noting how long the team had been working together previously to Maven being formed as an entity in the era of adult-use legalization.

“We obviously all come from the traditional side and have collectively been doing our thing since the late ’90s, early 2000s and kind of slowly scaled up our endeavors throughout that time from backyards and house grows to entering into the warehouse game,” Corvington told High Times.

Pink Monet / Courtesy Maven Genetics

Corvington’s partner, Maven CEO David Bosworth, was the first of the group to get a warehouse going in the early 2000s. From there they went off in downtown LA for a bit. But while Maven is now known for having a giant spread of flavors to pick from, they weren’t at that point back then.

“We were strictly OG,” Corvington stressed. “We were blessed with the original Triangle Kush cut from Miami. Essentially the same one Josh D had. Our other buddy Chad had a pre-98 that we traded for that back in the late ’90s. So we grew a little bit of Bubba here and there, but predominantly from the early 2000s all the way until, I think 2016-17, we just cranked out lots and lots of OG. We basically flooded the valley with OG and just really top-quality OG.”

In 2015, the team would eventually start to work with the XXX OG cut they run to this day. It’s still a staple of their lineup and breeding work, and Corvington swears by the cut.

“That one is just super special,” he said.

XXX OG is one of the strains they don’t expect to cycle out from the 20 or so they have in production at the moment. It’s a mainstay on their menu.

While Corvington isn’t spending as much time in the garden as he did back in the day, he’s a critical piece of the Maven brain trust that determines what they’ll be growing, how much, and when, to make sure they keep a constant supply of product.

Before formally establishing the company, Maven sold genetics. Now they offer flower and concentrates featuring their genetics. Corvington explained that Maven officially became an entity when they got the trademark for the logo in 2017.

“The logo kind of evolved through a few different iterations. I mean, we had the brand established in like 2015. And then it kind of went through a couple of iterations,” Corvington said. “I think it’s 2017 we actually officially trademarked it as an apparel brand federally.”

Corvington went on to note that 2015 was also the year they really saw the writing on the wall as far as the need to become their own brand, as opposed to dudes just pumping out fire OGs.

“We entered a few competitions and we started to see the slow transition from deli-style and then realizing that people are entering our flower into competitions and winning,” Corvington said. “And so we’re like, ‘We just need to do this.’ And kind of early on we saw that brands were going to be the way of the future so that’s why being vertically integrated has always been our approach.”

Corvington added that Maven has never been looking to have a massive retail footprint but instead wanted to have a few flagship shops to distribute the flower they work so hard on. Their two shops make up a small fraction of a percent of the shelf space they now have throughout over 400 dispensaries across California.

2017 was the year that Maven started hunting down all the flavors they’re now famous for. The decision to start hunting new terpene profiles coincided with the transition to the recreational market.

We asked Corvington if the team hadn’t hunted anything in 15 years at that point.

“Yeah, pretty much man. I mean, you know, small scale. There were a few packs of seeds here and there that we’d pop but very rarely at that point was I finding anything that was worth growing on any kind of scale,” Corvington said. “So 2017 was really when we started pushing a larger genetic line.”

Maven will pop about 100 seeds when they’re hunting for new flavors. Some hunts have gotten up to 200 but they find that 100 number to be their sweet spot. Corvington noted they are looking for everything. Sure, the economics of things are critical, but they’re still excited to see those wild flavors and outliers that might not make sense in a full production run.

Maybe Maven can do something else with them given how robust the inhouse breeding program got in 2020 a few years after they started popping all the seeds.

“I’d say the breeding program was not really in full swing ‘till like 2020. We definitely popped different gear, but it wasn’t until 2020 that I would say we had any kind of impactful programming,” Corvington explained.

Some of the early successes of the program included the Blueberry Skunk. Maven would go on to run a few more Blueberry lines—such as Blueberry Zkittlez which is still in production—but Corvington argued they have evolved a lot since those early wins in the breeding room.

“I feel like you know, we’ve really kind of made some impacts in the past year and a half because initially even in the breeding that we’re doing, it was kind of more we were kind of feeling our way through it and finding more things that were commercially viable, but that I don’t know if I would at this point say we’re long term keepers like our XXX OG and things that, you know, we’ll forever hold on to at this point,” Corvington said.

Right now Maven is running about 1,100 lights. They’re also deep in the process of converting a couple of their spaces to double-stacked LEDs. They had previously run HPS exclusively, but they’ve already done some test runs with Hawthorne as they look to dial it in on the LED side.

Corvington believes a lot of the people who have struggled with LEDs aren’t handling the environmental conditions the right way. But he also admits some cultivars seem to do better under LED compared to HPS despite many being convinced it’s always the other way around.

