After basking in the terpene-rich atmosphere of The Madrones—a weed and wine resort in Mendocino County known for its curated landrace varieties from The Bohemian Chemist—I was inspired to find something similar in Los Angeles. Why landrace strains matter Landrace cannabis strains are the earth’s pure expression of the plant. Native to regions like South […]

The post A journey through landrace cannabis in LA: From Mendocino to WeHo appeared first on Leafly.

The post A journey through landrace cannabis in LA: From Mendocino to WeHo appeared first on Paradise Found.

The regulated cannabis market has come a long way from its illicit roots, but the formula to succeed in this game never really changed for anyone paying close enough attention.

I say this with particular regard to two factors: financing and company focus. In my humble opinion as a man who has spent most of his life around the plant, the best weed has always been grown by people who are self-funded and focused on quality of the weed itself with little regard for marketing strategy, sales gimmicks, mylar art etc. All those things are still important, but they should not be the top priority.

Enter Parlay, a company cultivating in downtown Los Angeles with around 300 lights and a small team, who have been operating in the recreational space since May of 2020. I spoke to the owner of Parlay who respectfully asked to keep their name out of the public eye, about their perspective on the legal market. It was refreshing in that they are uber-focused on producing the best possible cannabis, for the best possible price, without breaking the unwritten rules passed down from the days of prohibition. 

“Parlay stands for sticking to the code. I don’t know how else to explain it. There’s an unspoken code of ethics in cannabis, and I feel as though we try to keep the standards high in all aspects,” the owner of Parlay said. “Whether it’s the quality, the way that we conduct ourselves, or how we treat our friends in the game… There’s just too much silliness that goes around nowadays, and we’re not into the gimmicks.”

In the cutthroat recreational market of California, a big chunk of the larger companies out there have gotten where they are by cutting corners, screwing over competitors and putting together complex marketing schemes that are ultimately used to get customers to purchase sub-par flower. I do not believe Parlay to be in that group. Their work has received accolades from plenty of certified connoisseurs whose opinion I trust (check out First Smoke of the Day’s review of their MochiLatti) and they command brand recognition across a huge swath of the world for such a small company.

Parlay also has some impressive collaborations under their belt with companies like BackpackBoyz and Runtz which is, in my opinion, a testament to the quality of their work, and an indicator that they’re doing good business. The big dogs have their ear to the ground, after all. They don’t tend to mingle with known rule breakers or mids pushers. Hell, most of them are in a group chat with each other. This is a tight knit community and bad behavior doesn’t tend to get very far without everybody hearing about it.

Quality of the weed aside, the word Parlay has become a bit of a trend lately. I think it probably has to do with the emerging popularity of online sports betting wherein people who have never gambled in their life have been throwing a few bucks into parlay bets on the off chance they strike it rich. 

When it comes to doing business in the cannabis space, however, staying financially solvent at this stage of the game is often synonymous to throwing your life savings into a sports bet with slim to none odds of paying out. Between the lack of tax breaks, obscene overhead costs and the ever-fluctuating consumer market even growers with decades of experience under their belts have been bankrupted by the modern day recreational market in California. It becomes a big shitty game of chicken to stay afloat. You have to enter yourself into the race and go drop off the money for next months electric bill at the betting booth time and time again. 

“We’re all in. I have no business partners. I have no investors. All money in. ALL money in. All risk taken because we knew that this was a greater cause,” the owner of Parlay said. “I knew that this was gonna be a part of my life. I saw cannabis as a space where I see myself in the future – being a tastemaker, creating good product, and being a person with integrity to give people good medication.”

Good medication in the recreational market has become increasingly more elusive as the California cannabis canopy expands and the market continues to mature, bringing tougher margins and higher costs with it every day. It has become a game of monocropping the money strains and expanding indefinitely until everyone’s weed ends up looking, smelling, tasting and smoking the exact same. It’s nothing sinister or complex. People have investors to report to, sales goals to hit and sky high electric bills to defend paying. That’s why the weed has to be special to stand out, and special weed doesn’t just fall out of the damn sky perfectly cured and ready to roll. It takes years of work, the scrutiny of an overbearing mother and a fair amount of luck to produce consistently.

“We don’t spray any weed. We don’t put in any fucking PGR’s. We try our best not to cut any corners. We don’t even care about the yield. We just want the weed to smoke good, and then we want to just share it with our friends. It ain’t much more complicated than that,” he told me.

