The Ganja Herald

Marijuana news and content.

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Oregon legalization laws compared to other states

Oregon legalization laws compared to other states

With the Oregon legalization of marijuana going into effect today residents over 21 are allowed to posses and cultivate marijuana. You can possess up to an ounce in public and 8 ounces at your private residence. Residents must keep all consumption at a private residence were they will also be allowed to grow up to four plants as long as they are kept out of the public eye. Edibles are okay to be…

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Oregon legalization laws compared to other states

With the Oregon legalization of marijuana going into effect today residents over 21 are allowed to posses and cultivate marijuana. You can possess up to an ounce in public and 8 ounces at your private residence. Residents must keep all consumption at a private residence were they will also be allowed to grow up to four plants as long as they are kept out of the public eye. Edibles are okay to be made at home and shared but like marijuana currently you can not sell it. Retail shops will follow soon but currently all marijuana used for recreation must be gifted to you or grown.

Lets look at how these laws stack up to the other legal states.

Colorado, Alaska, and D.C. allow for home cultivation of up to 6 plants with only 3 mature at a time as opposed to the 4 allowed in Oregon but its better than no home growing at all like in Washington. In Washington if caught growing each piece of equipment will count as paraphernalia and can be a costly addition to your legal reproductions.

In all of these states except Oregon there is a one ounce limit of possession and a 2 ounce limit in D.C.. In Alaska, Colorado, and D.C. you can technically have more than an ounce at your home if its from a home grown cultivation but Oregon has decided to set a different limit for private residences of 8 ounces. Will this mean home cultivators will have to throw out anything over the limit or will they have the same legal grace as these other grower states.

Concentrates are illegal in D.C. and creating concentrates at home is illegal in all states. Bans have been poPping up and shifted the view of concentrates from concentrated marijuana” to “house-bomb” , but you can still purchase it in the retail shops including Oregon’s. Lawmakers would prefer to leave this process in the hands of professionals and not YouTube aficionados. Lets hope we can still grill a steak in these states as well.

Legal sale will be coming to Oregon soon but until then things will run of a gift policy. Alaska, Colorado, and Washington all had a similar period without sales where as D.C. does not allow any retail marijuana.  While living in Colorado during this period I witnessed the ingenuity around this waiting period. Craigslist is filled with entrepreneurs who would sell pipes or lighters for a set price and gift marijuana much like a public broadcast donation would send you a free tote bag. One of the Craigslist mavericks even included a reciept-stapled closed bag that included a fridge magnet.

  It looks like Oregon is off to a great start and they have learned allot from the pioneering states and incorporated those lessons learned.

Oregon legalization laws compared to other states was originally published on The Ganja Herald

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Cannabis Church will not have marijuana as part of its first service.

Cannabis Church will not have marijuana as part of its first service.

Just two days before Indiana’s new Religious Freedom Restoration Act goes into effect,  Bill Levin announced via the church’s Facebook page that The First Cannabis Church will not incorporate marijuana into its first service. This comes after the announcement from police chief Rick Hite to warn about arrests if people had marijuana at the church. Bill will instead take the matter to the civil…

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Cannabis Church will not have marijuana as part of its first service.

Just two days before Indiana’s new Religious Freedom Restoration Act goes into effect,  Bill Levin announced via the church’s Facebook page that The First Cannabis Church will not incorporate marijuana into its first service. This comes after the announcement from police chief Rick Hite to warn about arrests if people had marijuana at the church. Bill will instead take the matter to the civil court as a threat to their religious pursuit. This will side step the criminal court and not risk anyone going to jail. If the law goes in to effect July 1st then will the threats made before the law is current have any ground in court. Levin’s lawyers will be filing a civil action  after the law goes into effect. Indiana’s new Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which bars the government from infringing on religious practices has come under fire since its drafting. The act grants the right to discriminate the LGBT community and has put Indiana at financial risk from companies  that threaten to not be involved with Indiana (here is a list). The First Church of Cannabis Inc. has been approved by  Indiana’s secretary of state so the church should be protected under the law. The service is scheduled for noon Wednesday at 3400 South Rural Street in Indianapolis and I encourage people to show up and support religious freedom.

