Despite the increasing acceptance and legalization of cannabis across the US, it is still illegal at the federal level, and there is an enduring stigma around cannabis use.
Do dispensaries share information with the government? The short answer is probably not. Dispensaries have little incentive to share customer information with the government at either the state or federal level. Furthermore, the information that dispensaries collect from customers will vary from state to state. Government access to dispensary information could also depend on the thoroughness of the dispensary in tracking and protecting customer or “member” data.
Under rare circumstances, however, dispensary customers could risk the federal government obtaining records of purchases made by all customers at a particular dispensary if the feds were to shut down a dispensary in a legal state. Remember, folks: while cannabis might be legal in your state, it remains illegal at the federal level.
There is some precedent for the federal government to step in on dispensary operations in legal states. For example, in 2011 some California dispensaries were warned by federal prosecutors that failed to comply with the state’s medical marijuana law.
Fortunately, the federal government seems more concerned with regulating the business of cannabis rather than the consumption of cannabis or cannabis-based products by individuals. And, though the DOJ has flip-flopped on its practices depending on who occupies the Oval Office, the Biden administration has confirmed that it will take a “hands-off” approach to cannabis-related law enforcement.
One last thing to keep in mind: regardless of the data sharing practices of any dispensary, federal government employees might still have to take drug tests and cannot test positive for THC.
As recently as 2021, senior security advisor for the special security directorate at the National Counterintelligence and Security Center Valerie Kerben, reiterated the federal government’s position in favor of maintaining a “drug free workplace,” according to public sector news publication Government Executive. Kerben’s comment came in the wake of the House of Representatives’ passing of the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act. The Senate has yet to make a decision regarding the MORE Act.
With marijuana still listed as a Schedule 1 drug, it simply is not possible to treat marijuana the same as other plants that are consumed by American citizens.
Some argue that marijuana is far less toxic than any drugs made in a lab, since it is a plant that comes from Mother Earth. While the sentiment and logic is in the right place, the sad truth is that our Earth, its soil and the way we grow plants in this modern times is a far cry from what one might consider “organic.” But you have to ask is keeping marijuana illegal harming people’s health?
Pollution, dangerous chemicals and haphazard growing techniques have led to all kinds of health issues in modern history. Organizations like the EPA and FDA have entire branches dedicated to more sustainable, healthy and safe ways of farming in this country. Unfortunately, these organizations are federally run, which means the multi-billion dollar cannabis industry goes relatively unregulated on a federal level in this regard. This loophole has led to some eye-opening recent discoveries that might be putting the health of cannabis users at risk.
A recent study from Arizona State University, published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, looked for contaminants in marijuana samples. Researchers examined all areas where cannabis is legal, and found a shocking amount of contaminants that should not be present on anything humans consume. Not only were dangerous contaminants found in many samples, but the sheer number is alarming.
“As of 18 May 2022, 36 states and the District of Columbia listed a total of 679 cannabis contaminants as regulated in medical or recreational cannabis,” according to the study’s findings. The list of contaminants, according to the report, included pesticides, inorganics, solvents, mycotoxins and other contaminants.
While the number of contaminants is certainly a huge red flag, if you think about how the marijuana industry has exploded recently, without strict federal guidelines, standards or regulation, it is not really all that shocking. After all, the marijuana industry is completely unique compared to other types of farming and plant maintenance.
If you have weeds in your lawn, there is a specific weed killer, or even weed killer fertilizer combination. This substance must first be tested and approved, and then becomes readily available on retail shelves near you. If you grow marijuana on the other hand, you have only word of mouth passed on through a game of telephone when it comes to controlling new pests, molds and diseases.
This trial and error way of growing is likely a contributing factor to all these contaminants. That, and a lack of Federal oversight of course.“Discrepancies between state and federal laws have left cannabis farmers without any pesticides approved for use on their crops—and as a result, some growers have taken the matter into their own hands, treating their plants with alarmingly high levels of pesticides intended for other uses,” according to The Atlantic.
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Pesticides are not the only cause for health concerns when it comes to a world of unregulated marijuana farming. The soil where the marijuana grows can also have dangerous consequences on the consumer if left unchecked. Marijuana has the ability to absorb heavy metals from soils. These metals include carcinogenic and hazardous metals like lead, mercury, chromium and others. This rare trait in cannabis can sometimes be a great asset to the planet and farmers. Planting hemp in areas contaminated with certain toxic metals can help purify the soil.
