Register for free to join our community of investors and share your ideas. You will also get access to streaming quotes, interactive charts, trades, portfolio, live options flow and more tools.
Register for free to join our community of investors and share your ideas. You will also get access to streaming quotes, interactive charts, trades, portfolio, live options flow and more tools.
Walgreens wants to talk weed
Published: Apr 30, 2016 9:48 a.m. ET
National pharmacy chain posts blog on medical marijuana
By Kathleen Burke Reporter
Walgreens WBA, -1.33% wants you to know the difference between a vaporizer and an edible — the marijuana kind.
In a post on the company’s “Stay Well” Tumblr blog, Dahlia Sultan, a pharmacy resident at the University of Illinois and Walgreens, wrote about the benefits of medical marijuana. (The post notes that Walgreens isn't a licensed provider of medical marijuana and advises customers to consult their doctor for information on cannabis.)
“Research has also shown marijuana provides pain relief in ways traditional medicines don’t,” Sultan wrote. “Medical marijuana can improve appetite and relieve nausea in those who have cancer and may help relieve symptoms such as muscle stiffness in people who have multiple sclerosis.” The article cites medical studies from the National Cancer Institute and the National Center for Biotechnology Information.
Few national brands have openly discussed legal cannabis, though that may change, experts say, as demand increases for it. Twenty-three states have legalized marijuana for medical use, and four states and the District of Columbia have legalized recreational cannabis. The legal marijuana industry is expected to grow significantly in the next few years — combined recreational and legal sales are predicted to be around $6.7 billion in 2016, up from $5.4 billion in 2015, according to ArcView Market Research, which tracks the legal marijuana industry
Others in the industry see a more altruistic motive behind Walgreens blog post. “It’s an honest, helpful piece,” says Alan Brochstein, founder of 420 Investor, an investor community for publicly traded marijuana companies. “It adds legitimacy to the whole medical cannabis market.” (In fact, Walgreen’s spokesman Jim Cohn said Sultan’s blog was written in response to questions from customers and doesn't take a stance on the issue of marijuana legalization.)
Nearly 60% of Americans support marijuana legalization, according to an October 2015 Gallup poll, with 71% of respondents ages 18 to 34 supporting legalization. “That’s the ideal customer base,” says Keith Humphreys, a psychiatry and behavioral sciences professor at Stanford University who specializes in federal drug policy. “If you’re thinking long-term and marijuana legalization support is strongest in that group, [discussing cannabis] helps cement those fundamental buying habits that extend through a lifetime.”
A number of states are slated to vote on legalization ballot initiatives in November, including Florida, Ohio and California, which is deciding on recreational legalization. If the California ballot initiative passes, the state would become one of the largest legal marijuana markets in the world. “I won’t be surprised if, after November, other companies get into [cannabis marketing],” Humphreys says.
While other companies, like Target TGT, -2.25% have been experiencing consumer backlash for speaking on national issues, Brochstein says Walgreens’ post on marijuana isn’t likely to make a lot of noise. “There is a loud minority out there [against legalization],” he says. “But there are plenty of surveys out there that show they’re in the vast minority.”
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/walgreens-wants-to-talk-weed-2016-04-29?siteid=yhoof2
IVXX shatter is on the Blum LV menu
http://www.letsblum.com/las-vegas-western/products?grower=ivxx
Blum Oakland 1,142 patients first day $59,259.04 sales
https://www.facebook.com/terratechcorp/photos/a.284915881559731.90316.284907041560615/1132384193479558/?type=3&theater
Five Great Reasons to Celebrate This 4/20
By Canna Law Blog on April 20, 2016
Posted in Events, Medical Marijuana, Recreational Marijuana
Happy 4/20 everyone! On this 4/20, here are another five great reasons to celebrate cannabis:
1. The Department of Justice accepts that it can no longer spend money shutting down state-law compliant medical marijuana. In 2014, Congress passed the Rohrabacher-Farr amendment, which prohibited the Department of Justice (DOJ) from using federal funds to prevent states from implementing their own medical marijuana laws. The amendment was the basis behind a federal judge’s ruling last October that the DOJ could not enforce injunctions against a California dispensary in compliance with the state’s medical marijuana laws. During the case, the DOJ argued that prosecuting and shutting down medical marijuana dispensaries does not prevent states from implementing their laws. Judge Breyer did not respond well to this argument, saying that the DOJ’s interpretation “tortures” the meaning of the law and “defies language and logic.” The DOJ appealed the district court’s ruling to the Ninth Circuit Court and then, in a surprising turn of events, the DOJ dropped its appeal earlier this week by filing a motion to dismiss its own case. This is a big win for those who believe that marijuana businesses operating in compliance with state and local laws should be treated the same as any other legally compliant business. As long as Congress continues to renew the amendment each year, marijuana business owners in legal states can sleep more soundly knowing they will not be woken up by DOJ boots kicking down their doors, and that even if this does happen, they could have the courts on their side
2. More states are looking to try on medical cannabis. Multiple states are looking to try out more comprehensive medical marijuana programs, like Florida. Other states are looking to implement medical marijuana through legislative action, like Pennsylvania which just passed its first medical marijuana legislation. More states are recognizing the medical value of cannabis and taking steps — through ballot initiatives or legislative action — to allow their citizens the use marijuana for medical purposes.
3. More states are looking to all out legalize marijuana. California, Maine, Arizona, Massachusetts, and Nevada will all be considering legalization by ballot initiative this year. That’s huge. We already have four states that have gone the adult use cannabis route–Oregon, Alaska, Washington, and Colorado. We expect these four states will soon be joined by at least a couple of other states this fall in ending marijuana prohibition.
4. The DEA may consider re-scheduling marijuana (but don’t hold your breath on this one). The Drug Enforcement Administration announced this month that it will consider rescheduling marijuana sometime in 2016. The DEA has the legal authority to reschedule substances and for years marijuana advocates have urged it to move marijuana to a less restrictive Schedule or to remove it from scheduling altogether. The DEA’s memo comes in response to a 2015 letter from Senator Elizabeth Warren and other Democratic senators, urging the federal government to allow more research into the benefits of medical marijuana. In its response memo, the DEA said it will consider a Food and Drug Administration recommendation on whether it should reschedule marijuana. The DEA did not disclose what the FDA recommended, only that it has received a recommendation. The DEA (finally) conceded it “understands the widespread interest in the prompt resolution of these petitions [to reschedule marijuana] and hopes to release its determination in the first half of 2016.” The DEA has previously routinely denied any such rescheduling, and our thinking is that it will likely do so again because it’s the DEA.
5. SCOTUS declined to hear the Nebraska and Oklahoma v. Colorado cannabis lawsuit. Remember when Nebraska and Oklahoma sued Colorado in the U.S. Supreme Court over its recreational marijuana program, basically alleging Colorado’s program was allowing marijuana to enter their states and thereby straining their own law enforcement resources? When the case came up, SCOTUS issued a decision rejecting the challenge. For more on the case and its failure to proceed, see here. More than anything, we hope and predict that this decision will cause states like Oklahoma and Nebraska to stop wasting their own taxpayers’ money by butting into the affairs of neighboring states.
Happy 4/20!
http://www.cannalawblog.com/
Up .0420 for Friday
+0.0420
DEA to decide whether to reschedule mj
DEA Plans To Decide Whether To Reschedule Marijuana By Mid-Year
The agency gave no clue whether it will remove pot from its Schedule 1 category of dangerous drugs.
Matt Ferner
National Reporter, The Huffington Post
04/05/2016 10:46 pm ET
The Drug Enforcement Administration plans to decide whether marijuana should reclassified under federal law in “the first half of 2016,” the agency said in a letter to senators.
DEA, responding to a 2015 letter from Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and seven other Democratic senators urging the federal government to facilitate research into marijuana’s medical benefits, doesn’t indicate whether it will reclassify marijuana as less dangerous.
The U.S. has five categories, or schedules, classifying illegal drugs or chemicals that can be used to make them. Schedule I is reserved for drugs the DEA considers to have the highest potential for abuse and no “current accepted medical use.” Marijuana has been classified as Schedule I for decades, along with heroin and LSD. Rescheduling marijuana wouldn’t make it legal, but may ease restrictions on research and reduce penalties for marijuana offenses.
“DEA understands the widespread interest in the prompt resolution to these petitions and hopes to release its determination in the first half of 2016,” DEA said the 25-page letter, obtained by The Huffington Post.
The letter, signed by Acting DEA Administrator Chuck Rosenberg, explains in great detail the marijuana supply available at the University of Mississippi, the federal government’s only sanctioned marijuana garden.
The Food and Drug Administration has completed a review of the medical evidence surrounding the safety and effectiveness of marijuana and has forwarded its rescheduling recommendation to the DEA, according to the letter. The document didn’t reveal what the FDA recommended.
If demand for research into marijuana’s medical potential were to increase beyond the the University of Mississippi’s supply, DEA said it may consider registering additional growers.
This isn’t the first time DEA has been asked to reconsider marijuana’s classification. In 2001 and 2006, DEA considered petitions, but decided to keep marijuana a Schedule I substance.
The DEA response is signed by Rosenberg, Sylvia Burwell, secretary of HHS, and Michael Botticelli, director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy. In addition to Warren, the letter was sent to Democratic Sens. Jeffrey Merkley (Ore.), Ron Wyden (Ore.), Barbara Mikulski (Md.), Edward Markey (Mass.), Barbara Boxer (Calif.), Cory Booker (N.J.) and Kirsten Gillibrand (N.Y.).
Those senators, with the exception of Warren, are co-sponsors of a sweeping bill introduced in 2015 designed to drastically reduce the federal government’s ability to crack down on state-legal medical marijuana programs while also encouraging more research into the substance.
Tom Angell, founder of Marijuana Majority, a marijuana reform group, said there was “absolutely no reason marijuana should remain in Schedule I.”
“Almost half the states in the country have medical cannabis laws and major groups like the American Nurses Association and the American College of Physicians are on board,” Angell said in a statement. He said the Obama administration should use its authority to make the change “before this president leaves office.”
Read the DEA letter here.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/dea-marijuana-reschedule_us_5704567de4b0537661881644?
New IVXX Elevate cannabis oil "Powered by WeedMaps"
TECH AND WEED
“What Amazon did for books, that’s what I’m going to do for marijuana,” said Justin Hartfield as he walked through the bright and spacious offices of Weedmaps Media Inc. in Irvine.
A few months ago, Weedmaps moved from their 8,000-square foot offices to a space five times as big – cavernous for the 50 employees working there. There’s a room for regular yoga sessions and a TV studio. This afternoon, brownies, sandwich wraps and the remnants of lunch from Rubio’s covered the countertop of the big open kitchen.
