Inside Fluresh: Michigan's Second Largest Cannabis Producer

In 2009, the Michigan Medical Marijuana Program came online spurring an explosion of small, often residential, MMJ cultivation across the state of Michigan. Ten years later, fully legalized and being produced on a commercial scale, “cannabis” is a main street venture which has realized huge investment and is transforming minds and the economies here in the Great Lake State. Needless to say, for many it has been a learning process, and for us at the MM Report understanding licensed operators is new as our focus in the past has been primarily on small businesses. So, when we were invited to take a behind-the-scenes look at Fluresh’s two very different, state-of-the-art cannabis grow and processing facilities operated by their highly skilled cultivation and processing teams, curiosity was contagious. The experience was exciting and broke down some of our preconceived notions and inspired us to rethink the role of licensed operators in the legalized cannabis space. 

The Eco-Friendly Facilities

Adrian Hybrid Greenhouses

Set in the corn belt of southern Michigan, Fluresh’s hybrid greenhouse facility captures the power of the sun which shines through the pitched glass ceilings of massive grow rooms. Cannabis plants begin to “flower” in the fall when the days become shorter. In order to extend the grow season year-round, fully automated blackout curtains roll out of the ceiling of the rooms to shorten the days, and full spectrum LED lights lengthen the days on the opposite end of the calendar. Separate rooms hold varieties of different stains in various stages of maturity.  We were allowed to watch the curtains close making the room come to almost complete darkness, which felt like we were experiencing a solar eclipse.

This extremely efficient, environmentally responsible system not only reduces the energy footprint, but allows Fluresh to sell sun-soaked cannabis products at really affordable prices.  And similar to sun grown cannabis, Fluresh wins big for potency and terpene expression. Adjacent to the greenhouses, Fluresh has a processing facility that also produces a huge variety of products including vapes, concentrates, a fast-acting drink enhancer and edibles. 

Grand Rapids Indoor

In the heart of GR’s industrial district Fluresh’s innovative and repurposed indoor facility (formerly a Benteler Automotive plant that had been vacant for 10 years) is a space-aged wonder that takes the cannabis plant to its maximum genetic potential. High tech systems control each grow room and optimize every aspect of the environment to ideal conditions that create unprecedented levels of terpenes and cannabinoids.  Boasting 100% water reclaim, all plant-related water is recycled onsite and residual moisture is sucked out of the air and recondensed in an advanced water processing system at the center of the building. This facility is also illuminated by 100% LED lighting.  Each fixture requires only 58% of the energy input required by a DE HPS light fixture which is the most common type of grow light used by 2/3rds of the commercial growers in the flowering stage.

Both facilities are immaculately clean, always a plus for a bio-secure work environment. Air showers at access points and sanitize mats protect the plants being cultivated. There is no mess, clutter, or unclean surfaces. All Fluresh cannabis products are tested by state-approved laboratories to ensure that they are safe for patients and other consumers. 

Results are the proof. Carbon, the newest Brand by Fluresh, offers unique strains of potent, super tasty, dank, sticky buds, for those looking for an exceptional flower experience and terpie extracts that bring hope to any concentrate connoisseur.  Most products produced at both facilities are sold to top retail locations, AKA dispensaries, all over Michigan. However, in Grand Rapids, one can shop all the products made by Fluresh, at the Fluresh retail store at 1213 Phillips Ave SW.  Residents of GR and surrounding areas can get a real hook-up here, which is definitely worth a trip to check it out and stock up. Fluresh boasts that this dispensary has some of the widest selections in the state. 

The Teams

Happy people and plants everywhere at Fluresh. “Our people are everything,” explains Heather McDonough from the human relations team. “We offer competitive wages, 401k, health insurance and vacation time.” James Haley, 27 and former caregiver, was recently promoted to Director of Cultivation. “I love my job,” grinning Haley told us as he showed off his healthy green baby female plants in Grand Rapids. Environmental Engineer Ryan McGinn, who explained to us the advanced water systems, shared his transition from working for the Grand Rapids Water System that takes water from Lake Michigan to supply Kent and Ottawa counties, to Fluresh where he focuses in part on water conservation and water quality with genuine and well-deserved pride. 

Fluresh hopes to be at three hundred-plus employees by the end of the year with a number of the workforce made up of former caregivers. While caregivers and other cannabis experts are highly valued, many entry level positions require no prior cannabis experience and passionate people can be trained on the various roles. Have a professional background or degree and considering a change? There are plenty of opportunities to make a difference. We met several highly talented professionals with a positive attitude who seem great to work with (especially the marketing department). Employees also are a big part of their local communities, participating in beautification, neighborhood clean-up and local art projects, which is great for overall morale. The company launched an accelerator program last year that has already had a significant impact on local entrepreneurs and the second cohort will be selected later this year (watch their social media @flureshcannabis for applications).

