Jul 21, 2016 | California Marijuana Laws
Metallurgist and assayer Matthew Stevenson coined the famous phrase, ‘There’s gold in them thar hills and there’s millions in it’ in 1849, when he tried to dissuade workers at a branch of the United States Mint from absconding to join the California Gold Rush. History does not record if he was successful. His words do however make a useful introduction to California’s latest real estate investment break.
Writing in Marijuana Business Daily on July 20, 2016 Omar Sacirbey reports a surge in interest in leasing marijuana farms. This is great news for emerging entrepreneurs currently unable to afford land, but with agricultural skills to turn over a good profit. Omar describes how the demand for leased property ‘is large and growing, fueled by increased demand for cannabis and the need for land to grow the plant’.
This opinion gains ground in the light of comments by the CEO of Denver-based Americann, which describes itself as a national leader of sustainable cultivation, and processing infrastructure for the medical marijuana industry. CEO Tim Keogh thinks that
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Jul 5, 2016 | California Marijuana Laws, Marijuana Legalization, Proposed MMJ Law Changes
Executive Director of the California Growers Association Hezekiah Allen brought a wry smile to my face when he said, ‘half of my board is third-generation farmers, people who grew up in the drug war, lying about what their parents did and wishing they were normal’ as quoted in International Business Times. I doubt very much NORML anticipated the catfights developing on the supply side of the industry, or shall I say the battle of the titans?
With the AUMA Ballot still almost half a year away, and nothing in stone yet, the industry that was relatively cohesive in the closet is now tearing itself apart in what some call seismic shifts. Like all revolutionary movements the game changers are having difficulty coming down the idea of regulation.
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Jun 22, 2016 | California Marijuana Laws, Marijuana Legalization, Proposed MMJ Law Changes
It is a funny old world we live in. American songwriter, rapper, record producer, and actor Enimem said, ‘the truth is you don’t know what is going to happen tomorrow, and nothing is guaranteed.’ On May 19th 2016, we quoted acting administrator of the Drug Enforcement Agency Chuck Rosenberg saying, ‘We can have an intellectually honest debate about whether we should legalize something that is bad and dangerous, but don’t call it (marijuana) medicine – that is a joke.’
We are delighted to confirm our thinking that you were very wrong sir. At the time of writing, we wrote you ought to know persistence pays off especially when the other party drops their guard. The proof is in the marijuana cookie. One of your own people dropped their guard. They tipped the Santa Monica Observer off that marijuana will be a Schedule Two drug effective 1 August 2016.
This is not to say the fight is over yet. We have a presidential election brewing. Some say this is a political move Hilary Clinton will support. Others suggest Los Angeles cannabis clinic owners will side with Donald Trump to shut down the idea of CVS Pharmacy, Rite-Aid and Walgreens selling THC edibles across the counter with a prescription soon. They will likely not stock raw cannabis though, because smoking is a health risk.
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Jun 20, 2016 | California Marijuana Laws, Marijuana Legalization, Proposed MMJ Law Changes
The ballot over The Adult Use of Marijuana Act on November 8 is firmly back on track, with Southern California alone providing more than the 365,880 signatures necessary to get the measure to the vote. This is not to say the initiative is bound to succeed. If it does – and we are cautiously optimistic – California will enter a new era twenty years after the use of medical cannabis became legal. Key aspects of the program would then be:
– Californians aged over twenty-one could possess up to 8 grams of concentrated cannabis, up to an ounce of marijuana, and up to six plants.
– Individuals may not consume in public, drive while under influence or provide marijuana to persons under twenty-one.
– Administratively, there would be strict control over the supply chain, which a 15% sales tax, plus growers’ tax would fund.
AUMA was ecstatic about the success, quoting Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom saying, ‘Today, the largest coalition ever formed to support marijuana reform has filed the signatures to qualify the most thoughtful marijuana policy in the nation – with the strictest child protections and billions in new revenue for important programs such as public safety.’
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Jun 17, 2016 | California Marijuana Laws, Marijuana Legalization, Proposed MMJ Law Changes
Jun 2, 2016 | California Marijuana Laws, Marijuana Legalization, Proposed MMJ Law Changes
California’s Adult Use of Marijuana Act (AUMA) sounded like a good idea when it arrived. The bill aims to skip right over existing medical marijuana legislation and take a blanket approach to social and medicinal use. To refresh your memory, AUMA’s backers want to:
– Allow adults aged over 21 to possess up to an ounce of marijuana, and
– Cultivate up to six plants on their own properties for personal use
In return, California would, if the bill passed, tax sales at an additional rate of 15% and stand to benefit from a potential $1 billion annual windfall. This is in strong contrast to NORML’s position on medical marijuana. NORML wants the medicine treated as prescription medication, where a physician (and not a lawmaker) decides on the quantity allowed. We have two more problems arising from what AUMA wants to do.
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