San Francisco
Eaze accelerating marijuana delivery tech with $27 million investment
Eaze, a San Francisco-based firm that developed software to facilitate marijuana delivery sales, has hauled in $27 million in investment capital.
On-demand cannabis: California becoming hot spot for marijuana delivery, e-commerce
Tech company Eaze and others are banking on marijuana delivery expanding at “explosive” rate in California as state prepares for recreational sales.
Explore PRIDE Event Launches Foria x Weedmaps at SF Pride
If you’re in the San Francisco area today, you can catch Foria and Weedmaps celebrating the official launch of FORIA Explore. Foria’s “Explore PRIDE” celebration will be taking place from 4-7 p.m. at Sparc, a nonprofit medical cannabis collective in San Francisco. The in-store event will consist of Foria’s street team discussing the benefits […] Thanks to marijuana.com
Former Mayor Willie Brown Urges L.A. Voters to Election Yes on F
You will find many opinions regarding how to regulate medicinal marijuana. We at marijuana.internet have certainly reported on a lot of individuals varied tales and opinions. However, as La citizens prepare to determine the way forward for safe access within their city, they should consider the opinion of former mayor Willie Brown. Mr. Brown certainly has perspective if this involves regulating and medicinal marijuana. He was the mayor of Bay Area(1996-2004) , throughout a period when legal medicinal marijuana was at it’s infancy. Also, he offered as Speaker from the California Condition Set up. Mayor Brown, like marijuana.internet, is supporting measure F. Below you can observe a relevant video of him explaining his feelings on Tuesday’s approaching election.
 
 
 
Medical Marijuana Industry News September 21, 2012
New Evidence Showing Marijuana Fighting Cancer Emerges…
Marijuana.net has been providing updates on studies that highlight marijuana’s potential provide medical relief. Many of these studies show pain relief, while others have demonstrated that cannabis may hold the ability to actually fight cancer. Several years ago, there was a government study released showing this. More recently, Rick Simpson’s California Tears Hemp Oil has received praise from many who have used it to help fight their own cancer. Only months ago, Tommy Chong announced he would be seeking similar treatment. Although many of these breakthroughs have not received the deserved attention, it appears a new study is gaining a little more visibility. Huffington Post is reporting that two researchers from California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco identified a compound in marijuana that can stop the metastasis of many aggressive forms of cancer. One of the researchers leading the study, Pierre Desprez, described the findings by saying “It took us about 20 years of research to figure this out, but we are very excited.” The findings seem to revolve around cannabidiol (CBD), a cannabinoid that has received a great deal of attention as of late. This is also the cannabinoid found in the newly created Israeli marijuana that produces pain relief with no psychedelic effects. Desprez has been studying the ID1 gene, which causes cancer to spread. With the help of another scientist, Sean McAllister, who has studied CBD in depth, the two were able to determine that CBD can stop the spreading of cancer. Desprez also said “What we found was that his Cannabidiol could essentially ‘turn off’ the ID-1… “We likely would not have found this on our own, That’s why collaboration is so essential to scientific discovery.” Scientific collaboration on the issue can be difficult as experimenting with marijuana is often not allowed under current U.S. law.
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Fiona Apple Arrested for Marijuana Possession…
This week has been an eventful one in terms of musicians and marijuana. Earlier this week we reported that Lady Gaga smoked a joint on stage during a performance in Amsterdam and praised the benefits of marijuana. Now we have learned that longtime musician, Fiona Apple, has now been linked to marijuana. However Fiona Apple was arrested at a border stop in Sierra Blanca Texas due to marijuana and hashish possession. While the marijuana charge is a misdemeanor, possessing any amount hashish is considered a felony in Texas The singer has been on tour for her fourth studio album “The Idler Wheel”. This particular border checkpoint in Sierra Blanca has also been a problem for other entertainers as Willie Nelson and Snoop Dog have also been caught with marijuana there. It is unclear how severe her charges will be.
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Boxer Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. Tests Positive for Marijuana
Julio Cesar Chávez Jr. comes from a family of boxers with a rich history. His father, Julio Cesar Chávez is often mentioned as the best fighter to ever come out of Mexico. Chavez Jr.’s brother is also a professional boxer. Chavez junior was a champion in his own right and only lost his WBC championship belt to Sergio Martinez only days ago, a title he held since June of 2011. Unfortunately for Chavez Jr. he may be at risk to lose more as he recently tested positive for marijuana. Because his previous fight was in Las Vegas, Chavez Jr. will face a review from the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Chavez Jr. has prior issues such as a DWI so it is unclear how the commission will rule. In theory they could revoke his license to fight or make him forfeit the entire $3 million purse from the Martinez fight. Chavez Jr.’s promoter, Bob Arum of Top Rank, tried to calm the situation down. He said “I can’t really get excited about it. There’s no promoter in boxing who could pass the marijuana test, including myself. “Julio is going to have to explain to the commission what happened and the commission will be guided accordingly. If there was a trace of marijuana, to me, it’s not the same as using a performance-enhancing drug. That is cheating.” The issue of treating marijuana as a performance enhancer has come under fire especially as recent Olympians were banned from the games solely based on testing positive for marijuana.