“I think with LEDs you really have to have your environmentals tuned in properly,” Corvington said. “A lot of people will not be getting the yields—are not getting the quality—and it’s just a result of their photosynthetic photon efficacy being off or just their environmental not being dialed in properly. You really have to have your stuff on point to grow well with LEDs.”

French Laundry / Courtesy Maven Genetics

We asked Corvington if their cultivation standard operating procedures were strain-specific or if the genetics needed to fit into the system that Maven has built out. He argued it’s a little bit of both. While they certainly cater to the plant, they try and group the room with things that have similar tolerance levels to the environment.

Some of those rooms can get up to 162 lights. Corvington admits they obviously have a bit more control on the stuff in the smaller rooms where it’s easier to keep a tight rein on things. That being said, he’s happy with what the big rooms are putting out.

Corvington went on to speak about concerns that the big menu makes it hard for their rock stars to shine.

“I mean, that’s always there and I thought we could reduce the menu, but, you know, I feel like our cadence with our strain offerings works for the buyers that we work with in our relationships,” Corvington explained. “Because you get some groups that just kind of want six different strains and they’re happy with that. But inevitably, there are other groups that they’re perfectly happy. They want variety because the customer base wants variety.”

This article was originally published in the August 2023 issue of High Times Magazine.

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Bill To Ban Chemicals in Peeps Advances in California, Exposing Food Industry’s Dirty Little Secret

September 14, 2023 Published by SDZ News

The original recipe for bright pink Peeps is at the center of a controversy involving potentially problematic chemicals found in many foods. While it’s generally understood that junk food contains poor ingredients, now we know more about which ones are particularly problematic, more specifically, potentially carcinogenic.

A bill to ban four food-related chemicals including red dyes advanced in California’s state Senate, after dropping a fifth chemical as the legislation was amended.

While many candies across the board need to change their recipes to something healthier—pink-colored Peeps are among the ones that need it most. The bright pink color of Peeps is achieved through the dyes including erythrosine, a chemical that shows up on ingredient labels as “Red No. 3.” Other chemical dyes like titanium dioxide for white—also found in Peeps—have been linked to cancer. (To be fair, Skittles, Starburst, Ring Pops, Hot Tamales, and Trolli also use titanium dioxide to achieve bright colors in candy.) Peeps were introduced in 1953 as yellow marshmallow chicks designed for children, and the other bright colors with those ingredients followed decades later.

Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel, (D) representing California’s 46th State Assembly district in San Fernando Valley authored Assembly Bill 418, saying he wants to ban the chemicals—not necessarily the candy. According to Gabriel, the aforementioned chemicals have already been banned by the European Union (EU) and other countries.

“It is unacceptable that the U.S. is so far behind the rest of the world when it comes to food safety,” Gabriel said. “This bill will not ban any foods or products—it simply will require food companies to make minor modifications to their recipes.”

Gabriel listed potassium bromate, brominated vegetable oil, and propyl paraben, which also have been banned in the EU, also as ingredients that need to go. An earlier draft of the bill would also have banned titanium dioxide, but amendments in the state Senate removed that chemical from the ban. Some of these ingredients can be found in practically any processed food including bread, Jell-O, and so on.

One case study published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2003 involves a man who had growths on his fingers, pictured here, after consuming brominated vegetable oil in Ruby Red Squirt. (However, he drank eight liters per day.)

Gabriel said last summer that alternative ingredients are readily available. Through expensive, albeit minor modifications to their recipes, the candy makers can do what’s already been done in the EU.

The @mercnews nails it in endorsing #AB418, our bill to ban 5 dangerous chemicals already banned in Europe:
“If candy makers won’t do the right thing, lawmakers must. The scientific studies provide sufficient concerns that California should not keep putting its children at risk” https://t.co/Fg0N1qrhae
— Jesse Gabriel (@JesseGabrielCA) July 14, 2023

Gabriel quoted Mercury News, posting on X, “If candy makers won’t do the right thing, lawmakers must. The scientific studies provide sufficient concerns that California should not keep putting its children at risk.”

The Food Industry’s 30-Year-Old Dirty Secret

Researchers have known the pigments to be carcinogenic for at least 30 years: In 1990, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned the use of Red Dye No. 3 in cosmetic products like lipsticks, powders, blushes and skin care lotions, based on research suggesting that it can lead to cancer. If something isn’t safe for your skin, it might not be good to eat either.

If that makes you unsettled—considering how widespread the use of erythrosine and titanium dioxide is—you’re not alone: Last year, a consumer filed a lawsuit against Mars for knowingly allowing a “known toxin” to be used in candy products. The class-action lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, and attorneys for San Leandro resident Jenile Thames said Skittles are unsafe for consumption, having what they say are heightened levels of titanium dioxide.

