Law The Cannabis Chronicles - Misc Cannabis News

[Baron23]

I wan to see the politicians who gets in the way of $40B industry......yes, money talks.....

Global cannabis market will nearly triple to US$40.6B by 2024: Study


The value of the global cannabis market is set to soar to new heights, as more countries and American states legalize the drug, according to a new industry report.

Global legal spending on cannabis is forecast to be US$40.6 billion in 2024, nearly triple the US$14.9 billion estimated to be spent this year, according to Arcview Market Research and cannabis industry analysis firm BDS Analytics, which released its annual "State of the Legal Cannabis Markets" report on Thursday.

"That's a conservative number as well if regulators wouldn't move as slowly as they are right now," said Tom Adams, managing director of industry intelligence at BDS Analytics, who co-authored the report in a phone interview with BNN Bloomberg.

While much of that growth is expected to be led by North America, which accounts for nearly 90 per cent of all spending, other markets such as Europe and Asia are expected to end cannabis prohibition with a focus on liberalizing medical markets.

"Countries are realizing that people are using cannabis anyways. They can either tax it and regulate it or they can do nothing," Adams said. "That realization is set to spread globally and won't take that long to see cannabis prohibition unravel."

Despite the U.S.'s lead in the global cannabis market, one of its biggest markets actually shrunk in 2018, the report said. Spending in California, which sparked the counterculture movement in the 1960s that boosted the popularity of cannabis, fell to US$2.5 billion in 2018 from US$3 billion due to high taxes charged by dispensaries and a well-established illicit market.

"Regulators decided to heavily tax legal cannabis in California and create very high burdens in that market," said Adams. "It's something that we see could happen in other U.S. states as well as it's starting to take place in Canada."

Spending in Canada is expected to reach US$5.2 billion by 2024, in line with an earlier forecast made by BDS Analytics. Still, the report expects the rollout of next-generation cannabis products, such as edibles and concentrates, later this year will slow the Canadian market’s growth in the near term due to the country's restrictive branding and marketing rules.

"We've been pretty cautious with Canada because of what we've seen happen in California where local regulation impacts on the downside," Adams said. "But eventually, there's the hope that regulators will notice they didn't stop cannabis consumption, but really limit legal cannabis consumption. The pendulum will eventually swing the other way."

 

[ClearBlueLou]

These are exactly the sort of circumstances that encourage the black market; regulators have a long way to go to make sense, and until then we’re lab rats. Canada’s shutdown of legal growing is a bad sign, blatant market-twisting to provide a big payoff to the usual suspects. They could give a rat’s ass about the rest of us.

 

[Bcbud]

Could not agree with you more. Online is takin over fast and very stealthy.

 

[momofthegoons]

This is a somewhat editorial piece, and I am in no way encouraging anyone to write to CalvinRobinson as suggested at the end of the article. However it does show the inequality of our legal system in regards to those incarcerated for cannabis crimes.

76-Year-Old Calvin Robinson Has Terminal Cancer — and is Still Behind Bars

In 1988, Calvin Robinson received a sentence of life without parole for his involvement in a Bay Area drug smuggling conspiracy.

I don’t know if you can remember where you were or what was going on in your life 31 years ago. Most of us would have to stop and think about it. But Calvin Robinson remembers it well.

In 1988, Robinson was a tugboat captain on the Intrepid Adventure in the San Francisco Bay. In the spring of that year, under the shadow of the Golden Gate Bridge, he was arrested for pulling a barge loaded with 43 tons of hashish and 15 tons of marijuana. At the time this was the largest marijuana arrest in U.S. history.

For Calvin Robinson, time stopped that day.

Crime and Punishment
When the dust settled after a drama-filled trial, Calvin Robinson received a sentence of life without parole for his involvement in the drug smuggling conspiracy. Calvin spent the next 34 years working, without any outside help, sending appeal after appeal to the courts. To no avail.

He watched murderers, rapists, and thieves come and go, all of them serving less time then he had been given for a non-violent marijuana offense.

From inside the walls of the federal penitentiary in Victorville, CA, Calvin watched the world change. The marijuana industry was booming. Laws were changing. Public stigma was slowly fading and people were beginning to understand that marijuana is not a harmful drug. The public could even go into a store and legally buy marijuana and hashish!

