Medical Cannabis in the Hemp State? No Relief in Sight
Written By Dan Isenstein
Kentucky is one of just 13 states that still criminalize all marijuana use and possession. During the spring 2022 Kentucky legislative session, House Bill (HB) 136 was passed by Kentucky's lower house with bi-partisan support (59-34). Once again, however, Kentucky’s Republican controlled Senate blocked the bill to the floor for a vote.
In response to the continued Senatorial inaction in the legislature, Governor Beshear formed the Team Kentucky Medical Cannabis Advisory Committee. Less than a week after the Team Kentucky Medical Cannabis Advisory Report was released, President Joe Biden announced that he was issuing pardons for all federal marijuana convictions.
So what does that mean to the average Kentuckian looking to consume cannabis legally?
Part II: The Cursed Bong
Written By Blue Amnesia
“I assume that means you’re ready for the ghost stories, now?” I heard her cackle from across the room. I snapped my head toward Gran with widened eyes and leaned back into the couch to feel safer as the infusion of terpenes danced their way through my body.
“Oh yeah, I’m ready.”
“It was a chilly southern October night, and the only thing stickier than the old farmer’s weed was the shituation he got himself in with the Sorceress. The deal was that she would bless his grow with her divine energy, and in return he would only use the plants to help heal the needy. That deal worked for decades to come, until eventually, the farmer was infected by greed and began negotiating the Sorceress’s seeds for a different kind of green. He began telling his most needy patrons that he was dry, and then he would host a party full of lustful women to smoke from his prized glass bong. When the Sorceress found out that her beloved plant was not being used to heal as the farmer promised, she filled with vengeance and began crafting her most terrifying curse.”
The Seven Cannabis Factions - Part III
Written By Trent Hancock & Shayney Norick
Many in the cannabis community are going to disagree with Pharmaceuticals having a spot in the industry. Most of us choose cannabis because we believe in a more natural route. That being said, there is a large population of people with health conditions that trust the pharmaceutical process.
It is not too much to ask that the government free people who had minor charges so that they can support and be with their families. Requesting that people are no longer imprisoned for a small-time cannabis distribution conviction or specific homegrow quantities would resonate with the majority of the public, and could potentially free the majority of cannabis felons.
The Seven Cannabis Factions - Part II
Written By Trent Hancock & Shayney Norick
In our humble opinion, The MSOs that have ownership in dozens of craft businesses, while still allowing the companies to be independent, will have the strongest foundation.
The suggestions for amendments to state laws in this article are written to provide a pathway for everyone to focus on the model they believe in. Investors need to see a clear focus claimed by businesses based on the aspects of cannabis they want to invest in.
The future of cannabis investing should and will hopefully be more diversified between Small Businesses, MSOs, and Pharmaceuticals.
The Seven Cannabis Factions - Part I
Written By Trent Hancock & Shayney Norick
If you look closely enough at the groups with interest in the future of cannabis, they can be broken down into seven factions. They all have a different vision, and none of them are going anywhere. Instead of the situation boiling over politically, the best course of action is for all factions to negotiate a future that is best for everyone. Each cannabis faction’s concerns need to be addressed via amendments written to update current state cannabis laws.
The Stigmatization of Cannabis Is Still Alive and Well in California
Written By Dan Wittmers
Consuming cannabis is so far outside their definition of personal preference that maternity patients are forced to sign a physical document before delivery demanding they “do not trust anyone who is using marijuana to care for [their] child.”
This extremist document was presented to us as an agreement that “just states you won’t bring cannabis in the hospital or use it while you’re on-site.” It should be noted that they did not take the time to discuss with us the effects of drinking alcohol, smoking tobacco, or taking opioids while breastfeeding, nor did they present to us any similar documentation regarding those drugs and their potential effects on parenting an infant. Likewise, when they prescribed my wife fentanyl for her discomfort because it wasn’t yet time for an epidural, there was no discussion about its potential effects on the baby still in her womb.
Has your Linkedin engagement gone up in smoke?
