Day 2 9:15 am

Following a relatively late night for many ICBC attendees who witnessed an amazing performance by Del the Funky Homosapien and Rocker T at Pier 23, folks are filing in to listen to keynote speaker Rick Steves. Steves is the author of more than 50 guidebooks and he hosts both Rick Steves Europe on PBS and Travel with Rick Steves on public radio. He serves as a board member of NORML and he used his own money to pass marijuana legalization in both Washington and Oregon. I am especially thankful for his work helping pass Measure 91 in Oregon where he traveled 10 cities over 6 days to speak to sold-out crowds, helping convince swing voters and garnering the measure just over 56% of the vote in 2014.

Also on the agenda: Magnolia Wellness’ Debby Goldsberry, Amber Senter,  Harborside’s Steve DeAngelo, Celeb Stoner’s Steve Bloom, Troy Dayton of the ArcView Group, Ed Rosenthal presenting a lifetime achievement award to Sensi Seeds’ Ben Dronkers, and more.

9:30 Key Note by Rick Steves

A few great Rick Stevesisms…

“I am not pro-pot, I’m pro-civil liberties.”

“There’s no reason that we can’t go to a place called high. It’s a civil right.”

“I’ve been advocating for marijuana legalization for 20 years now. It used to be scary, now it’s almost counterculture to be against legalization.”

“I can’t be fired and I don’t have to win an election.”

“While a few people have complained about my stance on marijuana, I just think that Europe will be a lot more fun without them anyway.”

“I’m a hardworking, tax-paying, kid-raising, church-going citizen of this country, and if I work hard all day long and want to go home and relax with a joint, that is my civil liberty.”

Cannabiz 5000 Panel at 10:30

The International Cannabis Business Conference was a great success that left attendees energized to tackle both the business and political world. With such great minds networking and learning from one another, the days of cannabis prohibition are numbered. The ICBC crew will be hosting the Oregon Medical Marijuana Business Conference at the downtown Eugene Hilton; focusing on Oregon’s medical and newly-passed legalization law. For more info, check out www.ommbc.com. We will certainly be blogging about the OMMBC, the next ICBC in Portland on September 12-13 & all of the important news and events important to the cannabis community.

Sunday morning, February 15…

The 2nd International Cannabis Business Conference (ICBC) has kick-offed in San Francisco at the beautiful Hyatt Regency. I’ll be using the hashtag #ICBCSF as I provide updates on the ol’ Twitter feed. ICBC Executive Producer Alex Rogers gave an overview of the conference, explaining the concepts underlying the ICBC, that it brings together both cannabis law reform advocates and industry entrepreneurs so we move cannabis laws forward in a way that ends arrests, protects patients and allows businesses to create jobs and generate revenue.

I was fortunate to introduce Sunday’s keynote speaker, Dr. Carl Hart, associate professor of Psychology and Psychiatry at Columbia University. I explained my introduction to cannabis law reform and how I entered the fight because my African American friends were treated more harshly for marijuana offenses in my birth state of Missouri than my middle class Caucasian friends. I was, at first, skeptical of the medical claims around cannabis, but I became educated and understood the importance of protecting patients rights. Dr. Carl Hart is at the forefront of educating the public about the truth about drugs, thus one of the most important figures in the drug law reform movement today.

Dr. Carl Hart

Dr. Hart, author of the award-winning book, High Price: A Neuroscientist’s Journey of Self Discovery that Challenges Everything You Know About Drugs and Society, explained to the crowd that he became a drug researcher because he wanted to understand addiction as the Drug War was decimating the African American community. Dr. Hart has taken several folks and institutions to task, including Maureen Dowd for her alarmist piece on her marijuana-infused edible encounter in Colorado (common sense that inexperienced cannabis users shouldn’t “start off like a champ”); the addiction industry and the politicians that enable that industry as a way to take focus away from the real issues of education, employment and health care; the funding of research funded by the National Institute of Drug Abuse that focuses almost exclusively on pathology; the media that misinterprets many of the published research studies; Jessie Jackson for playing up to Drug War hysteria in the 1980s; and even myself for alluding to “disproportionate impacts” of the Drug War on people of color, “Let’s call it what it is, it’s racial discrimination.”

Dr. Hart called upon the cannabis industry to fund our own science, get out of the closet, call out racial discrimination and work to change the legal status of all drugs. He warned us that his call to action “is not a formula for popularity.” When taking questions from a fellow neuroscientist audience member, Dr. Hart stated to “call out those that are being dishonest and embarrass them.” Responding to another question about Portugal, Dr. Hart explained that not only was Portugal having great success decriminalizing drugs, but the Czech Republic also had had great success with “no intention of turning back, but they don’t have as good of PR people as Portugal.” Dr. Hart bravely talked about his willingness to discuss his own drug use and how we need to be honest and learn from each other, “that’s why we are all here.” Dr. Hart was clearly a fan favorite of the audience and we can all be rest assured that we will be seeing him more and more often as he helps our nation get past our Reefer Madness past.

