How Monsanto & Bayer Are Trying To Take Over The Cannabis Industry

ALANNA KETLER 

Responsible for genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and the pesticides that are sprayed on them, Monsanto is on the tips of everyone’s tongues lately. Health conscious individuals are doing everything they can to boycott this company and support others instead, even if that means opting for much pricier organic produce.

There are a number of reasons for their concern, including the fact that no long-term studies have been done to show the potential health effects of consuming genetically modified foods or the high levels of pesticides that came with them. The mere fact that this company is responsible for some of the worst chemicals ever created, including Agent Orange, DDT, asbestos, and aspartame, also contributes to this widespread mistrust.

Last September, Bayer, the largest pharmaceutical company in the world, made a deal to buy out Monsanto for $66 billion, even though Monsanto was voted “the most evil company in the world” back in 2013. Unfortunately, this buyout only strengthened Monsanto’s lobbying power.

This corporate giant has now set its sights on another product, one that has garnered increasing attention lately as laws relax and medicinal uses become better understood: cannabis. Despite claiming otherwise, evidence suggests Monsanto may already have ties to cannabis production, a worrisome connection for anyone who uses cannabis medically or even enjoys an occasional puff.

How Is This Connection Made?

Monsanto and Miracle-Gro already have a business partnership. Hawthorne is a front for Miracle-Gro and has already purchased three of the largest cannabis producers in the business, Botanicare, Gavita, and General Hydroponics. A number of other companies have already received buy-out offers, but have refused.

According to a Hydroponics Lighting Representative, “They want to bypass hydroponics retail stores. . . . When we said we won’t get in bed with them they said, ‘Well, we could just buy your whole company like we did with Gavita and do whatever we want.’ ”

Miracle-Gro CEO Jim Hagedorn has gone so far as to announce his plans for reefer referendums. “Invest, like, half a billion in [taking over] the pot business,” he recommends. “It is the biggest thing I’ve ever seen in lawn and garden.”

One only has to connect the dots to see where this is heading, and it’s not surprising. The cannabis industry is on the brink of a major boom, and it makes sense that a huge corporation like Monsanto would like to get in on the action.

Now What?

Nothing has been decided at this moment, but we can see clearly that it is a possibility, and even if Monsanto/Bayer does take over the cannabis industry, it is not certain that they will create genetically modified strains. Even if they don’t, however, it is up to you to decide if this is a company you would like to support or not. If you actively choose non-GMO products, then you’ll certainly need to do your research to ensure the strains you are getting are not coming from a Monsanto-owned grow business.

Unfortunately, Bayer and Monsanto could create a monopoly on marijuana seeds in the same way we have seen them do with corn and soy. They have an incredible amount of corporate power and through enforcing international patent law, could end up with total control over the cannabis industry, including medicinal cannabis use and research.

Don’t Forget, As the Consumer, You Hold the Power

There will undoubtedly be some backlash against Monsanto — as if they haven’t gotten enough already — but it is absolutely necessary to call out this company for their ruthless business practices. DO NOT SUPPORT Monsanto or Bayer by buying any cannabis products coming from companies that they own. More information about Monsanto’s involvement in the cannabis industry, whether direct or indirect, will surely surface soon, and it is up to you to stay informed and make the appropriate decisions. A safe bet would be to grow your own and keep the seeds, if you are living in an area where this is legal. Spread this information far and wide; we cannot let Monsanto take over the cannabis industry.

Much Love

Seedo Partners With Kibbutz Dan For First-of-its-Kind Fully Automated Indoor and Containerized Commercial-Scale Cannabis Farm

AI-powered climate control technology serves growing demand for pesticide-free products around the globe

NEWS PROVIDED BY Seedo Corp. 

TEL AVIV, Israel, March 19, 2019 /PRNewswire/ --

Today, Seedo Corp., "Seedo" (OTCQB: SEDO), a high-tech company providing the world's first fully automated and controlled indoor growing machines for the pesticide-free cannabis and agricultural markets, announced today it will be partnering with Kibbutz Dan in Northern Israel to establish the first fully automated, commercial-scale, pesticide-free containerized cannabis farm in Israel. With Israel's recent approval of medical cannabis exports, Seedo is positioned to become a key player in this emerging market as its technology can achieve reliable and uniform production goals to meet pharmaceutical-grade standards. Within 36 months of operation, the project is estimated to produce a minimum of 14 tons of dry cannabis bud, generating an estimated revenue of $24 million dollars.

Introducing the Seedo Farm, automated, commercial scale container

In legal cannabis markets around the world, new research has brought to light concerns surrounding the prevalence of pesticides, solvents and bacteria present in the current supply chain. This poses a serious threat to consumer safety, especially for patients that are increasingly dependent on medical cannabis for treatment of a variety of illnesses. Seedo's revolutionary technology can control the purity of the crop to meet stringent compositional standards set by pharmaceutical and beverage companies looking to supply clean and consistent products to the market.

"We are entering a new era of growing where demand for pesticide-free products will only continue to increase," said Seedo CEO Zohar Levy. "We're thrilled to partner with Kibbutz Dan to provide a business model with governments that the world can look to. We've built our commercial-scale system to reflect our philosophy that technology can provide precise and reliable results without sacrificing yield."

This Landmark installation includes Seedo's first commercial-scale product to meet growing demand stemming from maturation of the worldwide medical cannabis market. Seedo is now applying its proven technology, originally developed for home-grow devices, towards containers for commercial scale. This new offering will allow Seedo to leverage and adapt its existing and proven AI-powered technology to commercial farming applications, thereby maximizing the quality, yield and reliability of crops regardless of local climate conditions. By taking the guesswork out of the cultivation process, communities will be able to grow both native and non-native products with less labor, energy and water than ever before. The airtight, stackable containers will allow cultivators to optimize land-use and reduce the environmental footprint of their farming operations. Each one of Seedo's containers can provide a minimum quantity of 326 pounds of dry cannabis bud per year.

Seedo will also look to provide its commercial product to agricultural regions in need of healthy and reliable food supplies. Each container features maximum daylight illumination, built-in carbon filters, automated air conditioning, and a smart post-harvest drying system that allows farmers to minimize cultivation costs and provide high-quality food with extended shelf life. As rising temperatures and urban population growth encroach on global food supplies, Seedo's turnkey technology will allow communities to grow their food locally without fear of crop loss from external climate or weather conditions. As its network of systems continues to grow, Seedo will be able to leverage aggregated data to discover the ideal growing conditions for every type of fruit and plant species, even bringing some back from the brink of extinction.

As part of Seedo's recent momentum, the company recently appointed Daniel Birnbaum, CEO of SodaStream, and Dr. Jendayi. Frazer, the former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, to its board of directors. Mr. Birnbaum's expertise in building global brands and Dr. Frazer's work in international development and governance will inform the development of the commercial product to serve vulnerable communities around the globe.

About Seedo

Seedo is a market leading high-tech company providing the cannabis and agriculture industries with the world's first fully automated and controlled indoor growing machine. Seedo provides growers with the freedom to cut costs while generating high yields of lab-grade, pesticide-free herbs and vegetables. Seedo's AI-powered, turnkey systems enable anyone from average consumers to large-scale producers the ability to grow without prior experience or ample space. Seedo is a publicly traded company backed by a group of international investors including Cannabics Pharmaceuticals and is headquartered in Israel. For more information, visit http://www.seedolab.com

Contacts:
Seedo Corp.  
+972-546-642-228 
General Information: info@seedolab.com   
Media inquiries: seedo@antennagroup.com
http://www.seedolab.com

Disclaimer:

Certain statements contained in this release may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements include, but are not limited to statements identified by words such as "believes," "expects," "anticipates," "estimates," "intends," "plans," "targets," "projects" and similar expressions. The statements in this release are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of our company's management and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. Numerous factors could cause or contribute to such differences, including, but not limited to, results of clinical trials and/or other studies, the challenges inherent in new product development initiatives, the effect of any competitive products, our ability to license and protect our intellectual property, our ability to raise additional capital in the future that is necessary to maintain our business, changes in government policy and/or regulation, potential litigation by or against us, any governmental review of our products or practices, as well as other risks discussed from time to time in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including, without limitation, our latest Form 10-K Report filed on January 15th, 2019. We undertake no duty to update any forward-looking statement or any information contained in this press release or in other public disclosures at any time.

