Never has it been more clear than during the current COVID-19 pandemic that marijuana has arrived at the forefront of mainstream American society.
In state after state, governors and public health officials are deeming cannabis businesses “essential” operations that can stay open amid coronavirus-related forced closures and stay-at-home mandates. People might not be able to go bowling or see a movie in theaters, but they can still stock up on marijuana.
It wasn’t long ago that anyone growing and selling marijuana faced the risk of being arrested, prosecuted and jailed. But now, in the era of expanding legalization, cannabis providers in many states are held up as vital members of the community who are providing a valuable service on par with picking up prescription drugs at a pharmacy or filling up your car at a gas station.
Advocacy groups have pushed governors and state officials to ensure that medical marijuana patients in particular can maintain access to the cannabis they need. But because many people who use marijuana for therapeutic purposes don’t necessarily jump through the hoops needed in order to become officially certified as patients, recreational businesses are also seen as crucial access points that need to stay open.
“Most of the American public and an increasing number of government leaders stopped buying into the demonization of cannabis years ago,” Karen O’Keefe, state policies director for the Marijuana Policy Project, said. “Now, not only have two-thirds of states recognized that medical cannabis should be legal—with 11 legalizing adult-use—many are recognizing that safe access to cannabis is essential.”
NORML Executive Director Erik Altieri said it is “encouraging to see our nation’s public policy in practice is finally catching up to where the vast majority of Americans have been for years.”
“The recognition by our government officials that cannabis is indeed not just here to stay, but an essential part of life for millions of Americans—particularly in the patient community—is a welcome move in the right direction,” he said. “It is also a move that could not have come at a better moment for those who still require access to maintain quality of life during these trying and troubled times.”
In some states, officials have enacted new temporary policies such as expanded delivery services or curbside pickup that make it easier for consumers to get their hands on marijuana while respecting social distancing measures. Others are allowing doctors to issue medical cannabis recommendations via telemedicine instead of requiring that they conduct in-person examinations.
Here’s a look at how states that are taking steps to maintain legal marijuana access during the COVID-19 outbreak:
California
Regulators deemed cannabis retail outlets to be essential businesses that can stay open amid a broader stay-at-home order. Localities, including Los Angeles County and San Francisco, have also said that certain cannabis businesses are essential providers that can continue operations.
Colorado
Gov. Jared Polis (D) issued an executive order allowing marijuana businesses to provide curbside pickup services and letting doctors issue medical cannabis recommendations via telemedicine without in-person examinations. A subsequent order from the governor says that marijuana businesses are critical retail operations, but only for the sale of medical cannabis or curbside delivery. Regulators also issuedemergency rules temporarily loosening requirements for fingerprinting of marijuana business owners, modification of premises and transfer of cannabis product samples for testing.
Connecticut
Regulators deemed medical cannabis businesses to be essential and thus exempt from a general mandate to suspend in-person operations.
Florida
The state surgeon general issued an order allowing physicians to issue medical cannabis recertifications to existing patients—but not new ones—via telemedicine.
Illinois
Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s (D) stay-at-home order declares marijuana dispensaries and cultivation facilities to be essential businesses that can stay open. Dispensaries are also being allowed to do curbside sales of medical cannabis—but not recreational marijuana—products.
Maryland
Medical cannabis growers, processors and dispensaries. are exempt from an order Gov. Larry Hogan (R) issued to close non-essential businesses. Regulators are also allowing dispensaries to deliver medical marijuana to patients in parking lots.
Massachusetts
Gov. Charlie Baker (R) issued a stay-at-home order deeming medical cannabis businesses—but not recreational marijuana ones—to be essential and exempt from a general shutdown. Regulators also encouraged medical cannabis delivery services to promote and expand their offerings, and are allowing doctors to remotely recommend marijuana to patients through the use of telehealth waivers.
Michigan
Marijuana businesses will be able to continue curbside sales and home deliveries but cannot perform in-person transactions in stores under a stay-at-home order issued by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D). Regulators previously sent a bulletin allowing curbside pickup and encouraging delivery services, and another bulletin extending the period of prequalification status for marijuana business license applicants that may experience building delays.
