Nice! I haven't yet man. I'm gonna try to do some rosin this winter and see how that turns out. Seems easier to travel with than flower of course. Is it difficult making tinctures?
THE CANNABIS THREAD 101!!
- Thread starter roots69
- Start date
Tincture are pretty easy, there just time consuming.. I'm sipping on sum tincture that I made 3yrs ago.. Man it's sum strong stuff and will put a person in serious couch lock!!
I've been reading up on rosin making. If you can come up with a badass rosin, you can make a killing.. The hash market, can make a person a lot of cash.
Ton of people looking for homemade rosin for sure but the only problem is, EVERYBODY'S THE PLUG IN THIS CITY. So from a cash standpoint, it's hard to beat the $20-25 a gram mark.
3 yrs for a curing though... now that's goals. There's prolly some good brewing going on in there.
One day I want to make a tincture and cure it for 10yrs or so. The one good thing about tincture is, you can get blasted and no one will ever smell cannabis on you!! And you stay medicated for 4-7hrs, depending on the amount you take.
What system are you thinking about using to do ur rosin???
C/S
Yo bruh, can you point me in the right direction to find sum good info on growing flower in soil.. I'm a hydro grower but want to switch over to soil. If you know a good site, can you turn me onto it??
Thanks
What type of hydro setup u got running?
I use a DWC SYSTEM.. I PUT my girls in a 10gal tote, it works real good. However, you go thru a lot of fertilizers and you gotta keep an eye on it. I think soil will workout good in my situation..
Are you a soil grower??
I Have done both.
I have my preferred soil mix. It's 3parts
-perlite (drainage and oxygen)
-coconut coir 50/50 coarse and fine( drainage, oxygen, moisture retention)
-happy frog or other high grade soil( some mutes)
I'm on my phone I can elaborate more later
For the first go, I'd try a Roots Organic 707 blend or the Foxfarm Ocean Forest. They'll have most of the amendments needed from jump that should last you throughout the growing cycle without having to add anything.
HTG supply is my go to. They have an online store, but I'm lucky enough to live close to a retail shop.
Very knowledgeable folks and they'll give you everything you need to get started.
Shit my bad I thought I had responded already..
Nah fam, no nute burn from the FF. I usually don't add anything to it in it's infancy just cause I want my plants to grow as strong as possible from jump. I feel like nutes can threaten that strength, so I hold of until flower.
But with just soil, water, air and sun, the FF is excellent.
Here’s Why Most Pharmacists Won’t Touch Medical Cannabis
BRUCE KENNEDY
November 26, 2018
With the midterm elections behind us, there are now 33 states, as well as Washington, D.C., that have legalized medicinal cannabis in some form.
And earlier this year the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Epidiolex, the first prescription drug made from cannabis.
With all these advancements, should we expect our neighborhood pharmacists to be dispensing whole-plant cannabis and cannabis extracts across their counters at some point in the near future?
The short answer is no. According to industry experts, that scenario probably won’t happen for some time. But the number of trained medical marijuana pharmacists is growing, and they are establishing their legitimacy in the medical community.
There's a Medical Cannabis Dispensary Near You
LET LEAFLY'S FINDER SHOW YOU WHERE
FIND
While five states have formally “established a role” for registered pharmacists in the medical marijuana dispensing process, state-authorized pharmacists must deal with a wide variety of challenges—including some that could potentially affect both their livelihood and their freedom.
Along with monitoring the constantly-evolving state and federal cannabis policies, druggists in cannabis-legal states must also keep watch on a patchwork quilt of local health and safety regulations. And there are disputes about how to best educate the 300,000 or so pharmacists across the U.S. regarding the medicinal properties of cannabis.
Legal Issues
One issue continues to dominate the medical cannabis discussion among pharmacists: The fact that cannabis in all its forms remains a Schedule One controlled substance under federal law. Under that classification, cannabis is defined as a substance that has no “accepted medical use.”
Angelo Cifaldi is a registered pharmacist in New Jersey. He’s also an attorney who specializes in pharmacy law. And he’s very aware of the legal tightrope walk that pharmacists in cannabis-legal states must endure if they are to work with medical marijuana.
Losing its DEA license would effectively shut down any pharmacy in the United States.
To date, the federal government has not enforced its laws against such pharmacists, Cifaldi said. Nobody has been arrested or charged. But there are still risks, he added.
Pharmacists aren’t personally licensed by the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Instead, the pharmacies they work in are required to obtain and hold DEA licenses.
“Technically any pharmacy, if they’re dispensing a (Schedule One) controlled substance, is at risk of being cited as a violation of a federal law,” Cifaldi told Leafly. “That pharmacy would lose its DEA license, which is in effect a death blow to any pharmacy.”
Some states have worked around this issue when it comes to medical marijuana. In New Jersey, for example, “pharmacists aren’t involved in the chain of custody at all,” Cifaldi said. “(Medical marijuana is) dispensed by a facility that’s approved by the state, and pharmacists aren’t even involved in it.”
These so-called “alternative treatment centers” in New Jersey—they’re known as dispensaries in most other states—are not licensed by the state board of pharmacy. “They don’t have a DEA license that they can lose, because they’re licensed by the state,” Cifaldi noted.
Legal Tensions
This precarious balance between federal and state law still creates legal tensions. Hospital pharmacies in New Jersey, for example, face the dilemma of whether or not to allow a patient with a medical marijuana order (as they are called in the state) to receive treatment in their facility.
“The problem is, if marijuana is brought into a hospital pharmacy, they could potentially lose their DEA license because they have a [controlled] substance in the hospital that doesn’t belong there,” he said. “There is no means by which you would be able to bring this medical marijuana into the hospital and use it, because they can’t have it checked by the pharmacy.”
And that issue, said Cifaldi, can lead to other legal problems.
“What happens if somebody’s in the hospital for two weeks and they don’t get the medical marijuana that they’ve been using for epilepsy, then all of the sudden they have a seizure and die?” he asked. “Is the hospital now liable because they didn’t let them use their medication? Clearly that’s not the hospital’s intent.”
What is needed, Cifaldi said, is a uniform approach to pharmacies and medical cannabis. But that can only occur once cannabis is reclassified by the federal government.
The Tide is Turning
The pharmacist community has a reputation for being conservative. But some observers acknowledge that the cannabis legalization movement has a momentum that cannot be stopped.
“It is undeniable that we’re in the midst of a cannabis revolution,” Mary Bridgeman, a professor at the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy at Rutgers University, said in an email to Leafly.
Bridgeman also serves on the New Jersey Medical Marijuana Review Panel. Since early 2016 she has included medical marijuana in her freshman elective course on the role of plants as medicines.
And in her personal opinion, “as a healthcare professional, I can either choose to embrace this topic and learn as much as I possibly can to be able to answer questions from patients and colleagues alike, or remain unaware and uninformed of the evidence, including both risks and benefits.”
She also believes that, until the federal government removes cannabis from its Schedule One category, we’re unlikely to see cannabis becoming available in the traditional pharmacy setting.
Pushing for Federal Changes
The federal illegality of cannabis can also “lead to unintended consequences for pharmacists and their businesses,” according to a statement on the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) website.
NCPA calls on pharmacy advocates to “aim for state legislation that preserves the ability of pharmacists legally to dispense medical marijuana should federal prohibitions be overturned, but which does not place the pharmacist or pharmacy in a position of legal or contractual jeopardy in the meantime.”
Even with the current political and legal landscape, Bridgeman believes the pharmacist community has an obligation to school itself on medical cannabis. Especially, she added, since many pharmacists must educate patients on the benefits and risks surrounding their prescriptions.
“Similar to other substances that are highly regulated, pharmacists are well-positioned to ensure safe use, adherence, optimal strategies for self-administration and dosing for a plant-based therapy, like medical cannabis,” she said.
Dispensary Pharmacists on the Increase
“What we’re doing and have been doing is getting a lot of notice,” Joseph Friedman, the CEO of PDI Medical, a medical cannabis dispensary in suburban Chicago, told Leafly. “People are walking in and being treated by a health care professional.”
Friedman is a certified pharmacist who was formerly on the board of the Medical Cannabis Alliance of Illinois. He’s currently the board of the American Society of Cannabis Pharmacists. He said a growing number of people are being drawn to medical cannabis as they seek alternatives to mainstream pharmaceuticals.
Illinois legalized medical marijuana in 2013. Since then, according to Friedman, the number of medical cannabis patients in the state has jumped from 3,000 when the pilot program began to around 46,000 patients today.
That’s still a pretty small number, considering Illinois has about 13 million residents. But for the past three years, since his pharmacy was established, Friedman has seen a growing number of patients transfer from other dispensaries.
The reason, he said, is that more medical cannabis patients want to work with pharmacists like the ones at PDI. His staff members “have really done their homework on cannabis and have really stepped up their whole technology base of the endocannabinoid system,” Friedman said. “They already have the skill sets and the knowledge of medications, but this has really separated them from many other pharmacists.”
Seeking CBD?
ORDER ONLINE TODAY
BROWSE
Pharmacist or Budtender?
While other medical dispensaries might have helpful staffs that know a lot about marijuana, Friedman said that’s not enough when it comes to someone who might have multiple ailments, and who might be taking literally dozens of pharmaceuticals.
A pharmacist may warn a patient of harmful drug interactions that a budtender might not know about.
For example, he said, cannabis can have side effects when taken with blood thinners. It can also increase the effects of steroids. And while many of those drug interactions might be not be life-threatening, “many of them could be potentially tough” on cannabis patients who aren’t aware of the risks.
Illinois closely monitors medical cannabis dispensaries, and it requires eight hours’ worth of training annually for dispensary employees. But Friedman says a lot of that training is tied to operations and health insurance issues, and not necessarily regarding cannabis as medicine.
The Importance of Education
So he’s trying to step up the education factor for his pharmacists, and for future cannabis pharmacists. As a result PDI has a relationship with two colleges of pharmacy in the state. It has fourth-year pharmacy students come in and do clinical rotations at the dispensary.
“These pharmacy students, while they’re on board here for six weeks, one of their tasks is to give two or three presentations to my staff on cannabis and one of the qualifying conditions (for medical cannabis),” he said.
This unique program, Friedman said, also helps bring in new knowledge of drug therapies to the dispensary.
And this desire to educate pharmacists on medical marijuana can be found in the broader pharmacist community.
CME Classes Break the Stigma
The Pharmacy Times, a publication founded in 1897, recently announced it would present a continuing education video program called “Demystifying Medical Cannabis in Disease State Management: What Clinicians Need to Know.”
The program is “intended to represent a ‘primer’ for the busy professional,” said Professor Bridgeman, who worked on the project.
And she believes that, as pharmacists become more educated on issues such as proper dosage, different cannabis strains and THC-to-CBD ratios, the overall medical community will become more comfortable with the medicinal use of cannabis.
BRUCE KENNEDY
November 26, 2018
With the midterm elections behind us, there are now 33 states, as well as Washington, D.C., that have legalized medicinal cannabis in some form.
And earlier this year the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Epidiolex, the first prescription drug made from cannabis.
With all these advancements, should we expect our neighborhood pharmacists to be dispensing whole-plant cannabis and cannabis extracts across their counters at some point in the near future?
The short answer is no. According to industry experts, that scenario probably won’t happen for some time. But the number of trained medical marijuana pharmacists is growing, and they are establishing their legitimacy in the medical community.
There's a Medical Cannabis Dispensary Near You
LET LEAFLY'S FINDER SHOW YOU WHERE
FIND
While five states have formally “established a role” for registered pharmacists in the medical marijuana dispensing process, state-authorized pharmacists must deal with a wide variety of challenges—including some that could potentially affect both their livelihood and their freedom.
Along with monitoring the constantly-evolving state and federal cannabis policies, druggists in cannabis-legal states must also keep watch on a patchwork quilt of local health and safety regulations. And there are disputes about how to best educate the 300,000 or so pharmacists across the U.S. regarding the medicinal properties of cannabis.
Legal Issues
One issue continues to dominate the medical cannabis discussion among pharmacists: The fact that cannabis in all its forms remains a Schedule One controlled substance under federal law. Under that classification, cannabis is defined as a substance that has no “accepted medical use.”
Angelo Cifaldi is a registered pharmacist in New Jersey. He’s also an attorney who specializes in pharmacy law. And he’s very aware of the legal tightrope walk that pharmacists in cannabis-legal states must endure if they are to work with medical marijuana.
Losing its DEA license would effectively shut down any pharmacy in the United States.
To date, the federal government has not enforced its laws against such pharmacists, Cifaldi said. Nobody has been arrested or charged. But there are still risks, he added.
Pharmacists aren’t personally licensed by the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Instead, the pharmacies they work in are required to obtain and hold DEA licenses.
“Technically any pharmacy, if they’re dispensing a (Schedule One) controlled substance, is at risk of being cited as a violation of a federal law,” Cifaldi told Leafly. “That pharmacy would lose its DEA license, which is in effect a death blow to any pharmacy.”
Some states have worked around this issue when it comes to medical marijuana. In New Jersey, for example, “pharmacists aren’t involved in the chain of custody at all,” Cifaldi said. “(Medical marijuana is) dispensed by a facility that’s approved by the state, and pharmacists aren’t even involved in it.”
These so-called “alternative treatment centers” in New Jersey—they’re known as dispensaries in most other states—are not licensed by the state board of pharmacy. “They don’t have a DEA license that they can lose, because they’re licensed by the state,” Cifaldi noted.
Legal Tensions
This precarious balance between federal and state law still creates legal tensions. Hospital pharmacies in New Jersey, for example, face the dilemma of whether or not to allow a patient with a medical marijuana order (as they are called in the state) to receive treatment in their facility.
“The problem is, if marijuana is brought into a hospital pharmacy, they could potentially lose their DEA license because they have a [controlled] substance in the hospital that doesn’t belong there,” he said. “There is no means by which you would be able to bring this medical marijuana into the hospital and use it, because they can’t have it checked by the pharmacy.”
And that issue, said Cifaldi, can lead to other legal problems.
“What happens if somebody’s in the hospital for two weeks and they don’t get the medical marijuana that they’ve been using for epilepsy, then all of the sudden they have a seizure and die?” he asked. “Is the hospital now liable because they didn’t let them use their medication? Clearly that’s not the hospital’s intent.”
What is needed, Cifaldi said, is a uniform approach to pharmacies and medical cannabis. But that can only occur once cannabis is reclassified by the federal government.
The Tide is Turning
The pharmacist community has a reputation for being conservative. But some observers acknowledge that the cannabis legalization movement has a momentum that cannot be stopped.
“It is undeniable that we’re in the midst of a cannabis revolution,” Mary Bridgeman, a professor at the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy at Rutgers University, said in an email to Leafly.
Bridgeman also serves on the New Jersey Medical Marijuana Review Panel. Since early 2016 she has included medical marijuana in her freshman elective course on the role of plants as medicines.
And in her personal opinion, “as a healthcare professional, I can either choose to embrace this topic and learn as much as I possibly can to be able to answer questions from patients and colleagues alike, or remain unaware and uninformed of the evidence, including both risks and benefits.”
She also believes that, until the federal government removes cannabis from its Schedule One category, we’re unlikely to see cannabis becoming available in the traditional pharmacy setting.
Pushing for Federal Changes
The federal illegality of cannabis can also “lead to unintended consequences for pharmacists and their businesses,” according to a statement on the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) website.
NCPA calls on pharmacy advocates to “aim for state legislation that preserves the ability of pharmacists legally to dispense medical marijuana should federal prohibitions be overturned, but which does not place the pharmacist or pharmacy in a position of legal or contractual jeopardy in the meantime.”
Even with the current political and legal landscape, Bridgeman believes the pharmacist community has an obligation to school itself on medical cannabis. Especially, she added, since many pharmacists must educate patients on the benefits and risks surrounding their prescriptions.
“Similar to other substances that are highly regulated, pharmacists are well-positioned to ensure safe use, adherence, optimal strategies for self-administration and dosing for a plant-based therapy, like medical cannabis,” she said.
Dispensary Pharmacists on the Increase
“What we’re doing and have been doing is getting a lot of notice,” Joseph Friedman, the CEO of PDI Medical, a medical cannabis dispensary in suburban Chicago, told Leafly. “People are walking in and being treated by a health care professional.”
