CannabisNewsBreaks – Advanced Container Technologies Inc. (ACTX) Unveils New Smaller GrowPod Controlled Environment Systems

Advanced Container Technologies (OTC: ACTX), the exclusive U.S. distributor of self-contained, automated, indoor “micro-farms” called GrowPods, has announced a new line of automated modular GrowPod systems designed to be a transportable controlled environment farm. According to the announcement, the new smaller system is perfect for resorts, restaurants, grocer and individuals wishing to grow ultraclean, chemical-free produce, fruits and vegetables. The new systems are designed in response to a growing number of five-star resorts and leading hotels that are using similar systems to provide guests with gourmet cuisine experiences; the food produced in these systems are free from chemicals, herbicides and pathogens and can be harvest at the peak of flavor and freshness for quality. The new GrowPod systems are built into 20-foot insulated shipping containers; they can also be customized to include a variety of features, including a five-tier, five-channel growing system with a hand sink, nursery and prep area. The new systems also offer a secure entry door with an air curtain, stainless steel work tops, commercial-grade flooring and NSF-rated walls as well as complete environmental control. “It’s a protected environment so the resort doesn’t have to worry about too much sun or rain or heat or insects,” said Advanced Technologies Containers CEO Doug Heldoorn in the press release. “And since the container is a closed-loop system, water doesn’t evaporate, unlike a typical garden or farm, which provides significant reduction in water usage over conventional farming.”

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About Advanced Container Technologies Inc.

Advanced Container Technologies is in the business of selling and distributing self-contained, automated, indoor “micro-farms” called GrowPods, along with related equipment and supplies. Additionally, the company designs and sells patented proprietary medical-grade plastic containers, known as the Medtainer(R), that store and grind pharmaceuticals, herbs, teas and other solids or liquids. For more information, visit the company’s website at www.AdvancedContainerTechnologies.com.

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CannabisNewsWire (CNW) is an information service that provides (1) access to our news aggregation and syndication servers, (2) CannabisNewsBreaks that summarize corporate news and information, (3) enhanced press release services, (4) social media distribution and optimization services, and (5) a full array of corporate communication solutions. As a multifaceted financial news and content distribution company with an extensive team of contributing journalists and writers, CNW is uniquely positioned to best serve private and public companies that desire to reach a wide audience of investors, consumers, journalists and the general public. CNW has an ever-growing distribution network of more than 5,000 key syndication outlets across the country. By cutting through the overload of information in today’s market, CNW brings its clients unparalleled visibility, recognition and brand awareness. CNW is where news, content and information converge.

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420 with CNW — NJ Supreme Court Clears Confusion on Cannabis Expungement Law

The Supreme Court of New Jersey recently ruled that first-time offenders who avoided conviction for minor drug offenses by enrolling in a diversionary program before legislators in the state decriminalized cannabis two years ago could still be enrolled to another program for any new offenses. The unanimous ruling was an effort to analyze the intent of the Cannabis Regulatory, Enforcement Assistance and Marketplace Modernization Act.

While this law decriminalized the simple possession of marijuana in the state of New Jersey and directed that previous cannabis convictions be expunged automatically from an individual’s criminal record, it did not look into how judges were to handle individuals who got conditional discharges for drug offenses. A conditional discharge is a program for first-time offenders that allows them to dodge criminal prosecution and conviction for minor drug offenses if they complete a judge’s orders, which may include treatment.

Before this clarification was made, lower courts had resorted to making conflicting rulings for individuals with previous conditional discharges who applied for another diversionary program meant for first-time arrests. The other program in question, pretrial intervention, was only accessible by those who hadn’t taken part in another diversionary program.

The New Jersey Supreme Court combined the appeals in a number of cases before making its decision. One of those cases is Moataz M. Sheira’s March 2021 case, where he was charged with the third-degree possession of heroin and cocaine. Sheira wasn’t eligible for pretrial intervention because this wasn’t his first offense. After a trial court denied his request for the program, he appealed the decision.

