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https://hightimes.com/

Missouri Would Allocate $10 Million from Opioid Settlement to Psilocybin Research in New Budget Bill

The House of Representatives in Missouri has approved a budget bill that allocates $10 million from the state’s opioid settlement funds for research grants. But not just any research grants. These are intended to explore the effectiveness of psilocybin in treating opioid use disorder, which is currently considered a public health crisis in the United States. Originally, thanks to an addition to the bill that came up in a House committee last week, the bill, HB 2010, would have used the $10 million to actually study ibogaine for treating opioid use disorder. However, on Tuesday, that was modified to redirect the funds towards psilocybin research instead. Currently, the measure would allocate a one-time sum of $10 million from the state’s Opioid Addiction Treatment and Recovery Fund to pay for grants for research universities. These grants are created to finance the study of the role of psilocybin in healing for substance use disorder. Rep. Cody Smith (R), who introduced the original budget bill, noted that the shift in funding towards psilocybin research stemmed from a discussion he had with the state Department of Mental Health last week. “They had concerns about the ibogaine research they had read, and there are concerns about the dangers involved in that research,” Smith said. “However, they are interested in the psilocybin piece. And we’ve seen many other states use their opioid settlement funds to that end.” Smith isn’t the only Republican who backed the original ibogaine research plan. Rep. Chad Perkins (R), another supporter of the ibogaine research plan, told Marijuana Moment in an email: “I had several concerned individuals reach out and provide me with information regarding the potential benefits of ibogaine. After some research, I believed it was a worthy and prudent investment for the state to combat opiate addiction.” Missouri is expected to get hundreds of millions of dollars in opioid-related settlement funds, which were collected through various lawsuits against the opioid industry and related entities, over the next several decades, And psychedelic advocates are working to allocate that money toward treatment models to help stop the opioid crisis through treatment. Last year, Kentucky also considered putting money towards researching ibogaine for opiate use disorder. However, they ultimately also backed away from that plan, and advocates set their sights on other states, such as Missouri. Research indeed shows that ibogaine could be revolutionary for healing addiction. One study found that just a single ibogaine treatment not only reduced opioid withdrawal symptoms but “achieved opioid cessation or sustained reduced use in dependent individuals as measured over 12 months.” However, ibogaine is still illegal in the U.S., and unlike psychedelics like psilocybin, it can lead to cardiac arrest and death, which is likely why the lawmakers opted for psilocybin. While many folks believe that the risks of a single ibogaine treatment are worth kicking a deadly opioid addiction, Perkins told Marijuana Moment that he’s satisfied with the shift towards psilocybin. “I’m not disappointed,” he said. “I believe that bringing more exposure to the benefits of psychedelics has been an ancillary effect of the pursuit of this budget item. This issue will hopefully raise the profile of psychedelics and provide a foundation on which we can base future policy decisions.” Psilocybin is also indicated for opiate use disorder. As TIME reports, a 2022 study featured in Scientific Reports analyzed data from 214,505 U.S. adults whose information was gathered in the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) spanning 2015 to 2019. This investigation uncovered a link between a history of psilocybin usage (at any point in a person’s life) and a diminished risk of developing opioid use disorder. The study examined 11 criteria used by scientists to identify opioid use disorder (such as dedicating considerable time to acquiring and consuming drugs) and discovered that previously taking psilocybin actually was significantly associated with a reduced chance for seven of these criteria, and slightly reduced odds for two additional criteria, giving folks a pretty awesome excuse to enjoy some magic mushrooms. Missouri sets a precedent for even more conservative governments embracing psychedelic therapies to combat the ongoing opioid crisis. In just a handful of examples, recently, the Governor of Indiana signed legislation that included measures to support clinical research trials investigating psilocybin. And in Utah, the Governor established a pilot program that allows hospitals to offer psilocybin and MDMA as alternative treatments. Furthermore, a committee in the Arizona House endorsed a bill that would legalize psilocybin service centers, where folks use the psychedelic under medical supervision.

https://hightimes.com/

The Magic of Mushrooms

You may have mastered the art of growing pot but how about growing psilocybin mushrooms? Welcome to Psilocybin: An Easy Guide to Growing and Experiencing the Potential of Magic Mushrooms explores how to grow mushrooms and trip with the best setting and intentions. Written by Seth Warner, this book provides the basics for delving into the psychedelic world of mushrooms, with a foreword written by renowned psychedelic pioneer Dennis McKenna. The book provides information on dosage, sourcing spores, psychedelic safety, and all the tools and instructions needed to successfully grow potent magic mushrooms at home. It also includes a brief overview of the individuals in history who have inspired Warner—notably Maria Sabina, as well as Terence and Dennis McKenna. Welcome to Psilocybin also covers the internet age of psilocybin including pioneer Robert McPherson, aka Psilocybe Fanaticus, who put together early emergent techniques that have since been refined. Prior to Welcome to Psilocybin, Warner directed the San Francisco Psychedelic Society and helped decriminalize psilocybin in the city of Oakland, California in 2019. Alongside his work with these initiatives, he launched MycoRising to teach home-scale psilocybin cultivation and teaches new growers through his workshops and “Ready? Set. Grow!” online program. Welcome to Psilocybin is a go-to introductory psilocybin mushroom resource which is critical in navigating the psychedelic with the most effective and safe techniques. Below is an excerpt from Welcome to Psilocybin that covers a brief history of the activists behind bringing the use of mushrooms into Western consciousness. ————————————- The story of mushroom cultivation has a very long history, and the history of psilocybin use goes back far beyond our ability to record it. Luckily, the history of cultivating psilocybin-containing mushrooms indoors is mostly recent. Let’s take a brief walk through the record of psilocybin in Western culture. Maria Sabina (1894–1985) was a Mazatec curandera from a small village in Oaxaca, Mexico, who became known for her practice of using psilocybin mushrooms, which she called “little saints,” in healing ceremonies. Living a traditional rural life in the Sierra Mazateca mountains, Sabina was born into a family of healers and introduced to the use of sacred mushrooms at a young age. As a curandera deeply respected within her community and surrounding villages, Sabina used many methods in her healing practice, including psilocybin mushrooms, which facilitated communication with the spiritual world to help heal the sick. Sabina’s life changed in 1955 when she was introduced to R. Gordon Wasson, an American banker and amateur mycologist who became the first Westerner to partake in a Mazatec ceremony involving psilocybin mushrooms. He published his account against Sabina’s will and inadvertently launched her to international fame and brought a damaging wave of attention and tourism to her small village. In some ways, Sabina’s story is tragic. She lost her husband and two children, faced many challenges living in a remote village, and was then banished from her own village and even briefly jailed for her role in the surge of outside seekers who brought mass disruption with them. Despite the immense challenges and tragedies, Sabina’s enduring spirit and profound dedication to healing left a lasting legacy. Her pioneering work as a Mazatec curandera brought the therapeutic potential of psilocybin mushrooms to light, forever transforming our understanding of these sacred tools. Sabina’s life also highlights the need to respect and preserve indigenous knowledge and traditions, and serves as a poignant reminder of the wisdom these cultures hold. “Before Wasson, nobody took the children [the sacred mushrooms] simply to find God. They were always taken to cure the sick.” – Maria Sabina About 20 years after the publication of the Life article that revealed Maria Sabina, Terence and Dennis McKenna journeyed to the Colombian Amazon seeking another indigenous tradition, a hallucinogenic snuff called yopo. After giving up hope to find this substance, the team camped out and awoke in a field exploding with Psilocybe cubensis and soon consumed enough mushrooms to write vividly about their experiences: The Invisible Landscape by Terence and Dennis, and The Brotherhood of the Screaming Abyss by Dennis. Upon returning to the United States, Dennis developed a reliable method for cultivating P. cubensis that could be replicated outside the lab. It was an exhilarating adaptation of recent innovations in the world of mycology. Soon the brothers (under the pen names Oss and Oeric) published one of the first and best-known mushroom cultivation guides, Psilocybin: Magic Mushroom Grower’s Guide. The book is still in print, largely to mark a significant piece of history. The brothers launched a new era of democratized access to psilocybin, although their method was complex and required a high initial investment. The initial success of the McKenna growing guide spurred interest, access, and experimentation just as internet use was becoming widespread. Various websites and message boards popped up to share information. No contribution was more notable than that of the late Robert McPherson, aka Psilocybe Fanaticus, who put together the best of emergent techniques, referred to as teks. He created a method, PF Tek, that removed obstacles and increased the accessibility of psilocybin by several magnitudes. PF Tek’s popularity is waning, as a variety of even simpler methods become available. In the late 1990s, the shroomery.com became a new home for mycology online and since then has spawned more new growers than any other source. While not always an easy-to-navigate resource for new growers, it provides a home for ongoing discourse, an often-nurturing community for new experimentation, and a constant source for innovation. At its core, the shroomery has been a cultural catalyst, further democratizing mushroom cultivation. This article was originally published in the January 2024 issue of High Times Magazine.

