Hallo, ik ben Marisja Anderson, ik ben een nauwgezette EMS-supervisor met een solide karakter en goed ontwikkelde kerncompetenties met betrekking tot het verlenen van en toezicht houden op de uitbetaling van medische noodhulp. Toegewijd aan het uitdagen en aanmoedigen van EMS-personeel om te voldoen aan de normen voor patiëntenzorg en deze te overtreffen.
This is a new release over at KOS (Kingdom Organic Seeds) in the Gamblers’ section, a very worthy addition to any garden, I think. The genetic/expressions floating around in the La Smush are potentially epic, in my opinion. The price is right as well. I’ll provide a link at the end of this article.
In the photo above you can see the dark and deadly La Smush seeds. Making this hybrid was partly opportunistic. I had been toying around with something to recombine with my beloved Skyanchor genetics.
The Riffraff Thai was always a top potential contender on my short-list for the male breeder genes for the Skyanchor. While inbreeding the Riffraff Thai I got an extremely capable male, seriously, a superior individual. I kept him around in clone form while I brought up the Skyanchor plants. I selected 2 Skyanchor females to recombine with my stellar male Riffraff Thai. Let me show you some more baybee…
The Fast Deets on La Smush
The Skyanchor maternal P1 is No Slouch When It Comes to Yields Either
FLAVORS/SMELLS: Fully Sweet and Sour with Strong Candy and Acrid Honey Oil
BAG APPEAL: Very Exotic, Really Frosty, Super Smelly, and Tremendously Purple Buds
ONSET TIME: 5 Minutes
LENGTH OF EFFECTS: 2 Hours+
MEDICAL PROPERTIES: Unknown
The Riffraff Thai Females (paternal P1 breeder genes) are Extremely Vigorous Growing Ass Kickers
The Rundown—Hierarchy Etc.
MALE BREEDER DEETS: I had recently inbred my Riffraff Thai line of beans, and while selecting the breeders for that project I came across a truly exceptional male. Hearty and vigorous to the max, and seriously purple. Some of the Riffraff Thai high-type qualities have always reminded me of the old-school Champagne indica. The Riffraff doesn’t really hold any super Thai-like qualities and is more of a deadly potent and tasty combo that yields really big purple buds. I kept the male in clone form until I had my Skyanchor breeders all set to rock and roll.
The Mysterious and Deadly Skyanchor Maternal P1 Breeder Genetics
FEMALE BREEDER(S) DEETS: The Skyanchor is a superior weirdo strain. A cross made by me some years ago, where I selected a wonderful Bogglegum (from BOG) male, and a clone-only variety called Purple Salem Indica (PSI) I acquired from an old friend named Keith, in Salem, OR. The Skyanchor is very purple and a master of severe resin production, along with sweet candy like red Tootsie Pops and Honey Oil—very pungent indeed—extreme terpene power and resin production. The Skyanchor, also reminds me a lot of the old Champagne indica from the days of yore, heh heh.
Growing Information
GROWER: The Rev
The only small issue these may encounter is their distaste for pH ranges below 6.7ish. This is due to the landrace Deep Chunk genetics within the paternal P1 of La Smush, the Riffraff Thai. Great tolerance to higher temperatures and to dryer conditions overall can be reasonably counted on.
Please do not sprout these on a 24/0 photoperiod and I recommend a photoperiod of 16/8 for sprouting and until 30 days old, then 18/6 is fine. Never use a 24/0 photoperiod. Always allow plants (or clones of plants; and clones are the same age that the seed plant would be no matter how many clones of clones) to get at least 55 days old from sprouting, before starting to flower for maximum resin production. You should always grow organically/all-naturally for the full appreciation of natural smells and flavors.
The Paternal P1 Breeder for La Smush, the Riffraff Thai Females are Grapefruit and Honey Oil Terpenes
Afterword with Rev
This recombination (La Smush) has many very favorable expressions rolling around and having that very dominant purple expression ride along with a very potent resin expression—wicked resin production levels—almost as a co-dependent, is a beautiful thing. All too often those hard-core purple expressions ride along with lower potency (resin production) as a co-dependent-ish, and I have seen this a ton in the past. Nice building blocks for breeders here.
To me, most indica varieties are hammers that lack complexity. That’s not to say I don’t dig that sometimes, just not usually as my go-to smoke. The Skyanchor, like the old Champagne, are both weirdo indica varieties that not only knock the crap out of you—LoL—but actually get you very-very high, and not so much “stoned”. You know what I mean, stoned is like, “drooling on your shoes” … very high is like your mind and body are jamming through the universe at high speeds while you do things, with a huge grin. Simplified, but you get my drift yeah?
Today’s puzzle is all over the place—LoL—some La Smush stuff, nostalgic TV, and cannabis related. I would say today’s puzzle is, fairly easy as these go. Cheers and have fun. The key is in a link right below the puzzle if you needs it—wink.
Hemp farmers in Tennessee are being told to burn or otherwise destroy fields of hemp that tested above federal THC thresholds after a change in testing rules, reports Nashville News Channel 5.
The US Department of Agriculture’s 2021 final rule establishing a national hemp program requires field samples to measure both delta-9 THC and THCa. The total concentration must remain below 0.3 percent.
According to Hemp Grower, the 2018 Farm Bill didn’t define hemp by total THC levels and only required testing for delta-9-THC. But the USDA’s interpretation of the bill requires testing for total THC.
Why? The 2021 rule explains that Ernest Small, a horticulturalist who documented the differences between hemp and other cannabis in the 1970s, used gas chromatography testing. This method applies heat to the sample, decarboxylating any THCa into delta-9 THC.
Liquid chromatography testing, on the other hand, doesn’t use enough heat to fully decarboxylate the THCa. When this method is used, the USDA said results for THCa and delta-9 must be added together to ensure consistency between the two testing methods.
Burning Half the Crop
Nearly half the crops in Tennessee, 42 percent, are testing hot, Kyle Horan reported for News Channel 5.
Hemp farmer Seth Fuller, who had to burn about half of his crop, told the station it meant the loss of many thousands of dollars.
“It’s a very sad day at Nashland Farms,” Fuller said. “There are a lot of people who helped maintain this crop to help get it to its potential and there are a lot of people waiting to get this crop to help with ailments and everybody is kind of losing in this case. So, we’re trying to create a win and educate the general public and try to destigmatize hemp as a whole.”
Horan reported that the Tennessee Department of Agriculture is trying to help by allowing farmers to grind the crop and test again. Ultimately, though, the department must enforce the USDA’s rules.