Hartfield, who has a computer science degree, and Francis founded Weedmaps in 2007.
“I got my medical marijuana card, and I saw there was just a lack of information, especially like a Yelp-style information source (for dispensaries),” Hartfield said. “I wanted to create a site to see where they were, and a menu of prices.”
Last year, Weedmaps brought in more than $25 million. That mainly came from listing fees from dispensaries, but also from business software for dispensaries and from advertising on Weedmaps TV, the company’s YouTube channel. Weedmaps is profitable, but Hartfield declined to say by how much.
Peterson and Hartfield said they’re talking about moving Terra Tech’s offices to the Weedmaps building and creating a sort of “incubator” center for marijuana-related businesses.
“We think the synergies could be great,” Peterson said.
For now, Weedmaps is keeping direct selling of pot at arm’s length.
“But best believe, when marijuana’s legal, Marijuana.com (Weedmaps’ news and content site) is going to sell more weed direct to consumer than anybody in the world,” Hartfield said.
RISK VS. REWARD
Up until now, none of Terra Tech’s operations have dealt directly with the marijuana plant. That’s about to change.
The publicly traded company is moving into producing medical marijuana products, assuming the associated risks.
Peterson co-owns a medical marijuana dispensary, Blum Oakland, in the Bay Area. Terra Tech is traded on the over-the-counter market. To insulate investors, the dispensary is positioned outside the public company.
Terra Tech also owns a laboratory in the Bay Area, which extracts cannabis concentrate that’s then made into oils and other forms of marijuana sold in dispensaries.
Initially, Terra Tech planned to lease out the lab to medical marijuana companies for their own products. Last month, Terra Tech’s directors voted to start using the lab to make medical marijuana products under Terra Tech.
They’re using a medical marijuana permit in Oakland, held by Peterson and Salwa Ibrahim, co-owner of the dispensary. The company is working to comply with state and city regulations, Peterson said.
Peterson estimated the lab could generate $4 million or more a year. Separately, Terra Tech is projecting revenue of $7 million this year, mostly from Edible Garden.
“We’re crossing the green line,” Peterson said. “We want to make sure we don’t lose out to competition. So it’s that balance of risk/reward. We’re risking federal intervention. But if we’re not doing anything, we’re risking competitive intervention.”
Terra Tech is not yet profitable, however. Recurring losses have stacked up to a deficit of about $24 million as of June 30.
Terra Tech has applied for several permits for medical marijuana production and dispensaries in Nevada, another step toward merging the publicly-traded company with marijuana production. The state’s decision is due in November.
The risks for companies like Terra Tech lie partly in the conflict between state and federal law.
Twenty states and the District of Columbia allow medical marijuana use, according to the White House. Attorney General Eric Holder has said the federal government won’t crack down on medical marijuana sellers in states where it’s allowed. But the substance is still illegal under federal law.
That makes some banks reluctant to accept deposits from marijuana-related businesses. Terra Tech used to bank with Chase, Peterson said, until they were asked to leave.
MARIJUANA LAWYER
Aaron Herzberg remembered feeling burned out as a business attorney in Orange County, representing CEOs, professional athletes and celebrities. When he met Weedmaps’ founders, he wanted his own piece of the industry.
“When Colorado and Washington flipped the switch and voted in recreational, adult-use marijuana, I said now is the time,” he said. “I sold my practice, and I jumped in feet-first.”
It’ll take some time to get back to the $1 million-plus he made as a lawyer previously, Herzberg said.
“But I am involved in investments that I believe will be very lucative in the future,” he said.
He and business partner Leslie Bocskor are about to launch a hedge fund through their consulting firm Electrum Partners. They aim to raise $25 million to invest in the marijuana industry in states where medical and recreational marijuana are legal. He also has an interest in a California dispensary and is applying in Nevada to open a 20,000-square foot cultivation facility in North Las Vegas.
“The opportunity for relatively small entrepreneurs to get involved and make money is great, if you know where the appropriate opportunities are.”
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/marijuana-637494-tech-terra.html
Blum Oakland 1142 patients first day $59,259.04
https://www.facebook.com/terratechcorp/photos/a.284915881559731.90316.284907041560615/1132384193479558/?type=3&theater
2016 SoCal Medical Cannabis Cup: CBD Entries
http://www.hightimes.com/watch/2016-socal-medical-cannabis-cup-cbd-entries
ACDC IVXX
Bi-Partisan Congressmen Team Up for Marijuana Legalization
By Press Release
January 28, 2016 12:09 AM
WASHINGTON, DC — Two U.S. congressmen — a conservative Republican and a progressive Democrat — are teaming up in California to advocate marijuana legalization.
Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) and Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) will share the stage at the International Cannabis Business Conference in San Francisco Feb. 13-14.
Rohrabacher will discuss his battle to stop the federal government continuing to shut down California dispensaries.
“I co-authored the Rohrabacher-Farr Amendment to stop overzealous federal weed warriors from raiding law-abiding medical marijuana shops,” he said, “but we can’t stop there.”
Blumenauer intends to tell the crowd that full legalization has been successful in his state of Oregon and that California stands to benefit from an overhaul of the state’s pot laws.
“In Oregon, fewer people are being arrested for minor marijuana offenses, tax money is being collected, and police are more focused on stopping violent criminals,” Blumenauer said. “California can have that, too. Legalization works.”
Although none of the various legalization measures vying for California’s November ballot have qualified yet, Blumenauer said it’s important for advocacy champions, law enforcement, and citizens to join the conversation about a more sensible approach to marijuana laws. Marijuana arrests in California have fallen in recent years, but thousands of people still face penalties for possession.
“Lives are still being ruined by the war on marijuana, even as individual states blaze the trail by regulating and legalizing,” Blumenauer said. “California has the largest population in the country, and passing reform here will accelerate the national movement.”
Both congressmen are longtime champions of marijuana reform and have been advocating change in federal marijuana laws for more than 30 years.
“We’re lucky they are on our side and thrilled to have them at the conference,” said International Cannabis Business Conference producer Alex Rogers.
California has a $1.3 billion marijuana market, the largest in the U.S., and legal marijuana is the fastest growing industry in the country, according to The ArcView Group, a cannabis industry investment and research firm. Newly-passed medical regulations are transforming the state’s industry, and San Francisco has begun crafting recreational rules in anticipation of full legalization.
http://www.thedailychronic.net/2016/52844/bi-partisan-congressmen-team-up-for-marijuana-legalization/
Take a weed break at work ?
Take a weed break at work. It's allowed!
by Parija Kavilanz @CNNMoney
January 18, 2016: 7:44 AM ET
At most offices in America, smoking a joint during your lunch break or eating cannabis-laced brownies at your desk would land you in HR.
But in some states, not only won't you be punished -- you might be rewarded.
Kyle Sherman and Chase Wiseman cofounded Flowhub, which provides software for the cannabis industry, in 2015. The Denver-based startup has been a weed-friendly workplace from day one.
"Our philosophy at Flowhub is to get s*** done," said Sherman. "If it helps our employees get work done, then we don't care if they consume at work."
Sherman and Chase both consume marijuana at work, either in weekly brainstorming meetings or toward the end of the day.
"It definitely surfaces new ideas and a fresh take on things," said Sherman.
While recreational marijuana is legal in Colorado, smoking of any kind isn't allowed in the building. So Flowhub's 18 employees, most of them millennials, are free to bring in cannabis-infused edibles, sodas and juices.
So far, there haven't been any negative outcomes.
"Our clients are some of the biggest firms in the cannabis industry," said Sherman. "We have to be on point with our work. We've never had a problem yet."
High There! and MassRoots are just across the street from each other in downtown Denver.
Both are social networking platforms for cannabis users.
High There! launched 10 months ago and has 150,000 active users. MassRoots, which launched in 2013, models itself as a Facebook (FB, Tech30) for pot users and expects to cross 1 million users by 4/20.
Both startups allow weed at work.
"Being in Denver, we're in the heart of the cannabis industry," said Darren Roberts, cofounder of High There! "Cannabis is part of our culture."
Still, Roberts said it's not like his employees are constantly stoned at work. Similar to Flowhub, he said consumption typically happens later in the day or at brainstorming sessions.
"It has led us to breakthrough moments for our business," he said. "So yes, it's been very effective for us."
MassRoots cofounder Isaac Dietrich schedules weekly rooftop smoke sessions at his apartment building. They're meant for strategic planning and employee bonding.
"I thought up MassRoots when I was smoking weed in my college friend's apartment," said Dietrich, whose firm has 30 employees and has raised $4.4 million in funding.
"Our general philosophy is that we need to be as productive and creative as possible, everyday," he said. "If cannabis facilitates that, then we're allowing it."
While pot-oriented businesses tend to be more open about their consumption, not all companies are eager to talk about it. Many startups fear it could hurt their chances with potential investors. And in states like California, pot is still only legal for medical purposes.
Brandon David is a sales executive with a San Francisco-based software firm (he declined to name the company) that has hundreds of customers, including many in the cannabis industry.
"It's very well known that most of the employees here consume cannabis regularly during the work day," he said.
David said he uses a cannabis vaporizer daily at work for medical reasons.
"There are so many daily challenges in a startup environment, and you need to press ahead," he said. Pot helps him stay focused by managing his stress and anxiety. "Sometimes I get a second wind and I'll put in a few more hours."
David said it's an open secret that many more businesses are embracing the notion of consuming pot at work.
"There definitely are far more that allow it than are willing to openly talk about it," he said.
CNNMoney (New York)
First published January 18, 2016: 7:44 AM ET
Clark County Zoning Commission extends time frame for medical marijuana to open
Medical Marijuana is on display during the opening Eurphoria Wellness, the first marijuana dispensary in Las Vegas, Monday Aug. 24, 2015.
By Megan Messerly
Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2015 | 12:49 p.m.
The Clark County Zoning Commission today approved time extensions for more than three dozen medical marijuana companies to get established, giving them until May 31 to be operational.
Commission Chairman Steve Sisolak required each applicant — or a representative — to state on the record that their businesses would be operating by May 31.
“I have a problem when I have patients that applied for cards and there’s still no product available,” Sisolak said. “We want you all to succeed, but it can’t be delayed any more.”
Applicants stated they had faced a number of challenges in opening their establishments — from working out electricity concerns with NV Energy, negotiating with contractors and in dealing with the county planning department. Almost all of the applicants stated that they would be open by May, with some promising to be open by earlier — later this month or early January.