Friedman is a certified pharmacist who was formerly on the board of the Medical Cannabis Alliance of Illinois. He’s currently the board of the American Society of Cannabis Pharmacists. He said a growing number of people are being drawn to medical cannabis as they seek alternatives to mainstream pharmaceuticals.
Illinois legalized medical marijuana in 2013. Since then, according to Friedman, the number of medical cannabis patients in the state has jumped from 3,000 when the pilot program began to around 46,000 patients today.
That’s still a pretty small number, considering Illinois has about 13 million residents. But for the past three years, since his pharmacy was established, Friedman has seen a growing number of patients transfer from other dispensaries.
The reason, he said, is that more medical cannabis patients want to work with pharmacists like the ones at PDI. His staff members “have really done their homework on cannabis and have really stepped up their whole technology base of the endocannabinoid system,” Friedman said. “They already have the skill sets and the knowledge of medications, but this has really separated them from many other pharmacists.”
Seeking CBD?
ORDER ONLINE TODAY
BROWSE
Pharmacist or Budtender?
While other medical dispensaries might have helpful staffs that know a lot about marijuana, Friedman said that’s not enough when it comes to someone who might have multiple ailments, and who might be taking literally dozens of pharmaceuticals.
A pharmacist may warn a patient of harmful drug interactions that a budtender might not know about.
For example, he said, cannabis can have side effects when taken with blood thinners. It can also increase the effects of steroids. And while many of those drug interactions might be not be life-threatening, “many of them could be potentially tough” on cannabis patients who aren’t aware of the risks.
Illinois closely monitors medical cannabis dispensaries, and it requires eight hours’ worth of training annually for dispensary employees. But Friedman says a lot of that training is tied to operations and health insurance issues, and not necessarily regarding cannabis as medicine.
The Importance of Education
So he’s trying to step up the education factor for his pharmacists, and for future cannabis pharmacists. As a result PDI has a relationship with two colleges of pharmacy in the state. It has fourth-year pharmacy students come in and do clinical rotations at the dispensary.
“These pharmacy students, while they’re on board here for six weeks, one of their tasks is to give two or three presentations to my staff on cannabis and one of the qualifying conditions (for medical cannabis),” he said.
This unique program, Friedman said, also helps bring in new knowledge of drug therapies to the dispensary.
And this desire to educate pharmacists on medical marijuana can be found in the broader pharmacist community.
CME Classes Break the Stigma
The Pharmacy Times, a publication founded in 1897, recently announced it would present a continuing education video program called “Demystifying Medical Cannabis in Disease State Management: What Clinicians Need to Know.”
The program is “intended to represent a ‘primer’ for the busy professional,” said Professor Bridgeman, who worked on the project.
And she believes that, as pharmacists become more educated on issues such as proper dosage, different cannabis strains and THC-to-CBD ratios, the overall medical community will become more comfortable with the medicinal use of cannabis.
24 Cannabis Predictions for 2019 That Will Come True
In the Year 2019: Sorry, no federal legalization, but lots of baby steps. Also—the herb will be phenomenal. Bet on it. (Kerfluffle/iStock)
History does not repeat itself, but it does rhyme. And next year, legalization is going to rhyme with normalization, modernization, and Zkittlez, among other trends. Read on for 24 predictions that will most definitely happen in cannabis in 2019, or we owe you a bowl.
Cannabis Strains & Products Predictions
More Dessert!
The “dessert” strain craze of scrumptious, high-THC strains like Wedding Cake, Sundae Driver, and Cookies will continue strong in 2019. Look for new second and third- generation crosses of Purple Punch, Zkittlez, Gelato and more.
Lounge Expansion
California’s first licensed cannabis consumption lounges will move beyond the Bay Area. Look for them first in West Hollywood.
Increased Pesticide Awareness
As the feds relax their posture in the post-Sessions era, states will be able to focus on creating more workable systems for consumers instead of prioritizing federal concerns. They’ll realize pesticide levels are too dang high and will step up regulations. Industry will complain that standards are more stringent than food products.
Canada Gets Lit
Canada’s cannabis products and markets will get better. After a rocky start where the few open retailers could push sub-par product, competition in 2019 will drive quality back up.
Eco-Awareness
A bona fide anti-packaging waste movement will emerge in 2019 to counter the increasingly huge cannabis waste stream created by over-regulation.
Price Normalization
We’ll see California prices come down down down. Oregon will stay cratered. Washington will drop slightly. Price points will continue to evolve into greater price spectrums. Top-shelf will hit new heights. The bottom will go even lower.
Modality Modernization
Raw, crude cannabis flower as a product category will continue to lose ground to highly manufactured products like Dosist vape pens and Utopia low-dose edibles. You’ll see the explosion of molecule and effect-driven marketing (THC-V, CBG, THC-A, delta-8-THC. For “Sleep,” “Bliss,” “Relax,” “Passion.”)
Federal and State Cannabis Legalization Predictions
Incremental US Legalization
Sorry, no federal cannabis legalization in 2019. It’s going to take 30+ adult-use states for federal legalization, which will feel like a foregone conclusion when it finally arrives. But Congress will allow more states to chart their own course next year. The medical cannabis shield law Rohrabacher-Farr will be renewed, and maybe expanded to cover the Treasury Department (which will allow expanded banking services), not just the Department of Justice. A Rohrabacher-Farr-type shield bill—most likely some version of the States Act—for adult use will be seriously debated, but fail to pass either chamber.
Re-Scheduling Shenanigans
Cannabis the plant will remain a federally illegal Schedule 1 substance, deemed as dangerous as heroin, while THC the molecule derived from whole plant cannabis could be down-scheduled like dronabinol (synthetic THC), which is already in Schedule 3.
East Coast Catchup
New Jersey will legalize via the state legislature. New York will consider legalization, but the bill will get hung up on the fears of a powerful Democratic committee member, and not pass in 2019.
Windy City Blows Smoke
Illinois will advance new reforms but fall short of full legalization. Machine politics will block a solution this year. The mucky mucks have to fight over the pie another year before they eat it.
Razing Arizona
Arizona legalization advocates will fight over two separate ballot measures. Neither will make the ballot.
New Research Farms
The first new federally licensed research cannabis farms beyond the one in Mississippi will be granted licenses.
Cannabis Criminal Justice Predictions
Border Crisis and New Clarity
A high-profile border case will force the United States and Canada to amend their antiquated and harmful cannabis border policies.
More Trafficking Blame-Shifting
More US Attorneys will try to score political points by holding individual states responsible for inter-state marijuana trafficking in the US. Legal cannabis industry officials and regulators will team up to quash the illicit market like never before.
Equity’s Time Has Come
We’ll see the advanced spread of equity programs to new legalization statesas well as beyond the cannabis sector. New York politicians will take the lead on this, and influence others (New Jersey) to do the same.
Cannabis Business Predictions
More Corporate Giants Enter
More alcohol and tobacco multi-national corporations will buy stakes in cannabis companies using Canadian companies as a global investment vehicle.
Conglomerates Gonna Conglomerate
Stores like MedMen and Have a Heart will expand into newly legal states and capture bigger shares of new licenses, either directly or through acquisitions and/or licensing/management arrangements. The consolidation has just begun.
More Censorship
Expect increasing restrictions on advertising in legal states. Both conservatives and progressives love throttling cannabis free speech, for different reasons. Conservatives dislike cannabis commerce, while progressives never met a nanny state regulation they didn’t like.
LaLaLand
The world’s biggest cannabis city, Los Angeles, will continue to be a mess from a regulatory standpoint.
Technocracy Fail
In the world’s biggest cannabis state, California, track-and-trace will be delayed and plagued with problems, creating only the appearance of a traceable system.
Florida, Man
The massive legal medical cannabis state of Florida will emerge as a medical marijuana “superstate,” thanks to its population and industry rules.
Cannabis Science Predictions
More CBD Use
The FDA-approved CBD tincture Epidiolex will be used off-label in new studies that verify CBD-derived whole plant botanical efficacy for Parkinson’s and other conditions.
Drugged Driving Breakthrough
New breath, blood, and saliva plus simulator studies will hone in on drugged driving limits for the first time.
In the Year 2019: Sorry, no federal legalization, but lots of baby steps. Also—the herb will be phenomenal. Bet on it. (Kerfluffle/iStock)
History does not repeat itself, but it does rhyme. And next year, legalization is going to rhyme with normalization, modernization, and Zkittlez, among other trends. Read on for 24 predictions that will most definitely happen in cannabis in 2019, or we owe you a bowl.
Cannabis Strains & Products Predictions
More Dessert!
The “dessert” strain craze of scrumptious, high-THC strains like Wedding Cake, Sundae Driver, and Cookies will continue strong in 2019. Look for new second and third- generation crosses of Purple Punch, Zkittlez, Gelato and more.
Lounge Expansion
California’s first licensed cannabis consumption lounges will move beyond the Bay Area. Look for them first in West Hollywood.
Increased Pesticide Awareness
As the feds relax their posture in the post-Sessions era, states will be able to focus on creating more workable systems for consumers instead of prioritizing federal concerns. They’ll realize pesticide levels are too dang high and will step up regulations. Industry will complain that standards are more stringent than food products.
Canada Gets Lit
Canada’s cannabis products and markets will get better. After a rocky start where the few open retailers could push sub-par product, competition in 2019 will drive quality back up.
Eco-Awareness
A bona fide anti-packaging waste movement will emerge in 2019 to counter the increasingly huge cannabis waste stream created by over-regulation.
Price Normalization
We’ll see California prices come down down down. Oregon will stay cratered. Washington will drop slightly. Price points will continue to evolve into greater price spectrums. Top-shelf will hit new heights. The bottom will go even lower.
Modality Modernization
Raw, crude cannabis flower as a product category will continue to lose ground to highly manufactured products like Dosist vape pens and Utopia low-dose edibles. You’ll see the explosion of molecule and effect-driven marketing (THC-V, CBG, THC-A, delta-8-THC. For “Sleep,” “Bliss,” “Relax,” “Passion.”)
Federal and State Cannabis Legalization Predictions
Incremental US Legalization
Sorry, no federal cannabis legalization in 2019. It’s going to take 30+ adult-use states for federal legalization, which will feel like a foregone conclusion when it finally arrives. But Congress will allow more states to chart their own course next year. The medical cannabis shield law Rohrabacher-Farr will be renewed, and maybe expanded to cover the Treasury Department (which will allow expanded banking services), not just the Department of Justice. A Rohrabacher-Farr-type shield bill—most likely some version of the States Act—for adult use will be seriously debated, but fail to pass either chamber.
Re-Scheduling Shenanigans
Cannabis the plant will remain a federally illegal Schedule 1 substance, deemed as dangerous as heroin, while THC the molecule derived from whole plant cannabis could be down-scheduled like dronabinol (synthetic THC), which is already in Schedule 3.
East Coast Catchup
New Jersey will legalize via the state legislature. New York will consider legalization, but the bill will get hung up on the fears of a powerful Democratic committee member, and not pass in 2019.
Windy City Blows Smoke
Illinois will advance new reforms but fall short of full legalization. Machine politics will block a solution this year. The mucky mucks have to fight over the pie another year before they eat it.
Razing Arizona
Arizona legalization advocates will fight over two separate ballot measures. Neither will make the ballot.
New Research Farms
The first new federally licensed research cannabis farms beyond the one in Mississippi will be granted licenses.
Cannabis Criminal Justice Predictions
Border Crisis and New Clarity
A high-profile border case will force the United States and Canada to amend their antiquated and harmful cannabis border policies.
More Trafficking Blame-Shifting
More US Attorneys will try to score political points by holding individual states responsible for inter-state marijuana trafficking in the US. Legal cannabis industry officials and regulators will team up to quash the illicit market like never before.
Equity’s Time Has Come
We’ll see the advanced spread of equity programs to new legalization statesas well as beyond the cannabis sector. New York politicians will take the lead on this, and influence others (New Jersey) to do the same.
Cannabis Business Predictions
More Corporate Giants Enter
More alcohol and tobacco multi-national corporations will buy stakes in cannabis companies using Canadian companies as a global investment vehicle.
Conglomerates Gonna Conglomerate
Stores like MedMen and Have a Heart will expand into newly legal states and capture bigger shares of new licenses, either directly or through acquisitions and/or licensing/management arrangements. The consolidation has just begun.
More Censorship
Expect increasing restrictions on advertising in legal states. Both conservatives and progressives love throttling cannabis free speech, for different reasons. Conservatives dislike cannabis commerce, while progressives never met a nanny state regulation they didn’t like.
LaLaLand
The world’s biggest cannabis city, Los Angeles, will continue to be a mess from a regulatory standpoint.
Technocracy Fail
In the world’s biggest cannabis state, California, track-and-trace will be delayed and plagued with problems, creating only the appearance of a traceable system.
Florida, Man
The massive legal medical cannabis state of Florida will emerge as a medical marijuana “superstate,” thanks to its population and industry rules.
Cannabis Science Predictions
More CBD Use
The FDA-approved CBD tincture Epidiolex will be used off-label in new studies that verify CBD-derived whole plant botanical efficacy for Parkinson’s and other conditions.
Drugged Driving Breakthrough
New breath, blood, and saliva plus simulator studies will hone in on drugged driving limits for the first time.
America’s War on Drugs Has Been Racist for a Century
(erhui1979/iStock)
To understand the history of cannabis in the United States, it’s crucial to examine immigration.
Though many people associate the war on drugs with the Nixon or Reagan administrations, the truth is that the drug war’s history dates back nearly a hundred years, to the advent of the US Border Patrol. There’s a clear historical connection between cannabis prohibition and immigration enforcement, and drug policing remains critical to border security today.
“In states with significant Mexican populations, such as Texas, Mexican prejudice was the catalyst for prohibition.”
Kelly Kytle Hernandez, history professor, UCLA
Following the election of Donald Trump, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has increased its use of misdemeanor cannabis convictions as a tool to arrest and deport non-US citizens, particularly at the southern border. “Nothing gets you deported quicker than a cannabis conviction,” Nick Pacheco of Latinos for Cannabis told Leafly.
On the US–Canada border, meanwhile, the government is now warning that Canadians who work in the legal cannabis industry may be barred from entering the US. Even people who simply use legal cannabis could be turned around at the nation’s borders.
Born of Border Enforcement
Before ICE was created in 2003, in the wake of 9/11, there was the US Border Patrol, formed by Congress in 1924 to prevent people from crossing into the US without official permission, according to Kelly Lytle Hernandez’s article “Amnesty or Abolition?” Following the Mexican Revolution, more than 890,000 Mexican people legally immigrated into the United States between 1910 and 1920.
The Border Patrol intended to police borderlands to target illegal immigrants, including Mexican migrant workers who weren’t technically prohibited from entering the US but “often evaded the administration requirements for legal entry, such as paying entrance fees and passing a literacy test and health exam,” Lytle Hernandez writes.
Around this time, the term “marijuana”—then spelled “marihuana”—entered the American lexicon. It was derived from xenophobic idea that Mexican people bring drugs into the United States.
“In states with significant Mexican populations, such as Texas, Mexican prejudice was the catalyst for prohibition,” explains Steven W. Bender, an associate dean at Seattle University School of Law, in his piece “The Colors of Cannabis: Race and Marijuana.” “As contended on the floor of the Texas Senate in the early 1900s,” he writes, “‘All Mexicans are crazy, and this [marijuana] is what makes them crazy.’”
Stigma Stemming From Racism
By the 1930s, long before the years of “Just Say No,” federal officials were actively working to expand the stigma around cannabis. Harry Anslinger, who during the era of alcohol prohibition had become the first commissioner of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, “took the scientifically unsupported idea of marijuana as a violence-inducing drug, connected it to black and Hispanic people, and created a perfect package of terror to sell to the American media and public,” Bender writes. The propaganda helped push forward the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937, the first piece of national legislation to outlaw cannabis.
“With Operation Wetback, I mean, obviously it can’t get more transparent than that.”
Nick Pacheco, Latinos for Cannabis
Black men were also demonized as criminals by anti-pot rhetoric. “In Southern states with large black populations, fears of violent black smokers led to marijuana laws,” Bender added. “‘Marijuana was scapegoated as prompting murder, rape, and mayhem among blacks in the South, Mexican Americans in the Southwest, and disfavored white immigrants from laboring classes—with marijuana being blamed for the seduction of white girls by black men and for violent crimes committed by these groups.”
