Cannabis Spotlight: The Clinic on Capitol Hill

“It’s the people that I meet.” That’s Chad Larrabee’s favorite part of his job as Store Manager for The Clinic’s Capitol Hill dispensary. “When you have those repeat people — the fact that I have people come in to get away from their life. I have people who are like, ‘Oh god, my house is so stressful, I figure I’d just come over and hang out with you for a while.’”

Larrabee spoke to THC Magazine about his four years of experience working for The Clinic. Before he took a job in the cannabis industry, Larrabee was a massage therapist, trying to incorporate massage as another healing option for the dispensary. The massage idea was tossed, but he obviously made an impression on the owners of The Clinic. They offered him a job.

“I jumped at the chance,” Larrabee says. “They moved me to a management position, I think it was about six months after I started.” He took the promotion about three-and-a-half years ago and has been with The Clinic ever since.

Asked about trends in the cannabis industry, Larrabee says that concentrates are very popular these days. The Clinic is known for some very tasty and potent budder and shatter. The price of everything goes down if you become a member.

Read More at Hemp Connoisseur’s website.

or Read article as shown below at Issuu.com.

Originally written for and published by The Hemp Connoisseur Magazine as Skyler Cannabaceae.

The Hemp Connoisseur, July 2014 – Issue #19

D.C. Cannabis Legalization Ballot Initiative is a Go

The Washington Times reported on Tuesday that cannabis advocates in the District of Columbia have turned in enough signatures to put a retail cannabis initiative on the ballot in November. The D.C. Board of Elections requires 22,500 valid signatures for a ballot initiative; organizer Adam Eidinger brought 57,000 signatures to the Board on Monday.
It’s unclear; however, if the initiative will make a difference with an amendment attached to a major funding bill in Congress trumping the will of the people, if adopted. The amendment precludes lawmakers in the District from reducing penalties related to “recreational” cannabis.

NY Becomes 23rd Medical Cannabis State

[Gov. Andrew Cuomo]
[Source: Associated Press]
New York became the 23rd state to allow for the use of cannabis for medical purposes on July 5 when Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a bill that passed both chambers of New York Legislature with strong support (Senate: 49-10; Assembly: 117-13). The state also became only the second, after Minnesota, to ban the smoking of cannabis while allowing vaporizing oil, cannabis-infused edibles and topical ointments.
New York officials now have 18 months to draft and create regulations for the new industry.

Retail Cannabis Sales Begin in WA

 The state of Washington issued 24 licenses to operate retail cannabis shops on Monday. Retail sales officially began in the state as of 8 a.m. on July 8, though most retailers faced shortages of products to sell. The 24 shops are only the start of over 300 shops throughout the state that officials expect to sell retail cannabis. This does not include shops that were already operating under medical cannabis laws.
Washington is officially the second state to allow retail cannabis sales to adults over 21. Colorado passed rules and regulations for retail cannabis sales last year and sales began in the state on January 1 of this year.

Boston Left Without Dispensary in the Running After Permits Rescinded

The Boston Examiner reported on Sunday that nine of the 20 medical cannabis preliminary certifications in MA have been rescinded. According to the Examiner, “Massachusetts ran onto some problems when it was discovered that some applications contained erroneous information and others noted board and executive level participation from people with previous criminal convictions.”
Of the nine, three licenses were rescinded because the applicant companies were found to have ties to William Delahunt, a former state legislator. Two companies had received certification to operate in Boston, including a subsidiary of Denver’s popular Good Chemistry dispensary in Capitol Hill. The company got initial approval in three different counties, but they lost it for making misleading statements about having local support.

Secrets To Share: Inside the Minds of Top Hash Makers

July is a special month for hash enthusiasts (7/10, anyone?) and this article will give readers a look at some well-known hash makers. Questions include how they first got into making hash, what makes their hash special, and tips for new and aspiring hash makers as interest spreads across the country.

AJ Hashman is the owner and operator of At Home Baked, LLC, and Stixx, both of which use hash for edibles. Nikka T is the owner of Essential Extracts, a Colorado concentrate company. Giddy Up is a long-time hash maker who most recently won the 2014 Cannabis Cup for his 303 Live Resin extraction.

The Hemp Connoisseur spoke with the three men in separate phone interviews, asking them the same questions. Here is what they had to say.

This article was originally published by The Hemp Connoisseur Magazine as Skyler Cannabaceae.
The Hemp Connoisseur, July 2014 – Issue #19

Colorado Festival Celebrates Hemp History Week

Regardless of the threat of stormy weather, the Hemp Seed Revival Festival celebrated the close of Hemp History Week on June 7. The event was held at Avogadro’s Number, a bar and restaurant venue in Fort Collins.

