MJ News for 02/25/2016

[7greeneyes]

url source: http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/...tients-can-grow-own-cannabis-judge-rules.html

(Canada) Medical marijuana patients can grow own cannabis, judge rules​

VANCOUVER—A Federal Court judge has struck down “arbitrary and overbroad” legislation introduced by the former Conservative government that barred medical marijuana patients from growing their own cannabis.

Judge Michael Phelan found the law violated patients’ charter rights, but he suspended his decision for six months to allow the federal Liberal government time to create a new medical marijuana regime.

Phelan also extended a court injunction allowing people who held licences to continue to grow their own marijuana.

The constitutional challenge was launched by four British Columbia residents who argued that the 2013 Marijuana for Medical Purposes Regulations blocked their access to affordable medicine.

“Their lives have been adversely impacted by the imposition of the relatively new regime to control the use of marijuana for medical purposes,” Phelan wrote.

“I agree that the plaintiffs have . . . demonstrated that cannabis can be produced safely and securely with limited risk to public safety and consistently with the promotion of public health.”

Kirk Tousaw, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, hailed the decision as a victory not just for medical cannabis patients, but all Canadians.

He called on the federal government to allow new patients to grow medical marijuana. About 28,000 people held licences under the old regime and are covered by the injunction. Two of the plaintiffs were not covered by the injunction, he said.

“They’re suffering because they have an inability to access sufficient quantities of medicine to meet their medical needs as a result of the government’s actions,” he said.

“The health minister, prime minister, they need to act very quickly. Don’t wait the six months. Don’t come up with a lame and weak response as the previous governments have.”

Health Minister Jane Philpott said it was too early to say if the government would appeal. She said she will be working with the Justice Department to ensure there’s an appropriate regulatory regime in place.

The Liberal government has committed to legalizing recreational marijuana, but has said little about any plans for medical marijuana since being elected.
Philpott said recreational and medical cannabis should be treated as “two separate issues.”

“We’re going to have to completely review the regulations around access to medical marijuana,” she told reporters in Ottawa.

Canada’s system involving licensed producers has grown into a multimillion-dollar industry, and the decision caused stock prices to dip. Canopy Growth Corp. share prices on the on the TSX Venture Exchange had dropped about 7 per cent as of Wednesday afternoon.

Mark Zekulin, president of Tweed Marijuana Inc., a subsidiary of Canopy, said it would be “heartbreaking” if the federal government shut down the licensed-producer system entirely. But he doesn’t expect that will happen.

“We’ve built a world-class facility . . . and are producing very high-quality product that you can’t get anywhere else,” he said. “I don’t think six months from now it’s just going to get shuttered and people are going to be out of jobs.”

Peace Naturals CEO Mark Gobuty said personal growing can co-exist with licensed producers in a regulatory regime.

“We’re all allowed to grow tomatoes and cucumbers at home, but how many of us do?” he asked. “If that is what’s in the best interest of all Canadians, then I’m all for it.”

The Cannabis Patients Association of Canada, which represents people who held licences to grow marijuana under the old regime, applauded the decision.

“This is about putting the rights of the patient at the centre of public policy decision-making,” executive director John Lorenz said in a statement.

But Ronan Levy of Canadian Cannabis Clinics, a network of Ontario medical marijuana clinics, said allowing people to grow their own marijuana might make doctors more wary of prescribing it.

“Can you imagine what it would be like if you went to a doctor, they prescribe antibiotics, and you got to go home and mix up your own antibiotics? I don’t think doctors are going to be comfortable with that,” he said.

The judge awarded costs to the plaintiffs to be determined by the court at a later date.

 

[7greeneyes]

url source: http://www.alaskapublic.org/2016/02/25/homer-cannabis-club-could-face-legal-battle/

(Alaska) Homer cannabis club could face legal battle​

A new cannabis club has opened its doors on a major street in Downtown Homer and some residents are taking full advantage of the opportunity to use marijuana in – what they call – a safe, social environment. But, the club might not be legal.

After the death of prohibition in 1933 black market liquor and infamous speakeasies were slowly left behind.

But it wasn’t all a smooth transition. Fast forward to present day and just like alcohol, legal marijuana has raised a lot of questions. Among them, are cannabis clubs legal?

The Alaska Alcohol and Marijuana Control Board says they’ve heard of cannabis clubs in Fairbanks, Ketchikan, Anchorage and the Central Kenai Peninsula. And now there’s a club in Homer that started on the 1st of January. Kachemak Cannabis Club goers say they have about 150 members.

“Last marijuana board meeting, Mark Robl said unless the legislator change the laws to have a law against us that they’re not going to do anything against us so I’m going to try to feel comfortable and not be oppressed anymore,” said Ryan a member of the cannabis club.

Ryan is on the club’s board of directors. We agreed not to use last names in this story because of the legal questions concerning the club.

“I’m probably the most shocked every time I come in. It’s like holy cow! This is happening,” said Ryan.

The club is heavy on books, snacks and yes, there’s a very noticeable smell of weed in the air. A counter holds all the essentials: a mason jar of marijuana buds, lighters, pipes and bongs.

The space isn’t very big and members pack in where they can. They bring the marijuana with them and share it.

“Yeah sharing that’s what the whole club is about. It’s kind of like a potluck. There’s plenty of stuff around Homer to go around. So, we’re never running out over here, yet,” said Ryan.

To be a member you have to be 21, you have to pay dues and you have to fill out a form. Scott, another member of the club, walks visitors through the process.

“Right, yes we have to have a membership entry fee to let everybody know that they’re valid to be in the club. We don’t want nobody coming in here that’s a felon or known troublemaker coming in here that’s going to cause issues with us,” explained Scott.

Scott claims to have used marijuana since he was about 14-years-old. He says he was abused when he was a kid and suffers from PTSD. Marijuana is his substitute for prescription medicine.

“[It’s] better than taking medications that I was prescribed as a child with my brother. I was the one that was weaned off the meds and decided to use cannabis and my brother was still stuck on the Ritalin and stuff like that. He ended up going to prison because he was unable to control himself. I’m able to tolerate myself because of cannabis. Because I’ve been able to find other avenues of relief through social endeavors like this,” said Soctt.