Now while some of the CEO’s out there might attest that it is much more complicated than that, the mission statement doesn’t have to be. The proof is in the pudding. Keeping it simple and refusing to scale past a manageable point can work wonders if you’re dedicated to the craft. Refusing to take on investors and intentionally staying small until your work takes on a life of its own can lend itself to greater success later on. If you don’t believe me, just look at what happened to the big money multi-state operators that went too big too fast.

The post Betting on Yourself: the Story of Parlay first appeared on High Times.

The post Betting on Yourself: the Story of Parlay appeared first on Paradise Found.

Dedicated to my imaginary friends Hoppy Soppy and Monster Scooter.

My therapist Peter-Tuesdays-At-Noon (and sometimes Peter-Fridays-At-Nine) said I need a healthier work/life balance. He suggested taking Sundays off, and doing whatever I want.

I asked him, “Could I write about it?” 

He said, “That’s work.” 

I said, “No, it’s fun.” 

He said, “If you must.”

So, with P.T.A.N.’s blessing every Sunday I’m making it my mission to get lifted and live more! 

TL;DR – Overall I’d give this Sunday an 8.4/10.

This Sunday I got high, drank coffee, ate a bagel, saw the movie IF with a friend, walked home, got high, ate pizza, watched NHL highlights and sneaker videos on Youtube, jacked off, went to bed.

If you’d like a more in-depth look into my self-care Sunday let’s get into it!

(Editor’s Note: There will not be an in-depth look into jacking off. We aren’t sure why he tried to fight us on this.)

THE KEY TO A BALANCED BREAKFAST IS AN EDIBLE

I usually start my mornings by checking my phone, and being called a cuck on Instagram — but not on Sundays! On Sunday, I began my morning with a 5mg gummy followed by checking a group text asking friends who can see a movie. 

The group text was off to a rocky start. 

So, I decided to check back later, and go get some breakfast. Maybe by then Steve Bannon will respond.

Walking into an Alfred coffee shop, the edible started to make my bones settle. I ordered my standard fare: a large iced black coffee. The barista asked if I wanted any milk, but I declined saying, “No thanks.” Low-key milk gives me diarrhea, but my intuition told me she didn’t want to hear that truth. 

After getting my coffee I turned the corner towards the Yeastie Boys bagel truck. I think the Beastie Boys are massively overrated [Editor’s Note: he’s wrong about this.], but Yeastie Boys are not. I grabbed an everything bagel with a jalapeno cheddar cream cheese schmear. They hooked the schmear up! I offered them an edible as thanks, but they said no so I ate theirs.

Great way to start a Sunday!

ONCE WE GOT TO THE MOVIE THINGS GOT OUT OF CONTROL

My good buddy Gabe texted me back to see IF at 4:30 at The Grove AMC Theater. 

We coordinated seating, and I locked the tickets in.

Movie theater seating is crucial for a stoner. I prefer a back corner seat like L1 so I can hit a vape throughout the movie. However, this was opening weekend, so call me Liam Neeson because my seat was Taken. Instead, I took an aisle seat with a clear pathway to the bathroom to go vape in a stall if the movie stunk.

This is where it goes south. As an AMC A-Lister I can see three movies a week for free, and I get to stand in a special VIP concession line that cuts in front of the peasants waiting for their snacks in the basic bitch regular line. A-List costs $25 a month, and is worth it in every way except one. They check every A-Lister’s ID when they scan your ticket. They claim it’s to make sure people aren’t sneaking into movies for free on someone else’s account. It makes me so mad. I don’t pay all this money every month, essentially keeping the movie industry in business single-handedly, to be treated like riff raff. You don’t check the plebs’ ID’s to make sure they’re who they say they are too.

What’s next? Making me wear a scarlet A on my Fear of God t-shirt to be allowed in? Fix it, AMC CEO Adam Aron. He follows me on Instagram so he will see this.

We also saw a table claiming to help your child be discovered in Hollywood, but after seeing Quiet on the Set this is giving big pedo/groomer vibes so I’m gonna move on.

IF ROCKS!