      Cannabis Church will not have marijuana as part of its first service. was originally published on The Ganja Herald

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3 million issued to create drug for marijuana addiction.

3 million issued to create drug for marijuana addiction.

The National Institute of Health(NIH) have partnered with the Nation institute for drug abuse(NIDA) in an effort to create a drug to help with the growing Marijuana addiction problem. These agency’s plan to award 3 million to fund three projects aimed to help curb marijuana abuse. Currently the Food and Drug Administration has not approved any medications to treat pot addiction , in addition the…

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3 million issued to create drug for marijuana addiction.

The National Institute of Health(NIH) have partnered with the Nation institute for drug abuse(NIDA) in an effort to create a drug to help with the growing Marijuana addiction problem. These agency’s plan to award 3 million to fund three projects aimed to help curb marijuana abuse. Currently the Food and Drug Administration has not approved any medications to treat pot addiction , in addition the FDA has not approved any of the drugs trying to tap into the gamblers market either but that hasn’t stopped anyone from trying .

NIDA had this to say on marijuana addiction “Yes, marijuana can be addictive. Over time, overstimulation of the endocannabinoid system by marijuana use can cause changes in the brain that lead to addiction” and this “It is estimated that 9 percent of people who use marijuana will become dependent on it.”. Basically it takes quite a bit of use to become addicted and you have plenty of time to decide if it is something you enjoy before the slight chemical change could occur in your brain that signifies the slightest of addictions. Marijuana does not have severe symptoms of addiction just a slight crave for more much less than the crave for cocaine and no physical symptoms that could cause pain or injury. If you find yourself addicted to marijuana good news you wont be driven to hurting yourself or death from an overdose unlike alcohol . NIDA states that marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug and yet it only  16%of people who are in addiction treatment report that marijuana is their primary drug according to a Times magazine article.

Maia Szalavitz wrote that great article for time magazine covering marijuana addiction here’s a quote “So the question is, how does marijuana compare to these classically addictive drugs? Estimates vary, but compared with tobacco, which hooks about 20% to 30% of smokers, marijuana is much less addictive, coming in at 9% to 10%. In contrast, 23% to 25% of heroin users get addicted, along with 15% of alcohol users and 15% to 20% of those who use cocaine.”

Lets take a moment to be blunt, if you were addicted to something that is currently considered addictive to the NIH marijuana is by far the least detrimental habit so why don’t we repurpose that 3 mill on literally any other addiction problem.  The current administration has shown more leniency to marijuana than any other administration with president Obama admitting that alcohol is a greater danger than marijuana and removing a barrier that stopped allot of research on marijuana. Hopefully we can keep the ball rolling and create a list of marijuana facts that are not dismissed as anecdotal.

  Thanks to  Kelly Riddell for breaking the story on The Washington Times 

3 million issued to create drug for marijuana addiction. was originally published on The Ganja Herald

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Federal hurdle in marijuana research removed. · The Ganja Herald

Reliable Marijuana research could be streamlined with the removal of the PHS review.

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A new study, funded in part by the federal government, suggests alcohol has a more extreme impact on drivers than marijuana.

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Federal hurdle in marijuana research removed.

The public Health Service(PHS) review has been a thorn for everyone that has had to deal with it while researching marijuana research .  Originally the PHS review, set-up in 1999, was intended to allocate the marijuana resources by funneling them into the projects more worth-while to the public interest and deny the programs they decided are unlikely to produce usuable-data. The problem is the process rarely allowed any privately funded initiatives and as a result most of the data obtained was in pursuit of potential negative side effects of marijuana. With this bureaucratic hurdle removed we could expect an increase in accepted marijuana facts without hearing the words anecdotal. Most of the medical claims of marijuana are found through whats considered  anecdotal research and is often dismissed as opinion and not something proven by systematic scientific evaluation. 

This (PHS) review is not needed, in fact Marijuana is the only schedule one drug with such a review. Before any study can get to the (PHS) review they have to make it through the Federal Department of Agriculture, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the National Institute on Drug Abuse making the (PHS) review the fourth part in an already strenuous process.

