Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Colorado) dropped a bit of a bombshell recently on the Cannabis Economy podcast, revealing a private conversation he had with President Trump after former Attorney General Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III announced he was unravelling Obama Administration protections for folks in states that have legalized cannabis in some form. As Gardner relays it, […]
cannabis
Posted inLetters + Opinion
Science and the Looming Cannapacolypse
Leave it to scientists to rain on your wellness parade. CBD is clearly all the rage right now. Cannabidiol, a naturally occurring compound that’s one of more than 100 phytocannabinoids found in cannabis flowers, has recently been federally legalized, was featured in a Super Bowl promotion and could reach more than $16 billion in annual […]
Posted inLetters + Opinion
Bad Looks
You may have seen some breathless, excited headlines cross your social media feeds Super Bowl weekend exclaiming that the big game would feature (or had featured) the first cannabis ad in its history. If you’re more of headline skimmer than a reader, I’m here to harsh your mellow. As we reported in these pages Jan. […]
Posted inLetters + Opinion
On Murder Mountain
Repeatedly over the last few weeks, I’ve been asked for my impressions of Murder Mountain, the six-part docuseries looking at Humboldt County’s cannabis industry released on Netflix last month. The short answer? It isn’t worth your time. At this point, you’ve probably seen that the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office has blasted the series as a […]
Posted inLetters + Opinion
Don’t Bank on It
It looks like the California cannabis industry will remain largely a cash enterprise for the foreseeable future. The 18-member Cannabis Banking Working Group chaired by State Treasurer John Chiang issued a 151-page report detailing why creating a public banking system to accommodate the legal weed industry would be so expensive, difficult and legally iffy that […]
Posted inNews
Surf’s Up, California: With 2019, Come New Laws
Hundreds of new laws took effect in California today, regulating everything from drinking straws and bicycle helmets to worker pay and kids’ meals. Here’s a quick rundown of some of the important, noteworthy and quirky things that took effect New Year’s Day. Minimum Wage Hike: As the state continues its march toward a $15 minimum […]
Posted inNews
Reports Find Cannabis Bank Infeasible; Five Things You Need to Know About Public Banking in California
Once an idea batted around mostly in Occupy Wall Street circles, public banking is attracting a surge of interest among policymakers in several states, including California. “We must break Wall Street’s chokehold on state finance and develop our own state bank,” Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom said on the campaign trail. If California had a bank controlled […]
Posted inLetters + Opinion
Farm Bill Caps Historic Year for Cannabis
You may have missed it among headlines about the looming government shutdown and plunging stock markets, but when President Donald Trump signed the 2018 Farm Bill on Dec. 21, he officially removed hemp from the Controlled Substances Act. The legislation, pushed hard by Sen. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky), officially distinguishes hemp from marijuana, its […]
Posted inNews
Alarms Leads Deputies to Apparent Hash Lab Stash in McKinleyville Storage Facility
Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office deputies discovered components of a butane hash oil lab and nearly 330 pounds of pot after responding Saturday to a “duress alarm activation” at a McKinleyville storage facility on Sutter Road. According to a release, deputies found a storage locker with the keys in the lock but no one who appeared […]
Posted inNews
McKinleyville Man Attacked, Robbed of Pot by Masked Assailants
A McKinleyville man was attacked early yesterday morning by masked assailants who hit him on the head with metal bats and stabbed him in the chest while demanding money and cannabis, according to the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies responded to the scene on the 2600 block of Bolier Avenue in McKinleyville around 3 a.m. […]
Posted inLetters + Opinion
Testing and Taxes
The state of California is in the midst of its first large-scale cannabis testing scandal. Sequoia Analytical Labs, based in Sacramento, was one of just 44 licensed testing facilities in the state until it surrendered its license to the state last week after it was discovered the company’s lab director had been falsifying test results, […]
Posted inLetters + Opinion
Canada Comes Knocking for Cannabis
Canadian companies are starting to show a lot of interest in North Coast cannabis. On Nov. 27, Vancouver-based Chemistree Technology Inc. announced that it has entered into a “strategic partnership” with an unnamed cannabis processing company based in Arcata. In a press release, the company announced that the partnership will see Chemistree loan the processor […]