In 2016, Mars said it would be phasing out titanium dioxide, aka E171, however that plan doesn’t appear to have materialized in full. Jaydee Hanson, Senior Policy Analyst, Center for Food Safety said at the time, “We are pleased to see that MARS has taken a positive step toward eliminating toxic, unnecessary nanomaterials from its line of food products. We urge the company to speed up the removal of these additives, especially given the grave health concerns associated with titanium dioxide and other nanoparticles.”

Don’t Forget Aspartame

In other recent news, other ingredients have been flagged as carcinogenic. Aspartame is used in Coca-Cola’s Diet Coke and it’s also used to sweeten Mars’s Extra chewing gum.

Last summer, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) cancer research agency said aspartame is a possible carcinogen. WHO representatives contradictorily said aspartame may possibly cause cancer but also said it is safe to consume. IARC, WHO’s research arm, classifies aspartame as “possibly carcinogenic to humans” after it was found to lead to blood cancers in rats by Italian researchers. You be the judge.

The FDA also appeared to quell consumer alarm: “Aspartame is one of the most studied food additives in the human food supply. FDA scientists do not have safety concerns when aspartame is used under the approved conditions,” the FDA said in a statement.

Many people in the U.S. say they actually prefer candy with slightly less sugar and sweeteners. If candy in Europe feels safer than candy in the U.S., it is, and it’s not just the excessively high sugar content you have to worry about.

The post Bill To Ban Chemicals in Peeps Advances in California, Exposing Food Industry’s Dirty Little Secret appeared first on High Times.

Ones to Watch: The Roller Economy

September 14, 2023 Published by SDZ News

At the end of last year I wrote a piece for our December issue about the roller economy that was sprouting up. Titled ‘the Year of the Hash Hole’ I detailed how thanks to the Hash Hole, rolling seems to have become its own profession. Sure, there were always people rolling the prerolls to throw into branded containers – much preferred to the ‘machine packed’ types – but now these rollers are developing a demand of their own, with some now offering their credibility to the brands inside the wraps as opposed to the other way around. It’s a wild time.

In that piece I mention some of the brands that have proliferated this skillset so far. Those brands included Fidel’s, arguably the reason Hash Holes have become a household name, as well as cult-favorites Dan’s Roll Ups, Chaliques, Artisan Cannagars, and Pixie Stix. While each of these have their own unique sauce that propels them, such as Dan’s ability to source the rarest flower and rosin the market has to offer, or Chaliques’ ‘forced collabs’ which pair flavors based on their personal palate regardless of whether or not the brands click, it’s worth noting that these guys are coming up rolling more than just hash holes. I threw Pixie on the last piece to try and illustrate that point, as his hash paper joints are one of my favorite smoking experiences despite not involving rosin, and the hash being on the outside, but there’s far more to detail.

So, in that spirit, I decided to pen an update. This time, I’ve rounded up a few more of what I consider ‘Godfathers’ of the space, many of whom have been doing this since before hash holes rose to the level of demand they have, as well as a collection of rising stars that I’m digging right now. If there are any names you think I should know about that I missed, feel free to let me know about ‘em here.

Godfathers of the Space:

The Grasshoppa

Courtesy The Grasshoppa

I’m starting this list off with Grasshoppa because she is one of the first *consistent* professional rollers I noticed building a wave. Having rolled joints on-site for more brands than I can count, Grasshoppa has been doing this for a long time, and not just rolling bars, either. I’m sure you’ve seen smokable art before, well I found out about Grasshoppa at a National Joint League table back at an in-person Cannabis Cup, however many years ago. Sure she’s good at rolling joints, but she’s also insanely good at rolling joints of Disney characters. Her Yoda joint is still one of my favorites. Anyway, Grasshoppa was also one of the first people I saw branding her skillset, and releasing products like premium cones for when she’s not around herself. When we’re talking about the torchbearers for this new movement, she’s leading the pack.

All Thai’d Up

The first time I heard the name All Thai’d Up was back when the Hash Hole wave was just emerging, and everyone was still calling them Donuts. This is probably the first ‘hyphy’ brand I noticed. When people would pull out an All Thai’d Up in the wild, people seemed to respond, and it was one of my first tastes of what would come. Born out of a hatred for the prerolls of the time, ATU was created for the community to ensure that they were getting exactly what they paid for when acquiring such a luxury item – from presentation to performance. Hailing from Sacramento, but recognized in hype circles across the country, All Thai’d Up was one of the originators of this *premium* roll space. They have no active page and I have no idea how their drops work, but keep an eye out for the logo above and if you happen to spot it, don’t sleep.

