July 14, 2018
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ALEX HALPERIN
IN OTHER WEEDWEEK NEWS:

Did you catch last week's podcast?

With T-minus 14 weeks until legalization, WeedWeek Canada scribe Jesse Staniforth discusses everything happening north of the border. Plus: Portland writer and cannabis scenester Courtney Eldridge rants about the Goop/ MedMen partnership.


Coming this Monday:

DCMJ Activist Adam Eidinger discusses his campaign to legalize REC in Washington D.C., and what comes next.

The episode lands Monday by 4:20 p.m. Pacific. Tune in!

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Comments or feedback?  Don't be shy.

Also, Alex is looking for a new co-host.

Have an idea for who it should be? How about you? Payment is a portion of advertising revenue. Southern California candidates preferred.
WeedWeek Canada is a Saturday morning newsletter for professionals in the world's largest fully-legal cannabis market. It's the best way to keep up with the Canadian green rush.

In this week's issue:
-New rules from Health Canada
-More on the Canopy/Hiku deal
-Brand building woes

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*****
Recommended: New York Magazine's cover story on the evidence President Trump is a Russian intelligence asset, and perhaps has been since 1987, by Jonathan Chait.

The 2018 U.S. midterm elections are coming. And the primaries are already here. Register to vote and/or get the information you need to register here.
Here's the news.
POLITICS
Three California agencies released new draft regulations for the state market. Key moves include that delivery will be allowed in all jurisdictions, even if they don’t allow cannabis businesses.

There was no change to the loophole, now subject to a lawsuit, which allows companies to acquire multiple small cultivation licenses, and combine them into huge farms. For more see Law.com.

The Hill reports on legalization initiatives and how they will affect the mid-term elections. In more conservative states, older men and millennials tend to favor legalization, but mothers are warier.

Politico asks if hammering Republicans on legalization could help Democrats retake the Senate .

Tom Angell found congressional Republicans have blocked dozens of cannabis amendments . In an L.A. Times Op-Ed, Angell writes, “Democrats still haven’t figured out that legal weed is a winning issue.”

Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.), head of the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, opposes legalization .

In New York, a long awaited health commission report recommended REC legalization . Read the report here . New York will also now allow anyone prescribed opioids to receive MED instead . (Hawaii Gov. David Ige (D) vetoed a similar bill .)

New York gubernatorial candidate Cynthia Nixon (D) has a promotion to win a bong autographed by Broad City’s Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer .


The Boston Globe editorial page criticized wealthy white towns which voted for legalization but won’t allow cannabis businesses.

In Oregon, where a market glut contributed to crashing prices, regulators say they don’t have a good grasp of Oregon’s product pipeline.

Canna Law Blog weighs in on whether Oregon is doing enough to support legal cannabis businesses, and Washington’s regulatory problems .

The Detroit Free Press’ new cannabis reporter Kathleen Gray looks at how Michigan’s REC proposal would differ from Colorado law . And here are five things which surprised her in Colorado.

Maine lawmakers approved changes which will make it easier to access MED . The vote overrode a veto by Gov. Paul LePage (R).

Pro-legalization Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-Tx.), who is running to take Sen. Ted Cruz’s (R-Tx.) seat, sang “Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die,” with Willie Nelson .

Oklahoma health officials voted to ban sales of smokable MED . Home-grown is still allowed. Activist group Green the Vote wants a REC initiative on Oklahoma’s November ballot.

There has been pushback against legalization in some conservative states.

North Dakota activists hope to see a REC vote on the November ballot.

Cannabis Wire found the promise of local tax revenue makes voters more likely to support legalization .

A New York Congressional candidate (D) discussed her past marijuana and cocaine use .

The U.K. Labour Party asked members to contribute ideas as it contemplates future drug policy.
BUSINESS
Canopy Growth Corp . will acquire Hiku Brands , parent of lifestyle brand Tokyo Smoke , for C$250M. The deal overrides a planned takeover of Hiku by WeedMD .


In Herb, WeedWeek Canada writer Jesse Staniforth explains why Canada won’t legalize edibles until next year.
With more large companies going public financial analyst Alan Brochstein says cannabis stocks have new legitimacy .

Hedge funds, but not pension and mutual funds, are moving into the industry , Bloomberg reports.

The L.A. Times meets former employees of Lyft, Amazon and Apple, who have joined the cannabis industry .

As consolidation accelerates, some industry pioneers are cashing out , MJBizDaily reports.

California labs are experiencing backlogs , after the state implemented testing requirements. California businesses are trying to figure out new workarounds for the banking problem .

The Nevada Gaming Commission voted unanimously to discourage cannabis conventions , threatening the industry’s largest event, November’s MJBizCon .

Maryland regulators are looking into whether a MED company used an illegal pesticide .

The Press Democrat asks what NorCal craft cannabis company Flow Kana will do with its new $22M investment .

During a tournament in a Las Vegas casino, World Series of Poker bracelet winner Michael Mizrachi had to remove the logo of his sponsor , Blüm dispensary.

