California Lawmakers Pass Bill Protecting Workers’ Off-Duty Cannabis Use

California lawmakers on Tuesday gave final approval to a bill to protect employees who use marijuana off the job. If approved by the governor, the legislation would make California the seventh state in the nation to pass employment protections for workers’ off-duty cannabis use.

The measure, Assembly Bill 2188 (AB-2188), would “make it unlawful for an employer to discriminate against a person in hiring, termination, or any term or condition of employment, or otherwise penalize a person” solely because of marijuana use while off the job, according to an abstract of the legislation. But Assemblymember Bill Quirk, the sponsor of the legislation, noted that AB-2188 does not allow people to work while impaired by cannabis.

“Nothing in this bill would allow someone to come (to work) high,” said Quirk.

Under the legislation, employers would be prohibited from taking action against an employee for failing a urine or hair screening for cannabis metabolites. Tests that measure or detect the presence of cannabis metabolites only show that the person ingested cannabis at some point, potentially weeks before the sample is taken, and are not an indicator of present impairment.

The legislation is supported by cannabis advocates and labor groups including United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), Service Employees International Union (SEIU), California Nurses Association, CA Board of Registered Nursing, and UDW/AFSCME Local 3930. Supporters of the bill argue that employees should not be punished for using marijuana while off the clock.

“Using outdated cannabis tests only causes employees to feel unsafe and harassed at work, it does not increase workplace safety,” said Matt Bell, secretary-treasurer for the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 324.

The legislation includes several exceptions designed to protect employers. The bill does not apply to workers in the “building and construction trades” or to employees or applicants for positions that require a background check or security clearance under federal regulations. Additionally, the legislation does not preempt any federal or state statutes that require testing for controlled substances and would not apply to employment decisions based on “scientifically valid” pre-employment drug test methods “that do not screen for psychoactive cannabis metabolites.”

California Pioneered Cannabis Legalization

California was the first state to legalize the medicinal use of cannabis in 1996, and 20 years later voters legalized the recreational use of marijuana by adults. The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) notes that six states (Nevada, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Montana and Rhode Island) have enacted laws to protect workers’ use of recreational cannabis off the job and 21 states offer worker protections for medical marijuana patients.

“Cannabis is legal in California, and workers have a right to engage in legal activity while away from the job. Yet countless workers and job applicants are losing job opportunities or being fired because they test positive for legal, off-the-job use of marijuana on account of indiscriminate urine and hair metabolite tests,” said Dale Gieringer, the director of NORML’s California chapter. “Scientific studies have failed to show that urine testing is effective at preventing workplace accidents. Numerous studies have found that workers who test positive for metabolites have no higher risk of workplace accidents.”

The California Chamber of Commerce is opposed to the legislation because it would “create a protected status for marijuana use” in state law that bans discrimination in the workplace.

“Put simply: marijuana use is not the same as protecting workers against discrimination based on race or national origin,” the business association wrote in a letter to state lawmakers.

AB-2188 was first passed by the California State Assembly in May, followed by the approval with amendments by the state Senate on Monday. On Tuesday, the Assembly approved the Senate version of the measure. The bill now heads to the desk of Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom, who has until the end of September to decide its fate. If Newsom signs the bill into law, it will go into effect on January 1, 2024.

The post California Lawmakers Pass Bill Protecting Workers’ Off-Duty Cannabis Use appeared first on High Times.

source https://hightimes.com/news/california-lawmakers-pass-bill-protecting-workers-off-duty-cannabis-use/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=california-lawmakers-pass-bill-protecting-workers-off-duty-cannabis-use

Study Finds Cannabis Consumers Experienced Less Severe COVID-19 Symptoms

The Journal of Cannabis Research published a new study recently that claims that cannabis can help lessen COVID-19 symptoms. The study, “Cannabis consumption is associated with lower COVID-19 severity among hospitalized patients: a retrospective cohort analysis,” used data collected from two Los Angeles hospitals: Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center and UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center. A retrospective analysis found decreased severity of symptoms and improve clinical outcomes in relation to COVID-19 patients.

Researchers explained the importance of studying the relationship between cannabis and COVID-19. “In the USA in 2020, an estimated 17.9% of the population (49.6 million people) used cannabis during the past year,” researchers wrote. “Given the magnitude of COVID-19 and the prevalence of cannabis use in the USA, it is important to evaluate how active cannabis usage may affect clinical outcomes in COVID-19 patients.”

Among the 1,831 patients whose cases were analyzed, all were 18 or older. Age among cannabis active consumers was a noteworthy consideration, due to the severity of symptoms experienced differently between young or old patients. “Consistent with known trends, active cannabis users were overall younger than non-users,” researchers wrote. “However, when adjusting for age these outcomes remained consistent. Even more, when adjusting for comorbid conditions, demographics and smoking history we found that cannabis users still had less severe disease progression compared to non-users.”

Cannabis’s unique properties warranted further examination from researchers. “Consistent with our understanding of how cannabis may play a role as an immunomodulator, non-cannabis users were found to have greater elevations in inflammatory biomarkers at the time of admission and during their hospital course,” researchers wrote in their discussion. According to the National Cancer Institute, an immunomodulatory agent is known to suppress the immune system, and assist the body in fighting cancer, infection, and other diseases.

Ultimately, researchers found that cannabis consumption was beneficial for some patients, but more research would be necessary to support that conclusion. “In this retrospective review of 1831 COVID-19 patients requiring hospital admission, current cannabis use was associated with decreased disease severity. This was demonstrated in lower NIH severity scores as well as less need for oxygen supplementation, ICU admission and mechanical ventilation,” they wrote. “While there was a trend toward improved survival in cannabis users, this was not statistically significant. To our knowledge, this is the first study looking at clinical outcomes of cannabis users hospitalized with COVID-19. Further studies, including prospective analyses, will help to better understand the relationship between cannabis and COVID-19 outcomes.”

Numerous studies have examined cannabis’s role as an immunomodulatory agent in the past, and this study lends more evidence to support that claim.

High Times recently interviewed Richard Van Breemen, Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences at Oregon State’s College of Pharmacy, as well as the Linus Pauling Institute Global Hemp Innovation Center in Corvallis, Oregon. SARS-CoV-2 is the cause of COVID-19, and Breemen discussed his team’s discovery. “Our team discovered that cannabidiolic acid (CBDA) and cannabigerolic acid (CBGA) can bind to the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2. We also discovered that these compounds can block cell entry using live SARS-CoV-2,” Breemen said. “That means cell entry inhibitors, like the acids from hemp, could be used to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection and also to shorten infections by preventing virus particles from infecting human cells.”

Breeman and his team’s findings were originally published in the Journal of Natural Products earlier this year. 

At the time, this information was picked up in late night television shows such as Jimmy Kimmel Live, where Kimmel said “This would be interesting. All this time we’ve been listening to the CDC, we should have been eating CBD.” The Late Show with Stephen Colbert also took a stab at the news. “Great news for all the teenagers whose parents find weed in their room: ‘Oh, Mom, I see you found the Covid-stopping compounds that I hid in my sock drawer. Those aren’t mine. No, no. Those aren’t mine. I’m just holding them for my friend, Tony Fauci,’” Colbert described.

The post Study Finds Cannabis Consumers Experienced Less Severe COVID-19 Symptoms appeared first on High Times.

source https://hightimes.com/health/study-finds-cannabis-consumers-experienced-less-severe-covid-19-symptoms/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=study-finds-cannabis-consumers-experienced-less-severe-covid-19-symptoms

Olympian Joseph Schooling Apologizes for Smoking Weed Amid Backlash

Olympic gold medalist and swimmer Joseph Schooling, 27, apologized after facing backlash from his native Singapore for smoking weed while in Vietnam. Singapore’s drug laws are among the strictest in the world, and the stigma there is strong.