The Strains

Featured on the cover is Apple Tartz (hybrid of Apple Fritter x Runtz) and is my favorite from their new Carbon line. Super smooth and with a sweet aroma, this strain gives one a super sense of pain relief, uplifting spirits and tasting deliciously fruity. Seriously, a must try. Other great unique Carbon strains are Orange Creamsicle and Rainbow Zlz.

My other favorites from Fluresh are their greenhouse staples like Gorilla Glue and Blue Dream, and some of the newer strains like Apple Mintz and Kiwi Kandy.  Another awesome strain is the Creamberry, which the company launched in the spring to commemorate the new Clean Slate Legislation—Fluresh donated $1 for every pack sold to various statewide expungement efforts.  Fluresh products are easily recognizable by their unique and bold packaging, although you can also buy from stores who purchase bulk.

The Overview

We absolutely love Fluresh and appreciate how they do what they do, which is to make great cannabis for an awesome value. 

The genius behind these facilities was a man I could relate to and a long-time reader of the Michigan Marijuana Report. It was fun to connect with him and have a few laughs about mutual acquaintances and the misconceptions about the history of cannabis law reform. This guy has been abused at times by folks that are either jealous, confused or just dumb. That’s typical when you are actually accomplishing good things. 

He told me that Fluresh is a Michigan company and the owners are cool dudes. He is a real hard worker, coming up from the Medical Marijuana cottage industry from all the way back to 2010. Not a pompous rich asshole, he is probably the single biggest reason I feel so good about Fluresh and its impact on this new frontier that we the people of Michigan created.

John Sinclair - Free the Weed #123 - October 2021

 

A COLUMN BY JOHN SINCLAIR

Hi everybody, welcome back to FREE THE WEED and the MMReport after a month off so that our editor, Matt Gervais, could recover from a serious medical problem that took him out of the office for a few weeks. He’s doing better now and we’re back in the saddle again.

The big news in Michigan this month is that the right-wing anti-marijuana conspiracy is making its long-awaited move to negate the people’s law instituted by popular vote in 2008 specifying that medical marijuana patients could legally obtain their medicine from properly licensed caregivers, each of whom could provide up to five patients at the rate of 12 plants per person and additionally grow another 12 plants for their own medicinal use

Under current legislation, caregivers are allowed to provide marijuana products to their patients without being subject to the same licensing fees or regulations as larger marijuana companies. This means that right now caregivers are allowed to grow up to 72 marijuana plants under the law, a program that has worked very well since the Michigan’s Medical Marijuana Act passed in 2008.

But the legislation introduced in September would, among other things, limit medical marijuana caregivers to one patient each and require caregivers seeking to care for more than just one to become licensed as a specialty medical grower.

The proposed legislation has exposed long-simmering tensions between one of the last remaining unregulated segments of Michigan’s medical marijuana movement and the newer, more regulated and better-financed recreational pot industry. 

Protesters gathered at the state Capitol in mid-September to oppose bipartisan legislation that would require medical marijuana caregivers to become licensed or give up 80% of their patients, Beth LeBlanc writes in The Detroit News.

The bipartisan team of lawmakers who introduced the legislation, which would take effect in March 2022, said it would help promote “tested, tracked and labeled cannabis products” for Michigan residents. 

But, Ms.LeBlanc reports, protesters argued in Lansing that the bills set out unrealistic hurdles for caregivers to become licensed and ultimately would push patients out of the system they were familiar with and into the state’s regulated recreational market.  They blamed big, out-of-state cultivators—specifically the Michigan Cannabis Manufacturers Association (MCMA)—for lobbying lawmakers. 

“There are 30,000 caregivers in Michigan, and they service about 72,000 patients,” said Rick Thompson, the new executive director for Michigan NORML. (Congratulations, Rick!) “If you take a lot of people away from those caregivers, that’s going to push a lot of people into the regulated market.”

Thompson argued caregivers wouldn’t be able to comply with testing, tracking or labeling requirements currently required of businesses with much more capital than a small care-giving service. The application alone would cost $500 and a license would only last a year, LeBlanc reports.

Ryan Bringold of Waterford Township, who helped to organize Wednesday’s protest, said caregivers “feel like they’re under attack” by big businesses like those that are part of the MCMA. “They’re taking away our ability to be good caregivers. A system that we created at the grassroots is now being taken away from us by people with money that are not from Michigan.”

