WOW! What a week!
It is so nice that Marijuana is now legal in Washington State, I no longer have to hide my bong behind the couch!!! HOORAY! WE ARE OUT OF THE CLOSET AT LAST!
Washington State is off to a running start with the grand openings of at least 5 new legal Cannabis shops around the state see more here: http://mmjbusinessdaily.com/week-in-review-an-early-analysis-of-washingtons-recreational-cannabis-industry/
Now, living here in the Vancouver WA area there will be a choice of 2 shops to go to get herb from. Main Street Marijuana 2314 Main St. Vancouver, WA, and New Vansterdam 6515 E. Mill Plain Blvd. Vancouver, WA. http://www.kptv.com/story/25956987/marijuana-store-vancouver-washington-state-pot-shops
Main Street Marijuana opened their doors on Wednesday July 9th to a VERY long line of customers waiting for the shop to complete the ribbon cutting ceremony by the Mayor of Vancouver and open its doors to the waiting masses! I was one of the great masses waiting to get in to make a purchase. The store is a nice small shop in a converted jewelry store. The staff is helpful and very friendly. When I got in the door, it was easy to walk up to the counter and see what was on the menu (so to speak). At present, they only have two flavors of Kush in stock due to the low quantity available from the growers at this time. Their weed is being provided by Farmer J’s up in the Spokane Valley. Due to the low supply, their 2 gram packages were going for $60 ea. But, that said, when supply gets better, the price will come down.
So, I purchased the Sour Kush flavor to take home and give a try. The description on the baggie was pretty close to what I got from the tasting we held in our little house. I found it to be right on par with the cannabis I had been getting from the medical dispensaries. It had a very skunky, but sweet smell. The taste was a bit fruity but not bad, made it very pleasant to smoke. The high was good. It gave me some energy, but not to the point of bouncing off walls. It was easy to mellow back out when bedtime came around.
The same day as the grand opening of Main Street Marijuana there was a parking lot party (Weed and Weenies) being put on by Viridian Sciences (www.viridianscience.com) offers all-in-one business management software solutions for the cannabis industry. Our mission is to help you grow your business through the world's leading enterprise technology while helping your company adhere to government regulations with complete legal compliance. Our software enables your cannabusiness to run efficiently with automated inventory tracking, seed to sale reporting, financial accounting, grow management, quality control and many other essential tools to help you succeed. Grow your business with our industry leading, cutting-edge cannabis software solution.
Both events were fantastic! The Weed and Weenies event focused on the responsible use of cannabis and gave the long line of people who were waiting to purchase from Main Street Marijuana a place to stop and pick up some literature, have an Otter Pop and a free bottle of cold water. There were some vendors there as well, places like Mary Jane’s House of Glass, WA NORML, G.O.A.T. Labs (a marijuana testing lab), Wacky Wieners, Esoteric BBQ and Black Dog Hotdogs were on hand to feed the masses and a few others. A lot of fun was had that day!!
Today (Friday July 11), New Vansterdam opened their doors to long lines of eager customers to come in and partake of the fare there in their shop, Later today…I am going to go join that line and make a purchase of something yummy to try this weekend! Stay tuned, I will let you know what I got, how much it was and what I thought of it and the New Vansterdam shop! I am hearing it is a shop folks should go visit just for the atmosphere, but...are they set up and really ready for the crush?…we will see…!
Ok, so now on to the other news that has been happening out in the world of Marijuana Legalization!
Which states will be the next to legalize marijuana? http://bit.ly/1pXolGr
Currently 22 states have legalized medical marijuana, two have legalized marijuana for recreational use and nine others have strictly limited medical laws. A number of initiatives, questions and constitutional amendments will appear in states across the country this November. Following that, the weed legalization map of the USA is going to look a lot different.
INITIATIVES
Alaska – Ballot Measure 2
This is the real deal: full recreational legalization, possession of up to six plants and the manufacture and sale of paraphernalia. With 60% support for the measure statewide, Alaska is a home run for the next state with truly legal weed after Colorado and Washington.A whopping 70% of the state supports legalization of medical marijuana, making this initiative a sure shot for November.
Arkansas – Hemp and Cannabis Amendment
This initiative for full legalization needs to collect several thousand signatures in the next few days in order to appear on the ballot in November, so it might not make it. Even if the 53% of state residents who support decriminalization add their signatures in time, this amendment wouldn't take effect until federal marijuana laws change. There's a separate medical marijuana bill on the table as well.
California – Cannabis Hemp; Control, Regulate and Tax Marijuana; Marijuana Legalization
Weed has been de facto legal here for 18 years, but the state has failed to vote in recreational legalization. There are (count 'em) three pot initiatives on the ballot in November, two for marijuana and one for hemp. However, some advocates believe such initiatives will have a better chance in 2016, a presidential election year, when there's more voter turnout and more young voters to help put it through. Currently, 54% of the population supports regulating marijuana similarly to alcohol.
Florida – Right to Medical Marijuana
North Carolina – Constitutional Amendment to Legalize Medical Marijuana
Seventy-six percent of those polled in the Tar Heel State support medical cannabis, so if this makes it onto the ballot, it will likely receive strong support from voters. The governor just signed a CBD-only medical marijuana law, so full medical may be just a few months away.
Oklahoma – Medical Marijuana Question
Though it's still gathering signatures, this initiative is likely to be on the ballot in November. With 71% of state residents supportive of legalization, it's likely to go through, despite reported interference from local authorities.
Oregon – Legalized Marijuana Initiative; Recreational Cannabis Amendment; Recreational Cannabis Tax Act
Another state headed for recreational legalization, with three tax-and-regulate initiatives on the ballot this November and strong support from the state's largest union. However, a recent poll showed a slim margin of support — only 51%. It's not as sure as Alaska, but has a good chance of being voted in nonetheless.
Pennsylvania – Referendum question
A state representative has proposed a question on the 2014 ballot asking Pennsylvania residents their views on marijuana legalization. With an astounding 84% of the electorate in favor of medical marijuana, this is sure to pave the way to some legalization action. The state legislature is also quickly making progress toward medical marijuana legislation.
Washington, D.C. – Marijuana Legalization Initiative
This initiative is well on its way to gathering the required number of signatures. District residents strongly support legalization, with 63% saying possession of small amounts for personal use should be legal.[This list includes all states with pending ballot initiatives, questions and constitutional amendments for comprehensive medical and/or recreational legalization this November. It does not include bill efforts that were defeated or passed on in 2014 session, nor states with pending legislation for strictly limited medical marijuana.]
Oregon Dispensary Beats School Zoning Challenge
http://bit.ly/1zn8FhC a medical marijuana dispensary in Eugene, Oregon, has survived a push to shut it down under local zoning ordinances.In April, The Greener Side dispensary was notified that its license was being revoked by the Oregon Health Authority (OHA). Regulators claimed the dispensary was operating within 1,000 feet of a school.
In a letter to the editor published in the Eugene Register Guard, the dispensary’s director, Thomas Burns, argued against the decision, saying the school was not listed in a database provided by the OHA.The health agency ended up reversing its decision after determining that the school had moved locations.After fielding claims that a second school was within 1,000 feet of the dispensary, the agency again investigated but determined that the “school” was a nonprofit resource center for children. The agency allowed The Greener Side to keep its license.In other states, regulators have traditionally taken a heavy-handed approach to school zoning violations. The OHA showed that it is willing to investigate these disputes and not simply revoke a license.
Well that’s it for this week.
So sit back with your favorite smoking utensil and take a big hit and relax!
See ya next week!
Weed Viking