https://hightimes.com/

A Commitment to the Culture

Legal cannabis businesses exist today only because longtime advocates and cultivators have paved the way for progress. Co-founded by longtime cultivators Dennis Hunter and Ned Fussell under the CannaCraft company umbrella, Farmer and the Felon has two primary missions: First, to preserve cannabis history and collaborate with legacy cultivators who have spent decades growing the plant long before legalization became a reality in California, and second, to work with Last Prisoner Project (LPP) to offer support to individuals who are still suffering in prison for nonviolent cannabis convictions. With these goals in mind, Farmer and the Felon sets out to keep the stories and sacrifices of people in the cannabis industry alive. Hunter’s personal history as a grower and cannabis prisoner stems from spending his youth living in the Emerald Triangle. The underground cannabis community and lifestyle inspired him, and he began to build upon that passion for cultivation. His passion also led to increased attention from law enforcement. He recalls the early 1990s when the police would use aerial surveillance helicopters to spot hidden cannabis grows from above. “Helicopters [were] looking for your plants out in the woods, and you’re trying to camouflage them,” Hunter said. “And so back then, we were growing, you know, hiding all of our plants before Prop. 215, where people started to be allowed to grow a certain amount of plants in their backyards.” Even after Prop. 215 was passed in California in 1996, Hunter’s operation continued to grow, and its prominence eventually attracted the attention of the DEA. In 1998, his operation was raided, which forced him and his family to hide for four and a half years—complete with alternate identities. However, the DEA finally caught up with him, and he went to prison. After spending six and a half years away from his family, Hunter left prison on federal probation. He wasn’t permitted to grow cannabis and instead created an ancillary company to serve other growers by supplying products such as hydroponics equipment, fabric pots, and nutrients. That’s when Hunter met Fussell, who was one of his customers. “We became fast friends, and pretty soon we got to a point where I was about to get off probation and I’m like, ‘Well, hey, I want to dive back in, but I want to do it right this time,’” Hunter said. Hunter and Fussell created CannaCraft in 2014 and began to build a family of brands, starting with AbsoluteXtracts (ABX) and Care By Design that same year. This was followed by Lagunitas Hi-Fi Sessions in 2017, Farmer and the Felon in 2020, Loud + Clear (a sister company of ABX) and Humboldt Terp Council in 2021. Having personally experienced the tumultuous landscape for cannabis business owners, Hunter and Fussell created Farmer and the Felon to help preserve the industry’s history. “As things legalized, you started seeing more suits and people from all industries come in and start getting involved in the industry,” Hunter said. “You can see that you start to lose some of the culture and stuff, and we thought it was really important to save that culture of being that outlaw, and the stories and the kind of feelings and how it affected people’s lives.” Farmer and the Felon’s flower is cultivated in Lake County, California, near Kelseyville, but the brand also collaborates with other legacy farmers or growers who transitioned into California’s legal industry with the passage of Prop. 215. “We really like to collaborate with other small farms in our area in Northern California. And so we still do collaborations and purchase product from a lot of these farms,” Hunter said. “A lot of times, we’re able to share their stories. A lot of them are second/third-generation growers. Families have been growing up on these hills for many years and have similar stories to my own.” Growers in the Emerald Triangle industry have always been a part of a tight-knit community. Hunter explains that they have connected with other cultivators through word-of-mouth, friend-based connections, and various trade shows or industry events. This has led to legacy collaborations with Rebel Grown, Hogwash Pharms, Soma Rosa Farms, and many more. Around the time of our interview in the fall of 2023, Farmer and the Felon had just rolled out a collaboration with Canna Country Farms, Sour Skunk OG. Farmer and the Felon also offers a variety of its own flowers, pre-rolls (both a regular pre-roll and a hash extract-infused pre-roll collaboration with Kalya Extracts), and cold cure rosin. The brand has amassed a lengthy list of awards from The Emerald Cup in 2022 and 2023 and the 2023 California State Fair, many of which included these legacy farm collaborations. Meanwhile, thousands of people are still in prison for nonviolent cannabis offenses, and Farmer and the Felon refuses to ignore those who need help and support. “There’s still like 40,000 people in prison for nonviolent cannabis offenses,” Hunter said. “As much as we think it’s completely legal, there are still people away from their families for growing cannabis, and really to remind people of that. Because there’s still work to be done.” Farmer and the Felon works with the LPP to keep cannabis prisoners in the spotlight by offering a percentage of Farmer and the Felon’s revenue to help fund ongoing cannabis prisoner support efforts. The brand has also previously hosted writing campaigns that allow people to write letters to cannabis prisoners and help them remain hopeful while they wait to be freed. The brand serves as a reminder that “there are still people left out there that got sentenced long before it was legal and are still serving time,” Hunter said. This article was originally published in the January 2024 issue of High Times Magazine.

https://hightimes.com/

New York Judge Strikes Down Cannabis Marketing Rules

A New York court ruled in favor of Leafly Holdings and other plaintiffs that the state’s ban on third-party cannabis marketing is unconstitutional, striking down advertising rules, after the ruling initially invalidated all of the state’s adult-use regulations. Last September, a lawsuit filed by the plaintiffs Leafly Holdings, adult-use retailer Stage One Dispensary, and a customer who uses Leafly to inform her decisions about cannabis purchases challenged New York’s ban on third-party advertisers. Specifically, the plaintiffs sued over rules that banned third-party marketing for cannabis companies—think apps and platforms like Weedmaps and Leafly. Leafly documents over 5,000 cannabis strains and shows their terpene profiles, lineage, and effects among other data that can make choosing a strain safer. The Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) regulations on non-plant-touching third-party platforms, as is, would essentially block Leafly from doing business in New York. In the lawsuit, Leafly cited several allegedly problematic rules including one that bans retailers from paying for “marketing or promotion through a third-party platform, marketplace, or aggregator that lists cannabis products for sale”; and another that bans licensees from contracting with a “person or entity performing any function or activity directly involving the licensed activities authorized for the license type.” State Supreme Court Justice Kevin R. Bryant ruled in favor of the plaintiffs Thursday, declaring that the New York cannabis industry’s rules are arbitrary, capricious, and therefore unconstitutional. Bryant’s April 4 decision invalidates OCM cannabis regulations parts 118-121, 123-125, and 131, saying that the OCM failed to show evidence to justify how the rules were developed. “We are reviewing the decision and exploring all possible legal options,” a representative of the OCM told High Times Friday morning. Leafly Holdings, Inc., et. al v. New York State Office of Cannabis Management, et. al reads, “For the foregoing reasons, the petition is granted, and the following sections are hereby declared null and void as arbitrary and capricious; The Third-Party Marketing Ban, Parts 9 N.Y.C.R.R. §§123.10(g)(21) and 124.5(a); the Pricing Ban, 9 N.Y.C.R.R. §124.1(b)(5)(ii) the Third-Party Order Ban, 9 N.Y.C.R.R. §123.10(g)(23); the Third-Party All-Licensee Listing Mandate, 9 N.Y.C.R.R. §124.l(b)(2); and the Third-Party Distributor Listing Mandate, 9 N.Y.C.R.R. §124.l(c)(l)-(2),” Honorable Kevin R. Bryant, J.S.C. Ruled. The original sweeping order appeared to invalidate all of New York’s adult-use rules, however the ruling was quickly clarified to apply only to marketing rules by the end of the day. Leafly was more than pleased with the news. “It’s impossible to overstate the importance of providing consumers with choices, and educational information when making purchasing decisions,” the company said in a statement. “It is critically important that licensed retailers have equal access to important advertising and marketing tools to help them succeed in a competitive landscape.” Leafly didn’t immediately respond to High Times for comment. For a few hours on Thursday, the ruling invalidated or appeared to invalidate the whole of New York’s cannabis regulations as it was originally written. Syracuse.com reports that Judge Bryant’s “jaw-dropping decision” applied to the regulations broadly, and it “strikes down all New York recreational cannabis rules.” Chris Roberts for MJBizDaily wrote that the decision could send New York’s into “chaos” as it was unclear if cannabis businesses could be operated without any rules in place, or what else might happen. Some people were happy to see the rules get tossed. Why? Lawsuits and bureaucratic problems have left New York’s adult-use cannabis market in bedlam. Only about two dozen legal dispensaries are open, as oversupply from farmers stacks up and black market shops step in to fill the void. Even Gov. Kathy Hochul called it a “disaster” so some didn’t exactly shed a tear when it appeared the rules were invalid. State Sen. Jeremy Cooney, chair of the Senate’s cannabis subcommittee, was among those who quickly slammed the ruling, before the ruling was amended. “Today’s State Supreme Court decision was another setback in a series of blows New York’s adult-use cannabis market has faced since legalization, three years ago,” he wrote in a statement. “While some changes to marketing regulations are needed, the decision by the Court to throw out all agency regulations will ultimately slow progress at a time when we need to more aggressively combat illicit shops to grow a stronger, more-equitable legal market.” Fox News reports that the court “dramatically scaled back his order from the previous day that had invalidated most of the state’s cannabis regulations in a case challenging rules for advertising marijuana.” Now that the court has clarified that the ruling only applies to marketing and advertising rules, it demonstrates how Leafly’s win will open up the doors to third-party companies looking to expand into New York’s market.