IF is rated PG. It was the perfect movie for a theater packed with families, and two very stoned dudes. We all had a blast. It’s two hours of childlike escapism filled with imaginary friends, silly jokes, vibrant montages, and swirling music. The perfect stoner cinematic experience — and not to brag but I figured out the twist in the kids movie before it was revealed.

I only had three complaints. 

1) Every review of it is written by adults, and they trash it. Hey Dumdum, it’s not for you. Let kids write reviews for kid movies. See it in a theater filled with children like we did, and you’ll hear them laughing, cheering, gasping in wonderment, and their parents finding a moment of peace.

2) Parents, pick up your trash. The theater was a disaster when the lights came up. Popcorn cartons, soda cups, and candy wrappers everywhere. Teach your kids to pick up after themselves so the people who work at AMC don’t have to do it. It’s gross, and you’re better than that. 

3) I took this pic when someone clapped after the Nicole Kidman commercial. Buddy, we’re past that. Its moment is up. Also, Nicole’s sitting in an empty theater for the whole thing. That’s not giving “I love movies” like you think it is.

WRAP IT UP LIKE A BLIZZIE

Sundaze rock. I’m all about taking the day off to get lifted and live life. I’m not sure what I’ll do next Sunday, but I hope Kelly Anne Conway is free. 

Mike Glazer is a comedian who loves weed. He’d love it if you followed him on Instagram and Youtube.

The post Self-Care Sundaze first appeared on High Times.

The post Self-Care Sundaze appeared first on Paradise Found.

The ritzy, upscale Los Angeles neighborhood Bel Air will welcome a new arrival: a cannabis store, run by rapper Xzibit, who proudly represents the West Coast. It’s the rapper’s latest foray into the cannabis sector after launching a cannabis-themed podcast and a cannabis brand Napalm.

Xzibit’s West Coast Cannabis (XWCC) opened its doors last month but operators want to kick off with a bang and some opening ceremonies. The store is located off the 405 freeway on Sepulveda Blvd., on the second floor of a building. The store will celebrate the launch on April 28 with a grand opening and a 4:20 p.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony, followed by a block party.

The store opening gives Xzibit the distinction of being the sole adult-use cannabis retail licensee in Bel Air, Benzinga reports.

“The West Coast is more than just a term that describes where we live, it stands for the culture of everything that represents us. From entertainment to our beloved sports teams, our car culture, our neighborhoods, and beaches, we are proud citizens of this community and XWCC is a celebration of all of the above,” Xzibit stated. ‘We are honored to be able to open our doors in such a special location and invite everyone to come celebrate the West Coast along with us.”

The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is not far from Bel Air, and Xzibit’s new store has a unique approach. In a press release, XWCC announced that UCLA students are invited to try out the new cannabis store, with the promise of a 60% discount on premium cannabis products, which demonstrates XWCC’s commitment to directly helping the local community.

If anyone needs a discount, it’s students with the burden of tuition and living expenses—especially students in California.

“Nestled in the iconic neighborhood of Bel Air, Los Angeles, XWCC is more than a premium cannabis dispensary—it’s a culmination of a journey marked by passion, commitment, and excellence,” the website reads. “Founded by renowned artist and entrepreneur, Xzibit, XWCC is a reflection of his life’s story—from his humble beginnings to his rise as a West Coast legend in music, entertainment, and cannabis. Xzibit’s career, marked by groundbreaking music and creative ventures, has always been driven by a deep commitment to authenticity and innovation. His journey is infused into the ethos of XWCC.”

XWCC represents the best of the West when it comes to quality herb.

Recently the rapper also launched Lasagna Ganja, a weekly podcast about the cannabis sector. He co-hosts the podcast, supported by DCP Entertainment, with cannabis advocate and influencer Tammy The Cannabis Cutie.

Last year, Flora Arbor LLC, a licensed craft grow based in Elgin, Illinois, announced an exclusive licensing and distribution agreement with Napalm, a premium cannabis brand founded by hip-hop artist, actor, and entertainer Xzibit. (Some people didn’t like the name because it was named after a weapon of war with a dark past.)

Xzibit and Cannabis

In the most recent High Times interview with Xzibit, he explained how cannabis can help replace things like liquor. It’s a testament that the rapper’s wilder, earlier days are now balanced with a healthier substitute like cannabis.

