“The Liquor and Cannabis Board has once again taken the position that responsible and highly regulated cannabis license holders may be selling some illegal products,” said the executive director of the WA CannaBusiness Assoc.
The Washington Liquor and Cannabis Board (LCB) issued a statement Friday with the aim of resolving the legal question of producing delta-9 THC from hemp-derived CBD in the legal markets. The LCB called the process illegal reported Marijuana Business Daily.
Marijuana cultivators were worried as their businesses have already been negatively affected by a drop in biomass sales as processors are choosing to purchase and make delta-9 THC from hemp-derived CBD, a less expensive process.
Photo by Luca Micheli via Unsplash
“Any producing of a THC product falls outside the license privileges of a processor licensed by the LCB … may be considered a Controlled Substances Act violation, and a misuse of the processor’s license,” the Liquor and Cannabis Board noted in a release. “Licensed processors may not sell or purchase any THC product not legally produced by a licensed marijuana producer.”
Mixed Response
While some argue that the market will stabilize with the release of the LCB statement, others say the opposite, noting that an “interpretive statement” is not law, and therefore it remains to be seen what will happen next and if regulators will act upon this.
Micah Sherman, a cannabis business owner in the state and Washington Sun and Craft Growers Association board member said: “We’ll have to see what the LCB actually does and how it trickles down to stores and their behavior.”
Vicki Christophersen, executive director of the Washington CannaBusiness Association, noted that the statement underscored how “inconsistent” state regulators are in the terms of compliance and enforcement.
“The Liquor and Cannabis Board has once again taken the position that responsible and highly regulated cannabis license holders may be selling some illegal products,” Christophersen said. “The agency has suddenly defined certain license holders operating in good faith in the legal cannabis marketplace as violating the Controlled Substances Act.”
Yes, we still need our budtenders for a more personalized experience, but with the CBD vending machines, buyers can get access to products much faster and easier.
Miami is getting ahead with its cannabis innovations, and we are here for it!
At the touch of a button, CBD buyers living in the Miami suburbs can now get their cannabis products. Think about how you use a vending machine to get your favorite soda, and now imagine CBD-infused products automatically dispensed to you. Sounds cool, right?
Photo by skeeze via Pixabay
Cannabis tech firm Cultiva developed the Wellness Pantry, enabling people (who download the company’s free app) to buy CBD products remotely. A similar machine like the one used to sell sodas and chips will be used, making the purchasing process ever so exciting. So how does this work?
How does the vending machine work?
The machine comes with remote monitoring, and smooth operations feature as well as touchless payments. In keeping with the times, Cultiva’s CEO says CBD buyers can use blockchain technology to verify customer’s age.
Marijuana vending machines in other states are restrictive in their operations: dispensaries are given the sole authority to offer CBD products. But with the Wellness Pantry, the vending machine can be operated from anywhere, such as inside non-cannabis businesses and even in housing complexes.
Cultiva founder and CEO Daniel Torres insist that communities will gain access to quality products in a safe, fun, interactive, and straightforward way through this machine. The first Wellness Pantry will become fully operational this weekend, and it will be placed inside a condominium complex. The complex is owned by the largest amenity management company in America: NFC Amenity Management.
The first and last vending machine?
Cultiva Wellness Pantry is not the first CBD vending machine to launch in the United States despite its promising features. However, it is one of the state of the art machines currently in the market, with Miami being the first recipient.
In October last year, the Anne vending machine debuted in Colorado-based dispensaries of retail chain Star Buds. This was subsequently followed by the release of California-based GreenStop machines, which have four touch screens that allow different customers to order at the same time.
Photo by Yuri Arcurs/Getty Images
Two other companies have also launched traditional-style vending machines that allow users to select products by inserting cash. All they should do is press a two-button code, and voila, your cannabis is ready!
When installed inside a registered cannabis store, the CBD vending machines help the store owners move customers around much faster, thus reducing queues. The devices also serve as points of sale in rural areas and remote towns which cannot support full-fledged stores.
But the automated service still has many challenges before it can become a staple part of the cannabis industry. There are technical challenges that entail the machine’s ability to correctly incorporate the store’s Point of sale (POS) system.