Yet Calvin remains behind bars.

The Calvary
In 2014, I saw a Facebook post about four men, all part of the same marijuana conspiracy, all serving life without parole sentences for marijuana: Calvin Robinson, John Knock, Claude Duboc, and Albert Madrid.

I decided to send them each a card to cheer them up and let them know they were not forgotten. At the time I had no idea how that one card would change my life, and how it would lead to an enduring and deeply meaningful friendship with Calvin Robinson.

I made a Facebook page for Calvin and asked him to send me a picture. That was when I saw the miracles start to happen.

Soon after I met writer and activist Cheri Sicard, and Calvin not only received more exposure, he found a new friend. Then, attorney Cait Boyce began to help. Then Tracie Gloor-Pike, whose son Lance Gloor’s incarceration for cannabis had turned into a prison activist, joined in.

Calvin was still incarcerated, but for the first time since he had been locked up, he knew he was not alone and he was not forgotten.

Calvin had been battling cancer for five years without medical treatment and it was spreading and getting worse. We started protesting and through a letter writing campaign were at least able to get him transferred to the prison hospital at Butner Federal Medical Center in North Carolina.

Sadly, it might be too little too late, as after having gone untreated for so many years, Calvin’s doctors at Butner predicted his cancer would take his life within 18 months. But if anyone believes in miracles, it is Calvin, whose rock-steady spiritual conviction and large stature earned him the prison nickname of “The Gentle Giant.”

The New Prison Reform Act
In 2016, President Trump passed the new First Step Act. Calvin meets the requirements because of his age, declining health, and the amount of time he had already served. He should have been first on the list for a reduction in sentence.

In reality, Calvin has been stonewalled by the prison system. Despite countless letters and pleas to prison staff, they have done everything in their power to keep Calvin from coming home.

Calvin and I have spoken many times. He knows that the fight for freedom is not just about him. It is about the stigma of marijuana and a judicial system that makes money off every marijuana arrest and conviction.

The bottom line is, Calvin, and every prisoner like him is worth at least $35,000 a year to the prison. They don’t want to lose that money.

There is some hope, however, as Mary Price of Families Against Mandatory Minimums (FAMM) just wrote Calvin to let him know that his new request for a reduction in sentence is currently in the DC office of the General Counsel. We pray the counsel does the right thing and quickly.

I don’t know what will ultimately happen to Calvin. Maybe he will die in prison. Maybe he will be released, although that would have to happen soon.

What I do know is that over the last five years I have been a first-hand witness to the incredible strength and resiliency of the human spirit and how that spirit can come alive and thrive when its flames are fanned with love.

In essence, at this stage of the game, Calvin’s story really isn’t about Calvin any more. It is about all of the activists and members of the public who have reached into prison to give the only real thing they own: their time, their love, and their concern. That and his unshakable faith in Yahvah is what has kept the Gentle Giant going, even through times of utmost adversity.

Write to Calvin Robinson
If you would like to send a letter of encouragement, please address it to:

Calvin Lyniol Robinson # 83327-011
FMC Butner
PO Box 1600
Butner, NC 27509

Please note, BOP rules only allow for ink and paper in white (only) envelopes. No greeting cards, nothing can be stapled, attached, or glued to the letter, ink and white paper only. Photographs are OK.

We encourage you to follow Calvin Robinson’s Facebook page and support Families Against Mandatory Minimum’s work.

 

[momofthegoons]

Pilot program allows doctors to prescribe marijuana over opioids in effort to combat crisis

Communities across the country are trying to find the answer to the opioid crisis.

Illinois is testing out a program that lets doctors give patients access to medical marijuana instead of an opioid prescription in an effort to combat opioid addiction.

For Philadelphia radio host Britt Carpenter, marijuana helped him get clean. Now, he uses his experience as a chance to pay it forward by using his voice to speak with those dealing with issues like addiction.

"I was addicted to opioids for many years,” Carpenter admits. “I started back in the early 2000s after a car accident."

To treat his injury, doctors gave him pain killers. Similar to many others, what was supposed to help him, nearly destroyed him. The pain pills led to a heroin addiction.

"I fell into a bad situation again,” he recalls. “Met the wrong person and went down the pathway of hell for a few years after that."