“The relationships that are built between caregivers and patients are a special bond of trust,” he added. “We cater to what our patients need—the strains, the potency, the flavors—and we do that because we want to help them. We care about them.”

Michigan caregivers said that marijuana often takes the place of highly addictive opioids or other heavy-duty medications.  But the Michigan Cannabis Manufacturers Association (MCMA) has adopted the phony issue of product purity to support their reactionary stance. 

“Two-thirds of the marketplace is this illicit gray market where the product is not being tested, it’s not being labeled. It’s not being tracked or potentially taxed to some level and we want to make sure that the products that are consumed are ones that have been tested,” said Shelly Edgerton, board chair for MCMA, which includes some of the largest commercial growers in the state.

The legislation would also prohibit the use of flammable solvents in creating cannabis concentrates, a practice that is largely commonplace, Thompson said. And it allows the Marijuana Regulatory Agency to disclose the addresses of primary caregivers or licensed specialty medical growers to law enforcement. 

Lawmakers said Tuesday the legislation’s requirements were necessary to secure safe cannabis for Michigan residents. 

Lobbyists for MCMA are arguing that the state should reduce the number of cannabis plants a caregiver can grow. Caregivers and their advocates and patients hold that there should be no changes to the current laws.

“I’ve been providing patients medicines, safe medicine here, legal medicine in the state of Michigan for eight years,” says my friend and colleague Debra Young, a caregiver with five patients. “Where are the rest of my patients supposed to go? Dispensary prices are unbelievably high, and patients can’t afford this.  What’s going to happen is caregivers are going to be forced underground and it’s going to turn us into criminals again,” Young said. 

“In Michigan, it’s legal for medical marijuana and for recreational marijuana,” she concludes, “We want no changes to the law.”

But Edgerton says the argument comes down to safety. “I think Michigan Caregivers United would agree that we’re all about the safety for our patients,” she said.

Horseshit!  What MCMA cares about is strictly the amount of profits their members can scrounge from selling marijuana to Michigan patients and recreational smokers. 

Wanna know how much is at stake?  Chris Casacchia reports that a recent “one billion dollar bust” on the outskirts of Los Angeles County in August unearthed the vast scope of California’s underground marijuana market.

The big bust led to 131 arrests and the seizure of 33,480 pounds of harvested marijuana, 65 vehicles, 33 firearms and $28,000 in cash, as a result in part of the deployment of more than 400 personnel from local and federal agencies.

California marijuana industry experts doubt the illicit market will dissipate anytime soon. That prospect continues to haunt the state’s legal market, where businesses struggle to compete with underground operators who don’t face local and state taxes as well as regulatory red tape. That, in turn, allows the illicit growers and retailers to peddle their merchandise at lower price. 

Legalization didn’t bring with it widespread business opportunities only for those willing to follow the law.  Rather, it created arguably a newer and stronger illicit market.  To wit: Casacchia asserts that annual sales in California’s illicit market have ballooned to $8 billion in the past five years.

Happily, the L.A. District Attorney’s Office, as of August 24, had filed only misdemeanor cultivation charges related to the Antelope Valley raid. “Our office has not been presented with any felony cases arising from these arrests,” spokesman Greg Risling told Casacchia.

As one of the originators of Mchigan’s marijuana legalization movement and a participant in the struggles of the present century which have resulted in the legalization of both medical and recreational marijuana use in our state, I can assure you that what the proponents of legalization have always had in mind is that marijuana should be available on a legal basis to anyone who wants to smoke it, wherever they wish, in whatever quantities they can afford to possess. 

We legalized marijuana in Michigan through the citizens’ initiative process wherein the proponents of our position wrote the new laws that had to be adopted by the State Legislature. The caregiver system outlined above was the whole of the medical marijuana law, with no provision for dispensaries or other public outlets where people could cop legally. 

The recreational legalization statute passed by ballot initiative in 2018 is somewhat more complicated, but nowhere do the voters say that one should pay the State a $60,000 application fee or any other excessive and even scandalous fees and taxes in order to grow and transfer marijuana through retail sales to the recreational consumer.

Leave the medical patient and the recreational smoker alone!  ¬FREE THE WEED!

Are Dispensaries Needed in Detroit to Help the Disadvantaged?

 

On June 17, Federal Judge Bernard Friedman put the kibosh on the City of Detroit’s plan to give recreational marijuana licensing preferences to longtime Detroiters, and hence attain “social equity” for disadvantaged Detroit residents. 