In recent years the white house or rather president Obama’s administration has admitted that marijuana has some medicinal value and with the DEA pushing for more marijuana to be grown from the University of Mississippi (The only marijuana available for scientific study under contract with NIDA)  we can see the possibility of great change in the coming years.

Heard it first from the Washington post.

        Federal hurdle in marijuana research removed. was originally published on The Ganja Herald

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The ten worst states to get caught with pot.

  While compiling my list of the ten worst states to get caught with pot I focused on three major things .

Penalties- If you can get a felony they can strip you of voting rights. This makes reforming the state and federal laws that much harder.

Fines- Nobody needs a fine, and with a lot of states incorporating a large window like 1 lb, they can justify high max fines.

Incarceration – Any state that has incarceration for small possession is on the wrong track.

There are plenty of states that have no incarceration,little to no fees, and sometimes no penalties but the common trend with the harsher states often give a misdemeanor with a 1 yr  incarceration and a 1,000 dollar max fee.  Alright lets take at some of the worst states to get caught with small amounts.

1.Arizona is by far the absolute worst state to have any marijuana. Possession of any amount under 2 pounds is a felony accompanied with a max fine of 150,000 with a minimum sentence of 4 months and a max of 2 years. Although these laws are harsh the state of Arizona has a decent medical marijuana program that allows for home cultivation, possession of up to 2 and a half ounces, and just added PTSD as the 13th condition on the list of treatable conditions.

2.Tennessee has a much more lenient set of laws in comparison to Arizona but they are still severe in contrast to most of the country. Under Tennessee laws you can get away with a misdemeanor for possessing under 1/2 an ounce, but on the third offense it’s a felony. The initial  possession charge gets you a misdemeanor with incarceration of 1 yr  and the max fine is a whopping 5,000 on the first offense.  Tennessee follows the offense-tiered formula for prosecution that has a different set of penalties based on the number of offenses. Some tiered formula states are very lenient on marijuana users offering programs for rehabilitation.

3.Arkansas follows Tennessee with a tiered system that delves out a felony on the second offense of possession under 4 ounces. Arkansas has the standard misdemeanor with 1 yr and a max fine of 2,500 on the first offense.

4.Kansas is another state on the list with the two-step felony process and it is for any amount. On the first offense you could get up to a year incarceration and a 2,500 max fine and the felony fine can reach 100,000. Kansas has had two failed bills go down this year but let’s not give up hope.

5.Oklahoma is yet another state that has the two strikes felony rule for any amount but at least there are no fees associated with possession. Oklahoma recently passed a bill to allow patients with severe seizures to administer CBD-oils but there is not a legal way for anyone to manufacture this oil in state. Please click here and voice your support and tell your officials you need this to change.

6.Wisconsin again follows the two strikes and we take your voting rights with a felony, but at least the incarceration is only 6 months for the first offense accompanied with the standard 1,000 fine. Once you get to your second offense you get a felony and the max fine goes up to 10,000.

7.Indiana will not give you a felony if you can keep it under 30 g but you could still get a year behind bars and crazy high fines of up to 5,000 dollars. If you are in Indiana you might want to just swing by the First Church of Cannabis founded by Bill Levin. Bill and other church followers are going to light up in the church next month as part of the ceremony and it should be totally fine thanks to Indiana’s controversial new Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

8.Michigan does not dole out felonies for possession, but if its in a park they are not so lenient and will hand out the occasional felony. Incarceration can be up to a year and max fines could reach 2,000 for possession of any amount. Michigan has a great medical marijuana law in effect that allows medication for 14 different conditions and allows indoor cultivation for patients.

9.Wyoming is the only state that will give you a misdemeanor for simply being under the influence of marijuana you also get a 750 fine and 6 month incarceration. You can get a felony if you possess more than three ounces so at least there is some wiggle room before you get slapped with a felony.

10.New Hampshire does not dish out felonies for possession but will slap you with a misdemeanor, 1 yr incarceration, and a max fine of 2,000 dollars. NH has a great medical marijuana bill in effect that covers thirteen conditions and “injuries that significantly interfere with daily activities” so it sounds like a state with a good mindset about the medical benefits of marijuana.

