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Cheech & Chong, weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee LMAO !!!
Tommy Chong touts marijuana legalization at Oscars afterparty
By Eric Althoff - The Washington Times
Monday, February 29, 2016
http://m.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/feb/29/tommy-chong-touts-marijuana-legalization-oscars-af/
Down 50% on this pig is reality for most no matter what lisptick one puts on it... 100B dollar industry or whatever....yadda yadda yadda
100 Billion dollar industry
https://www.newcannabisventures.com/wp-content/uploads/Ackrell-Capital-Cannabis-Investment-Report.pdf
Oregon Bill 1511 A passes House Full Recreational in Oregon
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ for GLH or GLDFF
http://www.oregonlive.com/marijuana/index.ssf/2016/02/pot_bill_kate_brown.html
Whatever happened to the big week coming up ¿??¿?¿
Big week was on EUO
LOL
u never learn ....
PP paper work being completed for Debenture will be closed soon enough and onwards we go
lets bake some cookies!
Washington VOTE today for Residence once that passes were set in Washington BMF deal
GLH Oregon Senate Bill 1511 passes 3rd reading 18 to 10 http://gov.oregonlive.com/bill/2016/SB1511/
LOL weeeeeeeeeeeeee
Chocolate bars LMAO !!There's a company maker for ya !!Where is the closing of financing??
Golden Leaf launches THC chocolate bars in Oregon
2016-02-23 08:41 ET - News Release
Shares issued 61,223,736
Mr. Don Robinson reports
GOLDEN LEAF HOLDINGS LTD. ANNOUNCES THE LAUNCH OF DIXIE ELIXIRS AND EDIBLE PRODUCTS IN OREGON
Golden Leaf Holdings Ltd. has launched the first two Dixie Elixir and Edibles THC-infused chocolate bars ever sold in Oregon. As part of the Company's licensing and manufacturing agreement with Dixie Brands, Inc., the parent company of Dixie Elixirs and Edibles ("Dixie"), both the 180MG milk-chocolate Crispy Kraken and 180MG dark chocolate Toasted Rooster bars are available immediately and are being sold in medical dispensaries throughout the state.
Looking to capitalize on the growing trend and demand for gourmet, quality crafted edibles and drinks, the chocolate bars are the first of many products to be made available between the Company and Dixie in the state of Oregon. The Company is expecting to launch additional Dixie products made with GoldenXTRX's premium 100% pure CO2 cannabis oil concentrate in the coming months. These products include but are not limited to Lifted Citrus Acai, Wild Berry Lemonade Elixir, and Dixie's full line of mints which includes Orange Zest Awakening, Peppermint Relaxing and 1:1 CBD to TCH ratio "Synergy" Berry mints.
The two THC-infused chocolate bars, Crispy Kraken and Toasted Rooster are artisanal crafted and made with all natural ingredients. These products deliver a sophisticated and gourmet edible experience, and have a proven track record with consumers in other jurisdictions.
Crispy Kraken: Filled with 34% of premium cacoa milk chocolate and a layer of crispy crunchy goodness, this delectable chocolate bar is made with GoldenXTRX's premium CO2 cannabis oil.
Toasted Rooster: The Toasted Rooster is a gourmet dark chocolate experience, made of 70% cacao dark chocolate, toasted pepitas, pink Himalayan sea salt and blended with 180mg of GoldenXTRX premium CO2 cannabis oil. Studies have shown chocolate with 70% cacao provides significant health benefits including lowering blood glucose levels, and lowering cholesterol and blood pressure. It also helps prevent heart disease and other vascular problems. (Free Radical Biology and Medicine - 2004/The Journal of Nutrition - 2008)
"This launch represents the first of many milestones in our partnership with Dixie. We are excited to introduce Dixie's products infused with GoldenXTRX's premium cannabis oil concentrate into the Oregon marketplace. We collectively made the decision to start manufacturing chocolate bars because we believe the current market segment for healthy, high quality ingredients is currently underserved and consumers are looking for quality and consistency with their selection of edible products," said Don Robinson, CEO of Golden Leaf Holdings Ltd.
"We couldn't be prouder to have Dixie's products finally in the hands of the patients, and soon to be consumers, of Oregon," said Tripp Keber, CEO of Dixie Brands, Inc. "Our chocolate line of products will be the first of many Dixie products that we hope to bring to Oregon, all of which will reflect the quality and expertise we have developed nationally at Dixie, but infused with local Oregon pride and excellence that we believe only GoldenXTRX can deliver."
We seek Safe Harbor.
Wow !! GLH closed at .495 today. Where is the bottom on this one?? Apparently not 50 cents. Not liking the odds of them closing a .67 cent financing.
What does that have to do with BMF ?? New Leaf was allowed to sell weed with warning labels attached that they contain illegal pesticides LMFAO !! like anyone would even consider buying that. The reason for that is they said that the contamination came due to fact that the mother plant had been sprayed and the clones must have picked up the contamination that way. They claim to have never sprayed the actual grow crop.
BMF has no such out. Pesticides were found in grow crop and empty pesticide bottles and sprayers meant to be carried backpack style were observed by the inspectors. Also 12 of 17 of the pesticides BMF had at the grow site were illegal. They are busted . Case Closed. Next civil lawsuit.
http://marijuanapolitics.com/colorado-cannabis-grower-sued-for-pesticide-use-in-the-midst-of-growing-controversy/
New Leaf - allowed to sell the product with a warning label attached
New Leaf will still be allowed to sell whole buds from plants propagated prior to November 12, 2015, Smith said, but must label packages with a warning that the product “may contain trace amounts of disallowed pesticides.”
Washington State Fines Two Marijuana Growers For Using Prohibited Pesticides
by Tobias Coughlin-Bogue • Feb 11, 2016 at 1:56 pm
Pesticides on your pot? Finally, some answers. CANNABIS PLANTS / SHUTTERSTOCK
A little over a month ago, two of Washington’s largest cannabis producers were quietly barred from all sales, pending a Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (WSLCB) investigation into illegal use of prohibited pesticides. According to documents obtained by The Stranger, New Leaf Enterprises, makers of the popular Dama line of products, and BMF Washington LLC, whose cannabis is used by brands including Liberty Reach and JuJu Joints, received stop sale orders on December 29 and December 17 of last year, respectively.
According to those documents, which also included reports from investigators in both cases, the investigations were prompted by third-party complaints. The stop sales were not announced to the public, but murmurs abounded in the industry that something had gone awry with New Leaf. A public records request filed with the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board regarding stop sale orders revealed that both New Leaf and BMF were the targets of WSLCB pesticide investigations.
The WSLCB, to its credit, has clearly stepped up its pesticide enforcement game. Previously, when WSLCB investigators encountered disallowed pesticides at a grow, they were forced to call Erik Johansen, the Washington State Department of Agriculture’s (WSDA) pesticide guru, for help. This time, they brought WSDA pesticide experts—including Johansen—along for the ride. And in the New Leaf case, the WSLCB also contracted the state's first lab equipped for pesticide residue testing, Trace Analytics, in a major shift for an agency that had previously dismissed residue testing as expensive and unnecessary.
An Old Issue for New Leaf
For Boris Gorodnitsky, one of New Leaf’s co-owners, these complaints come as no surprise. The owners got their start in the unregulated medical marijuana market, where they were quite open about using controversial pesticides on their crops. When I reached Gorodnitsky last week to discuss the stop sale, the origin of his misfortunes seemed to be old hat to him. Just another complaint from advocates still fired up about his medical growing practices, he said.
New Leaf was, in fact, slapped with a fine for a pesticide violation in April of last year due to similar complaints, though it was only for storing pesticides in an unlabeled container. When I spoke to Gorodnitsky about the fine last fall, he assured me that the container was actually premixed plant nutrients, and the violation was due to a misunderstanding with the company’s assigned investigator.
This more recent incident was a similar, albeit larger, misunderstanding, he said. Gorodnitsky stressed that he had never sprayed disallowed pesticides on his legal grow at any point, and claimed that he had been the victim of confusing WSLCB rules.