Ruling in the matter of Crystal Lowe v City of Detroit, the Judge declared the Detroit licensing ordinance “gives an unfair, irrational and likely unconstitutional advantage to long-term Detroiters over all other applicants.” He further stated the ordinances ``favoritism...embodies precisely the sort of economic protectionism that the Supreme Court has long prohibited.”

If mediation fails, the matter will go to trial in Federal court one year from now, in September 2022. Unless Detroit goes back to the drawing board and drastically re-writes its ill fated  ordinance it will be a very long time, if ever, before the City of Detroit will see any recreational dispensaries within its boundaries. 

The Detroit ordinance contained a “poison pill” clause which specified if any part of the ordinance is found unconstitutional then the entire law is null and void.

 It took almost two years for the City Council to create and vote on the doomed ordinance.

Calls made by MM Report to the Mayor’s office, Councilman James Tate (the primary architect of the ordinance ) and Detroit State Senators Sylvia Santana and Adam Hollier for comment were not returned. Perhaps there are good reasons for their silence.

Councilman James Tate

In a statement released to the media after the court ruling Tate declared “The City is not interested in participating in the state’s adult use marijuana market  if it cannot enforce its legacy provisions. If the City cannot enforce its legacy provisions, through its ordinance (20-6-3d) it explicitly ops out of this market in accordance with MRTMA, section 6(1)” 

In a comment  to the Detroit News on April 26, Deputy Mayor Conrad Mallet Jr. said prior to Judge Friedman’s ruling; “the City did not ask the judge for a delay, but we are not concerned about litigation slowing down the implementation of our program either.  We want to get this right, and we are in no hurry.”

In the endgame, maybe it is best Detroit leaders make good on their threats and permanently opt out of allowing marijuana dispensaries in the city. That is, if they really want to help the poor and disadvantaged.

MM Report made an honest effort to get a handle on the cost differential between a grey market dealer selling weed with no license in Detroit, as opposed to businesses that follow the letter of the law.

We contacted experts like Steve Linder, executive director of the Michigan Cannabis Manufacturers Association (MCMA) and the Michigan Regulatory Agency (MRA) to find some solid numbers. They had no answer to the question. The same was true for a prominent cannabis CPA and a well known canna business entrepreneur.

Common sense however, tells one the margin must be huge. In addition to the punishing Federal 280E tax, there are insurance costs, fees for “secure delivery,” upfront and ongoing licensing fees payable to both the State of Michigan and local municipalities, building maintenance, security devices and more. There is also the equivalent of an FBI background check needed to pass muster and get a license.

It seems to me if Detroit drops out, that will really help disadvantaged persons who are selling and consuming cannabis in the grey market in the city. The vast majority of small-time dealers in Detroit are not making big money, but it puts groceries on the table and covers the utility bills. Their customers are folks who simply cannot afford to pay dispensary level prices for their medical or recreational marijuana needs.                    

I asked veteran Detroit journalist Larry Gabriel, who among other things covered the marijuana beat for the Metro Times for many years, whether or not it is better for Detroit to just drop out.

Mr. Gabriel said it is common knowledge that weed has always been “easy to get in Detroit, long before it ever became legal.”  In that respect, there are persons benefiting from the status quo right now, just like in the old days before legalization ever happened.

He went on to say “in the short term”  the current situation helps some people meet their needs and there is nothing wrong with that. However he was concerned about the future. “Cannabis is a burgeoning industry. It is getting more and more acceptable, like alcohol has gotten to be” over many years. He went on to suggest “there will be costs for Detroit in the long run” in terms of lost revenue and other legacy opportunities should Detroit opt out.

Detroit's Larry Gabriel

There is a sense as he put it, “the political will is not there in Detroit to make this work. Thereis a strong strain within the Detroit political class that marijuna is bad. Morally they do not like or trust it...they had an opportunity to do something when all the medical marijuana dispensaries started up in the city some years ago.”... The way Detroit handled it “caused lots of bad blood with the business community. It was a big mistake and they are (still) hiding their head in the sand.”

Craig Canterberry a keen intellectual advocate for social and economic justice and an expert on the most arcane details of marijuana law and history in Michigan, suggested another way to help disadvantaged people.

Canterberry suggested Detroit leaders should start “demanding that medicare, medicaid and Blue Cross pay for medical marijuana.... That way the disadvantaged can afford to pay dispensary prices.” 

And so the world turns...

Tinfoil Hat Time! - October 2021

 

"It works, bitches."

-Author, evolutionary biologist and 

militant atheist Richard Dawkins, 

when questioned as to what evidence 

holds science above other ‘belief systems’

The science is settled folks!  Has been for quite some time, age old, tried and true.  No questioning it, there is no questioning settled science.  No question.

