WeedLife News Network

It’s one thing to decriminalize cannabis, but it’s another to encourage use with marketing and advertising that reaches kids.

And that’s the problem: Almost all commercial advertising makes its way to the eyes and ears of children. If we care about public health, we should ban all cannabis ads.

San Diego banned cannabis billboards within 1,000 feet of schools, public parks, playgrounds and daycare centers. But kids in cars go everywhere, especially teenagers, which means marijuana messaging is still seeping into young minds, associating pot smoking with fun activities like rollerblading.

When I would fly to Palm Springs for work — as I did routinely before the pandemic — the first thing I saw when I get off the plane was a large, shiny, well-lit picture of cannabis buds advertising the name, address and phone number of a nearby dispensary. Only a few feet later, I saw a similar sign advertising cannabis tours.

At the baggage claim, all eyes were on a large sign for the Cannabis Consumption Lounge: “Smoke It. Eat It. Drink It. Enjoy It.” Cannabis advertising is everywhere these days, just like the pot shops themselves, including the rather baffling drive-through dispensary I saw on my last trip to the Golden State, and the cannabis delivery services that have surged in popularity amid the pandemic.

How This Summer Could Continue to Push the Boundaries of Pot Stock Growth

The first (legal) industrial hemp crop to be planted in the U.S. state of Louisiana in modern times is being severely impacted by a fungal disease.

What was one the USA’s hemp holdout states finally jumped on the nation’s industrial hemp revival bandwagon in June last year when Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards signed off on legislation recognising the crop as an agricultural commodity and authorising its cultivation, processing, and transportation.

As legislation moves through Congress to legalize cannabidiol (CBD) and other hemp-derived product use by military service members, the Navy has taken the ban a step further.

The Navy recently administered a memo clarifying that service members are prohibited from using “any products containing, made or derived from hemp” regardless of their stated cannabinoid content, including shampoos, conditioners, lotions, lip balms or soaps.

The most recent ban builds on a broader existing prohibition throughout the military on hemp and CBD products. In February, the Department of Defense issued an order that barred service members from using all hemp and CBD products.

Both that order and the most recent memo from the Navy state the prohibition on CBD products is because military service members need to pass a urinalysis drug test.

“The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not determine or certify the THC [tetrahydrocannabinol] concentration of commercially available hemp products, such as cannabidiol (CBD). Accordingly, these products may contain appreciable levels of THC, yet omit any reference to THC on the product label and/or list an inaccurate THC concentration,” the Navy memo states. “Consequently, Sailors and Marines cannot rely on the packaging and labeling of hemp products in determining whether the product contains THC concentrations that could cause a positive urinalysis result.”

A new report found that price was the second biggest factor for consumers when making CBD purchase decisions.

The passage of the 2018 Farm Bill legalizing hemp sparked a CBD rush with millions in sales and seemingly everyone starting a company using some form of hemp-derived cannabis oil.  Last year’s BDSA and Arcview Market Research, industry report estimated that CBD sales in the U.S. would surpass $20 billion by 2024. New York-based investment bank Cowen & Co forecast that the market would hit $15 billion by 2025.

A new report from the Brightfield Group, “US CBD Market July 2020“, warns those numbers will be much lower as a result of the impact of COVID-19 on shoppers. Several reasons are behind the drop in sales from lockdowns causing brick and mortar store closures, to shifts in retailers making deliveries and even the job crisis that is hurting consumers’ wallets. The report stated that in 2020, the US hemp-derived CBD market is projected to reach $4.7 billion in sales, with 14% growth from 2019 sales of $4.1 billion. The market had been expected to grow by over 30%.

Stay At Home

One big problem for CBD shoppers was the request from states with big outbreaks to stay at home and only venture out if absolutely necessary.  The report noted that there would be a loss of revenue from store closures as many retailers selling CBD products had either closed temporarily during the crisis or were only offering curbside pickup and delivery. “Even for CBD specialist retailers and smoke shops that remain open, they are experiencing steep declines in sales as social distancing guidelines and consumer worries about contracting the coronavirus keep shoppers at home.” That meant more online shopping, which worked well for established brands.

Nearly half (45%) of CBD consumers surveyed in June 2020 by Brightfield said they moved their CBD purchases online because of the coronavirus crisis. “Millennial shoppers are the most likely to have switched to e-commerce for their CBD needs, with 54% reporting switching from brick and mortar stores to online as they also increase their
usage and spending during this stressful time. CBD market leaders have seen online sales increase dramatically in the first half of 2020 but are still making efforts to expand in brick and mortar retailers to set up for future success and broader brand awareness.”

