WeedLife News Network

Weed control is a problem as old as agriculture itself, but two projects from a Cornell AgriTech researcher aim to cultivate new methods for zapping the pesky plants, benefiting organic apple and grape growers and hemp producers in New York state and around the country.

Lynn Sosnoskie, assistant professor in the School of Integrative Plant Science, is collaborating on a $2 million project to study electric weed control in perennial fruit crops. She is also leading a $325,000 weed management study for hemp. Both studies are multi-institution, multistate undertakings that aim to provide growers with evidence-based, location-specific recommendations to suppress weeds and maximize yields.

Both projects began in September, will run for three years and are funded by the USDA’s National Institute for Food and Agriculture.

For the apple and grape study, Sosnoskie and collaborators at Oregon State University and the University of California-Davis, will test the performance, safety and economic and environmental sustainability of electric weed control in organic production. The organic product market topped $60 billion in 2020, and the largest market segment is fresh fruit.

Due to the nature of apple, grape and other perennial fruit plantings, crop rotation and intensive soil disturbance are not viable strategies for weed control. Organic herbicides and mulches can be expensive. Those factors led Sosnoskie and her colleagues to consider a novel weed control tool: electricity. The devices they will be testing essentially electrocute weeds by sending a jolt of electricity through the plant, damaging the plant’s cells and chlorophyll.

Indoor cultivation of cannabis consumes tremendous amounts of electricity and causes high greenhouse gas emissions. California Lightworks, an LED manufacturer, says the cannabis industry can increase yields, decrease costs, and reduce climate impact by using its MegaDrive technology. Industry uptake of new LED technology caused average energy consumption of indoor grows to decline by more than 20 percent between 2018 and 2020. Cannabis Reporter cites the Environmental Protection Agency that LED technologies “offer the potential for cutting general lighting energy use nearly in half by 2030.”

“California Lightworks is committed to addressing climate change and the issues resulting from outdated technology,” said George Mekhtarian, CEO of California Lightworks. “Our MegaDrive technology helps reduce the costs, increase the yields and help cultivators reduce the heat generated in their facilities.”

California Lightworks’ MegaDrive technology increases the mass, both in terms of grams per square foot and grams per watt, and quality of yielded crops. The advanced LED technology reduces fixture costs by up to 30% and installation costs by up to 80%. And, the benefits come at a 50% lower operating cost than traditional high-pressure sodium (HPS) lighting systems.

Mekhtarian says his company is expanding its philanthropic activities as well to help make a positive impact on the environment.

“We are happy to see our technology have a positive impact on our climate and environment. Innovation brings about improvement in our environment,” said Mekhtarian. “We are not only doing this through our business, but we are doing it through charitable work too and will be announcing more on that in the near future.”

Professional golf is one of, if not the most, cannabis-friendly globally played sports today. While Olympians and athletes in other sports continue to be suspended for cannabis use, several pro golfers and the Professional Golf Association (PGA) have largely embraced CBD and its $2.8 billion global market value.

Still, skepticism remains as the bond between pro golf and CBD seems to forge stronger over time.

Kadenwoodand its athlete-centric brand Level Select added 2015 Players Championship winner Rickie Fowler as a brand ambassador in 2020. In 2021, Catriona Matthews OBE signed on as a brand ambassador for the UK’s Golfers CBD brand.

Some are taking their involvement further. Ten-year LPGA pro, Amelia Lewis became an investor and vice president of CBD brand Zeal Pure — a brand operated by her mother. Others include Darren Clarke, 2011 Open Championship winner, who launched his Darren Clarke CBD brand in July 2021.

Here’s an interesting fact for your next Zoom call “ice breaker,” an 800-pound cow will produce about 100 pounds of poop a day.

There are about 9 million dairy cows in the United States at any given time, producing about 900 million pounds of poop a day. Second in volume only to the House and Senate. ( As ori

It’s a lot of poop, and of course one of the results of their waste is methane.

Before we all get on our Impossible Burger soapboxes, there are technologies available today that are harvesting the power of cow poop to help capture methane gasses, recycle water for farms, and even create fertilizer that is cleaner and more abundant than peat moss and other fertilizer components. 

Yes, there is a peat moss shortage.

Cyber attacks are now commonplace. Ransomware attacks, in particular, have skyrocketed in frequency and size. High-profile data breaches have cost businesses in the United States millions of dollars in losses and incalculable reputational harm. Just like those in any other industry, cannabis cyber attack risks pose a clear and present danger of financial consequences.

