Do NOT Eat Edibles in Public.

June 18, 2015 By Manic Conrad

Sir, is your down jacket that you are wearing filled with eagle feathers? You know that it is illegal to be in possession of eagle feathers, right? I really don’t know if your jacket has eagle feathers or not, as I cannot see underneath the fabric, it’s just that you strike me as the type of individual that might wear a jacket made out of eagle feathers. Did I mention they are illegal?

In Washington State, it is illegal to consume marijuana in public. When marijuana is officially legalized in Oregon next month, it will also be illegal. We get that. What we don’t get, is to try and make a clear case for edibles, so if you do buy cbd edibles just don’t eat them whilst you’re out and about to be on the safe side..

Plus, eating edibles in public when you are uneducated on these THC or CBD infused foods may catch you off guard. Edibles are very different from smoking or vaping in that they have a stronger impact, and have a high that can last up to 12 hours. Click here to find out more about weed edibles and how you can consume them safely.

Ahead of legalization, Oregon has jump started the What’s legal campaign (educate before you recreate), to inform everyone of what you can and can’t do in cannabis-land which is why many people like to buy edibles online and consume them legally in their homes instead. An infographic on their website attempts to simply this.

For more about this new Oregon campaign, check out the article on HighAbovePortland.com.

It does somewhat of a decent job, but in our opinion, the space is wasted when it comes to edibles. First of all, no one is going to know if the cookie you are eating is infused with cannabis or not. I’m sure a lot of people buy phony edibles that don’t have any cannabis in them at all, meaning you’d be better off if you were to buy cbd edibles that you know the exact ingredients of. It doesn’t matter if you are sitting on a park bench, at a campground, or a standing on a busy street corner in the middle of the city. You might as well have left the edibles off of the infographic, since consumption of cannabis in public had already been addressed.

We understand (very little) of trying to regulate smoking in public for various reason, but don’t make that attempt with something you can’t see or even really smell.

People were eating edibles in public well before cannabis was legalized. You just never knew…

Pesticides on Cannabis

May 4, 2015 By Ellie Klein

Last week, High Above Seattle visited Analytical 360, Seattle’s marijuana testing facility located in SoDo, and wrote a little bit about it here. We were so interested in the information we received about the controversy surrounding pesticide use in the marijuana industry that we decided to dig deeper. As it turns out, this issue is prominent in the cannabis industry, and the future, in regards to pesticide regulation, is not clear. Those who cultivate cannabis often find themselves having to deal with pests that invade their crops, with many having to look to pest treatment in order to manage them. However, the regulations surrounding this may not be as straightforward as previously thought.

Cannabis is considered a narcotic under federal law, rather than a consumable crop, so any decisions on growing, dispersing, etc., fall on individual states which have legalized marijuana for medicinal or recreational use. This means that many details that surround the agriculture industry do not apply to the marijuana industry, including pesticide use. If you want to get involved in the agriculture industry, check out some great deals from Agron to help get you started.
Current safe limits in pesticide use are based on agriculture standards, which are ill-equipped to properly assess cannabis simply due to differences in smoking vs. consuming a product. Marijuana legalization is a very new thing, so pesticide knowledge and use in regards to marijuana plants, and how they affect consumers, are still evolving.

Typically, in the agriculture industry, pesticides used on crops grown for consumption are evaluated for their possible adverse effects on people and the environment. This knowledge then leads to decisions of which pesticides to use on which crop. Lawmakers in individual states where marijuana is legal have the opportunity to ban the use of pesticides and require only organic cannabis growing operations. Numerous states have exercised their rights to control pesticide use and share information with the public while other states have remained silent on pesticide use and testing. A pesticide is far cheaper than pest control services, like termite control los angeles, therefore most farmers choose to use pesticide for their farms!

In states where marijuana is legal both medically and recreationally, regulations and practices differ in each industry.Washington is transparent for much of its pesticide use and testing processes though, surprisingly, the state’s recreational industry is more strict in terms of use and public knowledge. This is surprising because, according to authorities at Analytical 360, citizens are concerned that pesticides used in the medical marijuana industry may be harmful to those with compromised immune systems. For the sake of time and interest, let’s look at each of Washington‘s cannabis industries individually. If you are interested in learning more about pesticide use in other marijuana industries around the country, this chart from an organization which studies pesticides is very informative.