“When the USDA said in their final rule that it’s 0.3 THC, that’s what we have to go by,” Denise Woods, Hemp Program Coordinator for TDA, told Horan.
Potential Solutions Coming, But Won’t Help Farmers Now
A federal bill introduced in early February could offer a solution. The Hemp Advancement Act, seeks to raise the threshold for THC in unprocessed hemp to 1 percent.
And a “THC-null” variety of hemp was announced in January. A Colorado hemp genetics company, Trilogene, said it was releasing a hemp cultivar that produced 17-22 percent CBD and no THC. Called Pandora, clones will be available this spring for U.S. farmers, and seeds will be available in the U.S. and internationally this fall.
But these potential solutions probably offer little consolation to Tennessee farmers under orders to destroy crops now.
Why 0.3 percent?
Where did the 0.3 percent rule come from in the first place?
It dates back to 1976, when Canadian horticulturalists Ernest Small and Arthur Cronquist sought to distinguish hemp from other cannabis.
As documented in Hemp Grower, the horticulturalists wrote, “It will be noted that we arbitrarily adopt a concentration of 0.3% delta-9 THC (dry-weight basis) in young, vigorous leaves of relatively mature plants as a guide to discriminating two classes of plants.”
In their own words, the 0.3 percent limit is arbitrary.
New York is giving hemp farmers a head start in growing cannabis for recreational use.
A new law gives them first access to apply for a two-year license to grow THC-rich strains of cannabis, reports the New York Daily News. It also allows them to minimally process and distribute cannabis flower without an adult-use processor or distributor license until June 1, 2023.
The licensing measure because official Feb. 22 with a signature from Gov. Kathy Hochul. Licensed growers will be able to start planting marijuana this spring.
“This legislation aligns the rollout of the adult-use program with the natural growing season so that products made with sun-grown cannabis can be available when dispensaries open their doors,” said Jen Metzger, a member of the state’s Cannabis Control Board and former Senate Agriculture Chair, said in a press release.
The state legalized recreational adult use almost a year ago and adults 21 and older can now possess and consume cannabis, privately or publicly. But officials are still working out the details of how to regulate farming and sales in the state. The new law ensures that planting season won’t pass without having the farming piece
“[F]armers can now put seeds in the ground to ensure we meet the demand of this burgeoning industry,” Senator Michelle Hinchey said of the legislation.
“Farmers can now put seeds in the ground to ensure we meet the demand of this burgeoning industry.”
— Senator Michelle Hinchey
According to Marijuana Moment, New York hasn’t authorized any retailers to sell cannabis for recreational adult use yet. Regardless, as Forbes recently reported, a budding gray market has emerged as entrepreneurs try to get a jump on corporate cannabis.
In any case, Governor Hochul said the bill “positions New York’s farmers to be the first to grow cannabis and jumpstart the safe, equitable and inclusive new industry we are building.”
The licenses are conditional, meaning they include requirements farmers must meet including environmentally-friendly cultivation practices and teaching others how to cultivate cannabis through a social equity mentorship program.
Of the conditions, Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes said, “This authority will help secure enough safe, regulated, and environmentally conscious cannabis products to meet the demand of the adult-use cannabis market when retail dispensaries open.”
New York has committed to making racial equity a priority in cannabis policy reforms. In January, the governor’s executive budget proposed using $200 million from cannabis licensing fees and tax revenue to support to applicants from communities harmed by past enforcement efforts against cannabis.
Additionally, to be eligible for a conditional license farmers have to
have grown hemp through the Department of Agriculture and Markets’s research program for at least two of the last four years;
be in good standing with the program;
have at least 51% ownership stake in a business licensed to grow hemp.
Now York’s governor and legislature have been acting quickly on cannabis reforms. Since last October the state’s Office of Cannabis Management has:
Launched the Cannabinoid Hemp Program, putting in place protections for the public and provisions to support New York’s CBD businesses;
Expanded access to the Medical Cannabis Program by empowering health care providers to determine if medical cannabis can help their patients, lowering costs by permanently waiving patient fees and allowing the sale of whole flower, and adding to the list of providers who can certify patients;
Launched its first wave of community outreach events with 11 regional events, including one in Spanish, that’s already engaged more than 5,000 attendees.
The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws is reporting that geezers on ganja are doing better than those who abstain, quoting the Israeli journal Frontiers in Medicine. According to the journal, Israeli researchers concluded that elderly patients who used cannabis medicinally experienced a greater quality of life and a reduced need for medications.
The researchers looked at elderly usage of federally allowed medical cannabis products over a period of six months. The study involved around 10,000 qualified cannabis patients. The participants averaged 55 years of age and were likely to have been diagnosed with a range of conditions, listing either pain, cancer, or post-traumatic stress.
Most of the patients surveyed indicated that cannabis was highly effective in addressing their symptoms. 91 percent of the patients suffering from post-traumatic stress said that cannabis was effective at treating their conditions, with 84 percent of those suffering from inflammatory bowel disease, and 78 percent of chronic pain patients agreeing.
Israeli law allows physicians to grant authorization for qualified patients to access infused products and cannabis flower from licensed dispensaries. NORML goes on to say that, consistent with other studies, the majority of the subjects said that their overall quality of life was positively impacted during the course of the study.
Consistent with previous studies, a good portion of the patients substituted their pharmaceutical medications with weed, something that many people have been doing in greater society as many people self-medicate with cannabis. Nearly forty percent of the patients who used opioids stopped using them after treatment with cannabis. Of those who were using prescription antidepressants and drugs to treat epilepsy twenty-five percent stopped their medications, with seventeen percent of those suffering from anxiety doing the same.
As boomers age, we can expect to see more and more seasoned citizens turn to cannabis to manage the symptoms of their health conditions. And as we age just feeling relaxed and Irie can be a very good thing. So spark it up, Grandma, the herb is good for your health!
One shop owner says he’s prepared to stand his ground.
A district attorney in Kansas has given hemp shops in his jurisdiction until March 20 to stop selling delta-8 TCH. One shop owner says he believes he’s within the law — and willing to take the issue to court.
Johnson County District Attorney Steve Howe announced Feb. 22 that his office had begun issuing written notices advising businesses of the deadline to stop selling delta-8.
“We are providing your company written notice of the illegality of these products,” Howe’s letter reads. “You have an opportunity to voluntarily remove these products from your store shelves and no longer sell them to consumers. You have until the close of business on March 20, 2022 to accomplish this. Failure to remove these illegal products from your shelves by March 20th could result in your business, its owners and employees being subject to criminal penalties.”
