Candies, Z, OGs, and more from Leafly’s senior editor.

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Growing up in Hawaiʻi, Davin Carvalho was always drawn to the outdoors. He and his friends would skateboard, surf, and explore Oʻahu’s west side, enjoying the warm sun, breezy tradewinds, and cool waters around Mākaha Beach. As he grew older, he sought new hobbies that would keep him outside, and eventually discovered gardening. Today, Carvalho is known for his cannabonsai trees, which possess a Zen-like aesthetic and offer an enlightened high through the flower that they provide.

Carvalho’s journey as a gardener started early, when he began growing kalo as a kid. Kalo, or taro in Hawaiian, is a root vegetable that is inextricably linked to Hawaiian culture. According to mythology, the kalo plant represents the original ancestor and elder brother of all Hawaiians. For Carvalho, who is indigenous, growing kalo bound him to his familial roots. With around 100 plants in his garden, he could happily spend over an hour watering, fertilizing, and pruning on a daily basis.

For reasons unknown, in late 2020 Carvalho began to experience debilitating panic attacks. After two months of agony and countless emergency room visits, he discovered that gardening was a tool he could use to manage his anxiety. A friend sent him some traditional bonsai videos, which were relaxing and educational at the same time. Before long, Carvalho bought a couple ficus and juniper trees and began to seriously study Chinese and Japanese bonsai as a form of therapy.

During that same period, Carvalho decided to apply for official documentation with Hawaiʻi’s Medical Cannabis Registry, allowing him to grow marijuana for personal use. After realizing that traditional bonsai requires decades of devotion, he decided to adapt bonsai techniques to pakalolo which allowed him to grow beautiful, medicinal plants in a shorter period of time.

Through research on the topic, Carvalho learned that the bonsai “effect” comes as a result of training a plant. In the world of cannabis, training is nothing new. It’s common practice for growers to train plants for a higher yield and denser buds. By gently manipulating branches or tilting the pot the plant is in, Carvalho can create the bonsai effect as a result.

“My objective when I’m training my plants is to make it look like a replica of a full-size tree,” Carvalho said. “I try to think, ‘How many branches do I want? What do I want the canopy shape to look like? Do I want it to be a taller tree, a shorter tree? A bushier tree or a lankier tree?’ I keep all that in mind.”

Although he does not necessarily speak to his plants, Carvalho spends a lot of time in close proximity to them. Doing so promotes the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide, with both parties benefiting in the process. By providing for his plants and helping them thrive, he hopes that they will return the favor.

“Gardening itself is a language. I might not speak verbally to them, but there is nonverbal communication with the plants in my garden and myself,” Carvalho said. “It’s a constant sending and receiving of messages in order for us to achieve understanding and reach a common goal, which is for the plants to flower and produce beautiful buds.”

In his most recent run, Carvalho incorporated rose quartz and amethyst, a crystal that is said to promote calmness and relaxation. When preparing for a new harvest, he is intentional about the overall aesthetics the cannabonsai will have, from top to bottom of the plant.

“I’ve done a little bit of research, but I’m definitely no expert. I wanted to make sure that if I was gonna use crystals, I wanted to know which combinations of crystals can go together,” Carvalho said.

When it comes to cultivating a successful cannabonsai tree, genetics play a huge role. To capture the bonsai aesthetic, Carvalho grows indica-leaning strains as they are shorter, bushier, and have tighter internodal spacing than sativa-leaning strains.

After three years of research and experimentation, Carvalho believes that each cannabonsai run has improved from the previous one. As much as gardening is an outlet to relax, it also provides a challenge that keeps him wanting more. No matter how much knowledge and experience he gains while growing, there are inevitably hurdles that humble and teach him along the way.

“If it was as easy as putting a seed in the ground and watering it, it wouldn’t be as fulfilling to me,” Carvalho said. “Anybody could do that. But to really have the commitment, dedication, passion, and drive, that’s what really gets me. I like something that’s not so easy to obtain but is something that if I work hard at it, I can either get it, or get something close to it and have something that I am happy with.”

This article was originally published in the June 2024 issue of High Times Magazine.

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The New York Cannabis Control Board (CCB) has officially approved rules that allow adults over 21 to cultivate cannabis at home, as of June 11. Now adults can care for a maximum of six plants, with three immature plants and three mature. Residences with more than one adult can have up to 12 plants (six immature and six mature).

Additionally, new rules take place for possession in regard to a person’s crops. “You can have up to five (5) pounds of trimmed cannabis and the equivalent weight in concentrates in or on the grounds of their private residence,” the Office of Cannabis Management wrote in its law breakdown. “Individuals can carry and transport up to three (3) ounces of cannabis and 24 grams of concentrates within the state.”

Cannabis can be grown anywhere that a person owns or rents such as a “room, home, apartment, mobile home, co-op, or other residential spaces.” Landlords cannot refuse to rent a space to a person, or penalize a tenant, unless they are at risk of losing federal funding or benefits.

The rules also cover how residents can legally obtain cannabis plants. Seeds will now be available at commercial retailers, but immature plants can also be purchased by numerous licensed cannabis businesses as well.

The OCM warned of the responsibilities of the grower, specifically when it comes to processing their flower into other cannabis products. “If you’re making at home products with cannabis, like tinctures or butters, the use of flammable materials is prohibited because they are not safe for home use,” the OCM stated. “Consider alternative extraction methods such as heat, water or fermentation.”