According to those WSLCB reports linked above, the saga began when an enforcement officer, accompanied by three WSDA pesticide experts, visited New Leaf’s South Park facility on October 21, 2015, in response to a complaint. They met with New Leaf’s compliance officer, Adrian Ramirez, who gave them a walkthrough, whereupon they discovered a number of eyebrow-raisers, includingan empty bottle of an unapproved pesticide and several unlabeled bottles of fertilizer. They asked Ramirez directly if the legal grow had ever used Eagle 20, a disallowed pesticide that releases cyanide when heated, to which he replied that they had in the medical grow but not the legal one.
That distinction—between medical and legal—is at the heart of all this. (Medical marijuana has long been unregulated.) After that first visit, investigators say they returned on November 12, 2015, to collect plant samples for testing. Those plant samples, which were collected together in one container, tested positive for significant levels of myclobutanil; the active ingredient in Eagle 20; spiromesifen, the active ingredient in Forbid 4F; and dinotefuran, the active ingredient in another banned pesticide, called Safari 20.
When investigators returned once more to issue a stop sale based on the results, Gorodnitsky and Dax Colwell, New Leaf’s other owner, insisted that they hadn’t sprayed their legal grow, and the contamination must be due to what Gorodnitsky called a “loophole,” wherein the growers were allowed to bring in plants from their medical grows that were already tainted.
Under I-502, which legalized recreational marijuana use, new producer licensees were extended a 15-day grace period in which they could bring in any seeds, cuttings, or plants they so desired from the unregulated medical marijuana market into the I-502 market. The idea was to ensure there would be enough marijuana supply to meet early demand (there still wasn’t), by embracing the state’s preexisting pot plants no questions asked.
During New Leaf’s 15-day grace period, Gorodnitsky said, they brought in mother plants from the medical grow. Mother plants are larger, more genetically desirable plants from which “clones”—the cuttings used to propagate new cannabis plants for production—are taken. In this case, the mother plants had been sprayed with Eagle 20 and Safari 20 in New Leaf’s medical grow, where such tomfoolery was allowed. Both are systemic pesticides, which means the chemicals linger in the plant’s system for long periods of time and can be passed on to clones.
Though investigators were skeptical about Gorodnitsky’s mother plant hypothesis, wondering if detectable levels of pesticides could linger on plants for as long as a year, they agreed it was worth looking into further. According to Gorodnitsky, his own testing showed a noticeable difference in pesticide residue between mother plants and the rest of his crops. Indeed, once investigators separated mother plant samples from others, they obtained similar results.
According to Brian Smith, the WSLCB’s communications director, the agency decided to lift the stop sale based on these results. It did, however, issue the standard $2,500 fine and 10-day suspension for first-time pesticide violations. The agency also required New Leaf to destroy all mother plants and all concentrate products created from plants propagated prior to November 12, 2015. Concentrates were targeted for destruction because studies have found that the process of extraction can drastically increase the concentration of pesticides in finished products. New Leaf will still be allowed to sell whole buds from plants propagated prior to November 12, 2015, Smith said, but must label packages with a warning that the product “may contain trace amounts of disallowed pesticides.”
“It was an education for everyone,” said Gorodnitsky. “When they came in to do testing, we weren’t worried. It was a shock. When we did our own testing, things became clarified as to how those pesticides came in. It’s been quite a ride. We laid off pretty much 90 percent of our work force in January because we couldn’t afford to pay them without revenue.”
Despite Green Light, Issues Remain
Though it is easy to sympathize with any cannabusiness complaining that the WSLCB’s rules and regulations are needlessly arcane, New Leaf is not exactly squeaky clean. When the WSLCB received results back from its first batch of samples, they tested positive for Forbid, which is a non-systemic pesticide. A swab of an empty pesticide applicator bottle taken in the WSLCB’s second round of sampling also tested positive for Forbid, which would seem to indicate recent application. Gorodnitsky told me that this was also leftover from the transferred mother plants.
When asked why the Forbid hadn’t dissipated over the course of a year, he offered this explanation: “We had strains that we didn't run in 502 but we kept the mothers alive. They were just sitting under low light not growing all year.” He said that Forbid was definitely not present in the mothers used for production. In his defense, the LCB’s second round of tests do not indicate the presence of Forbid, just Eagle 20, Safari 20, and others.
However, WSLCB investigators also discovered “Hormex Vit B-1 & Growth Hormones” on their first sweep, whose label specifically warns against human consumption. “Do not use or store near food or feed. Do not use on plants that are to be used for food or feed,” it reads.
Also troubling was co-owner Colwell’s reported conduct on the WSLCB’s third visit. The WSLCB’s investigator notes in his report that, after investigators left a conference room discussion to retrieve samples, “Hildebrand, [New Leaf’s head grower], and Colwell stayed behind and had a private conversation in the conference room with the doors closed. I could overhear Colwell yelling expletives at Hildebrand and instructing him not to talk to us. When Hildebrand returned to the grow rooms he would not make any statements or answer any questions about pesticide use.”
WSLCB inspectors also observed that, “Gorodnitsky said there had been two to four generations of mother plants since New Leaf received a license.” In our most recent interview, Gorodnitsky, by way of complaining about the WSLCB’s strict pesticide enforcement, said, “If they go in to a producer and they find that they were spraying, that’s one thing. That’s something they need to address and do whatever they need to do. But if they find a level of systemic pesticides that are low and can be eliminated over a couple generations, that can be done over less than a year.” Except, it would seem, in the case of his peskily retentive mother plants.
It should also be noted that, by Gorodnitsky’s own estimates, earlier generations of plants at New Leaf likely contained higher concentrations of the disallowed pesticides, and consumers have been exposed since January 8, 2015, when New Leaf obtained its license and transferred its mother plants over.
Whether or not New Leaf was knowingly using illegal pesticides, it’s likely that other growers are. Gorodnitsky, when mounting his defense against the charges, went to a recreational marijuana store and purchased several samples from competing producers. He declined to share the identities of his samples with the WSLCB or me, but said that “the vast majority of product we tested” tested positive for the same pesticides he’d been busted for. When asked if the results indicated that his competitors were actively spraying, he replied, “No comment. I don’t want to speculate about what other people are doing.”
While Gorodnitsky couldn’t confirm intentional pesticide abuse from his samples, BMF’s case seems to indicate that there are people out there—people with a whole lot to lose—who are willing to take that risk.
Backpacks, Misters, and Foggers, Oh My!
WSLCB spokesperson Smith declined to comment on the BMF investigation, as it is still wrapping up, but the investigator’s reports for BMF indicate that the WSLCB found that, of the 17 pesticides on site during an October 8, 2015 visit, 12 were disallowed pesticides. Also, the WSLCB collected one sample of plant matter and three samples from various applicator jugs and backpack sprayers. All four tested positive for unapproved pesticides. BMF was issued a violation notice, and will receive the same penalty as New Leaf.
Peter Saladino, BMF’s owner, issued a statement via his PR firm, saying, “In 2014, our lead grower consulted with a horticultural expert to help our organization create an approach for our cannabis growing operation that would allow us to produce the highest-quality cannabis products possible using the smallest amount of chemical products, including pesticides.”
The statement said that pesticides were never applied to flowering plants,which can retain more residue, and that Saladino believed everything they were using was legit. BMF’s PR firm also supplied a list of six disallowed pesticides it says were used before the company became aware of its error. That list included pesticides containing abamectin and spiromesifen.
Worth noting here is the fact that the PICOL database, which lists the pesticides that are allowed on marijuana in Washington, is freely available on the Washington State University website, and BMF employs a dedicated compliance officer whose job is, in theory, to know this type of shit.
Indeed, Smith confirmed that all growers receive education on the PICOL database saying, “There is a bright line on this. At minimum, [the PICOL list] is reviewed during final inspection.”
Finally a Wake Up Call?
“Patients have long been aware that the state's cannabis is being grown with pesticides,” said Muraco Kyashna-tocha, a long-time cannabis safety activist. “There has been no actual testing to verify that the final cannabis consumable does not contain any pesticide residue. In fact until recently there were no labs able to perform cannabis pesticide testing, which of course kept the public unaware that our cannabis contains pesticides.”
