News

Updates on Vaping 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced a breakthrough in its vaping-related investigation, citing Vitamin E acetate as a “very strong culprit” in lung injuries that have led to the deaths of 39 people and serious illnesses of more than 2,000 others. Many of the people who became ill did not get their products from legal and regulated sources.  Makers of illicit vaping fluids sometimes add Vitamin E acetate to dilute THC in order to increase their profits. 

The CDC cautions, however, that they still have more work to do before completely ruling out legal sources. And despite the breakthrough, there isn’t much federal regulators can do about it.  The Food and Drug Administration’s hands are tied because cannabis remains illegal at the federal level. 

In Colorado, Vitamin E acetate was banned this week by the Marijuana Enforcement Division. Public health officials have confirmed 11 cases of vaping-related illness in the state.  The death of an 18-year-old Colorado man is being investigated to determine if it is related to vaping.  Autopsy results are expected in about a month. 

At the federal level, the National Cannabis Industry Association continued advocating for descheduling and uniform federal regulations , noting that the vaping-related illnesses show the shortcomings of the current patchwork of state laws. The Cannabis Trade Federation released a statement saying:  “This health crisis and the recent breakthrough in the investigation underscore the importance of existing state cannabis regulations, as well as the need for strict cannabis regulation at both the state and federal levels.” 

Meanwhile, a POLITICO-Harvard poll shows that despite the vaping crisis, Americans view e-cigarettes as far more dangerous than marijuana.  

Headlines

Everything old is new again

It turns out digital marketing isn’t as effective as . . . wait for it . . . an in-person experience!  Even in the digital age, some people like to look up from their phones once in a while and interact with other people who have looked up from their phones.  

And this is good for business.  Consumers say that a face-to-face experience helps them remember a cannabis brand.  More »

CBD heaven . . . at 7-Eleven?

Kristen Soltis Anderson, a columnist for the Washington Examiner, said two years ago that “the robots are coming, whether we like it or not.”  But there was no indication she thought robots would be dispensing CBD alongside Big Gulps and Big Bites.  But that is exactly what’s happening at select 7-Eleven stores in Colorado.  More »

State of play 

A good wrap of the state of cannabis reform across the country and at the national level. 

More »

Is there a work-around for cannabis ad bans?

Maybe. A martech startup called Vana claims it has built a platform that can help cannabis and CBD brands run ads legally using age-gating and state-gating technology. The company says it has signed on more than 6,000 cannabis and CBD brands and retailers and has been running ads across its publisher network that includes BuzzFeed, Hearst, and USA Today.

Cannabis Laws Create Compliance Problem for U.S. Broker-Dealers

The Wall Street Journal looks at how brokerage firms are navigating the divide between state and federal marijuana laws. More »

An alert for your Christmas plans in Mexico

The country’s highest court granted a request to extend the deadline to legalize marijuana.  Instead of October 31, the legislature now has until April 30, 2020.  More »

Coming down, but steady

Marijuana Business Daily’s chart shows that cannabis investment activity is up 40% over 2018, but it’s slowing. Analysts say slowed investment isn’t unexpected after a period of rapid growth. More »

 

No one will confuse Polis with Hickenlooper

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis shared some tips on Facebook (or FACEBOOK) about how to grow bonsai-style marijuana plants.  We will just leave the link here.  More »

 

Wasting Away

Leafly does a good job of discussing waste generated by the cannabis industry, why there is so much waste, and what innovative tactics U.S. states (including Colorado) and countries are doing to minimize it.  More »

Equity and diversity 

Karson Humiston , CEO and founder of the Denver-based cannabis industry recruiting firm Vangst, talks about the need for more industry diversity. She remains optimistic, she said, because of the enthusiasm she sees from companies about solving the issue. More »

Also, Wanda James talks about what it’s like to own a marijuana dispensary as a woman of color in Colorado and dispels the misconception that dispensary owners are “rolling in dough.” 

More »

What do Playboy, the NRSC and U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner have in common? 

Cannabis. No really.  The National Republican Senatorial Committee tweeted: “We can’t believe we’re tweeting a @Playboy article, but we have to agree that @CoryGardner is working hard to find solutions for Coloradans in light of marijuana legalization.”

The Playboy article — How a Republican Senator Became the Biggest Cannabis Power Broker in Congress — is here.  More »

Marijuana Enforcement Division finalizing rule on vaping additives 

 

Colorado’s marijuana regulators Tuesday held a public hearing on new rules, which would ban certain additives in cannabis vape products. The proposed ban of ingredients used in marijuana concentrates or products intended for inhalation include:

    • Polyethylene glycol (PEG);
    • Vitamin E Acetate; and
    • Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCT Oil)

Denver Post »

CBS Local »

Looking For A Cannabis Voter?

Colorado’s Pot Shops Are The Place To Find Them – Colorado Public Radio

Full Coverage

Myth Busters 

CDC: Teen cannabis use dropped in Colorado and other states after legalization 

Two possible reasons cited by the CDC for the decline or absence of youth marijuana use were that cannabis lost its novelty appeal and the reduction of the illegal market in states where cannabis is regulated.  

More »


 

Washington State University: Legal cannabis has not led to spikes in crime in WA and CO

Researchers found that legalizing marijuana had “no statistically significant long-term effects” on serious violent crime and property crime rates in either state. 

More »

The hot streak continues

Cannabis monthly sales reached the highest monthly total ever in August, according to the Colorado Department of Revenue. In the first eight months of 2019, Colorado has reported over $1.15 billion in dispensary sales – indicating that the industry is on track to eclipse last year’s overall sales of $1.55 billion.

More »

Local Cannabis News

Superior town trustees on Monday unanimously voted in favor of an ordinance to allow both medical and retail marijuana to be delivered to residents.

More »

Louisville ballot question 2F proposes allowing retail marijuana cultivation facilities 

More »

Marijuana 2.0

Axios looks at Colorado House bill 1090, which takes effect next month. The new law permits  investment opportunities for publicly traded companies, venture capitalists and private equity firms, which were previously barred.

Read More »

CBD or THC? 

A common forensic drug testing method could easily mistake the presence of CBD for THC.  The stakes are high, considering that even in states that have legalized marijuana, it remains legal for employers, child protective services, public housing authorities and other entities to test for THC.

Read More »

Cannabis Research 

The University of California San Diego School of Medicine’s Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research announced $3 million in grants to study medical cannabis as a supplementary or alternative treatment for schizophrenia, rheumatoid arthritis, insomnia, alcohol dependence and anxiety linked to anorexia.

Read More »