Illinois Cannabis is Legal? Why You Probably didn’t Hear about It

by Travis C | Nov 12, 2019 | 420, 420 News, Blog, Business, Cannabis Law, Culture

A major issue in the cannabis legalization movement is that every state can do it differently. Illinois cannabis legalization definitely did it different, and not for the better.

A lot of states that legalize cannabis add something new to their industry. Whether that’s limiting licensing because Oregon didn’t, or lowering regulations like Oklahoma did because California’s are so strict. Illinois is no different.

In June, Illinois became the first state in history to legalize the recreational possession and sale of cannabis entirely through the legislative process, whereas every other state has legalized through state-wide ballots. They also took a huge step in expunging the criminal records of nearly 800,000 residents in the state who possessed or purchased up to 30 grams of cannabis and were prosecuted.

With the state set to begin adult recreational sales in January 2020, all seems well and good. That is until you look a little closer at the legislation.

The Illinois Cannabis Crunch

Some states choose to be very lax with their regulations, like Oklahoma or Oregon. Both states have booming cannabis economies with Oklahoma’s in particular taking off faster than any other medical industry in the country. But both states are also facing serious over-supply issues.

Oregon has already taken the brunt of the surge, with so much more cannabis in the state than its residents consume that they had to pass a law permitting cross-border sales of cannabis to try to get rid of the excess. Oklahoma is following a similar path, with over 4,000 licensed growers and only 1,400 dispensaries for a state that is highly interested in cannabis. On top of that, there is roughly one dispensary for every 70 Oklahomans, which is not ideal for continued business traffic.

To avoid making the same mistakes, Illinois put a cap on how many dispensaries are allowed to open in order avoid cities filling up with pot shops too quickly. However at the end of 2019, the state only has 113 permitted dispensaries for recreational sales. Remember how Oklahoma had a dispensary for every 70 people? Illinois hardly has one for every 100,000.

An Attempt to Keep Big Business Out

It’s fair to say that Illinois’ cannabis legalization intentions were pure enough. The purpose of the dispensary cap is to prevent chains from taking over. The legislation limits chains to no more than 10 locations in the state, and limits the entire state to only 500 dispensaries, total.

That may sound like a lot of dispensaries, but 500 dispensaries is just enough for every 200 people to have a shop to visit. Additionally, the state won’t be adding any new dispensary licenses until May 2020, leaving four months of extremely limited supply. Even then, the state is only issuing 75 more licenses, leaving less than 200 dispensaries by the end of May at the earliest.

Also being a more conservative state, it is expected that a good bit of Oklahoma jurisdictions will ban retail dispensaries altogether, and a lot of people are concerned that the efforts to keep big business out will result in even more solicitation of private market cannabis.

A Slow and Steady Approach

Recreational cannabis sales are set to begin in less than 2 months in Illinois. With a little more 100 dispensaries to serve the entire state on January 1, it’s going be very difficult to get everyone taken care of for some time. But the Illinois cannabis industry doesn’t appear to be in a rush.

To put it all in perspective, by the end of 2020 Illinois is only projected to have about one tenth of the amount of dispensaries as Oregon has, with the maximum allowance of the legislation only being equivalent to one quarter of the Oregon cannabis industry when the Illinois cannabis industry is fully up and running in what will most likely be a few years.

This might not be a bad thing for Illinois though. Being a more conservative state outside of Chicago, demand for cannabis likely won’t be as high as other states that have legalized. Also with homegrowing allowed under the new law, residents that can’t find a nearby dispensary will either not participate in the industry, or start growing their own.

While the latter could lead to a rise in private market distribution, it isn’t very likely due to what most are projecting will be low demand outside major metropolitan areas, where dispensaries are most concentrated. This is why the industry hasn’t sparked a lot of interest nationally. A lot of people aren’t expecting any big developments for at least two years, and even then the Illinois cannabis industry will still be a small player compared to other states that have legalized cannabis.

Illinois cannabis legalization is a great thing for the state and the country. They may be moving more slowly than other states, but they may also just be more cautious and hoping to avoid the mistakes made by Oregon or California. Unfortunately it’s much too soon to say how the Illinois industry will perform, but usually where there is legal weed, there is prosperity.

Weed Money: Capitalism and Cannabis

by Travis C | Oct 31, 2019 | 420, Blog, Business, Culture

Cannabis grew to the behemoth it is today only by the pursuits of those willing to risk their lives.