Roll BMC

The founder of Loaded Co, Dan was the first roller I ever saw with a proprietary rolling technique. Back in the 215 days, the vast majority of the big players in LA had a Loaded collab, but they were also killing it without even needing to brand what was inside. After 64 passed I would buy his old blunt rolls from players who could no longer sell them in their legal stores, and honestly I was thoroughly addicted to them. They were the single best smoking experience I had ever tried at that time. The legalization push didn’t kill Loaded though, they just switched to papers, and have ridden this hash hole wave with grace. Now available in both California as well as Nevada, these guys continue to be a fan favorite.

Sturt’s Doinks

When we talk about a premium smoking experience – which let’s face it, thanks to the price tag, these things are whether or not they’re rolled effectively – it’s important to make sure you’re shopping with someone who cares about how the product smokes, not just what’s inside. Sturt is one of those guys focusing on the full 360 of their product, leaving no stone unturned, or consumer unstoned. You see, you know that old adage about how to get to Carnegie Hall? The answer being Practice, practice, practice? Well, that’s basically what makes Sturt’s Doinks so special – it’s like his hands are now incapable of making something that doesn’t smoke perfectly. I’m sure he’ll laugh when he sees this because the truth is likely that those rolls just never make it out into public, but to that I will double down and say that that’s all the more reason why you should tap in – because he cares just as much about your consumption experience as you do.

The Puro Company

Another OG, while Puro does roll Hash Holes – or White Walls, as he calls them – he’s actually the closest thing to a traditional ‘professional roller’ on this list. That is to say, Puro rolls blunts, and out of high quality full tobacco leaves, akin to the traditional cigar rollers. In fact, Puro was one of the first guys producing what felt to me like real cannabis cigars, and not just something trying to be excessive. Watching him work is reminiscent of something you would’ve seen in a nice Italian restaurant back in the day, and the smoking experience is just as smooth. I show these to regular backwood or wrap smokers and they almost always ask how the leaf is so thin, and how he removed the harshness from the tobacco. Rolling cigars has been an art since the days of the Mayan’s, Puro’s just carrying on the tradition in our language.

CGO

Our final inclusion for the Godfather section, he’s been doing this for awhile, and is merchandising, but what makes CGO special and deserving of this callout is his ability to bring people together. CGO isn’t just satisfied by rolling at other people’s events. No, this guy’s throwing his own, and not small ones either. Having thrown Hash Hole island earlier this year in Isleton, CA, and now attempting to start ‘National Hash Hole Day’ on 11/30 in Los Angeles, CGO is a great example of what happens when you’re not satisfied with the status quo, and keep pushing to bring things to a new level. From his press rolling kits, to the team he’s been mentoring, I’m excited to watch him continue to rise.

Rising Stars:

Rome Rolls Bars

True to the name, Rome does roll excellent bars, but arguably more than anyone else on this list, Rome likes to amaze with the bells and whistles. From a 3D-printed functional Knight’s Helmet container to a jar filled with doob ‘swords’ in sheaths, Rome is bringing new ideas, and fun, back into the game. His creativity is top tier, as I’ve never seen anyone even attempt to do the level of complexity his projects entail, but the limited nature of these drops keeps them all moving incredibly quick. I should note, this shouldn’t be read like the smoking experience isn’t elite as well, because it is, with some insanely flavorful combos, which are always detailed somewhere within his creative package.

Rolls by the Hare (Oink Doinks)

When we talk about standing out as a brand, one of the most important things you could do is make yourself clearly identifiable. In the past for rolls this has been a branded filter, or cigar band; you can tell Hare’s joints because they’ve got multiple molten cores. Coining Oink Doinks, or a double barrel rosin core that when burning looks like a pigs nose, these are expert level products. I’ve heard he’s rolled as many as 6 cores so far, which honestly sounds insane, but I’m sure that’s exactly what some of you out there are after. I learned about him through his work with Viola a while back, and while I’ve seen plenty of others start doing the dual or triple cores online since, he’s still holding down the title for the only one I’ve seen producing them consistently.

Phantom Rolling Co

One of the first rollers hailing from Michigan that I was taking notes on was Phantom. He gave me a wrap of Pink Runtz flower with Death Coast rosin a while back that lit me up in the most delicious way possible, and I’ve honestly never forgotten about it. It was one of the sweetest smokes I’ve ever tasted. Now having launched his own hand-rolled line onto the rec market out there, aptly called ‘the Joint’, with Michigrown, Phantom’s proving that rolling isn’t just a fun parlor trick, but real business – even on the recreational market.