Disregard any and all specifiers, “science” is “science”, is “science”, bitches.  Those who consider themselves educated know this to be true, while those familiar with word etymology know that the roots of the word educate are in fact “mid-15c., educaten, “bring up (children), to train,” from Latin educatus, past participle of educare “bring up, rear, educate” (source also of Italian educare, Spanish educar, French éduquer), which is a frequentative of or otherwise related to educere “bring out, lead forth,” from ex- “out” (see ex-) + ducere “to lead,” from PIE root *deuk- “to lead.” Meaning “provide schooling” is first attested 1580s. Related: Educated; educating.” and that, “There is no authority for the common statement that the primary sense of education is to ‘draw out or unfold the powers of the mind.’” (https://www.etymonline.com/word/educate)

Yes, trained minds know what science is, and is not.  Trained minds know full well when that science has settled into terra firma, and when it is merely silt muddying the water.  Trained minds can tell you when questions will be tolerated, and when they are nothing more than the sign of having an untrained mind.  Which then negates not only those questions, but any and all points and observations, as if only those who were taught how to think and handed titles by politically and socially biased institutions that run highly profitable usury scams for money lenders are allowed to pretend like they are thinking.

Certain questions make for informed inquiry, such as “What sort of mask should I wear?” or “Which vaccine should I get?”  These are acceptable and indicate that the mouth speaking them is firmly attached to a trained mind.  Other questions, such as “Who paid for this study?”, are a glaring warning that a mind is not trained and not limited to the same conditioned structure as the mind that has been taught how to think.

Tinfoil hat time was just a silly way to preface social media posts to alert the reader that what they were about to see was not a commonly held opinion.  The musings of an untrained mind.  When asked to write this column it seemed the perfect title, and although it has been settled, questioning it will always be acceptable.

As the cannabis community finds itself more and more intertwined with science and research in this post-legal (read: stolen from the people) world, this untrained mind has a few queries about what constitutes ‘settled science’ and what should be considered ‘questioning science’.   

Where better to look for answers than chronology?  Beginning where we will end, like an ouroboros, takes us back two hundred and three years.  

Terpenes, according to merriam-webster, are “any of various isomeric hydrocarbons C10H16

found present in essential oils (as from conifers) and used especially as solvents and in organic synthesis” or more broadly “any of numerous hydrocarbons (C5H8)n found especially in essential oils, resins, and balsams”.  The earliest discovery of terpenes is credited to one Jacques-Julien Houtou de LaBillardiere in the year 1818.  While analyzing oil of turpentine, one of the oldest essential oils, the French biologist observed a five to eight carbon to hydrogen ratio.  In 1866 the name terpene was introduced, being derived from the word turpentine.  From there the study of terpenes by various fields of science in the 19th,  20th, and now 21st centuries has shed further light on these wonders of mother nature that have been used in homeopathy and spiritual and religious endeavours for thousands of years. 

Then, in 1964, a Belgian born Israeli chemist/biochemist named Raphael Mechoulam isolated what is now known as Tetrahydrocannabinol.  Further research into mammalian tissue led to the hunt for natural receptors within the human body that interact with naturally occurring CBD and THC.  In the late 80’s and/or early 90’s the endocannabinoid system was officially discovered (by one of the several people the internet claims discovered it) and from there research into the effects it has on the user led to THC potency levels becoming the “scientific” standard for marijuana quality testing, and the basis for the idea that marijuana is a natural medicine that all humans have a natural right to use.  As they had been for thousands of years, in homeopathy and spiritual and religious endeavours. 

Now, in the year 2021, terpenes are making waves once again.  Having the tenacity to believe that naturally occurring essential oils found in plant matter could also be present in the naturally occurring plant known as cannabis, “scientists” have now determined that terpenes are responsible for the different effects partaking in weed has on the human body and mind.  Sales representatives of large companies, who surely stay abreast of the most unbiased “science”, go as far as to say that they do not even talk about THC anymore.  Terpenes, bitches.

As you can see, the historical chronological facts make it rather difficult to determine what is settled, what is being questioned, who should be considered educated and who should be run out on a rail.  It is quite the dilemma.

Does terpene science count as settled, cutting edge, or both?  Is the two-hundred-years-old science the correct science, since certainly two hundred years should be enough time to settle?  Or is it bunk for questioning the work of Mechoulam, a newer more progressive science that has had a few decades itself to settle?    Should sales reps be chased out of dispensaries for questioning the endocannabinoid system?  Accused of anti-semetism?  Hailed as heroes for resurrecting an old settled belief system?  Showered with accolades for championing a new science?  

