EP 47 (7.2.2018) 4(20)th o' JULY in 2 days!

NEWS (June 25th-July 2nd)

FROM CNN: 
"THIS FEELS LIKE A TIPPING POINT ON MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION." READ FULL STORY

Quick Rips

• Federal Government Reports Teen Marijuana Use in Colorado Still Has Not Increased Since Legalization Five years after Colorado voters decided to regulate marijuana for adult use, rates of current and lifetime use among high school students remain relatively unchanged and on par with national averages.
• Could This State Be The Next To Legalize Marijuana? This large state’s Department of Health just recommended legalizing marijuana. While no one knows that answer with any certainty, the Empire State is certainly making a case to be the 10th state to legalize marijuana for adult consumption. Last week, New York State's Department of Health (DOH) Commissioner Howard Zucker revealed in a news conference that the DOH plans to recommend that the state legalize and regulate marijuana for recreational use, as well as expand its medical marijuana program to patients currently taking prescription opioids to help combat the opioid crisis. As a note, New York is one of two-dozen states that doesn't have the initiative and referendum process, meaning that all cannabis approvals will need to occur within the state's legislature rather than by a vote of its residents. To Read The Rest Of This Article On Motely Fool, Click Here
• Craft Cannabis Growers Say Better Bud Will Be Key To Thriving In The Legal Market.Canada will legalize this October and while licensed cannabis producers are in a frenzy of deal-making, jockeying to take control of rivals and massive greenhouses ahead of legalization, cannabis entrepreneurs like Kelly Coulter are operating at a different pace. This spring, she leased two acres of farmland in Vancouver Island’s Cowichan Valley with several other women and intends to launch an environmentally sustainable market garden and cannabis operation called Slo Farms. Read More
• Candy rules the edibles market, and it always has. But within the candy category, which includes gummies, mints, hard candy, caramels and more, trends diverge between states according to data from cannabis market research firm BDS Analytics. But one candy, gummies, dominates in Colorado, Oregon and California. In Colorado, gummies grab 77 percent of the candy market. In Oregon, market share rises to 80 percent. Californians love gummies too, but not with as much ardor as the other states: Golden State consumers bought enough gummies for the category to capture 69 percent of the candy market in April. Read More
• First Time in History? $10k Gilded ‘Cannagar’ Sells to Very Stoked Man in Seattle. At Diego Pellicer, Seattle’s high-profile, high-end dispensary, someone was set to buy the El Dorado ‘cannagar’—a cigar-shaped roll sporting a full ounce of organic flower and wrapped in 24 karat gold leaf. Learn More
• Leafly Strain Highlight: White Widow. A blizzard of crystal resin coats the lustrous White Widow, a timeless hybrid known for its staggering but invigorating potency. Spark it up to ignite creativity, conversation, and newfound inspiration.
• Or . . . how about "7 Strawberry Flavored Strains to Celebrate the Season". Ahh yes, strawberry season is upon us, which means this natural treat is popping up in cakes, cocktails, and everything in between. Check out our favorites and stock up before the season runs out. Learn More on Leafly.com
• Induction Heating Comes to Cannabis Vaporizers. For years, vaporization was a novel way of consuming cannabis, often viewed as a ‘next-level’ technique for users bored with standard combustion. But now there's an even newer option on the market! Learn More
• Yesterday, July 1st, Vermont Legalizes Limited Amounts Of Recreational Cannabis. You can go to my website and click on the link to this article and find out what you need to know when it comes to legal cannabis in Vermont! Congratulations to our sister-stoner-state of the Nor'East! That's wicked awesome for you guys! Read More
• Meanwhile, a couple clicks South, It’s July 1, And No Dispensaries Are Ready To Open In Massachusetts. The program rollout has been extremely disappointing for entrepreneurs. Read More

BIG Stories:
Events:

• July 10th (7/10): 710 is a thing. From MJ Freeway. We've noticed sales spikes in concentrates in recent years. POS sales data from thousands of cannabis retailers across the U.S., Monday, July 10, 2017 sales were 15% higher than average Monday sales. The 15% increase can be wholly attributable to increased concentrate purchases. Concentrate category sales jumped 18% on July 10, 2017. 
• ​July 25th-27th, 2018 San Jose, CA - NCIA's Cannabis Business Summit & Expo
• August 4th & 5th, 2018 Portland, OR - INDO EXPO
• August 27th & 28th, 2018 Los Angeles, CA - The Infused Product Conference
• January 23rd & 24th, 2019 Portland, OR - Cannabis Collaborative Conference​

