Marijuana lobby goes mainstream

By Reid Wilson 

State regulators and government officials involved in crafting rules for the budding legal and medical marijuana industry are going to pot.

In a sign that the budding marijuana industry is moving away from the fringes and into the political mainstream, into the political mainstream, a number of officials once tasked with managing the growing legal cannabis sector are leaving their government positions to take jobs in the sector.

Many are advising states and cities as voters loosen marijuana restrictions across the country. Others are becoming industry advocates, lobbying the former colleagues and coworkers they left behind to craft more favorable rules and regulations.

In Colorado, Andrew Freedman, once the state’s director of marijuana coordination, and Lewis Koski, who headed the state Marijuana Enforcement Division, teamed up to form a consulting firm that advises local and state governments on crafting new marijuana regulations. Laura Harris, Koski’s predecessor at the Marijuana Enforcement Division, took a post this month as director of the Colorado Cannabis Chamber of Commerce.

Manny Munson-Regala, who oversaw Minnesota’s medical marijuana program, now runs a consulting firm of his own. John O’Brien resigned his post overseeing New Jersey’s medical marijuana program to take a job as chief compliance officer of a New York cannabis company. And several former top officials at Washington State’s Liquor and Cannabis Board have left in recent years to form their own firms.

“That’s how America works. You work for the government, then you become a lobbyist,” said Ian Eisenberg, a leader in the legal marijuana industry who runs Uncle Ike’s, a dispensary in Seattle, Wash. “I don’t think it’s any different than the defense industry.”

Those who have made the jump from the government sector to the private sector say they offer a valuable service, both to governments that need to establish new rules and to the businesses that need to navigate complex regulatory schemes that have never been implemented before.

“We’re the only ones to have stood this up before,” said Freedman, who now consults with governments looking to set up their regulatory structures. “There’s a real opportunity to come in and show lessons learned quickly.”

The comparison between legal marijuana and the defense industry is apt: North American consumers spent $6.9 billion on legal cannabis products in 2016, a figure that is expected to grow to $21 billion by 2021, according to an analysis by Arcview Market Research, a leading industry observer.

“This is an industry that ultimately is going to be, in gross revenues, what, eleven figures,” said Rob Kampia, co-founder of the Marijuana Policy Project. “Wouldn’t you rather have the most well-informed people in the private sector and the government sector actually knowing what they’re talking about?”

But opponents of legalized pot, and some government transparency groups, say the relationship between the marijuana industry and its regulators should be treated like any other.

“The revolving door from government to private sector isn’t anything new, but it represents the worst of our politics. This isn’t the paper clip or oven mitt lobby, this is the drug lobby,” said Kevin Sabet, who heads Smart Approaches to Marijuana, a group that opposes legalization. And we know that the pot lobby wants to make money, just like big tobacco executives do.”

Aaron Scherb, legislative affairs director at the government transparency group Common Cause, said states should implement a cooling-off period between the time when a regulator leaves government service and when he or she begins working on behalf of the industry.

“These individuals are the most familiar with the rules and regulations of a particular industry, and their experience means they’re able to exploit loopholes,” Scherb said. “At least some minimal amount of time is appropriate so we can avoid this revolving door problem.”

At least one state, Minnesota, required its regulators to take a year off before returning to work in the field they oversaw. Munson-Regala, the former head of the state’s medical marijuana program, said that reminded him of other industries he helped regulate, like the insurance business.

“Embedded in that one-year cooling off period was an understanding that regulators are in a good position to help folks who are being regulated, in part because they understand what it takes to be compliant,” Munson-Regala said in an interview.

The revolving door is just one of the ways an industry that was once seen as the domain of hippies is trying to professionalize. Just a few years ago, proponents of legalizing marijuana brought 1970s-era stoner icon Tommy Chong to Capitol Hill to woo lawmakers.

Today, Chong is gone, replaced by a booming industry of cultivators and retailers — and the trade shows, consultants and lobbyists who offer services to boost their business.