Medical Marijuana Industry News August 3, 2012
Federal Crackdown on Dispensaries Continues in San Francisco…
There does not appear to be any end in sight for federal raids targeting marijuana dispensaries. Attorney General Eric Holder has reiterated that they will not use federal resources to go after law abiding collectives, however that statement no longer appears true. Without any evidence of wrongdoing, federal authorities announced their intention to shut down the iconic and world’s largest marijuana dispensary, Harborside Health Center. This week we learned that two prominent San Francisco collectives, Vapor Room and Hope Net would also be forced to shut their doors. HopeNet Co-founder Catherine Smith said, “The Justice Department sent our landlord one of those nasty letters. So this is our D-Day, we have to leave.” Ray Chico who operates the popular jar company Doob Tubes, said the dispensary closings are hurting more than just patients and collective employees. He noticed his business also take a turn for the worse and has been forced to let go of staff.
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Michigan Court of Appeals Rules Cities Cannot Ban Marijuana Dispensaries…
Recently California’s 2nd Circuit of Appeals ruled that cities cannot outlaw marijuana dispensaries. The Los Angeles City Council seemed undeterred by this and went forward with what may be considered an illegal ban on dispensaries. Michigan courts have now issued a similar ruling. In the city of Wyoming Michigan an ordinance was passed that outlawed collectives. John Ter Beek of Wyoming Michigan filed a suit in 2010 challenging the ban, and the ACLU also joined the suit. Michigan’s appellate court ruled that a local ordinace does not overrule a state law. In this case since medical marijuana is protected on a state level, local municipalities cannot enact laws that conflict with state laws and outlaw dispensaries. Dan Korobkin of the ACLU was pleased with the ruling and said “In 2008, people across the state overwhelmingly voted to protect patients who use marijuana to treat their medical conditions from punishment and penalty.”
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Arizona Asked to Expand Medical Marijuana Program…
Arizona’s medical marijuana program got off to a rocky start and was delayed by two years after being passed by a vote of the people. There are still calls by opponents of medical marijuana for Governor Jan Brewer to end the program. Ms. Brewer did not have her most triumphant political moment in court and was chided by a federal judge for the way they handled the situation. However, as the Governor has received a great deal of criticism by marijuana advocates, they may be praising her today. Thirteen county attorney’s in Arizona drafted a letter formally requesting that Governor Brewer halt the medical marijuana program. She has rejected the request and wrote a response letter where she said “I am duty-bound to implement the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act, and my agency will do so unless and until I am instructed otherwise.” Patients will be pleased to hear this as the it ultimately is the responsibility of elected officials to carry out the will of the people, even if they do not agree with a situation on a personal level.
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Activists Urging Costa Mesa Voters to Lift Medical Marijuana Ban…
Advocates of medical marijuana submitted close to 6,800 signatures in an effort to get an initiative on the ballot to legalize non-profit medical marijuana collectives. Dispensary owner Robert Martinez said “It’s imperative to provide safe access for veterans and cancer patients. I’m super stoked to bring these signatures.” The number of signatures is 1,000 more than the 5,812 required signatures which represents 10% of the Costa Mesa population. However, often many signatures are invalidated during ballot initiatives and if the effort requires more signatures activists will only have until August 10 if they wish to have the issue placed before voters this November.
Marijuana.net at the San Francisco Cannabis Cup
Over the weekend, Marijuana.net was proud to attend the 2012 High Times San Francisco Cannabis Cup. The event took place next to the incredible waterfront view at the Craneway Pavilion in Richmond, CA.
The Cannabis Cup was not only about great views of the Bay Area. Our community can always be relied upon to partake in a peaceful and fun event. As we have come to expect from these gatherings, we did not notice any major incidents with security personnel. Attendees were happy to come and have fun, socialize and learn about the newest developments in the medical marijuana industry. The weekend’s finale saw the famous Cannabis Cup trophies being issued. Many quality dispensaries such as San Jose Patients Group and Kush Connection brought along their impressive strains. Mama P’s Grinders won their 4th consecutive Cannabis Cup for their innovative grinders. Click here for the entire list of the winners.
