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$RIGH - Angel Speaks to UT Reporter: Tommy Chong to be face of pot test team

A Carlsbad-based company that tests and profiles medical marijuana strains has teamed up with one of America’s best-known stoners.

BudGenius — which doesn’t sell pot, but provides quality-control testing and related services for dispensaries and consumers — announced this week it has acquired the licensing rights to a line of cannabis-related products endorsed by actor/comedian/marijuana activist Tommy Chong.



photoFILE - This April 18, 2013 file photo shows Tommy Chong at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles. The 74-year-old comedian thinks legalizing marijuana on a federal level would offer numerous benefits, including a boost to the U.S. economy if it were taxed.



(Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)— Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
photo Businessman Angel Stanz, CEO of BudGenius, speaks in his office near Palomar Airport about the legal marijuana business. — Charlie Neuman



Chong, 76, is best known for a series of “Cheech & Chong” comedy albums and films he made with Cheech Marin in the 1970s and early ‘80s. The duo’s success was largely based on jokes about their love of marijuana.

The pair split up years ago, but Chong is scheduled to perform his solo act at the Pala Casino in July. He couldn’t be reached for comment this week on his new business deal with BudGenius.

Chong’s reputation, good-natured advocacy and professional demeanor will help bring attention to the Carlsbad company, said CEO Angel Stanz. Chong’s products include pipes, rolling papers, hemp-infused water and even clothing wipes designed to remove the smell of marijuana.

photo Detail view of the logo of Carlsbad based business BudGenius. — Charlie Neuman



Stanz said he’s excited to sell products linked to such a high-profile celebrity. But not everyone in the burgeoning marijuana industry feels the same way.

The National Cannabis Industry Association, which lobbies in Washington D.C. for legal marijuana, announced Monday it would not use Chong as its representative because it feared his public image could hurt the group’s efforts.

“We are here to break ‘stoner’ stereotypes rather than reinforce them,” the association’s Executive Director Aaron Smith said in a widely quoted email to Chong’s representatives. The group never had a deal with Chong, but had discussed the idea.

Chong’s spokesman told Politico.com on Tuesday that he did not want “to escalate” the situation. “We all want the same thing here,” the unnamed spokesman said, referring to the legalization of pot nationwide.

In 2003, Chong pleaded guilty to distributing drug paraphernalia, mostly bongs, and served less than a year in prison. A humorous commercial made recently and posted to YouTube shows Chong smoking a joint in a car, then using one of his patented Smoke Swipes to remove the odor before meeting with his fictional parole officer.

Stanz said Wednesday that nothing about Chong’s image or his act conflicts with the goals of BudGenius.

“Tommy Chong is a comedian,” Stanz said, comparing Chong to John Stewart and Steven Colbert, who sometimes say controversial things in their acts.

“It’s sad to see this kind of thing occur,” Stanz said. “It’s politics. Some people can’t take a joke.”

In addition to being a celebrity, Stanz said, Chong is a cancer survivor and has spoken about how cannabis products helped him during his treatments.

BudGenius labs will ensure Chong’s cannabis products meet stringent quality-control guidelines, Stanz said, and the company will work with Chong on packaging and other materials.

With the possibility that California could legalize recreational marijuana as early as 2016, there is certain to be a huge increase in the demand for the “quality assurance component” that BudGenius provides, Stanz said.

His 5-year-old company is one of a few that provide a “quality assurance component” to the cannabis business, he said. The goal is to assure consumers that the specific strain of marijuana they want can be found at different dispensaries and on repeat visits to the same dispensaries.

The BudGenius lab tests marijuana for the percentage of its active ingredient, THC, and for the presence of undesirable properties such as mold or pesticides. It also ranks medicinal qualities such as “sleep aid,” “pain relief,” and “appetite boost.” The information is printed on cards for display at dispensaries and is listed at BudGenius.com.

Stanz declined to reveal the location of company’s testing lab, saying that to publicize it could lead to problems.

The BudGenius headquarters occupies most of the third floor of an industrial building near Carlsbad’s McClellan-Palomar Airport, where Stanz’s office overlooks planes landing on the runway. There’s no sign out front and nothing to distinguish it from the other buildings in the area.

Stanz said he knows he’s operating in a “gray area” of the law. California approved medicinal marijuana sales under Proposition 19 in 2012, and the state’s voters are widely expected to approve recreational sales as soon as 2016.

Twenty-two states so far have legalized medicinal marijuana, and two states - Washington and Colorado - have approved recreational sales. However, legalization efforts are underway in numerous other states.

“The legal side is an evolving spectrum,” he said.

San Diego County has numerous medical marijuana dispensaries, but only a few of them are authorized by the county or a city.

Stanz said BudGenius will test marijuana for anyone, regardless of the customer’s legal status.

“We essentially serve as a safety mechanism for the general public,” he said.

“It is important for us to protect the patient,” Stanz said. “If you are in a gray area, and there are many, our mission is the same.”

http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2015/apr/03/tommy-chong-carlsbad-budgenius/2/?#article-copy