Different states have regulations that mandate human oversight of cannabis purchases. The states of Nevada and Michigan are part of the 20 U.S states with laws that require people to get a receipt for their CBD products given by the store’s employee.
Robots vs Budtenders
The vending machines provide limited selection, unlike an entire store with the machines costing up to $25,000 each. Industry experts maintain that it can take years before vending machines can become very popular at dispensaries and CBD stores in America.
Torres maintains that the machines are not created to replace budtenders. Customers will want to walk into the store, talk about the product and get an assurance of quality before buying it. Therefore the machines at such dispensaries will enhance the customer experience for those who prefer using a device.
Photo by Heath Korvola/Getty Images
Are vending machines the future?
At this stage, you can say that vending machines are a part of the CBD future; it isn’t the sole focus of the future but is a part of it. Cannabis users want to gain access to products most safely and healthily, and since vending machines provide that, they have an excellent chance for growth in the future.
Cultiva Wellness already calls their vending machine “The most technologically advanced automated dispensing unit.” They believe that it is the most viable machine for CBD products out there, and that is a factual statement to make about the CBD vending machine.
The company was founded in 2019, and its mission was clear: to make CBD, hemp, and wellness product readily available to many people using technology-driven solutions. The launch of Wellness Pantry offers communities access to premium products ad that is why we can say that the future of CBD vending machines is bright.
Key challenges and solutions
As with all novel ideas tested in a new market, there will be a few glitches at the start, but there are solutions to these issues.
Challenge: Regulations that place human oversight of cannabis transactions as a priority.
Solution: Legislators can be encouraged to consider progressive regulations that will enable vending machines to take their pride.
Challenge: Technical point of sale challenges associated with integration.
Solution: All vending machines should be tested and pre-used before being placed in dispensaries. If effectiveness is not ascertained, the vending machine should not be used.
Challenge: Limited product capacity that reduces the selection process
Solution; The vending companies should boost production capacity such that users can enjoy their selection process.
Challenge: Lack of federal legislation that may prevent the spread of vending machines in the country.
Solution: Legislators who are passionate about the growth of cannabis and its innovative tendencies should pressure legislators to make federal legislation of cannabis a priority.
Bottom Line
The cannabis industry is rapidly evolving. What used to be a mere thought is gradually becoming a reality with the vending machines, and Miami is at the forefront of this innovative design. Yes, we still need our budtenders for a more personalized experience, but with the CBD vending machines, buyers can get access to products much faster and easier.
Miami is setting the pace for other states to follow, and with these vending machine additions, it is safe to say that purchasing CBD in Miami will never be the same.
The most popular theme park is back open, despite a surge in COVID-19 cases. Here’s what you should know about the precautions it’s taking.
No matter how old you get, there’s always something to enjoy in a Disney theme park. Whether you’re into the beautiful rides and decorations or the downtown Disney area where you can drink and watch lots of tourists, the park has something for everyone. Now that we have COVID-19 to deal with, these parks are also a great option, since they are mainly outdoors.
Like most businesses, Disney theme parks had a tough year. The place had to shut down for the majority of 2020. On April 30 of this year, Disneyland California reopened with limited capacity, and then, on June 15, the park started accepting visitors from out of state.
Unlike the past, where tickets could be purchased in person, now tickets must be purchased online. Face mask rulings are now optional for fully vaccinated guests in most areas of the park.
Park capacity has returned to normal but restaurants and queues have added some limitations in order to prevent overcrowding.
While most activities have started to work normally, parades are still on hold in hopes of preventing conglomerations of people. Meet and greets with Disney characters have been replaced with socially distanced character processions. Services like FASTPASS and Disney MaxPass remain suspended.
What’s new
Photo by Noam Galai/Stringer/Getty Images
Following the year of closure, Disney has redone a lot of things. On the heels of the release of the Jungle Cruise movie, the California park has redone the Jungle Cruise ride, which had controversial depictions of indigenous people. The Florida park will finish the Jungle Cruise ride at some point during the summer.