Now, Carpenter is four years sober. However, rehab was not his savior.

"I looked at different ways I could help myself go clean off the opioids, and one of them I did extensive research on: utilizing cannabis," Carpenter says.

The radio personality kicked narcotics with cannabis.

For years, Carpenter had used marijuana recreationally, but this time, pot helped him detox.

"I wasn't feeling as shaky as most people, or as I had done before when I tried to go clean, I wasn't sweating as much,” he says. “I was able to have an appetite. I was able to gain almost 40 pounds."

However, as helpful as cannabis was for him, it’s illegal in his home state of Pennsylvania.

But now, some states that have not legalized marijuana are realizing cannabis can be an answer to the opioid crisis.

In Illinois, around 1,500 patients have taken part in the state’s pilot program where doctors can give patients access to medical marijuana as an alternative to opioids.

While Carpenter will say marijuana was the answer for him, he says it may not for be for everyone.

"I don't encourage them to just go buy the cannabis and say, ‘OK, this is what I'm going to do,’” he says. “I had to sit down; I had a really come up with a plan."

To those who don't believe in the power of this plant, Carpenter recommends they give it a chance and to give others a chance in the fight against addiction.

"If you don't feel it's the right thing for somebody that is going into recovery or trying to go clean off of opioids, don't balk at it. Do research and figure out what's there,” he says. “Find out how positive the results can be, because I believe I’m living proof of that."

 

[momofthegoons]

"KISS bassist/vocalist/moneyman Gene Simmons has had a change of heart regarding marijuana." Of course he has....

Gene Simmons to Open Marijuana KISSPENSARY Which Will Feature An Exclusive KISS Brand Marijuana Strain

KISS bassist/vocalist/moneyman Gene Simmons has had a change of heart regarding marijuana. “I have had a change of heart,” says Simmons. “I recognize the benefits of marijuana for medicinal use in many different ways but more importantly I see how much money there is to be made. The marijuana industry is a very lucritive one and that is why I have partnered were a few Deadhead pot growers to open the very first KISSPENSARY.”

That’s right folks, KISSPENSARY. When asked how KISSPENSARYs will sent themselves apart from other marijuana dispensaries, Simmons said, “Because as you all know KISS is awesome. Not only will we have KISS bongs shaped like our heads, KISS rolling papers, KISS grinders, and KISS vape pens, we have also had our very own strain of KISS marijuana made: KISS Kush. Also, with every purchase, people will receive a copy of Carnival of Souls and a Peter Criss head coffee mug which we have tons of from our failed KISS Coffeehouse in Myrtle Beach. It’s going to be very exciting.”

Exclusive peek at Gene Simmon’s KISS KUSH.

The KISSPENSARY will open on July 4, 2019 in Los Angeles with other locations to follow. Stay Tuned.

 

[Baron23]

"KISS bassist/vocalist/moneyman Gene Simmons has had a change of heart regarding marijuana." Of course he has....

Gene Simmons to Open Marijuana KISSPENSARY Which Will Feature An Exclusive KISS Brand Marijuana Strain

KISS bassist/vocalist/moneyman Gene Simmons has had a change of heart regarding marijuana. “I have had a change of heart,” says Simmons. “I recognize the benefits of marijuana for medicinal use in many different ways but more importantly I see how much money there is to be made. The marijuana industry is a very lucritive one and that is why I have partnered were a few Deadhead pot growers to open the very first KISSPENSARY.”

That’s right folks, KISSPENSARY. When asked how KISSPENSARYs will sent themselves apart from other marijuana dispensaries, Simmons said, “Because as you all know KISS is awesome. Not only will we have KISS bongs shaped like our heads, KISS rolling papers, KISS grinders, and KISS vape pens, we have also had our very own strain of KISS marijuana made: KISS Kush. Also, with every purchase, people will receive a copy of Carnival of Souls and a Peter Criss head coffee mug which we have tons of from our failed KISS Coffeehouse in Myrtle Beach. It’s going to be very exciting.”

Exclusive peek at Gene Simmon’s KISS KUSH.

The KISSPENSARY will open on July 4, 2019 in Los Angeles with other locations to follow. Stay Tuned.

The money changers are def overrunning Solomon's Temple now. sigh

 

[Shredder]

"KISS bassist/vocalist/moneyman Gene Simmons has had a change of heart regarding marijuana." Of course he has....