Sisolak said he would pull up each applicant’s on the record promise if they tried to come back to the commission in May requesting a second extension of time.
“We better see a lot of operations open up over the next year with all these commitments,” Sisolak said.
The applicants receiving extensions today included 17 dual cultivation and production facilities, 11 cultivation only facilities, seven dispensaries, one dual cultivation and dispensary facility and one independent testing lab.
The commissioners also agreed to give two dispensary applicants an extension of time beyond the May 31, provided the state division of Public and Behavioral Health grants an extension of their provisional certificate. Both applicants received their provisional certificates in June and stated they would need additional time to get their operations up and running.
http://lasvegassun.com/news/2015/dec/02/clark-county-zoning-commission-extends-time-frame/
Mounting Pressure on DEA Head to Resign for Calling Medical Marijuana “A Joke”
By Phillip Smith | StopTheDrugWar.org
November 20, 2015 6:06 PM
ARLINGTON, VA — Medical marijuana patients and supporters gathered Friday at DEA headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, to hand in more than 100,000 petition signatures demanding the resignation or firing of DEA Administrator Chuck Rosenberg after he called medical marijuana “a joke.”
The petition, which was started only two weeks ago, has more than doubled the number of signatures on an earlier petition that helped prompt the ouster of Rosenberg’s predecessor, former DEA head Michele Leonhart.
After walking from the nearby site of the International Drug Reform Conference, the group held a brief press conference in front of the DEA building. It was led by petition organizer Tom Angell of Marijuana Majority, whose own mother is a patient.
“My mom uses medical marijuana to deal with the severe pain caused by multiple sclerosis,” he said. “This issue is no laughing matter for her and millions of other people who have seen the benefits of cannabis for themselves.”
Also addressing the press conference were medical marijuana patients and the parents of young medical marijuana patients.
“There is no doubt that my son Jagger is alive today because of medical cannabis,” said Sebastian Cotte, who helped carry the petitions. “Cannabis has tremendously decreased the pain and seizures caused by his mitochondrial disease, while improving his quality of life. For our family, this is no joke.”
“There’s nothing funny about suicidal thoughts, and those are something my family and I lived with day-to-day die to my military-related PTSD,” said Navy veteran T.J. Thompson. “Using medical marijuana not only helps with my condition, but it has also had the added effect of making me a better father and husband.”
Medical marijuana is now legal in 23 states, the District of Columbia, and Guam, and 17 more states have more limited laws allowing for the use of marijuana extracts, primarily for children suffering seizure disorders. According to Americans for Safe Access, which supported the petition, more than two million Americans now use medical marijuana in accordance with state laws.
An ever-increasing mountain of scientific studies have shown that medical marijuana is beneficial in alleviating the symptoms of serious conditions, including cancer, AIDS, epilepsy, and many others. With his remarks about medical marijuana as “a joke,” DEA head Rosenberg made clear that he was either ignorant of the science around medical marijuana or indifferent to it.
The petition delivery came one day after a bipartisan group of members of Congress sent a letter to President Obama calling for Rosenberg’s head, saying his comments “send a clear signal to the American people that the federal government isn’t listening to them. It erodes trust. Cavalier statements like these fly in the face of state policy and the experience of millions of patients.”
The letter blasted Rosenberg’s statements as relics of “a throwback ideology rooted in the failed war on drugs” and accused him of “trivializing” both the science and the experience of millions of American who have used medical marijuana.
“Mr. Rosenberg’s statements send a clear signal to the American people that the federal government isn’t listening to them…Through his statements, Mr. Rosenberg has demonstrated that he is not the right person to hold the job of head of the DEA, and we urge you to find new leadership that can work to develop the right tools to properly rationalize our treatment of marijuana,” the letter said.
It was signed by Reps. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Steve Cohen (D-TN), Sam Farr (D-CA), Jim McDermott (D-WA), Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), and Ted Lieu (D-CA). Blumenauer himself took to the House floor to echo the call for Rosenberg’s resignation or firing.
“This is going to be a political problem for the Obama administration until they fix it,” warned Angell.
http://www.thedailychronic.net/2015/50045/mounting-pressure-on-dea-head-to-resign-for-calling-medical-marijuana-a-joke/
Should recreational marijuana use be legal in Nevada?
Las Vegas RJ wants to know
https://www.wedgies.com/widgets/embed/question/545d5bc199c29d0200008cdf?widgetVersion=v1&redirectUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.reviewjournal.com%2Fnews%2Fpot-news%2Fnevada-fight-legal-pot-wont-be-cheap-poll
Nevada fight for legal pot won't be cheap
By Eric Hartley
Las Vegas Review-Journal
Nevada's medical marijuana industry has barely gotten off the ground. But already, people on both sides are quietly preparing for a public fight over what would be an even bigger revolution.
Voters will decide whether to legalize marijuana statewide through a question on the November 2016 ballot. If they approve the measure, Nevada would become the fifth state with fully legal marijuana.
Even with that vote almost a year away, proponents of legalization have hired veteran political strategists to lead a multimillion-dollar campaign. They will be ready for a full-scale fight. How much money will be put into the fight against legal pot is unclear, however.
"That's the $64,000 question," said state Sen. Tick Segerblom, one of the most prominent supporters of legalization.
Joe Brezny, who led the effort to get the marijuana initiative on the ballot, said proponents expect to spend $2 million to $4 million on the campaign.
"We would love it if no one showed up to oppose us, but I don't think we'll get that lucky," he said.
They will have at least one opponent: a political action committee formed this year, the Coalition Against Legalizing Marijuana in Nevada.
Jeff Kaye, who founded the group, is a professional lobbyist for Red Rock Strategies in Las Vegas. But he said this issue is personal for him.
Kaye's firm works for prominent Republican elected officials, including U.S. Reps. Cresent Hardy and Joe Heck. It pushes conservative causes, including the 2004 ballot initiative that limited medical malpractice damages in Nevada.
Kaye declined to discuss money or strategy.
"We're just a grass-roots organization who are against drugs getting in people's hands," he said, adding that the campaign is at the planning stage.
Conflicting trends
Proponents have reason for confidence. Four states have legalized recreational marijuana in the past two years, and medical use is allowed in close to half of states, according to the Marijuana Policy Project.
Segerblom said the public view on marijuana "has flipped 180 degrees within a period of five years."
But Kaye pointed to Ohio voters' recent rejection of a ballot measure to legalize marijuana and warned proponents in Nevada shouldn't be too confident.
A bipartisan group will work to get legal pot passed in Nevada. The newly hired campaign manager is Sean Sinclair, a veteran political strategist who has worked for Harry Reid and other Nevada Democrats. Brezny worked for Republican Mitt Romney's presidential campaign.
When it comes to campaigns, Segerblom said, "You never know, so you have to be prepared. But at the end of the day, I wouldn't be surprised if this thing greases through."
If "IP 1," the initiative petition on marijuana, is OK'd by voters, the state will have two marijuana industries existing side by side.
The current medical industry would be joined by a new "recreational" one, also known by the more neutral term some proponents prefer: "adult use."
Every jurisdiction could have twice as many recreational pot shops as medical dispensaries.
In Clark County, that would mean up to 80 recreational shops alongside 40 medical dispensaries.
Growers could sell to both recreational and medical shops, and dispensary owners could be licensed for both. But the two kinds of marijuana would be taxed and regulated differently.
The medical side would remain under Division of Public and Behavioral Health supervision; recreational pot would be regulated by the Department of Taxation.
One key difference between the two types of marijuana: The medical kind would be cheaper.
The state would levy a 15 percent excise tax on the wholesale value of a cultivator's sale of recreational marijuana to a dispensary. That's lower than the tax in Colorado, Brezny said, adding that competition should help keep prices from getting too high.
For a grower, the initial recreational license fee would be $30,000, and the annual renewal fee would be $10,000. For a dispensary, those fees would be $20,000 and $6,600.
The taxes and fees would first pay for the state's enforcement and oversight, and the rest would go to a state education fund.
Matt Griffin, a lawyer who crafted petition language for the Marijuana Policy Project, told a crowd during a University of Nevada, Las Vegas forum that it was written to ensure it could be defended from campaign attacks.
That's one reason the petition says only existing liquor wholesalers could be licensed "marijuana distributors," or a middleman between growers and dispensaries.
That has led to allegations of favoritism. But Griffin told the crowd that without the "third tier" of middlemen, opponents could paint the proposed marijuana industry as more loosely regulated than alcohol.
204,000 signatures
After the petition was filed with the state in April 2014, backers gathered more than 200,000 signatures — far more than the 102,000 required to get it on the ballot. In December 2014, the secretary of state officially gave IP 1 a place on the 2016 ballot.
Brezny called the signature-gathering a "bootstrapping do-it-yourself campaign," as compared with the professional effort they will wage next year.
That bootstrapping could pay off in a big way. Proponents already have a head start on one of the biggest challenges for any campaign: finding people likely to support the cause.
"One of the advantages of having had to go out and gather 204,000 signatures is that we have 204,000 signatures," Brezny said.
Proponents are working to verify registered voters and load the information into a database.
Meanwhile, they're figuring out who to target with fundraising pitches. It's the behind-the-scenes stuff that pays off — or so they hope.
"This is the boring part of winning an election," Brezny said.
The terms of next year's debate probably will be familiar to anyone who's followed the marijuana issue in recent years.
Supporters think it's long past time to end a failed war on drugs and bow to reality, especially given that marijuana is widely considered less harmful than alcohol.
"It's already happening, so why not tax it, regulate it, test it?" Segerblom said.
On the other side, the Coalition Against Legalizing Marijuana called itself "a group of parents, public safety officials, doctors, teachers and concerned citizens" in its founding document filed with the state in February.
Kaye said his primary concern with legalizing marijuana is the effect on children.
"I can't figure out how it's in the best interest of Nevada to legalize a drug, to make it easier for kids to get a hold of," he said.
He pointed to cases in other states of legally purchased marijuana being resold to youngsters. He couldn't point to any statistics to show legalization will mean more children using but sees it as a common-sense equation: "It would be legal, so it's just going to permeate the culture more."
Leslie Bocskor, who runs a company that advises marijuana businesses, said legalization proponents need to counter that argument.
"I think that the message has to be one of law and order," Bocskor said. "This is the establishment of law and order in an area that has been lawless."
There long has been a saying that it's easier for a teenager to get weed than to get beer. And to legalization proponents, that's the point: When marijuana is illegal, the only people selling it are criminals.
Criminals will sell to anyone, Bocskor said, but a legal, taxed, regulated business that could be shut down at any time has an incentive to follow the rules.
