An emergency moratorium on cannabis businesses in King County, Wash., takes the industry by surprise. The County Council voted 8–1 for a moratorium on legal cannabis growers, processors, and retailers without ever accepting input from the community. The emergency proposal came from Councilmember Reagan Dunn, who represents rural areas of the county. Councilmember Jeanne Kohl-Welles, a longtime legalization supporter, cast the sole vote against the measure, saying she opposed it for the lack of input from the public. “I’m not comfortable with what’s happening,” she said. By law, the county must hold a hearing within 60 days to accept feedback from the public. It wasn’t immediately clear what prompted the moratorium. Dunn cited crime as a problem but didn’t support that statement with any examples or data. Councilmember Kathy Lambert complained about the smell of cannabis, although her reference was to an illegal grow that operated years ago, prior to the 2012 passage of statewide legalization.
Wither cannabis cultivation and the environment. “How does marijuana cultivation impact the environment?” was the question on Quora, the knowledge sharing network. The response came from Dean Croshere, Director of Operations for MedMen. Indoor grows, he said, require careful control of the environment, which means artificial lights, an automated irrigation system for watering, and filtration and dehumidifiers to recirculate the water during the drying the process. Outdoor grows require more water, as it cannot be recirculated and often becomes runoff which has the potential to damage streams. Greenhouse grows capture many advantages of both indoor and outdoor technology — harnessing the sun’s power cuts down on power use, but it also requires a water pump to keep the greenhouse at the ideal growing temperature. It’s a fascinating look at the ins and outs of growing from an expert in the biz.
Downloading the app HighThere could make you a law enforcement target. HighThere has been billed as Tinder for cannabis users, hooking up 420-friendly consumers looking for smoking buddies. But it’s location-based, and according to one cybersecurity firm, that could put your personal information at risk. Hacking firm Synack found that information on a user’s location, down to the foot, was unencrypted and could easily be used by an outside source — say, law enforcement for the purposes of arresting cannabis consumers. Mind your cybersecurity, everyone!
QUICK HITS:
- Hillary Clinton looks to be the official Democratic candidate, but her tepid leadership on drug policy reform leaves voters unenthused. An appearance on Good Morning America has her seeking more medical marijuana research, but without addressing the reason for the lack of research — the status of cannabis in the Controlled Substances Act. Don’t play dumb, Hilldawg. You’re better than that.
- Stash Tea is suing Stash Cannabis Co. for trademark infringement. The tea company is based out of Tigard, Ore., but operates internationally. It wants Beaverton’s Stash Cannabis Co. to stop using the “Stash” name on the basis it might confuse potential tea customers. However, the Beaverton company isn’t the first and certainly won’t be the last cannabusiness with the word “stash” in its name. Is this a losing battle?
- One BBC reporter got the dank treatment while staying at a bud and breakfast in Denver. BBC correspondent Peter Day seemed surprised that the B&B retained “much of its original Victorian elegance” and he acknowledged he enjoyed the atmosphere. But he declined to partake of Colorado’s canna-treats. Next up from the intrepid Mr. Day: A tour of Napa Valley wineries. Naught but water for you, Peter!
- And finally, here’s the best thing on the internet today:I’ll believe it when dogs fly!
