February 3, 2018
‌
THIS IS WEEDWEEK.
BECAUSE CANNABIS NEWS MATTERS.
DID YOU KNOW? You can list  your conferences, festivals and parties  for FREE on the site. 
Check out those  upcoming events here .

Would you appreciate a WeedWeek regional supplement with more news from  California  and/or  Canada ? Or more news about the  opioid crisis ? Sign up at the appropriate link.

If you consider WeedWeek a valuable resource, consider supporting us with a  monthly contribution on Patreon .

Swag and discounts start at  $2 a month .

For $25 a month  you get five (5!) WeedWeek stickers, discounts to all future WeedWeek events, a postcard from Los Angeles, cannabis capital of the world and you get to join a monthly Google hangout with me and other WeedWeek supporters to discuss the latest news...

Brandbuilding opportunities to appear in the newsletter with your links and social media handles start at only  $50 a month .
LIKE US.
FOLLOW US:


ALEX HALPERIN
IN OTHER WEEDWEEK NEWS:
The WeedWeek Podcast's first three episodes are up . (Thank you for rating us five stars in iTunes.)

Episode three features an interview with Oregon Congressman Earl Blumenauer one of the strongest legalization supporters in Congress.

In episode two we spoke to author Emily Dufton about the early days of legalization.

Coming Monday, Hayley and I talk to cannabis business lawyer and head of the L.A. Cannabis Task Force Ariel Clark . She discusses legalization in California's most important market and what aspiring cannabis entrepreneurs need to know before joining the industry.

Comments or feedback? Don't be shy .

Our producer is Katie Long .

Interested in sponsorship opportunities? Contact here.
*
The 2018 U.S. midterm elections are coming. Register to vote and/or get the information you need to vote here.
So much news.
POLITICS
Colorado politicians are leading a national coalition called Leaders for Reform to push back at Attorney General Sessions . Despite threats of a crackdown, January was a good month for cannabis , Vox says.

Former Congressman and libertarian hero Ron Paul said Sessions should resign for rescinding the Cole Memo, the existing federal protection for state legal cannabis businesses.

Republican Congressmen Dana Rohrabacher (Calif.) and Matt Gaetz (Fla.) are optimistic about cannabis reform in 2018. Rescinding the Cole memo “ awakened a sleeping giant, ” Rohrabacher said.

Cannabis businesses still have to pay their taxes . A report says the industry hated tax rule 280E creates an incentive to keep cannabis illegal .

Meanwhile the Treasury Department may end Obama era banking protections for cannabis businesses.
Donald Trump Jr. sort of made a pot joke on Twitter.

California officials are seriously considering a publicly-funded bank for cannabis businesses. The states legal supply chain is also seeing bottlenecks .

Oakland used a lotto to announce its first dispensary permit winners in more than a decade. San Diego reported a strong first month of REC sales.

Proposed legislation in Colorado would allow a home delivery pilot program in the state.

The federal prosecutor for Oregon said he wants to work with the state to eliminate its overproduction problem. Wholesale prices for trim (for oil extraction) and outdoor-grown flower have fallen as low as $50 a pound .

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker plans to meet with the federal prosecutor to discuss cannabis enforcement in the state.

Despite Gov. Phil Murphy’s (D) push to legalize REC, only 42% of New Jersey residents favor it. A bill would limit the state to 80 dispensaries.

Leafly says a New Mexico REC bill is “ shockingly good ” but won’t pass.

Maine is still struggling to implement a voter approved REC program.

Florida Rep. Charlie Crist brought a MED patient to President Trump's State of the Union address.

Ballot initiatives in Michigan (REC), Oklahoma (MED) and Utah (MED) all appear on track to pass.

New bills would allow a limited MED program in Utah. The CEO of Overstock.com, Patrick Byrne is supportive .

South Dakota lawmakers voted in favor of drug tests for South Dakota lawmakers.

A Jackson, Miss. city councilman proposed decriminalizing .

Informed of a cannabis strain named Justin True-Dope, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said legalization was about public health and safety, not profit .

The Economist says Germany’s MED program is a mess . Proposed MED bills in New Zealand have run into opposition .

North Korea said the growing number of American marijuana users qualifies as a human rights abuse .

