Currently Browsing: Matthew Owen
California Votes on Recreational Cannabis
The AUMA (Adult Use of Marijuana Act) is coming to your California ballot in November 2016. It’s one of the 18 latest California propositions the voters will be deciding this November. Besides the recreational use of marijuana for adults 21 years and older, the voters will have a say in a ban on plastic bags, […]
The Green Rush
Do ya smell that? No, I’m not talking about the scent wafting from someone’s bong of Death Star (19.9% THC), but rather the cannabis industry becoming mainstream legitimate. Ted Simpkins, the former CEO of Southern Wine & Spirits is now the CEO of River Distribution. The company models the ABC’s (Alcohol Beverage Control) process […]
So You Wanna Be Legal?
“…only 83 out of an estimated 10,000 growers in Humboldt County have come forward so far.” While many cities, counties and even the state of California have become increasingly tolerant of cannabis over these past eight years, there is still the elephant in the room — yes, the federal government. In 2009, then U.S. Attorney […]
Medical Marijuana Ordinance
Humboldt is one of the few counties in California on course to complete a “Medical Marijuana Land Use Ordinance” by the March 1, 2016 state deadline. Most cities and counties are “just saying no” and voting for a cannabis moratorium, which means they will default the state guidelines. Politics is like sausage. Enjoy the final […]
Status Quo Grow
The California state legislature stirred things up recently when they passed four cannabis bills, consequently signed into law by our governor. This sent local jurisdictions (county and city) planning commissions on a fast track to complete local cannabis laws by the March 1, 2016 deadline for permits, inspections, zoning for indoor and outdoor grows, allowed […]
The ABC’s of Cannabis
Alcohol prohibition in the United States was supposed to improve health, reduce crime and solve many social problems. Instead, it was an abject failure. See any similarities to the war on cannabis? When the 18th Amendment was repealed in 1933, the United States alcohol industry (beer, wine and spirits) was in shambles. Thousands of moonshiners […]
WHAT’S YOUR CANNABIZ
It’s a simple question. What’s your cannabis business plan? If you don’t have one, that should be your first clue that you probably won’t survive the coming California cannabis legalization. If you’re still going off the old model of growing as much cannabis as you can, where ever you can, and selling it across state […]
Cannabis Credit Union
One of the biggest obstacles to cannabis being a mainstream industry is the federal government. The feds classification of cannabis as a Schedule 1 controlled substance effectively keeps all federally chartered financial institutions from doing business with anything cannabis related. The reality is the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) claims that cigarettes kill over 6 […]
Legalization is Coming
I believe that November 2016 will be our Rubicon moment with the California voters passing an initiative to make cannabis legal for recreational purposes, whether it’s age 18 (cigarettes) or 21 (alcohol). That said, I’ve got some serious concerns about the future of the Emerald Triangle (Humboldt, Trinity and Mendocino Counties). My biggest fear with […]
Building Your Cannabis Brand
Building Your Cannabis Brand Matthew Owen Can you name me one Humboldt, Trinity or Mendocino County grower that is asked for by name when purchasing cannabis? Neither can I, and that’s the problem. If you don’t have a name brand with market awareness then you are simply producing an agricultural commodity, and its game […]