On Tuesday, the National Cannabis Industry Association kicked off a two-day Seed to Sale trade show in Denver, focusing on business practices for producers and retailers. The group’s first trade show several years ago attracted 800 participants; this year, they expect 2,000 vendors — and 4,000 to 5,000 at the annual Cannabis Business Summit and Expo, said Taylor West, the group’s deputy director. In November, 10,000 people showed up to another trade show in Las Vegas.

“This industry is not slowing down,” West said.

Around the country, hundreds of lobbyists are already bending lawmakers’ ears on marijuana measures. In Colorado alone, 81 lobbyists reported advocating on marijuana proposals before the state legislature, according to data filed with the Secretary of State’s office.

Recreational marijuana use has been legal in Washington and California since 2013. Voters passed legalization measures in Alaska, Oregon and the District of Columbia in 2014, and in California, Nevada, Massachusetts and Maine this year. On Monday, Maine’s legalization measure became law.

Marijuana is now legal to possess and consume in the four states where voters passed legalization laws this year. But purchasing and selling marijuana and cannabis edibles are on hold until regulators come up with rules governing everything from production to retail — what the industry calls Seed to Sale.

Most states have a year, under ballot measures passed in November, to implement their new structures. And as regulators move to create those rules, they will receive plenty of input from those who structured systems in other states.

Marijuana, made in Italy: Inside the military police cannabis lab

By Angus MacKinnon

Photo: Filippo Monteforte/AFP

It's every stoner's nightmare: marijuana plants as far as the eye can see and not a spliff in sight.

"No, I have never tried it, and I don't have any intention of trying it either," says Antonio Medica, the colonel in charge of the Italian military's cannabis laboratory in Florence.

As he inspects pristine plant buds destined to be cut and dried into a version of the drug for medical use, the veteran officer is nonetheless sure he is producing some really good stuff.

"Absolutely yes, I can assure you of that," says Medica, who is wearing surgeon's scrubs over his uniform. "We have done the tests."


Photo: Filippo Monteforte/AFP

In the doorway of a growing room that resembles a cross between a science lab and a steamy greenhouse, Medica explains how he ended up producing top-grade weed for Italy's health service.

"One of my colleagues was joking with me the other day: 'We spent 40 years trying to stop the troops smoking it in the barracks and now we are producing it ourselves'," he told AFP.

In reality, it is a serious business. The quality has to be reliable because the output from the military's Cannabis Project Team is destined for patients, not potheads.

Not so high
"Producing in this sterile, sealed environment is very important," Medica explains.

"That is the only way you can ensure a consistent product and one free from the toxic materials, particularly heavy metals like mercury, that the plants can easily absorb when grown in fields."

The first batches of made-in-Italy pot have just arrived in pharmacies. Its production is just one of the activities of the military's 164-year-old chemical and pharmaceutical institute (ICFM). The body prides itself on the fact that its cannabis was registered as a pharmaceutical product by Italy's medicines agency in September 2015.


Photo: Filippo Monteforte/AFP
As such, it is very different from most of the cannabis consumed around the world.

This is because the component that gets recreational users high, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), is less useful to doctors than another active ingredient, the anti-inflammatory cannabidiol (CBD).

In simple terms, Italian military dope has less THC but more CBD, compared to its street-bought equivalent, or even when compared with the legal, Dutch-made supplies on which Italian physicians previously relied.

Photo: Filippo Monteforte/AFP
An estimated 2,000-3,000 Italians currently use medical cannabis for purposes such as relief from multiple sclerosis pain or combatting nausea after chemotherapy.

Medical 'munchies'
Italy's guidelines also highlight its possible use for glaucoma and in helping to restore the appetite of anorexia and HIV patients.

The latter application depends on the same reaction that recreational marijuana users experience when they get the "munchies."

Italy authorized the consumption of cannabis for medical reasons in 2007.


Photo: Filippo Monteforte/AFP
But take-up has been slow with doctors reluctant to consider it an option because of uncertainty over the circumstances in which it can be used, dosages and how to administer it.

"They were afraid of side effects, afraid to take the responsibility, afraid about everything," said Pierluigi Davolio, a Florence pharmacist.