Schooling was in Hanoi, Vietnam, where he won two gold medals, while competing for the Hanoi 2022 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games on leave from military service, and there he was caught smoking some weed.

Heads are spinning at the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) and the Singapore Ministry of Defence after they learned of Schooling’s pot use from the country’s Central Narcotics Bureau. The Singapore Ministry of Defence released an August 30 press release, announcing that Schooling will undergo drug testing for the next six months.

“The Central Narcotics Bureau has concluded its investigations on PTE Joseph Schooling, and handed over the management of the case to the SAF, as he is a full-time National Serviceman,” the release reads. “Urine tests for controlled drugs conducted on PTE Joseph Schooling returned negative. However, PTE Schooling confessed to have consumed cannabis overseas in May 2022, when he was on short term disruption from full-time National Service (NS) to train and participate in the Southeast Asian Games.

“Following existing protocol, PTE Schooling will be placed on a supervised urine test regime for six months. All SAF personnel who test positive during this regime will be charged and sentenced accordingly.”

Lancaster Online reports that Schooling posted an apology on Instagram, in a now-deleted post.

“I gave in to a moment of weakness after going through a very tough period of my life,” Schooling said in a message posted Tuesday night on Instagram. “I am sorry that my actions have caused hurt to everyone around me, especially to my family and the young fans who look up to me.”

“I made a mistake and I’m responsible for what I’ve done. I will make amends and right what is wrong. I won’t let you down again,” the post reads.

Yahoo! News Editor Chia Han Keong wrote an op-ed, saying that Schooling deserves empathy—not backlash—for a crime as small as cannabis. In the meantime, Schooling’s entire reputation is on the line.

Schooling vs. Phelps

In 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Schooling beat Michael Phelps—the most decorated Olympian of all time—at the 100-meter butterfly. Schooling has described Phelps as his “idol” and was enthralled to beat him at his own game.

Schooling was sent to the Olympics while studying at the University of Texas in Austin. At the Tokyo Olympics 2021, he was eliminated while trying to defend his 100-meter butterfly title.

Ironically, Phelps himself was forced to apologize in the United States when he was caught smoking weed by a British tabloid, and a photo surfaced of Phelps hitting a bong, quickly going viral in 2008. For any other 23-year-old, it would have been considered normal behavior.

“I acted in a youthful and inappropriate way,” Phelps said in a statement. Like Schooling, Phelps probably had no choice but to publicly express remorse for smoking weed.

“I engaged in behavior which was regrettable and demonstrated bad judgment. “I’m 23 years old, and despite the successes I have had in the pool, I acted in a youthful and inappropriate way, not in a manner that people have come to expect from me,” Phelps said. “For this, I am sorry. I promise my fans and the public—it will not happen again.”

Despite smoking weed in his youth, Phelps is one of if not the fastest swimmer alive. Compare this to the fastest runner alive, Olympian Usain Bolt, who is a known supporter of cannabis businesses. 

That said, it’s probably not fair to associate cannabis with slowing down our physical bodies. In the professional world of sports, however, it’s a whole different story.

The post Olympian Joseph Schooling Apologizes for Smoking Weed Amid Backlash appeared first on High Times.

source https://hightimes.com/news/olympian-joseph-schooling-apologizes-for-smoking-weed-amid-backlash/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=olympian-joseph-schooling-apologizes-for-smoking-weed-amid-backlash

Oklahoma Supreme Court To Consider Whether Legalization Initiative Will Qualify For Ballot

The Oklahoma Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to settle a dispute surrounding a recreational cannabis initiative that could appear on the state’s ballot this year, giving hope to activists that the proposal may still qualify.

Last week, the prospects for the initiative appeared grim. Although the Oklahoma secretary of state confirmed that organizers had submitted more than the requisite number of signatures for the proposal to qualify for the ballot, supporters lamented that it likely would not be certified before the August 29 deadline.

As the Associated Press detailed on Tuesday, Oklahomans for Sensible Marijuana Laws, the group behind the proposal, known as State Question 820, “gathered enough signatures to qualify…for a statewide vote, but because it took longer than usual to count the signatures, it’s not clear if there is enough time to get the question printed on ballots ahead of the Nov. 8 general election.”

Supporters of State Question 820 petitioned the Oklahoma Supreme Court to settle the matter.

“Since filing their initiative more than six months ago, proponents have done everything in their power to expedite the unwieldy Oklahoma initiative petition process so the People of Oklahoma can exercise their right to vote on the measure at the next general election,” the Yes on 820 campaign wrote in the petition, as quoted by the Associated Press. “Yet they have been stymied by state officials (or their hand-picked vendors) who are either unable or unwilling to perform their administrative duties in a timely and efficient manner.”

On Tuesday, the state Supreme Court “issued an order assuming jurisdiction to decide if the state question will appear on the November 2022 ballot,” according to Tulsa Public Radio, a decision that pleased the SQ 820 campaign.

According to the station, “the measure has to make it through the 10-day publication period before Court Justices will approve it for the general election.”

“We’re actually thrilled,” campaign director Michelle Tilley said, as quoted by local news station Fox 25. “We’re thrilled because the Supreme Court has recognized that we have enough valid signatures to go forward, and we are thrilled because they have left open the possibility that after our 10-day protest period is over, that they have jurisdiction to place this on the ballot in November.”

“We’ve done what we’ve had to do, we’ve really really worked hard,” Tilley added, as quoted by Tulsa Public Radio. “We even turned in our signatures 30 days early. We’ve done everything to try and make these deadlines, and it’s hard. We’re playing by the rules and then the rules change, so.”

The 820 campaign has been stymied in particular by a new ballot system implemented this year in Oklahoma.

The Associated Press reports that “while the Oklahoma Secretary of State’s Office has typically handled counting signatures in house, the process this year involved a contract with a company connected to a political polling firm to provide software and technical assistance to help verify the voter registration status of signatories,” and that as a result, “supporters say a signature-counting process that typically takes two to three weeks took nearly seven weeks to complete.”

“This new process differs significantly from the historical practice of merely counting the number of individuals who signed the petition without regard for their voter registration status,” Oklahoma Secretary of State Brian Bingman said in a statement, as quoted by the Associated Press. “Our office has been in constant communication with the proponents and we look forward to working with them and other interested parties as we continue to improve this new process.”

The post Oklahoma Supreme Court To Consider Whether Legalization Initiative Will Qualify For Ballot appeared first on High Times.

source https://hightimes.com/news/oklahoma-supreme-court-to-consider-whether-legalization-initiative-will-qualify-for-ballot/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=oklahoma-supreme-court-to-consider-whether-legalization-initiative-will-qualify-for-ballot

Comedian Brian Simpson Doesn’t Want To Kill It

Brian Simpson had a unique journey to the stage: He was a foster child and served in the Marine Corps. Over ten years ago, he attended a comedy show in San Diego that was so bad it convinced him to give it a go.

Now, the host of the podcast BS with Brian Simpson is delivering tightly structured, hilarious sets on his Short Wide Neck Tour. He finds fresh angles in the familiar. Recently, Simpson told us about how he crafts his material and how to raise the bar for yourself.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

When did you do your first gig?

I did my first standup comedy in February 2011. It first became an idea for me when all my friends and shit started telling me that I was funny all of a sudden. So I started learning that I could make people laugh when I was complaining about stuff.

How different was your material back in 2011? Or was it pretty similar to now?

