WeedLife News Network

Still in its early stages, the corporate marijuana sector in the U.S. is famously unprofitable and frequently cash-starved. Despite this, many operators have managed to build up quite a bit of scale, and as such are poised to benefit as the current recreational cannabis legalization trend continues to spread.

Exhibit A: Columbia Care (OTC:CCHWF), an ambitious multi-state operator (MSO) that despite its growing size is still landing in the red. Motley Fool contributor Eric Volkman had the chance to talk with Columbia Care CEO Nick Vita, who in this edited interview had a few thoughts on profitability, acquisitions, and other pressing matters for his company specifically and the wider cannabis industry in general.

 Arrests on marijuana-related charges have fallen dramatically this summer in and around Virginia’s capital since a new law legalized possession of small amounts of pot and residents keeping a few cannabis plants, according to a newspaper report.

Twenty-five marijuana-related arrests occurred in Richmond and in Chesterfield, Hanover and Henrico counties in the first seven weeks after the law took effect July 1, compared to 257 arrrests during the same period last year, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported, citing local law enforcement data.

The law legalized possession by adults age 21 and over of up to 1 ounce of marijuana and the cultivation of four pot plants per household, among other decriminalization provisions. Selling marijuana remains illegal until the state lauches a regulated market in 2024 and issues licenses. A regulatory board will help carry out the details.

Marijuana enforcement hasn’t been a high priority for Richmond’s police department, during a time of high numbers of shootings and slayings, the newspaper reported.

Cannabis edibles are undoubtedly one of the most popular products to consume these days. Many people are trying to get their hands on some cannabis edibles because of a rewarding experience. Many users say that they are moving away from smoking cannabis in the traditional way. There are a few reasons why cannabis edibles are becoming increasingly popular. Not only are cannabis edibles easy to store and consume, but they are also easy to carry around. Taking cannabis edibles can also have many recreational and medicinal benefits that can treat many issues. If you want to try cannabis edibles, you can Get Kushto satisfy your needs. Let us look at how cannabis edibles affect you.

What are Cannabis Edibles?

A popular way of taking cannabis these days is by consuming cannabis edibles. Manufacturers take the marijuana plant, and they use it to make edible products such as cannabis brownies and cannabis gummies. A recent trend is motivating many people to move away from the traditional way of smoking cannabis. Cannabis edibles are arguably the most popular alternative for smoking cannabis, and there are good reasons behind this. The first attractive quality when talking about cannabis edibles is how users can highly customize their experience. Users have the option to go for a variety of cannabis edibles. You can get cannabis brownies, cannabis cakes, cannabis gummies, cannabis chocolates, and many other popular products. The excellent quality of cannabis edibles is that they are available in stores, and you can also make them at home. When users take cannabis edibles, they are in complete control of the experience. Many users do not enjoy the raw taste of cannabis. Therefore cannabis edibles prove to be an excellent alternative.

Another key reason behind the popularity of cannabis edibles is how discreetly users can consume them. Many cannabis users report that it is much easier to take cannabis edibles rather than smoke cannabis regularly. Smoking can be a significant inconvenience for users and even for people around them. There are also a lot of restrictions regarding where users can smoke. The struggles of finding a lighter or a matchstick do not make the experience any better.

When it comes to cannabis edibles, there is little to no preparation needed. There are also no restrictions as to where you can consume cannabis edibles. You can discreetly carry your cannabis edibles without anyone finding out. Especially if your cannabis edibles are in the form of brownies or gummies, no one will ever be suspicious of you.

What are the Benefits of Taking Cannabis Edibles?

Cannabis edibles can help you experience all the benefits of consuming cannabis. These benefits can range from recreational to medicinal. For example, you can get help with treating chronic pain, anxiety, depression, and several other health conditions. You can also get help with clearing your mind and relaxing. In the modern world, there are so many different issues that we face daily. It can understandably be overwhelming to tackle everything at once. When you consume cannabis edibles, you can take a step back and relax. Taking cannabis edibles will give you some much-needed space, and you will end up making better decisions. Taking cannabis edibles can also help you treat inflammation, and in some cases, it can also address some symptoms that arise due to cancer.