  If you are in one of these states and these laws seem unfair please get involved and click on this link to marijuana policy project’s page that will load up your local and federal officials and makes expressing your opinion a breeze.

Thanks to MPP and NORML for having such a great compilation of information and being amazing.

The ten worst states to get caught with pot. was originally published on The Ganja Herald

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spice is a danger!

Synthetic marijuana has grown into a huge epidemic since its creation. This surge in popularity is attributed to a few simple things.

Drug tests are not a problem for this stuff

Built in customers like parolees,athletes, pretty much anyone who gets tested

Similar chemical structure and application as pot

Designer drug with crazy effects based on brand and composition (Russian roulette drug)

legal alternative in some cases

The most important factor to most users is that it is an untraceable alternative to marijuana and that it’s marketed to have similar effects but that’s really not the case. The synth-drug is created by spraying mind altering synth-chems on plant matter and for a time it resembled marijuana’s staple THC. The effects were intense and scary for a lot of users with some ending their night in a hospital, partly in effect to the synth-chems full agonist properties that made it possible to overdose(marijuana does not have this problem).

Pretty soon lawmakers around the world started banning this dangerous substance but most did this by banning the chemical used or placing the chemical on the schedule one list and so the companies just made new chemicals with different names. This chemical rodeo is still going on and the governing authorities that aren’t quick enough or just didn’t care are receiving spice with a crazy amount of their backlogged chemical cocktails resulting in increased hospital visits and addicted users. Some users have turned to the internet because they can’t get it locally anymore thus making it officially a black market good.

A 2012 study by the government found that high school seniors were more likely to try spice than any other substance besides marijuana. Im sure those numbers are tapering off but the fact remains that if marijuana is illegal then there is a viable market for synth-drugs.

Here is a site with addiction Testaments and support for anyone you know in need of help. Marijuana is not a full agonist meaning it does not fully bond with the cannabinoid receptors thus not shutting them out completely this allows your body to quickly recover and start making its on feel good chemicals but spice differs here in a dangerous and addictive way and it is okay to ask for help. Honestly the best way to fight this drug is to give the people what they actually want weed. You shouldnt have to drink soda because there is a ban on water so why would any government allow people this dangerous alternative when the blacklisted substance(marijuana) could be used to wean addicted users to a safer lifestyle.

If you would like to read more information about the spice epidemic please check out this Forbes article as well.

spice is a danger! was originally published on The Ganja Herald

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The Future of Pot DUIs is near with the "Cannabuster" and regular smokers should be wary.

  Mariam Crow and Kathleen Stitzlein have won an inventors award for creating a BMC(Blood Marijuana Content) detector. The device would provide the info to patrolling police within minutes and it’s all done with a simple saliva test.

Apparently the young graduate students plan on selling the device dubbed the “cannabuster” to local law enforcement. Focusing in on states with marijuana laws to help issue pot DUI’S and keep dangerous drivers off the road but the device is currently still in the prototype phase.

The general legal driving limit for these states is 5 nanograms or 5 BMC and to test drivers the police officers would have to call an Emergency Medical Squad to the scene or take the driver to a local hospital for blood work that could take up to 6 weeks. The device could streamline this process with no need for a medical official present and also without drawing blood, unfortunately they are only making a flawed system easier and more accepted.

The presence and duration of marijuana in the system is directly proportional to how often you partake as well as your body metabolism rate. Some medical patients have reported being completely sober and having a 120 nanogram BMC content. The numbers vary so much with each variable(person, method, and amount) but one thing remains consistent, the more you smoke the higher the chance that you will get a DUI regardless of sobriety. The standard legislation has put a target on medical patients and habitual smokers across the country and I ‘m concerned that zero tolerance states will run rampant with this technology.

These 5 nanogram limit is founded upon research from NIDA(Nation institute for Drug Abuse),  a department title that just screams biased. Their testing focused on non-regular smokers found after smoking the BMC reached a peak at around 9 minuets into smoking, then dropped to 60 % of the peak at the 15 minute mark, 20 % AT 30 minute mark,  and by the 2 hour mark THC levels were below 5 BMC. Please keep in mind that the only marijuana NIDA can get its hands on for testing has a potency level of 1/2 to 1/3 THC in comparison to  most street and store level buds.