I mean the first joke I ever wrote, I still use, but most of it was… It wasn’t garbage, but it was just basic. Everybody starts out with jokes about fucking, and pissing, and shitting, because that’s the most relatable subject. It’s just bodily functions. I think everybody starts out kind of in that vein, or you try to be an edge-lord, and say, “The Holocaust didn’t happen,” or something stupid like that. I was the guy that was doing basic shit.

What were some of the first clubs you performed at?

Well, it was two places, really. One was called the Mad House Comedy Club in San Diego. And this other place was called Queen Bee’s Art and Cultural Center, and they had an open mic there once a week. Those are my two main places where I first started at. I got the most stage time in those places, so that’s where I put most of my time in.

Were they good experiences?

As good as they can be. Yeah. I mean, what experience is all good? I guess that’s what makes you a comedian. I look at any experience and tell you what’s fucked up about it. I’ll be at a wedding, just scowling: “Oh, this is such a waste of money.”

[Laughs] Do you still feel that way?

Yeah. I’m not a big fan of pageantry, or things just for show. They just get under my skin so bad. I don’t want to be in a parade. I don’t want to be at any kind of ceremony if I can help it.

You look very comfortable on a stage in front of a crowd.

Oh, yeah. See, that’s different though. Being in front of a crowd and being in the crowd are two different things. Being in front of the crowd is only scary if you don’t know what you’re doing. But being in a crowd is scary all the time. Anything can go wrong. Maybe that’s not a reasonable fear. It might just be crippling social anxiety.

You have a great 30 minute set in [Netflix’s] The Standups Season 3. How’d you prepare?

I think I might have run the set maybe 20 times. But in truth, it was more than that because at first I was running an hour, and I found out it was 30 minutes. And so, it was just a half hour of that, and deciding what comes in and goes out. All of those little meticulous things, which you don’t really have to do. Some people wing it, but it makes me feel comfortable because it’s absolutely the thing that I’m not lazy about. I’ll do all the little tricks and measuring, and recording, and whiteboard, and all of these things to try to make it better. Oh, and weed.

How does weed help when you’re writing?

Well, what happens is when I’m trying to joke for the first time, I like to be high. I don’t like to be high on stage a lot of times, but when I’m trying a joke for the first time, I like to be high. For some reason it just puts you in that creative headspace. You do that on stage with something with a structure to it, and your mind just goes places. And that’s what you need.

You need the tension of the moment and your mind going places that it doesn’t normally go, bam. Because it’s like once you have an idea, you try to find all the angles. You know what I’m saying? It’s like a video game. Some of those angles are hidden behind the weed key. Some of those, you need the mushroom key to unlock. So when it’s all said and done, I try to do every joke in every mindset, to see what I left on the bone.

Needing “the tension of the moment,” that’s a nice way to describe overthinking or paranoia.

Oh, yeah. You know, that mentality has helped me. Edibles used to knock me on my ass. Or I would get so high and just wish I wasn’t that high. But then knowing that, “Oh, this is just me overthinking being high. I’m okay.” You know what I mean?

Yeah. Usually I also try to say to myself, “Things will be okay.”

Yeah, yeah. Or I listen to music. It gives me something to focus on, other than how high I am. Yeah, it’s the best.

You said you don’t perform much while high, right?

Oh, well I do, but only when I’m doing new stuff. The thing is I don’t mind being high on stage in other circumstances, and I’ve certainly done it. But what I hate is if I show up high and go up on stage, that’s fine, but I won’t get high before I go on stage, because what happens is if it kicks in while you’re on stage, it throws all the energy off. It’s almost like your brain’s clicking into another mode, but that split second between the modes, it’s like a hard reset.

I think you feel it more because when you’re on stage, your adrenaline is pumping so high. Even if you’re chill, your adrenaline is up. And so, I think you just feel that weed hit different, and it just stops everything for just a split second, but the crowd can tell. They’re like, “Something’s up.” This is just me. I don’t know about everybody else. But when the weed hit me on stage, I have a problem. If I’m already high before I go up, that’s perfectly fine.

It’s funny you said how with comedy, it’s the one thing you’re not lazy at, but I find that ironic considering your past in the Marine Corps. I imagine that requires an incredible amount of discipline and hard work.

No.

No?

It’s just like anything else. It requires an incredible amount of discipline and hard work to be good at it, not to be there. It takes a minimum amount of work to be there. It takes a lot of work to excel.

That’s a very good distinction. Did you get a lot of material from your days in the Marines?

No. Well, no, that’s not true. Yeah, I would just say the way I see the world was very shaped by that experience. And so a lot of my observations of… All the things I know about white people, I learned in the military. I didn’t necessarily write that joke back then though. It’s not even really in a military setting. I guess it has to be because I set it up that way.

You mentioned using chalkboards, and just really nailing the structure … When do you know the structure’s just right for a set, like for the The Standups set?

Oh, see, I didn’t nail it though.

Why not?

That’s why I can’t even watch it. I can’t even watch it. No man, well, I left a lot of pet words in there, a lot of ums and uhs and mm-hmm. Would’ve been perfect. There were probably 27 of them. That keeps it from being perfect. I mean, perfectly as I want it.

Do you always feel that way after you perform, thinking about what maybe didn’t work instead of what did work?

It’s torture. Yeah, I think a lot of comics think that way too. It’s not good. I think it makes it difficult to enjoy your victories, because your mind is so used to going there. Even after you triumph, your mind is used to going, “Right. Okay. Well, what was fucked up about it?”

Have you ever walked off stage and thought, “That went as good as it could have gone”? Do you ever feel that way?

Oh, yeah, yeah. I felt that before, that’s rare though. That’s rare. People like to throw around the term “killing” and “destroying” a lot, but that’s so rare. Even the best in the world don’t fucking kill, don’t destroy every set. You know what I mean? It might be more often for them that they kill, but it’s still, it’s not even more than half. Most comics, we do really, really, really well, but that’s not killing. Killing is everybody’s dead. They done. They laugh so much, they finish.

I know it can be hard to pinpoint, but was there a moment where you thought, this is my voice and this is my style on stage?

I mean, there was a point, but I don’t remember exactly what that moment was. But I remember several times just being like, “Oh man, I leveled up. I leveled up. I just did something I wasn’t capable of doing before.” And see, and that’s the other thing. Killing changes with… Because when you start and you go from no laughs to some chuckles, that feels like killing.

So it’s like the funnier you get, the higher you raise the bar for what’s killing. So that’s why it might feel like you killed, but you didn’t kill. You don’t know that until you go watch somebody actually kill, and you go, “Oh, okay.” Does that ever happen to you? You see a comic that’s so much better than you, that you’re just like, “Oh wow. I thought I was killing it. I got to go back and write.” You know?

Oh, yeah. I’ll think, maybe I’m doing fine, but then I’ll read something fantastic and feel down, like, “Ah, I’m not doing as well as I thought I was.”

No, but you need that. It’s necessary. I mean, that’s why everyone moves here to L.A. or to New York. Once you’re the big dog wherever you at, you need to get the fuck out of there. I’m saying every second you waste around in rooms where you’re the best comic, you’re wasting your time. You need to be around people that make you sharp. And with people every night [that] make you go, “Holy shit. I need to rewrite some shit.” You want that every day, to see somebody that’s better than you.

So, when do you know you’re leveling up exactly? Is it just based on the laughs?

I guess there’s no way to quantify getting better at comedy, but people close to you can tell. “Oh man, you’re better now.” And when you get that … you tell your jokes differently. I mean most of the time it means you’re telling them better, but I’m sure if I listen to that same exact joke with the same exact wording from five years ago, it’ll sound different.

