Issue XV
Outdoor cannabis in Massachusetts, trying live flower, CCC chair controversy continues, and more!
Welcome to the 15th edition of Burn After Reading! This is my newsletter on cannabis (and other things). You can check out last week’s issue here, and if you haven’t subscribed yet, please do!
In this week’s Cannabis Confidential, I took a tour of Paper Crane Cannabis — the first social equity-owned outdoor cannabis farm on the East Coast.
Booey and Lisa’s story is super inspiring, and standing in a big field of healthy cannabis plants never gets old! Looking forward to seeing their products hit shelves sometime soon.
I wrote a bit about live flower — cannabis that is flash frozen soon after harvest — a bit in this space back in Issue I, but I finally got my hands on some.
Despite being labeled by some as a Certified MSO Hater™, I’ve always given credit to MariMed for growing some pretty quality bud in Massachusetts, and my first experience with their live flower was no exception.
The test results for this batch revealed it came in at 25% THC, and about 2% terpenes — a number that is respectable but not unheard of in traditionally cured flower. Even so, popping the packaging opened revealed an intense smell that resembled the odor of a cannabis plant that was still growing more than it did packaged traditional bud. The buds were super bright and fluffy, making it seem like there was more than just an 1/8th ounce of flower in there. And it’s particularly tasty in a flower vape.
Assuming that I have similar future experiences with live flower, I could see myself seeing a (small) premium for these types of products. If the MA reaches a point where eights are — let’s say — $25, I could see myself paying $30 for a well-done live flower version of a strain I like. It’s a bit like spicing things up with a six-pack of one of Narragansett’s special craft beers instead of the usual ‘gansett lager.
I think companies still have a lot of work to do in terms of educating customers about what live flower actually is, but my initial thoughts about it are that it has the ability to be more than just a gimmick.
Combining two topics of this week’s issue, I would love to try to some flash frozen outdoor bud…
The Boston Herald had a shocking front page earlier this week:
Can you believe it?
Brian Hoyer is still the back-up quarterback for the Patriots? Crazy.
….
Anyways, the other featured story is worth mentioning too. While the Herald is a bit late to this story, the controversy surrounding new CCC chair Shannon O’Brien continues to swirl.
The Herald’s story was mostly a re-hashed write-up of Commonwealth Magazine’s reporting from a month ago with a few tabloid-y pot shots and pot puns thrown in, but there was one piece of new news: O’Brien’s change of ownership request was only filed in May. This means it happened after former chair Steve Hoffman announced his resignation, and potentially after Treasurer Goldberg approached O’Brien about the job. It’s still a mystery as to why she was put into power as Chair before the ownership change was implemented by the CCC.
Reaction to the Herald piece suggested a lot of people in the cannabis space were unaware of this story up until this week, and with the CCC being mum on details, people are going to continue to ask questions.
I also wonder if some public records requests would shine some more light on what’s going behind the scenes. Hmm..
Some quick hits:
New England
ACT Labs Expands Northeast Footprint, Agrees To Buy CDX Analytics (Adam Jackson/Green Market Report)
'We've come so far in five years:' Former Cannabis Control Commissioner Shaleen Title on the future of marijuana policy (Paris Alston and Jeremy Siegel/WGBH)
Three Vermont Dispensaries to Begin Adult-Use Sales at Their Discretion (Tony Lange/Cannabis Business Times)
Cannabis cafes' long road ahead in Boston (Steph Solis/Axios)
Rest of U.S.
Cannabis MSO Ascend unveils executive shake-up after former CEO charged with battery (Kate Robertson/MJBizDaily)
Regulators Detail Lack Of [IL] Marijuana Industry Diversity And Preview Equity Plans In 2022 Report (Kyle Jaeger/Marijuana Moment)
Marijuana social equity applicants nationwide face similar challenges (Chris Casacchia/MJBizDaily)
World
Canopy Growth quits Canadian cannabis retail business (Solomon Israel/MJBizDaily)
British American Tobacco Acquires Minority Stake in German Cannabis Business, Leads $38 million Raise (John Schroyer/Green Market Report)
Japan health panel recommends allowing import, use of medical marijuana products (Rocky Swift/Reuters)
Upcoming New England/Virtual Cannabis Events
10/6: Indo Labs Educational Tour and Cookout
6PM-10PM. Marlborough, MA.
10/7-10/9: High LifeStyle Show
Boxborough, MA.
WELCOME DISTRACTION OF THE WEEK: I have been running around the last two previous weeks, so I must admit I haven’t really had the time or brain power to seek out new content. So instead, here’s a list of five (non-cannabis) podcasts that are some of my most frequently listened to:
CAT(S) OF THE WEEK: 53 cats who were rescued from the path of Hurricane Ian in Florida recently touched down at Worcester Airport, on their way to local shelters.
These cats are already tremendously fortunate (considering the fact that they no longer live in a state governed by Ron DeSantis) but let’s keep that good luck going and find these little guys and gals some homes, yeah? Refugees of all backgrounds and species are welcomed with opened arms here in Massachusetts.