“I don’t get as shit-faced as I used to,” Xzibit told High Times in 2019. “I don’t bounce back like I used to, so I had to slow that shit down. It gets in the way of your productivity.” The rapper grew up in New Mexico before moving on to the coast in Los Angeles, where he blew up. He was proud to announce the store opening on 

“Get ready to elevate your experience! XWCC is opening its doors on March 17th!” Xzibit posted on Instagram last month. “Whether you’re a seasoned connoisseur or new to the scene, we’ve got something special just for you. Swing by and discover a curated selection of premium products. Mention @935kday and receive a special treat!”

As a rapper, Xzibit joined Dr. Dre and others on the “Up in Smoke Tour” and he hosted MTV’s popular Pimp My Ride. It was more or less an all-star lineup of mostly West Coast icons.

“It was the first time that my music had been broadcast and pushed on a national or on a global level, alongside iconic acts such as Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, Eminem and Snoop Dogg, and you know, all of us coming up under that 2001 [Dr. Dre’s 1999 solo album] umbrella,” Xzibit said. “I was exposed to millions and millions of people, and now you have the opportunity to showcase your talent at the highest point of the pendulum.”

Xzibit’s new foray with his cannabis store in Bel Air shows that he’s not going anywhere and will remain a fixture in the cannabis market.

The post Xzibit Opens Bel Air’s Only Cannabis Retail Store with Support for Students appeared first on High Times.

The post Xzibit Opens Bel Air’s Only Cannabis Retail Store with Support for Students appeared first on Paradise Found.

Monday was not a good day for billionaire Sean “Diddy” Combs—once one of the most highly respected producers in hip-hop and one of the most successful Black entrepreneurs to enter the game—as feds from multiple agencies raided two of his homes in Los Angeles and Miami. 

Two of Diddy’s homes were raided as part of a federal investigation led by the Southern District of New York into alleged human trafficking. Homeland Security officers from at least three locations took part in the raid, as well as other law enforcement members.

“Earlier today, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New York executed law enforcement actions as part of an ongoing investigation, with assistance from HSI Los Angeles, HSI Miami, and our local law enforcement partners,” the spokesperson said. “We will provide further information as it becomes available.”

Diddy’s lavish $40 million dollar home in Holmby Hills in Los Angeles was raided. Aerial footage from KTLA in Los Angeles showed multiple SWAT vehicles descending on his house. It boasts 17,000 square feet and has a 3,000 square-foot guesthouse, and Los Angeles Times reported that it has a theater, a gym, a wine room, and an underwater swimming tunnel connecting to an underground grotto.

His other home—Emilio and Gloria Estefan’s former home on Star Island in Miami Beach, Florida, worth $35 million—was also raided. Combs, 54, was in the Miami area when the raids were taking place, according to law enforcement agents who obtained a warrant for his arrest Investigators seized the phones of Combs, as he was scheduled to depart for a vacay to the Bahamas. 

In December 2023, a lawsuit was filed against Combs by a Canadian woman identified only as Jane Doe, who says she was sex-trafficked and gang raped in 2003 when she was 17 and in the 11th grade. She says two of her associates were also victims, and she is accusing him of running a “sex trafficking scheme.” 

The lawsuit names Combs, former Bad Boy Entertainment president Harve Pierre and an unnamed third defendant, claiming Pierre and the third unnamed defendant approached the girl at a lounge in Detroit, Michigan, where Pierre allegedly told her he was “best friends” with Combs and dialed him up.

With photographic evidence, the lawsuit alleges Pierre and the unnamed defendant convinced the girl to take a private jet to Combs’s studio in New York City, where she alleges she was drugged up, and gang raped by all three defendants.

Jane Doe is the fourth person to file a lawsuit accusing Combs of sexual assault. An earlier complaint, for instance was made on Nov. 16, 2023, when the producer’s former girlfriend, Cassandra “Cassie” Ventura, filed a lawsuit against Combs, accusing him of sex trafficking and sexual assault.

Since the allegations, Diddy has stepped down as chairman of Revolt, a music-oriented digital cable television network founded by the rapper and producer, which he founded about 10 years ago.

Combs took to social media on Dec. 6, 2023, to denounce the allegations against him and defend himself, writing in a post on IG and Twitter, “Enough is enough.”

“Sickening allegations have been made against me by individuals looking for a quick payday,” he said. “Let me be absolutely clear: I did not do any of the awful things being alleged. I will fight for my name, my family and for the truth.”