ARAU (Bernama) - Universiti Malaysia Perlis (Unimap) has become the first public university in the country to conduct research on hemp (a member of the cannabis sativa plant) as an agricultural product with the potential of being economically developed in the future.

Its vice-chancellor, Professor Dr Zaliman Sauli said for that purpose, Unimap has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with a Kuala Lumpur-based company MyUS Hemphouse Sdn Bhd.

"Through the MoU, research and development can be carried out at UniMAP and focus will be given through Institut Agroteknologi Lestari (Insat) in Sungai Chuchuh, Padang Besar on an area of 0.8 hectares,” he said here, on Friday (Sept 10).

Zaliman signed the MoU on behalf of the university while while MyUS was represented by its chief executive officer Datuk Nellsen Young.

Unimap and MYUS will conduct research on hemp cultivation procedures and applications as well as focus on functional materials for agriculture especially organic farming to improve the country’s agricultural products.

The USA’s National Hemp Association (NHA) and its Standing Committee of Hemp Organizations (SCOHO) has its cap out for a billion-dollar amendment to the pending House Budget Reconciliation measure.

The NHA and organizations comprising SCOHO represent more than 90% of licensed hemp farmers across the USA.

The NHA says the cash it’s chasing is essential for acceleration of hemp fiber and grain production as vital infrastructure is needed to build reliable supply chains after eight decades of prohibition. Planting and growing hemp was prohibited in the USA in 1937 and  officially banned in 1970 under the Controlled Substance Act (CSA) when it was unfairly lumped in with its intoxicating cousin, marijuana.

Christine Quinn went to jail after being caught with marijuana.

The 'Selling Sunset' star was celebrating her 17th birthday when her high school principal called police after discovering she was in possession of the drug, and her parents refused to bail her out for four days in order to teach her a lesson, which she now credits for forcing her into changing her life.

Christine explained how she had fallen in with the wrong crowd after changing schools and recalled to People magazine: “One day someone gave me a little birthday surprise, and it happened to be marijuana.

She added: “It made me really think, like, okay — one screw up, one little mess really can turn my life around. It certainly put me in check at a really young age; I had to grow up really, really fast.”

Though marijuana is now legal in Los Angeles, where Christine lives with husband Christian Richard and their three-month-old son Christian Jr., the blonde beauty is "terrified" of ever using it again.

She said: “I’m terrified. Not only because of that, but just because it makes me sleepy and I think the police are coming all the time."

NORWICH — With marijuana currently legal to consume for people 21 and older in Connecticut, and sales of recreational marijuana products to be allowed in 2022, many businesses owners want to know any potential impact to them.

The German process is unlike anything foreigners have ever experienced before—with twists and turns at every step that frequently defy logic.

The German medical cannabis market is one of the largest in the world. Indeed, as of 2021, it is not only the largest market in Europe, but also responsible for driving cultivation plans across many sunnier and lower labor cost locales. This is true of both countries in the European Union (EU) and further flung spots, all hoping to export cannabis to a country, which so far has not, by design, been able to domestically source the medical cannabis consumed in the country. 

All well and good—but this is the good news. 

In fact, the pharmaceutical infrastructure that faces medical cannabis companies is far from either clear cut or easy to navigate. Here is why.

Cannabis is Defined by Law as a Controlled Narcotic Drug

The first issue facing all distributors in the German market, is that cannabis, legally, is defined as a narcotic at a federal level. To date, despite a decision on the European level last fall, this also includes low THC hemp—which has led to a number of lawsuits and embarrassing contretemps of late even on the non-medical, commercial level. 

Beyond this, however, cannabis as medicine is clearly now present in the system—but merely importing and or registering strains and brands (no matter who makes them or where such flower or products come from) is far from enough to get sales.