Throughout the weekend guest speakers took the stage and spoke with the audience about the newest developments and legalities regarding marijuana. David Bienstock of High Times moderated a legal panel which also included criminal defense attorney Michael Stepanian in addition to NORML members Liana Held and Paul Armentano. Attendees were also treated to an edible panel, an activism Q&A, and of course a fun party held Saturday night. While we are fans of The Werc Shop, we were fortunate enough to be located next another quality laboratory, CW Analytical. The future of a safe and patient oriented industry will rely heavily on quality lab testing so it was great to speak with another proficient laboratory.
As the academic discussions took place patients and others in attendance had so much to do including stopping by the popular marijuana.net booth. As always we found an engaging audience happy to enter our raffle, talk with our strain expert to find their perfect strain and to hear about the newest developments described in our news and articles. Many visited our both including the internationally known Mila Jansen who showed off her “Pollinator”. Representatives from Xternal Topical Spray were nice enough to give us free samples of their product (very popular with MMA fighters) which is great for all pain including joint, back, and headaches. Signing our “I Medicate Because” banner was popular as patients are eager to share their reasons for choosing medical marijuana.
Reflecting San Francisco’s progressive culinary culture, we also were impressed with the city’s incredible and healthy edibles. There were so many different tasty treats that stood out including Eleve Gourmet Organic Truffles (organic, soy Free, vegan friendly, gluten Free, and dairy Free), and the Treescake Factory. There was also Cousin Mary Jane (with delicious and healthy toasted hemp seeds) and Chronic Ice Tea (who also had great ice cream sandwiches).
We feel fortunate any time we get to meet with fellow members of the medical marijuana community. For those in the Los Angeles/Anaheim area, you can check out Marijuana.net at The Werc Shop’s booth for next month’s Kush Expo. Check back soon for more detail on that event.
2012 High Times Medical Marijuana Cannabis Cup San Francisco Winners
Marijuana.net is proud to be at the 2012 High Times Medical Marijuana Cannabis Cup in San Francisco. If you are in the bay area stop by and say hello to us. The weekend’s events have treated us to so much including engaging speakers, top quality products and industry updates. There were also some of the world’s highest quality medical strains on display. The weekend was to be capped off by announcing the results of the highly anticipated awards show. We updated the results live as they were announced. Below you can check out the full list of Cannabis Cup winners, and be sure to see all the photos we took at the event:
Best Indica
1. Cordero Kush Platinum from San Jose Patients Group
2. Master Yoda Kush from Kush Connection
3. Cherry Cola from Sonoma County Collective
Best Sativa
1. Premium Jack Herer from Playbud Delivery Service
2. Yogi Diesel from Elemental Wellness in San Jose
3. XJ13 Cracker Jack from Santa Cruise Mountain Naturals
Best Hybrid
1. Larry OG Kush from Cali Connection
2. Ken’s Phantom from Grand Daddy Purple Collective
3. OG Sky from Buddies Cannabis
Best Concentrates
1. Hardcore OG Butter from Superior Extracts for West Coast Cures
2. OG Super Sexy Budder from L.A. Confidential
3. Unfuckwitable OG Wax from Venice Medical Wax Center
Best Solventless Hash Concentrate
1. Solventless Bamf Hash from Buds and Roses
Best Product
1. Mama P’s Grinders
2. Ko Nail
3. V Syndicate Grinder Card
Best Glass
1. Hitman Glass
2. Pulse Glass
3. Dope Ass Glass
Best Booth
1. Mama P’s
2. Elemental Wellness
3. Cali Connection
Best Edibles
1. Organic Medicated Truffles from Hills Pharmacy
2. Canna Chocolate from Tea House Collective
3. Spicy Orange Drops from Greenway Compassion Relief Inc.
Best CBD Strain
1. Master Control Unit ATF from Hills Pharmacy (MCU ATF)
2. Lemon remedy from Harborside Health Center San Jose
3. Harlequin from Buds and Roses
Dr. Lester Grinspoon Award For Lifetime Achievement
1. Richard Lee, Activist and Founder of Oaksterdam University
San Jose Hempcon 2012 Shows Diverse Marijuana Culture on Full Display
Over the weekend marijuana.net reported on site from the floor of the San Jose Convention Center. To no one’s surprise our community held another peaceful, fun, and educating event. Hempcon appeared to be a very successful event, largely due to the patients, guest speakers, businesses, and educational organizations who were in attendance.
