Grow Life 420

The Los Angeles Police Department has been stepping up the intensity of its crackdown on the city’s numerous unlicensed cannabis shops, grows and other operations. But this week, one LAPD officer fell afoul of the law himself during a raid on a grow operation somewhere in the vicinity of Echo Park, Highland Park and Silver Lake. According to a worker at the unlicensed grow, LAPD officer Louis Mota stole money during the raid. But officer Mota didn’t pocket the cash from the coffers of the grow. Instead, he snagged it from the backpack of one of the workers detained at the grow site.

LAPD Cop Stole Money from a Worker’s Backpack During Raid

On Monday morning, an LAPD task force with the department’s Northeast Division raided an unlicensed cannabis grow operation. Police did not release any information about the location of the grow or the people who were operating it when the raid happened. What we do know, however, is that one of the officers involved in the raid has been accused of stealing money during the enforcement action.

In fact, it was one of the employees of the unlicensed grow operation that first reported the theft to police. That employee reportedly told an LAPD supervisor that cash was missing from her backpack after the raid. The cash belonged to the employee and was not in connection with the operations of the grow.

After securing the scene, the LAPD supervisor ordered a review of the grow site’s surveillance footage. That footage revealed that LAPD officer Louis Mota was likely responsible for stealing the money from the employee’s personal belongings.

In light of the surveillance footage, the LAPD immediately sanctioned officer Mota. The department stripped Mota of his LAPD badge, his firearm and his ID. They then took Mota into custody and booked him on suspicion of misdemeanor theft. But the LAPD did release Mota on his own recognizance.

Now, Mota is reportedly assigned to his home while he awaits the pending results of an LAPD internal investigation and a criminal investigation into the cash theft during the raid. In a written statement, LAPD Chief Michel Moore said the department “will not tolerate any individual who betrays the public’s trust through this type of behavior.”

This isn’t the first time LAPD officers have broken the law during actions against Los Angeles dispensaries.

Los Angeles Law Enforcement Escalating Crackdown on Unlicensed Grows

LAPD officer Louis Mota’s arrest for misdemeanor theft during a cannabis raid comes amid a string of mass raids targeting unlicensed cannabis shops in Los Angeles. In recent months, LAPD raids have targeted dozens of unlicensed cannabis shops and grow operations, seizing tens of millions of dollars worth of cannabis products and cash.

Roughly three quarters of all known cannabis sales in California happen between buyers and unlicensed sellers, according to recent estimates. The transition to the legal, licensed market has been slow, and state officials and licensed business owners have been demanding action. “We look forward to working with local jurisdictions and law enforcement as we continue to shut down unlicensed operators,” said Lori Ajax, California’s top cannabis regulator, back in December 2019.

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A Lebanon, Tennessee man is currently in custody on disorderly conduct and contempt charges after lighting and smoking a joint in in court. The man, Spencer Boston, was in court for a simple marijuana possession charge, which in Tennessee, is a misdemeanor offense carrying a mandatory $250 fine and maximum one year behind bars. But when he began speaking to the judge about his case, Boston launched into a statement on the need for marijuana legalization. And to drive his point home, Boston decided to offer a hands-on demonstration.

Spencer Boston Was Advocating For Legalization When He Sparked Up

Everyone talks the talk on legalizing marijuana these days. But fewer walk the walk. Or at least, take as confident a stroll as Spencer Alan Boston did in a Tennessee courtroom on Monday.

Boston had been called before General Sessions Judge Haywood Barry to discuss the case against him: a simple marijuana possession charge. But when he got to the podium, Boston began expressing his views on the legalization of marijuana, not the particulars of his case.

As he was doing so, Boston reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a joint. We know it was a joint, because the next thing Boston did was strike a match, light the joint and take a puff. In the middle of the courtroom, directly in front of the judge.

As he exhaled, the smell of marijuana filled the courtroom, and Boston turned around as if to make a point to the people sitting in the courtroom. According to reports, many of those in the courtroom burst out into laughter and cheers. Officers present quickly took Boston into custody while the laughter continued.

