​One California lawmaker is trying to get cannabis lounges legalized throughout the state. These would be locations where patrons can consume their cannabis, along with food and beverages… something that is not currently allowed.

Matt Haney, who is a member of the California State Assembly from the eastern portion of San Francisco, has just introduced new legislation which hopes to make it easier for California cannabis dispensaries to sell food and beverages.

Haney spoke about the economic opportunities this could create for the state. He told news station KQED,“If an authorized cannabis retail store wants to sell someone cannabis, a cup of tea and a sandwich, we should allow cities to make that possible and stop holding back our economy and a service that people want.” He also added: “Many people want to consume cannabis legally while socializing with others, and many want to do it while drinking coffee, eating a muffin or listening to music. … And there is absolutely no good reason from an economic, health, safety or fairness standpoint that the state should make those things illegal.”

One San Francisco Supervisor, Rafael Mandelman, already has his own similar plans in the works for the city of San Francisco. Mandelman spoke about the tourism and economic benefits this type of legislation can bring, and gave his support to Haney’s statewide proposal. He said, “I think those (current) restrictions don't make sense and they're not helpful to the lounges.”

California already has a few locations with local ordinances to allow cannabis cafes, if the state permits them. These include West Hollywood, Palm Springs, and Cathedral City.

The director of San Francisco’s Office of Cannabis, Nikesh Patel, has not stated a position on Haney’s new legislation. However Patel has said that, right now, cannabis businesses need some kind of help to beat the illegal market. And Haney’s bill could help those businesses alleviate some financial woes by giving them an opportunity for more profits through food and beverage sales. The bill still will need to work it’s way through the state assembly, and then eventually get approval from the Governor. Haney said he hopes the governor, “…can now see this as an opportunity.”

As the normalization of cannabis continues, more and more big names get into the game. This time, it’s the prestigious Yale university who are getting involved. Specifically, they are going to study it’s potential effects. They’re aiming to be the leader in the research of cannabis's effect on our health.

Yale School of Medicine, which is one of the world's leading centers for biomedical research, advanced clinical care, and medical education, has announced they will be creating a research center to study the acute and chronic effects of cannabis and cannabinoids on neurodevelopment and mental health. Some of the new center’s leaders say they plan to use a multipronged and multidisciplinary approach to study the acute and chronic effects of cannabis and cannabinoids.

The center will be called “The Yale Center for the Science of Cannabis and Cannabinoids,” and will be funded initially by Yale’s Department of Psychiatry, along with support from the dean’s office. The research center is only now possible because of Connecticut’s recent legalization of adult-use cannabis, which saw sales beginning on January 10th, 2023.​

Minnesota is moving towards recreational legalization, with several key lawmakers and the governor agreeing that it should happen. And while they’re all in agreement over that, they are not in agreement about how it should be taxed.

One current bill that’s been moving through six House committees and four Senate panels has a proposed 8% excise tax, which has been so far uncontested. But now, Governor Tim Walz, is requesting a much higher rate of 15% excise tax, as part of his biennial budget. He claims the higher excise tax is needed for generating more tax revenue, which is necessary for the support substance abuse treatment programs that legalization opponents demand.

Democratic Representative Zack Stephenson pointed out that the tax rate needs to be low enough to be able to allow the legal market to beat the illicit market prices. But Governor Walz said, “the evidence doesn’t show” that a higher excise tax would help the illicit market thrive. He seemed to want to appease legalization opponents by saying that higher tax revenue for substance abuse programs would be more “palatable” for opponents who fear that, otherwise, general tax fund money will end up going towards these types of programs.

​Walz has previously said he thinks the legislature could have the final measure completed and passed “by May.” But, there is still a significant amount of legislative work to be done, so lawmakers should have plenty of time to consider the tax rate issue. 

​While many of Minnesota’s legislatures agree that legalization is something that should happen, not feel the same way. In a post this past Friday on the Minnesota Republicans webpage, Republican Senator Glenn Gruenhagen said the agenda to pass cannabis legalization is ‘extreme,’ and added that he felt the Democrats didn’t care about it’s dangers. He said, “The sheer volume of research and data we have about the dangers of legalizing marijuana would stop most reasonable people in their tracks.”

