Top Brands of 2023

By Jimi Devine, Ellen Holland, and Matt Jackson

It’s tough to make it in weed these days, but these brands show us that they can survive and thrive. Here are the cannabis companies that came out on top for us in 2023.

Dee Thai

Courtesy Dee Thai

These solventless rosin edibles break the mold of traditional gummy flavors through the incorporation of tropical fruits. Created by Natura and available in California, Dee Thai is the brainchild of Josh Schmidt, Natura’s vice president of business development. Schmidt grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and loved eating Asian candy and collecting baseball cards as a child. Two of Natura’s brands, Dee Thai and Sluggers (pre-rolls designed to look like the flashy Upper Deck baseball card packs), invoke a nostalgia factor in respect to Schmidt’s youth.

Originally envisioned as a CBD edible, after saying “CBD” so many times it clicked for Schmidt that “dee” in Thai means “good.” Dee Thai incorporates his longtime connections with Thailand, and started with six flavors: mangosteen, guava, lychee, pineapple, mango, and jackfruit.

“Exotic is everything in cannabis and marketing and these were like the most exotic fruits,” Schmidt says.

A few of the gummy flavors represent partnerships with other brands such as Your Highness and West Coast Alchemy. The papaya gummy crafted with Kalya Extracts rosin that we taste tested was true to the musky taste of papaya and resulted in a potent stone. Dee Thai has also expanded to offer hash-infused joints and blunts as well as vape pens.

This year the brand was on hand at the Outside Lands and BottleRock music festivals. In terms of brand recognition Dee Thai also capitalizes on the weed world’s expanding interest in Thailand, which sprouted an overnight industry after the government removed cannabis flowers from its list of prohibited narcotics in June 2022. -EH

Fig Farms

Courtesy Fig Farms

Fig Farms continues winning over the hearts and lungs of the cannabis-smoking public with their award-winning flowers. In 2023 the family-owned cannabis company took first place in indoor flower at The Emerald Cup—a competition that up until a few years ago only judged cannabis grown outdoors. That same night, they changed the face of The Emerald Cup all together when Blue Face went on to win Best in Show.

That accomplishment came courtesy of serious professional pot-smoking judges—including our own Jon Cappetta—but Fig Farms also celebrated a whole different kind of competition success this year with a first place for indica flower for Blue Face at the High Times Cannabis Cup SoCal: People’s Choice competition. The People’s Choice is judged by, well, the people.

Fig Farms is constantly popping off single-plant testers of new strain possibilities. Included in an assortment of Z crosses they’ve recently been experimenting with is a Figment x Z. Its aroma expresses the dank gas from the Figment (Purple Fig x Animal Mints 199 #4) with a bit of bergamot citrus essence from the Z. This strain is incredibly frosty. I broke it up and really shouldn’t even be typing right now, there are trichomes in my keyboard and my fingers risk sticking to the keys.

Fig Farms expanded to Illinois in 2022 and plans to soon offer seeds of their award-winning genetics. -EH

Gotti

Mulberriez / Courtesy Gotti

A legendary New York name that’s begun to ring out again in the streets. This year GOAT Global in Los Angeles helped launch the California dispensary line for Gotti, the cannabis brand built by the family of iconic mob figure John Gotti.

This team came onto the scene last year and, since then, has created lasting relationships with West Coast figures like Deep East, Greendawg, and Blueprint. They’ve built a lot of traction through releases of their Blue Sapphire, Zattie, and Seabiscuit. This last example is one that helped them win a coveted spot in the Transbay Challenge qualifying event in Los Angeles. The story of this strain is pretty incredible.

Originally this Zkittlez x Zoap was bred by Deep East for Greendawg. They ended up keeping two phenotypes from that batch but the rest were going to get chucked out the window. The team at Gotti were on the hunt for new cuts when they heard about this #25 pheno that was up for grabs if they wanted to save it. This special strain which also took honors as a part of the recent Zalympics box, was the jump off point for the relationship between Deep East and Gotti. -MJ

Have Hash

Pleazure (Collaboration with Mendoja Farms) / Photo by Benjamin Neff, @bneff420

Over this last year, Have Hash has been dominating the game and adding to the overwhelming legacy of Humboldt County hashmakers. With trophies from Cannafest, Transbay Challenge, King of Z Hill, Northern California Rosin Championship, Ego Clash, Pure Melt’s Melt Down, and Europe’s Masters of Rosin, it’s getting hard to keep up with the ways they’re breaking hearts and taking names.

Despite only having an 800-square-foot facility, the partnerships Have Hash formed with a select number of NorCal farms like Mendoja Farms, Booney Acres, and Pop Stops Growing have given the brand a strong product that’s managed to get them singled out by hash judges worldwide. Right now, Have Hash’s owner Jacob said he’s concentrating on creating exciting seasonal drops instead of offering smokers a never-ending faucet of rosin flavors (something he sees as a big flaw in the hash market). For this recent release they’ve dropped new jars like Mochi, Uvas y Crema, and Pleazure, which they made happen through fostering a collaboration between Mendo Mikey and Mendoja Farms.

Since starting in 2015, the goal for Have Hash has been to bring the kind of quality we see on the trap market over to the recreational side, something that seems to be an award-winning concept for them (literally). -MJ

Mycology Oakland

Courtesy Mycology Oakland

In the oncoming storm of psilocybin companies, Mycology Oakland has proven on a wildly different level than its peers.

In its hometown of Oakland, California there are probably about 30 to 40 mushroom chocolate entities now in operation. I’ve tried most of them—The Clout Boy stuff, Deadhead bars, Save the Planet bars, the whole nine yards. Nothing comes remotely close to the impact of a Myco bar. The brand is also building recognition with cool merchandise, including a peyote-covered bag.