This makes it no surprise that as the industry grows and more regulation and legislation is introduced, a lot of older cannabis industry and community members aren’t too happy. But there’s a harsh reality that we all need to face if this industry is going to grow into a federally regulated industry.

America is capitalist. It’s a free market.

Follow the weed money

The cannabis industry was partially built on advocacy, but also greed and capitalistic intent. If growers in California didn’t push themselves to grow more and more, bigger and better cannabis every year to make more money and beat the competition, we wouldn’t have the massive variety of strains and cultivars.

And you can bet your ass that some people have gotten rich as hell off cannabis, with more and more rich getting involved like celebrities, bringing more money and investment into the industry.

When the medical industry first began in Colorado, it was a small community with mom and pop dispensaries. But as recreational came into the state, so did bigger investments, resulting in dispensary chains that knocked plenty of small dispensaries out of business. It’s clear why small business doesn’t like big business, and the cannabis industry was built on small businesses, husband and wife operations, small groups of friends building something together.

But that is all changing, and it’s changing fast.

Capitalism comes for cannabis

States like Colorado and California have had several years to develop their medical and recreational cannabis industries. This means that both states are also filled with highly experienced cannabis industry entrepreneurs, ready to expand.

When a state like Oklahoma legalizes medical cannabis in 2018 with legislation that actively encourages out of state entrepreneurs to get involved, people are going to hop on the opportunity. And in Oklahoma, they definitely did.

Growers, processors, dispensary owners all flocked to Oklahoma to rent their home for 30 days in order to gain residency thanks to Oklahoma’s welcoming cannabis regulations. After they got residency, it was easy to apply and get started in the medical cannabis industry in the state. After August 2019, if you want to move to Oklahoma and start a business, you must live there for two full years before you can get residency now. In other words, if you didn’t get in before August, you’ll be two years behind.

This made a lot of industry entrepreneurs happy, but pissed off a lot of Oklahoma locals hoping to have their own local industry that now have to share it with Californians, Coloradans, Oregonians and others that left their saturated markets to start fresh in Oklahoma.

It’s a double edged sword

Capitalism has always been a double edged sword in America, which is probably why there’s so much debate around whether or not we need a new system. It promotes innovation and progress at the cost of leaving behind those that can’t compete.

Those that were once competitors that had to shut down or move shop because someone bigger or better came in, that sucks. But welcome to America. That’s capitalism, and that is what happens when capitalism and cannabis intersect.

The reality is that with a nation-wide legal cannabis industry that we want to someday achieve (even though there are plenty who don’t want that), big business is going to inevitably get involved, and small businesses will be pushed out if they can’t evolve, adapt and compete. Get an insider’s perspective on capitalism in cannabis from two long time cannabis advocates and growers, Chip Baker and Jeff from Little Hill Cultivators on The Real Dirt Podcast!

Grower to Grower with Little Hill Cultivators

by Travis C | Oct 29, 2019 | 420, cannabis business, cannabis culture, cannabis industry, growing, Season 3, The Real Dirt Podcast Episodes

Podcast: Play in new window | Embed

The Real Dirt is known for interviewing some pretty great cannabis growers. But this episode isn’t really an interview.

Jeff from Little Hill Cultivators has been an almost regular guest on The Real Dirt, and one of our most reliable sources of insight into the current California cannabis industry. As a long time medical cultivator, Jeff transitioned into the recreational industry as well after legalization in California.

With any new legal cannabis industry there is bound to be some red tape, but California just about takes the cake, and wraps it up in red tape. Comparatively, Oklahoma has just about none.

Barriers to entry for cannabis growers

We can all agree that there needs to be some barriers to entry for cannabis growers in a legal industry. But each state varies on how many barriers they set up.

Oklahoma legalized medical cannabis in 2018, with sales taking off without a hitch in 2019, faster and with more growth than any other state. This is because they had almost no barriers to entry, and even made it easier for out of state cannabis growers to come in and get started.

Up until the end of August 2019, any potential cannabis entrepreneur could move to Oklahoma, live there for 30 days, get residency and pursue state licensing. Now (post August) anybody trying to enter the Oklahoma medical cannabis industry from out of state must live in-state for two years before getting residency.

California on the other hand restricted anybody from getting a recreational cannabis license that didn’t already have a medical cannabis license and operation. On top of that, the application fees were insanely high, with additional charges for obtaining the license after approval.

