MjLink Cannabis Business News and Press
Multi-state, vertically integrated cannabis operator Parallel—run by the former CEO and namesake of the Wrigley Company William “Beau” Wrigley Jr.—made headlines earlier this year after announcing the company would combine with special purpose acquisition company Ceres Acquisition Corp. in a $1.9-billion deal expected to close this summer. The merger would allow Parallel’s team to make a public offering while continuing to grow the business through mergers and acquisitions.
Wrigley outlines the benefits of the deal, Parallel’s market expansion strategy, the company’s clinical research partnership with the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, as well as why he believes there’s still “a ways to go” before cannabis can become a true consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry.
Editor’s note: A condensed version of this article originally appeared in April 2021 issue of Cannabis Business Times. It has been updated to include details from the company’s Windy City Cannabis acquisition in Illinois, as well as the recent termination of Kim Napoli, Parallel’s former senior director of corporate social responsibility. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Cassie Neiden Tomaselli: What enticed you to participate in this industry, and how do you see cannabis evolving as a consumer packaged good (CPG)?
Beau Wrigley: What got me into it was health and wellness. When I really started to understand cannabis—going back a couple years—I realized that it really has the potential to truly improve people’s quality of life. And obviously I’ve been successful and fortunate to run a couple different businesses. But when you can have a business that brings that to people, potentially all over the world, it’s a pretty high calling. And it’s pretty great to be involved with the foundational aspects of an industry that’s new.
Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) may be the most well-known cannabinoid in cannabis, but according to the National Hemp Association, scientists believe that there may be more than 100 different cannabinoids in cannabis.
One cannabinoid that has recently emerged in the market is Delta-8-THC.
As previously reported by Hemp Grower, the National Cancer Institute defined Delta-8-THC in a statement as an analogue of THC that contains neuroprotective properties that can increase appetite and reduce nausea, anxiety and pain. It produces some psychotropic effects that are believed to be less potent than Delta-9, the primary form of THC found in cannabis.
The legal status of Delta-8 remains unclear, as some say it's federally legal under the 2018 Farm Bill, while others consider it a loophole.
"In terms of the legality, I think everyone is confused," said Scott Churchill, the director of scientific operations at MCR Labs, an independent cannabis testing laboratory based in Massachusetts. "There are people that say it's illegal because it's a derivative of cannabis, which I believe is how the original prohibition was written, stating that anything that is a derivative of cannabis is illegal. But then the hemp farm bill came out and depending on that language [in the Farm Bill] is whether or not it created a loophole for non-Delta-9."
Sara Batterby, the founder of the Equity Capital Collective and adviser to many entrepreneurs, has unexpectedly passed this week at 49.
© CBT Archival Photo
Batterby
Batterby entered the cannabis industry in 2014, where she co-founded HiFi Farms and the Portland Chapter of Women, where she began her investigation into developing tools and resources to provide founders equitable access to capital.
In 2018, Batterby created the Equity Capital Collective and designed the first genuinely comprehensive curriculum. She worked with entrepreneurs from underserved communities to help them gain skills and access to investors and fundraising through her Capital Masterclass.
In a 2019 interview with Portland Business Journal, she outlined her philosophy:
"Our mission is to enable and empower entrepreneurs who have been excluded from access to networks and resources, such as women, people of color and LGBTQIA communities. We're insisting on a more equitable landscape of opportunity for a greater diversity of founders. Through our systematic methodology, we teach critical skills and insights while addressing the fundamental internal barriers associated with a diminished experience of worthiness and entitlement."
Steve Fox, who led the drafting of Colorado Amendment 64, which legalized adult-use cannabis in 2012 and set in motion a wave of state legislation across the U.S., died this week. He was 53.
Fox was a leader at Vicente Sederberg LLP, a cannabis law group based in Denver, since 2010. He co-founded VS Strategies in 2013 and served as managing partner.
