CCMA Political greenBrief
Wednesday, September 19, 2018
www.cannabismanufacturers.org
California May Have Legalized Cannabis, But Regulations Still Have Many Hurdles To Overcome
“It’s very telling that you have researchers in the U.S. willing to exert the patience and go through the regulatory hurdles to make this happen at the same time the United States has its own domestic supply source.”
Paul Armentano Deputy Director For NORML, On The U.S. Government Allowing Canadian Export Of Cannabis For Research Purposes
“It’s a really incredible way to tell our story and also protect our legacy moving forward into the brave new world of regulation and commodification. It’s a way that we can protect our heritage our tradition and our scale. There’s a certain love to plant ratio that’s possible with craft cannabis.”Genine Coleman Of The Mendocino Appellations Project On The Excitement For Small Craft Cultivators
Canadian Marijuana Company Allowed To Legal Export Medicinal Cannabis To The U.S. (Canada – Cannabis Exports)
Newsweek (September 18, 2018) A Canadian marijuana company has been granted permission by the U.S. federal government to export medicinal cannabis to California for scientific research. The company, Tilray Inc., and Dr. Fatta Nahab, an associate professor of neurosciences at the University of California San Diego’s medical school, who is behind the research, believe it is the first time that the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has given the green light to a Canadian producer to export a cannabis study drug south of the border, The Toronto Star reported. Getting approval was a months-long process that also required the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to agree.
Regulating California’s Legal Weed Market Is A ‘Work In Progress’ (CA – State Regulations)
Forbes (September 18, 2018) Good news for California. The state’s adult cannabis market is estimated to rake in $7.7 billion by 2021, according to leading cannabis researchers ArcView Group in partnership with BDS Analytics. Unfortunately, here’s the bad news: California has a troubled history with cannabis policy dating back to 1996 when it became the first state in the U.S. to legalize medical marijuana. Rather than regulate the burgeoning market, California neglected to do so, turning that industry into an anarchic mess. However, now that adult use is legal in the state, as of January 1, 2018, a question predominates: Has the Golden State learned from its earlier mistakes? Josh Drayton, director of communication and outreach for the California Cannabis Industry Association, an organization that represents over 300 businesses in the state, thinks it has. But there’s still a long way to go.
How The Tobacco Industry Stands To Profit From Cannabis (USA – Cannabis Industry)
Investor Intel (September 17, 2018) The “green rush” has Big Tobacco primed to take on the cannabis industry. The fight against slumping cigarette sales has forced tobacco companies to develop alternative, reduced-risk devices, such as vapourizers. However, despite weaker-than-anticipated sales, there is renewed hope that these devices will be adopted by users who want to experience cannabis without the associated smell or coughing. Indeed, the Cowen Group estimates that Big Tobacco stands to capture as much as 20 per cent of the cannabis market by 2036, assuming the US federal prohibition is lifted. To get a sense of how Big Tobacco can roll into the cannabis industry, look no further than California. Demand has rapidly grown for ready-to-use products in the Golden State, where recreational cannabis is legal. A popular cannabis delivery platform, Eaze, attributes this growth to users who “don’t know how to roll a joint, or they don’t have the paraphernalia to consume the flower.
California Gov. Jerry Brown Keeps Saying Mean Things About Marijuana Consumers (CA – Cannabis Consumption)
Marijuana Moment (September 18, 2018) During his two stints as California governor—between 1975 and 1983, and 2011 and next January, when he is termed out and may finally retire from almost 50 years of public life—Jerry Brown has become known for several character traits. He is frugal, to the point of parsimony. He is attentive to issues that are way out there. He is concerned about climate change. And he cannot stop making negative, non-germane non sequiturs about marijuana, his state’s biggest cash crop. In 2014, he suggested that neither California nor the United States could be a great economic power if marijuana was legalized, thanks to the shiftiness of “the potheads.”
California Police Chief Claims Legal Weed Delivery Could Lead to ‘Assaults and Homicides’ (CA – Cannabis Delivery)
Reason (September 17, 2018) A proposal under consideration in California would allow marijuana businesses to deliver weed straight to people’s doorsteps, even in places where it’s illegal to sell pot. Sounds convenient, right? Not according to Morgan Hill Police Chief David Swing, president of the California Police Chiefs Association (CPCA), who warned the proposal could lead to robberies, assaults, and homicides. It’s been nearly two years since California voters approved a ballot initiative legalizing marijuana for recreational use, and more than eight months since the measure took effect. But marijuana sales are still banned in almost 85 percent of cities and counties in the state, according to Weedmaps. As a result, advocates on both sides are still debating whether or not cannabis retailers should be able to deliver their products to homes in localities where selling pot isn’t allowed.