The OCM also mentioned the need to reduce cannabis odors. “You must take reasonable measures to prevent cannabis odor from becoming a nuisance to neighboring residents such as co-planting items like lavender in an outdoor garden or using a carbon filter for indoor cultivation,” the information document continued. Lastly, the agency warned growers to cultivate away from the public eye, either by installing fences or tall, busy plants to add privacy to outdoor property.

In the realm of safety, the OCM suggested that growers choose LED lights to reduce power usage and risk of electric overload and recommended that growers seek expertise from an electrician about the setup. It also stressed the importance of proper ventilation to ensure that cannabis does not become moldy.

These rules were originally approved in February 2024, which was followed by a 60-day public comment period. The CCB voted on final regulations for cultivation on June 11.

Also on June 11, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced that the CCB has approved another 105 adult-use cannabis licenses. “New York is building a robust and equitable legal market that is driving significant economic growth within our communities,” said Hochul. “The issuance of 105 additional adult-use licenses is just the next step in developing the nation-leading industry New Yorkers expect and deserve.” This includes 25 cultivator licenses, 22 distributor licenses, 22 microbusiness licenses, 19 processor licenses, and 17 dispensary licenses. Additionally, 45 out of these 105 licenses are transitioning adult-use conditional cultivators (AUCC) or adult-use conditional processors (AUCP).

During the meeting, the CCB also denied licenses to 100 applicants that weren’t eligible or had already received a license from a different application.

CCB chair Tremaine Wright said in a statement that progress continues to push New York’s cannabis industry forward. “We continue to prioritize our market’s expansion, and commitment to our nation-leading cannabis market, by providing New Yorkers with a wide range of choice and opportunity to participate,” Wright said. “Today’s license approvals, and the introduction of home cultivation brings us one step closer to setting a new standard that centers growth, equity, and safety.”

So far in 2024, the CCB has approved a total of 654 cannabis licenses, while there are currently 132 adult-use cannabis dispensaries operating in the state.

Meanwhile, cannabis sales continue to increase in the state as well. The governor and OCM confirmed that in May, cannabis sales reached $4.4 million (for a total of $46.2 million). They project that by early June the state will have collected more than $200 million in sales.

The governor’s office attributes the success of its Social and Economic Equity (SEE) program as one of the reasons why the industry is thriving. The press release stated that 57 of the 105 new applicants (about 54%), are SEE applicants, which breaks down into “five Community Development Initiative participants, seven distressed farmers, 22 minority-owned businesses, seven service-disabled veteran-owned businesses, and 16 women-owned businesses.”

In May, the governor’s office stated that OCM executive director Chris Alexander would be stepping down this September following Hochul’s reevaluation of the agency and its leadership. The office described Hochul’s action as “an operational overhaul” which “follows the release of a 30-day assessment conducted by a team of individuals under the leadership of the Commissioner of the Office of General Services Jeanette Moy, that identified significant structural limitations to the Office of Cannabis Management that have affected the agency’s ability to fulfill its mandate to efficiently establish New York State’s cannabis marketplace.”

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The Idaho Farm Bureau Federation recently released information regarding an increase in hemp cultivation for last year. During 2023, farmers planted 1,273 acres of hemp, which is a massive increase from the 459 acres cultivated in 2022.

Idaho was the 50th state in the U.S. to legalize the production and cultivation of hemp after Gov. Brad Little signed House Bill 126. According to a news report from the Idaho Farm Bureau Federation, 2,440 acres of hemp has been approved via cultivation licenses as of May 31. A majority of Idaho hemp is cultivated in south central Idaho.

In 2022, some hemp farmers targeted cultivation for CBD, and very few did so in 2023. 

In 2022, approximately 44 acres of hemp were destroyed because the crops exceeded the minimum levels of THC, even though they were CBD varieties. In 2023, there was no recorded hemp crop destruction.

The Idaho State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) ag. program manager Greg Blahato explained that plants grown for hemp fiber seem to respond well to the climate. “The fiber varieties have taken off, and that’s what seems to grow very well here,” Blahato said.

ISDA hemp bureau chief Casey Monn suggested that growing hemp wasn’t a problem, but harvesting was challenging for some cultivators. “From the regulatory side, we didn’t see any issues with the crop last year,” Monn said. “Some folks were able to grow and harvest it very, very well and there were some folks that seemed to struggle with growing and harvesting it.” Some of the challenges included improper drying techniques, which led to the plant being “too green or wet,” according to the Idaho Farm Bureau Federation.

Current state law states that people can only grow cannabis if they receive a license from the ISDA. Monn referred to Idaho’s hemp law as one of the most strict in the country, where hemp is not regulated by the grower, but by the “lot.” A hemp production lot refers to a grouping of hemp plants. If a grower harvests their hemp lot all at once, only one inspection is necessary. However, if the grower harvests in more than one batch separately from one another, multiple inspections are necessary.

Department of Agriculture deputy director Chanel Tewalt explained the process to the Idaho Capital Sun in January 2022. “We’ll pull samples from every single lot that is grown, and our sample size is determined on how big the lot is, the acreage,” said Tewalt. “The hemp can’t go anywhere. It cannot leave their farm until they receive an acceptable lab result.”

In comparison to the recent hemp plant data, Idaho’s agriculture still leads the way in wheat (an estimated one million acres per year), hay (more than one million acres), barley (500,000 acres), corn (350,000 acres), and potatoes (300,000 acres) per year.

Idaho hemp cultivator Brad Darrington tried his hand at growing hemp in 2023, but won’t continue to do so. “Why would I continue growing it if” it’s not going to pencil out for me,” Darrington told Idaho Farm Bureau Federation.