Media campaigns
Pro-legalization ads won't start in earnest until two to three months before Election Day, Brezny said. Starting earlier would be too expensive and likely unproductive.
In the meantime, supporters will seek media coverage with celebrity endorsements. In other words, you can expect a lot of " ... comes to Vegas to push for legal weed" headlines.
With the usual print and broadcast ads, they will use social media and other Web marketing, in part because of the heavy support among younger people for legalizing marijuana.
It's hard to say how much anti-legalization advertising there will be, in part because it's not clear how much money that side will have to spend.
One wild card from close to home: Will casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, who spent millions to defeat legal medical marijuana in Florida, try to kill legal recreational weed in Nevada? Or will another backer with deep pockets?
Proponents think Nevada's experience with medical marijuana will help smooth the way for full legalization.
Segerblom said even Nevadans who might have been on the fence should be starting to see legal marijuana is not a big deal. Four dispensaries have opened in the Las Vegas area with no significant problems.
"Who would have thought 10 years ago that you could open and have marijuana being sold — and people wouldn't be going crazy?" Segerblom said.
http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/pot-news/nevada-fight-legal-pot-wont-be-cheap-poll
Las Vegas RJ wants to know …
Should recreational marijuana use be legal in Nevada?
https://www.wedgies.com/widgets/embed/question/545d5bc199c29d0200008cdf?widgetVersion=v1&redirectUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.reviewjournal.com%2Fnews%2Fpot-news%2Fnevada-fight-legal-pot-wont-be-cheap-poll
Packaging designs that create high expectations
4 packaging designs that create high expectations for cannabis products
By Kate Bertrand Connolly in Packaging Design on November 19, 2015
Elegant packaging design for the IVXX Sampler Box elevates the brand experience
Branding and safety are now coming to the forefront for packaging of cannabis products, as the market for medicinal and recreational marijuana intensifies.
With Americans voting to legalize marijuana in a growing number of states, for recreational as well as medical use, demand for cannabis packaging design expertise is booming.
Dispensaries and brand owners with products ranging from marijuana flowers (buds) to THC-infused edibles and beverages—and the packaging designers and suppliers who serve them—are developing packages in a variety of formats.
Structural design musts include adherence to state regulations for marijuana packaging, particularly child-resistance, reclosability and ease of opening. Graphic design that creates a brand identity is also a focus for many in the nascent market. (Packaging for Auntie Dolores gourmet marijuana-infused edibles, for example, is both child-resistant and graphically sophisticated.)
Here are four examples of standout packages that help build brand affinity by emphasizing product quality and safety.
Putting a new spin on ‘brand elevation’
In the graphics for its IVXX cannabis products, brand owner Terra Tech Corp. uses lush color and copious amounts of black to create a luxurious look and feel. The IVXX Sampler Box (photo above) showcases three types of cannabis flower, each packaged in a one-gram bag. The boxed set also includes branded rolling papers and a lighter. Each packaging component is printed with the brand’s name and its tagline, “Elevate.” Anthem Worldwide designed the IVXX packaging.
http://www.packagingdigest.com/packaging-design/4-packaging-designs-that-create-high-expectations-for-cannabis-products1511
Hillary Clinton Endorses Marijuana’s Reclassification to Schedule II
By Danielle Keane | NORML Political Director
November 10, 2015 12:05 AM
During an appearance in South Carolina over the weekend, Hillary Clinton endorsed amending marijuana from it’s current Schedule I classification, reserved for the most dangerous of drugs, to Schedule II, a lesser classification intended for drugs that have recognized medical applications but also have a high potential for abuse and severe psychological or physical dependence.
The presidential candidate said:
“What I do want is for us to support research into medical marijuana because a lot more states have passed medical marijuana than have legalized marijuana, so we’ve got two different experiences or even experiments going on right now. And the problem with medical marijuana is there’s a lot of anecdotal evidence about how well it works for certain conditions, but we haven’t done any research. Why? Because it’s considered what’s called a Schedule I drug, and you can’t even do research on it.”
Let’s take a look at these statements a little more closely.
First, Clinton’s claim that “we haven’t done any research” on cannabis’ safety and potential efficacy is false. NORML documents hundreds of relevant trials here. Clinton’s allegation is further rebutted by the findings of a 2012 review of FDA-approved clinical trials involving the use of herbal cannabis in various patient populations, “Based on evidence currently available the Schedule I classification is not tenable; it is not accurate that cannabis has no medical value, or that information on safety is lacking.”
Second, while Clinton’s comments mark an evolution in her position on marijuana policy, she is late to the game among the presidential candidates proposing policy solutions to marijuana’s prohibition. Fellow democrat presidential candidate, Martin O’Malley previously pledged to use his executive authority, if elected, to move marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule II. And Republican presidential candidate Rand Paul is a sponsor of the CARERS Act, legislation that, among other things, would also move marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule II.
Third, while all of these statements by presidential candidates is a step in the right direction, NORML has and will continue to advocate for marijuana’s removal from the federal Controlled Substances Act. Rescheduling marijuana from I to II would not limit the federal government’s authority to prosecute marijuana offenders, including those who are in compliance with state law, nor would it likely stimulate clinical trial research trials beyond those studies funded by the US National Institute on Drug Abuse and reliant upon government-grown marijuana.
Fortunately, Vermont Senator and Democrat Presidential candidate, Bernie Sanders has introduced legislation to remove marijuana from the US Federal Controlled Substances Act. The Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act of 2015 would deschedule cannabis from the CSA, similar to alcohol and tobacco. It would also allow states the power to establish their own marijuana policies and banking policies free from federal interference.
Reform advocates can contact their member of the US Senate in support of The Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act of 2015 by clicking here.
http://www.thedailychronic.net/2015/49457/hillary-clinton-endorses-marijuanas-reclassification-to-schedule-ii/
Cleanliness, security top-notch at pot grow, production facilities near Strip
By Eric Hartley
Las Vegas Review-Journal
Walking into Evergreen Organix's 33,000-square-foot warehouse just west of the Strip feels like something out of a sci-fi movie.
In a small entry room bordered by security doors, you're asked to take off your shoes and slip into gleaming white Crocs.
Starting this weekend, when the first live marijuana plants were expected to arrive, all employees and visitors will have to then step into a locker room, take a shower and put on black scrubs.
The company has spent $9 million getting legal approvals to grow medical marijuana here and turning the building into a "clean facility," down to antimicrobial walls and paint.
The aim is to keep contaminants out as much as possible, lessening the need to use pesticides or fungicides on the plants.
"For me, everything's always lab clean, sterile," consultant Kurt Barrick said Friday while touring the building his company designed.
Evergreen, which officially opens Monday, could produce 100 pounds of marijuana a month once it's in full swing, operations manager Jillian Nelson said.
Next door in the same building is the company's 4,700-square-foot "production" facility, which includes a restaurant-style kitchen. It will make edible and infused marijuana products, including not only the expected — cookies and brownies — but high-end sweets such as gourmet chocolates.
Marijuana grown hydroponically
Evergreen becomes the 10th cultivation facility in Clark County given approval to open by state health officials, according to the latest available tally. It expects to be the first approved to make edible and infused products.
The marijuana will be grown hydroponically, meaning with nutrients and water, but no soil.
Plants will spend most of their time in four "flowering rooms," where they sit in 1,936 separate containers. The 13-gallon containers, which sit in clusters of 32, look like rows of small trash cans.
The biggest flowering room — long, narrow and 9,000 square feet — can hold 864 plants.
Pipes snake around the floors, and employees called horticultural technicians can control factors including water temperature and the levels of carbon dioxide and nutrients each cluster gets.
Before going to the flowering rooms, plants will spend a few weeks in "vegetative growth," developing their roots in flat gray containers stacked in two levels on rows of metal racks nicknamed "bunk beds."
After harvesting, the plants will be dried, cured, trimmed and weighed in another room. Each step of the process takes place in its own climate-controlled section of the building.
Modern technology used
Barrick and his Las Vegas-based company, VonDank, outfitted the grow facility with modern technology.
"Dual end" high-pressure sodium lights cut the energy use in half, which means less need for air conditioning to combat the heat put off by the lights. A reverse osmosis water system wastes far less water than comparable models.
The building even has a small second-floor "R&D room," where staff can experiment to see what nutrients, temperatures and carbon dioxide levels work for different strains.
"We're very data driven," Barrick said.
As with any marijuana business, security is heavy. The walls are thick reinforced concrete. There are security doors everywhere and 110 cameras. Some rooms require a PIN as well as an ID card swipe to enter.
Because the two businesses have two separate licenses, most employees can enter only one side or the other. Only managers have security cards that get them in both sides.
On the "production side," a carbon dioxide extraction system can ensure final products with exactly the desired level of THC, the psychoactive chemical in marijuana, or other components.
Legally, Evergreen can't call its products organic — that's a label approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and marijuana is persona non grata to the federal government.
But the company plans to use only organic ingredients, buying food such as eggs and honey from small farms. Staff including a French-trained chocolatier will produce creations familiar and not: chocolate chip cookies, yes, but also an avocado-garbanzo bean cookie. (They swear it's really good.)
All the "clean" technology came at a cost. But Nelson, the operations manager, said it will be worth it.
The plants, after all, are being grown for medical marijuana patients. And a lot of sick people, especially those with compromised immune systems, don't want any more added chemicals in their body, Nelson said.
http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/pot-news/cleanliness-security-top-notch-pot-grow-production-facilities-near-strip
Maryland is about to launch medical marijuana program
By Fenit Nirappil September 22
Nearly 2 1/2 years after legalizing the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes, Maryland is preparing to issue business licenses to dispensaries and cultivation centers — prompting a range of reactions from local elected officials.
At one extreme, Anne Arundel County Executive Steve Schuh (R) is proposing a ban on cannabis production and shops in the county, which a skeptical state lawmaker likened to a county-specific OxyContin prohibition. Elsewhere, Republicans hungry for jobs in their rural communities are embracing potential marijuana businesses.
State regulations allow for 94 dispensaries, two per state Senate district, and 15 facilities to grow cannabis plants and turn them into medical products such as pills and oil. The Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission will start accepting applications this month, which means marijuana grown for medicinal purposes should be available for purchase by the end of 2016.
[For some in the South, defying medical marijuana laws is the Lord’s work]
Potential applicants are meeting with government officials across the state, particularly in western and central areas of Maryland, where land is cheaper and more available.
Closer to Washington, Prince George’s and Montgomery counties — like most other suburbs — are considering their options, waiting to see how the burgeoning industry evolves.