In the age of fentanyl, mushrooms have turned into more of a party drug over the last few years. People dose enough to stay up all night laughing and partying but not enough to talk to God unless they accidentally take enough. This actually happened to me with a Myco Oakland 4 gram cookies and cream bar.

I had previously been splitting a chocolate bar over the course of the night at festivals. After nine or so of these adventures across different chocolate bars I thought I was dialed in. Then I ran into half of a Myco bar. I ended up somewhere between Jupiter and Saturn and went back to the tent to chill for an hour. After I came down a pinch I went exploring until 4 a.m. It was awesome. -JD

Preferred Gardens

Photo by Phil Emerson, @Philemerson

There is a legitimate argument to be made that Preferred Gardens is the best indoor cultivator on both coasts. Oh wait, we didn’t even mention they probably have the best mixed-light product in California. These realities have led to a lot of respect across the board for the company.

The dedication to excellence in flowers has turned Preferred into one of the most mom-and-pop multistate operators out there. Much of the workload on the cultivation side is handled by the founder David Polley, while his wife Nicki oversees the books and takes care of the actual business side of things.

The last few years of growth at Preferred were backboned by mixed-light cannabis, which means it was grown light-deprivation style, during which the cultivator uses tarps and supplemental lighting to maintain a steady light cycle. Those $35 eighths that Preferred is pumping to the stores that are lucky enough to be on their list are gold, but now their indoor is in the mix.

Florida won the race to Preferred’s indoor, but it has finally dropped in California and we’re thrilled with the results as they included one of the best renditions of Zoap yet seen by the marketplace.

Preferred also just built out a massive new mixed-light facility. Expect to see even more of their flowers available across America as time rolls on. -JD

Pressure Pack

Courtesy Pressure Pack

Based in Detroit, Michigan, Pressure Pack caught our eye for both their flowers and their concentrates. Their collaboration with North Coast brought wins in our Cannabis Cup Michigan: People’s Choice Edition 2023 competition for a Blue Zorbet hash rosin, a Lemon Rain infused donut pre-roll and another pre-roll filled with one of our 2022 strains of the year, Permanent Marker. Pressure Pack has a few growing facilities and works hard to ensure its flowers are top notch. Its Orange Bomb, exploding with bright tangerine citrus aromas, was awarded second place for sativa flower.

“We work really hard to try and get the best product because we only want to enjoy the best products,” cultivator Ian says. “I come from a medical background and so, for me, I use cannabis in a medical sense. I use the entourage effect to its full nature. I try to maximize the output that the plants will allow us.”

Look out for Pressure Pack newest offering which jumps in on a certified weed smoking trend, hand-rolled hash holes. -EH

Puffco

Courtesy Puffco

Every year Puffco hits us with new devices, firmware tweaks, and general improvements to their products from generation to generation. The most famous being back in 2020 when they totally rebuilt the atomizer on their flagship Peak device.

It’s been eight years since Puffco dropped the Plus. A lot of people would still put the Plus right at or near the top of the list for the dab pen format. There was a period of time before the Peak dropped when the best extractors in the world all used the Plus, but then we saw the Peak drop in 2018 and it changed the game. The Pro model dropped in 2020, and then this year we saw the launch of the upgraded Pro Model, Puffco’s best hardware yet for its famed electronic dab rig.

While the new Peak Pro model was nice, it’s hard to argue that the new XL 3D chamber won’t be the biggest release of the year for them. The new giant atomizer is the company’s hardest hitting yet. It starts with the 3D chamber tech that was first designed for the Proxy and eventually made its way to the Peak. They essentially upgraded the size one more time and produced an absolute ripper in the process.

Ripping a fat glob of hash in the XL chamber on max vapor mode will do wonders for your sinuses and soul. -JD

The Ten Co.

Courtesy The Ten Co.

By now, everyone has heard about the legendary Blue Zushi rosin that shocked the whole community by going for an unheard of price of $500 a gram. These buckets, which reached a new high water mark for the cannabis industry, were an amazing lightning in a bottle situation for The Ten Co. but there’s so much more to this brand than the hype of the hash. 

Coming to Los Angeles by way of London, creator Staks and his partner Gerry have brought consumers to their knees with the Blue, Yellow, and Pink versions of Zushi (all combos of Zkittlez and Kush Mints), along with Wazabi, Zoyi, Wagyu, and Tenbanger. These bright bags with their playful, manga-style characters have inspired more than a few other designs and drawn crowds who claim The Ten Co.’s flower to be some of the best they’ve ever smoked.

Back in 2019 people were going crazy for Zushi and the past few years have done nothing to slake that thirst with prices going buck wild on both coasts. -MJ

West Coast Alchemy 

Courtesy West Coast Alchemy

It’s hard to say if anyone else in the game right now has a higher output or longer reach than West Coast Alchemy. Even message boards out in Europe are filled with people trying to figure out what jars to try and cop.

These guys push an impressive amount of jars out a day and never seem to have any problems dropping new flavors and cutting edge single-origin cultivars. Though finding them online might take wading through a pool of fakes, these jars never fail to deliver on flavor since they partner with some of the best names in the scene right now.

The recent drops with Pure Melt have been incredible and worth the hunt for scooping a couple jars. -MJ

This story was originally published in the December 2023 issue of High Times Magazine.

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source https://hightimes.com/culture/top-brands-of-2023/

Best Strains of the Year

As the year comes to an end, we’re looking back at the strains we believe made the biggest mark on cannabis in 2023. Every year the battle to make this list gets more cutthroat. Why? It’s simply a numbers game. From closet pollen chuckers to the most advanced breeding rooms, more people than ever are producing new cannabis cultivars. Most of them trace back to the same lineages. But from within that common grouping that we’ve come to describe as commercially viable, there are twists and turns yet to be taken. Magically, the best breeders on the planet are able to find those hidden corners and the new flavors and experiences within them. At its core we hope this is what the list represents, but sometimes things are undeniable.