We would like to take this time to briefly touch on some of those who made the event a memorable one. As always dispensaries were on hand to show off their quality medication. Papadon’s had an excellent showing and patients were thrilled to try their XJ-13. Aunt Zelda’s and Utopia Health Group provided excellent delivery services and were happy to talk about their businesses at Hempcon. Patients and dispensary workers were excited to look up the strains they saw at Hempcon in our comprehensive strain database. Singing Bird Family Farm brought their excellent honey products. Building on their best product winners from the most recent Denver, Los Angeles, and Detroit Cannabis Cup’s, Mama P’s brought their quality grinders with them to Hempcon. They’ll also be attending next week’s High Times Cannabis Cup in San Francisco as they look to win for best product again.
Those seeking information regarding the newest educational and legal developments were not disappointed by Hempcon. There were firms such as Hallinan & Hallinan, who were on hand to discuss the newest legal developments with attendees. We at marijuana.net found a very engaging audience eager to hear about some of the newest entries in our news and article section. There were also guest speakers which included a great speech from Melissa Balin.
Getting together with fellow members of the medical marijuana community is always a memorable experience. While we enjoyed Hempcon we are looking to carry that excitement over into this weekend’s 2012 High Times Medical Marijuana Cannabis Cup in San Francisco. As always, we encourage you to come down and say hello. Keep checking in as we will provide up to date info as next weekend unfolds. You can check with us immediately after the Cup is over for a detailed listing of next weeks winners.
History of the Cups
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It is finally time for the Denver Medical Cannabis cup. If you are in Denver this weekend, please come and visit us as we will be one of the sponsors of the event! We are sure patients will gather for another safe event as they have in the past. But first, a quick look on how we got here…
The first Cannabis cup was organized by Steven Hager, of High Times Magazine. In 1987 Amsterdam was the most famous of cities for legalized consumption of marijuana. So it was held there, in a great smoke-off to find the finest marijuana that a person could smoke. In 25 years the contest has matured; there are multiple categories, seeking the best strains, hybrids, consumables, seeds and so forth. It has also developed into a massive trade show, where builders of bongs can showcase their latest pipes, vaporizers, and novelty papers. Vendors also bring in t-shirts and other apparel and all other kinds of accessories. As the Cup has grown, it has incorporated other elements that have accompanied marijuana use. It has embraced spirituality and the counterculture ideas of the late 60’s and 70’s. Also, as politics have shifted across the world, so have the ideas espoused by the Cup’s sponsors and attendees.
Today, the United States is host to four of High Times’s Medical Marijuana Cups. In Detroit, Denver, Los Angeles and San Francisco. The First one was the San Francisco Cup in 2010. Last year saw the inaugural events for Denver and Los Angeles also. These are not just pothead toke-fests as conservative demagogues would paint them; they’re not dens of sin, iniquity and crime, or doorways to destruction. These are modern affairs, full of people with honorable agendas seeking to help people who are suffering from various ailments. For many of these patients, cannabis holds the best treatments they can hope to receive. New categories include judging for high CBD (cannabidiol) strains, which the medical community now agrees hold the key to treating many neuromuscular disorders. One of the largest growing segments of the Cup community is for political activism. Most major events now have devoted sections to increasing political awareness. On a national stage most politicians won’t touch the topic of marijuana; there are few candidates, like Ron Paul and Gary Johnson, who are willing to discuss it. But on state and local levels, many politicians are eagerly discussing with their constituents. Also, there are many active groups like NORML, LEAP and ASA who attend these gatherings and try to increase awareness and activism. For years the pro-marijuana lobby was small and quietly ignored. Now attitudes are turning from universal recreational use (like alcohol and tobacco) to a focus more on compassionate care and medical use, at least in enough cases now to be taken more seriously. Also, by highlighting the many failures of the 40 year-old “War on Drugs” people have realized that change, on a federal level, is necessary for the health of the Union and its people. All of this has helped the Cups to grow from crowds of hundreds to tens of thousands of supporters.
The Seattle HempFest is another event that has grown from very humble roots. The first one was held in Seattle in 1991, with only 500 people in attendance; last year’s event estimated close to 300,000 attendees! At each of these events people have gathered peacefully for several days. Recently, Cannabis use, in public, has been tolerated with no ill effects. Alcohol sales are banned at Hemp Fest, too. And in that wake, there have been no riots, no fights, no dangerous crimes committed. This is a far cry from the mighty fears that Henry J Anslinger stirred up when he pushed to have marijuana made illegal in the 1930’s. In 1991, there were no laws anywhere for compassionate use. Then, in 1998 Washington State passed their medical marijuana legislation. In 2003, Seattle made marijuana its lowest police priority and in 2008 the city stated it “would no longer prosecute simple possession cases.” This year, the state legislation approved patient cannabis gardens and an ordinance for cannabis collectives. With perseverance and patience, even the smallest of groups can hope to accomplish great deeds.