She’s right. Until very recently, investigators could have taken all the samples they wanted, but they would have had nowhere to take them for that all-important pesticide residue testing. Essentially, to catch a pesticide cheat, they would have had to walk in on them in the act of spraying plants. Now, thanks to the Washington State Department of Health’s (DOH) proposed rules for “compliant” products, which include requirements for pesticide residue testing, our state’s labs have been gearing up to offer such services in order to meet the state’s July 1deadline for retailers to begin offering compliant products to medical patients.
With testing, and increased collaboration with the WSDA, the WSLCB’s enforcement arm finally has teeth. Kyashna-tocha praised the WSLCB’s new set of dentures as an important step for consumer safety, but said it still wasn’t enough.
“No one has ever gotten cancer from pot," she said. "But, sadly, I think we will see cancer patients in a few years who got sick from the pesticides in their pot. I really wish we had done better from the beginning.”
OHH OHH !! is this next for GLH and BMF ???
Colorado Cannabis Grower Sued for Pesticide Use in the Midst of Growing Controversy
October 6, 2015 2:32 pm | 1 comments
Lab test
It’s been a rough week for Colorado’s burgeoning marijuana industry. One day after the Denver Post reported that the state’s Department of Agriculture had caved to industry pressure in allowing the use of potentially harmful pesticides in the production of cannabis, two consumers–one a medical patient with a brain tumor–have filed a lawsuit against a major grower claiming that it used a carcinogenic pesticide called Eagle 20 on the pot it produces.
While neither plaintiff claims to have experienced negative health effects by smoking Eagle 20-laced marijuana, they say that they would not have consumed the marijuana had they been aware it had been treated with Eagle 20, a pesticide they claim converts to “poisonous hydrogen cyanide” when heated. Here’s The Cannabist:
The lawsuit against LivWell Inc. by Brandan Flores and Brandie Larrabee seeks class-action status and alleges the company for years inappropriately used Eagle 20, a heavy-hitting pesticide with myclobutanil that kills a variety of pests endangering the plants.
Flores lives in Denver and Larrabee is a Grand Junction resident.
Neither alleges they were sickened from ingesting marijuana they purchased at LivWell, but each said they would not have inhaled the product if they had known it was treated with Eagle 20.
Myclobutanil is a common active ingredient in fungicide products. In a “product safety analysis,” DOW Chemical states it “is used to control a diverse range of economically important plant pathogens including powdery mildews, dollar spot, summer patch, brown patch, rusts, and scab in a range of crops including established turf grasses, landscape ornamentals, greenhouse and nursery ornamentals, apple trees, stone fruit trees, almonds, strawberries, vegetables, soybeans and grape vines.”
The thing about those fruits and vegetables? You eat them. You don’t smoke them. The analysis warns that eye contact should be avoided and that inhalation “may cause irritation to the upper respiratory tract.” In case you didn’t know, inhalation is the most common method of marijuana administration. Even scarier–and supportive of the plaintiffs’ claims–is this warning (emphasis mine):
Myclobutanil is stable under recommended storage and normal use conditions, but can decompose at elevated temperatures. Generation of gas during decomposition can cause pressure build-up in closed systems. Decomposition products depend on temperature, air supply, and the presence of other materials, but can include carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, hydrogen chloride, hydrogen cyanide, and nitrogen oxides.
In March, six Denver grow facilities had their plants quarantined due to the improper use of pesticides, and Eagle 20 was said to be among the offenders. Frank Conrad of Colorado Green Lab wrote this blog post at the time warning of the potential danger in using myclobutanil in marijuana grows:
Tolerance levels and toxicity studies for myclobutanil on edible products should not be used for evaluating the safety of myclobutanil on marijuana. Passage of pesticides into the bloodstream varies considerably between inhalation and ingestion routes of exposure, and the application of high temperature is known to alter the chemical composition of myclobutanil. Unfortunately, very little information is available to evaluate myclobutanil in the context of tobacco use, as Eagle 20 and myclobutanil-based fungicides are not approved for use on tobacco plants in the United States (6,7). Myclobutanil is approved for use on tobacco cultivated in China, however, and a 2012 study has demonstrated that 10% or more of the active pesticide remains on tobacco leaves up to 21 days after treatment, with residue present from 0.85 parts per million (ppm) up to 3.27 ppm (8). Using tobacco as a model for pesticide retention, it is probable a considerable amount of myclobutanil may remain present in cannabis weeks after fungicide application.
Where is the EPA in all of this? Well, marijuana is still considered a Schedule 1 illegal substance under federal law and the agency has provided little help, according to Colorado’s former agricultural commissioner John Salazar. He told the Denver Post that the Department of Agriculture “tried to work with the EPA, to figure out what to do [with regard to putting together a list of banned pesticides], but…got nothing.” States are going to have to tackle the issue of pesticides on their own; Oregon has had issues with pesticides and other contaminants as well.
After working closely (some are saying too closely) with the marijuana industry, state officials have finally put together a working list of banned grow chemicals and are “now preparing for regular inspections of marijuana growers using pesticides,” according to the Post. While it is unfortunate that patients and consumers have had to experience uncertainty about contaminants in their cannabis, it should be noted that legalizing and regulating marijuana led to the discovery of potentially unsafe products in the marijuana. There have been, and will be, growing pains (pun intended) with the new industry, but clearly legalizing and regulating cannabis is better for public safety than prohibition, and keeping marijuana on the illegal market.
Sure, sadly once trust is lost it cant be regained....
Most pot smokers are of the tree hugger , green , love nature , eat healthy type of personality. The worst thing you could possibly do to them is force them to ingest a bunch of cancer causing toxins without them being aware they are being poisoned. BMF will never get any respect back in Washington. They might as well lock the doors now. Any product they produce including oils will be forever blacklisted with dispensaries and the buying public.
Lock em up boys this show is over.
Hiting 48c, obviously market didnt like the news. What a mess GLH has become....
Legal trouble has every chance of occurring from this. "Gross Negligence" is the minimum infraction here if not "wanton disregard" Both would make class action suit for damages a real possibility in the USA. GLH name will get drug through the mud along with BMF.
If you were to provide some proof to anything you said in that post it may be considered as legit. It looks pretty grim for BMF to me.
BMF Washington was also issued a $2,500 fine, but an investigation has revealed that the pesticide issues at BMF were much more rampant — of BMF’s 17 pesticides that the LCB investigated, 12 were in fact prohibited and were being used directly as part of the cultivation process.
Last document i have from Washington State says the investigation is still underway.
Washington Experiences First Cannabis Recall Due to Pesticides
Washington Experiences First Cannabis Recall Due to Pesticides
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Graham Abbott Portrait GRAHAM ABBOTT - MONDAY, FEBRUARY 15TH, 2016
For many months, marijuana product recalls stemming from the use of prohibited pesticides have been a consistent problem in Colorado, while Washington seemed, for a while, to be free of such concerns. On Friday, however, Washington-based cannabis wholesaler Evergreen Herbal issued the state’s first voluntary pot product recall due to pesticide concerns.
The recall is thanks to unfortunate growing mishaps by two producers — New Leaf Enterprises and BMF Washington — who were recently investigated by the Washington Liquor and Cannabis Board (LCB) for the use of prohibited pesticides.
New Leaf Enterprises, makers of the popular Dama line of cannabis products, has been fined $2,500 for a first violation and was given a temporary stop sale order from the LCB. New Leaf co-owner Boris Gorodnitsky managed to get the stop sale lifted after privately testing his products and the products of several competitors for pesticides. It was shown that the traces of prohibited pesticides uncovered by the LCB were in fact only residual traces inherited from New Leaf’s mother plants, which had been originally sourced from the unregulated medical market, where pesticide control was not as prevalent.
BMF Washington was also issued a $2,500 fine, but an investigation has revealed that the pesticide issues at BMF were much more rampant — of BMF’s 17 pesticides that the LCB investigated, 12 were in fact prohibited and were being used directly as part of the cultivation process.