Who is Diddy?

Diddy’s downfall is epic, given his prior successes. As founder of Bad Boy Records, which peaked at $100 million in value, Combs is best known for discovering and transforming The Notorious B.I.G., Usher, Mary J. Blige, rapper-turned-preacher Ma$e, and many other prolific artists. He won three of 13 Grammy Award nominations. He moved into fashion in 1998, and was brand ambassador for Cîroc vodka up until last year when his legal troubles caught up with him.

Changing his name numerous times, including Puff Daddy, P. Diddy, and other names, Combs had multiple no. 1 albums and singles as an artist or featured artist. His ode to Notorious B.I.G. sampling Sting, “I’ll Be Missing You,” spent 11 weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100.

In 2022, Combs planned to launch what was billed as the world’s largest Black-owned cannabis brand with the $185 million purchase of existing licensed cannabis operations in three states, but the deal collapsed in 2023.

Diddy’s allegations come amid the fanfare of Quiet on Set on Max, a documentary exposing the dark underside of Nickelodeon, with allegations of multiple sex crimes involving the cast of All That and other shows on the network.

The post Diddy’s Homes Raided by Homeland Security as Feds Close in on Alleged Human Trafficking Crimes appeared first on High Times.

The post Diddy’s Homes Raided by Homeland Security as Feds Close in on Alleged Human Trafficking Crimes appeared first on Paradise Found.

According to multiple reports late last week, MedMen has shuttered all but two of its stores in California.

“Only MedMen stores in San Diego and near Los Angeles International Airport remain open,” MJBizDaily reported on Friday. 

Green Market Report, citing a former staffer at the company, reported that “[although] no one connected with MedMen’s corporate headquarters could be reached for comment, the chain had a small fire sale to unload product this past week prior to closing down.”

The outlet has more on MedMen’s precipitous decline:

“The report of more closures follows a series of troubling developments for the company, including a string of earlier dispensaries closing down – including MedMen’s flagship store in West Hollywood in February, then its shops in San Jose and Emeryville the same month, and just this week, the company closed its San Francisco location. The news also follows a string of C-suite departures, with ex-CEO Ellen Deutsch Harrison resigning in January after less than seven months on the job.”

MJBizDaily, meanwhile, has specific figures on the number of jobs lost:

“The cash-strapped company operated more than a dozen stores in the state before the latest round of closures. The Los Angeles-based MSO on Thursday closed its San Francisco store in the Cow Hollow neighborhood, Medmen’s last remaining outlet in the Bay Area, according to SFist. The store opened only two years ago, the news outlet reported. MedMen, which has closed several other stores and laid off dozens of workers in California, Illinois and Nevada in the past month, shuttered its Long Beach location last week, MJBizDaily confirmed Friday. The Long Beach location had about 10 employees, according to a former staffer. The company has laid off more than 100 employees since Jan. 26, according to MJBizDaily reporting, including a round of corporate layoffs in MedMen’s accounting and marketing departments.”

Both outlets noted that MedMen’s official website has been down since last week. On Monday morning, visitors to the site were met with an image of a man lounging on his back poolside, with the message: “We’ll Be Back Soon Sorry, we’re down for scheduled maintenence. In the meantime, connect with us on social.”

The company has not posted on its Instagram account since January. Its last post on Facebook was in 2022.

In 2019, MedMen scrapped plans for a major acquisition. Alarmed by plunging cannabis stocks, the company “backed out of a blockbuster deal to buy PharmaCann, a Chicago-based marijuana company with operations in eight states,” the Associated Press reported at the time.

A year earlier, MedMen announced its plans to acquire PharmaCann for $682 million in an all-stock transaction. In a press release at the time, MedMen said that the resulting “pro-forma company (including pending acquisitions by MedMen) will have a portfolio of cannabis licenses in 12 states that will permit the combined company to operate 79 cannabis facilities.” 

“The combined company will operate in 12 states, which comprise a total estimated addressable market, as of 2030, of approximately $40 billion according to Cowen Group. Through the transaction, MedMen will add licenses in Illinois, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Massachusetts, Ohio, Virginia and Michigan,” the press release said.

The deal was supposed to be a watershed moment for the cannabis industry, with the AP noting that it “was seen as a forerunner of a wave of marijuana industry mergers and acquisitions promising big returns for investors.”