“We are truly heartbroken to share news of the passing of our partner and dear friend Steve Fox,” the team at Vicente Sederberg wrote. “With wisdom beyond his years and a pioneering spirit, Steve was an ‘old soul’ with a knack for seeing things in a new light. He was strongly principled, deeply empathic, and fiercely kind. And despite his usually soft-spoken and lighthearted demeanor, his opinions rarely went unheard and always carried significant weight.”
Fox built a storied career in political advocacy, specifically lending his expertise to drug reform policy and social justice. He brought an early sense of political legitimacy to the cannabis reform movement coming out of the 1990s, joining Marijuana Policy Project as the first full-time lobbyist on Capitol Hill in 2002.
“He made me feel like we could do anything,” Mason Tvert, a colleague of Fox’s at Vicente Sederberg, told the Denver Post. “This guy, he was truly passionate about helping people, both those around him and those that he knew were being affected by bad policies. And he never got a ton of recognition and he didn’t really seek recognition. He was always proud to be the guy behind the scenes.”
In Cannabis Business Times, Fox was most recently interviewed for our December 2020 issue—discussing the prospects of a legalization wave in the Northeast this year.
Colorado is auctioning off 14 cannabis-themed license plates in a fundraiser for the Colorado Disability Funding Committee.
The bidding, which has already generated more than $30,000 as of April 14, closes at 4:20 p.m. MT on April 20—what has become a cannabis holiday. The cannabis-themed plates include phrases like “BONG,” “GANJA,” “HASH,” “HEMP,” “INDICA” and “SATIVA.”
As of this writing, “ISIT420” has generated the highest bid at over $6,600.
Gov. Jared Polis applauded the auction in a press release, stating that the proceeds will be used to fund disability application assistance as well as new and innovative programs increasing quality of life and independence of Colorado’s disability community.
“Colorado is proud of our creativity and ingenuity. We’ve been a leader in the cannabis space for over a decade and this effort allows us to fund critical projects and programs in our disability community,” Polis said.
Lt. Gov. Dianne Primavera said, “This is a fantastic opportunity to provide funding to a program that serves individuals with disabilities. I’m thrilled to support this effort and look forward to seeing which plate raises the most funds.”
New York is the latest state to legalize the delivery of adult-use cannabis with no restrictions to adults 21 years and older, following in the footsteps of California, Nevada and Oregon.
As the delivery of cannabis products begins to spark interest among states, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi told CNBC on Monday that the company could start delivering cannabis products if federal regulation permits the company to do so.
At the end of March, New York state lawmakers approved the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act, making it the 17th state in the U.S. to legalize cannabis for adults 21 and older. The bill establishes a new regulatory body, the Office of Cannabis Management, to oversee the new adult-use program, in addition to the existing medical and hemp markets. Other provisions are detailed in the bill; however, much of the regulatory framework has yet to be decided, leaving the 10 existing medical cannabis companies operating in the state in limbo. Cannabis Business Times spoke with Hillary Peckham, chief operating officer of Etain, an independent, women- and family-owned medical cannabis operator with a cultivation facility and four dispensaries in New York, to get her take on the bill and how the company plans to transition into the adult-use market.
Michelle Simakis: What aspects of New York’s adult-use cannabis bill that have been outlined so far do you like?
Hillary Peckham: I think it’s really fabulous they have passed legislation with an initiative for diverse business ownership. That’s something we really support, especially trying to foster small business social equity licenses and MWBEs [minority- or women-owned business enterprises]. (Editor’s Note: The bill indicates the state’s social and economic equity program will include a goal to allocate 50% of licenses to a minority- or women-owned business, distressed farmers or service-disabled veterans.) As a woman-owned business, we’re very supportive of that effort.
MS: What are your concerns about the bill?