New Hampshire
Regulators are allowing medical cannabis patients to do curbside pickup at dispensaries and are letting doctors issue recommendations via telemedicine.
New Jersey
Gov. Phil Murphy (D) exempted medical cannabis dispensaries from a stay-at-home order. Regulators moved to allow patients pick up medical marijuana at dispensaries’ curbsides and to reduce caregiver registration fees.
New Mexico
Regulators ruled that medical cannabis businesses are essential and can stay open. They also allowed curbside pickup services, extended expiring patient and caregiver cards for 90 days and suspended background checks for new industry employees.
New York
The state Department of Health deemed that medical cannabis providers are essential businesses not subject to a general closure order. Those that are authorized to carry out home delivery are temporarily allowed to expand those services without written approval.
Ohio
Gov. Mike DeWine’s (R) stay-at-home order exempts medical cannabis businesses from a broader business shutdown. The State Medical Board also moved to allow doctors to issue medical cannabis recommendations via telemedicine without meeting patients in person. Additionally, regulators are letting patients phone in orders ahead of their arrival at dispensaries to reduce time spent inside.
Oregon
Regulators approved rules to allow curbside delivery of marijuana at licensed retail locations and to increase medical cannabis sales limits. They also moved to make it easier to obtain cannabis worker permits.
Pennsylvania
Regulators deemed medical cannabis providers as “life-sustaining” operations that are exempt from Gov. Tom Wolf’s (D) order to close businesses in general. They also took other steps, including allowing patients to have marijuana brought to their cars outside of dispensaries and letting caregivers make deliveries to an unlimited number of patients.
Washington State
Gov. Jay Inslee’s (D) stay-at-home order exempts marijuana businesses as essential, allowing them to stay open. And regulators are allowing marijuana dispensaries to carry out curbside service for medical cannabis patients.
Despite the significant number of states deeming cannabis businesses to be essential and issuing rulings temporarily expanding their services, that is not the case in every legal marijuana market.
In Nevada, for example, Gov. Steve Sisolak (D) and regulators are mandating that all sales be done via delivery, effectively shuttering businesses that only have storefront operations.
And despite the accommodations, many regulators are also directing businesses to implement social distancing measures such as limits on the number of customers who can enter a retail operation at a given time or guidance on physical space between those who are standing in line—changes that can slow down operations and reduce revenue.
Still, many industry leaders seems to understand the public health necessity of such moves, and cannabis law firm Vicente Sederberg LLP, for example, issued a set of suggested voluntary guidelines for marijuana businesses to consider.
For now, industry trackers have indicated that sales are strong as consumers stock up in preparation to hunker down at home for several weeks.
Nonetheless, the industry has called on Congress to give it equal access to disaster relief funds—a request necessitated by the fact that ongoing federal prohibition means that their operations are still illegal and not generally eligible for such aid.
Legalization opponents, meanwhile, are not pleased with moves by a growing number of states to keep cannabis stores in business despite the steps intended to foster social distancing at such locations.
“We have seen numerous reports of marijuana stores with long lines of people stocking up on the drug and have additionally seen states move to keep these stores open,” Kevin Sabet, president of prohibitionist organization Smart Approaches to Marijuana, said. “Quite frankly, this presents a unique harm to public health and safety. Across the country, states are doing everything in their power to limit the gathering of people in one location. Long lines outside of establishments engaged in the distribution of marijuana should be a tremendous cause for concern.”
When it comes to consumers, while advocates have cautioned them to consider refraining from smoking or vaping for the time being due to the risk of agitating lungs amid the respiratory effects of the novel coronavirus, they have also pointed out that there are other ways to use cannabis, such as edibles.
For now, the coronavirus pandemic has further highlighted the disconnect between federal and state policies: Under one set of laws cannabis is a banned drug, and under the other it’s a medicine deemed just as essential as any other.
This story first appeared at Forbes. Tom Angell is a 20-year veteran of the cannabis law reform movement, and I know where to look to spot the most interesting legalization developments. I’m the editor of the cannabis news site Marijuana Moment, and I founded the nonprofit Marijuana Majority.
By characterizing THC/Cannabis as “harmful,” and maintaining control over this unique & essential natural resource, is wrong on every level. This precious resource has been manipulated by people who seek profit from the fear & pain of others.