With new data-security legislation, cyber attacks create even more risk. Under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), for example, attacks can lead to regulatory fines and private actions by affected consumers. Under the CCPA, consumers are not required to prove personal losses or damage. This increased risk of liability for cyber attacks coupled with the increased volume of attacks makes the issue one that must be addressed by every business. Increasing security is step one, but there is no foolproof protection. Thus, it is equally important to consider how best to insulate companies from potential monetary damage resulting from an attack.

As valuable as these basic coverages are, cannabis businesses have unique risks that make them more vulnerable to cyber attacks and their financial consequences. Cannabis producers and retailers should carefully consider their other, possibly bigger, cyber risks and seek to address them when buying cyber insurance.

There is no “standard” cyber insurance policy. Dozens of insurers sell such a product, with each insurer constantly adapting its policy terms to market changes and challenges. As a result, cannabis businesses must carefully review policies offered to them and negotiate the terms in order to address their individual cyber risks. Those that fail to do so may leave some of their biggest risks uncovered.

We focus on three such risks here.

It almost goes without saying that the cannabis industry is one of the fastest growing verticals in the United States, offering a variety of opportunities for existing or prospective corporations, management services organizations (MSO), business owners and developers as many seek to capitalize on the continued state deregulation of medical and recreational cannabis. In the face of global shutdowns, shelter in place orders, loss of jobs and the ever-present threat of illness, cannabis sales skyrocketed in 2020. A study conducted by Leafly, using state tax and revenue data, showed cannabis sales were up 71 percent over 2019 to the tune of $18.3 billion – a $7.6 billion increase. To date, 19 states have legalized marijuana recreationally, while 36 states have medicinal programs. Some jurisdictions are just now issuing licenses, and more are coming online.

Marijuana’s continued status as a Schedule I drug on a federal level certainly doesn’t make it an easy landscape for prospective newcomers to navigate. Whether you already operate a facility or hoping to open a dispensary, processing or grow operation, there are many regulations to keep in mind – most of which also dictate electronic and physical security requirements. Below we discuss a few ways cannabis grow operators, dispensaries and processors can leverage a video management system (VMS) as a part of their overall open platform security plan.

Licensing Requires a Security Plan

Like any business operation, cannabis requires certain licenses, approvals and audits before you can open your doors. While every state’s regulations and security requirements differ, almost all of them require some form of electronic alarm and surveillance system and audit trails, be it paper or electronic, that must be archived.

Every state, and in some cases, even individual cities or municipalities, that has legalized medical or recreational marijuana has stringent licensing requirements that you must meet before you open, whether you’re a grow operation, edible manufacturer, processing plant, dispensary, or in transportation and the newer delivery services. While these regulations may be different, in almost all cases, it includes having an acceptable security plan in place.

BROOMFIELD, Colo., Aug. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- As we move into the future, we not only need to look at planetary solutions, but interplanetary ones as well. Owner and CEO of Key to Life Supply, Tate Dooley, not only understands this future need, but remains a forward-thinker and industry leader in conceptualizing how this process will work. Tate has been quoted as saying "We will not stop until we have a lab on the moon!"

So, where does cannabis fit into this dream? Well, the future of the cannabis industry is not only bright, but its possibilities are nearly endless! Not only is it a medicine, but in the form of hemp, it can also be a source of food and protein, a building material, a soil rejuvenator, a source of fiber for clothing and rope, a replacement for plastics, a producer of oil, and many other things that would take pages and pages to describe. This not only means a decrease in slow-growing sources of materials like trees, but it also means a diversification of new jobs, new income, new infrastructure and a second chance to consider logistics and transportation possibilities.

The considerable income from this movement can also lead to more research into genetics, genetic potential, soil regeneration practices, and research into the interplanetary endeavors. Funding from private wealthy parties that are also environmentally conscious can assist in this process as well. Cooperation from private sector companies like Tesla whose rocket technology can go hand-in-hand with composting facilities to produce fuel sources and materials; will lead the way into the future. Not only that, but the byproducts from these composting processes can provide a carbon-negative fertilization solution and end the destruction of our soils in the process.

At Key to Life Supply, we imagine a great cooperation between the best and the brightest to help us move into the future. We envision a world that is not only sustainable for the next generation but filled with like-minded people who are forward-thinking and who cooperate with one another to maintain the amazing potential of the natural world. We invite you to become part of this movement however you can. Whether that means making different choices at the grocery store, supporting your local organic farmer, or financially supporting organizations that focus on environmentally conscious practices and restoring the natural environment, any small decision you make will collectively contribute to great change.