Talking grower to grower

Talking about growing cannabis with somebody who just started or even has been doing it for a few years is nothing like two veteran Northern California cannabis growers getting together. There’s no beating around the bush, just Chip and Jeff talking about each others’ grows, what they each do differently and why.

We all know some growers that think they got the best set up, grow the best ganja and won’t hear a word that says otherwise. It takes years of learning, seeing other grows and assessing your own problems that you can really sit down and talk, grower to grower.

And this episode is just part one.

Stay tuned for part two

In part two of Grower on Grower with Little Hill Cultivators, Chip and Jeff continue their conversation about California’s strict regulations, Oklahoma’s growing industry, drip irrigation, industry predictions and more.

Follow us on Instagram (@therealdirtpodcast) and Facebook (@therealdirt) to stay updated on the next episode’s release and get fun cannabis content in the meantime.

Listen on Apple Podcasts

Listen on Spotify

Podcast: Play in new window | Embed

Wet vs Dry Trimming Cannabis

by Travis C | Oct 28, 2019 | 420, Blog, Broscience Mythbusters, Growing, Science & Technology

A better question might be, why does it matter?

When harvest time comes around, you need to get rid of the excess leaves and foliage around your flowers to make them look better. In reality, this isn’t something you really need to do, but a lot of people prefer more manicured flowers.

There are two options when it comes to trimming; wet and dry. Different growers have their preferences for both, but when it comes to which is really better, there’s always debate.

It’s up to you to decide when to trim, but here’s the pros and cons to each to make your decision a little easier.

Wet Trim

Wet trimming can be a more streamlined process for growers trying to dry their harvest faster. Wet trimming is possible when you trim your flowers right after harvest.

The plants are still full of moisture, which makes the leaves the freshest. With the leaves sticking out like they would on a live plant, they are much easier to cut without risking cutting the flower by mistake.

After these leaves are removed, the flowers will dry more quickly since the leaves won’t be there to add extra mass and shield the flowers as they dry. Proponents of the wet trim prefer this method because it’s faster, and some would argue more efficient for drying large quantities of flower.

Dry Trim

The dry trim is considered to be more difficult, but also more rewarding. Opposed to wet trimming, dry trimming happens after the flower have already had time to dry, leaves in tact.

Dry trimmers prefer this method because they claim it allows the flowers to cure more slowly, contained by the shriveled leaves that dry up and cover the flower. By almost sealing the flower, it helps maintain terpene profiles and prevents plant resins from drying out too fast.

But this is also what makes a dry trim more difficult. With the flower dried up and stuck to the flowers, the trimmer needs to be extra careful to only trim the leaves they want without cutting out pieces of the actual flower.

Some growers who prefer to trim dry will leave smaller leaves on the flower for a more natural look, and also argue that doing so helps preserve terpenes.

Is One Way Better?

No matter who you ask, some growers will prefer wet trimming, and some will prefer dry trimming. While newer growers tend to lean toward wet trimming for its accessibility, more advanced growers might prefer dry trimming for it’s near-artisanal practice.

But as with everything when it comes to growing, harvesting and trimming, it’s all preference. If you’re committed to the dry trim but it’s your first time, don’t stress. And likewise if you’ve been dry trimming for years and want to give a wet trim a go, do it.

To get the real dirt on wet vs dry trimming cannabis, listen to this episode of The Real Dirt Podcast featuring Cullen Raichart, founder and CEO of GreenBroz Inc, the leading dry machine trimmer company in the country.

The Future of Cannabis Trimmers with Cullen Raichart

by Travis C | Oct 22, 2019 | 420, cannabis business, cannabis culture, cannabis industry, Cannabis science, Season 3, The Real Dirt Podcast Episodes

Podcast: Play in new window | Embed

The industry is expanding, and so is your grow. Sometimes you can’t hand trim it all.

It’s sort of a badge of honor to be worn in the cannabis community when you only trim your cannabis by hand. It shows you care enough about how your buds turn out that you are willing to take the extra time to go through each bud by hand to ensure quality.

Of course you can trim poorly and still get bud that doesn’t look great, but in most cases hand trimming produces the best looking final product.

But with more and more commercial grow operations popping up across the country, there is a growing need for commercial harvest solutions. And when a dozen sets of hands for trimming starts to add up, a machine cannabis trimmer becomes more enticing.

Machine Cannabis Trimmers

A big reason people tend to avoid machine cannabis trimmers is because they are just that, a machine. How can a machine have the same soft, gentle touch of human hands? How can they ensure the buds aren’t getting sliced to pieces from the metal blades in the trimmer?