High Times Magazine, December 2023

How do you trade off uniqueness for impact on the market? If something has a lot of notes we’ve heard before but takes them to a new level and consumers can’t get enough of it, should that factor into our decision? Absolutely. Just look at how many dessert strains have made it to the top of the list over the years. And they deserved it. Lemon Cherry Gelato, one of our top strains choices for 2022, has had a massive impact again this year and Gelonade is still one of the best sativas out there. Sure, a lot of the notes combined into those flavors were ones we were already familiar with, but the magic occurred when the ingredients were mixed.

This year we’re celebrating a few new varieties that made a splash in 2023.

Blue Face

Blue Face / Photo courtesy Fig Farms

Blue Face was the first-ever indoor cultivar to win Best in Show in California’s legendary competition, The Emerald Cup. Fig Farms got to put that feather in their cap in 2023 when Blue Face delivered the goods. This was one year after its sister pheno, Animal Face—the seeds of which came out of the same pack—took home the top prize in the indoor category but couldn’t capture Best in Show in the third year of the famous outdoor competition’s indoor category. The pack the duo came from was Face Off OG x Animal Mints from Seed Junky.

Blue Face went on to win a bunch of other stuff, but according to the team at Fig Farms, the third-place finish at California Ego Clash invitational in December 2022 was really special for them after winning so many awards over the years. Fig Farms COO Mike Doten explained what made it special to High Times.

“It was a pretty special moment for us because we’re in a room full of other competitive brands in the marketplace as well as even home growers,” Doten said. “We all judge the flower together so there’s no opportunity for anybody to have any judgment of the flower based on what they think of other people or anything like that if it’s all blind or right in front of each other and then the other competitions that happened are mostly blind also, but on this particular one it hits home because we sit there and touch flowers with them. And so it’s really special to have Blue Face when amongst all the other competitors also all sitting there in the same room.”

The biggest problem with Blue Face? Availability. It only yields about two-thirds of what its sister Animal Face puts out. Fig Farms is already dedicating as much space as they can to it at the moment.

“It’s low yield so the facility can only generate so much of that and also make other flowers too,” Doten said. “So there is like a finite amount we can put out of that. We already do a whole bench of it in almost every single room. It already is making up a gigantic amount of our production as far as production space, as far as production output and doesn’t make up as much of it but that’s okay because we do it for the consumer, for the culture, for ourselves.”

French Laundry 

French Laundry / Photo courtesy Maven Genetics

The first time I saw French Laundry at the California cannabis trade show Hall of Flowers a couple of years back, I knew we were dealing with a heater that would eventually be recognized at The Emerald Cup, High Times Cannabis Cup, Zalympix, and The Transbay Challenge for its quality. The strain is a pairing of L.A. Rouge and The Soap from Maven Genetics.

2023 would see French Laundry carry Maven Genetics on its back in its transition from OGs to award winners. The pot was already solid, but it just takes a little bit of magic to raise the bar for a whole company that was already in 400 shops before the French Laundry rocket took off.

We talked with Maven’s co-founder and president Mike Corvington to get his take on the huge year that French Laundry had.

“That one, I think kind of solidified itself,” Corvington said. “We’ve been working the line a little deeper. Now we’re doing some S1s and F2 crosses on it and playing with it a little deeper. But yeah, man, it’s been a good run this last year. When you find a superstar, it’s nice that everyone kind of gives that similar feedback and you kind of just build on it.”

Even with their 15-year pedigree of success and survival in transitioning from the medical to recreational markets, we asked if 2023 was at least a little bit beyond expectations.

“Yeah, absolutely man. I mean, you know, like, I look at it kind of like, you know, the analogy of like, what we do is similar to like a record label,” Corvington said. “You know, when your label’s only as strong as the artist you’re signing to it and always looking for the next superstar. So you always feel good about what you put out or that’s the goal at least. But you know, I kind of felt when we found this one that I knew it was a little special.”

Corvington assures that Maven will continue to hunt down unique heat as opposed to jumping on the next trend.

Whitethorn Rose

Whitethorn Rose / Photo by Benjamin Neff, @bneff420

In a world of Papaya and GMO everything, Whitethorn Rose has carved itself a spot among the elite strains that carry big flavors and produce enough hash to be commercially viable. Adding to that, with this strain you’re also dealing with a decades-old family genetics line from Humboldt County providing even more reason to love it.

John Casali bred the strain at Huckleberry Hill Farms when he crossed his mother’s strain, Paradise Punch, with Lemon OG in 2016. 

“I really hope that really my mother’s legacy would be one of the cultivars that maybe we all grew together over 40 years ago and experimenting around with some breeding projects, really discovered a cultivar that really resonated with the consumer,” Casali said. “It has a sister plant known as Mom’s Weed but Whitethorn Rose really has taken the stage and done really well in The Emerald Cup of the last couple of years with back-to-back bubble hash wins.”

It was also placed on numerous other podiums. Casali said the Whitethorn Rose has really opened his eyes to the power of legacy strains to preserve what is left of the farmers on the hill as they’ve watched so many peers fall in recent years to the brutal marketplace.

“People are maybe a little bit over the commercialized cultivars that have been shared with them for over five years now,” Casali said. “They’re really starting to resonate with the terpene profiles and the cannabinoid profiles that these legacy genetics in the Emerald Triangle have. It’s fortunate that Whitethorn Rose is one of those.”

Even with the success of Whitethorn Rose and some of his peers doing well, Casali emphasized it is never going to feel great to be some sole survivor or do well unless the rest of our community of farmers, those people who were always with them during the legacy days, support one another.

“Our biggest challenge is really trying to figure out a way to uplift them to continue the journey with us,” Casali said.