Davolio estimates he is now dispensing around 300 cannabis preparations per year as awareness and confidence grows amongst medics and patients, some of whom would have previously risked self-medicating with dealer-supplied or home-grown stocks.

He has no doubt that cannabis has its place on his shelves.

"One thing it works well for is fibromyalgia, a condition for which there is no really effective medicine," he told AFP, referring to a disorder that causes joint pain.

"We had a patient here who had sold her car because she was in too much pain to be able to drive. As soon as she started (taking cannabis), she was back at the garage saying she needed it back."


Photo: Filippo Monteforte/AFP
'An experimental phase'
With 100 plants yielding eight kilogrammes (18 pounds) of final product, the ICFM plans to have four growth chambers on stream soon and to produce around 100kg (220 pounds) in total this year.

Medica anticipates being able to expand output and to produce different types of medical cannabis as demand grows and feedback identifies which compound-mix works best for specific conditions.

"We are still in a very experimental phase," Davolio said.


Photo: Filippo Monteforte/AFP

More from The Local

Growing each plant to the harvesting point takes three months, compared to a year outdoors in Italian conditions.

Controlled cycles of powerful artificial light accelerate the process. The growing rooms are irrigated, kept between 20-28 degrees Celsius (68-82 Fahrenheit) and frequently resonate to the strains of Mozart, thought to be helpful to plant growth.

After being processed into a texture resembling dried parsley, the cannabis is treated with gamma rays to kill off pathogens before being sold to pharmacists at 6.8 euros ($7.30) per gram.

Smoking discouraged
Lower costs and guaranteed supplies were two of the motivations for the project and the military makes only a small margin for reinvestment in further research, according to Medica.

"We're not in this for business," he says.

For the moment, patients are advised to prepare the drug in boiling water or use a vaporizing device to be sure they are ingesting the required dose.

Health workers recognize that the crossover from recreational marijuana means many will bake it in cookies or roll joints to smoke it.

They shouldn't, says Medica. "Studies have shown that burning degrades the active ingredients and increases the risk of side effects, so that is strongly discouraged."

The Truth About Marijuana & Mental Illness

Sarah Jacoby

The idea that smoking pot causes can make you crazy is straight out of Reefer Madness. But although we've thankfully gotten away from such a hilariously extreme portrayal, the idea that using marijuana puts you at risk for developing all kinds of mental disorders persists. As usual, the truth is way more complicated than that.

Researchers have tried to figure out whether or not using marijuana leads to mental illness for a long time now. For instance, a 2014 meta analysis looking at results from 31 previous studies found that there is, indeed, an association between cannabis use and anxiety. (That's anxiety disorders, not a short-term state of paranoia that you may find yourself in after a few too many hits.)

So we know that you're (slightly) more likely to have symptoms of depression or anxiety if you're a marijuana user. But whether or not cannabis causes those conditions is a different question — one that still hasn't totally been answered. Some studies say yes (especially for heavy users), others say no.

The truth is that this question is pretty tricky to answer because there's plenty of other evidence suggesting that marijuana can help alleviate symptoms of anxiety and depression. So we're left with a classic chicken/egg scenario: Those who smoke weed and have depression, for example, may not have developed their mental illness as a result of their drug use — instead, they may have taken up drug use as a form of self-medication.

We do know a little more about how using cannabis interacts with other conditions, though. Specifically, there is evidence that marijuana use may cause people who are already at risk of developing their first episode of psychosis (a symptom of schizophrenia) to develop it earlier than they would have otherwise. So, if you're already more likely to have schizophrenia due to a family history, for instance, smoking pot may trigger your first episode about 2.7 years earlier. But, among those who have other risk factors for schizophrenia, cannabis doesn't seem to affect the severity of their symptoms.

And that brings up perhaps the most crucial issue: timing. Just like alcohol and nicotine, marijuana can have an effect on a developing brain if too much is consumed too early. But there's no consensus on what "too much" or "too early" actually means.

