Arthur Shelby is a troubled soul. The Peaky Blinders character must live under his younger brother, Thomas Shelby’s shadow, and deal with often hard-to-watch, but somehow, relatable, acts of violence, towards both others and himself, self-medicated with drugs and Jesus. And based on recent headlines (in the real world), it appears that, at least for some of such, the actor who plays Arthur, Paul Anderson, opts for Method acting, which aims to foster genuine portrayals by immersing oneself in and embodying the internal motivations and emotions of a character. So, basically, acting like the character off screen as well as when the cameras are rolling.
As TheGuardian reports, Anderson has been fined for possession of drugs. These include crack cocaine, amphetamines, in addition to prescription substances, diazepam (Valium) and pregabalin. The incident occurred on Boxing Day, the party-fueled British holiday that is held the day after Christmas. His lawyer claims that the actor uses the drugs to break into character to please fans who recognize him.
Where did Anderson land himself into trouble? At his local pub, of course, who contacted the coppers after the bar’s manager noticed “crack cocaine fumes coming from the disabled toilet after the actor walked out,” MailOnline reports. He was with a friend and his baby.
On Thursday, the 48-year-old actor stood before Highbury Corner magistrates court, facing charges of possessing class A crack cocaine, class B amphetamines, and two types of class C prescription drugs. He admitted to all four counts, resulting in a total fine of £1,345.
Reports indicate that Anderson only spoke to acknowledge his pleas and to verify his identity and north-west London address.
Anderson’s attorney, addressing the court in mitigation, reportedly stated: “You will recognise the defendant from a very intense part that he has played in a recent television programme. He is often recognised and does his best to please fans of the show by slipping into character.
“He was recognised that Boxing Day and tried to play up for these people. And because of the lifestyle he leads people often give him inducements.” The lawyer further noted that Anderson had not been using crack cocaine, but conceded: “He has found himself in an unfortunate position and should have had the strength to say no.”
While this news is hard not to pass on for all the Peaky Blinders fans, there’s a lot to unpack that’s not so funny. First, turning to the U.S., if you want to get angry, remember that while cannabis remains a Schedule I substance, cocaine (even though the sentencing guidelines have historically been much harsher, as the result of laws that tend to lock up more poor than rich folks), is only a Schedule II. And, while we don’t know the exact details of how and when Anderson was using, any stimulant as strong as crack, for the sake of one’s health, should not be paired with amphetamines.
Diazepam, the brand name of Valium, is a benzodiazepine. It’s in the same anti-anxiety drug class as pills such as Xanax, Klonopin, and Ativan. When benzodiazepines hit the market in the 1960s, chemists thought they’d cured anxiety. However, as is becoming increasingly reported, unlike cannabis for anxiety, such medications are just too easy to develop a physical dependence on when used other than prescribed, which is as-needed, or on a short-term basis.
While, if you want to take a tolerance break from cannabis, while you might miss it, one can just put down the herb and not think too much about it, with benzos, suddenly stopping them after continued use is no joke, like, comes with risks of seizures if not done correctly. As detailed in the Ashton Manuel, the bible for getting off of benzos, if one is weaning off something like Xanax or Klonopin, it’s actually recommended to switch to Valium and then slowly taper off as it’s less potent and has a longer half-life. As High Times reported, Sub-anesthetic ketamine infusions, which are already used for treatment-resistant depression (TRD), may also help people through benzodiazepine withdrawal, new research published in Neuropsychopharmacology shows.
However, of the substances found, MailOnline reports that Anderson later tested positive for opiates and cocaine (not crack cocaine), the court heard, so while there’s possession charges, we have no idea of the actor’s personal use or medication schedule. But we’re on your side, Arthur Shelby.
Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin recently rejected a medical cannabis ballot measure because of its title.
The Arkansas Medical Cannabis Amendment of 2024 was submitted on Jan. 12 by Stephen Lancaster of the law firm Wright Lindsey & Jennings LLP. Griffin responded to the submission, although the opinion was initially prepared by Assistant Attorney General William R. Olson on Jan. 29, explaining the reasoning behind his decision to reject the measure in its current form.
He clearly states in the beginning of this letter that his decision is not a reflection of his support or opposition to this ballot measure, or any others. “My decision to certify or reject a popular name and ballot title is unrelated to my view of the proposed measure’s merits,” Griffin began. “I am not authorized to consider the measure’s merits when considering certification.”
However, ballot titles are required to be written in a very specific way. Those who write the measures must ensure that the titles contain all of the essential facts “which would give the voter serious ground for reflection,” but also attempt to keep it brief. “The ballot title is not required to be perfect, nor is it reasonable to expect the title to address every possible legal argument the proposed measure might evoke,” Griffin explained. “The title, however, must be free from any misleading tendency—whether by amplification, omission, or fallacy—and it must not be tinged with partisan coloring. The ballot title must be honest and impartial, and it must convey an intelligible idea of the scope and significance of a proposed change in the law.”
Griffin continued to share the core reason behind the rejection, explaining that the title was not formatted properly and contained ambiguous statements. “Where the effects of a proposed measure on current law are unclear or ambiguous, I am unable to ensure the popular name and ballot title accurately reflect the proposal’s contents until the sponsor clarifies or removes the ambiguities in the proposal itself.”
Griffin is sending the ballot measure authors back to the drawing board to fix the wording. The header, for instance, currently reads “Be it Enacted by the People of the State of Arkansas,” but wording including “enacting clauses” is only required for bills, not constitutional amendments, which may cause voters to be unsure if this is a bill or a constitutional amendment. He also suggested new text to a section that discusses advertising, and ambiguous wording for “rules shall also require child-proof packaging,” addresses that “medical cannabis” as a phrase is not defined anywhere, noting that the interchangeable use of “marijuana plants” and “cannabis plants” be just “cannabis plants” to avoid confusion, and more.
If the Arkansas Medical Cannabis Amendment of 2024 is passed, it would amend the constitution to allow patients and caregivers to cultivate up to seven mature cannabis plants, as well as seven younger plants, expand the qualifying conditions of medical cannabis to include more than the current 18 conditions, allow out-of-state patients holding medical cannabis cards to purchase cannabis in Arkansas, remove fees for cannabis card applications, and allow those cards to last for three years instead of one.