As cannabis cultivation grows in Warwick, the town debates whether to allow dispensaries.

What was once a medium-security prison that housed about 1,000 inmates in Warwick will become a fully operating cannabis cultivation site by 2023.

When New Mexico’s recreational cannabis bill was signed into law in April, Mike Hinkle and Ryan Timmermans jumped at the chance to get into the industry. The two business partners, both recent transplants from the South, bought portable buildings, seeds, grow lights and a property in the village of Carson, with a domestic well they thought they could use to irrigate their plants. In total, they invested more than $50,000.

“That’s actually the most money I’ve ever had in my life,” Hinkle said. “I was extremely excited because we thought we had a shot.”

Three months later, Hinkle fought back tears as he spoke at a hearing about regulations for the new cannabis industry, held at the State Capitol. He’d discovered that a domestic water supply would not fulfill the requirements for a license and that no amount of money would get him the required water rights in Carson, near Taos — because they simply weren’t available. He was still emotional when the three-minute timer ran out and his mic was cut off.

Hinkle was not alone in his dismay. Nearly 200 people submitted written comments to the state’s newly formed Cannabis Control Division, while dozens of others voiced frustrations at the Aug. 6 hearing. Among them were aspiring cannabis business owners and members of acequia collectives — traditional ditch-irrigation communities worried that the new rules would undermine their senior water rights. Most shared a central concern: water.

Would there be enough for farmers who depend on acequias to grow food? How would rural cannabis growers secure water rights? How could the average New Mexican afford those rights? The two presiding officials at the meeting — a retired judge and a deputy director of the Cannabis Control Division — heard participants raise those questions again and again.

Italy is set to allow the small-scale cultivation of cannabis plants at home after a reform was approved by the Lower House's justice committee on Wednesday.

The reform decriminalises the growth of up to four cannabis plants at home.

However, it also increases the penalties for crimes linked to the trafficking and dealing of cannabis, with the maximum sentence increasing from six to ten years.

The reform, which was put forward by Italian MP Riccardo Magi, makes Italy one of the first countries in Europe to decriminalize the domestic cultivation of cannabis for personal use, with Spain and Czech Republic also permitting the growth of up to five plants at home. 

It triggered calls for further legalization from weed advocates and anger from the country’s conservatives.  

A lack of momentum among lawmakers this summer—as federal cannabis reform took a back seat to issues like infrastructure—has weighed on shares of midsize marijuana seller TerrAscend in recent months. Its declines could prove fleeting.

Cannabis breathalyzer company Hound Labs, Inc. has raised $20 million from a variety of cannabis investment groups. Investors in the company include Entourage Effect Capital (EEC),  Intrinsic Capital, Benchmark, Icon Ventures, and Tuatara Capital. The company raised the funds in order to scale production of the HOUND MARIJUANA BREATHALYZER. Hound Labs says it has developed a patented and one-of-a-kind ultra-sensitive technology that is at the core of the company’s first commercial product.

“The groundbreaking breath testing technology created by Hound Labs provides a substantial competitive advantage to the Company,” said Dov Szapiro, Managing Partner at EEC. “The Hound Labs team has accomplished an impressive scientific achievement – precisely and consistently targeting one specific type of molecule out of the more than 3,500 different compounds found in breath. Not only are we excited about the immediate capabilities of the Hound breath technology to measure recent cannabis use, we are also excited about future applications that can detect pathogens such as SARS-CoV-2 or biomarkers for disease by changing the targeted compound.”

Cannabis use testing has been notoriously difficult. Unlike alcohol use, which is relatively easy to measure with traditional breathalyzers, cannabis consumers often show positive results long after actually consuming the product making traditional methods unreliable. Hound Labs says its product has been designed to isolate recent cannabis use by specifically measuring THC1 (the primary psychoactive ingredient in cannabis). The company noted that the ability to determine when an employee used cannabis is critical now that most adults in the U.S. can legally use recreational cannabis outside of work hours. While Amazon made news recently by saying it wouldn’t test employees for cannabis use, it specifically carved out drivers from that statement.