Drugs don’t make seeds. Herbs do. Cannabis is from seeds, drugs are from Big Pharma. The drug treaties & drug laws we were all born into have always been “void for vagueness.”
It all began with maintaining the Great Lie of 1937 (that THC is “dangerous”), rather than admitting it is essential for optimum health, does several things, none of them good.
First, it attempts to justify the wrongful jurisdiction of unobjective courts, who profit from Cannabis prohibition in many ways.
Secondly, by claiming jurisdiction over an “herb bearing seed” the gods-given sanctity of Nature is subjugated by institutional disregard. Sincere respect for Natural systems & relationships, that predate mankind, are rendered legally inconsequential, to the detriment of human social evolution and global environmental integrity.
Finally, by exerting fees, taxes, financial burdens & punishments on the multi-billion dollar “marijuana” industry, institutional control of the multi-trillion dollar “industrial hemp” industry is maintained by the same people & politically powerful corporations presently vested in fossil fuels & nuclear energy.
Now that Cannabis has been revealed as essential to optimum human health, proper physical development, and sustainable existence on this planet, there is zero logic in perpetuating obsolete values imposed two generations ago, which have no bearing on today’s stark reality.
Extinction is in our proximate future unless Cannabis is recognized as mankind’s functional interface with the Natural Order. Anything less is just a tragic waste of time, for which our children will suffer the worst.
Carbon footprint: a phrase we hear almost as often as we hear global warming and climate change. Not surprising, as all of them are connected. Climate change is a threat to the future of planet earth. Global warming is one of the major factors behind climate change. Increased carbon emission is one of the core reasons for global warming. In this article, we will discuss how hemp can help us reduce carbon dioxide and fight against global warming.
Carbon here refers to gas carbon dioxide or CO2. Human activities since the industrial revolution, and especially since the mid-20th century, has been consistently increasing the level of CO2 released into the earth’s surface. Hence the phrase ‘carbon footprint’. Today, the amount of CO2 in the earth’s atmosphere is much higher than what it would be naturally.
CO2 and the Greenhouse Effect
Higher levels of CO2 and some other gases in the earth’s atmosphere cause the greenhouse effect. A greenhouse is a structure built entirely of glass, used in gardening to grow plants that need warm weather. The typical use of greenhouses is for growing tropical flowers, fruits, and vegetables in places where the natural weather is cooler than these plants need.
A greenhouse maintains warmth 24X7 even during winter. The sunlight passes through the glass structure easily and warms the air inside during the day. The glass walls and ceilings trap the heat so that the warmth lingers through the night also.
Higher CO2 levels in the atmosphere have just this effect on the earth. CO2 traps the heat and increases temperature levels on the earth’s surface. It is like the whole planet is inside a greenhouse.
Why Does It Matter?
The official website of the climate department of the US government mentions that the current atmospheric CO2 level is higher than it has ever been in the last 800,000 years. In 2018, the CO2 level on the earth’s surface reached 407.4 parts per million, a record high after three million years.
Unless we control the greenhouse effect on the earth’s atmosphere, CO2 levels are likely to cross 900 parts per million by the end of the 21st century. Higher levels of thermal energy trapped on the earth’s surface imply that the planet is warmer than it would be naturally.
So what if we live in a warmer planet? Well, for one, it causes the polar ice to melt faster than it gets replaced. The Arctic and Antarctic icecaps play a critical role in keeping our landmass intact. If these icecaps get damaged, all coastal areas in the world will be submerged.
Here is a photo of the Arctic ice sheet at its peak in winter on 13 March 2019. It is the seventh-lowest in 40 years.
Ocean and sea levels are rising because of global warming. That is another threat to losing coastal areas to water bodies. Also, the natural habitat of flora and fauna gets affected and so does the overall ecological balance. Also, our oceans are already 30% more acidic because of absorbing excessive CO2.
The threats are many and varied. One way out is to explore outer space for creating new human settlements there. But a much more practical solution is to look for natural responses to reduce the greenhouse effect.