It also includes a section entitled “Effect of future federal classification of marijuana” which would permit possession of up to one ounce of cannabis if the federal government decides to remove cannabis from the list of controlled substances.
The Arkansas Advocate published an article on this topic and noted that the advocate group can only begin collecting signatures once Griffin has signed off on a ballot measure. After that, they have until July 5 to submit 90,704 signatures in order to qualify for the ballot in November.
Erika Gee, an attorney representing Arkansans for Patient Access, shared a statement with the news outlet regarding what’s next. “Arkansans for Patient Access is reviewing Attorney General Tim Griffin’s ballot proposal opinion. We intend to address the issues raised and resubmit,” Gee said. “We are confident ballot language will be presented that ultimately gains approval.”
Arkansas voters legalized medical cannabis in November 2016 through Amendment 98, and sales began in May 2019. In August 2022, a recreational cannabis ballot initiative from Responsible Growth Arkansas was rejected because of its name and title. The group quickly filed a lawsuit “to challenge the State Board of Election Commissioners’ thwarting of the will of the people and their right to adopt laws by initiative.” The Arkansas Supreme Court said that the measure would still appear on the ballot, as Arkansa Issue 4. However, in November 2022, 56.25% of voters voted no, while only 43.75% voted yes.
Late last year, the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Commission announced that medical cannabis taxes were helping to fund kids’ school lunches in the state. The commission stated that while the state collected $115 million from cannabis taxes, an estimated $87 million was granted for food insecurity.
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand wants to send the Biden administration a message: End prohibition of cannabis, once and for all, by fully descheduling it rather than simply rescheduling it to a slightly less restrictive category. The time is right for real change.
On Sunday, the senator called for Attorney General Merrick Garland and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to act to deschedule cannabis at a press conference in Harlem, New York. Cannabis is currently classified as a schedule 1 controlled substance, the most restrictive category and the same as heroin, with “no currently accepted medical use.”
“Descheduling marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act is not just a social justice issue; it’s an economic, medical, and public safety issue. Since marijuana was classified as a Schedule I substance during the war on drugs, countless lives have been torn apart, and individuals in primarily Black and brown communities have been targeted for nonviolent cannabis-related offenses,” Gillibrand said. “Studies show that legalizing marijuana could help reduce violence in international drug trafficking and generate billions of dollars for the economy. The vast majority of Americans agree that marijuana should be legalized—that’s why I’m calling on the Attorney General and the Drug Enforcement Administration to swiftly deschedule marijuana from the Controlled Substances Act.”
Most recently, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recommended that the DEA move cannabis to schedule III after careful review by federal authorities, but that may not be enough. High Times asked the senator why it’s critical to deschedule cannabis entirely, versus simply moving it to a less restrictive category.
“Rescheduling marijuana will not correct the wrongs of our current judicial system, which has historically targeted Black and brown communities for marijuana related offenses,” Gillibrand told High Times.
The senator continued, “Descheduling marijuana is a critical step toward decriminalization, and it could also reduce violence in international drug trafficking, make the United States competitive in global markets, and generate billions of dollars for the economy.”
Gillibrand is joined by Congressman Jerrold Nadler, New York State Senator Cordell Cleare, New York City Council Member Yusef Salaam, New York State Assemblymember Eddie Gibbs, New York State Assemblymember Rev. Al Taylor, Executive Director of Empire State NORML David Holland, and business leaders across New York. Gillibrand also reiterated her stance on social media as the 2024 general election gears up.
“Classifying marijuana as a Schedule I drug—something more dangerous than cocaine or fentanyl—has harmed communities and denied critical relief to vulnerable patients,” the senator posted on X. “It’s time to legalize and deschedule marijuana altogether.”
Classifying marijuana as a Schedule I drug — something more dangerous than cocaine or fentanyl — has harmed communities and denied critical relief to vulnerable patients.
The current status of cannabis at the federal level puts individuals at risk, some more than others.
Gillibrand’s Ongoing Support for Cannabis Reform
The senator has voiced her opinion that cannabis should be legal at the federal level several times before, including the campaign trail of the 2020 general election. In 2017, Gillibrand introduced the Compassionate Access, Research Expansion and Respect (CARERS) Act with Al Franken, Rand Paul, and Cory Booker, and then in 2018, she cosponsored the Marijuana Justice Act along with Sen. Booker.
“America’s federal prohibition of marijuana needs to end now,” Gillibrand wrote, acknowledging the need for access to medical cannabis. “Millions of Americans seek medical marijuana to treat chronic or severe pain — often in an effort to avoid prescription opioids — but access is limited by insurance coverage and availability of medical marijuana dispensaries, even in states where medical marijuana is legal,” Gillibrand wrote. “We should be expanding patients’ access to treatment they need, especially when it helps reduce addiction to dangerous medications.”
Little action at the federal level isn’t helping anyone, and she believes supporting cannabis could be a major factor in the upcoming general election.
A Boost for Biden
Federal authorities have been toying with the idea of rescheduling cannabis to schedule III, and cannabis would be regulated like Tylenol III’s or hormone replacement therapy. If the HHS’ recommendation to reschedule cannabis on the federal Controlled Substances Act becomes a reality, it could make an impact on President Joe Biden’s favorability ahead of the upcoming 2024 presidential election. There is now data to support that idea.
The survey, conducted by Lake Research Partners, revealed a number of key findings surrounding registered voters and attitudes surrounding cannabis, namely that Biden could boost his favorability by 11% among younger voters should cannabis move from Schedule I to Schedule III.
“By the end of the poll, impressions of Biden improve by a net double-digits—an 11-point swing overall, including a double-digit (+11-point) swing among younger voters,” the survey notes.
“In conclusion, rescheduling cannabis is not only the right move from a policy perspective, it is also politically helpful,” the survey concludes. “Nowhere is this more true than for younger voters—one of the most cross-pressured groups of voters, and also the most sanguine about rescheduling.”
New York leaders like Gillibrand believe reclassifying cannabis under schedule III does not go far enough. Instead, the Biden administration should take a bolder move and deschedule it altogether, giving Americans what they clearly want.
The Mayor of Amsterdam wants to legalize and regulate the sale, possession and use of cocaine.