Other farmers such Brigham Cook, who grew 100 acres of hemp in 2023, plans to continue growing hemp with another 100 acres this year as well. “I think there’s a future for hemp and hopefully there is a future for hemp in Idaho,” said Cook. “There are a lot of potential uses for hemp that I believe will be a win for farmers who grow it.”

However, Cook noted that he and other growers are still fine-tuning their growing methods when learning how to grow hemp effectively. “The harvest has been a huge issue,” said Cook. “It’s a new enough crop here that we just haven’t figured out all the quirks.”

Cook added that hemp has been useful for weed control as well. “It’s a crop that fits … in this part of Idaho and should be a good crop rotation for us,” he said.

Another farmer, Triston Sponseller, is said to have grown the largest amount of hemp in 2023 and is also the owner of a hemp processing facility. “Harvesting has been a challenge,” said Sponseller. “It’s definitely been a tough crop compared to what we’re used to. It’s been a learning experience and there has been some trial and error.”

Sponseller began growing hemp in 2022 because the idea of cultivating a new crop sounded interesting. “I was just really curious as to what else we might be able to work into our standard rotation, the geography and the climate, and the soil types,” he explained. “We found what works on our farms, and we were just excited to see if hemp would work too, and surprise, it works really well!”

Currently, Sponseller rotates his crops between wheat, barley, and potatoes. According to an interview with Sponseller conducted by Ag Proud Idaho, he primarily focuses on separating hemp stalk and fiber from the hurd and then cleaning them. Then they’re baled and shipped to various parts of the country for use in various industries such as bedding and automotive, as well as being used as a replacement for plastic.

Idaho Farm Bureau Federation director of governmental affairs, Brad Jensen, also commented that the state of hemp in Idaho has a promising future. Idaho’s agriculture industry is extremely knowledgeable and innovative,” said Jensen. “Our growers will figure out whether it’s an economically viable crop in our state.”

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New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy recently visited Prolific Growhouse on May 30 to tour the facility, speak with founder David Nicolas about his journey as a business owner, and learn about the strain named after him.

During the tour, Nicolas showed Murphy various parts of the operation, including cultivation, processing, and packaging. Nicolas explained that he’s looking toward expanding his operation, since he doesn’t currently utilize all of the space he rents out. His plans include an increase in rooms for flowering plants and clones, an updated irrigation system, as well as packing rooms, “a vault,” and an employee break room, according to WHYY. “To finish this, we’ll need $700,000,” Nicolas said. “We were fortunate enough to get a NJEDA grant, which covered a small portion of it.”

Murphy signed the New Jersey Economic Act of 2020 into law in January 2021, which created a seven-year plan to provide $14 billion in “tax incentive, financing, and grant programs that will address the ongoing economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and build a stronger, fairer New Jersey economy.” The New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) is the agency that manages such grants, with an overall mission to promote the state economy.

Nicolas is a first generation Haitian American and New Jersey native who sold cannabis to help his family. “I use cannabis to survive and pay bills,” Nicolas explained. “My mom, she had breast cancer [when] I was growing up. By the time I was 13, cannabis was the only way of putting food on the table.”

Later on, when attending Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey, he was using medical cannabis personally, but also sharing its benefits with other students in need. He said that athletes would seek him out to obtain cannabis to help manage stress during their finals.

Unfortunately, in 2019 he was being pulled over by police more often. “It wasn’t by normal police,” said Nicolas. “I wasn’t being asked for my ID when I was getting pulled over. It was basically stop and frisk, most of the time.”

This led to multiple arrests, which threatened to end his college career. One of his court appearances was on the day of one of his finals. “I had to explain to my professors who didn’t want me to skip this final on why I had to skip this final, because it was either between my degree or my freedom,” he added.

Nicolas founded PGH in 2021, and in February 2021 Murphy signed three cannabis-related bills into law. A1897 removed criminal penalties for cannabis possession for up to six ounces of flower or 170 grams of hash, decriminalized the transfer of one ounce of cannabis from one adult to another, and reduced distribution penalties for large amounts of product. A21/S2 set up regulations for cannabis production and sales and established a sales tax where 70% would be given back to low-income communities. A5342 implemented new rules for underage cannabis possession penalties that lead to community service rather than prison time, as well as prohibits police from using the smell of cannabis to search youth.

Today, PGH has 10 employees, which adds up to an average age of 25. “This group is probably the youngest in the nation, operating a legal cannabis business,” explained Nicolas. “But everyone here has hustle, and is definitely dedicated towards this company.”

“People who come from my background, especially from the inner city, [most] don’t have the amount of capital that it takes to start up one of these,” Nicolas said about PGH. “I think the state can do a little better; provide more grants, allow the grants that are open for businesses that are non-cannabis to be open for cannabis businesses.”

Murphy expressed his pride in seeing more diverse business owners and operators within the industry, but wants to see more. “I still want to see… more equity, more reward and redemption for the folks who were crushed by the war on drugs,” Murphy commented on Nicolas’ success so far. “You’re a role model for exactly what we want this industry to look like,” he said. “Somebody who has been crushed, sadly, on the one hand by the war on drugs and has reemerged as a bright star.”

The strain, dubbed “Murphy’s Sourz” was originally sold starting in January. “Our Murphy’s Sourz is a dynamic Sativa canna strain, born from the union of Sour OG and Tangie,” PGH wrote on Instagram. “This strain strikes a perfect balance between the uplifting euphoria and calming relaxation, making it suitable to combat stress, anxiety, and pain. The flavor is a delightful mix of sour lemon, sweet tangerine, with hints of diesel and pine.”

