420 with CNW – Pennsylvania Senators Seek Cosponsors for Cannabis Legalization Bill

Two senators in Pennsylvania have drafted a bill to legalize recreational marijuana in the state, and they are now seeking cosponsors for their initiative.

State Sen. Sharif Street (D-Philadelphia) and Sen. Daylin Leach (D-Montgomery) have drafted the bill that reads like a dream come true for any marijuana advocate.

The bill intends to allow adults who are 21 or older to grow a maximum of six mature cannabis plants at home for their own use.

Home delivery of marijuana and its products will also be legal if the bill is enacted.

While it would be illegal to consume cannabis in public, the legislators included provisions that would permit the opening of marijuana consumption lounges where adults can go and indulge.

SB 350 goes further to suggest that not only will minor marijuana convictions and arrests be expunged from people’s criminal records, all individuals on similar charges who are serving time in Pennsylvania jails will be released as well. This goes far beyond what other states have done after legalizing recreational weed.

The bill also touches on where the tax revenue from recreational marijuana will be spent. Sens. Sharif and Leach propose that most of the taxes collected from the industry should go to revamping the public schools in the state.

The taxes generated may be considerable if the projected $600 million in sales for the first year materializes and increases in the subsequent years.

Some of the states that have legalized recreational marijuana have failed to invest cannabis taxes in social services because the funds went to meeting the costs of regulation and law enforcement.

The Pennsylvania Senators want to change that trend by including provisions on tax expenditure in the cannabis law so that there will be no risk of diverting the tax revenue to other expenditure areas.

Senator Sharif Street explains that the legalization of marijuana would help to address the opioid crisis in the state. He cites research data from other states showing that opioid use has reduced by about 33 percent after the legalization of medical marijuana.

While Gov. Tom Wolf is cautiously supportive of cannabis legalization, not everyone is ecstatic about the possibility.

For example, Jake Corman, the Republican Majority Leader in the Senate, says legalizing marijuana is “reckless and irresponsible.” He has gone further to vow that he will do whatever he can to stop any legalization bill from passing.

Cannabis advocates therefore have their work cut out for them if they want to see the bill become law. Therma Bright, Inc. (TSX.V: THRM) (OTC: THRBF) and TransCanna Holdings Inc. (CSE: TCAN) look forward to hearing vibrant debates about the issues related to cannabis legalization before a decision is made for the good of all Pennsylvanians.

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420 with CNW – Medical Cannabis Bill Passed by Key Kentucky Committee

The House Judiciary Committee in Kentucky voted on Wednesday (March 6) to pass a bill that would legalize medical cannabis in the state. The bill will now be sent to the Rules Committee of the Assembly.

House Bill 136 was co-sponsored by 43 members out of the 100 members in the entire lawmaking chamber. This bill intends to create a Department for Alcoholic Beverage and Cannabis Control. This agency will then design a medical cannabis program for the state.

The agency will also be responsible for giving medical marijuana licences to patients who meet the criteria for such a licence. Healthcare providers, processors, cultivators and dispensaries will also be regulated by this agency.

16 legislators on the House Judiciary Committee voted in favor of the bill while one lawmaker voted against it.

Opinion polls in the state show that 80 percent of all adults think that it is okay to allow patients to have the option of using medical cannabis if their doctors recommend it. Governor Matt Bevin has also expressed his support for medical marijuana.

Despite that support from the public and the Governor, attempts to legalize medical marijuana in the state still have major hurdles to overcome.

For example, Robert Stivers, the Senate President, has been vocal in opposing medical cannabis. He even went as far as comparing it to alcohol, saying that anyone who wanted to feel better or relax can take a glass or bourbon instead of consuming medical marijuana.

The Kentucky Medical Association is also adamant that it will only support medical cannabis legislation once the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approves the use of medical marijuana.

The sponsors of this legalization bill are aware of this strong opposition and made a number of modifications to the bill in order to build some consensus around it.

For example, the original bill had provisions that would allow patients enrolled on the medical marijuana program to grow a maximum of six mature plants for their own use. This was dropped from the bill.

Another change that was made regarded the qualifying conditions for which a patient could use medical marijuana. Originally, the framers of the bill had wanted doctors to use their discretion to decide which patient would benefit from medical cannabis. The bill was amended to create a specific list of conditions for which patients could be treated using medical marijuana.

It is now up to the Rules Committee to decide whether House Bill 136 can now be put before the entire House for a vote. A decision must be made quickly, since this legislative session only has five more days before it ends.

Therma Bright, Inc. (TSX.V: THRM) (OTC: THRBF) and TransCanna Holdings Inc. (CSE: TCAN) hope that the legislators make the best decision within the limited time left so that patients don’t have to wait longer for a treatment option that is already available in other states.

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420 with CNW – Massachusetts Cannabis Regulators Consider Restricting Delivery Licenses to Small Entities

State marijuana regulators in Massachusetts have for long been baffled by how to ensure that there is equity regarding access to the different opportunities available in the cannabis industry. Now that dilemma may be solved if the proposals floated to ring fence cannabis delivery licenses for “equity” applicants are implemented.

The Cannabis Advisory Board has suggested that as the state moves towards making it possible for cannabis to be delivered to people’s homes, all the home delivery licenses should be reserved for minorities that suffered disproportionately during the war on drugs that lasted for decades.

The board is also suggesting that “equity” applicants should also be given priority when home delivery licenses are being awarded by the state. Equity applicants include people who have a marijuana arrest or conviction on their criminal history.

So far, most of the opportunities, such as dispensary licenses, have been gobbled up by the large cannabis companies at the expense of disadvantaged communities and “equity” applicants. This is because the large companies have easy access to resources and can therefore effortlessly meet the requirements needed by various jurisdictions.