Or maybe, just maybe, science is actually (as the dictionary defines it) “knowledge about or study of the natural world based on facts learned through experiments and observation”.  

Perhaps it is not a belief system to be carved in stone, but rather the simple act of looking at the wonders of the natural world and seeking explanations.  An act that will change depending on a plethora of variables, such as who is doing the looking, when they are looking, what exactly they are looking at, what they are looking for, what tools they are using, what they are trying to accomplish, who is paying them, and to what conclusion they seek to arrive.

It could be that the truly ‘scientific’ thing to do would be to entertain all ‘science’.  To understand that these variables exist.  To consider things like how the methods used to collect data can alter data.  To take into account who paid for it’s collection and how it is being presented.

On an even higher level, perhaps science should not be given any credit at all for simply observing what mother nature herself has provided.  ‘Science’ only works because nature works.  It could accurately be described as reverse engineering the natural world.  Should the ability to recognize patterns, observe and think, abilities we posses due to our pre-existing nature, be enough for mankind to steal credit from the universe from which it was born?

Michigan News - October 2021

 

Planned Caregiver Rally A Success Under the Sun

Michigan, Lansing- A modest but spirited crowd of Michigan Cannabis growers and their supporters stormed the capitol on September 15th in protest of anti-caregiver sentiment.  The crowd waved signs, chanted slogans, and smoked marijuana beneath a warm September sun, a mix of races, genders, politics, and perspectives.  Estimated reports place attendees in numbers ranging from around 100 to 400, the exact number is unknown. 

  

The planned rally was vigorously promoted by local marijuana celebrities and podcasters on social media months prior, and also received mention in local news outlets.  Speakers included a host of career activists, politicians, patients, business owners, lawyers, social media personalities, and minorml board members, most of whom were caregivers, patients, or both.

News outlets reported the pre-meditated rally as being in response to HB 5301 which was introduced September 14th, the day before the event.  

Protest signs included a mixed bag of sentiments, mostly focused on corporate greed and patient access.  A banner displaying the logos of caregiver operated and caregiver friendly businesses waved, and free food and drinks were distributed to the crowd.

Despite obvious consumption there was minimal uniformed police presence. 

Rick Thompson: The New Norml?  Or Spin Doctor of the Progressive Branch of the Cannabis Industry?  

Michigan- In a recent MLive article on the prospect of federal legalization, Rick Thompson, the new executive director of the Michigan Chapter of Norml (Nation Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws) aligned his messaging with the MCIA (Michigan Cannabis Industry Association), and is confused by Thompson’s doublespeak. Here he seems concerned with his marijuana business buddies. 

-If significant new federal taxes are imposed, “the black market will have a party like you have never seen before,” Thompson said. “It was nearly impossible to eliminate illegal cannabis sales when there was no tax; it is impossible to eliminate unlicensed sales with a 10% tax rate; and if the tax climbs to 35% or higher, the regulated market will shrink rapidly as people return to their unlicensed cannabis sources forever.”- MLive September, 24th.

That same week in a Lansing City Pulse article the connection of Thompson and the MCIA is even clearer:

The state Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs is not promoting any changes. The Michigan Cannabis Industry Association (and its 300 members) also vowed in June to oppose the legislation before it was introduced. MCIA Director Robin Schneider said brands affiliated with the MCMA are “idiots” — namely for “spending a bunch of money and trying to ruin other people’s lives and your brands simultaneously,” she said on an episode of Jazz Cabbage Cafe.

Activists have argued that there is very little (if any) evidence to suggest that untested caregiver-grown pot creates any sort of public health risk. Rick Thompson, executive director of NORML of Michigan, said the bills were instead motivated by greedy corporate cannabis brands who would rather not have the competition from caregivers. -Lansing City Pulse September, 22nd

Flexing his muscle with the mainstream media, which is spun by Rick Thompson and his benefactor’s, the MCIA and the Democrats in Michigan, his lust for attention is obvious. Demonstrated in an interview with Grow-In, a new online blog, Rick Thompson, and longtime friend and member of the MCIA, Jamie Lowell carefully explained their position by attempting to define what a MMMP caregiver is. 