But when it comes to growing marijuana for human consumption, this absorption can have potentially toxic consequences.
“The heavy-metal content of cannabis is not regulated; therefore, consumers could unknowingly be exposed to these toxic metals,” said Louis Bengyella, assistant research professor of plant science at Penn State. These findings are alarming when it comes to anyone who consumes cannabis, especially those who use it for medical purposes. “This is bad news for anyone who uses cannabis but is particularly problematic for cancer patients who use medical marijuana to treat the nausea and pain associated with their treatments,” Bengyella said.
According to the ASU study, “Cannabis use reports indicated usage in several patient populations susceptible to contamination toxicity, including cancer (44,318) and seizure (21,195) patients.” Marijuana is commonly used to treat side effects of cancer treatment, meaning many people consuming these potentially carcinogenic and otherwise harmful toxins are already battling cancer or other compromising conditions. This, if nothing else, should be enough to sound the alarm. “This study demonstrates an urgent need for a unified regulatory approach to mitigate the public health risk of cannabis contamination at a national level,” concluded the study’s authors.
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In order to help reduce potentially harmful contaminants from reaching cannabis consumers, the authors of the study suggest that individual states and the Federal government must work together to set standards and policy. This, of course, is much easier said than done.
With marijuana still listed as a Schedule 1 drug, it simply is not possible to treat marijuana the same as other plants that are consumed by American citizens. Meanwhile, marijuana continues to be consumed in record quantities, and its contaminants might not be properly regulated until it is finally decriminalized.
The Securities and Exchange Commission announced on September 30 that it had charged eight in a stock promotion scheme that included promoting Emerald Health Pharmaceuticals and High Times Holdings stocks. The SEC says investors purchased $80 million of securities following the promotions. The individuals received payments based on the number of securities sold.
The SEC’s announcement attached the legal complaint that alleged recidivist securities law violator Jonathan William Mikula promoted the securities of four issuers Elegance Brands Inc. (now Sway Energy Corp.), Emerald Health Pharmaceuticals Inc., Hightimes Holding Corp., and Cloudastructure Inc. without disclosing that he received compensation for the promotions. Mikula is alleged to have promoted the securities through Palm Beach Venture, a newsletter for which he served as an author and chief analyst, and presented the recommendations as unbiased and not paid for, while he was secretly compensated in the form of cash and lavish expenses.
In addition to Mikula, the SEC’s complaint also charged Christian Fernandez and Amit Raj Beri, associates of Mikula’s, who allegedly acted as middlemen for the promotional scheme. The gentlemen earned millions of dollars off the promotions but hid the payments by submitting fake invoices for consulting services. Beri in particular acted as the middle man for the cannabis companies Emerald Health and HighTimes. High Times was not charged.
Elegance Brands
Beri also was listed as the CEO and CFO in various SEC filings of the company called Elegance Brands, which produced a product called Gorilla Hemp. Elegance was approved by the SEC for a Reg A offering but after nine months had raised less than a million dollars. When it was decided to promote Elegance through the Palm Beach Ventures newsletter, Beri made changes to the offering but did not prepare a new offering statement with the SEC. Thus any securities sold after that point were considered unregistered. The complaint stated, “At Mikula’s urging, and in order to “facilitate” the promotion, Elegance agreed to engage Individual 1, an associate of Mikula’s, and pay him 3% of investor funds raised through the promotion and provide him with 8.9 million shares of Elegance’s stock, which amounted to 10% of the company’s outstanding stock.”
The complaint said that the newsletter published an article stating that Gorilla Hemp was retailing for $3.95 a can; that Gorilla Hemp could yield Elegance a 2,630% price increase; that Elegance had distribution agreements in place for Gorilla Hemp with the largest adult beverage distributor in the United States; and that Elegance’s share price was projected to increase by 9,900% in five years.
The complaint stated that Elegance raised $20 million from the promotion and paid Individual 1 $350,000. The SEC statement said that Elegance has agreed to pay a penalty of $776,932; Beri has agreed to pay disgorgement of $960,314.96, prejudgment interest of $38,979.24, a penalty of $207,183, has consented to the entry of a 10-year bar and a conduct-based injunction prohibiting him from engaging in certain promotional activities.
In January 2022, Elegance renamed itself Sway Energy Corp. and earlier this year signed a distribution agreement with Halo Collective (OTC: HCANF) as part of its acquisition of H2C Beverages.