View fullsize

SOURCE Seedo Corp.

CEA Advisors Announces International Collaborations

March 20, 2019

CEA Advisors, Fospan Worldwide and Canna Pro, global players in Horticulture are pleased to announce that they have finalized their agreement to collaborate on cannabis related business opportunities. These industry heavyweights are joining forces to provide marketing, sales, consulting and technical support to the global Cannabis industry.

CEA Advisors is a major player in the global indoor farming industry. For the past 10 years, they have designed and built state of the art custom container farms for commercial clients such as growers, food manufacturers, pharma manufacturers, universities, government agencies, schools and non-profits worldwide. They are also the designer and manufacturer of Growracks®, an industry standard plug and play vertical production system in use worldwide. www.growtainers.com

Fospan Worldwide SL, headquartered in Barcelona, Spain is an experienced solution provider of Horticultural services to the medicinal and recreational cannabis industry. The registered Dutch- Spanish company also acts as a distributor for many of Europe’s top Horticultural products including their proprietary LED product, Magnus Lights by Parus. Fospan Worldwide’s management boasts of many years of industry experience and the successful completion of high-profile Cannabis projects in Denmark, Switzerland and throughout Europe. www.fospan.com

Canna Pro, a division of Pro Horticulture Inc has spent years designing and building premium indoor cannabis facilities & light deprivation greenhouses for growing high yielding healthy crops. They are a global cannabis entity with strategic partnerships in Canada, USA and Europe. Canna Pro has assembled a team of all-stars bringing tried and true cultivation methods mixed with the perfect dose of cutting-edge technology. They’ve built greenhouses and growrooms all over the globe and work closely with their team of HVAC engineers to provide the optimum indoor environments for rapid growth of healthy plants. www.cannapro.co

CEA Advisors Announces Formation of New Division Focused on Cannabis Industry

The company has completed the design process for the first shipping container farm specifically designed and built for cloning and young plant production.

March 5, 2019

Press Release

View fullsize

After nine years of designing and marketing custom-made Growtainers and providing consultant services for commercial clients worldwide, CEA Advisors has announced that it has formed a new division to focus on the cannabis Industry. Recently the company has completed the design process for the first competitively priced shipping container farm specifically designed and built for cloning and young plant production.

“Although I grew indoors many years ago, I spent more than a year discussing today’s technology and the specific requirements of this crop with industry experts and component manufacturers and when I was sure we could execute, we began the design and manufacturing process” said Glenn Behrman, founder of Greentech Agro LLC and CEA Advisors LLC.

Each fully equipped, plug and play 20-foot fully insulated container-based Clone Facility has a separate utility area and provides climate controlled vertical production space for cloning and mother plant storage. Each unit is specially designed for maximum efficiency and workflow. Besides the dedicated technology for the ebb and flow irrigation system installed, a state-of-the-art water monitoring and dosing system and high-pressure fog system, each production area is equipped with energy efficient LED production modules, offering wavelength and intensity specifically designed for cloning and vegetative growth.

The LED environment for cloning provides light levels from 50 to 100 micromoles with an incremental increase as the plant becomes established and the mother plant storage area provides up to 700 micromoles for faster vegetative growth. In addition, each clone factory provides a warm, humid LED lit micro climate for germinating seeds. Based on the current configuration, each unit is capable of producing 1,080 four-inch pots per cycle or substantially more in standard 1020 trays.

CEA Advisors is in the process of finalizing agreements with some of the world’s top cannabis consultants to provide technical support for our clients. The company has already brought on board a container modification expert with over 20 years of hands-on experience to manage its agreement with the world’s largest container manufacturer to provide large quantities of ISO certified 20 foot, 40 foot and 45 foot Container Farms for quick deployment for all stages of growth in the food production, research and international cannabis market.

For more information contact us by email at GB@cea-advisors.com

View fullsize

CO2 GRO Announces Dramatic Pathogen Reduction Results Using CO2 Foliar Spray on Cannabis

TORONTO, ON – February 25, 2019

Toronto based CO2 GRO Inc. (“GROW”) (TSX-V: GROW, OTCQB: BLONF, Frankfurt: 4021) is pleased to provide further dramatic results from scientific pathogen experiments using CO2 Foliar Spray at two separate U.S. commercial cannabis greenhouses on cannabis sativa plants. These commercial growers financially supported this research.

All experiments were designed and measured consistent with GROW’s Pathogen experiments on peppers that were press released December 6, 2018.

Results:

E. coli – Another excellent result of a two order of magnitude reduction in E.coli bacterial growth (99%) in the CO2 Foliar Sprayed cannabis plant group versus the control cannabis plant group. All plants were exposed to the E.Coli bacteria. Results are consistent with GROW’s pepper results.

Powdery Mildew – All plants were covered with a known dried powdery mildew pathogen and grown for a further 21 days. Results were scored visually at these commercial sites. All six plants in the control group developed powdery mildew disease while none of the CO2 Foliar Sprayed cannabis plants developed powdery mildew.

Grower Implications – CO2 Foliar Spray is gaining traction with commercial agreements and more successful plant science and trial data. Accoding to Global Organics, the fastest growing acreage is organic, up 20% to 70M hectares Y-O-Y. CO2 Foliar Spray is proving to have some natural pathogen resistance that may lead to reduced need for chemical fungicides and pesticides and faster adoption by organic growers that cannot use them.

John Archibald, CEO, commented “we are delighted with the cannabis E. coli and powdery mildew results. Each trial adds to our collective knowledge.These U.S. cannabis results should have significant positive impact on our commercial endeavors.

About CO2 GRO Inc.

GROW's mission is to accelerate all indoor and outdoor value plant growth naturally, safely, and economically using its patent pending CO2 Foliar Spray technology. GROW’s global target retail plant markets are food at $8 trillion per year (Plunkett Mar 2017), non- food at an estimated $1.2 trillion per year with retail tobacco at $760 billion (BA Tobacco 2017), floriculture at $100 billion by 2022 (MarketResearch.Biz estimate). Legal cannabis at $52.5 billion per year by 2023 (Statista) and legal US hemp CBD at $22B per year by 2022 (the Brightfield Group).

GROW's CO2 technologies are commercially proven, scalable and easily adopted into existing irrigation systems.

The CO2 technologies work by transferring CO2 gas into water and foliar spraying water across the entire plant leaf surface which is a semi permeable membrane. The dissolved concentrated CO2 then penetrates a leaf's surface area naturally like nicotine dissolves through human skin from a soluble nicotine patch.

Foliar spraying of water, dissolved nutrients and chemicals on plant leaves has been used for over 60 years by millions of indoor and outdoor growers. To date, outdoor growers have not had any way to enhance plant CO2 gas uptake for faster growth.

Indoor CO2 gassing has enhanced plant yields for over 60 years but 60% of the CO2 gas used is typically lost from ventilation. Current greenhouse CO2 gassing levels of up to 1500 PPM are not ideal for worker health and safety. GROW's safer infused CO2 Foliar Spray can be used by both indoor and outdoor plant growers with minimal dissolved CO2 gas lost and much greater CO2 plant bioavailability resulting in higher plant yields than both CO2 gassing and no gassing plant yields.

Forward-Looking Statements This news release may contain forward-looking statements that are based on CO2GRO's expectations, estimates and projections regarding its business and the economic environment in which it operates. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties that are difficult to control or predict. Therefore, actual outcomes and results may differ materially from those expressed in these forward-looking statements and readers should not place undue reliance on such statements. Statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update them publicly to reflect new information or the occurrence of future events or circumstances, unless otherwise required to do so by law.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

For more information, please visit www.co2gro.ca

Or contact Sam Kanes, VP Business Development at 416-315-7477.