In Florida, Disney World just opened its Avengers Campus, a new park area based on the Marvel movies. Due to the 50 year anniversary of the Disney World parks, Walt Disney World Resort will be launching “The World’s Most Magical Celebration,” a party that will start October 1, 2021 and last for 18 months.
Obviously, we are not going to have any impact on countries like Iran or China, but the people in Latin America and the European democracies really are looking to America for leadership.
Disclaimer:The views expressed in this article solely belong to the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Fresh Toast.
National Public Radio has a new 15 minute report online that it introduces with: “In June 1971, then-President Richard Nixon said the U.S. had a new public enemy number one: addiction. It was the beginning of America’s long war on drugs. Fifty years later, during months of interviews, NPR found a growing consensus across the political spectrum — including among some in law enforcement — that the drug war simply didn’t work.”
Bravo, but as I have previously pointed out, the Drug War is actually more than 100 years old. In fact, it began over a century ago with The International Opium Convention.
It was signed on January 23, 1912 during the First International Opium Conference. “It was the first international drug control treaty. The United States was unsuccessful in its attempts to have cannabis included in the 1912 Convention.”
However, in 1937, the notorious Harry Anslinger got Congress to pass the Marihuana Tax Act.It was signed into law by Franklin Roosevelt, and almost every President since has contributed to an escalation in the violence. Not just Nixon.
Anslinger’s crowning achievement, however, was the 1961 United Nations Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs which locked the U.S. and the world into the Drug War, especially marijuana prohibition, by a treaty, which is still being used to justify banning cannabis around the world.
In December of last year, in one of the last days of the Trump Administration, the U.S. “voted to remove cannabis from Schedule IV of the Single Convention while retaining it in Schedule I, saying it is “consistent with the science demonstrating that while a safe and effective cannabis-derived therapeutic has been developed, cannabis itself continues to pose significant risks to public health and should continue to be controlled under the international drug control conventions”.
In other words, the U.S. and other countries should be prohibited by treaty from legalizing recreational cannabis. Obviously, the people of the United States disagree, but the damage done by a century of Reefer Madness is not so easily erased.
Obviously, we are not going to have any impact on countries like Iran or China, but the people in Latin America and the European democracies really are looking to America for leadership. The U.S. cannot just forget the role that it has played in fomenting the violence of the Drug War.
Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
Little Portugal has decriminalized all drug possession.
Portugal still has not legalized the sale and use of cannabis, but no one is arrested for it, in contrast with America where over 400,000 were arrested last year.
However, it has effectively opted out of the Drug War, and fatalities from hard drugs have fallen sharply. “More than 70,000 Americans died from drug-involved overdose in 2019, including illicit drugs and prescription opioids.”
It’s not just law enforcement getting in on the reefer madness. There are reports of county building inspectors harassing landowners for “unpermitted” hoophouses and greenhouses.
Over the past three months, law enforcement raids of “illegal marijuana grows” in Southern Oregon have spiked. While I’m willing to give law enforcement the benefit of the doubt that the number illegal marijuana grows has increased over the past year, my review of several unrelated cases reveals some common flaws in law enforcement’s approach.
And while the rhetoric regarding a “cartel takeover” is rampant among both local and state regulators, among the cases I am aware of, there is no evidence of cartel activity. Rather, my suspicion is that white law enforcement agents are seeing brown people working in fields planting hemp seedings and jumping to unwarranted (not to mention problematic) conclusions.
Indeed, the leaps in logic and rush to judgment have led to law enforcement erroneously sweeping up entirely non-criminal and even completely legal hemp growers as well as a full-frontal attack on agriculture in general by county land use regulators. Here are the top five issues I’m seeing:
Photo by Xvision/Getty Images
1. Hemp Is Legal.
With the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, hemp (or “industrial hemp”), which is defined generally as cannabis that has THC content of 0.3 percent or less on a dry weight basis, is no longer a federally controlled substance. In Oregon, industrial hemp is specifically excluded from the definition of marijuana. Thus, any cannabis that has 0.3 percent or less THC content is notmarijuana. There is no easy way to tell the difference between hemp and marijuana just by looking at it or smelling it – a specific laboratory test is required.
