Mj news for 08/24/2015

[7greeneyes]

http://www.nbcnews.com/health/healt...rt-medical-marijuana-users-washington-n413281

Going to Pot: Will Legal Weed Hurt Medical Marijuana Users in Washington?​

SEATTLE — Stephen Damgaard uses medical marijuana for nerve damage in his spine, eating a small brownie made with cannabutter each morning. The weed in the butter comes from one of Seattle's many medical dispensaries -- an untaxed and illegal medical pot shop that up until now has been tolerated by authorities.

But almost everything about marijuana in Washington is about to change, as the state moves to regulate both its 17-year-old medical marijuana program and the legalization of recreational marijuana passed by voters in 2012. And critics say the changes will hurt the users of medical marijuana. Fear of higher prices, possession limits and lack of access to the specific marijuana products that high-use patients need has left medical marijuana advocacy groups fighting back against laws that both Democrat and Republican legislators see as good.

Most medical marijuana, previously untaxed and almost completely unregulated, must now be purchased in the same regulated retail stores that sell weed to recreational users. In addition to paying a 37 percent tax on purchases, medical marijuana patients face lower possession limits and tight restrictions on growing marijuana in group collectives. By July 1, 2016, the new regulations will be fully in place and medical patients will be part of the retail market.

The Cost of Weed

The recreational system took more than a year to get up and running, with the first shops opening in July 2014. There are now 154, and new users and tourists are major driving forces in growing retail sales.

But cost has been an issue since recreational marijuana was legalized in Washington. Prior to this July, when a 37 percent tax on recreational weed became effective statewide, some locales were charging taxes as high as 50 percent.

Supporters of the new laws say that having everyone participate in the same market will make prices drop in the long run. The idea that retail pot is expensive isn't accurate now that more than a few shops are up and running, said Seattle City Attorney Pete Holmes, who advocated for heavily for legalization and medical regulation.

"We're seeing already, even with the limited supply, costs have just really dropped," Holmes said. "In the last 12 months, prices are probably 50 percent of what they were before. With that kind of movement and that kind of price sensitivity, the legal market is going to beat the illegal market in the marketplace."

But medical growers estimate the cheapest medical marijuana is selling for between $125 and $140 an ounce, while the cheapest ounces available at Uncle Ike's and Ocean Greens -- two of Seattle's most popular retail stores -- are around $190. For a patient like Damgaard, who said he uses three ounces a week, the price difference can add up.

I'm on a fixed income," Damgaard said. "I can only afford a little bit."

The Wild West

When medical marijuana was first legalized in Washington in 1998, there wasn't much to it. Some of the states that legalized later included rulemaking guidelines or regulations in their medical marijuana initiatives. Washington's ballot initiative only dealt with the basics. For example, a patient needed only a doctor's recommendation to obtain medical marijuana.

"[Medical marijuana legalization] created an affirmative defense for a patient or designated provider who is authorized by their healthcare provider to possess a 60-day supply of marijuana," said Kristi Weeks of the Department of Health. "That's all it created."

That means that a medical marijuana patient could be arrested for possession, but could use medical authorization as a legal defense at trial.

While the health department would later define a 60-day supply as 24 ounces of marijuana, little else was done to clarify what medical patients could and could not do.

In the absence of regulations, large medical marijuana cultivation cooperatives and dispensaries sprouted around the state. Police and prosecutors mostly tolerated them as an alternative to forcing medical patients to buy weed off the streets, Weeks said.

State lawmakers have responded by trying to cut down on illegal cultivation and sales. Under the new laws, medical patients who previously could possess 24 ounces -- as long as they could prove they needed it if arrested -- are now allowed three. The three ounces are permitted only if they are willing to sign up for the state medical marijuana registry. Unregistered patients are limited to one ounce.

To Joe Mascaro, a medical marijuana patient who legally grows for a handful of friends, the possession limits are going to hurt those who need medical marijuana the most. "For you or me, three ounces seems like a lot," Mascaro said. "For a cancer patient, they can go through it like that, easily."

While Mascaro sees this as a state-controlled monopoly, officials see it as increased availability. "[Now] people will be able to purchase from stores, grow in cooperative grows or grow at home," said Weeks, "so there's no longer a need for anyone to have 24 ounces at any given moment in time."

Holmes, the city attorney, said he doesn't think the three-ounce limit will be enforced on its own other than in cases where a crime has been committed. "It would have to be one of those circumstances akin to lightning striking twice at the same place," Holmes said. "Where you're actually in possession (of more than three ounces) and having given a level of suspicion to a law enforcement officer to have them search you. … I haven't seen it as a practical limitation."

Growing in a group will also be more challenging for medical marijuana patients under the new regulations. The untracked, unregulated collective gardens are gone, but a way for patients to grow in small groups remains in the form of grow cooperatives.