The club members believe this “social endeavor” is legal because they say the state law that legalizes marijuana doesn’t specifically mention clubs.

Homer Police Chief Mark Robl is on the city’s Cannabis Advisory Board Ryan mentioned earlier. Robl did originally say the Homer Police wouldn’t take action against the club. Then, later, Chief Robl said a member of the Alcohol and Marijuana Control Board told him he was not interpreting state law correctly.

“I was under the misperception that cannabis clubs were being allowed to exist in a gray area of law in Alaska. What I learned yesterday through an exchange with the Alaska Alcohol and Marijuana Control Board is that cannabis clubs are illegal in Alaska,” said Robl.

Robl says he thought clubs weren’t criminal as long as their members didn’t step out of bounds by, for example, selling marijuana. Even with the new information, Robl says, the police won’t take action against the club right away.

“We’ll try to deal with it civilly to start with. If necessary we’ll go down the criminal prosecution route that gets recommended to me by the Alcohol and Marijuana Control Board,” said Robl.

State law does prohibit marijuana use in public. Cynthia Franklin, the Director of the Alaska Alcohol and Marijuana Control Board says cannabis clubs are public businesses.

“The alcoholic beverage control board adopted a definition of in public taken out of chapter 11, the definition of public place, that basically said in public is a place to which the public or a substantial portion of the public has access, including businesses.”

Members of the Kachemak Cannabis Club don’t agree with Franklin’s opinion and say they’ll challenge any attempt to close the club in court.

 

[7greeneyes]

url: http://news.nationalpost.com/life/f...for-20-minute-cannabis-olive-oil-dip-and-more

Cannabis ceviche? Edible marijuana goes gourmet: Recipes for 20-minute cannabis olive oil, dip and more​

Robyn Griggs Lawrence has a steak recipe so good it’ll make you feel high. Literally.

Seared Wagyu New York Strip with Cannabis Rub is just one of more than a hundred gourmet-inclined recipes Lawrence compiled for her Cannabis Kitchen Cookbook, now entering a second printing. Now she’s taking her expertise right into readers’ homes with an online cooking course.

Lawrence, based in Boulder, Colo., is one of many entrepreneurs in the US$5.4 billion legal marijuana industry. Unlike pot-repreneurs selling already baked brownies, cookies, and gummies, which may account for almost half of those billions, she is teaching consumers how to make the goods at home. Each dish—from Baked Artichoke, Crab, and Cannabis Dip to Cannabis Ceviche and High Ho Pottanesca—features the nation’s favourite newly legal ingredient.

Since Cannabis Kitchen’s release in September, Lawrence has organized cooking demonstrations at hotels, arranged retreats in Colorado, and filmed that four-part online course. The class, called “Cooking with Cannabis: The Fundamentals,” will become available online in April to anybody over 21 years of age through the Green Flower Media Academy. Lawrence will cover the basics of the who, why, and how regarding cooking with cannabis, with an emphasis on safety and proper dosing. Because the course offers only information, it will be accessible in any state. “We would never suggest or condone using cannabis in states where it isn’t legal,’’ she warned. (Editor’s note: Since Bloomberg is based in New York, we haven’t personally tested any of the recipes below.)

HIGHER-END NICHE

Lawrence got her start in the legal weed arena in 2009, when a doctor recommended she use marijuana to help with painful cramps, but the sugar-laden edibles sold in dispensaries across the state didn’t suit her eating habits.

“It works for a lot of people; that just isn’t how I eat,” said Lawrence, who at the time was editor-in-chief of Natural Home & Garden Magazine, a publication focused on green living.

Scouring the internet for healthy, delicious, weed-infused recipes left her empty-handed. She found five cookbooks on the subject, but they were filled with unhealthy comfort foods. They were also designed in the style of classic stoner culture. Lawrence wanted a guide to making gourmet, upscale recipes that happens to use the plant.

When her 11-year run with Natural Home came to an end in 2011, she accelerated her work to tackle the problem. As an avowed cooking-show junkie “going back to Julia Child,” Lawrence was able to match her professional skills with a lifelong passion. “I’m still green girl, just a different green,” she said, noting past coverage in organic food and organic medicine. “I’ve taken a lot of classes and seen a lot of demos through my work. For me, this is just a natural progression.”

SLOW BURN

That’s not to say it has been an easy go.

Lawrence worked with 12 chefs hailing from California, Colorado, Oregon, and Massachusetts, plus a professional mixologist to develop recipes over the course of three years. Then it took almost two years for a publishing house to bite. In the meantime, the industry (and society) have caught up to her ambition. Barnes & Noble Inc. agreeing to carry cannabis cookbooks came as a major breakthrough, according to Lawrence; the bookseller now has 14 of them listed on its website.

Cannabis Kitchen’s glossy hardcover is designed to fit in alongside more typical gourmet cookbooks. That’s not to say it shies away from its highlighted ingredient: The cover shows two marijuana leaves on a napkin next to a plate of pasta, and the recipes inside all have pun-filled names that make use of pot-culture slang. Recipes cover everything from breakfast and juices to appetizers, salads, entrees, sides, desserts, and cocktails. Clear step-by-step instructions regarding the plant itself, infusion and extractions, dosing, and tools are covered in depth before the text proceeds to oils, butters, tinctures, and sweet infusions.

It’s been a particular hit with baby boomers, Lawrence said. “We thought we were behind, but we were ahead of the curve. I knew it was an important book because I needed it. I figured the world did, too.”

“The whole idea is that you wouldn’t need a separate book for entertaining, and if you want it for health that this would be like your one ‘mastering-the-art’ kind of book,’’ she said. As for the crowded marketplace, “it’s definitely more gourmet than the other ones,” she said. “Mine’s more for the upscale cook.”

For all our readers who are at least 21 years old in Alaska, Colorado, Oregon, Washington, and Washington D.C., and for those with medical prescriptions in the 23 states, Washington, and Guam, check out the recipes below.

