Pubdate: Thu, 11 Jun 2015
Source: North Coast Journal (Arcata, CA)
Copyright: 2015 North Coast Journal
Contact:  http://www.northcoastjournal.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2833
Author: Grant Scott-Goforth

ARE YOU EXPERIENCED? TM

Bills from our two state representatives lurched forward in the last 
couple weeks. Assemblyman Jim Wood's "Marijuana Watershed Protection 
Act," which would task water boards with developing marijuana 
cultivation regulations, was passed by the Assembly and now moves to 
the Senate. It was the first medical marijuana related bill to leave 
its house this year, narrowly beating out state Senator Mike 
McGuire's "Medical Marijuana Public Safety and Environmental 
Protection Act." (Did they both buy the same bill-naming book?)

McGuire's bill is further-reaching - "a regulatory framework for the 
industry covering the issues of environmental protection and water 
regulations, law enforcement, licensing, public health related to 
edibles and product testing, to marketing, labeling, taxing, 
transporting, zoning, local control and re-sale" - and will now move 
to the Assembly.

A recent article in Fortune highlights how investment capital is 
beginning to pounce on the fledgling legal marijuana market. The highlights:

There are 300 publicly traded cannabis companies in the U.S. - 10 
times the number in existence two years ago.

Forty of those companies raised $95 million in 2014 and the first 
quarter of 2015.

ArcView Group, a marijuana investment firm, recently dropped $41 
million on 54 marijuana companies.

The company says legal marijuana sales reached $2.7 billion last year.

Privateer Holdings, another investment firm that holds Marley Natural 
(the reggae-singer-branded bud company), has raised $82 million since 
its inception.

Meanwhile, the likeness of another music great of the '60s is set to 
grace the packaging of a weed-infused candy bar.

According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, a Toronto-based company 
signed exclusive rights to sell edibles "using the song titles and 
bearing the likeness of iconic guitarist Jimi Hendrix."

Hendrix isn't exactly a marijuana icon, though, aside from existing 
in an era that's celebrated for the weed by nascent 
counter-culturalists. Indeed, Nutritional High's CEO called Hendrix 
one of "maybe five key artists associated with the psychedelic age."

As the U-T puts it: "The products in question, which will be marketed 
under the Edible Experiences banner, include 'Purple Haze' and 'Stone 
Free' lines. Both are named after popular songs by Hendrix, neither 
of which were about marijuana, but why quibble over technicalities?"

Hendrix's estate hasn't exactly been generous with rights to songs. 
It famously refused to allow the Andre 3000-led biopic about Hendrix 
to use any of the guitarist's actual songs, though it let Citi Visa 
use "Purple Haze" in a commercial last year.

But Nutritional High isn't worried - apparently the company is 
working with Hendrix's brother, who owns a second company that sells 
the rights to Hendrix's likeness and song titles.

Citing the Bob Marley brand pot, Nutritional High's CEO told the U-T 
it was the "second major signing of an iconic music artist." 
Apparently, he's not a Willie Nelson fan.

Nelson, as readers know, has his own brand of weed coming out, and 
he's as big a marijuana/counter-culture icon as they come. Not to 
mention, he's the only living musician so far to attach his name to a product.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom