Colorado’s cannabis industry is still changing at a rapid pace. The industry’s watchdog, the state Marijuana Enforcement Division, updates its rules and regulations every year in hopes of catching up with the expanding field, which is growing like a weed in more ways than one.
Browsing: Cannabusiness
Matthew Kind can’t do many interviews past noon. Next month, he might have to shut off even earlier, depending on which time zone he’s in. Such restrictions are usually avoided by talk-show hosts, who stick closely to standard production deadlines in order to consistently churn out content. Yet Kind’s ever-evolving itinerary is exactly why he chose this line of work.
When Adolphus A. Busch V, the great-great-grandson of Eberhard Adolphus Anheuser Busch, announced the launch of his Colorado-based cannabis brand on October 10, there were plenty of easy assumptions to make about big alcohol’s infiltration of legal weed. But the Colorado State University graduate says Budweiser and its parent company, Anheuser-Busch InBev, have nothing to do with his new venture, ABV Cannabis Co.
Dear Stoner: I keep seeing all these big-business names jumping into legal weed — Coca-Cola, Corona, etc. Do we little guys still have a chance to open a cannabis business?
Davey
Once Canada began its cannabis legalization efforts, investors’ eyes shifted from the fragmented state policies in America to a federal government up north that was open for business. The money soon followed: Reports of massive investments from companies like Molson-Coors and rumors of interest from Coca-Cola continue to swirl around Canada’s new legal cannabis sector (legalization will officially begin October 17) — and Colorado brands have taken notice.
Commercial marijuana products sold in Colorado may have to start undergoing heavy-metals testing as soon as 2019, according to the state Marijuana Enforcement Division.
Although not as intimidating as Slayer and Megadeath, heavy metals such as cadmium, arsenic and nickel can be harmful if inhaled, ingested or applied to the skin regularly. According to the National Institutes of Health, long-term exposure to heavy metals can lead to liver or kidney damage, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, heart abnormalities, a disrupted nervous system, anemia and more.
Dear Stoner: I recently tried to buy a quarter of Tangerine Power, and one dispensary was charging $171 for a quarter out the door, or $20 per gram. This is obscene! What’s with the disparity in weed prices around Denver?
James D.
The questions surrounding cannabis are so numerous that we created a weekly column to answer them, but even Ask a Stoner can’t satisfy all curiosity. Thanks to Colorado’s cannabis legalization efforts, though, you can now attend cannabis-focused courses that range from 420-friendly seminars to scientific discussions at a state university.
Add Dixie Elixirs to the list of Colorado cannabis companies continuing to expand north of the border. The pot-infused-products company just announced plans to go public on the Canadian Securities Exchange pending approval from the CSE.
Although cannabis and Colorado are inextricably linked in the minds of many outsiders, most of the state still bans pot businesses, according to new data from the state Marijuana Enforcement Division. Even so, over 550,000 pounds of cannabis were harvested throughout the first half of 2018.