Another case was Richard Gomes, who was charged with third- and fourth-degree assault in November 2020. A previous conditional discharge made Gomes ineligible for pretrial intervention. He appealed this as well and was allowed to apply for the program before the county prosecutor challenged the trial court’s decision in a separate suit.

The appeals court had in both cases ruled that an individual who had received a conditional discharge for possessing cannabis wasn’t eligible for pretrial intervention. The Supreme Court didn’t agree with this, however, with Superior Court Judge Jack Sabatino reversing these rulings.

Sabatino stated that while the Supreme Court’s reversal didn’t mean that individuals with prior conditional discharge were automatically eligible for pretrial intervention, courts couldn’t deny requests since the marijuana law didn’t provide clarification on conditional discharges. The judge then highlighted that the decision was centered on sensibly harmonizing the new law with already existing statutes.

As more states move to remove any inconsistencies existing with regard to marijuana policy, industry players are likely to become more confident of the environments in which they operate, and that could have downstream benefits for other entities such as Advanced Container Technologies Inc. (OTC: ACTX), which specialize in meeting the needs of “plant-touching” cannabis companies.

NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to Advanced Container Technologies Inc. (OTC: ACTX) are available in the company’s newsroom at https://cnw.fm/ACTX

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CNW420 spotlights the latest developments in the rapidly evolving cannabis industry through the release of two informative articles each business day. Our concise, informative content serves as a gateway for investors interested in the legalized cannabis sector and provides updates on how regulatory developments may impact financial markets. Articles are released each business day at 4:20 a.m. and 4:20 p.m. Eastern – our tribute to the time synonymous with cannabis culture. If marijuana and the burgeoning industry surrounding it are on your radar, CNW420 is for you! Check back daily to stay up-to-date on the latest milestones in the fast -changing world of cannabis.

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420 with CNW — Questions Arise on Delays to Implement Presidential Cannabis Pardons

All American citizens who suffer from the burden associated with federal cannabis-related convictions on their prior record were meant to be granted unconditional pardons, per the president’s directive in October.

According to the president, thousands of Americans have existing federal records for cannabis use and risk being denied work, residence or educational prospects. Never in history has a president-elect publicly acknowledged the shortcomings of America’s almost century-long experiment with marijuana restriction, a measure that most states have already abandoned.

Currently, about two-thirds of citizens believe it has to be done away with. Additionally, no president has ever shown commitment to using the office’s pardoning authority to help so many people who had been harmed by that failed program.

An uncomfortable fact is still in existence, however, and that is that not a single one of the Americans who were recognized by the Sentencing Commission as qualifying for pardons by the president has gotten them. Sadly, the government hasn’t followed through on its amnesty directive with immediate effect. As the president has already acknowledged, many people eligible for pardon have missed out on multiple chances over the years due to a lingering conviction for actions that most Americans no longer consider criminal. They shouldn’t have to wait much longer for assistance.

As of now, 24 states have passed legislation establishing clear procedures for expunging, or in other words, setting aside, the criminal records of people who have received low-level cannabis convictions. Since 2018, federal and local government officials have pardoned more than 100,000 American citizens and written off up to 1.7 million offenses related to marijuana, according to statistics made available to the public and gathered by NORML.

Moreover, many supporters think that if Congress passed a bipartisan bill such as the HOPE Act, which aims to give states federal assistance for the objectives of analyzing and stripping away low-level marijuana convictions, these figures may rise substantially higher.

Police have reportedly arrested 29 million people for cannabis-related offenses in the last few decades. About 90% of the detained had low-level marijuana possession convictions filed against them.

It is necessary for legislators from both political parties and the White House, in general, to act quickly to make up for the wrongful acts of marijuana criminalization by giving individuals who have unnecessarily suffered as a result of America’s failed cannabis prohibition rules and regulations long overdue legal justice.

For jurisdictions where legal marijuana markets exist, economies are thriving and the trickle down effects are also boosting entities such as Advanced Container Technologies Inc. (OTC: ACTX) that focus on meeting the needs of cannabis companies and individual growers.