The notice follows a Dec. 2, 2021 opinion from the Kansas Attorney General’s Office that called delta-8 “unlawful to possess or sell” beyond trace concentrations of 0.3%.
Delta-8 THC has a chemical structure similar to that of delta-9 THC, the most abundant form of naturally-occurring THC. And like delta-9, it has a psychotropic effect, though its effects are reportedly milder. The delta-8 on the market today is sourced from hemp and is not explicitly banned at the federal level.
State laws governing the substance vary. Johnson County sits on the outskirts of Kansas City, Missouri, where delta-8 can be found in convenience stores, tobacco and hemp shops.
“While we are sympathetic to the plight of many who suffer from a variety of ailments and conditions and seek help in easing their pain, we have a duty to ensure that unlawful products are not being sold to consumers and that these substances go through proper vetting processes to ensure they are safe to consumers.”
— Johnson County District Attorney Steve Howe
Howe noted in a press release that his job is to enforce laws, and he hoped Kansas lawmakers would clarify the state’s policy on delta-8.
“While we are sympathetic to the plight of many who suffer from a variety of ailments and conditions and seek help in easing their pain, we have a duty to ensure that unlawful products are not being sold to consumers and that these substances go through proper vetting processes to ensure they are safe to consumers,” Howe said in a press release. “[…] We are hoping the Kansas Legislature will provide further clarity to this issue during the next legislative session.”
“With these different products being sold with different chemical compounds or different additives, it’s always a constant challenge,” Howe told KSHB Kansas City. “And we’re again trying to be even handed about this and putting people on notice. We think this is the right approach, but it is confusing.”
“We are 100% confident that what we’re doing is legal within the letter of the law in Kansas. So we’ll let the judge decide, you know, whose interpretation is correct.“
— Vince Sanders, founder of CBD American Shaman
The DA’s notice hits close to home for Vince Sanders, who founded CBD American Shaman in Kansas City, Missouri, in 2015. Since then, the business has grown into a franchise with some 365 locations nationwide. Several of those are in Johnson County.
Sanders told KSHB Kansas City he believes delta-8 is legal in Kansas. And he’s willing to take the issue to court.
“Cannabis has a huge place in our healthcare and that, you know, we just need to get our heads around it and figure out how to properly legislate it and get it into the consumers hands,” Sanders said. “We are 100% confident that what we’re doing is legal within the letter of the law in Kansas. So we’ll let the judge decide, you know, whose interpretation is correct.”
Equity means fair and impartial, but in many states across the country, the actual and factual definition seems non-existent in social equity programs. In the United States cannabis industry social equity scene, social equity seems more of a tool that allows those that already have money and access to have more money and access off the backs of those most impacted by the war on drugs.
What is Social Equity?
When we hear “social equity,” a couple of ideas come to mind to explain exactly what it is and how it impacts the cannabis industry. The term is supposed to imply impartiality and fairness, specifically in policy, with special attention to systems and the types of outcomes that derive from them. The term, unfortunately, has become a bane in the reality of cannabis, with many non-white and marginalized business owners often left holding a nug with no lighter and no fire in sight.
Similar to the civil rights movement (or any movement meant to assist disenfranchised members of this country in seemingly any aspect involving wealth and money, which equates to freedom) the language has been used, the dates set, but the action has not been carried out in true integrity, for sake of its name. Equity eludes those to whom it is promised. At the same time, the whiter or richer end of the spectrum profits and elevates astronomically to the top of the cannabis earning charts, driving a further divide in wealth disparity across the United States. This translates to staggering numbers and reports of a system failing its proposed beneficiaries once again.
The MCBA Social Equity in Cannabis Report
On February 10, 2022, the Minority Cannabis Business Association released “Social Equity 2.0”, an extensive, 38-page report detailing the truth in numbers. Many of us had surface knowledge of social equity and little understanding of what was actually taking place between cannabis license hopefuls and the process to licensure. The social equity report and interview are enlightening in a way that helps make sense of the questions most of us have:
Where are all the businesses that were supposed to flourish under the promise of equity?
Where are the black and brown faces?
Why are the same types of candidates constantly winning in the wealth markets?
While there have been a few winners on the “minority” front in cannabis, there have been too many losses characterized and quantified in the details of SE2.0 to confidently say social equity has been working as intended.
A Sit Down with the MCBA President, About the Social Equity in Cannabis Report
The Q & A with MCBA President Kaliko Castille, was led by Dom Hart, and focuses on the social equity in cannabis report.
Social Equity 2.0 is a reporting document compiled by the MCBA, that identifies social equity breakdown in 38 of 50 states that currently have cannabis legalization in either medical, adult-use or both. Written in the language of numbers and political jargon, the document is designed to expose the general public to the realities of social equity while also educating both the public and political persons who should know the cannabis industry in real-time.
The following is a transcription of the interview between Kaliko Castille and Dom “Goddess Dom” Hart, which took place on 2/8/2022. The conversation has been edited for clarity. The bold text = Dom, the italic text = Kaliko Castille.
Peace and Love. Thank you for taking the time to meet with me today! I’m excited to dive into this report!
“Thank you for joining me! Did you get a chance to look over the document?”
I did! There is so much information! As I went through it, I compared my notes to the one-page to make sure I was understanding correctly. So what I gathered is that the systems set in place in the name of social equity are not working, so poorly that it’s almost as if there is no social equity in place. There are still disparities based on race and economic status that have created more barriers to equity in cannabis.
“In general, there are a lot of well-intentioned folks in the movement who are doing the actual work on the ground of social equity political fronts. They are doing their best but are ultimately running up against a political system that for decades has tried not to learn anything about cannabis. And now we are in a short window, not only trying to teach them about cannabis but to teach them how it overlaps with systemic racial issues in America.
Our work is cut out for us. This conversation really started in 2015, when you think about it, so only 6-7 years into the conversation. Whereas before 2015, we were accepting whatever legalization bill we could get through the door because we just wanted to move the ball forward. But now it’s not IF with legalization; it’s WHEN. So now we have to be more methodical about how we write these policies.
Oakland passed the first social equity law back in 2015, and it has done some great work. The very first of its kind… but there are a lot of lessons that have been learned since then. This report gives us a holistic view of the industry and says all of these policies are well-intentioned, but what’s the math? How many states have license caps, which is not good for equity? How many have direct funding applicants? The report looks at not only the social equity provisions but the broader aspect of legalization and all the policies that ultimately impact social equity. We printed the seven takeaways one-pager to help explain why we are doing this on a generalized scale.