“It’s a mixed bag,” said Hunter Holliman, a consultant to cannabis businesses and a medical marijuana legalization activist. He said it is “unfortunate” that Schuh, who voted against medical marijuana legislation as a state lawmaker, was “trying to take this ‘not in my back yard’ stance.”
Schuh said the state regulations on who can grow and obtain medical marijuana are so loose that they amount to legalizing recreational marijuana use. The potential consequences for Anne Arundel, he said, include medical cannabis being resold on the street and would-be robbers stalking patients who leave dispensaries carrying as much as $3,000 worth of pot.
“There are people who will kill for that amount of value,” Schuh sa
When the state first approved medical marijuana in 2013, only teaching hospitals such as Johns Hopkins University were permitted to distribute it. But no hospitals were willing to participate.
Follow-up laws approved last year and this year allow for retail shops and private manufacturing of medical marijuana so long as the facilities follow local zoning and planning rules.
Counties cannot forbid legal businesses unless they have special circumstances, according to an advice letter to the state legislature by the state attorney general’s office.
Still, state Sen. Robert A. Zirkin (D-Baltimore County) plans to introduce legislation barring local governments from blocking patient access to medical marijuana — essentially a ban on bans.
“I’ve never heard of local zoning being utilized to prohibit OxyContin, Percocet or Valium or any other medication,” Zirkin said.
Schuh’s resistance to medical marijuana frustrates activists such as Gail Rand, who said that the county executive is trying to reopen a battle that he lost in the General Assembly, and is using scare tactics that have been discredited in the 22 other states where medical cannabis is legal.
Rand wants medical cannabis as a seizure-relieving option for her 6-year-old son, Logan, who has epilepsy, autism and development delays. Traditional medication and a strict diet regimen have not delivered the results she wants.
[11 years after being approved, medical marijuana in Montana is threatened]
Schuh said his proposal would not be a ban on medical marijuana, because patients could drive to dispensaries outside the county — a solution Rand called impractical.
“When you take a child who has epilepsy and ADHD and autism and put them in the car, you would see it’s not that easy,” said Rand, who is consulting as a patient advocate for a prospective cultivation center in Anne Arundel. “What happens if the neighboring county does the same thing as Anne Arundel? Then you’re not talking about a 15-minute drive. It’s an hour or more.”
Schuh said officials from other counties have reached out to him for help developing similar legislation banning medical marijuana, but declined to name them because they approached him in confidence.
Anne Arundel County Council members introduced two marijuana bills Monday: Schuh’s proposed ban and competing regulations that would allow the businesses but place restrictions on where they locate.
Elsewhere in the state, politicians have welcomed overtures from out-of-state businesses that want a share of Maryland’s cannabis-growing market.
“We view it as an economic development opportunity,” Washington County Commissioner John Barr told the Baltimore Sun that after the five Republican members of the board unanimously passed a resolution supporting a 45,000-square-foot indoor growing facility proposed by Green Thumb Industries, which has licenses in other states.
The Board of County Commissioners is considering a similar resolution for Arizona-based Harvest, which is pitching an $11.5 million growing and processing facility in the 1,500-person town of Hancock. Chief executive Steve White told attendees at a town hall meeting that his proposal could create 124 jobs. He offered to fly officials to Arizona to show them the security measures at the company’s operation there.
“It’s important to me to demonstrate that you are following the proper channels in developing a new industry that for a lot of people can be scary and intimidating,” White said.
Baltimore County tried this year to put in place strict regulations regarding the location of dispensaries. After pushback from marijuana advocates, who said the regulations would essentially ban dispensaries, the County Council modified them in August to prohibit shops opening within 500 feet of schools, among other restrictions.
In Montgomery, lawmakers are waiting to see whether existing rules need to be supplemented with new legislation, said County Council members Craig Rice (D-Upcounty) and Tom Hucker (D-Eastern County).
In Prince George’s, County Council Chairman Mel Franklin (D-Upper Marlboro) said the council was reviewing options for regulating medical marijuana but wasn’t trying to keep facilities out.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/after-long-delay-maryland-is-about-to-launch-medical-marijuana-program/2015/09/22/9b7d0a92-5d65-11e5-8e9e-dce8a2a2a679_story.html
Anti-Marijuana Politician Charged With Possession of Marijuana
New York State Republican assemblyman who opposed medical marijuana legislation at every turn was arrested and charged with unlawful possession of marijuana. The police found the marijuana after they pulled him over for speeding.
A statement released shortly after the March 2013 incident, law enforcement officials reported that state police discovered Steve Katz had a “small bag” of marijuana on him.
New York State Trooper said that the 59-year-old assemblyman had been driving 80 miles per hour in 65 mph zone. He noticed the marijuana and took Katz into custody, charging him with possession before he was finally bailed out.
Katz had voted against the legalization of medical marijuana back in June.
The New York Times noted that the Republican assemblyman also sits on New York’s Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Committee.
Katz said that this was merely an “unfortunate incident” during a press conference.
“This should not overshadow the work I have done over the years for the public and my constituency,” Katz said to reporters. “I am confident that once the facts are presented that this will quickly be put to rest.”
After the arrest, the Republican politician flipped his position on marijuana, even joining the investor network of San Francisco-based marijuana investment and research firm The ArcView Group.
ArcView CEO Troy Dayton said that Katz is “gung-ho” about marijuana.
He says that he hopes to help pool millions of dollars of investment capital and fund marijuana-related start-ups.
“For me, entering this industry at this time is a dream come true from a child of the Sixties all grown up,” Katz said, completely ignoring his history as an opponent of medical marijuana.
“I decided to vote what I believed to be the vote of my constituents. The day after that I told my wife, ‘Next year, I really don’t care. I’m voting for medical marijuana because that’s what I believe in and I’m not comfortable with what happened.’ … I knew how I was going to vote and I felt great about it. I knew how I was going to vote a year before the police incident.”
The marijuana bust was “an epiphany,” he explained. “‘You’re turning me into a criminal? You got to be kidding.’”
Katz says he knows doctors, lawyers, businessmen and pillars of their community who all use marijuana.
“We’re all criminals? This is ridiculous,” he emphasized.
The arrest he faced “didn’t change anything other than make me decide that I was going to not only be a champion for medical marijuana, and for its total legalization, I was going to become part of the wave that’s building in the industry itself. ;It’s a great feeling. It’s very liberating;.”
“Steve Katz is not an anomaly,” Dayton said. “In the last few months numerous very prominent and seemingly unlikely investors have joined our investor group. People from all walks of life are realizing that cannabis may be the next great American industry.”
http://countercurrentnews.com/2015/09/anti-marijuana-politician-charged-with-possession-of-marijuana/
Gallup: Support For Legalizing Marijuana At Historic High
By Paul Armentano | NORML
October 21, 2015 12:47 PM
WASHINGTON, DC — Fifty-eight percent of Americans believe that “the use of marijuana should be made legal,” according to nationwide polling data released today by Gallup.
The percentage ties the highest level of support ever reported by Gallup, and is more than twice the level of support reported in the mid-1990s.
Younger Americans, Democrats and independents are the most likely to favor legalizing cannabis, while Republicans and Americans over the age of 65 are least likely to do so. Among those poll respondents age 18 to 34, 71 percent endorse legalization. Among respondents age 35 to 49 years of age, 64 percent support legalizing marijuana.
“Americans’ support for legalizing marijuana is the highest Gallup has measured to date, at 58 percent,” pollsters concluded. “Given the patterns of support by age, that percentage should continue to grow in the future. Younger generations of Americans have been increasingly likely to favor legal use of marijuana as they entered adulthood compared with older generations of Americans when they were the same age decades ago. … Now senior citizens are alone among age groups in opposing pot legalization.
“These trends suggest that state and local governments may come under increasing pressure to ease restrictions on marijuana use, if not go even further like the states of Colorado, Oregon, Washington and Alaska in making recreational marijuana use completely legal.”
The 2015 Gallup poll possesses a margin of error of +/- 4 percent.
Commenting on the latest polling data, NORML Deputy Director Paul Armentano said: “Supporting the status quo — the notion that marijuana and those adults who consume it responsibly ought to be criminalized — is now a fringe position in America. These results ought to embolden campaigning politicians, as well as elected officials, to take a more pronounced stance in favor of legalizing and regulating cannabis in a manner that is consistent with the desires of the majority of their constituents.”
http://www.thedailychronic.net/2015/48373/gallup-support-for-legalizing-marijuana-at-historic-high/
Federal Court: US Government Is Breaking the Law By Interfering in Medical Marijuana
By Mike Adams · Tue Oct 20, 2015
While the DEA has made no apologies for its liberal interpretation of a 2014 congressional amendment that was supposed to prevent the federal government from going on full blown seek-and-destroy missions in medical marijuana states, a federal judge in San Francisco has issued a landmark ruling that could serve to neuter these vile schemes from this point forward.
On Monday, U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer slapped down the DEA with a verdict damning the agency for continuing to bust down the doors of the medical marijuana community—even when an amendment attached to last year’s government budget prevents such actions. The decision, which is reportedly the first ever by a federal judge to stand up for state marijuana laws, argues that the Rohrabacher-Farr amendment clearly prevents the Justice Department from spending money to crack skulls in states that have established medical marijuana programs.
This federal ruling surrounds a case involving Lynette Shaw, founder of Marin Alliance for Medical Marijuana in Fairfax, who was forced the shut down her dispensary in 2011 after the Justice Department nailed her to the wall with a federal injunction. Fortunately, Judge Breyer’s decision not only allows Shaw to re-open the dispensary, but it could also allow other marijuana-related operations that have been subject to similar bans to come up for some air.
There has been a significant amount of confusion this year over whether the Rohrabacher-Farr amendment actually prevents the feds from spending funds to shakedown businesses and patients in medical marijuana states, or if it simply stops them from using Uncle Sam’s checkbook to prohibit states from legalizing marijuana for medicinal purposes.
Earlier this year, a spokesperson for the Justice Department told The Los Angeles Times that the amendment only prevents the U.S. government from “impeding the ability of states to carry out their medical marijuana laws,” but it does not protect the medical marijuana community from prosecution.
Of course, Congressmen Farr and Rohrabacher took issue with the DOJ’s ridiculous statement, submitting a letter to then-Attorney General Eric Holder asking for him to either “bring your Department back into compliance with federal law by ceasing marijuana prosecutions and forfeiture actions against those acting in accordance with state medical marijuana laws,” or prepare to meet them in the parking lot for a good old fashion fist fight.