So the bottom line is the same as it's always been: Marijuana is a psychoactive drug with potential benefits and potential harms, just like any other drug. But with so much left unknown, it's crucial to put all of this into its larger political context. When marijuana was originally placed into the U.S. government's most restrictive drug classification, we didn't know much about its effects. But now, as we learn more about the possible risks and benefits of cannabis use, we have to use that evidence to shape policy rather than relying on outdated scare tactics.

"Health risks connected with drug use — when scientifically documented — should not be seen as legitimate reasons for criminal prohibition, but instead, as reasons for legal regulation," writes Paul Armentano, deputy director of NORML. Indeed, regulation and harm-reduction are much better, healthier, and more effective approaches to getting people what they need in the safest way possible.

This month we’re celebrating High January by leaving our stoner stereotypes behind. Instead, we’ll take long-time smokers and total newbies through all the various complexities of the current cannabis world. It’s 2017 and we’re ready to blaze a new trail.
(Refinery29 in no way encourages illegal activity and would like to remind its readers that marijuana usage continues to be an offense under Federal Law, regardless of state marijuana laws.

Colorado marijuana data: Fresh report looks at health effects, trends

By Alicia Wallace, 


After Colorado implemented its recreational marijuana law in 2014, one of the paramount tasks for state health officials was to monitor potential public-health outcomes.

The state’s first report, released in January 2015 by a panel of doctors, scientists and public health officials, contained what was effectively “baseline data,” state officials said at the time. It was first-of-a-kind research for a first-of-its-kind regulatory maneuver.

Now that the state has closed the book on Year Three of recreational cannabis sales, public health officials have more data under their belts.

On Tuesday, the 14-member Retail Marijuana Public Health Advisory Committee released its second set of findings via a nearly 300-page comprehensive report.

And, for the most part, there haven’t been any significant changes to raise the alarm bells, said panel chairman Mike Van Dyke, chief of Colorado’s Environmental Epidemiology, Occupational Health and Toxicology branch.

“We are doing our best to study this closely and monitor what’s going on,” he said. “While maybe not apparent from this report, we are taking this evidence base that we’re developing, and we are using it to develop prevention campaigns, education campaigns … we are doing our best to implement an evidence-based policy.”


The sweeping report delves into a plethora of state and federal data across topics such as usage rates among different populations, hospital visits, drugged driving and health effects.

A quick snapshot of the results reveal:

• Past-month marijuana use among Colorado adults did not change from 2014 to 2015; however, the percentage of Coloradans who said they use cannabis — 13 percent and 17 percent according to two separate federal surveys — is higher than the national average of 8 percent.
• The vast majority of past-month marijuana users — 79 percent — chose to smoke their cannabis. The percentage of those who vaped or consumed edibles was 30 percent and 33 percent, respectively. (Respondents could also pick more than one method.)
• The past-month marijuana use of Colorado adults in 2015 was highest among Colorado males, at 26 percent, those between the ages of 18 to 25, at 17 percent, and those who identified as gay, lesbian, bisexual or another sexual orientation, at 37 percent. Marijuana use was also higher among gay, lesbian or bisexual teens as opposed to those who identified as heterosexual.
• Past-month marijuana use among teens was relatively unchanged and in line with the national average.
• Marijuana is not Colorado adults’ drug of choice: About 6 percent of those surveyed said they used marijuana daily or near-daily. That compares to 16 percent for daily or near-daily tobacco use and 22 percent for daily or near-daily alcohol use.
• Poison center calls about marijuana exposure have been on the decline since 2015 and marijuana-related emergency room visits dropped between 2014 and 2015, according to the report. Hospital data from 2016 was not yet available.
• 6 percent of women in Colorado used marijuana during their pregnancy — 2 percentage points higher than the national average.
• 7.9 percent of adults with children between the ages of 1 and 14 kept marijuana in or around the home, according to the report. In 18 percent of these households — about 14,000 homes — marijuana was potentially unsafely stored.
• From 2014 to 2015, children between 1 and 14 in about 16,000 homes had secondhand exposure to marijuana.