“It seems pretty clear that the government was using immigration laws and cannabis laws to get rid of Mexicans at different periods,” Pacheco said. “With Operation Wetback, I mean, obviously it can’t get more transparent than that in terms of what the government is doing.”
Three years after the BOGGs Act of 1951, which increased drug penalties, Operation Wetback was a 1954 campaign that ordered Border Patrol task forces to sweep across the American Southwest in order to address the so-called “wetback problem”—immigrants crossing the border illegally.
The rhetoric sounds all too familiar under the Trump administration, as the president regularly justifies a border wall to keep out Mexican immigrants. “They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists,” he famously said in 2015, adding: “And some, I assume, are good people.”
The Origin of the Controlled Substances Act
In 1956, Congress passed the Narcotics Control Act, further escalating penalties for drug offenses. The federal drug policy that we know today didn’t start until nearly 15 years later, when Nixon signed the Controlled Substance Act. The new law categorized cannabis as a Schedule I drug—one with no medical use and a high potential for abuse—alongside heroin, LSD, MDMA, and DMT. In 1973, the federal government formed the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), tasked as the lead agency to enforce the CSA.
The CSA included mandatory sentencing minimums for drug crimes, removing judges’ discretion to scale down penalties in less-egregious cases. According to the Brennan Center for Justice, there are five times as many people in American prisons today compared to in 1970 because “[mandatory minimum] laws have replaced judicial discretion across a wide range of offenses. Their aim is to keep those who violate certain laws in prison for longer periods of time.”
Mandatory minimums also served to further criminalize Black and Brown communities, exacerbating the racial disparities between whites and people of color.
“We still have situations where, even in Colorado, after legalization, communities of color were still getting arrested in higher numbers than more affluent or more Caucasian communities,” Jason Ortiz of the Minority Cannabis Business Association told Leafly. “So while we actually are making progress, the root cause of the problem and the root discrepancies between communities still remain.”
Indeed, a recent investigation by the New York Times found that Black Americans were nearly 15 times more likely to be arrested in New York City for low-level cannabis crimes than their white neighbors.
Ortiz stressed that the resources from the legal cannabis market must now be funneled back into the communities that were most affected by the war on drugs. Additionally, the industry must also be representative of the people who consume cannabis and have been involved with the industry for decades—which for sure isn’t just rich, white business owners and investors.
Meanwhile, since cannabis is still a federal crime, Ortiz stresses, immigrants working in the cannabis industry—even in the legal marketplace—are at risk for deportation.
The policing of cannabis was, and still is, used to justify violent border security. We need to better understand the history of immigration enforcement and the racist motives behind the drug war in order to better address the inequalities that exist within the cannabis industry today.
(erhui1979/iStock)
To understand the history of cannabis in the United States, it’s crucial to examine immigration.
Though many people associate the war on drugs with the Nixon or Reagan administrations, the truth is that the drug war’s history dates back nearly a hundred years, to the advent of the US Border Patrol. There’s a clear historical connection between cannabis prohibition and immigration enforcement, and drug policing remains critical to border security today.
“In states with significant Mexican populations, such as Texas, Mexican prejudice was the catalyst for prohibition.”
Kelly Kytle Hernandez, history professor, UCLA
Following the election of Donald Trump, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has increased its use of misdemeanor cannabis convictions as a tool to arrest and deport non-US citizens, particularly at the southern border. “Nothing gets you deported quicker than a cannabis conviction,” Nick Pacheco of Latinos for Cannabis told Leafly.
On the US–Canada border, meanwhile, the government is now warning that Canadians who work in the legal cannabis industry may be barred from entering the US. Even people who simply use legal cannabis could be turned around at the nation’s borders.
Born of Border Enforcement
Before ICE was created in 2003, in the wake of 9/11, there was the US Border Patrol, formed by Congress in 1924 to prevent people from crossing into the US without official permission, according to Kelly Lytle Hernandez’s article “Amnesty or Abolition?” Following the Mexican Revolution, more than 890,000 Mexican people legally immigrated into the United States between 1910 and 1920.
The Border Patrol intended to police borderlands to target illegal immigrants, including Mexican migrant workers who weren’t technically prohibited from entering the US but “often evaded the administration requirements for legal entry, such as paying entrance fees and passing a literacy test and health exam,” Lytle Hernandez writes.
Around this time, the term “marijuana”—then spelled “marihuana”—entered the American lexicon. It was derived from xenophobic idea that Mexican people bring drugs into the United States.
“In states with significant Mexican populations, such as Texas, Mexican prejudice was the catalyst for prohibition,” explains Steven W. Bender, an associate dean at Seattle University School of Law, in his piece “The Colors of Cannabis: Race and Marijuana.” “As contended on the floor of the Texas Senate in the early 1900s,” he writes, “‘All Mexicans are crazy, and this [marijuana] is what makes them crazy.’”
Stigma Stemming From Racism
By the 1930s, long before the years of “Just Say No,” federal officials were actively working to expand the stigma around cannabis. Harry Anslinger, who during the era of alcohol prohibition had become the first commissioner of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, “took the scientifically unsupported idea of marijuana as a violence-inducing drug, connected it to black and Hispanic people, and created a perfect package of terror to sell to the American media and public,” Bender writes. The propaganda helped push forward the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937, the first piece of national legislation to outlaw cannabis.
“With Operation Wetback, I mean, obviously it can’t get more transparent than that.”
Nick Pacheco, Latinos for Cannabis
Black men were also demonized as criminals by anti-pot rhetoric. “In Southern states with large black populations, fears of violent black smokers led to marijuana laws,” Bender added. “‘Marijuana was scapegoated as prompting murder, rape, and mayhem among blacks in the South, Mexican Americans in the Southwest, and disfavored white immigrants from laboring classes—with marijuana being blamed for the seduction of white girls by black men and for violent crimes committed by these groups.”
“It seems pretty clear that the government was using immigration laws and cannabis laws to get rid of Mexicans at different periods,” Pacheco said. “With Operation Wetback, I mean, obviously it can’t get more transparent than that in terms of what the government is doing.”
Three years after the BOGGs Act of 1951, which increased drug penalties, Operation Wetback was a 1954 campaign that ordered Border Patrol task forces to sweep across the American Southwest in order to address the so-called “wetback problem”—immigrants crossing the border illegally.
The rhetoric sounds all too familiar under the Trump administration, as the president regularly justifies a border wall to keep out Mexican immigrants. “They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists,” he famously said in 2015, adding: “And some, I assume, are good people.”
The Origin of the Controlled Substances Act
In 1956, Congress passed the Narcotics Control Act, further escalating penalties for drug offenses. The federal drug policy that we know today didn’t start until nearly 15 years later, when Nixon signed the Controlled Substance Act. The new law categorized cannabis as a Schedule I drug—one with no medical use and a high potential for abuse—alongside heroin, LSD, MDMA, and DMT. In 1973, the federal government formed the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), tasked as the lead agency to enforce the CSA.
The CSA included mandatory sentencing minimums for drug crimes, removing judges’ discretion to scale down penalties in less-egregious cases. According to the Brennan Center for Justice, there are five times as many people in American prisons today compared to in 1970 because “[mandatory minimum] laws have replaced judicial discretion across a wide range of offenses. Their aim is to keep those who violate certain laws in prison for longer periods of time.”
Mandatory minimums also served to further criminalize Black and Brown communities, exacerbating the racial disparities between whites and people of color.
“We still have situations where, even in Colorado, after legalization, communities of color were still getting arrested in higher numbers than more affluent or more Caucasian communities,” Jason Ortiz of the Minority Cannabis Business Association told Leafly. “So while we actually are making progress, the root cause of the problem and the root discrepancies between communities still remain.”
Indeed, a recent investigation by the New York Times found that Black Americans were nearly 15 times more likely to be arrested in New York City for low-level cannabis crimes than their white neighbors.
Ortiz stressed that the resources from the legal cannabis market must now be funneled back into the communities that were most affected by the war on drugs. Additionally, the industry must also be representative of the people who consume cannabis and have been involved with the industry for decades—which for sure isn’t just rich, white business owners and investors.
Meanwhile, since cannabis is still a federal crime, Ortiz stresses, immigrants working in the cannabis industry—even in the legal marketplace—are at risk for deportation.
The policing of cannabis was, and still is, used to justify violent border security. We need to better understand the history of immigration enforcement and the racist motives behind the drug war in order to better address the inequalities that exist within the cannabis industry today.
How to Build a Simple Home Cannabis Garden for $100, $500, & $1,000
(Leafly)
If you aren’t already growing your own cannabis at home, that might be due to one of the following misconceptions about constructing an indoor garden:
This guide will help you build from scratch three different garden setups at three different price points. Each build will contain all of the necessary components needed for climate control, and will not require any technical proficiency to assemble.
All of the hardware used for each project can be ordered on Amazon. This opens up the opportunity for just about anyone with internet access to order and discreetly receive the parts necessary for these builds.
Note: Product prices below may fluctuate slightly over time.
The Nano Grow: $100 to $150
(Patrick Bennett/Leafly)
Who Should Use This Build?
First-time growers, budget growers, and those who wish to keep their garden as inconspicuous as possible are a good fit for the Nano Grow. At 24”x 24”, this tent is small enough to fit in most closets.
Supply List:
LED lights work well in this environment because they produce very little heat. Although filtration for a grow of this size is not necessary, those who wish to grow in a more confined space should consider opting for the intake fan and thermometer/hydrometer. This will help to both increase air circulation and provide some fundamental metrics for maintaining a healthy environment for the plants.
With the tent height maxing out at 48”, plants grown in this space should not exceed 24” in height and we recommend using dwarf, indica, and auto-flowering varieties for best results.
Build Notes:
The Micro Grow: $500
(Patrick Bennett/Leafly)
Who Should Use This Build?
The Micro Grow is a value-driven package designed to provide all of the essentials for a single tent grow. More advanced than the Nano Grow, it’s a complete system that can handle just about any grow style.
This build is a perfect fit for a small room or garage space. At 64” tall, the tent affords enough room to propagate most smaller, bushier cultivars. There is a canopy height limit of between 35” and 42”.
In this setup, 2 to 4 plants are recommended. You can squeeze in 6 plants if you grow small auto-flowering varieties and/or vegetate the plants for less time.
Supply List:
Unlike the Nano Grow, this build contains a complete ventilation system designed to filter and exhaust hot air while simultaneously bringing in clean, cool air. Additionally, the timer has been upgraded to the dual-outlet digital model for controlling both the light and carbon filter exhaust system. A variable speed vent fan controller is also added for maximum climate control.
With the 315w CMH (ceramic metal halide) lights, enough heat is generated to recommend this build for an open space to allow for the best possible air circulation through the tent. The included 3100k bulb allows you to use the tent for both vegetative and flowering cycles.
Build Notes:
With this system, cool air will enter through the bottom of the tent, and warm air will be scrubbed as it leaves the top of the tent. The 6” clip-on fan should be placed just above canopy level on the back-left pole to help circulate air evenly as the plants mature.
Standard Grow: $1,000
(Patrick Bennett/Leafly)
Who Should Use This Build?
The Standard Grow offers a complete package for growers who wish to maintain a perpetual cultivation operation year-round. It covers all of the essentials in housing, lighting, automation, and filtration for a standard home grow.
No matter what your legal plant limit is, this tent should be able to handle it. At 80” for the main grow chamber, height is not a problem, and just about any cultivar can be propagated successfully under this build. With a 630w 3100k CMH fixture, this room can be used for both vegetative and flowering stages.
For growers who want a full system capable of germinating seedlings, taking and keeping clones, maintaining mother plants, and have multiple chambers for various projects, this is the build for you.
However, this system tends to run hot and will need the open air of a large room or garage to function optimally.
Supply List:
The “Standard Grow” is designed to be a fully comprehensive cannabis cultivation and propagation system, offering an all-inclusive perpetual grow space packed into a 4×5’ build. For just under $1,000, you get a 3-chambered, 3-light tent with a full air filtration system, automation and metering included.
This build allows growers to cultivate at multiple stages in the plant’s life cycle as well as provide housing for multiple propagation projects.
The 4×4’ main tent is powered by a 630w CMH light and the 1×4’ two-tiered tent extension is built out with two 4-bulb t5 fluorescent light fixtures. Complete with four fans, two dual outlet timers, and adjustable intake/exhaust components, this 80” tent supports even the most ambitious of grows.
Build Notes:
Filtration Setup: For the main room, fasten the first 6” booster fan to the bottom-left port of the tent with zip ties and duct tape, directing air inward. The second booster fan should be fastened in the same way on the top-left side of the tent above the first. This fan will direct air out of the tent.
The 6” exhaust kit may either be fastened on the top of the left tent or on the bottom-right, each option directing air through the carbon filter and out of the top port. This room receives two 6” clip-on fans—the first will be fastened to the top-right support beam of the tent to help move warm air towards the exhaust. The second fan can be placed on the back-left corner to follow the canopy as it rises.
For the second room, a 6” clip-on fan is fastened to the back-left support beam of each tier to direct airflow throughout each small chamber.
Author’s Notes:
(Leafly)
If you aren’t already growing your own cannabis at home, that might be due to one of the following misconceptions about constructing an indoor garden:
- You may think that acquiring the materials necessary will be difficult and tedious. This is not true.
- You suspect that the building process itself requires great technical proficiency. It does not.
- You assume building a grow space is highly expensive. This couldn’t be further from the truth.
This guide will help you build from scratch three different garden setups at three different price points. Each build will contain all of the necessary components needed for climate control, and will not require any technical proficiency to assemble.
All of the hardware used for each project can be ordered on Amazon. This opens up the opportunity for just about anyone with internet access to order and discreetly receive the parts necessary for these builds.
Note: Product prices below may fluctuate slightly over time.
The Nano Grow: $100 to $150
(Patrick Bennett/Leafly)
Who Should Use This Build?
First-time growers, budget growers, and those who wish to keep their garden as inconspicuous as possible are a good fit for the Nano Grow. At 24”x 24”, this tent is small enough to fit in most closets.
Supply List:
- TopoLight 24”x24”x48” Indoor Grow Room ($49.80)
- Lorell 6” Clip On Fan ($13.99)
- Century 24 Hour Mechanical Timer ($9.99)
- Growstar 150w Cree LED Full Spectrum UFO Light ($42.99)
- (Optional) iPower 4” 100CFM Inline Duct Fan ($17.99)
- (Optional) AcuRite Hydrometer and Thermometer ($11.51)
- Basic: $116.77
- With inline fan: $134.76
- With thermometer: $128.28
- With both: $146.27
LED lights work well in this environment because they produce very little heat. Although filtration for a grow of this size is not necessary, those who wish to grow in a more confined space should consider opting for the intake fan and thermometer/hydrometer. This will help to both increase air circulation and provide some fundamental metrics for maintaining a healthy environment for the plants.
With the tent height maxing out at 48”, plants grown in this space should not exceed 24” in height and we recommend using dwarf, indica, and auto-flowering varieties for best results.
Build Notes:
- Assembly Time: ~30 min
- Hardware Recommendations: Duct tape, heavy-duty zip ties
- Total Power Outlets Required: 2 to 3
- Where to Assemble: Closet space or room
- Recommended Plant Count: 1 to 2 plants
- Tent: The Topolight grow tent is perfect for a small space or closet and features highly reflective mylar coating on the inside to help provide your plants with optimal lighting.
- Light: The Growstar LED Full Spectrum UFO Light is an inexpensive and efficient fixture designed to provide a spectrum suitable for both vegetative and flowering plants. This light features 30w of Cree LED and emits a blue/purple hue. You also receive the necessary components to hang the light at variable heights in order to follow a canopy as it grows. LED lights do not add any additional heat to the tent and require less filtration to maintain proper temperatures.
- Filtration: A 6” Lorell clip-on fan provides airflow within the tent. Additionally, you may add a 4” 100CFM inline duct fan to provide an intake mechanism to cycle clean air throughout the tent. If you decide to buy the intake duct fan, install it on the bottom of the tent using duct tape and zip ties. The clip-on fan will help move air around inside of the tent. By keeping the top duct port open, air may exhaust passively. If you decide to opt out of the intake duct fan, leave both the bottom and the top port open for air movement.