Delegates of the Democratic National Committee voted down a proposal to include the federal legalization of cannabis in the party’s 2020 platform on Monday. Platform committee delegate Dennis Obduskey of Colorado had introduced an amendment to include marijuana legalization in the platform, but the proposal was rejected by the committee with a vote of 105 to 60.

Several delegates spoke in favor of the legalization platform plank before the vote, including Stacey Walker, a county supervisor from Iowa, who referenced the words of civil rights activist and former Georgia congressman Rep. John Lewis in his comments.

“I’m imploring all of you to approach this with an open mind and heart. Do something big here,” Walker said to members of the platform committee via a video conference. “Take one small but meaningful step toward changing the course of history. If my Black life matters to you, you will consider this amendment. We want to get in good trouble today, and I urge you to do the right thing and support it.”

Draft Platform Supports Marijuana Decriminalization

Instead, the draft party platform, which is slated to be voted on by the close to 4,000 members of the full DNC prior to next month’s convention, calls for the decriminalization of cannabis.

This is the approach favored by likely Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.

Black markets and grey markets pervade daily life in nearly every way. The idea of below board brands, or fakes markets are certainly nothing new. What do they mean to the newly legal cannabis market? And what are the problems that have been popping up as cannabis becomes the new darling of legally sold goods?

As legal cannabis markets grow, both medicinal and recreational, governments are tasked with figuring out regulatory structures to govern the production, supply, and sale of products, because that’s how things are done. This process of making laws to govern it, whereby it can be put in a legal store, and sold as a part of the standard economy – complete with tax, and reported revenue to the government – changes the manner in which something is made and sold, as well as who is able to profit from it.

Legal cannabis markets don’t look much like the black-market setup, and they certainly seem to cost more, but they offer specification in products, and enhanced forms of otherwise scarcely-found cannabinoids, and if safety regulations ever really get firmed up, a way to control for pesticides and other bad substances.

What’s the difference between a black market and a grey market? And where do fakes fit in?

Let’s start with some basic definitions.

Black market

“A black market is one where the buying and selling of products and services take place in an illegal manner. A black economy is a highly organized and vast market where the regular taxation rules and norms of trade are not adhered to. A black market is known by several names, including black economy, underground market, shadow economy, underdog and parallel economy.”

Agriculture Commissioner Rick Pate stopped by Bluewater Hemp’s facility in Decatur Tuesday to check out its operation.

Pate says Alabama’s hemp growers are meeting the mark so far.

He wants to see farmers raise the bar when it comes to production so Alabamians can purchase products made in the state.

“I’m looking forward to Alabama products, Alabama-grown hemp, and Alabama-processed CBD oil being on the market because that’s the ultimate thing,” said Pate.

Hemp is high in CBD but has no THC, which is found in cannabis.

Estimates show legal marijuana could produce $1 billion in tax revenue, and long-time opponents now seem open to the idea.

Slowly but surely the idea of recreational marijuana has gained steam in the unlikeliest of states — Texas. The Houston Young Republicans and Texas NORML called upon Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott to legalize and tax the sale of cannabis in order to offset a looming $4.6 billion budget deficit.

Lawmakers have voiced similar ideas. In a recent webinar, State Rep. Dustin Burrows, a Republican, discussed recreational marijuana and gambling as alternative revenue streams to explore in Texas. GOP Speaker Dennis Bonnen presented the idea in a recent local TV interview, but was hesitant to call legalization a cure-all.

“The state budget is so large, there’s no singular solution to a budget challenge,” said Speaker Bonnen. “So legalization of marijuana should be considered next session by those who want to bring it forward, but it probably doesn’t produce a solution to the budget challenge we’ll be facing. It certainly could be a help. It could augment the shortfall. But I don’t believe it’s anywhere near a singular solution.”

Original image from Carol M. Highsmith’s America, Library of Congress collection. Digitally enhanced by rawpixel.

With recreational marijuana introduced locally, the industry is becoming more of an influence in the state’s economy reports WOOD-TV 8.

The state’s Marijuana Regulatory Agency shows that prices are falling, while sales are on the rise.

The industry is broken up into two sections: medical and recreational. Medical is more restrictive and requires a special license, but recreational can be sold to anyone over 21.

“The medical market is a lot cheaper than the recreational market,” said Dean St. Peter, co-founder of ArCanna, a cannabis shop in Ionia.

“There’s a lot less taxation too. There’s an additional 10 percent excise tax on recreational cannabis that medical does not have.”