“The purpose of our amendment was to prevent the Department from wasting its limited law enforcement resources on prosecutions and asset forfeiture actions against medical marijuana patients and providers, including businesses that operate legally under state law,” the letter read.
Although the U.S. Inspector General suggested back in August that he might launch an investigation into the DOJ’s loose interpretation of the amendment, there has been no word whether any type of inquiry is currently underway.
Nevertheless, Judge Breyer’s latest verdict—which asserts that the congressional law “forbids the Department of Justice from enforcing this injunction against MAMM to the extent that MAMM operates in compliance with state California law”—seems to clear up the debate. In fact, the ruling was almost certainly stapled to the front doors of the Justice Department earlier this morning, and it could likely set a precedent for the entire nation, as federal lawmakers attempt to renew the amendment in the next fiscal year.
http://www.hightimes.com/read/federal-court-us-government-breaking-law-interfering-medical-marijuana
Brown OKs state rules for medical marijuana
SACRAMENTO -- Nearly two decades after Californians voted to legalize medical marijuana, Gov. Jerry Brown has signed a package of bills into law that will regulate the industry for the first time.
Members of Brown's administration worked with a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers in the final days of the legislative session to craft the rules, so his endorsement of the three measures -- Senate Bill 643 and Assembly Bills 243 and 266 -- was widely anticipated.
Starting in 2018, medical cannabis dispensaries will need to obtain licenses from a new state agency called the Bureau of Medical Marijuana Regulation, a division of the state Department of Consumer Affairs.
The legislation also aims to track the cultivation and distribution of marijuana sold in those shops, rooting out farmers whose plants harm the environment and doctors who stand to gain financially by over-prescribing the drug.
Calling the regulations "long overdue," Brown wrote in a signing message that he will instruct state agencies to begin crafting guidelines on the new rules for local governments, law enforcement, businesses, patients and health providers right away.
"This new structure will make sure patients have access to medical marijuana, while ensuring a robust tracking system," Brown said. "This sends a clear and certain signal to our federal counterparts that California is implementing robust controls not only on paper but in practice."
California was the first state in the nation to permit medical marijuana, but the Compassionate Use Act voters approved in 1996 offered little guidance about how sick patients should obtain prescriptions and what the state should do to keep the drug off the streets.
This void led to an explosion of medical marijuana collectives that lack uniform health and safety standards and a patchwork of local rules and ordinances that will remain in effect once the new statewide regulations take effect.
Voters are expected to decide next year whether to legalize marijuana for recreational use, but members of the medical cannabis industry said they still wanted these regulations, in part because marijuana remains federally prohibited.
"The initiative has a good shot but it's not guaranteed to pass," said Nate Bradley, who directs the California Cannabis Industry Association. "The road toward success is long and clear, and there may not be many turns, but there are plenty of potholes."
AB 266 establishes the state medical marijuana bureau and gives it sole authority to issue, suspend or revoke licenses for the transportation, distribution and sale of the drug.
AB 243 requires marijuana farmers to obtain licenses through the state Department of Food and Agriculture, and gives the state the power to fine any grower that harms a river, stream or lake.
SB 643 requires the Medical Board of California to investigate doctors who recommend the drug excessively and makes it a misdemeanor for doctors to prescribe the drug when they have a financial stake in a licensed medical marijuana facility.
http://www.mercurynews.com/california/ci_28947383/gov-jerry-brown-signs-bills-finally-regulate-states
Pot dispensaries,growers seek lab testing change
By Eric Hartley
Las Vegas Review-Journal
Medical marijuana dispensaries and growers are pushing the state to change regulations in a way that could sharply lower the costs of lab safety testing.
Regulations require a sample to be tested from each 5-pound batch of marijuana before any of it is sold. Independent state-certified laboratories check the samples for pesticides, toxins and microbes, among other contaminants.
In a recent letter to a top state official, the Nevada Dispensary Association said the 5-pound rule drives up the cost of marijuana significantly.
But the math suggests otherwise. Given the prices charged for marijuana and the tiny quantities sold to each patient, lab testing makes up about 3 percent — or less — of what patients pay.
Prices for lab tests vary, but they often range between $700 and $1,000 per batch.
"The NDA feels that these fees are prohibitively high and ultimately increase the costs of medical marijuana to the patient, to such an extent that many patients may not be able to afford their doctor-recommended medication for the treatment of a serious condition," Riana Durrett, executive director of the dispensary group, wrote in a letter to state health official Laura Freed.
Dispensaries in Clark County are selling a gram of marijuana for $16 to $20 and a quarter-ounce for about $100. That means a dispensary can sell 5 pounds for more than $32,000.
If a grower paid $1,000 to have a 5-pound batch approved, the lab tests would add just $3 to the cost of a quarter ounce — or less than 50 cents to the cost of a gram.
Durrett's letter called the 5-pound rule arbitrary and argued the state should instead require testing only on each "propagation batch." A batch would be defined as "seeds or clones of a unique strain that are propagated during a single day."
Under that standard, a batch could theoretically be any size, even hundreds of pounds or more.
The state has not made any decision about changing the marijuana testing standard. Such changes to state regulations — officially called the Nevada Administrative Code — can happen only after public notice and a public hearing.
Durrett said cost wasn't the primary motivation for asking for the change. She said the dispensaries want a standard that is based on science and hope to start a conversation with scientists and state officials.
Durrett said the state urged her to talk about possible changes with James Dean Leavitt, president of the Nevada Cannabis Laboratory Association.
Leavitt said the cost of lab testing is "insignificant" compared to the overall costs of growing marijuana.
Leavitt said he would be open to increasing the size of a batch if scientific evidence showed it was warranted. But he said it's too early to know and the state should make no changes until labs have been doing tests long enough to collect a lot of data.
David Goldwater, one of the owners of the Las Vegas-area dispensary Inyo Fine Cannabis, said growers are also pushing to change the 5-pound rule.
"The cultivators are telling us, 'Hey, this is costing us a fortune and it doesn't make any sense,' " Goldwater said.
He added: "Every little bit of regulatory requirement adds cost ultimately to the patient."
Durrett's letter said that, while dispensaries agree testing standards keep patients safe, there's no evidence the 5-pound rule is the safest one.
Leavitt said growers' push to save money on lab tests could ironically increase their financial risk.
If a sample fails tests, the 5-pound batch from which it came must be destroyed. But if a sample from a much larger batch failed, a grower could be forced to destroy hundreds of pounds of marijuana, losing hundreds of thousands of dollars in the process.
http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/las-vegas/pot-dispensaries-growers-seek-lab-testing-change
American Bulls gives TRTC the BUY signal
Signal Update
Our system’s recommendation today is to BUY. The BULLISH DOJI STAR pattern finally received a confirmation because the prices crossed above the confirmation level which was at 0.0985, and our valid average buying price stands now at 0.0987. The previous SELL signal was issued on 09/04/2015, 28 days ago, when the stock price was 0.1415. Since then TRTC has fallen by -30.25%.
Market Outlook
Let’s jump on our white horses and go for a bullish ride. The bullish pattern that was previously identified is finally confirmed and a BUY signal is generated. Most probably, it is the right time to participate in bullish fervor. The market is telling you about a new profit. Do not miss this bullish opportunity.
Pattern Description
This pattern appears in a downtrend and warns that the trend will change. It consists of a black candlestick and a Doji with a downward gap at the opening. When the Doji is in the form of an Umbrella the pattern is called “Bullish Dragonfly Doji”, and in case of an Inverted Umbrella it is called “Bullish Gravestone Doji”. Here, all these patterns are subsumed, under the name: “Bullish Doji Star”, regardless of the shape of the Doji.
https://www.americanbulls.com/SignalPage.aspx?lang=en&Ticker=TRTC
2nd marijuana dispensary opens in Clark County
By Eric Hartley
Las Vegas Review-Journal
With its plush white chairs and sunlight streaming through the windows, the waiting room at Inyo Fine Cannabis looks inviting.
But before getting a seat in one of those comfy chairs, you have to be buzzed through two separate security doors and show your driver's license and a state-issued medical marijuana patient card.
Inyo, which opens Thursday, becomes the second marijuana dispensary in Clark County. And like other businesses in Nevada's emerging legal pot industry, it has built in several layers of security to deter robberies and break-ins.
The first Clark County dispensary was Euphoria Wellness in the southwest valley, which opened in August. Besides Inyo, two others have gotten their final state approvals but aren't yet open, said Pam Graber, a spokeswoman for the state's medical marijuana program.
The openings come after months of delays that frustrated business owners and patients.
"I think we actually have finally turned the corner," said state Sen. Tick Segerblom, D-Las Vegas, who sponsored the bill to allow dispensaries.
Inyo's 3,000-square-foot shop, which is about a mile off the Las Vegas Strip, is next to a Smith's and faces East Sahara Avenue. One of its owners is David Goldwater, a lobbyist and former Democratic assemblyman who grew up in Las Vegas.
During a tour of the shop on Wednesday, Goldwater said it's an exciting time to be in the marijuana business in Nevada: "It's growing. It helps people."
The owners expect a balance of tourist traffic — under Nevada law, shops can sell to people with marijuana cards from other states — and local customers.
After parking and walking up to the front door, a customer will be buzzed into a small security vestibule between two doors. The area is also nicknamed a "man trap," since one door won't open until the other is closed.
The customer will put his license and patient card into a scanner that shows images of them on an employee's computer screen inside. When the person has been verified as an eligible patient, he'll be buzzed through the second door into the lobby, where he'll meet with a "concierge."
In the lobby are computers for research and printouts about how marijuana can help people with chronic pain or conditions including multiple sclerosis and HIV.
When the staff is ready, the patient will go through a third locked door into the "medicine room," where — unlike in the lobby — the windows are shaded.
Two or three patients at a time can be there, each helped by an employee behind a glass counter where the marijuana is kept. Elsewhere, they're called budtenders; in Nevada, the state prefers antiseptic terms along the lines of "patient consultant." Whatever they're called, they help the customer choose what to buy.
People can look at and sniff samples of various strains. Choices include Kosher Kush — yes, the seeds are actually blessed by a rabbi — Snow Dog and Platinum Blue Dream.
People can buy a gram, an eighth of an ounce (3.5 grams) or a quarter-ounce (seven grams), with prices of about $16 to $20 per gram or $100 for a quarter-ounce. They can also buy a pre-rolled joint for about $16. Most of the marijuana comes prepackaged in black screw-top jars that look like giant pill bottles.
Once producers are up and running, edible products and concentrates will likely be more popular. Goldwater said one of his co-owners has joked the only people still smoking marijuana in five or 10 years will be "aging hippies."