Hound Labs claims to be the only ultra-sensitive cannabis testing solution that identifies recent use that correlates with the window of impairment, allowing employers to keep employees who might otherwise test positive via conventional cannabis tests of oral fluid, urine, and hair.

“In order to manage our supply chain and meet demand for inventory, we have been reaching out to employers on our Wait List to understand the volumes required for our commercial units in 2022,” stated Dr. Mike Lynn, CEO of Hound Labs. “The response has been incredible. We are negotiating multi-million-dollar contracts with companies from a variety of industries who want to secure HOUND MARIJUANA BREATHALYZERS ahead of our 1Q22 commercial launch.”

Sustainable cannabis cultivation is one of the most complex, charged issues facing today’s industry. As the market continues to mature, companies need to consider the significant environmental impact and massive carbon footprint of energy-intensive operations.

As more states legalize the plant, companies are building indoor production facilities that will add millions of square feet of canopy each year, stretching and straining electrical grids from coast to coast. Meanwhile, greenhouse growers are employing more mixed-light cultivation to produce crops similar in quality to their indoor counterparts, and outdoor growers are struggling to survive as consumers continue to favor frosty, potent buds over organic, full-season flower.

A Denver-based medical marijuana company has awarded $1,000 scholarships to twenty different college students interested in the plant, with plans to do the same next year.

Veriheal, an online service that connects medical marijuana patients with doctors, recently split $20,000 among twenty students who demonstrated a passion for cannabis and innovative ideas to better the industry through essay submissions. The lone Colorado winner was Christina Hippensteel, a student at Metropolitan State University of Denver.

There is no better place in Florida to hold a Sacred Mushroom Summit than Gainesville.

The city gave rise to the famed Gainesville Green marijuana strain. People gladly squished through pastures mined with cow patties in search of mind-altering fungi. Joints were regularly smoked at college football games. And ecstasy-fueled raves at Simon's downtown drew elite techno DJs from Europe.

The summit, set for Friday through Sunday at the Thomas Center, will feature lectures and presentations on the use of hallucinogens of the Americas including ayahuasca, cannabis and peyote.

Topics will include medical use, psychological, anthropological and historic aspects of the drugs, religious freedom and legal issues.

“There is a whole lot going on right now in this area,” said organizer Tom Lane, who has written books on historic use of psychoactives. “This type of medicine pre-dates the colonial days. Indigenous sages were using this in Mexico way before the colonials got here.”

Hallucinogens are going through a revival. They were widely studied through the mid-1900s for medical and therapeutic value but got ground up in the war on drugs later in the century after LSD, marijuana and mushrooms were used recreationally.

You can add The Boston Beer Company (NYSE: SAM) to the list of major alcohol conglomerates to become levered to the cannabis industry. (article originally appeared on Technical420.com)

Through a product development agreement with Peak Processing Solutions, a subsidiary of Althea Group Holdings (ASX: AGH), and WeedMD Rx Inc., a subsidiary of Entourage Health Corp (TSX Venture: ENTG) (OTCQX: ETRGF), Boston Beer will be positioned to capitalize on the burgeoning cannabis beverage market and we are favorable on the development for the entire cannabis sector. 

Under the product development agreement, Peak will provide research and development services including laboratory support and the testing of various product formulations and recipes, for a new line of cannabis beverage products. 

Three best practices to help drive revenues and stay ahead of the curve.

As the North American cannabis industry becomes more and more crowded, retailers are suddenly faced with flat or declining revenues. That’s bad news for owners, but it’s not necessarily the end of the world. Creative entrepreneurs are constantly looking for new ways to generate income, and those ideas are often hidden in plain sight in other retail industries.

Let’s look at three common retail practices that have yet to embed themselves in the DNA of the cannabis market.

Shelf space

One of the best ways to supplement sales is by charging fees for premium placement of certain products and brands on store shelves. Welcome to the world of slotting fees.