Nicolas explained the reason why they chose to name a strain after the state’s governor. “We were like, ‘Let’s try to get Governor Murphy’s attention with this one,’” Nicolas said, according to a WHYY news report. “I didn’t expect him to give me a surprise visit.”  When introduced to his namesake strain, Murphy said he was “honored.”

Following Murphy’s visit, he wrote a brief post on Facebook about his tour experience. “Toured Prolific Growhouse in Mount Holly today to see how our cannabis industry has matured since we passed legalization,” Murphy wrote. “Entrepreneurs like David Nicolas give me hope that we can build a strong and diverse industry that reverses some of the worst effects of the War on Drugs.”

According to the PGH website, Nicolas is committed to both the excellence for his business but also supporting change and promoting equity within the industry. “We not only produce top of the line cannabis products, but seek to invoke change in our communities as well,” said the company. “PGH is committed to making advances for social justice by providing opportunities for those affected by prior cannabis convictions. These opportunities will create progress towards diversity and inclusion within the recreational cannabis industry.”

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With a tagline featuring a founding year “Since before we could tell,” Sunset Connect alludes to the fluctuating legal status of the world’s most favored flower. When I visit the manufacturing space in San Francisco—a former lambskin condom factory and, later, a photography studio—the bright white walls are a welcome break from the dark gray day outside. It’s the last day of January 2024, and we’re in the middle of an atmospheric river called a “Pineapple Express,” but from founder Ali Jamalian’s upstairs office that oversees the space, I can only hear taps of the rain outside. Jamalian’s broad smile and kind eyes are the type that light up a room. Coupled with that, he’s a great storyteller. Through personal trials and triumphs, Jamalian has grown into a voice that remembers the outlaws of pot’s past. And, with his brand Sunset Connect, he’s proudly repping the profound legacy that San Francisco represents in shaping the availability of cannabis around the world.

“You have to be an activist,” Jamalian says of operating a cannabis company in the City by the Bay. “You have to advocate for the industry.”

Locals will first notice that Sunset Connect’s logo and branding borrow inspiration from Muni, San Francisco’s public transportation system, including buses, trains, and cable cars. The script on “Sunset”is in the same curving worm-like font as the iconic 1975 Muni logo. And, with packaging showcasing the design of paper Muni bus transfer tickets that were retired in 2016, its brand identity stands as a sort of insider call back to an earlier time. Sunset Connect has evolved over the years but is now putting out hash-infused dogwalkers and trim pre-rolls. The pre-rolls retail at $5.

“I think what we really pride ourselves in is the separation, getting all the fan leaves and the sticks and stems out and really being left with sugar leaf and small buds,” Jamalian says as we walk the manufacturing floor. “My whole point was like, ‘Dude, you’ve got to be able to get something to people at a fair price that they can afford every day.’”

Jamalian believes the batch size, 100 grams, is critical to the salability of his 1-gram pre-rolls and says he’s selling about 25,000 each week. 

“We firmly believe that the success of our joints is that they’re hand-topped and twisted,” Jamalian says as I watch an employee complete packing the herb down and adding the wick-like twist of paper at the top. “I think that’s what gives you the good draw and the fact that we grind it in tiny batches of 100 grams.”

The Connect

Steered by hippies and activists who sold grass in the 1970s and provided cannabis to those in medical need in the 1990s, San Francisco stands as a significant touchpoint for the medical marijuana movement. Actions that took place there and in the greater San Francisco Bay Area led California to become the first state to approve medical marijuana in 1996.

The Sunset Connect brand was born in California’s medical marijuana era and was granted a state license as a manufacturing and distribution company in the adult-use cannabis marketplace in 2020. Based in the city’s Sunset District and known as The Sunset Connect, Jamalian and his best friends since freshman year at the University of San Francisco brought cuts of classic strains to medical marijuana dispensaries circa 2014. This included White Widow—an extremely popular strain in the late ’90s and early 2000s following its win at the 1995 Cannabis Cup—and a strain breeders Mr. Sherbinski and Jigga created in a Sunset District garage around 2010, Sunset Sherbert.

While the Sunset Connect team went official in 2014, they had been growing pot together for some time before that. Back in 1999, the feds charged Jamalian with possession and intent to distribute weed, and since he was a German-Iranian with a green card, he faced deportation. Spooked from the ordeal, he returned to Germany for a time and returned to the United States when his friends called him back into the game.

“At that point, the boys were already blowing up like 15 houses in the Sunset and around town and doing really well with it, vending to dispensaries, but mostly moving it black market,” Jamalian says. “So I came back… I started with one house on 47th [avenue] and about two to three years later about four to five houses and then between us we had like 30-35 homes.”

In 2018, when Jamalian started working to bring Sunset Connect into the adult-use cannabis marketplace, he began to get politically involved with organizations designed to advocate for the industry. But within those groups, such as the now-defunct California Growers Association, he says he often found business owners campaigning on behalf of their companies rather than the community.

“Everyone that I worked with was moving weight and risking their lives to move weight,” Jamalian says. “And most of them didn’t get to transition…The heads in the Sunset weren’t being considered because we didn’t have warehouses; we had homes. Because back then, the criminal liability of growing at home was a lot less than the criminal liability of a 90-light warehouse.”

His role as a public-facing cannabis grower took the next step when Jamalian connected with Jane Kim, a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, who was running against acting mayor London Breed in 2018.