20-MINUTE CANNABIS OLIVE OIL
Adapted from The Cannabis Kitchen Cookbook by Robyn Griggs Lawrence/chef Chris Kilham
THC per cup: 283.5 milligrams*

1⁄4 oz cured cannabis flowers, finely ground
1⁄4 cup organic extra-virgin olive oil
coffee grinder
fine mesh strainer
cheesecloth

1. Place cannabis into a coffee grinder and grind until powdered. The cannabis will stick to the inside of the grinder, so scrape it out thoroughly. (Be careful about licking the spoon; that’s potent goo.) Place oil into a 6-inch diameter shallow frying pan or saucepan. Using a wooden spoon, continuously stir cannabis into the oil over a very low simmer for 10–20 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
2. Line a fine mesh strainer with cheesecloth and place it over a bowl, wide-mouth jar, or measuring cup. Twist cannabis with cheesecloth, squeezing out every last drop of oil. Compost cannabis solids. Use oil immediately or transfer oil to a clean, clear or dark bottle or jar with a lid or cork. Label with the type of oil and date. Store in a cool, dry place for up to a year.
makes about 1⁄4 cup

*DISCLAIMER: THC calculations for these recipes were made based on the assumption of 10 per cent THC in the plant. That’s used as a standard, but your chances of growing or buying cannabis with 10 per cent THC are extremely low. These calculations are for comparison purposes only. The potency of the material you use is the most important indicator as to how a recipe will affect you.

BEGINNER’S BUTTER
Adapted from The Cannabis Kitchen Cookbook by Robyn Griggs Lawrence/chef Herb Seidel
THC per cup: 70.9 milligrams

2 cups water
1⁄2 oz cannabis, finely ground
1⁄2 lb butter
fine mesh strainer
cheesecloth
airtight containers

1. Combine cannabis and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer for 1 hour. If moisture reduces, add enough water to make 2 cups. Remove from heat, cover, and let cool to room temperature (about 2 hours). Return to stove, add butter to pan, and simmer for about 1 hour. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
2. The next morning, return saucepan to stove and bring to simmer. Stir. Remove from flame, cover, and let cool to room temperature. Line a fine mesh strainer with cheesecloth and place over a bowl, wide-mouth jar, or measuring cup. Pour butter through strainer to strain out cannabis. Twist cannabis with cheesecloth, squeezing out every last drop of oil. Compost cannabis solids. Transfer butter into airtight container. Refrigerate overnight. Butter will separate from water.
3. The next morning, run a knife around the edges of container to loosen butter. Use knife to remove butter that has separated from water in bottom of container. Line a fine mesh strainer with cheesecloth and strain remaining butter. Place butter in airtight containers, label, and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 months, or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
makes about 2 cups

CANNABIS CEVICHE
Adapted from The Cannabis Kitchen Cookbook by Robyn Griggs Lawrence/chef Herb Seidel
THC per serving: 10 milligrams with 20-minute Cannabis Olive Oil

2 lbs firm, fresh red snapper fillets (or other firm- fleshed fish), completely deboned and cut into 1⁄2-inch pieces
1⁄2 cup fresh-squeezed lime juice
1⁄2 cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice
1⁄4 cup cannabis-infused olive oil
1⁄2 red onion, finely diced
1 cup fresh seeded tomatoes, chopped
1 serrano chili, seeded and finely diced
2 tsp salt
dash ground oregano
dash Tabasco or light pinch cayenne pepper

1. Gently stir together ingredients until thoroughly mixed. Make sure oil soaks into fish. Refrigerate in a covered, labeled airtight container overnight. Serve with chips.
serves 6–8

BAKED ARTICHOKE, CRAB AND CANNABIS DIP
Adapted from The Cannabis Kitchen Cookbook by Robyn Griggs Lawrence/chef Herb Seidel
THC per serving: 6 milligrams with Beginner’s Butter

1⁄2 tbspcannabis-infused olive oil
1⁄2 small green pepper, finely chopped
1⁄2 small red pepper, finely chopped
1 14-oz can artichoke hearts, finely chopped
1⁄2 jalapeño, finely chopped (optional)
3⁄4 cup mayonnaise
1⁄4 cup cannabis-infused butter, soft
1⁄4 cup scallions, sliced thin
1⁄2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1⁄2 tsp celery salt
1⁄2 lb crab meat, picked through to remove shells
1⁄4 cup sliced almonds, toasted
tortilla chips, toast points, or carrot sticks for serving
6″x 9″ glass or ceramic baking dish

1. Preheat oven to 375°F and grease baking dish. In a small skillet, sauté olive oil and bell peppers until tender. In a large bowl, combine bell peppers with artichokes, jalapeño, mayonnaise, butter, scallions, Parmesan cheese, Worcestershire, celery salt, crab meat, and almonds. Mix well. Place mixture in baking dish and sprinkle with toasted almonds. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool slightly (so that it’s safe to handle) and serve with tortilla chips, toast points, or carrot sticks.
serves 4–6

HIGH HO POTTANESCA
Adapted from The Cannabis Kitchen Cookbook by Robyn Griggs Lawrence/chef Chris Kilham
THC per serving: 3 milligrams with 20-Minute Cannabis Olive Oil

1⁄4 cup 20-minute Cannabis Olive Oil
2 medium red onions
8–10 cloves organic garlic
1 28-oz can crushed organic tomatoes
handful black pitted oil-cured olives
2 or 3 whole hot chilies (whatever looks good)
salt, to taste
handful of capers
dash tamari sauce
1 bunch fresh basil, finely chopped
handful of fresh oregano, finely chopped
splash of organic red wine
parmesan cheese, grated (as much as you like)
2-oz can anchovies, mashed
1 package quality spaghetti, cooked

1. In a large skillet, heat cannabis-infused olive oil over medium-high heat. Stir in onions and garlic. Sauté until caramelized, about 6 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and remaining ingredients. Simmer until sauce is thickened and slightly reduced, about 30 minutes. Adjust seasonings to taste, cover, and set aside. Make spaghetti and drain. Add sauce to cooked pasta and toss.
serves 6

 

[7greeneyes]

url source: http://www.ibtimes.com/cannabis-20-are-terpenes-secret-customizable-highs-2322193

Cannabis 2.0: Are Terpenes The Secret To Customizable Highs?​

BOULDER, Colorado — Humming to himself, Charles Jones makes his way up a muddy hiking trail snaking through the Colorado foothills on an unseasonably warm winter day, his colleagues Dave Georgis and David Lohndorf following close behind. Part of the way up the trail, with the city of Boulder stretched below, Jones stops and smiles at the others, then at me. “Should we do a mood?” he asks.