However, various Southern Oregon law enforcement agencies appear to have refused to update their probable cause analysis to consider whether plants or leafy green substances they report seeing as suspected illegal marijuana trafficking may, in fact, just be individuals involved in the legal hemp market. What police officers and sheriffs may have been trained to look for in order to identify illegal marijuana does not appear to have been updated to account for the fact that a legal substance exists that carries the look and smell of marijuana but is in fact perfectly legal industrial hemp.
2. Prior to the passage of HB3000, growing hemp without a registration is a civil violation, not a crime.
A repeating theme I am seeing in cases of law enforcement activity at hemp farms in Southern Oregon involve hemp growers who, for whatever reason, obtained hemp seedlings while their hemp registrations are still being processed by the Oregon Department of Agriculture, and then were searched by law enforcement. Indeed, many applicants report that earlier this spring, ODA reported that processing times for hemp registrations were 6 weeks long or less, which is consistent with ODA’s processing times last year. With the planting season closing, may people intending to grow legal hemp took ODA’s representations regarding processing times on faith and ordered starts for their growing season, only to have them arrive before their registration is approved.
However, until the passage of HB 3000 on July 19, 2021 (just a few days ago), Oregon law was relatively clear that the growing hemp without a registration is not a crime, but rather is a civil violation with a maximum fine of $2500 per violation. Only ODA has the legal authority to impose these fines — criminal law enforcement authorities have no jurisdiction whatsoever. Law enforcement is taking a contrary position, but in doing so are ignoring that the statute they’re relying on expressly references marijuana, not hemp.
3. Possessing dry hemp in any amount is completely legal.
While growing hemp without a hemp grower registration is contrary to ODA regulations (albeit not criminal), Oregon law has no limits on the amount of dry hemp any person or company can hold for any purpose, and there is no license or registration required for the possession of dry hemp for commercial purposes. Indeed, for marijuana, public possession limits recently doubled to two ounces as a result of SB 408, which went into law last month, but possession of green leafy substances beyond that will require a test to determine whether possession of the substance is legal or illegal. Currently, Southern Oregon law enforcement isn’t even considering whether the green leafy substances they are seizing may be perfectly legal hemp rather than marijuana.
4. Law enforcement has been raiding farms and taking samples for testing without following proper sampling and testing procedures.
While the distinction between hemp and marijuana is somewhat straightforward, it does not follow that any single growing cannabis plant that tests above 0.3% total THC content means that the field that is being grown is marijuana and not hemp. That’s because ODA rules require pre-harvest field testing to be done according to a very specific protocol that ensures a representative sample of each harvest lot is acquired for testing, and then the test results of each sample are averaged together to get an overall pass/fail rating for THC content. In other words, certain plants are allowed to have over the amount of THC, but as long as the rest of the plants test sufficiently under that the average result is under 0.3%, the entire harvest lot is still considered hemp. And for good reason. It is impossible for a grower to know with certainty that each and every plant will test below a certain threshold. The purpose of pre-harvest testing is to ensure that an overall harvest lot doesn’t have too much THC to be considered hemp, and if it does, the grower has the option to have the harvest lot re-sampled and re-tested, or segregate and destroy that lot according to ODA instructions.
Photo by Drew Angerer/Staff/Getty Images
Contrary to this rational, measured approach, law enforcement is selectively taking a tiny sample, likely from areas of fields that get more sun or nutrients in an effort to find one plant that tests over 0.3% THC and declare the entire operation an “illegal marijuana grow.” Furthermore, law enforcement organizations are not lawfully authorized to collect samples for testing, and aren’t subject to the same regulations relating to chain of custody that OLCC licensed labs are required to observe. And from the test results I’ve seen, there is often a lag time of more than 30 days from the date law enforcement collects the samples to the date they are turned over to a lab for testing and analysis. I have yet to hear any explanation for that extended lag time between sampling and testing.
Law enforcement does not appear to show any interest in using sampling and testing procedures that are designed to give the most accurate results, instead they appear to be using methods that are known to be unreliable to get the results that justify their actions. If you find yourself in this situation, it is important to exercise your First Amendment right to record law enforcement and take a video of the officers as they are collecting and handling the samples.