Gene Simmons to Open Marijuana KISSPENSARY Which Will Feature An Exclusive KISS Brand Marijuana Strain

KISS bassist/vocalist/moneyman Gene Simmons has had a change of heart regarding marijuana. “I have had a change of heart,” says Simmons. “I recognize the benefits of marijuana for medicinal use in many different ways but more importantly I see how much money there is to be made. The marijuana industry is a very lucritive one and that is why I have partnered were a few Deadhead pot growers to open the very first KISSPENSARY.”

That’s right folks, KISSPENSARY. When asked how KISSPENSARYs will sent themselves apart from other marijuana dispensaries, Simmons said, “Because as you all know KISS is awesome. Not only will we have KISS bongs shaped like our heads, KISS rolling papers, KISS grinders, and KISS vape pens, we have also had our very own strain of KISS marijuana made: KISS Kush. Also, with every purchase, people will receive a copy of Carnival of Souls and a Peter Criss head coffee mug which we have tons of from our failed KISS Coffeehouse in Myrtle Beach. It’s going to be very exciting.”

Exclusive peek at Gene Simmon’s KISS KUSH.

The KISSPENSARY will open on July 4, 2019 in Los Angeles with other locations to follow. Stay Tuned.

I'll pass on the kisspensary. Or on any cannabis products linked to a famous person. Imho weed is about the weed, not some dickweed slinging it for cash.

 

[Madri-Gal]

I'll pass on the kisspensary. Or on any cannabis products linked to a famous person. Imho weed is about the weed, not some dickweed slinging it for cash.

When I open my dispensary, I'm going to call it DickWeed.

 

[deep_meditation]

"KISS bassist/vocalist/moneyman Gene Simmons has had a change of heart regarding marijuana." Of course he has....

Gene Simmons to Open Marijuana KISSPENSARY Which Will Feature An Exclusive KISS Brand Marijuana Strain

KISS bassist/vocalist/moneyman Gene Simmons has had a change of heart regarding marijuana. “I have had a change of heart,” says Simmons. “I recognize the benefits of marijuana for medicinal use in many different ways but more importantly I see how much money there is to be made. The marijuana industry is a very lucritive one and that is why I have partnered were a few Deadhead pot growers to open the very first KISSPENSARY.”

That’s right folks, KISSPENSARY. When asked how KISSPENSARYs will sent themselves apart from other marijuana dispensaries, Simmons said, “Because as you all know KISS is awesome. Not only will we have KISS bongs shaped like our heads, KISS rolling papers, KISS grinders, and KISS vape pens, we have also had our very own strain of KISS marijuana made: KISS Kush. Also, with every purchase, people will receive a copy of Carnival of Souls and a Peter Criss head coffee mug which we have tons of from our failed KISS Coffeehouse in Myrtle Beach. It’s going to be very exciting.”

Exclusive peek at Gene Simmon’s KISS KUSH.

The KISSPENSARY will open on July 4, 2019 in Los Angeles with other locations to follow. Stay Tuned.

So, the buds will look cool but suck in all other important aspects.

 

[Baron23]

I'll pass on the kisspensary. Or on any cannabis products linked to a famous person. Imho weed is about the weed, not some dickweed slinging it for cash.

Yep, me too. Ain't buying no Willy Weed, no Tommy Chong Weed, and def no Kiss Weed.

Like them putting their name on conveys some benefit...sigh.

 

[Baron23]

25 of them and I'm supposed to give a flying f at a donut? Let me know when they are down to 3 or so and I will start paying a bit of attention. haha

Where every 2020 presidential candidate stands on cannabis

There are currently 25 candidates running in the Democratic primaries. That's a lot, way more than most people can keep track of. But luckily for us there's a chart to help make sense of where all these candidates stand on what are sure to be some of the biggest issues in the upcoming 2020 presidential election, writes Calvin Hughes.

One of those key issues is undoubtedly federal cannabis reform. As things stand, the vast majority of Democratic candidates have clarified their stance on the matter. Currently, only the Dems' newest candidate (the Pennsylvania Representative Joe Sestak) doesn't have an official stance on the issue.