Forty-five minutes earlier, the four of us had been sitting in the basement of Georgis’ Boulder bungalow, which doubles as the headquarters for Jones, Georgis and Lohndorf’s startup Chooze Corp. One by one, we had taken puffs from a tabletop vaporizer device, inhaling vapors from hemp pellets laced with equal amounts of pure THC, the psychoactive component of marijuana, and cannabidiol, or CBD, the part of the plant believed to be responsible for many of cannabis’ medical benefits. This was the first step in experiencing Chooze Corp.’s one and only product, LucidMood. When Georgis had handed the vaporizer’s glass mouthpiece to me, the vapor, free of all the usual ingredients that come with smoking or vaporizing marijuana buds, tasted smooth and a bit medicinal. It left me with a clear-headed high.

Now, in the middle of our hike, we are ready to move on to the second step of the LucidMood experience. It was time for the “moods” — hemp pellets that, when vaporized, are designed to customize a user’s psychoactive experience, leaving the user energized, or relaxed or focused, depending on what sort of experience is desired. “We’re designing the high to match the activity you want to enhance, whether that be making love or going skiing,” Jones had told me earlier.

Chooze is calling its tailor-made highs “Cannabis 2.0.” The product is based on terpenes, the organic compounds in marijuana and many other plants that are responsible for aromas. For years, marijuana producers have focused on maximizing THC, selectively breeding the plant to emphasize the psychoactive component over all others and developing cannabis concentrates free of other parts of the plant. But recently, many in the industry are starting to think marijuana’s psychoactive effects are shaped by its pungent terpenes, similarly to how aromatherapy works. Now marijuana websites are deconstructing the potential psychoactive properties of different terpenes: concentrate makers are championing pricey terpene-packed “live resin” and “terp juice” extractions, and ebbu, a Colorado startup co-founded by a videogame designer, has attracted millions in funding by promising to deliver customizable highs based on specific formulations of terpenes and other cannabis components.

But Chooze, in just 10 months and with a $100,000 investment, says it’s beating everyone to the punch. The company says it has developed consistent, made-to-order psychoactive experiences by lacing each of its different mood pellets with terpenes derived from non-cannabis sources. If that’s the case, when LucidMood products launch in the coming months, they could very well usher in a new era of cannabis consumption. But when so much about marijuana still remains unknown, could the secret to Cannabis 2.0 really be so simple?

On the hiking trail, Georgis pulls out a plastic baggie filled with mood pellets and fires up a portable vaporizer. “I think I could go with ‘Contentment,’” says Jones, and Georgis pops a pellet into the device. Once Jones has inhaled the resulting vapor, Georgis goes for a ‘Relaxation’ pellet and Lohndorf opts for ‘Body Buzz.’ Then they hand me the vaporizer, loaded with ‘Contentment.’

I take a puff and wait to see what happens.

Cracking the Terpene Code

Tall and slim, with thin metal-rimmed glasses, Jones resembles a professor. That impression dissipates when he starts talking, ruminating on shared psychotropic experiences and meta-cognitive boosts and reminiscing about the life-changing impact of his first acid trip (which happened to coincide with his first Grateful Dead concert). He calls himself an independent cognitive scientist, noting, “My ability to reflect on my own cognition is extraordinary.” Growing up in West Virginia, he thought he wanted to be a brain surgeon, but ended up studying computer science in college and exploring Eastern religions as well as various mind-altering substances. He worked in software development until a dot-com he launched failed in 2001, and then became an executive coach and launched the Institute for Adaptive Mastery, which trains people in how to increase their emotional intelligence.

Jones never tired of exploring cognition, however, including what his cognition was like on marijuana. When Colorado launched its legalized cannabis market in 2014, he became fascinated by the different effects of various marijuana strains, and he began researching the phenomenon. He stumbled upon terpenes, the 100 or so different aromatic compounds found in cannabis and other plants that function as natural pest control. The terpenes appeared to have therapeutic benefits and mood-altering effects — effects that seemed to be amplified when paired with THC. “Cannabis as it exists in North America almost always has high THC content, and yet consumers have always thought there are vast differences between one stain and another,” said Dr. Ethan Russo, medical director at the Los Angeles-based biotechnology firm Phytecs, who has long studied cannabis compounds. “It couldn’t be simply due to the amount of THC in it, so it had to be something else. On their own, some of the effects of terpenes are subtle. But there seems to be these boosting effects when combined with THC.”

It’s why, in a rapidly expanding cannabis market where brands are eager to stand out, entrepreneurs are turning their attention to these overlooked compounds. “The whole area with terpenes is really exciting,” said Steve DeAngelo, president of the ArcView Group, a major marijuana industry investment firm. “What is becoming more and more clear every day is the particular psychoactive properties of cannabis are not solely dependent on the cannabinoid profile. There is a synergistic effect between the cannabinoids and terpenes.” At an ArcView event in Denver last summer, DeAngelo ended his presentation with advice to investors in the audience: “I am just going to give you one word. And that word is terpenes.”

But so far, no one has been able to fully deliver on terpenes’ promise. While ebbu launched with major fanfare in 2014, so far the company has only released the sort of concentrates, vape pens (handheld vaporizers) and topical products already being produced by other cannabis companies. According to its website, its “ebbu Feelings” product line, which will use terpene and cannabinoid formulations to produce specific feelings such as “Chill, Bliss, Energy, Giggle, and Create,” won’t be available until 2017. Jon Cooper, ebbu’s CEO, couldn’t be reached for comment.