“When I met Jane, I told her I was already trying to build this place up and go legal, and she’s like, ‘In this city, you have to become an activist,’” Jamalian says. “She really taught me the way around City Hall.”

In January 2020, Jamalian became a member of the San Francisco Cannabis Oversight Committee, a representative group of cannabis company leaders that advise the board of supervisors and the mayor regarding implementing and enforcing city laws and regulations relating to cannabis. Beyond his political work, he’s always looking to network inside the cannabis community and puts on a monthly gathering in a Sunset District bar for budtenders.

“I think building a community, not to sell your product, it gives people an emotional connection to your brand,” Jamalian says. “We were the underdog, and we still are, and I think people like to root for the underdog.”

Kim’s cousin, Sam Joo, now works for Jamalian, handling compliance and production. Upon meeting him, Joo is locked in deep on the computer, navigating a change in California policy that vastly reduced the number of labs authorized by the state to test cannabis. When we chat about the current scene, he uses a phrase that became a touchpoint in describing California cannabis before its adult-use stage, the Wild West.

“We don’t have a choice but to build our production around what the labs are capable of doing,” Joo says. “I guess the excuse is that it’s new. I don’t know if other industries have faced what the cannabis industry is facing, but it feels like the Wild West, you know, where nobody really knows what they’re doing.”

The fluctuating nature of the regulations in the state’s adult-use cannabis industry has compounded with other factors, such as a dip in wholesale prices, in driving many longtime weed companies out of the market. Cannabis cultivators in California are disappearing in droves, and San Francisco is no exception to those statistics. Reporting done by the Cannabis Business Times in March 2023 shows that the state has lost thousands of cultivation licenses in recent years.

Jamalian tells me he’s learned that surviving in the cannabis industry means you have to be willing to expand and contract. He is readying for his brand to grow and plans to cultivate and release flowers under the Sunset Connect brand again soon. With that anticipated launch, he’s bringing back Dosi-Pie, a Velvet Pie and Do-Si-Dos cross. It’s the strain he says the brand was most well-known for at dispensaries back in the day. Sunset Connect’s current version has a peppery spice on the nose and tastes how sandalwood incense smells.

Now in his second term on the oversight committee, Jamalian uses his decades of experience in the city’s cannabis scene to advocate for the weed industry that remains in San Francisco.

“The market is on a downward slope; there’s going to be 30% of brands who disappear,” he says. “People are looking for good flowers from San Francisco. Also, there’s not a lot of outfits here anymore producing really good flowers.

“So, while San Francisco contracted, I think similar to the AI boom, cannabis companies are about to bloom again. Because the few that are left, they have a foot in the market, they’re now established, and people are like, ‘Wait, San Francisco is where the best weed in the world all comes from.’”

This article was originally published in the May 2024 issue of High Times Magazine.

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Since 2015, Louisiana State University (LSU) and Southern University (SU) are the only two public institutions in Louisiana that can legally cultivate medical cannabis. However, if Senate Bill 228 is signed into law, it would allow private contractors to take their place instead.

“They are the only two higher education systems in the country that are in the pot business right now, and it is my belief that it’s time we get them out of that business and let them focus on higher education,” said Sen. Patrick McMath, who is also the sponsor of the bill, told the Louisiana Illuminator.

Apparently, LSU and SU received help from two private growers, Good Day Farm and Ilera Holistic Healthcare, to get their own respective farms operational. If the bill becomes law, LSU and SU would transfer their respective cultivator licenses over to Good Day Farm and Ilera Holistic Healthcare, both of which will be permitted to hold on to their licenses for as long as they choose to renew them. As a result, no other cultivators would be allowed to apply for a license.

According to Louisiana Illuminator, Good Day Farm in particular has a relationship with legislators who may be attempting to control all cultivation within the state. Good Day Farm’s primary shareholder is Donald “Boysie” Bollinger, one of the richest people in the state, and company president John Davis’ wife, Paula Davis, is a House representative.

One of the key people who helped develop legislation for Louisiana’s medical cannabis law, former Rep. Joe Marino, told the news outlet that doing so would create a monopoly on cultivation. 

During his time in office, Marino introduced legislation to expand the number of cultivation licenses available for application, although it didn’t pass. In 2022, he also worked to expand the number of cannabis pharmacies, from 10 to 25, which was signed by former Gov. John Bel Edwards.

In March, McMath attended a committee hearing for SB-228, and claimed that the Louisiana medical cannabis industry was always meant to be private. He explained that including both LSU and SU was a late-hour floor amendment. “It was never really their intention to be put into this bill,” McMath said.

An earlier draft of SB-228 would have still provided a percentage of gross sales from Good Day Farms and Ilera Holistic Healthcare to the universities, but that has since been removed.

SB-228 was sent to Gov. Jeff Landry on May 16 for a signature or veto.

There has been plenty of other cannabis legislation introduced in the most recent legislative session. The Louisiana legislature initially legalized hemp-based edibles containing delta-9-THC back in 2022, with the knowledge presented by former House Speaker Clay Schexnayder who said it would require a person to consume “tractor-trailer loads” for a person to get high from it. Senate Bill 237 attempts to limit the law, and would make it illegal to sell or manufacture any cannabis products containing THC unless it’s included in a license medical cannabis product. During a committee hearing on May 14, many business owners claimed that such a bill would eliminate the consumable hemp industry that has been built so far, as well as any jobs that have developed from its success.