The cooperatives are allowed a maximum of four patients — who are generally allowed to grow four plants each -- but they must be registered with the state and cannot be within a mile of a marijuana store, a major challenge in places like Seattle. Some growers like Mascaro have already started to shrink their small collectives to personal grows. Some of those with big operations said they are more hesitant to downsize.

"I wish I could figure out how I could continue doing this (legally)," said one grower who feels her collective cannot be licensed because of prior arrests. "I'm not taking this risk for you to resell it, I'm doing this to heal people."

"If they [the state] are providing what we're providing," she said, "if a patient can get quality, 20 [dollars]-per-gram RSO (Rick Simpson Oil, a medical marijuana extract), then I'll quit."

 

[7greeneyes]

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2015/08/24/california-wildfires-can-burning-marijuana-fields-get-high/

(LOFL) California wildfires: Can burning marijuana fields get you high? ​

Recent wildfires in Northern California have consumed tens of thousands of acres in the past several weeks. In a paradoxical twist, some of the farms set ablaze in the recent conflagrations were marijuana farms, which produce plants that are meant to be burned (though not quite like this).

News reports about the burning pot plants have focused on the effects the ignited plants might have on the state's medical marijuana industry. But what about other side effects caused by the burning plants? Namely, are the burning pot farms going to get anybody high?

"Unfortunately, no. Or fortunately, no, depending on your perspective," said Ryan Vandrey, an associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. It's very unlikely that nonsmoking Californians will suddenly get the munchies or experience any of the other reported effects of the intoxicating plant, Vandrey told Live Science. [11 Odd Facts About Marijuana]

It's not that marijuana smoke can't get you high. It can, according to a study that Vandrey and his colleagues published in May in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence. The study found that tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) from secondhand pot smoke can build up in a nonsmoker's body, enough so to make him or her feel intoxicated, and in some cases, enough so that he or she would even fail a drug test. (THC is one of the chemicals in marijuana that bonds with cannabinoid receptors in parts of the brain associated with things like pleasure, coordination, memory and time perception. Scientists think THC is likely the chemical behind the "high" people feel when they smoke weed.)

But in order for the THC in secondhand pot smoke to get you high, you'd need to breathe in an awful lot of it, said Vandrey, who noted that this kind of hand-me-down high only occurs when non-pot smokers are stuck in a "hot box" situation (i.e., a room with no windows or any other source of ventilation).

"We evaluated the conditions under which you'd need to be to get intoxicated from secondhand smoke exposure, and it needs to be very extreme," Vandrey told Live Science. In the study, the researchers put 12 participants in a small, Plexiglas chamber and gave half of them joints (marijuana cigarettes) to smoke. Even when a regular air conditioner was set up in the enclosure, enough smoke from the room filtered out so that the nonsmokers stuck in the "hot box" didn't experience a buzz, Vandrey said.

Outside, where there is a constant circulation of air, it's hard to imagine that a person could breathe in enough marijuana smoke to feel the effects of the drug, said Vandrey, who added that a person would have to stand at the edge of a burning field of marijuana and gulp in the smoke for it to have any effect.

And guess what? Standing at the edge of a burning marijuana field, gulping up smoke, is a very, very bad idea, according to Vandrey, as well as the American Lung Association, which recommends that people exposed to wildfire smoke, even from afar, should filter the smoke with a mask and, if possible, stay indoors, away from potentially harmful clouds of soot and ash.

 

[7greeneyes]

http://qz.com/486012/goodbye-metals...e-switching-as-the-lure-of-commodities-fades/

Goodbye metals, hello marijuana: Mining firms are switching as the lure of commodities fades​

Economic turmoil in China, the world’s second-largest economy and top consumer of industrial metals, has hit commodity prices hard. For the smaller players in the mining industry, that’s made business difficult, and the future uncertain. The solution for some? Enter a booming field that’s relatively unaffected by China and has plenty of upside: marijuana. A recent Reuters report lists a number of companies that have made the switch:

*Supreme Pharmaceuticals, which was a copper and gold explorer with projects in western Canada, is now seeking a license to grow medical marijuana in Canada and has bought a greenhouse facility in Ontario;

*Australia’s Erin Resources, which was previously exploring for gold in Senegal, has ventured into the medical marijuana business;

*International Goldfields, listed in Australia, has also moved away from mining and is now investing in medical marijuana assets overseas;

*Chlormet Technologies, formerly Newton Gold, now has a pending license to grow medical marijuana.

The reasons for these companies making the switch seem pretty clear. While demand for commodities has shrunk with China’s economic slowdown, the marijuana industry is growing and being helped by increasingly favorable regulatory trends in a number of places.

In 2012, the US state of Washington removed criminal penalties for possession of small quantities of marijuana and Colorado legalized the possession, use, production, distribution, and personal cultivation of the drug. More places have followed, including Oregon, Alaska, and Washington, DC, and further US decriminalization of the drug seems likely.