Medical Marijuana

Washington State Department of Agriculture has devised a list of pesticides it believes are legal for use on medical marijuana. This list is not the end all be all of pesticides used, meaning that individual localities may choose to use different pesticides. Pesticide safety testing and labeling of pesticides used are not required by law in the state’s medical industry. So, even if you know which pesticides are “approved” by the Washington State Department of Agriculture, others may still be used in your area without your knowledge.

In regards to organic growing, sans the use of conventional pesticides, nothing has been finalized or discussed with the public.

Recreational Marijuana

Producers in the recreational industry must list any pesticides used, and how they are used. If producers fail to do this, their licenses may be revoked.

Transparency with pesticide use is monitored through contaminant testing, and this information must be made available to consumers upon request. This model allows for true organic growing operations to happen; though these operations cannot label their product organic unless they are permitted to by the United States Department of Agriculture.

Overall, holes in current testing procedures are being addressed by the Washington State government, which is a large reason many testing facilities are holding back on researching pesticide use and legality further. Monitoring and testing for pesticides is an expensive endeavor and facilities don’t want to go ahead with testing procedures only to have to change course midway.

In conclusion, the country has a long way to go before pesticide use and regulation is 100% transparent across the board. If you are concerned about pesticide use in your cannabis reach out to local lawmakers and growers to share your thoughts. We are happy to hear your thoughts as well so please get in touch or leave a comment!

Marijuana Review: ZootDrops Relaxation Blend

March 12, 2015 By Fischer Campbell

Hello, ahoy-hoy, and *exhale* *cough* *cough* – AHEM – mm, where was I? Ah yes, this week we’ve taken a break from flowers, and also from candy edibles – we’re looking at a straight liquid concentrate: Db3‘s Zoots ZootDrops Relaxation Blend. You can find it at your friendly neighborhood pot shop, or use Db3’s store/product finder (neato).

We touched on the producer of Zoots products in our review of ZootRocks – but let’s take a closer look at Db3. The company was started by three brothers (surname Devlin), and they have pioneered a cannabis oil extraction method that yields some serious potency and freshness. Based in Seattle, Db3 is committed to bringing the customer a friendly, consistent and artisan experience with their marijuana blends. We picked up the Zoots Zootdrops from Uncle Ike’s Pot Shop in the Central District.

The packaging for ZootDrops Relaxation Blend is a little bottle, basically like an eye-dropper-esque instrument where you can pump out proportionate sums of THC-liquid-goodness. Having the option to just pop this in your pocket, and mix it at will is seriously radical – but just remember that public consumption of marijuana (in any form) is illegal, so be careful about where you mix yo’ self.

Normally we would discuss the specifics of the product – but there are many ingredients to list, and all that’s really important is that a “serving” is considered a teaspoon (10mg of THC).

Looking at the liquid, it’s slightly viscous – yet it mixes well into cool drinks and hot drinks alike. When seeing the ZootDrops poured into a teaspoon, I realized that the Zoots branding and packing made the product feel a lot more safe. If I had an unlabeled bottle of this stuff however, I think my wariness would significantly increase.

ZootDrops Relaxation Blend smells like lemon and green tea. It’s notably blended with key tea ingredient L-Theanine, which (according to wikipedia) has abilities to reduce mental and physical stress, improve cognition, and boost mood and cognitive performance in a manner similar to caffeine.

The taste is tart, and lemony (“lemon” is the flavor). This author tried mixing ZootDrops Relaxation Blend with soda (a Dr. Pepper-esque flavor), and with yerba mate tea. Frankly, the tartness worked really well with the soda – but not so much with the tea (which is surprising, as I had expected the opposite). For those who like lemon with their tea, the combination would probably be enjoyable.