Emerald Health
Emerald Health allegedly made $30 million in the stock promotion campaign that consisted of promotional articles in the newsletter. Emerald Health’s CEO James DeMesa is accused of participating in the scheme and allegedly made material misrepresentations and omissions in the filings with the SEC and other investor materials concerning the promotion and related payments. According to the complaint, Emerald Health’s co-founder, Avtar Dhillon, played a key role in the scheme to promote Emerald Health. A separate administrative proceeding against Emerald Health’s CFO, Lisa Sanford, finds that she negligently participated in the scheme.
In 2019, Emerald Health reached out to Mikula for a story in the newsletter. The complaint wrote that Emerald Health would covertly transfer funds to Mikula by engaging Beri’s brother to ostensibly provide consulting services for the company. In turn, Beri’s brother would funnel a portion of his consulting fees to Mikula, and keep a portion for brokering the fraudulent deal. The complaint noted that DeMesa had reservations about the scheme but ultimately wanted the funds to aid in running the company.
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In February and March 2020, Mikula authored a Palm Beach Venture article titled “Curing Incurable Diseases and Giving Us Over 4,900% Potential Gains,” which touted Emerald Health and was distributed to the newsletter’s subscribers. In a quarterly update to its investors, Emerald Health highlighted that Palm Beach Venture recommended the company “as an attractive investment opportunity” without disclosing that this was a paid-for recommendation. In late summer 2020, Mikula authored another Palm Beach Venture article touting Emerald Health entitled “The Next Aspirin.”
The SEC statement said that Emerald Health has agreed to pay a penalty of $517,955; DeMesa has agreed to pay a penalty of $103,591 and agreed to a five-year bar from serving as an officer and director, and Dhillon has agreed to a permanent bar from acting as an officer and director.
High Times
High Times was promoted by Palm Beach Venture between April 2020 and March 2021. The complaint stated, “Hightimes ultimately entered into an agreement to pay Entity 1, a Canadian entity controlled by Individual 2, 5% of the funds raised through the Palm Beach promotion. Beri, Individual 2, Fernandez, and Mikula agreed that they would all receive a share of monies that Entity 1 received from Hightimes. The purpose of using a Canadian entity and offshore account was to conceal that payments from Hightimes would go to Mikula.” (Hightimes — using the combined words — is the legal name for the company. However, most refer to the company as High Times).
High Times paid $150,000 for the promotion, but the complaint did not state the number of securities sold through the promotion. However, if High Times agreed to pay 5% of the securities sold and then paid the individual $150,000 it could be deduced that at least $3 million was raised through this promotion. High Times did not respond to a request for comment.
Photo by Olena Ruban/Getty Images
On Friday, High Times filed a report with the SEC stating that its independent auditor, RBMS LLP on July 18, 2022, declined to stand for re-appointment other than to complete the audit of the 2019 financial statements and the filing of the company’s Annual Report on Form 1-K for the year ended December 31, 2019. High Times did say that RBMS classified the company as a going concern for the years 2015-2019. High Times also stated that it has hired GreenGrowth to audit its statements from 2020 to 2021. It made no mention of the stock promotion scheme that had been announced on the same day.
The company has also extended its Reg A offering to January 2023. The offering however is paused until the company can file audited and updated financials.
The offering was stopped in June 2020, but it was July 2020 when the Cannabis Law report confirmed from HighTimes Holding Corp. lawyer Stephen Weiss and Megan Penick of L.A. based Michelman Robinson LLP that the Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) has halted sales of shares in the company. Lawyer Megan Penick told Cannabis Law Report she wasn’t aware the company was continuing to solicit for investments even though the website to do so remained live.
In addition to that, press releases for the company continually remind readers that the offering deadline was extended and email inboxes for subscribers were flooded with almost daily offers to buy stock. The main issue according to Buhl wasn’t the company’s promotional activity, but whether the company’s escrow agent Prime Trust processed any sales after the June 12 cutoff. If no sales were processed after June 12, then there was no securities violation. Yet, the SEC says in its complaint that the Palm Beach Ventures promotion went as late as March 2021.
With Biden’s pardon in the rearview, is it possible for marijuana to be rescheduled? Here’s what that means and what it could look like.
This week, President Biden pardoned all people convicted in federal court for marijuana possession. It was a big moment for marijuana proponents, one that suggests that the Biden administration is reconsidering the government’s stance on the drug.
What happens if marijuana were to be descheduled? This process is not clear and would have some variability from state to state. Reuters provided a thorough breakdown of how this would look, and how it could challenge existing marijuana medical and recreational programs.