Sherbanger

Sherbanger / Cultivated by Preferred Gardens
Photo by Phil Emerson

One of the biggest up-and-coming strains in the game, Sherbanger continued the legacy of Massachusetts putting out absolute hitters like Chemdawg and Mass Super Skunk. Sherbanger is a pairing of the Sunset Sherbert that traces back to Sherbinski and Cookies’ co-founder Jigga in San Francisco and Headbanger from Karma Genetics.

After being bred in Boston, the packs eventually made it to California. Some of the most choice phenos selected are producing some of the best flower in the state. The rosin version is also starting to take off with some of the people running it having won a handful of awards in 2023.

We talked with John, breeder and owner of Boston Roots Seed Co. to get his take on the big year.

“Honestly brotha I’m just happy to be here and do what I love and I’m happy people are enjoying the gear,” John said. “I’ve probably had the roughest few years of my life so it’s all kinda bittersweet.”

John emphasized it wasn’t some high-tech breeding process, just faith in good flavors. 

“As far as the breeding of it, you gotta start with what you like and I’m a smoker so Headbanger by Karma was perfect as it was/is one of my favorite smokes,” John said. “The rest? Well, I just stay working, have help from a few good people around me and a whole lotta luck.”

Expect to see Sherbanger in every major U.S. cannabis market within the next year.

Blue Zushi

Blue Zushi / Photo courtesy The Ten Co.

There is no strain carrying the Z flag higher than Blue Zushi these days apart from the Original Z from deep in the heart of Mendocino County where they don’t let lawsuits from candy companies stop the hype. The Blue Zushi wave has been led by one of the better marketing minds in cannabis, Staks of The Ten Co., who doubles as arguably the most prominent Englishman in international cannabis at the moment.

Hype is a finicky thing though. Blue Zushi has always done well since it first hit the scene and has always had its haters. When it won its first Zalympix it was still in the packaging. The haters argued people were voting for the hype. When it won its second Zalympix award, it beat out 120 plus other strains that entered the contest that year, roughly four or six times a larger field than the first win and it was blind. Still the haters came out.

In the end, as it has on many other occasions, the Blue Zushi conquered all. Be sure to go read Jon Cappetta’s full sit-down with Staks.

This story was originally published in the December 2023 issue of High Times Magazine.

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Death of ‘Parasite’ Actor Linked to South Korean Anti-Drug Crackdown

South Korean actor Lee Sun-kyun, known for playing the wealthy father in Bong Joon-ho’s 2019 film Parasite, was found dead in his car on Wednesday morning. Inside the car, parked near Waryong Park in central Seoul, investigators found a charcoal briquette. The briquette, a compressed block of coal that can cause carbon monoxide poisoning, suggests he died by suicide. He was 48 years old.

Lee passed away at the pinnacle of his career. In addition to starring in the Oscar-winning thriller, which earned him a Screen Actors Guild Award alongside his fellow cast members, he also played a leading role in the internationally acclaimed sci-fi film Dr. Brain. His last two films, Sleep and Project Silence – horror and disaster films, respectively – both made it into the 76^th Cannes Film Festival.

News outlets speculate Lee’s suicide may be related to his criminal charges. In October, the actor was arrested by the Incheon Metropolitan Police for allegedly using marijuana and other illegal drugs at the home of a hostess in Seoul’s Gangnam district earlier in the year. Lee’s most recent police interrogation, which took place last Saturday, went on for a shocking total of 19 hours. 

According to an article from Korea Times, Lee said that he was “tricked by the hostess into taking the drugs and that he did not know what he was taking.” He had tested negative for a reagent test and a lab-based drug test from Korea’s National Forensic Service, and submitted a polygraph lie detector test at the insistence of his lawyer. 

The Korea Times article also states that, before his death, Lee filed a complaint against the hostess and one other, seemingly unknown person, “accusing them of blackmail and swindling him out of money.” When the actor was first taken in for questioning on October 28, he said he was “sorry for my family, who are enduring extreme pain at this moment.”

In an apparent suicide note addressed to his wife Jeon Hye Jin, which was published by the Korean channel TV Chosun the following day, Lee wrote he “cannot do anything else, there is no other way but this.” Relaying a message to his agents, he added that “the financial penalties for breaching advertising and movie contracts are overwhelming. I am sorry.” 

Although the motivations for Lee’s suicide remain the subject of debate, journalists link the event to the Korean government’s ongoing crackdown on recreational drug use. This crackdown began in April, when conservative president Yoon Suk Yeol announced a “war on drugs” and created an 840 person-strong department to help him wage it. 

New laws subjecting producers, distributors, and users to prison sentences of up to 10 years in prison have since led to the arrest of over 17,000 people – a number that not only includes other South Korean celebrities like actor Yoo Ah-in and K-pop singer Kwon Ji-yong, but also a group of American army officers accused of shipping in synthesized marijuana through the US postal service. 

The scale and scope of the crackdown is questionable. Included in the government’s list of illegal drugs are not just cocaine, opiates, and methamphetamines, but also soft drugs like marijuana. If South Korea once appeared willing to adopt more liberal drug policies, President Yoon is stirring the country in the direction of zero-tolerance regimes like Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam. 

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source https://hightimes.com/culture/movies/death-of-parasite-actor-linked-to-south-korean-anti-drug-crackdown/

Delaware Group Offers ‘Joints For Junk’ To Fight Trash Pollution

An advocacy group in Delaware is enlisting volunteers to clean up their community –– and then clear their mind. 

Called “Joints for Junk,” the program works exactly like it sounds: in exchange for a round of trash clean-up, the Delaware Cannabis Advocacy Network awards the volunteers with a joint of legal cannabis.

“People preregistered, showed up, signed a waiver and we gave them a joint,” says Zoë Patchell, president of Delaware Cannabis Advocacy Network, told the Delaware News Journal. “And, actually, nobody took the joint and left. It was a really positive, inspiring day.”

The group held the first “Joints for Junk” event in the fall, months after Delaware legalized recreational pot for adults. 

