CCMA Greenbrief July 27: CA Testing Results 20% Failure Rate In Cannabis Samples…How CA’s Cultivation Has An Indirect Effect On Water Benefits…United Kingdom Legalizes Cannabis For Medicinal Purposes…

CCMA Political greenBrief

Friday, July 27, 2018

www.cannabismanufacturers.org

First Tests Of California Cannabis Show 1 In 5 Samples Not Up To Par With Regulations

“Any move to restrict medical cannabis in the UK to a very narrow range of derived products, each requiring full pharmaceutical trials, thereby blocking out the many products available overseas, will lead to great disappointment and be a missed opportunity.”
Former Justice Minister For Mike Penning On The Reclassification & Legalization Of Medicinal Cannabis In The U.K.
“Obviously, pesticide usage was rampant because there was nobody regulating it and these crops are so valuable. The levels were alarming. In food, we find about 0.1 parts per million of contaminants. In cannabis, we found up to 100 or 200 ppm.”
Zachary Eisenberg, Vice President Of S.F. Based Anresco Labs, On Pesticide Use In Cannabis Cultivation

First Tests Are In, And 1 In 5 Marijuana Samples In California Isn’t Making Grade (CA – Cannabis Testing)

The Orange County Register (July 26, 2018) One in five batches of marijuana has failed laboratory testing since new state safety requirements kicked in July 1, according to data from the California Bureau of Cannabis Control. Failures have been triggered by inaccurate labeling or contamination from pesticides, bacteria or processing chemicals. Those testing requirements and results have left some retailers with severely limited inventory over the past few weeks, as cultivators and product manufacturers scramble to get compliant products to market. There was a big gap at the beginning of the month with the supply of marijuana buds in particular, according to Nick Rinella, chief operating officer of Verdant Distribution, a Long Beach-based independent cannabis distributor.

https://www.ocregister.com/2018/07/26/first-tests-are-in-and-one-in-five-marijuana-samples-in-ca-isnt-making-grade/

 

California Lawyer’s Plea Deal In Marijuana Case Wipes Out Felony Charges (CA – Cannabis Convictions)

The Recorder (July 25, 2018) Prosecutors have agreed to drop felony charges against a San Diego lawyer accused of helping a prominent cannabis businessman hide an illegal hash oil operation from authorities. Under terms of a deferred prosecution agreement reached this week with the San Diego County district attorney’s office, the lawyer, Jessica McElfresh, will plead guilty next year to a single infraction count of knowingly aiding an unpermitted marijuana manufacturing facility. Prosecutors have agreed to dismiss 13 more serious charges against McElfresh if she pays a $250 fine and successfully completes legal ethics courses and community volunteer work—not associated with marijuana—over the next 12 months.

https://www.law.com/therecorder/2018/07/25/california-lawyers-plea-deal-in-marijuana-case-wipes-out-felony-charges/

 

Why California’s Cannabis Regulations Could Have Indirect Water Benefits (CA – Environmental Effects)

NewsDeeply (July 27, 2018) The external pressures for cannabis cultivation and the immediate need for water use regulation may provide opportunities for broader, long-sought environmental objectives in California. Specifically, legislation and state programs regulating water use for cannabis cultivation could produce collateral benefits for environmental instream flow and water quality management in general. The Medical Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act included several state laws from 2015 and 2016. Of these, Assembly Bill 243 and Senate Bill 837, passed in October 2015 and June 2016, respectively, include several provisions for regulating water use for cannabis cultivation.

https://www.newsdeeply.com/water/community/2018/07/27/why-californias-cannabis-regulations-could-have-indirect-water-benefits

 

Market For Ethically Dope Cannabis Grows In S.F. (CA – Cannabis Cultivation)

San Francisco Examiner (July 25, 2018) It’s no secret San Franciscans appreciate dope dope. In the immortal words of RBL Posse’s 1992 rap hit, don’t give us no bammer weed. But quality cannabis is only one of our demands. City markets have long carried sustainable products of all kinds. Well before major outlets jumped on the organic bandwagon, small local businesses, like Veritable Vegetable, promoted better farming practices and policies. San Franciscans have standards. Now that California cannabis is becoming more regulated, it’s easier for San Franciscans to apply our ethics to inhalables and edibles.

http://www.sfexaminer.com/market-ethically-dope-cannabis-grows-s-f/

 

California Officials Say No To Marijuana-Infused Alcohol And Bars With Cannabis Consumption (CA – State Regulations)

Marijuana Moment (July 27, 2018) In case anyone didn’t already know it wasn’t allowed, California state regulators just put the kibosh on hopes for bars and pubs where people can consume both marijuana and alcohol. They also shot down the idea of producing beverages that blend the two substances together. For now—or at least until state law changes to specifically allow it—any mixing of America’s two favorite intoxicants are prohibited in the country’s largest recreational marijuana market, according to a new memo issued on Wednesday by the state Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC).

https://www.marijuanamoment.net/california-officials-say-no-to-marijuana-infused-alcohol-and-bars-with-cannabis-consumption/

 

The Ultimate Cannabis Traveler’s Guide To Santa Cruz (CA – Cannabis Community)

Leafly (July 26, 2018) Santa Cruz is one of the best places in America to be high, and I’m not just saying that because I live here. If you’re into cannabis, this counterculture haven just 90 minutes south of San Francisco boasts a long and laudable history. We are, after all, where pioneering cannabis breeders the Haze Brothers created Original Haze, Purple Haze, and a bunch of other game-changing weed strains back in the late 1960s. When legal cannabis sales to all adults 21 or older with I.D. began Jan. 1 in California, Santa Cruz was one of the first cities and counties to embrace the will of voters under legalization Proposition 64.