This is in stark contrast to the members of minority populations, such as African-Americans, who may find it hard to obtain financing to secure the premises needed to set up a cannabis grow or manufacturing facility.

The recommendations of the Cannabis Advisory Board aren’t binding, so the Cannabis Control Commission isn’t obliged to implement them. However, the Commission has promised to consider the suggestions made by the Cannabis Advisory Board as it drafts the rules that will be followed when licensing home delivery firms.

If the proposals sail through, then home delivery of cannabis will be done exclusively by small businesses and “equity” applicants at least for the first five years.

This special consideration will foster an air of inclusion for those groups and people who felt that big businesses were locking them out of the cannabis industry. The five years of preferential treatment will also allow minorities and people from impoverished communities to accumulate some capital in order to get a shot at participating in the industry at a higher level.

Chances are also high that the bigger cannabis companies that would like to see their products delivered to people’s homes will help people from the minority groups to secure funding for their small home delivery businesses in a sort of partnership that will benefit both parties. The Green Organic Dutchman (TSX: TGOD) (OTCQX: TGODF) and Therma Bright, Inc. (TSX.V: THRM) (OTC: THRBF) hope that the Cannabis Control Board in Massachusetts adopts the suggestions made by the Cannabis Advisory Board so that more people can be included in the industry.

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420 with CNW – Green Growth Brands Set to Open CBD Shops across the US

Green Growth Brands, a cannabis company headquartered in Ohio, has partnered with Simon Property Group to open at least 100 CBD shops in malls across the U.S. Simon Property Group is the biggest owner of malls in the U.S.

John Rulli, the President of Simon Malls, revealed in a press statement that the shopping experience provided by Green Growth Brands was exactly what they are constantly on the lookout for, and that was why they were adding GGB shops in the malls owned by Simon Property Group.

The two entities intend to work together to open a minimum of 108 CBD shops in 2019, and then further expansion will take place in the coming years.

Castleton Square Mall in Indianapolis will have the honor of hosting the first Green Growth Brands CBD shop in March this year with other shops following closely in the coming months.

Green Growth Brands is also having discussions with several other property developers so that a total of 300 CBD shops can be opened during this year. This number includes the 108 shops that will be opened in the malls owned by Simon Property Group.

This partnership between Simon Property Group and Green Growth Brands offers each side unique benefits. For example, Green Growth Brands will have a chance to popularize its CBD wellness products by taking advantage of some of the prominent malls owned by the property group. Such prominent shelf-space will deepen awareness about CBD.

As for Simon Property Group, they will benefit by having a large company as a tenant across the U.S. This is a huge benefit because mall owners have been facing the nightmare of having large clients closing shop or scaling back the number of locations where they operate. A clear example is Sears that went bankrupt.

It is worth noting that the signing into law of the Farm Bill 2018 legalized hemp and the different products that can be got from it, such as cannabidiol (CBD).

However, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) still prohibits the addition of CBD to foods and drinks. This may make it hard for restaurants and other businesses to legally sell CBD-infused cocktails and other drinks.

The CBD shops set up by Green Growth Brands can be a way to provide high-quality CBD products so that buyers can make their own CBD drinks if they cannot access them at coffee shops or restaurants.

Therma Bright, Inc. (TSX.V: THRM) (OTC: THRBF) and TransCanna Holdings Inc. (CSE: TCAN) congratulate Green Growth Brands upon this landmark deal it has finalized with Simon Property Group.

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420 with CNW – Does the Tobacco Industry See its Future in Marijuana?

Tobacco cigarette sales have been on the decline in the U.S. for several decades now, and it seems the tobacco industry now sees its future in marijuana.

The major tobacco firms have been watching the cannabis industry as it evolves and they now think that having a part of this nascent industry holds the key to the tobacco industry’s future. The Big tobacco companies have several factors that favor their entry into the cannabis industry.

First, the tobacco industry has a well-known record of manufacturing products in a way that maximizes their addictive potential. You can therefore bet your last dollar that big tobacco will tap into this “heritage” to make marijuana products that will get their users hooked for life. Addiction is good for business because it assures you of repeat customers for decades to come.

Secondly, the tobacco industry has an extensive marketing network across the globe. This capability means that it will not be hard for the companies to get marijuana anywhere buyers or potential buyers may be. As you may know, several states, such as California, are already struggling with surplus supplies of cannabis. The marketing muscle of tobacco companies can fix that problem on a large scale.

Thirdly, tobacco firms have a long tradition of lobbying and navigating their way around tough legislative and regulatory scrutiny. This experience can be an invaluable resource to the cannabis industry that is struggling to shake off the association of marijuana with junkies and criminal gangs. Who knows, the lobbying resources of the tobacco industry can even make the federal government to move faster towards ending marijuana prohibition!

However, the tobacco industry does have some baggage that may make the cannabis industry jittery about jumping into bed with “big tobacco”.

For example, the tobacco industry didn’t win a lot of friends when it was discovered that the industry deliberately misled the public about the health and safety issues of cigarette smoking. Actually, the big players even used taxpayer money to find ways to make smokers addicted sooner!

Additionally, there’s agreement among experts that cigarettes are a product that will kill half of the people who use it as it was intended to be used. Cannabis industry players are a little uneasy about associating with an industry that has such a reputation.

That notwithstanding, a number of deals have already been struck between tobacco companies and players in the cannabis industry. One of the largest is one between Altria and Cronos Group worth $1.8 billion.

The cannabis industry, including TransCanna Holdings Inc. (CSE: TCAN) (FSE: TH8) and Therma Bright, Inc. (TSX.V: THRM) (OTC: THRBF), hopes that the tobacco industry doesn’t soil the reputation of cannabis as big tobacco jumps on the cannabis bandwagon.

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