Photo-based social media giant Instagram regularly takes action against cannabis-related accounts for violating the terms of service (TOS). Often enough, the reason behind a ban is often unclear to the accounts that are affected—which leads to detrimental loss in engagement for up-and-coming cannabis businesses. 

Instagram has an estimated 1 billion monthly active users since its initial release back in 2010. Any disruption to a thriving Instagram account, especially for cannabis-related accounts, can have devastating effects from a marketing perspective. In most cases, a violation of the TOS can be walked back through a series of steps, as detailed by marketing expert Colin Bambury. Bambury has encountered Instagram suspensions numerous times and wrote up a guide on his website Adcann to help others get their accounts reinstated.

“Social media is an important tool for marketers in any space. It allows brands to create connections and communicate with current and potential consumers anytime, anywhere,” Bambury writes. “With COVID-era lockdowns, consumers are staying inside and scrolling through social platforms more than ever, increasing the importance of digital advertising and native content creation. The cannabis industry is no exception—with many brands, retailers, producers, and accessory purveyors utilizing platforms including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Snapchat.”

Imagine it’s 2025…

Cannabis is the nation’s cash crop, and your friend is telling you about a new “super strain” at the local dispensary.

But he didn’t tell you that it was produced using CRISPR gene editing.

CRISPR technology can edit a plant’s genetic code by removing or replacing a specific genetic sequence.

Gene editing will improve the efficiency of growing operations and unlock higher profit margins for cannabis companies.

Walking into a grocery store, do you question whether or not the meat at the deli is safe to eat or if the frozen meals were prepared in a clean environment? Chances are, you've probably never thought twice about it. But when stepping into a medical or recreational cannabis dispensary, you may be less confident about the safety of the products on the shelves.

Herein lies the difference between an established, well-regulated industry (food) and a brand new emerging industry with no federal regulation or guidance (cannabis).

Most consumers assume that products sold on grocery store shelves are safe. For good reason—the current regulations enforced by the FDA or the USDA on the food industry ensure the quality, safety, and efficacy of the products you purchase.

As the cannabis industry inches towards federal legalization, it would be wise for product manufacturers to implement the same rules followed by the food, dietary supplement, and drug industries. Here's what they are.  

GMP and cGMP

Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) outline the conditions and practices the industry should follow for processing safe products under sanitary conditions, including personnel, plant and grounds, sanitary operations, sanitary facilities and controls, equipment and utensils, processes, and controls, warehousing, and distribution, and defect action levels considerations. 

Delta-8 THC is a popular cannabis product which offers slightly different benefits from its half brother delta-9. Though delta-8 is a product of delta-9 in nature, it’s also quite possible to source delta-8 THC from CBD. Read on to find out how its done.

Let’s be honest, you’re probably not going to set up a science experiment to make delta-8 THC at home from CBD. And that’s okay. Unless you’ve got a chemistry degree, or some incredible natural know-how, it’s just not a beginner’s activity. On the bright side, you don’t need to! Plenty of delta-8 products abound, as well as even newer offerings like THCV, delta-10, and THC-O-Acetate. We’ve got a bunch of great delta-8 THC deals, and way, way more. So take a look at our constantly expanding catalogue, and buy your finished product without worrying about a chemistry set.

First off, what is delta-8 THC?

Delta-8 THC is growing in popularity, but what it is, isn’t always understood. Delta-8 is an isomer of delta-9, meaning it shares the exact same chemical formula of: C₂₁H₃₀O₂, but with a different configuration of atoms. Delta-8 and delta-9 (and all other delta-THCs) are stereoisomers of each other, meaning they differ on nothing more than the placement of a double bond. For delta-9, the standard THC associated with marijuana, it’s on the 9th carbon atom in a chain, for delta-8, its on the 8th.

Delta-8 is a naturally occurring cannabinoid, which is produced in nature through the oxidation of delta-9 THC. When delta-9 comes into contact with oxygen, it loses electrons, thus creating delta-8, a more stable compound with a longer shelf life, since further oxidation is not an issue. Delta-8 only transforms from delta-9 at extremely low rates, meaning what occurs naturally is not in a high enough volume for any kind of product. In order for enough for actual use, it requires synthetization by humans, which we’ll get to soon.

