regulation
Catching up with Jushi Creativity: A Q&A with Dre Neumann
Jushi Holdings is a large multi-state operator with a massive national footprint and a presence in key markets, including Pennsylvania, Illinois, Virginia, Massachusetts, Nevada, Ohio and California. About a year and a half ago, Aaron Green interviewed Andreas “Dre” Neumann, Chief Creative Director of Jushi Holdings to learn about his journey to the cannabis industry, […]
First Pharma vs Cannabis Clinical Trial Moves Forward
Affinity Bio Partners on Working with Zelira Therapeutics to Complete Enrolment for Diabetic Nerve Pain Drug Trial It’s an exciting time in the medical cannabis community as Zelira, a global leader in the research, development and commercialization of clinically validated cannabinoid medicines, and Affinity Bio Partners, a leading, global clinical research organization, have completed enrollment […]
The 3-Legged Stool of Successful Grow Operations: Climate, Cultivation & Genetics – Part 4
This is Part 4 in The 3-Legged Stool of Successful Grow Operations series. Click here to see Part 1, here to see Part 2, and here to see Part 3. Stay tuned for Part 5, coming next week. Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Aeroponic & hydroponic systems can operate with little to no soil or media. This eliminates […]
No Green Wave This Time, But Two More States Legalize Adult Use Cannabis
Five states voted on adult-use cannabis legalization. These results increase the number of states that have legalized cannabis for adult-use from 19 to 21. Similar ballot measures failed, however, in Arkansas, North Dakota and South Dakota. The continued expansion of legalized cannabis at the state level, combined with President Biden’s recent initiation of an administrative […]
Challenges Abound for Cannabis Industry Growth in 2023
With an adverse regulatory environment, labor shortages, supply chain disruptions and the always-present threat of property damage and product recalls, cannabis operators are fighting an uphill battle to stay viable in today’s environment. According to Politico, more than 20 of the largest publicly-traded cannabis companies lost about $550 million on revenues of nearly $4.5 billion in […]
Addressing Cannabis Price Compression With Science
Cannabis cultivators across the U.S. are confronting plummeting wholesale prices and tighter profit margins. Operators in Pennsylvania say flower prices have fallen from around $4,000 a pound to around $3,000, on average, and prices in the more mature markets of California, Oregon and Colorado have experienced extreme volatility. Prices in those states are averaging around […]
2022 Cannabis Supply Chain Virtual Conference
2022 Cannabis Supply Chain Virtual Conference Sponsored by CannaSpyGlass View On-Demand Now Click here to see all available CIJ events and webinars Agenda A Smarter Cannabis Beverage Distribution Model Jason Vegotsky, Chief Executive Officer, Petalfast Current cannabis distribution models make it hard for emerging cannabis beverage brands to launch and scale their businesses successfully. Instead, […]
The Process of Pot
When Justin Trudeau was first elected with a huge majority in October 2015, becoming Canada’s second youngest Prime Minister, one of his main campaign promises was to make marijuana a legal recreational substance, available to the large population who currently get it on the black market. The intent is to stamp out the ‘dealers’ and […]
Large Marijuana Grow Found in Plain Sight Within Chicago City Limits…
Marijuana grows are located by authorities with great frequency. A simple Google search using the key word “marijuana” will almost always quickly produce many stories where authorities have discovered large scale grows. Even as this is occurring regularly, authorities still seemed to be baffled at how widespread marijuana is. While the reports seem to indicate some sort of victory by law enforcement, they are only revealing a drop in the bucket. For every illegal grow discovered there are countless that they will not find. This is to be expected as an outdated approach can only yield outdated results.
The desperate need for cannabis regulation cannot be more clear after we learned of a developing story in America’s third largest city, Chicago. Authorities found rows of marijuana plants, with many being 10 feet tall, lined in a space located just off the Bishop Ford Freeway. Edward Graney of the Cooke County Sheriff’s Police Department noticed a patch of lime green while on a routine helicopter flight. He said “I never thought I’d see something like this.” Barely believing the location and size of the operation Graney went on to say “When I walked in there to get my head around this, I couldn’t believe how big it was, I was in shock. Basically, someone put 1,500 plants in the middle of an industrial park.”