Jones, however, was determined to crack the terpene code. He recruited to his cause several like-minded colleagues: Georgis, a mechanical engineer with whom he’d bonded over a joint at a Further concert, and Lohndorf, a friend who first heard Jones’ plan for customizable highs while they were both pleasantly impaired at Frozen Dead Guys Days, an annual celebration in the nearby mountain town of Nederland.

But how would Chooze, their new company, deliver its tailor-made highs? First they envisioned a desktop machine that, paired with a smartphone app, would emit different terpene-dominated products, like a Keurig machine for cannabis (not to be confused with CannaCloud, a Keurig-like cannabis machine designed by former Keurig executives). Then they considered different colored pills that resembled marijuana-filled Tic Tacs. They ended up going simple: THC and terpene-infused hemp pellets that consumers insert into the vaporizer of their choice.

They had their first test run last April. With the help of an organic chemist they knew, they vaporized cannabis leaf pieces laced with THC and CBD, then repeated the process with leaves infused with what they thought was all the same terpene. Five minutes later, Georgis was lying on the carpet, watching contentedly while Jones and Lohndorf enthusiastically chatted back and forth. That’s when the chemist told them he’d secretly given them different terpenes.

In their minds, the conclusion was clear: “It worked,” said Georgis.

The Wikipedia Approach to Getting High

“Listen to this room,” said Jones. “This is not a pot party.”

He’s standing off to the side of one of Chooze’s now-regular “tasting parties,” this one being held in a colorful marijuana-friendly vacation rental in downtown Boulder called Castle B. An hour into the event, there’s a lightly boisterous buzz among the 20 or so in attendance; folks talk energetically over the Sam Cook record playing on a turntable, while others mosey about sipping water, the only drink available. No one is slumped on the couch, too stoned to function. Jones credits the atmosphere to the table of vaporizers Lohndorf has been manning all night, providing attendees with LucidMood base pellets, and then offering up different mood pellets like a bartender serving various mixed drinks.

“It’s really fun and very social,” said Christina, an older woman wearing stylish glasses and a deep red scarf. “I like this idea of not being stoned out of my gourd. I feel totally clear.”

Chooze has been running these sorts of social alpha-tests since last summer, inviting friends, colleagues and local marijuana industry insiders to events where everyone samples various terpenes and gives feedback on what they experience. (“I am really horny,” one woman who hadn’t smoked pot since college noted on a response form.)

“You could do lots of double-blind studies, or you could put the tools out in this enthusiastic community and let them run the tests for you,” said Jones. “The former is the encyclopedic approach, but we’re taking the Wikipedia approach. We are open-sourcing terpene-mood discovery.”

Thanks to that open-source approach, Jones says the team has locked down the effects of the four main terpenes that will be the basis of their first product line. They discovered that the terpene D-Limonene, which has a citrusy odor, seems to produce an energetic high, so that’s the main ingredient in the mood pellets Chooze will call “Momentum.” Beta-caryophyllene, which has a spicy aroma, appears to create blissful highs, so it’s the foundation of the company’s “Contentment” mood. Linalool, which apparently has soothing effects, is the key to Chooze’s “Relaxation” mood, while beta-myrcene, which they found to be both mentally relaxing and physically stimulating, will be called “Body Buzz.” The company also says people can combine moods to create unique highs, or do a second mood a little while after the first to shift effects midstream.

Chooze aims to launch its first four moods and base pellets this spring in a handful of Boulder-based marijuana retailers. The product will be priced to compete with a glass of wine -- $3 for a base, 75 cents for each mood – and will come in boxes that resemble the packaging for high-end teas. (“We are targeting the LOHAS market,” said Georgis, referring to the upscale “Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability” demographic that tends to shop at places like Whole Foods.) Eventually, Chooze plans to introduce additional moods based on other terpenes and terpene combinations, as well as expand to other states. Finally, the company’s open-source approach will extend to its website, where users will be able to post their favorite mood “recipes” for different activities, whether that be yoga or getting work done (Jones wrote the majority of Chooze’s business plan on a combination of “Relaxation” and “Momentum&#8221.

Some outsiders say what Chooze is doing -- using other plants’ terpenes to modify marijuana effects -- makes perfect sense. “This has been going on for a very long time,” said Dr. Kymron Decesare, chief research officer at Steep Hill marijuana testing and analytics company. “The ability for other terpeniods to modulate cannabis was noted over 2,000 years ago in Chinese pharmacopoeias, which suggested adding plants to cannabis. Now, as we put terpenes back in, we can rebuild these different profiles in psychoactivity.”

But others are highly skeptical of Chooze’s claims. Marijuana’s effects seem to vary tremendously depending on the people and the situation, not to mention possibly on the user’s genetic makeup. And thanks to the federal prohibition on most marijuana research, the plant itself is still mostly a mystery; even the distinctions between sativa and indica, long thought to be the two main types of marijuana, have turned out to be largely arbitrary. So is anyone really ready to deliver predictable, consistent highs to all consumers? “It is way, way too premature to say we are going to deliver a tailor-made effect today,” said Jeff Raber, founder and president of the California-based marijuana testing lab Werc Shop. “To understand which components will deliver that and which people in the population will respond, we don’t know any of that yet. I believe you can get there. But it won’t be anytime soon.”

The Power of Suggestion

After we vaporize the different moods on the Boulder hiking trail, the effects seem to rapidly hit the Chooze team members.

“Oh, wow, I can totally feel it,” said Georgis, who’d tried “Relaxation.”

“Well, I definitely feel less committed to getting anything done than I did four minutes ago,” said Jones, who’d opted for “Contentment,” before launching into a rendition of a Lovin’ Spoonful song.

I, however, don’t feel any different despite the “Contentment” vapor I’d inhaled. I’m as equally high as I was before, trying my best to concentrate on where I’m going as we navigate the winding trail. After a while, I ask to try a different mood, and Georgis hands me the vaporizer filled with a “Momentum” pellet. The vapor tastes slightly lemony, but still, there’s no accompanying boost of energy.