What Thompson and friends consider grey and black-market cannabis distribution is a caregiver that is selling outside of the law; basically, illegal and disavowed if you get caught. The law that is being referred to is a case law (People vs McQueen) that law enforcement in Michigan uses to go after medical marijuana patients and caregivers that transfer marijuana to someone other than who they do not have a caregiver card for. On one hand they speak against changing the caregiver laws to reduce how much a caregiver can grow, but at the same time say that if a caregiver grows too much and distribute it then law enforcement can go in and bust them. This pandering to the cannabis cottage industry that Rick Thompson and Jamie Lowell used to supply the dispensaries they got their start at (Big Daddy’s and Third Coast, respectively) to position themselves to where they are now, comes off as disingenuous to the grand majority of cardholders and cannabis business owners that failed to show up at the Capitol Building in Lansing.  This ill-fated event, that only a handful of very confused stoners showed up to, not a good look to the grassroot cannabis voters that the current administration hopes will help reelect them in 2022. Governor Whitmer and Attorney General Danna Nessel were heavily supported in 2018 by the cannabis community and the cottage industry that pioneered the way. These connections to the current administration and the Democratic party are key to the political power of the MCIA.If this is Thompson’s version of marijuana law reform, we are taking a huge step backwards in legalization.

National News - October 2021

 

Sanders Take on Federalization

USA - Bernie Sanders, Independent, Senator from Vermont, is always leaning forward. It is no surprise that he is continuing to push Federal Marijuana Legalization as it stalls at the Capitol.

Sanders said in August, “My own view is that the so-called war on drugs has been an abysmal failure. You are seeing state after state after state legalizing marijuana.”

 He continued to state, “I would legalize marijuana nationally. I am supportive of that. But we are making some progress in state after state.”

Sanders is stated as saying this summer that he and Biden have differences of opinion on Marijuana reform. “Joe Biden and I on marijuana—I think the war on drugs has been just a disaster for this country, for the African-American community. I think it should end. I think marijuana should be legalized. We could do that fairly simply. But yeah, so we have differences.”

Pardon Me Biden

USA - Last month it was reported that Biden was considering clemency for all non-violent federal inmates. 150 celebrities, pro athletes, activists, Governors, and state and law enforcement officials, and leaders in many fields of business wrote to President Biden asking for “complete” pardon for all federal cannabis offenders signed on September 14, 2021

An excerpt of the letter reads: “This resolve is witnessed today in both red and blue states, from coast to coast, as the American people call for an end to marijuana prohibition. Whatever one thinks of other drugs and other defendants, incarcerating marijuana offenders in federal prisons is a misuse of our nation’s resources and grossly hypocritical, given that a clear majority of Americans oppose marijuana prohibition and about half admit to using the drug during their lifetime.5 It also stands against the arc of history and the principle of federalism: nearly three-quarters of the states have now abandoned the federal government’s blanket criminal ban in favor of safe, regulated legal access to marijuana for adults and/or those with qualifying medical conditions.“

Last year, a Reuters report showed 60 percent of United States adults are in favor of medical and recreational cannabis legalization.  https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/04/26/facts-about-marijuana/

Up in Maine

Maine, USA - Marijuana sales were up in Maine in the month of August. According to Cannabis Business Times sales were $10.2 million and the sales tax revenue was $1.2 million. These amounts were record-breaking for the state. https://www.cannabisbusinesstimes.com/article/maines-adult-use-cannabis-sales-exceed-10-million/

Regulators credit the raise in sales to summer tourism.

Maine became the 8th State in the United States to become legalized in 2016.

The Pine Tree State has 53 licensed state retailers. Nine new stores opened in August. Maine is the 12th smallest state in the United States.

Instagram Censoring Marijuana Still?

Internet - According to a recent report from MJBiz Canada Instagram may be discontinuing accounts that are related to marijuana.

Large Instagram account holders such as Bambury, who work with Wiz Khalifa and Weedmaps and who have 200,000 followers, have been flagged for violations and accounts have been deactivated.

Instagram is owned by Facebook. MjBizDaily’s Instagram account was reportedly closed on June 25th, but later reinstated, according to the article.

“The platform’s terms of service are clear: No brand can sell or promote sales of drugs on their page. But many cannabis marketers who insist they are following the rules, as well as many non-cannabis-selling entities – from accessories and ancillary firms to advocacy and equity groups – complain that even their accounts are being deactivated more often,” stated the MJBiz Canada article. 

https://mjbizdaily.com/marijuana-firms-and-advocates-struggle-as-instagram-targets-accounts/

World News - October 2021

 

Zimbabwe is Exporting

Zimbabwe - Reported this September, The Zimbabwe Investment and Development Agency or ZIDA, issued 57 cannabis cultivation licenses. According to The Consumer, “Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube estimates that, with international partners, local growers can produce $40 million to $46 million worth of cannabis a month.” “We have licensed 57 investors for medicinal cannabis production from Germany, Switzerland, Canada, and as well some local players,” ZIDA said. “Companies have been licensed for cultivation and processing of medicinal cannabis and they own 100% of their investment.”