Bruno

Now I’ve known of Bruno for awhile now, so I don’t want this to seem like he’s some brand new face, but the way I’ve seen his team taking over up north recently is worth calling attention to. He’s been working the event scene for awhile now. I probably first saw him working an event with Grasshoppa almost 3 years ago? Maybe longer, time is an illusion. Anyway, at CGO’s hash hole island earlier this summer, Bruno’s rolls were everywhere. You see, Bruno’s been sharing his tech, and amassing a team of rollers to take on bigger orders for some of the most well-known brands in the space today, and it seems like business is booming. Producing both straight bars and hash holes, I have yet to try one of Bruno’s rolls that I didn’t absolutely love.

General Purpose

A great example of a brand making waves without even needing to put hash in the middle of their rolls, General Purpose has come up solely off a flower fatty, which makes my soul smile. The official doink of Doja Pak, I first saw this name popping up at his Thursday Sessions last year, and in the kits he would drop with new phenos, and there’s just something about the feel of these things that makes me wish I could smoke these repeatedly. Seriously, if I had the option to give up my own handroll to smoke these all the time, it would be a no brainer.

Head Stash LA

I’ve been seeing Head Stash’s bands and bright colored tips popping up more and more lately, but today I’m taking my hat off to him for being a true professional with this shit, even in a bumpy environment. I’ve personally watched Head Stash roll some top quality hash holes in the back of a moving vehicle, multiple times, on the last judges retreat for the Emerald Cup, so while I know all of these guys listed can roll in a stable environment, I think it’s important to note when someone can do stunts with the shits too. I know he also washes hash, so for those of you looking to get the freshest possible roll available on the market right now, this is your guy.

Never Better Rolls

This one’s a bit more interesting on the brand regard as Mikey, the guy who started it, can’t actually roll at this caliber himself. While he’s responsible for the branding and sales, it’s actually his buddy Rich that rolls them for him. Started as a true business rather than born out of passion – although you could definitely say he’s incredibly passionate about smoking a good roll – Mikey saw what was happening with the hash hole wave and realized that while selling weed wholesale was cool, this was a way for him to actually reach consumers directly, as opposed to just pushing other people’s gear. While it’s still other people’s gear, of course, Mikey sources the product based off his preferences, and is very likely the one who will put it into your hand. Once you meet him you’ll see, but he’s one of those guys that you kind of just want to give your money to, and since the product smacks it’s real easy to go back for more.

GT Rolling Co

I first caught wind of GT about a year ago, but they haven’t seemed to slow up. Another pro based in Detroit, Michigan, GT’s not only holding down the pure flower bars, but also tapping into the hash hole wave with their Flintstoned line. What stood out to me most about GT though wasn’t their ability to create a logo or brand a doob tube – it was the flavor their joints produce. IDK if there’s some secret sauce in their papers or filters, but every one of the rolls I’ve had from them have tasted like there was no paper involved, just pure terps. While I don’t get to tap in with them as often as I’d like, I can see from afar that they’re also tapped in with some of the hottest names in the Michigan market, so I don’t expect things to slow down over there anytime soon.

Rolled By G

G’s not so much a new name, in fact he’s been doing this a while and I’ve included him in my Cop List before, but this mention is due to the way he’s gone from a professional roller into a full fledged rolling factory brand, in like, no time. Currently rolling most of the donuts you see from the Backpack Boyz, including the Parlay Mochilatti I’m a massive fan of (I brought 10 back to New York with me this trip), G seems to stay working with the hyphiest names on the street, and pumping them out en masse. His team is currently producing hundreds of rolls every day, so if you’re not familiar yet, expect to be real soon.

The post Ones to Watch: The Roller Economy appeared first on High Times.

Kern County, California Cops Shut Down Seven Unlicensed Dispensaries

September 11, 2023 Published by SDZ News

Seven unlicensed dispensaries in Rosamond, California were shut down by Kern County Sheriff’s office deputies Wednesday, reports the Sierra Sun Times. The dispensaries were stocked with quality pot, offered loyalty programs, and offered raffles and other promotional items. They appear to be almost indistinguishable from legal dispensaries in nearby communities that allow retail stores.

While home growing is allowed in Kern County, dispensaries are not permitted to open in most towns and communities. The latest sting reflects the constant battle to contain illegal businesses that ignore the county’s strict stance on cannabis.

“Kern County Sheriff’s Office officials report that on September 6, 2023, at approximately 7:45 p.m., the Kern County Sheriff’s Office, Kern County High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force (KC-HIDTA), along with Investigators from the Kern County District Attorney’s Office, executed search warrants on seven illegal marijuana dispensaries operating in the community of Rosamond,” the department posted on Facebook.