5. Agricultural buildings are exempt by state law from local building permit requirements.
It’s not just law enforcement getting in on the reefer madness. There are reports of county building inspectors harassing landowners for “unpermitted” hoophouses and greenhouses. And I am aware of at least one citation out of Jackson County for fines of $100,000 for greenhouses that were allegedly built without a building permit on land explicitly zoned for farm uses.
These county regulators are running afoul of state law, which categorically exempts agricultural buildings from the state structural specialty code which counties regulate through the issuance of building permits. See ORS 455.315. While I have previously known of county regulators attempting to argue that indoor marijuana production facilities are commercial in nature and not agriculture (from which they inevitably back down when confronted with ORS 475B.526), the apparent argument that greenhouses and hoophouses are not agricultural in nature is rather breathtaking — I can’t think of a more quintessential example of an agricultural building.
BOTTOM LINE
If you are visited by law enforcement or local code enforcement for any reason about your hemp crop, it is important that you immediately seek legal advice from competent and qualified counsel. The attorneys at Green Light Law Group are up-to-speed on all of the issues growers and landowners are experiencing in Southern Oregon.
Kevin Jacoby is an attorney at Green Light Law Group. He has focused his career on advising small to medium-sized businesses both in litigation matters and in all aspects of administrative compliance and employment relations. In addition to business-to-business litigation, Kevin has devoted a significant amount of his practice to administrative law. You can contact Kevin at info@gl-lg.com or 503-488-5424.
Staycations make for a good option when you want to rest, stay safe, and save some money without traveling outside of your city.
There’s really no substitute for traveling. It exposes you to different people, foods, cultures and makes us feel like we’ve grown and changed for the better after we return home. Despite the fact that countries are reopening and states across the U.S. are returning back to normal, expensive ticket prices, bookings and rising COVID-19 cases can make people think twice. A staycation may be the best bet.
Here are 6 things you should avoid when planning your next staycation:
Checking your emails and working
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While it’s becoming increasingly popular for people to continue working even while on vacation, it’s important to disconnect. Even if you have to check your emails, limit the number of times you do so, keeping it to the evenings or the mornings. Just because you’re staying close to home doesn’t mean your mind can’t explore a new realm of relaxation.
Following the patterns of your normal life
Photo by Adrian Swancar via Unsplash
It’s very easy when on a staycation to use up your time doing what you normally do on your time off. While this can be relaxing, when it comes to taking real time off, it helps when you do different things, like visiting places you’ve never seen before, even if you’re in your hometown.
If you plan on going to restaurants or spending a night in a hotel, be sure to book a reservation ahead of time. Last-minute bookings are usually expensive and could add up and end up costing the price of a regular trip.
Keeping your home the same
Photo by Anthony Tran via Unsplash
If you’re staying in your home, try to make it look and feel a little different. Clean up your place before the start of your staycation, buy flowers, or even rearrange some furniture. It may seem silly, but small changes can add up and make it feel like you’re truly on vacation.
If you go to the same coffee shops and delis that you usually visit, your staycation will kind of feel the same as your everyday life. Try doing an activity you’ve been looking forward to, or visiting a place that you’ve wanted to visit but never had the time to.
Not researching local rates
Photo by Elevate via Unsplash
When going on touristy activities or museums, don’t pass up on the rates you get from being a local. Some hotels, spas, and other attractions may provide discounted prices for residents.
The blame game sputtered to the surface again on Wednesday when Edwin Moses, two-time Olympic track and field gold medalist and emeritus chair of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), appeared before a federal commission at a hearing on international sports where he was questioned by panel co-chair Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) about the controversial suspension of Sha’Carri Richardson.
Moses repeated USADA’s trope about how “heartbroken” they all were over Richardson’s suspension following a positive cannabis test and that the organization’s hands are tied with respect to enforcing international drug policy.
Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images
Cohen also did his share of hand-wringing when he railed against Richardson’s punishment and how onerous changing marijuana rules can be especially on the international level, “slow as molasses.”