https://hightimes.com/

Announcing the High Times Cannabis Cup Michigan 2024

We’re announcing the return of the highly-anticipated High Times Cannabis Cup Michigan 2024! It’s the fifth year we’ve set up a competition in Michigan—one of our most enthusiastic event markets—and the most recent rundown of winners showcases Michigan’s finest products. With a massive 20-category breakdown this year, we’re proud to display the winners of a variety of categories, as determined by our Michigan judges. Anybody can be a Judge and you don’t need to be an esteemed member of the cannabis community—just have the passion and grit needed to determine the next year’s winners. Act fast, as product submissions will be taken May 27 through June 7 in the Detroit area. Judge Kits go on sale June 22. Judges will analyze products in their Judge Kits and a backpack full of potent submissions, using a variety of criteria. For the categories involving flower, pre-rolls, vape pens, and concentrates, judges will take note of a product’s aesthetics, aroma/scent, taste/flavor profile, burnability, effects/effectiveness, and terpene profile. Edibles have a slightly different list of considerations, including packaging and labeling. For categories like Sublinguals, Capsules, Tinctures + Topicals, judges will rank them based on ease of use as well. They’ll have about three months to narrow down their choices. Saturday, August 24 is the judging deadline for Cannabis Cup Judges. On Sunday, September 15, the winners will be announced! The entry categories include the following: One entry requires a $250, non-refundable fee, while two entries require a non-refundable fee of $100 per entry. Three or more entries requires a $100 refundable deposit per entry held, refunded when all entries are successfully submitted. Entry fees are waived for sponsorships. As medical patients are allowed to have higher amounts of certain forms of cannabis in Michigan, entry requirements vary for adult-use and medical products as follows: Recreational: Medical: Let’s take a look back at a few past highlights in the Midwest. Michigan has hosted many Cannabis Cups with notable faces over the years, and we have some signature years underneath our belts. 2018’s High Times Cannabis Cup Michigan festivities, for instance, were headlined by Lil Wayne, Waka Flocka Flame, Vic Mensa, Machine Gun Kelly, Yo Gotti, and more. The 2019 Michigan Cannabis Cup showcased amazing submissions of strains like Critical Mass by Mrs. Berry Kush or Tropicana Cookies by COCO Extracts. Last year, at the High Times Cannabis Cup Michigan 2023, winners received the coveted High Times Cannabis Cup trophy, a longtime symbol of quality in the cannabis community. It was designed by Alex and Allyson Grey, made from zinc and 24k gold plating.

https://hightimes.com/

New York Bill Would Revoke Illicit Pot Shops Liquor, Tobacco Licenses

A New York state lawmaker is proposing legislation that would give regulators the authority to revoke the liquor, lottery and tobacco retailer licenses from stores that sell weed without a license. If passed, the legislation would go into effect immediately, giving officials new tools to combat the illicit pot shops that have proliferated since the state legalized adult-use cannabis in 2021. Democratic Assemblyman John Zaccaro Jr., a Democratic legislator from the Bronx, is the lead sponsor of the legislation in the New York State Assembly. The measure (A09520) has already attracted 70 co-sponsors in the chamber after being introduced late last month. A companion bill in the Senate (S08847), sponsored by Democratic Senator Jamaal T. Bailey, has 10 co-sponsors. The legislation “Provides for the revocation of licenses to sell cigarettes, tobacco products, alcohol and lottery tickets for the possession or sale of illicit cannabis in violation of the cannabis law,” according to the text of the measure. Businesses caught selling cannabis without a license would be subject to losing their licenses for one year on the first offense. A second offense within three years would subject the businesses to license revocation for three years and a third violation would result in the loss of cigarette, liquor and lottery retailer licenses for five years. The legislation was introduced as the state, particularly New York City, continues to deal with thousands of retailers selling cannabis without a license. The office of New York Mayor Eric Adams recently reported that approximately 2,500 unlicensed weed retailers were operating in the city. Meanwhile, a slow rollout of licensed cannabis retailers has seen only about 40 regulated pot shops open in the city since the first began serving customers in the closing days of 2022. Zaccaro said that the unlicensed shops are “choking” the regulated cannabis market as it struggles to get on its feet. Most of the retailers selling weed without a license are smoke shops and bodegas, businesses that would be severely impacted by the loss of the revenue streams provided by cigarettes, alcohol and lottery tickets. “We need to be able to go back to our districts and be able to let our constituents and people know that we took this issue seriously,” Zaccaro told the New York Daily News on Wednesday The lawmaker added that he hopes the legislation will pass quickly, either as a stand-alone bill or as part ongoing negotiations for the state budget, which have already exceeded a deadline of April 1. State and city regulators have already made several attempts to combat the proliferation of unlicensed weed shops with little lasting success. In the New York City Council, local lawmakers are supporting a plan to shut down unlicensed pot shops under a decades-old nuisance abatement law that allows the city to close some businesses, such as brothels. Despite having 26 sponsors on the 51-seat council, however, the plan has not had a hearing. While Zaccaro’s bill to revoke cigarette, liquor and lottery licenses from shops that sell marijuana without a license gives state and local officials new tools to combat the illicit operators, putting them to use is another matter. Cannabis attorney Fatima Afia said that state regulators at the state Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) will have to commit significant resources to enforcement for the legislation to be effective. “I imagine that it would require a lot of resources, a lot of time, a lot of energy — basically all the things that OCM has clearly not had for purposes of enforcement up until now,” Afia said, adding that the slow rollout of regulated cannabis retailers is exacerbating the problem. “The biggest supporter of the illicit shops is the fact that we don’t have enough licensed entities out there to compete with them,” said Afia. Zaccaro’s bill has been referred to the Assembly Economic Development Committee, while the Senate version is under consideration by the chamber’s Budget and Revenue Committee.

https://hightimes.com/

Updates for the High Times Hemp Cup 2024

We have an important High Times Hemp Cup 2024 update for everyone. Check out the details of our new timeline, early bird pricing, and what you need to do to get in on the judging action! Our many competitors submitted their products at the end of last month, and now we’re proud to announce the release of eight amazing hemp-based judge kits, which are available now at thehempcup.com. Unlike other state-specific High Times competitions, which can only be purchased in the state in which the competition is being held, the High Times Hemp Cup 2024 can be ordered online from anywhere in the U.S. This year, we’d like to thank our two presenting sponsors, AlienBOP and Get A Lid, both of which have curated an incredible lineup of hemp-based products for sale. Additionally, our bronze sponsor, 3CHI, also offers a wide variety of hemp products online. If you’re interested in becoming one of our esteemed judges, be sure to check out our early bird pricing for each kit. Now is the time to invest in this awesome selection of products being sold at an incredible discount for a limited time. At a later date, prices for judge kits will increase so be sure to get the best deal available right now. Non-Psychoactive Smokeables: Flower, Pre-Rolls, Concentrates, and Vapes Pens: Early bird pricing: $79.99 (Market value: $121) Includes: 11 items Non-Psychoactive Edibles Early bird pricing: $99.99 (Market value: $240) Includes: 12 items Non-Psychoactive Topicals, Tinctures, and Capsules Early bird pricing: $179.99 (Market value: $350) Includes: 14 items Legal Psychoactive Flower and Pre-Rolls (D8, D10, HHC, THC-O, etc.) Early bird pricing: $224.99 (Market value: $300) Includes: 20 items Legal Psychoactive Concentrates and Vape Pens (D8, D10, HHC, THC-O, etc.) Early bird pricing: $269.99 (Market value: $340) Includes: 17 items Legal Psychoactive Edible: Gummies (D8, D9, D10, HHC, etc.) Early bird pricing: $279.99 (Market value: $520) Includes: 26 items Legal Psychoactive Edible: Non-Gummies (D8, D9, D10, HHC, etc.) Early bird pricing: $279.99 (Market value: $520) Includes: 26 items Legal Psychoactive Edible: Beverages Early bird pricing: $89.99 (Market value: $120) Includes: 12 items Between now and June 2, dedicated judges are invited to meticulously review and take notes about each product in their kit. After the scores have been calculated, we’ll present a digital awards show on High Times’ Facebook page on Sunday, June 23 to showcase which brands were the most favored by the judges in their respective categories.