Cannabis activist and businessman Dennis Peron died at 71 . A gay veteran, Dennis returned to San Francisco from Vietnam with two pounds of weed. During the AIDS crisis he made MED available to patients and later helped to write Proposition 215, the country’s first MED law, which Californians passed in 1996.
BUSINESS
The National Cannabis Industry Association board voted to remove Rob Kampia from the board. The move comes shortly after Kampia departed the Marijuana Policy Project, which he founded. In 2010, Kampia took a leave of absence from MPP to address his history of sexual harassment .

Kampia called his NCIA ouster a “coup” at a “broken institution.”
Delays in California have weighed on lawncare company Scotts Miracle-Gro . Its hydroponics subsidiary Hawthorne Gardening accounts for one-third of sales.

The N.Y. Times looks at the cannabis investing opportunity . Another story in the paper touts hemp as a building tool : “Mixing hemp’s woody fibers with lime produces a natural, light concrete that retains thermal mass and is highly insulating. No pests, no mold, good acoustics, low humidity, no pesticide.”

Bloomberg mapped cannabis prices across the U.S. It says New York City consumes more cannabis than any other city worldwide.

In Massachusetts and other states, companies are exploiting “gifting” loopholes in cannabis laws. For example, customers pay $55 for juice and the accompanying bag of weed is complementary.

Wary of the U.S. legal climate, Canadian producer Aphria agreed to sell its stake in a U.S. business. The company also agreed to pay C$826M for Nuuvera , a company without a Canadian permit, which has been acquiring properties in Germany and Spain.

Aphria said Ontario’s 21% jump in the minimum wage , to C$14/hour, will add about 6% to its cost per gram. Meanwhile the industry has boosted wages for security guards.

New York-based iAnthus Capital acquired Civita Medical, one of New York’s 10 MED license holders , for about $18M.

Willie Nelson’s Willie’s Reserve brand raised $12M in a deal led by Tuatara Capital.

After a landlord evicted social app MassRoots for lack of payment, the company relocated to a Denver co-working space, and has a “renewed focus on fundamentals,” CEO and founder Isaac Dietrich said.

A cannabis industrial park in Michigan is ahead of schedule .

AutoNation, the U.S.’s largest car dealer chain, will no longer care if a job applicant tests positive for marijuana.

The New Yorker has a piece, with some nice photos, on how California is making cannabis a wellness industry .

Dispensaries expect a big sales weekend ahead of the Super Bowl.

An Ontario man is converting his former elementary school into a grow house.

A Maryland community college professor wants to train workers for the cannabis industry.

Nevada’s chief REC regulator quit to pursue a job in the private sector. A successor will be named soon.

Canadian companies are moving into South American markets . And European markets. Colombian MED businesses could be ready to compete internationally by the end of 2018.

California brand Bloom Farms says it has donated 1M meals to the needy.

Sponsored Content
Introducing  incredible Wellness, a line of cannabinoid health products including THC & CBD tinctures, a distillate vaporizer, 500mg THC bath salts and high milligram cannabinoid suppositories. In the wake of a study released this week in the  Journal of the American Medical Association stating that a third of CBD products are mislabeled- incredible Wellness is committed to triple testing every single product and mandates the use of the highest-quality ingredients.

“Cannabis has become paramount in my healing process. After an NFL career full of injury to both my brain and body, I use CBD daily as a tool to combat inflammation. Pain can tend to get in the way of everyday activity. CBD can help take the edge off as you get through your day and address your ailments!” - Eugene Monroe, retired NFL player.
*
HEALTH & SCIENCE
An analysis wasn’t able to determine the implications of cannabis use for heart health. Cannabis' alleged benefits are also unclear for numerous health conditions , the Sacramento Bee reports.
Pot smokers scored better than abstainers in a memory test.

A Rhode Island lawmaker proposed including vapor and pot smoke in all second hand smoke laws . Published data found long term exposure to cannabis smoke doesn’t hurt lung function .

NPR talks to the founder of Facebook group, “ Pot Smoking Moms Who Cuss Sometimes. ”

Another analysis suggests cannabis use protects alcoholics’ livers .