Evergreen Herbal announced its voluntary product recall via press release on Friday evening. The three products facing recalls are all high-CBD edibles: the Hibiscus Quencher, Strawberry Quencher, and CBD Dark Chocolate 420 Bar. According to the press release, these three products were at one point produced using Dama CBD oil.
Only the Evergreen Herbal products that were manufactured before November 12, 2015 may be affected, but CEO Marco Hoffman believes that — even though most of the affected products have likely already been distributed — it was the responsible decision to stick with a voluntary recall.
In an exclusive interview with Ganjapreneur, Hoffman pointed out that even though these are particularly regrettable circumstances, “I think it’s really important that we realize that no-one has gotten sick…. And how ultra responsible the people in the cannabis industry are.”
“If only every other industry acted as we did, we would live in a completely different world right now,” Hoffman said. “I think they both made honest mistakes and they should be given the ability to learn from it.”
The press release issued by Evergreen Herbal is attached below:
Today, we learned of the article in The Seattle Times regarding prohibited pesticides used in recreational marijuana produced by New Leaf (Dama). We have determined that the only Evergreen Herbal products that may be affected are products that contain CBD oil purchased from Dama. The affected batches were manufactured before November 12th, 2015.
Please note that NO Dama flower, trim or oil has been used in the production for our LoudVape concentrates (Live Resin, Wax & Shatter, and Cartridges). This distinction is important because the CBD Dama Oil was limited to Evergreen Herbal CBD edibles (Hibiscus Quencher, Strawberry Quencher, and CBD Dark Chocolate 420 Bar). According to a Dama representive their CBD oil did not test positive for the chemical. The chemical deemed dangerous, myclobutanil, is most harmful when heated and inhaled. More information can be found here:
http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/marijuana/pot-products-recalled-in-colorado-for-pesticides-but-not-in-washington/
Evergreen Herbal, in its commitment to safety and integrity, is issuing a voluntary recall of products containing Dama oil. This is a voluntary recall and no formal recall has been mandated by the WSLCB. The lot numbers for edible products containing Dama oil are listed below. Our commitment to high quality and safe products will continue to be our priority, and we will gladly address all questions and concerns.
Your understanding and patience while we work to resolve this issue is appreciated. Thank you for your continued business and support.
Last Four Digits
Strawberry – 2605, 2476, 1357, 1913, 0605
Hibiscus – 2119, 1788
CBD Dark Chocolate – 5430, 5742, 5429
Sincerely,
The Evergreen Herbal team
BMF in full operation in Washington GLH = 100% takeover when laws change Feb 24 2016
GLH uses no pesticides SIMPLE AS THAT
This stinks to high heaven... one have to wonder why they bought that brand then. Hope there is no crossholdings btw both parties as is in common shareholders or sumethin like that cause it could get them into legal trouble. Will start researching on that this afternoon .....
BMF Inspection report from Washington State Cannabis Board.....
http://www.siliconinvestor.com/readmsg.aspx?msgid=30461364
Uncle Ike’s in Seattle is pulling BMF products off its shelves.
The LCB also levied a $2,500 fine last month against BMF Washington, a grower in Raymond, Pacific County, after investigating a complaint. Of 17 pesticides inspected at BMF, officials found 12 of them not authorized, according to LCB records. Plant samples taken by inspectors later tested positive for unauthorized pesticides, LCB reported.
Nordhorn said he couldn’t go into more detail because BMF, which sells products under the Liberty Reach and Juju Joints brands, is under investigation. A large quantity of marijuana has been placed on hold, he said. LCB spokesman Brian Smith said BMF has requested a settlement conference.
BMF believed the food-grade pesticides it was using were allowed, but “we’ve since learned otherwise,” said BMF license-holder Peter Saladino in a statement. Saladino said the pesticides were diluted before use and he is confident tests will show no, or acceptably low, pesticide residues on its quarantined cannabis.
Ian Eisenberg, owner of the state’s top-selling store, said Uncle Ike’s in Seattle is pulling BMF products off its shelves. “We’re (expletive) furious,” Eisenberg said.
Uncle Ike’s doesn’t sell New Leaf products, he said, but is concerned that oil extracted from their plants might have been sold to other companies to use in products such as edibles.
Even if health risks are unknown about some unapproved pesticides, Eisenberg said, “there’s no reason for a store like us to even take a risk with tainted products.”
Another Seattle store, Hashtag, is pulling BMF and Dama products, said co-owner Logan Bowers. Anything with unauthorized pesticides will be destroyed, Bowers said, and edibles from other vendors that may contain Dama oil will be held until they are tested and confirmed to be free of unapproved pesticides.
GLH acquisition BMF caught using illegal carcinogenic pesticides on crop. Seems like $15 mil is a lot to pay for a grower who has destroyed their reputation with customers in Washington. BMF product being tossed off dispensary shelves. Oils made with their product also pulled for testing. About the worst thing you can do to most pot smokers is poison their weed with pesticides. This will take some work coming back from.
Why GLH would want to get involved with BMF considering all the ramifications I just cant fathom.
Inspectors report on BMF here...
http://www.thestranger.com/images/blogimages/2016/02/11/1455223196-bmf_investigation.pdf
Washington State Fines Two Marijuana Growers For Using Prohibited Pesticides
by Tobias Coughlin-Bogue • Feb 11, 2016 at 1:56 pm
image: redditstatic.com
image: thestranger.com
Pesticides on your pot? Finally, some answers. CANNABIS PLANTS / SHUTTERSTOCK
A little over a month ago, two of Washington’s largest cannabis producers were quietly barred from all sales, pending a Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (WSLCB) investigation into illegal use of prohibited pesticides. According to documents obtained by The Stranger, New Leaf Enterprises, makers of the popular Dama line of products, andBMF Washington LLC, whose cannabis is used by brands including Liberty Reach and JuJu Joints, received stop sale orders on December 29 and December 17 of last year, respectively.
According to those documents, which also included reports from investigators in both cases, the investigations were prompted by third-party complaints. The stop sales were not announced to the public, but murmurs abounded in the industry that something had gone awry with New Leaf. A public records request filed with the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board regarding stop sale orders revealed that both New Leaf and BMF were the targets of WSLCB pesticide investigations.
The WSLCB, to its credit, has clearly stepped up its pesticide enforcement game. Previously, when WSLCB investigators encountered disallowed pesticides at a grow, they were forced to call Erik Johansen, the Washington State Department of Agriculture’s (WSDA) pesticide guru, for help. This time, they brought WSDA pesticide experts—including Johansen—along for the ride. And in the New Leaf case, the WSLCB also contracted the state's first lab equipped for pesticide residue testing, Trace Analytics, in a major shift for an agency that had previously dismissed residue testing as expensive and unnecessary.
An Old Issue for New Leaf
For Boris Gorodnitsky, one of New Leaf’s co-owners, these complaints come as no surprise. The owners got their start in the unregulated medical marijuana market, where they were quite open about using controversial pesticides on their crops. When I reached Gorodnitsky last week to discuss the stop sale, the origin of his misfortunes seemed to be old hat to him. Just another complaint from advocates still fired up about his medical growing practices, he said.
New Leaf was, in fact, slapped with a fine for a pesticide violation in April of last year due to similar complaints, though it was only for storing pesticides in an unlabeled container. When I spoke to Gorodnitsky about the fine last fall, he assured me that the container was actually premixed plant nutrients, and the violation was due to a misunderstanding with the company’s assigned investigator.
This more recent incident was a similar, albeit larger, misunderstanding, he said. Gorodnitsky stressed that he had never sprayed disallowed pesticides on his legal grow at any point, and claimed that he had been the victim of confusing WSLCB rules.
According to those WSLCB reports linked above, the saga began when an enforcement officer, accompanied by three WSDA pesticide experts, visited New Leaf’s South Park facility on October 21, 2015, in response to a complaint. They met with New Leaf’s compliance officer, Adrian Ramirez, who gave them a walkthrough, whereupon they discovered a number of eyebrow-raisers, including an empty bottle of an unapproved pesticide and several unlabeled bottles of fertilizer. They asked Ramirez directly if the legal grow had ever used Eagle 20, a disallowed pesticide that releases cyanide when heated, to which he replied that they had in the medical grow but not the legal one.
