Germany is known for a number of unique cultural happenings. The European country made waves for legalizing adult-use cannabis earlier this month, but there are plenty of longstanding traditions that have kept folks traveling to Germany for centuries. One of the biggies is Oktoberfest, an annual two-week celebration held in Munich that first started in 1810, largely showcasing a wide array of brewery offerings alongside plentiful entertainment. As Germany now looks ahead at its new chapter of establishing a legal recreational cannabis market, the historic shift has crossed paths with the longs ..read more

A hemp producer based in Dayton, Ohio has a new customer for its crop after the firm signed a deal with a processor in nearby Michigan to provide raw material for hemp-based bioplastics. Under its new contract with Detroit-based Heartland Industries, Ohio Hemp Company will provide hemp fiber to produce bioplastic that will eventually become auto parts manufactured by a Belgian firm. Ohio Republican Governor Mike DeWine signed legislation to legalize hemp in the state in 2019, the year after Congress legalized the crop on the national level with the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill. TJ Richardson ..read more

Entertainment hosts in Las Vegas are noticing a significant decrease in Gen Z (those born between 1997-2012) drinking alcohol. Paired with an overall increase in cannabis use by younger consumers, this shift could lead to great success for consumption lounges. Las Vegas-based promoter of Pulsar Presents, Patrick Trout, has 20 years of experience promoting local music. Trout recently spoke with Las Vegas Weekly about the trend of Gen Z drinking less alcohol. “It’s something I’ve observed since the shutdown ended, but especially in the last year,” Trout said. “I’ve seen a dramatic incr ..read more

There’s another attack on the First Amendment for you to worry about, especially if you live in Colorado. The Centennial State’s Senate approved an epically terrifying social media bill that could require social media platforms to prohibit users from saying anything deemed positive about controlled substances online, including psychedelics legal in the state, specific hemp products, and even some over-the-counter cough syrups. The bill, officially named SB24-158, is a comprehensive measure that addresses internet age verification and content regulations, mandating that soci ..read more

Plentiful research and anecdotal evidence has suggested that cannabis could be a useful harm reduction tool to help folks wean off of other substances that are more addictive and harmful. While many studies have focused on cannabis to curb opioid use with some looking more broadly at stimulants, new research suggests that it could prove useful for those with crack use disorder (CUD). In fact, the popular non-psychoactive medicinal cannabinoid CBD, or cannabidiol, seems to be the key element. The study, published recently in the International Journal of Mental Health an ..read more

Snoop Dogg’s Dr. Bombay Ice Cream has announced its first new flavor of 2024 and a new “holiday” to complement cannabis’s biggest day of celebration. After launching last July with its first collection of flavors including Tropical Sherbet Swizzle, Iced Out Orange Cream, Syrupy Waffle Sundaze and S’more Vibes, Dr. Bombay Ice Cream debuted the new “Strawberry Cream Dream,” the first of three planned new flavor releases for 2024. The new flavor combines strawberry sherbet and vanilla ice cream with swirls of strawberry jam and blended with golden sandwich cookies. To go along with the new flavor ..read more

Hawaii has experienced its shares of ups and downs in the past several months when it comes to cannabis. After the Senate overwhelmingly approved a bill in March to legalize and regulate recreational cannabis, the momentum—and most progress the state has seen surrounding recreational reform—quickly came to a halt when a House committee chair announced about a month later that his panel would not hear the measure ahead of the legislative deadline. While it’s now clear that supportive lawmakers and advocates in the state will need to wait until 2025 to try once more with legalization, some progr ..read more

Way back in 1993, I came across Jack Herer’s book, The Emperor Wears No Clothes, which was first published in 1985 and brought together an enormous amount of information regarding the history and uses of cannabis/hemp from the beginning of recorded history to present time. Information about hemp that now seems benign, was once prohibited and removed from libraries across the country and across the world.  Even the Library of Congress would get caught removing historical facts about cannabis/hemp from our public records.  Click here to watch a short video on YouTube abo ..read more

Florida has been front and center as of late, after the state Supreme Court recently ruled that its amendment to legalize adult-use cannabis is fit for the ballot in this year’s election. But the Sunshine State is not alone, as North Dakota may be taking another go this November at ushering in its own recreational market. Earlier this week, a group of 27 North Dakotans filed a 2024 ballot measure petition that would legalize adult-use cannabis in the state if approved, according to a report from The Jamestown Sun.  Advocates must gather 15,582 signatures from eligible North Dakota vo ..read more

Amid declining revenues and plunging prices, officials in one California county are considering a proposal that would ease some of the financial stress currently felt by area cannabis cultivators.  The Press Democrat reports that officials in Sonoma County, California on Tuesday recommended that the “Board of Supervisors approve new tax rates based on a model that would reduce the tax burden for most cannabis growers.” “Reduced tax rates may be in store for struggling cannabis cultivators and manufacturers in unincorporated Sonoma County, driven in part by decreasing prices affe ..read more