A study found that THC could remain above the limit of detection 0.3 BMC in the blood of regular users for up to a month while they are not smoking. The testing lasted 30 days and the average medium of the 30 regular smokers taken at the start of the test was 1.4 BMC ranging from .3 BMC to 6.3 BMC. Basically some users took a month with no use to get below detectable levels in blood tests and if your state laws are strict this could mean a DUI.  Arizona a state with a medical marijuana system also has a zero tolerance law for driving that could result is suspension of your license for a year if you have any proof of marijuana in your blood so .3 BMC or higher.

Special thanks to TruthOnPot.com for providing some of the blood test info. Please read Toke of The Town’s report on CNN’S marijuana drivers test. Feature image credits go to Brad Clinesmith  for his image DUI on flickr

        The Future of Pot DUIs is near with the “Cannabuster” and regular smokers should be wary. was originally published on The Ganja Herald

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GMO Marijuana may be a reality if moved to a schedule II drug.

World News Daily Report(trolling news source) released a story claiming Monsanto(GMO biotech company) announced planting the worlds first GMO marijuana plant. Although Monsanto denied any marijuana products in development, they have also denied a plethora of other negative allegations and a quick google search will show that there have been suspicions and allegations of their involvement/interest with Marijuana for years. It seems like GMO Marijuana is inevitable regardless of the harbingers. lets look at some of the potentially positive things.

-Increase potency and study of other less well-known cannabinoids with minimal effort and time

-The creation of hardy marijuana plants that can withstand varying temperatures humidity and pest problems

-Increase in production with bigger buds and shorter grow times

-Abstract results like different colors

“There are over 480 natural components found within the Cannabis sativa plant, of which 66 have been classified as “cannabinoids;” chemicals unique to the plant.” Learn more at Learnaboutmarijuana.com

Imagine the vast medical potential that further study of these lesser-known cannabinoids could merit. Currently we use marker assisted selection processes to identify and bring out a desired quality in marijuana, for example Charlotte’s Webb, a strain high in cbd and low in thc, is a result of this selective breeding process, but this plant would never exist if not for extensive research on the effects of CBD( one of the other most plentiful cannabinoids in marijuana).

It is speculated that the biotech industry will not venture into Americas newest top cash crop until they are sure their patents will be secure.

Currently the best you can hope for legal protection would be to focus on a brand. Freakonmicks.com looks at it like this

“Fuji apples are a variety; Ranier Brand Fuji Apples is a trademark. A competitor can’t call their Fuji apples “Ranier”, but nothing stops a competitor from identifying their apples as Fujis.”

Marijuana farmers seem to have a very limited ability to protect their strain they painstakingly groomed from generations of plants, but if marijuana becomes a schedule II drug then it can be grown for medical purposes and opens the door to patents for GMO and breed plants lasting up to 20 years.

Considering that companies are not required to label GMO products in America, its hard to deny the business appeal. GMO marijuana could potentially deliver higher production at a lower cost with no adverse effects on the market appeal of the product. The future is unpredictable and uncertain but if there is money to be made you can consistently bet someone will .

   I would like to recommend Cannalawblog.com to anyone interested in how to protect your marijuana investment. Featured image by Alpha on flickr: Fractal Cauliflower CERES Market

GMO Marijuana may be a reality if moved to a schedule II drug. was originally published on The Ganja Herald

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Iowa medical marijuana bill to be reviewed by the House after clearing a senate vote.

Iowa medical marijuana bill is given the greenlight by senate and will be review by the Iowa House. The bill (SF484) would expand on the medical conditions that are permitted for use of CBD extracts.

-cancer

-multiple sclerosis

-epilepsy

-AIDS or HIV

-glaucoma

-hepatitis C

-crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis

-amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

-ehlers-danlos syndrome

-post-traumatic stress disorder

-severe chronic pain caused by an underlying medical condition that is not responsive to conventional treatment

  SF484 would also finally make these medicines available by producing them in state. Currently any form of medical marijuana is unobtainable in Iowa and no one knows this better that parents who are forced into risky law breaking situations just to help their children whom are suffering from seizures.