Congressman Dana Rohrabacher

Congressman Dana Rohrabacher followed Dr. Carl Hart, demonstrating why he is one of the most important politicians working to end cannabis prohibition today. A speechwriter for Ronald Reagan, he has stood up for limited government and fighting for freedom. Proud of helping end the Cold War against the Soviet Union, he has demonstrated his willingness to go against members of his own party, from being a point person for legalizing marijuana to treating Russia differently than we treated the Soviet Union. Following Dr. Hart’s lead in “coming out of the closet” Rep. Rohrabacher admitted that he smoked marijuana in his college days, but that its’ obvious that the Drug War treats the poor and people of color very differently than wealthy people. “For certain segments of our society, we have created a fascist or communist state. If you tell a police officer that an African American has drugs on them, they will rush over to search them or even bust down their door. Is that freedom?”

Representative Rohrabacher has eloquently discussed the principles of freedom, personal responsibility and states’ rights that helped him garner 50 fellow Republican representatives to join nearly all Democrats to pass the Rohrabacher Amendment that strips federal funds from being used to prosecute people for medical marijuana in states where they are operating legally under state law. While we have made progress, “we have a long way to go” including the rescheduling of marijuana as placing cannabis as a Schedule I drug “is an abomination” and that state-legal businesses can have access to banks. True to his libertarian-conservative roots, the congressman touted that personal freedom is his primary reason to fight for cannabis legalization and that he wants to keep taxes low, that generating revenue isn’t his true focus.

Surprise presenter George Zimmer introduced Ethan Nadelmann, Executive Director of the Drug Policy Alliance

George Zimmer, founder of Men’s Warehouse and longtime cannabis law reform advocate made a surprise appearance at the ICBC to introduce his friend Ethan Nadelmann. Mr. Zimmer, who helped fund and promote California’s historic Proposition 215 medical marijuana law back in 1996, really epitomizes the major principle behind the ICBC, combining good business sense with political activism.

“WE’RE GONNA LEGALIZE MARIJUANA IN CALIFORNIA IN 2016!” Ethan Nadelmann proclaimed to a raucous applause. Nadelmann then recounted the recent experience of the Drug Policy Alliance in assisting legalization measures. DPA combines both pragmatism and urgency to the cause, understanding that winning elections is necessary to improving our nation’s marijuana laws. In 2012, DPA was instrumental in the drafting of Colorado’s Amendment 64 while they didn’t participate in the drafting of Washington’s I-502. Even though DPA didn’t write I-502 and didn’t support the fact that the measure prohibited home cultivation and included an unscientific per se DUI provision, the organization felt it was necessary to help a measure that would strike a major blow against prohibition.

In 2014, DPA was heavily involved in the effort to pass Measure 91 throughout the entire process, from the writing of the measure to hiring the campaign director to fund raising to messaging. Ethan spoke about the sense of urgency that shot thru DPA when polling dropped, showing that the measure may just be a 50-50 proposition at the ballot box. Knowing that a loss in Oregon would dramatically set back the legalization movement, DPA raised more than $2 million for the Beaver State’s legalization fight. I can attest first hand to the fact that DPA did all that they possibly could to pass Measure 91 and even when they thought that they had done all that they could, they found a way to do more.

Ethan made it clear that DPA would put the same political pragmatism and urgent activism to the fight to legalize marijuana in California in 2016. While not offering many specifics about what a California legalization measure would entail exactly, Nadelmann let the crowd know that DPA understands the importance of legalizing cannabis in California and that the Golden State can count on DPA to do all that they can to pull together a winning campaign that will end arrests, create jobs and generate revenue.

An historic meeting of the minds occurred today at the International Cannabis Business Conference today.  Congressman Dana Rohrabacher (R) met for a few minutes with “Freeway” Rick Ross and Chief Petitioner for the Oregon Measure 91 legalization campaign, Anthony Johnson. Amazing times we live in when a convicted drug dealer, once sentenced to life in prison can agree with an Orange County Republican that the War on Drugs is a failure and needs to end. Both Congressman Rohrabacher and Ross understand that drugs are often demonized so politicians don’t have to tackle the real issues of the day, such as education, healthcare and employment issues.  Interview to follow…

The International Cannabis Business Conference (ICBC) in San Francisco this Valentine’s Day/Presidents’ Day weekend brings together many of the top cannabis law reformers and marijuana business people together to network and learn from one another so we can move our laws forward towards more freedom and prosperity. All eyes will be on California as our most populous state, and one of the major economic engines in the world looks to legalize marijuana in 2016. The Coalition for Cannabis Policy Reform (CCPR) is the major group that is pulling together the winning coalition for a successful 2016 measure.

Members of the CCPR are really a who’s who of California cannabis law reform advocates, chaired by Oaksterdam University’s Dale Sky Jones. I have been admiring Ms. Jones work from afar as she is playing a similar role that I played in Oregon, listening to various interests groups that includes patients, growers, dispensary owners, politicians, lawyers and really all potential stakeholders to develop a successful measure that the cannabis community can rally behind. After getting an opportunity to meet Dale at a CCPR conference and speaking with her, I am confident that she is up to the task. She has valuable experience, is willing to learn from past successes and failures and patiently listen to the concerns of all stakeholders.