“We’ve had a pretty good history on high school use, but we didn’t start asking the questions about marijuana use — unfortunately until after legalization — for adults,” Van Dyke said.

Among the “encouraging” results, Van Dyke said, are findings that marijuana use among high school students is not increasing. Also encouraging are some hints that existing policy and education efforts may be working, he said.

“I think that speaks to a learning effect,” he said, referencing the decline in ER visits and poison center calls. “The public is really learning the message, if not from us, from their own experience.”
The data also lend guidance as to areas to closely monitor.


In addition to usage rates, health officials’ concerns include marijuana use during pregnancy and negative consequences of marijuana in households with children.

The panel also reviewed existing scientific literature on the potential health effects of marijuana. The committee came to several similar conclusions as the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, which earlier this month released its most comprehensive study in decades on marijuana.

Among the findings of the RMPHAC:

• Substantial and moderate evidence that teens and young adults who use marijuana are more likely to experience impaired memory and cognitive function, and are at greater risk for developing psychotic symptoms and marijuana dependency as adults.
• Strong evidence that marijuana smoke contains many of the same cancer-causing chemicals found in tobacco smoke. Research is conflicting as to whether heavier smokers of marijuana could develop lung cancer.
• Moderate level of scientific evidence that marijuana use increases risk for some forms of stroke in individuals younger than 55.
• Credible evidence of clinically important drug interactions between marijuana and medications such as some anti-seizure medications and a common blood-thinner.
• Risk of a motor vehicle crash increases among drivers with recent marijuana use. The higher the blood THC level, the higher the motor vehicle crash risk.
• Strong evidence shows that daily or near-daily marijuana users are likely to have impaired memory lasting a week or more after quitting.

 

Here's Everything You Need to Know About the Adult Use of Marijuana Act

Michael Geslani

Here's a breakdown of California's initiative to legalize weed.

Current support for California’s marijuana legalization has taken flight and polls have shown that it is up 60 percent with California’s likely voters in the November presidential contest to support legal pot. The Adult Use of Marijauna Act (AUMA) initiative, has grown in support and off to a huge push for the Nov. 8 ballot by the likes of Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom and former Facebook President, Sean Parker. 

For those who aren’t familiar with AUMA, the initiative will control, regulate and tax legal marijuana for those 21+, protect children, and establish laws to regulate marijuana cultivation, distribution, sale and use, and will protect Californians and the environment from potential dangers. The annual tax revenue will be fairly high at 15 percent but could reach upwards of $1 billion annually.

“By establishing a legal, taxed and tightly regulated system, we can offer new protections for our kids, our communities and our environment, while adopting a best-practices framework for responsible adult marijuana use and its impacts,” said Newsome.

While California has been known to be at the frontier of cannabis laws by being the first state in the country to legalize medical marijuana in 1996 and lessen penalties for possession throughout two decades, current policies are becoming outdated and reform just may be necessary. The AUMA initiative can pave the way for reform and be beneficial to those in California who oppose it or not.

What AUMA may mean for California …
Currently, marijuana growth and sale is not being taxed by the State of California which in turn can mean hundreds of millions of dollars that can benefit the state in various ways. Although, some cities do impose specific city tax they still have all benefited greatly from it on medical cannabis sales.

AUMA can help facilitate proper methods that will provide funds to be used to manage sectors in charge that create new laws and will provide funds to public health programs that educate youth to prevent and treat serious substance abuse, train local law enforcement to enforce the new law with focus on DUI enforcement, invest in communities to reduce the illicit market, create a job market and finally protect public lands damaged by illegal marijuana cultivation.

Some cities in California have different laws pertaining to medical marijuana sales but we can bet anyone who’s driven across most of California’s cities have seen the numerous green crosses for medical cannabis dispensaries. It’s obvious that medical marijuana sales have become more abundant in California and with a state regulated format AUMA reports of hundreds of millions of dollars annually that could benefit California.

“It’s very encouraging to see a vibrant community of activists, many of whom have dedicated their lives to this issue, coming together around a sensible reform based measure that protects children, gives law enforcement additional resources, and establishes a strong regulatory framework for responsible adult use of marijuana–one that will yield economic benefits for all Californians,” said Parker, who has invested over $500k to the initiative.