The two isomers, delta-8 and delta-9, share many of the same medicinal characteristics, but differ in a few important ways, which can greatly affect both user experience, and user preference. Delta-9, for starters, is known to cause anxiety in many users. Delta-8 does not, meaning it’s a better treatment for anxiety, as well as not as likely an agent to produce it, in those not attempting to treat it. Delta-9 is also known for an intense high, cloudy head, and couch locking – when a person is so stoned they literally feel like they can’t move off the couch.

Australia’s Victorian government says Agriculture Victoria Research scientists have developed the world’s most complete medicinal cannabis genomic reference.

The organisation has been licensed by the Australian Government to undertake medicinal cannabis research. Agriculture Victoria scientists turned their expertise in genomic DNA testing to develop new tools enabling the extraction of genetic information from various medical cannabis strains from around the world, which has been entered into a database.

The tools, able to sequence the equivalent of 20,000 cannabis genomes per week, flag attributes such as growth rate, bud size, cannabinoid profile and disease resistance. This helps scientists zero in on strains that would likely be most effective in treating various conditions such as epilepsy, multiple sclerosis and cancer.  Furthermore, the systems developed allow for compliance and regulatory related testing to be performed quickly and cost-effectively.

In 2016, Victoria became the first Australian state to legalise the use of medicinal cannabis and its first government grown crop was also harvested that year. However, as in much of Australia, Victoria’s program is fairly limited compared to many jurisdictions outside our shores.

“Victoria’s cultivation trial has not only made medicinal cannabis available to patients but has also provided our world-leading scientists with important genetic information to design more effective products,” said Victoria’s Minister for Agriculture Mary-Anne Thomas. “Research into medicinal cannabis is a great example of how Victoria’s science and health sectors are working hand-in-hand for the benefit of our community, particularly those people who are suffering from chronic health conditions.”

Delta-8 THC, a trendy new cannabinoid being touted as "marijuana lite," has managed to squeeze through a legal loophole and onto the shelves of CBD shops, head shops and convenience stores across the country. "Many people are interested in Delta-8 THC because it sounds like it has a lot of health benefits, it's stronger than CBD, it's relatively cheap, you don't have to go to a dispensary to get it and it does give you a little bit of a high — though it's weaker and usually shorter-acting than a marijuana," explains Michele Ross, PhD, a neuroscientist who studies the medical uses of cannabis and other plants, and the author of CBD Oil for Health. "But as a scientist and an educator, I really urge people to do the research before they try it," she says.

The problem is, because this product is so new, there is little research on its effects so far, and few regulations to guide or protect consumers. Here's what you need to know so far before you chew, drink or inhale it:

What exactly is Delta-8 THC?

Delta-8 THC is basically the result of a clever chemist taking a substance found in hemp — which is legal under the 2018 Farm Bill and does not produce a high — and finding a way to tweak the chemical bonds to create a closer cousin of marijuana while staying within the bounds of what the bill considers legal.

Confused? Yeah, it's confusing. Here's a little primer on plant biology that may clear it up: Hemp and marijuana are closely related plants in the cannabis family. They each contain more than 100 cannabinoids, chemicals that have various effects on the brain and body. The two most well-known cannabinoids are Delta-9 THC, which has a psychoactive effect, making you feel high (it's what makes weed weed), and CBD, which does not make you high but is often used to relieve anxiety and pain. Under legal guidelines, cannabis plants that have more than 0.3% concentration of THC are known as marijuana; plants with less than that are known as hemp.

Now, Delta-8 THC is a minor cannabinoid that is very similar chemically to both CBD and Delta-9 THC, but only occurs naturally in teeny, tiny amounts in the hemp plant, so the real growth is done in a lab. “Products that are made with Delta-8 THC have to be chemically manufactured,” explains Ross. “They take the hemp that has CBD in it and they put a chemical like acetic acid — or something much stronger and possibly even toxic — on it to turn the CBD into Delta-8 THC.” In this process, some Delta-9 THC is also created, she says, so the manufacturer then has to chemically strip out the Delta-9, which is illegal to sell at concentrations above that magical mark of 0.3%. (In a small study by the United States Cannabis Council (USCC), 15 out of 16 Delta-8 THC samples purchased across the country contained Delta-9 THC at much higher concentrations, but that's another issue.)

Delta-8 THC, a naturally occurring cannabinoid found in the hemp plant, is both the hottest new product in the cannabis space and the industry’s latest bogeyman.