According to the Delaware News Journal, the event –– held in Millsboro, Delaware –– ”drew more than 50 volunteers over the age of 21 with each getting a pre-rolled joint, which was donated by members of the nonprofit group.” The outlet said that, under the new state law, “anyone can gift an adult up to an ounce of marijuana.”

“It was probably one of our best turnouts for a community service project,” Patchell said, as quoted by the Delaware News Journal. “There were a number of new people we had never met before, and a few of them even became members.”

“It was a really positive reception,” Patchell added. “We just told them we were here to make Millsboro more green.”

Delaware legalized adult-use marijuana in April, when Democratic Gov. John Carney allowed a pair of bills to become law. Carney had previously vetoed legislative proposals to legalize marijuana, but he stood down this year when Delaware lawmakers passed the measures with veto-proof majorities.

“These two pieces of legislation remove all state-level civil and criminal penalties from simple marijuana possession and create a highly regulated industry to conduct recreational marijuana sales in Delaware,” Carney said in a statement at the time. “As I’ve consistently said, I believe the legalization of recreational marijuana is not a step forward. I support both medical marijuana and Delaware’s decriminalization law because no one should go to jail for possessing a personal use quantity of marijuana. And today, they do not.”

Carney stressed that he remained opposed to legalization.

“I want to be clear that my views on this issue have not changed. And I understand there are those who share my views who will be disappointed in my decision not to veto this legislation,” said Carney. “I came to this decision because I believe we’ve spent far too much time focused on this issue, when Delawareans face more serious and pressing concerns every day. It’s time to move on.”

State House Rep. Ed Osienski, the sponsor of the two bills, celebrated the breakthrough, which made Delaware the 22nd state to legalize weed for adults.

“After five years of countless meetings, debates, negotiations and conversations, I’m grateful we have reached the point where Delaware has joined a growing number of states that have legalized and regulated adult recreational marijuana for personal use,”Osienski said in a statement. “We know that more than 60% of Delawareans support the legalization of marijuana for adult recreational use, and more than two-thirds of the General Assembly agreed.”

Osienski also saluted Carney for allowing the bills to become law.

“I understand the governor’s personal opposition to legalization, so I especially appreciate him listening to the thousands of residents who support this effort and allowing it to become law,” Osienski added. “I am committed to working with the administration to ensure that the effort to establish the regulatory process goes as smoothly as possible.”

The law allows individual communities in Delaware to opt out and ban weed within their jurisdictions. 

Members of the town council in Millsboro did just that in September, when they unanimously passed an ordinance that bans the cultivation and sale of marijuana within their city limits.

At the first “Joints for Junk” event held in November, volunteers “collected [trash] from the area surrounding the Millsboro Town Center ― the same place where the Town Council voted against marijuana just six days prior at a Nov. 6 public hearing,” according to the Delaware News Journal.

Patchell said that the group wanted to “show everyone that cannabis consumers care about the community and a lot of the negative stereotypes are simply not true.” 

“We care just like everybody else,” Patchell said. 

According to the Delaware News Journal, six teams were “deployed in fluorescent yellow vests to pick up any garbage they found using large garbage bags of the same color” from 10 a.m. to noon.

“While there were no issues reported with their first ‘Joints for Junk’ project, some residents came out from their homes to ask what was happening as they saw the brightly dressed volunteers roaming the neighborhood,” the outlet said.

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source https://hightimes.com/environment/delaware-group-offers-joints-for-junk-to-fight-trash-pollution/

Despite Widespread Legalization, Fewer Young People Find it ‘Easy’ To Get Pot

The number of legal cannabis retailers has exploded in North America the last decade, but that hasn’t resulted in easier access for kids. 

That is the takeaway from newly published survey data that examined perceptions of cannabis among youth in Canada.

“Very little research has examined how perceptions of cannabis access among underage youth in Canada have changed since cannabis was legalized and since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. As such, this paper examines the effect of the early and ongoing stages of the COVID-19 pandemic period on youth perceptions of cannabis access over time since the onset of the Cannabis Act in 2018 in a large sample of Canadian youth,” the researchers wrote in the introduction of the study, which was published this month in Archives of Public Health.

The authors of the study said that they “used both repeat cross-sectional data [T1 (n = 38,890), T2 (n = 24,109), and T3 (n = 22,795)] to examine overall trends in perceptions of cannabis access, and sequential cohort longitudinal data [n = 4,677 students linked from T1 to T3] to examine the differential changes in perceptions of cannabis access among students over time.”

“In the cross-sectional sample, the frequency of students reporting that cannabis was easy to access decreased by 26.7% from T1 (51.0%) to T3 (37.4%), although respondents who have used cannabis were more likely to report access was easy. In the longitudinal sample, perceptions of cannabis access being easy increased over time, especially among cannabis users. Perceived ease of access appears to have been slightly impeded during the initial pandemic period but rebounded during the ongoing pandemic period,” they wrote in their summary of the results.

In conclusion, the researchers said that although “the prevalence of youth reporting that cannabis is easy to access has declined since legalization and throughout the early and ongoing pandemic periods, a substantial number of underage youth continue to report that cannabis is easy to access,” which they said suggests “that there is an ongoing need for continued cannabis control efforts to address this issue.”

“While there has been a growing number of studies focused on examining changes in cannabis use among Canadian youth since the onset of the Cannabis Act, and more recently since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, there appears to be a paucity of research dedicated to examining changes in youth perceptions of cannabis availability over the same period of time. In response, this study provides unique and novel evidence of how youth perceptions of cannabis access have changed since the onset of the Cannabis Act,” they said in their conclusion, as quoted by NORML, “Our data suggest that in our large samples of youth, perceptions of cannabis access as being easy has declined in prevalence since legalization and through the early and ongoing pandemic response period.”