Gruenhagen then went on to detail his concerns about potential dangers for children, addiction rates, and mental disorders. He added, “The dangers of legalizing marijuana are significant and far-reaching. From the impact on health to the potential harm to young people and society as a whole, the negative consequences are too numerous to ignore. Marijuana may have an easy-going reputation, but it is incredibly harmful.”

Gruenhagen finished up by again using the issue as an attempt to disparage Democrats, by saying, “The Democrat effort to legalize it here is taking us down a dangerous and destructive path."

While he may be trying to sway those who aren’t very knowledgeable about cannabis, the numbers show that a majority of people from both major political parties are in support of cannabis. Polls from Gallup and others have shown over and over that the majority of all voters support legalizing marijuana for recreational use in adults. And an even higher marjority believe medical marijuana should be legal. The reason why so many Americans are in favor is because most everyone has either seen, heard, or experienced the positive effects cannabis can have. There are countless examples.

And as for Gruenhagen’s comment: “The sheer volume of research and data we have about the dangers of legalizing marijuana would stop most reasonable people in their tracks.” Well, he seems to have it backwards. The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, or NORML, recently announced that according to a PubMed.gov keyword search, researchers published more than 4,300 scientific research papers about cannabis in the year 2022 alone! And over the last decade or so, there have been approximately 42,500 scientific papers exploring cannabis. One study just published today, February 13, 2023 by the NYU Grossman School of Medicine, confirmed many previous findings: that cannabanoids can decrease seizures in several treatment-resistant forms of pediatric epilepsy.   

Owning a cannabis business sounds like a dream for lots of people, but the high cost to start up, and not knowing where to begin, can block that from happening. There are, however, some very creative ways to get funding, and one New Jersey based group has just taken a new approach. The Minority Owned Business, MoJo Botanica, has launched a grassroots crowdfunding campaign which gives people the opportunity to invest with them.

MoJo Botanica were awarded two conditional cannabis license approvals by the State of New Jersey for Cannabis Cultivation and Manufacturing.  Their founders have already invested half a million dollars of their own money to bootstrap their business in its startup phase. But, since this is a expensive industry to get a foothold in, they still need more funding. And thus the crowdfunding. This is a unique way to build a cannabis business, when funds are low. And, it is a great chance for individuals to be a part of something that they otherwise could not.

Mojo Botanica describes themselves as a “certified minority-owned business with a mission to evangelize cannabis as a source of happiness, inspiration, and holistic wellness.” founder and CEO Tanmoy "TJ" Jadhav, said, "With collaboration and community at the core of our business, we want to create an ecosystem that works together to shape the industry, empower ownership and drive positive change."

As a minority owned business, they also consider giving back to their community to be a priority, and they have pledged two percent of its annual revenues toward direct investments in the community through partnerships with reputed non-profits and local municipalities. If you want to check them out, you can go to MoJoBotanica.com website for more information. Or, if this inspires you, perhaps you can use this example as model for building your own cannabis business. As MoJo Botanica said, although "the stakes are high, the chance to make a positive impact on the community through collaboration and expanded economic opportunity makes it worth it.”  

​And lastly today, I wanted to give a shout out to King Palm, who are the makers of some of the best wraps around, made from all-natural palm leaves.

This isn’t a paid endorsement, but King Palm sent me some products to try. And I have to say, I was really pleasantly surprised! I have tried other wraps before that I just didn’t care for. Mainly taste had been an issue for me. But the King Palm wraps were fantastic! They don’t have much flavor themselves, so I really only tasted the flower product itself, which is great! They do offer some flavor varieties as well, though, if you’re into that.

The King Palm wraps have no tobacco in them, but they still look like a blunt, and hold a great deal of product. Plus, they’re pre rolled so all you need to do is fill them for the perfect smoke. But probably my favorite feature is that they are slow burning. I’m a joint smoker and use regular rolling papers; but I always find that my paper burns far faster than my flower, which is frustrating! It’s also usually burning more on one side than another. But King Palm wraps burn perfectly even, and nice and slowly, which allows all of the flower to be enjoyed to it’s fullest.

​As an extra plus, King Palm wraps are naturally organic, with no artificial preservatives or chemicals, and also environmentally sustainable and fully biodegradable. So definitely check pick some up from your local smoke shop, or check them out online at https://kingpalm.com/