That distinction—between medical and legal—is at the heart of all this. (Medical marijuana has long been unregulated.) After that first visit, investigators say they returned on November 12, 2015, to collect plant samples for testing. Those plant samples, which were collected together in one container, tested positive for significant levels of myclobutanil; the active ingredient in Eagle 20; spiromesifen, the active ingredient in Forbid 4F; and dinotefuran, the active ingredient in another banned pesticide, called Safari 20.
When investigators returned once more to issue a stop sale based on the results, Gorodnitsky and Dax Colwell, New Leaf’s other owner, insisted that they hadn’t sprayed their legal grow, and the contamination must be due to what Gorodnitsky called a “loophole,” wherein the growers were allowed to bring in plants from their medical grows that were already tainted.
Under I-502, which legalized recreational marijuana use, new producer licensees were extended a 15-day grace period in which they could bring in any seeds, cuttings, or plants they so desired from the unregulated medical marijuana market into the I-502 market. The idea was to ensure there would be enough marijuana supply to meet early demand (there still wasn’t), by embracing the state’s preexisting pot plants no questions asked.
During New Leaf’s 15-day grace period, Gorodnitsky said, they brought in mother plants from the medical grow. Mother plants are larger, more genetically desirable plants from which “clones”—the cuttings used to propagate new cannabis plants for production—are taken. In this case, the mother plants had been sprayed with Eagle 20 and Safari 20 in New Leaf’s medical grow, where such tomfoolery was allowed. Both are systemic pesticides, which means the chemicals linger in the plant’s system for long periods of time and can be passed on to clones.
Though investigators were skeptical about Gorodnitsky’s mother plant hypothesis, wondering if detectable levels of pesticides could linger on plants for as long as a year, they agreed it was worth looking into further. According to Gorodnitsky, his own testing showed a noticeable difference in pesticide residue between mother plants and the rest of his crops. Indeed, once investigators separated mother plant samples from others, they obtained similar results.
According to Brian Smith, the WSLCB’s communications director, the agency decided to lift the stop sale based on these results. It did, however, issue the standard $2,500 fine and 10-day suspension for first-time pesticide violations. The agency also required New Leaf to destroy all mother plants and all concentrate products created from plants propagated prior to November 12, 2015. Concentrates were targeted for destruction because studies have found that the process of extraction can drastically increase the concentration of pesticides in finished products. New Leaf will still be allowed to sell whole buds from plants propagated prior to November 12, 2015, Smith said, but must label packages with a warning that the product “may contain trace amounts of disallowed pesticides.”
“It was an education for everyone,” said Gorodnitsky. “When they came in to do testing, we weren’t worried. It was a shock. When we did our own testing, things became clarified as to how those pesticides came in. It’s been quite a ride. We laid off pretty much 90 percent of our work force in January because we couldn’t afford to pay them without revenue.”
Despite Green Light, Issues Remain
Though it is easy to sympathize with any cannabusiness complaining that the WSLCB’s rules and regulations are needlessly arcane, New Leaf is not exactly squeaky clean. When the WSLCB received results back from its first batch of samples, they tested positive for Forbid, which is a non-systemic pesticide. A swab of an empty pesticide applicator bottle taken in the WSLCB’s second round of sampling also tested positive for Forbid, which would seem to indicate recent application. Gorodnitsky told me that this was also leftover from the transferred mother plants.
When asked why the Forbid hadn’t dissipated over the course of a year, he offered this explanation: “We had strains that we didn't run in 502 but we kept the mothers alive. They were just sitting under low light not growing all year.” He said that Forbid was definitely not present in the mothers used for production. In his defense, the LCB’s second round of tests do not indicate the presence of Forbid, just Eagle 20, Safari 20, and others.
However, WSLCB investigators also discovered “Hormex Vit B-1 & Growth Hormones” on their first sweep, whose label specifically warns against human consumption. “Do not use or store near food or feed. Do not use on plants that are to be used for food or feed,” it reads.
Also troubling was co-owner Colwell’s reported conduct on the WSLCB’s third visit. The WSLCB’s investigator notes in his report that, after investigators left a conference room discussion to retrieve samples, “Hildebrand, [New Leaf’s head grower], and Colwell stayed behind and had a private conversation in the conference room with the doors closed. I could overhear Colwell yelling expletives at Hildebrand and instructing him not to talk to us. When Hildebrand returned to the grow rooms he would not make any statements or answer any questions about pesticide use.”
WSLCB inspectors also observed that, “Gorodnitsky said there had been two to four generations of mother plants since New Leaf received a license.” In our most recent interview, Gorodnitsky, by way of complaining about the WSLCB’s strict pesticide enforcement, said, “If they go in to a producer and they find that they were spraying, that’s one thing. That’s something they need to address and do whatever they need to do. But if they find a level of systemic pesticides that are low and can be eliminated over a couple generations, that can be done over less than a year.” Except, it would seem, in the case of his peskily retentive mother plants.
It should also be noted that, by Gorodnitsky’s own estimates, earlier generations of plants at New Leaf likely contained higher concentrations of the disallowed pesticides, and consumers have been exposed since January 8, 2015, when New Leaf obtained its license and transferred its mother plants over.
Whether or not New Leaf was knowingly using illegal pesticides, it’s likely that other growers are. Gorodnitsky, when mounting his defense against the charges, went to a recreational marijuana store and purchased several samples from competing producers. He declined to share the identities of his samples with the WSLCB or me, but said that “the vast majority of product we tested” tested positive for the same pesticides he’d been busted for. When asked if the results indicated that his competitors were actively spraying, he replied, “No comment. I don’t want to speculate about what other people are doing.”
While Gorodnitsky couldn’t confirm intentional pesticide abuse from his samples, BMF’s case seems to indicate that there are people out there—people with a whole lot to lose—who are willing to take that risk.
Backpacks, Misters, and Foggers, Oh My!
WSLCB spokesperson Smith declined to comment on the BMF investigation, as it is still wrapping up, but the investigator’s reports for BMF indicate that the WSLCB found that, of the 17 pesticides on site during an October 8, 2015 visit, 12 were disallowed pesticides. Also, the WSLCB collected one sample of plant matter and three samples from various applicator jugs and backpack sprayers. All four tested positive for unapproved pesticides. BMF was issued a violation notice, and will receive the same penalty as New Leaf.
Peter Saladino, BMF’s owner, issued a statement via his PR firm, saying, “In 2014, our lead grower consulted with a horticultural expert to help our organization create an approach for our cannabis growing operation that would allow us to produce the highest-quality cannabis products possible using the smallest amount of chemical products, including pesticides.”
The statement said that pesticides were never applied to flowering plants,which can retain more residue, and that Saladino believed everything they were using was legit. BMF’s PR firm also supplied a list of six disallowed pesticides it says were used before the company became aware of its error. That list included pesticides containing abamectin and spiromesifen.
Worth noting here is the fact that the PICOL database, which lists the pesticides that are allowed on marijuana in Washington, is freely available on the Washington State University website, and BMF employs a dedicated compliance officer whose job is, in theory, to know this type of shlt.
Indeed, Smith confirmed that all growers receive education on the PICOL database saying, “There is a bright line on this. At minimum, [the PICOL list] is reviewed during final inspection.”
Finally a Wake Up Call?
“Patients have long been aware that the state's cannabis is being grown with pesticides,” said Muraco Kyashna-tocha, a long-time cannabis safety activist. “There has been no actual testing to verify that the final cannabis consumable does not contain any pesticide residue. In fact until recently there were no labs able to perform cannabis pesticide testing, which of course kept the public unaware that our cannabis contains pesticides.”
She’s right. Until very recently, investigators could have taken all the samples they wanted, but they would have had nowhere to take them for that all-important pesticide residue testing. Essentially, to catch a pesticide cheat, they would have had to walk in on them in the act of spraying plants. Now, thanks to the Washington State Department of Health’s (DOH) proposed rules for “compliant” products, which include requirements for pesticide residue testing, our state’s labs have been gearing up to offer such services in order to meet the state’s July 1deadline for retailers to begin offering compliant products to medical patients.