After paying, customers will exit through a separate door instead of back through the lobby. They can have a security guard walk them to their cars if they like.
At night, cash and drugs are locked in the dispensary's safe, which is in a reinforced back room behind, yes, yet another lock. And there's video surveillance of the entire shop, inside and out.
http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/pot-news/second-marijuana-dispensary-opens-clark-county-video
Derek Peterson interview on Fox news
INTERVIEW: Terra Tech CEO Derek Peterson on medical marijuana regulation
http://www.ktvu.com/news/21644068-video#.Vfy9cY29zp8.facebook
GOPers open the door to legal marijuana
09/17/15 10:42 AM—Updated 09/17/15 11:50 AM
By Tony Dokoupil
Marijuana had a major moment at the Republican presidential debate on Wednesday night, taking center stage for the first time this election season. But rather than launch a new war on drugs, several candidates endorsed the right of states to make their own decision on marijuana, clearing the way for an explosion of new pro-pot ballot initiatives in 2016.
Speaking at the presidential library of drug warrior Ronald Reagan, the GOP vanguard might have been expected to double down on opposition to the drug, promising to stamp out marijuana in America. But the biggest cheers came for Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and former Hewlett Packard executive Carly Fiorina –the three candidates who pledged to let local governments do what they want about pot.
They didn’t have a single soft word for marijuana itself, but they gave their ideological blessing to the four states where voters have already said “yes, please” to recreational markets. CNN moderator Jake Tapper set up the question with a reference to the sinking candidacy of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a former federal prosecutor who believes federal drug law should be enforced on the state level.
“If you’re getting high in Colorado today,” Christie recently said, “enjoy it until January 2017, because I will enforce the federal laws against marijuana.” Would Rand Paul do the same?
“I don’t think that the federal government should override the states,” Paul answered. “I believe in the 10th Amendment and I really will say that the states are left to themselves.”
The audience erupted in applause. And he wasn’t done.
“I would let Colorado do what the Tenth Amendment says,” he continued, referring to the first state to legalize marijuana. “Colorado has made their decision. And I don’t want the federal government interfering and putting moms in jail, who are trying to get medicine for their kid.”
Paul also landed a racial and social critique of the status quo, which includes arresting hundreds of thousands of people for marijuana possession, most of them nonwhite, poor, and in for a world of collateral damage as a result of a bust. That forced Jeb Bush into the conversation, where he ratified the same idea of state rights.
“What goes on in Colorado, as far as I’m concerned, that should be a state decision,” he said.
“I agree with Senator Paul. I agree with states’ rights,” added Fiorina.
But unfortunately the candidates also displayed an old fashioned and largely misguided understanding of marijuana’s dangers and its rank among more dangerous drugs. Paul took the softest approach, saying that marijuana’s “only victim” is the individual. But he still called pot use “a crime.”
Fiorina, Christie and Bush, meanwhile, made no distinction between marijuana and heroin. And to varying degrees they promoted the debunked idea that marijuana is a “gateway” to harder drugs just because it often comes first in a sequence.
Fiorina gave strongest voice to the anti-drug position, unveiling a painful personal story that could have been clipped from a Nancy Reagan “Just Say No” campaign from the 1980s.
“I very much hope I am the only person on this stage who can say this, but I know there are millions of Americans out there who will say the same thing,” she said. “My husband Frank and I buried a child to drug addiction. So, we must invest more in the treatment of drugs.”
The room went quiet. The other candidates stopped trying to look friendly, and instead just looked sad. And then Fiorina continued.
“But we are misleading young people when we tell them that marijuana is just like having a beer. It’s not. And the marijuana that kids are smoking today is not the same as the marijuana that Jeb Bush smoked 40 years ago,” she said.
“We do need criminal justice reform. We have the highest incarceration rates in the world. Two-thirds of the people in our prisons are there for non-violent offenses, mostly drug related. It’s clearly not working,” she continued. “But we need to tell young people the truth. Drug addiction is an epidemic, and it is taking too many of our young people.”
The room erupted in applause.
What Fiorina said is certainly true. Drug addiction is a killer. But the culprit is not marijuana, according to the best available research. What America is experiencing is a great heroin relapse, with the death rate for overdoses quintupling since 2002, cutting through class and color lines. Heroin today is now as popular and deadly as crack cocaine was in the 1980s. Marijuana, meanwhile, remains incapable of delivering a fatal overdose.
Chris Christie and Jeb Bush also lumped marijuana and the harder drugs and no one tried to correct them.
“Here’s the deal,” said Bush. “We have a serious epidemic of drugs that goes way beyond marijuana.” He referenced New Hampshire, one of the states hardest hit by heroin overdoses. “People’s families are being torn apart.”
Chris Christie went even further, deploying some of the oldest and least defensible arguments of the old war on drugs even as he claimed the drug war has been a failure.
“That doesn’t mean we should be legalizing gate way drugs,” he said. “And if Senator Paul thinks that the only victim is the person, look at the decrease in productivity, look at the way people get used and move on to other drugs when they use marijuana as a gateway drug, it is not them that are the only victims. Their families are the victims too, their children are the victims too, and their employers are the victims also.”
That’s a scary speech for supporters of marijuana reform, but for now it’s also a moot position. As long as Republican support for “states rights” is stronger than their distaste for marijuana use, reformers have nothing to fear.
http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/gop-just-legalized-marijuana
Terra Tech Retains KCSA Strategic Communications as Investor Relations Counsel
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. , Sept. 14, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Terra Tech Corp ("Terra Tech(TRTC)") or (the "Company"), a leading provider of sustainable renewable solutions for food production, indoor cultivation, and agricultural research and development, today announced that it has retained KCSA Strategic Communications (KCSA) to lead the Company's investor relations program.
KCSA, a leading New York-based communications firm, will develop and implement an investor relations program that effectively communicates the near- and long-term strategy for Terra Tech's(TRTC) growth. Since its inception over forty years ago, KCSA has developed a strong reputation for achieving fair valuations for its public clients. Todd Fromer, Managing Partner of KCSA, will lead KCSA's efforts and provide high-level, strategic counsel.
"In recent quarters, we've been aggressively focusing on growing our topline revenue, improving our bottom line operational efficiencies, and generating positive cash flow," said Derek Peterson CEO of Terra Tech.(TRTC) "As we ramp up our expansion strategy and continue to execute on our growth initiatives, now is the right time to bring KCSA on board to help us accomplish our business objectives."
"The large and fast-growing marijuana industry is still in its infancy, but Terra Tech(TRTC) is well-positioned to take the market by storm," said Todd Fromer, Managing Partner of KCSA. "In surveying the market, there is significant investment interest in the cannabis industry, and we're confident we can utilize our capital markets expertise to help increase the visibility of Terra Tech(TRTC) among analysts, investors and other key stakeholders."
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/terra-tech-retains-kcsa-strategic-communications-as-investor-relations-counsel-300142006.html
Investor relations at KCSA helps public companies communicate their investment stories to attain the highest possible valuation.
KCSA Investor Relations (IR) assists companies of all market caps reach the highest and most appropriate valuation by leveraging traditional and new communications strategies, including social media and mobile communications. Through our network of institutional investor, analyst and financial media relationships, we are able to clearly and efficiently bring to them our clients' investment potential and corporate vision.
http://www.kcsa.com/ir.php
California regulates medical marijuana in historic midnight vote!
Smoke ‘em if you got ‘em.
With a midnight deadline looming, California lawmakers passed a series of bills to regulate the country’s oldest, largest medical marijuana system for the first time.
Assembly Bills 266 and 243, and Senate Bill 643 passed both the Senate and Assembly before midnight Friday — all but guaranteeing their signature by Governor Jerry Brown.
The law enforcement-backed regulations call for a robust, modern, fully functional medical cannabis industry, subject to stringent regulation. The days of the Wild West in America’s first medical pot system are coming to an end.
“This will move us forward in the state of California with respect to medical cannabis. It’s been 20 years we’ve been stalled, and we have the opportunity to move in a different direction,” said Rep. Rob Bonta, regulation co-author.
“We need what this bill brings,” said regulations co-author Rep. Tom Lackey. “Put aside your distaste for this product.”
“This is a very big legislative proposal,” said Rep. Reggie Jones Sawyer. “It is very unusual to draft regulations for an industry entirely from scratch.”
Patients will still need a doctor’s recommendation to use cannabis, and can have caregivers. But the state will do away with collectives and cooperatives in favor of licensed, background checked, commercial growers, distributors and sellers. The laws call for 12 types of state industry licenses, and dual local and state licensing. City and counties can ban medical cannabis activity, or tax it.
Medical cannabis will be tested for potency and purity.
For the first time in over a century, California law fully legalizes certain marijuana activities in clear, black and white language for law enforcement: license-holders and licensed activity “are not unlawful under state law and shall not be an offense subject to arrest, prosecution, or other sanction under state law, or be subject to a civil fine or be a basis for seizure or forfeiture of assets under state law.”
Since the 1996 Compassionate Use Act, patients, caregivers and collective members have only had a defense in court against prosecution.
This laws also allow the industry to take profits for the first time — an enormous victory. Operators had been going to jail for showing a profit.
The regulations also punt the hardest issues to future regulators. The historic bills’ passage caps weeks of political brinksmanship.
Bay Area legislators Tom Ammiano and Sen. Mark Leno have tried for a decade to pass comprehensive regulations. Last year, both Senator Lou Correa and Rep. Ammiano put forth contrasting regulatory bills written by cops and industry.
This year, lawmakers Rep. Bonta, Ken Cooley, and Reggie Jones-Sawyer all worked on regulations, as well as Mike McGuire and Jim Wood. AB 266 and SB 643 both earned support and opposition and went through multiple revisions.
“AB 266 is the result of an unprecedented stakeholder process in which my colleagues and I brought everyone to the table,” stated Bonta in a release. The offices spent “thousands of hours holding stakeholder meetings” to refine the bill.
Assemblymember Cooley commended the historic nature of the bill. “AB 266 is a historic bill. It is history-making as policy for its breakthroughs in regulation, public safety, local control and patient access. It is historic too for its method — active listening by a team of lawmakers and staff who, having opened the door to all groups connected to a devilishly complex topic, find a common center supporting consensus.”
As both neared the legislative finish line, and deadlines loomed, the Governor’s Office weighed in with its own amendments. That set off a historic, week-long series of behind the scenes meetings among the most powerful lawmakers in California. The text of the Governor’s Office was being tweaked far faster than lobbyists, let alone the state records system, could track. Activists howled they were being cut out.
By Wednesday, midday — the Governor’s Office and the leadership of both the Senate and Assembly were convening to decide who gets credit.