We are trying to educate folks. Best intentioned efforts have been awesome. Now, where are we at? Obviously, we all know the cannabis industry is not equitable, that we’re not where we want to be but in order for us to change that with policymakers, we needed to have the data that says, “This is where the states have tried…this is where the states have failed..we see the data, so we know what we want to fix.”
This will be rolling into us relaunching our new model legislation. We did our first state model legislation in 2017, and we are going to update that now for the first time after all of these learnings. So we’ll be able to take all this data and roll it into a tangible policy that we can get introduced to statehouses and say, “Hey, if you want to do legalization the ‘right’ way, this is the way you do it in order to have more equitable outcomes.”
So this isn’t just for information; your work is going towards writing another bill that can hopefully replace the one currently in place. The numbers are for policymakers because that’s the type of information that will grasp their attention. You’ve done the work that they don’t believe will be done, so now they have no choice but to make changes, hence the public release of the bill.
“Right, Everyone wants to reinvent the wheel, but if we can save them time and say listen… And I’ll use an example stat from the report I want to highlight, not even about ownership but talks about access to the industry.
Only 34 of the 38 states that have legal cannabis, whether medical or adult use, 34 states currently bar candidates for ownership from having felony convictions. It literally goes for the core of what we are trying to do, which is get people from the “legacy market” involved in the regulated market place and 34 states are banning those folks from ownership. So, if we ever want to get to an equitable place while trying to transition legacy to the regulated market, we have to do away with things like that that are ultimately keeping people out of something that we now consider legal.
There’s the aspect of trying to transition legacy market businesses owned by people convicted for cannabis crimes, but there’s also the aspect of funding. Many of these people are not coming from traditional business backgrounds; they don’t have access to traditional bank loans as cannabis business owners, and even if they did, Black people are less likely to procure loans over white entrepreneurs.
Further, only 8 of the 38 states that have medical cannabis (out of 50 states) provide access to application and fee waivers. If we are trying to [empower cannabis entrepreneurs] who come from non-traditional backgrounds and don’t have capital or startup funds or bank access, one of the simple things to do is waive fees for people so that there’s one less barrier to entry into the market.”
This is going to blow folks out of the water if they don’t already know what’s going on. A few of the companies I have interviewed have spoken about the social equity aspect of their journey and how getting into the market is difficult; there is often no direction. (Some parts of this, with the blocks to entry and the access to information and funding, remind me of parts of the civil rights movement, like prior to the voting rights act).
“In an abstract way, you can liken it to parts of the civil rights movement. You can compare the licensing structures & fees to a poll tax. It’s very much about access and keeping people out simply because they don’t have the money.
If you think about it from a political standpoint, conservatives always talk about wanting to be pro-business. But a lot of what we are dealing with hurts small businesses. We are making it harder for small business owners to get involved in the economy. Remove race from the conversation for a second; just talk about making it easy for small businesses to get involved. We shouldn’t be making it hard by having fees that make it hard for any general business owner to get into the industry.
Everyone should have access to the tools that help to provide generation wealth for their families. Now add on the extra layer of race on top of it. There’s absolutely no excuse for us to keep those barriers in place. What we are literally doing is attempting to repair some of the damage from the War on Drugs; some of the ways these laws are written are just extending that by a different name.
The same way Michelle Alexander wrote about the New Jim Crow, we call this “Social Equity 2.0” because we want it to actually change rather than just another War on Drugs 2.0, which is us continuing to crack down on the legacy market operators. California and Oregon, traditional export states, people send their weed over. Now that there are limited states, there’s more weed than they can do with because the limited legal market makes it harder. The market here has always grown crops in the west and sold back east. Thinking about the economy, we should make it easier for people in any state to do whatever business wherever they want to do it. It should be a truly free market.
For example, license caps; a lot of companies (will lobby to) get a cap written into the law so that a certain number of companies get the licensing. Take New Jersey, which will only allow about 50 licenses to go through, none of which will go to a black entrepreneur. What’s happening is they are ARTIFICIALLY creating a necessity for license caps.
There’s no cap on the number of coffee shops that can be opened in New Jersey. Caffeine is a drug that kills more folks than cannabis, but there is no cap on the number of coffee shops that can open state to state. But in cannabis, there is a limit, which means the licenses become more valuable. If you have 1 million people with cannabis businesses and only 50 people get the licenses, then those 50 businesses become more valuable, which brings in the large capital to invest in those people, and ultimately moves all the black and brown folks out because they don’t have access to that market.
And that’s where you see the game being played. A lot of people will invest in a social equity applicant or even team up with them and end up screwing them out of the partnership agreement, to where ultimately the white owner ends up coming out on top, but they use that black or brown person to get the social equity license. Then they are able to flip that license for 10x, 20x what it’s worth because of the limited market in the limited license state.
With unlimited licensing, that means if you just have the money and have the skillset, you’d play the game, and some would win, some would lose, and it would be based on your merits, not just connections or because of the cap.”
You’re bringing together so many of the stories that I have heard from companies that have gone into different aspects of the cannabis industry. Obviously, they can’t disclose all the details because of litigation issues, but they’re getting into business with these investors who seem genuine, and then they lose everything, having the rug snatched up from under them. I’ve been hearing a few startup stories like this, and thankfully they follow up with success, but clearly, there are too many that haven’t. It’s frustrating.
“Yeah, absolutely, it’s frustrating, and unfortunately, it’s real life. It happens to plenty of us! Even I started a dispensary in 2013 in the *gray market in Oregon. We had an investor who gave us money, and we ended up losing out on a technicality with our license. The third partner tried to throw me under the bus with the investor and said it was my fault that we lost out on our license. Now I’m the only brown person in this partnership.
Luckily the investor partner came and told me what this other dude was saying. It ended up working out that way, we didn’t get our license, but I also didn’t end up getting tossed out of the business. But that’s the sort of stuff that happens, and other people aren’t so lucky.”
I’m sorry to hear that. I’m just connecting the dots of all that I have heard this past year. Taking all that you are saying in—
“Looking back to this report and speaking of connecting the dots. New Jersey and the northeast are in a position where 17 of 18 adult-use states basically allow for co-location of at least one adult license. This means that if you’re in the medical market fast, the steps taken to get into the adult-use market are shorter. These medical programs are the most inequitable, so if you allow one of these medical cannabis facilities to have first chance at a license, it’s like putting the medical facility on steroids and cementing the inequities in the market.”
It makes it feel like this whole thing is a setup.