A battle over wine and cannabis in Santa Barbara County, pitting neighbor against neighbor, is coming to a head. On June 30, a report from a grand jury tasked with monitoring local government issued a scathing report criticizing the county board for its mismanagement of the county's cannabis production.

"The jury believes the Board of Supervisors, in their hubris, failed the people of Santa Barbara County," the report stated. "Now they must amend the cannabis ordinances to regain the people's trust."

Santa Barbara County adopted some of the most lenient regulations for commercial cannabis farming in California and has seen an explosion in production in the past four years—last year, the county was home to 35 percent of the state's licensed cannabis acreage. As a result, locals, particularly vintners, have grappled with cannabis' impact on the area.

In April, a nonprofit made up of more than 200 vintners, farmers and homeowners, dubbed the Santa Barbara Coalition for Responsible Cannabis, filed suit against the county's board of supervisors, citing what the coalition considers a lack of ordinances regulating cannabis production and a faulty licensing program which has allowed farmers to stack licenses and create some of the largest cannabis grows in the state. The suit aims to cut down on the number of unpermitted cannabis farms and stop the board from issuing further permits by challenging the environmental reviews that have led to permit approvals.

"Pursuing legal action is not fun, nor is it a place we wanted to go, but it's necessary," Debra Eagle, a board member for the coalition and general manager for Alma Rosa winery, told Wine Spectator. Eagle felt like the board of supervisors was ignoring its citizens.

Since this only covers novel foods, this may not have an effect on CBD in other kinds of products, such as cosmetics.

The craze for hemp-derived cannabidiol (CBD) extends beyond the United States and into Europe. We’ve written a good amount on the difference between how the European Union (EU) regulates CBD in contrast to the United States, and link to a number of those posts at the bottom of this page. All of that may be put on hold soon as the EU weighs new laws for CBD products.

For some background, the European Foods Safety Authority (“EFSA”) previously classified CBD as a “novel food” ingredient. A “novel food” is “food that was not used for human consumption to a significant degree within the Union before 15 May 1997, irrespective of the dates of accession of the Member States to the Union.” Pursuant to EU regulations, anyone who wishes to sell food containing a “novel food” ingredient must first secure a license from the EFSA.

Guidance issued by the EU on a plethora of various cannabinoids suggested that foods containing hemp-derived cannabinoids (and not just CBD) were considered novel foods because there has been no demonstration that they were consumed prior to the 1997 date. If something is a novel food, then certain regulatory approvals are needed to advance it in the market. Needless to say, it’s a long process.

In mid-July 2020, it was reported (see here and here) that the EU was halting novel food applications for foods containing CBD and is apparently considering designating such CBD-bearing foods as narcotics. And here we were thinking that the United States’ policy on CBD in foods was bizarre.

From a cannabis heaven in the 60’s and 70’s to a restricted country after caving to international pressure, Nepal has some interesting cannabis laws, and might be looking at some substantial updates toward legalization in the near future.

Nepal is a landlocked country in Asia surrounded mainly by India from three sides, and Tibet from the north. It’s a very small country land-wise, stretching approximately 500 miles East to West, and ranges from 90-150 miles going north to south. Nepal was finally established as a democratic republic after a period of upheaval and violence due to a Maoist insurgency.

Due to its location, being stuck in an isolated zone between two big countries, Nepal was essentially left to its own devices, and didn’t reach the development level of other countries. As an interesting point, the population of Nepal is very young with 60% under the age of 30, and 80% under the age of 45. This is not an indication of a very low life expectancy, as both males and females live on average until at least 70.

 Nepal’s sordid cannabis history

In the 60’s and 70’s, not only was cannabis legal in Nepal, but Nepal itself, being a part of the notorious “Hippie Trail”, was a huge bastion of hippy antics and open marijuana smoking. The Hippie Trail was a land trail that could be cheaply traveled to get to Asia from Europe via Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal, and India.

It ended in Katmandu where the infamous Freak Street acted as the culmination of open smoking culture in Nepal, a hippie hideout not so different from Freetown Christiana in Denmark’s Copenhagen. This brought a lot of traffic through Nepal, and fueled its already abundant subculture of cannabis smoking. Cannabis smoking has always been a large part of Nepalese culture, in a religious capacity, medicinal, and recreational as well.

By 1972 Nepal was one of the biggest hash exporting countries, but this came to an end in 1973 when Nepal updated its laws after being pressured by the US and UN. In July of 1973 all shops were closed and all growing licenses cancelled. This had a major impact on the GDP of the country which was reliant on the cannabis industry.

This first successful export of hemp seed from Australia to New Zealand recently occurred under new legislation removing some roadblocks to Australia’s hemp and medicinal cannabis sectors.