Weed Is Growing Into a Big Market for This Dutch Lighting Firm

Weed Is Growing Into a Big Market for This Dutch Lighting Firm

By Ellen Proper

February 19, 2019

• Signify CEO lifts veil on horticultural unit’s pot business

• Demand for greenhouses signals boom is feeding supply chain

View fullsize

A boom in the cannabis industry that began a few years ago is now fueling sales of equipment like so-called grow lights. Photographer: Jason Alden/Bloomberg

The world’s biggest lighting company has been selling equipment to the horticultural industry for decades, building up its business outfitting greenhouses to grow plants like tomatoes, lettuce and roses. Lately, demand for a new crop has exploded onto the scene: Pot.

A cannabis boom that began a few years ago in the lead up to legalization in Canada, Uruguay and some U.S. states is now fueling sales of equipment like so-called grow lights. The changes in legislation and surge in consumption have led farmers to seek out more controlled and energy-efficient cultivation in hothouses.

“Where it’s legal, we participate,” said Eric Rondolat, chief executive officer of Signify NV, a spinoff of Amsterdam-based Royal Philips NV. “Worldwide we see an evolution in the thinking of cannabis production.”

Rondolat’s willingness to talk about marijuana and Signify is also a sign of change. The manufacturer gets the bulk of its 6.4 billion euros ($7.2 billion) in annual revenue from more mundane products like home lighting fixtures and street lamps. Until a few years ago, selling specialized gear to grow medicinal pot wasn’t something the company sought to publicize.

“We have seen big growth in cannabis being legalized lately and we see that also through our activity,” Rondolat said in an interview.

Greenhouse Boom

Signify’s brisker business is backed up by forecasts. The horticulture lighting market is set to expand to $6.2 billion by 2023 from $2.1 billion in 2017, partly driven by the legalization of cannabis for medicinal purposes, according to Markets and Markets, a consulting firm.

“We are just at the beginning of the greenhouse boom in Europe, and still at a fairly early stage in North America,” Alex Brooks, analyst at Canaccord Genuity, said by email.

Benefits to companies like Signify are a sign the cannabis rush is feeding into the manufacturing supply chain, with big firms in the drinks and tobacco markets also raising investment. The Dutch firm is not the only light maker wading in.

German rival Osram Licht AG has stakes in several horticultural specialists. In May, the company bought Austin-based startup Fluence, which like Signify sells more energy-efficient LED lighting for greenhouses. One tout on its website is for The Fireweed Factory in Juneau, Alaska, that gets about 1 million visitors a year and caters to local and tourist demand. Osram generally sells to “growers of pharmaceutically usable plants such as cannabis,” a spokeswoman said in an emailed statement.

Projections for overall growth in the pot industry are eye-catching. Industry consultant Prohibition Partners said more than 50 countries have legalized medicinal cannabis, with some 10 more expected to join the list this year. The U.K. recently received its first bulk batch from the Netherlands after it was legalized for prescription last year.

The global legal market will reach $232 billion in 2027 from $9.9 billion in 2017, according to Bryan, Garnier analyst Nikolaas Faes. Growing companies using new greenhouses outfitted with lighting, humidity and temperature controls have an advantage over those relying on retrofitted ones previously used for other crops, he wrote in a report this month.

Signify has a leg up on competitors, Rondolat said, because the company has developed more than 150 types of lighting adapted to individual crops, including tomatoes, cucumbers, tulips and cannabis. Each requires its own light intensity and duration to improve yields, hasten flowering and quicken root growth.

Bright Spot

Rondolat has been at the helm of Signify since before shares were listed in 2016. The company has yet to post revenue growth as it navigates the consumer switch from conventional lighting to light-emitting diodes, or LEDs. With Brexit, rising U.S. inventories, trade tariffs and a slowdown in China also biting, growth in its horticultural business is a bright spot.

Read Giant Russian Greenhouse Shows LEDs Swaying Light Bulb Die-Hards

“This is a substantial market size already, and with a very interesting perspective going forward,” said Rondolat. For investors, it’s hard to figure out how much of a difference this could make. The company doesn’t break out earnings from greenhouse lighting or from selling specialized equipment for cannabis production. The CEO declined to provide details.

Read More
The U.K. Just Got Its First Bulk Medical Cannabis Shipment (1) 
Canopy Expected to Capture Biggest Chunk of Canadian Pot Market 
Cannabis Lobbying Heats Up As Congress Looks At Pot Banking 
Brooklyn Medical Pot Salon Opens to New York Legalization Push

Legalized Marijuana in New York State: The Green Gold Rush

Lissa Harris@lissaharris

It’s a moment cannabis advocates have been waiting for. On Tuesday, Governor Andrew Cuomo officially unveiled a plan for legalizing recreational marijuana in New York State, in his State of the State budget address in Albany.

The plan includes the creation of a new Office of Cannabis Management, taxes on cultivation and wholesale, a ban on sales to anyone under 21, licensing for businesses throughout the supply chain, and the ability for counties and cities to ban sales, Gannett’s Jon Campbell reports. Also in the works: a program to review and seal past marijuana-related criminal convictions.

Officials estimate that legalization will eventually bring in $300 million in tax revenue a year, but the industry will be slow to ramp up, the New York Times reports:

That number, though, would not be available until the fiscal year starting in 2023, according to Mr. Cuomo’s budget director, Robert Mujica.

The initial rollout would bring in much less revenue, projections show. Budget documents released Tuesday projected no revenue from marijuana regulation and taxation for the 2020 fiscal year, and $83 million for 2021.

A code name for marijuana written on a train in New Jersey. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

Keeping Up With The Joneses

With more and more states moving toward legalization, the climate around cannabis is shifting quickly. Politicians who would have been loath to endorse recreational marijuana just a few years ago are now starting to worry that their states will lose out economically if they don’t jump on board the legalization bandwagon.

New Jersey, whose governor Phil Murphy campaigned on a promise to legalize recreational marijuana, is racing New York to pass a cannabis law. Reporter Payton Guion for NJ.com explains why New Jersey legislators are anxious to get there first: 

If New Jersey were to somehow get beat to legalization by New York, the state would be leaving a lot of potential tax revenue on the table. Millions of people would likely cross the border to buy legal weed, based on estimates of New Jersey’s potential marijuana market.

But no one is likely to cross the border to buy weed in New Jersey if it’s also legal in New York. 

While our neighbors New Jersey and Connecticut have yet to legalize, New York is already losing potential business–and tax dollars–to Massachusetts, where recreational cannabis has been legally available since November. Recently, Rockland/Westchester Journal News columnist David McKay Wilson, who writes about tax policy, took a road trip to Northampton, home to Massachusetts’s first legal dispensary. There, he met New Yorkers willing to stand in line for hours for the chance to purchase just an eighth of an ounce:

The New Yorkers claimed they could find marijuana on the streets of Schenectady for $150 an ounce, which would produce about 60 marijuana joints. That cost would be far less than what they would pay in the Massachusetts dispensary. Though state law allows dispensaries to sell as much as one ounce of cannabis, NETA has limited its sales to a maximum of one-eighth of an ounce because its supply of Massachusetts-grown marijuana is limited.

The one-eighth ounce was on sale for $50–equivalent to $400 an ounce. But they wanted to buy the legal cannabis, with its potency tested and certified. 

“It better be good stuff for this wait,” [Johnny] Deitz said. “It will be a joy to finally smoke it legally.” 

Cannabis isn’t the first vice New York State has seized on as a potential boost to the local economy. In recent years, the state has rewritten the laws on locally made beer, hard cider, and spirits to be friendlier to small brewers and distillers. The result has been a renaissance of small-scale craft beer and spirits in the state.

In an interview with Leafly, Melissa Moore of the Drug Policy Alliance, a pro-cannabis-legalization advocacy group, likens the recent push to legalize cannabis to the craft brewing and distilling movement:

“I think it’s encouraging to look at what the governor has done in terms of encouraging the craft beer and wine industry in New York State, and trying to put forth provisions that help smaller businesses in that arena be able to actually get a foothold to be competitive and grow and thrive,” Moore said. “And I think that’s something that we would certainly encourage him to look for in marijuana legalization as well.”

The chamber of the New York State Assembly, soon to be tasked with hammering out the fine print on marijuana legislation. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

Bumps in the Road?