“Yeah, well, what we have to understand is that the United States does not operate outside of the laws of capitalism. And this is especially tough for those of us in the cannabis movement because most of us lean a little anti-capitalist or have gotten the short end of the stick. We’d rather see things NOT go the way they always have gone, so we are trying to insert something into the conversation that interrupts the natural order of things.
Capitalism IS limited licensing, merging, and acquisition, with only a few getting the pieces of the pie. That’s the system we are fighting against outside of the political system we are also fighting. It’s hard as a movement to remove ourselves from the capitalism conversation when we are trying to disrupt the natural order of American capitalism.”
This is essentially flipping not only the cannabis industry on its head but other systems in place in the United States.
“If you look at it from a pure political people-powered movement, amidst conversation of voting rights, since we are in the year 2022, the war on drugs. The linchpin of it has been marijuana, which is how it’s been able to help lock up hundreds of thousands of Black and Brown people. That is what has literally cut off the economic ability of those families and communities to build generational wealth and have upward mobility both socially and politically.
So if cannabis is the linchpin to the war on drugs, and the war on drugs has been the number one way we’ve been able to maintain the social order from segregation til now, then flipping cannabis and making it truly equitable means that we are reversing decades of systemic racism because we are giving people access to the economy and access to growing their communities, in a way we are replanting the growth of the black and brown communities that have been purposely and systemically cut off due to the war on drugs.”
Turning the soil.
“When you have economic power, then you have political power. So, if we can get black and brown folks access to economic power through social equity by actually doing them the right way, then the next step is political power. We need people that come from these disenfranchised communities to be elected to offices and accepted into the general economy instead of just cutting off entire generations of folks through incarceration.”
Final Thoughts
Photo Credit: House of Weird Perfection
As further revelation equips people with knowledge and understanding, the regulation and equitable change in the cannabis industry is something we can look forward to. May it tend to and help heal the wounds that the war on drugs and other systemic disparities have left on the legacies of Black and Brown people, as well as other disenfranchised groups of people within the cannabis community.
We don’t just want change. We fight for and expect it! We want to see the actual and factual definition of equity- in action- in social equity programs everywhere. We don’t just want to hear about it, we want equity, and we want it now!
Special thanks are extended to Kaliko and the MCBA board and team for putting ideas to work together so that we could all benefit from the revelation of this knowledge.
This content has been co-authored by Dom Hart. Feature Photo Credit: Vernon Clements
No Container Layering When Transplanting Bare Root Clones
Howdy my esteemed green peeps! Container layering growing cannabis is a TLO (True Living Organics) strategy that works on the same basic principles as TLO container spikes.True Living Organics Nutrient Spikes.What we are doing is SAFELY adding more nutrients to the containers. This is especially handy for older damaged growers like me that like to use smaller container sizes while still getting primo yields and the highest quality.
If you don’t use container layering now, you should. You can up your game considerably by starting to use this practice during every single transplant. Unlike TLO spikes, which I only use in my flowering containers, I use layering every time I transplant any plant at any stage.
I know dumping powerful solutions (teas/fertilizers) that drench entire containers (all roots and soil life) is never a good idea if you actually want to leverage the power of living soil. TLO style container layering adds some decent horsepower to your containers for sure. It also allows the roots to get used to these added nutrients, in a more isolated location/fashion, so as not to affect the entire root system (container). Like spikes, we always want to add layers where roots are NOT … Not yet anyway. Let’s get into it…
A Few of My Current Ladies Nearing Flowering Time
Container Layering—The How
Like I said above, you add layers where the roots haven’t been to yet. This allows the roots to approach the nutrient “treasure chests” gradually, adapting to the unique pH and other conditions locally where the layers are. The roots in concert with the established microbial life takes full advantage of the layers.
It is best to use nutrient sources that are also found in your soil mix when using container layering. This way all the microbial life in the soil is already familiar with the nutrient source(s) and will make quick and efficient work of them.
I have done many growing containers/plants side-by-sides with layers and no layers. It is quite obviously a bonus to your plants resulting in faster/happier/more vigorous growth, and with larger yields when used in flowering containers. This is also super-handy for clones you may want to keep fully healthy/happy in smaller container sizes for longer times. This is basically a 2-step operation here during any transplant. The 1st step is the bottom layer…
Bottom Layer
Lightly mist the inside of the containers before doing anything else.
Find locations on the floor inside the container you can put some nutrients down without having them just spill out of drainage holes. If this is very difficult you can always add a very thin layer of soil mix on the floor first before adding your nutrient(s).
Simply sprinkle down the nutrients you have chosen. Immediately afterwards add more soil mix up to the level you normally would before placing the new plant in.
I like to let these containers sit this way for a full 24 hours before I actually transplant into them. You absolutely don’t have to wait, and you can transplant immediately if you want to. I like to wait just to give all the soil life a chance to “get a grip” on the rich nutrient source and begin colonizing it. It’s all good either way, no worries.
Crab Meal Brings Very Cannabis Friendly and Exotic Nutrients Along With pH Buffering
Top Layer
The 2nd step is the top layer, this is not like a TLO top dressing. Top dressings are done differently. You will absolutely be wanting to use a mulch layer here (righty after putting down the layer) as well to get the most bang for your buck out of the top layer. You can mulch with bark, cannabis stems chopped up, dried banana peels chopped up, the possibilities are many. Don’t forego the mulch because it’s a huge advantage for the roots and the soil life—not to mention the general speed and effectiveness of the top layer.
Once you have backfilled the new container with the new plant in it, and before you add the mulch, you just mist the top of the soil a bit first.
Sprinkle down your chosen nutrients out around the container sides, mostly avoiding the top of the plant’s root-ball. You want to keep most of the nutrients only on top of the new soil you have just added.
Once you have your chosen nutrients all sprinkled down, you mist the top once again, then add your mulch layer on top. Boom, done!
Container Layering—The What
Choosing which nutrient(s) to use for your layers will depend partly upon when you may already know you need a bit more of. Say your soil mix is a bit weak where phosphorus (P) is concerned, so you would make sure whatever you use bumps up your P a bit. Now, part of this tricky-trick is also recognizing the local pH effects different nutrient sources will contribute. I like to balance that out a bit up on top and in the bottom layers.
3-Gallon Containers with Bottom Layer in Place and Some Soil Added
In a Typical 3-Gallon Container for Flowering…
Bottom Layer—1-teaspoon bone meal, 1-teaspoon crab meal, 1-teaspoon bird/bat guano.
Top Layer—1-tablespoon alfalfa meal, 1-tablespoon crab meal, 2-teaspoons bird/bat guano.