- Automation: This build comes with a 24-hour mechanical timer designed to keep the light on an automated cycle. Mechanical timers are slightly more affordable than their digital counterparts.
- Climate Metering: The basic version of this build does not feature any climate monitoring hardware. However, there is an option to purchase an Acurite thermometer/hydrometer which will allow you to monitor essential metrics within the tent.
The Micro Grow: $500
(Patrick Bennett/Leafly)
Who Should Use This Build?
The Micro Grow is a value-driven package designed to provide all of the essentials for a single tent grow. More advanced than the Nano Grow, it’s a complete system that can handle just about any grow style.
This build is a perfect fit for a small room or garage space. At 64” tall, the tent affords enough room to propagate most smaller, bushier cultivars. There is a canopy height limit of between 35” and 42”.
In this setup, 2 to 4 plants are recommended. You can squeeze in 6 plants if you grow small auto-flowering varieties and/or vegetate the plants for less time.
Supply List:
- Casolly 32”x32”x64” Indoor Grow Room ($64.99)
- Century 7 Day Heavy Duty Programmable Digital Timer, Dual Outlet($12.99)
- AcuRite Hydrometer and Thermometer ($11.98)
- Lorell 6” Clip-On Fan ($16.43)
- Growsun 4” Indoor Grow Exhaust Kit, Carbon Filter, Fan, Ducting($119.99)
- VivoSun 6” 240CFM Inline Duct Booster Fan ($20.99)
- Growneer Variable Speed Vent Fan Controller ($11.99)
- TopoGrow 315W CMH Grow Light Kit, 120v fixture w/ 3100k Bulb($177.11)
- 15 amp GFCI Grounded 5-Outlet Adapter ($28.40)
Unlike the Nano Grow, this build contains a complete ventilation system designed to filter and exhaust hot air while simultaneously bringing in clean, cool air. Additionally, the timer has been upgraded to the dual-outlet digital model for controlling both the light and carbon filter exhaust system. A variable speed vent fan controller is also added for maximum climate control.
With the 315w CMH (ceramic metal halide) lights, enough heat is generated to recommend this build for an open space to allow for the best possible air circulation through the tent. The included 3100k bulb allows you to use the tent for both vegetative and flowering cycles.
Build Notes:
- Assembly Time: ~1 hour
- Hardware Recommendations: Duct tape, heavy-duty zip ties
- Total Power Outlets Required: 4 (5-outlet grounded adaptor recommended)
- Where to Assemble: Room or garage
- Recommended Plant Count: 2 to 4 plants
- Tent: The Casolly 32”x32”x64” Indoor Grow Room provides adequate space for a much more powerful fixture, allowing you to cultivate more plants than the Nano Grow. This tent also features multiple ducting ports for proper air ventilation systems to be installed and comes with a front-sided concealable window for easy monitoring.
- Light: This build features a 120v 315w CMH light fixture from TopoGrow. CMH lights give off far less heat than HID fixtures such as high-pressure sodium (HPS) and metal halide (MH). Complete with a 3100k bulb, this fixture produces a light spectrum conducive to both vegetative and flowering plants, eliminating the need to switch lights between cycles. Even better, this CMH fixture comes with a built-in ballast.
- Filtration: Although CMH fixtures produce less heat than their competitors, there’s still a need for proper ducting and ventilation to remove hot air from the tent. For this build, we chose to pair a Growsun 4” indoor exhaust kit with a 6” Vivosun 240CFM inline duct booster fan. To maintain proper ventilation, a fan speed adjuster has been added. Additionally, a 6” Lorell clip-on-fan is used for airflow over the plant canopy.
- Automation: A dual outlet digital timer is included for tandem use with the carbon filter exhaust and light fixture.
- Climate Metering: The Acuright Digital thermometer/hydrometer will help monitor temperature and humidity levels within the tent, making climate control adjustments easier.
With this system, cool air will enter through the bottom of the tent, and warm air will be scrubbed as it leaves the top of the tent. The 6” clip-on fan should be placed just above canopy level on the back-left pole to help circulate air evenly as the plants mature.
Standard Grow: $1,000
(Patrick Bennett/Leafly)
Who Should Use This Build?
The Standard Grow offers a complete package for growers who wish to maintain a perpetual cultivation operation year-round. It covers all of the essentials in housing, lighting, automation, and filtration for a standard home grow.
No matter what your legal plant limit is, this tent should be able to handle it. At 80” for the main grow chamber, height is not a problem, and just about any cultivar can be propagated successfully under this build. With a 630w 3100k CMH fixture, this room can be used for both vegetative and flowering stages.
For growers who want a full system capable of germinating seedlings, taking and keeping clones, maintaining mother plants, and have multiple chambers for various projects, this is the build for you.
However, this system tends to run hot and will need the open air of a large room or garage to function optimally.
Supply List:
- 4 Bulb t5 Grow Light Fixture (x2 at $74.99)
- GrowSun 6” 400 CFM Indoor Grow Exhaust Kit, Carbon Filter, Fan, Time, Ducting ($119.99)
- TopoGrow 630W CMH Grow Light Kit, 120v Fixture w/ 2 3100k Bulbs($318.65)
- AcuRite Hydrometer and Thermometer (x2 at $11.98)
- VivoSun 6” 240CFM Inline Duct Booster Fan (x2 at $20.99)
- Lorell 6” Clip-On Fan (x4 at $16.43)
- Century 7 Day Heavy Duty Programmable Digital Timer, Dual Outlet (x2 at $12.99)
- TopoGrow 2-in-1 60”X48”X80” Dual Room Indoor Grow Tent ($187.84)
The “Standard Grow” is designed to be a fully comprehensive cannabis cultivation and propagation system, offering an all-inclusive perpetual grow space packed into a 4×5’ build. For just under $1,000, you get a 3-chambered, 3-light tent with a full air filtration system, automation and metering included.
This build allows growers to cultivate at multiple stages in the plant’s life cycle as well as provide housing for multiple propagation projects.
The 4×4’ main tent is powered by a 630w CMH light and the 1×4’ two-tiered tent extension is built out with two 4-bulb t5 fluorescent light fixtures. Complete with four fans, two dual outlet timers, and adjustable intake/exhaust components, this 80” tent supports even the most ambitious of grows.
Build Notes:
- Assembly Time: ~2 hours
- Hardware Recommendations: Duct tape, heavy-duty zip ties
- Total Power Outlets Required: 10 (two 5-outlet grounded adaptors recommended)
- Where to Assemble: Room or garage
- Recommended Plant Count: 4 to 12 (flowering)
- Tent: The shining star of this build is the TopoGrow 2-in-1 60”x48”x80” dual-room indoor grow tent. The main chamber is 4’x4’x6.6” with an attached 1’x4’x6.6” two-tiered chamber. A wire frame separates the two chambers, allowing for two separate propagation rooms. The main and second chambers of the tent are divided by a velcro applied detachable, double-ended mylar fabric barrier.
- Light: This system contains three separate light fixtures. The main room is outfitted with a 120v 630w CMH fixture with double 3100k bulbs, while the two-tiered chamber contains a pair of 12”x48” t5 fluorescent light bulb fixtures (4-bulb) stacked vertically. With this build, the main chamber may be used for both late vegetative and flowering cycles while the side chambers make for fantastic germination and cloning areas for young vegetative plants.
- Filtration: The main chamber of the tent comes with a complete air filtration system. The intake is one 6” inline duct booster fan fastened at the bottom of the tent. A second 6” booster fan removes hot air from the top of the tent and sits just left of the CMH fixture. For exhaust, a 400CFM kit from GrowSun is used. The kit contains a 6” carbon filter, heavy-duty duct exhaust fan (with a speed controller), as well as 6” aluminum ducting. This system may either be fastened to the top back end of the tent via heavy-duty zip ties and duct tape or placed on the ground in the back right corner of the tent. Each set-up allows for exhaust ducting to leave the same top port. The main room receives two 6” clip-on fans, one set up to canopy height and the second fastened to a top support beam directing air towards the light fixture and 6” exhaust fan. The two-tiered side chamber gets a 6” clip-on fan for each room.
- Automation: Two Dual Outlet Century 7 digital timers are used in this build. One controls the light and exhaust fan in the main chamber and the other controls the two fluorescent lights on the side.
- Climate Metering: Each chamber receives one Acurite hydrometer/thermometer for climate metering.
Filtration Setup: For the main room, fasten the first 6” booster fan to the bottom-left port of the tent with zip ties and duct tape, directing air inward. The second booster fan should be fastened in the same way on the top-left side of the tent above the first. This fan will direct air out of the tent.
The 6” exhaust kit may either be fastened on the top of the left tent or on the bottom-right, each option directing air through the carbon filter and out of the top port. This room receives two 6” clip-on fans—the first will be fastened to the top-right support beam of the tent to help move warm air towards the exhaust. The second fan can be placed on the back-left corner to follow the canopy as it rises.
For the second room, a 6” clip-on fan is fastened to the back-left support beam of each tier to direct airflow throughout each small chamber.
Author’s Notes:
- All prices are factored in pre-tax/ pre-shipping fees.
- Pricing and availability are subject to change.
- Although not included in the inventory list, it is highly recommended that you purchase both 4” and 6” protective screens for each booster fan. Though not available on Amazon currently, these can be purchased at most hardware stores.
Leafly's Faves 2018: Strains
Leafly’s Faves is a series providing a glimpse into the strains, products, and brands that our team of cannabis aficionados is buying, consuming, and enjoying the most every year. Some are entirely new to the market, while others are simply perennial favorites that we can’t recommend enough. Below, find our crew’s favorite cannabis strains of 2018.
What was your favorite strain of 2018? Share with us in the comments below!
Purple Punch
Purple Punch is so damn good, there’s no surprise that it’s one of Leafly’s favorite strains of 2018. The purple buds are densely covered in the trichomes, producing a high-THC punch of relaxation, perfect for anyone who to needs to decompress after a tough year. This year, it took over California with its shiny purple bag appeal and pungent grape terps.
Find Purple Punch Near You
Also featured in:
Lemon Meringue is one of those sweet delights that you need in your daily routine. It packs an amazing lemon-lime flavor and produces mood-elevating effects that never get old. If you need something tasty, something citrusy, and something that will put a little pep in your step, Lemon Meringue is the strain for you.
Lavender
Lavender is an herbal bud with a floral and spicy aroma that resembles the lavender flower. We love it for its taste, and you’ll love it for the same. Lavender lovers also appreciate its relaxing effects and enticing purple hues.
Mimosa
Bred by Symbiotic Genetics, Mimosa is one of the tastiest strains out there. If you want a blast of citrusy smoke, look no further. Though named after a brunch drink, this strain is great for any time of day. It leaves you feeling stoned, but not sleepy.
Harlequin is a balanced CBD/THC strain that provides a less intense high, helping you mellow out and relax. Anyone looking for a smooth flight with an even smoother landing should locate the nearest Harlequin.
GMO Cookies (Garlic Cookies)
GMO Cookies, also known as Garlic Cookies, is a newer strain that’s seeing a lot of attention. A powerful cross between Chemdog and GSC, GMO Cookies retains an incredibly gassy aroma with a sweet earthy aroma. We love it for its potency that’s sure to satisfy any connoisseur of classic strains.
Leafly’s Faves is a series providing a glimpse into the strains, products, and brands that our team of cannabis aficionados is buying, consuming, and enjoying the most every year. Some are entirely new to the market, while others are simply perennial favorites that we can’t recommend enough. Below, find our crew’s favorite cannabis strains of 2018.
What was your favorite strain of 2018? Share with us in the comments below!
Purple Punch
Purple Punch is so damn good, there’s no surprise that it’s one of Leafly’s favorite strains of 2018. The purple buds are densely covered in the trichomes, producing a high-THC punch of relaxation, perfect for anyone who to needs to decompress after a tough year. This year, it took over California with its shiny purple bag appeal and pungent grape terps.
Find Purple Punch Near You
Also featured in:
Lemon Meringue is one of those sweet delights that you need in your daily routine. It packs an amazing lemon-lime flavor and produces mood-elevating effects that never get old. If you need something tasty, something citrusy, and something that will put a little pep in your step, Lemon Meringue is the strain for you.
Lavender
Lavender is an herbal bud with a floral and spicy aroma that resembles the lavender flower. We love it for its taste, and you’ll love it for the same. Lavender lovers also appreciate its relaxing effects and enticing purple hues.
Mimosa
Bred by Symbiotic Genetics, Mimosa is one of the tastiest strains out there. If you want a blast of citrusy smoke, look no further. Though named after a brunch drink, this strain is great for any time of day. It leaves you feeling stoned, but not sleepy.
Harlequin is a balanced CBD/THC strain that provides a less intense high, helping you mellow out and relax. Anyone looking for a smooth flight with an even smoother landing should locate the nearest Harlequin.
GMO Cookies (Garlic Cookies)
GMO Cookies, also known as Garlic Cookies, is a newer strain that’s seeing a lot of attention. A powerful cross between Chemdog and GSC, GMO Cookies retains an incredibly gassy aroma with a sweet earthy aroma. We love it for its potency that’s sure to satisfy any connoisseur of classic strains.
Leafly's Faves 2018: Concentrates
Leafly’s Faves is a series providing a glimpse into the strains, products, and brands that our team of cannabis aficionados is buying, consuming, and enjoying the most every year. Some are entirely new to the market, while others are simply perennial favorites that we can’t recommend enough. Below, find our crew’s favorite cannabis concentrates of 2018.
What was your favorite extract of 2018? Share with us in the comments below!
Lemon Heads Live Resin Badder from Tsunami Labs
Available in: Nevada
The Lemon Heads live resin from Tsunami Labs is a beautiful yellow badder that is smooth, creamy, and bursting with sour citrus terps. The soft yet stable consistency makes it easy to dab or top on bowls, and the candied lemon flavors make it hard to put down. A flavorful dab that tops out at 65.57% THC with more than 6.27% total terpenes, its compelling flavors are led by an abundance of terpinolene, which clocks in around 4.5%.
Koloa Sunrise Hash Rosin from Polar Icetracts
(Grant Hindsley for Leafly)
Available in: Washington
If you’re looking for solventless hash in Washington, look no further than Polar Icetracts. Their hash rosin is flavorful and consistent, typically processed from strains grown responsibly by Gold Leaf Gardens. While their entire product line is on point, the Koloa Sunrise is something truly unique. Its sweet tropical flavors seem to transport you to a breezy, warm beach even in the dead of winter. The uplifting vibes can take a few minutes to settle in as you stumble through the initial potent impact of Koloa Sunrise.
Papaya Live Rosin from Frosty NugMan
Available in: California
The Papaya Live Rosin from Frosty NugMan is an incredibly pungent hash that features resin grown by Str8 Organics. Its complex terpene profile is highlighted by a dank cheese note that is oddly sweet. Crafted gorgeously, this live resin will have you in full zen once the full body high creeps over you.
Orange Skunk Live Resin by Claywolf
Available in: Oregon
Claywolf puts out a steady stream of flavorful live resins. The Orange Skunk, extracted from flower grown by Eugenius, is one that simply can’t be ignored. It features sweet, floral flavors with a sour citrus kick. A dab of this will send you on a happy, euphoric ride while melting away sour moods and stress.
William’s Wonder by Terp Preservation Society
Available in: California
The name says it all. Terp Preservation Society keeps their extracts loud and flavorful by preserving precious terpenes. Compelling aromas and fresh flavors make any of their live resins a great choice, but the William’s Wonderspecifically caught our attention. With complex flavors and an eclectic effects profile, it’s hard to pinpoint one single flavor or feeling, but altogether they create a wonderful experience.
CO2 Oil by Eureka
Available in: California & Colorado
Eureka’s mission is to create 100% natural cannabis extracts that are safe and pure. Their vape cartridges and disposable vape pens are additive-free and are appreciated for clean effects, flavorful terpene profiles, and the occasional appearance of minor cannabinoids like CBG, CBN, CBC.
Zkittlez Live Resin by Cold Smoke Concentrates
Available in: Washington
Cold Smoke’s Zkittlez live resin delivers some of richest, sweetest flavors you’ll find from a natural terpene profile. Beautifully crafted and presented, it looks as good as it smells. The mouth-watering flavor is hard to put down and is followed by a rush of happy, blissful effects that rock you into relaxation once you return from orbit.