The post Comedian Brian Simpson Doesn’t Want To Kill It appeared first on High Times.

source https://hightimes.com/culture/comedian-brian-simpson-doesnt-want-to-kill-it/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=comedian-brian-simpson-doesnt-want-to-kill-it

Burning Treez Lights Up Southern California

Adelanto Stadium in Southern California was completely hotboxed on August 26 and 27 for the inaugural Burning Treez festival, presented by Cannexs. It was a celebration of hip-hop, sports, and most of all—the leafy green herb.

The event headliners were Ludacris, Rick Ross, Busta Rhymes, Xzibit, Too $hort, Kurupt, as well as many other artists including Spliff Star, Loomi$, Ras Kass, Naté the Soulsanger, and many more. Adelanto Mayor Gabriel Reyes was also in attendance, supporting cannabis and sporting brands.

The World Series of Cannabis took place on August 26, and cultivators and brands from around California competed for over 30 titles.

In the parking lot, the Raider Nation held their annual kick-off event at a tailgate party hosted by Game Day, UFC veteran Elias Theodorou, and the top-ranked reigning U.S. Slap Fight Champion, Da Crazy Hawaiian, hosted a slap-fighting Chin Check Slap Down that saw the biggest fighters delivering the biggest slaps.

Koa Viernes, aka Da Crazy Hawaiian, competed at events such as one particular fight that lasted 20 rounds with Hillbilly Hippie, and the world’s first Pay-Per-View slap fight, hosted in Atlanta, Georgia. Da Crazy Hawaiian recently was signed to cannabis brand Game Day, makers of products like Diamonds or Raider Nation Pre-Game Pre-rolls.

“You either got it for the game or you don’t,” Da Crazy Hawaiian told High Times, referring to the mental state that slap fighters must get into. “Once you get slapped for the first time—you’ll figure out if you want to be in it or not. It’s all in the mind. I just turn into Da Crazy Hawaiian. As soon as I get there, I’m going to take somebody’s head off. It’s Game Day.

Too $hort / Photo credit: Christina Michael, The Entourage Co.

“We got Pre-Game Pre-Rolls from Game Day,” Da Crazy Hawaiian said as he pulled out another pre-roll. “They are rolled in kief. Gotta have that concentrate, baby.”

Entertainers also joined in to share what they are smoking on and the general vibe in Adelanto.

“Right now this is some Wedding Cake,” Spliff Star told High Times, blowing out smoke as he was perched in front of his tour bus after he performed. “I brought this with me from New York.

“The vibe is beautiful man, you know I’m saying, is really I’ve always been a fan of Too $hort, Xzibit.

“I’m a fan of High Times magazine as well,” he said. “My name is Spliff Star, you know what I’m sayin’, and I love it all. I’m into the cannabis culture. We came and performed High Times Cannabis Cup [SoCal in 2019] “Yeah, we had fun. We killed that shit. Yeah, I can’t wait to come back again. Especially myself. I love it. I love the culture. And it’s not just about smoking; it is the vibe and meeting new people, with an open mind and a free spirit. You know what I mean? And a spliff, man. That’s why I chose that name Spliff because a spliff makes friends. And it’s worldwide and it’s about sharing this by sharing the love.”

Loomi$ / Photo credit: Christina Michael, The Entourage Co.

Old school and new school hip-hop artists were both part of the mix.

“Good weed should make you motivated,” rap veteran Ras Kass said. “It should make you want to go to sleep. It should make you motivated. This shit is ecstatic. It’s motivation, the energy is incredible and there are so many different brands and so many different people selling all kinds of incredible things and that’s what this culture is about.”

Cannabis and hip-hop have been intertwined “from day one,” Ras Kass says. “I was born and raised in L.A. So the stereotype was to go to the studio, smoke a blunt, and then you write your record. Yeah, that’s it. The stereotype. You gotta smoke. Salute to Adelanto, Salute to California where we are some of the coolest people and cities like Adelanto are pushing the culture and for progressive reform.”

Ras Kass discusses cannabis. Photo credit: Christina Michael, The Entourage Co.

The list included rappers as well as soul singers.

“I’ve smoked multiple strains today,” Loomi$ told High Times. You know, basically everything anybody gave me, but I usually just smoke indicas and OGs.” I’m from L.A., period, because listen, I’m here smoking it up like a motherfucker like I should because it should be legal. You can smoke a cigarette every week, so why not cannabis? We have an album coming out. It’s me, Timbaland, Bobby Ross Avila, […] we got Battlecat on there.”

“I’ve had a lot of Heavenly Sweet, Naté the Soulsanger told High Times. “And everything else they handed me to be honest. And because I feel so good, I don’t remember all the names. I think CAM Cannabis was one that I remember. But everything’s been fire from the performance for the week. Everything is higher.”

Producers working behind the scenes also chimed in. “I’ve never been out here before,” producer Rick Rock told High Times. “It’s always an experience driving here. And the people are cool and really nice, laid back. I produce for Xzibit, at least three of his songs and Busta Rhymes, maybe two or three songs and Mariah Carey.”

Follow Cannexs to learn about future cannabis-related events.

The post Burning Treez Lights Up Southern California appeared first on High Times.

source https://hightimes.com/culture/burning-treez-lights-up-southern-california/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=burning-treez-lights-up-southern-california

California Department of Cannabis Announces Seizure of $1 Billion in Illegal Pot This Past Year

The DCC announced on Aug. 25 that it has officially seized more than $1 billion worth of illegal cannabis. The department attributes this milestone to recent raids conducted in Los Angeles and Riverside County within the past year.

“This important milestone was reached through close collaboration with local, state, and federal partners and furthers California’s efforts to go after activities that harm communities and the environment, including water theft, threats of violence, elder abuse, and human trafficking to name a few,” the DCC wrote in a press release. “These operations and the products they produce threaten consumer safety and the vitality of legal and compliant licensees.”

The agency described that over the last 13 months, it participated in 232 search warrants (either led by the DCC, or in partnership with other agencies). Those searches yielded over half a million pounds of “illegal product,” along with 1.4 million cannabis plants “eradicated.” It also explains that these efforts have “removed more than $1 billion worth of potentially harmful and often untested cannabis products from the market,” in addition to 120 illegal firearms, and $2.3 million in “illegally obtained assets.”

The DCC also explains that it is taking measures to ensure that consumers remain safe. “In tandem with law enforcement actions that crack down on illegal activity, DCC staff are working to expand access to tested cannabis products for consumers and lower barriers of participation for businesses,” it wrote in the announcement. “This includes a recent allocation of $20 million to DCC to grant cities and counties with funding that will support the creation of cannabis retail access in areas that currently do not allow it.”

In March, the DCC introduced new changes to state cannabis regulations to “streamline and simplify” existing rules. “This proposal is a direct result of DCC’s engagement with stakeholders and the thoughtful feedback received through letters, conversations, meetings and previous rulemaking processes,” said DCC Director Nicole Elliott. “We are deeply [committed] to creating a cannabis regulatory structure that works for all Californians, including California’s cannabis industry, consumers and communities.” Topics such as video surveillance, live cannabis plant sales, certificates of analysis and more were addressed.

In July, the DCC announced its projection to seize more than $1 billion in illegal cannabis products. At the time, the agency had participated in 208 search warrants, had removed 1.38 million plants, and seized more than half a million pounds of “illegal product.”

On Aug. 29, the DCC announced that it will be holding a virtual meeting on Sept. 8 to discuss how a recent $20 million grant will be allocated to expand consumer access to legal cannabis dispensaries across the state. It’s the first meeting to include the Cannabis Advisory Committee (CAC), which is tasked with providing feedback to the DCC’s regulations through public discussion. The members of which were appointed on Aug. 1 and include a total of 17 individuals, chosen out of a pool of 300 applicants. “Pursuant to Division 10 of the Business and Professions Code, the CAC is tasked with advising DCC on the development of relevant standards and regulations for commercial cannabis businesses, including those necessary to protect public health and safety. Key to the CAC’s work will be to ensure DCC is working to create regulations for commercial cannabis activity that helps protect public health and safety while decreasing burdens for legal operators and reducing the illicit market.”