As government officials still hope for a naturally growing plant to simply disappear off the face of the earth, their approach seems sillier by the day. The field off the Chicago highway was estimated to contain as much as $10 million of street valued marijuana. These illegal grows will never be taxed and often it is difficult to even ascertain who is behind the operation. The size and location of plants found shows that those growing are not exactly living in fear of authorities. If one of the world’s largest metropolitan area is now considered a safe place to grow marijuana in the open, what hope does law enforcement have of uncovering grows deep in the woods of rural areas?
Police and DEA officials are left without the ability to enforce marijuana policy. Of course it is not the fault of individual agents. Would we hand modern physicians tools from last century and demand cutting edge results? Regulation and legal economics offer the only plausible way to move forward. If marijuana were regulated within the United States, the need for a black market would quickly dissipate. Once the economics and demand are damaged, illegal drug trafficking simply will not offer lucrative rewards. Those new lucrative rewards could be redistributed toward tax payers or for repairing our crumbling bridges and infrastructure. That would also result in putting many of the currently 7.8% of our population who find themselves unemployed. For those serious about keeping marijuana away from children and restoring our economic prosperity should be shocked at the decades long failure that has produced an even larger and more dangerous unregulated marijuana market.
New Teen Marijuana Study Shows Need for Regulation
As the Republican National Convention concludes tonight with a speech from Mitt Romney and the Democratic Convention kicks off next week, the election season is officially shifting into high gear. Polling and coverage of the upcoming 2012 presidential election, and the three previous held in 2008, 2004, and 2000 show an extremely divided country. On most issues one side of the other is quick to jump on any information that can make their stance seem like the singularly correct position. However, often this can be much more of a matter of inflating one’s ego then laying out helpful advice for the future of our nation.
Medical marijuana has been a topic with strong support, and of course strong opposition. However, polls show Americans have quickly shifted their attitude toward medical marijuana (approximately 75% of Americans support a physician’s right to prescribe marijuana to patients), the failed war on drugs, and useless incarcerations of non violent offenders. Research and patient testimony is starting to build a rather concrete case that marijuana does in fact offer substantial medical usefulness.
However, opponents of any cause ignore overwhelming evidence on one side only to embrace any fact that strengthens their own argument, usually through exaggeration or distortion. This week, a study conducted at Duke University was released that indicated that frequent use of marijuana (4x per week) in teens could possibly lead to lower IQs later in life. Study researcher Madeline Meier said “The findings are consistent with speculation that cannabis use in adolescence, when the brain is undergoing critical development, may have neurotoxic effects.” The study also concluded that IQ reduction seemed limited to teens. Those who started smoking marijuana as adults showed no change in IQ levels.
The news did not take long to excite those who have been salivating for their chance to condescend toward cannabis. OC Weekly quickly published an article titled “Smoking Pot Makes Teens Stupid, Study Says”. Of course the study actually said it lowers IQ by up to 8 points. Absent from many of the knee jerk responses is the fact that most drugs that are illegal for teens to use can have a negative impact on their still developing brains. According to many authorities, including the journal Psychology of Addictive Behaviors teenage alcohol use can lead to litany of developmental disorders including the damaging of brain tissue and memory loss. Many other studies on teen alcohol use have been conducted that also do not offer an optimistic picture those who start drinking earlier in life. With prescription pill abuse skyrocketing and far more accessible for teens, do we really think it has no impact on the developing adolescent mind?
While marijuana will receive the venom by virtue of the fact that it is illegal we have to stop and think how this continues to make opponents call for no regulation. Alcohol is legal but requires proper identification to purchase it. We know that alcohol can harm our teens, so in turn we do not ignore the issue and hope beyond hope that it simply disappears. In fact, Colorado’s Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol often features concerned parents in their ads. These parents are not pushing for regulation because they want their children to smoke marijuana. To the contrary they are seeking legalization and regulation to keep it out of teens hands. While opponents may be pleased to read about bullet points that satisfy their intellect, would they not be more satisfied to provide answers? The bottom line is that we have to pay attention to what is going on and as the conventions unfold and the election season progresses, will we hear anything about how to deal with the issue of teenage drug abuse? Not likely, but concerned citizens already have concluded that the situation falls into the hands of the people.