This summer, Canada’s supreme court struck down a law that restricted medical-marijuana users from purchasing or consuming the substance in any form except dried leaves—allowing for cookies, teas, and oils, for instance.
Last year, the legal cannabis market in the US had a value of $2.7 billion, a 74% increase from 2013, making it the fastest-growing industry in the country, according to a report by ArcView Market Research (pdf, registration required). If all 50 states were to legalize sales of recreational marijuana, the firm estimates, the market would be larger than the organic food industry, with a value of $36.8 billion.

Copper, meanwhile, has shed 22% so far in 2015.

 

[7greeneyes]

http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/top-10-reasons-legalized-marijuana-will-pass-in-arizona-7585381

TOP 10 REASONS LEGALIZED MARIJUANA WILL PASS IN ARIZONA​

Alaska, Oregon, Washington, Colorado, and Washington, D.C., have legalized marijuana for adults 21 and older, and Arizona voters probably will get the chance to decide the question for themselves next year.


The people of the 48th state are a proud, independent-thinking bunch who prefer the federal government to butt out (except when we need money). It's a purple state with about 35 percent of voters registered as independent. Put the question before them, and Arizona voters will say "yes" to legal marijuana for a multitude of reasons.

Here are our Top 10 reasons why marijuana legalization will pass here next November:

10.) Momentum for the pot revolution is increasing nationally: Petitions are being gathered for adult-use legalization in 13 states, including Arizona. In Ohio, a pro-legalization bill will be on the ballot this November.

9.) The Arizona medical-marijuana program has been wildly successful, with 80,000 patients and almost 90 dispensaries that have spawned fewer problems than the average Circle K.

8.) Voters no longer trust prohibitionist county attorneys Bill Montgomery and Sheila Polk, much less the Arizona Republic's editorial board, on cannabis issues.

7.) People who believe in states' rights and individual liberty will vote to free the weed — and that includes plenty of Arizonans.

6.) The rate signature-gathering is going demonstrates the popularity of legal pot. Even in our hot-as-hell weather lately, petition-gatherers for the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol say they've already collected 60,000 signatures. (The required 230,000 should be a cinch before the July 7, 2016, deadline.)

5.) Since legalizing marijuana in 2012, Colorado has seen its traffic fatalities, crime, and teen use of marijuana decline — while ever-increasing tax revenue from legal cannabis sales is expected to raise more than $30 million for Colorado schools this year. Heaven knows our schools need a financial jolt.

4.) Apparently, God wants it to pass, and there certainly are a lot of Christians in Arizona! The Bible says: "And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb-yielding seed, which is upon the face of all the Earth." (Genesis 1:29)

3.) The state's young people will come out in droves on November 8, 2016, to cast their votes in the most important presidential election of their time — and most of them will also vote for legal marijuana.

2.) The Rocky Mountain Poll, which predicted that Arizona's medical-marijuana ballot measure would win narrowly in 2010, predicts the same thing now for the potential 2016 legalization initiative.

1.) It's the money, stupid: By taxing 400,000 Arizonans for something they already use, Arizona schools should reap a tax-revenue windfall of $40 million or more a year.

 

[7greeneyes]

http://blog.seattlepi.com/marijuana...uana-industry-have-a-race-problem/#35048101=0

Does the legal marijuana industry have a race problem?​

For decades, people of color have paid a heavy price for the war on drugs. It’s well known that minorities are arrested and jailed at disproportionate rates on marijuana-related charges. But, now that recreational weed is legal in Washington, are those same people who were once likely to be racially profiled reaping the benefits of the industry of legal pot?

What we found

We cold-called 270 marijuana producers, processors and recreational retailers in Washington state to determine who exactly is running and being employed by these pot shops, and who is actually benefitting.

Out of the producers and processors we were able to make contact with, 110 provided employee demographic information consistent with what could be expected: The marijuana industry is mostly saturated with white males, many of whom are not only employed by businesses but also run them.

Despite marijuana’s newfound legality, for some people of color entering this business is understandably wary territory, if not entirely out of the question. The American Civil Liberty Union’s War on Marijuana report found that, “a Black person is 3.73 times more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession than a white person, even though Blacks and whites use marijuana at similar rates.”

However, out of the several retailers we were able to speak with in the Seattle area, 40 percent of their employees are people of color (defined as non-Caucasian, but included mixed-race individuals), as compared to about 9 percent for producers and processors across the state.


Racial disparities?

Minority employment in legal weed actually seems to be consistent with statewide racial statistics. About 30 percent of Washington’s population is nonwhite, and about 4 percent is black, according to the 2013 US Census. Seattle also happens to rank as the fourth city with the lowest number of black-owned businesses, according to the Census Survey of Business Owners.

“When they did the lottery [for recreational licenses] there wasn’t one African American as a winner,” said Michael Gordon, who is black, and a partial owner at White Center’s Bud Nation. “Then it kinda set a precedent for becoming a predominantly white male culture.”