The others, however, seem to be fully under the sway of their various moods. “I’m a little sloppy,” said Jones as we make our way back towards the trailhead. “I’m a little lackadaisical about where I plant my feet. I don’t think I would go hiking on this again. I kinda just want to sit on the couch.”

I’m disappointed that I don’t feel anything, and it’s not simply because I feel left out. With the marijuana industry becoming increasing slick and corporate, Jones and his partners are the sort of quirky, passionate individuals you want to root for to succeed. And at a time when personal vape pens and other products are threatening to do away with the "pass-the-joint" social side of marijuana consumption, everything about Chooze, from Jones’ discussions on psychotropic experiences to its lively tasting parties, is authentically, appealingly fun, and that has to count for something. But are the specific effects that Jones and his partners promise from their products really due to individual terpenes, or are they due to the fact that they bring a lot of people together, get them high and then tell them they’re consuming something called “Contentment”?

The Chooze team members say they’ve run blind taste tests on their mood pellets and have come up with consistent results. But have they tried switching the labels — calling a “Relaxation” pellet “Momentum,” for example — to see if users still feel the appropriate effects? That, say Jones and his colleagues, is something they have yet to try.

Still, they are confident they’ve developed Cannabis 2.0. “We know,” said Jones. “We have no doubt at all.”

At one point during the hike, Georgis points to a nearby rock formation. “I’ve always thought that looks like the face of an Indian chief,” he said.

Jones stops and looks. He doesn’t say whether he sees the face, but he smiles and nods thoughtfully. “The power of suggestion,” he said, before continuing on up the trail.

 

[7greeneyes]

url source: http://www.hightimes.com/read/juici...=Feed:+HIGHTIMESMagazine+(HIGH+TIMES+Magazine)

Juicing Cannabis for Health​

Wake up to the incredible health benefits of non-psychoactive cannabis in its raw form. Juicing raw cannabis leaves and fresh buds along with other fruits and vegetables will add balance to your lifestyle, protect against diseases and supplement your diet with essential cannabinoid acids. You won’t feel mood-altering effects, making it appropriate for daytime use, or for patients who don’t desire inebriation.

In order to have a psychedelic effect from eating cannabis-infused foods, you must first decarboxylate the cannabinoids by heating or drying the plant material. Fresh, live cannabis plants won’t get you high, because the THC is still in its acidic form. Known as THCa, this cannabinoid has anti-spasmodic and anti-inflammatory benefits, and is best used much like a vitamin. Frequent ingestion can be useful in treating conditions such as ALS, autism, fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis and neuropathic pain.

Popularized in Northern California around 2010 by Dr. William Courtney, raw cannabis juicing has been credited with extraordinary healing abilities. Personal testimonies abound, but Kristen Peskuski’s story is one of the most compelling. Plagued by ill health her entire life, Kristen suffered from systemic lupus, chronic fatigue syndrome, endometriosis, and interstitial cystitis, leading to a series of painful medical procedures. At one point, her regimen of pharmaceutical drugs left Kristen practically comatose, and after failing to wake for 38 hours, her friends carried her to a hospital.

Peskuski noticed feeling relief after using cannabis, and was determined to learn more about it. Research led Kristen to believe that the root of her health problems could be endogenous cannabinoid deficiency syndrome, a speculative disorder that Dr. Ethan Russo believes could be related to migraine, fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome and related conditions.

If naturally deficient cannabinoid levels could be the underlying cause of the many conditions alleviated by medical marijuana, using cannabis as a dietary supplement should boost the body’s endocannabinoid system and restore homeostasis. Getting the quantity of cannabinoids necessary to restore health means pursuing non-psychoactive options, since consuming psychoactive THC constantly can make it difficult to get off the couch! Under Dr. Courtney’s care, Kristen began juicing cannabis every day, and was eventually able to heal herself and resume a normal life. She was even able to successfully become pregnant and give birth to a healthy daughter, even after countless doctors had said that her endometriosis would make motherhood impossible.

Healthy Cannabis Juice

Ingredients:

3 lbs cannabis leaves (can use kale or chard also)
4 apples, quartered
4 golden beets, quartered (red beets stain)
3 stalks of celery, quartered
½ cucumber, quartered lengthwise
2 lemons, quartered lengthwise
1 piece of ginger as big as your thumb

Roughly chop your veggies so they will fit easily down the tube of the juicer. Soak and rinse your cannabis leaves to ensure no dust or bugs are on the surface.

Turn juicer on, position a catch cup or pitcher into front of the spout, and begin to juice. Alternate clumps of cannabis leaves with apples, celery, lemons or cucumber pieces to keep the fibrous pulp moving through the machine. Skim the foam from your finished juice.

 

[7greeneyes]

url source: http://www.kktv.com/news/headlines/Standing-Room-Only-At-Cannabis-Club-Hearing-369958601.html

(Colorado) Standing Room Only At Cannabis Club Hearing​

It was standing room only at a public meeting to discuss the fate of cannabis clubs in Colorado Springs.

The pro-pot crowd stood united Tuesday night, applauding long and loudly for every speaker among their ranks who addressed city council. Our partners at The Gazette noted that the sustained, thunderous applause eventually frightened a service dog who had accompanied its owner to the meeting.

City council is gearing up to vote on whether or not to ban cannabis clubs in the city. Many of those who attended Tuesday's meeting implored city council to give marijuana users a place to go.

"I'm a recovering alcoholic," one person said. " don't want to go to bars to be in a social setting, I want to go to cannabis clubs and smoke pot safely in safe environment."

"My landlord won't let me smoke inside. Y'all won't let me smoke outside. In order to smoke cannabis legally, what do you recommend I do if you ban these clubs? I came from Afghanistan with PTSD. I fought for that flag right there in that corner, and I did it in the name of freedom. All I'm asking for is freedom now," said Jonathan Doezier.