Dale got her start in cannabis politics because she was working for Richard Lee, who used his own small fortune to place Proposition 19 on the ballot in 2010. Dale was really thrust into a spokesperson role, almost always feeling like the “right spokesperson” would show up. Soon, she realized that all of her experience and lessons have brought her to the place where she had to accept her place as a prominent spokesperson and facilitator. She “feels the weight of this responsibility” and understands the “moral imperative” of ending cannabis prohibition, always taking into account what is best for the entire community.

Always looking to learn and improve how the cannabis law reform movement can move forward, Dale looked towards the Barack Obama campaigns ability to rally small donors from a vast amount of people. Her research brought her to the fact that the Obama campaign followed the Howard Dean model, crafted by political consultant Joe Trippi. Fortunately for all of us, Mr. Trippi is a believer in cannabis law reform and has worked for CCPR on a “good guy discount.” I know from my experience in Oregon, that “good guy” (or “good gal” as well) are crucial to any fledgling legalization movement.

Ms Jones added, “Go to reformca.com and add your voice to this important measure; very important to hear from all stakeholders, including growers, patients and soccer moms. We have already held five stakeholder meetings and have four more already scheduled all across California. There are a lot of opportunities to have your voice heard. I urge everyone to have an open mind, nothing is written, but it’s about to be. If you want to have a stake in this future, now is the time, don’t say that you weren’t asked.”

Also brought into CCPR was Jim Gonzalez, who started his cannabis law reform activism as a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, endorsing Dennis Peron’s San Francisco medical marijuana initiative in the early 1990s. Jim went on to co-manage the landmark Prop 215 medical campaign that passed in 1996 and consult on the successful Oregon and Washington medical measures that passed in 1998. Mr. Gonzalez has worked on several congressional and progressive campaigns, including organizing the Latino vote in Nevada to save the hide of Democratic Senator Harry Reid in 2010. Jim explained to me that getting back into the cannabis law reform movement, is a very “Rip Van Winkle” experience as so much as changed from the early 1990s and it is amazing how mainstream marijuana legalization has become.

Gonzalez has known Joe Trippi for years and understands that a wide network of supporters and donors is necessary for the California legalization effort as they can’t necessarily count on billionaires to fund everything. Peter Lewis and John Sperling have passed away, leaving the great George Soros as the remaining major billionaire donor and Mr. Soros can’t be expected to fund the entire California effort. A wide donor base is certainly essential, as is a relatively united California cannabis community.

Jim stated that, “The mainstream press and even bloggers seem to want to continue a narrative of disunity inside the movement, but frankly, what is really going on is a series of constructive discussions that is leading to a California measure that everyone can unite behind and resonate with California voters. Reports of disunity have been greatly exaggerated and not only are California advocates communicating, but we are also communicating with national organizations such as New Approach, the Marijuana Policy Project and the Drug Policy Alliance.” I completely agree that the media loves conflict and look for every opportunity to report on anything that can be seen as infighting within the cannabis community. It is important that everyone keep such internal discussions in context and remember that there isn’t any reason to openly trash the reputation of fellow advocates who likely agree with you on over 80%-90% of the issues.

Both Dale and Jim referred to one of the organizers of the ICBC, Debby Goldsberry, as one of the important grassroots connection on the CCPR board. Debby became an activist in the late 1980s, at the height of the Drug War, starting the Cannabis Action Network, “planting seeds” as she put it, putting on festivals, educating the public and helping organize reform organizations across the country. She went on to co-found the legendary Berkeley Patients Group and now works at Magnolia Wellness, one of the premiere medical cannabis dispensaries in the world. While she has experience in business, Debby has never forgotten her activist grassroots. Ms. Goldsbeery has helped blaze a trail for everyone, particularly women and mothers, in cannabis law reform. Dale remarked that she was amazed how Debby handled motherhood, especially during a time when mothers are put under even more pressure and stigmatized for having any involvement with marijuana law reform.

Working to move forward on an important social justice issue, when there are literally threats to take your children away, takes real bravery, that I certainly admire. These women, and others like them across the country, are key to the marijuana movement as women haven’t supported legalization at as a high of  a rate as men and the “soccer mom” vote is crucial as many women who may have had liberal feelings about cannabis in their college days feel conflicted following motherhood. Strong, successful mothers like Debby and Dale help dispel myths around marijuana and can demonstrate that cannabis legalization is a much better policy for our nation’s children than the failed and harmful policy of prohibition.

In addition to representing the the long-time grassroots community, Debby is representing the rights of workers and the medical cannabis community. Goldsberry ended her talk with me, stating, “It is important the cannabis employees feed their families and that sick and disabled patients are still cared for. We are watching what is happening to the medical community in Washington State and are following the implementation of legalization in Oregon. Oregon passed a great measure on paper, but the devil is in the details of implementation and the California medical cannabis community is certainly paying attention to ensure that legalization measures don’t trample the hard-earned gains of the medical cannabis community.”

Helping put together a winning cannabis law reform coalition in Oregon was a daunting task that I am very proud to have played a part in, so I understand the monumental job ahead of California, which has the population of 9 Oregons and many vested financial, political and personal interests in the marijuana movement. However, with great activists like Dale Sky Jones, Jim Gonzalez, as well as Dan Rush of the UFCW and Dale Gieringer of California NORML and really too many to mention, CCPR and and the entire California cannabis community are moving a legalization measure forward the right way. They are listening, organizing and fundraising toward a goal that will help lead California, and the nation, if not most of the world, to more freedom and prosperity. As we have seen, California is very influential in both cannabis policy, and really in all things. I urge cannabis law reform advocates from across the country to support the efforts of CCPR.