Hemp Seed Revival co-founders John Patterson and Josh Rabe, along with Rabe’s wife, Melissa, put the event together. It was a gathering for the whole family as children played in the outside venue area. Green and white banners overhead mostly blocked out the gray sky in place of a tree canopy.

“Over 200 people attended, getting informed by industry professionals and leaders, picking up free samples, making new and lifelong Hempster connections, eating fresh made hemp foods from Avogadro’s and drinking fresh brewed hemp beer from High Hops Brewing Co.” Melissa Rabe told THC in an email.

A man with starkly black-framed glasses played simple tunes on his guitar as people came in, visited different booths with different vendors, and got comfortable with one another.

This article was originally published by The Hemp Connoisseur Magazine as Skyler Cannabaceae.
The Hemp Connoisseur, July 2014 – Issue #19

CBD Only Laws Leave Patients With Limited Options

After passing legislation in the New York State Assembly, the Empire State will become the 23rd state, including Washington, D.C., to allow medical cannabis after Gov. Andrew Cuomo signs the bill, which he is expected to do. Some states, however, are choosing to only take on the heart-wrenching issue of treating epileptic children with cannabidiol while ignoring the other benefits of the plant.

Some legislators want to prohibit THC, which is a part of the medicine that they consider undesirable. The problem is that THC shares many similar healing properties with CBD and even has some health advantages that CBD does not have. Most cannabis advocates favor a “whole plant solution.”

Ten states already have CBD-only laws: Alabama, Florida, Iowa, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah and Wisconsin. The laws allow for the use of cannabis oil that contains mostly cannabidiol, or CBD, and only a minor trace of THC, the compound that causes the “high” feeling when cannabis is smoked or ingested.

There are other states with CBD-only laws in various stages of the legislative process. On June 20, North Carolina’s General Assembly passed the “North Carolina Compassionate Use Registration Act.” The bill still has to pass the Senate and be signed by the governor to become law.

Read More at Hemp Connoisseur’s website.
This article was originally published by The Hemp Connoisseur Magazine as Skyler Cannabaceae.
The Hemp Connoisseur, July 2014 – Issue #19

U.S. Representatives Vote to Protect States’ Rights to Medical Cannabis and Hemp

The U.S. House of Representatives delighted cannabis advocates by passing a Department of Justice funding bill with amendments attached requiring that none of the money can be used by the Drug Enforcement Agency to impede state regulated medical cannabis, hemp growing and industrial hemp research.

The future of the amendments is hazy since the bill still needs to be reconciled with the Senate version before it lands on President Barack Obama’s desk. Many Congressional members are not waiting around. After passage of the bill in the House on May 30, they began pushing the Obama administration to adopt the changes.

The House approved the medical marijuana amendment to H.R. 4660 with a majority of yes votes from 170 Democrats and 49 Republicans. One of those Republicans was California Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, who put forward the amendment.

“None of the funds made available in this Act to the Department of Justice may be used, with respect to the States of …” the amendment begins. It goes on to list each state with current MMJ laws and then adds “… to prevent such States from implementing their own State laws that authorize the use, distribution, possession, or cultivation of medical marijuana.”

Originally written for and published by The Hemp Connoisseur Magazine as Skyler Cannabaceae.
The Hemp Connoisseur, July 2014 – Issue #19

Gone With The Wind?: Congress Fails To Pass Tax Credits Extension

Wind power advocates were down but not defeated when the Expiring Provisions, Improvements, Reform and Efficiency (EXPIRE) Act suffered a setback in the U.S. Senate earlier this year. A vote for consideration of the bill fell seven votes short of the necessary 60 to end debate and force action.

“This bipartisan idea – born on the plains and thriving across the country – is too important to fall victim to partisan games and procedural gambits. I will keep fighting to ensure our wind energy manufacturers and the middle-class families they support have the certainty they need to thrive,” Mark Udall, the senior U.S. Senator for Colorado said in a statement.

Udall is a strong supporter of wind energy in Colorado. He made 27 floor speeches in 2012 in support of the tax credits and helped to extend them until the end of 2013. He extolled the benefits of the bill, especially the Production Tax Credit the industry holds dear.

“The Production Tax Credit for wind energy is a smart investment in our economy that strengthens our energy security, supports a strong Colorado industry and creates good-paying manufacturing jobs,” he said.

The Hemp Connoisseur, July 2014 – Issue #19