Doug Brown, who lives on Bijou Street, countered that he'd called police nearly two dozen times since June because of the cannabis clubs near his home.

The complaints he listed--fighting and public disruptions--sounded like they were coming from the bars near his home, not the cannabis clubs, several in the crowd fired back.

Another at the meeting, Paul Seeling, suggested Springs residents were feeling buyers remorse over legalizing pot more than three years ago.

"Do we want to be a city of virtue? Or do we want to be a city of vice? There is a medical use of marijuana; I do not dispute that at all. The people of Colorado Springs in recent polls have said, 'I think we might have made a mistake.'"

Our partners at The Gazette note that this was the moment that sent the meeting into chaos.

"What polls?" shouted pro-pot protesters from the back of the room. "What polls?"

"The problem is," Seeling continued, "we can't control it because it has too lucrative a pull from the undercurrent of our society."

"Point of order! Point of order!" another man shouted.

Councilman Don Knight had to quiet the crowd.

Knight says he's in favor of banning cannabis clubs because residents like Brown don't have a say over whether or not the clubs are built in their neighborhoods.

"If we do vote to ban it, no one would be allowed to open a new club," Knight said, adding that existing clubs would be grandfathered in--though for how long would be up for another vote down the road.

"If we elect not to ban [cannabis clubs], then we will vote on what zones they are going to be allowed in...from our planning staff, we are saying our industrial zones."

Jason Warf, the executive director of Southern Colorado Cannabis Council, said the clubs have a place in the community.

"The biggest benefit to the community is safety...they do offer that place for tourists and for people who can't smoke cannabis in their place of dwelling. ... Our owners and our clubs don't see these places as a place for sales, but they are a business, a needed business."

The vote on the ban will be on March 8.

 

[7greeneyes]

url source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/amanda-reiman/more-than-just-revenue-th_b_9307200.html

More Than Just Revenue: The Social Capital Benefits of Legal Cannabis​

It looked like a line for a concert, young folks shifting their weight as they patiently waited outside of the New Parish, a popular music venue in Oakland. The appearance of the crowd led one to believe that an alternative rock band or other anti-establishment act was poised to appear. Tattoos were in full force, piercings adorned ears, noses and less common body parts, and hair colors evoked rainbows. But this wasn't a rock show, this was a work event, if your work happens to be in the cannabis industry.

These folks were waiting to get into the Budtender's Bash. Sponsored by Bloom Farms, the Bash is a an appreciation party for those who work in the cannabis industry. Now, I don't know if say, Walmart, throws parties for their employees, but I am fairly certain that the attendees at this event feel more empowered by and satisfied with their work then young people in almost any other field. Watching the faces of the industry, the young faces, the dark faces, the faces of those marginalized from most other big business opportunities, I am reminded of the benefits of cannabis legalization that have nothing to do with using cannabis. Namely, employment and social capital.

Much of the hoopla around the emerging cannabis industry is focused on tax revenue, with states and cities counting the cash (and without banking access, it's literally cash) that comes with the legal retail sale of cannabis. However, beyond just tax dollars, this industry has value, and it lies in opportunity, empowerment, and self-determination.

According to a 2011 study, 43 percent of young adults 18-29 are dissatisfied with their jobs. As a result, 77 percent of those surveyed said they would have to put off major life decisions due to their dissatisfaction with employment or inability to find it, including buying a home, paying off debt, and going back to school. The situation is more intense for young people of color. One in four African Americans and one in six Latinos under the age of 25 is unemployed. Low wage jobs commonly held by young people are increasingly being taken by the middle aged who themselves are being pushed out due to lack of jobs. In addition, the school to prison pipelinehas had a more deleterious effect on young people of color, setting the stage for a lifetime of unemployment and underemployment. Low job satisfaction, unemployment and few prospects for success have more than just financial implications for this population. They can tear at a person's self-worth and make self-destructive behaviors seem more appealing. But most of all, they can dull the brilliance that lives in so many of the young people relegated to fast food serving and cubicle living.

Enter the legal cannabis industry. Some estimate that the newly regulated industry will have provided 200,000 new jobs by 2015. These jobs include everything from construction on new facilities to retail, agriculture, laboratory testing, manufacturing positions, media work, and all of the people it takes to makes these businesses happen. And, unlike what is happening in the general work force, young people are getting these jobs, because they like the risk and they know the product. That's 200,000 people, who, given their demographic, would likely be unemployed or underemployed if it were not for the cannabis industry. That's 200,000 people who don't have to avoid big life decisions like buying a home or paying off loans because of job dissatisfaction and unemployment. But let's take it a step further.

The racial disparities in cannabis enforcement have been well documented. Throughout history, black and brown people have borne the brunt of the drug war. The collateral sanctionsassociated with a drug charge cut deep across a person's ability to succeed in life, by negating access to employment, housing and education opportunities. The fact that there is a legal industry displacing the illicit one means that we need to find a place in the new industry for those who were a part of the old one. This is especially true given the harsh penalties imposed upon people for doing the same thing that others are now hoping to get rich off of. Reparations anyone?

I call on the newly emerging legal cannabis industry to be mindful of the backs on which you stand, and to conduct employment searches that first dip into the pool of applicants who have a wealth of cannabis retail, manufacturing and cultivation experience and the criminal record to prove it. The emerging cannabis industry is much more than a vehicle for financial success, it is an opportunity to lift up and empower groups that have long been under-appreciated and dishonored in our society. From folks who have been discriminated against because of the color of their skin, to their ideas and lifestyle choices, for all who have been stigmatized, this industry welcomes you and wants you to succeed...and least many of us do.

There are cannabis companies who get it. Bloom Farms, the sponsor of the Budtender's Bashdonates a meal to a family in need for every purchase made. Denver Relief, one of the oldest stores in Colorado, has the Green Team, which promotes community wellness through volunteerism, and CBCB, one of the oldest dispensaries in Berkeley, offers free meals on holidays to those in their community who have no place else to go. Panacea, an Oregon company, donates 10 percent of their proceeds to social justice causes. How do we take these great intentions and expand them throughout the industry and into its culture? I am conducting a year-long qualitative study to answer the question: How do we create partnerships between cannabis businesses and community based non -profits that benefit those most impacted by the war on drugs? I believe that if we create a road map of philanthropy for this industry, the positive impact on society will truly be greater than the sum of the parts.