https://www.leafly.com/news/lifestyle/ultimate-cannabis-travelers-guide-santa-cruz

 

Federal Report On Marijuana Legalization Required Under New Bill (USA – Cannabis Legislation)

Marijuana Moment (July 24, 2018)What is the impact of marijuana legalization in states that have adopted it? That’s what the proponents of a newly filed U.S. House bill are hoping to find out. The Marijuana Data Collection Act, introduced on Tuesday by Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) and a bipartisan group of cosponsors, would direct the Department of Health and Human Services to partner with other federal and state government agencies to study “the effects of State legalized marijuana programs on the economy, public health, criminal justice and employment.”

https://www.marijuanamoment.net/federal-report-on-marijuana-legalization-required-under-new-bill/

 

Senators Push Sessions To Stop Blocking Marijuana Cultivation Applications (USA – Cannabis Cultivation)

Marijuana Moment (July 25, 2018) A bipartisan group of U.S. senators sent a letter to Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Wednesday, demanding answers about the status of applications to manufacture marijuana for research purposes. The letter comes almost two years after the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) filed a notice calling on research institutions to submit applications to grow cannabis through an expanded federal research program. Since then, the DEA has received at least 26 applications—but the agency has yet to act on them.

https://www.marijuanamoment.net/senators-push-sessions-to-stop-blocking-marijuana-cultivation-applications/

 

U.S. Cannabis Market Value To Grow As Legalization Efforts Spread (USA – Cannabis Market)

PR Newswire (July 27, 2018) According to the data published by Hexa Research, the U.S. medical cannabis market size was valued at USD 5.44 Billion in 2016 and is anticipated to reach USD 19.48 Billion by 2024. The legal cannabis market is expected to witness strong growth during the forecast period due to the plant’s multiple medical benefits as well as the fast pace of legalization in the United States. In 2016, an increasing number of patients diagnosed with chronic pain had resulted in the growing use of medical cannabis. As an example, the report estimated that the demand for medical cannabis products for the treatment of arthritis will grow at a CAGR of 17.8% over the projected period, as it forecasted more adults and children will have arthritis.

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/u-s-cannabis-market-value-to-grow-as-legalization-efforts-spread-894025303.html

 

The DEA Wanted New Suppliers Of Marijuana For Research. Two Years Later, Nothing Has Changed (USA – Cannabis Cultivation)

STAT (July 27, 2018) Two years ago, federal drug authorities said they would consider licensing new suppliers of marijuana grown for scientific purposes, a move seen as an acknowledgment of the need for additional rigorous research into potential medical uses and risks of cannabis and its components. Hope you weren’t holding your breath. The Drug Enforcement Administration still has not granted additional licenses for a grow operation, despite receiving more than two dozen applications in the year after it announced it was open to approving one. The agency told STAT it had stopped accepting new applications and referred additional questions about licenses to the Justice Department, which did not return requests for comment.

https://www.statnews.com/2018/07/27/dea-new-marijuana-suppliers-for-research/

 

Cannabis Consumers Increasingly Prefer Edibles & Extracts Over Flower (USA – Cannabis Preferences)

Ganjapreneur (July 26, 2018) Data from several cannabis market research and analysis firms continues to confirm the trend among consumers away from cannabis flower and towards vape cartridges, extracts and edibles, according to a USA Today report. Only recognizable brands with a diverse range of offerings are holding steady in this buyer’s market. According to BDS Analytics and New Frontier Data, wholesale prices for flower in all markets continue to fall, some steeply.

https://www.ganjapreneur.com/cannabis-consumers-increasingly-prefer-edibles-extracts-over-flower/

 

Legal Marijuana: U.K. Approves Cannabis For Medical Use (United Kingdom – Medicinal Cannabis)

Newsweek (July 26, 2018) Specialist doctors in the United Kingdom will be allowed to legally prescribe medicinal cannabis starting later this year, after the British government announced relaxed laws surrounding the plant on Thursday. Revealing the legal changes, Home Secretary Sajid Javid said patients with drug-resistant conditions will be allowed treatment with cannabis-derived medicinal products, revealing that the drug would be reclassified from schedule one to schedule two. As is the case with the U.S. federal government, the British government previously classified marijuana and its derivatives alongside heroin and LSD. The new classification in the U.K. recognizes that cannabis has medicinal value in some instances.

https://www.newsweek.com/legal-marijuana-uk-approves-cannabis-medical-use-1044343

 

Medicinal Cannabis: How Two Heartbreaking Cases Helped Change Law (United Kingdom – Medicinal Cannabis)

The Guardian (July 26, 2018) The decision has come after the cases of two sick children helped to garner unprecedented public support for medicinal cannabis. The cases of Alfie Dingley and Billy Caldwell, who have severe epilepsy, inspired sympathetic headlines in sectors of the press traditionally hostile to cannabis, after it emerged that each had been successfully treated with cannabis oil. Their families and doctors said the drug had drastically reduced their numbers of seizures each day. Billy’s case soared to the top of the news agenda after his mother, Charlotte, flew to Canada to get a new supply of cannabis oil for her son, which was then seized at customs on her return.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/jul/26/medicinal-cannabis-how-two-heartbreaking-cases-helped-change-law