HP: Things we are looking out for, which we won’t know more until regulation, would be ensuring that there’s a commitment to the medical program’s success after legalization starts, because most states you see the medical program decline or basically go away. And to make sure the support for [MWBE] businesses isn’t just to give them a license, but that there’s ongoing support and commitment to fostering growth for those companies that extends beyond just the initial licensing. There [are] proposed startup loans. I think that will be really important because cannabis businesses are very capital intensive, and it’s really hard to find capital without traditional financing. Additionally, in other industries New York set goals for purchasing from MWBEs for state contracts, and something similar to that to make sure there’s ongoing commitment to support and purchase from suppliers or retailers in those special category licenses I think will be great.
MS: As it’s written now, medical cannabis companies can remain vertically operated and add up to four stores, in addition to the four medical dispensaries you already have. Do you plan to transition into the market, and what would be the first step?
WORCESTER, Mass., April 13, 2021 – PRESS RELEASE – Cannabis Control Commissioner Jennifer Flanagan announced she will step down from her seat on April 30, ending a 25-year career of public service in Massachusetts.
Most recently, Gov. Charlie Baker had appointed her to serve a four-year term as the Cannabis Control Commission’s public health representative in accordance with Chapter 55 of the Acts of 2017 starting Sept. 1, 2017.
“I want to express my sincere thanks to Gov. Baker for the opportunity to serve as the public health appointee to the commission,” Flanagan said. “My motivation for accepting his appointment, and my primary goal throughout my term, has been to ensure the public health of Massachusetts residents remained a priority as the commonwealth regulated legal cannabis. I believe my contributions have kept that focus front and center as the commission has drafted and updated its regulations over the past three and a half years.”
“Commissioner Flanagan has been a strong advocate for public health throughout her long career of service for the people of Massachusetts and brought this expertise to her role on the Cannabis Control Commission,” Baker said. “Lt. Gov. Polito and I thank Jennifer for her willingness to serve on the commission, and we wish her all the best in her future endeavors. We are in the process of reviewing candidates to serve in this seat and expect to make an announcement soon.”
Throughout her service to the commission, Flanagan offered a strong voice for the health and wellness of Massachusetts residents by advocating for patients and working to create and build out the agency’s award-winning public awareness campaign, among other accomplishments. More About Marijuana, which highlights the risks of underage consumption, responsible adult use, and the dangers of home cultivation and manufacturing, among other important messages, was honored with a Telly award in the campaign (local TV) category and a MarCom award in its website category.
“The commonwealth’s patients, consumers, parents and youth have greatly benefited from Commissioner Flanagan’s leadership over the past three and a half years,” Commission Chairman Steven J. Hoffman said. “Her vocal advocacy for public health will continue to safeguard Massachusetts residents long after she concludes her service to the commission, and her attention on Positive Impact Plans and Diversity Plans has helped us further our mandate to support and include disproportionately impacted communities in the legal industry.”
This is a developing story. It has been updated to reflect the governor’s signing of the bill.
The New Mexico Legislature worked overtime, and now adult-use cannabis legalization is official with Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signing legislation into law April 12, following two days of a special session in the House and Senate at the end of March.
The lower chamber cleared the three-time amended adult-use bill, 38-32, March 31, while the upper chamber added one more amendment before passing the bill, 22-15, later that night on the Senate floor, where the bill previously stalled during the legislature’s 60-day regular session that concluded March 20—a halt that sparked Lujan Grisham’s call for the special session.
The House reconvened shortly after the Senate’s March 31 passage to concur the upper chamber’s amendment to the bill, before officially sending it to Lujan Grisham for signing—with her ink this week, New Mexico became the 18th state to legalize adult-use cannabis.
“This is a good bill,” Lujan Grisham said in a statement following the legislature’s passage.
“This special session was a success,” she said. “And the work of making sure that this industry is a success, that New Mexicans are able to reap the full economic and social benefit of legalized adult-use cannabis, that workplace and roadway safety are assured to the greatest degree possible—that work will go on. Change never comes easily and rarely does it occur as quickly as we might like. But with this major step forward, we are signaling more clearly than ever before that we are ready, as a state, to truly break new ground, to think differently about ourselves and our economic future, to fearlessly invest in ourselves and in the limitless potential of New Mexicans.”