Louisiana Hemp Extractors owner Paige Melancon expressed his frustration about spending the last two years building up his business. “I feel like I’m being fired right now and I want you guys to come with me and fire my employees when we leave here, if you choose to do that,” Melancon said.

Supporters of SB-237 such as lobbyist Gene Mills, president Louisiana Family Forum, also spoke about putting an end to consumable hemp products. “Our vision is to build a Louisiana where God is honored, life is respected, families flourish and liberties reign,” Mills said at the hearing.

Most recently, SB-237 was heard on the House floor for debate on May 22.

Conversely, House Bill 707 seeks to establish a regulatory framework for adult-use cannabis legalization, although it doesn’t outright legalize recreational cannabis. “This is a very simple bill,” said bill sponsor Rep. Edmond Jordan. “What it does…it is for the adult use of cannabis. It sets up the retail side with dispensaries and how we would do that.” If passed, it would permit adults over 21 to purchase one ounce of cannabis per day and pay $75 per year to cultivate up to six plants per adult, or 12 plants per household.

House Bill 978 also would not legalize adult-use cannabis but sought to establish a foundation for legalization in the event that the federal government chose to legalize cannabis. “The bill does not legalize recreational marijuana,” said bill sponsor Rep. Candace Newell. “This is a regulation structure that I would like to see Louisiana put in place in preparation for having recreational marijuana legalized on the federal level or on the state level.” However, as of May 20 the bill was rejected in the House.

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Aeroponics

Using aeroponics, cannabis roots are suspended in the air and are fed water and nutrients via a fine mist. Aeroponics doesn’t require any type of medium or substrate, and the growing style is commonly used to develop clones. This is done through the use of cloners, or mini aeroponic systems that blow a mist over clones to allow growth. The lack of a medium usually ends up meaning less space per plant, and the roots don’t have to fight for space. One of the cons to aeroponic growing is that when the pumps break down, the roots die quickly without an alarm and a fast response. Since growers are dependent on timers, valves, and pumps working properly, there are plenty of ways to mess up the system if you don’t know what you’re doing.

Aquaponics

This relatively rare method combines aquaculture—small fish, crayfish, prawns, or snails—with hydroponics, feeding the plants with natural nutrients produced by aquatic animals instead of synthetic nutrients. The main reason growers experiment with aquaponics is for sustainability and eco-friendly purposes. It abandons any reliance on fertilizers that are mined and manufactured, so you can be sure no synthetic fertilizers end up in the final, chemical-free product. Online, some people say aquaponics is a complicated, overhyped process with few rewards, while others praise the benefits.

Hydroponics 

Hydroponic cultivation is the process of growing plants in a water-based nutrient solution that doesn’t use soil. Roots are grown in substrates like vermiculite or perlite (porous minerals), as well as coco coir (coconut husk fiber). They absorb water and nutrients like a sponge and roots grow around them. Hydroponics ideally provides a more controlled grow site, promoting faster growth, potentially higher yields, and higher nutrient uptake. Growers often take drastic measures to ensure their hydro setup is sterile, and they have to deal with pesticides less often. 

Sea of Green

The Sea of Green (SOG) growing technique is designed to maximize the yield per square foot of a grow operation by growing lots of small cannabis plants rather than fewer larger ones. It creates a dense canopy that can be harvested earlier with the plants growing a single large bud instead of branching out. A variation, the Screen of Green (SCROG) method, utilizes horizontal netting to create uniformity. SOG and SCROG setups are typically created by commercial operations that deal with larger-scale grows. These ways can be maximized through super cropping and other pruning and suspension techniques.

Soil-Grown

Keep it natural, the way nature intended, by growing plants in soil. Generally speaking, it’s easier to maintain a plant grown in soil than in most growing methods and it’s a great medium for beginners. Soil is also an abundant source found everywhere, while quality varies. Living soil, a variation of this technique, is when the soil contains organic matter, minerals, water, air, and microorganisms that work together synergistically. Cultivating in living soil is believed to maximize the terpene and flavor profiles of plants.

This article was originally published in the April 2024 issue of High Times Magazine.

The post High Five: 5 Cultivation Styles first appeared on High Times.

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The tale of Canna Country Farms is one of a multigenerational survivor from Humboldt County, California. Ted Blair, Canna Country’s owner and an award-winning third-generation cannabis farmer, considers the operation a model full-sun garden representing the best “the hill” has to offer. The farm’s geographical location helps, as being in the right location in The Emerald Triangle is critical to growing the best fire possible. Canna Country sits not too far outside Garberville, California. The town of about 1,300 people is southern Humboldt’s first major population center, just north of the Mendocino County line at Cook’s Valley.

Southern Humboldt is King

Some would argue that the Southern region of Humboldt County is some of the most ideal cannabis-cultivation lands in all of California. Numerous Emerald Cup champions in various categories dot the region, and, like Blair, many of their families have spent generations living off the land and the amazing cannabis it can provide.

When you’re talking about elite outdoor flowers grown by legacy survivors, southern Humboldt is one of the best places you can start, as far as Blair is concerned.

“We’re a third-generation farm that went legal, and our property is off the grid,” Blair told High Times. “We are a rainwater catchment. We’re in the ground. We plant a full-term sun, we don’t use any light, no light assist, and we’ve been creating our genetics for about five years up there.”

Blair immediately emphasized that they’re really all about family farming, being carbon-free, and doing things as natural as possible with all organic inputs for their plants. Also deeply embedded in the farm’s core values is trying not to do any damage to the environment.