With testing, and increased collaboration with the WSDA, the WSLCB’s enforcement arm finally has teeth. Kyashna-tocha praised the WSLCB’s new set of dentures as an important step for consumer safety, but said it still wasn’t enough.
“No one has ever gotten cancer from pot," she said. "But, sadly, I think we will see cancer patients in a few years who got sick from the pesticides in their pot. I really wish we had done better from the beginning.”
Oregon House Passes Marijuana Banking Bill
http://marijuanapolitics.com/oregon-house-passes-marijuana-banking-bill/
Any update on Mondays vote
Washington has more pot than it can smoke
Jane Wells | @janewells
Wednesday, 11 Feb 2015 | 10:53 AM ET
CNBC.com
Supply is outstripping demand in the unlikeliest place—legal recreational marijuana in the state of Washington. Growers who jumped into the new legal market hoping to make a killing in cannabis are now getting killed by a glut of product.
Taxes
Washington growers, processors and retailers are each taxed separately, accounting for as much as 75 percent of the retail price. Add in sales tax, and it's very hard to price a product that can compete with the flood of illegal pot coming up from Oregon and California as well as legal medical marijuana—which isn't taxed at all. Now that Oregon has voted to legalize recreational marijuana, a potentially lower tax rate there could hurt Washington even more.
"They've pretty much priced themselves out of the market," said grower Tom Lauerman of Farmer Tom's Organics.
Licensing
image: http://fm.cnbc.com/applications/cnbc.com/resources/img/editorial/2015/02/11/102416893-456349256.530x298.jpg?v=1423670181
Micah Sherman, and Nicole Graf, who moved from Brooklyn, N.Y., to cultivate cannabis, care for the "mother plants" which will seed their 7,000-square-foot indoor farm in a warehouse south of Seattle, last March, in Olympia, Wash.
Gilles Mingasson | Getty Images
Micah Sherman, and Nicole Graf, who moved from Brooklyn, N.Y., to cultivate cannabis, care for the "mother plants" which will seed their 7,000-square-foot indoor farm in a warehouse south of Seattle, last March, in Olympia, Wash.
Washington handed out grower licenses more quickly than retail licenses, creating an imbalance between farms and stores. However, Kevin Oliver of Washington's Finest Cannabis said the glut in supply "will likely disappear in the next few months," as the state estimates another 100 retail stores opening.
Tourism
Colorado benefits from skiing, drawing tourists from around the world in a way that Washington does not. Also, Colorado isn't surrounded by states with a lot of medical marijuana, and it's closer to the Midwest, South and Northeast.
All of this has driven prices down in Washington for farmers like Lauerman.
"In the early days, we were able to get, like, $1,700 to $2,200 a pound, wholesale. Now it's like $700, $800 a pound," he said. "That's not profitable at all. I've got most of my stuff stashed away for later."
He's hoping to wait it out and eventually succeed with a branding strategy that may make him the first grower to put his name and likeness on a line of cannabis products. The label for his Farmer Tom's Organics looks as if Jerry Garcia took over Newman's Own. Lauerman also has released a set of trading cards based on the strains of pot he sells.
Read MoreLegal US pot sales are slamming Mexico's illegal growers
But it may be too late. Lauerman's farm is facing foreclosure, and he is filing for bankruptcy protection. He's not the only one, as growers and retailers have turned on each other. While some growers accuse retailers of demanding unprofitable wholesale prices in order to make a retail profit, Oliver echoed others in saying that "the people who are complaining the loudest about the glut ... are those producers who came online in July and were charging $21 a gram, gouging the retailers because they were the only producers on the market at the time."
Watching all of this from afar is Gonzalez of GFarmaLabs. He's looking to expand from California into Washington.
"The guys that own these facilities that now have all this pot, they owe investors money," he said. "This is a boom like anything else." He's waiting for a bust. "We're going to be able to go in there, and we're going to buy facilities for pennies on the dollar."
It's gotten so bad at the moment that Lauerman said some growers are "giving it away" to help get rid of inventory and build customer loyalty. The situation could be compared to the wine grape glut in California a decade ago, which led to the birth of Charles Shaw Wine, aka Two Buck Chuck. Could there be a Two Buck Toke as the Washington pot industry searches for stability?
As Lauerman pointed out, there's certainly enough product for one: "There's 45,000 extra pounds floating around out there with no home right now."
Recreational Cannabis Surplus in WA Squeezing Growers
January 4, 2016 Chart of the Week: Recreational Cannabis Surplus in WA Squeezing Growers
image: https://mjbizdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/COTW_01-04-16_chart.png
COTW_01-04-16_chart
By Becky Olson
A big shakeout is materializing in Washington State’s recreational cannabis industry as businesses struggle to determine the ideal balance between supply and demand.
From July 2014 through November 2015, licensed growers produced about 16,000 more pounds of marijuana than the amount retail stores sold, according to state data.
That surplus equates to roughly two months of supply for the market, based on average cannabis sales through recreational shops recently.
Since the rec industry launched in mid-2014, Washington’s newly licensed cultivators have produced more marijuana than rec shops sold every single month. The cumulative production surplus stood at 850 pounds just three months after the first rec store opened – which equated to 2.5 months of supply – and has soared since then.
A growing surplus for an entire market, not just an individual producer, can signal some big problems.
In Washington, scores of cultivation companies have gone out of business in large part because of the oversupply issue, said Christopher Macaluso, a longtime cultivator in California who co-founded Canna Group, which provides consulting to cultivators in the northwest states.
Producers are now sitting on a substantial amount of surplus inventory, and the future of many of them is in jeopardy. Some could try to unload low-quality inventory at fire-sale prices, flooding the market and exerting artificial downward pressure on the broader wholesale price.
“If I was sitting on a surplus beyond a month and a half, I’d need to take a look in the mirror and either get more in tune with producing a higher-quality product, or I’d be taking a more business or corporate savvy approach to how I was pricing my product, looking at this from a long term play rather than a short term here and now,” Macaluso said.
To be sure, the market saw higher levels of supply when compared to demand in the early days of the state’s rec industry. In November 2014, for instance, the market had 3.5 months’ worth of excess product.
Supply is now more in line with demand, with the surplus currently running about 1.7 to 2 months.
But the absolute cumulative surplus nevertheless continues to grow.
“A lot of people really got into this for the money, with sort of hungry eyes, and aren’t able to produce the results that consumers, let alone the retailers, are looking for,” Macaluso said.
This type of tumult is to be expected in large markets with a high number of producers, and Washington’s market will eventually find equilibrium and settle down. In the meantime, however, producers, processors and retailers will continue to face a high degree of uncertainty as the shakeout continues.
Becky Olson can be reached at beckyo@mjbizmedia.com
Daily News | Cultivation | Marijuana Industry Data and Charts | Washington State Medical Cannabis Business & Marijuana Legal
Oregon Voting on Monday and Tuesday
1 - Allows out of state investors to invest in oregon marijuana businesses (I hope this passes so that Washington does the same on Feb 24)
2 - Makes banks not criminally liable in the state for doing business with the marijuana industry (This seems more symbolic than anything else - it's really the federal regulations that need to change)
3 - Among other things, this bill allows anyone in the state 21 and over to buy the medical cannibas products like oils, extracts, etc - which currently only medical patients can buy (This is the important one for GLH - they expected this to happen in Q4 of this year, not now. They expected this would exponentially increase sales)
Voting is Monday and Tuesday, fingers crossed
http://registerguard.com/rg/news/local/34059038-75/things-to-know-oregon-legislature-roundup.html.csp
Read more at http://www.stockhouse.com/companies/bullboard/bullboard/c.glh/golden-leaf-holdings-ltd#PPHbLMDQ5yKcvdyD.99
Drug traffickers ‘hiding in plain sight’ amid legal Colorado marijuanaWhile Colorado's legal marijuana industry is tightly regulated to keep pot out of the black market in other states, there are bad actors working outside the system
PUBLISHED: JAN 28, 2016, 9:26 AM COMMENTS (40)
By Sadie Gurman, Associated Press
Seeking a safe haven in Colorado’s legal marijuana marketplace, illegal drug traffickers are growing weed among the state’s sanctioned pot warehouses and farms, then covertly shipping it elsewhere and pocketing millions of dollars from the sale, according to law enforcement officials and court records consulted by The Associated Press.
