WeedLife News Network

Chris Vela dances with fire as he twirls molten glass over a glowing flame. He likens the mesmerizing effects to a campfire – a hypnotic incandescence.

As a contemporary marijuana glass artist, Vela makes translucent electric green bubblers and glistening salmon pink Sherlock pipes. He has hollow-sculpted a real-life horned lizard skull – a blazing orange piece ultimately affixed to a bong of the same color. 

U.S.-based Green Globe International, Inc. (GGII) is advancing its mission to disrupt tobacco with its intent to obtain the patent to manufacture the “world’s first-ever paper made entirely from cannabis.”

GGII reported this week that it has signed a letter of intent to acquire the patent filed a few years back, reports the company, a wholly owned subsidiary of Hempacco Co., Inc. that manufactures herb and hemp CBD cigarettes.

By Oregon Small Business Association

Florida state officials issued a consumer alert warning about hemp grown in Oregon containing rocks, sticks, and other foreign material accompanied by fraudulent certificates of analyses.

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, which regulates and inspects the cultivation and sale of hemp, issued the warning in July, saying it had received several complaints about the hemp grown in Oregon, one of the nation’s largest hemp producers.

Florida officials are working with federal and Oregon agriculture officials to remedy the problem.

Nevada’s marijuana industry is looking to get greener.

From plastic packaging to the electricity needed to grow the plants, the cannabis industry has areas to address to lighten its environmental footprint.

The head of the Nevada Dispensary Association told State of Nevada that stakeholders are working on more environmentally friendly practices and also drafting regulations that promote sustainability

Last year progressive voters were told that, despite the clear evidence that Joe Biden was a left-of-Reagan centrist, modern political pressures from the Democratic party would push the candidate to the left once he was in office, finally aligning him with populist principles. That prediction has proven faulty—even by the most forgiving of standards. And one of the progressive stances most neglected by the Biden administration is that cannabis laws should be reformed.

It challenges the conventional wisdom that the federal ban on marijuana gives legalization states free rein to discriminate against outsiders in their local cannabis markets.

A Vanderbilt legal paper published in the Boston University Law Review called “Interstate Commerce in Cannabis” shows that shipping cannabis to other states may already be legal and more plot twists lie ahead for the cannabis industry.

What should someone know before starting a cannabis business? 

To help aspiring entrepreneurs plan their own cannabis business, we asked business leaders and fellow cannabis business founders this question for their best advice. From finding the right insurance to researching your competition, there are several tips that may help you successfully form your hemp-based company. 

We believe Kathy Hochul may view cannabis as a popular initial (or near term) issue to champion at the start of her term thus gaining an initial win under her belt.

By Viridian Capital Advisors

As people begin to filter back into the office after a year-and-a-half in Zoom exile, the growing ranks of recreational cannabis users might want to take a peek at their employee handbook before lighting up.

Marijuana, which went from a controlled substance to a booming industry in Illinois during the pandemic, may still get you fired.

Potentially outdated cannabis employment policies could turn a socially acceptable weekend pot party into grounds for dismissal. With cannabis detectable by some tests for up to 30 days, even a dalliance can have career consequences.

But with an ongoing labor shortage and a sea change in sentiment for marijuana use, the onus may be on employers to get with the times.

In 2020, Canada became the largest exporter of dried cannabis flower in the world. Today, Canada is looking over its shoulder at a formidable competitor in Colombia, which recently instigated some legislative changes that position the country to become the global cannabis leader. Colombia was already recognized for its robust infrastructure, distribution and exports of certain cannabis products such as medicinal oils and extracts, but the country had a gaping hole in exports by keeping dried cannabis flower strictly verboten.

“My name is Jared Polis and hemp – it’s everything.”

This was the message Colorado’s governor used to sign off on an order declaring June 6–13 Hemp Week in the Centennial State, and he is staking his legacy on the often-maligned plant that had been illegal to grow in the U.S. for nearly 50 years.

This is no surprise from Polis. In 2013, when he was serving in Congress, the Boulder native helped a lobbyist fly an American flag made from hemp grown in Colorado – which was illegal to grow in the U.S. at the time – over the U.S. Capitol on the Fourth of July. To kick off newly declared Hemp Week, Polis put an exclamation mark on his sustained efforts to champion cannabis and raised hemp-made American and Colorado flags over the state Capitol.

The most sought-after marijuana being trafficked across the U.S.-Mexico border is now the weed entering Mexico, not the weed leaving it.

Cannabis sold legally in California is heading south illegally, dominating a booming boutique market across Mexico, where buying and selling the drug is still outlawed. Mexican dealers flaunt their U.S. products, noting them in bold lettering on menus sent to select clients: "IMPORTADO."

It feels as 2019 was a long while ago however some things can’t be forgotten. Back in July of 2019 a staff director for Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee was placed behind other members on the dais. This staff director Brendan was paying attention to all-too-rare bipartisan harmony. Both sides formed a collective understanding: it is time for the federal marijuana prohibition to end.

Illinois adult-use cannabis sales have hit yet another record, reaching $127.8 million in July, about a $12.3 million increase from June, which reported over $115.5 million in recreational sales.

According to a monthly report by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, over $85.4 million of those sales came from in-state residents, while more than $42.3 million came from out-of-state residents.

By Franca Quarneti via El Planteo.

Paraguay will begin exporting oil, proteins and other non-psychoactive cannabis derivatives to the United States and Australia.

This was confirmed this Wednesday by Mario Abdo Benítez, president of Paraguay, during a visit to the industrial plant of Healthy Grains S.A

Article wirrten by: Javier Hasse

Israel is a leader in cannabis, be it research and or in the emerging marketplace.

Numerous research breakthroughs have occurred in Israel. One of the most notable cannabis researchers is Dr. Rafael Mechoulam, who along with his team first identified THC and other active compounds in cannabis decades ago.

Today, Israel continues furthering its research legacy while building its legal marketplace.