While the other 24 candidates differ to some degree on the exact details of how to move forward with federal cannabis laws, their views can be broken down into two basic categories: 'Legalize It' or 'Let the States Decide.' And Politico has put together this handy chart to help you figure out who sits in what camp.

The 'Legalize It' group actually contains the majority of Democrats running in the primaries, which includes: Michael Bennet, Cory Booker, Pete Buttigieg, Julián Castro, Bill de Blasio, Tulsi Gabbard, Kristen Gillibrand, Mike Gravel, Kamala Harris, John Hickenlooper, Jay Inslee, Seth Moulton, Beto O'Rourke, Tim Ryan, Bernie Sanders, Eric Swalwell, Elizabeth Warren, Marianne Williamson and Andrew Yang.

Politico's list of Dems in support of legalization.

All candidates in this group support removing cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act. Doing so would create a de facto legalization by repealing federal prohibition and allowing states to regulate or ban cannabis however they see fit. It would also allow state-legalized cannabis businesses to access safe baking services, make cannabis easier to research and remove federal penalties for the possession or consumption of cannabis.

The second group, 'Let the States Decide,' comprises a much smaller number of Democratic candidates. Joe Biden, Steve Bullock, John Delaney, Amy Klobuchar and Wayne Messam all fall under this category.

Politico list of Dems in support of allowing states to make their own cannabis laws.

Candidates in this group would keep the federal prohibition on cannabis active, but would not attempt to punish states that have chosen to legalize cannabis for medical or recreational use.

And if you're looking for information on where the 2020 Republican candidates stand on cannabis, well, that's a decidedly easier thing to keep track of.

Currently there are only two Republicans in the running: President Trump and Bill Weld. If you want the pro-marijuana Republican pick, Weld is your guy. He has previously voiced support for ending the federal prohibition on cannabis. And after living through the past few years with Trump as commander-in-chief, we probably don't need to tell you the guy hasn't done much for the cannabis reform movement aside from legalizing hemp.

So barring Trump getting a second term, cannabis laws seem poised to get a whole lot better no matter who wins the election.

 

[Baron23]

Well.....we f'ing already knew that.

But, wrt to Santos statements on cocaine.....from personal experience I can tell you that is the most evil substance it the world and is absolutely nothing to compare to pharma opiods which are actually very important for some people and their intractable and severe pain.

Former Heads of State: Drug classifications are all politics, no science


Juan Manuel Santos is the former president of Colombia, which makes him a bit of a drug-policy expert by default.

Center to a generations-long civil war is a struggle over his country’s coca-producing regions, which are responsible for as much as 60% of the raw material supplying global cocaine demand.

Coca production is both a key means of subsistence for rural farmers as well as a clear sign of the severe economic imbalance between the global south and north. As such, international cocaine policy — such as the 25 years’ worth of the weed-killer glyphosate sprayed onto 4.2 million acres of Colombian farmland, a U.S.-backed interdiction campaign that Santos opposed — is propelled by political and economic concerns rather than public safety or public health.

Which makes cocaine a typical drug. Politics, and not science or public health, inspire the classifications and restrictions imposed on illegal drugs including cannabis and heroin as well as cocaine, according to a report released this week from the Global Commission on Drug Policy, a Switzerland-based organization of former heads of state, of which Santos is a member.

“It was a political decision” to classify cocaine and cannabis as dangerous drugs, and to allow other powerful and deadly narcotics, like opiates, to be prescribed by doctors, Santos said, as per the Guardian. “According to the studies we’ve seen over the past years, substances like cannabis are less harmful than alcohol.”

Other members of the commission include British billionaire and drug-policy reform advocate Richard Branson; former U.K. deputy prime minister Nick Clegg; Paul Volcker, a former chairman of the U.S. federal reserve; and former presidents and prime ministers from Nigeria, South Africa, Chile, Portugal, Poland, Switzerland and others.

Individual countries are free to set their own drug laws, but three international treaties agreed to under the auspices of the United Nations also influence drug-control policy. The most recent international treaty on drug control was signed in 1988, which means neither scientific understandings nor practical policies have been reviewed in more than 30 years. Controls are recommended by medical and scientific experts, but — like most laws — are voted on by U.N. member-states part of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, which leaves classifications ultimately beholden to politics.

