U.S. MILITARY IS HEMP-CURIOUS

U.S. Military researchers are discuss hemp fabric as an alternative to  imported polymers used in army vehicles.
Hemp Industry Daily

  • Hemp fabrics might be useful as seat belts or uniforms.
  • The military likes that the natural fabric is more durable and can be produced domestically.

Quick Hit

  1. A Colorado man named Morris Beegle makes guitars out of hemp.
    Westword

A FEEL GOOD STORY

Inc. profiles Dennis Hunter founder of California company CannaCraft. 

In 1998 Hunter was caught growing more than 12,000 plants and served six years in federal prison. This year the company expects to process 146,000 pounds of cannabis and hemp. It has about $90M in annual sales, split between THC and CBD.

CONSUMERS PIVOT TO EDIBLES

Fear of Covid-19, a respiratory disease, seems to be inspiring more consumers to opt for edibles.
Grizzle

  • California delivery service Eaze says edibles now account for 30% of all sales, up from 15% a few weeks ago.
  • Trendy California infused beverage company Cann said it saw sales jump 300% from February to March.
    VentureBeat
  • Among cannabis users, a YouGov poll found 28% are now using more.

S.F. Weekly asked a UCSF anti-tobacco crusader and a dispensary about smoking cannabis and Covid-19.

  • “Smoking can irritate the lungs,” the Apothecarium‘s spokesperson said, “For people who already have predispositions to respiratory issues, you should really stick to edibles during this time.”
  • Cosmopolitan asks similar questions and reaches a similar conclusion.

Quick Hits

  1. Canna Law Blog says pay attention to the FDA’s ongoing crackdown on bogus claims about CBD treating Covid-19.
  2. Coming soon: Virtual 420.
    MJBiz

WHAT ABOUT THOSE BALLOT INITIATIVES?

Tom Angell asks about the state ballot initiatives for which activists are currently gathering signatures.

  • Campaigns to liberalize cannabis or psychdelics laws are on hold or suspended in Missouri, California, Oregon, Nebraska and Washington D.C. Several groups have called for a form of digital signature collecting. So far the states have not obliged.
  • Some initiatives have already gathered the necessary signatures or have been cleared for the ballot. They include REC in Arizona, South Dakota and New Jersey and MED in Mississippi and South Dakota.

Quick Hit

  1. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) conceded his hope to legalize REC this year is “effectively over.”

INESSENTIAL

Numerous states and cities have given “essential” status to cannabis businesses. Massachusetts, which has denied it to REC shops, is the most important exception.

Two employees tested positive for Covid-19 at New England Treatment Access, one of the state’s biggest cannabis companies.

  • Several workers told the Globe they were not satisfied with the protection they were receiving from the company.

In California, not everyone is thrilled with dispensaries’ essential status. ????WW California has more.
L.A. Times

Ontario, Canada’s most populous province, decided REC shops aren’t essential and shut them down.
CTV

Quick Hit

  1. President Trump called for escalating counter-narcotics operations. Critics said he was trying to distract from his administration’s handling of the coronavirus.
    Drug Policy Alliance

MSOs CUT DEEP

Moves at several publicly-traded companies raise questions about the industry’s ability to weather the coronavirus.
MJBiz

High Times said it had entered the growing and processing industry with the acquisition of a company called Humboldt Heritage for an undisclosed sum.
Benzinga

  • In his newsletter, Boston Globe reporter Daniel Adams wrote, “I’m confident this desperate plan to take a mediocre brand and slap it on an overvalued business in a completely different, highly-regulated, suddenly-screwed industry will turn out great.” 

March was another bad month for pot stocks.
New Cannabis Ventures

Grizzle asks ‘Who’ll go bankrupt next?’

Quick Hits

  1. Green Entrepreneur serves up seven strategies for growing a business amidst the crisis.

POWER PLAYERS: TAHIRA REHMATULLAH

This week’s Power Players interview is with T3 Ventures president Tahira Rehmatullah. We had a wide ranging conversation that covered everything from macro industry trends to which cannabinoid will be the next CBD.

A few highlights:

On prospective investments:

The benefit of being an older company is dwindling because there’s so many assets that they would like to get rid of to make the business more efficient.

On coronavirus:

The pandemic might accelerate some businesses going under, which is unfortunate, but it’s also a normal part of an emerging market and rapid growth.

On being essential:

We’ve never had such broad-based validation because we’re still in a federally illegal environment.

Read the whole thing.

MARGE SIMPSON: BUDTENDER

In “Highway to Well” an episode that “could have gone much worse,” Marge Simpson got a job at a dispensary.
A.V. Club

  • The too long review says it could have been a lot squarer. “As things turn out, legalized pot is just another new development in American society that reveals the characters, in a more or less satisfying manner.”

Here’s an Herb round-up of the 10 best cannabis moments in Simpsons history.