The first meeting will introduce the CAC members, debut a presentation about plans for 2023, and make time for public comment.

The post California Department of Cannabis Announces Seizure of $1 Billion in Illegal Pot This Past Year appeared first on High Times.

source https://hightimes.com/news/california-department-of-cannabis-announces-seizure-of-1-billion-in-illegal-pot-this-past-year/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=california-department-of-cannabis-announces-seizure-of-1-billion-in-illegal-pot-this-past-year

Survey: More Americans Smoke Pot Than Cigarettes

More Americans are smoking marijuana than cigarettes, according to a new survey, marking a milestone shift in consumer habits in the United States.

The data, compiled as part of Gallup’s annual “Consumption Survey” and released last week, showed that only 11% of Americans reported themselves as cigarette smokers––a new low since the pollster first started asking the question in the 1940s.

Conversely, around 16% of Americans identified as current cannabis smokers, according to Gallup.

For the first time, the pollster asked Americans if they are current users of cannabis edibles, with 14% reporting that they are.

The findings were foreshadowed by the previous decade, when dozens of states and cities ended the prohibition on pot and Americans turned away en masse from tobacco––often in favor of smokeless nicotine vapes that may or may not be safer.

In 2019, Gallup’s “Consumption Poll” found that only 15% of Americans reported as cigarette smokers, at the time a new low and substantially lower than the 45% of U.S. adults who said they were back in the 1940s. That poll showed that 12% of Americans reported as marijuana smokers.

“Smoking cigarettes is clearly on the decline and is most likely to become even more of a rarity in the years ahead. This reflects both public awareness of its negative effects and continuing government efforts at all levels to curtail its use. Smoking remains legal in general but is prohibited in many public places, offices, modes of transportation and in private places across the U.S. Each pack of cigarettes carries draconian warning messages about their harmful effects,” Gallup’s Frank Newport wrote in his analysis of the latest survey.

Cannabis has perhaps never been more accessible in the U.S. and pot smokers never more ubiquitous––despite the ongoing federal prohibition.

“Despite its widespread use, alcohol’s downsides have been recognized in the U.S. for centuries. This awareness reached a climax over a hundred years ago, when the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution — passed by Congress and ratified by 46 of the 48 states — banned the manufacture, transportation and sale of alcohol. While the resulting Prohibition may have actually lowered the consumption of alcohol as intended, it had numerous other unanticipated negative consequences and was repealed some 13 years after it took effect,” Newport wrote.

Gallup released findings last year that found a new high of 68% of Americans believe that marijuana should be legal.

But as far as its effects, the country is split.

In the latest “Consumption Poll,” 53% said that marijuana has a positive effect on its users, while 45% said it has a negative effect.

But when it comes to marijuana’s effect on society, 49% said it is positive, while 50% said it is negative.

Gallup’s latest survey found that alcohol remains far more prevalent than either marijuana or cigarettes. About 45% said they had an alcoholic drink in the last week, while 23% said they have one occasionally. A third identified as complete abstainers.

“The future of alcohol drinking presents the most fascinating sociological case study out of the three substances. Alcohol use has been remarkably steady over the past 80 years (the time during which Gallup has measured it). In fact, alcohol has been widely used in the U.S. since the nation’s founding. Its use continues to be intertwined with many aspects of American culture, including social and — in some instances — religious rituals. Alcohol is also a major contributor to the nation’s economy. If the best predictor of future behavior is past behavior, then the best guess would be to predict no significant change in alcohol use going forward,” Newport wrote.

The post Survey: More Americans Smoke Pot Than Cigarettes appeared first on High Times.

source https://hightimes.com/culture/survey-more-americans-smoke-pot-than-cigarettes/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=survey-more-americans-smoke-pot-than-cigarettes

Student Loan Forgiveness Limited By the War on Drugs

President Joseph Biden last week announced a long-awaited plan to forgive student loan debt, saying the move will provide needed relief and narrow the racial wealth gap. But vestiges of the failed War on Drugs are likely to block the aid from many people who need it most, the Associated Press reported on Tuesday.

The soaring cost of education in the United States has led to total student loan debt of more than $1.6 trillion. When he released his student loan forgiveness plan last week, Biden noted that the debt burden “is especially heavy on Black and Hispanic borrowers, who on average have less family wealth to pay for it.”

Under the plan released by the president last week, borrowers making less than $125,000 can have up to $10,000 of their federal student loan debt forgiven. For those who received financial aid as students in the form of a federal Pell Grant, the amount of loan forgiveness available doubles to $20,000.

But under federal financial aid policies put in place at the height of the War on Drugs and promoted by Biden, who was a U.S. senator at the time, access to Pell Grants was denied for convicted drug offenders, who were required to disclose their convictions by checking a box on financial aid applications. The policy caused financial aid to be denied or delayed for hundreds of thousands of students, many of whom turned to more expensive and sometimes predatory private student loans.

Racial Disparity in Drug Enforcement

Because of the racial disparity in the enforcement of the nation’s drug laws, the federal financial aid policy disproportionately impacted people of color, particularly young Black and Latino men. The policy remained in effect for 25 years, when it was repealed by Congress in 2020. But during that time, incarceration rates for people of color increased dramatically.

Pell Grants have been one of the federal government’s effective student financial aid programs, with studies showing that they pay educational expenses for more than half of Black students and nearly half of Hispanic students. But because the War on Drugs caused a disproportionate number of Black and Latino students to be ineligible for a Pell Grant, student loan forgiveness tied to them will also be distributed disproportionately. Drug policy reform advocates say Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan should address the inherent unfairness.

“I think there’s a particular onus on this administration and on this president to be part of the solution for issues that he was very deeply involved in,” said Melissa Moore, the director of civil systems reform at Drug Policy Alliance.

The policy denied Pell Grants and federal student loans to a generation of former drug offenders, many of whom borrowed from private lenders instead. According to a report on private loan debt from the Student Borrower Protection Center, Black students are four times as likely as white students to struggle in repayment of private loans. But under Biden’s plan, they are not eligible for student loan relief. Moore believes the plan should include restorative justice provisions to make it fairer. 

“For people who previously would have had to check that box, there should be some mechanism by which, if you were excluded in the past, you are prioritized now for relief,” Moore said.

DeAnna Hoskins was lucky. Her drug conviction did not cause a loss of eligibility for federal student loans or Pell Grants because she applied after Congress repealed the ban on aid for those with drug convictions. Others were helped by a 2006 change by Congress that limited the ban to those who were convicted of a drug crime while receiving financial aid. But even with that change, the policy caused hundreds of students to drop out after losing aid, experts say.

“The ’94 crime bill was so comprehensive in the destruction that it did,” said Hoskins, the president of JustLeadershipUSA, a criminal justice reform group. She wants to know how Biden’s debt relief plan was developed, saying, “I feel like you’re piecemealing our liberation back to us.”

The post Student Loan Forgiveness Limited By the War on Drugs appeared first on High Times.

source https://hightimes.com/news/student-loan-forgiveness-limited-by-the-war-on-drugs/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=student-loan-forgiveness-limited-by-the-war-on-drugs

Psychedelic Advocate Facing Charges Calls for Help, Law Reform in New York

Friday, June 10, psychedelic advocate Aaron Genuth was arrested in Ulster County by New York State Police officers. He is facing serious charges for allegedly possessing several psychedelics including LSD, MDMA, ketamine, and psilocybin. Genuth is calling upon the psychedelic community for help.