Adam Bierman, MedMen’s CEO at the time, called it “a transformative acquisition that will create the largest U.S. cannabis company in the world’s largest cannabis market.” 

“The transaction adds tremendous scale to our vertically integrated business model by expanding our U.S. retail footprint across important growth markets while strengthening our cultivation and production capabilities. With the revenue synergies that the deal is expected to produce, MedMen is well positioned to continue executing on our growth strategy,” said Bierman, who stepped down in his role as chief executive in early 2020.

“This would not have been possible even two years ago and is a testament to how far both the industry and these two companies have evolved. PharmaCann’s leadership has built a world-class organization, and we are excited about the value this transaction is creating for shareholders.”

But by the fall of 2019, MedMen was singing a very different tune. According to the Associated Press, the company “cited the steep pullback in U.S. and Canadian cannabis stocks this year,” and “noted the Horizons Marijuana Life Sciences Index, a Canadian exchange-traded fund that tracks cannabis stocks, is down 47% since March.”

“The underperformance has made it increasingly more critical to allocate capital efficiently, given the current industry headwinds,” MedMen said in a news release, as quoted by the Associated Press.

The post MedMen Reportedly Closes All But Two California Locations appeared first on High Times.

The post MedMen Reportedly Closes All But Two California Locations appeared first on Paradise Found.

Glass bongs, money counters, a La-Z-Boy recliner and a snow cone machine were among the goods auctioned off Friday at an auction hosted by the CHP and CDTFA to raise money for unpaid taxes on cannabis businesses.

The California Department of Taxes and Fee Administration released a notice last week about the auction, held Friday, February 16 in Los Angeles. The notice said that the property to be sold had been seized from 10 cannabis businesses in the Los Angeles area, nine of which were operating illegally according to the CDTFA. One was a legal dispensary that hadn’t paid its taxes. In total, the 10 businesses owed more than $14.4 million in unpaid taxes.

“Seizing and auctioning property from cannabis businesses that evade the law is a tool to recover the taxes owed to the state,” said CDTFA Director Nick Maduros in a statement.

Public notices of sale for the seized property to be sold Friday have been issued by the CHP and they are readily available online at the CDTFA website. The list of items to be sold can be described as varied at best and bizarre at worst, given who will be selling them.

Some notable items included multiple boxes of glass bongs, speakers, refrigerators, the aforementioned snow cone machine and La-Z-Boy recliner, cameras, televisions, sandwich boards, framed art and other miscellaneous items.

Proceeds from the auction will be put towards the unpaid liabilities owed by these ten businesses. This is the first such time that California government entities have auctioned off seized items from cannabis businesses, and it certainly marks the first time the California Highway Patrol has ever sold bongs to anybody that I’m aware of. 

That said, commercial properties seized from delinquent California cannabis businesses have been auctioned off in the past. In March of 2022 the CDTFA released a notice about the auction of a property in Whitter associated with a cannabis business, accused at the time of illegal sales, which owed over $850,000 in unpaid taxes. The CDTFA said at the time they hoped to recover at least $220,000 from the sale of this property.

“Unlicensed cannabis operators not only undercut legitimate businesses, but they also cheat California communities out of revenue for vital programs,” Director Maduros said in 2022. “These businesses are not licensed under the laws approved by California voters, and many of their products are unregulated.”

California has ramped up enforcement of illegal cannabis businesses in recent years with the introduction of the Unified Cannabis Enforcement Taskforce in late 2022. Since its creation by Governor Gavin Newsom, UCETF has seized over $317 million in unlicensed cannabis as the result of serving 218 search warrants across .

“Since its inception in late 2022, California’s Unified Cannabis Enforcement Taskforce has hit the ground running with year-round operations that spanned from the Oregon state line all the way down to San Diego,” said California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) Director Charlton H. Bonham. “We’ve sent a strong message that illegal operations that harm our natural resources, threaten the safety of workers, and put consumer health at risk have no place in California. While there is more work to be done, we made progress last year and I look forward to going further alongside our county, state, and federal partners.”

Since its inception, UCETF has also seized 128 firearms during raids on cannabis businesses. They have seized and eradicated 347,321 illegal cannabis plants in their history and seized over 189,000 pounds of dried cannabis bud in 2023 alone.