Every day, there’s a new article expressing alarm about Delta-8’s legality, accusing those who produce and sell it of risking consumer safety. More than 15 states have actually banned Delta-8 outright—but what's most shocking about these bans is that they are supported by so many hemp and cannabis business leaders.

I am a 13-year veteran of the hemp and cannabis space, and I also manufacture Delta-8 products. I can assure you that I and many other ethical operators care deeply about consumer safety, and want these products to be studied, tested, and regulated. So I’m asking my industry colleagues to stop fueling the Delta-8 panic. I believe Delta-8 serves a genuine need, and the demand for it has been a much-needed boost to the struggling hemp industry.

Banning Delta-8 won’t protect public safety. Our industry should know better than any other that prohibition never works. It creates illegal markets, strengthens unethical operators, and endangers consumers. We can do better.

Delta-8 has people up in arms

Delta-8’s controversy stems from its strong similarity to its federally illegal cousin, Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, commonly known as Delta 9-THC or just THC. Though THC’s psychoactive properties often steal focus from its many important medical applications, it’s best-known as the compound in cannabis that gets consumers high. While Delta 8 occurs naturally in hemp and cannabis, it can be sourced far more easily from hemp CBD isolate. Delta-8-THC’s molecular structure differs just slightly from Delta-9-THC—but it is a crucial difference, both legally and in terms of its effects on consumers. 

Once you start to get involved with marijuana, you start to learn that there’s much more to the plant than smoking it and getting high. Experienced users know what they like and know how to get different results with the plant, depending on different factors like chosen strain, terpenes and knowing what works with their bodies.

All the colors of the rainbow (almost)

While marijuana is primarily green, there are many different shades ranging from lime colored buds to bright purple ones. Where do these come from and why is there so much variability? Plants have thousands of compounds that affect their shape and color. Temperature, time of harvest and other factors are big influences on the plant’s color.

Most plants are green due to chlorophyll, the main compound responsible for absorbing sunlight and completing the photosynthesis process. The cannabis plant falls under this spectrum. Strains that have dark shades, such as purple, red, blues and pinks are generally high in anthocyanins, a compound that appears once the plant matures. These types of plants are more likely to have stronger smells and are also very eye catching, which is why they’re so popular, particularly the purple ones.

Colors like orange and yellow are produced by carotenoids, which are present in vegetables like squash, sweet potatoes and pumpkins. These chemicals tend to appear in plants that grew in alkaline soils.

Do different colors have different effects?

While the colors in marijuana make for more attractive plants on a visual level, perhaps influencing the way in which they smell or feel, the drug’s effects aren’t generally altered.

One of the most significant dangers to our wildlife, environment, and global climate is something nearly every person on Earth uses every single day: plastic (single-use plastic in particular).

It is devastating oceans and waterways, covering land and beaches, and filling landfills at a staggering rate.

This is not a problem we will be able to outrun.

Thankfully, there are cannabis companies across the globe dedicated to developing hemp-based solutions to our plastic problem.

Scientists are using hemp to create biodegradable plastics, called bioplastics, that are harmless to the environment and degrade in just a fraction of the time of standard single-use plastic.

Industrial hemp could be a valuable tool for UK farming, helping to transition to more sustainable practices and provide a new cash crop, according to a farmer group.

To investigate hemp’s potential further, five farmers are collaborating with researchers at Cranfield University and the British Hemp Alliance as part of an Innovative Farmers programme by the Soil Association.

They plan to run on-farm field trials to gather science-based data about the plant’s environmental benefits.

Long stigmatised for being part of the Cannabis family (hemp varieties are low THC Cannabis Stiva L, and not used in narcotics), hemp does not require agro-chemicals.

And there is growing international evidence that it can boost biodiversity, control pests, improve soils, and sequester carbon, say researchers.

As places around the world continue to legalize cannabis, businesses are realizing the opportunities to be had in this growing market.

Each year, consumers look forward to innovations in technology. When it comes to cannabis vapes, the market is booming with new devices and tweaks to existing products. Entrepreneurs don’t want to miss an opportunity to create the next best vape.

Cannabis vape tech is taking off globally, and here are 3 reasons why:

Photo by Martina Paraninfi/Getty Images

Demand is Increasing

During the pandemic, many consumers have reported that their medical use of cannabis for mental health reasons has increased. In addition, more and more states are legalizing the medical and recreational use of cannabis. To meet the rising demand, and to accommodate new consumers, vaping technology is advancing rapidly.