Genuth’s vehicle was impounded, and beyond the severe charges he’s facing, he also has to deal with mounting legal fees. A GoFundMe was set up to help Genuth handle growing fees and charges, with support from the Hudson Valley Psychedelic Society and Dr. Bronner’s.

Genuth is founder and president of Darkhei Rephua—a Jewish entheogenic nonprofit he founded. Aaron has been advocating for cannabis, psychedelic, and drug policy reform for over 15 years. He also works with Decriminalize Nature New York, the Hudson Valley Psychedelic Society, and has hosted or produced a variety of community events in New York City and upstate New York over the years.

“Ironically, the psychedelics Aaron is being charged with are either legal in clinical settings, scientifically proven to be beneficial medicines, decriminalized in some places, or on the brink of legalization,” his GoFundMe reads. Ketamine, for instance, is FDA-approved in clinical settings, while the National Institutes of Health (NIH) funds psilocybin research. Psychedelics in general are amid a renaissance in the world of psychedelic-assisted therapy.

According to the GoFundMe, Genuth is working with Andrew Kossover of Kossover Law, whose work has included leadership in Bail Reform, Discovery Reform, and reform of the draconian Rockefeller Drug Laws.

Friends and associates of Genuth are raising funds to help him A) recover his car and B) get on the road again, covering his initial expenses while he assesses the charges that were filed and legal fees.

Genuth spoke to High Times about his ongoing case and the current situation.

High Times: Should anyone be in jail for psychedelics (and cannabis for that matter)?

Genuth: No. Absolutely nobody should be in jail for psychedelics or cannabis, including me. Cannabis and psychedelic reform and legalization need to prioritize decriminalization and prisoner release and they really haven’t thus far.

Given your work with Hudson Valley Psychedelic Society and Darkhei Rephua, did you have legitimate, educational reasons for having psychedelics?

Yes I did, though I should probably not say much more than that due to the case being active. I will add that there’s no legitimate reason to arrest people for psychedelic or other drug possession.

Tell us what Darkhei Rephua is.

Darkhei Rephua is a 501(c)3 Jewish psychedelic nonprofit that I founded just as the pandemic began. Our focus is on spiritual health and healing that is rooted in community and nature, prioritizing advocacy for psychedelic medicine, culture, and experience. Over the last few years we’ve been hosting gatherings and outreach for New York’s psychedelic and cannabis communities, primarily in NYC and the Catskills. One of the factors that inspired me to found Darkhei was a reaction to the growing positive press around clinical studies and limited research on psychedelics in institutions like Johns Hopkins and NYU. I believe everyone should have access to psychedelic research and healing in the setting that is most optimal for them, including those who feel most comfortable with a medical doctor in a sterile clinical or research environment. I don’t, and I wouldn’t recommend it for most people. I’m concerned that the current representation and media around psychedelics still reinforces the idea that they are dangerous substances that most people shouldn’t be legally allowed to access, produce, or consume. That’s part of the same false narrative around cannabis that still exists—the idea that it should only be medically legal, or only legal if bought through legally regulated outlets, I believe that psychedelics should be represented in an honest and ethical way that first addresses the injustices of criminalization, the class and cost barriers that currently exists, and the fact that humans have been intentionally pursuing spiritual, transcendental, and drug experiences for our entire existence. Institutional researchers shouldn’t have any more legal access to psilocybin than community healers, or anyone capable of cultivating and consuming them. That’s what Darkhei Rephua represents to me, and hopefully to our community.

Tell us about your involvement with Decriminalize Nature New York.

My connection to Decriminalize Nature happened very organically and psychedelically. I was first introduced to the idea and group a week or so before the first initiative passed in Oakland in 2019. I was volunteering at the Queering Psychedelics conference at the table next to them so I had an opportunity to learn a lot about the resolution, and that it was expected to pass, possibly unanimously. This was just after the Denver Psilocybin Initiative had passed and the locally targeted and cultivation focused elements of Decriminalize Nature’s resolution, as well as expanding beyond psilocybin to include all naturally occurring entheogens inspired me to launch it in New York, thinking that we may have a good chance of passing a resolution in one of the progressive towns in the Hudson Valley. I co-launched the group in New York City, which is where I was entirely based at the time. Since the pandemic I’ve been spending most of my time in New York in the Catskills and Hudson Valley, where I joined the founding board of the Hudson Valley Psychedelic Society as director of outreach and policy.

I’ve been a religious and recreational cannabis and psychedelic user for most of my life and I was deeply disappointed with many elements of cannabis ‘legalization’. I spent some time working in and covering cannabis in California just after legalization there in 2018, for publications that include High Times. I’d fallen in love with Northern California’s cannabis community and culture in 2006 or so, ever since my first visit to a pot farm in Humboldt County when I was dragged out west from Brooklyn by hippie friends for my first national Rainbow Gathering. I also worked in the industry around 2013, learning more about the legal and medical markets in California, Colorado, and Washington. When Prop 64 ultimately passed, I watched the cannabis industry quickly transition to a highly taxed, regulated and re-criminalized corporate system. I recognized the Decriminalize Nature model as much more reflective of what many of us wanted and expected to see from cannabis legalization; a complete and permanent end to law enforcement’s ability to arrest or otherwise violently harass us, and the right of all people to cultivate and share plants and fungi. Until we’ve done that, we’re still allowing the perpetuation of the horrific legacies of Anslinger, Nixon, Reagan, Clinton, Biden, and their many partners in drug war injustice and mass incarceration.

More recently, our group in New York City has had some disconnects with the national board in Oakland regarding some of their more antagonistic strategies and practices. We and some other local groups have launched a Decrim First coalition and initiative that includes all psychedelics and fights for decriminalization as a necessary first step to reforms like therapeutic and medical access. We’ll be operating under that banner while we work through the internal and external issues currently facing Decriminalize Nature. I’ve also been actively working with the New York Psilocybin Action Committee (NYPAC) to advocate for state level reforms that include decriminalization and cultivation in next year’s legislative session. I’ve also worked continually with Students for Sensible Drug Policy because they’re awesome and maintain the focus on student leadership in ending the war on drugs, which, as they like to remind us, is a war on (some) people.

At NYC’s 2022 Cannabis Parade & Rally at Union Square / Courtesy of Aaron Genuth

What happened on June 10?

I’ll have to be somewhat sensitive about what I say here again, since the case is still active. I was pulled over for an expired inspection sticker. I declined repeatedly to consent to a search, so the officer arrested me for suspicion of DUI due to the smell of cannabis in the car, and searched my car. Long (and possibly incriminating) story short, I was charged with possession of psilocybin, LSD, MDMA, and ketamine. The 98 grams of psilocybin was initially charged as a felony, which would include a mandatory minimum of 3 years in state prison if convicted at trial under New York’s reformed but still draconian Rockefeller Drug Laws. Fortunately, I was able to find and retain a very good and qualified lawyer, through supporters of the Hudson Valley Psychedelic Society. Just as fortunately, the Assistant DA is familiar with some of the positive research on psilocybin as well as the Oregon legalization so she dropped the felony down to a misdemeanor. I’m optimistic that my documented advocacy work and the very well documented benefits and positive research results surrounding all of these psychedelics will lead to a relatively positive resolution. I’ve pointed out many times since my arrest that a person without my network and willingness to fight might be in a much more difficult position, particularly if they are a parent and holding a state regulated license, for example a nurse or teacher. A person in that position might lose custody and their job regardless of the results of the trial, and possibly have permanent negative effects on their life.

Is it frustrating that there are FDA-approved ketamine-assisted therapy treatments, yet the punishments are severe?