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420 with CNW — Cannabis Brand Strength Could Be More Pivotal Than Sales

In only a few short years, the cannabis industry has proven to be one of the fastest-growing and most profitable sectors in the country. Over two decades after California legalized medical cannabis, the marijuana industry has grown to a behemoth sector worth billions of dollars.

The industry has sold billions’ worth of cannabis products, filled state coffers with billions of dollars in taxes and created hundreds of thousands of new employment opportunities.

This landscape of constant growth and runaway profits attracted entrepreneurs from all over the country who were itching to gain a portion of the extremely lucrative cannabis market for themselves. However, this quickly resulted in an oversaturation of supply as more sellers jumped into the mix, crowding the market. It can be quite difficult to stand out in such an oversaturated market, especially if your business is located in a region such as Michigan, which has no statewide cap on the number of marijuana business licenses.

Data suggests that businesses that focus on brand health rather than sales have a better chance of long-term success. While some cannabis markets believe that branding still doesn’t matter in the cannabis sector, others are pouring all of their energies into creating brand awareness for their products.

In recent years, cannabis markets have taken to advertisements (as much as their home states allow), sponsor events, and even enlist celebrity brand managers to increase awareness of their products.

Others have adopted fun and quirky product designs to stand out on the shelves, targeted specific consumer segments as part of their branding, launched loyalty programs to encourage repeat customers, and created in-store campaigns to pull in new consumers or budtenders.

But even though these marketing initiatives can be costly, cannabis marketers rarely have a means of determining just how effective their marketing initiatives are. If a marketer uses several initiatives to drive sales and repeat sales, they may not know which of their marketing initiatives was responsible for boosting sales.

In such cases, tracking brand health can be a great way to determine how marketing initiatives are resonating with customers. It allows marketers to gauge how well their marketing initiatives are working both in terms of product sales and customer engagement.

Tracking brand health also helps markets to gauge customer consideration, awareness, purchase, and loyalty to each brand and gives marketers a reasonable metric on how they rank with other brands in the industry.

Furthermore, it provides clear marketing performance indicators and makes it possible for marketers to track the effectiveness of their tactics over the long term. These metrics are also helpful to firms like Advanced Container Technologies Inc. (OTC: ACTX) which are ancillary to the cannabis space.

NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to Advanced Container Technologies Inc. (OTC: ACTX) are available in the company’s newsroom at https://cnw.fm/ACTX

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420 with CNW — Bipartisan Senators Reintroduce Revised Bill on Cannabis Research for Veterans

Last week, a group of senators re-introduced a measure to promote studies on the use of marijuana by veterans. It is expected that an identical bill will be introduced in the House in the near-term.

A congressional source has revealed that the measure’s introduction in the House maximizes the likelihood of its passage through both chambers.

The bipartisan measure in question, the VA Medicinal Cannabis Research Act, directs that the U.S. Veterans Affairs’ department look into the medical potential of cannabis for military veterans, in particular those who suffer from chronic pain and post-traumatic stress disorder. The measure was sponsored by chair Jon Tester of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee and Senator Dan Sullivan. This resolution was carried in previous sessions by Representative Lou Correa.

Sullivan added that they had an obligation to better understand and explore new remedies for mental health conditions that were both effective and safe, and could offer veterans some hope.

Despite protests from VA officials, an earlier version of this resolution was advanced by a House committee. Other versions moved through committee in 2018 and 2020. However, none of these was enacted into law.

The older versions directed that clinical trials evaluating the therapeutic potential of marijuana in the treatment of chronic pain and PTSD be carried out. This is slightly different from the most recent version, which was revised to also include a requirement for a retroactive observation study on the experiences of veterans who have used cannabis for such treatment previously, outside of the clinical trail context.

Other amendments to the bill’s new version include the removal of language that directed studies to use no less than seven marijuana varieties. This comes after an alliance of veterans’ service organizations penned a letter to congressional leaders last year requesting that they approve a cannabis and veterans research legislation before the end of the session. This action was unsuccessful.

As more states revise their drug laws, a larger market will potentially open not just for “plant-touching” companies but also ancillary companies that focus on addressing the needs of the cannabis companies, such as Advanced Container Technologies Inc. (OTC: ACTX).

