MMJ: A Budding Biz

Did I hear that Marlboro is investing in cannabis? Like for serious? - Flicka DaBick

Sigh. Yeah. Capitalism is gonna capitalize. Altria – the multinational conglomerate that owns all your favorite cigarette brands – has invested $ 1.8 billion to buy 45 percent of a Canadian cannabis conglomerate called Cronos. That’s a lot of money, but not as much as the $4 billion the Constellation Company (they own Corona, among others) just spent to buy their way into the Canopy Corporation, another giant Canadian cannabis company.

Now that weed is legal in Canada (and Luxembourg, woot woot!), corporations are gonna jump into the game with both feet. If you are a casual cannabis consumer, things probably won’t be that different for you. Giant mass-produced, GMO and chemical-ridden cannabis farms are probably a few years away. Constellation is big on beverages, so they will probably focus on cannabis-infused drinks similar to the stuff being made by Lagunitas. If you are a small-scale producer, you would be right to have concerns; of course giant corporations are going to try to use their money and influence to take over the whole game. It is up to us to ensure that smaller, better cannabis growers get a chance to maintain their share of the cannabis market. Buy local, small-batch weed, people!

Is hemp legal or what? - Amber Waves

Damn near. The Farm Bill is on the president’s desk as we speak. If he signs it, hemp will be removed from the DEA’s list of Schedule I drugs. Schedule I drugs have no medicinal effects and a high risk of addiction. So there is no reason for hemp or cannabis (or MDMA or LSD, for that matter) to be on this list in the first place. And believe it or not, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell was one of the driving forces behind getting the hemp amendment into the bill.

However, there are a few problems with the Farm Bill, including that people with drug convictions will not be allowed to grow hemp. Like many federal bills, it’s also got non-farm-related amendments. The most troubling is one that supports the Saudi war in Yemen, which is causing major humanitarian problems. In my humble opinion, legalizing hemp while continuing to support a war that has caused famine and death is antithetical to the whole “hemp can save the world” ideal.