Courtroom Stunt Leads to Disorderly Conduct Charges

After smoking weed in front of a judge and the police in a crowded courtroom Monday, Spencer Boston is back in custody. In addition to the first simple marijuana possession charge he was there to discuss, he now faces another possession charge and a disorderly conduct charge.

There’s no word yet on when Boston will appear in court again on these new charges.

But Boston did make one of the most daring stands in support of cannabis legalization in recent memory. Flouting the law he thinks should change, Boston smoked one for everyone who’s locked up or facing criminal charges for simply being in possession of marijuana.

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Recreational marijuana may be legal in Michigan. But roughly 80 percent of municipalities in Michigan, including Detroit, have opted out of the recreational industry and banned legal marijuana sales. Filling that gap, however, are an estimated 150-plus unlicensed cannabis dispensaries in Detroit city limits alone. And Detroit police say its this illicit marijuana industry that’s responsible for an increase in violent crime in 2020.

Meanwhile, medical dispensary owners and applicants for recreational businesses are calling on Detroit City Council to issue recreational licenses to combat the illicit market. But City Council said it plans to uphold its ban on the recreational industry until it can remove barriers to entry for residents who’ve been primarily impacted by marijuana criminalization.

Police Complaints Likely to Extend Ban on Weed Sales

Since the start of the new year, Detroit has seen a total of 17 homicides, up from 10 during the same period last year, and 32 nonfatal shootings, up from 27. Detroit’s Chief of Police says that this increase in violence is weed-related. In a statement to The Detroit News Tuesday, Chief James Craig blamed the city’s illicit marijuana market. “I had a meeting with precinct investigators and Special Response Team members, and they said most of these shootings and homicides came from illegal marijuana sales,” Craig said.

“It’s supply and demand — there’s a higher demand for black market marijuana because it’s cheaper,” Craig added.

Detroit currently has an active ban on recreational marijuana sales that runs through January 31. But next week, City Council will hold a vote on an amendment to extend the ban until March 31.

City Council Wants Detroit Residents to Be Able to Own and Operate Cannabis Businesses

The holdup over allowing recreational sales in Detroit boils down to City Council’s interest in developing real social equity programs to help those most impacted by marijuana prohibition and enforcement enter the legal industry.

Social equity programs are mandated by the recreational marijuana law voters approved in 2018. They help residents of eligible communities like Detroit qualify for fee and license reductions and waivers, provide application assistance and other legal resources. But putting them into practice has been a challenge, especially as other cannabis companies move quickly into Michigan’s legal industry.

“It’s clear that Detroit’s medical marijuana industry is overwhelmingly owned and operated by individuals who don’t live in the city and take their dollars back to their communities,” said Detroit City Councilman James Tate, who supports extending the ban on legal sales.

“It’s not enough for Detroit residents to simply hold security jobs or floor sweeping in this industry within our city,” Tate added.

Dispensary Owners Take Their Case to Court

Medical marijuana dispensary owners in Detroit, however, are putting pressure on City Council to end the ban on recreational sales before a social equity program can be put in place. Business owners agree with Detroit police that the delay is leading to an increase in marijuana-related crime.

The problem for City Council is that it did not opt out of recreational sales until after a handful of dispensary owners had submitted applications for recreational licenses. Michigan’s marijuana law requires the Marijuana Regulatory Agency to respond to or approve license applications within 90 days.

That means application decisions would technically have to be made prior to the end of the ban if City Council votes to extend it to March 31. As a result, five Detroit-area dispensary owners have sued the state’s Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs to force LARA to issue their recreational licenses.

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Now that recreational cannabis is legal to buy, sell, possess and use across Illinois, travelers are asking the obvious question: can you fly out of Chicago airports with weed? There are a couple twists and turns to the answer, but the bottom line is this: yes, you can fly out of Chicago airports like Midway and O’Hare with weed. And in fact, while being caught with weed will definitely slow you down, there’s ultimately nothing anyone can do to stop you from boarding a plane with your stash in hand—or in your carry-on.