I really like using bird/bat guano in my mix and for layers as well. It has always seemed to me this addition enhances the terpenes in a profound way. The crab meal, and the bone meal are both pH buffers that tend to raise the pH while the other constituents tend to lower the pH.
I wouldn’t use things like gypsum, lime, rock phosphate, K-Mag (langbeinite), or other minerals in container layering, although a little bit of greensand contributes a lot and also buffers the pH upwards a bit as well. Basically, you can use whatever you want to when layering. Just don’t use too much, and make sure it is an organic all-natural (as in made by Mother Nature). You also really want to use nutrient sources here that are also found in your soil mix. This really gives the microlife a leg-up when it comes to utilizing these nutrient sources for the plants.
Summery
Alfalfa Meal Brings Balanced Nutrition and a Powerful Growth Hormone
Container layering is a real easy habit to get into doing, always, at every transplant. It has a huge payoff when it comes to overall plant happiness and vigor/health. Why wouldn’t you do this…? Is the real question, yes?
You could get fully Bohemian here and layer with rinsed chopped up kelp and something like dried/composted rabbit poop. You can use something extra simple like 1-part bone meal, 1-part blood meal, and 2-parts kelp meal. You could sub out ground pumpkin seeds for the kelp meal if you wanted to. Just do some research into whatever you want to potentially use.
There are a bazillion things you could use here in combination or even stand alone. My favorite granular chicken guano is perfect as a solo additive for layering containers because it also contains decent calcium levels which balance out the pH level of the guano decomposing. All-natural/organic dry nutrients that are NPK balanced would also work fine as a stand-alone layering product. Alfalfa and crab meal work excellent together as well. Just get into this habit and you won’t regret it.
Rev’s Classic Hash Bonging Face LoL
L8r G8rs
Boom! Here’s my TLO Book for more info on layers, spikes, and top dressings: Rev’s True Living Organics book, 2nd Edition! Swing by Kingdom Organic Seeds for a fine selection of healthy and exotic cannabis seeds. Well, I’m outty for now, but I’ll be back next Tuesday for another article here at SKUNK baybee.
I’m so close to finishing the new book now I can taste it, heh heh. It’s not the writing of it that is the most work, it is the constant rewriting–LoL. Time to puff a little hash … Happy Trails.
Most parents would consider giving CBD to kids, according to results of a recent national poll. However, many would want a prescription before doing so.
Both stats come from a survey of 1,992 parents by C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital, a pediatric hospital affiliated with the University of Michigan Medical School. The hospital’s National Poll on Children’s Health surveyed U.S. parents of children aged 3 to 18 in October 2021. The results were published Feb. 21, 2022.
Here’s an overview of their findings:
This is a new issue to parents, with most saying they know little or nothing about CBD use in children.
46% of parents said they don’t know much about CBD use in children
34% had never heard of children using CBD before the poll
17% reported having some knowledge
3% felt well informed about CBD use in children
Most parents have never considered giving their child CBD.
90% of parents had never considered giving their child CBD
4% have considered CBD for their child, but haven’t acted on it
2% have given their child a CBD product
1% said their child had used CBD without their permission
The small percentage of parents who have thought to give their children CBD would do so for similar reasons adults use it.
Parents’ most common reasons for wanting to give their child CBD were:
anxiety (51%),
sleep problems (40%),
ADHD (33%),
muscle pain (20%),
autism (19%),
to make their child feel better in general (13%).
Among parents who have given or considered giving CBD for their child, 29% say they talked with their child’s healthcare provider about CBD use.
A third of those polled (35%) thought taking CBD was basically the same as “using marijuana,” according to the poll results. To the contrary, CBD is a non-intoxicating cannabis product that can be extracted from hemp. (Full spectrum CBD products may contain trace amounts of THC, the psychotropic constituent in cannabis.)
Most parents say they’ve never tried CBD themselves.
71% said they’ve never used a CBD product
24% have tried CBD and
5% use CBD regularly
Parents want to know about side effects, safety, and how well CBD works for kids.
Parents said the following factors would influence their decision on whether to give their child CBD:
83% side effects
78% how the product tested for safety in children
72% how well it works in children
63% doctor’s recommendation
58% approval of the US Food and Drug Administration
41% product reviews
Most parents would be willing to give their kids CBD, but want a prescription.
In spite of the fact that most parents hadn’t tried CBD and a third thought it was equivalent to using THC, poll results showed they were quite open to its potential therapeutic effects.
73% thought CBD might be a good option for children when other medications don’t work.
83% said CBD products should be regulated by the FDA
74% thought CBD for children should require a doctor’s prescription.
The FDA has approved only one CBD product for use in children: Epidiolex, a treatment for a rare form of epilepsy.
What Do Doctors Think?
Two doctors responded to the poll results in HealthDay News, one stressing the importance of talking with a doctor before using CBD, the other acknowledging that many doctors aren’t ready to go there.
“It is always important to make sure your child’s doctor is aware of all of the medicines and supplements you are giving,” Dr. Renee Shellhaas, a pediatric neurologist at C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital who was not involved with the poll, told HealthDay News. “Open and honest communication is the best way to make sure we work as a team to find the best treatment plan for your child.”
Dr. Karen Keough, a neurologist in Texas who works with children who have epilepsy, said, ”To me that’s what my job is, as a doctor, to know how to use this medicinal product appropriately, but it’s controversial in the medical world because it lacks the rigor of scientifically based studies that get you to FDA approval, so that’s why many physicians won’t touch it.”
If the statement: it takes a village, had an image, it would be the image of the BLACK BOX PROJECT. Intentionally launched during black history month: February 11, 2022, the BLACK BOX PROJECT is a passion project led by the Olivia Pope of Cannabis, Ebony Andersen, who says: “We figured what better way to celebrate Black history than to make it.”
What is the Black Box Project
The BLACK BOX PROJECT was founded by Los Angeles-based dispensaries and brands to highlight the importance of social equity and inclusion in the cannabis industry. The intent is to support black-owned cannabis businesses while creating unity and support amongst the BLACK cannabis community.
The black box is loaded with black-owned brands out of California, and though the contents in the box are valued at $200, the black box is available for only $49.50. Ebony stated:
“The BLACK BOX PROJECT curates overlooked brands and highlights them so that those looking to support equity in cannabis can easily source products directly from equity-centered brands.”
Black-Owned Brands in the Box and Where the Black Box Can be Found
Please tell me about the inspiration behind THE BLACK BOX PROJECT?