Reefer Madness propaganda has unfortunately poisoned our political discourse regarding cannabis and a multitude of misinformation remains to this day. Thankfully, more and more scientific facts are starting to cut through the madness, led by Columbia University Professor Dr. Carl Hart. A scientist, activist, educator and author, his bestselling book, High Price: A Neuroscientist’s Journey of Self-Discovery That Challenges Everything You Know About Drugs and Society, is an important look at how our society’s ideas about drugs have been so wrong. Tragically, misconceptions have led to a Drug War that has unnecessarily harmed too many people, especially those of color and of low income.

Dr. Hart, who recently testified in federal court about the ridiculous federal classification of marijuana, sat down with the Legalization Nation blog of the East Bay Express to talk about his work and his upcoming keynote address at the International Cannabis Business Conference (ICBC) this weekend in San Francisco. From the Legalization Nation (LN):

LN: What message do you hope to carry to the businessmen and activists at the ICBC?

Hart: The number one thing I want people to understand is there is a lot of misinformation out there about cannabis, some of it coming from the scientific community, particularly in terms of exaggerating the harmful effects associated with cannabis. At some point, these [business] folks will come across this information, so I want to make sure they know how to evaluate it critically and make thoughtful decisions about it. That’s number one. Number two: Cannabis business and capitalism is growing in the United States and one of the things I want to help them to understand is they can be leaders in making sure that the folks they hire in their businesses look like people in the United States and not just white.

LN: I had a progressive, sixtysomething African-American Oakland woman ask me, “What’s legalization going to do to the boys selling pot on [her] corner? Are they going to be out of a job? Then what?” What do you make of the critique that rich, white males stand to gain the most from legalization?

Hart: Yeah, you know I sympathize with that person, obviously. I mean, I sold marijuana, you know? But the fact is this: We can’t expect one fledgling, developing industry alone to solve this major problem in the United States, which the republic has ignored since we came out of slavery. That’s not even logical.

This is from just the first excerpt from an ongoing conversation with Dr. Hart. Please check out the entire post as well as future pieces on his work, both for Legalization Nation and their podcast, The Hash.

I am very excited to learn from Dr. Carl Hart and many other amazing speakers this weekend at the ICBC. If you are in the San Francisco area this weekend and interested in the cannabis industry or advocacy, this is the event for you. It is always great to have the cannabis industry and activists working together to end cannabis prohibition. Aided by the scientific research from Dr. Hart and others, the days of Reefer Madness are almost over. I, for one, am looking forward to that day.

Dr. Dale Gieringer, the Executive Director of California NORML (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws) is a cannabis law reform advocate that I have admired from afar, but have never had much of an opportunity to speak with. I will be fortunate to get to spend some time with him at the upcoming International Cannabis Business Conference, where Dale will be speaking and California NORML will be tabling. Dr. Gieringer, who received his Ph.D. from Stanford, was able to spare a few minutes of time on the phone with me so we could discuss his past, current and future activism.

It always interests me to know how and why longtime cannabis law reform advocates became activists in the first place. For Dr. Gieringer, it was the outrage he felt in the late 1980s at the helicopter raids that were damaging the California wilderness. He completed a dissertation on FDA drug regulation, so he had experience with some of the inner workings of our nation’s drug laws, and he wrote a feature article in Reason Magazine about DEA drug enforcement abuse and soon found his way to California NORML, which sprung out of the 1972 California effort to legalize marijuana, just after national NORML was founded in 1970.

With half the nation’s population living in medical marijuana states, four states and the nation’s capitol passing legalization measures and polls showing a majority of American voters supporting legalization, it is easy to forget darker times for the marijuana movement. When Dr. Gieringer started his activism, the marijuana law reform movement was in the depths of some dark days of the “Just Say No” era with not victory in site and up until November 4th, 1996, there were zero marijuana states. On November 5, 1996, history changed when California passed Prop 215, becoming the first state to legalize medical cannabis.

Before the historic 1996 election, Dale joined forces with Dennis Peron, helping pass a medical marijuana initiative in San Francisco with over 80% of the vote. San Francisco, was the “perfect fit, time and place” to start the medical cannabis movement, according to Dr. Gieringer as the epicenter of the AIDS epidemic. Local measures and resolutions were then passed in communities throughout the Golden State, including Santa Cruz, San Jose and San Diego. As a 15-year cannabis law reform activist myself, it was great learning a bit of the history of the California movement and getting insight into the local victories that helped snowball into the important movement that we have today.

Dale is surprised that medical cannabis reform has taken so long, especially at the federal level. He figured that passing Prop 215 would force the federal government to recognize the science, but he told me that, “I had no idea that the federal government would be so stubborn, defensive and reactionary in the protection of the drug police state.” It was a reminder to me about how hard so many people have worked and how we will have to work harder and harder to completely end the War on Marijuana because those in power never give up so easily. Luckily, we have articulate advocates like Dr. Gieringer and we seem to be picking up more and more, giving me hope for the future of the cause.