In Texas, a six-year-old girl received the state’s first dose of legal CBD oil.

In Maine, patients use MED and kratom to quit opioids despite a lack of supporting evidence.

Vox explains Trump’s “ pathetic response ” to the opioid crisis.

In Portland, some veterinarians support CBD use in pets .

A survey of Native Canadians found they want cannabis regulated by “ traditional medicine people. ”

In the Netherlands, a survey found, more people seek drug treatment when stronger cannabis is on the market.
Thank You to WeedWeek's Sustaining Patrons:
Pamela Hadfield
Co-Founder,  HelloMD
HelloMD: The largest online community of health and wellness cannabis consumers
HelloMD on  Instagram ,  Facebook

Spencer Vodnoy
CEO,  Critical Mind Inc.  Adelanto, CA
Affiliations: CA State Bar; Board Member, Adelanto Growers Association
Critical Mind, Inc. is a Medical Cannabis Cultivation and Manufacturing Facility located in Adelanto, CA. Providing the highest quality Cannabis products. Compliance without Compromise!
CRIMINAL JUSTICE
San Francisco said it would clear 3,000 cannabis misdemeanor convictions dating back 40 years. In addition it will review almost 5,000 felony convictions for clearance or downgrading. San Diego said it was reviewing an additional 4,700 cases for review.

An Israeli cannabis agronomist working in Nevada and married to an American was forcefully deported for illegal drug trafficking.

Vice says the prevalence of former cops in the cannabis business , “raises questions about who gets favoured...and who will continue to be relegated to, and thrive in, the black market.”

Two Toronto cops were suspended after they allegedly consumed edibles , and called for help. A responding officer slipped on some ice and required medical attention.

Black people are still more likely to be arrested for marijuana related offenses than whites.

A leaked memo shows the Trump administration plans to increase its reliance on private prison companies , which supported Trump's campaign.

The Guardian has a story about a Vietnamese boy who was kidnapped and enslaved at 10 , and then labored for four years at a U.K. cannabis farm.

The ACLU threatened to sue after a Vermont official proposed using roadside, saliva drug tests .


Sixty five pounds of weed were found in a North Carolina police dispatcher’s home .

Draft legislation in Israel could soon decriminalize cannabis.
CULTURE
The L.A. Times visits Compton , home of “the Chronic” but not cannabis dispensaries.
In “High & Mighty” a new comedy series which screened at Sundance, Chelo Chavez (Jorge Diaz) is a “lovable lush” who acquires superpowers when he’s drunk or stoned.

Oregon’s HiFi Farms hosted a 420-friendly concert with performances of Haydn, Brahms and Mendelssohn.


A woman who disappeared after going to work on a Humboldt cannabis farm has surfaced on the current season of The Bachelor.

Spin profiles Ben Sinclair , who plays The Guy on High Maintenance.

Coachella promoter Anschutz Entertainment Group has supported anti-cannabis activists , Freedom Leaf found. Cannabis will not be permitted at the California music festival.
You made it!
Since you made it this far, WeedWeek *might* be worth $2 a month to you.  Consider supporting us on Patreon . Thanks!

Here's the WeedWeek list of  pot journalists on Twitter  and the list of  cannabusiness people on Twitter . Both are works in progress. Recommendations welcome.

I've also created two political Twitter lists you can subscribe to:  Real News  and  Tweeting the Resistance .

Want to reach a devoted audience of top cannabis professionals? Advertise in WeedWeek. Contact Adrienne Nascimento at  [email protected]  for details. 

Bye,
Alex 

Advertising policy: Advertisers and contributors through Patreon have no influence on WeedWeek's editorial content or on the content of articles that Alex Halperin writes for other publications. In an effort to replicate the separation of business and editorial operations practiced at reputable news organizations, a WeedWeek salesperson will be responsible for all sales-related contact with advertisers and will work, as much as possible, without input from Halperin. All advertising queries sent to Halperin are referred to a salesperson. In all WeedWeek material, all ads and other forms of paid content are clearly distinguishable as such. Halperin does not approach potential advertisers to solicit business, and reserves the right to reject ads if they present a conflict of interest, the appearance of a conflict of interest or for any other reason.

All rights reserved.
CLASSIFIEDS