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Marijuana is a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act, meaning that it’s under the strictest laws, putting it in the same category as substances like heroin. This prevents marijuana from being thoroughly researched, a hindrance for learning its medicinal properties. If the drug were to be rescheduled, say, becoming a Schedule II or a Schedule V drug, it would still be regulated.
In the case of the former, marijuana would be treated like opioids, requiring prescriptions for its use. In the latter, it would be treated like cough syrup and other drugs, monitored by drug stores on a minimal level.
When it comes to states with legal medical marijuana, where doctors are allowed to recommend the drug to their patients, there would also be a change. If marijuana were to be rescheduled, doctors would be able to prescribe the drug, and the drug would have to pass FDA regulation, like all other medications.
“Big Pharma might be the big exciting player here, because they have the most to gain if we were to reschedule but it was still something that was very highly regulated,” said Ohio State professor Douglas Berman.
When talking about states that have legal recreational marijuana programs, things wouldn’t change much unless the drug were to be removed from the scheduling process completely. While unlikely, if this were to happen, the government could put taxes on the drug or add warning labels as they’ve done with tobacco.
Biden’s pardon is by far his administration’s biggest decision regarding cannabis and is the first major step in decriminalizing it. Those that are qualified for the pardon will receive a certificate that shows they’ve been forgiven for their crime.
Researchers from UCLA have found some promising evidence that could lead to the development of a functioning marijuana breathalyzer.
While drug tests are able to tell if a person has recently consumed marijuana, there’s currently no way of measuring if a person is high, something that’s becoming increasingly important as more and more states legalize the drug. But that may be changing.
Researchers at UCLA and ElectraTect, a UCLA startup, are testing a promising “cannabinoid fuel cell.” They believe further testing will provide them with key understandings on marijuana breathalyzers, facilitating their existence at some point in the future. The findings were published in the journal Organics.
Photo by Cappi Thompson/Getty Images
Researchers explain that the device they’re working on is able to spot THC and measure its concentration in a solution, unlike previous efforts that measure THC in blood, urine, and saliva. While bodily fluids will show traces of the drug after its use, these results are not indicative of current impairment, especially since THC can linger in the body for days.
“As such, there exists a need for a fair forensic tool capable of detecting THC in the short window of impairment,” wrote the scientists.
Researchers are trying to miniaturize their technology, thus extending its reach and becoming a viable option for testing drivers on the go. The technology could be incorporated into a traditional breathalyzer, resulting in a device that could test for both alcohol and THC in the future.
Late last year, a study from Australia claimed that marijuana breathalyzers were inaccurate, at least the ones that measured THC levels in saliva and blood. As we reported back in January, researchers analyzed 28 studies on driving performance and concentrations of THC in blood and saliva and found the connection between the two inconsistent,” we wrote in January.
A marijuana tool that measures THC impairment is pivotal to having a fair and functioning marijuana legal system. It could help manage and reduce the likelihood of accidents, promoting responsible cannabis use, while ensuring that marijuana users are treated fairly.
Cannabis stocks across exchanges soared in the late afternoon Thursday after President Biden surprisingly announced to pardon thousands of people convicted in federal courts for simple possession of cannabis and launch a review of the plant’s classification under the Controlled Substances Act.
Here’s a snapshot of how some of those stocks ended the trading day:
WM Technology (Nasdaq: MAPS): Up nearly 64%.
Ayr Wellness (OTCQX: AYRWF): Up 50%.
Green Thumb Industries (OTC: GTBIF) (CSE: GTII): Up 32% after slumping earlier in the day on the news that three of its board members resigned.
“There are thousands of people who were previously convicted of simple possession who may be denied employment, housing, or educational opportunities as a result,” Biden said in a tweet. “My pardon will remove this burden.”
The development came as a surprise to the public, as the Biden administration has been mostly mum on the issue since taking office despite campaigning on a platform that vowed to end the War on Drugs.
Morgan Paxhia, co-founder and managing director of Poseidon Investment Management said that the move was unexpected, though welcomed. “This is a big step forward for American citizens and the global cannabis industry,” he said.
Photo by anankkml/Getty Images
Good news, but work remains
While favorable reaction to the news has been generally widespread, investors and financiers remain vigilant regarding the work ahead.
