Coors Says No To Weed
The Broccoli Report
Monday, December 5, 2022
Time to read: 3 minutes, 27 seconds. Contains 693 words.
Good morning!
Damn, December! December. All of a sudden, we are nearing the end of the year. We just dropped our second-to-last Broccoli Talk episode for a while, featuring Mennlay’s wide-ranging conversation with DeVonn Francis, Yardy World founder and Bon Appétit host. It spanned first-generation nostalgia, his complex relationship with weed, the plant's culinary and cultural connections, and surreal dream dining experiences. It’s great to listen to while cooking.
We have a can’t-miss roundtable on deck for Friday. A handful of cannabis-centric brands and entrepreneurs will report on how trying out a new platform worked for them this year. We’ll hear how experiments with Discord and a Patreon account for infused cooking classes fared. Subscribe (or watch your inbox if you do subscribe) to read all about how it’s going and whether they’ll keep things rolling into 2023, and why.
Now, on to the news!
One-Hitters: Cannabis News at a Glance
Molson Coors got cold feet, ending its partnership with Canadian producer Hexo Corp. The venture brought CBD sparkling water to market last year, but Coors cites ongoing federal uncertainty as too large of an obstacle to keep treading water.
Twenty-one licensed dispensaries are up and running in New Jersey, and all are owned by huge, multistate companies. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. The state had priority applications for residents from less affluent regions and those hoping to operate with 10 or fewer employees. Even so, a familiar vortex—real estate challenges, the advantages of prior experience in other states, and a complicated and costly application process—have left small, locally-owned NJ businesses totally out of the picture. Microbusinesses—as in smaller-scale licensees cultivating no more than 5,000 square feet—still hold promise, but this is a chilling example of what could happen nationwide immediately following federal legalization.
For a deeper understanding of President Biden’s cannabis pardons and their real impacts—and how Biden exaggerated his ability to expunge—you can check out this deep dive I wrote for Dieux’s blog. (While they only feature cannabinoids in one of their products, they take it seriously and are invested in understanding the legislation around it.)
Congratulations to Chaiah Sullivan, the artist behind Unparalleled Glass. Sullivan won first place at Puffco’s 2022 Glass Open—a primarily Instagram-based recognition with a hearty cash prize highlighting a ton of cool, creative artists. The first-place piece is stunning: a cactus-shaped masterpiece adorned with delicate thorns and detailed pink blossoms that glow in the dark.
To read the latest updates on the progress of European cannabis laws, POLITICO staff assembled helpful breakdowns by country. One of the more surprising details I learned is that France’s President Macron is totally opposed to legalization. Those Christmas markets on the German border will be extra lit once that country proceeds with its plans, though.
One reason for New Yorkers to wait to buy tested and vetted product from licensed cannabis retailers: A study commissioned by the New York Medical Cannabis Industry Association independently tested cannabis products purchased from 20 unlicensed, gray-market stores in New York City, and 40% contained harmful contaminants such as E. coli, lead, and salmonella. Um, yikes. You may have heard that the state is loosening testing rules, but that relates to moisture content, bringing the regulation closer to matching California’s standards.
A wild night was cut dramatically (and thankfully) short when three 14- and 15-year-olds 😳 stole a car and broke into three Portland, Oregon, dispensaries before getting apprehended by a police helicopter (!).
Mekita Rivas wrote about the weed-friendly wedding scene for the NYT, which has expanded beyond joint-rolling bars to bridesmaids’ gifts, infused chocolate fountains, and, for one bride, a fitting tribute to her late, weed-loving brother.
I am legitimately bummed that I didn’t learn about these weed leaf-shaped pimple patches until after wrapping gift guides for the year. Dark horse for stocking stuffer of the season for sesh buddies who touch their faces too much. 🙋🏻♀️
Just making sure you saw this insane macro photo of Moonmade Farm’s Pineapple Wonder. At 20x, the trichomes and tendrils look like a life-sized alien swamp.
To swamp worlds we can wander,
Lauren Yoshiko