Why Hemp Counts
The hemp, or industrial hemp as it is also called, the plant is a natural solution to much of the excessive CO2 emission issue. It is an amazingly versatile plant that had been in human use for thousands of years. It is only in the 20th century that we declared it an outlawed plant in many countries of the world.
A simple act of omission caused this (though there are conspiracy theorists who believe that it was more an act of commission). Psychoactive cannabis or marijuana is a cousin of the hemp. They both belong to the same plant species, Cannabis Sativa. But hemp does not have the psychoactive properties of its cannabis cousin.
Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the chemical that gives marijuana its capacity to cause a “high”. But the THC level in the industrial hemp is limited to 0.3%. That is why this plant does not have the psychoactive capacity of cannabis the drug.
The hemp has a number of benefits for human beings and the environment we live in. Reducing our carbon footprint is only one of them.
Fossil Fuels vs. Hemp Biofuel
Much of the excess CO2 in the earth’s atmosphere is because of our dependence on fossil fuels like petrol and diesel. Hemp biofuel is one of the most easily available renewable energy sources that we can use to substitute fossil fuels.
A 2010 report from the University of Connecticut, USA, reports on a research initiative led by Richard Parnas, professor of biomolecular, chemical and materials engineering at the university. According to the findings of this research, industrial hemp is a feasible source of producing biodiesel.
One of the main advantages of using hemp for producing biodiesel is that the plant grows on infertile soil not suitable for cultivating other crops, especially foodgrains. It is an easy-to-grow plant thatneeds no additional fertilizersand is naturally resistant to pests.
The research report states that hemp seeds are naturally rich in oil content and 97% of that can be used to generate biodiesel. Hemp biofuel can also be used at temperatures lower than other plant-based fuels presently in use.
Hemp Can reduce Carbon Dioxide
Planting more trees is an effective means of addressing the carbon emission issue, for plants absorb carbon dioxide. Hemp is a plant with a particularly high level of efficiency in this regard. Experts say that every ton of hemp can sequester 1.62 tons of CO2. In simple language, that is how much CO2 a ton of hemp can trap and hold.
Hemp can also reintegrate CO2 back into the soil through biosequestration. This is a process of smoldering a harvested plant slowly. Harvested hemp produces charcoal-like biochar when smoldered slowly post-harvest. To mix this biochar with the soil is to return the carbon to the soil, rather than releasing it into the atmosphere.
Hempcrete Reduces Carbon Emission
A recent report from the United Nations Environment Program mentions that the construction industry is responsible for up to 30% of the total greenhouse gas emissions globally. This industry also accounts for about 40% of the total global energy consumption.
Using hempcrete as insulation for buildings can reduce carbon dioxide emissions considerably. A 2010 report by the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills, Government of UK, mentions that one square meter of hempcrete wall framed by timber can store up to 35.5 kg of CO2. That is after absorbing the energy cost of transportation and assembling of the materials.
Hempcrete is a biocomposite made of hemp hubs, water, and lime or some other natural binder. Hemp hubs or shives are the inner core of hemp stalks left after the outer fibers have been taken out. These hubs are woody in texture. Hempcrete is not strong enough for load-bearing, but they are effective for insulation.
Hempcrete insulation also reduces energy consumption for insulating buildings as it is naturally breathable. It can both store thermal energy and release it, which makes it suitable for different temperature zones.
Think Hemp for a Greener Planet
There are myriad other ways that hemp can help us find natural solutions to the climate change menace. Reducing our carbon footprint is only one of them. It is time we started relying more on the ancient wisdom associated with the use of this miracle plant.
Jaspreet Singh is the Co-Founder and COO of Hemp Foundation. He is passionate about adventures tours, trekking, and long bike rides. This story originally appeared at Hemp Foundation.
Hemp is possibly the most valuable plant on Earth, and has the potential to bring economic stimulus all of Rural Planet Earth … But that is up to WE The People!
All Hemp is Cannabis, but not all Cannabis is Hemp … Why?… because of arbitrary, absurd Statutes that define Hemp as Cannabis with a THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) level of less than .3% in the United States and up to 1.0% in more enlightened countries. Even with a psychoactive threshold of 25 milligrams, this 1% limit is not enough to make a person “high”. Additionally, there are no documented cases of fatal overdoses with Hemp/Cannabis. The primary reason this plant is made illegal was because it was a competitive threat to other industries in the 1930s and those industries had enough money and political clout to stifle their competition by making it illegal.