Getting high with ZootDrops Relaxation Blend is an exercise in patience and balance. This author sampled the recommended amount, then twice that amount (separate days). The feeling of subtle relaxation is similar to what you get while smoking a cbd therapy strain. You get lost in the clouds – but to let your body be heavy with comfort, while not being totally ripped out of your skull is what you can achieve if you let this relaxation blend do its job (and by that I mean, don’t smoke while waiting for the drops to kick in – just let it roll solo).

Creative projects and chilling out are a must when partaking. It’s hard to imagine many people going on a hike, or being outdoors-y – but I’m sure there are some who could make it work for them (more power to you). For me, I was pretty much stuck once the couch lock and chamomile took control – it was light on the mind, but deep in the muscles. A true body high.

Db3 has something fine here, with ZootRocks and ZootDrops, and I’m excited for whatever we review next from this stellar local producer.

UPDATE: Check out more marijuana reviews, weed edible reviews, etc.

2 Glaring Differences Between Washington & the Newest Legal Pot State: Alaska

February 24, 2015 By Manic Conrad

Alaska has just become the 3rd state in the country to officially legalize recreational marijuana. This begins the long and tedious process of creating the rules to regulate the industry. There are lots of countries that are taking action to make weed legal for medical purposes at least and hopefully for recreational use as well. For example, Germany has legalized medical use but now we just need them to legalize recreational use so more people can take advantage of this Wachstumsführer site. Closer to home, hopefully, more states take after Alaska.

This means the first recreational pot shop to grace the landscape of the great frontier will not be until next year. Until then, Alaskans won’t be able to purchase weed legally, but they do have a way to obtain it which leads us to the 2 glaring differences between Washington State & Alaska recreational marijuana laws.

1. You can grow marijuana plants in the privacy of your home in Alaska, not in Washington

Despite being the first state in the country to officially legalize marijuana, Washington has lagged behind Colorado and now Alaska, in allowing residents to grow marijuana in their own home. Under the current law, it is illegal for Washingtonians to grow their own marijuana, unless you received a license as a producer. In Alaska, you can now grow up to 6 plants in your home.

2. $100 fine if you are caught consuming marijuana in public? OUCH!

It is illegal in both states to smoke marijuana in public. But the main difference is in the fines. In Washington, if you are caught smoking in public, you are looking at a $27 fine – which is the same as consuming alcohol in public. Even so, public consumption of marijuana laws are very relaxed.

In Alaska, the law for public consumption of marijuana is strictly enforced with $100 fines.

The Elephant in the Room? Nah, The Elephant in the Industry…

December 22, 2014 By Manic Conrad

We interviewed James Lathrop, owner of Cannabis City, a few weeks back and he brought up the heavy taxation issue of not just recreational marijuana stores, but all recreational marijuana businesses. We highlighted this last week only to have the first Seattle cannabis store owner contact us with an even more detailed version of the issue. It’s important, so please take the time to read:

In Washington marijuana products are taxed at a multiple compound rate: That is 25% from the grower to processor, plus 25% from the processor to the retailer, plus 25% from the retailer to the customer [each of these levels of tax pay tax on the previous tax], plus another 10% of regular sales tax, city tax, and B&O [which includes taxation of the excise tax itself]; then there is an additional Federal tax of another 25% [that is a fed 35% tax on the ~70% gross profit [gross after cost of goods] falling out at about 25% of gross – including Federal taxation on the State excise tax itself.).

So on the retailer side alone that is ~60% of the product in pure tax, with ~30% going to to cost of goods and ~1-5% left to actually run the business; the growers and processors are in a similar situation.

All cannabis businesses in Washington are set to fail under this unreasonable and compound tax structure; many will fail, some will survive; but none can exist under this tax structure for very long.

WOW. This issue that James Lathrop brings up is no laughing matter. This is a major issue that could literally make or break an industry, and needs to be dealt with sooner or later. If not, it could have negative consequences – not just for our local industry – but for national legalization as well. High Above Seattle will continue to increase awareness of this issue into next year.

What are your thoughts about this issue? Is this an issue that is directly affecting you and your business? What are your ideas or solutions?