When companies raise capital and grow, the No. 1 thing they do is hire.
Vangst, a Denver-based recruiting platform that connects cannabis job seekers with employers, is now better positioned to service that demand after launching its Executive Talent service March 29, with Jennifer Bedford as the vice president.
According to CEO Karson Humiston, who founded Vangst in 2015, more than 210,000 people are directly employed by the U.S. cannabis industry—a Leafly report estimated that number to be even higher, at 321,000—with a 75% growth in employment over the last two years. The new Executive Talent service will help companies secure administrative-level talent as they continue to build out and grow their leadership teams, she said.
“Before hiring [Bedford] at Vangst, we engaged her for our VP of revenue search. It was hands down the best experience I’ve ever had with an executive recruiter,” said Humiston, who turned around and reverse-recruited Bedford to join her team.
Before taking on the vice president of Executive Talent position at Vangst, Bedford was a veteran recruiter at Signal Partners, a management consulting firm headquartered in Los Angeles, where she executed executive searches in the legal and compliant cannabis market. And before that, she serviced the consumer-facing tech sector. Overall, she is a 20-year veteran headhunter.
Vangst’s recruiting services include staffing cannabis companies with positions like marketing managers, budtenders and social media coordinators. But, until now, it did not have an executive talent offering—Bedford’s specialty.
While Arizona moved quickly to begin licensing adult-use cannabis businesses in the wake of voters’ approval last fall, other states that flipped in the 2020 General Election are just now getting around to passing their legislative follow-through. Montana is one of them.
The states’ Republicans have led an effort to implement the adult-use measure—and amend it along the way, irking their Democrat counterparts.
A trio of cannabis bills made their way through the Montana House this week, with upcoming Senate votes on the way.
It’s a reminder that the ballot is never the last stop for cannabis reform. As a proposal becomes a bill, which becomes a law, many stakeholders will have their say,
We’ve rounded up some of the key cannabis headlines from the week right here.
What Purple Heart Patient Center owner Keith Stephenson was setting out to achieve in 2006 is similar to what he’s hoping to deliver to the Oakland cannabis industry when he returns in a few months. Read more
In Rhode Island, Greenleaf Compassionate Care Center in Portsmouth dispensary workers to unionize with United Food and Commercial Workers. Read more
And elsewhere on the web, here are the stories we’ve been reading this week:
Raleigh News & Observer: “Democrats in the North Carolina General Assembly have made it clear they want to change the state’s marijuana laws, and they’re giving the legislature’s Republican majority several ideas on how to do so.” Read more Bloomberg: “Mexico’s proposal to legalize cannabis has hit a snag in the Senate, where a revised version of the bill is under consideration.” Read more New York Post: “Canada’s Canopy Growth said Thursday it will buy rival Supreme Cannabis for C$323.3 million ($256.85 million), as the world’s biggest cannabis producer bolsters its portfolio to tap surging demand.” Read more KRQE: “Recreational marijuana could soon be a booming industry in New Mexico. Northern New Mexico College is getting in the game early by launching a new class.” Read more Phoenix New Times: “Not only is local competition getting hotter in Arizona, but a new surge of out-of-state businesses is rushing into the state, looking to take advantage of the massive growth expected in Arizona's post-legalization cannabis industry.” Read more ]]>The Montana House advanced three competing bills on regulating recreational cannabis in the state after Montana voters approved a measure to legalize adult-use cannabis last year.
As previously reported by Cannabis Business Times, 59% of voters approved of I-190, the adult-use legalization initiative, and 61% of the Montana electorate voted in favor of the plan to set the legal age of adult-use cannabis consumption to 21 years old.