While California was the fire that sparked our cannabis (pun intended) revolution, four states have beaten the Golden State to legalizing marijuana. Dr. Gieringer noted that California probably could have passed legalization in 2012, but jumped the gun just a bit by placing Prop 19 on the ballot in 2010. While Prop 19 didn’t work out for California, it certainly changed the political debate across the country and helped set the stage for Colorado and Washington to legalize in 2012.

California is now working on putting together a winning coalition to join the club of legal states by placing a measure on the 2016 ballot. The Coalition for Cannabis Policy Reform (CCPR) is a coalition that includes California NORML, Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP), the California Cannabis Industry Association, Americans for Safe Access (ASA), the Prop 19 campaign and the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW). CCPR is working with both the Marijuana Policy Project and the Drug Policy Alliance to find a good compromise measure to satisfy the coalition. The coalition is awaiting position papers from a task force formed by Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom, hoping to seek some guidance on several issues, particularly taxation, which is a complicated issue in California.

In addition to the upcoming 2016 effort, California NORML is working to fight the discriminatory treatment levied against veterans who use medical cannabis as VA hospitals are continuing to deny vets treatment. Also, the group is fighting local medical cannabis cultivation bans that have been aided by a bad California Appellate Court decision; the chapter is looking at court cases and contemplating options for overturning that decision. Finally, they are also working to prevent efforts to ban e-cigarettes and vaporizers, treating them like tobacco products, even when used by medical cannabis patients.

After helping legalize marijuana in Oregon, I can’t help but think about the monumental task ahead of California in crafting a legalization measure. The sheer size of the state poses a severe challenge (the state basically has the population of 9 Oregons) and the number of interests that have to be satisfied are numerous. While the challenge is massive, thoughtful advocates like Dr. Gieringer and others that I have had the pleasure of meeting, I know that the challenge is not insurmountable and I look forward to California taking advantage of the 2016 presidential election to end cannabis prohibition and join the legal cannabis revolution that the state really started. If you are a Californian supporter of cannabis law reform, I encourage you to join California NORML and join a great team doing great work. You can find a chapter near you.

Magnolia Wellness, one of California’s premier medical cannabis dispensaries is a great example of a marijuana business with its heart in the right place while providing top-shelf medicine of all types to patients. One look at their menu and you can easily see amazing cannabis products, but most importantly to me, just a little bit of research will inform you on the compassionate nature of this medical marijuana establishment.

First, the business chops of David Spradlin, the dispensary’s director. You can have the best medical cannabis in the world, but it’s difficult to provide to patients if they don’t know about you. Cannabis businesses often run into roadblock after roadblock as discrimination and outright bigotry still plague the cannabis community as advertisers (not to mention banks and insurance companies) often balk at doing business with the marijuana industry.

Restrictions and discrimination can severely hinder business, so cannabis entrepreneurs often have to be create. After getting denied billboard space by big corporate entities like Clear Channel, Spradlin, found a smaller company willing to lease to a medical cannabis dispensary, and Magnolia became the first Bay Area dispensary with billboard advertising. It is this kind of creativity and outside-the-box thinking that helped Magnolia win “Best Booth” at the 2013 High Times Medical Cannabis Cup in Richmond while quality medicine has led the facility to win more Cannabis Cup awards than any other Bay Area collective.

Next, and most importantly, is the compassion of Magnolia Wellness as the dispensary has made a name for itself giving away free cannabis to patients desperately in need. This has included AIDs patients, people battling cancer and kids suffering from severe seizures. The wellness center, true to its name, offers services such as: chiropractic care, acupuncture, massage, Reiki and Chinese medicine. Magnolia even helped Oakland organize the 23rd Annual Thanksgiving Dinner and provides a free barbershop every Sunday and Monday.While money can sometimes corrupt and cloud judgement, it is good to see that Magnolia Wellness keeps in mind the plight of sick and disabled patients, many of whom battle poverty as well as their physical ailments and limitations.

With an Ambassador like long-time cannabis activist Debby Goldsberry, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Magnolia Wellness does demonstrate true compassion while providing high-quality medicine, but it is always good to hear about good people doing good things. Debby and I help organize the International Cannabis Business Conference and we are proud to have Magnolia Wellness as the top sponsor of our San Francisco event held on February 14-15 at the Hyatt Regency. At the ICBC, we mix activism with the entrepreneurial spirt as we never want to forget the compassion and kindness that have always been a cornerstone of of the cannabis community. Joining forces with Magnolia Wellness was a natural fit. I urge cannabis patients in the Bay Area to seek out Magnolia Wellness and I hope to see many of you at the ICBC in San Francisco.

After successful marijuana legalization campaigns in 2012 & 2014, the cannabis law reform movement is already engrossed in planning for legalization measures likely to be placed on the 2016 ballot. California, the biggest prize of all, is certainly at the forefront of cannabis law reform advocates’ plans. California actually helped kick off the movement’s recent victories by placing Prop 19 on the ballot in 2010. While Prop 19 didn’t win at the ballot box, the campaign helped bring marijuana law reform more mainstream and taught advocates a lot about how to draft a legalization measure and run a legalization campaign.