There’s Nothing Anyone Can Do to Stop You From Flying Out of Chicago with Weed

Commander William Mullane heads up the Chicago Police Department staff at Chicago’s airports. Speaking at a small press conference in a terminal at O’Hare ahead of the implementation of the state’s recreational marijuana law on January 1, Mullane explained how legalization would impact airport travelers.

Mullane began by reiterating that the ongoing federal prohibition of cannabis makes it illegal under federal law to possess any amount of cannabis. Federal law also prohibits the transportation of any amount of cannabis across state lines. Federal marijuana law matters because the federal government regulates air space over the U.S., not individual states.

So what happens, then, if you show up to O’Hare or Midway with weed on you?

Basically, nothing.

In the first place, TSA isn’t looking out for or searching for cannabis. They’re tasked with identifying security and safety threats, not finding drugs. But as Mullane explained, if a TSA agent does happen to discover cannabis on a traveler or in their belongings, they must contact Chicago airport police.

Next, officers will respond and examine the “totality of the circumstances,” meaning the age of the traveler and whether or not the cannabis they have on them exceeds Illinois’ legal possession limits. Those limits are 30 grams for Illinois residents 21 and over, and 15 grams for non-residents.

And if the police who respond determine that the traveler is within legal limits for possessing cannabis in Illinois, then there’s nothing they can do to stop that traveler from proceeding to their flight and their destination.

In other words, even though it would technically be a violation of federal law to board a flight with your weed, it wouldn’t be a violation of Illinois state law, so Chicago police could not stop you.

O’Hare and Midway Airports Providing “Marijuana Amnesty” Boxes for Disposal

Instead of preventing passengers carrying weed from boarding their flights—which again, they can’t do—Chicago police are giving travelers a choice. Either they can continue on their merry way, or dispose of their cannabis in specialized “marijuana amnesty” boxes.

Both O’Hare and Midway airports in Chicago now have marijuana amnesty boxes in their terminals for travelers who wish to dispose of their weed before boarding their flight.

If police stop a traveler to check whether they lawfully possess cannabis, they will offer that traveler the choice of disposing of their weed or keeping it and going on their way.

But Chicago police cannot require you to dispose of your weed in Chicago airports. Because again, you’re not doing anything wrong.

Still, the amnesty boxes might be a safe option for travelers flying out of Chicago to destination states where cannabis is illegal. But if a traveler were flying to, say, Los Angeles, they would both take off and land in weed-legal states, and only have to worry about federal law enforcement en route. It’s still a risk, but as we’ve covered before, it’s a relatively small one.

So at the end of the day, if you’re within your legal rights to possess weed in Illinois, you can absolutely fly out of Chicago airports with your stash. And while TSA and Chicago police may stop to verify you, there’s nothing they can do to stop you from flying or force you to dispose of your cannabis.

Of course, Chicago Police aren’t encouraging travelers to bring weed through the airport. But they’ve acknowledged there’s nothing they can do to stop it from happening.

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What happens to cannabis in space? That’s the question at the heart of an exciting new mission to study the effects of microgravity and space radiation on cannabis plants. Front Range Biosciences, a Colorado-based agricultural technology company working in the hemp and coffee industries, is partnering with SpaceCells USA Inc. and BioServe Space Technologies at the University of Colorado, Boulder, to send cannabis (and coffee) tissue cultures to space. The experiment is the first of its kind, and it will begin aboard the SpaceX CRS-20 cargo flight scheduled for March 2020.

SpaceX will deliver the cannabis tissue samples to the International Space Station, where NASA astronauts and scientists back on Earth will study whether and how plant cells experience genetic mutations while in space. Along with its partners, Front Range Biosciences is eager to see if the conditions of space produce new strains of hemp with commercial applications.

Company Wants to Study Effects of Microgravity and Space Radiation on Hemp

In March 2020, nearly 500 cannabis cell cultures will travel aboard a SpaceX cargo flight to the International Space Station. Once they arrive, NASA astronauts will transport the cultures to a space-made incubator on the ISS, which will be their home for about 30 days.