Marijuana retailers from I-502 shops seemed to consistently have more diverse staff, and more women employees than production and processing operations. However, many of the producers and processors said their minority employment increases during harvest season, with more women and Hispanics being seasonally employed.

A Liquor and Cannabis Board spokesman said the state does not keep any racial demographic information on marijuana business owners or applicants.

Institutionalized racial divides

“I think it’s quite reflective of other industries and of society in general where you see this lack of diversity at a business-owner level,” said Oscar Velasco-Schmitz, Hispanic owner of Dockside Cannabis. “In general, you see a disparity in diversity at a ownership level because of lack of opportunity.”

Harry Levine, a professor at City University of New York who has extensively studied racial discrimination in marijuana-related arrests, agreed that this is more of a traditionally systematic problem rather than a racial one.

“When [businesses] are just starting up, people hire their friends, their relatives, people they were working with before,” said Levine. “Typically when starting a new business, it’s done by people of means and standings. It’s done by people who have plenty of capital to sustain themselves and this venture. This excludes lots of ordinary people of any race, or gender for that matter, so you would expect the industry to be racially [skewed].”

To apply for a recreational marijuana license it costs $250, and is cheaper than in other states, according to Mikhail Carpenter of the LCB. But a cheap price tag on an application fee cannot guarantee a diverse market of ownership. Nor can it guarantee social justice for people of color who want to now enter the industry that once would have made them a criminal, but still may not have the means to make a living in it.

Should we be paying more attention to racial disparity in the legal weed scene, or just let the market figure it out?

Targeted by feds?

One former marijuana business owner, Brionne Corbray, who is black, knows all too well what the answer should be.

Corbray was formerly the owner of three G.A.M.E. Collective marijuana dispensaries across Seattle. He was initially seen as being a successful local black entrepreneur in the cannabis industry, but in 2012 he was hit with federal felony charges.

Corbray was prosecuted and pled guilty to conspiracy to deal drugs based on a series of undercover sting operations led by the Drug Enforcement Administration on his dispensaries.

Corbray has consistently denied the allegations and says he did everything according to state law, which was widely acknowledge to have created a “grey market” that proliferated throughout the state for a more than a dozen years. He said he only pled guilty under the advice of his attorney who told him fighting back against federal law — under which marijuana is still illegal — was futile, especially because he is black.

When Corbray first hoped to own a dispensary, he was wary from the get-go because of his race. He even drove to Olympia to speak with the Secretary of State to make sure that as long as he followed the rules, the state government would not get involved. In the end, Corbray’s dreams for a long-term successful business fell apart.

“What’s crazy is that all that legitimate paperwork I had was used against me somehow, even my licenses because it’s against federal law,” Corbray said. “If I had been white, this never would have happened. Period.”

Barriers to success

Despite fear of being racially profiled, some people of color try to enter this industry, and still fail due to bureaucratic obstacles linked to education, access and wealth.

“I definitely think more minorities should get involved in this industry from the beginning, instead of having to try catching up later on so they’ll have a higher success rate,” said Paul Kim, Korean owner of Bud Nation. “But it’s very hard. Reason being, there are strict requirements like a criminal and financial background checks or fingerprinting, which some minorities don’t pass, which is just another barrier to this industry.”

Kim also says language barriers are a factor preventing some people of color from obtaining licenses in this potentially lucrative industry.

Partial owner of Bud Nation and wife of Michael Gordon pointed out the inherent racial hypocrisy of the industry. “When marijuana is illegal it’s fine for people of color to be the ones growing, dealing and getting arrested, but when it becomes legalized it all changes.”

 

[7greeneyes]

http://www.pjstar.com/article/20150823/NEWS/150829768

Some Illinois health systems say no to medical marijuana​

CHICAGO — Patients must have a doctor's signature to buy medical marijuana in Illinois, but some health systems are forbidding doctors from putting pen to paper because the drug is still illegal at the federal level.

Others are cautiously allowing doctors to participate in the pilot program, even conducting training sessions to make sure doctors know their legal responsibilities as gatekeepers.

Illinois is among 23 states that permit marijuana for medical use, but the program has been slow to start since the law was enacted two years ago. Seven cultivation centers have been green-lighted to start growing cannabis; sales will begin later this year.

Yet, only 2,800 patients have qualified for the program, a frustratingly low number for the new industry. Hesitance from the medical establishment may be one reason. For some doctors, marijuana provides an exciting new treatment option. Others want to avoid an unfamiliar substance that wasn't covered in medical school.

"We're all cautious about new things. We want to test the waters," said Dr. Scott Cooper, president of the Illinois State Medical Society, which provides training to doctors on the marijuana law. "There's going to be a learning curve."

Some patients also are waiting for Gov. Bruce Rauner's administration to approve 11 additional conditions and diseases — including migraine, osteoarthritis and post-traumatic stress disorder — that were recommended by an advisory board in May. The move would open legal marijuana to thousands, perhaps millions, more Illinois residents.