 

[7greeneyes]

https://www.newcannabisventures.com/ackrell-capital-forecasts-100-billion-cannabis-market-in-2029/

Ackrell Capital Forecasts $100 billion Cannabis Market in 2029​

OVERVIEW

•Cannabis is federally illegal in the United States. However, as of
the date of this report, 39 states have legalized cannabis in some
form for recreational or medicinal use.

•The current consumer market for recreational and medicinal
cannabis in the United States is estimated to be more than
$40 billion, including both legal and illegal consumption.

•We believe that it is a question of when—not if—the federal
prohibition on cannabis will end. In analyzing how the end of
prohibition may affect the cannabis industry, we have assumed
that prohibition ends by 2020. However, even with federal prohibition,
the cannabis industry today is large and dynamic.

•We estimate that the U.S. cannabis consumer market for legalized
recreational and medicinal use was $4.4 billion in 2015
and will grow to $9.5 billion in 2019. Once legalized federally,
we estimate this market will grow to $37 billion within 5 years
and $50 billion within 10 years.

•Potential cannabinoid-based therapeutic applications have
been identified for more than 40 medical conditions, including
arthritis, cancer, chronic pain, epilepsy, glaucoma and HIV/
AIDS. While this market will not develop until after the end
of prohibition, we believe that the future cannabinoid-based
pharmaceuticals market may ultimately exceed $50 billion
annually.

•Therefore, we believe that there is a potential $100 billion market
for cannabis. A broad range of investment opportunities
exists both now and in the future for sophisticated investors
who are willing to take significant risks.

Ackrell Capital, based in San Francisco, is an M&A advisory and financing firm that will soon be launching a venture fund targeting the cannabis industry. Shannon Soqui, its Head of Cannabis Investment Banking, had alluded to a pending report on the cannabis industry in late December, and the company published the 118-page report “The Green Gold Rush” today.


The research piece covers a lot of background for the industry, including an overview of the basics of cannabis, the legislative landscape, and legal issues for investors to consider. One of the more interesting aspects of the report is the forecast of the size of the industry, which is based upon a 2020 end to federal prohibition. Ackrell Capital expects the legal market to rise to almost $10 billion by 2019 and then really take off following legalization. The company forecasts a $50 billion market within a decade for recreational and medicinal cannabis, but it also expects to see a very large pharmaceutical component that accounts for half of the overall forecast of $100 billion in 2029.

Finally, the firm also listed its “Top 100 Private Cannabis Companies”, many of which we feature here at New Cannabis Ventures, like Dixie Brands, HelloMD, Mary’s Medicinals, Steep Hill and Vireo Health. It provides a brief description of each of the companies.

Full report can be found here: https://www.newcannabisventures.com...ckrell-Capital-Cannabis-Investment-Report.pdf

 

[7greeneyes]

URL SOURCE: http://www.marijuanatimes.org/will-colorados-cannabis-cup-be-seeing-a-new-location-for-2016/

Will Colorado’s Cannabis Cup Be Seeing a New Location for 2016?​

The High Times Cannabis Cup is probably the most well-known marijuana celebration in the world, am I right? The very first Cup was held in Amsterdam in 1988 – but it didn’t become widely known and popular until many years later.

What was once an event only available to those who could afford to travel became so popular that medical cannabis cups were created to suit those in the U.S. while still playing fair with state laws. As soon as recreational marijuana was legalized in Colorado the wheels were already turning – the medical cup in that state became a full-blown cannabis cup like the one held in Amsterdam (and in the end it turned out bigger).

Hosted for the past two years at the Denver Mart – a venue just outside of Denver. The event gained the attention of people all over the country and quickly became High Times premiere Cannabis Cup event held annually on 4/20.

The only major problem that came up in the past for the cup was the fact that Colorado state law does not permit the use of marijuana in a public place and samples cannot be given away by local vendors. These restrictions posed an issue with the 2015 event – and there were definitely setbacks expected this year I’m sure – but probably nothing like this.

Just last week Adams County rejected the event application for the High Times Cannabis Cup event.

But after a couple well-attended but legally contentious years at the Denver Mart, an expo center in unincorporated Adams County just outside of Denver, commissioners unanimously said no last week to the event’s 2016 permit. A number of law enforcement officials warned the commission that there were too many people sampling too many cannabis products openly at past Cups.

“From a safety perspective, I have serious concerns about this event and this venue,” Adams County Sheriff Michael McIntosh told the commission.

If the event had been approved, restrictions would have been much more heavily regulated than ever before – and the event would have been forced to cap tickets at 15,000 per day – about 20,000 less than visited the event each day last year.

The good news is, High Times wasn’t about to let this ruin the ultimate 4/20 party – so they seem to have rushed around enough to find a last minute location change. The up and coming town of Pueblo Colorado is home to a place that has a thriving cannabis industry.

Currently, the event is listed on High Times official Cannabis Cup website as running April 16th-18th; but the initial application for the event specified the 16th – 20th. Is the new location going to be restricting the number of days for the event – or will the event be moving for a 4/20 location?

No matter what the future has instore for the cannabis cup it is good to see that they’ve at least got a location down finally.

 

[burnin1]

Yay! it is great to see you back 7greeneyes!

 

[7greeneyes]

Thanks burnin1. I've been getting ready to go on dialysis and trying to get use to the notion of not having a job atm. After 68 years (17 years for me there) of being in business in the South Sound, we had to close the doors of my family's company. Can not compete with Big Business and their undercutting deals, they've completely edged us out ....

On a sidenote I'm probably becoming a 502 grower, tho...:woohoo:

 

[Rosebud]

7G, so nice to see you. I have been thinking about you. Thank you for this and for being here..

 

[7greeneyes]

np Rose, I'll be here from now on most likely....