Cohen repeated a remark he’d made earlier about cannabis not being a “performance-enhancing drug unless you’re involved in the hot dog eating contest on the Fourth of July at Coney Island.”
Very funny, but still no cigar unless the U.S. gets serious about removing a harmless plant from the Controlled Substance Act and recognizes the U.S.’s role in the inclusion of cannabis on the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) list of prohibited substances.
The US’s Role
Regardless of the lip service, such as Moses’s remark that there are no countries in the world that will “ever be as liberal as we are,” the fact of the matter is that the U.S. itself has for years played the leading role in imposing cannabis prohibition.
Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images
WADA made that abundantly clear to Reps. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) in a letter last month from its president, Witold Banka, who implied that the U.S. has consistently bullied the rest of the world to keep cannabis on the list of prohibited substances.
“At no time since the first Prohibited List was published in 2004 has WADA received any objection from U.S. stakeholders concerning the inclusion of cannabinoids on the Prohibited List,” Wada wrote. “On the contrary,(…) the U.S. has been one of the most vocal and strong advocates for including cannabinoids on the Prohibited List.”
But in all fairness to Rep. Cohen, he did push the envelope at this week’s hearing on international sports wherein his questioning got USADA to “publicly flesh out its position on marijuana use by athletes,” wrote Marijuana Moment.
“USADA told Congress, right to its face, that the policy of prohibition and stigmatization of cannabis consumers is wrong,” Justin Strekal, said political director for NORML. “The remaining question is when will the House take action to end the mandate that organizations like USADA, the DEA, ONDCP, and others stop criminalizing otherwise law-abiding Americans?”
It’s possible for a weed-consuming population to use marijuana without needing emergency medical assistance. Here’s how.
It seems that every time a state officially launches its legal cannabis market, reports showing that emergency rooms are filling up with people who can’t handle their weed start to bombard the internet. This took place earlier this year throughout Illinois, which rolled out its taxed and regulated pot trade in January. In Chicago, doctors claimed an increase in ER visits due to people overdosing on weed.
Listen, this madness might be happening, or it might not. The purpose of this article is not to debate whether legal marijuana brings about an uprising in freakouts that send people on a mad dash for the hospital. It is to serve as a guide, of sorts, intended to prevent these horrific events from happening in the first place. Because, get this, it is possible for a weed-consuming population to use marijuana without needing emergency medical assistance. It’s a novel concept, we know. But we swear that people can use cannabis products safely and responsibly.
Here’s how.
Photo by Nicole De Khors via Burst
The first thing to consider is this: Any report that comes out in the media suggesting that people are running to the ER because the weed got on top of them can almost always be attributed to edibles. We’re not going to lie, these popular pot products sold in dispensaries in states where marijuana is legal can be tricky and the source of great misery if they are not consumed correctly.
We’ve seen these things turn grown men into crying globs of slobber and regret, curled up in the fetal position, begging for someone to call 911 or bring them an oxygen tank. If you’ve never taken too much THC, there is no possible way to understand the intense anxiety that it brings. It can make breathing extremely difficult and mess with your senses in ways that are just plain scary. But there is no need for a person to go down this road if they don’t have to.
Avoiding a panic moment is as easy as understanding dosage and timing. But that alone can be difficult enough to put cannabis newbies in a bad situation. Unlike smoking marijuana, which comes with an instant buzz, pot edibles can take a while to kick in. It’s nothing to be sitting around for an hour waiting to feel the effects.
This is where some people make a tragic mistake. They’re thinking, “Man, these edibles are not doing anything for me,” so they take another dose and maybe another one after that. Then, in a matter of hours, they are as high as they’ve ever been in their lives, and there are no signs of a comedown. So, if there is one piece of advice we can offer for someone trying edibles for the first time, it’s to have some freaking patience.
The other is not to be a hero. Seriously, most of the edible products that can be purchased down at your neighborhood dispensary will come with 100mg of THC. Fair warning, this is not a single dose. Not unless you happen to be an elephant. This much THC has the power to cause a level of panic that you don’t even want to think about. Will it kill you? Well, science says that it won’t. But that doesn’t mean you won’t spend several, long hours utterly convinced that grim death is looming overhead.
