Last Week In Weed Issue 62
Published June 5th 2023
In this issue of Last Week in Weed. We look at Cancard partnering with Isle of Man start-up Grow Lab Organics (GLO). A new study from California finds ‘no correlation between THC detection and driving impairment, and finally. Minnesota becomes the 23rd US state to ‘legalise’ cannabis for ‘adult use’.
Cancard Partners With Isle of Man-based 'Medicinal' Cannabis Company
The first story in this week’s issue involves the contentious and somewhat controversial advertising agency Cancard and the British start-up Grow Lab Organics (GLO). Last week, it was announced that the two parties had entered into a partnership that will see Cancard members given exclusive priority access to buy up o 25% stake in the multinational company.
Grow Lab Organics (GLO) is a British ‘medicinal’ cannabis company incorporated in August 2018 and headquartered in the crown dependency of the Isle of Man. It was the first company to be granted a license to cultivate, extract, manufacture, and import/export ‘medicinal’ cannabis on the island nation back in June 2022.
“We are committed to enabling the medicinal cannabis community, who sit at the heart of what we do, to have a voice and share in the opportunity as we begin to build our facility” Alex Fray, GLO CEO
Grow Lab Organics (GLO) is currently crowdfunding £5 million on Seedrs, an online equity crowdfunding website, to finance the creation of a production facility on the Isle of Man. The company claims that the as-yet unbuilt facility nicknamed the ‘Growlab’ will contain 22 x 200 square metre grow rooms and 9 drying rooms capable of cultivating 20 different cultivars of cannabis for sale domestically and in the UK market.
As of the writing of this issue, 66% of the £1 shares have been sold with 30 days remaining on the campaign. Interestingly, the site cannot process card payments for this campaign. Although this is likely due to POCA and the complex rules governing investment into the 'Medicinal Cannabis Industrial Complex'.
Grow Lab Organics (GLO) is selling 25% equity in its company to UK cannabis patients in a bid to become the country's first 'patient-owned' 'medicinal' cannabis cultivator. The company had previously raised £4 million from 'wealthy patients' and celebrities including Saul Milton from drum and bass duo Chase & Status. It’s this fundraiser that Cancard members have been given exclusive priority access to in an initiative called ‘cangrow’.
Launched in November 2020 by the UK’s first private ‘medicinal’ cannabis patient Carly Barton, Cancard is a rather controversial and somewhat misunderstood concept. It is a holographic photo ID card that identifies the holder to police as a ‘medicinal’ cannabis consumer who qualifies for a private cannabis prescription but cannot afford to obtain one. To qualify and join the already existing 75,000 members, an individual must meet the following criteria:
Have a current diagnosis confirmed by their GP
Considered or tried two other prescription medications and have discounted them
Be unable to afford a private prescription
Be at risk of criminalisation
Since its rollout a few years ago the card has been confused and conflated with a ‘get out of jail free’ card. When in reality, the card is simply designed to trigger the police to use their discretion when dealing with a ‘medicinal’ consumer caught in possession of what is still currently a schedule one, class B drug without a prescription.
This is done in the hope that the officer will not arrest and criminalise the ‘medicinal’ consumer for cannabis-related possession offences or even low-level cultivation offences. However, in practice, some Cancard members have reported finding themselves arrested and even prosecuted for cannabis-related offences.
The deal will see Cancard founder Carly Barton become the new Chief Community Officer at GLO. The Manx-based company believes that this new strategic partnership between themselves and Cancard will give them a “strategic advantage with our route to market”.
“Having patients involved in the business means you will make fewer mistakes, produce products they want and have a more dynamic feedback loop. It’s potentially very powerful and will allow us to acquire market share rapidly.” - Alex Fray, GLO chief executive
While I welcome the integration and inclusion of consumers by producers. I cannot help but feel that this new partnership is more about market share and shareholder return than serving the needs of UK cannabis patients.
One good thing I will mention here about Cancard is that, unlike the current private for-profit clinic system, it at least acknowledges that the smoking of cannabis can be, and for a lot of people (myself included) highly beneficial and therapeutic.
I am somewhat confused as to why an organisation that supports unlawful ‘medicinal’ cannabis patients that cannot afford the lawful protection of a prescription to avoid prosecution is partnering with a company whose product cannot be sold to them without obtaining a prescription. Is the hope that the company will do so well that the patients can use their shareholder dividends to pay the consultation fees?
In a statement repeatedly reposted in the comments section of its Facebook page Cancard states that;
“The idea is to allow the community to own a part of the business – that comes with the ability to make potential profits in the form of dividends. Dividends come usually as annual lump sum payouts. Every investor gets a vote on decisions – no matter if you buy one share or invest a million you will have exactly the same rights. As an investor, you will also qualify for HUGE reductions in costs to make accessing via prescription MUCH cheaper than anything we have now.”
“We will have products that are craft quality and a strain list that patients have voted for themselves. There are certain things that we can't say because of financial promotion laws but there are a set of FAQ's to help you on this page on our website https://cancard.co.uk/cangrow”
In March 2021, I had a meeting with the two of the GLO founders, wait... no, I'm pretty sure I didn’t sign an NDA with them so I should be safe to say this. During the meeting, I pitched them the idea of breaking down a UK Home Office high-THC cultivation license so that patients could lawfully grow their own at home. So, I guess they half-heard me at least.
A new study from California shows ‘no correlation' between THC detection and driving impairment
A new study, titled ‘Driving Under the Influence of Cannabis: Impact of Combining Toxicology Testing with Field Sobriety Tests’ published in the Clinical Chemistry journal last week found 'no correlation' between THC and driving performance.
The state-funded investigation was conducted by researchers affiliated with the University of San Diego to help scientifically determine how the Californian legislature should regulate cannabis and driving post ’legalisation’.