According to the Associated Press, the voter-approved measure would allow for cannabis sales to begin in January 2022 and directed a significant amount of cannabis tax revenue toward conservation efforts.
But the bills advanced in the Republican-controlled House on April 6 did not follow that plan and suggested several changes to the voter-approved initiative.
House Bills 707, 701 and 670 were passed in preliminary votes after lawmakers debated them on the House floor, 8KPAX reported.
Republican Legislative leaders urged members to advance all three bills to the Senate to give more time for amendments and lawmakers to consider how to tax adult-use cannabis sales and what to do with the revenue.
LAS VEGAS, April 7, 2021 – PRESS RELEASE – GreenBroz Inc., a U.S.-based, industry-leading developer of cannabis post-harvest processing technology, announced the launch of its Rise-N-Sort System. This powerful, fully integrated system combines the Rise Conveyor, Precision Sorter and Sorter Table to efficiently consolidate the movement and segregation of product into differing size groups. This three-part system allows a processing rate of 6 pounds per minute, representing a steep gain compared with the rate of 2 pounds per hour for hand processing.
“Our offerings are more than just solutions; they’re a growth plan for our clients,” said Cullen Raichart, founder and CEO of GreenBroz. “We are beyond excited to provide a purpose-built, industry-born solution that retains the quality of the product by protecting the delicate trichomes, while also increasing throughput significantly.”
This first-of-its-kind system operates gently without vibration, and is constructed using food-grade stainless steel, surgical steel, polyurethane and ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMW), ensuring the product remains as close to fresh-off-the-stem as possible. Human touch points are minimized, mitigating contamination risk and ensuring end product consistency.
Key System Features:
Digital human machine interface (HMI) touch screen allows speed control for feeding and sorting.Constructed using food-grade materials.Entire system is washdown-ready, including the motors.All components can be made compatible with international power requirements.The system is modular and can be combined with the GreenBroz Model M Dry Trimmer to create a complete end-to-end solution, taking raw product all the way from trimming to ready for packaging.
“The elegant design and efficiency we’re able to offer with this system is a direct result of the creativity and dedication of our engineering team and would not have been possible without our state-of-the-art, in-house design lab with complete rapid prototyping capabilities,” said Kevin Bower, GreenBroz lead engineer.
]]>This week, cannabis advocates in Virginia notched another victory – after pressure from organizations like the ACLU, NORML, and Marijuana Justice, lawmakers agreed on Gov. Ralph Northam’s amendment to speed up the legalization of cannabis possession to July 1. Under the bill’s original timeline, possession laws wouldn’t have been changed until 2024, which remains Virginia’s target date for starting retail sales.
“We did what we do and organized, got Virginians’ voices up, and told the Governor, ‘Hey, before you sign this, we need some amendments to show some urgency,’” said Chelsea Wise, founder of the advocacy group Virginia Marijuana Justice. “It’s a huge win for us to speed this up three years.”
Votes on the amendment were split 20-20 along party lines, with Democratic Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax casting the deciding vote. Republicans had argued that the bill was incomplete, believing that more time was needed to study the issue and determine how best to enact full legalization. State Senate Minority Leader Tommy Norment called the amendments “horribly flawed,” and implied that Northam was only speeding it up “to contribute to the resurrection of his legacy,” a reference to the stir created in 2019 when the governor admitted to appearing in a medical school yearbook photo depicting one man wearing blackface and another in a Ku Klux Klan robe.
Other changes in the bill
State Republicans were also unhappy about a provision added that would make it easier for cannabis workers to unionize. The new language gives the state’s incoming Cannabis Control Authority the power to strip licenses from any cannabis business that doesn’t remain neutral while its workers attempt to unionize.
But supporters of the updated bill argue that legalizing the possession of up to an ounce of cannabis and growing up to four plants at home will benefit the communities hit hardest by prohibition. Even after the state decriminalized cannabis last year, Black Virginians were four times more likely to be arrested for marijuana offenses, according to local reporting.
Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont’s adult-use cannabis bill is far from the finish line, but the criminal justice aspect of the legislation was vetted and approved by the Joint Judiciary Committee in a 22-16 vote April 6.
The proposed legislation, An Act Responsibly and Equitably Regulating Adult-Use Cannabis, which Lamont unveiled during his budget address Feb. 10, would authorize the automated erasure of criminal records for those with cannabis-related drug possession convictions and charges.
The overall bill remains a work in progress—with language involving financial issues, regulatory issues, licensing issues and more— but the Judiciary Committee’s due diligence was to get the criminal justice components of the bill right, said Rep. Steven Stafstrom (D), who co-chairs the committee and also co-sponsors the legislation, Senate Bill 888.
“Our cognizance really is on the criminal justice, erasure piece, and I certainly have not heard much opposition to that because I think the language we have in here is language we’ve vetted through fairly well on the criminal justice aspects,” he said during the committee’s meeting on Tuesday.
“On the criminal justice components of this bill, this bill retains and improves upon the language we’ve seen for the last couple years on erasure of prior cannabis convictions,” Stafstrom said. “It puts in place what I believe to be an appropriate mechanism to deal with the issue of driving under the influence, something that is I know of particular interest to this committee, particularly given the fact that neighboring states are undertaking legalization.”
Included in S.B. 888, law enforcement units would be required to have a minimum number of officers report to the Police Officer Standards and Training Council no later than Jan. 1, 2022, so that each unit has state-accredited drug recognition experts to ensure adequate availability of drug recognition experts can respond to instances of impaired driving. Law enforcement units would be able to call upon drug recognition experts from other law enforcement units as necessary and available.
Virginia has legalized adult-use cannabis just days after New York and New Mexico lawmakers signed their legalization bills.
On April 7, the Virginia General Assembly approved Gov. Ralph Northam's proposal to amend the state's bill to legalize recreational cannabis in 2024 and accelerate the legalization timeline by three years.
RELATED: Virginia Legislature Passes Adult-Use Cannabis Legalization Bill
Starting July 1, 2021, adults 21 years and older will be able to possess and grow adult-use cannabis; however, retail sales are not expected to begin until 2024, as Vox reported.
According to a recent ABC News article, Northam's proposal contains some of the following legislative changes:
Northam is proposing two budget amendments; one to fund a public awareness campaign on the health and safety risks of cannabis and another to measure funds to help law enforcement recognize and prevent driving under the influence of drugs.His amendments authorize adults 21 years and older to possess up to 1 ounce of cannabis without the intent to distribute it. The amendment would continue to prohibit laws such as consuming while driving or possession on school property. The proposed amendments would speed up the expungement and sealing of criminal records. They would allow residents with cannabis convictions to request a lower penalty or for their records to be sealed.His provisions will permit households to grow up to four cannabis plants starting July 1, 2021 and require the plants to be labeled and out of range and sight from individuals under 21 and the public.Northam said in a tweet that legalizing the possession of adult-use cannabis in Virginia is a "monumental step to address racial disparities in our criminal justice system and build an equitable, inclusive future for our commonwealth."
WASHINGTON, April 6, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) – PRESS RELEASE – Today, the Cannabis Freedom Alliance (CFA) launched to end the prohibition, criminalization and overregulation of cannabis in the United States. The CFA aims to do so in a manner consistent with helping all Americans achieve their full potential and limiting the number of barriers that inhibit innovation and entrepreneurship in a free and open market.
Steering membership includes prominent national advocacy organizations, including Americans for Prosperity (AFP), a political advocacy group founded by the Koch brothers; Mission Green/The Weldon Project, a nonprofit that advocates for the release of individuals incarcerated for cannabis offenses; Reason Foundation, a libertarian think tank; and the Global Alliance for Cannabis Commerce (GACC), a cannabis trade organization. Weldon Anglos of Mission Green/The Weldon Project and Randal John Meyer of GACC serve as co-coordinators for the coalition.