According to Ncube the 20 percent tax applied to the extracts, cannabis flowers, and oils will generate “immense potential” for tax revenues with a projected 1.25 billion cannabis sales this year.

Marijuana farms and trade is allowed for medicinal reasons and research, though recreational use is illegal with 12 years in jail punishment.

The whole article can be read at https://marijuanapackaging.com/blogs/marijuana-legalization/zimbabwe-banking-on-predicted-economic-growth-from-new-cannabis-licenses

Brazil Might Grow Big

Brazil - Reported by Reuters in August. a town in Southeast Brazil there is research to develop a hemp which will grow well in the tropics. If there is success and the laws change in the country, Brazil could become a large grower of marijuana and hemp. Brazil could possibly take over the largest hemp grower of the world which is China. Dennys Zsolt, an agronomist who specializes in marijuana said, “Using a part of Brazil’s agricultural land would be enough to give the country the title of world’s largest producer and exporter of hemp fibers, seeds and flowers for medicinal and industrial purposes.”

The warm temperatures and consistent sunlight add to a low cost to grow pot outdoors in the country.

The laws for growing in Brazil may be changing to make the country a frontrunner in the growing business. As of today, growing Cannabis sativa L is not allowed in the country.

According to Reuter, “A proposal that would legalize cultivation was approved in June by a congressional committee. Lawmakers are weighing if it could be fast-tracked to the Senate for approval. If passed there, President Jair Bolsonaro would have to sign it into law.” You can go to https://www.reuters.com/business/cannabis-firms-catch-whiff-opportunity-brazil-2021-08-20/ to read the full article.

Germany the New Amsterdam?

Germany - There is a large medical cannabis program that has been growing in Germany in the past few years. For the past four years registered doctors in the country have been given the right to recommend medical cannabis to purchase at pharmacies.

There is no country in Europe as of today that has legalized adult-use recreational marijuana. According to a recent Green Entrepreneur article “The Netherlands has pilot programs underway for adult-use cannabis, Switzerland already allows low-THC products to be sold legally across the country, and a Supreme Court decision in Italy has already determined cannabis prohibition to be unconstitutional.” https://www.greenentrepreneur.com/article/378945

Germany has a large economy and for them to begin investing in cannabis early would help the current economy to remain stable and/or grow.

A Yahoo Finance article published in September stated that according to the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, marijuana use in Germany,  “is at an all-time high.” https://finance.yahoo.com/finance/news/elections-germany-cannabis-where-does-

With elections occurring in Germany the talk of legalizing has become a campaign issue, and not a small one. Two parties on the campaign trail are in favor of some form of legalization. Germany’s political system is multi-party.

Yahoo Finance states that legalization may be possible in four years.

Save the Pot

World - Climate change is the current discussion. How to address environmental changes may become a consistent conversation. The wildfires, as well as the high index temperatures, and the dangers of the smoke from the fires in the West United States and Canada have been a part of the recent conversations.

British Columbia cannabis cultivator SpeakEasy Cannabis Club said,  “its 2021 outdoor crop survived this year’s heatwave and wildfires “relatively unscathed,” with help from a hard-working irrigation system, fire preparation measures and some luck.” https://mjbizdaily.com/bc-grower-speakeasys-outdoor-cannabis-crop-relatively-unscathed-by-heat-wildfires/

Creating a strong irrigation system, as well as using water from an aquifer which helps when there were times of water restrictions,  helped beat the heat for The Rock Creek, a British Colombia-based company according to MJBiz Canada.

Ways that SpeakEasy helped to protect themselves from the threat of fires were to have water tanks and pumps, and back-up generators available, to have steel buildings, fire breaks cut into the nearby forest, as well to have a trained crew ready.

The Consumer listed recommendations for fire prevention according to CalFire:

• Clear a 100 feet “defensible space” around all structures, including combustible materials leaning against or under the house.

• Trim and prune tree limbs and branches to at least five feet above ground to break the “fire ladder” of combustible material. Trim higher the closer they are to structures.

• Clean out gutters regularly.

• Mow your grassy areas, preferably in late spring, but if you do it later be careful of sparks from the mower blades. Or bring in goats to eat your grasses.

• Have water hoses at hand.

• Keep numerous fire extinguishers charged up to date, at least one per structure.

• Make sure the address numbers to the property are large and posted at every turnoff along entrance roads, so firefighters can find your place.

• Have emergency evacuation essentials packed, including animal carriers.

• Have a plan for farm animals.