Unlike alcohol, which moves through the body incredibly quickly and can be used to reliably determine intoxication and impairment accurately through a blood test or breathalyser. THC and other cannabinoids remain detectable for weeks after consumption and are a terrible indicator of individual impairment or competency.
It is currently unlawful to drive under the influence of any drug in the golden state including cannabis – even lawfully prescribed medicinal cannabis. However, the present legislation requires the state to prove impairment from a substance, not just detect it, to prosecute a suspect.
This grey area means that many Californians still face prosecution for cannabis-related driving offences 7 years after the state ‘legalised’ cannabis under Prop 64.
This new study is the largest trial to date exploring how cannabis consumption by experienced consumers impacts their driving. To conduct the study researchers gave 191 ‘experienced cannabis consumers’ either a ‘cannabis cigarette’ (blunt) containing 5.9% THC, 13.4% THC, or a placebo with no THC. Samples of breath, blood, and saliva were then collected from the research subjects for later analysis.
The participants were then observed and assessed at numerous intervals in a driving simulator and then in a real car in a controlled environment. A standard Field Sobriety Test (FST) was then administered by specially trained police officers. The samples and tests found no correlation between cannabis consumption and reduced driving standards in the participants.
Interestingly, while the FSTs successfully identified the cannabis-consuming individuals 81% of the time. They also found that the police falsely claimed that 49% of the placebo control group were impaired – proving that current police tactics and regulations are unreliable.
The study’s authors concluded that “Our data support the current practice in many areas of the United States that requires officer observations of impairment along with toxicology testing before prosecuting drivers for being under the influence.” And that “We provide some evidence for the use of OF [oral fluid] as opposed to blood as being more useful in reducing the likelihood of false accusations of driving under the influence of cannabis.”
A previous metadata study conducted by researchers affiliated with Yale University in 2021 came to a similar conclusion. It found that ‘the presence of THC concentrations in either blood or saliva is an unreliable predictor of impaired driving performance’.
The same conclusion has previously been reached by a 2021 Australian study, a 2020 Canadian study, and this 2019 study from Germany – to name but a few. Academic studies like these are of vital importance to help finally end the misguided, unscientific, and discriminatory criminalisation of experienced cannabis-consuming drivers.
It is worth noting here that the UK has a pretty good cannabis-driving law when it comes to privately prescribed patients. The current legislation provides a statutory defence under the 1988 Road Traffic Act for patients exceeding the arbitrarily low UK limit.
To learn more about Cannabis-driving laws in the UK check out the Seed Our Future Website.
Minnesota Officially Becomes The 23rd US State to ‘Legalise’ Cannabis Fo ‘Adult Use’
And finally. On May 30th 2023, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz signed into law the over 300-page HF-100 cannabis ‘legalisation’ bill officially making Minnesota the 23rd US State to ‘legalise’ the limited ‘adult use’ of cannabis. It also marks the ninth US State to ‘legalise’ cannabis through legislative action.
A previous attempt to pass a similar bill in 2021 and 2022 had been blocked by the then GOP-controlled Minnesota Senate. The final version of the latest bill passed in the Minnesota State Senate last week by a vote of 34 – 32 – just days after the State’s House voted through the bill.
Speaking to the upper chamber before the bill's passing Democratic Senator Lindsey Port said; “I’ve heard a few things tonight that we’ve heard throughout the year and that I think are rational feelings, it is rational to be afraid of this. Change is new and change is hard. And people are talking about fear for their kids, which, as a mom, is something I understand deeply. And the best way that we can protect our kids from [having] access to cannabis is by legalizing and regulating [it].
Upon hearing about the passing of the bill retired professional wrestler and former Minnesota governor Jesse Venture said that “I was a spark that brought a thought to the table, it took many years of diligent work by legislators, governors, Gov. Walz especially to reach this point today.” “For me personally, it’s very wonderful to see a dream of yours over 20 years ago finally happen today, and I’m still alive to see it.”
"The people of Minnesota, especially, have been educated now and they understand that cannabis – all drugs and all forms of things have an upside and a downside to them – but cannabis' upside is so much, much more and good than any downside."
Under the new legislation, cannabis will be ‘legal’ in a limited capacity for adults 21+ in the state from August 1st 2023. When retail sales begin there will be an additional 10% ‘cannabis tax’ plus the existing 6.875% statewide sales tax imposed on the sale of all cannabis products in Minnesota.
The new rules will restrict public personal possession of cannabis and cannabis-based products containing THC up to 2 ounces (48g) of cannabis flower, 8g of concentrates, edibles containing up to 800mg, or any combination of the aforementioned cannabis products.
Before the law change possession of between 2 ounces (58g) and 4 ounces (116g) of cannabis flower was considered a misdemeanour offence punishable by a 300-dollar fine. So it is likely a similar fine will be levied on individuals caught with ‘too much’ weed in public in the state once the law comes into effect.
Home growing has also been ‘legalised’ under the new state legislation. However, it is capped at 8 plants with only 4 allowed to flower at any one time. It also creates an arbitrary limit of 2 pounds (0.9kg) of cannabis flower that home growers are ‘lawfully’ allowed to possess in their homes.
Minnesota also has a somewhat novel state seed law, which means that the sale of cannabis seeds for commercial and likely domestic cultivation will have to be tested and labelled under the existing legislation. Subsequently, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) is now set to regulate the sale of cannabis seeds and therefore presumably cuttings too.
The agency has shown support for the emerging cannabis industry stating that "as a regulatory agency, we would not be preventing the sale of seed in Minnesota, whether it's produced here in Minnesota or whether it's produced somewhere else and comes into Minnesota."
Written By Simpa For The Simpa Life