Weldon Angelos said, “Ending cannabis prohibition and incarceration is a moral imperative. For too long, cruel laws punishing non-violent cannabis offenses have destroyed the lives of individuals throughout this country—myself included. It is high time that Congress and the president right this wrong and allow those harmed by cannabis prohibition the chance to participate in the cannabis industry like the millionaires and billionaires doing so now. But we can’t do this alone. We need both sides to come together on this, which is why we launched this coalition.”
The CFA is aimed at accomplishing four core values through federal legislative reform:
Federal De-Scheduling and Criminal Justice Reform. Seek the complete removal of cannabis from the schedules of the Controlled Substances Act to bring an end to cannabis criminalization, and allow innovation, industry and research to thrive.Reentry and Successful Second Chances. Seek to ensure individuals who were formerly incarcerated or current gray-market operators are given a second chance in society and have an equal ability to contribute to the cannabis market during its transition from an illicit to legal market.Promoting Entrepreneurship in Free and Open Markets. Seek federal and state regulatory frameworks for cannabis which promote public safety while ensuring low barriers to entry and non-restrictive occupational and business licensing is the norm. Market rules must not allow control by crony interests or inhibit small companies and entrepreneurs through unnecessary limitations or overregulation.Competitive and Reasonable Tax Rates. Seek to ensure the total tax burden—federal, state and local combined—imposed on cannabis businesses should not raise costs so as to incentivize the continuation of illicit markets.“For too long, the criminalization of cannabis has hurt Americans, from individuals’ unnecessary involvement with the justice system to the damage dealt to communities by the expensive and failed war on drugs,” said Brent W. Gardner, the chief government affairs officer for AFP. “Americans for Prosperity is excited to work alongside our partners to bring cannabis businesses into the light, replacing black and gray markets with a free and fair legal framework that improves public safety and emphasizes entrepreneurship and equal opportunity. In this context, cannabis commerce will become a way for Americans to lift themselves up, rather than a barrier holding them back.”
Reason Foundation Vice President of Policy Dr. Adrian Moore said, “We are excited to work together on the twin goals of ending the failed prohibition of cannabis, with all the costs to lives, liberty and the economy that come with it, and ensuring that cannabis black markets are replaced with free, fair and competitive legal cannabis markets.”
The first time Marc London received a complaint about the taste of his chocolate, there was only one response he deemed appropriate.
“Thank you,” said London, the executive chef at Buckeye Relief, a medical cannabis cultivator and processor in Eastlake, Ohio, about 15 miles northeast of Cleveland, where he and Kitchen Manager Emily Rollo carefully craft infused foods with a focus on taste and effectiveness. Their line of edibles includes chocolates; locally sourced honey; Wana gummies; and Keef Brands, an infused beverage available in lemonade and strawberry kiwi.
Buckeye Relief, which has a 25,000-square-foot indoor grow facility that became operational in July 2018, launched its kitchen operation shortly after getting an extraction license in the spring of 2019. While Ohio legalized medical cannabis in 2016, statewide sales didn’t begin until early 2019.
An executive chef by trade, London always worked with chocolate when he owned a prepared-foods store and a catering business in the mid-80s, he said. Since London believes chocolate is one of the most complex food products on the planet to work with, he made it his mission to search high and low for the best commodity on the globe to infuse, he said.
Buckeye Relief co-founders Andy Rayburn, CEO, and Scott Halloran, chief operating officer, began the planning phases of their company in 2016, shortly before Ohio’s passage of medical cannabis House Bill 523—two years before Buckeye Relief became operational—which provided London ample time to track down the right chocolate for the operation.
LAS VEGAS, NV – April 6, 2021 - Cannabis Business Times, the leading B2B publication dedicated to the cultivator/grower segment of the cannabis industry, and Cannabis Conference, the leading educational event and expo for professionals at plant-touching cannabis businesses, is pleased to announce the launch of its inaugural Cannabis Leadership Awards (C-LAS).