In 2014, Iowa enacted a bill allowing cannabidiol to be recommended for epilepsy by a neurologist, but that bill does not provide any means of production or access.

Governor Branstad has suggested Iowa patients might be able to get the product in Illinois.  currently You have to be a resident of Illinois and your medicine can not leave the state.

read more at Iowamedicalmarijuan.org

If the bill passes the house then it will go to Governor Terry Branstad who signed the first medical marijuana bill into effect. This coupled with recent claims that he is interested in looking at different ways to make it easier for parents obtain the medicine are signs of success if the bill can pass the house vote.

Unfortunately it seems to face strong opposition from the speaker of the house and majority leader. The majority leader would rather leave it to the federal Government via the FDA. If the bill meets more resistance it should come as no shock to anyone familiar with the state laws regarding marijuana. possession of any amount is a misdemeanor with a minimum incarceration of 6 months and  max fines starting at 1000.

Read more about iowa’s marijuana crime laws from NORML. If you are interested in reading the bill here is senate file 484 currently facing Iowa House judgment Thanks to radioiowa.com  for info about the iowa Governor Terry Branstad and his possible stance on the bill. Featured image: Pond’s Extract, the people’s remedy (front) from the boston public library on flickr You should check out and support Iowamedicalmarijuana.org

Iowa medical marijuana bill to be reviewed by the House after clearing a senate vote. was originally published on The Ganja Herald

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Workers Comp still received after testing positive for Marijuana.

Michael G. Trent had a steel beam fall on his leg while working for Stark Metals in Alliance, Ohio.

He told the nurse upon arrival that he could not pee so the drug test was administered 6 days later testing positive for marijuana. Given the circumstances, the Industrial Commission of Ohio allowed his claim for workers comp benefits prompting Stark Metal to appeal.

once in the  Stark County Common Pleas Court, Michael requested to exclude any testimony about drug-testing. Basically, marijuana drug-tests were not factually precise enough. In fact, most urinal analysis tests will read positive for a whole month after smoking marijuana, thus a poor indication of his toxicity that day.

He went on record saying he smoked a few weeks before the incident to explain why the test was positive and went on to testify that he was not under any influence that day.

The Appeals court agreed with the Common pleas court that the test results would have just opened the court to unfair judgment and were not evident of Michael’s toxicity that day. His marijuana use is considered” the proximate cause of an injury” if it was tested in his system within a small window after the incident but the test was taken at a time exceeding that window thus the test is inconsequential to his injury and case.

The dire situation Michael found himself in is not a rare occurrence. If you lose a limb at work and have smoked marijuana in the last 30 days then your situation could go from bad to worse. I feel drug tests are a disruption of our freedoms and really don’t enjoy handing another human a cup of my urine, but if we had more drug tests in these situations we could monitor how long the marijuana stays in the system as a possible indication of usage date. Im not proposing we test every day for thirty days to prove intoxication, but rather if you can test clean within ten days you might have a claim against the insurance company.

Here are a few quotes from the case and a link to read the whole thing.

“of this section, every employee, who is injured or who contracts an occupational disease, and the dependents of each employee who is killed, or dies as the result of an occupational disease contracted in the course of employment, wherever such injury has occurred or occupational disease has been contracted, provided the same were not: (2) Caused by the employee being intoxicated or under the influence of a controlled substance not prescribed by a physician where the intoxication or being under the influence of the controlled substance not prescribed by a physician was the proximate cause of the injury, is entitled to receive, either directly from the employee’s self-insuring employer as provided in section 4123.35 of the Revised Code, or from the state insurance fund,”

“an employee is intoxicated or under the influence of a controlled substance not prescribed by the employee’s physician and that being intoxicated or under the influence of a controlled substance not prescribed by the employee’s physician is the proximate cause of an injury under either of the following conditions: (1) When any one or more of the following is true: (b) The employee, through a qualifying chemical test administered within thirty-two hours of an injury”

“It is undisputed that a qualifying chemical test was not administered within thirty-two hours of the injury, and therefore the rebuttable presumption that he was under the influence of a controlled substance did not arise in the instant case. {¶17} Regardless of whether Trent violated a workplace rule by having marijuana metabolites in his system at the workplace, R.C. 4123.54(A)(2) provides that he is entitled to workers’ compensation benefits unless his drug use was the proximate cause of the injury.”