California AUMA compared to Colorado’s AUMA …
With Colorado already years into legalization of recreational cannabis for adults 21+ it already has put many efforts into regulations amongst marijuana cultivation and sales but also differ from what California’s AUMA has proposed. Colorado’s Amendment 64 permits a person 21+ to consume or process limited amounts of marijuana; providing for the licensing of cultivation facilities, product manufacturing facilities, testing facilities, and retail stores; permitting local governments to regulate or prohibit such facilities.

While the rules seem to be less regulated than that of California’s AUMA Colorado’s legalization has thrived in terms of annual sales and taxes. According to new data released by Colorado and analyzed by the Marijuana Policy Group, Colorado's recreational dispensaries were estimated to ring up $295 million in sales and $51 million in tax revenue in 2014.

With increasing support from other Alaska, Oregon, Washington and the District of Columbia – who have all voted to legalize adult marijuana use, they all have very important lessons for California.
“Last year, the Commission released its report with a series of recommendations and best practices for proponents to consider as various ideas were being discussed. While the report did not endorse any specific legislative proposal, it set clear guidelines for what a responsible and cost-effective policy would be,” said Newsome.

California Opposition of AUMA 
California was the first state to vote on legalization of marijuana with Proposition 19 in 1972 and again decades later in 2010 in a second Prop. 19 initiative. Both were narrowly defeated but current odds seem to fair better. While some are pointing for legalization there are some concerns by respected individuals in the cannabis industry towards the measure on big tobacco companies that can hamper the California cannabis industry. There can also be potential for opposition to the high tax in the measure.

“If the initiative filed today by Sean Parker were the only cannabis reform initiative on the ballot, I would vote for it. However, I think California can do better,” DeAngelo said in a statement. “I continue to believe our best strategy for victory in November is bringing the entire cannabis community together behind one initiative, and call on all initiative proponents to work towards that goal,” said Steve DeAngelo to SFGATE, executive director of Harborside Health Center, one of the biggest dispensaries in California.

California’s Possible Future of Legalization
AUMA currently has the backing of various organizations alongside Parker and Newsome, who chaired California’s Blue Ribbon Commission on Marijuana Policy, also says that the NAACP, the California Medical Association and the California Council of Land Trusts all support the objectives and will be urging voters to support in November.

While the potential for passing AUMA can come as soon November 2016 it only would be the start of the process of regulating adult use of marijuana for non-medical purposes. Pushing for this start would ignite the proper safeties and regulations to ensure California deals with other serious issues.

“AUMA strikes the right balance, setting in place strong protections for the public while allowing enough flexibility for regulators to tweak the marijuana market to make sure our kids and communities are safe,” said Newsome.

How Jamaica’s New Regulations Will Benefit the Local and Global Cannabis Industry

Tyler Koslow

A closer look at the changing country.

 

 

When people think about Jamaica, marijuana is one of the first things that comes to mind, and for good reason. The Caribbean island nation is home to the legendary Bob Marley, the ambassador of stoner culture, good vibes, and good weed, and the country’s Rastafarian population uses cannabis as a sacramental tool. Still, the Jamaican government has been hesitant to internationally embrace the longstanding cultural phenomenon between its people and ganja for quite some time.

Currently, everyday Jamaican locals are allowed to possess up to two ounces of cannabis, while those practicing Rastafarianism have much more lenient laws. That leaves the medicinal system, which is really just for the throngs of tourists. The fear of international scrutiny has caused the government to set up a medicinal system, as it didn’t want to give the impression that it’s promoting recreational use of a substance that many countries still consider to be a dangerous drug.

But as cannabis becomes socially acceptable in more of the United States and throughout the world, this fear has subsided. Jamaica’s recently developed legal cannabis regulations are finally starting to take advantage of their internationally recognized cannabis culture, as well as the medical research that has come about as a result of that culture.