In an interview with Dutch newspaper Financieele Dagblad, Mayor Femke Halsema very strongly voiced her opinion on drug prohibition and how the decriminalization and legal sale of drugs like cocaine would take power away from organized crime groups who threaten the safety and stability of Amsterdam.
“We have handed the market to unscrupulous criminals. They earn billions. And in the meantime, the war on drugs is disrupting entire countries, causing countless victims and strengthening the criminal business model,” Mayor Halsema said.
Indeed Dutch Customs has recently released a report which supported the notion that organized crime surrounding cocaine trafficking is on the rise in Europe. Dutch Customs seized over 60,000 kilograms of cocaine in 2023 and 51,000 kilograms in 2022. Mayor Halsema has arranged a public debate on the matter which has been scheduled for January 26 in Amsterdam.
Cocaine seizures around Europe have followed the same trend with hundreds of metric tonnes seized around the EU year after year. Many reports have attested that the average price of European cocaine has been cut almost in half and the UN reported in March of last year that cocaine production was at an all time high.
“Let us conclude that hundreds of years of discouragement and repression have achieved very little,” Halsema said to Financieele Dagblad. “Apparently people have a need for stimulants. There is a market for that.”
Mayor Halsema has been a vocal advocate for change in the City of Amsterdam since her appointment to the role in 2018. She wrote an opinion piece for the Guardian earlier this month in which she expressed that the Netherlands risks becoming a narco-state if steps are not taken to reign in organized crime.
“The widespread use of drugs is integrated into society. The market is enormous. But there are risks to public health and then you should not leave the market to criminals,” Mayor Halsema said to Financieele Dagblad. “Abusing drugs can have serious consequences. But often the risks are exaggerated. Cocaine, for example, is less harmful than alcohol. People make their own choices.”
Mayor Halsema also told Bloomberg in July of 2022 that she would be taking steps to cut back on problematic forms of tourism post-COVID. She intimated that Amsterdam needed to pull back from the reputation it has garnered as a sort of safe haven for ne’er do wells who came to her city to take a “vacation from morals.”
“In Amsterdam, there’s a state of mind of tolerance. We always argue that cannabis should be legalized and prostitution shouldn’t be criminalized. That is also a part of Amsterdam’s history, a history that we’re very proud of,” Mayor Halsema said to Bloomberg. “But drug culture and prostitution have been internationally commercialized. That is not the way it was intended. We should correct the way we advertised the city in the last 15 years.”
This may seem a bit disconnected for a Mayor advocating for legal cocaine sales but from a harm reduction perspective, it makes sense. Mayor Halsema likened it to Amsterdam’s famous red light district which from her perspective is there to provide safety and security to sex workers who, as she puts it, will always be there to serve customers so long as there is a demand for sex work.
The same can be said of cocaine sales. A 2023 report from the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction found that cocaine was the second most commonly abused drug in Europe next to cannabis and cocaine seizures in major seaports around the continent have consistently risen every year since 2016. A survey found that almost 2.3 million Europeans between the ages of 15 and 34 had used cocaine in the preceding year.
These record increases in use and trafficking led Switzerland to recently open discussions to consider the launch of a pilot program for adult-use recreational cocaine sales in their capital city of Bern. Mayor Halsema appears to have followed suit by doubling down on what she considered to be a common sense approach to drug policy.
“What the Netherlands’ problems reveal is the need for a global shift in the current approach. It’s not a matter of retracting our user-centred policy, but rather advocating for international recognition that the war on drugs is counterproductive,” Mayor Halsema wrote to the Guardian. “The prohibition of drugs is enshrined in international treaties that limit the space for national drug policies, meaning we will have to forge new international alliances that prioritise health and safety over punitive measures.”
Ready to take the plunge and enter the mind-bending world of THC gummies? It’s actually not quite as simple as that. There are different types of THC, each of which is capable of delivering a different kind of THC experience for users. So, with that in mind, we’ve created an easy-to-follow gummy guide for THC users to help you find the chew that best suits your needs.
Before we begin, let’s look at some top products in every cannabinoid category:
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What Is THC?
Let’s start our gummy guide with a quick primer on THC, itself. THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) is one of two major cannabinoids found in the cannabis plant, along with CBD. Cannabinoids are chemical compounds that the plant uses to ward off predatory insects and grazing animals, as well as protect the plant against the elements and attract pollinators.
Your body produces its own cannabinoids, called endocannabinoids, which are part of a cell-signaling system known as the endocannabinoid system. This system helps the body to maintain homeostasis (balance), which affects a variety of functions, including sleep, memory, appetite, motor control, and many more.
THC and other cannabinoids interact with sensory receptors in the endocannabinoid system, producing intoxicating or psychoactive effects. That is to say, THC can get you high!
Are These Marijuana Gummies?
While the products we’re looking at today contain THC, they’re not made from marijuana (sorry, no weed gummies). The gummies we’re spotlighting are made with a low-THC form of cannabis, called hemp. Hemp cannabis products (under 0.3% THC) were made legal at the federal level with the passing of the 2018 US Farm Bill. But that doesn’t mean the gummies in question aren’t totally party-ready, as you’ll see shortly.
Why Gummies?
There are several reasons cannabis enthusiasts prefer THC gummies. First, as cannabis edibles, these gummies have longer lasting effects than THC vapes or sublingual oils. In fact, depending on the strength of your THC product and your own personal bioavailability factors (such as height, weight, and THC tolerance), you can enjoy the effects of THC edibles potentially for six to eight hours. And THC-infused gummies taste great, which is an advantage for these canna-chews over capsules.
Here’s a handy chart, comparing the effects of edibles versus other types of THC products.
*Results may vary depending on bioavailability factors and the strength of the THC product.
Your THC Gummy Guide
Shopping for THC gummies seems pretty straightforward. One could easily assume delta 9 gummies are the only game in town. It’s pure THC, right? But there are several types of THC, which means there are multiple types of cannabis-infused gummies available to consumers.
Delta 9
Delta 9 THC is the big boi. The OG. It’s the cannabinoid one can generally expect to enjoy if a product is simply called, “THC gummies.” In the right quantities, delta 9 can deliver both euphoria, flourishes of creativity, and other uplifting effects—particularly when derived from sativa strains. Indicas lean more on a body high, with blissful relaxation. Either way, you’re in for a good time with D9 gummies.