Even with a cannabis-friendly Democratic majority in both the Senate and Assembly, and the endorsement of the governor, legalized recreational marijuana won’t happen overnight. There are still many details to be ironed out. The AP’s David Klepper reports:

Taxes and regulations must be approved. Rules for licensing retailers must be written. A new government entity may have to be created. Local governments will have to be brought in. Even after a bill passes, it could take a year or more for any pot shops to open, based on what’s happened in other states and New York’s own experience with medical marijuana.

One of the biggest worries for lawmakers is how to deal with marijuana-impaired drivers. There’s no clear consensus on what level of THC in the blood constitutes impairment, and unlike alcohol, marijuana can leave trace substances in a person’s blood for days or weeks, long after the initial high has faded. States are enacting a broad range of different laws and “playing catch-up” with science on the issue, Kaiser Health News reports.

Among the states that have legalized recreational marijuana, there is a range of approaches, from relatively permissive California to highly regulated Colorado. So far, New York has opted to keep the marijuana industry on a tight leash: After the state legalized medical marijuana in 2014, only five licenses were awarded in an intensely competitive process. In 2017, five more companies were awarded licenses.

One of those first five license-winners has deep roots here in the Hudson Valley: Etain, a company with dispensaries in Kingston, Syracuse, Yonkers and New York City, and the state’s only women-owned cannabis business. Founder Amy Peckham, who owns and operates the business with her daughters Hillary and Keeley Peckham, is a Katonah resident whose family operates a large construction business called Peckham Industries.

Getting into business in New York State isn’t easy. Just to apply for one of the state’s five coveted licenses cost the Peckhams about $750,000,The Cutreported in a 2015 feature story.

The first few years of legal medical marijuana have been tough on New York’s pioneering cannabis businesses, with few physicians to prescribe and daunting restrictions on every aspect of the business, but Etain’s founders hope to make good on their investment. Recently,The Street cited Etain as one of the top five businesses that stand to profit most from legalized recreational marijuana in New York State.  

Transforming The Way Cannabis Is Grown

30% increase in yield and 8 week grow cycles

Pittsburgh, PA: New technology enables growers to significantly increase profit and yield,  GrowQuick Systems patented technology will provide product 52 weeks a year. It is the fastest and most efficient system in the world.  Proven to work it’s built with innovative features that will change the way cannabis, hemp and food are grown across the world.

• Environmentally friendly while increasing profit due to lower energy use

• 30% Higher Yields

• No Plant Loss Due To Mites or Bugs

• The minimal maintenance required is a huge positive for growing in remote locations

• 7-8 Weeks From Clone to Crop

• Less Than 24 Hour Turnaround From Crop to Clone

• 4-6 Inches Of Growth Per Day On Average

“This cutting edge technology will usher in a new age for cannabis grow systems similar to what the jet engine did for the airline industry”

-Ray Mays

Inventor/CEO

Each GrowQuick System is custom designed for each facility and customer.  Featuring custom Full Spectrum LED lighting for fast growth and energy savings, with patented proprietary continuous disinfecting lighting.  Allows remote monitoring of 120 control points with smart phone or tablet. Built to last with aluminum and powder coated racking.

GrowQuick Systems is technology for complete builds out of cannabis grow facilities. .

 www.growquicksystems.net

New York's Plan For Legal Marijuana Expected Early Next Year

By Noah Manskar, Patch Staff | Dec 11, 2018 4:54 pm ET | Updated Dec 11, 2018 4:56 pm ET

NEW YORK — New York lawmakers won't have to wait much longer to spark a blunt debate over legalizing marijuana. Gov. Andrew Cuomo plans to proffer a proposal for setting up a recreational pot program in the state early next year, his office said Tuesday.

Cuomo, a Democrat, commissioned a state Department of Health study early this year that found legalizing the drug for adult recreational use would do more good than harm. The governor in August commissioned a working group to draft legislation to that end and held a series of public listening sessions on the issue.

"Now that the listening sessions have concluded, the working group has begun accessing and reviewing the feedback we received and we expect to introduce a formal comprehensive proposal early in the 2019 legislative session," Cuomo spokesman Tyrone Stevens said in a statement.

The governor's office has previously indicated that a proposal would come in the upcoming legislative session. Unveiling it earlier in the year would give the state Assembly and Senate a chance to consider it before final negotiations over the next state budget, which must be approved by April 1.

Cuomo will likely present his next executive budget proposal in January. It's uncertain whether the marijuana plan will be part of the budget or a separate bill on its own, a Cuomo aide said.

"As we have said since August, the goal of this administration is to create a model program for regulated adult-use cannabis — and the best way to do that is to ensure our final proposal captures the views of everyday New Yorkers," Stevens said.

Officials estimate legal marijuana could become a $3.1 billion business in New York and generate more than $677 million in tax revenue in the first year. At least one politician wants to use some of the money to fund the struggling Metropolitan Transportation Authority, but others argue it should be used to tackle the racial injustices wrought by drug enforcement.

New York would join other northeastern U.S. states in legalizing cannabis. Marijuana sales started in Massachusetts last month and recreational pot use became legal in Vermont in July, according to news reports. Legalization legislation also reportedly got through committee votes in New Jersey's state legislature in November.

New York Governor Commits To Cannabis Legalization

12/18/2018

Graham Abbott

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo told reporters in a widely anticipated speech on Monday that he would push to legalize adult-use cannabis within a matter of months, The New York Times reports.

The move is expected to generate some $1.7 billion in annual sales and, according to Cuomo, is representative of his administration’s efforts to “advance our justice agenda and particularly address the forms of injustice that for too long have unfairly targeted the African-American and minority communities.”

“The fact is we have had two criminal justice systems: one for the wealthy and the well off, and one for everyone else,” he said.

Shortly after Cuomo’s speech, the Drug Policy Alliance announced via press release:

“Governor Cuomo and the new Democratic majority have a golden opportunity to get legalization done the right way, right away,” said Kassandra Frederique, the DPA’s executive director for the state of New York.

The New York Health Department issued a report earlier this year that suggested the pros of cannabis legalization would outweigh the cons of ongoing prohibition. Since then, officials have further informed their decision via dozens of public listening sessions on the issue.

Gov. Cuomo only recently came around to the idea of legalizing. He openly opposed the state’s hyper-restrictive medical cannabis program when it was established in 2014 and he relied on the tired trope of demonizing cannabis as a “gateway drug” as recently as last year.

Some believe that Cuomo’s shift on the legalization issue was spurred by former opponent in the Democratic gubernatorial primaries and celebrated “Sex and the City” star Cynthia Nixon, who announced her brief candidacyon a platform of ending cannabis prohibition and fixing the New York City subway system.

There are currently 10 states — plus Washington D.C. — that have opted for ending cannabis prohibition and many of them are neighboring New England states.

Cannabis Company Tilray Shares Jump as much as 22% After Announcing Deal with Swiss Drugmaker Novartis

Berkeley Lovelace Jr. | @BerkeleyJr

Published 9:36 AM ET Tue, 18 Dec 2018  Updated 6:17 PM ET Tue, 18 Dec 2018CNBC.com

Tilray enters a global supply and distribution agreement with Swiss drugmaker Novartis.

• The marijuana company would work with Novartis' generic drug business Sandoz.

• It may supply non-smokable and non-combustible medical cannabis products where it is legally allowed.

We are betting on both medical and recreational marijuana, says Tilray CEO from CNBC.

Shares of cannabis company Tilray jumped as much as 21.9 percent in intraday trading Tuesday after the Canadian marijuana producer announced it has entered a global supply and distribution agreement with Swiss drugmaker Novartis.

The company plans to work with Novartis' generic drug business Sandoz and supply non-smokable and non-combustible medical cannabis products where it is legally allowed, Tilray announced in a press release. As a part of the deal, Tilray and Sandoz may co-brand certain products as well as develop new ones.

"This agreement represents a major milestone in the movement to provide access to safe, GMP-certified medical cannabis to patients in need across the world," Tilray CEO Brendan Kennedy said in a statement Tuesday.

The stock, which was up by about 17 percent in the afternoon, surged by as much as 21.9 percent over Monday's closing price of $65.89 a share to an intraday high of $80.30 a share.

Tilray shares soar on deal with Novartis. Here's what it means for the cannabis industry from CNBC.