“Investors should enjoy the victory, but understand that the overall market will still dictate where the price action goes,” notable investor and self-proclaimed cannabis provocateur Jason Spatafora (@WolfOfWeedST) told Green Market Report. “I am not confident a bottom is in and I say that as someone bullish on the sector.”
Investment firm Jefferies Financial Group said in a statement that the descheduling of cannabis is “unlikely,” though rescheduling (depending on where to) alongside SAFE Banking Plus legislation and a unified vision between the fed and state governments would “be enough for uplistings and a significant inflow of new institutional capital.”
George Mancheril, CEO & co-founder of cannabis financier Bespoke Financial thinks that while the move is a “huge step towards undoing the human cost and damage of the unsuccessful war on drugs,” descheduling cannabis will take much longer due to political headwinds.
Trying heirloom cannabis strains should definitely be high on the bucket list of every cannabis enthusiast.
In plain terms, an heirloom refers to a valuable item or artifact that has been passed down from one generation to another through decades and centuries. Heirloom cannabis strains have also been passed down through generations, but instead of being items and artifacts, they refer to cultivars of cannabis that have been around for a long while. These strains are revered and prized for their purity and historical value, hence the name.
This definition does not quite capture everything about heirloom cannabis strains, this is why this article will focus on everything you need to know about these strains, how they differ from landrace strains, as well as their benefits.
Photo by Yash Lucid from Pexels
What are Heirloom Cannabis Strains?
Heirloom cannabis strains are strains that have existed for many generations. However, this is not the only thing that makes them unique. Heirloom cannabis strains are distinct from other cannabis strains because of the purity which they offer. Unlike most strains of cannabis, heirloom cannabis strains have never been crossbred with any strain, only existing in their pure, natural form. This unadulterated and unchanged state gives heirloom cannabis its status as a prized strain.
Heirloom cannabis strains grow through natural pollination by animals, wind, and humans. In order to further understand what heirloom cannabis strains are, we will outline the major properties of heirloom cannabis strains.
Properties of Heirloom Cannabis Strains
Cannabis strains must have these three properties, in order to be referred to as heirloom cannabis strains:
Generations: One property of heirloom cannabis strains is that they have been around for generations. The timeframe of their existence is the major reason why heirloom cannabis strains have their name. Longevity is therefore a very important property of heirloom cannabis strains.
Purity: It is not a heirloom cannabis strain if it has been crossbred with another strain. Heirloom cannabis strains have their pure genetics as one of their most important properties.
Migration: Another important property of heirloom cannabis strains, is that they have been removed from their natural region to grow in another area. Most heirloom cannabis strains were transported from their original locations to a new geographical area by scientists and travelers.
Speaking about geographical location, it is necessary to discuss the difference between landrace strains and heirloom cannabis strains, in order to fully understand what heirloom cannabis strains are.
Heirloom cannabis strains and landrace strains are usually mixed up. Both terms are even used interchangeably sometimes, which is very wrong as they are two different things. Landrace strains are strains that grow without help from humans, usually in the wild. Like heirloom cannabis strains, landrace strains are pure and have not been crossbred with other strains. Landrace strains just like heirloom cannabis strains have also been unchanged through generations.
The major difference between landrace strains and heirloom cannabis strains is geography. Landrace strains grow naturally in certain regions, while heirloom cannabis strains come from seeds taken away from these original regions. This means that certain landrace strains are native to specific regions around the world. Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East, are known to be the early origins of landrace strains.
Going by the explanation above, heirloom cannabis strains can be described as landrace strains that have been removed from their natural region, to be grown in another region.
Why Heirloom Cannabis Strains are Important
In the cannabis culture, there is a lot of speculation that comes with conversations on just how important heirloom cannabis strains are. Below are three reasons why heirloom cannabis strains are very important.
Photo by Zummolo/Getty Images
They are The Closest Thing to Landrace Strains: As it has been explained in this article, landrace strains are among the oldest strains available in the world, being present through different generations. This makes them desirable for their purity and unique flavor. When landrace strains are not available, heirloom cannabis strains are the closest things to them. In the case of extinction of certain landrace strains, through unexpected events like war and natural disasters, heirloom cannabis strains of such strain that have been taken to other regions will still be very much available. Heirloom cannabis strains can therefore be seen as preserving some of the finest indigenous strains that the world has ever seen.