“California is effectively decreasing the illegal cannabis market by leveraging the strengths and knowledge of over 20 state agencies and departments alongside our local and federal partners. The UCETF’s progress in 2023 reflects California’s ongoing commitment to disrupting  and dismantling illegal cannabis activity,” stated Director Nicole Elliott of Department of Cannabis Control (DCC). “I look forward to working with all our partners in 2024 to build on this progress.”

The CDTFA and CHP auction took place at the CHP parking lot at 777 W. Washington Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90015 Friday, February 16. You can call 1-951-880-1990 for more information. Neither the CDTFA or CHP have yet indicated if they plan to auction off more bongs in the future.

The post California Cops, Tax Collectors Auction Off Property Seized in Cannabis Raids appeared first on High Times.

The post California Cops, Tax Collectors Auction Off Property Seized in Cannabis Raids appeared first on Paradise Found.

One person was killed on Saturday morning and another is in critical condition after an explosion at a Los Angeles commercial building that housed what authorities say was a “clandestine” cannabis extraction operation. The fire and death, which occurred at a one-story commercial building in the Green Meadows neighborhood of L.A., is now being investigated by the Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles Fire Department, according to multiple reports. 

The LAFD responded to the fire after a 911 call to report the blaze was made at 1:17 a.m. on Saturday. As first responders arrived at the scene, heavy fire was visible at the seemingly vacant commercial building, and several small explosions could be heard within the structure, the LAFD reported on Saturday.

The first firefighters to arrive on the scene forced entry onto the property and into a portion of the well-secured building to begin an offensive attack on the fire. The firefighters retreated, however, after facing “ever-increasing flames, a series of additional explosions, the presence of unknown chemicals and physical compromise of the structure, that rendered it untenable,” including a collapsed roof.

The firefighters then transitioned to a defensive posture, using multiple hose streams of water from aerial ladders. As firefighters battled the blaze, a woman approached the command post that had been set up and reported her belief that a man was still inside the building that was at that point “largely consumed by flames.”

“It took 113 LAFD responders under the command of Assistant Chief Douglas Lewis, 75 minutes to fully extinguish the inferno, confining fire damage to the structure of origin,” the LAFD noted.

Deceased Person Found In Aftermath of Fire

While searching the scene, fire department personnel discovered the body of what appeared to be an adult male deep within the smoldering remains of the building. Authorities also found a large volume of cannabis products, processing machinery, chemicals and pressurized gas cylinders. 

A positive identification of the deceased person and the time and the cause of death are to be determined by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner. The cause of the fire and circumstances surrounding the incident are being investigated by the LAFD and the LAPD.

Although fired department officials originally reported no additional injuries as a result of the fire, LAPD Spokesperson Officer Jader Chaves said that a second person was transported to an area hospital in critical condition, according to a report from the Los Angeles Times. The nature and cause of the person’s injuries were not known, however.

‘Clandestine Lab’ Found 

Chavez added that the operation housed by the building is being investigated as an “illegal butane honey oil clandestine lab.” Many cannabis operators use butane, propane or other hydrocarbons held by containers like those found in the burned-out building to produce cannabis extractions commonly known as butane hash oil, butane honey oil or BHO. The process can be hazardous if not executed carefully, and explosions and fires at such cannabis labs have occurred many times.

Although cannabis is legal in California for both recreational and medicinal purposes, the state has a pervasive and thriving unlicensed marijuana production and processing economy. Authorities investigating Saturday’s fire believed the Green Meadows cannabis operation was part of this gray market.

“We can’t say for sure because we don’t know exactly what permits they had…but we did not see any placarding from the outside that would indicate that this was a cannabis operation, which they should have had,” said LAFD Captain Adam Van Gerpen, according to a report on local television news. “There are multiple different types of chemicals that they use to do this and some of them could be explosive…and have deadly results.”

The post One Dead in Fire at Los Angeles ‘Clandestine’ Cannabis Extraction Lab appeared first on High Times.

The post One Dead in Fire at Los Angeles ‘Clandestine’ Cannabis Extraction Lab appeared first on Paradise Found.

A dispensary with a wine bar and restaurant? Oh my.

The post Fine dining and dank: Video review of Irie by PleasureMed appeared first on Leafly.

The post Fine dining and dank: Video review of Irie by PleasureMed appeared first on Paradise Found.