There are several quality brands in the delta 9 THC gummy market. CBDfx, a leader in the CBD industry since 2014, has created a popular line of delta 9 THC products in recent years. Among these products is a potent collection of high-quality delta 9 THC gummies. All of CBDfx’s gummies are made with organic hemp and all-natural ingredients. Each of their products (CBD and THC) is backed by a Certificate of Analysis (COA), which is a third-party lab report that verifies the amount of THC, CBD, and other cannabinoids in your gummies, as well as alerts you to the presence of any pesticides or other toxins. In short, a COA ensures the purity and potency of your product.
TRĒ House is the leading brand in recreational hemp products, including THC-infused gummies, syrups, vapes, and prerolls, as well as magic mushroom products. They also use only the highest quality hemp and ingredients, making their delta 9 gummies a must for any stash. TRĒ House’s THC gummy line includes three THC-only gummies, as well as blended gummies with other cannabinoids, including CBD, HHC, and delta 10 THC.
Delta 8 & Delta 10
TRĒ House offers a wide selection of both delta 8 gummies and delta 10 gummies. Delta 8 and delta 10 THC are isomers of delta 9 THC and have similar effects, albeit in differing intensities. Both have a euphoric buzz that’s similar to delta 9, but a bit more mellow. Of the two, delta 8 is generally considered the more powerful. But the thing to remember is that comparing these cannabinoids mg to mg isn’t always apples to apples when you’re looking at gummy products. A high-potency delta 8 product, like TRĒ House Blue Raspberry Delta 8 Gummies, can have so much D8 content that its effects are comparable to a proper delta 9 product.
THC-P & HHC
Like deltas 8 and 10, THC-P is a minor cannabinoid, meaning it only occurs in tiny amounts in cannabis. But THC-P’s effects are massive. It’s estimated that THC-P is 30 times more powerful than delta 9! So, you’ll understand if the milligrams on a THC-P product are comparably low. But rest assured, you’ll get baked as a cobbler. HHC is created by adding hydrogen molecules to delta 9. The result is a gentler THC, making it a great choice for mellow moods. Both make great additions to any stash, particularly if you like a little variety in your seshes.
Unsurprisingly, TRĒ House is the place to go for these less common cannabinoids. Their Tropic Mango THC-P Gummies combine THC-P with delta 8 and HHC, giving you a well-balanced head and body vibe. On the HHC side, TRĒ House offers a couple of blended HHC gummies, as well as a potent HHC-only offering.
Final Thoughts
No matter which gummies you choose, always insist on products made with organic hemp and natural ingredients. And make sure to shop with established brands, like CBDfx and TRĒ House, that provide a Certificate of Analysis to ensure you’re getting a pure and potent product every time. It also helps to shop for THC and CBD products from a retailer that understands the importance of carrying quality brands like these, such as CBD.co. At CBD.co, you’ll find a wide range of trusted brands and high-quality products. We hope your THC adventure is a safe and enjoyable one!
Representatives from the Kansas Cannabis Coalition, Loud Light, and the ACLU of Kansas held an online meeting on Jan. 23 to discuss why they need to call on the Kansas House and Senate to move forward with medical cannabis. Initially, the day was intended to be a “day of action at the Capitol” in Topeka, Kansas, according to the Kansas Reflector, but due to unsafe weather conditions, the meeting was shifted to be held online instead.
During the meeting, some people spoke about how they or people they love have found relief in cannabis. Advocate Delaney Jones explained that his grandmother, who survived European concentration camps in World War II, suffered from late detection of pancreatic cancer. She was in intense pain and suffered from the side effects of opioids and chemotherapy, but finally found relief with cannabis oil. “It helped her get rid of the pain and the nausea, even the fatigue at times,” Jones explained. It did not have the side effects of opiate painkillers. We were super, super grateful to see really the magical work that marijuana did in her end-of-life care.”
Kansas Cannabis Coalition President Cheryl Kumberg said that five years ago she was assured by legislators that it would take one to two years to put together a medical cannabis bill. I’m here in open-mouth amazement that we are still discussing passing a medical marijuana bill,” said Kumberg. “It is just the same excuses all these years. The same rhetoric from opponents and legislators. We’re just like this little island.”
Due to the delay, cities in Kansas have created ordinances to decriminalize cannabis, but statewide legalization is long overdue. “We’ll just have this sort of understanding or unwritten rules and laws that we won’t prosecute cannabis,” said Kansans for Hemp and Kansas Cannabis Coalition member, Kelly Rippel. “It leads to inconsistency around enforcement, not only in communities, but also the district attorneys in counties. We need to have something on the books that says, ‘We are not going to criminalize this, especially for personal possession.’” Rippel added that legislators also need to focus on expunging cannabis-related convictions and record sealing.
As an example, Latanya Goodloe, Ladies That Lean executive director based out of Kansas City, Kansas, shared that she served four years in prison for possession and intent to sell. Although she completed her parole in 2009, she ran into challenges for having the felony on her record. Goodloe also believes that the conversation of legalization needs to be accompanied by law that rights the wrongs of the War on Drugs and pursues racial and economic justice. “No monopoly,” Goodloe explained. “Engaging the public, sustainable regulations are key components to shaping a system that addresses both health concerns and economic considerations. At this point, we have no reason to not put marijuana on the table.”
ACLU of Kansas legal director Sharon Brett mentioned the parallels between legislator opposition of medical cannabis as well as abortion, citing the similarities of the government attempting to control citizens’ healthcare opportunities. In August 2022, voters rejected a measure that would have amended the Kansas Constitution to state that “the constitution of the state of Kansas does not require government funding of abortion and does not create or secure a right to abortion.” The measure did not pass with 58.97% of voters voting no, and 41.03% voting yes. “Refusal of the Legislature to legalize medical marijuana is the Legislature essentially inserting itself into medical decisions that should be made between a patient and their doctor,” said Brett. “This policy choice is about liberty and autonomy. It is about who is getting to decide important medical decisions—you and your doctors or politicians in Topeka.”
Considering that 38 U.S. states, alongside Washington, D.C., and the U.S. territories of the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and Guam, have legalized medical cannabis, advocates feel it is well past time for Kansas to follow suit.
