CALIFORNIA NEWS

CALIFORNIA

Battle Over Diesel Generators Powering East Oakland Cannabis Grow Gets Heated

Regional air regulators are locked in a dispute with Denver’s Green Sage over their refusal to stop running “massive” diesel generators without a permit at two San Leandro Street buildings in East Oakland. In July, an injunction request filed by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) revealed the agency’s goals include the enforcement of an abatement order issued against Green Sage, as well as penalties of up to $175,000 per day for continued violations of their abatement order and state air pollution laws. This move from BAAQMD was itself a response to Green Sage’s request for a court to block the abatement order, which they argue denies them the ability to have enough power to grow lucrative Cannabis crops. But the facilities housing the cultivations renting from Green Sage are not in an air district issued to run diesel generators. As local outlet KQED notes, the company has already failed to comply with “at least three other city and air district violation notices related to the diesel generators since late last year.” To add to the chaos, the outlet also reports that Green Sage defaulted on its $54.5 million mortgage in 2021 and now faces “a possible foreclosure auction.”

Variety of Cannabis Bills Advance through California Congress

California lawmakers had drugs on the mind when they gathered last month to consider several potentially significant bills focused on Cannabis and psychedelics. They include SB 1326, which would (eventually) allow for interstate Cannabis commerce between California and other states; SB 1186, which would prevent local jurisdictions from banning medical Cannabis delivery services; and SB 2188, which would establish employment protections for individuals consuming Cannabis outside of the workplace. All three were approved to face their next hurdle: floor votes. Meanwhile, a high-profile bill from Sen. Scott Wiener – SB 519 – suffered a less successful fate. Intended to legalize possession of substances like psilocybin, LSD and MDMA for adults in California, the bill had previously passed through both the state Senate and two Assembly committees before being placed on hold in 2021. Apparently, its date with the Assembly Appropriations Committee last month led to significant changes to the bill’s text, essentially limiting the scope of SB 519 to a policy study. Ever determined, Sen. Wiener (who also authored SB 1186) has stated he plans to reintroduce the legislation next year.

Study Suggests Link Between L.A.’s Active Cannabis Users, Lower Rates of ICU Admission When Hospitalization for Covid

In the past few years, a mountain of research looking at what, if any, correlation might exist between COVID-19 and Cannabis has been feverishly built by researchers. With such a short timeframe, it’s understandable that what we’ve learned thus far has come in dribs and drabs. Such is the case with a new study published last month in the “Journal of Cannabis Research.” Using two Los Angeles hospitals as their data source, researchers determined that “active Cannabis users hospitalized with COVID-19 had better clinical outcomes compared with non-users, including decreased need for ICU admission or mechanical ventilation.” Looking at the numbers, the study surveyed 1,831 COVID-19 patients overall. Of this group, 69 patients self-identified as active Cannabis users – the equivalent of 4% of the total patient subject pool. Thus, this notable finding was understandably followed by a caveat from the researchers: “While there was a trend toward improved survival in Cannabis users, this was not statistically significant.” But for those looking for the silver lining to take away from these findings, the study is suggestive of a positive correlation between chronic Cannabis use and less severe COVID-19 outcomes. How do we learn more? Researchers in this study are calling for additional, more robust studies to “better elucidate the effects of Cannabis use in COVID-19 patients.”

“THE STUDY IS SUGGESTIVE OF A POSITIVE CORRELATION BETWEEN CHRONIC CANNABIS USE AND LESS SEVERE COVID-19 OUTCOMES.”

Fresh Complaints Allege Weedmaps is (Again) Allowing Advertising for Illegal Cannabis Goods and Retailers

Sound familiar? If the alarming prospect of black-market activity proliferating on the platform of California Cannabis advertising giant Weedmaps rings a bell, that’s because this is not the first time they have dealt with such issues. In 2020, Weedmaps – which operates as a technology company and does not directly touch the plant as part of their business model – was forced to remove advertising for illegal Cannabis retailers and products. That move happened just before Weedmaps appeared on the Nasdaq via its parent company, suggesting there was perhaps a heightened concern for being above board before they were set to become a publicly traded commodity. Now, new complaints filed by executives at Canex Delivery, a licensed Los Angeles Cannabis company, say Weedmaps is not doing enough to ensure advertisements for illegal goods and dispensaries remain off the platform. The allegations made by Canex include the suggestion that Weedmaps’ inaction to smoke out illegal ads has possibly cost just their specific business “tens of millions of dollars.” Should regulators find merit in these allegations, the company could be subject to hefty fines, which itself would likely be compounded by Weedmaps being one of the few – and most prominent – Cannabis companies currently trading on a major stock exchange.