Yes, very. It’s just as frustrating to me that ketamine treatments are prohibitively expensive for many, despite the drug being very plentiful and cheap to produce. That’s not to suggest that every practitioner is gouging people, the issue at its root is regulatory; the combination of bad drug and healthcare policy creating a perfect storm of disproportionate harm that targets the poorest and most vulnerable. Ketamine was first granted ‘breakthrough’ status by the FDA in 2013 and there’s clinics and practitioners all over the country legally providing this medicine safely, legally, and therapeutically—often with incredible results for people suffering from Treatment Resistant Depression, severe PTSD, and suicidality. It’s absurd that it’s not accessibly available to everyone who needs it in the middle of an extended national mental health, suicide, overdose, and financial crisis. I personally believe that all psychedelics should be completely covered under a Universal Holistic Healthcare program, along with any other healing medicine or modality.

What are some of the charges you’re facing?

I got paraphernalia charges for a scale and the bags that the mushrooms were in. I also got charged with a DUI, which is the charge I’m most concerned about since it’s completely false, I was absolutely sober and returned from the grocery store at 10:30am. I’m an advocate for drug users, drug possession, and responsible drug use, but not for driving unsafely or unsoberly so I’m going to fight those charges from every angle possible. The paraphernalia charges also shouldn’t exist, and are addressed in a bill that Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal will be introducing in the state legislature next year. I and some others from the Decrim community worked on those and other amendments that were added to the bill that AM Rosenthal has introduced for the last 3 years to deschedule psilocybin and psilocin. We also worked with her team on another bill she’s introducing, to introduce more decriminalized and community based research and openings to treatment.

What can readers do to help right now?

My case is hopefully going in the right direction, but it’s been a very expensive disruption to my life and work. Any contributions to my GoFundMe are deeply appreciated. We have a special offer currently; a limited number of donors giving $54 or more will receive a Dr. Bronner’s Magic All-One Chocolate, which they’ve generously provided and allowed me to offer as an incentive. (The chocolates are delicious and vegan and fair trade but not psychotropic, no weed or mushrooms in them.) For those in or connected to New York; please join the Decrim First coalition and support NYPAC! The quickest route I know of to do that is to DM us or comment on Instagram @DecrimFirst or email us at DecrimFirst@gmail.com.

I also urge all New Yorkers who care and can to actively support the policies represented in AM Rosenthal’s legislation by reaching out to your state representatives to support and co-sponsor it, and to push for local reform. Please connect with us for support in reaching out to local legislators and law enforcement about policy and legislation! We’ve got templates for legislation, outreach materials, and experienced advocates and experts ready to back you up. Written and video recorded testimonials can also be very influential. We believe that New York must take immediate steps to meaningful reform that includes cultivation, decriminalization, and community access, and that it’s possible within the next year.

The post Psychedelic Advocate Facing Charges Calls for Help, Law Reform in New York appeared first on High Times.

source https://hightimes.com/culture/people/psychedelic-advocate-facing-charges-calls-for-help-law-reform-in-new-york/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=psychedelic-advocate-facing-charges-calls-for-help-law-reform-in-new-york

Invirtió Millones y se Volvió la Mujer Más Joven en Nevada y California en Tener Licencias de Cannabis: ¿Quién es Priscilla Vilchis, la ‘Hollyweed Queen’?

Nota por Hernán Panessi publicada originalmente en El Planteo. Más artículos por El Planteo en High Times en Español.

Síguenos en Instagram (@El.Planteo) y Twitter (@ElPlanteo).

Sobra el mérito. En el año 2014, Priscilla Vilchis se convirtió en la persona más joven y en la primera latina en obtener una licencia para cultivar marihuana en Nevada. A su vez, apenas tres años más tarde, sumó una nueva distinción: para 2017 también se convirtió en la primera latina y primera mujer en recibir licencias de cannabis en California.

Ahora bien, ¿quién es Priscilla Vilchis y por qué en Estados Unidos fue bautizada como la “Hollyweed Queen”?

Contenido relacionado: Danielle Lupo, Médica y Conejita Playboy, Habla sobre el Futuro del Cannabis en la Medicina

“Arriesgué millones de dólares para poder invertir en esta industria y mucha gente me llamó ‘loca’”, sacude la joven empresaria responsable de Premium Produce, una compañía dedicada al cultivo y la producción del cannabis a gran escala.

Se habla informalmente de una inversión inicial de unos USD 2 millones. Puede que, incluso, se trate de una cifra superior.

Los inicios

Cuando tenía 27 años, Vilchis comenzó a invertir en cannabis y enseguida fundó Premium Produce, que inició sus actividades como una pequeña empresa con sede en Nevada y que hoy maneja un cultivo de casi 8 kilómetros (unos 25.000 pies cuadrados).

“Hemos crecido”, le confiesa Priscilla a El Planteo.

Para dar sus primeros pasos, Vilchis armó un equipo de abogados y coordinó a un grupo de especialistas para que trabajen en la obtención de su licencia. “Se me concedió casi inmediatamente gracias a una solicitud muy sólida, al capital y a la comprobación exhaustiva de los antecedentes”, reconoce.

Hollyweed Queen: la reina marihuana

Bautizada por la prensa como la “Hollyweed Queen” o “Queen of the Desert”, su apodo refiere, por un lado, a su línea de cannabis “Queen” y, por otro, a su espíritu iniciático y entusiasta.

¿Y qué es “Queen”? Una línea de productos que incluye cigarrillos, vaporizadores, cápsulas y cremas con base de CBD.

Contenido relacionado: Conocé a Humo, la Nueva Marca de Cannabis Californiana Hecha Por Latinxs, Para Latinxs

“Mi principal objetivo al entrar en la comunidad del cannabis era intervenir sobre la epidemia de opioides que veía en el espacio sanitario. Dirigí médicos en la industria de la salud durante muchos años y vi de primera mano que allí tenían un problema grave: los pacientes se estaban volviendo adictos y quería hacer un cambio”, arremete Priscilla.

Y continúa: “Mi deseo es conseguir que, algún día, los productos de cannabis sean reembolsados por los seguros médicos y, también, ayudar a detener la guerra contra las drogas que todos los días está matando gente. Me encantaría ayudar a romper el estigma de que el cannabis es una droga de entrada a otras: el cannabis es una medicina”.

Un mundo de oportunidades

Formada en la administración de empresas, Priscilla optó por no terminar con su licenciatura, interrumpir su vieja formación y dedicarse de lleno a la medicina. Primero como consultora médica y, más tarde, después de advertir el dolor de muchos de sus pacientes, a la industria del cannabis.

“Quería buscar una oportunidad en la industria de la salud. No podía dejarla pasar. Y, gracias a Dios, no lo hice. De otra manera, no podría estar donde estoy hoy. De cualquier manera, le prometí a mi madre que encontraría tiempo para volver y terminar los estudios algún día”, dice.

En su labor como consultora médica, coordinaba el trabajo de los médicos del sur de California. “Me gané su confianza haciéndoles ganar más dinero a través del marketing”, devela.

Ser mujer en la industria del cannabis

En tanto, su ímpetu en una industria competitiva la erigió como una de las mujeres más destacadas del negocio en Estados Unidos. “Me encantaría ver a más mujeres en el mundo del cannabis. Creo que es importante que otras mujeres de voluntad fuerte se unan y hagan mucho ruido en esta industria dominada por los hombres”, arremete.

Contenido relacionado: El Club de los Chicos: Machismo en la Industria del Cannabis Visto desde Las Vegas

“No somos muchas y eso es algo que definitivamente me encantaría ver”.

Entre sus próximos proyectos, Vilchis ya tiene preparadas nuevas operaciones en California, que estará terminando en los próximos dos meses.