“The inspiration for the box came from a brand collab centered around Black history month that went badly. In corporate America, white companies often use Black history month to pander to the Black community while failing to pay Black creatives and producers their worth. We have all had that experience where another cannabis brand uses our culture, products, likeness, and history to profit. It continues to be a problem within the cannabis community. We felt very exploited by the situation, among others, and felt it was time to introduce premium Black cannabis to our community at an affordable price.”
How were the brands included/selected?
“I am the Anna Wintour of THE BLACK BOX PROJECT! The original collaborations were selected based on their ability to meet demand. We looked at premium Black brands that could fulfill what we needed. That quickly changed when we realized we were overlooking the start-up cannabis brands. Essentially we ended up with two types of brands in the box; we have our Black cannabis OGs like Ball Family Farms, Viola, and Gorilla RX. And then we have our new break-out brands like House of Tyne, Biko, and Wyllow.”
What is the mission/ driving force of the BLACK BOX PROJECT?
“To highlight the importance of equity and inclusion in cannabis while creating unity and support amongst the Black cannabis community. It also provides an opportunity to encourage Angelenos to buy Black in February while introducing them to the quality and culture brought to the industry by Black-owned brands.”
Is the BLACK BOX PROJECT just a project, or, will this be permanent?
“We will see if the box becomes permanent, but it will be available next February and possibly for other culturally significant dates throughout the year. I have also been approached to curate boxes for other underrepresented groups such as THE BROWN BOX and THE PINK BOX. Nothing is confirmed yet, but we will see how it goes!”
Would the items in the BLACK BOX change?
“Initially, the idea was to have one box for Black History Month. But due to the OVERWHELMING support, we will have subsequent boxes. Adding new brands to the subsequent releases is intentional as Black, women-owned, and POC brands do not get the visibility they deserve in the space.”
Who designed the box?
“The box design was led by THE BLACK BOX PROJECT creative team with execution by Hera Ventures, JNF Creative, and Marqui Jordan.”
I’ll be reviewing the products in the Black box for a follow-up piece; is there an order of consumption that you recommend? Anything I should try first and/or save for last?
“I am a flower girl, so I have to say that my favorite products are the Wyllow pre-rolls. I would start there, and I would end with Daniel Larousso. It’s a heavy hitter, so I would save it for when you don’t have to be functional. I also think it’s really special that we got to launch House of Tyne, another Black woman brand, in THE BLACK BOX.”
Are you all hoping to see more of this type of collaboration across the country?
“Absolutely. I think it’s essential that we pull our resources and elevate our voices. THE BLACK BOX PROJECT shows how brands can work collaboratively to leverage relationships for culturally significant and profitable projects.”
Jones Soda Co., a craft soda maker known for experimental flavors and an irreverent attitude, is stepping into the realm of cannabis-infused drinks and edibles.
The company announced Feb. 15 that it had acquired a Canadian company — somewhat counterintuitively, a gold and silver mining company. They plan to use that company and $11 million in financing to develop their new line of cannabis treats.
Jones is based in Seattle and the mining company, Pinestar Gold, is headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia. This allows Jones to become a public reporting company in Canada.
“By completing the arrangement and concurrent financing, we have taken a significant step towards the implementation of the company’s planned expansion into the cannabis sector,” said Jones’ president and CEO, Mark Murray, in a press release.
“By completing the Arrangement and Concurrent Financing we have taken a significant step towards the implementation of the Company’s planned expansion into the cannabis sector.”
— Mark Murray, President and CEO of Jones Soda Co.
He added that the $11 mil in concurrent financing “will be used towards the development of the company’s planned cannabis-infused beverages and edibles business line.”
Jones could potentially make THC and CBD beverages, as long as they’re in compliance with local laws and regulations, per an October filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
The filing also shared the company’s goal to develop and launch new products in line with consumer beverage trends — a nod to decreasing interest in sweet sodas across the industry.
This plan has been in the works for awhile.
In July 2019, Sol Global Investments bought 15 million shares of Jones Soda through its hemp portfolio company Heavenly Rx. That gave Heavenly Rx an ownership stake of 25%, with plans to bring its share up to 51%. Jones said it planned to use the capital to develop CBD drinks.
Later that year, the company’s president and CEO said they were waiting on guidance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration before bringing any CBD products to market. Two years later and counting, the FDA has yet to create a regulatory framework.
In early 2020 Jones announced it was testing its first CBD product. It also announced changes in company leadership.
In July 2021, Jones reiterated its plans to enter the cannabis beverage sector, and doubled down by issuing a $2 million convertible debenture (long-term debt that can later be converted into shares of equity stock) to Sol Global. Jones also announced that it had entered into a non-binding agreement with Pinestar Gold.
“We believe that Cannabis-infused beverages and edibles are a perfect fit for the iconic personality of the Jones brand,” Murray said at the time.
That deal has now come to fruition.
Hemp Industry Daily described Pinestar Gold as a shell company, meaning it has no meaningful assets or business operations and serves primarily to allow Jones entry to Canada as a business. (Although the term “shell company” carries a stigma, they’re legal and do have legitimate uses.)
Jones listed its Canadian shares on the Canadian Securities Exchange and began trading under the ticker symbol “JSDA” on February 18, 2022.
In the days before Jones had received final approval from the CSE, Murray said, “The listing of the company’s shares of common stock on the CSE would not only increase the liquidity of our shares but would also enable the company to appeal to potential investors in Canada as well as the United States as the company’s share of common stock would have an active trading market on both sides of the border.”
Alabama State Sen. Tim Melson wants to limit the sale of delta-8 THC products to ages 18 and up, reports Amy Yurkanin for Advance Local Alabama.
Melson is known for sponsoring the bill that made medical cannabis legal in the state last year. But he doesn’t think THC products should be sold at convenience stores and gas stations.
“It is everywhere,” Melson told Yurkanin.
What’s delta-8?
Until recently, when people talked about THC they were generally referring to delta-9 THC, the main psychotropic molecule in cannabis. Delta-8’s chemical makeup is similar to that of delta-9, owing to a slight difference in the location of a double bond of a carbon atom. And users report similar, though milder effects from using delta-8. But because the 2018 Farm Bill specifically prohibited delta-9, delta-8 and other THC isomers aren’t currently controlled substances — at least at the federal level.
Is it natural? While delta-8 THC can be found in cannabis in small amounts, the delta-8 found on the market today is first extracted from hemp as CBD, then converted in a lab to delta-8.
Delta-8 in Alabama
Sen. Melson initially proposed legislation, SB-144, that would have banned delta-8 THC in Alabama completely.