Crossbreeding Cannabis Does Not Always Produce The Best Results: Heirloom cannabis strains alway share similar characteristics with their parents plants. This typically gives them an edge over crossbred strains, whose results are usually unpredictable. In crossbreeding, it is not always certain that a 50/50 offspring will be achieved when an indica-dominant strain is crossed with a sativa-dominant strain. Some offsprings often take sativa-like qualities, while others take indica-like qualities. It will then take years of backcrossing to achieve the desired result. The pure genetics of heirloom cannabis strains make them very stable and predictable when it comes to breeding.
Heirloom Cannabis Strains Might Have More Cannabinoids: It is believed that heirloom cannabis strains contains more beneficial compounds than hybrid strains. This claim can be supported with an argument about the high level of THC that new hybrid strains contain. The more THC content that these hybrid strains has, the better your high feels. However, increased level of THC come at a cost, as it results in reduction of other compounds such as cannabinoids and terpenes. Heirloom cannabis strains are therefore more natural, and contain the best balance of compounds for your consumption.
Bottom line
Heirloom cannabis strains have obvious benefits as they exist just the way nature designed them. Coupled with their rich history, these strains are among the most desirable of all the strains known to man. Their unique and unadulterated formation of compounds also means that you can be sure that you are smoking healthy cannabis.
Trying out heirloom cannabis strains should definitely be high on the bucket list of every cannabis enthusiast!
“This is a huge step forward toward a more just criminal justice system and more rational drug policy. Now it’s time for Congress and states to put an end to our failed policies…”
President Joe Biden announced he will pardon all prior federal offenses for simple marijuana possession, the White House announced Thursday, sending cannabis stocks soaring.
The historic move signals the possibility of broader marijuana reform, something cannabis activists have been seeking for a long time and the majority of U.S. voters support.
Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), one of the co-sponsors of the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act (CAOA), which would decriminalize and deschedule cannabis on the federal level and promote social equity, praised the news.
“President Biden’s executive order is transformative for the lives of thousands of people and families harmed by our broken cannabis laws,” Booker stated. “This is a huge step forward toward a more just criminal justice system and more rational drug policy.
“Now it’s time for Congress and states to put an end to our failed policies by legalizing and appropriately regulating cannabis, taxing cannabis, reinvesting proceeds in communities disproportionately harmed by the War on Drugs, and expunging criminal records for nonviolent drug offenses.”
A year ago, Booker pushed the Department of Justice (DOJ) to use its power under the Controlled Substance Act of 1970 (CSA) to commence the procedure of removing cannabis from the list of Schedule 1 drugs.
Then again, in July 2022, Booker urged the Biden Administration to use its power to remove cannabis and issue pardons to all individuals convicted of nonviolent marijuana-related offenses.
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY) (C), joined by Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) (L) and Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) / Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
Is Federal Marijuana Legalization The Next Step?
Even though many industry experts doubt that federal cannabis legalization will come about quickly, they believe that at least one piece of legislation has the potential to pass the Senate soon. Sponsors of the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act, led by Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR), recently discussed the urgency of cannabis reform this session, reiterating the public safety imperative of providing the industry access to the traditional financial system.
The banking reform bill, which the House passed for the sixth time in July as part of the National Defense Authorization Act, has never been voted on in the Senate.
Cantor’s Zuanic recently met with lawmakers in the nation’s capital and said congressional leaders are ready to pass banking legislation for the cannabis industry in the upcoming elections.
He noted that the passage of “SAFE Plus” is likely during the Congressional lame-duck period between the November midterms and the swearing-in of the new Congress in January 2023.
The SAFE Banking Plus Act is an updated version of a bill that contains provisions to protect financial institutions that provide services to state-legal cannabis businesses. It also contains some equity components.
“We think that talk of a SAFE Plus (bill) is something that should be taken seriously,” Zuanic told investors in a Zoom call. “It’s not just a jingle. It’s not a pipe dream. It’s something that’s ongoing. There are discussions at high levels in the Senate between co-sponsors of the SAFE Banking bill on the Republican side with Senate leadership.”
In the end, Biden’s pardons definitely give hope to those who wish to see SAFE Plus pass the Senate and create a positive and more functional environment for the booming cannabis industry.
How long it’ll take for your marijuana to start working is dependent on a few things. Here’s what you should know before you smoke weed, pop an edible, or use a sublingual.
It’s crucial to keep in mind that the length of time it takes weed to kick in varies from person to person due to three primary factors. First, how quickly your body metabolizes cannabinoids such as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) will dictate the time it takes before the effects become noticeable. This factor is related to your unique endocannabinoid system.