Currently the majority of Hemp grown in the United States is utilized in the nascent CBD (cannabidiol) industry which has purported medical properties without the psychoactive effect of THC. Ironically, studies have shown that all the cannabinoids actually work together for an “Entourage Effect” that increases their usefulness in treating many ailments. Some researchers are even promulgating that many illnesses that we are currently experiencing in the 21st Century are a result of endocannabinoid system deficiencies in the human body. Cannabis, animals, and humans have evolved together for millennia and it is only in the last 80 years that the cannabinoids have been taken out of the human diet because they have been taken out of the animal diet and human food chain by the same Statutes that made them illegal.
Hemp, however, is much more than medicine and food. It has the versatility to supply the raw materials for literally thousands of products. Once grown properly, the hemp plant can be processed mechanically into four primary composite parts which are the seed, flower/leaves, and the stalks which are decorticated (separated) into the Bast (the outer bark fiber) and the Hurd (the inner pith fiber). Additionally any residual biomass can be “cooked” by pyrolysis and turned into biochar (which we call CannaChar ™). Here is a brief summary of the wide variety of products that can be produced from the different parts of the hemp plant:
Consumer Textiles Apparel Diapers Fabrics Handbags Denim Shoes Fine Fabrics
Hurd Fibers
Building Materials Fiberboard Fiberglass Substitute Stucco and Mortar Insulation Flooring Framing Materials Hempcrete Hemp Geopolymers
Bast and Hurd Fibers
Mulch and Compost Geoplastics for the Automobile Industry Ethanol Biodegradable Geoplastics for other Industries Acrylics Animal Bedding
Paper Printing Paper Newsprint Fine/Specialty Paper Cardboard/Packaging Air Filter Paper Toilet Paper Tissue Paper Paper Towels Absorbent Oil Spill Remediation Materials
Hemp/Cannabis Biomass Waste
Hemp Biochar (CannaChar ™) Syngasses (can be filtered and compressed and used like propane) Excess Heat from Pyrolysis can be converted into Electricity
Hemp Biochar (CannaChar ™)
Food and Beverage Products Bottle Labels Coasters Coffee Cup Sleeves Coffee Filters Coffee Packaging Cup Holders Disposable Plates Egg Cartons Food Trays Fruit Packaging Napkins Placemats Sandwich Wrappers To-Go Containers Tea Bags
Home and Office Air Filters Book Covers Book Marks Water Filters Ceiling Tiles Computer Covers Drop Cloths Furniture Hangers Kitchen Waste Compost Bags Picture Matting Toilet Covers Wall Coverings Radiation Shields
Medical Band-Aids Biodegradable Bedpans Biodegradable Disposal Bags Biodegradable Kidney Dishes Biodegradable Urinals Gurney Liners Patient Gowns and Slippers Skin Wraps Surgical Attire (Mask and Caps) Underpads and Exam Table Paper
Personal Use Biodegradable Urns Gift Wrap Sanitary Napkins Toilet Liners
Pets Bird Cage Liners Fish Tank Filters Pet Caskets Poop Bags Kitty Litter Liners Wee Wee Pads
Miscellaneous Car Insulation Caskets Casket Liners and Crypts Gaskets Wall Insulation Carbon Black Replacement in Batteries
Other Benefits Of Hemp and Hemp Biochar
High Insulation Properties Air Decontamination Noise Reduction Low Electrostatic Charging of Air Conservation of Wood Increased Oxygen Production Reduction of Dust and Dust Mites Antibacterial Antimicrobial Mold and Mildew Resistant Flame Retardant Restoration After Floods Humidity Regulation Odor Reduction Electromagnetic Radiation Shielding Radioactive Soil and Water Remediation Digestive Tract Health for Humans and Animals
The above is not an exhaustive list, and more products are being researched every day. The good thing is that with whole Hemp plant processing, the list of products is not limited like it is with just CBD or medical and recreational Cannabis. What all this means is that these markets are not going to saturated for quite a while. If one segment does, there are plenty of other market options to utilize the raw materials that will be produced from the whole hemp plant processing thereby increasing the value of the raw materials produced.
