A new Gallup poll released earlier this week finds that self-reported cannabis consumption nearly doubled in the last two years. Thirty-three million people, or 13 percent of U.S. adults, report currently using marijuana, up from 7 percent in 2013. The number of adults that report having used marijuana at some point in their lives also rose slightly from 38 percent in 2013 to 43 percent in 2016. Considering that cannabis is still federally illegal, this is remarkable growth, but it is hard to determine if it is a function of state level decriminalization and legalization efforts or of a decrease in stigma surrounding cannabis consumption. [continues 674 words]
Every week in the world of cannabis there are timely happenings - new legislation, new businesses, new dimensions of social justice implications - but there are also more lasting phenomenons, subtly evolving undercurrents to the headlines of the ongoing narrative. One of which is the way social media spaces both accommodate and deny cannabis consumers and businesses. Currently Google, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram all have bans on cannabis-related advertising. This represents a change in policy that, as little as two years ago, took a much harder stance against cannabis in general and frequently blacked out accounts for merely associating with the plant. [continues 659 words]
In the week leading up to the end of the Second Regular Session of the State Legislature, two major pieces of marijuana legislation met their fates. In the first week of May, a proposal to certify organic marijuana at the state level was rejected in a Senate committee by a vote of 4-3, while Jack's Law, a bill requiring Colorado schools to accommodate the use of non-smokeable medical marijuana by students, passed both the House and Senate. These bills are small, but significant pieces of legislation. They were necessitated by conflicts between state and federal laws concerning the rights of cannabis patients and consumers. [continues 571 words]
Considered dangerous drugs by the federal government, marijuana and industrial hemp are still listed in the Controlled Substances Act as Schedule I drugs. While the federal government has issued legislative promises to not spend money in prosecution of cannabis activity in states in which it is legal, it has been firm in withholding any actions of endorsement by federal departments, leading many to assume that an organic certification from the U.S. Department of Agriculture is precluded by federal law. But on Jan. 27, 2016, CBDRx, a Colorado-based hemp company, announced that it received two USDA organic certifications for its more than 130 acres of industrial hemp, giving it two of only seven in the country and the only two in Colorado. [continues 741 words]
With just over 12 weeks of writing this column, I am still pretty green when it comes to cannabis. I am no expert, rather the opposite, an inquiring mind with a lot of questions to pursue and subjects to learn about. In many ways, I find that my journey of getting acquainted mirrors the current state of cannabis, itself in a stage of exploration. I dedicate a lot of my attention, time and brainpower to cannabis and find few answers. Rather, I encounter a lot of opinions based on a slew of new information largely interpreted with attitudes and theories formed during prohibition. [continues 762 words]
In 2015 U.S. consumers bought over $500 million in hemp products, buying everything from food, cosmetics, fabrics and paper to construction material, insulation and plastics. It is estimated that there are more than 25,000 product applications for industrial hemp and yet the hemp market struggles to capitalize on that vast potential. Currently listed as a federal Schedule 1 drug in the Controlled Substances Act, it is illegal to grow the plant or possess live seeds. But recent activity at the state and industry level is beginning to challenge that long standing status. [continues 938 words]
Modern feminism boils down to two main angles. The first is a movement driven by equality: equal pay, equal representation, equal access to power and position. The second seeks to elevate the status of roles commonly perceived as feminine, recognizing the value of caretaking in society and increased social stature. Women who attempt to achieve both know how difficult that feat can be because achieving one tends to preclude the other. Either women step into traditionally male positions that are more demanding on their time and energy or they commit to more nurturing roles that disassociate them from money and power. Even if a woman is willing to go for it all, her efforts are likely stymied by an inflexible society that struggles to accommodate shifting gender roles. [continues 789 words]
Skywalker OG. Sour Diesel. LA Confidential. With dozens of different strains available to choose from, each emitting a different aroma and promising a different high, it is hard to remember that it is all just one thing - cannabis. With one ingredient served up in dozens of different ways, it can paralyze a consumer, but for a grower, it's an innovative paradise. "It almost feels like it's never been done before," says Stephen Lipton, general cultivation manager of Boulder dispensary The Farm. "I guess because it really hasn't. Before it was a black market thing, and now that it isn't there is a high level of experimentation and ingenuity going on that you just can't deny anymore." [continues 806 words]
No matter how you feel about the legalization of marijuana in Colorado, medically or recreationally, the legal change in status effectively enhanced the freedoms of adults in Colorado. It allowed individuals a choice where before they had none, at least within a lawful context. The conversation about whether or not that freedom should be extended nationally is largely an abstract and subjective consideration of right and wrong. But the question for states like Colorado is how that freedom is best managed amid all the practical considerations. [continues 552 words]
For a bank, analyzing the risk of onboarding a cannabis business as a client is complicated. The legal marijuana industry is emerging and comes with its share of immaturities - the lack of historical data makes it difficult to study the past or predict the future of the market. This is also what makes it so attractive. Among the fastest growing industries in the country, a bank that can successfully onboard marijuana accounts stands to prosper tomorrow from what is risky business today. [continues 665 words]
If you were to see Robyn Grigg Lawrence's new cookbook lying out on your grandma's kitchen table, you probably wouldn't think twice. The book's glossy cover shows a plate of pesto pasta garnished with lovely green leafs. Pick up the book and thumb through it and you will see more of the same - tantalizing photographs and recipes of gourmet dishes worthy of any home cook's attention. The remarkable thing about this unassuming cookbook is that it's all about weed. The Cannabis Kitchen Cookbook by Robyn Griggs Lawrence normalizes cannabis to the point that it becomes a casual culinary tool, rather than a controversial, if legal substance. [continues 762 words]
As the apothecary movement of dispensaries proves the market and merit of medical marijuana, the industry and its consumers find themselves in a grey area. The federal government promises to keep their nose out of state affairs, especially when it comes to the medical side of cannabis, but before landmark federal endorsement can come, the drug will be subject to the regulatory structures of the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), including medical trials and pharmaceutical regulation. There are small permissions for medical marijuana at the federal level, like last week when Congress passed language to stop the Obama Administration's Department of Justice from spending money to block the implementation of state medical marijuana laws. The language is a benchmark in the legalization of medical marijuana, signaling a major shift in drug policy as the reigns on prohibition loosen. [continues 540 words]
Boulder City Council and staff are structuring and compiling an advisory panel to research and make recommendations towards the city's regulation of marijuana, to convene January 2016. As the marijuana industry matures, the City is working to update codes and create forward-looking regulations. The 10-member panel will be balanced between industry professionals and key stakeholders outside of the industry. "The city was a pioneer in creating ordinances for medical marijuana and establishing best practices that were adopted throughout the state for this new industry," wrote City Manager Jane Brautigan in a press release. "Now it's time to focus our efforts on standards that ensure a safe industry, and the role marijuana businesses play in the community." [continues 574 words]
Celebrities Bring Big Money and Big Names to a Capped Marijuana Industry On Nov. 9, Colorado's weed scene gained its capstone endorsement - Snoop Dogg launched his very own line of marijuana products including flower, chocolate bars, shatter, wax, drops and other candies. Although there is talk of other celebrities launching high-end cannabis product lines in Colorado - from Freddie Gibbs to Willie Nelson to Bob Marley's family - the first cannabis launch and surrounding media storm goes to Snoop Dogg. Ever since he came onto the hip-hop scene in 1992 as a featured artist on Dr. Dre's The Chronic, Snoop Dogg has been an advocate and unofficial spokesperson for marijuana, and his place amongst its emerging industry seems natural. [continues 644 words]