Second, how you consume cannabis (your ingestion method) makes a huge difference in how long it takes for weed to kick in.
Finally, how empty or full your stomach is when you ingest cannabis, as in how much you’ve eaten that day, can also impact the time it takes for weed to kick in.
How long does it take to get high after smoking weed?
When trying to determine how long does it take to get high after smoking weed, you should know that smoking or vaping weed (inhalation) is the quickest way to get high. When you smoke weed, THC travels through your lungs and directly into your bloodstream. From there, the onset of the high comes on nearly instantly, although it can be anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes, and lasts 1–4 hours. While vaping marijuana produces a similar onset and high to smoking, the psychoactive effects from vaping are often stronger.
How long does it take to get high off edibles?
How long does it take to get high off edibles infused with cannabis? For new cannabis users or those who previously only smoked or vaped weed, you may be wondering, “how long does it take edibles to work?” The time it takes edibles to kick in varies much more than if you smoke weed. When you smoke weed, you are primarily feeling the effects of THC.
However, when you eat a cannabis edible, you also get 11-OH-THC (11-hydroxy-THC), which is a metabolite of THC produced when you orally ingest THC products. Since edibles require digestion and being processed by your liver before the active ingredients reach your brain, this process takes much longer. This means you might start to feel effects of edibles within 30 to 60 minutes, but it can take as long as two hours for the high to set in. While THC levels in the blood do not peak until 3 hours later, the high can last more than 8 hours.
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How long does it take to get high off cannabis sublinguals?
We have discussed edibles and flower, but how long does it take to get high off cannabis sublinguals? THC sublinguals are discreet and perfect for a range of wellness uses. Sublingual simply means something is placed under your tongue, where it dissolves instantly. Our mouth’s mucous membranes are highly permeable, so they’re great for rapidly delivering substances.
If you’ve ever used Listerine strips, you have a general idea of what sublingual means in terms of the rapid dissolvability of a substance that isn’t swallowed. Cannabis sublinguals act similarly. Most often in the form of strips or tablets, this convenient delivery system kicks in faster than edibles and tinctures (most tinctures are not kept in mouth long enough for oromucosal absorption.) Weed sublinguals typically take 15 to 30 minutes to take effect compared to edibles, which take up to 60 to 90 minutes, depending on the ingredients.
Another difference between edible and sublingual consumption is that cannabis sublinguals bypass the gastrointestinal tract. By dissolving in your mouth instead of eating or drinking it, sublingual cannabis strips avoid the effects of “first pass metabolism” in your liver. Generally, if the sublingual product is placed under the tongue (not on top), you should feel the results within 15 minutes.
As for the taste, it varies from brand to brand. They tend to taste fruity or minty, so use caution and take care not to confuse them with your minty mouthwash strips. There is no one-size-fits-all answer to how long it takes for weed to kick in, but we can tell you that the time varies depending on a few varying factors.
So, the next time you and your friends are smoking, vaping, or trying out tasty edibles and someone asks how long it will be before they feel the effects, you can confidently tell them that it depends on many different aspects, including individual metabolism. And if you’re curious about how long it will take for weed to kick in for you specifically, download the Jointly app to track your cannabis experience.
While the marijuana industry wants cannabis to be de-scheduled, some have argued that moving the cannabis plant to a lower Schedule 2 or 3 drug could be even worse as the whole industry could be handed over to pharmaceutical companies.
As my phone lite up with news about President Biden’s big cannabis industry news, I immediately realized politics are a game of give and take, so why right now, Joe? Why did President Biden pick Thursday to announce the pardoning of thousands of cannabis offenders and tell his Attorney General Merrick Garland to expeditiously review the cannabis plant’s listing as a Schedule 1 drug?
Could it be a coincidence that Biden’s marijuana announcement coincides with the Federal government ‘s announcement that they have enough evidence to charge Joe’s son, Biden Hunter, with federal crimes related to tax and gun-purchase charges? Throw up a good will headline to cover the stench coming for Hunter Biden’s laptop?
A group of Republicans just formed an anti-legalization wave in the Senate this week based around family values and “more research is needed” rhetoric. Is the push for “looking at the scheduling listing” a push for Big Pharma to get cannabis as a schedule 2 drug and take control of the industry? Big money and lobbyist tend to get things done.
Inquiring minds want to know!
Let’s break down the winners and loser from Thursday’s announcement from the White House.
“There are thousands of people who have prior Federal convictions for marijuana possession, who may be denied employment, housing, or educational opportunities as a result. My action will help relieve the collateral consequences arising from these convictions,” Biden said in a statement released on Thursday afternoon.
He went on to urge all governors to do the same with regards to state offenses, saying, “Just as no one should be in a Federal prison solely due to the possession of marijuana, no one should be in a local jail or state prison for that reason, either.”
The president also called on the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Attorney General to begin the administrative process to review how marijuana is scheduled under federal law.
Marijuana is currently classified in Schedule 1 of the Controlled Substances Act under federal law. This classification puts marijuana in the same schedule as for heroin and LSD and even higher than the classification of fentanyl and methamphetamine, two drugs that are fueling the ongoing overdose epidemic across the country.
As ESPN would say, who won and lost yesterday’s trade?
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Winners
People with Federal Marijuana Convictions
While they may not get time back in life that simple marijuana chargers destroyed, they will get their records cleaned up for the sake of jobs, housing, voting, and a variety of other avenues that are closed to “convicted felons”. No matter what you think of the rest of the statement, this is the best news in years for the marijuana industry and people convicted of simple marijuana offenses since 1972. Win, win, win!
Outside of the cannabis industry itself, no one really cares about these details of origin around Delta-8 and 9 from hemp and the “real deal” stuff. If the president is starting steps to legalize cannabis, no one is going backwards with a fine-tooth comb and looking to ban hemp products. The wave of federal legalization has begun and no one outside of the industry has the interest or time to start reversing the Farm Act of 2018 and banning hemp products now.
Also, as you will read later in this article, if this is a move by Big Pharma to get control of the cannabis industry as a schedule 2 drug, then Delta-8 from hemp could be the only game left in town!
Websites and Cheap Licenses
Think about what Amazon did to brick and mortar, now transfer that to cannabis. Did all brick-and-mortar stores disappear? No, but did it put thousands of stores out of business.
If you have cannabis traffic on your website and you can get a cheap license in Oklahoma or Colorado, guess what? You are now taking market share from every MSO in America.
The MSO moat built on archaic federal laws is starting to crumble, and you better be ready for the 10 or 20 “Amazon’s of Weed” to pop up and start shipping the with a legal license as soon as the federal law allows it. With a website with traffic and a cheap rec license, all you would need is a room for inventory and a UPS account and you immediately start cutting into Trulieve’s and Cufaleaf’s revenue.
Smartest investment now for MSOs is to buy up every cannabis website they can for their traffic, and then convert that traffic into loyal customers when the moment comes. Start building your digital moats, not the ones with real sidewalks.
The Marijuana Industry
They are going to be listed as both winners and losers, and you will see why in a minute. Obviously, a big headline and tons of people are going to get legal relief that they have needed for decades. This pushes legalization to the forefront of everyone’s morning newsfeed and gets people excited again about legal cannabis.
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Losers
MSOs
Yes, multi-state operators serving mid-grade weed, you are in trouble. To mimic Jeff Bezos, your already shrinking margins are my opportunity. If you think numbers and margins were bad the past 5 months, wait until interstate commerce starts and oversupplied states can ship to undersupplied states, as well as small suppliers who can now ship across America if they know how to get traffic to their website. Your margins are going to get razor thin, and your “legal moat” is starting to get chipped away with yesterdays’ announcement.
Ironic, I know. While letting people get a clean record is a huge win, these programs set up to help those affected by the War on Drugs (Biden a big part of that by the way) are hanging on by a thread in some states. If this is a step toward interstate commerce and full legalization, delivery licenses for SE and EE applicants will lose 90% of their value over time. The moat and laws that protect MSOs are all trying to be used to help SE and EE businesses, but they will get crushed with full federal legalization. That did not happen, but with Merck Garland told to review schedule classification, the wheels are in motion.
The Marijuana Industry
The second part of the announcement from the White House should be very worrisome for weed. While the marijuana industry wants cannabis to be de-scheduled, the likes of Steve DeAngelo have argued that moving the cannabis plant to a lower schedule 2 or 3 drug could be even worse as the whole industry could be handed over to pharmaceutical companies.
Is Big Pharma behind this Biden push? If you believe Biden is not a weed fan at all, and politics is all about money and maneuvering, maybe try reading behind the lines on this one. Class 3 or 4 is better than 1 for sure, but 2 may be awful and deep-pocketed Big Pharma lobbyists may be burning up the phones to the Senate as we speak. A true trojan horse if that is the grand plan.