Science.

The fact is, machine trimmers have come a long way since their inception, and you can now get a machine trimmed bud that looks just like a hand trimmed bud without damaging it or knocking off trichomes. And speaking of the inception of machine trimmers, Cullen Raichart is responsible for just that.

Cullen founded GreenBroz Inc, the first company to produce dry flower machine trimmers for the commercial cannabis market. What is so unique about GreenBroz is how they have designed their trimmers to be so gentle that they literally put their money where their mouth is to prove it.

Compared to other trimmers that tumble the buds around and beat them up to get the leaves off, GreenBroz’s design gently circulates the buds as they are lightly brushed to remove the dried crisp leaves from the service without harming the rest of the bud.

The Future of Automated Harvest Solutions

This week’s episode of The Real Dirt is a deep dive into the story of GreenBroz and Cullen, and where the future of harvest solutions is headed. As the industry continues to grow and expand, so does the acreage that cannabis takes up. More plants means more hands, or in some cases, just one machine cannabis trimmer.

Automation is a natural result of capitalism, and ignoring it won’t make it go away, as much as we would love to keep hand trimming forever. But that doesn’t mean a machine trimmer can’t be an extremely cost effective and impactful in your grow. It’s just your decision to make.

Roll some fo your freshly trimmed buds up and listen to this week’s episode of The Real Dirt right here (top of page) or on your favorite platform.

Listen on iTunes

Listen on Spotify

The Vape Pen Controversy Explained

by Travis C | Oct 15, 2019 | 420, 420 Culture & Travel, 420 News, Blog, Broscience Mythbusters, Culture, Stranger Than Fiction

If you’ve watched the news over the past month, you probably think vaping can now kill you.

In today’s sensationalist news cycle, it has become the standard to over-exaggerate. Whether it’s about politics or a major health crisis, the media will always drive a narrative that gets people more worried, and gets them more views.

So it’s no surprise that when people started getting sick from vape pens the media would jump all over it.

The Vape Pen Controversy

It all started in September. A news story broke about someone getting some type of lung-related illness from a vape pen. At first, that was all. But then the story broke. The vape pen they were using had THC in it.

Cue the media leaping into hysteria, claiming that THC vape pens are making people sick. And if you watched the news around this time, there was a clear implication that it wasn’t something else in the pens causing harm, it was the THC. But that didn’t stop other outlets from claiming it wasn’t just THC vape pens to blame, but all vape pens.

Law commercials advocating law suits against Juul started to appear, and talks of a federal vaping ban ensued. Suffice to say, the media — and in turn the country — lost their collective shit.

The Truth

Of course all of the drama and freak out over vape pen related illnesses was based on half truths. Yes, people were in fact getting sick, and even dying, from THC vape pens. But there’s one thing that every single news story in the mainstream media failed to mention. Legality.

Out of over 400 cases of reported lung-related illnesses caused by vape pens, about 99% of them were caused by illicit vape pens. In other words, people purchased vape pen cartridges on the illicit market, and got sick. Why? Because of cutting agents.

Specifically, cartridge producers on the illicit market used vitamin E as a cutting agent. That doesn’t sound like a big deal right? We need vitamin E to stay healthy, you can eat it, you can put it in ointments, so why not a vape?

Well, it turns out that when you vaporize vitamin E, it converts to vitamin E acetate, a solid, viscous state. So these unknowing consumers would hit their pen, the vitamin E would convert to vitamin E acetate, and the residue would attach to the inside of their lungs. That causes some serious respiratory issues, and in a few cases, death.

Harmful Misinformation

There are already plenty of conspiracy theorists out there claiming big tobacco is the culprit for the major media focus on THC vape pens causing the problem. This would be an attempt to take down the vape pen industry that is the largest competitor to cigarettes. Others thought it was lobbying groups pushing to reverse the efforts of cannabis legalization.

But in all of the confusion, half-assed reporting and straight up false information, the people who really get hurt are the consumers. Not just those that are actually getting hurt by illicit vape pens because they don’t have access to safe, legal cannabis. But also your everyday cannabis consumer, and your medical user especially.

There are patients who don’t like to smoke, and choose to vape their medicine. With the rising concern surrounding vape pens, some dispensaries (and even entire states) have taken vape pens off of their shelves to make sure they are safe. Which is all well and good until the people who really need them can’t access them.