Over the course of the month-long experiment, BioServe will regulate the conditions and temperature in the incubator remotely, from an operational center at the University of Colorado, Boulder. Then, after a month of exposure to the microgravity conditions of space, the ISS will jettison the incubator back to Earth.

Once the cannabis tissue samples return home, Front Range Biosciences will analyze them. The ag-tech company is looking to see how microgravity and space radiation mutate the DNA and RNA of the cannabis plants. Changes to the genetic makeup of the plant have the potential to produce novel gene expressions—in other words, different strains or “chemotypes” of cannabis that it would be impossible to create on Earth.

It’s possible, says Co-Founder and CEO of Front Range Biosciences Dr. Jonathan Vaught, that those mutations could produce cannabis plants that can thrive in hostile conditions or grow in atypical climates.

“There is science to support the theory that plants in space experience mutations,” Vaught explains in a press release announcing the experiment. “This is an opportunity to see whether those mutations hold up once brought back to earth and if there are new commercial applications.”

Is This the First Step Toward Space Weed?

SpaceX has landed in hot water over weed before, with co-founder Elon Musk‘s ill-conceived 420 joke and penchant for smoking weed on podcasts. This time, however, things are a little different. In the first place, the cannabis samples SpaceX is delivering to the ISS won’t contain more than 0.3 percent THC. Instead, SpaceX is delivering hemp samples to space, not buds containing THC.

But given hemp’s incredible number of uses, from medicine to food to textiles and building materials, there’s plenty of reason to study what happens to it in space. Perhaps one day hemp will be the crop of choice for the first colonies on Mars. Or at least that’s one idea Front Range Biosciences has.

Another is being able to cultivate breeds of hemp that can survive in adverse conditions on Earth. Climate change and rising temperatures mean many environments that have supported crops for millennia may no longer be able to. We may have to grow cannabis in places where it doesn’t typically grow. And mutations caused by space radiation and microgravity could show us how.

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In another win for the mainstreaming and normalization of cannabis, Southern California just got its first drive-thru dispensary. The Harborside dispensary in Desert Hot Springs, California is just the second drive-thru retail shop in the entire state, and the first in SoCal.

There are so few drive-thru dispensaries in California because state law actually bans them. But Harborside was able to navigate through a tiny loophole in the law for businesses that submitted a drive-thru license application before June 2018. In fact, Harborside, which was among the first dispensaries in the U.S. to sell medical cannabis, has always been a trailblazer in California cannabis retail. Now, the company is bringing a whole new level of convenience to the cannabis buying experience.

What’s It Like to Buy Weed from a Drive-Thru?

Desert Hot Springs is nestled in the Coachella Valley, an extremely cannabis-friendly region in California and a hub of tons of commercial activity. Desert Hot Springs was one among several Coachella Valley cities that opened their doors to the legal industry after California passed Proposition 64. Today, cannabis consumers in that region have their choice of roughly 40 licensed dispensaries. But with the opening of its drive-thru service, the Harborside location offers something none of the rest have.

So what’s it like buying weed from a drive-thru dispensary? Just like completing a transaction at a bank or a pharmacy—or even a fast-food joint. Drivers simply pull up to one window where they place their order and pay, then pull up to a second window where they receive their products, receipt and any change.

But if that’s not fast enough, shoppers can even place an order with Harborside online and pick up their purchase at the drive-thru window. Harborside says it accepts both cash and debit cards for payment. Additionally, Harborside says it will only check the ID of the driver of the vehicle. Passengers will not have to provide ID to the budtender.

Shoppers who place their order at the drive-thru will have a smaller menu to choose from, however. That menu includes the shop’s most popular items, like pre-rolls, edibles and vape cartridges, but consumers with more esoteric tastes will want to shop inside the store or order online.

Harborside’s Biggest Concern is Slow Shoppers

California banned drive-thru dispensaries with its revised emergency regulations back in May 2018. The idea behind the ban was to prevent instances of drugged driving, which many assumed would be a concern with drive-thru cannabis retail. But California law already prohibits consumption on dispensary grounds and consumption while driving or driving under the influence of THC. So drive-thru’s really aren’t any different than driving and parking at a dispensary.