https://hightimes.com/

Weed Doesn’t Smoke the Same Without Others

I don’t smoke weed all day, every day, but there was a time that I did. When I got my first job on the cannabis beat more than a decade ago, I elevated my endocannabinoid system all the time simply because I could smoke, dab, and eat weed all the time. It was a novelty to be high with my co-workers, my boss, people I was interviewing for an article. But when the pandemic took our hands off the wheel of life just about as recklessly as a self-driving car on the streets of San Francisco, it limited access to the physical presence of other people. And, as it turns out, not only do we need in-person connections to thrive, when it comes right down to it, weed just doesn’t smoke the same without others. I’m not saying you can’t get higher smoking cannabis alone. I’m arguing that smoking with someone else will always be better. That’s true because cannabis is a connector, and the most transparent public display of that happens each year on 4/20. The legend of the adventures of a group of teenage boys meeting up at 4:20 p.m. to search for a cannabis grow is embedded into the lore of cannabis culture forever. Fueled by “lids of fresh green smoke” and driving a ’66 Chevy Impala along the rocky, forested, and wild seashore of the California coastline in Marin County, the adventure tales of the “Waldos” reached the world through articles written by High Times impresario Steve Hager. That’s why writing about 4/20 for High Times is such a sacred act—this magazine is a critical player in establishing the history of 4/20. What started as a “safari” searching for a patch of weed with a treasure map by a group of high school friends has become the world’s largest smoke sesh. Smoking weed at home alone isn’t nearly as fun as smoking it with others. Without the ability to share cannabis safely and freely, I started smoking less. I’m still adjusting to working outside of an office and many days are lonelier that I like to admit. But with more and more weed events happening, I’m ramping up my social cannabis routine again. The upcoming holiday this month, 4/20, is something the cannabis community celebrates all together. It unites us, and—especially as we roll out of the acute danger of COVID-19—it is vitally essential to our mental health and well-being that we gather to show unity. I want to see other people and smoke their weed. I want to make new friends through weed. Together, we can all get higher! This year, if you are smoking cannabis in public squares and parks with us on 4/20, I want to let you know you are helping to light a fire by lighting your fire. And this blaze we are building through blazing together is fueling increased access to cannabis all over the planet. On the flip side of its social energy, solo cannabis smoke sessions can ignite introspective experiences. This can be a good thing, but I’m guessing most of us could use more of the opposite in these post-pandemic times. The flower is freeing! When we combine being high with positive social experiences shared with fellow weed enthusiasts, we can pause the thoughts in our head for a while. We can open our minds to new experiences. As the risks around sharing a smoke diminish, I’m taking off my mask and finally feeling more comfortable social situations. Through visits to social cannabis clubs in cities like Barcelona and San Francisco, I’m remembering how fun it is to smoke with other people around. Still, when I talk about these places with non-smokers, they often assume they are dangerous. The negative stigmas around these social smoke spaces continue, so sharing these places with others is essential. This year, my mom wanted me to take her to a weed lounge for her 73rd birthday and, when I did, she was able to see how normal and natural it is to smoke cannabis in a club. We bought a pack of pre-rolls and sat by the window on a sunny San Francisco afternoon. Afterward, she told me how much safer she felt not trying to hide away in some dark alley smoking on the street. Opening up new people to the weed lounge experience helps the cannabis freedom cause. The dream is that one day, smoking a joint at a club might be as typical of an experience as ordering a beer at a bar. It certainly would be a lot healthier. The best part of cannabis is the people it brings into your life. The history of this plant is indeed a history of the community around it; it’s a history of the community cultivators. Building relationships through the guidance of this plant has greatly contributed to an increase in positive moments in my life. Cannabis brings us together, but the greatest reward is the experience of spending time with others. Here’s wishing you and yours a happy high holiday. I hope however and wherever you spend your 4/20, you get to do it together with your friends and family.

https://hightimes.com/

Hawaii House Committee Declines Hearing for Rec Weed Measure, Killing Effort for 2024

Around this time last month, Hawaii lawmakers and advocates were preparing for a possible shift to an adult-use cannabis market after the Senate overwhelmingly approved a bill that would legalize and regulate recreational cannabis. However, a key Hawaii House committee chair announced Tuesday that his panel would not hear the measure ahead of the legislative deadline next this week, effectively killing the bill for 2024. Hawaii remains the oldest medical-only cannabis market in the U.S., as the state legalized medical cannabis back in 2000. The Hawaiian Senate approved the bill, SB 3335, in a 19-6 vote on March 5 where it eventually hit the floor of a lower House chamber for consideration and narrowly advanced in a 25-23 vote last month. From there, the legislation headed to the Hawaii House Finance Committee for consideration where House Finance Committee Chair Rep. Kyle Yamashita (D) ultimately shared that his panel would decline to hold a hearing on the legislation. He recognized that this was the furthest progression for adult-use cannabis legislation while calling the path to legalization a “deeply divisive issue” in a statement. “Due to numerous concerns regarding the implementation of the bill, the House has decided against further deliberation in the House Finance Committee,” Yamashita said. “This decision is strengthened by the prevailing ‘no’ votes from committee members expressed on the House floor.” Yamashita continues, citing the “abnormally fiscally challenging year” and that the committee needs to prioritize other expenses, like the recovery of local communities following last year’s wildfires in Lahaina and Upcountry Maui, as the full cost of implementing adult-use cannabis legalization “is unknown.” “As lawmakers, it would be remiss of us not to allocate funding to safeguard critical government services, including education, infrastructure, roads, and other essential services for Hawaiʻi’s residents and kūpuna, especially during a period of fiscal uncertainty,” Yamashita’s statement concludes. “We recognize that now is not the opportune time for its implementation, as we navigate the challenges of managing the largest wildfire recovery efforts in Hawaiʻi’s history.” The bill was primarily based upon Hawaii Attorney General Anne Lopez’s legalization plan released in November 2023 and would have allowed adults over the age of 21 to possess up to an ounce of cannabis and five grams of concentrates while establishing a recreational cannabis sales framework. The proposal would have enforced a 14% excise tax on recreational cannabis products and a 4% tax rate on the medical cannabis market. It also included home cultivation provisions and would have allowed residents to grow a maximum of six plants and possess up to 10 ounces of home-grown flower. Additionally, the original bill would have automatically expunged tens of thousands of arrest and conviction records for low-level cannabis convictions in the state, though that measure was later amended and limited to a single-county pilot program. Advocates criticized the bill for its creation of additional law enforcement protocols. It included provisions to impose THC blood limits for drivers (despite the practical issues with THC metabolites remaining in the body days or even weeks after consumption) and would have created a cannabis enforcement unit within the Department of Law Enforcement, along with eight positions in a drug nuisance abatement unit in the AG’s office. The legislation also included a provision subjecting those found with loose cannabis, an open package for a cannabis product or a cannabis pipe in a car to up to 30 days in jail. The issue of adult-use cannabis legalization has been divisive among lawmakers in the state House and Senate, but a majority of Hawaii residents appear to support the move according to a recent poll finding that 58% of adult residents in the state are in favor. Even before the Hawaii House Finance Committee made its call, it was already evident that clearing the House was the main hurdle for the legislation. Gov. Josh Green has already indicated that he would likely sign an adult-use cannabis legalization bill should it hit his desk. “I don’t think the sky would fall, honestly, if marijuana were legalized,” Green said recently in an appearance on Hawaii News Now. “I also have some thoughts that marijuana might blunt the effect, if you will, of people on these heavy drugs, these horrible drugs.” It’s a bit of déjà vu for advocates, as the Senate also passed an adult-use cannabis legalization bill last year only for it to stall in the House. House Speaker Scott K. Saiki (D) cited the “overwhelming testimony and serious concerns” from Hawaii’s law enforcement industry and that lawmakers need more time to consider the impact legalization will have on children, the economy and “overall well-being.” However, the bill’s House sponsor, Rep. David Tarnas (D), is already looking ahead and plans to introduce a revised bill next session, according to Marijuana Moment. “During the interim, I look forward to working with the Attorney General’s office to improve the language of the bill to address issues brought up during the House debate on this bill,” Tarnas told the publication in an email. He also cited his plans to collect factual information about those public safety and health concerns, including those suggesting that legalization could increase youth use and fatal car crashes (though even Tarnas cited the abundant research affirming that recreational cannabis legalization does not increase youth use or car crashes). “We have lots of work to do on this important matter,” he said. Advocacy group Marijuana Policy Project’s Karen O’Keefe, director of state policies, told Marijuana Moment that this move will “condemn hundreds of Hawai’i residents to traumatic police encounters” while missing the opportunity for millions in additional tax revenue. “While this is a setback, this was also the furthest legalization has ever got in Hawai’i,” O’Keefe said. “Advocates are not giving up until we get legalization past the finish line.”