In recent history, the Kansas House proposed a medical cannabis bill in March 2021, but it died in committee by May 2021. In March 2023, the Senate Federal and State Affairs Committee shelved a bill that would have legalized medical cannabis, with the chairman saying that they have more important matters to attend to.
Gov. Laura Kelly responded to the shelved cannabis bill, calling on the committee to reconsider the bill and take action in the 2023 legislative session. “I am disappointed that some legislators are saying they don’t want to move forward with legalizing medical marijuana this year—effectively turning their backs on our veterans and those with chronic pain and seizure disorders,” Kelly wrote on X in March 2023. “If they get their way, for yet another year thousands of Kansans will be forced to choose between breaking the law and living without pain. I encourage Kansans to call their state legislators and tell them to legalize medical marijuana this session.” To date, no medical cannabis bills have ever made it far enough to land on a governor’s desk in Kansas.
Previous Kansas governors, such as Mike Huckabee, weren’t as supportive as Kelly when it comes to cannabis. In October 2022, Huckabee released videos that made claims about adult-use cannabis only benefitting drug cartels and other inaccurate statements. “Unfortunately, you aren’t the one who is going to be making the money, drug cartels will,” Huckabee claimed. “And if you are one of those people that can sell the drug, maybe you’ll make a buck off of the gullible people who will somehow convince themselves this is absolutely harmless.”
Poll results published by Fort Hays State University in October 2023 show that two out of every three Kansans support cannabis legalization, with a fairly balanced split between Republicans (75%), Democrats (73%), and Independents (60%). Many participants also said that they would vote for legislators who share support for medical cannabis legalization in particular.
If you’ve been paying attention to the top-shelf landscape over the past few years, it seems the largest problem plaguing our industry today is consistency. Sure, you can pop off a new cultivar and make some noise for a little while, but maintaining the pressure is difficult, and very few players have managed to stay on top for even a season, let alone a full year. You need to have all your t’s crossed, and your i’s dotted, all the time. While there are more competitors joining the game every day, none can touch the bar that The Ten Co. keeps pushing higher.
The Ten Co.—formerly Team 10 Extracts and the purveyors of the hyper-viral Zushi brand— have proven that maintaining relevance in this space isn’t impossible, it just takes hard work. And, given the tear Ten’s been on, the rest of the market should be taking notes.
While both The Ten Co. and Zushi brands have been increasing in popularity and notoriety over the past few years, thanks primarily to the strength of Staks’s cultivar curation, in 2023 the brand exploded to a new height not just for themselves, but for the industry. Hosting two of arguably the biggest brand activations our culture has seen, in two of the biggest markets in America (New York City and Los Angeles), the brand has amassed such a demand that they’re now able to pop in to your city and make more money selling merch than most are able to selling their top shelf.
Before we get into the details of what they’re doing, and where they’re headed, let’s go back to the beginning.
High Times Magazine, December 2023
The Origin
Founded by Staks in 2011 (or ’12), Team Ten’s origin began far from California, all the way across the pond in Europe. A British-born Cypriot raised in a musical household in London, Staks was exposed to the ins and outs of the counterculture from a young age, thanks to his adjacency to the entertainment industry.
“I’ve been in love with cannabis since I was probably 11 years old,” Staks explains. “Around 15 I set up an LED light in my boiler room cupboard. Mom found out and went crazy on me.”
Through the time he spent writing music when he was young, he unintentionally honed an understanding of how the cannabis market worked, and developed a vast network of relationships with celebrities.
“I had a huge passion for hash. Making isolate or bubble hash… I used to go to Amsterdam regularly—like every two to three weeks—and got involved in different techniques of hash production,” Staks says. “I was obviously very limited in London at the time, so that’s when I decided to move to Spain, back in 2012. This was when the BHO market was booming, we were really the first to bring that to the market. We were Team 10 Extracts back then.”
He glazed over an important milestone there, before moving to Spain, Team 10 Extracts was officially founded, and had already begun winning awards. They are cited as hosting the first-ever infused dinner party in the U.K. Earning his first recognition before he left his home court, in total, the brand had received over two dozen accolades before the eventual move to the U.S., but we’ll get there.
“The technique was the secret,” he says. “Once the technique was dialed in, we didn’t really think about branding that heavily back then. In Europe it’s more about the quality of the product rather than the brand, even to this day you’ll see the best weed unpackaged, unbranded. They don’t care about the bag and stuff, they want to see the product.”
Gaining notoriety now, Staks eventually began to enter Team 10 Extracts into some of the largest competitions in the world. Eventually, in 2015 he signed up for the Secret Cup, which held events around the world as qualifiers, and then held a world-wide grand finale in California.
“I entered this competition, against people who… were like idols to me because being from overseas I could only see these guys online… and we came in first place. It was mind-blowing to me. It was the Headbanger by Karma, still one of our favorites to this day,” he says proudly. “I always considered myself a connoisseur in the space, so this was very validating to me, but winning this competition got us placed in the finals in Los Angeles the next year. That was my first time coming over to the states.”
This was around the end of 2015/start of 2016.
“I flew out here and that was the first time I met Cali Kush Farms, through Karma, and they were kind enough to let me have some of their space to make some fire,” Staks says. “This was another huge, huge competition at the time. There was great names, great product in the competition. I thought I had no chance. And then we placed. We came in third place in LA. And I just remember my IG growing by like 20,000 in a week or two. I had made my mind up, I [was] moving to America to chase my dream.”
In 2017 Staks officially moved to America, just in time for the rise of rosin and the crash of the BHO market. Recognizing the shifting landscape, Staks decided to shift things around in his new home. He dropped the “extract” from his brand’s name, and The Ten Co. became the core focus, a high-end flower brand that would allow him to focus on his first love. Shortly after he aligned with Gerry, a creative director originally from San Jose, and created what would become the foundations of Zushi.
“Zushi is like a strain brand,” he says. “I made the logo myself, and I don’t consider myself a designer in any way. Prior to meeting Gerry my whole goal was to find the dopest guy in the game that can make the product sick… and the way we met, it was just crazy.”
Courtesy The Ten Co.
When Staks Met Gerry
While Staks operates the flower side of the business, things took a, let’s call it “branded” turn, once he met Gerry. With a long history of creative expression and development, including a stint with the internationally celebrated World Star Hip Hop, Gerry has become something of the secret weapon in Ten’s arsenal. Before we get into his specific contributions to the company, here’s a bit more background on who he is.