Prop 19, was the brainchild of Oaksterdam University founder Richard Lee and if California is to legalize cannabis in 2016, Oaksterdam University will likely be instrumental once again, now under the leadership of Dale Sky Jones, the cannabis school’s executive chancellor. In fact, Ms. Jones has taken a leadership role in the effort to legalize marijuana for all California adults as executive director for the Coalition for Cannabis Policy Reform. I recently had the opportunity to meet with Dale at a California activist conference sponsored by CCPR and Reform California, an event bringing together activists from all across the state as Californians begin to take on the monumental task of running a legalization measure in one of the top-ten economies in the world.

Oaksterdam, founded in 2007, is the nation’s first cannabis college; classes focus on cannabis cultivation, history, and the medical applications of the cannabis plant. The university prides itself on preparing students with the knowledge they require to thrive in the the medical cannabis field as well as the emergent social-use cannabis industry. Executive Chancellor Jones is a founding board member for both the National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA) and Californians to Regulate Medical Marijuana (CRMM) and is often seen on the many lists naming the top cannabis advocates in the country.  Jones valuably brings with her a wealth of experience from the corporate world as she has worked for companies in the retail and service industry, such as Brown Shoe, Radisson and T.G.I. Friday’s.

Dale Sky Jones will be presenting on the advocacy panel on February 15th at the International Cannabis Business Conference in San Francisco. Jones will be joined by a panel to discuss the emerging legal cannabis industry and the role that advocacy for full, nationwide legalization of cannabis plays in a business environment. There is no better time to immerse yourself in the emerging cannabis industry than right now and there aren’t many better people to learn from than Dale Sky Jones. And with the recent victories in Oregon and Alaska, it certainly makes sense to hold the 2nd ICBC in California after the initial conference was held last year in Portland, Oregon.

The ICBC will be held at the Hyatt Regency in San Francisco, California onFebruary 15th and 16th, 2015. The speakers list for the ICBC in SF is stacked with activists, entrepreneurs, and other major advocates and entrepreneurs in the cannabis industry – including Oaksterdam University Chancellor Dale Sky Jones. The first ICBC brought together advocates and entrepreneurs to Oregon and the Beaver State went on to legalize cannabis with over 56% of the vote in 2014. Let’s hope that bringing together activists and entrepreneurs early and often in California will result in a similar success story for the Golden State in 2016.   

There are certainly a lot of interesting success stories in various aspects of the cannabis community. There are individual activists that have made a big difference, entrepreneurs that have used their business acumen to advance the cause and there are politicians that promote sensible marijuana policies. Rarely do you see someone encompass all of the above and rise from activist to successful business person to elected official, but Mayor Robert Jacob has managed this amazing feat.

Mayor Jacob has long advocated for safe access for California’s patients and the two non-profit medical cannabis dispensaries that he serves as executive director walk the walk as well as talk the talk. SPARC and Peace in Medicine take a holistic approach to cannabis medicine and do all that they can to ensure quality, affordable medicine for patients while continually advocating for patients rights. SPARC, located in San Francisco, was the very first dispensary certified with Patient Focused Certification by Americans for Safe Access. The Patient Focused Certification process is the first non-profit, third-party certification system based upon new quality standards set by the American Herbal Products Association and the American Herbal Pharmacopoeia.

Jacob’s historic election as Sebastopol, California’s mayor, was certainly a landmark achievement for him and the entire cannabis law reform movement. A cannabis advocate elected to political office further demonstrated the mainstreaming of the marijuana movement. As covered by The Huffington Post:

“My life has been about service,” Jacob said. “By addressing social problems such as homelessness, HIV/AIDS and access to medical cannabis, we can shape a better world for ourselves.”

His appointment was celebrated by the medical marijuana community as a sign of its growing political clout.

“This historic, unprecedented vote in Sebastopol illustrates that the medical marijuana community has political strength and the influence to elect advocates to public office,” Don Duncan, California Director with Americans for Safe Access, said in a press release from the organization.

“Be proud” is the motto of SPARC and that’s a great message for the cannabis community, still discriminated against in many areas of life, despite our recent political and cultural success stories. It is evident that Mayor Jacob takes pride in his work, in our community and SPARC even demonstrates that in their treatment of their employees, providing a living wage to all that work there.

I had the great honor of meeting Mayor Jacob at the first International Cannabis Business Conference (ICBC) in Portland, Oregon, last year, and I am looking forward to spending some time with him again on February 15-16th at the next ICBC in San Francisco. Mayor Jacob will be joining other prominent speakers on a panel about the dispensary business, providing attendees access to a wealth of information that he has gained over the years as SPARC alone has over 34,000 patient members; employs 162 employees; and generated more than $16 million in revenue in 2014.

As the cannabis activist community and industry work together to end cannabis prohibition and discriminatory practices levied against cannabis patients and consumers, Mayor Jacob is a great example of someone who lives in all of the segments of society necessary to finally create equality for all of the cannabis community. I hope that many people have the opportunity to pick the brain of the good mayor at the ICBC in San Francisco and in the future as his skill set is desperately needed in California and other states looking to legalize marijuana in 2016 and beyond.