The Cannabis Act in 2018 made Canada just the second country to legalize marijuana, following Uruguay, which legalized pot in 2013.

In the United States, legalization is a phenomenon that exists on the state and local level, as cannabis remains prohibited under federal law. 

But in states where adult-use cannabis has been made legal, there has been a similar trend as the one identified in the Canadian study.

A study last year found that recreational cannabis laws were not associated with a change in perception among marijuana among youth.

In the study, which was published in the journal Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research, the researchers “aimed to discover whether children in states with [recreational cannabis laws] had decreased perception of risk from cannabis compared with children in states with illicit cannabis,” noting that as “more states pass recreational cannabis laws (RCLs) for adults, there is concern that increasing (and state-sanctioned) cannabis acceptance will result in a reduced perception of risk of harm from cannabis among children.”

The researchers said they “analyzed data from the multisite multistate Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development Study to determine how the perception of cannabis harm among children changes over time in states with and without [recreational cannabis laws].” 

“Using multilevel modeling, we assessed survey responses from children longitudinally across 3 years, adjusting for state-, family-, and participant-level clustering and child-level factors, including demographics (sex, race, and socioeconomic status), religiosity, and trait impulsivity,” they said in their explanation of the methodology. 

The researchers said that there “was no significant main effect of state [recreational cannabis laws] on perceived risk of cannabis use, and no differences in change over time by state [recreational cannabis laws], even after controlling for demographic factors and other risk (e.g., impulsivity) and protective (e.g., religiosity) factors.” 

“This analysis indicates that state-level [recreational cannabis laws] are not associated with differential perception of cannabis risk among children, even after controlling for demographics, trait impulsivity, and religiosity,” they said. “Future studies could assess how perception of risk from cannabis changes as children and adolescents continue to mature in states with and without [recreational cannabis laws].”

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Florida Activists Withdraw Medical Cannabis Home Grow Initiative

The supporters of a proposed citizen’s initiative that would allow Florida medical marijuana patients to cultivate cannabis at home have ended their efforts to place the measure on the ballot for the 2024 general election. The home cultivation campaign withdrew its initiative petition late last month after failing to collect enough signatures to qualify for the ballot.

Cannabis activist Moriah Barnhart founded the group Wise and Free in December 2022 to put the medical marijuana home cultivation initiative on the ballot. But she says that the process has been made more difficult by new restrictions and fees for proposed ballot initiatives put in place by Republican lawmakers in 2019.

“The legislators keep making it harder for us to pass constitutional amendments so that giant conglomerates and large corporations are able to accomplish what they want, but we’re not,” Barnhart told the Miami New Times.

Campaign Faced Financial Difficulties

Barnhart added that the campaign had difficulties recruiting enough volunteers to help the cause. Additionally, the initiative’s backers were only able to raise about $4,000, not nearly enough to pay the professionals and staff needed to collect and submit the nearly 900,000 signatures needed to place the home cultivation initiative on the ballot. 

With administrative and accounting fees exceeding donations, Wise and Free Florida found itself in debt. Barnhart then made the difficult decision to withdraw the initiative petition, ending the effort for the 2024 election.

“When we could foresee being charged for late petitions in the millions, I couldn’t risk being personally accountable for those fees — especially since donations weren’t coming in to match the expenditures, much less additional costs,” Barnhart said.

“Now, billion-dollar companies and conglomerates are the only people who can have a say in Florida law,” she added.

Barnhart began her cannabis activism after her daughter Dahlia was diagnosed with brain cancer 13 years ago. After being given little chance of survival, Dahlia’s quality of life improved with cannabis medication. Barnhart now says cannabis has kept her daughter alive.

“She started on cannabis about six months into her treatment for aggressive brain cancer and she slept through the night for the first time in her entire life that first night,” remembered Barnhart, who co-founded the nonprofit Cannamoms in 2013 to educate people on the medical benefits of cannabis. 

“She woke up hungry and thirsty the next morning. Most importantly, she quickly regained her enjoyment of life and her will to live,” she continued. “Within days, she started walking, talking, laughing, and playing again. I absolutely believe cannabis saved her life.”

Adult-Use Initiative Pending

A separate initiative proposal to legalize adult-use cannabis that is supported by Trulieve, Florida’s largest medical marijuana provider, is currently being reviewed by the state Supreme Court. If the initiative passes judicial muster, it will appear on the ballot for next year’s general election.

Barnhart says that she fears that if the recreational marijuana initiative is successful, Florida’s medical marijuana program will be harmed. She said if adult-use cannabis is legalized, dispensaries will likely prioritize high-THC products for recreational consumers who primarily want to get high. Barnhart is afraid that as a result, low-THC products and those with THC and CBD favored by many medical patients will no longer be available.

Barnhart cited Oregon, Washington and California to back up her claim, noting that all three states legalized medical marijuana before recreational cannabis. Once recreational marijuana was also legalized, the number of products intended for use by medical marijuana patients decreased. But Barnhart noted that those states allow patients to grow cannabis at home, allowing them to cultivate the strains that are best suited for their needs.

“We need botanical medicines to be as personalized as possible,” Barnhart said. 

“Large corporations cannot accommodate that, and they are not going to lose money from small, vulnerable demographics of people who need personalized medicine and choose to grow their own cannabis,” she added.

With the failure of the medical marijuana home cultivation citizen’s initiative, Barnhart says that she hopes a large company like Trulieve will support a new home cultivation initiative as a sign of goodwill for patients. Trulieve is the biggest supporter of the adult-use cannabis proposal and has donated nearly all of the $39.5 million the campaign has spent on the initiative drive.

Steve Vancore, a spokesperson for Trulieve, said that support from the company for a future home cultivation initiative is a possibility.

“The near-term focus for Trulieve is supporting passage and implementation of the Smart & Safe Florida initiative,” Vancore wrote in an email to the Miami New Times.