One man poised to take this new regulatory system by storm is Courtney Betty, CEO of the Timeless Herbal Care, a Canadian medical cannabis company that has positioned itself in Jamaica for the advantages in research and development. Betty is the former Crown Attorney for the Department of Justice in Canada, and worked closely with the Jamaican government 15 years ago to deregulate its telecommunications services. His longstanding relationship with the country has given him insight into what these regulations will do for Jamaica on a local and international level.

“The biggest challenge for Jamaica has been fear of reaction of their international partners. This has crippled Jamaica’s movement so far,” Betty says. “So this [new legal framework] is really breaking away from those chains, and in my view, the international community is not going to come in and create any negativity for it. But that has been the biggest fear, that going down this path would, for example, impact on international aid for the country.”

The Jamaican government passed these new regulations earlier this year, but setting up this new system and processing applications for licensing has delayed the inevitable. But that hasn’t stopped the cannabis industry from setting up home base in Jamaica. Events like CanEx, one of the largest cannabis conferences in the world, have helped bring this much-needed international attention from the global cannabis industry. The organizer of the conference, Douglas Gordon, has faith that the Jamaican government will do what’s right for its struggling local economy.

“Once Jamaica fully appreciates the scope of this industry and its potential impact to the nation, I am fully convinced the government, business leadership, and the wider community will fully support a more aggressive expansion in the industry,” Gordon says. “Jamaica has been the poster child and represents the ‘cool’ in the market. To forego economic participation would be a travesty of the highest order.”

The new regulatory system will bring immense benefits to both locals and international cannabis companies. Jamaica’s struggling economy stands to benefit greatly from the international companies getting involved with the country’s cannabis. “If done correctly, legalization will have a significant financial benefit to the Jamaican economy,” Gordon says. “The benefits will come from jobs, new businesses, research and development, tax revenues, and GDP growth.”

Timeless Herbal Care was among the first to apply for a license in Jamaica, and the company plans to reinvigorate the island’s historic cannabis culture and faltering economy. Cannabis companies from both the United States and Canada plan to bring high-end retail experience developed in their regions to the island.

“A big part of it is the local industry,” Betty explains. “We’ve partnered with O.penVAPE, out of Colorado, to bring all of that experience and all of those products to Jamaica, and also to connect with customers. In Jamaica, we want them to have the same experience and the same products as you would in Colorado, except now it’s utilizing local Jamaican marijuana.”

Not only will these newfound cannabis regulations improve the local economy by creating jobs and improving agriculture, they will also enhance the cannabis industry as a whole. The Jamaican government made sure that its new regulatory system is welcoming to international companies, and will allow for more research and development from both a production and medicinal standpoint. On top of that, Jamaica’s legal framework will allow companies to branch out into the budding, but still heavily-restricted global market.  

“The legal framework that Jamaica has in place is strategically positioned for companies that want to reach international markets to use Jamaica for that research and development and even from a production standpoint,” Betty says. “Whether you want to go to the European market, the Caribbean, Latin American, wherever, Jamaica has that ability for companies. It’s especially beneficial for companies in the United States that are not allowed to even go across state borders.”

Now that cannabis is becoming legally commodified around the world, the Jamaican government finally feels comfortable enough to embrace its country’s culture and perhaps its most profitable agricultural product without fear of international scrutiny. Not only will foreign cannabis companies have a supportive place to call home, but they will also learn from the history of cannabis use in Jamaica, especially for medical purposes. The plant has been long ingrained into the island’s culture, and with that has come a number of medical remedies that have remained secretive in light of stigmatization.

All in all, the legal framework has set Jamaica up for success in the industry that it helped to create the culture for. Acknowledging the important role that cannabis has played in its history, religion, and economy, the local government is now doing more to make Jamaica the epicenter of cannabis production and research. Seeing that it’s the country that created the stoner counterculture that is celebrated around the world, it’s only right that Jamaica become the international hub for cannabis research, production, and business.

Fun Cannabis History Facts That Will Impress People

Zoe Wilder

Wow your buds with your encyclopedic weed knowledge!

