October 13, 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 supplement with more news from  California ? Or more news about  hemp ? 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 ..

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:

NEW EPISODES OF THE WEEDWEEK PODCAST COMING SOON!

Don't forget to   rate us five stars on iTunes   !

Comments or feedback?   Don't be shy.

WeedWeek Canada is the best way to keep up with the Canadian green rush. Subscribe to WeedWeek Canada!

Legalization day is October 17

*****
The 2018 US midterm elections are almost here. Register to vote and/or get the information you need to register here.

*
Here's the news.
POLITICS
Ready or not, Canada legalizes REC on Wednesday, October 17, becoming the first large industrial nation to do so. Only about 100 shops will open across the vast country and none in the most populous province of Ontario, where legal buyers will be limited to a government run online store until April. (AP)

The US government says Canadians involved in the industry will be allowed entry to the country as long as it’s not for cannabis-related reasons. Those who acknowledge using cannabis during prohibition will still risk lifetime bans from the US. (The Star)  
Despite President Trump’s relatively consistent support for the state cannabis experiments, some in Congress see his administration as opposed to legalization. “ The president is right on this issue,” said Rep. Tom Garrett (R-Va.) The gatekeepers need to do their job, not undermine good policy.” (Rolling Stone)

Cannabis reform supporter Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Ca.) said the Trump administration plans to address federal cannabis reform soon after the November mid-term elections. (Fox Business)

I argued both Democrats and Republicans realize they won’t win votes campaigning against weed . (Guardian)

The Trump administration is asking for public comment on whether cannabis should be rescheduled under international treaties. (Tom Angell -- Forbes)

With regulators facing a long backlog, California is creating a second non-permanent licensing process to help avoid supply chain disruptions. (OC Register)

Colorado’s gubernatorial candidates differ on the economic impact of legalization ; Congressman Jared Polis (D) views it favorably and State Treasurer Walker Stapleton (R) is more skeptical. (KRDO-Pueblo).

Don’t expect social use in Massachusetts anytime soon. (WBUR)

San Francisco  is creating an oversight committee to monitor the industry. (SF Examiner)

Oklahoma’s MED market is shaping up as a “de facto free for all.” (Tulsa World)

New Jersey lawmakers say they’re close to finalizing a REC bill , but it’s not clear if the bill will pass. To constrain the illegal market, New Jersey’s top legislator said he won’t support a cannabis tax higher than 12%. (NorthJersey.com, NJ.com)

Alaska is implementing an industry-supported change to how it taxes bud. (AP)

Upcoming ballot initiatives could legalize REC in Michigan and North Dakota and MED in Missouri and Utah. All four states voted for Trump and polls predict all but the North Dakota vote will pass. (AP)

The Tampa Bay Times asked Florida’s political candidates if they’ve ever smoked marijuana . Four of the 12 said yes.

The compromise to create a strict MED regime in Utah , regardless of the outcome on Election Day, is still up in the air. (Salt Lake Tribune)

Cannabis Wire finds Mexico is moving slowly towards REC legalization .

With a referendum on REC expected by 2020 at the latest, New Zealand police discussed issues related to legalization . (NZ Herald)

Lithuania’s parliament voted to legalize MED .

BUSINESS
Market caps for the largest Canadian cannabis producers have climbed to more than ten billion , even though their revenues are nowhere near mainstream companies with similar market caps. An umbrella group for provincial Canadian securities regulators looked at 70 Canadian companies and found that none provided adequate financial reporting for an investor to understand their financial performance. (MJBiz, Bloomberg)

Canada’s First Nations are making deals with licensed companies to ensure they receive a share of cannabis profits. (Globe and Mail)
With Canadian legalization, Facebook will partially lift its monthslong block on cannabis-related searches. (MarketWatch)

Altria, maker of Marlboro cigarettes, is reportedly in talks to invest in Canadian cannabis producer Aphria . Walmart Canada is weighing whether to sell CBD products. (CBS, Montreal Gazette)

MedMen will acquire competitor PharmaCann in a $682M all-stock deal, the biggest US acquisition to date. The combined company will hold licenses in 12 states. (Business Insider)

Enterprise software company MJ Freeway will be acquired by a special purpose acquisition company for listing on the NASDAQ. (Press release)

The WSJ suggests joining the cannabis industry could backfire for alcohol companies. (Paywall) In California, cannabis is attracting wine-industry field workers . (The Economist)

Vivian Azer, head cannabis analyst at Wall Street firm Cowen, said the cannabis industry is bigger than she initially thought . (CNBC)

The only U.S. listed cannabis exchange traded fund, ETFMG Alternative Harvest , has had a good few weeks . (WSJ-Paywall)

Axios business columnist Felix Salmon called cannabis “the biggest unclaimed territory in the consumer discretionary universe.”