Photo by Flickr user Dank Depot
In fact, the fear of dying from a marijuana overdose (note: An overdose doesn’t necessarily mean someone has to die. It just means that they took too much) is the reason so many people storm the doors of an ER. It has been our experience that there is a bit of a learning curve when using edibles. Beginners should probably see how they do on 5mg of THC and go from there. Although budtenders typically tell customers they can start with 10mg, we have found that even this amount can be a little much for some folks.
Just remember, you can always take more if the initial dose isn’t quite doing the trick (give it an hour to do its thing, first). But you cannot back away from a pot overdose once it is on course. There is no Narcan-like reversal for it. You’re just going to have to deal with getting super stoned, paranoid and afraid.
And forget about all of those articles you’ll find on the internet about how to calm down after consuming too much THC. Most of these suggestions will not work on someone who is really ripped up and convinced that their life is about to end. Therefore, it’s probably best not to overdose in the first place. And the only way to avoid it is to start low and slow.
From DIY filters to storing your weed for ultimate freshness, here are some tricks to make your weed consumption a little easier.
Weed has been around for a long time. The fact that for the majority of its history it’s been shrouded in shame and secrecy is unfortunate, but it has also resulted in a lot of underground hacks that a lot of people don’t know about.
Here are 7 weed hacks that can simplify your life.
Buying pipe cleaners
Photo by Grav via Unsplash
If you smoke from a bong or a pipe, you know how terrible it is when it gets clogged, and how difficult it is to clean if too much time has passed. Luckily, there are devices designed with this purpose in mind: pipe cleaners. Buy them. These brushes make the cleaning process very simple and will extend the life of your pipes and bongs
Store your weed in a mason jar and cover it with something black
Mason jars are the right way to store weed. To make these containers into something even better, cover them with black construction paper or a black shirt. This dark and cool environment will ensure that the weed stays fresh over long periods of time.
Smoke around mealtimes
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One of the best weed hacks of all time is to plan your smoke sessions around your meal times, and in the era of remote work, it’s even more convenient. By smoking around mealtimes you’ll ensure your food tastes amazing while also curbing the munchies by having something to eat.
Use old cards as filters
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Old greeting cards, birthday cards or any type of hard paper make for great filters, which will, in turn, make your joints last for longer periods of time and protect your lungs.
The right kind of high will have you focusing deeply on all kinds of things. Use this to your advantage like when you want to carefully brush your teeth for two minutes, or when you feel like working on your core by doing pushups and planks.
Store small amounts of weed in your packaged flavored blunt wraps
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While they don’t make for good containers over long periods of time, packaged flavored wraps make for good temporary storing places, giving your weed a nice flavor.
Pairing coffee with weed
Photo by Priscilla Du Preez via Unsplash
For those who get very sleepy after smoking weed, coffee could help you stay more alert. Just be careful with how much of each you consume; if you overdo it, your body may end up feeling disoriented and confused.
Oregon’s framework presents a more nuanced option for regulating hemp-derivatives with an intoxicating effect.
On July 19, Oregon Governor Kate Brown signed HB 3000, an omnibus bill focused on Oregon’s hemp industry into law. HB 3000 includes many modifications, but one aspect of the bill that will have a huge impact on how Delta-8 THC products are sold in Oregon (and, if other states follow suit, across the country), is the radical change the bill makes in the traditional classification of cannabis and cannabis products into either marijuana or hemp (or their respective derivatives) by creating a new, over-arching classification called Adult Use Cannabinoids and Cannabis Items.
Adult Use Cannabinoids and Cannabis Items
HB 3000 establishes a new classification of cannabinoids under Oregon law called “Adult Use Cannabinoids” which is defined to include the following:
Tetrahydrocannabinols
Tetrahydrocannabinolic acids that are artificially or naturally derived
Delta-8 THC
Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Delta-9 THC)
The optical isomers of delta-8-tetrahydrocannabinol or delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol
Any artificially derived cannabinoid that is reasonably determined to have an intoxicating effect
Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images
HB 3000 also creates a new classification of consumer product. An “Adult Use Cannabis Item” is defined to include:
A marijuana item (items that contain marijuana that are sold in Oregon’s recreational and medical market), and
An industrial hemp commodity or product that exceeds:
A concentration of Adult Use Cannabinoids to be established by the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission (OLCC), in consultation with the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) and the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) or
A concentration of Delta-9 THC that exceed 0.3% on a dry weight basis or the threshold set by federal law if those changes.