Harlequin Raw CO2 Oil by Heylo Cannabis
Available in: Washington
Heylo’s complete line of raw CO2 products create exciting, terpene-rich experiences. Their Harlequin vape cartridge and PAX Era pods in particular give exceptional flavor, true to the flower but more pronounced and nuanced. Their Blue Dream CBD and Green Crack CBD are other great options for those who aren’t looking for the euphoric rush of THC. Or, if you are looking for high-flying effects, try Heylo’s flavorful and uplifting Jack’s Girl pod.
Leafly’s Faves is a series providing a glimpse into the strains, products, and brands that our team of cannabis aficionados is buying, consuming, and enjoying the most every year. Some are entirely new to the market, while others are simply perennial favorites that we can’t recommend enough. Below, find our crew’s favorite cannabis concentrates of 2018.
What was your favorite extract of 2018? Share with us in the comments below!
Lemon Heads Live Resin Badder from Tsunami Labs
Available in: Nevada
The Lemon Heads live resin from Tsunami Labs is a beautiful yellow badder that is smooth, creamy, and bursting with sour citrus terps. The soft yet stable consistency makes it easy to dab or top on bowls, and the candied lemon flavors make it hard to put down. A flavorful dab that tops out at 65.57% THC with more than 6.27% total terpenes, its compelling flavors are led by an abundance of terpinolene, which clocks in around 4.5%.
Koloa Sunrise Hash Rosin from Polar Icetracts
(Grant Hindsley for Leafly)
Available in: Washington
If you’re looking for solventless hash in Washington, look no further than Polar Icetracts. Their hash rosin is flavorful and consistent, typically processed from strains grown responsibly by Gold Leaf Gardens. While their entire product line is on point, the Koloa Sunrise is something truly unique. Its sweet tropical flavors seem to transport you to a breezy, warm beach even in the dead of winter. The uplifting vibes can take a few minutes to settle in as you stumble through the initial potent impact of Koloa Sunrise.
Papaya Live Rosin from Frosty NugMan
Available in: California
The Papaya Live Rosin from Frosty NugMan is an incredibly pungent hash that features resin grown by Str8 Organics. Its complex terpene profile is highlighted by a dank cheese note that is oddly sweet. Crafted gorgeously, this live resin will have you in full zen once the full body high creeps over you.
Orange Skunk Live Resin by Claywolf
Available in: Oregon
Claywolf puts out a steady stream of flavorful live resins. The Orange Skunk, extracted from flower grown by Eugenius, is one that simply can’t be ignored. It features sweet, floral flavors with a sour citrus kick. A dab of this will send you on a happy, euphoric ride while melting away sour moods and stress.
William’s Wonder by Terp Preservation Society
Available in: California
The name says it all. Terp Preservation Society keeps their extracts loud and flavorful by preserving precious terpenes. Compelling aromas and fresh flavors make any of their live resins a great choice, but the William’s Wonderspecifically caught our attention. With complex flavors and an eclectic effects profile, it’s hard to pinpoint one single flavor or feeling, but altogether they create a wonderful experience.
CO2 Oil by Eureka
Available in: California & Colorado
Eureka’s mission is to create 100% natural cannabis extracts that are safe and pure. Their vape cartridges and disposable vape pens are additive-free and are appreciated for clean effects, flavorful terpene profiles, and the occasional appearance of minor cannabinoids like CBG, CBN, CBC.
Zkittlez Live Resin by Cold Smoke Concentrates
Available in: Washington
Cold Smoke’s Zkittlez live resin delivers some of richest, sweetest flavors you’ll find from a natural terpene profile. Beautifully crafted and presented, it looks as good as it smells. The mouth-watering flavor is hard to put down and is followed by a rush of happy, blissful effects that rock you into relaxation once you return from orbit.
Harlequin Raw CO2 Oil by Heylo Cannabis
Available in: Washington
Heylo’s complete line of raw CO2 products create exciting, terpene-rich experiences. Their Harlequin vape cartridge and PAX Era pods in particular give exceptional flavor, true to the flower but more pronounced and nuanced. Their Blue Dream CBD and Green Crack CBD are other great options for those who aren’t looking for the euphoric rush of THC. Or, if you are looking for high-flying effects, try Heylo’s flavorful and uplifting Jack’s Girl pod.
Leafly’s 2018 Strain of the Year
The cannabis landscape continues to expand at a staggering rate. New brands, products, genetics, and all sorts of other exciting innovations and investments came out in 2018. This rise of cannabis into the global mainstream makes staking a claim like “Strain of the Year” all the more difficult.
Thankfully we have hard data to help sift through the vast diversity of modern cannabis strains. So to determine which strain made the biggest splash in 2018, I looked at a number of different indicators from the way people engage with strains on Leafly.
Of course data isn’t the whole picture. For a strain to really live up to the hype it has to be a complete package. Aesthetic, flavor, and experience all must be on point. Even its cultural impact comes into play.
So without further adieu, I give you 2018’s Strain of the Year…
Gelato
This is not a new strain. Gelato wasn’t created or released in 2018, but it gained an exceptional amount of popularity and proliferated far and wide throughout the cannabis industry this past year. This is the year Gelato burst into the mainstream, and the wake it has left is too powerful to ignore!
Everyone is looking for Gelato. In 2018 the word “Gelato” has been a top search term on Leafly, sitting right next to other well-established powerhouses like Blue Dream and GG4.
Find Gelato Near You
In November alone, Leafly visitors spent nearly 435,000 hours looking at the strain details and availability of Gelato at dispensaries near them, more than any other strain.
Everyone is finding Gelato, too! Thousands of different cannabis products on dispensaries menus across the nation feature Gelato, and the amount of Gelato flower, pre-rolls, vape cartridges, etc., has changed rapidly as dispensaries shuffle through their inventories.
As far as available strains in 2018 go, Gelato has been more prevalent than classic strains like Northern Lights and Dutch Treat. It even edged out one of its parent strains, Sunset Sherbert, which has had its own wave of success.
Once you find Gelato, you like Gelato. It has overwhelmingly exceptional reviews, receiving more 5-stars reviews on Leafly than any other strain. To date, not a single reviewer has said that they wouldn’t recommend it to others.
(Leafly)
Why Do People Love Gelato So Much?
Gelato is a hybrid with an empire of its own, but it was built from the foundation of its parent strains: A cross between Sherbinski’s Sunset Sherbert and Cookie Fam’s Thin Mint GSC, it continues to ride the wave of its potent, compelling, and hyped lineage.
Following in the footsteps of Sherbert and Thin Mint, Gelato first sprouted in the Bay Area a few years ago. It has slowly picked up steam as more and more people look for the next cultivar that will impact the scene the same way its parents have.
True to its Cookies heritage, Gelato blooms into tight bulbous buds, tinged with purple hues and dripping with a frosty coat of crystal resin. The flower’s sweet, creamy mix of flavors live up to the Gelato name and continues the dessert-naming conventions of its ancestors, a craze that has swept the West Coast and beyond.
Like both of its parent strains, Gelato is appreciated for its potent suite of effects. It’s a forceful experience of blissful euphoria and physical relaxation that can be quite the ride. I enjoy the Gelato experience because it puts me in a good mood and doesn’t distract me from staying productive. It gives me just enough focus, but allows me a slightly different perspective if I’m working on something creative or challenging.
Gelato also has a number of well known phenotypes, each capturing their own hyper-niche market of Gelato connoisseurs with nicknames like Larry Bird (Gelato #33) and Michael Jordan (Gelato #45). Gelato #41 and Gelato #25 are two other popular phenotypes you might find.
The original breeder, Mr. Sherbinski, has developed a whole line of Gelato strains that showcase the variety of flavors and characteristics of the lineage. His Bacio Gelato skews higher in THC and is known for its heavy-handed relaxation, whereas Mochi Gelato is much more bright and uplifting, its fruity flavors coming with a minty finish and a soothing, creative buzz.
Gello Gelato finds some common ground with its two sisters, Bacio and Mochi, and Acaiberry Gelato puts a bit of a tropical twist on things thanks to some influence from Sherbinski’s Pink Panties strain.
With so many different flavors, forms, and offshoots, it’s easy to find a Gelato that you’ll like. Its variety, coupled with mass popularity and an exceptional genetic pedigree, make Gelato an easy win for 2018.
The cannabis landscape continues to expand at a staggering rate. New brands, products, genetics, and all sorts of other exciting innovations and investments came out in 2018. This rise of cannabis into the global mainstream makes staking a claim like “Strain of the Year” all the more difficult.
Thankfully we have hard data to help sift through the vast diversity of modern cannabis strains. So to determine which strain made the biggest splash in 2018, I looked at a number of different indicators from the way people engage with strains on Leafly.
Of course data isn’t the whole picture. For a strain to really live up to the hype it has to be a complete package. Aesthetic, flavor, and experience all must be on point. Even its cultural impact comes into play.
So without further adieu, I give you 2018’s Strain of the Year…
Gelato
This is not a new strain. Gelato wasn’t created or released in 2018, but it gained an exceptional amount of popularity and proliferated far and wide throughout the cannabis industry this past year. This is the year Gelato burst into the mainstream, and the wake it has left is too powerful to ignore!
Everyone is looking for Gelato. In 2018 the word “Gelato” has been a top search term on Leafly, sitting right next to other well-established powerhouses like Blue Dream and GG4.
Find Gelato Near You
In November alone, Leafly visitors spent nearly 435,000 hours looking at the strain details and availability of Gelato at dispensaries near them, more than any other strain.
Everyone is finding Gelato, too! Thousands of different cannabis products on dispensaries menus across the nation feature Gelato, and the amount of Gelato flower, pre-rolls, vape cartridges, etc., has changed rapidly as dispensaries shuffle through their inventories.
As far as available strains in 2018 go, Gelato has been more prevalent than classic strains like Northern Lights and Dutch Treat. It even edged out one of its parent strains, Sunset Sherbert, which has had its own wave of success.
Once you find Gelato, you like Gelato. It has overwhelmingly exceptional reviews, receiving more 5-stars reviews on Leafly than any other strain. To date, not a single reviewer has said that they wouldn’t recommend it to others.
(Leafly)
Why Do People Love Gelato So Much?
Gelato is a hybrid with an empire of its own, but it was built from the foundation of its parent strains: A cross between Sherbinski’s Sunset Sherbert and Cookie Fam’s Thin Mint GSC, it continues to ride the wave of its potent, compelling, and hyped lineage.
Following in the footsteps of Sherbert and Thin Mint, Gelato first sprouted in the Bay Area a few years ago. It has slowly picked up steam as more and more people look for the next cultivar that will impact the scene the same way its parents have.
True to its Cookies heritage, Gelato blooms into tight bulbous buds, tinged with purple hues and dripping with a frosty coat of crystal resin. The flower’s sweet, creamy mix of flavors live up to the Gelato name and continues the dessert-naming conventions of its ancestors, a craze that has swept the West Coast and beyond.
Like both of its parent strains, Gelato is appreciated for its potent suite of effects. It’s a forceful experience of blissful euphoria and physical relaxation that can be quite the ride. I enjoy the Gelato experience because it puts me in a good mood and doesn’t distract me from staying productive. It gives me just enough focus, but allows me a slightly different perspective if I’m working on something creative or challenging.
Gelato also has a number of well known phenotypes, each capturing their own hyper-niche market of Gelato connoisseurs with nicknames like Larry Bird (Gelato #33) and Michael Jordan (Gelato #45). Gelato #41 and Gelato #25 are two other popular phenotypes you might find.
The original breeder, Mr. Sherbinski, has developed a whole line of Gelato strains that showcase the variety of flavors and characteristics of the lineage. His Bacio Gelato skews higher in THC and is known for its heavy-handed relaxation, whereas Mochi Gelato is much more bright and uplifting, its fruity flavors coming with a minty finish and a soothing, creative buzz.
Gello Gelato finds some common ground with its two sisters, Bacio and Mochi, and Acaiberry Gelato puts a bit of a tropical twist on things thanks to some influence from Sherbinski’s Pink Panties strain.
With so many different flavors, forms, and offshoots, it’s easy to find a Gelato that you’ll like. Its variety, coupled with mass popularity and an exceptional genetic pedigree, make Gelato an easy win for 2018.
Denver Officials Want to Erase Low-Level Cannabis Offenses
DENVER (AP) — Denver officials are planning to clear thousands of marijuana convictions prosecuted before its use became legal in the state.
Colorado was among the first states to broadly allow the use and sale of marijuana by adults, but cities elsewhere have led the way on automatic expungement of past misdemeanor marijuana convictions.
A spokeswoman for Mayor Michael Hancock said Tuesday that city officials are still working on a plan to review the low-level convictions deemed eligible, an estimated 10,000 convictions between 2001 and 2013.
Denver officials, including the city attorney, are developing the approach with the district attorney’s office, said Theresa Marchetta, Hancock’s spokeswoman. The mayor may issue a sweeping executive order or direct city staff to work with legal authorities and clear the cases individually, she said.
“We are going to provide a pathway to move on from an era of marijuana prohibition that has impacted the lives of thousands of people.”
Mayor Michael Hancock
San Francisco, San Diego and Seattle announced their efforts early this year, framing the work as an attempt to repair years of damage on people who found that a misdemeanor conviction could bar them from jobs, housing and financial resources.
Minority and low-income communities have been particularly hurt by those barriers, Hancock said in a statement.
“This is an injustice that needs to be corrected, and we are going to provide a pathway to move on from an era of marijuana prohibition that has impacted the lives of thousands of people,” Hancock said in a statement.
Eleven states and the District of Columbia now allow broad marijuana use, and Colorado state lawmakers have begun tackling the issue. California this year passed a law requiring the state Department of Justice to identify marijuana convictions eligible for erasure or reduction and provide lists to local district attorneys.
“It’s a long time in coming,” said Art Way, director of the Drug Policy Alliance’s Colorado office.
Colorado lets people petition courts to remove low-level offenses including possession from their records. But advocates said that can become expensive and time-consuming, and district attorneys can challenge the requests.
DENVER (AP) — Denver officials are planning to clear thousands of marijuana convictions prosecuted before its use became legal in the state.
Colorado was among the first states to broadly allow the use and sale of marijuana by adults, but cities elsewhere have led the way on automatic expungement of past misdemeanor marijuana convictions.
A spokeswoman for Mayor Michael Hancock said Tuesday that city officials are still working on a plan to review the low-level convictions deemed eligible, an estimated 10,000 convictions between 2001 and 2013.
Denver officials, including the city attorney, are developing the approach with the district attorney’s office, said Theresa Marchetta, Hancock’s spokeswoman. The mayor may issue a sweeping executive order or direct city staff to work with legal authorities and clear the cases individually, she said.
“We are going to provide a pathway to move on from an era of marijuana prohibition that has impacted the lives of thousands of people.”
Mayor Michael Hancock
San Francisco, San Diego and Seattle announced their efforts early this year, framing the work as an attempt to repair years of damage on people who found that a misdemeanor conviction could bar them from jobs, housing and financial resources.
Minority and low-income communities have been particularly hurt by those barriers, Hancock said in a statement.
“This is an injustice that needs to be corrected, and we are going to provide a pathway to move on from an era of marijuana prohibition that has impacted the lives of thousands of people,” Hancock said in a statement.
Eleven states and the District of Columbia now allow broad marijuana use, and Colorado state lawmakers have begun tackling the issue. California this year passed a law requiring the state Department of Justice to identify marijuana convictions eligible for erasure or reduction and provide lists to local district attorneys.
“It’s a long time in coming,” said Art Way, director of the Drug Policy Alliance’s Colorado office.
Colorado lets people petition courts to remove low-level offenses including possession from their records. But advocates said that can become expensive and time-consuming, and district attorneys can challenge the requests.
New Jersey Lawmakers Advance Bill to Legalize Cannabis
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
November 26, 2018
This story has been updated.
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey lawmakers advanced a measure Monday to legalize cannabis after a roughly four-hour hearing that included dozens of opponents and proponents.
Lawmakers estimated that the Democrat-led joint Assembly and Senate panel heard from around 90 people, including police, ministers, health experts and former Democratic Rep. Patrick Kennedy, on marijuana legalization before a standing-room-only crowd.