Cooperative whole hemp plant processing facilities are the best option for the future of hemp fiber and seed. Everyone needs Tier 1 processing to produce the raw materials for all industries. Low shared risk, high shared returns. The Colorado Hemp Processing Cooperative (CHPC) is the forefront of this movement. We will be offering contracts to growers to protect them and as a Shareholder they will be a part of all excess revenue distributions. The Colorado Hemp Processing Cooperative has that business model that is geared for the 21st Century.
Our goal is to have similar Cooperatives in all states and every Cooperative being a Shareholder in every other one. That way we are all collaborating and raising the tide for all boats by sharing best practices, SOPs, cultivars, machinery, sales and marketing of the raw materials we produce, and more. Excess Revenues Generated by the Cooperative will be distributed to all Shareholders in perpetuity and will provide a much larger and more long term return on investment than any short term loan. We have everything in place and just need the funds to make it happen.
In putting all this together, we looked at all the viable business models. The Colorado Hemp Processing Cooperative is legally organized as a Limited Cooperative Association (LCA). A template for LCAs was approved by the US Federal Government in 2008. Because Cooperatives are state specific, each state has to take that template and modify it for their particular statutes that govern Cooperatives. Colorado did this in 2012 but only a handful of states have approved this type of Cooperative. The biggest difference from an LCA and a more traditional Cooperative is that the LCA is allowed to have the more traditional Patron Shareholders, but is also allowed (unlike traditional Cooperatives) to have Investor Shareholders.
The advantages of the LCA are that the Patron Shareholders are protected in a couple of ways. Like other Cooperatives, every Shareholder gets one vote regardless of the number of shares that are owned. This protects Patron Shareholders from big money monopolies (e.g. Bayer/Monsanto) from coming in and trying to monopolize everything. In addition a minimum of 50% of any excess revenues distributed have to go to the Patron Shareholders regardless of how many Investor Shareholders are involved. The CHPC is organized so that currently Patron Shares are $100 and Investor Sharers are $1000. We kept the price of Patron Shares low on purpose in order to include as many growers and hemp product users as possible. Once we begin to make excess revenue distributions, we will adhere to the Statutory 50% of those revenues going to the Patron Shareholders, but the other 50% will go to the Investor Shareholders to repay their total Investment.
Once their Investment is repaid, their Investor Share(s) will revert to a Patron Share(s) (a 10% Return on Investment) and they will continue to share in the excess Revenue distributions along with the other Patron Shareholders in perpetuity. Again we felt this was the most equitable business model for all Shareholders and is the prototype model for all 21st Century Businesses that want to move away from the unsustainable competitive model of business of the 20th century and evolve into the more sustainable cooperative model that provides true trickle-down economics to Rural Planet Earth.
Please consider becoming a Shareholder to help us make the Hemp Industry a true economic stimulus for all economically depressed areas. We are fortunate that we can revived the Hemp Industry that has been suppressed for over 80 years with 21st Century technology and business models, but we can do it alone. With low shared individual risks and high shared collective returns we can utilize the Hemp Industry for the Greatest and Highest Good. We can’t rely on governments or corporations to do this so it has to be done by WE The People!
Thank you for your time and consideration. You can learn more and become a Shareholder at: COHPC.ORG
‘There is a massive movement in the world right now which is truly transforming our entire species,’ Alki David said.
Mr David described our time as a ‘golden age’ which would only get better.
‘In Australia there is a huge movement … there are movements of plant medicine lifestyle,’ he said. ‘My intention is to bring plant-medicine wellness to Australia as best as I can … Cannabanoids are part of the arsenal of medicine that is revolutionising our species.’
Mr David has a long list of celebrity endorsers, including Mike Tyson, Scott Disick of Keeping up with the Kardashians, guitarist Dave Navarro of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, hip-hop artists Snoop Dogg, Chief Keef, and Lil Wayne, as well as cannabis legend Tommy Chong of Cheech and Chong.
‘I can show you 100 major, global clinical trials that prove cannabis kills most cancerous cells,’ he said.
