Jeremy M Garner

KEVIN DURANT JOINS WEED COMPANY’S ADVISORY BOARD Kannabi – November 28, 2019 https://www.kannabi.com/culture-content/kevin-durant-joins-weed-companys-advisory-board?rq Kevin Durant and Rich Kleiman’s startup Thirty Five Ventures is on its second cannabis-related venture by joining the venture capital firm, Canopy River’s, strategic advisory board. “We’re thrilled to have Thirty Five Ventures join the Canopy Rivers team,” Narbé Alexandrian, President and CEO of Canopy Rivers said, citing Kevin Durant and Rich Kleiman’s investment portfolio which has helped several successful tech and cannabis companies grow. “ We’re excited to combine our venture capital knowledge and cannabis domain expertise,” Alexandrian continued, “and we believe this partnership will drive success for our portfolio as we continue to grow in the years ahead.” Canopy River is not Thirty Five Venture’s first foray into the world of cannabis. They started with an investment into Dutchie, an online cannabis delivery service. A service that works in much the same way as another of Thirty Five’s investments: Postmates. But, investing into Canopy Rivers allows Kevin Durant and Rich Kleiman the opportunity to expand into the Canadian cannabis market. According to Rich Kleiman, Thirty Five Ventures chose to partner with Canopy Rivers because, as he said, “We’ve recognized that Canopy Rivers has taken a data-backed approach to map out forward-looking opportunities in the industry.” That data, according to Alexandrian, has led Canopy Rivers to the conclusion that cannabis is becoming an industry of niche segments such as: sleep, recovery, sports, and wellness. Durant and Kleiman’s expertise in sports and entertainment fit well with Canopy River’s view on where the cannabis industry is headed. However, in an interview with Forbes, Alexandrian’s first point was Thirty Five’s successful investments in the tech sector. The joining also comes just after the MORE act was approved, which you can learn about here. CBD, A DRUG WORTH RESEARCHING https://www.kannabi.com/culture-content/a-drug-worth-researching?rq Kannabi – January 18, 2020 Currently, the FDA has only approved one cannabis-based drug, Epidiolex to treat childhood epilepsy syndromes. That hasn’t stopped many consumers from purchasing CBD as an over-the-counter treatment to alleviate minor medical conditions such as headaches or pain. As research continues, many medical professionals believe CBD could become a medical breakthrough that could replace dozens of traditional drugs on the market. Dr. David Dawit, Chief Scientific Officer at Eos Scientific explains that… “While those in the industry, medical professionals and the public all seem to be in favor of CBD as a medical product, the stringent regulatory barriers in place before any product can be fully licensed require, quite rightly, extensive testing and trials.” There are several ways to ingest medicinal CBD: tinctures, topicals, oils, and more. Recently GB Sciences obtained a patent for their oral thin films. The films are gaining popularity because of their efficiency, convenience, and discreteness. “This is great for patients, who have access to an entirely new way to consume precisely-dosed cannabis without the potential drawbacks of other delivery systems,” Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of GB Sciences Inc. John Poss said. “And nobody else has this technology – making it a good mechanism for GB Sciences to further monetize its considerable intellectual property portfolio.” While CBD on its own is not approved for drug use Amarantus Bioscience Holdings subsidiary, Elto Pharma received notice from the European Patent Office that they can use CBD and other chemical compounds along with eltoprazine and eltoprazine in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease and Parkinson’s disease levodopa-induced dyskinesia. The study involving 22 subjects for Eltoprazine showed that it significantly reduced peak dose dyskinesia with no major adverse effects reported. LEGAL WEED SALES ARE (BABY) BOOMING Kannabi – December 28, 2019 https://www.kannabi.com/culture-content/legal-weed-sales-are-baby-booming?rq Overall sales for legalized cannabis in the United States are expected to reach USD 13.6 Billion during 2019. A quarter of those sales were because of Baby Boomers, according to a survey by MJ Freeway and New Frontier Data. By 2025 the combined legal sales from the 33 states with legalized medical programs and 11 legal adult-use programs are projected to reach USD 30 Billion. Colorado alone has reported USD 6.5 Billion in total sales since January 2014. “We want Colorado to be the best state for investment, innovation and development for this growing economic sector,” state Governor Jared Polis said earlier this June, “This industry is helping grow our economy by creating jobs and generating valuable revenue that is going towards preventing youth consumption, protecting public health and safety and investing in public school construction." One of the original and most successful dispensary and cultivation companies in Colorado, NewLeaf Brand’s subsidiary We Are Kured entered into a letter of intent with the Denver Packaging Company to enter the Colorado cannabis market in 2020. With this letter of intent Kured will release a new ultra-high quality THC version of its flagship 500mg custom disposable vaporizer line. Which is good timing because according to New Frontier Data the legal marijuana market in Colorado is expected to exceed USD 2 Million in revenue in 2020. The City of Chicago recently had a lottery for recreational cannabis dispensary locations and Cresco Labs won two of the seven available licenses in the Central District. They now have the right to open two adult-use dispensaries in the epicenter of Chicago’s business and retail communities which draws a great portion of the 55 million tourists that come to Chicago each year. In Pennsylvania Harvest Health & Recreation is opening their third Harvest-affiliated dispensary in Scranton. Green Thumb Industries, on the other hand, recently closed on a transaction to sell its Danville cultivation and processing facility to Innovative Industrial Properties. The proceeds that Green Thumb is getting from selling the facility will be used “for strategic initiatives and capacity expansion projects in Pennsylvania,” said Green Thumb Industries founder and CEO Ben Kovler, “a high-growth medical cannabis market.” A GUIDE TO BEING AND GETTING HIGH ON WEED Kannabi – January 25, 2020 https://www.kannabi.com/culture-content/a-guide-to-getting-high-on-weed?rq According to a recent survey conducted by Buzzfeed News, about 35 percent of Americans have used cannabis at