Instead, Harborside co-founder Steve DeAngelo says his biggest concern is newcomers gumming up the works. Some people just like to take their time at the dispensary, especially people navigating the buying experience for the first time. In a tourist-heavy place like the Coachella Valley, that could potentially be a problem.

Conrad Gregory, government relations and business development manager with Harborside, agrees. “For a lot of folks, this will be new to them,” Gregory said. “How do you help them make a decision that doesn’t take away the No. 1 factor for a drive-thru, which is speed and convenience? You can’t have a 30-minute transaction.”

Still, it’s hard to imagine a more seamless and convenient cannabis buying experience than a drive-thru. And for now, Harborside in Desert Hot Springs, located behind a gas station right off Interstate 10, is the only place in SoCal to get it.

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A new market report shows CBD sales surging in the U.S. herbal supplement category. Up from almost total obscurity, CBD leapt into the No. 12 spot among best-selling herbal dietary supplements in 2017 with a 303 percent growth compared to the year prior. And between 2017 and 2018, CBD outdid even those numbers, catapulting itself to the top spot on the list of best-selling supplements and dethroning turmeric from the No. 1 rank it held for five consecutive years. The report, in other words, shows CBD sales are soaring and disrupting long-standing trends in the $8.8 billion herbal supplement industry.

CBD Sales Surged 333 Percent in 2018

As you no doubt know by now, cannabidiol (CBD) is a non-psychoactive cannabinoid responsible for many of the medicinal and therapeutic effects of cannabis. Recent changes to federal and state law have made CBD more accessible and widely available than ever. And as knowledge and awareness of the health and wellness benefits of cannabis expand, interest in CBD products is skyrocketing.

So much so, in fact, that in 2018, CBD sales surged 333 percent, generating $52,708,488 in sales. Importantly, those numbers represent CBD’s performance in the market category of natural and health-food sales only. They do not, in other words, include sales in retail cannabis shops or in mainstream grocery and drugstores.

But in the category of natural and health-food sales, CBD now reigns supreme. CBD wasn’t just the top-selling ingredient in the natural channel, either. It was also the fastest-growing. And for the first time since 2013, turmeric no longer occupies the top spot of best-selling herbal supplements in the natural category. Sales of turmeric, often billed as the most effective nutritional supplement in existence, rose just 0.4 percent in 2018.

The SPINS market report shows that about 60 percent of the CBD products sold in the natural category in 2018 were alcohol-free tinctures. Capsules and softgels were the second- and third-most popular forms of CBD. The report says that nearly all CBD products in this category were marketed toward consumers for non-specific health reasons. After that, mood support and sleep improvement were the next most-popular use categories.

CBD Sales Soar, But Hemp Products Fall

Despite CBD’s landmark performance in the natural category, cannabidiol products have yet to crack into the top 40 in the mainstream grocery and drugstore category. This is mostly because a complicated regulatory landscape of shifting federal and state laws has deterred major retail chains from offering CBD products. Despite the federal legalization of hemp, for example, the FDA still does not consider CBD a legal dietary supplement. There are a few notable exceptions, however. CVS, Walgreens and Rite-Aid have all rolled out select CBD products in a handful of locations around the U.S.

But as CBD sales show no signs of slowing, federal hemp legalization hasn’t yet produced a similar surge of hemp sales. In fact, sales of hemp products decreased 9.9 percent in 2018, according to the SPINS report. These are products like hemp seed oils with negligible amounts of CBD that are marketed for their omega-3 content, protein and fiber. Market analysts aren’t sure what accounts for the nearly ten percent dip in hemp product sales amid a more than 300 percent increase in CBD product sales.

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Lots of people consume cannabis to relieve headaches and migraines. But researches have hardly studied cannabinoids as a therapeutic treatment for these common ailments. That’s where this new study comes in. Researchers aimed to analyze the short and long-term effects of cannabis on headaches and migraines using data from nearly 20,000 sessions where people inhaled cannabis to relieve their symptoms. And what they found were significant reductions in headache and migraine ratings after cannabis use.