Under the law, doctors must sign a five-page form attesting that they have a "bona fide physician-patient relationship" that goes beyond a marijuana consultation, and that the patient has an approved diagnosis and is likely to benefit from using marijuana. Doctors, not patients, mail the form to the Illinois Department of Public Health.

From the start, state regulators took a hard line, disciplining one doctor for allegedly misleading potential patients by offering pre-approval for medical marijuana and warning other doctors against setting up medical cannabis clinics.

"I still to this day believe that's responsible for the doctor shortage," said Tammy Jacobi, owner of a Chicago business called Good Intentions that helps patients fill out paperwork.

The disciplined doctor, Brian Murray, once worked at Good Intentions, but now the company is only a matchmaker, providing a list of doctors willing to consider recommending marijuana, Jacobi said. "The state of Illinois definitely keeps their eyes on Good Intentions," Jacobi said.

Many large health systems in the state are allowing doctors to use their own judgment and encouraging them to know the law. In late May, Downers Grove-based Advocate Health Care, which has the state's largest physician network, held a daylong seminar, drawing about 100 doctors.

"Our goal is to assist patients on their path back to health," Advocate Medical Group CEO Dr. Kevin McCune said in an email. "Physicians work with each patient to determine the best treatment plan in order to achieve this."

Patients' access to medical marijuana mostly depends on where they get their medical care.

In southern Illinois, two major health care organizations —Southern Illinois Healthcare and Southern Illinois University — are preventing doctors from formally recommending marijuana. Both cited the federal view of marijuana as a controlled substance with no accepted medical use.

But Dr. David Yablonsky, who has clinics in Maryville and Edwardsville, said he has written marijuana certifications for patients with fibromyalgia, Crohn's disease and multiple sclerosis.

"I really challenge health centers and other physicians to be open-minded, to talk to patients and read about this," Yablonsky said, stressing marijuana's lower toxicity and addictiveness compared to prescription painkillers.

In central Illinois, there is no across-the-board policy on medical cannabis for doctors who are part of the Urbana-based Carle Foundation Hospital and Physician Group.

"There are many points of view about the clinical efficacy of cannabis as a therapeutic or medical treatment option," said Dr. Matthew Gibb, chief medical officer. "Carle has determined that our providers practicing in their areas of specialization have the best understanding of their patients."

In Chicago, Northwestern Memorial HealthCare has adopted a system-wide policy in which its more than 1,500 physicians "must provide informational materials and discuss the facts and uncertainty around medical marijuana" before certifying any patient, according to spokesman Christopher King. Rush University Medical Center doesn't yet have an official position, hospital spokeswoman Deb Song said.

Meanwhile, veterans receiving treatment at Veterans Affairs hospitals have a somewhat easier time getting a medical marijuana card. VA doctors, as federal employees, aren't permitted to recommend controlled substances, so the state's rules spell out that those under VA care don't need a doctor to sign off.

 

[7greeneyes]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/wor...ernment-says-cannabis-kills-cancer-cells.html

US government says cannabis kills cancer cells​

The US government has confirmed that cannabis can kill cancer cells after the drug did so in tests on mice and rats, according to the National Cancer Institute.

The development will provide further ammunition for pro-legalisation campaigners.

On its website The National Cancer Institute, part of the US department of health, said: "Laboratory and animal studies have shown that cannabinoids (the active ingredient in cannabis) may be able to kill cancer cells while protecting normal cells.

"They may inhibit tumour growth by causing cell death, blocking cell growth, and blocking the development of blood vessels needed by tumours to grow."
The studies in rodents show that cannabinoids may reduce the risk of colon, liver and breast cancer, and could make chemotherapy more effective.

But researchers added: "At this time, there is not enough evidence to recommend that patients inhale or ingest cannabis as a treatment for cancer-related symptoms or side effects of cancer therapy."

In many US states where cannabis is already legal for medicinal use, cancer patients have long been using the drug to ease pain.

The Cancer Research charity reacted cautiously, saying there was no evidence of a similar effect in humans.

A spokesman said: "There isn't enough reliable evidence to prove that cannabinoids, whether natural or synthetic, can effectively treat cancer in patients, although research is ongoing around the world."

The charity has also warned patients to be wary of fraudsters selling cannabis treatments.

 

[7greeneyes]

http://www.theweedblog.com/check-ou...-2015-fall-regional-cannabis-business-summit/

Check Out Cannasure Insurance Services At The 2015 Fall Regional Cannabis Business Summit​

If you are like me, and I think like most Americans, you find insurance to be very boring. There are a lot of details dealing with a seemingly endless list of possible scenarios and by the time I try to wrap my head around all of it I can’t remember half the stuff I was reading about insurance policies. At the end of the day, I just want to know that I have good insurance, and that my insurance company has my back. That goes for health insurance, car insurance, home insurance, etc. I describe myself as an overly-paranoid person, and I don’t think that I can ever have enough insurance.