We asked Blair if living off the grid has impacted his gardening style, given the connection to the land that comes with that kind of lifestyle.

“Absolutely, yes,” Blair replied, “I need to utilize the sun and do most of my heavy work during the day off of the electricity and try and save it for, you know, later at night. We don’t have to have any backup generator of any kind.”

Blair lived off the grid with his family when he was growing up, but they eventually got power.

The farm is a piece of property his family has owned for about 15 years. His mom helped him get started, and in the years since, he has taught his sons how to manage the farm and grow great weed, as contests in recent years have proven. In 2021, Canna Country took home second place for #26 in the sungrown flower category of The Emerald Cup and ninth for #9, followed by a sixth place win for #26 in the same strain and category in 2022. Last year, Canna Country Farms took home a second-place award in the non-infused pre-roll category for its collaboration with Huckleberry Hill Farms, a Whitethorn Rose and Canna Country #26 blended pre-roll.

Based on his many awards, it’s clear that Blair’s cannabis is unique, but he points out a lot is going on at the farm besides cannabis.

“We have fruit trees and persimmons and berries, and we have wild mushrooms in the winter,” Blair said. “We aren’t far from the ocean. So we have a boat, we go salmon fishing, rock cod, halibut, and crab.” 

Blair said he’ll be using the fish carcasses in an emulsion he is making for this year.

Blair went a little deeper into what makes the region so special; it’s the climate, but it’s also the experience that’s in the hills.

“Not only is it just awesome sun and weather, but planting in the same dirt for almost 14 years and regenerating the dirt every year, it keeps getting better and better,” Blair said. “So, having the great weather and all these applications that have their own microclimates, having our genetics that are rare, and then knowing how to cure, dry, and store and just keep it as fresh as possible. And those are things we really can’t teach. It’s just trial by error for me anyway.”

Locally Bred

Blair has been growing cannabis since he was 13. His older sister would toss her roaches off the back porch, and one year, two plants popped up. He started tending to those plants. His mother also always had a couple of plants in her garden that she would let him help with.

The backbone of Canna Country in recent years has been the breeding work they did five years ago. Blair has spent the past few years digging through all those seeds based on which crosses he was the most excited about. In total, he has 305 crosses from that season five years ago. The work has been steady.

A lot of the pollen involved in the process was community-sourced. Different farms had pollen available on different days. They would let folks know what day so they could come over and grab it fresh.

His favorite from the pack so far is the #26. It reminds him of the phenos he grew as a guerrilla grower in the hills during his youth. It’s green all the way through until it gets some purple at the end, exclusively on the flower itself. The strain is a pairing of Forbidden Fruit and Cherimoya.

“We had this strain that was nice, that #26 strain. [It] had that smell, and I couldn’t get out of my head that I remember from when I was a kid,” Blair said, “It’s woody, peppery, and spicy. It’s creamy. It’s got all these different flavors to it. I just fell in love with that immediately. That was our star, that was my star, and it is my favorite. And there have been several others.”

Right now, the farm has popped 47 of the strains from the massive breeding project. Usually, Blair would pop about 50 seeds of each cross. He is working on trying to get licensing agreements together and get the work out to people who want to do large grows but has found a lot of red tape in the process.

“I think to have your own strain that no one else in the world has to grow on your farm, we all recognize how important it is,” Blair said noting the #26 is currently their diamond. “Having that in our pocket is probably the only reason we survived.”

Another big winner from the breeding project was the #9. It brings together Humboldt Skunk and F4 Sour Diesel OG Kush for a very gassy experience that the farm calls unforgettable. The team at Canna Country promises a full-bodied high but said there is still plenty of cerebral activity.

Getting Legal

Blair noted that the red tape involved with licensing his strains is difficult on top of the fees that he already pays the state and county to exist, in addition to an assortment of other agencies such as the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Water Board. The farm does whatever it has to stay in good standing. For Blair, going legal was never an option if he wanted his work to keep going; it was a must.

“It was sort of like you had to join up if you wanted to keep doing what you were doing,” Blair said. “At that time, county officials were sending out these threatening letters. They were abatement letters. They were going to come out to your house and start fighting you and doing all this scary stuff. I wanted my legacy, my kids, to be able to do what they’re doing.”

When Blair decided to go legal, he had no idea about the kind of pain and suffering that he would face throughout the process. In our interview, he questioned whether he would still have done it if given a chance to do it over. As for watching other people go hard without jumping through the legal hoops, Blair loves his neighbors regardless of what side of the fence they’re on and doesn’t want any of them to have to deal with heavy enforcement.

Blair went on to explain the biggest hurdle in the legacy market besides the pound price crashing. He argued that just getting the product to market is a struggle in a market driven by THC percentages. Consumers do not often make their purchases based on factors other than THC potency, so Canna Country’s effort to highlight things like the terpene ocimene doesn’t always get the spotlight it deserves.

Packing Dilemmas & Selling Direct

As someone who is very earth-conscious, Blair has been blown away by the amount of packaging he is required to use in order to be compliant. He’s even more shocked at just how wild some folks get with it.

“It’s terrible, man. It’s terrible. If I roll a joint, there’s no stuff I throw on the ground. There’s nothing I throw in the garbage,” Blair said. “[If] we go into the dispensary and want to buy one cartridge, it’s like a pile of garbage, and then you got to buy the battery, and there’s a pile of garbage. It’s just insane what this has turned into.”