If you’ve been reading MERRY JANE every day like a responsible citizen of the cannabis community, then you know that the term “marijuana” is contentious in the U.S., and that the highest THC percentage does not necessarily equal the strongest effect. And maybe you’ve read that microdosing can be a therapeutic avenue, as touted by the founder of LSD, the late Albert Hofman. But, did you know there’s a legendary Taoist Hemp Maiden named Magu? You didn’t, did you? Your mind is now blown? We thought so. And your weed-blowing friends’ minds will be blown as well when you drop these historical cannabis facts on them. Read on, young grasshopper.

Medicine

 

Cannabis was added to the U.S. pharmacopeia (USP) in 1851, which has been used since the 1820s to identify and standardize prescription and over-the-counter drugs for medical use. Back then, the USP was comprised almost entirely of botanical drugs. From 1850 to 1937, “Extractum Cannabis,” or hemp extract, was used for a wide range of outcomes, including exhilaration, aphrodisia, sleep, increasing appetite, and to relieve pain, spasms, and constipation. It was removed from the book in 1942, but reemerged in later years in fractionated pharmaceutical medications. Modern examples are Marinol and Cesamet. Cannabis sativa is in some of the oldest Chinese pharmacopoeia known circa 100 CE. Other ancient Chinese texts claimed that consuming a combination of hemp seed and ginseng could provoke “a preternatural knowledge of future events.”

Language & Mythology

The Chinese character for hemp (麻 or má) is drawn depicting two plants hanging in a shed, likely for drying. The oldest known instance of the character dates back to roughly 200 BC. “Magu,” the combination of hemp (má) and the chinese character for aunt or maid (gū), literally translating to “Hemp Maiden,” is the name of a legendary Taoist immortal associated with the elixir of life, and a symbolic protector of females in Chinese mythology. Magu is known as the Goddess of Longevity, and by some scholars as the Goddess of Hemp.

Agriculture

 

Most researchers agree that cannabis came from Central and South Asia and believe humans have utilized the plant for at least 10,000 years, since more primitive forms of agriculture began in the region. It wasn’t until the 20th century that cannabis became widely criminalized.

Business & Legalization

 

Sixty-eight percent of Americans now live in states with reformed cannabis laws. Over half the states, D.C., Puerto Rico, and Guam have initiated a form of medical or recreational cannabis programs. 

Sixteen additional states now have cannabis reform laws pending with initiatives in 11 of those states plus D.C. to regulate a retail cannabis market. That’s 44 of 50 states pushing the U.S. cannabis reform movement. Meanwhile, in Alaska, cannabis has been legal to possess in small amounts for personal home use since 1975. 

Last year, the United States cannabis market grew at a faster pace than the early 2000 dot-com industry and with Canada moving to legalize recreational cannabis by 2018, the North American cannabis market is expected to exceed $20.2 billion by the year 2020. The New York Stock Exchange recently listed its first cannabis industry IPO, Innovative Industrial Properties, a real estate investment trust investing in medical marijuana properties. And today, over 30 countries have reformed cannabis laws.

Culture & Philosophy

 

The Rastafari religion developed in Jamaica in the 1930s, although many prefer it known as a spiritual mindset or philosophy. A common misconception is that Rastafari philosophy is based around the excessive consumption of cannabis. This was propelled in the late 1970s and early 1980s by a series of 60 Minutes newscasts about the illegality of cannabis cultivation and use by Rastafari in Jamaica. Rastafari point out that the Tree of Life in the Bible is actually the cannabis plant while several passages in the Bible lay the bedrock for its sacred use, including “The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations,” from Revelation 22:2.

A main facet of Rastafari philosophy is consciousness combined with nature and honoring Africa as a spiritual homeland, especially as a rebuke to slavery and the misappropriation of ancient African history by the spread of European colonialism, or “Babylon.” Rastafari refer to cannabis as “the wisdom weed” and “holy herb” and it’s commonly used in regular communal gatherings known as “reasoning sessions,” often accompanied by African Nyabinghi drumming, prayer, and singing. Rastas believe cannabis is like all other sacred herbs, it grows in the wild and its conscientious use is a natural right.