The final amended language came out Friday midday and passed through the Senate and Assembly by midnight.
“California has fallen behind the rest of the nation,” said Rep. Reggie Jones-Sawyer, during the passage of AB 243. “We must face that this industry is the wild wild west. And we must take steps to address this.”
Insiders say the potential for Californians to legalize cannabis for adults in 2016 forced lawmakers to act.
“There was definitely a paradigm shift in Sacramento this year,” said Sean Donahoe, Oakland Cannabis Commissioner.
“State legislators have fully realized that this is their last chance to have a say in how the initiative is going to look,” said Nate Bradley, lobbyist for the California Cannabis Industry Association.
“It created more urgency,” said Jim Araby executive director for the United Food and Commercial Workers Union — representing the cannabis industry.
“This is our last opportunity,” said Rep. Scott Wilck on the Assembly floor. “To not have this regulation in place already is a travesty. We need to be proactive here.”
Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom stated in a release that regulating medical cannabis paves the way for adult-use legalization.
“Thanks to the leadership of the Legislature and the Governor, we are now part of the way there. The new regulatory framework is effective 2017, giving California voters ample time to achieve the long-overdue second step next November. I have every hope and expectation that voters will strongly support a legal system of responsible adult use that improves the status quo by protecting children, improving public safety, and preventing further environmental degradation.”
“This bill is about medical marijuana, but it stands for how we will take charge of this institution to reshape the state of California. It is an excellent bill,” said Rep. Cooley, before the 11 p.m. Assembly floor vote on the final part of the legislation.
http://blog.sfgate.com/smellthetruth/2015/09/11/california-regulates-medical-marijuana-in-historic-midnight-vote/
The new California for profit regulations could pave the way for Blum Oakland to be merged into TRTC with for profit revenues.
Historic California medical cannabis regulations set to pass
By David Downs on September 10, 2015 11:04 PM
California lawmakers announced this evening a historic deal to regulate the world’s oldest, largest modern medical cannabis economy.
Several State Assemblymembers released a joint statement Thursday evening stating they had reached a historic agreement on a comprehensive regulatory framework for the state’s billion-dollar medical cannabis industry.
Amendments will be made to Assembly Bill 266 and Senate Bill 643, which are then expected to pass both houses and be sent to Governor Jerry Brown by Friday evening.
“This is the first time in the history of California that a medical marijuana regulatory framework has been agreed to by the California State Assembly, the California State Senate, and the Governor’s Office,” stated a release from AB 266 authors Assemblymembers Rob Bonta (D-Oakland), Ken Cooley (D-Rancho Cordova), Reginald Byron Jones-Sawyer (D-Los Angeles), and Tom Lackey (R-Palmdale),
“AB 266 is the result of an unprecedented stakeholder process in which my colleagues and I brought everyone to the table, from medical marijuana businesses to law enforcement and patient advocates, to create a comprehensive regulatory framework for the state’s billion dollar medical marijuana industry,” explained lead author Assemblymember Bonta. “My office and the offices of my joint authors have spent thousands of hours holding stakeholder meetings to refine the bill and incorporate recommendations from stakeholders as well as Assembly leadership and the administration.”
Nate Bradley at the California Cannabis Industry Association said he expects the bills to pass. “This is huge. This is 20 years in the making.”
Cannabis policy expert Sean Donahoe said he expected the bills to pass.
California led the globe in allowing for medical use of marijuana with the passage of Proposition 215 in 1996. Today, 23 states and the District of Columbia have medical cannabis laws.
http://blog.sfgate.com/smellthetruth/2015/09/10/historic-california-medical-cannabis-regulations-set-to-pass/
3650 S. Decatur Blvd, Las Vegas, NV pictures
http://www.officespace.com/las-vegas-nv/building/433963-3650-south-decatur-boulevard
1130 E. Desert Inn Road Las Vegas, NV pictures
http://www.propertyline.com/listing/emarket_report/675045
We should get some good PR after todays big win !
It's just my opinion, I don't know about the share price up and down volatility of the OTC exchange, but I think other companies will take a look at the value of TRTC's assets. We're a good deal for a buy out right now. Big money tobacco could easily afford to buy us out build out all the mmj facilities in Nevada and be set up for business. Look at the share prices from last year, ask yourself if TRTC is worth more now with 8 mmj facilities approved in Nevada, a busy extraction lab, IVXX selling like hotcakes in California and Edible Garden adding more clients. Some people would call that a successful company !
Secondary Market for MMJ Business Licenses Developing in Nevada
By Tony C. Dreibus
Scott Boyes doesn’t see the crowds of people walking up and down the Las Vegas Strip at all hours of the day as tourists. He sees them as potential customers.
The chief executive officer of Toronto-based Canadian Bioceutical Corp. announced Monday that his company has signed a letter of intent to purchase a Nevada medical marijuana cultivator to capitalize on the state’s MMJ program, which allows registered patients from other areas to buy cannabis while visiting.
“I’m sitting here in the hotel looking down Las Vegas Boulevard and here it is a (weekday) and there are tens of thousands of people walking around,” said Boyes, who wouldn’t divulge the name of the company his firm purchased nor how much it paid. “We like it here.”
A number of companies and wealthy entrepreneurs are hoping to snap up provisional licenses in Nevada – or the businesses that won them – after the state’s governor signed a law in June allowing the transfer of MMJ permits, creating what could become a lucrative secondary market.
Licenses to grow, process and dispense medical marijuana are expected to bring a tidy sum given the potential market, which includes tourists with medical marijuana cards from other states and countries. The possibility of recreational marijuana legalization in Nevada next year and the relatively friendly regulatory environment in the state has also piqued the interest of many companies, entrepreneurs and investors.
The state still must hammer out regulations on license transfers, and the law allowing them doesn’t take effect until Oct. 1. But there appears to be “a fair number” of companies putting their licenses up for sale now, said Boyes, who is looking to purchase or partner with four or five companies that hold licenses in Nevada.
Some of these licenses have been listed recently for millions of dollars, though it’s unclear whether any have sold for that much.
“There are definitely people out there interested in getting into the Nevada industry,”said Amanda Connor, an attorney who works with cannabis companies. “So there’s the potential to make a lot of money.”
Targeting Tourists, Recreational Market
On the surface, the MMJ market in Nevada is relatively small. Nearly 9,500 patients are registered with the program, which is tiny compared to some other states.
But dispensaries – the first of which opened recently – could capture tens of thousands of visiting patients (and potentially even more) as well. Las Vegas alone attracts more than 40 million visitors a year. If even a sliver of them are MMJ patients, dispensaries could have an ample out-of-state market to tap.
While that alone makes entering Nevada’s budding marijuana market alluring, it’s not just tourists that would-be cultivators, processors and dispensary owners in the state are targeting.
A passage written into a ballot measure set to go before voters in November 2016 says only individuals or companies that hold medical marijuana establishment registration certificates will be allowed to even apply for rec permits for 18 months should the initiative pass.
That would give existing MMJ license-holders a huge head start on the new market.
“It’s almost like having a golden ticket in the recreational market assuming that initiative passes,” Connor said. She added that even if recreational doesn’t go through, Nevada’s “reciprocity” rule allowing dispensaries to serve out-of-state patients – and therefore tap the state’s massive tourism market – makes the licenses highly valuable.
While it may seem counter-intuitive to sell a license that seems to have so much promise, those who landed licenses may be short of funds to continue building out cultivation sites or dispensaries, lack the skills they need to properly operate a cannabis company, or perhaps have run into problems with business partners, Connor said.
Cashing Out
Some companies with provisions licenses are already apparently looking to cash out.
One cultivation license was recently on the block for about $4 million, according to industry experts interviewed by Marijuana Business Daily. Boyes said one company he spoke with said it is selling its dispensary license for $10 million.
While an eight-figure price tag may be overly expensive, selling a cultivation permit for $4 million isn’t out of the realm of reason – even if the company only spent $500,000 obtaining the license, said Adam Bierman, managing partner at MedMen, a cannabis licensing and management firm.
“I don’t think it’s ridiculously priced at all,” he said. “For cultivation, there were 180 or so licenses issued statewide, which is a very small number for a state serving 50 million people at the end of the day because of reciprocity and rec cannabis in 2016. There’s tremendous value. Five years from now they’re going to be worth lot more than $4 million.”
Much of that will depend on whether Nevada legalizes recreational marijuana next year, however.
State, Local Approval
There will be some serious hurdles involved in obtaining a license from a company as well. Buyers – both those that purchase licenses and those that acquire companies with permits – will have to go through the same rigorous licensing process the original owners went through, Connor said.
They also will not only have to get approvals from the state to operate a marijuana business, but from local governments as well.
State officials will draft rules governing license transfers, as will municipalities. So far, most cities and counties haven’t even started discussing the laws, Bierman said, which could turn off potential buyers.
Boyes of Canadian Bioceutical said he is confident the regulations will be in place soon after the Oct. 1 implementation of the law. While Canadian Bioceutical hopes to close the purchase by the end of this month, it must wait until Oct. 1 to actually get the license to grow marijuana from the company it’s purchasing, as that’s when the new law on license transfers takes effect.
Opinions vary on whether cultivation licenses or dispensary licenses are worth more. Some say that because of the lower number of dispensaries currently allowed in the state, those permits are more valuable. Others say that with recreational marijuana likely being approved next year, cultivation permits will skyrocket in value.
Someone who holds all three licenses – those for cultivation, processing and dispensing – and is looking to sell is in the best position, said Brandon Rexroad, the co-founder of Rexroad McKee, a company that has permits in the state of Nevada and also grows, process and sells cannabis in Oregon.
“If you have them all, you could do a quick turnaround and easily make at least a million dollars,” he said.
http://mjbizdaily.com/lucrative-secondary-market-mmj-business-licenses-developing-nevada/
Now that we have all 8 facilities approved
We just need a big tobacco company to come along and buy us out.
At a paltry 32.7 million market cap TRTC is a real good buy right now.
The 2 Clark County dispensaries approved today are worth more than that !
Nevada Marijuana Licenses for Sale !
LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION
Location plays a major role in valuing a license. For dispensaries, the location of the business largely dictates the demographics of its customers. Though some patients will travel for their medicine, most will go to the dispensary closest to them. Dispensaries in more affluent parts of town (particularly if we are talking about Las Vegas) are able to cater to a more affluent clientele and command higher prices for their product. The dispensary licenses for the higher profit locations will likely sell at higher prices.
http://www.cannalawblog.com/nevada-marijuana-licenses-for-sale/