I was attending a cannabis seminar once, during which the speaker said that you are not a real business if you don’t have a bank account and insurance. Unfortunately for the cannabis industry, cannabis businesses cannot get bank accounts for the most part. However, every cannabis business can have insurance. If you are pouring your soul into something that you have created, and you want to protect it, then obviously you need insurance to know that there will be help when you need it.

One of the oldest and most reputable names in the cannabis industry when it comes to insurance is Cannasure. Cannasure has been around for longer than most cannabis businesses have been around, and they have been providing tailored insurance plans specifically for cannabis businesses the whole time. Below is more about Cannasure, via their website:

Since 2010 we have been one of the leading providers of insurance in the marijuana industry. Our managing director is a regular expert speaker at all of The National Cannabis Industry events and has spoken on insurance and risk management in Seattle, Denver, Phoenix, Boston, Albuquerque, San Francisco, Las Vegas. He has written expert columns for the leading trade journal, click here to read the article, and has been interviewed and quoted extensively by Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg News, CNN, Denver Post, Seattle Times and the Arizona Republic.

Through our extensive risk management assessments of some of the leading dispensary, cultivation facilities and infused product manufactures from California to Colorado we have spent hundreds of hours observing, interviewing and analyzing the unique risks facing the cannabis industry.

We started Cannassure with the singular purpose of helping the Medical Marijuana Industry secure insurance products at a reasonable cost. Cannassure saw firsthand a glaring need and a complete lack of understanding from the insurance industry as a whole.

The origins of Cannassure can be traced back to one of our high school and college friends who was in the process of opening a medical marijuana cooperative in the Southern California area. In one of our weekly conversations he was discussing his frustration at finding and securing business owners insurance at a reasonable cost for his cooperative. We offered to take over the search and report back to him on our findings. As we started talking with insurance carriers we could see that the amount of misinformation about the industry as a whole was really shocking. The stigma on the burgeoning Medical Marijuana Industry was one not based in fact. We also discovered the many fly by night brokers and agencies looking to just make a quick buck without understanding the needs of the Collectives, Cooperatives, Dispensaries and Growers.

Our first hand experience in working with the cooperative was invaluable to our people. We were able to research and understand exactly the hurdles that each collective, cooperative, dispensary and grower faces on an everyday basis. We trust that you will find our knowledgeable staff responsive, professional and discreet. Please do not hesitate to call, we are always willing to listen and answer your questions. We are available and ready to help in any way possible. Medical Marijuana should be accessible for any qualified patient and we feel that insurance should be affordable and attainable for those working in the medical marijuana industry.

If you are serious about your cannabis business, then you need to protect your idea. Obviously shop around, but I think that you will inevitably realize why so many successful cannabis businesses do their insurance through Cannasure. Cannabis businesses have very specific needs, and the people at Cannasure know exactly how to make sure that you are covered. Cannasure is going to be an exhibitor at the upcoming 2015 Fall Regional Cannabis Business Summit in New York hosted by the National Cannabis Industry Association September 21-23.

The event would be a great opportunity to stop by their booth, pick their brains about insurance, and also to check out everything else at the event. There will be seminars, exhibitors, world class speakers, networking opportunities, and a lot more. The event is likely to sell out, so get your tickets sooner rather than later. You can check out Cannasure on Facebook and Twitter.

***

About the National Cannabis Industry Association

NCIA is the only national trade association advancing the interests of the legitimate and responsible cannabis industry. Our industry supports tens of thousands of jobs, tens of millions in tax revenue, and billions in economic activity in the United States. NCIA is leading the unified and coordinated campaign to ensure this emerging sector is treated fairly under federal law.

Check out the National Cannabis Industry Association on Facebook and Twitter.

 

[7greeneyes]

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/ca...-capturing-value-from-the-industry-2015-08-24

Cashing in on Cannabis: CrowdGather's Smart Approach to Capturing Value From the Industry​

Aug 24, 2015 (ACCESSWIRE via COMTEX) -- REDONDO BEACH, CA / ACCESSWIRE / August 24, 2015 / The cannabis industry could reach $35 billion in size by 2020, according to GreenWave Advisors, while it's generally considered to be the fastest growing industry in the U.S. economy. While these dynamics should make the industry ripe for investment, the murky legality of industry on a federal level and the opaque nature of many existing publicly-traded companies in the space (that went public through reverse mergers) have made it treacherous for investors.

In this release, we'll take a look at CrowdGather's unique value proposition to investors interested in the cannabis industry.

Growing Institutional Interest


The cannabis industry has begun attracting significant levels of institutional interest. In January, venture capital heavyweight Peter Thiel announced that his $2 billion Founders Fund would be investing in Privateer Holdings, a marijuana company that owns several pot-related brands. The size of the investment wasn't officially disclosed, but insiders say that it was a "multimillion dollar" participation in Privateer's $75 million capital raise.