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420 with CNW — Study Suggests Cannabis Has No Link to Hangover Effects, Questions Drug Policies

Anyone who has consumed alcohol and used marijuana will tell you that one core difference between the two is that, unlike alcohol, cannabis does not induce a hangover. While you may feel a little foggy and lethargic following a night of cannabis consumption, you will feel none of the uncomfortable symptoms associated with an alcohol hangover.

However, since anecdotal accounts of how cannabis doesn’t leave users with a hangover rarely count in the grand scheme of things, researchers have repeatedly set out to determine whether or not marijuana has a hangover effect via the scientific method. A review of 20 such studies by University of Sydney researchers has further challenged the idea that cannabis has hangover effects and raised questions regarding the legitimacy of drug policies that punish certain individuals for prior cannabis use.

The researchers analyzed 20 studies that reviewed the effects of cannabis eight hours after consumption; they focused on assessing the performance of subjects to detect any hangover effects. The author of the study, Danielle McCartney, stated that most of these studies did not observe any next-day effects after using cannabis. McCartney, a research fellow at the University of Sydney’s Lambert Initiative for Cannabinoid Therapeutics, then noted that although some research did observe some next-day effects, those studies had substantial limitations.

The studies also did not report on the magnitude of these next-day effects nor did they provide data on THC doses, means of THC administration and the type of assessment used. McCartney highlighted that, overall, there was scant scientific proof to support the claim that cannabis can impair a user’s performance eight hours after initial consumption.

The researchers’ findings, which are due to be published in the “Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research” journal, are already available online. In their conclusion, the researchers argue that more research is needed to fully understand the next-day effects of cannabis on performance, noting that their findings are relevant to employment and driving policies for cannabis users.

The study found little concrete evidence that people should not drive or work in safety-sensitive positions at least 24 hours after using cannabis.

The investigators also noted that policymakers should be aware of the serious consequences that follow the enforcement of conservative regulations in the workplace, such as losing employment due to a positive drug test despite being completely sober at the time of the test.

They explained that employees who needed medical cannabis to manage conditions such as chronic pain and insomnia could suffer from a lower quality of life if they were forced to stay away from medical cannabis to keep their jobs.

This concern comes as even more jurisdictions are allowing qualifying patients to grow their own medical marijuana. As a result, there is an expanding market for requisite indoor cultivation equipment from enterprises such as Advanced Container Technologies Inc. (OTC: ACTX).

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420 with CNW — Federal Judge Rules That Gun Restrictions for Cannabis Users Are Unconstitutional

Cannabis reform activists and users recently scored a major win after an Oklahoma federal judge ruled that banning cannabis users from owning firearms is unconstitutional. Although tens of millions of Americans now have access to cannabis via state-legal medical and recreational markets, federal law still prohibits the production, distribution, sale and use of marijuana. As a result, cannabis users often find themselves facing repercussions for consuming cannabis per their home state’s regulations.

One such consequence is that individuals who use marijuana are prohibited by federal law from purchasing and owning firearms, a right that is afforded to all Americans through the Second Amendment.

The new ruling came after Oklahoma native Jared Michael Harrison, who had been arrested after a traffic stop where police officers discovered cannabis and a loaded revolver in his car, filed a legal challenge against the country’s federal firearms legislation. His attorneys argued that Harrison’s right to bear arms was violated after a federal law made it illegal for “unlawful users or addicts of controlled substances.”

At the time of his arrest, Harrison informed law enforcement that he was on his way to work at a medical cannabis dispensary, but he did not possess a medical cannabis card. According to his lawyers, the federal firearm legislation that made it illegal for Harrison and other cannabis users to own firearms was in direct contradiction with America’s history of regulating firearms.

They touched on a 2022 ruling where federal prosecutors argued that the regulations were in line with America’s history of preemptively disarming people who were considered at risk such as felons, the intoxicated and the mentally ill. U.S. District Judge Patrick Wyrick ruled in favor of Harrison, arguing that his status as a cannabis user was not enough legal justification to strip him of his second amendment right to bear arms and was unconstitutional.