https://reason.com/blog/2018/0
Small Craft Pot Farmers Excited For Regional Cannabis Appellations (CA – Cannabis Cultivation)
San Francisco CBS Local (September 17, 2018) These days, wine drinkers might take for granted that a bottle of wine with the word “Napa” on it actually comes from grapes grown in Napa Valley. That labeling is now codified in California law, just like a wine labeled “Bordeaux” must come from one of the 54 wine appellations in Bordeaux wine region of France. In the coming years, California’s other famous crop is going to get some designated appellations of its own. The state’s small cannabis farmers are absolutely thrilled about the plan. “Every zone has its different micro climates,” said Josh, a cannabis farmer in Mendocino County. “The sun really just hits us in the summertime here.”
California Cannabis Advocate Joins Farming Cooperative To Help Small Growers Succeed (CA – Cannabusiness)
Cannabis Business Times (September 19, 2018) Cannabis advocate Hezekiah Allen is stepping down from his executive director role at the California Growers Association to join the Emerald Grown farming cooperative to help small cannabis farmers succeed in California’s market. “It’s a bit of a leap of faith. It’s not without some uncertainty,” Allen tells Cannabis Business Times. “Social entrepreneurialism, I think, is an even more uncertain plunge to take. It feels like the right one. I’m always one to go with what feels right and give things space to work out, so I’m pretty stoked.” Here, Allen describes his new endeavor, the regulatory landscape in California’s market and what may lay ahead for the state’s cannabis farmers.
http://www.cannabisbusinesstim
The Effectiveness Of Online Cannabis Responsible Vendor Training Program (USA – Cannabis Cultivation)
Science Daily (September 17, 2018) A new study on the quality of online responsible marijuana vendor for cannabis (RMV) training has just been released. The study used an online RMV training that was developed in consultation with state regulators, store personnel, and local law enforcement in Colorado and Washington state. The training focused on knowledge of state statutes and regulations, ID checking, the health effects of marijuana, customer service practices (including recognizing intoxicated patrons), and rules of the trade. To date, 6 U.S. states have implemented retail sales of recreational marijuana: Alaska, California, Colorado, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington state. One important issue for these states has been how to implement training in responsible retail sales practices. Examples of how to accomplish this task successfully come from the Responsible Beverage Service trainings for selling and serving alcohol.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/r
Booming Rally In Marijuana Stocks Such As Tilray Could Get Another Boost From Midterm Elections (USA – Cannabis Politics)
CNBC (September 19, 2018) Marijuana could be the real winner in upcoming midterm elections. Cowen’s Washington Research Group looked into a few potential outcomes for November and found that regardless of the political party in power, midterms will “deliver incremental catalysts” for the pot landscape. “Few industries are better positioned than cannabis regardless of outcome,” Cowen senior analyst Vivien Azer wrote in a note to clients this week. “Generally speaking, the higher the Blue Wave, the better for the budding industry though even a potential Red Wave is likely to feature pockets of good news.”
Canadian Marijuana Imports OK’d By U.S. For California Study, Boosting Tilray’s Stock (USA – Cannabis Exports)
Seattle Times (September 18, 2018) In a rare move, the U.S. government has approved the importation of marijuana extracts from Canada for a clinical trial, highlighting a new avenue for American researchers who have long had trouble obtaining the drug for medical studies. The University of California San Diego’s Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research announced Tuesday the Drug Enforcement Administration has OK’d its plans to import capsules containing two key cannabis compounds — CBD and THC — from British Columbia-based Tilray to study their effectiveness in treating tremors that afflict millions of people, especially those over 65.
https://www.seattletimes.com/b
Weed Is The New Blockchain (Canada – Cannabis Investments)
Yahoo! Finance (September 19, 2018) There’s a new craze in the stock market — cannabis. Over the last few weeks, shares of Tilray (TLRY), a Canadian cannabis company, have become a fascination among investors as the stock has gained more than 700% since being priced at $17 during its July IPO. In early trading on Wednesday, Tilray shares were up over 40% after the company’s CEO Brendan Kennedy said on CNBC’s Mad Money that cannabis is a “hedge” for pharmaceutical companies and investors because it can replace prescription opioids and other painkillers. The stock has now more than doubled in the last week. Kennedy also argued that all alcohol companies should be in the cannabis space to hedge their business as well. On Tuesday, shares of Tilray rose 29% after the company received DEA approval to import cannabis to the U.S. for medical research.
https://finance.yahoo.com/news