“I fell in love with design when I was young. At 5 years old I started drawing art and just always kept with it. Fast forward to when I was about 18 or 19, my uncle asked me to draw a T-shirt…” Gerry tells me. “I didn’t even know what vectoring was at the time, so I just went to Google and started looking. I found out about digital art, and through that I felt like, ‘Oh shit, I could actually spread art to the masses rather than just have one piece.’ So I took myself to YouTube school, and I learned all the software by myself… Illustrator first, then Photoshop, and just kind of combined the two.
“I was posting on Instagram, and at the time I was big in the sneaker community. We would take pictures from our knees down, and I started doing that with cool captions that matched with like Jordans or Nikes. I started posting time lapses of my art, and then I got picked up by Worldstar Hip Hop. Q, the owner of Worldstar, found me before there was even DM’s. He wrote like on the comment ‘Yo email me at Q@worldstar and delete this right after.’”
The relationship with Q opened a lot of doors for Gerry, and things took off quickly from there. Eventually, in 2019, a favor for a friend led to a fateful meeting.
“My friends were selling this record, a Lil Baby and Gunna track…” Gerry says. “I met up with this person to actually get paid out for the tracks, and it was Staks. And he mentioned like, ‘Oh, I have Zushi, and I heard you’re a designer. We should link up and see what we can do.’ I just thought that the name was cool, and a million ideas started coming.
“At the time I think I had seen what was already done, and I just tried to 2.0 it and not really give my take on what I would visually do. But when we rebranded the font… that was like the first thing I had on my iPad when we linked up again.”
Staks notes that they both collect KAWS and Takashi Murakami who were big inspirations.
“The bright colors, the vibrance. This cool, hip [look], no one had that in the space at that time, so we just started dialing characters and they just started coming to life,” Gerry says. “Blue was born first, and at first he looked way too cartoon-y. We’d both give feedback and we would be up until like two, three in the morning every night for like months. After a while we just started getting into a flow.”
That flow created a cultural tsunami.
“Being a part of hypebeast culture ourselves, we know what that can do once you attach the branding and the marketing with the great product. That’s what creates the whirlwind of greatness, you know?” Staks explains. “Gerry is a unique character, you know. Guys like him ain’t really that easy to come by. To lock in, and have full concentration on that project. That’s what he showed me, his loyalty to the brand, from the beginning, where he was turning down other work and we were just executing every single idea to a T.”
Today the brand has five distinct characters within the Zushi-verse: Blue, Yellow, and Pink Zushi, Wasabi, and Zoy. Each has dedicated product lines, but also a seemingly endless merchandising potential. This potential is probably best visualized by the success of their Nozu launch.
Courtesy The Ten Co.
On the Nozu Wave
Comprised of the best batches they cultivate from each of their strains—the choice packs, if you will—The Ten Co. recently introduced the Nozu line, named in homage to Nobu, the popular high-end restaurant they frequent.
“At the time we were getting specific batches that would come around and they would just stand out,” Staks says.
Now while people would be lining up for access to the most premium packs a premium brand offers to begin with, the Nozu line came with a lot of bells and whistles. While by this point people had been dropping branded boxes with their products, they rarely went further than pretty cardboard and maybe a grinder. The first drop of Nozu arrived in the form of what looked like a to-go champagne bag from Nobu. It obviously didn’t have a bottle of champagne, but a Miron glass jar filled with an ounce of their highest end flower, as well as branded napkins, chopsticks, and a rolling sushi mat. It even had a Nozu receipt, and it commanded a $1,000 price tag. Next they released a surf and turf collectors box with packaging that looked like lobster tails and steaks, and a jar of “truffle butter” rosin. Most recently they’ve taken Nozu on the road, and held merch pop-ups in both the New York and Los Angeles Zalympix events.
“With Nozu—well with everything, but specifically Nozu—it was bigger than just throwing in some cute extras,” Gerry says. “We’re creating ecosystems within the brands. We’re building worlds, lifestyles. It’s deeper than just unique packaging. We brought in sushi rolling chefs…It’s been in the works for I would say like two years. We had to perfect it just how Staks perfects the flower, the same thing had to go for the apparel. Printing those characters is super difficult. There’s tons and tons of colors. We must have tried like five different manufacturers. It just wasn’t it, and then recently we finally felt like, ‘OK, now it’s time.’”
“We’re creating a storyline, and it’s started coming to life,” Staks says.
This demand is probably best expressed by their first Blue Zushi rosin launch, which included just 76 jars, and saw a market that was willing to pay $500 a gram. So willing, in fact, that it was nearly impossible to find, and I’ve seen people taking their jars around the world, popping up online from Japan to Barcelona, despite it being released in Los Angeles.
“We’ve been talking about dropping Zushi rosin like, forever, and just never got around to it. I think the anticipation made it special,” Staks says. “Massive thanks to West Coast Alchemy, they did a great job. Thanks to Bobby Trill, that’s my homie.”
Courtesy The Ten Co.
The Future
Today the future’s bright for the entire Ten enterprise. With a new solventless line coming, along with the debut of their 10Pen, a proprietary vape they have been developing, the brand is actively pursuing new business areas, while doubling down on what they do best. Not only that, but for all those who missed the pop-ups, a worldwide merchandise release will be dropping online in time for the holiday season.
“Everything is pretty much under one roof at the moment,” Staks says. “We don’t really have any partners. I have the team now, pretty much built from the moment I got here, so everything’s in house, single source. We just ran a 200-, 250-seed hunt of seeds I’ve been collecting over the last maybe 10-15 years that I brought over with me from Europe. We’ve just got those in rotation now, so we’ll be going through selection [soon].”
If their past is any indicator, this wave won’t break anytime soon. It hasn’t even hit its crest yet.
This article was originally published in the December 2023 issue of High Times Magazine.
Wendy Baker, founder of Space Gem, celebrated a decade of making edibles in 2023—a monumental achievement that stems from a lifetime of appreciation for cannabis culture, and a commitment to working exclusively with Humboldt County ice water hash. Her products have won multiple awards at cannabis competitions, including the Humboldt County Cup and the High Times Central Valley Cannabis Cup, but most recently took home two first place trophies at the 19th annual Emerald Cup in May 2023.