In one case, the owner of a skydiving business crammed hundreds of pounds of Colorado pot into his planes and flew the weed to Minnesota, where associates allegedly sold it for millions of dollars in cash. In another, a Denver man was charged with sending more than 100 pot-filled FedEx packages to Buffalo, New York, where drug dealers divvied up the shipment. Twenty other drug traffickers, many from Cuba, were accused of relocating to Colorado to grow marijuana that they sent to Florida, where it can fetch more than double the price in a legal Colorado shop.
These cases and others confirm a longstanding fear of marijuana opponents that the state’s much-watched experiment in legal pot would invite more illegal trafficking to other states where the drug is still strictly forbidden.
One source is Colorado residents or tourists who buy retail pot and take it out of state. But more concerning to authorities are larger-scale traffickers who move here specifically to grow the drug and ship to more lucrative markets.
The trend also bolsters the argument of neighboring Nebraska and Oklahoma, which filed a lawsuit in late 2014 seeking to declare Colorado’s pot legalization unconstitutional, arguing that the move sent a tide of illicit weed across their borders. The Obama administration last month urged the Supreme Court to reject the suit, saying that the leakage was not Colorado’s fault.
No one knows exactly how much pot leaves Colorado. When illegal shipments are seized, it’s often impossible to prove where the marijuana was grown. But court documents and interviews with law enforcement officials indicate well-organized traffickers are seeking refuge in Colorado’s flourishing pot industry.
“There’s no question there’s a lot more of this activity than there was two years ago,” said Colorado’s U.S. attorney, John Walsh.
Some in the legal industry say police have exaggerated the problem and put unfair scrutiny on people who legally grow pot on behalf of patients. Lawmakers last year limited unregulated pot growers to no more than 99 plants in an effort to crack down on those selling untaxed pot.
The federal government allowed Colorado’s experiment on the condition that state officials act to keep marijuana from migrating to places where it is still outlawed and out of the hands of criminal cartels. Federal authorities acknowledge that both things are happening but say that, because the state is trying to keep its industry tightly regulated, there’s no reason to end the legal pot trade.
The pot industry also acknowledges the criminal activity and insists it is doing all it can to keep legally grown weed from crossing state lines. Among other safeguards, Colorado law requires growers to get a license and use a “seed-to-sale” tracking system that monitors marijuana plants at every stage.
Many of the illicit growers come from elsewhere, never obtain a growing license and “don’t even attempt to adhere to the law,” said Barbra M. Roach, special agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Denver field division.
“It’s like hiding in plain sight,” she said.
Authorities in Washington state, which also allows recreational marijuana, have noticed more marijuana leaving the state. But more reports are coming from Colorado, which has the nation’s most robust commercial market and an international reputation for producing premium, high-potency pot.
“ It’s a brand name now,” Roach said.
Jason Warf, head of the Southern Colorado Cannabis Council, said people are “coming from out-of-state, buying products from licensed stores and being arrested on their way home.”
That “is really hard to curb,” he said. “We can’t essentially babysit adults and their behavior.”
The Colorado Department of Revenue’s marijuana-enforcement division cites shops if pot is unaccounted for but “after it’s sold, we have very little control what happens to the marijuana,” Director Lewis Koski said.
Police agencies seized nearly 2 tons of Colorado weed from drivers who had intended to take it to 36 other states in 2014, the year legal pot shops opened, according to the Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, a federally funded drug task force. By comparison, they seized less than a ton in 2009.
U.S. postal inspectors seized about 470 pounds of Colorado pot from the mail in 2014, up from 57 pounds in 2010, according to the task force, whose findings are based on on voluntary submissions from law enforcement agencies and are largely anecdotal.
Some cases have comic overtones, like when a Wyoming patrolman discovered 7 ounces of high-grade weed in trick-or-treat bags the day after Halloween, or when police in northern Colorado seized stuffed animals full of marijuana destined for Florida.
Other operations are more sophisticated, like the one in which authorities say 32 people used skydiving planes and posed as licensed medical marijuana caregivers and small business owners to export tens of thousands of pounds of pot grown in Denver warehouses, usually to Minnesota. The organization made more than $12 million over four years, according to a state indictment.
When they busted illegal pot farms in southern Colorado in September, state and federal agents found 28 guns, more than 1,000 plants and $25,000 in cash.
A local UPS facility intercepts about 50 pounds of pot headed out of state each week, said Todd Reeves of the Colorado Drug Investigators Association. “We don’t have the resources,” he said, “to be able to go after every single one of these cases.”
Too much pot: Growers struggle with glut of legal weed
SEATTLE (AP) Washington's legal marijuana market opened last summer to a dearth of weed. Some stores periodically closed because they didn't have pot to sell. Prices were through the roof.
Six months later, the equation has flipped, bringing serious growing pains to the new industry.
A big harvest of sun-grown marijuana from eastern Washington last fall flooded the market. Prices are starting to come down in the state's licensed pot shops, but due to the glut, growers are surprisingly struggling to sell their marijuana. Some are already worried about going belly-up, finding it tougher than expected to make a living in legal weed.
"It's an economic nightmare," says Andrew Seitz, general manager at Dutch Brothers Farms in Seattle.
State data show that licensed growers had harvested 31,000 pounds of bud as of Thursday, but Washington's relatively few legal pot shops have sold less than one-fifth of that. Many of the state's marijuana users have stuck with the untaxed or much-lesser-taxed pot they get from black market dealers or unregulated medical dispensaries limiting how quickly product moves off the shelves of legal stores.
"Every grower I know has got surplus inventory and they're concerned about it," said Scott Masengill, who has sold half of the 280 pounds he harvested from his pot farm in central Washington. "I don't know anybody getting rich."
Officials at the state Liquor Control Board, which regulates marijuana, aren't terribly concerned.
So far, there are about 270 licensed growers in Washington but only about 85 open stores for them to sell to. That's partly due to a slow, difficult licensing process; retail applicants who haven't been ready to open; and pot business bans in many cities and counties.
The board's legal pot project manager, Randy Simmons, says he hopes about 100 more stores will open in the next few months, providing additional outlets for the weed that's been harvested. Washington is always likely to have a glut of marijuana after the outdoor crop comes in each fall, he suggested, as the outdoor growers typically harvest one big crop which they continue to sell throughout the year.
Weed is still pricey at the state's pot shops often in the $23-to-$25-per-gram range. That's about twice the cost at medical dispensaries, but cheaper than it was a few months ago.
Simmons said he expects pot prices to keep fluctuating for the next year and a half: "It's the volatility of a new marketplace."
Colorado, the only other state with legal marijuana sales, has a differently structured industry. Regulators have kept a lid on production, though those limits were loosened last fall as part of a planned expansion of the market. Colorado growers still have to prove legal demand for their product, a regulatory curb aimed at preventing excess weed from spilling to other states. The result has been more demand than supply.
In Washington, many growers have unrealistic expectations about how quickly they should be able to recoup their initial investments, Simmons said. And some of the growers complaining about the low prices they're getting now also gouged the new stores amid shortages last summer.
Those include Seitz, who sold his first crop 22 pounds for just under $21 per gram: nearly $230,000 before his hefty $57,000 tax bill. He's about to harvest his second crop, but this time he expects to get just $4 per gram, when he has big bills to pay.
"We're running out of money," he said. "We need to make sales this month to stay operational, and we're going to be selling at losses."
Because of the high taxes on Washington's legal pot, Seitz says stores can never compete with the black market while paying growers sustainable prices.
He and other growers say it's been a mistake for the state to license so much production while the rollout of legal stores has lagged.