In September, Kennedy told CNBC that pharmaceutical companies have to start thinking about partnering with cannabis companies as a "hedge" against the burgeoning marijuana industry. Tilray formed a "strategic alliance" in March with Sandoz to help the drugmaker build this kind of hedge. In return, Novartis would help Tilray co-market and co-develop its products.

Tilray, which has products available in twelve countries, said the deal announced Tuesday builds on the company's mission of making pharmaceutical-grade medical cannabis products available around the world.

Earlier this year, Tilray announced it had become the first and only company to receive regulatory approval in Canada and Germany to export medical cannabis flower for distribution to German patients.

Shares of Tilray are down than 40 percent over the past month.

—CNBC's Thomas Franck contributed to this report.

Retail Executive Michael Kramer Joins MedMen as CFO

A veteran finance executive with more than three decades of experience in the retail industry, Michael Kramer has a proven track record at retailers such as Apple Inc., Abercrombie & Fitch, and Forever 21.

Now he will bring that knowledge to MedMen, where he is tasked with advancing the company’s growth plan, focusing on execution, maintaining a strong balance sheet, and moving toward profitability.

“Michael’s extensive experience, and his success in scaling high-growth businesses will be instrumental as MedMen moves to operationalize the balance of our footprint,” said Adam Bierman, MedMen co-founder and chief executive. “Today, we have the most talented and experienced leadership team in the industry to drive strategy, growth and competitive advantage.”

Kramer’s experience includes serving as CFO of Apple Retail, where he developed successful brick and mortar retail strategies. While at Abercrombie & Fitch, he oversaw 12 quarters of increased year-over-year earnings.

Kramer has been on advisory boards for organizations such as Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, and Kansas State University’s Business School.

“I cannot imagine a more exciting time to join the MedMen team,” said Kramer. “Rarely do you find an opportunity to build an industry that could truly define future generations. It was immediately clear to me that MedMen has the vision, the strategy and the talent to capitalize on the tremendous growth opportunity in the sector today."

For more information 

MedMen

www.medmen.com

Publication date : 12/19/2018 

Now That Hemp And CBD Are Legal, What Comes Next For Food And Beverage?

AUTHOR Cathy Siegner

Dec. 20, 2018

Dive Brief:

• Now that the 2018 Farm Bill is signed into law, hemp and its derivatives are no longer classified as controlled substances by the Food and Drug Agency, and can legally be regulated by state and tribal governments and commercialized in foods and dietary supplements, New Hope Network reported.

• U.S. hemp and CBD companies are expected to pursue listings on Nasdaq and other exchanges soon, according to Bloomberg. However, they still face regulatory obstacles from the Food and Drug Administration, the New Hope Network noted, because the agency's position has been that CBD can't be legally sold in conventional foods or dietary supplements.

• While hemp and marijuana are both members of the cannabis family, hemp extracts contain CBD, a non-psychoactive compound that doesn't produce marijuana's trademark high from THC. Hemp does contain very low levels of THC, but hemp products legally sold in the U.S. must have no more than 0.3% of the chemical.

Dive Insight:

Besides removing hemp from the list of controlled substances, the new Farm Bill also expands research into commercial uses for the plant. Currently, hemp ingredients such as CBD oil, powders and seeds are being used to infuse beverages such as iced tea and are being added to a wide variety of other foods, including ice cream, salads, milk and even children's cereal.

The market for CBD and hemp products is already significant and likely to become more so. According to the Capital Press, a New Frontier Data report found that U.S. CBD sales jumped almost 40% in 2017, hitting $367 million. And, according to the Agricultural Marketing Resource Center, the total retail value of all U.S. hemp products last year was estimated at $820 million.

Major food and beverage makers are keeping an eye on the trend and considering how they might adapt forms of THC and CBD to their brands. Bloomberg recently reported that Coca-Cola has been talking with a Canadian cannabis company about marijuana-infused beverages following that country's recent nationwide legalization. A Coca-Cola spokesman told Bloomberg News the company has made no decision yet but is closely watching the growth of CBD as an ingredient in global functional wellness beverages.

THC, CBD and non-psychoactive terpenes from cannabis have appearing in beverages in states where such products are legal. Last year, Heineken-owned Lagunitas Brewing debuted a non-psychoactive, cannabis-flavored IPA brewed with terpenes — organic compounds that give plants their flavors — and the company introduced a THC-based sparkling water this year. 

It's not a big stretch to combine cannabis and hops in beer brewing since they are genetically related. The key ingredient they share are terpenes. It's another question whether beer products containing both ingredients will spark a nationwide trend, although with hemp no longer a controlled substance, there could be many more drinks with some form of CBD or THC showing up on shelves and in coolers. Just this week, AB InBev and marijuana grower and distributor Tilray announced a joint $100 million investment to research cannabis-infused nonalcoholic beverages.

Other recent product introductions containing CBD are a nutrition bar from California-based SNAAK Bar that markets itself as optimizing sports performance — and is only available in California and online — and Spring's line of CBD-infused sodas sold in New York, Florida, Nevada, and Illinois. 

One big unknown for this market is how the FDA will handle regulating hemp and CBD in products since the agency states that "it is a prohibited act to introduce or deliver for introduction into interstate commerce any food (including any animal food or feed) to which THC or CBD has been added." But because of the new Farm Bill's action regarding hemp, it's possible the agency will institute a rulemaking process to realign its regulation and enforcement of the crop and its products. Dave Donnan, a senior partner in A.T. Kearney's food and beverage practice, told Food Dive the regulatory machine will probably be figuring out how to make CBD a safe and legal ingredient.

“There's all these tactical things that 2019 will be the year to work through,” Donnan said.

Some concerns stem from the cannabis industry's poor food safety record and a tendency to market some edible and supplement products as miracle cures. The FDA took action last year against four firms selling supplements based on marijuana that were advertised as curing cancer. Such claims may not be as likely with CBD products, although the oil is said to help with pain, inflammation, anxiety, depression, insomnia and seizures, among other conditions. Critics say these benefits aren't based on science, but advocates counter there has been plenty of recent research to bolster health claims.

Whether hemp and CBD will be appearing across the board in foods and beverages is unclear at this stage since the ink is barely dry on the new Farm Bill. But as research grows into more commercial applications and companies innovate with new products testing public interest — and FDA's tolerance under its current policies — there could be a newly crowded segment attracting investors, retailers and consumers.

Despite Hemp Legalization, FDA Will Still Consider CBD Products Largely Illegal

Published: Dec 23, 2018

Reuters

By ASSOCIATEDPRESS

SEATTLE — The hemp industry still has work ahead to win legal status for hemp-derived cannabidiol, or CBD oil, as an ingredient in food or dietary supplements despite the big farm bill President Donald Trump signed last week designating hemp as an agricultural crop.

CBD oils have become increasingly popular in lotions, tinctures and foods, but their legal status has been murky and the Food and Drug Administration has sent warning letters to some companies making health claims for CBD.

In a statement following Thursday’s bill signing in Washington, FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb restated his agency’s stance that CBD is a drug ingredient and therefore illegal to add to food or health products without approval from his agency.

“Selling unapproved products with unsubstantiated therapeutic claims is not only a violation of the law, but also can put patients at risk, as these products have not been proven to be safe or effective,” Gottlieb wrote.

CBD is a non-psychoactive compound found in hemp, a version of the cannabis plant that is low in THC, the part of cannabis that gives pot its high.

An FDA-approved drug for the treatment of seizures, Epidiolex, contains cannabis-derived CBD. GW Pharmaceuticals’ GWPH, +3.72%   syrup became the first prescription drug derived from the cannabis plant in June.

The FDA statement also specified parts of hemp that are safe as food ingredients, but the CBD stance disappointed advocates. Courtney Moran, a lobbyist for Oregon hemp farmers, said she plans to work with U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat, to nudge the FDA toward greater acceptance of CBD.

“We do hope the FDA does clear a pathway for these products that have already hit store shelves and are out in the marketplace,” Moran said. She said it’s an “opportunity for industry to educate the FDA.”

The FDA statement said three ingredients derived from hemp — hulled hemp seeds, hemp seed protein and hemp seed oil — are safe as foods and won’t require additional approvals, as long as marketers do not make claims that they treat disease.