From Spacedrops gummies to Mind Expanding Belts, Gem Guice beverage enhancer, and Cosmic Tincture, Baker has put her edibles out into the universe, designed to uplift and inspire. The edibles only use organic coloring and flavors, are free of chemicals or solvents, and are made in Humboldt County, California.
Baker grew up in Chicago, Illinois, but moved to Humboldt County when she was 21, drawn to the region’s rich cannabis culture and lifestyle. Initially she worked as an indoor cultivator but decided to enter the edibles market in 2013.
High Times Magazine, December 2023
“You know, I saw the market changing for growers and, being a woman selling weed, I wanted to create a product,” Baker says. “I love edibles and I went to all these candy classes and I learned how to make candy.”
Baker knew that she wanted to showcase the exceptional quality of Humboldt-grown cannabis in an edible that is both delicious and also made with ingredients she could stand behind. Originally she used butane hash oil (BHO) to make Space Gem products but decided that ice water hash made the most sense.
“I don’t know about those chemicals [in BHO]. And I don’t want that on my conscience at all. I just felt better if I just used ice water hash,” she says.
Making BHO requires using a chemical solvent, in this case butane, to strip the cannabinoids and terpenes from plant matter. In order to prevent chemicals from lingering in the extract, the BHO must be purged in order to remove traces of the solvent.
Courtesy Space Gem
Ice water hash, on the other hand, is a solventless method of extraction that uses only ice, water, and cannabis. The cannabis plant matter is mixed with ice and water, which freezes the trichome heads, making them more brittle and allowing them to more easily detach or break off into the water. After being gently stirred and sifted through numerous bags with varying sizes of small holes (measured in microns), the final product is full-spectrum ice water hash.
While there are many other different methods of both solvent and solventless extraction, Baker prefers ice water hash for the best effects.
“I feel like the different high, there’s like so many levels to it,” she explains. “And you’re getting like the full cannabinoid profile of the flower and you’re working with that, rather than stripping the plant of just what you need, you know?”
She’s also proud to use ice water hash made from Humboldt County-grown cannabis.
“Our hash comes from Humboldt,” Baker says. “I like to work with people who grow really good flower. And it all has to be processed here in Humboldt, too, because we have a Humboldt sticker on our product. So all of our products have to be made here in Humboldt and come from Humboldt.”
Courtesy Space Gem
Space Gem’s gummies, called Spacedrops, contain a collection of 10 gummies nestled together in a tin package and contain a random assortment of the brand’s 23 rotating flavors. The gummies are offered separately as sweet or sour varieties (10 mg THC per gummy), and also a CBD variety (5 mg CBD and 5 mg THC). They’re all made with organic food coloring, but the flavors in each tin vary widely—no two tins contain exactly the same assortment. Baker shares that she is particularly fond of the fig flavor but ultimately loves all of the fruity tastes she’s developed.
“It’s a rainbow of deliciousness in your mouth,” she says. “And, you know, I just couldn’t pick. I can’t pick. I love them all. I love fruit. And I just thought like, if I just do the same thing over and over again, that’s so boring.”
In addition to Spacedrops, Space Gem also offers a single-flavor Mind Expanding Belts, available in sour apple, sour watermelon, sweet sleepy fig, and sweet wildberry. Space Gem’s Gem Guice is a beverage enhancer that contains 100 mg of THC per bottle and comes in either grape or passion fruit flavors. The brand’s Cosmic Tincture contains of 600 mg THC per bottle and comes in blackberry, strawberry, and mango.
On the back of each Spacedrops tin is the brief, uplifting message: “May cause miracles.” Each package also includes an inspirational quote on the inside of the lid. Baker explains that she and her team put a lot of effort and time into finding inspiring quotes—which come from a variety of famous people such as Dr. Seuss, author Matshona Dhliwayo, and musician Pharrell Williams—with the intention of brightening someone’s day.
Courtesy Space Gem
“You can make an impact on people, you know?” Baker says. “Sometimes the tiniest things can make someone smile or change their thoughts.”
Reflecting on 10 years of success, Baker is proud and grateful for what she’s accomplished and how Space Gem has impacted people across California.
“It’s pretty amazing how we grow up, and sometimes we just don’t think we’re good at anything. But I always was like, ‘Man, I’m good at this,’” Baker says. “You know? Self-confidence, believing in yourself, and just trying to make a difference, try to be an inspiration. People come up to me, you know, women, they’re like, ‘You are just picking up as a woman in the [cannabis] space.’ I’m so grateful to hear that because I want to inspire other people to be able to live what they want, [and achieve] their dreams, and their full potential.”
This article was originally published in the December 2023 issue of High Times Magazine.
Native American and preservationist advocates are sounding the alarm about an imminent “peyote crisis.” The crisis started decades ago, but recently has been amplified by pharmaceutical interests in mescaline, the psychoactive compound the cactus is known for.
The mescaline-rich spineless cactus, Lophophora williamsii, has been used in sacred rituals for over 5,000 years by American indigenous cultures, but through careless harvesting by recreational users, or worse, mass produced pharmaceutical companies, all of that could soon be lost. In the U.S. the cactus only grows wild in Texas—where it’s been declared an endangered species—as well as Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas in northern Mexico.
The cactus is currently being monetized for either pharmaceutical or recreational use, and indigenous groups like the Native American Church (NAC) are concerned that the sacred plant is being exploited. In the December 1977 issue of High Times, journalist J. F. Burke wrote about his journey with peyote that started in 1957, one of the first in-depth articles about the plant, just as the federal government was making exemptions for a short list of Native Americans. Since then, a lot of hippies, psychonauts, and wannabe shamans have scoured the earth looking for ways to find it.
The American Indian Religious Freedom Act of 1978 (42 U.S.C. § 1996.) protects the rights of Native Americans to exercise their traditional religions–including psychedelic sacraments. On Dec. 22, 1981, the Department of Justice reiterated the DEA’s peyote exemption for the NAC, but only bona fide members of the church are included. Only allowing that single church was challenged in 1994 under Peyote Way Church of God, Inc. v. Thornburgh and Congress amended the American Indian Religious Freedom Act to legalize peyote use by all members of Native American tribes.