Specifically, researchers concluded that inhaling cannabis cut headache and migraine severity in half. But they also noticed different trends among women and men and a pattern of tolerance that changed cannabis’ effectiveness over time.

The new study on cannabis as a migraine and headache treatment is backing up thousands of years of human experience, including recent trends in medical cannabis use. According to recent reports, more than a third of medical cannabis users reported using cannabis to treat headaches and migraines. And on average, those patients report an average 3.6-point decrease (out of 10) in headache severity after inhaling cannabis.

Concentrates Relieve Headaches Better Than Flower

Furthermore, another study found that 40 percent of patients who received a medical cannabis recommendation for headaches reported a positive effect. For those patients, headaches and migraines weren’t just less severe, they also experienced roughly 6 fewer migraines a month. In fact, people have found cannabis so effective at reducing the severity and frequency of headaches and migraines that they’re using significantly less migraine medications.

Cannabis pain-relieving capabilities is something researchers are studying very closely. One recent study found that compounds in cannabis called flavonoids are thirty times more effective than aspirin and ibuprofen for pain. Cannabis can reduce pain intensity better than the most common over-the-counter pain relievers, reduce the use of these drugs and increase quality of life.

So what did this new study add to what we already know about cannabis and pain relief? Researchers sought to figure out not just whether inhaled cannabis decreased headache and migraine severity. They also wanted to understand how things like the type of cannabis, THC, CBD and dose impacted changes in headache severity and frequency.

Overall, researchers found that headache and migraine ratings were reduced by nearly 50 percent after inhaling cannabis. But they noticed a couple of other important things about cannabis as a headache and migraine treatment, too.

First, researchers concluded that while inhaling flower produced significant reductions in headache ratings, consumption of concentrates was associated with “significantly larger” reductions in these ratings. It’s a novel finding that researches say presents an urgent call for further study.

Tolerance Can Diminish Effectiveness Over Time

Given that concentrates produced a better result for migraine and headache patients, one might think dose or potency made the difference. But researchers say that things like dose, potency, strain type and THC to CBD ratios didn’t really make any difference when it came to reducing the severity of headaches and migraines. In other words, any kind of cannabis will do when it comes to treating headaches, and researchers don’t know why concentrates produced better results than flower.

One thing that did affect cannabis’ effectiveness, however, was time. The study found that for regular and frequent consumers, a tolerance to the effects of cannabis diminished its ability to relieve migraine and headache pain. Cannabis still worked for people with high tolerance, just not as well.

But researchers also added that a higher tolerance to cannabis never made headaches or migraines worse over time. That means cannabis differs dramatically from conventional migraine and headache medications, which can cause “medication overuse headache“. In other words, conventional medications can actually make headaches and migraines worse over time with frequent use. But cannabis doesn’t do that.

In light of these encouraging findings, the study’s authors are calling for more research into cannabis as a headache and migraine treatment. They say future studies need to take a closer look at how dose, type of cannabis, THC, CBD and other cannabinoid interactions influence patient outcomes.

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The state of Massachusetts is taking aggressive action to improve regulations and testing procedures for vaping products. Efforts are currently focusing on vitamin E acetate, after the Centers for Disease Control released a new report identifying the common vape additive as a likely cause of the recent nationwide outbreak of vape-related deaths and lung sicknesses.

In light of the CDC’s findings, Massachusetts’ Cannabis Control Commission is quarantining all cannabis vaping products until it can develop protocols for making sure shops aren’t selling anything containing vitamin E acetate. And the commission is getting a little help from MCR Labs, the laboratory that developed one of the first ways to test weed for the suspect chemical. And to respond to increasing public concerns about vitamin E acetate’s roll in vape-related lung illness, MCR Labs is offering two free screenings to any and everyone who wants to test their cannabis products.

Lab Finds Upwards of 50 Percent Vitamin E Acetate in Fake THC Cartridges

MCR Labs began screening cannabis vape cartridges for vitamin E on September 20, coinciding with the start of Massachusetts’ ban on vapes. Of the 109 samples MCR Labs analyzed, nine tested positive for vitamin E acetate. And some of those cartridges contained more than 50 percent of the additive by weight.