some point in their lives. Of the 62 percent that said they never tried the drug, a quarter of them have considered it. Although many people have tried weed, most people wouldn’t be able to tell you exactly what weed is. Here’s a breakdown: WEED IN A NUTSHELL On a basic level, weed is the flower part of the hemp plant that when consumed releases the chemicals tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) into the body. Both chemicals interact with the body’s endocannabinoid system (ECS) which helps to regulate processes, like sleep, appetite, and memory. Each of which are played up in the typical stoner character portrayed in media. The THC compound is the main psychoactive component that produces the “high” sensation by binding to the receptors. Sleepiness, munchies, and spotty memory are all linked to THC, since it binds with the CB receptors. There is not a working understanding of how CBD interacts with the ECS. However, unlike THC, CBD doesn’t produce any negative effects. On a less scientific side, there are several different ways to ingest cannabis, and each one has it’s own ingestion methods, intensity, length of high and how long it stays in the body. SO, WHAT’S WEED? When weed is mentioned, most think of the smokable, trichome-covered part of a female hemp plant. This is called flower and is the basis for all other forms of synthesized cannabis consumption. When the THC and other cannabinoids are extracted from the flower an oil or concentrate is produced. Oils and concentrates have the highest THC content out of any forms of consuming cannabis, anywhere from 40 to 90 percent. Both flower and oil are smoked, but weed can be eaten in the form of edibles. Edibles can take many forms, from cookies, brownies, or candy to pills and topical creams. Basically, an edible is anything you don’t inhale. The high takes longer to kick in and tends to last longer as well. BUD TASTES GOOD RAW RIGHT? Flower, or bud is smoked. It’s ground into a grainy consistency before packing or rolling. Blunts and joints are the most universally recognized form of smoking, with many who partake using the “puff, puff, pass” method of sharing. The difference between blunts and joints is what the weed is rolled in. A blunt uses either the shell of a cigarillo split down the side and rerolled or a tobacco leaf while a joint uses rolling papers. Of the two, a blunt generally lasts longer, although much of long a blunt or joint last depends on who’s rolling and the quality of weed. If rolling isn’t easily accessible, a glass or plastic pipe or bong is the next best method. The hardware, called “pieces,” utilize a reusable pack and burn bowl. Pipes are the least fussy pieces consisting of a bowl and stem. Bongs are a little fancier, adding a removable bowl and a water or ice filter to cool the smoke as it passes through. To ingest, just pack the bowl with ground bud, light, pull, then, if it’s bong, remove the bowl to clear the smoke and pass. There is also a third, younger, less common and more technological method of smoking that only became popular in the last 5 to 10 years called vaporization. For this method, the flower is heated to a temperature just below the combustion point of 392F. The heat can be applied in three different ways: Conduction, which puts the plant in direct contact to the heat source, Convention, which works by passing precisely heated air over the weed, and Radiant, which uses energy produced by a light source or electricity. Which leads into oils and concentrates, which, today, are typically vaporized. Dab pens are a common product, many celebrity companies, like Lil’ Wayne’s GKUA Ultra Premium, specialize in creating different concentrates for different uses. To smoke oil, all that’s needed is a battery pack and a disposable cartridge. It makes smoking as simple as pushing a button and pulling. On the flip side, there’s the traditional method of dabbing with a full rig. Consider it a bong with extra steps. Instead of just packing grounds into a bowl, the extract is picked up with a dabber, placed onto the “nail” made of titanium, ceramic or quartz, then heated by a blow torch while covering it with a dome to trap the vapors as you pull. The benefit of this method is, for one, reduced waste, and for two, it can be a nice ritual. Then there are edibles. Difficult to make, easy to consume. To make an at home batch of weed brownies requires patience, a large pot, cheesecloth and a lot of weed. Most recipes require cannabutter and here’s a recipe. Baked goods are just the basics though. Today there is candy, pills, and even breath strips and sprays, all of which can be purchased from various retailers. Recently, Edible Arrangements entered the edible game by releasing Edible Products. Even though it is just CBD, it still counts. HOW HIGH AND LONG WILL I BE HIGH FOR? Each form of cannabis consumption has varying degrees of intensity. Flower tends to be the least intense being on average 10-25 percent THC. Quality and quantity are the greatest factors in the intensity of the high which can last for several hours. After smoking the onset is immediate with the peak coming within the first 30 minutes. The first hour is going to be the most intense, just remember to breathe. It should be said that getting high can cause paranoia which can be counteracted by chewing on some black peppercorns. The peppercorns will release terpenes into the body which interact with THC and CBD to produce a calming effect. Oils are going to be more intense than flower. Mostly because the THC content can be up to 95 percent, or it can be almost nothing, instead of containing mostly CBD. The high will last the same length as long as flower because both are smoked. So, expect to have a short, and intense trip when smoking concentrates. Then there are Edibles. Eating a cannabis product can make the high last a whole day depending on what is eaten before. THC is fat-soluble, meaning your body breaks it down slowly. The fattier foods you eat before can affect how long the onset takes, which can be anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours. Be careful eating that second brownie, it might be too much. A more detailed description of the type of highs can be found here. HOW LONG TILL PEEING IN A CUP ISN’T A CONCERN? The general advice is to stop consuming cannabis two weeks before a drug test. According to a study by the Mayo Clinic, it takes “3 days for cannabis to leave the system in ‘occasional users’, 5-7 days in ‘moderate users,’ 10-15 days in ‘chronic users,’ and more than 30 days in ‘chronic heavy users.’” So, understand that there are various ways to get high, and each one has it’s own benefits and lengths, plan accordingly.