And that is a significant problem, said Ruth Dreifuss, the former president of Switzerland and chair of the commission. “The international system to classify drugs is at the core of the drug control regime,” she said, “and unfortunately the core is rotten.” Dreifuss wants a total overhaul of standing drug classifications, and wants health and medical experts from the World Health Organization (WHO) to lead it.

Though some countries, including the United States, have bullied others into abandoning liberalized drug laws because they violated these treaties, domestic developments make a further mockery of the international drug-control order and further prove the commission’s point.

Thirty-four U.S. states have passed liberalized cannabis laws that violate American federal law, which continues to claim that cannabis is a highly addictive drug with no medical benefit. That statement is directly contradicted by a steady stream of scientific research, including a significant review conducted by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine.

These bad policies have worse effects than mere hypocrisy. As much as 80% of the world’s population lacks access to life-saving and life-sustaining medicines, and “all of the reasons” why “are linked to repression and prohibition-based control systems,” according to the commission.

Restrictive policies set along political lines have fueled both the ongoing human and natural destruction in Colombia as well as the American opiate crisis, according to the commission. More than 70,000 people died of drug overdoses in America in 2017, an annual toll greater than the total number of American dead during more than a decade of combat in Vietnam.

But now what? The former heads of state saying their current counterparts should do something else, something different, all have something in common — they are all former heads of state, no longer in a position to act politically. The first step is admitting you have a problem. If the former heads of state weren’t quite able to fix the issues they’re not identifying, figuring out why and mustering the political support to put science, and not power or votes, in charge of drug policy might be the commission’s greatest benefit, rather than telling us yet again what most already know.

 

[Baron23]

Not sure that this is a great survey methodology but 63% is pretty in line with what we have seen from other more formal surveys in the last two years or so.

Poll: 63 percent of adults support ‘legalizing marijuana on a National level’

More than six in ten US adults believe that the personal use of cannabis ought to be legal in every state in the country, according to nationwide polling data compiled by Survey Monkey and the news portal Axios.

Sixty-three percent of respondents said that they support “legalizing the recreational use of marijuana on a national level.” Eighty-seven percent of respondents said that they support “allowing adults to legally use marijuana for medical purposes.” Both percentages are consistent with other recent national surveys.

Though nearly two-thirds of respondents favored legalization, only about one-quarter of those surveyed expressed interest in using marijuana themselves.

 

[momofthegoons]

There are so many things wrong with this... How is this safer than growing a plant? And it's for medical patients? wtf...

Businesses Rush To Manufacture Synthetic Pot
Demetrix says its modified brewer's yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) will provide access to rare cannabis compounds


At least a dozen bio-tech companies plan to make the main chemicals in marijuana synthetically, according to the MIT Technology Review.



The rush to make and market bio-pot follows research on how to do it. The University of California Berkeley published its findings in the journal Nature.

Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and Bioengineering Jay Keaslingset out to find a safer and more environmentally friendly way to produce cannabinoids.

With approval and oversight by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, UC Berkeley used yeast and a series of chemical steps to produce what researchers called the "mother of all cannabinoids," or CBGA (cannabigeroilic acid). It also made two other natural cannabinoids, CBDV ad THCV, of which more study is needed.

"There are 100 or so far less concentrated cannabinoid molecules which remain little studied because the plant has been illegal," the MIT Technology Review says.

Keasling founded a California company, Demetrix, which licensed the technology from Berkeley to use yeast fermentation to make cannabinoids. Demetrix says it will manufacture synthetic cannabinoids for medical marijuana not recreational use.

Jeff Ubersax, CEO of Demetrix, says his company is already making some bio-pot in a pilot production.

Other companies using fermenting yeast, bacteria or algae include Amyris, Ginkgo Bioworks, Hyasynth, Farmako and Intrexon.

Amyris says an investor group has pledged $300 million if the company can figure out how to make cannabinoids for large-scale use in consumer brands. Sunil Chandran, PhD, VP at Amyris says, the company is working to "create the highest purity and lowest cost cannabinoid molecules."

He says, "We are not producing THC , which is commonly associated with ”weed”. “Weed” also contains a complex mixture of hundreds of biological molecules that includes multiple cannabinoids and terpenes among many others. Our process will generate a pure cannabinoid molecule instead of the complex “weed” mixture."