On a more granular level, ArcView Group has over 480 investor members that have invested over $45 million into 72 different companies. The group hosts webinars each week where up to five companies pitch investors, while offering large in-person events each quarter. With hundreds of high net worth individuals participating, the group has been an early pioneer in facilitating institutional level investments within the growing cannabis industry.

The common denominator is that these investments were all made in privately-held companies rather than publicly-traded companies. When it comes to traditional institutional investors - who may be limited to publicly-traded securities - there are fewer options. Many public companies have shaky finances, limited operating histories, and few disclosures when it comes to making regular filings with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Ideal Risk-Free Exposure

CrowdGather operates a growing portfolio of special interest forums and scalable multi-platform games. In April, we announced the acquisition of digital assets including WeedTracker.com, DispensaryWeed.com, and WeedInHollywood.com as part of an effort to diversify its digital assets to capitalize on the growing cannabis industry. The diversification also is consistent with our overall focus of accumulating online users and monetizing them.

While companies like GW Pharmaceuticals plc GWPH, -3.27% and Cannabis Science Inc. CBIS, -4.32% are pursuing clinical trials, our business model enables them to immediately capitalize on the information component of the growing industry without relying on regulatory approvals to begin realizing revenue by providing web services to cannabis consumers and then generating revenue from advertising.

We plan on building out WeedTracker.com into a fully-featured on-line cannabis community, while turning WeedInHollywood.com into its first cannabis themed gaming title. Beyond these efforts, our management hopes to become a nexus for the entire digital cannabis movement by designing a crowdfunding platform focused on cannabis that it intends to launch on its root domain - CrowdGather.com - in early 2016.

Our Business Model

Our social gaming business generated nearly $700,000 in revenue at a 75% gross margin during the three-months ended January 31, 2015, creating a base upon which to grow its newly acquired cannabis-focused businesses. Management believes the addition of high-growth cannabis opportunities on top of its existing business creates an opportunity for institutional and retail investors to get involved in the potential upside.

According to YCharts, the company's stock is trading more than 40% below its historical valuation of $0.0872, and we believe, below our enterprise value, and with an attractive price-book ratio. We believe these dynamics suggest that the stock may be undervalued based on its assets and historical valuations, despite the addition of its new gaming and cannabis-focused businesses that have the potential to create its opportunities.

The company's management has also been making changes to the cost structure aimed at improving profitability. In May of last year, the company sold off some of its legacy assets in order to shore up its balance sheet and raise cash. While platform fees and payroll costs have risen from its subsequent Plaor acquisition, we believe that ongoing revenue growth will offset and leverage these higher expenses as it achieves scale.

Looking Ahead

We believe CrowdGather offers an opportunity to capitalize on the rapidly growing cannabis industry without taking on any of the regulatory risk. In addition, the company has the added benefit of a rapidly growing gaming business and an equity that is trading at a compelling valuation. We hope Investors in the cannabis industry, including those involved with companies like Surna Inc. SRNA, -25.26% and MaryJane Group Inc. MJMJ, +0.00% may want to take a closer look at our stock.

During its last fiscal year, the company reported revenue that increased 51% to $2.4 million and a net loss ($7.1 million) on a per share basis that was cut in half from ($0.13) to ($0.06) per share. The majority of these results were realized from its social gaming division, which accounted for about three-quarters of revenue, while forum revenue accounted for much of the remainder. Management's daily bookings and other metrics have also been increasing.

As a vote of confidence in our future prospects, CrowdGather CEO Sanjay Sabnani has also been an active buyer of the stock in the open market, having purchased 50,000 shares in mid-June of this year at prices of $0.075 to $0.08 per share, according to Form 4 filings with the SEC. Additionally, Sabnani provided bridge financing to the company earlier this year of $270,000. These actions suggest that Mr. Sabnani remains confident in the company's future and believes that the current price of the stock may be undervalued.

To learn more, visit the company's website at www.crowdgather.com.

Legal Disclaimer:

Except for the historical information presented herein, matters discussed in this release contain forward-looking statements that are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such statements. Emerging Growth LLC is not registered with any financial or securities regulatory authority, and does not provide nor claims to provide investment advice or recommendations to readers of this release. Emerging Growth LLC may from time to time have a position in the securities mentioned herein and may increase or decrease such positions without notice. For making specific investment decisions, readers should seek their own advice. Emerging Growth LLC may be compensated for its services in the form of cash-based compensation or equity securities in the companies it writes about, or a combination of the two. For full disclosure please visit: http://secfilings.com/Disclaimer.aspx.

SOURCE: Emerging Growth LLC

http://www.accesswire.com/img.ashx?id=431483

 

[7greeneyes]

http://marijuanapolitics.com/my-first-seattle-hempfest-as-a-news-anchor-turned-cannabis-activist/

My First Seattle Hempfest as a News Anchor Turned Cannabis Activist​

Less than a month after coming out of the cannabis closet, I found myself a part of the world’s largest annual gathering centered around cannabis: Seattle Hempfest. After several years of working as a local news reporter and anchor and hiding my cannabis use at all costs, I was suddenly speaking to hundreds of people about exactly that.