If approved, the legislation would move to the floor of each chamber. A voting session is scheduled for later this month.
New Jersey would join 10 other states and the District of Columbia if it legalizes recreational cannabis. New Jersey lawmakers have held previous hearings on legalization, but Monday’s was the first that resulted with legislators voting to advance the legislation.
The sweeping, 147-page measure legalizes an ounce of marijuana for adults 21 and over, sets up a five-person, cannabis commission and taxes cannabis at 12 percent.
Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy has been a vocal proponent of legalization.
Yet the process has until now stalled in the Legislature, where lawmakers say setting up a new industry takes time, and securing votes poses hurdles.
Democratic state Sen. Nicholas Scutari sponsored the legislation says it will boost the economy by resulting in new businesses and grow the state’s perennially strapped revenues through taxes.
He hailed it for setting up “an entire new business opportunity and entire new industry.”
The first-term governor regularly cites “social justice” and disparate arrest rates for black residents as the primary cause for his support, but opponents raised concerns that legalization would not give enough of a boost to black communities. Democratic state Sen. Ron Rice called for a racial impact statement.
“This bill is being sold under the auspices of social justice but it’s really about money,” he said.
The measure calls for at least 15 percent of the licenses to cannabis establishments go to “minority owned businesses.”
A heated exchange unfolded after Kennedy, a current state resident and former Rhode Island congressman and the son of Ted Kennedy, warned that legalization would lead to the increased power of the “marijuana lobby” because of a built-in profit motive. He compared it to alcohol.
“You haven’t seen anything yet when it comes to the power of the marijuana lobby,” he said.
Scutari then asked whether he supported alcohol prohibition, which led Kennedy to say the lawmaker was showing off for reporters.
The legislation’s 12 percent excise tax includes the 6.625 percent sales tax. The draft also allows towns and cities to apply for up to a 2 percent tax on cannabis. That’s a change from an earlier proposal to phase in a higher rate over five years from 7 percent to 25 percent.
The legislation also calls for expediting expungements for people with marijuana-related criminal backgrounds.
The a five-person cannabis commission would regulate the substance and industry, with members working be full time and getting a $125,000 per year salary, while the chairman would get up to $141,000 annually.
The members would serve for five-year terms and would be appointed by the governor, with approval from the state Senate. Two members would be appointed on the recommendation of the Senate president and Assembly speaker.
Murphy said at an unrelated news conference that he was happy the bill was advancing but declined to specify whether he supported it.
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
November 26, 2018
This story has been updated.
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey lawmakers advanced a measure Monday to legalize cannabis after a roughly four-hour hearing that included dozens of opponents and proponents.
Lawmakers estimated that the Democrat-led joint Assembly and Senate panel heard from around 90 people, including police, ministers, health experts and former Democratic Rep. Patrick Kennedy, on marijuana legalization before a standing-room-only crowd.
If approved, the legislation would move to the floor of each chamber. A voting session is scheduled for later this month.
New Jersey would join 10 other states and the District of Columbia if it legalizes recreational cannabis. New Jersey lawmakers have held previous hearings on legalization, but Monday’s was the first that resulted with legislators voting to advance the legislation.
The sweeping, 147-page measure legalizes an ounce of marijuana for adults 21 and over, sets up a five-person, cannabis commission and taxes cannabis at 12 percent.
Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy has been a vocal proponent of legalization.
Yet the process has until now stalled in the Legislature, where lawmakers say setting up a new industry takes time, and securing votes poses hurdles.
Democratic state Sen. Nicholas Scutari sponsored the legislation says it will boost the economy by resulting in new businesses and grow the state’s perennially strapped revenues through taxes.
He hailed it for setting up “an entire new business opportunity and entire new industry.”
The first-term governor regularly cites “social justice” and disparate arrest rates for black residents as the primary cause for his support, but opponents raised concerns that legalization would not give enough of a boost to black communities. Democratic state Sen. Ron Rice called for a racial impact statement.
“This bill is being sold under the auspices of social justice but it’s really about money,” he said.
The measure calls for at least 15 percent of the licenses to cannabis establishments go to “minority owned businesses.”
A heated exchange unfolded after Kennedy, a current state resident and former Rhode Island congressman and the son of Ted Kennedy, warned that legalization would lead to the increased power of the “marijuana lobby” because of a built-in profit motive. He compared it to alcohol.
“You haven’t seen anything yet when it comes to the power of the marijuana lobby,” he said.
Scutari then asked whether he supported alcohol prohibition, which led Kennedy to say the lawmaker was showing off for reporters.
The legislation’s 12 percent excise tax includes the 6.625 percent sales tax. The draft also allows towns and cities to apply for up to a 2 percent tax on cannabis. That’s a change from an earlier proposal to phase in a higher rate over five years from 7 percent to 25 percent.
The legislation also calls for expediting expungements for people with marijuana-related criminal backgrounds.
The a five-person cannabis commission would regulate the substance and industry, with members working be full time and getting a $125,000 per year salary, while the chairman would get up to $141,000 annually.
The members would serve for five-year terms and would be appointed by the governor, with approval from the state Senate. Two members would be appointed on the recommendation of the Senate president and Assembly speaker.
Murphy said at an unrelated news conference that he was happy the bill was advancing but declined to specify whether he supported it.
sub
What to Do With Cannabis Stalks, Leaves, & Stems From Harvest
(Elysse Feigenblatt/Leafly)
(Leafly)
Growing cannabis is all about producing large, aromatic colas, but at the end of harvest, we’re left with much more than just that—stalks, leaves, soil, and roots. Largely these materials end up in the dump or in your city’s composting program, but what if you could utilize these materials to cut down costs and improve your next harvest?
Plants grow in a continual cycle of nutrient exchange, and cannabis plants in your garden are no different. Every nutrient pulled from the earth besides water and CO2 are simply moved from the soil to the plant. One way to reduce your cost of growing and waste is to look into ways you can use the nutrient-dense portions of the plant that normally get tossed out.
So, how can you utilize old stalks, leaves, roots, and soil?
(Elysse Feigenblatt/Leafly)
Stalks: Mulch for Your Garden
Cannabis plants produce extremely fibrous material in their stalks. Commercial hemp farming is largely based around either the fibrous qualities of the plant and the oil extracted from the hemp seeds. An all-female cannabis garden won’t produce any seeds, but you’ll still be left with large quantities of stalks.
You can use a wood chipper to break down the stalks to create mulch. From here, you can either add this mulch to your compost pile or return it to your garden. Mulch should only be applied in gardens with living soils to ensure that it will break down over time to become both food and a new habitat for beneficial insects. Also note that you never want to use any plants that had diseases or infestations—they will likely spread their illness around the garden through the mulch.
Leaves: Juice, Tea, and Hash
Cannabis leaves, much like the stalks, are great for composting—but they can also be used for other projects.
There are two main types of cannabis leaves: fan leaves and sugar leaves. Fan leaves are the iconic, large leaves that serve as the primary source for capturing energy from the sun. Sugar leaves are the small, resin-coated leaves that form around the buds.
Because fan leaves do not contain high levels of cannabinoids, they don’t serve a purpose when it comes to making hash. However, it’s becoming popular to juice fan leaves as one does with other common leafy greens. You can also dry fan leaves and brew them into tea and or use them in recipes for salves.
Sugar leaves, on the other hand, produce a thick coat of cannabinoid-packed trichomes. To harvest them on a small scale, we recommend creating bubble hash or canna-butter. These solventless products can be made safely at home with simple setups.
Roots: Tea or Topicals
Cannabis roots aren’t as commonly repurposed as leaves and stalks, but there is evidence of cannabis roots being used as medicine dating all the way back to 2700 BC. Brewed cannabis roots were historically used to treat pain, gonorrhea, and hemorrhaging during pregnancies.
The best way to prepare roots for medicinal use is by boiling them for tea or to dry the roots and grind them into a powder. Using either preparation, you can then create salves by mixing the powder or liquid with oils or other solutions.
Soils: Amended for Future Use
Used soil is the largest burden you’re left with after harvest. However, it doesn’t need to go anywhere. One of the best ways to save money on your next grow is to amend the soil you previously used so that it can host healthy, strong plants again.
To be certain of what your soil is missing, you can purchase test kits which will give you detailed information about which nutrients are available or unavailable in your soil.At this point, you can purchase pre-mixed amendments or customize your mix with desired nutrients. Regardless of which method you choose, amending your soil will keep your plants happy while saving you money in the long-run.
(Elysse Feigenblatt/Leafly)
(Leafly)
Growing cannabis is all about producing large, aromatic colas, but at the end of harvest, we’re left with much more than just that—stalks, leaves, soil, and roots. Largely these materials end up in the dump or in your city’s composting program, but what if you could utilize these materials to cut down costs and improve your next harvest?
Plants grow in a continual cycle of nutrient exchange, and cannabis plants in your garden are no different. Every nutrient pulled from the earth besides water and CO2 are simply moved from the soil to the plant. One way to reduce your cost of growing and waste is to look into ways you can use the nutrient-dense portions of the plant that normally get tossed out.
So, how can you utilize old stalks, leaves, roots, and soil?
(Elysse Feigenblatt/Leafly)
Stalks: Mulch for Your Garden
Cannabis plants produce extremely fibrous material in their stalks. Commercial hemp farming is largely based around either the fibrous qualities of the plant and the oil extracted from the hemp seeds. An all-female cannabis garden won’t produce any seeds, but you’ll still be left with large quantities of stalks.
You can use a wood chipper to break down the stalks to create mulch. From here, you can either add this mulch to your compost pile or return it to your garden. Mulch should only be applied in gardens with living soils to ensure that it will break down over time to become both food and a new habitat for beneficial insects. Also note that you never want to use any plants that had diseases or infestations—they will likely spread their illness around the garden through the mulch.
Leaves: Juice, Tea, and Hash
Cannabis leaves, much like the stalks, are great for composting—but they can also be used for other projects.
There are two main types of cannabis leaves: fan leaves and sugar leaves. Fan leaves are the iconic, large leaves that serve as the primary source for capturing energy from the sun. Sugar leaves are the small, resin-coated leaves that form around the buds.
Because fan leaves do not contain high levels of cannabinoids, they don’t serve a purpose when it comes to making hash. However, it’s becoming popular to juice fan leaves as one does with other common leafy greens. You can also dry fan leaves and brew them into tea and or use them in recipes for salves.
Sugar leaves, on the other hand, produce a thick coat of cannabinoid-packed trichomes. To harvest them on a small scale, we recommend creating bubble hash or canna-butter. These solventless products can be made safely at home with simple setups.
Roots: Tea or Topicals
Cannabis roots aren’t as commonly repurposed as leaves and stalks, but there is evidence of cannabis roots being used as medicine dating all the way back to 2700 BC. Brewed cannabis roots were historically used to treat pain, gonorrhea, and hemorrhaging during pregnancies.
The best way to prepare roots for medicinal use is by boiling them for tea or to dry the roots and grind them into a powder. Using either preparation, you can then create salves by mixing the powder or liquid with oils or other solutions.
Soils: Amended for Future Use
Used soil is the largest burden you’re left with after harvest. However, it doesn’t need to go anywhere. One of the best ways to save money on your next grow is to amend the soil you previously used so that it can host healthy, strong plants again.
To be certain of what your soil is missing, you can purchase test kits which will give you detailed information about which nutrients are available or unavailable in your soil.At this point, you can purchase pre-mixed amendments or customize your mix with desired nutrients. Regardless of which method you choose, amending your soil will keep your plants happy while saving you money in the long-run.
How to Turn a College Degree Into a Cannabis Industry Career
If you’re a recent college graduate, how do you go about finding a job in the cannabis industry, and what does it mean to work in a field that’s still technically federally illegal?
I asked myself those questions last year before I dove head-first into the industry. As a recent University of Nebraska-Lincoln graduate, I found that making the jump into cannabis was nerve-racking, especially if the state you’re coming from is still sour on legalization.
As Leafly reported earlier this year, America’s legal cannabis industry now supports more than 122,000 full-time jobs in 29 states and DC.
If you’re one of the two million college students graduating this season, opportunities abound. You just have to know where to look.
To help you on your search, Leafly spoke with recent graduates as well as Karson Humiston, the 24-year-old founder and CEO of Vangst Talent Network, which bills itself as the world’s largest staffing and recruiting agency focused on cannabis.
Don’t Be a Stranger
First thing: Educate yourself on cannabis and the workings of the industry. It helps to brush up on cannabis rules and regulations, which vary by state, county, and even city. But doing your research is only half the battle. If you want to be noticed, you need put yourself out there.
Too often “people send their resume and just hope it will get picked up,” Humiston told Leafly from her office in Denver. Some cannabis companies receive “hundreds and hundreds of resumes a day,” she said. “People need to be a little more proactive and get out there.”
What does “getting out there” look like? Humiston suggested attending job fairs and cannabis conferences. Those events give job-seekers the chance to meet representatives from a wide variety of companies and consider which might be the best fit.
The basic idea is to separate yourself from the masses. Interest in working in the cannabis industry has spiked in recent years as states like California, Nevada, and Massachusetts passed legalization laws.
“We are getting a huge wave,” said Humiston, whose agency has responded by organizing career fairs in Las Vegas (July 1) and Denver (July 16). More than 50 companies will have representatives in attendance, she said. “That’s a great way to go out and meet with companies directly.”
Pick a Passion—and a Place
It’s not quite enough to say you want to work “in cannabis.” Humiston advises knowing what you want to do professionally, too. Do you want to be an accountant in the cannabis industry? A testing lab technician? A marketing executive? A journalist?
“I would recommend that people figure out what they want to do with their careers—not just focus on the cannabis industry,” Humiston said.
It’s also important to be familiar with the job market in the region you’d like to call home. Job markets can differ significantly from state to state, especially in places like Colorado or Washington, which have had legal cannabis markets for a few years now.
“If you want to work in marketing, research the types of jobs and the companies that are hiring for marketing,” Humiston said. “You can go onto our website and look at the jobs we post. You can go [to] all the various job boards and just research companies in Colorado or Washington, etc., so you can see who is hiring for a particular type of role.”
Once you identify an employer that interests you, consider inviting them out for an informational interview over lunch or coffee.
“Once you research different companies that are hiring, reach out to them,” Humiston said. “If you see that [a certain company] is hiring for a marketing coordinator, look on LinkedIn for people currently in the marketing department there and ask to take them for a cup of coffee and talk to them about their experience there.”
What Will Your Family Say?
Not everybody will be excited to learn of your interest in the cannabis industry. “I vividly remember this one close friend of my parents told me that I had so much potential, and I was going to ruin my career by doing this,” Humiston recalled.
When I came to Leafly, my main concern was what my family—mainly my mom and dad—would think about my decision to move from sports PR to writing about cannabis. Would my great aunt and uncle still look at me the same? Or would they be disappointed with my choice to work in a sector emerging from decades of stigma?
“Of my two parents, my dad is much more excited and supportive of it—and now my mom is as well,” Humiston said. “But in the beginning, she was very skeptical. Same with my grandparents, my cousins, aunt and uncles, and my close family friends.”
Try not to misinterpret the skepticism as an attack, Humiston advised. “When there are people you look up to who are really disconcerted, they are not saying it to be mean. They actually do believe that. And I could tell they did.”
While family and friends can offer valuable insight, Humiston stressed that this type of decision should only be made by the graduate—the only person, she said, who truly knows what they want out of their career.
“By the time you are almost through college, you are an adult,” Humiston said. “You need to consider what the best decision is for you. Try to avoid all the exterior noise. Focus on what you think is right and what you think is going to help you have a successful career.”
And keep an open mind. “Success is measured by a lot of different things, not just financial success,” Humiston noted. “Is this an industry that I can grow within? Is this an industry that I am going to be happy in? Do I like the types of people that work in this space?”
Find People With the Kind of Job You Want
Not sure where to start?
Click through to this recent Leafly article profiling a number of real-life cannabis jobs and the people who enjoy them.
If you’re a recent college graduate, how do you go about finding a job in the cannabis industry, and what does it mean to work in a field that’s still technically federally illegal?
I asked myself those questions last year before I dove head-first into the industry. As a recent University of Nebraska-Lincoln graduate, I found that making the jump into cannabis was nerve-racking, especially if the state you’re coming from is still sour on legalization.