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Cleotrapa, Ice Spice’s ‘Baddie Friend’ Is Our New Stoner Bestie

Navigating through all of the new rap artists emerging out of NYC can be tough. Finding someone who is fresh, interesting, and likes to get stoned might even be a mission. Lucky for me, I stumbled upon Cleotrapa. Cleo being from Staten Island, which happens to be my hometown, made the assignment even more intriguing. Pair that with the fact that she’s Ice Spice‘s “baddie friend” who’s been by her side in most of the snippets and videos that have stacked up millions of views, this was undoubtedly someone who I had to meet. Initially, the first step was to talk to her team. I needed to know what this woman really smokes. Initially, her team led me to believe Cleo was smoking Sprinklez. This is a trend I’m seeing a lot in New York with the youth—they’re leaning towards premium flower with added terpenes. So, I did my due diligence and found her some new flavors of Sprinklez through the homies over at Pressure Paint. I let her team know that I was fully equipped with the bud of choice, and we made plans to get stoned and talk some shit. Eventually, the game plan turned into a fashion week smoke out. It’s that time of the year in NYC, I’m linking up with Cleotrapa, and we’re going to get baked and hit up some events. Upon arrival at our meetup spot, I hopped in the car, presented her with my acquisition, and she went on to tell me how I was misinformed about her strain preference. Checkmate? I think not! I ended up coming extra prepared and traded her for some buds I had from a beautiful batch of Galactic Runtz courtesy of Wood Wide out of Mendocino and some delicious LA Pop Rocks locally grown by the homies Brooklyn Boys Cannabis Co. She was happy with the gifts, we ended up twisting up some fatties, and inevitably got the car so cloudy that we could barely see anything. Her song “Rockstar” had just dropped, racking up thousands of views in real time, which was why it ultimately became our soundtrack as she proceeded to make social media magic on our way to the event in the passenger seat.Moments later, we arrive at Belaire‘s NYC headquarters. Cleo has been invited by one of my super-knowledgeable stoner friends, Trinidad James, to get an exclusive look at his Hommewrk line. With just a few clicks on Google you’ll quickly find that Trinidad James is a Grammy-award winner and behind the scenes contributor to some of our favorite artists’ projects. While it wasn’t exactly a smoker’s crowd, Trinidad and I compared rosin pods while he gave Cleo a full tour of his new line, along with some inspirational words. We nearly ended our night there, but I wanted to contribute to this evening’s vibes and give Cleotrapa the entire scope of cannabis in NYC. Last but not least, I took her over to the beautiful new dispensary in NYC’s Upper East Side, The Herbal Care (THC). THC is one of NYC’s premier legal spaces for cannabis. Overall, it was a lovely affair. Cleo’s energy was infectious as she legally dispensed bud to some of her adoring fans at the counter. At one point, I looked over and noticed THC’s owner, Markel Bababekov, shouting, “Let’s give it up one time for Cleotrapa!” as the legendary photographer, Johnny Nunez, snapped away and the crowd went wild. She officially became a celebrity guest budtender, and pulled it off like an absolute natural. Furthermore, with fashion week and budtending case study a success, I decided to do my typical move and have my in-person interview back at the Astor Club. Cleotrapa and I already smoked outside, in cars, and she even got a taste of the legal business. So, it’s only right that I show her my favorite under-the-radar club with some of the best cannabis in the country. Taking advantage of one of the best menus I’ve ever experienced, we rolled joints of Maine Trees Blue Lobster, Archive‘s Moonbow, and some delicious Permanent Marker from Marijuantauk Gardens. With a proper sesh in motion, I was finally able to get some questions off to her. What can you tell us about the first time you ever smoked cannabis?[LAUGHS] I was in 7th grade. I went to IS 49, and my school was right across the street. I see my friend with a couple of kids and she was like, “Come walk with us to the store.” So, I was like, “Cool.” I figured we would just walk to school together. Then, they walk into this building, go into the staircase and stop. This boy pulls out some weed he was crushing in loose-leaf paper. He rolled up. We smoked, and I thought I was so high. I don’t even think we smoked that much. We walked across the street to school and I’m telling everybody I’m high. I’m thinking I’m the coolest just laughing OD in class. That was so funny.Okay, so since you started young, how was the first time you got in trouble? My mom….She never knew I smoked. I had gotten some weed from somebody and I rolled it up in a regular loose-leaf paper. I did not know what I was doing. I did not know how to roll, and I think this was still middle school. I was really doing it for pictures, just making it look like I’m smoking it. I mean I wanted to smoke, but I didn’t roll it right. It’s a damn regular loose-leaf paper! I uploaded the pictures to Facebook, and my mom saw it. I lied and said there was no weed in there, it’s just an effects filter I used and showed it to her. I told her I edited the photo to have a blurred, smokey effect. And she was kinda believing it, but then she was like, “Why do you want people to believe that you are smoking?” So, I still got my ass beat for trying to look like I was smoking! At what point did you become an everyday stoner? When I learned how to roll. Actually, before I learned how to roll, I would still get mad high with my friends. I would be with my friend all the time in her room getting mad high. She knew how to roll, her cousin knew how to roll, so we would just buy weed and get high. Since I didn’t know how to roll and she did, I would only smoke with her. I would make sure I was with her all the damn time. I was sleeping over there partially just to get high because I could not do anything like that at my crib. So, we was smoking it down. And she would try to teach me how to roll, but that was so fucking hard for me.Did you finally get the hang of it? Not until I got a boyfriend, who was like, “If you’re gonna smoke, you gotta roll.” I’m like, “Damn what the fuck? Alright, fine.” He really forced me to start rolling. I started rolling with Backwoods, and that’s what I learned with. Now I think Backwoods are disgusting—I only smoke papers.These days, when is your favorite time to get high? I love to get super high and hit the studio. I love to get high and start writing to music. So, your track “Rockstar” is doing great numbers and it is an independent release. With music being a serious venture for you, how have you been able to make yourself stand out?I’ve never stopped making videos. It’s something that I can’t stop, because if I have some shit to say, I want to say it in a video. I’m gonna be way more animated and you’re gonna know how I feel. I like to talk shit and just say it in a video. I’ve been doing them since 2018. And even before that, I’ll look at my Facebook and realize I’ve been talking shit the entire time! You’re on a TV show and your music is buzzing, what else are you working on? My clothing. So, before music or before anything, I wanted to go to school for fashion. I wanted to be a fashion designer, and it’s just so funny how the world works when you have a platform. My mom didn’t want me to do fashion design. She told me that fashion designers had it hard and it took a long time for them to make money. So, what I realized it came down to was me having my own personal brand. When you have your own personal brand, you could do what the fuck you want to do. So, with my clothing line, I know that I can do it and make a lot of money. My mom was really doubting me. She knew where she was coming from, but I know where I need to take this. I’m glad that I’m doing everything I want to do. I pushed myself, I stayed consistent. Check out Cleotrapa’s new self-designed merch here: https://cleotrapa.com/ along with her new freestyle “Muggy Mcquire” here:

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Iowa Legislature Passes Bill To Cap Potency of Hemp Products

The Iowa state Senate on Tuesday approved a bill to cap the THC potency of consumable hemp products, sending the measure to the desk of Republican Governor Kim Reynolds for consideration. The legislation, House File 2605, was passed by the Senate by a vote of 31-18 after receiving approval from the Iowa House of Representatives last month. If signed into law by the governor, the measure would amend the Iowa Hemp Act to cap the THC potency of hemp products at 4 milligrams per serving, with a maximum limit of 10 milligrams per package. The legislation also requires warning labels on hemp product packaging and sets a minimum age of 21 to purchase hemp products containing THC. Additionally, the bill adds new restrictions and sanctions related to the manufacturing, possession and sales of consumable hemp products, including penalties for businesses that sell such products without first registering with state regulators. Republican Senator Dan Dawson, the sponsor of House File 2605, said the bill is “desperately needed regulation.” “There has to be some type of guardrails on here,” he said, the Des Moines Register reported on Tuesday. The senator said that the bill is needed to maintain separation between over-the-counter hemp products and those regulated by the medicinal cannabidiol (CBD) program, which was passed by state lawmakers in 2014 to legalize the possession of low-THC CBD products for medicinal purposes. “The Iowa Hemp Act, or the program that we’re talking about here today, needs to be at a milligram usage less than our medical cannabidiol program, otherwise the lines are blurred,” argued Dawson, according to a report from online news source We Are Iowa. “The medical cannabidiol program actually puts an individual with a doctor to get these products, that’s the biggest distinction,” added Dawson, the Capital Dispatch reported on Tuesday. “The Iowa hemp program has none of those barriers there. So if we want to protect Iowans with these products … there has to be some type of guardrails on here, to make sure that the medical cannabidiol program is the program that we can direct Iowans to when they have one of these diagnosed conditions.” During a House debate on the bill last month, Democratic Representative John Forbes told his colleagues that he has concerns the bill will have “unintended consequences” for people who use hemp products outside of the state’s regulated cannabidiol program, including people who are using THC or CBD to help them recover from opioid addiction. “I think we’re not hitting the nail on the head here, when it comes to being able to help Iowans that are seeking out this as an alternative to maybe taking other prescription medications, and increasing quality of life, helping them,” Forbes said. Forbes also noted that many CBD products come in formulations such as capsules with 2 to 4 milligrams of THC per serving. Under House Bill 2605’s provisions, such products would only be available in packages of two to five capsules, a restriction that many manufacturers would find overly burdensome. If the bill is signed into law, many consumers may find that the hemp products they are accustomed to purchasing may no longer be available in Iowa. “It does have a major impact on, I think, the people here in the state of Iowa that sought out ways to manage their health issues,” Forbes said, according to a report from The Gazette. “A lot of the people that go to these do purchase them because they’ve been on chronic pain medications and they’re trying to reduce that.” “This legislation will make it much more difficult for people in the state of Iowa,” he added. “They’re going to go out and buy this stuff online … they won’t have a business they can go into.” In the upper chamber of the state legislature, Republican Senator Tom Shipley said that when he helped draft the Iowa Hemp Act in 2019, he knew that there were “some nefarious motives behind this,” including some businesses that had plans to sell products that were not covered by the law. “We found out some people could find an angle to get around things and do things that are not good for Iowans,” Shipley said. “And I just want to stand up in support of Senator Dawson’s bill to try and close some of these loopholes that even I could figure out were coming.” In addition to regulating hemp products that are being used by consumers therapeutically, supporters of the legislation said it is needed to help protect those who choose to use hemp recreationally. Dawson said the bill is “desperately needed regulation on this industry, to not only protect industry but also to protect the consumers who might indulge in these products.”