Calling my Hempfest experience surreal would be an understatement. Being my first-ever cannabis-related event, it was pretty great being thrust into the mix.

Starting with the VIP Party Friday night, I quickly realized I was surrounded by history-makers in the legal marijuana movement. I saw and met a number of noteworthy people, including fellow Eugene resident, Elvy Musikka.

Believe it or not, Elvy receives legal marijuana from the Federal Government, and has since 1988. (And she’s not alone, three other people are also still a part of the Compassionate Investigational New Drug program.) Elvy is living with glaucoma and fought for the right to use medical cannabis. In the end, she won, and has been smoking government-rolled marijuana cigarettes ever since.

I had never heard Elvy’s story before, and it was humbling. Being around her and all the other activists made me feel very grateful. It was the 24th Annual Seattle Hempfest, and I am 25 years old. To think that many of the people I met and talked with have been fighting for cannabis for my entire life, or longer, just encouraged me to continue to push for the changes that they’ve made possible.

When I spoke on the main stage, the message of my speech was if you can talk about cannabis… you should talk about cannabis, because exposing people to the truth about the plant is the only way to bring about social and political change.

That has been my message from the beginning, but I’ve only been able to share it because of what people before me have accomplished. People like Keith Stroup, the founder of NORML, were instrumental in getting us this far, and at Hempfest, suddenly he was shaking my hand. He walked up to me after I spoke, introduced himself and complimented me on my message. What an incredible moment.

Without the sacrifices of many people like Elvy and organizations like NORML, I would not have been able to speak out. Being around them reinforced my drive to fight for the acceptance of cannabis use and I was honored to be on a panel with other advocates, speaking out against the unfair discrimination that the cannabis community faces today. I hope that I will be part of the generation of activists that puts an end to marijuana prohibition on a global level. Seattle Hempfest was my first cannabis-related event, but it certainly won’t be my last.

 

[7greeneyes]

http://globalnews.ca/news/2181066/n...ss-gets-boost-from-medical-cannabis-industry/

Natural pest control business gets boost from medical cannabis industry​

TORONTO – When Sarah Stuive first got into the natural pest control business – which uses predatory insects, or “good bugs,” to weed out pests – she never expected to be working with cannabis plants.

But thanks to Health Canada regulations that limit the use of chemical pesticides on medical marijuana in order to make sure the plants are safe for consumption, the biological control specialist says she’s seeing an uptick in business.

“I have seen a lot of growth in demand since the start of the cannabis industry,” said Stuive, who works for Global Horticultural and also provides her services to vegetable farmers and plant growers. “It’s a new alternative to chemicals.”

Although certain chemical pesticides are permitted on medical cannabis- Health Canada currently has a list of seven products that have been approved for use – some producers prefer to avoid chemical sprays, which can leave residue on the plants.

“Specifically in this industry, it’s very important not to apply chemicals topically, because when you burn the plant for the medicinal compounds, any residual product that’s left on the leaves as a resin, you’ll also be burning that and inhaling it,” says Emily Moeller, the grow and production manager at Bedrocan Cannabis Corp.

Street marijuana produced in illegal grow-ops tends to be riddled with such chemicals, according to Moeller.

That can be particularly harmful for people whose immune systems are compromised, says Cam Battley, Bedrocan’s vice-president of communications.

“The product we produce is being used by patients with a variety of health conditions,” Battley said in an interview at the company’s production facility east of Toronto.

“Some of them are immuno-compromised; they have HIV/AIDS. Some of them are using medical cannabis to manage the symptoms associated with chemotherapy. For people in these conditions, for people with chronic illnesses, it’s better not to have any residue at all on our product.”

There are a number of pests that can feed on cannabis crops which specialists like Stuive are on the lookout for, including fungus gnats, shore flies, thrips and spider mites.

At Bedrocan, Stuive – whose job involves administering the pest control and monitoring its effectiveness – uses three kinds of beneficial insects to keep pest populations in check.

Hypoaspis miles is a tiny mite that lives in the soil and preys on fungus gnats, shore flies and thrips. Stuive administers it by sprinkling peat moss containing the mite onto the soil in which the cannabis plants are growing.

Microscopic round worms called nematodes are applied through the water system and will eat the eggs of fungus nuts that have been laid in the root ball of the plant.

And amblyseius swirskii, a predator that lives on the leaves of the plant, feeds on thrips, white flies and spider mites. It’s often contained in sachets that are either stuck into the ground on sticks or hung on the plant with a string.

Biological pest control can be costlier up front than using chemical sprays, says Moeller, but in the long run producers who use this strategy could end up saving money.

“You won’t have to throw entire crops out because they’re contaminated,” Moeller says.

 

[Rosebud]

I haven't read the news yet 7G, the new for us is that YOU ARE HERE!!!

Great to see you. Now for the news.