Cannabis edibles have been around for a long time, but you couldn’t buy them in stores or dispensaries until fairly recently. In the past you would have to have a culinary savvy friend who also liked cannabis in order to get your hands on edibles. Now days in Colorado, you can go into a store and purchase cannabis edibles in many different forms.

Cannabis edibles are popular in Colorado too. So popular, that edibles made up roughly 45% of the newly legal recreational industry in Colorado in 2014. Per The Cannabist:

The proliferation of marijuana edibles stunned state and industry leaders, making it one of the biggest surprises during the first year of legal recreational marijuana sales. Potent cookies, candies and drinks — once considered a niche market — now account for roughly 45 percent of the legal marijuana marketplace and led to the most high-profile marijuana controversies in 2014.

The variety of marijuana-infused edibles available became a “point of fascination” for consumers, said Joe Hodas, chief marketing officer for Dixie Elixirs & Edibles, one of Colorado’s largest producers of infused products.

“We knew that there would be consumer interest in edibles, but I think we did underestimate that the demand would exceed our expectations,” Hodas said.

There are a lot of people fighting to become cannabis cultivators right now, and to get into the retail side of the equation. They may need to reconsider, and try to crack into cannabis edibles. Demand is clearly there. Food for thought.

The Oregon Ducks rode into the NCAA Football Championship has a 6 point favorite, behind a Heisman Trophy winning quarterback, but the team was short-handed due to the suspension of two players, wide receiver Darren Carrington and backup running back (and a major special teams player) Ayele Forde,  who tested positive for marijuana use.

The loss of two key contributors compounded other injuries and problems and nothing should be taken away from the Ohio State team that won 42 to 20 and certainly seemed like the proverbial “team of destiny.” However, it would have been nice if Oregon wouldn’t have been distracted by an NCAA policy that is much more strict than the NFL or the Olympics and we wouldn’t be left to wonder whether the outdated policy cost a team a national championship..

The suspension of Carrington was especially problematic because the Ducks were already hurting at the wideout position and receivers that needed to step up in his absence didn’t, making some crucial drops. While Carrington ranked just fourth on the Duck in receiving yards and catches on the year, he had a monster game in the Rose Bowl against defending national champs Florida State, that got the Ducks to the title game.

It is ridiculous to assume that marijuana is a performance enhancing drug and while the NCAA has a right to its own policies, it’s threshold limit for marijuana use is drastically less than other sports. From Sports Illustrated:

The easiest way to quantify how strict the NCAA’s threshold is: Compare it to the threshold from other sports. The NFL increased its minimum threshold from 15 nanograms to 35 in September. The MLB’s minimum is 50 nanograms, the same level as airline pilots. The World Anti-Doping Agency set its minimum at 150 nanograms, a level at which an expert contacted by USA Today was quoted as saying, “[one has to be a] pretty dedicated cannabis consumer” to test positive.

From doing research and talking to experts, it’s difficult to pin down what flags a test at a given level. A daily smoker carries five nanograms of THC at most times. Mason Tvert, the director of communications for the Marijuana Policy Project, called the NCAA’s levels “a very, very low threshold.” He added, “Someone could fail even if they last used days or possibly weeks ago.”

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So, does the NCAA need to change with the times? Seemingly, the answer is yes.

The country’s feelings and laws regarding cannabis are rapidly changing. Unfortunately, many long-standing institutions (hello, Congress) are very slow to adapt. As more states legalize cannabis for both medical and regular adult use, our institutions will finally catch up and marijuana won’t be treated any more harshly than alcohol or tobacco, regardless of the situation.

The National Football League is the premiere sports league in the United States and a global powerhouse. Personally, I love the NFL and appreciate the athleticism and strategy of the game. I also fear for players’ safety as players get bigger and faster. These players basically put themselves through car accidents every week for our enjoyment. Yes, many are rewarded handsomely, but you can’t put a price on your health and if you are substantially decreasing your life expectancy and quality of life after age 50, you certainly should be compensated.

I am the proponent of many safety precautions and am glad that the NFL has outlawed helmet to helmet collisions and flag extremely violent hits, despite those same hits being completely legal just a few years ago. As someone that admittedly enjoys the physical nature of the game, I will gladly put my entertainment aside for player safety. I don’t think that NFL players should be forced to play on Sunday and then again on Thursday, as the NFL should give teams playing on Thursday a bye week before Thursday games; it’s just too much to expect players to recuperate so quickly. And I definitely think that cannabis should not be on the list of banned substances, and not just because I have had Josh Gordon on my fantasy football team.

The NFL recently increased the permitted threshold from 15 nanograms of carboxy THC per milliliter of urine to 35 nanograms. Major League Baseball has a limit of 50 nanograms and the World Anti-Doping Agency, in charge of testing Olympic athletes, uses a threshold of 150. Mark Stepnoski, a Super Bowl champion lineman for the Dallas Cowboys utilized marijuana and became a spokesperson for legalization following his career. Former Heisman Trophy Winner and NFL rushing champion Ricky Williams served a one a year-long suspension for testing positive. Williams stated that he wouldn’t have ever been suspended under the updated policy and that cannabis helped his body recover.