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Council of the District of Columbia Votes To Extend 4/20 Tax Holiday

At a recent legislative meeting by the Washington, D.C.’s Council of the District of Columbia meeting on April 2, the council unanimously approved the “Medical Cannabis Patient Card Extension 4/20 Medical Cannabis Sales Tax Holiday Week Emergency Amendment Act of 2024,” which addresses three primary changes by amending the DC Official Code Title 7. First, it makes medical cannabis patient and caregiver cards now valid for six years (previously it lasted only two years before requiring renewal). Second, it provides the Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Administration (ABCA) with “emergency closure authority.” This gives the agency power to close unlicensed cannabis retailers and seize “any” cannabis products if it poses a threat to the safety of the public. And finally, it extends the currently existing medical cannabis tax holiday (April 20-24, which was approved in 2022) to now last between April 15 to April 28. According to councilmember Kenyan McDuffie, the measure is essential to the success of the district’s medical cannabis industry. “The popular tax holiday is critical to the district’s effort to attract qualifying patients back to the legal market as well as sustainable and viable medical cannabis program,” McDuffie said. Prior to the measure being passed, Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser wrote about pending legislation being considered by the council, urging them to consider the tax holiday extension. “This change will improve patient access to the program and would make the District consistent with Maryland’s six-year medical cannabis patient card,” Bowser wrote. “The bill further supports our local industry by implementing a Medical Cannabis Tax Holiday, which temporarily suspends sales taxes for purchases made at licensed medical cannabis dispensaries.” She added that approving the ABCA’s power to shut down illegal cannabis stores is crucial. “Most importantly, this measure explicitly authorizes the Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Administration to close unlicensed cannabis retail stores,” Bowser explained. “As we saw in the recent tragic murder inside an unlicensed cannabis dispensary, these unlicensed stores pose a direct threat to our communities and we must take strong action to shut down bad actors.” The murder that Bowser referenced includes the death of local rapper, Phil Da Phuture, who was working at a dispensary when a robbery took place. Although he cooperated with the robbers, he was shot, and later died at a nearby hospital. During the meeting, council members said that there are approximately 200 illegal dispensaries operating through Washington, D.C., and only 70 of which have applied for a license. The council also chose to veto a measure that would have changed zoning rules for placing dispensaries near schools, and discussed another measure that seeks to revisit the authority of the ABCA. Currently, dispensaries must be located at least 300 feet away from schools or recreational areas that children frequent, although medical cannabis dispensaries are exempt from this if they stand in an industrial or commercial area. “This emergency legislation would remove that exception and prohibit all medical cannabis retailers from locating within 300 feet of schools or recreation centers,” said councilmember Brooke Pinto, who added that if passed, it would “…allow affected applicants to change their locations without negatively impacting their locations.” Only two dispensaries would be affected by the measure if it was passed, but McDuffie explained his disapproval. “It is tough work to find a location,” McDuffie said, adding that qualifying real estate in Washington, D.C. “…is not readily accessible when it comes to what they are required to use and the restrictions we put on them in terms of where they can locate. So I can’t support this.” Washington D.C. passed an initiative to remove criminal penalties for minor cannabis offenses in July 2014, which was followed by the passage of an initiative to tax and regulate adult-use cannabis in November 2014, which became effective in February 2015. Earlier this year in January, the council passed emergency legislation that cracks down on illegal dispensaries relying on the “gifting” loophole to make sales. “This gap in the law, if not fixed, will render the onramp meaningless, allow unlicensed establishments that do not apply to keep on operating, and significantly harm the good actors that have applied,” said councilmember Charles Allen in a January council meeting. The ABCA can now “issue warnings, fines, and cease-and-desist orders to unlicensed businesses that have not applied to the medical cannabis program,” according to a report from the DCist. Unfortunately, a local illegal dispensary called Kaliiva which had already started its transition from operating illegally to applying for a legal license recently raided earlier last month. Kaliiva was one of the first illegal dispensaries to receive a placard, according to The Outlaw Report, which is the first step toward receiving a license. The DC Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), as well as the Department of Health, and the DC Licensing and Consumer Protection, have the power to conduct inspections on their own accord, despite what the ABCA has established.

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San Francisco Set To Host Inaugural Weed Week

The city-sanctioned version of the famous 4/20 Hippie Hill event in San Francisco has been canceled, but it’s not the end of 4/20 celebrations in San Francisco. SF Weed Week, will feature a variety of events beginning with an art opening featuring cannabis mylar art on April 5 and a schedule of events running April 13-21. Instead of just one day of celebration, the event spans an entire week of all things cannabis, featuring cultivators and breeders at cannabis lounges throughout the city and unique strain premiers, such as releases of Rainbow Belts, Blue Lobster, Pink Jesus, Chikitaz, The Butcher, Sherb Haze, and Peppermint Sleighride. SF Weed Week creator David Downs is an award-winning cannabis journalist and author. Downs is the senior editor at Leafly and the former cannabis editor at the San Francisco Chronicle. According to the event website, Downs created SF Weed Week after thinking about what an event like SF Beer Week would be like if it was cannabis-themed instead. “Weed growers are rock stars, and strains are celebrities,” Downs said through a press release. “I want to give these strain releases the same rock star treatment that album releases get at Amoeba Records. And we’re going to. It’s going to be dope.” While SF Beer Week features unique new beer varieties and flavors, SF Weed Week boasts strain releases in participating lounges, including Mission Cannabis Club, Meadow, SPARC, Moe Greens, Solful, The Vapor Room, and Flore. Ali Jamalian, owner of Sunset Connect, is a founding advisor of SF Weed Week who is proud to be a part of an event that puts the spotlight on San Francisco weed. “San Francisco’s cannabis culture has so much to offer,” Jamalian said in a statement. “It only makes sense to showcase the cannabis epicenter of the world in a week-long celebration spread across the city with an array of amazing events and activations. All for free of course.” Especially in the wake of the cancellation of this year’s Hippie Hill event, fellow founding advisor Ben Grambergu, director at 7 Stars Holistic Healing Center, feels that SF Weed Week offers an alternative celebration that lifts up the community. “The organizers of Hippie Hill deserved a break, and SF Weed Week is here to extend the celebration across the entire city with the best cultivators in the world sharing their gift with the most dedicated enthusiasts in the world,” Grambergu said. “Look, the Bay Area has and always will be an epicenter of cannabis culture. SF Weed Week is proving to the doom loop haters that the scene is thriving. With a week full of incredible activations, world-class cannabis, and meet and greets with the rockstars who produced it; this event has something for everyone.”

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Gard’nClean Fast Release: Elevating Your Cannabis Cultivation’s Air Quality

Growers are always on the lookout for the next big thing in cannabis cultivation. Good air quality is a necessity when it comes to creating the perfect environment for your plants. That’s why we’re diving into Gard’nClean Fast Release, a product that’s stirring up excitement in the cannabis community for its innovative approach to improving the atmosphere of cultivation spaces. Now, let’s talk about what Gard’nClean Fast Release does. As a revolutionary deodorizer, it transforms the environment of any room. Whether you’re dealing with the musty smell of your old harvest or the potent aroma of cannabis, Gard’nClean Fast Release easily tackles these odors, leaving behind a fresher and cleaner atmosphere. This improvement in air quality isn’t just about making your spaces smell better; it’s about creating an environment where you and your plants can truly flourish. One of the most impressive aspects of Gard’nClean Fast Release is its ease of use. This product doesn’t require complex procedures or specialized equipment to deploy. It’s designed to be straightforward and user-friendly, making it accessible for growers of all experience levels to reset their rooms easily. Whether you’re running a large-scale commercial operation or nurturing a small personal garden, Gard’nClean Fast Release fits seamlessly into your routine. It’s important to note that while Gard’nClean Fast Release is a powerful deodorizer, it’s not an EPA registered product and is not labeled for sale as a pesticide. Its primary role is to improve the environmental quality of your grow space, focusing on aspects like odor control and atmosphere enhancement. Gard’nClean Fast Release is safe for use on all surfaces and equipment, but please keep in mind this product is meant to be used in an empty room with no living plants, people or animals. The feedback from the cannabis cultivation community has been overwhelmingly positive. Growers have reported a noticeable difference in the air quality after using Gard’nClean Fast Release. A cleaner, fresher environment contributes to a more pleasant and practical growing experience, not to mention making your grow space a nicer place to spend time in. In summary, Gard’nClean Fast Release emerges as a game-changer for those looking to elevate the quality of their cultivation environment. Its combination of advanced technology, ease of use, and effectiveness in deodorizing and enhancing the atmosphere makes it a product worth considering for any serious cannabis cultivator. As the industry continues to evolve, embracing innovative solutions like Gard’nClean Fast Release could be key to staying ahead in the competitive world of cannabis cultivation. This product doesn’t just change the air in your grow room; it transforms the entire cultivation experience, making it a standout choice for growers dedicated to creating the ideal environment for their plants. Download the free Gard’nClean Room Reset Guide

