Though we are on an inevitable course toward nationwide cannabis legalization, what will it look like? Will we still find ways to arrest hundreds of thousands of people each year for it? Will we still see National Guard helicopters thundering through the most rural regions of the Emerald Triangle? The sad truth is, as long as these capitalist companies are able to pour millions of dollars into national politics each year just by foraging the spare change out of their sofas, we are bound to see dimebag busts continue to be about as far as most cops are willing to go to protect and serve.

A warm Beard Bros. Pharms welcome to our new contributor, Oregon’s own Dick Fitts. If you are not familiar with this dude’s background well just … ok maybe don’t google that name but let’s just say this multi-talented fella has been around the plant for quite some time and he certainly knows a thing or two about a thing or two. We are stoked he is down to share his personal insights with all of us with a unique edge and a passion for cannabis that we can definitely relate to. We’re sure you’ll enjoy his style as much as we do.

We do not support or endorse the entirety of the language in AB 228 but if that is the direction the market is going then the compliance standards that cannabis companies are being held to must be imposed on hemp brands as well. If hemp-derived CBD brands want to jump in these shark-infested waters, they should have to swim for shore or drown just like the rest of us.  

As Canada’s cannabis industry comes down off an eight month high, it will be interesting to see if they continue to import California’s culture-killing business model as their national market expands and our regional one waits for Washington D.C. to wake up.

There are so very few bright spots when it comes to Prop 64 and “legal weed” these days, but AB 1793 is a ray of positivity and we encourage anyone with a past cannabis conviction to stay engaged in the expungement process until they - and everyone else - are free from the rapidly fading stigma of reefer madness.

From coast to coast, Mickey brought people together. . . but not just anyone. His Bullshit Detector was always perfectly calibrated and gaining his trust wasn’t easy. Once you did though, you gained entry into a truly grassroots network of up and coming colleagues as well as some of the oldest and most respected names in the game. You can read about all of his accomplishments and his disappointments - he had his share of both - but the bottom line is that Mickey Martin connected good people, he helped good people. We miss him so much.

Cannabis, in its natural form, is a very unique medicine. It can effectively treat so many ailments, but those effects vary greatly from user to user. This is its blessing and its curse. Anecdotal evidence traditionally does not carry a lot of weight in the field of research medicine but it is essential in the understanding of cannabis and how it affects people. By hearing enough stories, and by treating those stories as “cases”, bigger picture extrapolations can occur which could potentially help doctors to gain a broader knowledge of the plant and how it can be optimally used to heal.

We are all about safe access for all, especially when it comes to the medicinal use of cannabis or hemp. Lower priced hemp products are not inherently bad, and those that are farmed and produced ethically need to have a place in the market but this feels like a deadly blow to the already niche market of CBD-rich cannabis production in California and that is scary.