From USA Today:

Former players such as Lomas Brown, who retired in 2012, have suggested that as many as half of NFL players use marijuana. “That’s a little high, but not too high,” says Williams, who retired in 2011. “But I’m sure there are teams where it’s at the 50% level.”

Williams says marijuana offered him pain relief, stress relief and quicker healing times.

“It’s easier on your liver,” he says. “It doesn’t cut your awareness off from your body, the way most pain medications do. It actually increases awareness of your body. So for instance when I played and I smoked, my body would relax and I’d go in the room and stretch a little bit and do some yoga. And relaxing would help my body recover faster.

Marijuana is now legal in in four states and our nation’s capital and medical use is now legal in 23 states. Over half of the population now lives in a state with some type of medical cannabis law. NFL players do not get an unfair boost in performance due to cannabis and I imagine that you would be hard pressed to find a doctor who believes that OxyContin and Vicodin are better for players than cannabis. Cannabis may not be for every player and it may not take care of every ache and pain, but it can certainly lead to less use of more addictive and dangerous pharmaceutical narcotics. Cannabis may potentially help with traumatic brain injuries. If the NFL truly cares about the safety of its players, it’s time that the league get with the modern times and at least utilize the same testing limits as the Olympics.

Massachusetts is in the process of opening up medical cannabis dispensaries for patients to frequent. Massachusetts law requires that there be at least one medical cannabis dispensary in each county, but no more than five in each county. The limited number of medical cannabis dispensaries, and high barrier to entry, has resulted in fierce competition for licenses.

With any competitive process where the stakes are high, those that are left on the outside looking in will complain that they were wronged. In the case of licensing in Massachusetts, there appears to be some merit to those claims. Per Marijuana Business Daily:

The process used to award dispensary licenses in Massachusetts was flawed from the start, beset by conflicts of interest, issues involving contractors and shortcomings in vetting applicants, according to a Boston Globe review of records.

The revelations could influence lawsuits against the state over its selection process for MMJ business permits and spur changes in how Massachusetts handles licensing going forward.

One contractor hired by the state’s health department to rank companies that wanted to operate dispensaries said it ran out of time to conduct background checks, while a separate contractor failed to note that a couple hired by several applicants had lost their license to operate in Colorado, the Globe reported.

The ongoing lawsuits against the State of Massachusetts will not affect the continuing process of licensing dispensaries. I’m very curious to see how things play out. If the State of Massachusetts is found to be at fault for wrongfully denying/approving licenses, how will that affect future licenses? Will dispensary limits be altered? Only time will tell. However, complications with the regulatory process will be common while the cannabis industry grows. It is imperative that the cannabis industry work together to ensure sound regulations and that the interests of the industry, as well as the voters, are heard and implemented.

There is a misconception out there that growing quality cannabis is not that hard, and not that expensive. That couldn’t be farther from the truth. Sure, growing cannabis that is mediocre or awful is not that hard and not that expensive. But when a grower is trying to get a cannabis plant to produce at the highest level possible in the areas of quality and quantity, there is a lot that goes into it.

It requires a very specialized facility to keep bugs and disease out, and provide an optimal environment for cannabis plants to grow and thrive. Building such a facility is not cheaper. Some states are more expensive than others due to climate requirements and building codes. Per Biz Journals:

There can be extensive build-out costs in outfitting buildings for medical marijuana cultivation – and Arizona has some of the highest build-out costs in the country as a legalization effort could find its way on the 2016 ballot.

Jiyan Wei is the founder of BuildZoom Inc., the company analyzing building permit and construction data.

Wei and BuildZoom writer Greg Clifton found that behind Colorado – where marijuana is legal – Arizona has some of the highest construction build-out costs in the U.S.

Industrial cannabis gardens present unique obstacles and needs compared to other industrial facilities, even other gardening-based industrial facilities. Expect building code requirements to evolve with the growth of the industry, as well as security requirements and other requirements. If you are trying to become a large scale cultivator, make sure to research any provisions that you are required to follow, as they vary greatly from state to state.

Our service men and women deserve everything that our country can provide, especially when it comes to healthcare. A veteran should never be denied medicine or medical advice that can help them for any reason. However, sadly, veterans are denied medical advice when it comes to medical cannabis all the time, and not for medical reasons. They are denied medical advice for purely political reasons.

Up until 2011, doctors at VA hospitals were required to not treat veterans for pain if the patient was a medical cannabis user. Since 2011, it has been up to the doctor’s discretion if they want to treat the patient, but they are still forbidden from recommending medical cannabis, even when they know it would benefit the patient.

Last year a bill was introduced to fix this injustice. The ‘Veterans Equal Access Act‘ would allow VA doctors to recommend medical cannabis if they felt it would help the patient. Considering that many veterans suffer from pain, PTSD, and other ailments due to their service, this bill would help a lot of our service men and women.

It’s time that Congress stood up for what’s right when it comes to veterans and medical cannabis. Our veterans served our country proudly, and we owe it to them to help them in every way that we can. VA doctors shouldn’t be restricted because of political views. If any medicine, cannabis or otherwise, could help a patient, the doctor should be able to recommend it to them.