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Remembering Counterculture Icon and Poet John Sinclair, 1941-2024

Political activist, icon, and poet John Sinclair, 82, passed away of congestive heart failure Tuesday morning. Sinclair would have otherwise appeared at Ann Arbor Hash Bash in Michigan this Saturday to show support for pot reform. Sinclair advocated to legalize pot as early as 1965, joining his mentors like Allen Ginsberg and Ed Sanders. Beyond his poetry, he managed MC5 (Motor City Five), worked on the radio, and co-founded a series of underground publications. He later co-founded the anti-racist White Panther Party, a faction of the Black Panther Party and became associated with the radical activist group the Yippies (Youth International Party). His anti-Vietnam War antics wound up catching the eye of the C.I.A., F.B.I., and other law enforcement groups. The first few times I called John Sinclair and his ex-wife Leni Sinclair, I could detect a lingering general distrust of the media—which like many things, could be controlled by the government. High Times assigned me to interview Sinclair for the January, 2022 advocacy issue. It was just after the 50th anniversary of John Sinclair Freedom Rally the year earlier, which would lead to the annual Ann Arbor Hash Bash in Michigan. “I started advocating for the legalization of marijuana in Michigan in January 1965,” Sinclair told High Times in 2022. “Only Allen Ginsberg and Ed Sanders were active proponents of legalization then, as well as the lawyer in San Francisco who created the legal brief in support of legalization that I used in my court battle.” We also reached out to Sinclair’s ex Leni for her priceless photography that documented the ‘60s and ‘70s. (Former High Times managing editor John Holmstrom also interviewed Sinclair for the July, 1988 issue of High Times, when the activist described lobbying for NORML and his activities in Ann Arbor.) Sinclair is remembered for being sentenced to ten years in prison—for two joints—in 1969 by Judge Robert Colombo. Federal law enforcement agents used a simple drug charge as a means to put away Sinclair, whom they considered a threat to national safety. Sinclair represented the militant, tactical arm of the counterculture movement during the summer of love. The older heads remember Woodstock for a few milestones: Janis Joplin arriving onto stage late with the Kozmic Blues Band, and blowing the audience’s minds. Or when The Lovin’ Spoonful’s John Sebastian announced a baby had been born. Or perhaps Jimi Hendrix’s iconic ending performance with the national anthem. Others remember a not-so-subtle shout-out to a pot prisoner who was being held for political motives: In the middle of The Who’s set on August 16, 1969, radical activist Abbie Hoffman yanked the mic and screamed “Free John Sinclair and all other political prisoners!!” to nearly half a million spectators at the festival before being politely shewed off-stage by Pete Townsend. (Hoffman was portrayed by Sacha Baron Cohen in the 2020 film The Trial of the Chicago Seven.) In 1971, Sinclair’s cruel sentence attracted support from some of the year’s biggest artists, who performed at his freedom rally in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The performers included John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Stevie Wonder, Bob Seger, David Peel, Allen Ginsberg and Ed Sanders, who all performed at the December 10,1971 original rally. The F.B.I. conducted surveillance of both Sinclair and Lennon, as well as others at the ‘71 rally. Sinclair said the F.B.I. surveillance was per then-President Nixon’s orders, and he wanted to form a future Chief Justice of the Supreme Court—William Reinquist. “Nixon made Trump look like Mahatma Gandhi!” Sinclair told High Times in 2021. Artists like Lennon were sickened by Sinclair’s sentence for a bit of weed. We ended up buying stunning photos—including shots of John Lennon, Yoko Ono, and Allen Ginsberg—from Sinclair’s ex Leni for the interview. “It ain’t fair, John Sinclair. Hid in the stair for breathing air,” Lennon sings in the song “John Sinclair,” which marked a distinctive shift of tone into political territory and specifically, a pot prisoner. “He gave him ten for two. What else can Judge Colombo do?!” The lyrics were later changed to drop Colombo’s name. “John Sinclair” was halfway in-between a blues banger and a political chant, as Lennon repeats “Got to set him free” over and over again. “What a great person he was,” Sinclair, speaking of John Lennon. “He was busted for marijuana. They gave him an opportunity. He wanted to be hip. What was hip was politics and left-wing hippies. Jerry Rubin and Abbie Hoffman and Ed Sanders. Paul Kransner. That was hipper than rock ‘n’ roll. They gave him an opportunity to do something really hip. He leaped at it. They paid their own expenses. It was amazing. Then Stevie Wonder called them and came down. He paid his own expenses as well, and for his band. It was a beautiful thing, man. If we did one of those every week, we would have a different country. That’s when the government really got on his ass.” Since the ‘80s, Sinclair has written the column “Free the Weed.” In 2004, he launched the The John Sinclair Foundation in Amsterdam. On December 1, 2019, the first day of recreational sales in Michigan, Sinclair bought about $150 worth of legal pot. Is Sinclair alone in getting over ten years for two joints? There’s a Black man in Louisiana, Bernard Noble, who in 2011 was originally sentenced to 13 years for about two joints’ worth of pot, under Louisiana’s cruel “at hard labor” law. Sinclair’s legacy demonstrates the fight against the establishment to legalize pot and establish peace.

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Germany Celebrates First Day of Legal Recreational Weed

Cannabis enthusiasts across Germany took to the streets at midnight early Monday morning to smoke joints and celebrate as the European nation’s legalization of cannabis took effect on April 1. German lawmakers gave final approval to a recreational weed legalization plan known as CanG late last month, making the country the largest in Europe to take the step. In the German capital of Berlin, weed enthusiasts gathered at the iconic Brandenberg Gate to smoke weed and celebrate their new freedoms. Other events were held throughout Europe’s most populous country, including one in front of the Cologne cathedral and others in the cities of Hamburg, Regensburg and Dortmund. “We can finally show ourselves, we don’t have to hide anymore,” Henry Plottke, a member of the German Hemp Association (DHV), told the news agency DPA at the celebration in Berlin. The legalization of cannabis in Germany was supported by the three-party ruling coalition led by Social Democrat Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Health Minister Karl Lauterbach extolled the virtues of the beginning of cannabis legalization in a social media post. “Cannabis use already existed yesterday, but it’s increasing. Now it’s exiting the taboo zone,” he wrote on X on Monday, according to a translation from CNN. “This is better for real addiction help, prevention for children and young people and for combating the black market, for which there will soon be an alternative.” Under Germany’s CanG legalization plan, adults aged 18 and up are permitted to possess up to 25 grams of weed and public and up to 50 grams at home. The new law also allows adults to grow cannabis at home, with a cap of three plants. Public consumption of weed including smoking is also allowed, although there are restrictions on using cannabis near children and sports venues. Beginning on July 1, adults will be allowed to join cannabis clubs, which will each provide access to weed for up to 500 members. For-profit commercial cannabis ventures are not permitted by the plan. Niklas Kouparanis, co-founder and CEO of Germany-based medical cannabis company Bloomwell Group, said that the cannabis club model could eventually lead to broader legalization of adult-use cannabis. “The provision allowing for cannabis clubs is an important step towards the de-stigmatization of cannabis use, as adult consumers will no longer be criminalized for simply smoking or ingesting the plant,” Kouparanis said in a statement to High Times. “Of course, our ultimate goal in Germany remains to legalize the entire value chain for a full-fledged adult-use market, going beyond the nonprofit, members-only cannabis clubs and creating a commercial market that can be accessed by all adult consumers.” Although legalizing cannabis was approved by both chambers of Germany’s bicameral parliament, the plan does not have universal support. After the plan was adopted, the conservative opposition vowed to repeal the CanG legislation if they can form a coalition government after next year’s national elections. “In our view, drugs policy, particularly with respect to protecting young people, is an issue of such central significance that we will revoke the legalization of cannabis in the event we take power,” lawmaker Thorsten Frei told the Augsburger Allgemeine newspaper, Yahoo News reported on Saturday. “In any possible coalition talks, [the rolling back of the legislation] will be a firm standpoint for us,” added Frei, the parliamentary leader of the alliance of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU). The legalization of weed in Germany is also opposed by groups representing police officers, who fear the new legislation will be difficult to enforce. The law includes public consumption exclusion zones and exemptions, which could result in disagreements about where people can freely use cannabis. “From April 1, our colleagues will find themselves in situations of conflict with citizens, as uncertainty reigns on both sides,” said Alexander Poitz, vice president of the GdP police union, according to a report from the Daily Mail. The CanG plan also includes provisions to review past cannabis convictions, a process that opponents say will overwhelm the courts. Justice Minister Marco Buschmann, however, said it would mean less work for the judiciary and police in the long run. “The changeover will mean a one-off increase in workload, but in the long term the police and judiciary will be relieved,” Buschmann told the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland media group on Monday. “They will then be able to focus on even more relevant crime.” While German weed enthusiasts celebrated cannabis legalization, neighboring countries have taken notice. In Austria, officials said they have no plans to follow Germany’s lead on cannabis policy reform and would implement measures to deter trans-border trade. “The police will conduct intensified checks, particularly in areas near the border, to take addictive substances and drivers under the influence of drugs out of circulation,” Interior Minister Gerhard Karner said in a statement. “This is about the protection of all road users.” The Interior Ministry added that plainclothes police officers and specialists trained to recognize signs of impairment would be deployed to the border in an effort to thwart smuggling attempts.