MIT reports Cronos will pay Gingko $22 million and another $100 million in stock if it can get yeast to make eight different cannabinoids at a cost of $1,000 a kilogram or less. That's a lot less than extracting the molecules from the plants.

Scientists who can make synthetic cannabinoids are in demand. Viridian Staffing specializes in finding them. CEO Kara Bradford says, "We're definitely getting and seeing more of a request for talent in the bio-pot space now than we had seem previously."

 

[Baron23]

There are so many things wrong with this... How is this safer than growing a plant? And it's for medical patients? wtf...

Businesses Rush To Manufacture Synthetic Pot
Demetrix says its modified brewer's yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) will provide access to rare cannabis compounds


At least a dozen bio-tech companies plan to make the main chemicals in marijuana synthetically, according to the MIT Technology Review.



The rush to make and market bio-pot follows research on how to do it. The University of California Berkeley published its findings in the journal Nature.

Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and Bioengineering Jay Keaslingset out to find a safer and more environmentally friendly way to produce cannabinoids.

With approval and oversight by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, UC Berkeley used yeast and a series of chemical steps to produce what researchers called the "mother of all cannabinoids," or CBGA (cannabigeroilic acid). It also made two other natural cannabinoids, CBDV ad THCV, of which more study is needed.

"There are 100 or so far less concentrated cannabinoid molecules which remain little studied because the plant has been illegal," the MIT Technology Review says.

Keasling founded a California company, Demetrix, which licensed the technology from Berkeley to use yeast fermentation to make cannabinoids. Demetrix says it will manufacture synthetic cannabinoids for medical marijuana not recreational use.

Jeff Ubersax, CEO of Demetrix, says his company is already making some bio-pot in a pilot production.

Other companies using fermenting yeast, bacteria or algae include Amyris, Ginkgo Bioworks, Hyasynth, Farmako and Intrexon.

Amyris says an investor group has pledged $300 million if the company can figure out how to make cannabinoids for large-scale use in consumer brands. Sunil Chandran, PhD, VP at Amyris says, the company is working to "create the highest purity and lowest cost cannabinoid molecules."

He says, "We are not producing THC , which is commonly associated with ”weed”. “Weed” also contains a complex mixture of hundreds of biological molecules that includes multiple cannabinoids and terpenes among many others. Our process will generate a pure cannabinoid molecule instead of the complex “weed” mixture."

MIT reports Cronos will pay Gingko $22 million and another $100 million in stock if it can get yeast to make eight different cannabinoids at a cost of $1,000 a kilogram or less. That's a lot less than extracting the molecules from the plants.

Scientists who can make synthetic cannabinoids are in demand. Viridian Staffing specializes in finding them. CEO Kara Bradford says, "We're definitely getting and seeing more of a request for talent in the bio-pot space now than we had seem previously."

Well, I think it depends. For example, if you want THC-V, you will find precious little of it even in flower specifically grown to have increased percentages of it. But, you can get a bunch of yeast cells or the like to produce THC-V and nothing else....gobs of it.

I can see this tech having some very useful applications but it will not, for me at least, ever replace whole flower which continues to be my favorite and which just feels more holistic to me than any other form.

Cheers

 

[Baron23]

Sue early, sue often. The DEA deserves it....in spades! haha

Oh, I included the picture from the article as I have never seen such colorful MJ in my life. I'm guessing outdoor grown and end of the season color but I don't really know.

Scientists Sue DEA Over Marijuana Cultivation Application Delay

A group of researchers recently filed a lawsuit against the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), asking a federal court to force the agency to respond to its application to manufacture marijuana for research purposes.

The researchers argued that cannabis produced by the only federally authorized cultivation facility at the University of Mississippi is of poor quality and inadequate for their clinical trial on the use of marijuana to treat post-traumatic stress disorder among veterans.

It’s an argument that’s supported by a recent study, which found that cannabis from the sole approved source is genetically closer to hemp than it is to marijuana that’s available to consumers in state-legal markets—calling into question the applicability of much research to the reality of the cannabis market.

The Scottsdale Research Institute (SRI) said it submitted an application to cultivate its own cannabis to DEA about three years ago, around the time that the agency announced that it would be accepting applications for additional research-grade marijuana manufacturers. That application—as well as several letters from members of Congress inquiring about the application process—have gone ignored, SRI said.