Wyrick stated that using cannabis was not in line with the characteristics of individuals who had, historically, been prevented from exercising their second amendment rights. Wyrick also noted that marijuana was widely accessible under Oklahoma’s legal marijuana market and that citizens could legally purchase the plant at more than 2,000 authorized stores across the state.

The ruling comes just a few months after a Texas federal judge ruled that the federal government could not prevent individuals under felony indictment from purchasing and owning guns. A day before the ruling in Oklahoma, a panel of judges in the New Orleans’ 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals also ruled that it was unconstitutional to ban individuals with domestic violence restraining orders from owning firearms.

As more states allow qualifying residents to grow their own marijuana, more contradictions between state and federal rules will be unearthed even as opportunities are created for manufacturers such as Advanced Container Technologies Inc. (OTC: ACTX) that make the necessary equipment for indoor grows.

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420 with CNW — New Study Shows That Marijuana Legalization Hasn’t Worsened Drug Problem

Colorado is home to one of the largest legal cannabis markets in not just the United States but the entire globe. The industry has generated billions in tax dollars and employed tens of thousands of workers, after being launched barely more than a decade ago.

However, cannabis legalization in the state didn’t receive 100% support because some feared that legalizing the controversial plant would open up Colorado to criminal activity. In fact, most of the legalization campaigns around the country had to contend with claims that legalizing cannabis would lead to increased drug use among the youth and significantly increase criminal activity in the state.

Recent research now shows that most of these fears were unfounded and based on the misconception that cannabis was a gateway drug to other harder, life-threatening drugs such as heroin and cocaine. Researchers from the University of Colorado and the University of Minnesota built on research done last year which indicated that cannabis use among adults in Colorado increased after legalization.

However, the study failed to answer one crucial question: Has the increased cannabis use among Colorado adults led to negative outcomes?

Researcher Stephanie Zellers states that based on the findings of their recent study, the fact that adults in Colorado were consuming cannabis more frequently didn’t appear to have any negative outcomes from a “psychological point of view.” She and her colleagues leveraged long-term data collected from Colorado and Minnesota twins to assess the impact of marijuana legalization in Colorado and come to this conclusion.

They collected information about the twins’ behavior over a long time period; the information included marijuana us, and used in-built controls to account for variables such as genetic differences and socioeconomic status. Furthermore, the study also provided insight into how cannabis policy change in Colorado a decade ago affected people’s behavior because, unlike Colorado, Minnesota still hasn’t legalized cannabis.

The fact that the researchers used twins in the study also allowed them to eliminate possible variables such as family and cultural differences.

After analyzing data collected from more than 4,000 people, the research team found that legalization was not associated with an increase in cannabis-use disorder. Furthermore, Zellers added that the researchers did not notice any changes in tobacco and alcohol use or changes in personality, IQ or workplace among the study participants.

In their report, the researchers did note that participants who lived in states without recreational cannabis markets reported higher alcohol-use disorder rates and that participants were more likely to use alcohol in harmful or dangerous situations, such as before driving.

The study’s coauthor, CU psychology and neuroscience professor John Hewitt, concluded that the study showed that while no drug is risk free, the overt concern about regular recreational cannabis use in a legal market is unwarranted.

Regulated cannabis markets not only create opportunities for residents through cannabis companies but also through ancillary enterprises such as Advanced Container Technologies Inc (OTC: ACTX) that address the needs of marijuana companies.

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420 with CNW — Federal Data Shows Trucker Shortage Worsening Due to Marijuana Testing

Although dozens of states now allow the sale and consumption of either medical or recreational cannabis, federal law still outlaws the controversial drug. As a result, plenty of consumers have found themselves facing repercussions for consuming legal cannabis, especially employees in federal agencies and certain industries. According to recent data from the Department of Transportation (DOT), commercial truckers are the latest class of employees to be affected by cannabis testing requirements.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration reports that tens of thousands of truckers failed cannabis tests after federally mandated screenings. Many of them have refused to return to work, contributing to a massive labor shortage that has caused supply chain disruptions and increased inflation across the country.