HB 3000 prohibits any person from selling an Adult Use Cannabinoid Item to individuals under the age of twenty-one.
HB 3000 grants the OLCC rulemaking authority to establish what level of Adult Use Cannabinoid causes a product containing hemp derivatives to become an “Adult Use Cannabis Item”. The OLCC has wasted no time in establishing rules under HB 3000.
Under OLCC rule, an industrial hemp commodity or product is an adult use cannabis item if it:
Contains 0.5 milligrams or more of any combination of THC or tetrahydrocannabinolic acids, including Delta-9 or Delta-8 THC or delta-8-tetrahydrocannabinol or any other cannabinoids advertised by the manufacturer or seller as having an intoxicating effect;
Contains any quantity of artificially-derived cannabinoids; or
Has not been demonstrated to contain less than 0.5 milligrams total delta-9-THC when tested in accordance with ORS 571.330 or 571.339 (industrial hemp laboratory testing).
Photo by Anastassiya Bezhekeneva/Getty Images
These rules make product with more than 0.5 milligrams of Delta-8 THC (or any other THC) an Adult Use Cannabis Item which cannot be sold to individuals under the age of twenty-one (unless sold in a marijuana retail store to a medical marijuana card holder under twenty-one but over eighteen). The inclusion of any artificially derived cannabinoids also makes an industrial hemp product or commodity an Adult Use Cannabis Item. Finally, the OLCC creates a presumption that if lab test does not demonstrate that a hemp product is under 0.5 Delta-9 THC, then it is considered and Adult Use Cannabis Item.
The Future of Delta-8 THC
As we mentioned above, by developing a new classification of cannabinoid product, Oregon has upended a long-held distinction between marijuana and hemp. Hemp is cannabis with less than 0.3% Delta-9THC on a dry weight basis. The 2018 Farm Bill defines hemp to also include derivatives and cannabinoids from hemp. Simply put, this means that anything derived from hemp is hemp and anything derived from marijuana is marijuana with Delta-9 THC being the dividing line. Oregon adds another wrinkle by creating a new class of products and altering the dividing line to turn not solely on Delta-9 THC, but on the presence of Adult Use Cannabinoids which will be set by the OLCC.
HB 3000 does not ban Delta-8 THC but it will distinguish products containing 0.5 milligrams of Delta-8 THC (and any other products containing intoxicating cannabinoids or artificially derived cannabinoids) from other hemp commodities. HB 3000 does not provide further restrictions on selling or distributing Adult Use Cannabis Items and neither does the OLCC, at this time. That means that unlike marijuana items, which can only be sold in licensed retail stores, Adult Use Cannabis Items can remain on the shelves in most places that they are currently sold, so long as minors cannot access or buy those products. One area to watch is whether the OLCC will eventually impose a requirement that stores selling Adult Use Cannabis Items hold a license or authorization.
Photo by Christina Winter via Unsplash
Bottom Line
Oregon’s experiment with Adult Use Cannabis Items could provide a valuable framework for other states. Delta-8 THC has caused massive headaches for regulators across the country and resulted in many states banning hemp-derived Delta-8 THC all together. Oregon’s framework presents a more nuanced option for regulating hemp-derivatives with an intoxicating effect. It remains to be seen how this will work and much of that will turn on how the OLCC enforces HB 3000, with regards to Adult Use Cannabis Items. We will continue to track Adult Use Cannabis Items and write about them here on the Green Light Law Blog.
Daniel Shortt is a corporate and regulatory attorney based in Seattle, Washington who works extensively with entrepreneurs in the cannabis industry. You can contact him at info@gl-lg.com or (206) 430-1336.