The post continues, “Wardens from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife/Cannabis Enforcement Program (CEP), detectives from California Department of Cannabis Control (DCC) and officers from the Kern County Probation Department also assisted in the execution of the search warrants and arrests of numerous subjects found to be involved in operating the illegal marijuana dispensaries.”

The photos show great bargains, such as two grams for $15 or four grams for $30. Cheap shake bags are also visible in the photos.

Per usual with Facebook posts about cannabis busts, it wasn’t entirely well-received by the public. “Lame waste of county resources,” one commenter said. Another wrote, “unlicensed so Bakersfield isn’t getting their cut, that’s why they were busted.” The post also contained seven photos of the inside of the dispensaries as well as a weapon that was found on one of the suspects.

Officers List Busted Dispensaries and Suspects

All seven dispensaries were found to be in violation of County and State Health and Safety Code ordinances and laws as a result of the investigation. Investigators from the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration (CDTFA) assisted detectives from the sheriff’s office in the overall operation. The following dispensaries were found to be in violation for the illicit sales of cannabis and cannabis products:

Lights Out Wellness on 1739 Poplar Street
Wicked Weed on 2763 Sierra Hwy
The Location on 2613 Diamond Street
Mr. 5 Gramz on 2665 Diamond Street
AV Wellness on 2689 Sierra Hwy
Plum Tree Collective on 2873 Sierra Hwy
CBD Plus on 2753 Diamond

Sheriff deputies found numerous building code violations at all seven locations. Based on the violations, the businesses were deemed unsafe for occupancy and posted by Kern County Code Compliance.

Officers listed the suspects who were arrested with various charges of allegedly breaking the law, and booked into the Kern County Sheriff’s Office, Central Receiving Facility or Mojave jail. Police listed 17 individuals, along with their ages and specific charges they received during the wave of raids. At least two of those individuals had outstanding warrants.

Kern County’s Continual Buzzkill

Not all communities in California accept cannabis, especially inland communities. Cannabis retail stores are not legal in most areas of Kern County, California Cannabis Information explains. Pursuant to Cannabis Ordinance, Section 19.08. 55, the local law explicitly bans commercial medicinal and adult-use cannabis businesses within the county—with the exception of California City and Arvin.

Neighbors in the area generally don’t like cannabis coming into their communities. In 2018, 52.38% of Kern County residents voted against Prop. 64, legislation to legalize adult-use cannabis in California. The county routinely cracks down on illegal cannabis activity, as well as hot hemp and other illegal operations.

A few years ago, Kern County officials found 10 million cannabis plants deemed too hot to be hemp with an estimated value of over $1 billion. On October 25, 2019 law enforcement descended on the fields. The growers claimed to be growing non-psychoactive hemp. They were, in fact, raising marijuana plants that clocked in at over the .3% THC content allowed under California law.

After a tip was sent to the Kern County Sheriff’s Office in 2019, police found hot hemp about 11 fields sprawling out over 459 acres in the small town of Arvin. An investigation was launched in collaboration with the FBI and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife that resulted in the October 25 search warrants.

“Preliminary testing showed the levels of THC in these fields were well over the legal limit for industrial hemp production and were in fact cannabis,” announced the Kern County Sheriff’s Office in a Facebook post. “The investigation is ongoing.”

California law does allow for THC content over .3% if the hemp is being grown for research purposes.

The post Kern County, California Cops Shut Down Seven Unlicensed Dispensaries appeared first on High Times.

California Is On Track to Decriminalize Natural Psychedelics with SB58

September 10, 2023 Published by SDZ News

California is set to legalize four different natural psychedelic drugs after a bill passed the legislature on Thursday. SB58, which was introduced back into 2022 and underwent a number of revisions, would remove criminal penalties for the possession of psilocybin, psilocin, DMT (dimethyltryptamine), and mescaline.

The bill was authored by Senator Scott Wiener (D), who has been pushing for more progressive psychedelics legislation for a long time. He introduced another bill in 2021, SB519, that was nearly identical to this one but it died in committee. He made some changes and reintroduced the same bill in late 2022 as SB58.

“California’s veterans, first responders, and others struggling with PTSD, depression, and addiction deserve access to these promising plant medicines,” Senator Scott Wiener (D) said in a press release. “SB58 has prudent safeguards in place after we incorporated feedback from three years of deep engagement with a broad array of stakeholders.”

Last Wednesday, the bill passed through the California State Assembly, then the next day it got final approval from the State Senate. Now, SB58 is headed to Governor Gavin Newsom’s desk for a final signature before it becomes law.

