Tabla de contenidos para Summer 2021 en Cannabis & Tech Today

Seventh Annual NoCo Hemp Expo: March 26-27 The Seventh Annual NoCo Hemp Expo took place in Denver, making it one of the first in-person cannabis industry events to take place in Colorado since the pandemic began. Attendees were under strict safety protocols, including mask mandates and social distancing. The two-day event featured a long list of influential speakers, including Dan Herer of the Jack Herer Foundation, Glen Kayll from the Hemp Plastic Company, Nancy Whiteman of Wana Wellness, and our very own Editor-in-Chief Charles Warner. Spring Emerge Virtual Cannabis Conference & Expo: March 30 - April 1 Spring brings growth, new beginnings, and hope for the future. We celebrated those concepts during this spring’s virtual cannabis conference. As we transitioned from pandemic life into a relative return to normal, we…

Of all of the compliance issues surrounding cannabis, cultivation is the least understood. There are three primary concerns for licensees cultivating cannabis. Regulators have a number of critical issues they primarily review to ensure the licensee is in compliance. They include: Employee Health and Safety OSHA, along with its corresponding state agency, is tasked with ensuring workplace safety, and despite cannabis being federally illegal, it is still subject to federal workplace regulation. OSHA offers a free onsite consultation program to review safety hazards. There are four dominant OSHA and related state workplace safety issues: • Proper signage for hazards, fire exits, chemical storage, warning signs • Adequate and tested fire safety plans including exit markings, fire wardens ensuring everyone’s safe exit, contact information, and protocols for fire emergencies • An…

If you’ve never been up the North Coast of California into Humboldt County, it’s an unusual paradise. Giant redwoods tower over backyard barbecues, flowering trees sprout gargantuan blossoms, and dense rainforests snuggle shoulder to shoulder with sandy beaches. The Pacific Ocean, violent and unpredictable, beckons visitors to a shoreline littered with fallen trees and rocky islands just out of reach. It harbors a bit of magic and somehow the Kraken and Bigfoot don’t feel like fairy tales in the greatness of Humboldt’s often untamed wilderness. This is the setting in which Case Mandel and Lizandro Salazar V built their bond with cannabis. Before launching the county’s first operationally licensed botanical extraction company, they spent years living out of their trucks in ancient forests, tending secret fields, and learning firsthand why…

How often do you swing by the ATM before visiting your favorite dispensary? You pull into the parking lot, your wallet bristling with cash. Everyone knows people going into a dispensary have money in their pocket, and suddenly the walk to the front door feels like a long one. In Chicago alone, the FBI reported more than 15,000 aggravated assaults so far this year. Once inside, you mentally calculate taxes, so you don’t spend more than you brought. Sound familiar? Cash isn’t always king, despite the industry’s struggles with banking. Most would prefer to whip out their credit card at the point of purchase and be done with it — no extra stops, no worries about getting mugged on the way in the door, and less concern about having exactly…

How well do you multitask? Dozens of studies have linked multitasking to poor productivity. You read that correctly — the more you try to do at once, the less you actually accomplish. So why are so many in the hemp industry trying to master every aspect from seed to sale? In traditional agriculture, farmers take their product to a processor who organizes its sale to a retailer. It’s a model that’s worked for decades and could easily help streamline production for the hemp sector. Whitefield Hemp Partners Founder John Read explains, “An easy way to think about it for Midwest farmers is we duplicate what a grain elevator does. We let the farmer focus on what he’s good at, which is growing the crop. We focus on what we’re good…

If you were entering college and heard about a new industry that had grown 46% since 2019, would you pursue a degree in that field? If so, you’d be one of the thousands of students considering an education in cannabis. Forbes reported cannabis sales hit a new record of $17.5 billion in 2020, up nearly double from the year prior. Institutions of higher learning aren’t about to miss out on the boom. According to Leafly, there are now 321,000 full-time American cannabis jobs. There are even some cannabis companies offering scholarships to help their employees expand their expertise. Veriheal and Steadfast Labs, for example, are offering $1,200 scholarships annually to staff pursuing cannabis studies. Institutions Offering Cannabis Education With the industry’s expansion, it’s not surprising many accredited universities are investing…

What do Megan Rapinoe, Snoop, Kristen Bell, Martha Stewart, and Nathaniel Rateliff all have in common? No, they are not collaborating to make Frozen 3: Olaf Gets Some Funk. They all have a cannabis or cannabis-related brand. Because you know, why work for another World Cup when you can hawk CBD? As the cannabis movement continues to become more mainstream, celebrities are looking to add their names to a cannabis deal, so we came up with the top 10 celebrity cannabis lines we would like to see. Kamala’s Kush — A hard-hitting cultivar so uplifting you’ll shatter every glass ceiling from California to Washington D.C. Makes you feel strong and powerful like you can take on the world. Marjorie Taylor’s “Green” — A cheap ditch weed that leaves a bad…