If you’ve ever wondered what all that extra stuff in your unregulated, counterfeit vape cartridge is, or why the color or consistency of the oil isn’t quite like the stuff you can get at licensed retailers, that’s likely why. Whoever’s manufacturing fake THC carts is cutting the THC oil with upwards of 50 percent vitamin E acetate. Indeed, MCR Labs says that none of the initial 109 samples it tested came from licensed producers or manufacturers of cannabis products.

Conversely, MCR Labs says that none of the vaping products supplied by a licensed, regulated producer have tested positive for vitamin E acetate.

MCR Labs is reporting its findings to the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission as it works to develop new regulations addressing the ingredients, labeling, sourcing, manufacturing and consumption process of cannabis oils and concentrates. Meanwhile MCR Labs will continue to offer two free vitamin E acetate screenings to anyone who submits a cannabis vaping product.

The free tests help MCR inform state regulators about which kinds of products are most contaminated with the chemical. And so far, their results are raising questions about the effectiveness of the commissions’ quarantine on regulated products. Critics say the quarantine will push medical patients and retail consumers back into the illicit marketplace, where products are more likely to contain vitamin E acetate.

Mass. Lab Behind Vitamin E Acetate Test Offers First Two Screenings Free

Despite the recent opening of Massachusetts’ recreational cannabis market, state agencies have had cannabis vaping products on lock down. Since late September, neither medical cannabis patients nor recreational consumers have been able to buy THC oils, concentrates, cartridges, aerosol products, inhalers or any products, like vape pens, designed to work with them. Instead, medical cannabis patients and recreational consumers can only purchase flower and vaping devices that work exclusively with dried herb.

At the height of the public outcry over the nationwide vape-related health crisis, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker issued an emergency ban on all e-cigarette and cannabis vaping products. The governor’s action drew a slew of legal challenges, and a state Superior Court has been steadily chipping away at the blanket ban on vapes, ruling that Gov. Baker and the state’s Department of Public Health exceeded their constitutional authority.

In one major decision, Superior Court Judge Douglas Wilkins ruled that only the state’s Cannabis Control Commission had the authority to block the sale of cannabis products. But just as the governor’s ban on medical cannabis vaping products expired on November 12, the commission issued a quarantine on all medical cannabis products except flower.

The commission cited the recent CDC report linking vitamin E acetate to lung illness and vape-related deaths. Under the agency’s existing set of regulations, product testing does not require screening for vitamin E acetate. Therefore, the commission said in a statement, products sold at licensed dispensaries and retail shops could contain the suspect additive.

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Cannabis is transforming healthcare in the United States. But at Detroit’s Henry Ford Hospital, not in the ways, you might expect. Instead, it’s the harm caused by illicit, counterfeit vaping products that are pushing the envelope, prompting doctors to perform unprecedented procedures to save lives.

On Monday, doctors at Henry Ford performed the first double-lung transplant in a patient suffering severe lung illness due to vaping. The hospital system announced that it believes its doctors are the first in the United States to perform the double-lung transplant on someone with irreparable lung damage linked to vaping. So far, the patient is remaining anonymous. But we know that he is a male who requested doctors share his story in order to warn others about the serious risks associated with unregulated vape products.

First-Ever Double-Lung Transplant Cures Irreparable Lung Damage from Vaping

Last Friday, the CDC issued a report documenting what it called a “breakthrough” in its investigation into vape-linked lung illnesses and deaths. That report identified the common vape cartridge additive vitamin E acetate as the likely primary cause behind the rash of lung illnesses that have hospitalized thousands and caused at least 40 deaths nationwide.

We don’t know exactly what vaping product landed the Detroit-area man in the hospital with irreparable lung damage. But it’s highly likely that the product was an illicit THC vape cartridge cut with vitamin E acetate. While health officials have been investigating both nicotine vaping products like e-cigarettes and cannabis vaping products, many experts believe counterfeit THC vapes are behind the majority of recent vape-associated lung disease cases.