As Leafly reported earlier this year, America’s legal cannabis industry now supports more than 122,000 full-time jobs in 29 states and DC.
If you’re one of the two million college students graduating this season, opportunities abound. You just have to know where to look.
To help you on your search, Leafly spoke with recent graduates as well as Karson Humiston, the 24-year-old founder and CEO of Vangst Talent Network, which bills itself as the world’s largest staffing and recruiting agency focused on cannabis.
Don’t Be a Stranger
First thing: Educate yourself on cannabis and the workings of the industry. It helps to brush up on cannabis rules and regulations, which vary by state, county, and even city. But doing your research is only half the battle. If you want to be noticed, you need put yourself out there.
Too often “people send their resume and just hope it will get picked up,” Humiston told Leafly from her office in Denver. Some cannabis companies receive “hundreds and hundreds of resumes a day,” she said. “People need to be a little more proactive and get out there.”
What does “getting out there” look like? Humiston suggested attending job fairs and cannabis conferences. Those events give job-seekers the chance to meet representatives from a wide variety of companies and consider which might be the best fit.
The basic idea is to separate yourself from the masses. Interest in working in the cannabis industry has spiked in recent years as states like California, Nevada, and Massachusetts passed legalization laws.
“We are getting a huge wave,” said Humiston, whose agency has responded by organizing career fairs in Las Vegas (July 1) and Denver (July 16). More than 50 companies will have representatives in attendance, she said. “That’s a great way to go out and meet with companies directly.”
Pick a Passion—and a Place
It’s not quite enough to say you want to work “in cannabis.” Humiston advises knowing what you want to do professionally, too. Do you want to be an accountant in the cannabis industry? A testing lab technician? A marketing executive? A journalist?
“I would recommend that people figure out what they want to do with their careers—not just focus on the cannabis industry,” Humiston said.
It’s also important to be familiar with the job market in the region you’d like to call home. Job markets can differ significantly from state to state, especially in places like Colorado or Washington, which have had legal cannabis markets for a few years now.
“If you want to work in marketing, research the types of jobs and the companies that are hiring for marketing,” Humiston said. “You can go onto our website and look at the jobs we post. You can go [to] all the various job boards and just research companies in Colorado or Washington, etc., so you can see who is hiring for a particular type of role.”
Once you identify an employer that interests you, consider inviting them out for an informational interview over lunch or coffee.
“Once you research different companies that are hiring, reach out to them,” Humiston said. “If you see that [a certain company] is hiring for a marketing coordinator, look on LinkedIn for people currently in the marketing department there and ask to take them for a cup of coffee and talk to them about their experience there.”
What Will Your Family Say?
Not everybody will be excited to learn of your interest in the cannabis industry. “I vividly remember this one close friend of my parents told me that I had so much potential, and I was going to ruin my career by doing this,” Humiston recalled.
When I came to Leafly, my main concern was what my family—mainly my mom and dad—would think about my decision to move from sports PR to writing about cannabis. Would my great aunt and uncle still look at me the same? Or would they be disappointed with my choice to work in a sector emerging from decades of stigma?
“Of my two parents, my dad is much more excited and supportive of it—and now my mom is as well,” Humiston said. “But in the beginning, she was very skeptical. Same with my grandparents, my cousins, aunt and uncles, and my close family friends.”
Try not to misinterpret the skepticism as an attack, Humiston advised. “When there are people you look up to who are really disconcerted, they are not saying it to be mean. They actually do believe that. And I could tell they did.”
While family and friends can offer valuable insight, Humiston stressed that this type of decision should only be made by the graduate—the only person, she said, who truly knows what they want out of their career.
“By the time you are almost through college, you are an adult,” Humiston said. “You need to consider what the best decision is for you. Try to avoid all the exterior noise. Focus on what you think is right and what you think is going to help you have a successful career.”
And keep an open mind. “Success is measured by a lot of different things, not just financial success,” Humiston noted. “Is this an industry that I can grow within? Is this an industry that I am going to be happy in? Do I like the types of people that work in this space?”
Find People With the Kind of Job You Want
Not sure where to start?
Click through to this recent Leafly article profiling a number of real-life cannabis jobs and the people who enjoy them.
Why Don’t More Doctors Prescribe Cannabis to Their Patients?
(Volodymyr Kryshtal/iStock)
Even as support for medicinal cannabis gathers momentum among voters, physicians often remain hesitant or firmly opposed to recommending cannabis to their patients. Mostly, their hesitation stems from a lack of supportive data and strong clinical trials. But when it comes to cannabis, is the science really not sufficient to support its clinical use?
To better understand why many doctors hesitate to embrace cannabis, let’s consider the factors that have plagued the pro-cannabis argument:
Why Are There Few Scientific Studies Into Cannabis’ Clinical Benefits?
The reason for the relative scarcity in clinical cannabis studies stems largely from its Schedule I classification by the Drug Enforcement Agency. This classification regulates how cannabis can be studied, the access scientists have to cannabis, and the financial and institutional resources that can be devoted to studying cannabis.
You won’t be surprised that it’s especially challenging to acquire funding to study a drug with “currently no accepted medicinal use,” according to the definition associated with its classification. It doesn’t matter that the same drug is one of the earliest known medicines. Most scientists’ careers live and die by grant funding, and the United States government is the single largest source of science funding in the world.
So if the government is resistant to funding medicinal cannabis research, it has a major impact. (And when they do commit to funding, not everyone is happy about it. For instance, Professor Michael Morgan of Washington State University in Vancouver received funding to study the interaction between THC and morphine on pain. This research was listed in Tom Coburn’s (R-OK) list of the top 100 Wasteful Stimulus Projects).
Is the Research Truly Not Available?
It turns out, there’s a trove of clinical research studies that the public doesn’t see. Because of the federal restrictions on research in academic institutions, private companies have taken it upon themselves to gather their own data, often with the support of nurses or physicians. The data gathered are being used to optimize the therapeutic effectiveness of their own products and are revealing, so we’re told, exciting and promising results.
Because these companies aren’t gaining approval through the same institutional review boards that are required for academic institutions, they’re often precluded from publishing in the peer-reviewed journals that are publicly available. Another downside is that they don’t receive the same scrutiny for the validity of their results.
Nonetheless, this privately collected trove of clinical data likely represents a significant source of clinical cannabis studies that could be used to transform the industry. But for now, few are showing their hands.
Why Is the Effectiveness of Cannabis Inconsistent Across Studies?
Beyond the challenge of acquiring research funding, it’s not easy—or in many cases possible—to get cannabis for clinical trials that’s consistent with what’s available to consumers.
The inability to systematically test different strains and products has traditionally led to an inability for the clinical research to support many claims by cannabis patients.
For decades, the University of Mississippi has been the only licensed facility to produce the plant for research purposes. But some researchers claim that the cannabis they receive doesn’t resemble the appearance or smell of traditional cannabis, it may be moldy, and has between 8-12% THC.
That may be fine if you’re trying to draw conclusions about the health benefit of that oneparticular strain, grown at that one particular site. But if that sub-optimal product also has sub-optimal medicinal benefits, is it valid to conclude that all cannabis strains and products similarly don’t have medicinal benefits? Of course not. The inability to systematically test different strains and products—many of which have been optimized for certain conditions—has traditionally led to an inability for the clinical research to support many claims by cannabis patients.
A less-than-ideal solution to this problem is to simply survey patients about how various medicines affect their symptoms. In this manner, cannabis consumers can be compared to a cohort using a different form of medication, or no medication at all. But often, this is the only distinguishing feature.
There’s a wide range in the frequency and history of use, not to mention the type of cannabis consumed (only recently have some studies compared THC-rich cannabis to CBD-rich cannabis) or route of administration. Would you expect someone using cannabis to treat their anxiety by smoking THC-rich cannabis 4x/day to have the same response as someone using a CBD-rich tincture 2x/day to have the same effect? Most would say no.
Why Do Some Reports Say Cannabis Has Serious Side Effects While Others Claim It’s Safe?
There’s well-established evidence in rodents and humans that too much THC can induce acute anxiety, paranoia, and even psychosis. But it’s important to note that often, these effects occur with high-THC products with little CBD. After all, most strains’ THC levels have drastically increased over the last 20 years while CBD levels have decreased. While this carries its own risk, most medical cannabis patients are not consuming massively high doses of THC. Instead, the evidence suggests that they should be using a more balanced THC:CBD or CBD-rich product for treating the majority of conditions.
So what about CBD on its own? Supposedly it has minimal side effects, right? Well, it depends on what research study you read. The prominent phase III clinical trial of CBD treatment in a childhood epileptic disorder reported several side effects including diarrhea, fatigue, and somnolence. To some, those adverse effects are concerning. But is it CBD that is causing them directly? It’s unclear.
With clinical trials (such as the phase III epilepsy trial), due to ethical concerns, patients remained on their prescribed anti-epileptic medications. CBD was used as an “add-on treatment.” We know that CBD inhibits liver enzymes that are needed to metabolize other drugs, so it’s possible that some of the adverse effects are due to drug-drug interactions, and not CBD on its own. But at this point, we don’t really know, and broad research restrictions keep us from being able to figure it out.
A Reader’s Responsibility
It’s our responsibility to ensure that the published reports are valid. Often, positive reports of a drug’s benefits are highly scrutinized to confirm that the treatment was truly effective. For instance, many of the tests used to assess pain require the animal to move in response to a painful stimulus. But if THC has sedating effects, it can make it seem like it reduced pain when in reality, the animal was just lethargic. This is not to say that cannabis doesn’t reduce pain (loads of evidence in rodents and humans suggest it does), but we must be careful.
But in cases where the drug was ineffective, we must also apply the same level of scrutiny. Is it possible that the drug could have had a positive treatment effect that was masked by poor methodology? The cannabis field is ripe with these examples.
The strongest cases have an established mechanism at the cellular level, a pre-clinical effect in rodent models of disease, and supporting data from clinical trials. These cases are emerging for numerous disorders and will continue so at an even faster rate thanks to the effort of scientists in countries with fewer cannabis research restrictions than the United States.
(Volodymyr Kryshtal/iStock)
Even as support for medicinal cannabis gathers momentum among voters, physicians often remain hesitant or firmly opposed to recommending cannabis to their patients. Mostly, their hesitation stems from a lack of supportive data and strong clinical trials. But when it comes to cannabis, is the science really not sufficient to support its clinical use?
To better understand why many doctors hesitate to embrace cannabis, let’s consider the factors that have plagued the pro-cannabis argument:
- First, a lack of available scientific studies on many health outcomes leaves us with mostly anecdotal reports of its medicinal abilities. While these stories certainly have value in guiding scientific investigation, they’re ripe with bias and a spectrum of confounding factors, so they’re not sufficient on their own.
- Next, when results suggest that cannabis is ineffective at treating a condition, or may have small benefits but substantial side effects, it’s hard to support using cannabis for that clinical condition.
- Lastly, inconsistency in cannabis’ effects across published reports reduces confidence in the predictable and consistent therapeutic benefits of cannabis.
Why Are There Few Scientific Studies Into Cannabis’ Clinical Benefits?
The reason for the relative scarcity in clinical cannabis studies stems largely from its Schedule I classification by the Drug Enforcement Agency. This classification regulates how cannabis can be studied, the access scientists have to cannabis, and the financial and institutional resources that can be devoted to studying cannabis.
You won’t be surprised that it’s especially challenging to acquire funding to study a drug with “currently no accepted medicinal use,” according to the definition associated with its classification. It doesn’t matter that the same drug is one of the earliest known medicines. Most scientists’ careers live and die by grant funding, and the United States government is the single largest source of science funding in the world.
So if the government is resistant to funding medicinal cannabis research, it has a major impact. (And when they do commit to funding, not everyone is happy about it. For instance, Professor Michael Morgan of Washington State University in Vancouver received funding to study the interaction between THC and morphine on pain. This research was listed in Tom Coburn’s (R-OK) list of the top 100 Wasteful Stimulus Projects).
Is the Research Truly Not Available?
It turns out, there’s a trove of clinical research studies that the public doesn’t see. Because of the federal restrictions on research in academic institutions, private companies have taken it upon themselves to gather their own data, often with the support of nurses or physicians. The data gathered are being used to optimize the therapeutic effectiveness of their own products and are revealing, so we’re told, exciting and promising results.
Because these companies aren’t gaining approval through the same institutional review boards that are required for academic institutions, they’re often precluded from publishing in the peer-reviewed journals that are publicly available. Another downside is that they don’t receive the same scrutiny for the validity of their results.
Nonetheless, this privately collected trove of clinical data likely represents a significant source of clinical cannabis studies that could be used to transform the industry. But for now, few are showing their hands.
Why Is the Effectiveness of Cannabis Inconsistent Across Studies?
Beyond the challenge of acquiring research funding, it’s not easy—or in many cases possible—to get cannabis for clinical trials that’s consistent with what’s available to consumers.
The inability to systematically test different strains and products has traditionally led to an inability for the clinical research to support many claims by cannabis patients.
For decades, the University of Mississippi has been the only licensed facility to produce the plant for research purposes. But some researchers claim that the cannabis they receive doesn’t resemble the appearance or smell of traditional cannabis, it may be moldy, and has between 8-12% THC.
That may be fine if you’re trying to draw conclusions about the health benefit of that oneparticular strain, grown at that one particular site. But if that sub-optimal product also has sub-optimal medicinal benefits, is it valid to conclude that all cannabis strains and products similarly don’t have medicinal benefits? Of course not. The inability to systematically test different strains and products—many of which have been optimized for certain conditions—has traditionally led to an inability for the clinical research to support many claims by cannabis patients.
A less-than-ideal solution to this problem is to simply survey patients about how various medicines affect their symptoms. In this manner, cannabis consumers can be compared to a cohort using a different form of medication, or no medication at all. But often, this is the only distinguishing feature.
There’s a wide range in the frequency and history of use, not to mention the type of cannabis consumed (only recently have some studies compared THC-rich cannabis to CBD-rich cannabis) or route of administration. Would you expect someone using cannabis to treat their anxiety by smoking THC-rich cannabis 4x/day to have the same response as someone using a CBD-rich tincture 2x/day to have the same effect? Most would say no.
Why Do Some Reports Say Cannabis Has Serious Side Effects While Others Claim It’s Safe?
There’s well-established evidence in rodents and humans that too much THC can induce acute anxiety, paranoia, and even psychosis. But it’s important to note that often, these effects occur with high-THC products with little CBD. After all, most strains’ THC levels have drastically increased over the last 20 years while CBD levels have decreased. While this carries its own risk, most medical cannabis patients are not consuming massively high doses of THC. Instead, the evidence suggests that they should be using a more balanced THC:CBD or CBD-rich product for treating the majority of conditions.
So what about CBD on its own? Supposedly it has minimal side effects, right? Well, it depends on what research study you read. The prominent phase III clinical trial of CBD treatment in a childhood epileptic disorder reported several side effects including diarrhea, fatigue, and somnolence. To some, those adverse effects are concerning. But is it CBD that is causing them directly? It’s unclear.
With clinical trials (such as the phase III epilepsy trial), due to ethical concerns, patients remained on their prescribed anti-epileptic medications. CBD was used as an “add-on treatment.” We know that CBD inhibits liver enzymes that are needed to metabolize other drugs, so it’s possible that some of the adverse effects are due to drug-drug interactions, and not CBD on its own. But at this point, we don’t really know, and broad research restrictions keep us from being able to figure it out.
A Reader’s Responsibility
It’s our responsibility to ensure that the published reports are valid. Often, positive reports of a drug’s benefits are highly scrutinized to confirm that the treatment was truly effective. For instance, many of the tests used to assess pain require the animal to move in response to a painful stimulus. But if THC has sedating effects, it can make it seem like it reduced pain when in reality, the animal was just lethargic. This is not to say that cannabis doesn’t reduce pain (loads of evidence in rodents and humans suggest it does), but we must be careful.
But in cases where the drug was ineffective, we must also apply the same level of scrutiny. Is it possible that the drug could have had a positive treatment effect that was masked by poor methodology? The cannabis field is ripe with these examples.
The strongest cases have an established mechanism at the cellular level, a pre-clinical effect in rodent models of disease, and supporting data from clinical trials. These cases are emerging for numerous disorders and will continue so at an even faster rate thanks to the effort of scientists in countries with fewer cannabis research restrictions than the United States.
