INDUSTRY REPORT:
Currently there are only 4 states in the US who refuse to acknowledge cannabis access in any form. These are Idaho, Wyoming, Kansas, and South Carolina. The rest of the states have some sort of cannabinoid access ranging from CBD oil only to fully decriminalized status. NY state and New Jersey were amongst the larger markets to legalize in the US this year creating a redundant buzz around commercial “odors” and pushback regarding placement of retail or other commercial operations. Globally, cannabis is creating a wave of interesting experiments with access. Thailand recently distributed plants to home growers as a symbolic gesture of turning their leaf on cannabis policies. However, shortly after this gesture was executed, Thai police arrested a woman for growing at home. The good news is the cops were reprimanded and penalized for their actions. One thing to note is to always keep current on international laws if you are traveling. Cannabis laws are shifting rapidly, and while justice may be served, you don’t want to spend your vacation being processed in an international system.
Let’s look at the OG’s. First off, everyone is struggling. Prices/lb are lower than they were in 2018. What’s more, is the states like California and Oregon have made attempts at increasing taxes and regulations for the industry, raising the prices for consumers and costs for operators. While the ebb and flow of market success is natural, state fueled greed and headlines touting the “billion-dollar industry” are harmful to accessibility and the bottom line.
One event was particularly compelling at the end of 2021. The California Department of Cannabis Control brought their bravado and ignorance to the Emerald Cup. Thank goodness for @ sungrownmidz reporting the story as it happened, as well as the aftermath. Give them a follow on Instagram for the full play by play. The gist is, “The DCC, led by Tabatha Chavez, decided, without any apparent legal basis, that compliant, personal cannabis grown by licensed operators could not be displayed by small farmers at Emerald Cup. The DCC targeted small legacy farmers, Sunnabis, Pacific Cultivation, and Happy Day Farms, placing them at a distinct disadvantage relative to retail licensees at the event which was meant to help overcome these inherent barriers to the market. The DCC doesn’t want small farmers and legacy producers to survive.” according to Sungrownmidz.
Watching this unfold in real time, thank you IG Live, was disheartening. Cannabis events are fueled by the love of the plant. Yes, this includes the “legacy market” and home growers alike; and definitely for growers’ cups. There is no culture without representation, and we have an opportunity to ask ourselves, who is educating the regulation enforcers? This is becoming a glaring disconnect in the emerging regulated market. #nonewcrimes
Semantics
There have been copious debates on what to call the different tiers of cannabis access. Many folks are favoring “Adult Use” over “Recreational” to avoid alignment with alcohol consumption and creating too much of a departure from the medicinal benefits consumers engage with. Of course, this is appropriate as a new industry, we must have a common language to collaborate and vet our actions. However, the term adult use is semantically incorrect. Advocating for this language is implying that nobody under 21 will interact with these designated products. Additionally, humans are considered adults at 18, and are 100% prohibited from engaging in the legal, regulated market as consumers and employees between the ages of 18 up to one’s 21st birthday.
Now, we’d be lying to ourselves if we truly believed putting a sticker on a package and checking ID is going to prevent people under the age of 21 from consuming these products. In fact, the odds of someone underage consuming products from the regulated market are higher than the unregulated market due to sheer accessibility.
Therefore, we strongly advocate for accurate terminology in this emerging market segment. Here are the three tiers of the industry as objectively and plainly stated to communicate what is literally happening in these spaces.
Regulated: The organizations operating in this space are registered businesses with tiered licensing to indicate operataions in this industry. There are regulations determined state to state regarding how to operate, when and what to report, and the products are tracked along with income and taxed accordingly.
Hybrid: Medicinal consumers and research laboratories are also regulated, but not as heavily as the Regulated market. These entities range from individual patients or caretakers up to massive, federally funded operations for research. The parameters are determined by state regulations or federal grant frameworks.
Unregulated: Individuals who engage in legal home growing practices in decriminalized states or folks who cultivate and engage in trade activities without a registered business or license. Some actors and lobbyists from the regulated market think this segment is a threat. However, it can be a sustainable point of access for folks who cannot afford to frequent dispensaries or live in rural areas.
These tiers are merely objective and illustrate exactly what is happening in the landscape of cannabis operations. I encourage us to use more objective language moving forward as an honest approach to communicating our actions.
Cannabis Heuristics
The terms Sativa, Hybrid, Indica, and cannabinoid percentages are being used by cannabis sales teams and critiqued harshly by connoisseurs and industry know-it-alls.
Why? Well, we don’t have any other punchy, short form language to describe the experience of different strains of cannabis or educate consumers. It comes down to adequate terminology, even if it is technically inaccurate, it gets the point across. Another challenge is that strains affect people differently, so what might be uplifting for some can create a zoned out feeling for someone else.
THC% and the representation of other cannabinoids in sales language are also another point of contention. Cannabis strains are capable of producing different ratios of cannabinoids at different stages of growth. As a personal rule of thumb, I look for THC around 24% or less. This means there are more cannabinoids and terpenes present. When you have THC toppling at 30% or higher, that is occupying a third of the cannabinoid space and leaving little room for THCA, CBD, CBDA, CBN, CBG, and CBC. These cannabinoids can work in collaboration to create the desired effects of each cannabis strain in the addition of their terpene profiles which steer the effect in a stimulant or depressant manner.
So, what is the solution? How do we talk about cannabis strains to people who want to interact and consume, but don’t want to dedicate their lives to the intricate nuances of strains? Education is obviously the answer; however, we have seen the multitude of attempts to simplify terpene profiles into color spectrums or listened to the soap box rants about sativa, hybrid, and indica terminology being invalid, and it just doesn’t hit. Why? Without context a lot of these pieces of information have zero meaning. How might we make this information more accessible linguistically? Teach folks to experiment and articulate their tastes better. Instead of telling consumers X strain will produce X effect, or this terpene profile will “send you,” we can facilitate information about the consumer experience. Smell test, taste test, dosage, set/ setting, and vehicles for consumption are all fantastic ways to educate the consumer about how to engage with cannabis. Ultimately, it is one’s personal endocannabinoid system that will align with the right strain profiles. The ability to articulate details and desires will come with more context, not code words.
Psychedelics
There’s a new game in town and it is focusing in on psilocybin, the component in the cubensis species of mushrooms. With the passing of measure 109 in Oregon came a regulations committee and a group of therapists and facilitators with entrepreneurial spirit. The committee is made up of folks who already have commercial interest in the cannabis space, and who are using that experience to leverage and potentially monopolize psychedelic production. Stay tuned for more advancements in this space. We will cover the evolution of progress as it becomes more established. In the meantime, you can already sign up for programs to become a facilitator/therapist whether you have a license or degree to practice or not. At this stage, it is wise to vet your sources properly.
Tech is also embracing the positive effects of psychedelics. Companies like Tripp are creating immersive environments to evoke a meditative state accompanied by fractals of color and light to simulate a psychedelic trip that you can turn on and off at your whim. Platforms like Tripp are looking at the real human experience with substances like ketamine to help users prepare for the real interaction by giving potential patients an opportunity to interact with a simulation before diving into substance.