https://hightimes.com/

Florida Adult-Use Cannabis Initiative Approved for November 2024 Ballot

The Florida Supreme Court recently decided in a 5-2 ruling that it will not be preventing an adult-use cannabis initiative from appearing on this year’s ballot. Later this year, voters will voice their opinion on “Florida Amendment 3, Marijuana Legalization Initiative,” where a “yes” supports legalizing adult-use cannabis and permitting possession of up to three ounces, and a “no” opposes adult-use legalization and all it would pertain. This decision is the result of Attorney General Ashley Moody’s challenge of the initiative’s ballot language in summer 2023, arguing that the measure is misleading and doesn’t inform voters about federal prohibition. Moody also challenged a ballot initiative from 2022, to which the Supreme Court ultimately decided it was invalid. The current initiative that will now be put in front of voters in November is backed by the advocacy group Smart & Safe Florida, which according to Politico, collected more than 1 million signatures to get the initiative onto the ballot. According to a written opinion from Justice Jamie Grosshans, the language doesn’t violate the single-subject rule, and is not too confusing for voters. “Selling and possessing marijuana appear, for better or worse, directly connected, and we cannot say that an amendment addressing both components violates the single-subject requirement,” the opinion stated. “We do not believe the summary would confuse a voter into thinking that the legislature is required to authorize additional licenses. It clearly states that the amendment legalizes adult personal possession and use of marijuana as a matter of Florida law.” Grosshans also addressed Moody’s claim that the amendment would require legislative decision in order to create adult-use dispensary licenses. Smart & Safe Florida published a post on social media about the recent court ruling. “The court’s decision echoes our commitment to transparent ballot language and the right for voters to decide on vital issues. Here’s to progress and paving the path towards safer cannabis consumption for adults! #Yeson3” A majority of the funds behind Smart & Safe Florida’s initiative came from the vertically integrated multistate operator, Trulieve, which granted more than $39 million to the effort. Trulieve is one of the largest cannabis companies in Florida, owning 131 of 618 medical cannabis dispensaries currently licensed in the state. “We are thankful that the Court has correctly ruled the ballot initiative and summary language meets the standards for single subject and clarity. We look forward to supporting this campaign as it heads to the ballot this fall,” said Trulieve CEO Kim Rivers. “Trulieve was the primary financial supporter of the initiative during the signature gathering effort and subsequent court challenge and is a proud supporter, alongside a strong coalition of other companies, of the next important phase to educate Floridians on the amendment and secure a yes vote on Amendment 3 this November.” In order for the initiative to pass this November, it will need 60% of voter approval, which would allow the state’s currently licensed medical cannabis companies to sell to any adult over 21. Gov. Ron DeSantis took office in 2019, and shortly thereafter asked the legislature to repeal a ban on cannabis flower. Advocates and patients praised his support, and since then he has acted on that support to create strict rules to prevent medical cannabis advertisements in order to protect children. However, DeSantis has made it clear that he does not support adult-use cannabis, calling it a “real problem” and referring to the plant as having a “stench.” He campaigned for president in 2023, and made claims that cannabis could be laced with fentanyl, and saying that he would not legalize adult-use cannabis if he were elected president. “Yeah, I would not legalize,” DeSantis said. “I think what’s happened is this stuff is very potent now. I think it’s a real, real problem and I think it’s a lot different than stuff that people were using 30 or 40 years ago. And I think when kids get on that, I think it causes a lot of problems. And then, of course, you know, they can throw fentanyl in any of this stuff now.” Medical cannabis was legalized in Florida in 2016 with a 71.3% vote, and as of 2023, Florida had 871,000 registered medical cannabis patients, which is the highest number of patients in the country. According to Politico, the medical cannabis legalization effort was funded in majority by “Pot Daddy” John Morgan, who spent $7 million to push the initiative forward. As of April 2, the Florida Supreme Court permitted a six-week abortion ban to take effect (which was signed by DeSantis in 2023). However, the court also approved a constitutional amendment to appear on the ballot that will ask voters to choose to decide on “Florida Amendment 4, Right to Abortion Initiative.” A “yes” vote would establish constitutional rights to abortion before fetal viability, while a “no” vote would oppose that constitutional right. “We’re thrilled the Court has let the voters decide the fate of abortion access in Florida,” said Laura Goodhue, Florida Alliance of Planned Parenthood Affiliates Executive Director. “This comes at the same time they have allowed a six-week ban to go into effect, making this initiative more important than ever.”

https://hightimes.com/

Oregon Recriminalizes Hard Drugs, Ending State’s Drug Experiment

As a “laboratory of democracy,” Oregon’s experiment with decriminalizing all drugs—including hard drugs like heroin and meth—has run its course and come to an end. The Oregon law was reversed on April 1 under new legislation signed to impose misdemeanor charges for crimes involving hard drugs. On Monday, Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek signed House Bill 4002, which reverses the first-of-its-kind, voter-approved drug decriminalization law that was enacted three years ago. HB 4002 was approved by the state Senate 21-8 after the House approved it 51-7. In 2020, nearly 60% of Oregon voters passed the state’s drug decriminalization law, Measure 110, which in a radical move, decriminalized the possession of small amounts of illicit drugs and was designed to direct drug addicts to rehab instead of doing time. The bill made the personal use possession of illegal drugs such as heroin, cocaine, and meth punishable by a mere ticket and a maximum fine of $100. But critics claim the law created a hellscape of drug addicts on the streets of cities like Portland. The New York Times called it a “deluge of overdose deaths.” How true are these claims? Oregon ranked 17th for the highest drug-related deaths last year, with 30 fentanyl overdose fatalities for every 100,000 people—up from 36th out of the 39 states (including Washington, D.C.) that reported fentanyl overdose deaths in 2019. This was too high of a climb amid the state’s experimental drug law, some analysts said, however it was still lower than the rates seen in other states. Fast forward to August 2023, and 56% of Oregonians said they disapproved of the drug decriminalization law, and lawmakers—Republicans and Democrats included—introduced legislation to reverse the bill. Liberal commentators, however, said the state is reigniting a police state. Statesman Journal reports that beginning on Sept. 1, Class E violations, which were created under Measure 110, eliminating criminal penalties for possession of small amounts of illegal drugs, will be repealed under the new law. The new law means that people caught with small amounts of illegal drugs will face a new “drug enforcement misdemeanor.” HB 4002, raised the punishment for personal use possession to a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail. It gives cops the green light to confiscate the drugs and crack down on their use on sidewalks and in parks. It also establishes ways for rehab treatment to be offered as an alternative to jail time by encouraging law enforcement agencies to create “deflection programs” that would divert people to addiction and mental health services instead of the criminal justice system. In a letter to Senate President Rob Wagner and House Speaker Julie Fahey, Gov. Kotek wrote that the bill still encourages law enforcement to prioritize “pre-arrest deflection.” “Implementation of House Bill 4002 will be complex, but committing to clarity and coordination is one way to improve its likelihood of long-term success,” the governor stated. “Therefore, I direct the Criminal Justice Commission to leverage their full authority for deflection programs to use a standardized certification document that is easily identifiable as evidence of a person’s successful completion.” “Committing to this approach is one strategy to reduce collateral consequences of justice system involvement and can help mitigate the racial and ethnic disparities this legislation is projected to create,” Kotek stated in her letter. “For example, pre-arrest deflection for all standalone PCS charges can support a simplified sealing process later by reducing the number of records created and, based on historical data, could potentially reduce the disparate impact of criminalization of communities of color.” Republican leadership responded to the governor signing HB 4002. “Republicans stood united and forced Democrats to do what Oregonians demanded: recriminalize drugs,” said House Leader Jeff Helfrich. “Make no mistake, this bill is not enough to undo the disaster of Measure 110. House Republicans are ready to continue the work we started and bring real change to Salem in the next session.” Rep. Tim Knopp, a Republican, said that the bill ends a crisis that the state was grappling with. “Make no mistake, this bill is not enough to undo the disaster of Measure 110,” Knopp said in a statement. “House Republicans are ready to continue the work we started and bring real change to Salem in the next session.” “Now that the Governor has given the recriminalization bill her stamp of approval, we can finally end the chapter on Oregon’s experiment with decriminalizing hard drugs.” “HB 4002 is not a perfect solution; legislators will have much more work to do in upcoming sessions. But it sets a standard for how the state should approach the drug addiction crisis: by empowering law enforcement and our behavioral health systems to work together to help Oregonians struggling with chronic addiction seek life-saving treatment.” The changes under the new law take effect Sept. 1.

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