This one for the tokers,
Which Is More Potent, Vaping Cannabis or Smoking a Joint?
January 28, 2019
Researchers compared the effects of vaped cannabis against those delivered by combusting a joint.
Cannabis vaporizers and pre-packaged cartridges continue to grow in popularity, with sales estimated to grow nearly 50% from 2017 to 2018. Vaping delivers a different experience than smoking a joint, but it’s not easy to quantify that difference. Recently, though, scientists have looked into the question and found that vaping actually packs a more powerful punch than the traditional joint.
Vaping 'can produce drastically different' experiences than smoking joints.
Tory Spindle, postdoctoral fellow, John Hopkins University
According to a recent JAMA study that examined cannabis consumption in infrequent consumers, people who vaporized cannabis flower experienced more pronounced effects than those who smoked the same dose. Effects increased along with the dose administered, suggesting that vaporized flower should be approached with a more conservative dosing strategy than smoked flower, especially for infrequent consumers.
While the lead author acknowledged that the study has some limitations, he echoed its conclusions in an interview with Leafly: “It was surprising, the magnitude of difference between equal doses of smoking versus vaping,” said Tory Spindle, a postdoctoral fellow with John Hopkins University’s Bayview Medical Center. Vaping “can produce drastically different impairment” for all consumers, he said.
More Efficient THC Delivery
Previous studies have shown that vaping is a more efficient THC delivery method than smoking, so researchers sought to examine its impacts on several outcomes at two doses and to compare these results with both smoking the same doses and consuming placebo doses of a THC-free substance. Researchers conducted the study between June 2016-January 2017 at Hopkins’ Behavioral Pharmacology Research Unit.
The population studied was made up of nine men and eight women with a mean age of 27.3 who were prescreened for cannabis and other drug use beforehand to confirm they all had gone an average of 13 months without consuming cannabis before the study.
Additionally, researchers assessed the participants before they consumed cannabis and then at 10 points afterwards up to 8 hours after they had consumed each of the six study doses (three vaping and three smoking) and each dose was measured to ensure consistency and with participants blinded to the amount they were using.
“We were able to control dosing better across the two conditions,” Spindle said, noting that this was likely why the study yielded different results. This research method allowing for titrated doses, or more carefully-calculated individual doses, which has been difficult to achieve in much of the past research on this subject.
Measuring Vaporized Flower’s Effects
When it came to measuring the cannabis affects, researchers applied the Drug Effect Questionnaire and three computerized tasks, The Digit Symbol Substitution Task, Divided Attention Task and Paced Auditory Serial Addition Task. These tasks were chosen because they “previously demonstrated to be acutely influenced by cannabis self-administration and representative of workplace performance and/or operation of a motor vehicle.”
Researchers tested subjects vaping flower, not cannabis oil. So there's more work to be done.
Comparing 17 participants’ outcomes across vaping and smoking, researchers found statistically significant differences at a 25-mg THC dose. With vaping, consumers experienced more adverse effects, or “pronounced impairment of cognitive and psychomotor ability,” determined by their performances on the computer tests. Consumers that vaped also experienced more paranoia and anxiety than their smoking peers.
The results were similar at a lower dose as well. At 10 mg THC, vaporized cannabis flower “modestly” harmed cognitive functioning and yielded significant differences with smoking, as measured by mean drug effect scores.
“For both inhalation methods, mean peak changes for ratings of drug effect at the 10-mg and 25-mg doses were significantly greater than placebo,” the researchers also found. “Significant, sometimes adverse, drug effects can occur at relatively low THC doses in infrequent cannabis users,” they wrote, “and accordingly, these data should be considered with regard to regulation of retail cannabis products and education for individuals initiating cannabis use.”
What This Means for Consumers
The cannabis administered in the study contained 13% THC (as well as 0.03% CBD and 0.8% cannabinol), according to Spindle, which says a lot about how infrequent users and especially new medical cannabis patients should dose themselves if they choose to vape. Keeping in mind too that cannabis products available at dispensaries are usually more THC-rich than these research doses.
As for regular cannabis consumers with a high tolerance to THC, the results cannot be extrapolated, one of a few limitations in the study. Other limitations included using a range of only three doses and one strain of cannabis (which was low in CBD, Spindle noted), and using only flower and a single vaporizer type (the Volcano Medic) for the vaping portion, and a small pipe for the smoking research. Researchers did not examine the effects of vaping liquid cannabis or using other vaping instruments.
“This is one vaporizer and we need to do more research,” Spindle said. “Definitely more studies are needed to see if these effects are applicable across other types of variables.”
Need to Test More Variables
That idea was echoed in the research, which stated that more controlled studies of a variety of vaporizing and smoking methods are “vital” and “may inform dosing guidelines, cannabis policy and regulation, and procedures for detecting acute cannabis intoxication.”
In addition, the corresponding author for this study, Ryan Vandrey, said, “We still don’t have a full look at the long-term effects of vaping, such as whether there is a risk for chronic bronchitis, and more work needs to be done on that front,” according to a news release issued by the Hopkins School of Medicine (where Vandrey is an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences).
On the other hand, some results from previous studies were echoed in this John Hopkins study, like, for instance, researchers did not find strong correlations between results and THC blood concentration.
“THC doesn’t stay in the blood that long,” Spindle said, cautioning: Blood concentration levels “can go back to baseline before you’re done feeling the effects.”
Collectively, the findings from this study and others indicate yet again that blood THC concentrations are not a valid indicator of a cannabis consumer’s intoxication and/or impairment, and that it’s a much more complex issue than once assumed.
As the study concluded: “It highlights the need to explore other biological and behavioral means of detecting acute cannabis impairment.”
Which Is More Potent, Vaping Cannabis or Smoking a Joint?
January 28, 2019
Researchers compared the effects of vaped cannabis against those delivered by combusting a joint.
Cannabis vaporizers and pre-packaged cartridges continue to grow in popularity, with sales estimated to grow nearly 50% from 2017 to 2018. Vaping delivers a different experience than smoking a joint, but it’s not easy to quantify that difference. Recently, though, scientists have looked into the question and found that vaping actually packs a more powerful punch than the traditional joint.
Vaping 'can produce drastically different' experiences than smoking joints.
Tory Spindle, postdoctoral fellow, John Hopkins University
According to a recent JAMA study that examined cannabis consumption in infrequent consumers, people who vaporized cannabis flower experienced more pronounced effects than those who smoked the same dose. Effects increased along with the dose administered, suggesting that vaporized flower should be approached with a more conservative dosing strategy than smoked flower, especially for infrequent consumers.
While the lead author acknowledged that the study has some limitations, he echoed its conclusions in an interview with Leafly: “It was surprising, the magnitude of difference between equal doses of smoking versus vaping,” said Tory Spindle, a postdoctoral fellow with John Hopkins University’s Bayview Medical Center. Vaping “can produce drastically different impairment” for all consumers, he said.
More Efficient THC Delivery
Previous studies have shown that vaping is a more efficient THC delivery method than smoking, so researchers sought to examine its impacts on several outcomes at two doses and to compare these results with both smoking the same doses and consuming placebo doses of a THC-free substance. Researchers conducted the study between June 2016-January 2017 at Hopkins’ Behavioral Pharmacology Research Unit.
The population studied was made up of nine men and eight women with a mean age of 27.3 who were prescreened for cannabis and other drug use beforehand to confirm they all had gone an average of 13 months without consuming cannabis before the study.
Additionally, researchers assessed the participants before they consumed cannabis and then at 10 points afterwards up to 8 hours after they had consumed each of the six study doses (three vaping and three smoking) and each dose was measured to ensure consistency and with participants blinded to the amount they were using.
“We were able to control dosing better across the two conditions,” Spindle said, noting that this was likely why the study yielded different results. This research method allowing for titrated doses, or more carefully-calculated individual doses, which has been difficult to achieve in much of the past research on this subject.
Measuring Vaporized Flower’s Effects
When it came to measuring the cannabis affects, researchers applied the Drug Effect Questionnaire and three computerized tasks, The Digit Symbol Substitution Task, Divided Attention Task and Paced Auditory Serial Addition Task. These tasks were chosen because they “previously demonstrated to be acutely influenced by cannabis self-administration and representative of workplace performance and/or operation of a motor vehicle.”
Researchers tested subjects vaping flower, not cannabis oil. So there's more work to be done.
Comparing 17 participants’ outcomes across vaping and smoking, researchers found statistically significant differences at a 25-mg THC dose. With vaping, consumers experienced more adverse effects, or “pronounced impairment of cognitive and psychomotor ability,” determined by their performances on the computer tests. Consumers that vaped also experienced more paranoia and anxiety than their smoking peers.
The results were similar at a lower dose as well. At 10 mg THC, vaporized cannabis flower “modestly” harmed cognitive functioning and yielded significant differences with smoking, as measured by mean drug effect scores.
“For both inhalation methods, mean peak changes for ratings of drug effect at the 10-mg and 25-mg doses were significantly greater than placebo,” the researchers also found. “Significant, sometimes adverse, drug effects can occur at relatively low THC doses in infrequent cannabis users,” they wrote, “and accordingly, these data should be considered with regard to regulation of retail cannabis products and education for individuals initiating cannabis use.”
What This Means for Consumers
The cannabis administered in the study contained 13% THC (as well as 0.03% CBD and 0.8% cannabinol), according to Spindle, which says a lot about how infrequent users and especially new medical cannabis patients should dose themselves if they choose to vape. Keeping in mind too that cannabis products available at dispensaries are usually more THC-rich than these research doses.
As for regular cannabis consumers with a high tolerance to THC, the results cannot be extrapolated, one of a few limitations in the study. Other limitations included using a range of only three doses and one strain of cannabis (which was low in CBD, Spindle noted), and using only flower and a single vaporizer type (the Volcano Medic) for the vaping portion, and a small pipe for the smoking research. Researchers did not examine the effects of vaping liquid cannabis or using other vaping instruments.
“This is one vaporizer and we need to do more research,” Spindle said. “Definitely more studies are needed to see if these effects are applicable across other types of variables.”
Need to Test More Variables
That idea was echoed in the research, which stated that more controlled studies of a variety of vaporizing and smoking methods are “vital” and “may inform dosing guidelines, cannabis policy and regulation, and procedures for detecting acute cannabis intoxication.”
In addition, the corresponding author for this study, Ryan Vandrey, said, “We still don’t have a full look at the long-term effects of vaping, such as whether there is a risk for chronic bronchitis, and more work needs to be done on that front,” according to a news release issued by the Hopkins School of Medicine (where Vandrey is an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences).
On the other hand, some results from previous studies were echoed in this John Hopkins study, like, for instance, researchers did not find strong correlations between results and THC blood concentration.
“THC doesn’t stay in the blood that long,” Spindle said, cautioning: Blood concentration levels “can go back to baseline before you’re done feeling the effects.”
Collectively, the findings from this study and others indicate yet again that blood THC concentrations are not a valid indicator of a cannabis consumer’s intoxication and/or impairment, and that it’s a much more complex issue than once assumed.
As the study concluded: “It highlights the need to explore other biological and behavioral means of detecting acute cannabis impairment.”
Hmm.. Looks like this guy!! Do you think he has sum money invested in the private prison industry? Or maybe he's deep with big pharm?? Or he runs a drug testing corporation? Or hes the owner of the company that feeds those kats locked up??
Bloomberg Calls Legalization ‘Stupidest Thing Ever Done’
Support for cannabis legalization is lower among older voters from both parties. (Matt Rourke/AP)
Here’s one way to stand out in a crowded pack of Democratic presidential candidates: Go on the radio and shoot yourself in the foot.
Former New York mayor and one-time presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg blasted cannabis law reform efforts Tuesday.
Bloomberg went on the radio station WBNG and said taxing and regulating cannabis — instead of locking mostly young people of color up for it — “is perhaps the stupidest thing anybody has ever done.”
We could think of stupider things, like mulling a presidential run after calling most voters stupid for supporting legalization by 61 percent in the US, and 75 percent among Democrats. Ten states have ended the marijuana war. More than one in five Americans live in a legal adult-use state.
More dangerously, Bloomberg tied liberalization of cannabis — which has no lethal overdose level — to America’s opioid overdose epidemic, echoing former Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ talking points.
“Last year, in 2017, 72,000 Americans OD’d on drugs,” Bloomberg said. “In 2018, more people than that are OD-ing on drugs, have OD’d on drugs, and today, incidentally, we are trying to legalize another addictive narcotic, which is perhaps the stupidest thing anybody has ever done.”
That might be a catchy radio sound bite, but it misleads citizens. First, cannabis is not a narcotic. Studies conclude cannabis carries less risk for psychological addiction — or physical dependence — than more toxic, legal drugs such as nicotine and alcohol, let alone legal opioids (which are narcotics). Still, the federal government deems cannabis more medically useless and far riskier than opioid drugs like vicodin and codeine.
In terms of dependence, cannabis withdrawal is considered “mild and medically benign.” By contrast, alcohol withdrawal can be deadly.
As for trouble stopping use, someone who uses cannabis might have a nine percent chance of developing a cannabis use disorder at one point in their lives, a fraction of the addiction risk of other drugs.
Bloomberg has said he would fight cannabis legalization through Bloomberg Philanthropies — part of a broad public health agenda that has included taxing sugary drinks as mayor of New York.
Bloomberg’s comments further isolate him among prominent Democrats, including the current governor of New York state and the mayor of New York City, who have outlined terms for ending the war on cannabis. Most of his potential opponents in the Democratic primary for the 2020 election have also voiced support for national cannabis law reform.
Bloomberg Calls Legalization ‘Stupidest Thing Ever Done’
Support for cannabis legalization is lower among older voters from both parties. (Matt Rourke/AP)
Here’s one way to stand out in a crowded pack of Democratic presidential candidates: Go on the radio and shoot yourself in the foot.
Former New York mayor and one-time presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg blasted cannabis law reform efforts Tuesday.
Bloomberg went on the radio station WBNG and said taxing and regulating cannabis — instead of locking mostly young people of color up for it — “is perhaps the stupidest thing anybody has ever done.”
We could think of stupider things, like mulling a presidential run after calling most voters stupid for supporting legalization by 61 percent in the US, and 75 percent among Democrats. Ten states have ended the marijuana war. More than one in five Americans live in a legal adult-use state.
More dangerously, Bloomberg tied liberalization of cannabis — which has no lethal overdose level — to America’s opioid overdose epidemic, echoing former Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ talking points.
“Last year, in 2017, 72,000 Americans OD’d on drugs,” Bloomberg said. “In 2018, more people than that are OD-ing on drugs, have OD’d on drugs, and today, incidentally, we are trying to legalize another addictive narcotic, which is perhaps the stupidest thing anybody has ever done.”
That might be a catchy radio sound bite, but it misleads citizens. First, cannabis is not a narcotic. Studies conclude cannabis carries less risk for psychological addiction — or physical dependence — than more toxic, legal drugs such as nicotine and alcohol, let alone legal opioids (which are narcotics). Still, the federal government deems cannabis more medically useless and far riskier than opioid drugs like vicodin and codeine.
In terms of dependence, cannabis withdrawal is considered “mild and medically benign.” By contrast, alcohol withdrawal can be deadly.
As for trouble stopping use, someone who uses cannabis might have a nine percent chance of developing a cannabis use disorder at one point in their lives, a fraction of the addiction risk of other drugs.
Bloomberg has said he would fight cannabis legalization through Bloomberg Philanthropies — part of a broad public health agenda that has included taxing sugary drinks as mayor of New York.
Bloomberg’s comments further isolate him among prominent Democrats, including the current governor of New York state and the mayor of New York City, who have outlined terms for ending the war on cannabis. Most of his potential opponents in the Democratic primary for the 2020 election have also voiced support for national cannabis law reform.
The same bitch Nig that had an idea to put all ny homeless people on ships... Any cac that has the idea to put a certain demographic on ships should never be trusted... Fucking illuminati Nig right there... Never trusted that Nig after he threw that idea out there b4 his first mayor term
You really underestimate who and how many people use marijuana
He will die soon, and weed live on, eventually be legal and these racist fucks who think like him will come up with another way to make slaves of men (mostly black).
The end
The end
/thread
grand opening........