“We know these substances are not addictive, and they show tremendous promise in treating many of the most intractable conditions driving our nation’s mental health crisis,” Wiener added. It’s time to stop criminalizing people who use psychedelics for healing or personal well-being.”

The “allowable amount” section of the bill as amended allows for the following psychedelics possession limits:

Mescaline: 4 grams
DMT: One gram
Psilocybin: One gram, or up to one ounce of “a plant or fungi containing psilocybin”
Psilocyn: One gram, or up to one ounce of “a plant or fungi containing psilocyn.”

Peyote is excluded from the bill’s list of legalized substances due to concerns raised by indigenous groups and advocates about the risk of over-harvesting these delicate cacti that are used ceremoniously in native cultures. Other mescaline-containing plants such as San Pedro cactus or Bolivian Torch cactus are fair game.

It also says that adults could possess “an amount of spores or mycelium capable of producing an allowable amount of a plant or fungi which contain a controlled substance” that would be legalized under the bill. California is currently one of only 3 states that has a ban on psilocybin spores, they are otherwise federally legal because the spores themselves do not contain psilocybin, only the mushroom fruiting bodies do.

If signed by Newsom, which honestly, seems like it could go either way because he has not yet indicated if he plans on doing so – the law would go into effect on January 1, 2025. Three cities in California have already decriminalized certain psychedelics: Santa Cruz, Oakland, and Arcata. But all hallucinogens still remain illegal statewide, and at the federal level.

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The post California Is On Track to Decriminalize Natural Psychedelics with SB58 appeared first on Cannadelics.

From the Archives: SMASHED! (1999)

September 10, 2023 Published by SDZ News

Some bands owe marijuana a debt of gratitude for the inspiration the plant has provided them. In the case of San Jose, California quartet Smash Mouth, pot’s role in their success is far more direct. In the lean years before their 1997 retro-cool hit “Walkin’ on the Sun” launched them to the top of the charts, vocalist Steve Harwell and drummer Kevin Coleman would raid Bay Area pot gardens, pilfer the plants, then dry and sell the weed.

In defense of their reprehensible past, Harwell explains: “I provided the product for cheaper than what the actual grower would’ve provided it for. I was probably stealing the guys’ mortgages or something, but I was young and dumb.”

With their new album Astro Lounge, the band has repaid the debt—if not to the growers they robbed, then at least to the herb that kept them afloat during their starving-musician phase.

Among the album’s more compelling tracks is “Stoned,” a loping tribute to the joys of sparking up whose big, anthemic chorus declares: “We’re just getting high/Let us be, it’ll be all right.”

On the eve of their Astro Lounge tour, the band—Harwell, Coleman, guitarist Greg Camp, and bassist Paul DeLisle—sat down to discuss “Stoned” and their preoccupation with inhaling clouds of pot smoke.

HT: What compelled you to write “Stoned”?

Greg Camp: Part of it came from visiting Amsterdam. There’s no crime, no guns there. It’s totally mellow. Compare that to America, where they keep everything under law.

So it’s safe to say that Smash Mouth are pro-legalization?

Steve Harwell: Oh, yeah—legalize it. What the hell? It’s not killing anybody. There are worse things out there than marijuana. If everybody did smoke weed, we wouldn’t have tragedies like Columbine.

Camp: Pot should definitely be legalized. Just like in Amsterdam, there should be cafes or something where you can buy ounces of green bud. It would just be so cool. Alcoholism would probably go down. Pot’s got to be better for you than alcohol.

Are you worried about fallout from releasing such a pro-pot song?

Camp: Yeah, but hopefully the song’s got enough humor to avoid that. I am worried about the flak, though. We get a lot of e-mails and letters from teachers and people who work with kids about how they really appreciate our songs and how uplifting they are. So if that one ever actually does become a single. I think we’ll definitely be getting some heat. But who cares, you know?

Was there any static from Interscope?

Camp: None at all. In fact, we were going to say, “I’m in my zone” instead of “I’m getting stoned.” But Tom Whalley said, “If you do that, I ain’t putting the song on the record”—and he’s our A&R guy! Same with program directors; Kevin [Weatherly] from KROQ heard it and said, ”I really want to play this song.” So now that we’ve got the record company and radio in our pocket, we’re cool for a few months—until parents start hearing it.

What benefits does pot provide you?

Camp: It’s hard to sleep on a tour bus when it’s moving and you’re in this tiny little bunk and you’re bouncing around. I’ve got a little one-hitter in my bunk. I’ll just hit it, listen to some weird reggae on my headphones and go to sleep. Pot relaxes me and lets me sleep.

What about as a creativity enhancer?

Camp: It definitely helps me create. For me, it’s either pot or a glass of red wine. That’s what gets my creative juices flowing.