Federal data shows that more than 100,000 truckers have tested positive for marijuana since 2020 and an estimated 166,000 people tested positive for some kind of controlled substance. Unsurprisingly, cannabis was the most-used drug, with most of those who failed the screening testing positive for marijuana. Additionally, nearly 41,000 truckers tested positive for cannabis last year.

Even though these truckers have a “return-to-work” option that would allow them to get their jobs back if they took another drug test, a significant portion of affected drivers haven’t taken the option. Data shows that around 91,000 of the overall 166,000 truckers who were affected by the screenings have not enrolled in the “return-to-work” process either. This has contributed to a labor shortage in one of the most critical industries in the country and is expected to have major economic consequences if it isn’t addressed quickly.

NORML Deputy Director Paul Armentano states that the DOT is partly to blame for the shortage of truckers due to its reliance on “discriminatory policies” and “outdated technology.” Armentano said in a recent blog post that workplace cannabis tests have never been an “evidence-based policy” but a discriminatory policy that bled over from the war on drugs of the 1980s.

He argued that times, attitudes and cannabis laws are changing across the country and that it is time for workplace policies to “adapt to this new reality” and stop punishing employees for engaging in legal activities outside of work hours.

Last year, Rep. Earl Blumenauer sent the head of the DOT a letter stating that the department’s drug testing policies were unnecessarily costing commercial truckers and drivers their jobs and contributing to the country’s ongoing supply chain issues.

Amid all this, many people are starting to grow their own cannabis in jurisdictions where that is allowed, and there is no shortage of people trying out novel indoor cultivation setups using the equipment made and marketed by enterprises such as Advanced Container Technologies Inc. (OTC: ACTX) in order to boost yields.

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420 with CNW — USDA Unveils First-Ever Weekly Report to Boost Hemp Market

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced last week that it will launch a weekly newsletter to promote the country’s nascent hemp industry by providing “unbiased, timely and accurate data” on hemp. The agency released the first edition of the National Hemp Report via its Agricultural Marketing Service in tandem with the announcement.

In a press release, USDA Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Jenny Lester Moffit stated that the USDA had seen the industry’s need for “timely market information.” She explained that the National Hemp Report would provide hemp industry stakeholders with weekly volume and price information to help them make good business decisions based on timely and accurate data.

The report, which is free and publicly available, covers weekly retail prices for hemp products along with hemp import volumes and weekly and yearly values of hemp imports into the United States. The publication is the first USDA market report dedicated to the hemp market. The USDA said that it would expand the report over time to incorporate additional market information.

Hemp became legal in the country after federal lawmakers approved the 2018 Farm Bill, removing hemp from the Controlled Substances Act and classifying it as an agricultural product. The legislation defined hemp as cannabis with less than 0.3% THC (the primary psychoactive compound in marijuana) and allowed farmers across the country to cultivate the plant under state and tribal programs.

In the years since legalization, America’s hemp industry has swiftly grown to a valuation of $1.3 billion in 2022 despite limited standardized policies and “patchwork regulations.” The new newsletter is a clear sign that federal regulators are taking a keener interest in the young hemp industry.

The report was released just a week after the USDA sent thousands of hemp farmers surveys as part of a yearly drive to learn more about the hemp industry’s evolution since the 2018 Farm Bill legalized the cultivation, distribution and sale of industrial hemp and its derivatives. This annual survey drive began in 2021 when the USDA asked a whopping 20,000 hemp farmers across the country to provide insight into the growing hemp market before releasing a report on its findings in 2022.

One year before the launch of the annual surveys, the USDA said that it would distribute a different survey nationally to collect data that could provide insight into how it would regulate the hemp industry. The USDA launched the survey in partnership with the University of Kentucky and the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture to learn about marketing practices, production practices and current production costs in the hemp market.

The growth of the hemp and marijuana industries has several trickle-down effects, such as boosting the demand for the products made by allied manufacturers such as Advanced Container Technologies Inc. (OTC: ACTX) that demand a thriving indoor cultivation segment to stay afloat.

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