Farm Bill Limbo & Trouble in Berlin
Plus: Shiny, smoky things.
Wednesday, July 10, 2024
Time to read: About 5 minutes. Contains 1,086 words.
Good morninggg!
Hope everyone’s staying cool, physically and emotionally! I’ve been replacing a car that got too hot and working on a couple of upcoming deep dives. Coming soon for paid subscribers: a Q&A with one brand thriving by focusing on one product with one use case, plus a trend report on the state of weed in wedding season. Stay tuned for more piping-hot cannabis culture discourse.
How about the recent Lonely Hearts Board though? Cannabis marketers of every channel and platform, creative directors of major brands and trade shows, designers of Shopify sites and showstopping pipes seeking new clients; brands looking for content creators, social media whizzes, software engineers, and a hemp THC supplier; a podcaster seeking guests and a muralist seeking walls—if you haven’t yet, check it out. Whether or not you’re seeking a particular connection right now, just reading through it might remind you of the right friend for the job.
I’m always a little unsure/worried about how many people will chime in, and then I’m continuously inspired by the variety of people who come out of the subscriber woodwork. It makes me so proud of what we’ve built here! Thank you for being a part of it.
One-Hitters: Cannabis News at a Glance
The 2024 Farm Bill may not come to pass (for now). I’ve been keeping a close eye on Farm Bill progress—which expires September 30—but no news to report there. Suspicions are mounting that Congress won’t come to an agreement in time and the 2018 Farm Bill will get extended (again).
The future of intoxicating compounds like THCA is unclear. Last we checked, key amendments being discussed included requiring THCA levels to meet the “less than .3% THC” measurement, potentially squashing a huge part of the intoxicating hemp market. Personally, I think even if that happens, people will find a new way to phrase THC content that evades that limit to continue doing what they’re doing. Hemp THC and “real weed” THC are identical—all of this is a matter of legal names and not scientific differences.
More states are starting to regulate intoxicating hemp on their own. Regardless of Farm Bill changes, more and more states are bringing intoxicating hemp under the umbrella of adult-use cannabis regulation. Both Tennesee and New Jersey have passed bills regulating products containing hemp cannabinoids, the latter of which would ban the sale of the products at convenience stores and gas stations. That one is still technically on NJ Governor Phil Murphy’s desk, but following the testimony of one parent whose 14-year-old got lost in the woods for 11 hours after consuming a hemp THC product, it’s likely to become law. I don’t think intoxicating hemp is going anywhere, but I do think the heyday is over in regards to brick-and-mortar distribution.
The Supreme Court’s move to overturn Chevron may or may not impact rescheduling talks. I’ve also been paying attention to this Chevron situation…although I needed this 4-minute audio breakdown and this collection of cannabis-related takes to really grasp how the ruling undermines the authority of federal agencies (like the DEA) to set rules and regulations in areas of their specific expertise.
Numerous medical scares at Mary Jane Berlin. There was a ton of exciting energy about the first major cannabis tradeshow event post Germany’s pseudo-legalization. Unfortunately, there were also 20 ambulances called throughout Mary Jane Berlin. Apparently, several people “felt unwell after consuming products with synthetic substances or magic mushrooms,” resulting in a ban of these substances by organizers.
Brazil’s move to decriminalize cannabis isn’t a sure thing. After nine years of deliberation, Brazil’s Supreme Court voted to allow its citizens to legally possess “personal” amounts of cannabis for consumption. We love to see it—the country holds the world’s third-largest prison population, 28% of whom are charged with drug trafficking (which can mean just possessing more than 32 grams). This could help turn that trend around. That is unless Brazil’s Congress stops it. A constitutional amendment that would criminalize possession of any amount of an illicit substance is currently advancing through the committee process in Brazil’s lower house.
Undocumented Chinese migrants are ending up on licensed cannabis farms. A harrowing report from NPR investigated a pipeline of people from China looking for farm work, getting into the US via South America, and ending up on oppressively operated cannabis farms in California and New Mexico that never pay.
New York dispensary Housing Works launches underground buyback program. Or as much as they can do so under state regulations. Through September, any customer with proof of membership at an illicit operator (common in the NY scene) will get a free membership at Housing Works Cannabis Co’s “co-conspirator program.” This gets them 25% off their first purchase and a 10% discount on all their purchases for the next year.
Reefer Madness revival—on the stage! Has anyone bought tickets? I saw a very low-budget production of this satirical stage version in Portland years ago and it was hilarious. So low-budget that the bar it was shown in let the audience smoke weed in the back during intermission. Good times.
Whoopi Goldberg is getting back into the weed game. The Whoopi & Maya brand is relaunching as well as licensed play Emma & Clyde, featuring pre-rolls, flower, and edibles in California, Arizona and Ohio markets. I think the W&M revival makes sense—the brand marketing towards women’s needs for pain relief during menstrual cycles was ahead of the curve, and there’s still a lot of opportunity there. But a new flower brand in California? Has your team caught any recent headlines, Whoopi?
Go Easy’s Bad Bouquet one-hitter.
High Finds: Mirror, Mirror
This chrome-colored glass bloom is what I imagine the first AI weed girl android will smoke.
Boob plant pots: done. Bikini lighter holders? Need.
Holk’s silver joint Carry Case closes with a satisfying magnetic snap—but what really hits is the lower compartment for storing roaches until you find a trash can.
Hitting that point in summer when you make lots of plans to camp (that you may or may not ever realize)? Same. Prepare your smoking kit for potential adventures with Dangle Supply’s super lightweight and totally unbreakable titanium Ti Cobb pipe.
When Laundry Day offered me samples of the Chrome drop a while back, I opted for the stainless steel ashtray because it makes my desk look like that of a cool Spanish architect. But I think about this little spaceship-looking Hudson pipe often.
Reflecting on how much ice cream I consumed this week 🛸🍦,
Lauren Yoshiko
It’s so good to hear that Whoopi & Maya is coming back to life!