CCMA Greenbrief July 12: CA Cannabis Testing Facilities Backed Up From New State Regulations…Cannabis Packaging “Cannot Resemble Food Products”…CA Assembly Bill To Approve Use For CBD Based Drug…

CCMA Political greenBrief

Thursday, July 12, 2018

www.cannabismanufacturers.org

California Testing Facilities Are “Backlogged” After July 1st Regulation Deadline

“Twenty years ago the people who planted and tended illegal pot farms were poor farmers from Mexico. Today international drug organizations bring in people from Russia and Asia and other places. They don’t have a farming background. It’s strictly mercenary.”
Craig Thompson, Research Wildlife Ecologist With The USDA Forest Service, On The Illicit Cannabis Market In The U.S.
“Customers are looking for inflammation treatments, they’re looking for sleep aids, they’re looking for anxiety relief. Think of all the people taking sleeping pills and all the people taking opioids. I think there’s a whole community that is going to want to embrace elements of this business.”
Jim Hamilton, CEO Of Neptune Wellness Solutions, On Cannabis Benefits
EVENT: Metrc – California’s Track And Trace System And What It Means For Manufacturers, Retailers And Cultivators
Join the CCMA and Metrc experts from California and Colorado, which has already implemented Metrc, and get to know some of the software vendors that integrate with Metrc. Metrc is the track and trace system chosen by the state of California. Every license holder up and down the supply chain, cultivators, manufacturers, brands, testing labs, retailers, will have to report to the Metrc system. Are you prepared?
July 17th in Santa Monica. 6-9pm
‘Every Lab Is Backlogged’: California Pot Labs Hustle To Test Weed Under New Rules (CA – State Regulations)
Desert Sun (July 10, 2018) Nicholas Hughes used to sell a cannabis treat fit for a king: The Elvis, a chocolate cookie infused with 1,000 milligrams of mind-altering THC – 100 times what is now the per-serving dosage limit in California. For edibles like The Elvis, the state now imposes a limit of 10 milligrams of THC per serving and 100 milligrams of THC per package. Marijuana companies in California had a six-month grace period to sell weed harvested or processed before 2018. With the cut-off date looming on July 1, retailers hustled to sell old cannabis at fire sale prices, then swept the leftovers off their shelves and dumped them in the trash.
California Cannabis In Crisis (CA – Recreational Cannabis)
The Portland Mercury (July 11, 2018) California activated its recreational adult-use cannabis program on January 1, 2018, and with it being the nation’s most populous and prosperous state, expectations were “high.” The state was positioned to prosper greatly, and everything was going to be amazing. So let’s check in on how the Golden State has been faring with its recreational rollout. Surely state regulators had closely examined the foibles and follies of other states that had embarked on similar legalization plans, which would allow them to make wise policy choices?
California: Cannabis Packaging Cannot Resemble Food Products (CA – State Regulations)
Health Care Packaging (July 11, 2018) A new set of resources from the California Department of Public Health helps cannabis manufacturers and other businesses evaluate compliance with packaging and labeling requirements. The four main criteria for a package to meet are tamper evidence, child-resistance, resealability (for products with multiple uses) and opaque packaging for edibles. Additionally, a labeling checklist specifies what info can and cannot be included.
Former Cop Used Misleading Stats To Ban Pot Shops In California (CA – Cannabusiness)
Herb (July 11, 2018) A Former San Diego Police Chief, Shelley Zimmerman, publicized misleading data about the safety risks of dispensaries which is now being used by law enforcement and anti-pot groups around the county, according to an investigation by the Voice of San Diego. In the fall of 2017, Zimmerman was brought before city council members in San Diego to discuss how the county would regulate its recreational marijuana industry. When brought before the council, Zimmerman advocated against marijuana-related businesses, claiming they represented a threat to public safety.
California Bill Seeks Exemption For First Federally Approved Medicine Made From Marijuana (CA – Medicinal Cannabis)
The Press Democrat (July 11, 2018) Assemblyman Jim Wood is attempting to clear the way for Californians to use the first federally approved medicine made from marijuana, removing a legal barrier that could stand in the way of an expected surge in cannabis-based pharmaceuticals. Wood, a Santa Rosa Democrat who chairs the Assembly Health Committee, authored a bill that would make a drug approved Monday by the Food and Drug Administration for treatment of two rare and severe childhood-onset epilepsies legal for California physicians to prescribe.
Illegal Marijuana Sites Can’t Hide From Science (USA – Illicit Market)
United States Department Of Agriculture (July 11, 2018) The problem of illegal marijuana farms on national forests is, pardon the pun, growing. Although marijuana is now legal in California and other parts of the U.S., illegal marijuana growing is still a billion dollar industry with international tentacles. These sites have devastating impacts on both wildlife and water quality. The growers use large amounts of rodenticide to keep mice from destroying their plants. The killing effects can spread up the food chain as larger predators feed on the smaller, poisoned animals.
OPINION: Why President Trump Is Positioned To Be Marijuana’s Great Savior & How The Democrats Blew It (USA – Federal Legalization)
Forbes (July 11, 2018) President Trump: America’s Great Marijuana Savior. It’s an idea that may sound counterintuitive to many Americans who falsely believe that Democrats and their allies on the left have been the sole champions of legalizing cannabis. While the left side of the aisle may traditionally have been more likely to support legalization, no party has ever had a monopoly on the issue. And now we have a president—one known for his unpredictability—who recently signaled a willingness to support reform.
CBD Oil Market To Exceed $2 Billion As Medical Marijuana Alternative (USA – Cannabis Market)
Pot Network (July 10, 2018) CBD oil and its continued dominance over the health and wellness market, especially in states where medical marijuana is not yet legal, is now expected to explode according to experts in the industry. Last month’s FDA approval of Epidiolex, the CBD oil turned childhood epilepsy medication developed by GW Pharmaceuticals plc. (NASDAQ:GWPH) piqued public interest, creating a ripple effect throughout the industry. Already on track to become a billion-dollar industry, analysts now predict that a “sea change” is coming to the CBD oil business.
Canada’s Cannabis Market Forecasted To Resemble California’s (Canada – Cannabis Market)
Chasing Markets (July 11, 2018) On June 19th, Canada has legalized cannabis on a national level, and is now the first G20 nation to do so. According to a research provided by New Frontier Data, the legal cannabis market was worth an estimated USD 8.3 Billion in 2017 and is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 14.7%, to reach an estimated USD 25 Billion by 2025.
Canada Finally Legalized, But A Big Question Remains: What About Edibles? (Canada – Recreational Market)
Herb (July 11, 2018) With recreational legalization’s October 17 start date fourteen weeks away, Canadian LPs, craft growers, and public and private retailers are all putting in long hours to get their businesses ready. But another group is working hard as well, for a longer deadline. Across Canada, brewers are rushing to develop cannabis drinks—but not only can they not sell them, they can’t even get them legally taste-tested.