“CDC continues to recommend that people should not use e-cigarette, or vaping, products that contain THC, particularly from informal sources like friends, or family, or in-person or online dealers,” the CDC said in a statement announcing its latest findings. Michigan lawmakers moved to ban flavored e-cigarette products in October, but a state judge blocked the ban from taking effect on October 15.

Henry Ford Doctors to Hold Press Conference on Double-Lung Transplant Success

Doctors have successfully performed double-lung transplants before. The procedure involves removing a patient’s diseased lungs and replacing them with donor lungs, one at a time, attaching them to airways and blood vessels. But the medical team at Henry Ford says theirs is the first medical system to successfully perform the transplant on a patient who irreparably damaged their lungs with vaping.

At a Tuesday press conference, Henry Ford doctors and medical staff will present photographs of the patient’s lungs and provide updates about his recovery. A bulletin announcing the press conference says that while the patient wishes to remain anonymous, “he and his family would like his medical team to share photographs and an update to warn others.”

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What do you get when you combine one of Canada’s biggest cultural icons and one of the country’s flagship international cannabis companies? You get a new weed company, called More Life Growth Company. On Thursday, Canadian cannabis goliath Canopy Growth Corp. and Aubrey Drake Graham, better known of course as Drake, signed agreements to launch a licensed cannabis production company in Toronto, Ontario—Drake’s home town.

Besides his career in music, Drake’s entrepreneurial projects have made their mark in numerous industries, from fashion and film to brand development and content creation. And with the help of Canopy Growth, he’s about to make a name for himself in the cannabis game. But the hip-hop icon’s latest move is at least a little ironic, since the association between Drake and weed in most people’s minds is that, well, he hardly smokes it and is kind of embarrassingly bad at it when he does.

Drake Clearly Doesn’t Smoke Weed, But He’s Starting a Weed Brand

It’s probably hard to be a rap artist who’s not that into weed. But it’s probably harder to pretend to be something you’re not. Speculation around Drake’s weed smoking habits began to emerge after an on-stage performance with Lil Wayne, a man with impeccable cannabis credentials.

In a video of the Wayne and Drake performance, Weezy passes Drake a joint which he appears to take a hit off of, at least at first glance. But a second look makes it obvious: Drake doesn’t inhale at all. Does Drake suck at smoking weed? Does he even smoke weed at all? How could something like this happen? People starting asking questions, then they started to put together the whole picture.

VICE even ran an exposé, assembling a persuasive case that Drake just doesn’t smoke weed. There’s his goofy way of hitting a blunt on stage, his comments in interviews, the reactions of his fans whenever he so much as touches weed, hints in his lyrics. And it definitely looks awkward whenever Drake tries to puff. Apparently Drake even hired a “vaping coach” to teach him the coolest moves.

But none of that appears to be dissuading Canopy Growth from partnering up with Drake to launch a new cannabis company in Toronto. According to a press release announcing the launch of More Life Growth Company, Canopy is excited about Drake’s vision as a culture leader and entrepreneur, not his first-hand experience with weed—or lack thereof.

Drake and Canopy Growth Launch More Life Growth Company in Toronto

For Drake, the founder of More Life Growth Company, the feeling is mutual. “The opportunity to partner with a world-class company like Canopy Growth on a global scale is really exciting,” Drake said. Like a lot of new cannabis brands, Drake is adopting the health and wellness approach, centering his new weed company around “wellness, discovery and overall personal growth.” That’s a fitting angle, since Drake’s new cannabis company might be his best chance yet to discover what cannabis is like and why people enjoy it.

The partnership with Canopy Growth also gives Drake the chance to leapfrog rivals in Toronto’s hyper-competitive private cannabis industry. Toronto limits the number of licenses it awards to cannabis companies, and the rollout of retail shops has been so slow that some have complained it violates their human rights. But with Canopy Growth juicing the whole project, Drake’s More Life Growth Company will have a serious advantage on the market.

More Life Growth Company used to be a wholly-owned subsidiary of Canopy Growth. But the deal with Drake hands off a controlling share, 60 percent, to Drake. Canopy Growth will retain the remaining 40 percent stake in the company.

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