Vicereported last September Canada-based Lophos Pharma, a publicly-traded company, started to produce the psychoactive cactus for pharmaceutical, not spiritual purposes. Lophos runs a 10,000-square foot facility in Napanee, Ontario. Mescaline itself is illegal under Schedule III of the Canadian drug act, peyote is permitted, so long as the mescaline isn’t extracted from it. But some say even medical purposes are not the way the cactus should be consumed, as it’s considered sacred.
McGivney told KJZZ that she visited with the two camps of people: “One is, you know, the plant medicine activists and then the pharmaceutical entrepreneurs, so the plant medicine activists had two different responses,” she said. “One was they were totally oblivious to the Native American worldview and why it would not be OK with them for someone to just grow a peyote cactus in their home greenhouse. They had no idea or they were coming up with their own justification saying, ‘Well, it’s not interfering with Native American spirituality because we’re growing the cactus ourselves. So we’re not taking it away from its natural habitat.’ And they kind of come up with their own justification, ignoring what Native Americans were actually saying, that that was a problem.”
Companies like Lophos Pharma, which is growing peyote legally in Canada, as well as researchers in the U.S. are also a threat to the sanctity Native American religious ceremonies.
“And then the pharmaceutical industry has their own justifications about why they’re not infringing on Native American spirituality, which is they’re using synthetic mescaline. So they’re creating chemical compounds in a lab that clone the cactus, the psychoactive substance. So they’re saying that’s OK because we’re not actually using the cactus, but for Native Americans and their worldview around interconnectedness and respecting the sovereignty of plants as well as humans. They say it’s not OK to clone our sacred cactus.”
Last month McGivney also wrote for The Guardian about the same issue. In Window Rock, Arizona, members of the Navajo Nation, called the Diné partake of azeé (peyote). “How would Christians feel if Jesus Christ was cloned?” Justin Jones, a Diné peyote practitioner and legal counsel for the NAC asked The Guardian. “And while the real Jesus is protected, people could do whatever they wanted to the clone.”
The NAC is the same church Burke explored in the 1950’s. Other Native American healers and shamans echoed the same response, saying that cloning or mass-producing peyote is fundamentally wrong from their context.
“I’m all for healing,” said Cora Maxx-Phillips, a social worker, member of the Navajo Nation human rights commission and board member of the Council of Peyote Way of Life Coalition, a Navajo Nation grassroots group. “But don’t do it at the expense of our people, who are trying to survive the multigenerational trauma inflicted upon us. Please, leave us alone.”
Things are changing fast regarding how hemp is tolerated in agriculture and farming. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s veterinary arm, the FDA-Center for Veterinary Medicine’s (FDA-CVM), is responsible for assuring that animal drugs and medicated feeds are safe and effective. Officials that determine approved chicken feed ingredients recommended hemp seed meal for hens, under a tentative FDA-CVM approval, as evidence mounts showing hemp seed is not only safe but beneficial for healthy hens and eggs.
Hemp Feed Coalition (HFC)—a nonprofit that aims to federal approval for hemp grain products in animal feed—announced a “landmark achievement” with the tentative approval of Hemp Seed Meal (HSM) for Laying Hens at the recent Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) 2024 Mid-Year Meeting.
“Hemp’s entry into animal feed will catalyze agricultural advancement,” HFC President and COO of Bish Enterprises, Andrew Bish. “It’s an opportunity for farmers to diversify, to develop more sustainable supply chains, and to reap the benefits of a new crop.”
The AAFCO guides state, federal and international feed regulators with ingredient definitions, label standards, and laboratory standards, and has done so for over 110 years. The AAFCO celebrated the recommendation for hemp seed feed during the first day of its Workshop & Board of Directors Meeting held on January 23-25 in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Hemp Seed Meal is Healthy for Hens and Eggs
We already know that hemp seeds are packed with essential vitamins, minerals, healthy oils, and an impressive, high-quality protein profile. Now research confirms the nutritional value of hemp feed resembles that of soy and canola, and is believed to be safe. The data also shows the value of hemp seed is growing and could surpass typical feed sources.
Specifically, researchers found that hemp-fed hens lay eggs enriched with essential fatty acids such as ALA, DHA, and GLA, and increased amounts of Lutein. They are all known to promote better human health.
The safety of HSM has been validated after undergoing the FDA-CVM’s rigorous evaluation, and it will provide formulators and feed mills with the assurance they need that HSM is a safe and viable protein and fat source.
“Data to support this application included the validated method and quantification of cannabinoids in both the ingredient and egg product, and it was verified that any potential cannabinoid contaminants did not transfer over to human food products,” the HFC’s announcement reads.
Hemp seed / Shutterstock
The Road Here
Federal officials are typically strict about any sort of medical claims on hemp products, including those intended for animals and livestock.
This will go before AAFCO’s Board and members for final approval, and then be adopted into the Official Publication later this year. This “historic milestone” took over three years to achieve and will allow processors to formulate with HSM in the diets of egg-laying hens as a source of protein and fat at an inclusion of no more than 20%. To see the ingredient definition in its entirety, visit the HFC’s website.
Crops like hemp, that are new to the agricultural world, provide benefits to soil, disease control, and farm flexibility. Furthermore, hemp requires lower input needs, resulting in a more sustainable supply chain overall.
HFC shared their support for a more nutritious ingredient, reducing risk for farmers, and opening up the door to opportunities in the hemp market.
HFC members are proud to support these efforts and lay the groundwork for hemp grain products in feed across species. Visit the MemberZone page to access additional data and resources, and to learn more about the benefits of HSM for laying hens.
Hemp Seed Feed by State
Late last year, a bill to allow hemp seeds in animal feed in New York was stopped in its tracks. Two New Yorkmeasures would allow for hemp seeds to be part of animal feed meant for pets, horses and camelids, like llamas and alpacas and got the green light from the state Assembly and Senate earlier this year.
In early December, Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) received the pair of bills, though she effectively stopped them in their tracks via veto, stating that there is a lack of information about using industrial hemp in this way and pushing for the state to study the topics in an “expeditious manner.”
Specifically, the measures would have allowed industrial hemp seed to be added to animal feed that includes seed hulls and seed meal. The bills would not have allowed for hemp seeds and additives to expand to other commercial livestock, most likely because of regulatory complications surrounding certain ingredients for animals used for human consumption.