There wasn’t any further detail on the nature of the export – for example if it was hulled seed, raw seed for food purposes or seed for planting – or the company involved, but it marked another step forward for the nation’s hemp industry.

While CBD is the major player in treating an illness like severe seizures, it’s really an entourage effect that makes the compound work.

Ever since the 2018 Farm Bill passed in the U.S., CBD has been a hot topic, to say the least. The legislation, which effectively legalizes industrial hemp, significantly opened the market for hemp-derived CBD. From cosmetics to salves to tinctures and more, it seems CBD is infused into everything these days.

In many ways, the CBD craze has gotten ahead of itself. Mainstream media and wellness experts praise cannabidiol as the swan of the cannabis plant, dismissing the rest of the cannabinoids as ugly ducklings. Consumers unfamiliar with cannabis may gravitate toward pure CBD extract, as CBD is often associated with many of marijuana’s health benefits.

But while CBD is the major player in treating an illness like severe seizures, it’s really an entourage effect that makes the CBD work. The entourage effect, for those unfamiliar, is that individual cannabinoids, like CBD, increase their efficacy when working in conjunction with other cannabinoids, like THC or CBN. This is true even when the presence of those other cannabinoids is minimal. The whole in this equation is greater than the sum of its parts.

While CBD is a powerful extract, it’s important for consumers to understand they could be losing some potency when choosing hemp-derived pure CBD vs. cannabis-derived CBD, which may contain low doses of THC.

With the legalization of the recreational cannabis industry in Illinois, the cannabis accessory industry has seen an uptick in Carbondale.

The Legal Smile CBD wellness and head shop opened on the south end of Carbondale in May 2019. Shop owner Jacob Buckman said, as to be expected, his business has seen an uptick since recreational cannabis became legal Jan. 1. But he said he’s also been able to expand.

Next door to his pipe shop is Soil Grown, a cannabis and CBD grow store. They offer everything from soil blends, to pots, to lights, to nutrients for those medical cannabis patients who are now legally allowed to grow — recreational users are not permitted to grow for personal use under the law.

“It’ll be another booming expansion (of the cannabis industry),” Buckman said of the accessory and grow businesses.

Some in Carbondale might have noticed some work being done at the old El Greco location on the strip. Chan Patel owns the building and operates Old Town Liquor next door. He said he, too, is looking to open up a cannabis accessory store.

While the healthcare sector is fighting to reach the finish line of finding a cure for coronavirus and putting an end to the worldwide misery it causes, cannabis is proving relief to people dealing with this crisis. This has put the cannabis sector in the limelight again -- not only highlighting the medical benefits of marijuana, but also giving an idea about the potential of this sector.

Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture (TIA) researchers are investigating hemp’s potential as a dual-use crop – sheep fodder as well as seed.

The research, led by Dr Beth Penrose, will occur over two years and involve trial sites established at TIA’s Forthside research facility situated on Tasmania’s north-west coast  and a commercial property near Cressy, which is around 35 kilometres south-west of Launceston.

Health promotion hospitals in the provinces have been given the go-ahead to concoct traditional medicines using cannabis to cure illnesses common in their areas, the Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine says.

The department has authorised the hospitals, formerly known as suk sala clinics, to produce traditional medicine from among 16 recipes permitted by the government which include cannabis as their base ingredients, said Marut Jirasetthasiri, the department director-general.

The hospitals, however, must have a traditional Thai medicine expert on duty to prepare the medicine.

Dr Marut said the hospitals will be free to produce medicines which they believe will provide effective cures for common illnesses in the localities.

More people have begun to seek treatment using traditional medicine, he said.

Chronic pain affects one in five Americans and recent data compiled by Harvard Medical School suggests that more people are turning to cannabis for relief than ever before.

“Though cannabis use was a taboo just a decade ago, increased widespread availability of medical and recreational cannabis coupled with social acceptability and its potential medicinal value has led to a normalization of its use in everyday life,” the study says.

The study, published earlier this month in the peer-reviewed journal Advances in Therapy, examined data from nearly 250,000 chronic pain patients from 2011 to 2015 and found that their cannabis consumption more than doubled in that time frame.

“We found that cannabis use is increasing among chronic pain patients and a subpopulation of chronic pain patients (tobacco users, men, low household income, Medicaid insurance coverage, and certain chronic pain syndromes),” the study says.

The study notes that the increase in cannabis consumption is “not surprising” given the increasing evidence that cannabis can reduce inflammation and improve the quality of life in chronic pain patients.