Politics:

• Colorado Congressman Jared Polis—who was recently endorsed by NORML PAC—won the Democratic primary for governor. Read More...
• Schumer Introduces Marijuana Freedom and Opportunity Act – New Legislation Would Decriminalize Marijuana At Federal Level. Washington, D.C. –Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) last week formally introduced new legislation to decriminalize marijuana at the federal level. Specifically, the Marijuana Freedom and Opportunity Act removes marijuana from the list of scheduled substances under the Controlled Substances Act, effectively decriminalizing it at the federal level. The legislation allows states to continue to function as laboratories of democracy and ultimately decide how they will treat marijuana possession. The legislation, however, does not change federal authorities’ ability to prevent trafficking from states where marijuana is legal to states where is not. The bill also preserves the federal government’s ability to regulate marijuana advertising - just as it does tobacco - so that advertisers cannot target children. Schumer has long advocated for states’ rights when it comes to medical marijuana.  Read More ​​

Legal:

• Medical-Cannabis Extracts Like Vape Pen Oil Are Illegal, Arizona Appeals Court Rules. The ruling affects what the court and Arizona law calls "hashish," or the resin extracted from marijuana.
• Next Door to Ohio Valley, Medical Marijuana Dispensary in Southwest Pennsylvania to Open. The first marijuana dispensary in southwestern Pennsylvania is opening its door this week.

Medical:

• Oklahoma voters just approved one of the most progressive medical marijuana bills in the country​. Oklahoma voters approved a medical marijuana bill on Tuesday, making the state the 30th in the nation to permit the use of marijuana with a doctor’s recommendation. The measure is notable for reflecting one of the most permissive medical cannabis policies in the country. While most states specify a narrow list of medical conditions for which doctors can recommend the plant, in Oklahoma doctors will be able to recommend it for any condition. Read More

Hemp:

• Senate Legalizes Hemp As Agricultural Commodity For far too long, the federal government has prevented most farmers from growing hemp. Last week, the Senate passed legislation that reverses that! To Read The Rest Of This Article On The Hill, Click Here
• Is CBD Oil Legal Now? With Epidiolex Approved, It’s Still Not Clear. The legal landscape around CBD (cannabidiol) is unsettled and unclear, and it became even more confusing with today’s FDA approval of the CBD-based drug Epidiolex. Learn More
• Oregon & Kentucky Farmers Look to Hemp. After decades of seemingly getting banned due to Reefer Madness propaganda around marijuana, hemp will be federally legal shortly if the Senate’s newly-passed Farm Bill gets signed into law. LEARN MORE

Financial:

• US Spot Index (Weighted Avg is lb price) $1,160.00, down from $1,181.00 a $21.00 or 1.8 % drop. That includes Indoor, Sun-grown, Greenhouse, and everything in between.  Visit Cannabis Benchmarks on the web or read the free Cannabis Benchmarks Weekly Report here.
• Marijuana Dispensary Franchiser Says He Has Big Plans for Colorado. ONE Cannabis owner anticipates 50 Colorado franchise locations within the next 30 months.
• L.A. Considering Ballot Initiative To Fund Public Bank For Cannabis Businesses. The City Council today will vote to add the issue to November ballots. Read More
• MOLSON COORS BREWING CO. CONSIDERS CANNABIS DEAL
  According to sources at BNN Bloomberg, Molson Coors Brewing Co. is discussing expansion with several Canadian cannabis producers including Aphria Inc. and Aurora Cannabis Inc., and a deal could be announced within a year. Read More...
• Canadian cannabis stocks have skyrocketed with the expectation that cannabis will usher in a new era for the country. Read More...
• SEATTLE’S PRIVATEER LAUNCHES $100M IPO FOR ITS CANADIAN MARIJUANA COMPANY. From The Seattle Times — Tilray, which both grows and sells medical marijuana in Canada, filed papers Wednesday for an initial public offering in the U.S. that could raise $100 million. The company, a subsidiary of Seattle-based Privateer Holdings, supplies “tens of thousands of patients in 10 countries,” and hopes to capitalize on the pending legalization of recreational marijuana in Canada, its filing says. Read more.
• COLORADO RETAIL PRICES DROPPING. Over the past year, Colorado cannabis retail prices have been following market trends in Washington and Oregon, where a noted and widely publicized supply glut is putting pressure on dispensary managers to cut prices. As wholesale flower prices tumble, so too do the prices that customers see in the store. In Colorado, the average price for an ounce of flower has dipped from $156 last April to $149 in April 2018. In the May/June edition of Cannabis Dispensary, we cast a spotlight on this trend. As Nevada prices rise, for example, cannabis businesses in Washington and Oregon--and now, Colorado--are confronting falling prices in every direction. Wholesale prices are hovering around $1,100 per pound for adult-use cannabis in the U.S., according to Cannabis Benchmarks, which translates to about $70 per ounce. (For indoor-grown cannabis only, flower is fetching slightly higher wholesale prices around $1,500 per pound.) Read more