Written By Melanie Rizzo
After years of slowly cultivating a presence on the platform, I discovered that my engagement suddenly and significantly dropped. My profile views were down nearly 60 percent and my posts went from averaging thousands of impressions to the single digits. I tried writing posts using popular hashtags at peak hours but despite my best efforts, engagement still lagged. I froze.
Am I being shadowbanned?
If you are seeing rapid reductions in engagement, or you believe that your profile has been pushed into the LinkedIn netherworld, don’t panic! There are steps you can take to regain your footing.
Introducing: The Naive Newbie
Written By Blue Amnesia
My actual stoner birthday wasn’t until I was, well, I don’t remember. I want to say that I was 25, but I honestly can’t recall. I’ll tell you later why I’m named Amnesia. What I can recall was the exact experience I had with it, though. Every moment. Every feeling. I treasure that memory because it was the beginning of Blue Amnesia. Not in a literal sense, but that was the night that my pretty little healing seed was planted!
Cannabis Advocates and Professionals react to President Biden’s Statements Regarding Federal Marijuana Reform
Written By Bri Smith
The dust is settling from the news of last week’s announcement from President Biden regarding federal marijuana reform. For many Americans - especially cannabis advocates - it was a historic moment. However, his announcement fell short of what so many felt could have been truly beneficial for so many Americans still serving unfair sentences for nonviolent cannabis charges.
As could be expected, cannabis industry professionals and advocates had a lot to say about the statements. Some celebrated the effort, while others met it with harsh criticism for not being impactful enough. We’ve collected the statements and reactions, ranging from joy to frustration, of 30 cannabis industry professionals.
From Red to Pink - Part V: SPIES, SUCCULENTS & LOOK DAD I'M ON TV
Written By Lindsey Gunter
Woah, I remember thinking. “Could I trust the people I work with?” I mean, can you trust anyone, really, further than a certain point at least? I was just Sourcing and Production, so I hoped so, but…what? I could not imagine a single person in my area of the office being any type of spy, and laughed to myself at the thought of the buyers or master data bros in black ninja outfits. I mean, hopping through lasers and narrowly avoiding booby traps…for legal weed?
Dissecting Biden’s Statements on Federal Marijuana Reform
Written By Bri Smith
A statement Americans and cannabis advocates have said for literally decades was finally uttered by President Biden yesterday during his statements addressing federal marijuana reform. The phrase was both welcomed and yet infuriating for advocates who have been fighting for federal cannabis reform since Harry J. Anslinger preemptively ruined the lives of millions of people. Indeed, for 15 years short of a century, we’ve been shouting from the mountaintops, “It makes no sense”... and also, “What the fuck is going on?”.
For many Americans, it was a monumental day in the United States. In what is likely one of the biggest steps toward federal acceptance and decriminalization of cannabis by any president, Biden declared three areas of action for his (more on this later) failed approach to the War on Cannabis.
Invitation Only
Written By Blue Amnesia
I guess most people would consider me a loner, but I always viewed myself as diverse. I connected with people on a direct level, but was never really invited to the group events. People connected with me when they were pulled away from their cliques, but as soon as the group was together, I was back to feeling like an outcast, even if the entire group connected with me on a one-on-one basis.
Does this speak to the reality of the cannabis space? Abso-freaking-lutely! We won’t discuss the internal war between Big Pharm Cannabis and Legacy Cannabis right now, but let’s discuss, for a moment, the invitation only mindset that each one has. It seems that as soon as you’ve had any sort of interaction with one or the other you are instantly thrust into that clique, with or without your consent.
From Red to Pink - Part IV: THE BINARY, MY FIRST TOWNHALL, & PARTIES
Written By Lindsey Gunter
…However, this spark was diminished shortly after the introduction of the newly hired CFO - further emerging as the main purpose of the town hall. I recalled a few days prior when one of my coworkers urged us to read the report freshly filed by the previous CFO in a new lawsuit. I knew nothing about it, but I was still curious to meet the replacement and see what he had to say. I am going to do my best to communicate the unbelievable farce that happened next…
A Nebraskan Visits Colorado
Written By Craig Pugh
I told my Ma and I told my Pa I’m tired of this here Omaha. Denver, Denver is the show. That is where I want to go. They got legal weed out there people say is beyond compare. Ma and Pa said “Have you lost your mind? Stay away from it!”