Hemp, like marijuana, already was legal in some states before Trump signed the farm bill. But now hemp farmers will be able to buy crop insurance, apply for loans and grants, and write off their business expenses on their taxes like any other farmer.

One Year of Legal Pot Sales and California Doesn’t Have the Bustling Industry it Expected. Here’s Why

By PATRICK MCGREEVY

DEC 27, 2018 | 12:05 AM

When Californians voted in 2016 to allow the sale of recreational marijuana, advocates of the move envisioned thousands of pot shops and cannabis farms obtaining state licenses, making the drug easily available to all adults within a short drive.

But as the first year of licensed sales comes to a close, California’s legal market hasn’t performed as state officials and the cannabis industry had hoped. Retailers and growers say they’ve been stunted by complex regulations, high taxes and decisions by most cities to ban cannabis shops. At the same time, many residents are going to city halls and courts to fight pot businesses they see as nuisances, and police chiefs are raising concerns about crime triggered by the marijuana trade.

Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom, who played a large role in the legalization of cannabis, will inherit the numerous challenges when he takes office in January as legislators hope to send him a raft of bills next year to provide banking for the pot industry, ease the tax burden on retailers and crack down on sales to minors.

Hundreds of new California laws take effect Jan. 1. How will they affect you? »

“The cannabis industry is being choked by California’s penchant for over-regulation,” said Dale Gieringer, director of California NORML, a pro-legalization group. “It’s impossible to solve all of the problems without a drastic rewrite of the law, which is not in the cards for the foreseeable future.”

After voters legalized marijuana two years ago under Proposition 64, state officials estimated in there would be as many as 6,000 cannabis shops licensed in the first few years. But the state Bureau of Cannabis Control has issued just 547 temporary and annual licenses to marijuana retail stores and dispensaries. Some 1,790 stores and dispensaries were paying taxes on medicinal pot sales before licenses were required starting Jan. 1.

(Los Angeles Times)

State officials also predicted that legal cannabis would eventually bring in up to $1 billion in revenue a year. But with many cities banning pot sales, tax revenue is falling far short of estimates. Based on taxes collected since Jan. 1, the state is expected to bring in $471 million in revenue this fiscal year — much less than the $630 million projected in Gov. Jerry Brown’s budget.

“I think we all wish we could license more businesses, but our system is based on dual licensing and local control,” said Alex Traverso, a spokesman for the state Bureau of Cannabis Control, referring to the requirement that cannabis businesses get permission from the state and the city in which they want to operate.

Less than 20% of cities in California — 89 of 482 — allow retail shops to sell cannabis for recreational use, according to the California Cannabis Industry Assn. Cities that allow cannabis sales include Los Angeles, Oakland, San Francisco and San Diego.

Coverage of California politics »

Eighty-two of Los Angeles County’s 88 cities prohibit retail sales of recreational marijuana, according to Alexa Halloran, an attorney specializing in cannabis law for the firm Solomon, Saltsman & Jamieson. Pot shops are not allowed in cities including Burbank, Manhattan Beach, Alhambra, Beverly Hills, Inglewood, Compton, Redondo Beach, El Monte, Rancho Palos Verdes and Calabasas.

“While some cities have jumped in headfirst, we've taken a deliberate approach,” said Manhattan Beach Mayor Steve Napolitano, “to see how things shake out elsewhere before further consideration. I think that's proven to be the smart approach.”

Can you carry marijuana in LAX? Yes, but it’s more complicated than that

SEP 28, 2018 | 6:40 AM

Voters have also been reluctant to allow cannabis stores in their communities.

Of the 64 California cities and counties that voted on cannabis ballot measures in the November midterm election, eight banned the sale of cannabis or turned down taxation measures, seven allowed sales and 49 approved taxes on pot businesses, said Hilary Bricken, an attorney who represents the industry. Among them, voters in Malibu approved pot shops while Simi Valley residents voted for an advisory measure against allowing retail sales.

Javier Montes, owner of Wilmington pot store Delta-9 THC, says he is struggling to compete with a large illicit market unburdened by the taxes he pays as a licensed business.

“Because we are up against high taxes and the proliferation of illegal shops, it is difficult right now,” Montes said. “We expected lines out of our doors, but unfortunately the underground market was already conducting commercial cannabis activity and are continuing to do so.”

Montes, who received his city and state licenses in January, says his business faces a 15% state excise tax, a 10% recreational marijuana tax by the city of Los Angeles and 9.5% in sales tax by the county and state — a markup of more than 34%.

He says there isn’t enough enforcement against illegal operators, and the hard times have caused him to cut the number of employees at his shop in half this year from 24 to 12.

“It’s very hard whenever I have to lay people off, because they are like a family to me,” said Montes, who is vice president of the United Cannabis Business Assn., which represents firms including the about 170 cannabis retailers licensed by the city of Los Angeles.

DELTA-9 faces a 15% state excise tax, a 10% recreational cannabis tax by the city of Los Angeles and 9.5% in sales tax by the county and state, the shop owner says. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

Sky Siegel, who operates a cannabis business in Studio City, said he recently gave up trying to open another store in Santa Monica because of its restrictions on such businesses.

“It turns into this ‘Hunger Games’ to try to get a license,” said Siegel, who is general manager of Perennial Holistic Wellness Center, which has a dozen employees in Studio City and also operates a delivery service.

He says his firm is up against thousands of unlicensed delivery services going into cities where storefronts are banned.

“To me, it doesn’t make sense” that many cities have prohibited shops, he said. “Banning does nothing. It’s already there. Why not turn this into a legitimized business, which is what the people want.”

Marijuana use is rising among pregnant patients. Not so fast, doctors warn »

California has also issued fewer cultivation licenses than expected in the first year of legalization, with about 2,160 growers registered with the state; an estimated 50,000 commercial cannabis cultivation operations existed before Proposition 64, according to the California Growers Assn. Some have given up growing pot, but many others are continuing to operate illegally.

The trade group hoped to see at least 5,000 commercial growers licensed in the first year, said Hezekiah Allen, the group’s former executive director who is now chairman of Emerald Grown, a cooperative of 130 licensed cultivators.

“We are lagging far behind,” Allen said. “It’s woefully inadequate. Most of the people in California who are buying cannabis are still buying it from the unregulated market. There just isn’t a reason for most growers to make the transition.”

Hemp is about to be legal under the 2018 farm bill. You can’ get high from it — but you can wear it

DEC 19, 2018 | 3:20 PM

Assemblyman Jim Wood (D-Healdsburg), who has crafted cannabis regulations, said the licensing system had not yet lived up to its promise.

“The state licensing process this past year has been a painful one,” said Wood, adding that the complex rules are particularly difficult for small businesses. “I recognize that this has been a significant undertaking for the state, and you combine that with the cannabis industry learning how to navigate the process — it’s been difficult for them both.”

The legalization of recreational pot has also created tension in areas of the state where cannabis growers are operating close to residents.

Jesse Jones said he moved his family to Petaluma from Marin County six months ago so his three children could enjoy more open space, but he is now fighting a proposal for a cannabis farm to operate a few hundred feet from his home, in part because of safety issues.

“You are going to have what is still a [Schedule 1] narcotic being produced in line of sight of my kids’ trampoline, on a shared road that was never intended for this type of commercial operation,” said Jones, an energy industry executive.

Sanjay Bagai, a former investment banker who lives with his family next door to a new cannabis farm in Sonoma County, is a leader of a residents group called Save Our Sonoma Neighborhoods, which has obtained a preliminary court ruling against one cannabis-growing operation.

Bagai said his group was “not anti-cannabis” but added that pot cultivation “is not something that fits into our neighborhood here.”

“The smell is horrific,” he said of the marijuana plants. “It’s like rotting flesh. And the traffic is insane.”

Quality-of-life complaints have also surfaced in neighborhoods where cannabis sellers have set up shop.

Van Nuys Neighborhood Council President George Thomas said he had received about a dozen complaints in the last year from residents living near pot stores who were concerned about loitering, the smell of marijuana smoke and other issues. Thomas, who is the publisher of the Van Nuys News Press and is an LAPD volunteer, passes complaints on to police officers.