Hemp farmers pushed back, apparently under the impression that they would no longer be able to grow hemp. It’s unclear whether those farmers understand that delta-8 is not directly extracted from the plant.
“If you prohibit delta-8, it would in fact prohibit every single plant in the state of Alabama,” one farmer told WAAY Channel 31.
Reportedly, after hearing from farmers Melson said he would scrap SB-144 and draft a bill restricting sales to adults 18 and older. The senator said his top priority is making sure delta-8 doesn’t get into the hands of kids.
Members of the state Senate and House tried to ban THC isomers last year by amending related bills. In both cases the amendments were removed from the legislation, according to the Alabama Political Reporter.
Delta-8 By State
Several states have banned delta-8 THC while others have chosen to regulate the substance. In many states, it remains largely unregulated. Here’s what we know as of today. Keep in mind that the legal landscape is rapidly shifting on this issue. States listed as unregulated could move to institute regulations or a ban at any time.
Unregulated (legal with no apparent restrictions): Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, and in Washington D.C.
Illegal: Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, Idaho, Iowa, Montana, New York, Nevada, North Dakota, Rhode Island, Vermont, Utah, and Washington.
A bill introduced to Congress Feb. 8 revises language from the 2018 Farm Bill that limited delta-9 THC specifically. If passed, it could end legal sales of delta-8 gummies, vapes, and other hemp-derived THC products across the nation.
After Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s decision to put a single state agency in charge of both hemp and marijuana regulation, some are wondering whether this and other proposed changes could give hemp-derived THC an edge on the state’s market — potentially even threatening the state’s licensed marijuana industry.
“The changes present new market opportunities for hemp farmers but also new competition for growers in the state’s existing marijuana industry,” wrote Gus Burns for the Michigan news site MLive.
“The changes present new market opportunities for hemp farmers but also new competition for growers in the state’s existing marijuana industry.”
— Gus Burns, reporting for the Michigan news site MLive
Both recreational and medical cannabis are legal in Michigan. And delta-8 THC — which is derived from hemp but requires a chemical alteration to become THC — has been regulated in Michigan since July 2021. Use is restricted to adults and monitored for safety and potency.
But the existing balance between hemp and THC-rich cannabis could be upset by proposed regulations that would allow marijuana processors to make and sell THC from hemp.
According to Burns, rules proposed by the state’s Marijuana Regulatory Agency Jan. 27 would allow marijuana processors to convert hemp into THC for edibles, vaping or tinctures — competing with products currently sold in the licensed marijuana market.
Why would anyone go to the trouble to convert hemp when they could sell the real thing?
Because hemp as a raw material is likely to cost less. Licensing fees are a fraction of those marijuana growers pay in the state.
Hemp farming license: $100 annually
Hemp processing license: $1,350
Marijuana grow license: $6,000 application fee and up to $40,000 in annual license fees (processors pay the same fees).
Further, under the proposed rules hemp could be imported, while federal law prohibits psychotropic cannabis from crossing state lines. In theory, this will keep hemp supply up and in turn keep costs down for hemp-derived THC.
The rules do require THC products made from hemp to be clearly labeled, and this will likely sway some buyers to buy the higher priced, completely natural product.
But Michigan cannabis attorney, Denise Pollicella, told Burns the proposed rules and significant difference in licensing fees will encourage production of hemp-derived THC and eventually threaten the state’s marijuana industry.
“Michigan’s municipalities will be covered in fields of hemp that looks and smells exactly like marijuana,” Pollicella said. “The profit margins on marijuana products will be so low that this will, in turn drive the dispensaries out of business.”
“The profit margins on marijuana products will be so low that this will, in turn drive the dispensaries out of business.”
— Denise Pollicella, Michigan cannabis attorney
Hemp farmer David Crabill, who serves as president of the farming trade group iHemp Michigan, saw a different outcome. He told Burns higher licensing fees for hemp farmers are likely on the way.
“I’m sure we’re going to see movement in the licensing fees because some of these large outdoor grows for marijuana, they’re not going to be sustainable at their current expense level,” Crabill said. “They’re not going to be able to compete with hemp, so I can just see the state going after the hemp growers for more money.”
Spain is one of the most unique places on earth when it comes to cannabis policy. It is no secret that Spain is an amazing place to be a cannabis consumer which is why it is a top cannabis tourism destination. However, most people are shocked when they learn that Spain’s cannabis scene is largely the result of lax policy enforcement versus sound public policy, as proven by the nation’s medical cannabis program (or lack thereof).
Cannabis is widely available in Spain, particularly in the Barcelona region, where hundreds of cannabis clubs are located, and we will be co-hosting the world’s largest cannabis superconference next month (ICBC and Spannabis). Yet, at best, access to cannabis is via a gray area of Spain’s law. Comprehensive legal and safe access to medical cannabis doesn’t exist in Spain. In fact, all of the medical cannabis that is licensed to be grown in Spain has to either be earmarked for research purposes or be exported out of the country. Fortunately, discussions are ramping up in Spain to put a better medical cannabis regulatory framework in place.
Subcommittee Meeting
Spain has a subcommittee called the Health and Consumption Commission of Congress, which is dedicated to, among other things, debating true medical cannabis legalization within the country. Technically, medical cannabis is legal in Spain. Yet, only in the limited instances of research and export previously described in this article. The subcommittee is meeting this week to discuss, reportedly for the first time, comprehensive medical cannabis legalization.
Before anyone gets visions of grandeur that something will happen right away, people need to temper their expectations. According to the subcommittee, the meeting is being described as “the first stone on this path.” The stated goal of the meeting is to determine what experts should be brought in to provide scientific evidence for the purpose of drafting a report that will later be provided to all national lawmakers in Spain. If all goes well, a new law could be passed by this summer. However, only time will tell if that proves to be the case.
A Regulated System Is Needed
Currently, most medical cannabis patients can acquire cannabis fairly easily in Spain, even if it’s not necessarily via means that are 100% legal. The current system in place, if you want to call it that, greatly benefits organized crime operations that are gladly filling the void left by a lack of a regulated system. That is far from optimal for medical cannabis patients.
Suffering patients in Spain deserve to have robust legal options from which to acquire their medicine. That involves completely legalizing cannabis clubs as well as establishing home cultivation rules and testing standards. Cannabis is decriminalized in Spain, and ‘personal cannabis’ is allowed in private residences. However, that is not nearly as good as some of the policies that exist in other countries in Europe. Lawmakers in Spain need to stop their infighting, stop clinging to failed public policy, and pass sensible laws and regulations to help as many suffering patients as possible.