“The trial court did not abuse its discretion in excluding the evidence on the basis that its prejudicial effect outweighed its probative value. {¶18} The assignment of error is overruled. The judgment of the Stark County Common Pleas Court is affirmed. Costs are assessed to appellant.”

A special thanks to  Stephanie Goldberg and her article on BusinessInsurance.com the featured image is from Squibs of California; Or, Every-day Life Illustrated [Prospectus] and it is in the public domain

Workers Comp still received after testing positive for Marijuana. was originally published on The Ganja Herald

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Fort Collins, CO has a new mayor and he is a bad omen for all marijuana businesses.

Wade Troxell (highest funded campaign) is the new mayor of Fort Collins, CO as of 4/8/2015 and it’s  horrible for the retail marijuana shop owners.

While amendment 64 campaigns were going across the state Wade Troxell had his eyes fixed on fort Collins and Measure 301. Measure 301 would essentially reverse all his hard work on measure 300, a bill that banned medical marijuana in Fort Collins in 2011. Two campaigns were set in motion one by Wade Troxell, to make sure Measure 301 was not a success, and the other campaign ran by pro-marijuana groups.

As the voters would have it, Measure 301 passed along with amendment 64. This vote took place on an election year so you could say it’s the most accurate representation of the public .

Wade filed a complaint as a citizen claiming the pro-marijuana organizations were receiving donations from a non-profit organization(Sensible Colorado) outside of the city and felt outside parties should not have influence on their marijuana policy. The organization is approved by the state and Troxell couldn’t really do anything about it, but now he is mayor of the city and  local business owners are showing concern.

In a recent visit to Solace Meds, the best recreational store close to my town, I learned of the current election and a push by marijuana business for Ward Luthi the only candidate that stood a chance.  If the mayor takes any action against these organizations it could result in job losses and a lot of upset citizens, although a ban on recreational sales wont shut any of the stores down as they could still operate as a medical marijuana facility as it stands.

It seems very clear Troxell will be gunning for these small business owners. It’s really a bit of a  nightmare for these store owners, the guy that destroyed their business just a few years ago is now  the mayor.

  Featured image credit goes to joe wolf on flickr

    Fort Collins, CO has a new mayor and he is a bad omen for all marijuana businesses. was originally published on The Ganja Herald

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Washington state to eliminate excise tax on marijuana businesses and spike the consumer's tax.

Washington senate just passed SB 6062 and it has been sent to the house for consideration. This bill would simplify the tax system and get rid of excise tax for the marijuana businesses. currently taxes are collected when the producers sell to processors (25%), when processors sell to retailers (25%), and when retailers sell to consumers (25%). SB 6062 would eliminate all taxes except retail to consumer,that tax would be increased to ( 37% ). The taxes collected from the wholesale side is much less significant and the increase should accommodate for all the taxes removed with the bill evening it out for consumers.

The IRS code doesn’t allow deduction of business expenses for anyone in the marijuana selling field so, state excise taxes paid by these businesses can’t be deducted federally. This bill would make things easier for the businesses and help reduce the cost of top shelf bud.

You might notice the pricing spreads for most stores involve a few tiers,some with dirt prices and others that consist of top shelf strains with some recognizable staples mixed in. This bill could make that gap in price shrink.

It seems obvious that the cheapest buds in any dispensary are the ones grown in house avoiding the taxes. The lower tier strains are usually named something you probably never heard of or have a tag added to claim lineage . These are usually the least potent and have a lackluster taste.

The problem with the bill is it just moved around taxes, it didn’t get rid of anything. Without reductions that compete with street-level they will still be losing taxes to the black market that could help benefit the state and generate more revenue for the growers that are legal beagles.

Feel free to take a look at the paper work on legiscan thanks to Marijuana Buisness Daily for the great article featured image credits go to Lending Memo

  Washington state to eliminate excise tax on marijuana businesses and spike the consumer’s tax. was originally published on The Ganja Herald