Steve and Kevin—you both have reputations as somewhat reformed heavy partiers. What do you have to say?

Kevin Coleman: I’m on the 11-step program: Weed and coffee, and once in a while some Tylenol PMs.

Harwell: I used to smoke pot like it was going out of style, but I lost my tolerance for it. Now it just makes me paranoid. At first, it’s really great; for like, thirty seconds I just crack up. Then I stop straight-faced and go, “What the fuck? I’m stoned.”

Read the full issue here.

The post From the Archives: SMASHED! (1999) appeared first on High Times.

Cannabis 101: Understanding Compassionate Care

September 5, 2023 Published by SDZ News

When it comes to the medical marijuana era—including understanding compassionate care programs—it pays to know a bit of history.

Far from being a mere historical footnote in the long march towards legalization, the advent of state-sanctioned medical cannabis markets represented a game-changing victory on multiple fronts. From a policy perspective, the success of California’s Prop 215 in 1996 set in motion a domino effect that inspired numerous other states to follow suit by subsequently enacting medical marijuana laws of their own.

What these laws accomplished was nothing short of radical: They allowed those suffering from a variety of medical ailments to purchase, consume and benefit from cannabis without fear of legal repercussion. But it didn’t go off quite so cleanly. Many licensed operations endured frequent, aggressive raids from federal authorities. Despite such challenges, some craft cannabis cultivators in California’s Emerald Triangle still pine for the medical-only days.

It makes sense. As a far looser market, requirements for testing, taxes, packaging and licensing all still existed but were notably less stringent than they’d ultimately become following California’s move to legalize recreational cannabis sales in 2018.

Another reason for these laments stems from the highly lucrative, rapidly growing cannabis industry, with its focus clearly shifting from medicine to money. Case in point: It took a monumental effort from advocates to fix a loophole in Prop 64 (California’s adult-use bill) that essentially killed the state’s landmark compassionate care program. To understand what happened, one needs to look at how these programs work and who they were originally designed to help.

Free Weed

The underlying concept behind compassionate care programs is that those in need should always have access to safe, quality medicine—regardless of whether they can afford it. At the onset, this group was largely composed of those living with HIV/AIDS, and cannabis had been deemed a potentially effective treatment for related symptoms, such as nausea, loss of appetite, pain relief and depression. With some hope in sight,

brave individuals, including Prop 215 co-author Dennis Peron and the legendary “Brownie” Mary Rathbun, risked prison time to ensure patients hospitalized in San Francisco-area hospital AIDS wards could access cannabis.

When Prop 215 became law in 1996, it established the basic tenets for how cannabis compassionate care programs should operate. It’s a blueprint that basically continues to this day: Cultivators donate flower to licensed dispensaries, which in turn offer it to qualified patients at discounted rates, or for no charge at all. One of the reasons these programs worked was because, as a charitable enterprise, donations of cannabis weren’t subject to tax fees. Unfortunately, as mentioned above, this became a big problem after California enacted Prop 64 in 2016.

The issue became that in addition to requiring licensed growers to pay high taxes on cannabis cultivated for sale, Prop 64 failed to exempt flower grown for compassionate care from taxation. Normally happy to donate, cultivators understandably balked at being asked to pay for giving away free product. Thankfully, the issue was resolved in 2020 when Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the Dennis Peron and Brownie Mary Act, once again making it possible for operators to distribute medical cannabis without the brutal taxes.

But as more and more states opt to evolve their industries from medical-only to a hybrid of adult-use and medical sales, are all patients being given the care and attention they deserve?

Making Room for Medicine

Barring federal policy reform and the establishment of a new nationwide set of standards, to gain the most accurate picture, one must approach this issue on a state-by-state level. As things stand today, there are now medical-only states, states with laws supporting both medical and recreational markets, and states where all products with more than a trace of THC continue to be fully prohibited.

Fortunately, a combination of thoughtful policymakers, seasoned advocates and generous cannabis companies are working to ensure patients continue to be an overall priority in the industry. In Oregon, for example, many dispensaries are dual-licensed—a quirk of the state’s legislation, but also a testament to the stores’ own values and desire to take care of their medical customers.

(To clarify, being a medical patient doesn’t automatically make someone a compassionate care patient, though there’s certainly overlap between these groups.)

How compassionate care programs will figure into federal legalization policy when such a day eventually arrives will be a matter of which bill gets the favor of Congress. If those in charge do attempt to forget the rights of individuals needing access to free or discounted cannabis, one can expect cannabis advocates to fight for patient rights, as they have since the days of Prop 215.

The post Cannabis 101: Understanding Compassionate Care appeared first on Cannabis Now.

Category: California