"If it's a natural bump from the outdoor harvest, that's one thing," said Jeremy Moberg, who is sitting on 1,500 pounds of unsold marijuana at his CannaSol Farms in north-central Washington. "If it's institutionally creating oversupply ... that's a problem."
Some retailers have been marking up the wholesale price three-fold or more a practice that has some growers wondering if certain stores aren't cleaning up as they struggle.
"I got retailers beating me down to sell for black-market prices," said Fitz Couhig, owner of Pioneer Production and Processing in Arlington.
But two of the top-selling stores in Seattle Uncle Ike's and Cannabis City insist that because of their tax obligations and low demand for high-priced pot, they're not making any money either, despite each having sales of more than $600,000 per month.
Aaron Varney, a director at Dockside Cannabis, a retail shop in the Seattle suburb of Shoreline, said stores that exploit growers now could get bitten in the long run.
"Right now, the numbers will say that we're in the driver's seat," he said. "But that can change. We're looking to establish good relationships with the growers we're dealing with."
http://komonews.com/news/local/too-much-pot-growers-struggle-with-glut-of-legal-weed-11-21-2015
Czechlate seems to have disappeared know anything about it
cparry
image: stockhouse.com
I'll be getting IP addresses, so if Czechlate has multiple accounts, then it goes to the regulators for stock manipulation.
Enjoy your morning coffee, CL.
GLH - $19,174,767 20,958,241- shares traded = .9149 cents per share paid to date
now selling at .54 market is out to lunch on glh
ROFLMAO!!!
GLH - $19,174,767 20,958,241- shares traded = .9149 cents per share paid to date
now selling at .54 market is out to lunch on glh
Golden Leaf Holdings Ltd reaches new 52-Week Low
Shares of Golden Leaf Holdings Ltd (CSE:GLH) hit a new 52-Week Low today, currently trading at $0.445 on volume of 143,786 shares.
In the past 52 weeks, Golden Leaf Holdings Ltd has traded between a low of $0.45 and a high of $1.40 and is now trading 68% below that high.
Golden Leaf Holdings Ltd shares have a 50-day moving average of $0.7932.
About Golden Leaf Holdings Ltd: Golden Leaf Holdings Ltd through its subsidiary is engaged in growing, processing and distribution of medical cannabis products in the State of Oregon in the United States of America. Its brands include Golden Xtrx, Proper, and Left Coast Connection.
Source: QuoteMedia 52-Week High/Low Alerts (Feb 12, 2016 14:50:17 EST)
Donald Trump Wants To Legalize Marijuana - YouTube
Video for donald trump on marijuana? 1:11
it might be a buy at 10c, let's see how it plays out....
yup your all honest lmao
Sure glad I bailed when I did. It is shaping up to be the mid 40s next week and that is if the financing gets done. If that goes sideways look for GLH shares for two bits.
YEs, cheesy listing, cheesy deals, outrageous 100M market cap. Better stay away
This is not going to do anything in the US on the grey market. I was waiting for a real listing. I have now invested elsewhere, but will keep watching for this to be listed here.
Buyers drying up bid now .59 . Get your 10 cent bids out !!
Recent Trades - All 5 today
Time ET Ex Price Change Volume Buyer Seller Markers
10:20:41 C 0.60 -0.01 3,000 7 TD Sec 1 Anonymous
10:20:36 C 0.60 -0.01 2,000 124 Questrade 1 Anonymous
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Out of state investors may invest in Washington weed
Graphic by: Grace Lindsley/Observer
Brian Cook, Staff Reporter
January 28, 2016
Filed under The EverGreen Scene
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The Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Control Board intends to lift the ban on out-of-state investors financing recreational marijuana producers, processors and retailers as early as March of this year.
Lifting the ban on out-of-state investing will make it easier for marijuana producers, processors and retailers to raise money to start or grow their company.
This fall, the legalization of recreational marijuana is going on the ballot in California.
However, California has no ban on out-of-state investors and, with the possibility of recreational cannabis being legalized, investors could be looking to spend big on America’s most populous and largest medical marijuana producing state.
States that receive revenue from recreational marijuana sales may be making some changes to how they run their investments before California potentially enters the market this fall.
“It’s already expensive to come into the market as a business owner,” said Lena Davidson, sales and marketing manager of botanicaSEATTLE. “Producers are sinking sometimes their life savings into their crop.”
According to Davidson, marijuana is a difficult business to break into.
“You invest heavily in an agricultural crop. It grows, you harvest it, the money’s already been spent. You make your money when you sell that crop,” Davidson said. “Marketing, packaging, distribution: those are expensive things in a big state that is really competitive for bud right now.”
Since recreational marijuana is a new industry, many businesses have had a hard time getting financed since banks refuse their requests for loans.
Many retailers are restricted to relying on a cash only service because of this lack of financial backing.
“The banks won’t knowingly take [money processed off a card,]” Rob Hendrix, owner of Cannabis Central, said. “We had a debit card machine in the beginning, but they shut it down.”
The U.S. Department of Justice has warned states with legalized marijuana on multiple occasions that if drug money starts trading across state lines, the state’s marijuana industries might face a federal crack down.
Marijuana is still against the law federally, meaning the U.S. government could come into the state and shut down all production and retail for the marijuana industry.
http://cwuobserver.com/6987/the-evergreen-scene/out-of-state-investors-may-invest-in-washington-weed/
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Board revises draft marijuana rules following public comment period
In a separate action, the Board adopts staff’s recommendation for additional marijuana retail stores
OLYMPIA – Following six public hearings held throughout the state, the Liquor and Cannabis Board (Board) today voted to revise the draft rules to accommodate public input it received on its original draft rules. The draft rules are necessary to implement 2015 legislation which aligns the medical marijuana market with the existing recreational market. Under the revised rules timeline, a public hearing would be held Feb. 10, 2016, with the Board being asked to adopt the rules on Feb. 24, 2016. If adopted, the rules become effective March 24, 2016.
“We spent many hours listening to and reviewing public comment,” said Board Chair Jane Rushford. “Since the beginning, this has been and open and transparent process. Today’s revised rules reflect the Board’s continued commitment to transparency and the willingness to listen and make adjustments that may improve the rules.”
Highlights
Some highlights of the rule revisions include:
• Removing language prohibiting the use of terpenes and cannabinoids;
• Removing proposed language requiring re-testing after 30 days;
• Removing the six month residency requirement for financiers (allows out of state financiers);
• Removing the language prohibiting characterizing flavors for inhalants;
• Changing delivery time from 24 to 48 hours;
• Adding that “Mr. Yuk” stickers be applied to all labels for infused edible and liquid products;
• Adding Employment Security Department and Labor and Industry taxes and fees as a licensing requirement for being current on taxes.
A summary sheet of the full list of revisions can be found here.
Emergency Rules
In a separate action, the Board also adopted emergency rules following staff’s recommendation to expand the number of retail marijuana outlets to accommodate the alignment of the two markets. At its Dec. 16, 2015, meeting, the Board heard a process recommendation from staff that would increase the number of retail marijuana stores from the current cap of 334 to a new cap of 556. The recommendation followed an analysis of the entire marijuana marketplace by the state’s contracted research organization, BOTEC Analysis Corporation. You can read more regarding the recommendation from the Dec.16 media release.
BOTEC Analysis Corporation Report
BOTEC Analysis Corporation provided its final report, Estimating the Size of the Medical Cannabis Market in Washington State, on Dec. 15, 2015. In its report, BOTEC provided a range of the value of the overall marijuana market in Washington State. Its best estimate of the overall market value is a median figure at $1.3 billion annually. Its best estimate on the breakdown is: $480M medical (37 percent of market), $460M state-licensed recreational stores (35 percent of market) and $390M illicit (28 percent of the market).
The mission of the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board is to promote public safety and trust through fair administration and enforcement of liquor, tobacco and marijuana laws.
http://www.liq.wa.gov/pressreleases/board-revises-draft-mj-rules
GLH-Yes we are in discussions with the idea of entering Canada and becoming a North American cannabis player
http://cjme.com/show/john-gormley-live
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