Cannabis Town Hall Ask to Join

Big cannabis companies scale back amid coronavirus, raising questions about industry’s overall health

https://mjbizdaily.com/big-cannabis-companies-scale-back-amid-coronavirus-raising-questions-about-industrys-overall-health/ 

It would be interesting to get an investor perspective on whether headlines like this indicate we're in a downturn, correction, or reversal of the fortunes in the cannabis industry? k...@...m a...@...m 

It has been nearly 2 years since the Guardian ran an article exposing modern day child slavery in UK cannabis grow operations.

https://amp.theguardian.com/society/2017/mar/25/trafficked-enslaved-teenagers-tending-uk-cannabis-farms-vietnamese 

The issue is in the news again as 39 immigrants were found frozen to death in the container of a UK Lorry. Some relevant articles on the issue: 

Bonded Labour, Slavery & Illegal Cannabis Farms. A Worldwide Enforcement Issue

https://cannabislaw.report/bonded-labour-slavery-illegal-cannabis-farms-a-worldwide-enforcement-issue/

People smuggling from Vietnam to Europe: The facts

https://www.infomigrants.net/en/post/20423/people-smuggling-from-vietnam-to-europe-the-facts 

I Came to Britain to Run an Illegal Weed Grow House

https://www.vice.com/en_in/article/zmpq89/the-inside-story-of-europes-first-narco-state 

Confessions of a cannabis farmer: The Vietnamese getting UK high

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/10/confessions-cannabis-farmer-vietnamese-uk-high-191015041251676.html

After UK Truck Deaths, Prospering Vietnam Asks Why Workers Go Abroad 

https://www.voanews.com/east-asia-pacific/after-uk-truck-deaths-prospering-vietnam-asks-why-workers-go-abroad

Expert Views: UK truck deaths cast spotlight on global trade in humans

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-bodies-policy-idUSKBN1X81GH 

The UK has a strategic plan to generally address the issue - it is here:  Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner Strategic Plan 2019-2021

http://www.antislaverycommissioner.co.uk/media/1329/independent-anti-slavery-commissioners-strategic-plan-19-21-screen-readable.pdf 

Question to the US cannabis industry ... are there seed-to-sale or supply chain transparency technologies (e.g. blockchain) that could help address this problem in the UK? If so, share your thoughts here ... we will try and help bring focused attention to this tragic issue. 

j...@...m  m...@...o s...@...m s...@...m s...@...m j...@...m  

Lots of attention on the "Vaping Crisis" this week. 

Interesting perspective from overseas: 

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/sep/13/vaping-deaths-in-the-us-what-do-you-need-to-know

Why isn’t Juul said to be having the same effect on children in the UK?

It is not the same product. The absence of regulation in the US means there is no cap on nicotine levels in e-cigarette liquids, making stronger doses more addictive. The UK has a strict limit, thanks to an EU directive now enshrined in British law.

Statement by NCIA on the issue: 

https://thecannabisindustry.org/press-releases/national-cannabis-industry-association-calls-on-congress-to-regulate-cannabis-in-response-to-reports-of-vaping-related-illnesses/ 

Is this a storm passing through or a fundamental shift for the industry?  

Fairly extensive article. Some highlights: 

- Black people are nearly four times as likely as white people to be charged with marijuana possession, despite similar usage rates, according to the American Civil Liberties Union.

- A 2016 BuzzFeed analysis estimated that just 1% of 3,200 to 3,600 U.S. storefront marijuana dispensaries had black owners. 

- The most pressing issue facing minority entrepreneurs, Hawkins said, is obtaining the capital necessary to run a cannabis business (WW Note: Hard enough for any early stage company or start-up - imagine extra challenge of modern day "redlining").

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/people-of-color-are-claiming-their-place-in-a-cannabis-industry-built-on-the-backs-of-people-from-marginalized-communities-2019-08-05 

What can the industry be doing to help advance equity in our industry? Feel free to comment on the site below.  

After shelling out $2.7 million to influence lawmakers and regulators in 2018, the industry has disclosed outlays of at least $1.6 million in 2019’s first half, putting it on pace for a new spending record by year’s end. This year’s total at the halfway mark already slightly beats 2017’s overall figure.

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/cannabis-industrys-lobbying-on-track-to-hit-a-new-record-2019-07-25 

Hard to think that anything gets done in Washington without a lot of money behind the effort. Some industry players seem to be leading the way. Any creative ideas out there on what it would take to get consumers funding these lobbying efforts?