Culture:​

• Alison Ettel Resigns From Cannabis Firm Amid Backlash From Fellow Entrepreneurs. Ettel’s resignation followed days of criticism from former TreatWell customers. Read More 
• With the help of Jim Belushi, Realm of Caring raised $65,000 to help provide a better quality of life for families who use medical cannabis-based therapies. Read More...
• (Oregon) Influencer Emma Chasen recently told CULTURE about her journey, influence, goals and cannabis’ role in it all. Read More...

Sports:​

• The BIG3, a three-on-three basketball league has allowed the use of cannabidiol (CBD) for pain relief and recovery, making it the first U.S. based professional sports league to allow CBD. Read More...

Canada:

• Ottawa, the capital of Canada, will allow outdoor cultivation of cannabis crops as a perk to new producers wanting to be competitive in the soon-legal cannabis market. Read More...
• Entrepreneurs Entering The Canadian Edible Market Will Face Baked-In Problems. Buying and selling marijuana in Canada is currently a very grey market.

United States:

• FDA APPROVES FIRST DRUG DERIVED FROM CANNABIS. Today the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Epidiolexfor the treatment of seizures associated with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and Dravet syndrome, making it the first-ever cannabis-derived drug to be approved by the organization, and also the first drug approved for Dravet syndrome. Read More... 

California:

• (As reported last week) CALIFORNIA POT SHOPS SLASHED PRICES AHEAD OF NEW TESTING RULES. From CNBC — June 30th was the last day to cash in on the cheap weed. Regulations being phased in six months after the state broadly legalized marijuana require that pot sold after last Saturday meet strict quality standards, so retailers unloading untested inventory were offering blowout prices. Read More. 
• In a related story, Cannabis Businesses Urge California To Delay Strict Testing Rules. Businesses in California warned Friday that they could face crippling financial losses. Read More

​Oregon:

• OREGON MEDICAL MARIJUANA PATIENT NUMBERS PLUMMET. Oregon Cannabis Connection — Since October of 2015, medical marijuana patient numbers have dropped 43% and growers are down a mind-numbing 54%. This decrease in patient enrollment and the number of patients that are designating a grower does not mean fewer Oregonians are using cannabis as medicine – a case can be made for just the opposite being true. It does, more correctly, point to a system that may have become too burdensome for Oregonians to participate as patients and too expensive to participate as growers. Read More.

Southern Oregon:

• Wine and Weed Go to War in Southern Oregon
• Speaking of local weed, The Rogue Valley Messenger's ANNUAL "WEED" ISSUE is due to hit stands Thursday, July 19th . . . just as tourism season is in full swing here in Southern Oregon! And the The Messenger is how people in the Rogue Valley (locals and non-locals alike) find out what to do, where to go . . . and WHAT TO SPEND THEIR $ ON! I know many Oregon cannabis businesses are short on cash right now as we struggle to keep the industry alive through this tough intro to legalization. So mention Local Smoke Radio and you will get an extra 10% off the super low prices they already have to place an ad. This is a low-cost option to put your name into a well-respected, trusted, and community-oriented NON-PROFIT publication that truly supports cannabis in Oregon and the Rogue Valley! [ADS ARE DUE BY FRIDAY July 13th] PS-if you also underwrite with THIS radio station, KSKQ, you receive EVEN MORE DISCOUNTS! Contact: advertising@roguevalleymessenger.com for details.

History Lesson:

• Fifty Years: How Marijuana Became Re-Legalized In America Part 5, 1984-1988
• Fifty Years: How Marijuana Became Re-Legalized In America Part 6, 1988-1992 >>> *Click below to read the past articles in this series by Allen St. Pierre*
• Fifty Years: How Marijuana Became Re-Legalized In America Part 1, 1968-1972
• Fifty Years: How Marijuana Became Re-Legalized In America Part 2, 1972 to 1976
• Fifty Years: How Marijuana Became Re-Legalized In America Part 3, 1976 to 1980
• Fifty Years: How Marijuana Became Re-Legalized In America Part 4, 1980-1984