But he added, “Trulieve has supported home-grow initiatives in Florida in the past and expects they will continue to do so in the future.”

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source https://hightimes.com/news/florida-activists-withdraw-medical-cannabis-home-grow-initiative/

Biden Pardons 11 People with Non-Violent Cannabis Convictions

On Dec. 22, President Joe Biden announced that he will be expanding his pardon initiative to include offenses that occurred on federal properties.

“America was founded on the principle of equal justice under law. Elected officials on both sides of the aisle, faith leaders, civil rights advocates, and law enforcement leaders agree that our criminal justice system can and should reflect this core value that makes our communities safer and stronger,” Biden said in his statement. “That is why today I am announcing additional steps I am taking to make the promise of equal justice a reality.”

This includes two actions: First, that Biden will commute the sentences of 11 people serving time for non-violent drug offenses. Second, Biden issued a proclamation that will pardon simple possession and cannabis consumption under federal and D.C. law. “Criminal records for marijuana use and possession have imposed needless barriers to employment, housing, and educational opportunities,” his statement continued. “Too many lives have been upended because of our failed approach to marijuana. It’s time that we right these wrongs.”

While Biden has received many letters from state governors petitioning him to reschedule cannabis, he included a short statement asking governors to issue similar acts of clemency.

As Biden concluded, he also made promises to continue these clemency actions to free more people from unjust cannabis sentences in the future. “I have exercised my clemency power more than any recent predecessor has at this point in their presidency,” Biden said. “And while today’s announcement marks important progress, my Administration will continue to review clemency petitions and deliver reforms that advance equal justice, address racial disparities, strengthen public safety, and enhance the wellbeing of all Americans.”

Biden’s first pardons as president were in April 2022 during “Second Chance Month,” which include the pardons of three people, including Betty Jo Bogans, Abraham W. Bolden Sr., and Dexter Eugene Jackson, commuted sentences for 75 people.

In October 2022, Biden made a historic announcement to pardon people with federal cannabis offenses. He said he would pardon those with simple cannabis possession, but also call on state governors to do the same, while also asking the Department of Health and Human Services and Attorney General to begin reviewing cannabis’ current schedule. Later that year in December 2022, he pardoned six more people, including Gary Parks Davis, Edward Lincoln De Coito III, Vincente Ray Flores, Beverly Ann Ibn-Tamas, Charlie Byrnes, and John Dix Nock III.

NORML Executive Director Erik Altieri told High Times that at the time, Biden’s actions were long overdue. “For nearly two years, NORML has called upon the Administration to fulfill the President’s campaign promise to provide relief to those stigmatized with a low-level cannabis conviction,” Altieri said. “We are pleased that today President Biden is following through on this pledge and that he is also encouraging governors to take similar steps to ensure that the tens of millions of Americans with state-level convictions for past marijuana crimes can finally move forward with their lives.”

In August, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services officially called upon the DEA to reclassify cannabis from a Schedule I drug to Schedule III following review. “Following the data and science, HHS has expeditiously responded to President Biden’s directive to HHS Secretary [Xavier Becerra] and provided its scheduling recommendation for marijuana to the DEA on August 29, 2023,” the letter to the DEA stated.

The DEA has a five-factor test to reconsider a drug for rescheduling, and previously cannabis has failed with passing only four of the five points. The five points include: “1.) The drug’s chemistry must be known and reproducible, 2.) There must be adequate safety studies, 3.) There must be adequate and well-controlled studies proving efficacy, 4.) The drug must be accepted by qualified experts, and 5.) The scientific evidence must be widely available.”

NORML was the first organization to file a petition to reschedule cannabis back in 1972. More than 10 years later in 1988, a DEA judge determined that cannabis didn’t meet the criteria for rescheduling. Later in 1990, a different judge set aside the ruling, but eventually in 1994, the original 1988 ruling was chosen in the decision. Later in 1995, NORML filed another rescheduling petition, which was denied in 2001. In 2002, another petition was filed, and the DEA denied it in 2011. That same year, a petition was filed by the governors of Rhode Island and Washington state, which was once again denied in 2016. 

With a history of petition denial, NORML Deputy Director Paul Armentano recently spoke about the possibility of the DEA’s review outcome being different than previous attempts at rescheduling. “It will be very interesting to see how DEA responds to this recommendation, given the agency’s historic opposition to any potential change in cannabis’ categorization under federal law,” said Armentano. “Further, for decades, the agency has utilized its own five-factor criteria for assessing cannabis’ placement in the CSA—criteria that as recently as 2016, the agency claimed that cannabis failed to meet. Since the agency has final say over any rescheduling decision, it is safe to say that this process still remains far from over.”

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source https://hightimes.com/news/biden-pardons-11-people-with-non-violent-cannabis-convictions/

How Pot-Consuming Parents Address Weed Use at Home

Parents have a lot to worry about when it comes to their kids. I wouldn’t know because I only own a dog, but I hear it isn’t easy. Social media, school safety, mental health, tech overuse, and diets are all top parent concerns as we head into 2024. For some families, weed is another critical issue. The worry is particularly pressing for new parents, those who don’t consume, or those who are just getting back into weed themselves. 

The concerns are warranted when considering cities like New York City and states like California struggle with unlicensed shops, many of whom aren’t selling the most reputable products. Additionally, health concerns surrounding underage use continue to be lab analyzed. While we don’t have all the data, conclusions so far suggest that early use could present long-term health issues, including less-than-ideal brain development and schizophrenia. In one study, researchers using statistical models concluded that 30% of schizophrenia cases in men aged 21-30 might have been prevented by averting cannabis use disorder. Such figures have been debated among different lab studies but still present a potential grave concern. 

There’s much to learn about weed, even on a beginner’s level. The struggle is immense, especially for parents who want answers now. I saw this desire firsthand in 2023 while conducting two Q&A panels with New York City Council Member Shahana Hanif in Brooklyn. The biggest takeaway was clear: Parents have many questions about weed and few trustworthy sources to turn to. 