“If they are not in compliance,” Thomas said, “if they are within a thousand feet of a school or church, we are totally against them and we are happy to work with the neighborhood prosecutor in the city attorney’s office to shut them down.”

Screened at the border, Canadians who are honest about using marijuana could be banned from the U.S.

OCT 15, 2018 | 3:00 AM

At the same time, he said, the neighborhood council has worked with licensed cannabis stores to get them involved in improving the community and has asked the Los Angeles City Council to devote some of the tax revenue from Van Nuys shops to solving local problems, including homelessness and crime.

Meanwhile, despite concerns from law enforcement, the state is finalizing a proposal to allow deliveries throughout California — including in cities that ban retail stores. The new rule by Lori Ajax, chief of the state Bureau of Cannabis Control, is expected to be implemented in January.

Ajax says she believes that as the system is refined and is shown to operate successfully in some cities, other local governments will allow retail pot sales. But opponents of pot legalization, including Kevin Sabet, president of Smart Approaches to Marijuana, are happy that most cities are saying “no” to selling the drug.

“The residents of Compton and these other cities have seen the ills that come with allowing marijuana in the door,” Sabet said, “including skyrocketing drugged driving; the promise, then failure of social justice; and the targeting of children through the use of colorful and deceptive candies, gummies and sodas.”

Even in cities that allow cannabis sales, businesses face big hurdles.

The various taxes and fees could drive up the cost of legal cannabis in parts of California by 45%, according to the global credit ratings firm Fitch Ratings.

There is less of a tax burden in Oregon, where voters legalized recreational pot in 2014, and state and local taxes are capped at 20%. With nearly a tenth of the population of California, that state has more licensed cannabis shops — 601. On a per capita basis, Alaska has also approved more pot shop licenses than California, — 94 so far. The state imposes a tax on cultivation, but there is no retail excise tax on pot.

Assemblyman Rob Bonta (D-Alameda) tried and failed this year to push for a temporary reduction in California’s pot taxes to help the industry get on its feet.

“It’s a work in progress,” Bonta said of the current regulatory system. “We knew we weren’t going to get it exactly right on Day 1, and so we’re always looking for ways to achieve the original intentions and goal.”

Bonta said he may revisit the taxation issue in 2019 and is exploring the idea of having the state do more to get cities to approve businesses, possibly by providing advisory guidelines for local legalization that address cities’ concerns.

California cannabis businesses, like their counterparts in Colorado and Oregon, also face costs to test marijuana for harmful chemicals.

“The testing costs are excessive — $500 to $1,000 per batch, and most crops involve multiple batches,” said Gieringer, the director of California NORML. “No other agricultural product is required to undergo such costly or sensitive tests.”

Another problem hampering the legal market is a lack of banking for cannabis businesses. Federally regulated banks are reluctant to handle cash from pot, which remains an illegal drug under federal law.

“Banking continues to be an issue in terms of creating a real public safety problem with significant amounts of cash being moved for transactions,” said Bonta, who co-wrote a bill this year that would have created a state-sanctioned bank to handle money from pot sellers. It failed to pass after legislative analysts said the proposal faced “significant obstacles,” including no protection from federal law enforcement.

Industry leaders and activists said they knew it would be a slow process to establish a strong legal market, noting other states with legal pot, including Colorado, Washington and Oregon, also faced growing pains and problems along the way.

But Ajax, the state pot czar, says her agency has had a productive first year, issuing initial licenses, refining the rules and stepping up action against unlicensed operations, including partnering with the Los Angeles Police Department to seize $2 million worth of marijuana products from an unlicensed shop in Sylmar in October.

“I am optimistic about the coming year, where our focus will be primarily on getting more businesses licensed and increasing enforcement efforts on the illegal market,” Ajax said.

CAN (SK): Herb Grower Talks About Switch To Marijuana

View fullsize

If everything goes according to plan, Brian Bain will convert his Saskatoon market garden to a marijuana nursery by next year. 

He said it's a matter of economics.

"All of a sudden, you have a crop that comes along, that you can pay your employees better, you can pay yourself better and the business itself will do better," he told CBC Radio's Saskatoon Morning. "It's really hard not to make that switch."

Right now, Bain grows herbs like mint, chives, dill and basil and sells them to grocery stores across western Canada. He plans to convert his hydroponic garden to a nursery that will sell live pot plants to licensed stores.

Bain said margins in the produce business are tight and it can be difficult to make money.

Read more at CBC News

Publication date : 12/13/2018 

Canadian Cannabis Company Expands In Australia And Portugal

Flowr, a Canadian Licensed Producer of cannabis products, has acquired a 19.8% interest in Holigen Limited (Holigen). Flowr will provide, among other things, its cultivation, facility design and construction IP for use by Holigen in the construction of its facilities in Portugal and Australia and for obtaining its final licenses in those territories.

Significant cultivation facilities, potential low-cost production
Holigen is a European-based cannabis company in the process of developing large-scale cannabis cultivation facilities and Good Manufacturing Process (GMP) compliant production facilities that are expected to provide finished medical cannabis products, pharmaceutical ingredients, and plants and seeds to medical cannabis markets globally. Holigen is in the final stages of obtaining one of the largest cultivation licenses in the developed world for outdoor and greenhouse facilities on 72 hectares (7.8 million square feet) in Portugal. This project has been designated a Project of National Interest by the Portuguese government, which ensures special handling and prioritization by government agencies and access to low cost financing.

Benefitting from Portugal’s climate, cost-effective land and labour, and the high crop yields it expects to generate by employing Flowr’s cultivation IP, Holigen could be among the lowest cost producers in the world.

“The combination of Holigen’s strong management team and incredible assets along with our cultivation, design and construction IP will create what we believe will be a worldwide leader in production” said Tom Flow, Co-CEO of Flowr.

Licensing near completion, GMP certification expected
Holigen expects to complete its licensing process for its first site in Portugal by mid-2019 and expects to be one of the few licensed producers in Europe that will produce products in GMP-compliant facilities.

Holigen has applied for licenses to cultivate, manufacture, distribute, import and export medical cannabis and derived products at two sites. These applications were considered compliant with local regulations by the health authorities in Portugal (INFARMED). Both sites are pending inspections to complete the licensing process. Holigen anticipates licenses to be granted for site 1 by Q2 2019 and site 2 by early 2020. Its Australian facilities have already achieved GMP certifications with respect to the relabeling and release of products. As the fit-out of the facility progresses, Holigen expects to arrange further GMP inspections.

In Australia, Holigen has strong ties to the country’s largest distributor of medical cannabis and holds the following medical cannabis licenses: Cultivation, R&D and Manufacturing from the Office of Drug Control and Drug Control Section Australia (Therapeutic Goods Administration) and GMP License from the TGA. Holigen is in the process of obtaining a New South Wales Schedule 8 pharmaceutical manufacturing license, which is the remaining license it requires.

Development details
Holigen currently is developing four cultivation facilities in Portugal and Australia along with production and R&D facilities. These sites include:

• A 65 hectare (seven million square foot) outdoor cultivation site in Portugal that is expected to be partly operational in the second quarter of 2019 and fully operation in the first quarter of 2021 with potential production of more than 500,000 kg annually;

• A 294,000 square foot greenhouse facility in Portugal that is expected to begin operating in the first quarter of 2020 with potential production of 110,000 kg annually;

• An indoor facility in Portugal expected to begin production in mid-2019 with a potential capacity of approximately 3,500 kg annually and the potential capacity to extract up to 49 tons of dried product;

• Approximately 90,000 square feet of planned GMP-compliant production facilities integrated into the Portuguese cultivation centers; and,

• A 2.4 hectare site in Sydney suitable for cultivation and manufacturing, which includes a 3,500 square foot indoor cultivation facility with a potential capacity of over 1,000 kg annually.

“We are delighted to be working with Flowr to develop these valuable properties and licenses into one of the leading cannabis franchises in Europe and Australia,” said Pauric Duffy, Holigen’s Co-Founder. “In addition to developing the cultivation facilities, we are hard at work developing medical cannabis brands in our key markets, preparing to leverage the distribution partnerships we are forming, and evaluating alternative product lines like infused beverages.