With the support of FOHSE – Future of Horticultural Science + Engineering, the C-LAS will recognize five cannabis industry professionals who exemplify the leadership qualities needed to inspire and empower those around them and who work toward the betterment of the entire industry.
Cannabis Leadership Awards recipients will have made significant contributions to the cannabis industry, such as:
Contributing to the industry’s advancement through their innovation and expertise;Enhancing the lives of employees, customers, communities and the industry at large through their leadership, generosity, charitable giving;Excelling in environmental stewardship;Working with legislators and regulators in crafting and updating cannabis laws and regulations in a productive way; and/orOtherwise making a positive impact on the industry.Cannabis Leadership Awards recipients will be recognized at a special awards reception at the Cannabis Conference 2021 (Aug. 24-26 at the Paris Las Vegas Hotel & Casino) and featured in Cannabis Business Times magazine.
“We are thrilled to launch the Cannabis Leadership Awards,” Noelle Skodzinski, editorial director for GIE Media’s Cannabis Group said. “Many awards recognize corporate achievements, but we want to celebrate truly amazing people in the cannabis industry—those who inspire others and have a positive impact on their colleagues, the cannabis industry and the world around them.”
Cannabis Group Publisher Jim Gilbride said, “In any industry, there are people who just stand out as exceptional in all they do. People who make the workday better for their colleagues and make their communities and the industry better by their actions. They deserve to be recognized, and we are pleased to launch the Cannabis Leadership Awards to give those leaders in the cannabis industry the recognition they deserve.”
BEAMSVILLE, Ontario, April 5, 2021 – PRESS RELEASE – P.L. Light Systems has reached an exciting milestone, as the company celebrates 40 years of delivering professional grow-light systems to the horticultural industry. The company distributes products across Canada, the U.S. and South America from its manufacturing facility in Beamsville, Ontario, Canada—which is also the base for the company’s team of passionate and experienced professionals. Throughout the company’s 40 years, its philosophy has remained unchanged—to deliver innovative, reliable horticultural lighting solutions that result in optimal lighting performance and maximized yields for growers. The company’s commitment to these goals, along with strong customer loyalty, has helped it achieve long-standing success as one of the leading horticultural lighting manufacturers.
P.L. Light Systems has been operating since 1981, when it first opened the doors of its Canadian office as the North American division of Poot Lichtenergie B.V. – servicing both the North American and South American markets. As one of the original pioneers in horticultural lighting, Poot Lichtenergie first began producing horticultural lighting systems in the Netherlands in 1977. Today the company remains privately owned by a Canadian investor in the horticultural industry.
“In this day and age, it is not frequent that companies are able to adapt and change their business models, to be able to continue serving the customers and industry that they started in over 40 years later,” President Todd Philips said. “Things have changed dramatically in the past 40 years in the horticultural industry, but one thing that hasn’t changed is P.L. Light Systems’ dedication to providing their customers industry-leading supplemental lighting solutions, and top-level local manufacturing, service and support in the North and South American markets. Our team of passionate, dedicated, caring professionals have been here for our customers for the past 40 years, and are committed to constantly reinventing ourselves, our products, and our service levels to ensure we have the opportunity to serve our customers, old and new, for another 40 years and beyond.”
P.L. Light Systems reputation as “The Lighting Knowledge Company” sets it apart from other competitors in the controlled-environment agriculture (CEA) industry, by providing superior knowledge and expertise, based on the unique requirements for each project. The company also largely credits its success and reputation to the enduring relationships with its customers, partners and team members.
This year, in appreciation of its customers’ ongoing support over the years, P.L. Light Systems will be offering special anniversary promotional offers through the end of 2021. Please contact your regional sales manager to find out more information. For more information on P.L. Light Systems please visit www.pllight.com or email [email protected].
]]>