I replied: “Are you kidding me? Have you ever tried that shit? It’s fantastic. Lifts your spirits, calms your nerves, helps you through life’s tight curves.” Ma and Pa just wrung their hands and cried: “Oh boy of ours. We thought we raised you to know better!”
All Cannabis Use is Therapeutic: The Medical vs. Recreational Cannabis Debate
Written by Jason Bird
Cannabis is one of the oldest known and most used plants on the planet, with evidence of this dating back almost 10,000 years according to recent archaeological findings near East Asia. With numerous uses as a source of medicine, food, fuel, and fiber, it’s really not a stretch then to say that all cannabis use and uses have therapeutic value for us in the physical, emotional, and spiritual realms.
From Red to Pink - Part III: THE STARTUP
Written By Lindsey Gunter
Getting hired at “Red” was a surreal blur, and the company itself was more the latter definition of startup. By the time I got my red jacket, I was already elbow-deep in the supply chain and hooked on the nitro cold brew available on tap, as well as absolutely loving the company culture. I never personally found it to be as hostile and bro-like as some might suggest, just the usual pronounced levels of ego from upper-management, slowing down decision-making from time to time due to petty, pseudo-professionalism. Nothing anyone hasn’t seen before.
Remember that part in Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas, when Jack Skellington discovers Christmas Town? Yeah, that was me. Something new and exciting was happening to me! What I used to think was boring business information after watching my parents grow a small business into a multi-million-dollar corporation my entire life, revealed itself to be an enterprising acumen paired with passion-fueled intuition. But there was also another aspect that came with this new job that I wasn't expecting.
From Red to Pink - Part II: The Backstory
Written By Lindsey Gunter
THE BACKSTORY: Have you ever seen that movie, “The Wolf of Wall Street”? You know the part where Leonardo DiCaprio’s character is dragging himself for dear life to his car on quaaludes? Yeah, some of us watch that and can’t laugh nor stare in disbelief; we only remember seeing our loved one(s) like that in real life. Watching that scene immediately transported me to the parking lot of my middle school in Houston.
My dad, who was having a major back spasm and seizing inside the open trunk, was asking me to not tell mom I had to drive us home (again). I was waving the rich girls of the local neighborhood off with a smile, dismissing the situation as handled, just so they could walk the short distance home to their own lovely, messed up lives where they threw themselves down flights of stairs to frame new stepmothers.
How Government Regulation of Cannabis and Tobacco Helps Synthetic Drug Makers
Written By Mike Robinson
Almost all of the reefer madness pioneers smoked cigarettes while demonizing cannabis, claiming that tobacco smoking was medicinal. For centuries, tobacco was thought to have medicinal properties and was used to treat various ailments. In the 16th century, doctors even prescribed it for conditions such as colds, headaches, and toothaches.
From Red to Pink - Part I: The Beginning
Written By Lindsey Gunter
THE BEGINNING: I’ll never forget a co-worker asking to meet for a break that day. This was strange, since he hadn’t for quite some time. We had both been promoted to managing different states on different teams, and were effectively on almost different schedules entirely as a result. I came in two hours sooner because Arizona wakes up at least two hours before us Californians do. But, on this day of days, there was an impending “All Hands” meeting vaguely and suspiciously defined to start at what appeared to be changing times.
Encyclopedia Brownweed & The Case of the Missing Stash
Written By Dan Isenstein
Bueno Verde is the stoniest little town in all of California. And nobody was stonier, or smarter for that matter, than Raefer Bogart. But nobody ever called him Raefer (except his lady) and you better not call him “Bogart,” because nobody was more generous with his reefer than Raefer.
Everyone in town called him Encyclopedia Brownweed. An encyclopedia is a book or books filled with facts. Nobody in town knew more about weed than Raefer. Encyclopedia was not just a smoker, but a grower and award winning breeder.