Blüm parent Terra Tech sold a Las Vegas store to Exhale for $6.2M. Terra Tech plans to pursue more favorable Vegas locations.

Baby boomer entrepreneurs are touting cannabis as the key to a happy retirement .

Jessica Billingsley, CEO of enterprise software company MJFreeway , said she has a “tremendous amount of circumstantial evidence” suggesting a competitor launched a cyberattack against the company.

Kush Bottles announced Q3 revenue climbed 173% to $12.9M . The company plans to change its name to Kushco Holdings in September.  

Uber drivers can narc on cannabis users , Mashable reports. More than one complaint and a rider can be banned from the service.

A corporate rentals firm wants to provide 420-friendly lodging in Boston.

Canada will allow hemp farmers to harvest CBD , which could be worth C$10 Billion over 10 years. 🍁For more sign up for a FREE four-week trial subscription to WeedWeek Canada!

Investors are getting excited about legalization in Canada, the N.Y. Times reports.

MJBiz asks a few industry leaders what Canadian legalization means for US companies .

In Wired, Israeli weed tech firms think they can help alleviate America’s opioid crisis.

Consulting firm McKinsey suggested a MED industry can help revive Lebanon’s economy .
HEALTH & SCIENCE
The journal Nature has a deep dive on how scientists hope to source rare cannabinoids from genetically modified bacteria and yeast . “It’s a biochemical gold rush,” a German bioengineer said.
A study in the journal Addiction, was the latest to find MED legalization reduces opioid prescriptions . More specifically, it reduced prescriptions for schedule III opioids such as Tylenol with codeine, but no correlation was observed for more powerful schedule II opioids such as Vicodin and oxycodone.

Politifact rules the assertion that legalization has led to a spike in ER visits ‘half true.’

With legalization, California and social media are awash in bogus claims about cannabis’ health benefits , especially that it can cure cancer. “Marijuana is increasingly described online as a magical elixir, not only for cancer but virtually every disease that afflicts humans,” the L.A.Times writes.

California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) signed a bill to allow Epidiolex , the CBD epilepsy drug recently approved by the FDA.

California veterinarians warn about more dogs getting cannabis poisoning .

Colorado regulators may ban cannabis suppositories, nasal sprays and eye drops until they’re proven safe. Anti-legalization group Smart Colorado supports the idea.  

Cincinnati.com talks to some of the areas first pot doctors .

About half of Canadian pediatricians have encountered a MED patient .


A seven year old U.K. girl who is waiting for permission to access MED was admitted to intensive care .

I wrote about sex and cannabis for The Guardian.

Dating site WhatsYourPrice found two-thirds of Canadians have had sex high and would do it again.

A study found exposure to cannabis damages zebrafish embryos .

To fight the opioids crisis, Toronto’s chief medical officer called for decriminalizing all drugs .


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Critical Mind, Inc. is a Medical Cannabis Cultivation and Manufacturing Facility located in Adelanto, CA. Providing the highest quality Cannabis products. Compliance without Compromise!
CRIMINAL JUSTICE
US Customs and Border Patrol is targeting Canadian cannabis and ancillary workers for lifetime bans from entering the country. The US has said it will not change its entry policies, which allows it to ban anyone who has ever tried cannabis, to accommodate legalization in Canada.

It’s likely to cause problems on the border , and be good business for immigration lawyers who can help clients obtain waivers.
In the Trump era, pardon candidates are trying to access the president through celebrities and his inner circle.

Marijuana Moment interviews James M. Cole , the former deputy US Attorney General who wrote the 2013 “Cole Memo,” which enabled state legal marijuana industries to grow.

A CNN report led to Denver’s crackdown on the pot tourist busses. Denver has determined they were not operating legally. Michael Eymer, founder of Colorado Cannabis Tours promised to sue the city.

Andrew Lelling, federal prosecutor for Massachusetts, explained what kinds of marijuana offenses he’ll target for prosecution.

Three Massachusetts men caught on video blowing pot smoke in a goat’s face have been charged with animal cruelty . They also chained the goat, and one man sat on her back. Lilac is expected to be OK.


A Pennsylvania man suspected of growing a small amount of cannabis was found dead under a bulldozer after a police pursuit. The cause of death was not immediately clear.

Following the shooting death of motorist Philando Castile, Twin Cities police are experimenting with a program where they issue vouchers for minor car repairs instead of tickets.

Sri Lanka said it will start executing drug dealers .
CULTURE
The trial for Denver’s International Church of Cannabis has again been postponed . It’s accused of two misdemeanors.

An Indianapolis judge dismissed a case brought by the First Church of Cannabis which argued cannabis is a sacrament protected by the state’s religious freedom law. The law, signed by Vice President Mike Pence (R) when he was Indiana governor, was widely criticized for targeting the LGBT community .
Bon Appetit says Cannabis terpenes “ could be the biggest thing in wellness since CBD. ”
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Bye,
Alex 

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