Fentanyl caused a majority of fatal overdoses in Los Angeles County for the first time last year, with nearly 60% of the area’s overdose deaths attributed to the increasingly popular opioid. Fentanyl replaced methamphetamine as the county’s most common drug cited as the cause of accidental drug or alcohol overdose deaths, according to a new report from the L.A. County Department of Public Health.

“It’s absolutely heartbreaking,” Amanda Cowan, executive director of Community Health Project Los Angeles, told the Los Angeles Times, adding, “These communities are just being decimated.”

In 2022, Los Angeles County reported 3,220 accidental overdoses. Of those, more than 1,900 deaths were caused at least in part by fentanyl, according to county data. Under the county’s reporting protocols, more than one drug may be listed as the cause of an overdose death.

L.A.’s spike in overdose deaths caused by fentanyl comes at a time of record overall overdose deaths nationwide. In 2021, 107,573 people died of an overdose in the United States, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The number dropped slightly last year, falling to 105,452 in 2022, a decrease of 2%

“We’re still amid the worst overdose crisis in history, and that’s obviously an emergency situation,” said Dr. Gary Tsai, director of Los Angeles County’s Substance Abuse Prevention and Control program. “We’re doing a lot of work to improve our system, but there’s obviously still a lot of work that we have to do.”

Contaminated Drug Supply Puts Lives At Risk

In its report, the County of Los Angeles Department of Public Health noted that fentanyl has permeated the supply of illicit street drugs, endangering the lives of casual drug users and those with substance misuse disorders alike. Illicitly manufactured fentanyl (IMF) “is cheap and easy to make quickly and in large quantities. It has been found in nearly all forms of illegal street drugs and counterfeit pills, as drug traffickers intentionally add fentanyl to their drugs to reduce costs, to enhance the effect of an existing drug, and/or to make their drugs more addictive,” the health department wrote in the report. 

“Fentanyl can also be a contaminant when handling multiple drugs with the same equipment or in unclean environments,” the report continues. “Thus, drugs containing IMF have variable and high potency, and can be more dangerous than often perceived, especially for youth who may experiment with drugs or pills.”

The county data showed a sharp disparity in the number of fentanyl overdose deaths. The largest number of fatal fentanyl overdoses were among white people and in more affluent areas of the county. But when adjusted for population, Black people and those living in high-poverty areas died of a fatal fentanyl overdose at significantly higher rates. 

“In the case of race/ethnicity, Black people account for 8% of the [county] population, and disproportionately accounted for 21% of fentanyl overdose deaths in 2022,” the report said.

Ricky Bluthenthal, a professor of population and public health sciences at the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine, said that the racial disparities in fentanyl overdose deaths are concerning, noting they have gotten worse in recent years. But he added that the problem is a national one that illustrates the need to target resources such as the lifesaving drug naloxone, a nasal spray that can reverse an opioid overdose.

“It speaks to a national challenge that we have in the United States, related to making sure that both medication for opiate use disorder and naloxone is readily available for people who live in predominantly African American and Latino neighborhoods,” Bluthenthal said.

Through his research, Bluthenthal has determined that L.A.’s supply of heroin has mostly been replaced by fentanyl, which is about 50 times more potent. 

“We are facing this really dramatic change in the illicit drug supply; looking at the figure over time, it sort of makes you want to cry,” Bluthenthal said.

The more than 1,900 overdose deaths caused by fentanyl represent a jump of nearly 1,700% in the number of fatal overdoses caused by the drug in just six years.

“This transition is wreaking havoc on people,” he added.

Tsai said that the report included some positive data points. Overdose deaths among children fell for the first time in two years. Additionally, the rate of increase in the number of fentanyl deaths dropped significantly, possibly indicating that the number of deaths may be beginning to level off. But health officials warn the community must remain vigilant to the dangers of the illicit drug supply.

“On the fentanyl front, we might be slowing down, just looking at the numbers, but there’s still so many things that can happen between now and when we get the 2023 data,” said Tsai. “All it takes is another more potent substance to come into the drug supply for that number to then shoot up.”

The post Majority of Los Angeles Overdose Deaths Caused by Fentanyl appeared first on High Times.

The post Majority of Los Angeles Overdose Deaths Caused by Fentanyl appeared first on Paradise Found.