EMERGING FOR SPRING Since our last issue hit the shelves, we’ve been hard at work virtually uniting the industry with our Spring Emerge Virtual Cannabis Conference. We showcased speakers like Codie Sanchez, Dr. Chanda Macias, and Montel Williams who shared their take on sustainability and cultivation in the cannabiz. These conferences are part of our ongoing commitment to offering a more sustainable solution to in-person events. We’re also passionate about helping our community make the shift to working in a post-pandemic world. MASTERMINDS IN MARKETING In partnership with Grasslands: A Journalism-Minded Agency, Cannabis & Tech Today hosted the Re-Emerge Cannabis Marketing Workshop to guide industry professionals in the complex world of cannabis marketing. We know just how competitive the cannabis industry can be and how crucial it is to have…

Unlike chocolate and peanut butter, so far cannabis businesses and the U.S. financial services industry — banks, payments, insurance, retirement services, etc. — haven’t been better together. For years, they have been hesitant to interact. From the cannabis perspective, financial services (FS) haven’t provided access to competitively priced loans, lines of credit, cash management, and other services essential to business management and growth. From the financial services’ perspective, the lack of industry regulation and cash-only business models make cannabis-related businesses (CRBs) high risk, as are other emerging industries. However, with nationwide cannabis legalization on the horizon, there is an opportunity for profitable change. A new alliance by the National Association of Cannabis Businesses (NACB) and Emerging Markets Coalition (EMC) is leveraging this opportunity by forging trusted relationships between the two…

Cannabis is one of the newest, most versatile, and job-filled industries in America. It created 77,000 jobs in the last year. Leafly reported that in 2021, the 37 states with legal cannabis offer 321,000 full-time jobs in marijuana — that is more than the number of jobs for electrical engineers. With that many jobs, the issue of social equity has become even more pressing. Thankfully, many companies and organizations are taking legitimate steps to combat this issue. Equity’s Big Hurdles One major obstacle to entering the cannabis space is the cost associated with licensing. In Massachusetts, for example, the Commonwealth Dispensary Association (CDA) had filed a lawsuit against a rule that allowed only minority business owners to offer delivery for the first several years of the legal industry. This would…

In late August 2020, a storm howling with hurricane-force winds swept through the Midwest, damaging nearly 40 million acres of farmland. Illinois farmers watched helplessly as 6.95 million acres of corn endured wind speeds above 100 miles per hour. Unpredictable weather patterns are becoming more frequent, and the agriculture industry is facing more instability as a result. For hemp farmers in the Midwest, the only guarantee against crop loss is insurance. It’s not just storms growers have to prepare for; it’s all varieties of weather. If yields are lower than expected or a heatwave stunted growth, there’s insurance for that. What if the cannabinoid levels aren’t within the desired thresholds? That’s something crop insurance can cover as well. Illinois hemp farmers, more than many other regions, are dealing with large-scale…

Redman will be the first to tell you he’s no run-of-the-mill rapper. He’s an MC, an artist who moves the crowd with his dedication to hip hop. Redman launched his career with Whut? Thee Album in 1992 and hasn’t dropped the mic since. His new record, Muddy Waters 2, is set for release later this year and his radio show of the same name airs monthly on SiriusXM satellite radio. Red’s iconic stoner comedy How High hit screens in 2001 and remains one of the genre’s most beloved movies. Though his legacy has had an undeniable impact on cannabis culture, it’s his recent work with the National Cannabis Party that could have the biggest implications for the cannabis community. Redman and NCP Co-Founder Damon Jackson built the party to give…

The term “extracts” applies to a huge variety of cannabis products. Concentrates, edibles, vapes, tinctures, and topicals (all of which are created from extracts) accounted for 57% of legal cannabis sales in 2020, according to New Frontier Data. Extracts can be liquid or solid and often contain additives or solvents. While new safety regulations are implemented every day, there are still opportunities for toxic contaminants to find their way into extracts and ultimately into the hands of consumers. Extract Additives in the Illicit Market Extracts sometimes contain additives which alter the taste or consistency of the oil. Some are harmless; others can be highly toxic. Illicit products are not subject to safety testing and as such can contain ingredients known to be harmful or damaging to human tissues. Vitamin E…

The legal environment surrounding cannabis and hemp in the United States, Canada, and many other countries around the globe is rapidly changing. No longer does this plant carry the stigma of the 20th century. Over the past decade, it has become commonly accepted that cannabinoids, flavonoids, and terpenes synthesized by Cannabis spp. can positively affect well-being, but there has been little consideration for potentially adverse phenotypic and sociological outcomes. Nonetheless, the realities of CB1 and CB2 receptors and the endocannabinoid system argue in favor of more research and understanding of phytocannabinoids and their role in physiology. In the U.S., the legal landscape surrounding cannabis is a thickly bordered mosaic between the states and the federal government. From the DEA perspective, the cannabis plant or cannabinoid products are illegal if they…

Auto Flower Infeed by Green Vault Systems – Automation is a gateway to freedom. Reclaim the time you spend manually feeding flower into your Green Vault Systems Precision Batcher with their new Auto Flower Infeed. Its pocketed elevator conveyor works to efficiently move flower up to the batcher feed positions and distribute product based on priority. Have your Infeed delivered with a new Green Vault Systems Precision Batcher or add it to your existing unit. The only question now is what will you do with all that free time? Starting at $70,000 Ebb by Tastebudz – Cool off this summer by making a refreshing drink using ebb THC dissolvable packets. Ebb uses sustainable packaging made of recyclable cardboard with less than .3 grams of plastic. Take a sip, relax, and…