Asimismo, está colaborando con Tysons, GKUA (la marca del rapero Little Wayne) y El Blunto, entre otras firmas. “Todas ellas, marcas muy conocidas, querían que ‘La Reina’ les facilitara flores para sus productos”, concluye.

The post Invirtió Millones y se Volvió la Mujer Más Joven en Nevada y California en Tener Licencias de Cannabis: ¿Quién es Priscilla Vilchis, la ‘Hollyweed Queen’? appeared first on High Times.

source https://hightimes.com/espanol/hollyweed-queen-priscilla-vilchis-cannabis-marihuana/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=hollyweed-queen-priscilla-vilchis-cannabis-marihuana

Florida Gov. DeSantis to Pot Licensees: ‘Charge These People More’

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis told a group of reporters on August 23 that medical cannabis license holders in the state need to pay more for their license application and renewal fees. But operators in the state say that raising application and renewal fees could spell the end for some struggling businesses.

State officials “should charge these people more,” DeSantis said.

“I mean, these are very valuable licenses,” the governor continued. “I would charge them an arm and a leg. I mean, everybody wants these licenses.”

CBS News Miami reports that whether or not the governor was referring to existing license holders or future license holders remains to be seen.

But Florida’s license and renewal rates already exceed fees seen in other states. That could be because Florida’s licensing system requires operators to cultivate, process and sell marijuana and derivative products without limiting the number of retail locations, and lawyers say this makes the state’s licenses more valuable.

After stepping into his role as governor in January 2019, one of DeSantis’ primary promises is to provide a boost to Florida’s economy.

Gov. DeSantis pushed to repeal Florida’s ban on smokable flower. Voters in Florida passed a constitutional amendment legalizing medical cannabis in 2016, but regulations that ban smokable cannabis were passed by the legislature and signed into law by former Gov. Rick Scott.

Cannabis advocates sued, claiming the ban violated the amendment passed by voters. A state court agreed and declared the rule invalid, but it remained in place as an appeal from Scott’s administration made its way through the courts. However, when Gov. DeSantis took office, he said if the ban was not repealed his administration would abandon the appeal of the court ruling.

The ban on smokable cannabis was officially repealed on March 18, with Gov. Ron DeSantis signing a compromise bill that was passed by legislators. Smokable flower is, unsurprisingly, by far the most popular menu item at Florida’s over 460 medical cannabis dispensaries.

An earlier 2014 allowed low-THC products for certain patients. Then, medical cannabis companies part of an initial group of applicants in 2015 paid over $60,000 in order to be able to sell low-THC cannabis.

Then Florida’s 2016 constitutional amendment established more of what is thought of as a mature medical cannabis market with a variety of approved products.

Florida law requires legislative approval of rules if cost of compliance for those businesses exceeds $200,000 in one year or $1 million over the course of five years.

Jacking up application and renewal fees “would be unfortunate,” Brady Cobb, a lawyer and founder and CEO of Green Sentry told CBS News. “If it happens, it happens,” said Cobb. Cobb added that Florida could make more money by taxing cannabis products or allowing operators to wholesale products to each other and taxing those sales instead.

Black Farmer License Fees Also Too High in Florida

The state charged a higher fee in a recent round of applications for a license set aside in Florida’s 2017 law for a Black cannabis farmer. Under rules laid out by the Department of Health, applicants had to pay a $146,000 fee to compete for the Black farmer license which was over twice the fee from the application process in 2015.

“Black farmers are required to shell out $146,000 merely to apply for a license to grow medical marijuana,” the Miami New Times reports.

Last year, Commissioner of Agriculture Nikki Fried called the high fees for the Black farmer license “discriminatory.”

The department accepted a dozen applications for the Black farmer license, but has not announced the winner of the license. A new round of license applications will launch again after the Black farmer license is issued, but the state hasn’t laid out a timeline. At least 150 applicants are expected to apply.

The post Florida Gov. DeSantis to Pot Licensees: ‘Charge These People More’ appeared first on High Times.

source https://hightimes.com/news/florida-gov-desantis-to-pot-licensees-charge-these-people-more/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=florida-gov-desantis-to-pot-licensees-charge-these-people-more

Canada Border Agency Seizes Almost 2,000 Pounds of Illegal Cannabis Export

According to a press release from the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) on Aug. 24, the agency announced that it recently seized 592 kilograms (approximately 1,305 pounds) of cannabis in a recent move.

Using a CBSA detector dog in addition to “a wide range of detection tools and technology,” law enforcement was led to 1,036 vacuum-sealed bags of “suspected cannabis” bound for export on May 26. In addition to the first seizure, another was conducted on June 26 which involved 300 kilograms (661 pounds) contained in 100 bags—netting 892 kilograms (almost 2,000 pounds) of cannabis in total between the two seizures.

“Regardless of the mode of entry (air, marine, land, rail), it is illegal to bring cannabis (and cannabis products) into or out of Canada without a valid Health Canada permit or exemption,” the agency wrote in a press release. “CBSA officers have the authority to examine in-bound shipments as well as goods for export. Personal, mail, courier, and commercial shipments are subject to the Customs Act and may be examined for prohibited goods, including cannabis and cannabis products. Avoid seizures, fines or arrest: Don’t bring it into Canada. Don’t take it out of Canada.”

Rahul Coelho, CBSA A/Director, Metro Vancouver District, Pacific Region explained that exportation is only legal for those who have obtained the proper certification. “Although cannabis has been legalized and regulated in Canada, it remains illegal to import or export cannabis and cannabis products without a valid permit or exemption issued by the Government of Canada,” Coelho said. “These significant seizures demonstrate our commitment to intercepting illegal narcotics—at import and export—and contribute directly to disrupting criminal organization activity.”

According to the Canada Cannabis Act, only licensed parties may import or export cannabis in Canada, and “only for medical or scientific purposes.” All individual shipments require a permit, and permit applications are approved on a case-by-case basis.

Cannabis exports for Canada were valued at $53 million in 2020, which according to Prohibition Partners was a 229% increase from 2019 export data. Between 2018-2020, Canada exported 30,000 kilograms (approximately 66,000 pounds) of dried medical cannabis, as well as 35,500 liters (more than 9,000 pounds) of cannabis oil overseas.

Many other countries have legalized cannabis for import and export. Israel, one of the top countries in the world for cannabis research, approved cannabis exportation in May 2020. “This is a significant step for exporters and the Israeli industry, which will enable both expansion of export opportunities as well as rising employment … in the field,” said former Israel Economy Minister Eli Cohen about the decision.

Last year in July, Colombia legalized medical cannabis export as well, specifically for flower. “Colombia starts to play big, and with this decree we are putting ourselves at the forefront in terms of regulatory competitiveness, at least in Latin America and the Caribbean,” said Colombian President Ivan Duque. “We are opening the space to do much more in cosmetics … [including] food and beverages and even textiles.” Previously, Colombia approved legislation in 2016 to regulate cannabis production and sales, but exports remained banned until 2021.

A recent study revealed that in Canada, cannabis flower is still the most popular consumption method (according to data collected between 2018-2020). “The findings highlight the rapidly evolving nature of the cannabis product market, including notable shifts in the types of cannabis products used by consumers. … Although dried flower continues to dominate the market, it has begun declining with a notable shift towards increasing popularity of processed cannabis products,” researchers wrote about their findings. After flower, cannabis edibles and vape oils were the second and third most popular during the specified time frame.

The post Canada Border Agency Seizes Almost 2,000 Pounds of Illegal Cannabis Export appeared first on High Times.

source https://hightimes.com/news/canada-border-agency-seizes-almost-2000-pounds-of-illegal-cannabis-export/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=canada-border-agency-seizes-almost-2000-pounds-of-illegal-cannabis-export