“Flowr has the high quality, high yield growing technology and experience that we believe will quickly allow Holigen to execute on the very significant licenses we hold and are obtaining in both Portugal and Australia,” said Peter Comerford, Holigen’s Co-Founder. “With the partnerships we are developing, we believe we will be positioned perfectly within the Australian government’s ambitious strategy for significant export of medicinal cannabis announced in January. With the licenses we are obtaining, combined with Flowr’s proven cultivation technology, we believe this transaction places both companies in a unique position to act as a true medicinal cannabis multinational.”

View fullsize

For more information:
Flowr
flowr.ca

View fullsize

Publication date : 12/24/2018 

BREAKING NEWS: It's Time To Make Weed Legal In NY 'Once And For All,' Cuomo Says

The governor said he wants to legalize recreational pot early in his third term, but offered no details on how to do it.

By Noah Manskar, Patch Staff | Dec 17, 2018

NEW YORK — Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday named legalizing recreational marijuana among his priorities for the first 100 days of his next term, but offered no details on how to do it. The Democratic governor fully embraced legalization as a key to ending racial inequities in the criminal justice system during a wide-ranging speech in Midtown outlining an ambitious policy agenda.

"We have had two criminal justice systems: One for the wealthy and well off, and one for everyone else. And that's going to end," Cuomo said.

"We must also end the needless and unjust criminal convictions and the debilitating criminal stigma," he added. "And let's legalize the adult use of recreational marijuana once and for all."

The speech cemented a significant shift in Cuomo's position on legalizing recreational pot, a step nine other states have taken despite the drug's illegality under federal law.

The governor was opposed to legalization as recently as last year, reportedly calling it a "gateway drug." He did not mention marijuana in this year's State of the State speech in January. About two weeks later he announced a study of legalization, which concluded it would do more good than harm.

The governor's movement on the issue coincided with a primary challenge to his re-election from Cynthia Nixon, who embraced legalization early in her campaign.

Cuomo's speech left many open questions about what legalization could look like in New York. He did not say how exactly the drug would be regulated, how marijuana tax revenues would be used, or whether he will include a plan in his upcoming state budget.

Cuomo also did not directly say whether he wants to expunge the criminal records of New Yorkers with pot-related offenses, as his state Department of Health recommended this summer.

Legalizing pot was just one item on Cuomo's lengthy to-do list for the first few months of next year. In the same breath he repeated his support for ending the state's cash bail system, in which many people charged with crimes have to pay money to be freed from jail.

The governor got behind bail reform in his January State of the State speech, but legislation to change the system has gotten stalled.

"A judge should determine the individual's risk of release rather than the individual's access to wealth," Cuomo said Monday.

Also among the governor's priorities for next year are banning corporate political contributions; passing a law to make it easier for childhood sexual abuse victims to sue their abusers; and ending vacancy decontrol, a provision under which rent-stabilized apartments fall out of regulation when their rents get high enough.

He also got behind major election reforms, including automatic voter registration, early voting and making Election Day a state holiday. Officials called for some such changes after chaos unfolded at New York City polling places last month.

Much of Cuomo's agenda would not have stood a chance in Albany with Republicans still in control of the state Senate. But many proposals could become reality with Democrats in control of both houses of the Legislature come January.

"There are no more excuses, my friends," Cuomo said. "Now is the time to stand up and lead and do what you've said you were going to do all those years and make a Democratic vision a reality."

(Lead image: Gov. Andrew Cuomo speaks at the New York City Bar Association on Monday. Photo from Gov. Andrew Cuomo's Office/Flickr)

You Can't Legally Trade In Cannabis In South Africa Yet, But The dagga business is booming Anyway After Possession Was Decriminalised By The Constitutional Court

The Dagga Business Is Booming Already – Even Though Nobody Is Officially Selling Any Yet

Phillip de Wet , Business Insider SA

December 04, 2018

• You can't legally trade in cannabis in South Africa yet, but the dagga business is booming anyway after possession was decriminalised by the Constitutional Court.

• Hydroponics systems are suddenly very popular.

• A Cannabis Expo in Pretoria next week is sold out – even though it will have a strict no cannabis rule.

Next week, The Cannabis Expo will open in Menlyn, Pretoria, for three days of "industry, health, and agriculture" exhibits.

Early ticket sales, at R150 a pop, point to a visitor attendance of around 20,000 people, organiser Silas Howarth told Business Insider South Africa, double what exhibitors had been promised. And exhibition space is long sold out while a waiting list for spots that open up due cancellations continues to grow. A similar exhibition in Cape Town in April is likely to be three times the size of the Gauteng event. 

"It's been insane," says Howarth. "It's getting to the point where we're quite quickly turning away certain types of exhibitors."

Interest in the expo has been big even though the organisers have been very clear: no actual marijuana will be allowed on the premises. As best legal experts can tell it remains illegal to trade in dagga, or in seeds, following a historic Constitutional Court ruling that effectively legalised cultivation and possession in personal spaces.

Exhibition visitors are liable to be searched on entry - they may have the right to carry cannabis on their person, but the owners of private spaces can still impose restrictions.

See also: 5 things you need to know about growing dagga at home

"This is an ordinary exhibition, just like any other exhibition," where organisers could ban legal alcohol or guns, says Howarth. "That is what people in the industry have been fighting for, for cannabis to be treated like anything else."

Many industry players are playing their cards very close to their chests as they prepare for what is expected to be a flood of business following full legalisation of dagga. Even so, it is clear that a great deal of frantic preparation is underway.

Several organisations at the Cannabis Expo will be seeking investors to fund rapid expansion and one, the White Lion Seed Company, will be launching a brand for a company that can not yet sell its primary wares, cannabis seeds.

Specialist fertiliser companies are gearing up, consultants are offering advice, legal firms are positioning themselves as experts, and even packaging-design companies are putting themselves in line for business that is already trickling in, ahead of an expected flood.

One headline exhibitor, Cape Town based Hydroponic.co.za business has been selling home hobbyists equipment to grow better vegetables since 1994. It is just hiring another staffer, after adding two new employees recently.

View fullsize

"We don't know what people are using it for," Megan Hinde, manager for the shop with a strong online presence, told Business Insider South Africa. "We don't ask."

But equipment is certainly flying off the shelves, more so than seems likely to have been caused by the breaking of the Western Cape drought and an uptick in interest in hydroponic vegetables.

See also: Smoking dagga is being decriminalised, but you can still be fired for it – maybe

"People often phone and ask advice, but even then sometimes you don't know what they are growing; tomatoes grow very similarly to cannabis plants," she says. "If lighting is involved it is a little bit it of a clue, but people also want to grow vegetables all year round."

Hydroponics suppliers that would not speak on the record about their current trade or plans hinted at everything from massive import orders to local manufacturing.

Marijuana Is Now Legal In Michigan – What You Need To Know

December 3, 2018

MADISON HEIGHTS, Mich. (WXYZ) - On December 6, Michigan became the first state in the Midwest to legalize recreational marijuana.

Retail shops aren't expected to open until sometime in 2020, but beginning Thursday, people 21 and older can buy or possess marijuana in the state.  

You can have up to 12 plants inside your home, and a total of 10 oz.

According to Barton Morris with the Cannabis Legal group, whatever you grow on those 12 plants is all yours. However, you need to keep anything over 2.5 ounces in your home locked up.  

So how do you get seeds if you’re thinking about growing plants?

"Seeds are readily available. You can use the internet to do a search and find them pretty much anywhere," Grant Gamalski with Northern Lights Hydroponics and Garden Supply said.

"Instagram is becoming a great resource for getting seeds.  Breeders can sell directly from them to the end user, which cuts the seed bank out of the mix and saves the consumer some money," Gamalski said. 

Keep in mind attorney Barton Morris says it’s technically illegal to purchase seeds.

As for business, Grant says they’ve seen an increase with the legalization date just days away.

"We’re trying to up the consciousness of all humanity, as far as I’m concerned it’s a good thing," Gamalski said.

Remember when marijuana officially becomes legal, you can’t smoke in public places. If you're caught, you could face a fine.