Thankfully, weed is continually being normalized in several ways, including the media. Q&As featuring pot-friendly celebrity parents like Wiz Khalifa are normalizing frank, honest discussions about responsible use and how the plant fits into family life. To provide further insight, I spoke with several parents across the US to gather the varied takes on pot and parenting from everyday consumers, providing insights into the similarities and different approaches they have with pot education and normalization. 

Open, Honest Talks

Most parents suggest open, honest discussions once kids become aware of their world and family dynamics. Instead of hiding in the shed or giving up the ganja, consider having frank conversations with your kids when the time feels right. Discuss how the plant fits into family life and how it isn’t for kids. 

Mskindness B. Ramirez, the founder of the Southern California-based education platform Club Kindness, teaches her 13-year-old son and 11-year-old daughter that cannabis is part of their daily life. 

“They know the rules around what’s safe and what’s not,” said Ramirez, adding her kids aren’t that interested in pot, attributing it to its availability.  

Along with her husband, the family has integrated the plant into everyday life through storytelling and everyday use, including growing it next to the tomatoes in their garden and making CBD for their pets. Ramirez also penned the children’s cannabis education book, The Root Family’s Very Special Garden, based on her family’s experiences.

Missy Fogarty, founder of New York State-based education and advocacy platform Pothead Parent, teaches her kids and other interested parents about plant benefits and risks. 

“I think this is the best time to open up and give them all their options,” said Fogarty about educating kids. Along with her husband Derek, a military veteran, Fogarty has used cannabis since high school, crediting the plant with helping them through extreme periods of stress, anxiety, and trauma, including early birth struggles with both of their young sons. 

Ramirez, Fogarty, and other parents say they normalize cannabis by treating it as a medical option. Casey Renteria, a mom and freelance cannabis media and content creator, said she’s shown her seven-year-old daughter her dispensary purchases, allowing her to smell the items. “I was very clear with her that it was my medicine, and I’ll gladly show her and answer all her questions, but it wasn’t something for her to play with,” she said. Renteria stated that her daughter lost interest after inspecting a handful of her mom’s purchases. “Using cannabis is as normal as coffee or food in my home,” she added. 

Sabina Tashbayeva, a 30-something mom in New York State, started using cannabis to treat postpartum symptoms about 18 months after her now eight-year-old son was born. “I had a conversation recently with my son about plant medicine and why I use it, and when the time comes, he also will be able to consume it,” she said. Tashbayeva’s consumption has continued over the years, crediting the plant for helping her become a kinder and gentler parent. 

Changing Consumption Habits

Parents all reported doing the natural thing and avoiding smoking around their children. Other than that, responses varied regarding consumption habits. Several continue to smoke and vape weed, albeit outside or somewhere far removed from minors. Other parents did away with smoke and vapor, moving towards more discreet options. 

“I try to smoke less to avoid questions about why I smell like a skunk,” said Jordan Isenstadt, senior vice president at pot firm Marino PR and father to an 11 and 7-year-old. “I also no longer have a collection of bongs or volcanoes. I try to keep it pretty simple these days,” he said, adding he now stores his weed in a locked compartment in the basement.

For the most part, parents reported maintaining a similar consumption pattern now that they’re parents. However, some slight modifications occur over time. “If anything, I’d say the only real change is my morning wake and bake is delayed till I get home from dropping my boys off at school,” said Enrique Alvarado, creative director at Chronicle and a father of two in Colorado. 

What About Your Kids Using Weed?

Parents were largely uniform in their responses regarding education and the normalization of safe consumption. Meanwhile, acceptable consumption ages varied.

The law states that adults must be 21 or have a medical license to legally consume at a younger age as part of a medical program. Citing the law or select studies, including analyses finding that cannabis may impact brain development until 18 to 25 years old, many parents would prefer to see their kids stay away from weed. 

“I’m here for the lab studies when it comes to things like inhalation, hot smoke, and developing brains,” said Ramirez. She predicted that despite the education, her son would likely try smoking at some point in his youth. Other parents echoed similar feelings.

“I would prefer that my kids wait until they are 25 when their brains are fully developed for them to start consuming,” said Rob Mejia, a cannabis studies professor at New Jersey’s Stockton University and father of two sons in their early 20s. Mejia, president of community education brand Our Community Harvest, added, “But I’m a realist and know that chances were good they would try in high school or college.”

Others indicated their approval of their kids starting sooner, with many hoping their children turn to their parents for additional education and help sourcing safe products. Some parents noted their stances would change if the law didn’t threaten parental rights and personal freedom. “If we were allowed to give cannabis to our children legally, I would be answering this question differently, but since the penalty for giving children cannabis without a prescription is 14 years in jail…” said Rev. Kelly Addison, founder of Canadian cannabis education platform KGL Network. 

Several parents, including Renteria, say they give their kids cannabis for medical purposes. The Renteria household reports the kids have adhered to a strict CBD-only regimen for the past five years. “We use infused petroleum jelly on scrapes and topicals before bed when it’s been a rough day,” she said, adding that the family does not use inhalables. 

A Personalized Experience

The law has its protocols, which parents must adhere to or risk run-ins with Child Protective Services. Laws aside, every family has their own views on weed and how it fits into their home. The views of just a dozen or so parents shine a light on their similarities and differences regarding the subject. There is no one-size-fits-all response. 

Like many parents have told me over the years, you try to do your best when raising a kid. Open conversations, exposure to responsible use and the overall normalization of the plant into everyday life are great places to educate your kids about pot best. Consider contacting the platforms mentioned in this article, or check out leading advocacy groups like NORML to connect with local and national groups of parents and plant advocates. 

The post How Pot-Consuming Parents Address Weed Use at Home appeared first on High Times.

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