Business Insider lists the top 12 cannabis VC firms , including mainstream firms Slow Ventures and Lerer Hippeau Ventures .

Sweet Leaf, the Colorado chain busted for “Looping” -- selling excessive amounts to repeat customers, for resale --   will have to sell off its licenses and pay seven figure fines , WestWord reports. It’s not clear if management will face criminal charges.

Kim Rivers, CEO of Trulieve , Florida’s largest MED company, sees a “huge transition” from opioids to MED use. (CNBC)

A 120-year old business in Berkeley could become the nation’s first open to the public cannabis nursery . (CBS-SF)

Wired discusses efforts to create cannabis “appelations” in northern California. SF Weekly says farmers “yearn” for them .

In The Baffler, Rebecca Frumkin explains why LSD is a natural fit for American capitalism and Silicon Valley in particular.

HEALTH & SCIENCE
While some early data may have been exaggerated, it’s still not known how many babies born in Colorado have THC in their system , or how the figure has changed since legalization. (Colorado Springs Gazette)
A new meta-study found that while legalization doesn’t have much impact on underage cannabis use, high schoolers are becoming more tolerant of peers who use. (Marijuana Moment) Read the study in the Journal of Adolescent Health .

The head of the World Health Organization opposes legal REC . (AFP)

At Leafly, a neuroscientist explains why women are generally more strongly affected by cannabis than men.

A dean at the Air Force Special Operations School was fired for using doctor recommended CBD for his prostate cancer. (Military Times)

REC legalization is a challenge for colleges in Massachusetts , which don’t want to jeopardize their federal funding. Some colleges ban use on campus, while others ban all use by students. (Boston Globe)

Stockton University in New Jersey is offering a minor in cannabis studies . (WHYY-Philly)

Massachusetts is sending a delegation of lawmakers to Portugal to study opioid decriminalization . Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, (D) who opposed cannabis legalization, said, “You don’t have to study more than a day to know that if you don’t do drugs, you won’t be a drug addict.” (Boston Herald)

The U.K.’s Royal College of Psychiatrists will review its opposition to REC legalization , despite links to mental illness. UK doctors will be able to prescribe MED on a very limited basis starting November 1. (The Telegraph, The Guardian)

*
Thank You to WeedWeek's Sustaining Patrons:
Sam Cornwall
Co-Founder/Photographer, Cannabis In Color
Boutique Photo Service for the Industry, providing Custom and Stock Photos. 
Get Your Free Photo Packs . 

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
Following California, more legal states want to expunge minor pot convictions . (LA Times)

In Canada, rules on cannabis use by police will vary widely across the country . The RCMP (Canada's equivalent of the FBI) and Toronto police will be banned from use within 28 days before a shift. Ottawa and Vancouver won’t impose abstinence periods. (Ottawa Citizen)  

The WSJ reports Trump is considering five replacements for Attorney General Jeff Sessions , who expects to be asked to resign. They include Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, a MED-skeptic and former executive at pharma giant Eli Lilly.

Acting DEA head Uttam Dhillon reminded Americans that pot is still illegal . (CBS-Utah)

Massachusetts’ Supreme Court vacated thousands of drug convictions on account of ties to a scandal-plagued drug testing lab. (Boston Globe)

In Colorado, a commercial pilot lost his authorization to fly after he says he accidentally ate an edible. (NBC-Local)

A Missouri man committed suicide a month after state police busted him for two pot plants. (News Leader)

Malaysia will stop imposing the death penalty following the case of a 29-year old man who was sentenced to death for selling MED oil to cancer patients. (NY Times)
‌


*
CULTURE
Maisie WIlliams and Sophie Turner, who play the Stark sisters on Game of Thrones, like to smoke weed and take baths together . (Vulture)
In the N.Y. Times, writer Neal Pollack described his struggle with marijuana addiction .

A 2,170 pound Oregon pumpkin won the world pumpkin weigh off . (AP)
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 Alex Halperin and other WeedWeek contributors write 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. All advertising queries sent to editorial staff will be referred to a salesperson. In all WeedWeek material, all ads and other forms of paid content are clearly distinguishable as such. WeedWeek editorial staff 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. Due to our small size, editorial staff may read ads on the podcast or provide editorial input on ads after they have been purchased.

All rights reserved.
CLASSIFIEDS