Cannabis reform is spreading across the European continent faster than ever before, which is great news for cannabis consumers, entrepreneurs, patients, and governments. Many European governments waste a ridiculous amount of money every year enforcing cannabis prohibition. Thankfully, the walls of cannabis prohibition are crumbling, and while no country in Europe has fully legalized cannabis for adult use, several are on a path to fully legalize sooner rather than later. Many are pursuing reform measures, and in the Netherlands, a regulated adult-use industry pilot program is ramping up. Italy’s Supreme Court recently ruled that cannabis prohibition is unconstitutional and tasked lawmakers to craft and approve a cannabis legalization measure. Unfortunately, legislators have dragged their feet thus far. However, full legalization is likely inevitable in Italy, with some legal protections for…

Frenchy Cannoli wouldn’t consider himself an innovator, but don’t let his humble nature fool you. The master hashishin and creator of Frenchy Cannoli Brand’s Very Special Olde Press has dedicated himself to the ancient art of hand-pressing cannabis resin for decades, playing an instrumental role in placing quality front and center of the California cannabis industry. Whether it’s keeping the time-honored tradition of hash-making alive through his multitude of classes and speaking engagements or his tireless work to designate the Emerald Triangle as the first true cannabis terroir, Frenchy has committed himself to ensuring craftsmanship and compassion for the consumer remain at the forefront. “Hashish has been a source of comfort and happiness all my adult life, a vital part of my wellbeing,” he told Cannabis & Tech Today. But…

The cannabis industry is still a new one, full of rapid growth that includes building new teams, new vendor relationships, and new protocols. The newness and rapid growth of this budding industry represents an incredible opportunity for threat actors who execute business email compromise (BEC) attacks. Threat actors target the lack of familiarity and policies to trick cannabis industry employees, via phishing emails, into performing actions and/or divulging confidential information, including credentials and passwords. In 2019, the FBI reported over $1.7 billion in losses due to BEC campaigns, and that only represents those incidents that companies reported. The Threat A BEC is a specific type of phishing designed to impersonate a genuine employee, often an executive, in order to trick other employees or vendors into wiring payments to unknown bank…

Illinois raked in $87 million from adult-use cannabis purchases in December 2020, according to the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulations. The state embraced recreational sales in January of last year — earning more than $1 billion in revenue in their first 12 months of adult-use legalization. In addition to revenue, the legalized market is bringing in tourists and new opportunities for existing residents. The decision to legalize was a wise one. Since 2010, Illinois has seen a steady migration of residents leaving the state. More than 168,000 people moved away in the last decade, reported IllinoisPolicy.org. The hemp and cannabis industries should help revitalize the region and spur a surplus of new residents to call the “Land of Lincoln” home. Industrial hemp is ramping up in the Midwest…

Ever heard of a Smart Pot? No, it’s not high-tech cannabis. Smart Pots are the world’s original fabric plant container, providing an alternative to plastic plant pots. Smart Pots were first manufactured in 1984 by High Caliper Growing, the inventors of root-pruning technology, a practice that increases yields by improving water and nutrient absorption. Smart Pots help professional growers and hobbyist gardeners develop a better root structure and stronger plant. Fabric pots are also ideal for growing cannabis. “Cannabis should be grown at the highest standard of quality, free from heavy metals and other harmful chemicals,” says Smart Pots sales manager Dustin Locks. “The growing practices should be environmentally responsible with the least amount of waste and benefit not only people but the planet.” Smart Pots are making a name…

After hemp overproduction matched a lack of demand for CBD due to the FDA’s position on the compound, the hemp industry was in dire straits before some innovative chemists created an industry savior: Delta-8-THC. Delta-8-THC, an isomer created by manipulating CBD isolate, had a slightly intoxicating effect similar to delta-9-THC in consumers. And although the effects are about 30% as potent as delta-9-THC, the industry realized delta-8 would allow them to send THC over state lines. Today, many retailers claim a large percentage of their revenue comes from delta-8 products. “We’ve realized that our customers need some THC with their CBD to encourage the entourage effect, and our customer’s buying habits support that idea. Currently, more than 55% of our sales come from delta-8 products,” says Nick Pione of Trek…

The human nose can detect over a trillion unique scents, according to research published in the journal Science. The nose is also a primary tool for evaluating the quality of cannabis. As research around marijuana expands, it seems aroma compounds are responsible for more than just smell — they can also impact the way cannabis affects our bodies. Compounds called terpenes create the aroma of many plants, particularly cannabis. Terpenes can also protect plants against bacteria, viruses, and fungi. Nadav Eyal specializes in terpene research and formulations as the CEO and co-founder of Eybna Technologies. He says people, just like plants, use terpenes for both smell and protection. “Terpenes are responsible for the unique smells and tastes of cannabis flowers. They’re also substances with antibacterial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and therapeutic properties,”…