Blair feels one of the most helpful things for small farmers would be simplifying direct-to-consumer sales. The average distributor charges 17% of whatever they can convince the retailer to buy the product for. Being able to send things directly from the farm to consumers would be a massive benefit for growers. As the California industry potentially expands to other states, farm direct would mean delivering freshness and quality, especially in Humboldt.

In 2024, California cannabis testing facilities were required to adhere to stricter controls from the state. While these new restrictions should help get inflated THC numbers back to reality, Blair doesn’t think it will matter if consumers aren’t educated.

Those who buy Canna Country flowers understand that quality isn’t defined by THC percentages alone. Among the people buying Canna Country’s flowers is Farmer and The Felon, a brand that has previously won The Emerald Cup with its gear. Farmer and the Felon aren’t going to just toss things in their bags that would dent their reputation. That relationship is certainly another feather in the cap for Canna Country.

“Canna Country embodies the holy trinity of cannabis: genetics, the farmers, and terroir,” said Patrick Anderson, brand manager for the Farmer and the Felon. “For the past two years, they’ve been an exceptional partner, as they have harnessed this synergy to grow cannabis with wildly diverse profiles and unique effects.”

Keep an eye out for Canna Country Farms on competition podiums across California in 2024.

This article was originally published in the May 2024 issue of High Times Magazine.

The post Living Off the Land first appeared on High Times.

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More than ever before, the people of Morocco are urging the government to finally legalize cannabis. Three years ago, the plant was approved for export. Since then, farm communities have continued to produce large quantities of cannabis on fertile land, notably in the Rif region. The most recent call for legalization gained global publicity when the National Agency for the Regulation of Activities Related to Cannabis (ANRAC) visited these farms to celebrate the continued growth of the first waves of legal cannabis. 

For the past six decades, cannabis has remained illegal in Morocco, despite being the world’s leading provider of hashish, with an infamously successful black market that provides to Europe and beyond. In May 2021, the parliament took a significant step by passing a law allowing the cultivation of cannabis for pharmaceutical and industrial purposes. It is estimated that the country could generate $15 billion with full legalization. “In Morocco, opening a discussion is necessary because regulating cannabis for medical and industrial purposes will not eliminate the existing black market,” said Shakib Al Khayari, coordinator of the Moroccan Coalition for Medical and Industrial Use of Cannabis.

However, even if the country legalizes cannabis, there is intense distrust, fear, and pain among farmers. Although a state plan aims to ensure indigenous peoples receive equal financial benefits from potential cannabis businesses, there remains doubt. Many farmers who would rather stick to the black market to avoid the upfront costs, administrative hurdles, and quality control. Not to mention, a huge shift in production will have to happen that’ll no doubt raise costs of production. Khalid Mouna, a professor at Moulay Ismail University in Meknes who studies Morocco’s cannabis economy, recently told Bloomberg, “Cannabis has been part of the region’s economy for centuries, and changing it overnight will face resistance.”

Complicating matters further, some farmers trust the cartels more than the government given their long history of extreme laws and enforcement practices. For example, an arrest for cannabis can result in a 10-year jail sentence and a fine. To worsen relations between growers and authorities, many farmers have experienced police burning their crops, depriving them and their families of food and livelihoods.

In the eyes of the nation’s state agency, though, legal cannabis businesses could potentially increase farmers’ revenues four or fivefold. Especially if legalization goes beyond medical use. “The real opportunity for Morocco in the long term lies in recreational use,” according to Alastair Moore, co-founder of cannabis-focused consultancy Hanway Associates, “because that’s where their brand is.”

The news of significant documented growth comes after a booming year in harvesting following the first legal harvest, which produced 294 metric tons thanks to the country’s approval of cultivation and export for medicinal and industrial purposes. Around 430 farmers completed their grow jobs in the Northern Rif mountain areas of Al Houceima, Taounat, and Chefchaouen.

Last year, the country granted 54 export permits. So far this year, the number of permits for cultivation increased to 161. Mohamed Guerrouj, head of the National Agency for the Regulation of Activities Linked to Cannabis, praised the impressive results. “This year, we anticipate a significant harvest given the cultivated area,” he told The North African Post. Additionally, the country reported and celebrated its first legal export of THC to Switzerland for medical purposes.

Mohamed El-Guerrouj, a former politician and present leader of ANRAC, is working towards a greener future and smoothing tensions between the palace and farmers. He described the legal growth and steps toward full legalization as “historic.”

Despite harsh laws and slow progress, cannabis is widely accepted by civilians and has long been enjoyed. Two years ago, 80% of the country supported cannabis legalization. This overwhelming support is probably why much of the population backed the infamous drug trafficker Mohammed Al-Rammach, who ran the largest cannabis racket in Morocco in the early 2000s. 

When Al-Rammach was arrested in 2003, many civilians decried his arrest because he used the money to support struggling families and create job opportunities. For example, the smuggler would wash his money by opening businesses to employ locals. 

Farmers fear that the state will simply allow big pharmaceutical companies and businesses to reap all the rewards. There have been few guarantees, especially in writing, to assure farmers that this won’t happen. Mohamed Benamar, a consultant for ANRAC, is working to cool these tensions as they develop a 10-year plan for legal cannabis sales and use.

Meanwhile, similar to the United States, activists, locals, and farmers will continue to criticize the government’s hypocrisy as they seek to benefit from legal cannabis. On the flip side, there are those who remain hopeful about the change and the progress being made. Despite the challenges and complexities of legalizing cannabis in Morocco, the country’s population strongly supports legalization.

The post Moroccan Farmers Urging Government To Legalize Cannabis first appeared on High Times.

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