“While most states in the U.S. recognize that cannabis has medical value, the DEA says otherwise, pointing to the absence of clinical research,” Sue Sisley, principal researcher at SRI, said in a press release. “But at the same time, government regulations and bureaucracy prevent researchers like SRI from ever doing the clinical research the DEA has overtly demanded.”

Sisley said SRI hoped that DEA would accept additional manufacturer applications before this summer but that “there’s been no progress, despite years of lobbying, so we are now seeking a remedy through the courts.”

The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on June 11.

“DEA’s delay in noticing or responding to SRI’s application is unlawful, unreasonable, and egregious,” SRI wrote in a summary of its argument. “It contravenes the letter and spirit of the [Controlled Substances Act], seriously harms SRI, and hampers SRI’s efforts to help suffering veterans through clinical research.”

“Everyone—including the agency—agrees that this research is important and that the need for research generally is urgent,” they wrote. “Here, DEA can act with little expenditure of resources.”

SRI also included Attorney General William Barr in its suit. He’s repeatedly said that he supports expanding cannabis research opportunities and would look into the status of DEA’s application process, which was reportedly inhibited by the Department of Justice under his predecessor Jeff Sessions.

The group asked the court to issue a writ of mandamus compelling the attorney general, DEA or its acting administrator to issue a ‘notice of application’ within three months of the petition’s filing.

In a separate case, a federal appeals court said in May that DEA must “promptly” consider rescheduling marijuana after a coalition of patients and advocates sued the agency, arguing that they were worried DEA would “not move quickly enough to afford them adequate relief.” While the court didn’t rule in favor of the plaintiffs, it handed them a procedural victory by keeping the case open until DEA takes appropriation action.

Read the full petition in the new lawsuit on the stalled marijuana cultivation application below: if you really, really, really want to read an 84 page petition, follow the link in the title of the article as I cannot embed it.

 

[Baron23]

I lament the times where I see the us vs them arguments between rec and med users as being entirely unhelpful, this article says that there really isn't much diff between the two groups.

Study Finds ‘Recreational’ Cannabis Consumers Using It Medically

A study published today in the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs found that many customers at Colorado’s adult-use cannabis stores use the product not just for fun, but also to ease issues like pain and insomnia.

'Recreational' customers often end up using cannabis for pain and insomnia.
“While adult-use laws are frequently called ‘recreational,’ implying that cannabis obtained through the adult use system is only for pleasure or experience-seeking,” wrote the study’s authors, “our findings suggest that many customers use cannabis for symptom relief.”

The research team, led by Marcus Bachhuber of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, surveyed 1,000 customers in two Colorado retail stores between August 2016 and October 2016. Customers were asked their age, gender, health status, and their cannabis use.

Of those who responded, 65% said they used cannabis to relieve pain, and 74% reported using cannabis to promote sleep.

Reducing Other Medicines
The consumers who used cannabis for pain relief often said they were able to reduce their use of other medications because of the cannabis.

Many reported that cannabis helped them reduce or stop taking other medications.
Among those taking over-the-counter medications, 82% reported reducing or stopping those medications. Among respondents taking opioid pain relievers, 88% said they had reduced or stopped those medications.

When it came to cannabis as a sleeping aid, 87% of those who had been taking over-the-counter sleeping medications reported reducing or stopping those medications as a result of cannabis. And 83% of those taking prescription sleeping aids said cannabis had helped them reduce or stop taking those medications.

Younger, Healthier Respondents
The study has a number of limitations. It’s a voluntary survey completed by a limited number of self-selected cannabis store customers in Colorado. Most of the respondents (90%) were under age 50. Two-thirds identified as white and non-Hispanic, and 42% were women. More than half (54%) described themselves as having excellent or very good health.

“In summary,” Bachhuber and his co-authors wrote, “we found that de facto medical cannabis use is common among adult use customers at a cannabis dispensary.”

 

[CarolKing]

I took this picture today while at Rite Aid.

 

[Shredder]

Does the charlottes web product have charlottes web weed in it? It looks like theyre a little dishonest in the name. It says hemp infused, but hemp oil is cheap, at least compared to a legit cbd variety, but afaik does not have any appreciable amounts of cbd's.