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This is first of an occasional column that updates developments pertaining to articles previously published by Project CBD. We start with some positive news from the Golden State. Then a follow-up on our investigative report about Curaleaf, the world\u2019s biggest cannabis company. And freedom of expression takes a hit when it comes to cannabis advocacy in the Czech Republic.<\/p>\n
Inspired by Project CBD\u2019s expos\u00e9, \u201cBag the Tags\u201d (June 29, 2022), California state senator Ben Allen has introduced a bill to end the onerous requirement to apply a plastic tag to every cannabis plant grown by licensed cultivators, as is currently mandated under the state\u2019s track-and-trace program. Sponsored by CannaCraft, Inc., a major cannabis producer (and longtime friend of Project CBD), and supported by several organizations including the National Product Stewardship Council and the California Cannabis Industry Association, Senate Bill 622 seeks to mitigate unnecessary labor and operational costs for cannabis cultivators, while eliminating the creation of millions of pounds of plastic waste that can\u2019t be recycled.<\/p>\n
As Project CBD reported last year: \u201cWith over 2,000 acres licensed to grow cannabis, California cannabis farmers put between 30 and 55 million plants in the ground every year. The tags are the definition of \u2018single use\u2019 \u2013 they can only be used on one plant and never re-used during subsequent growing seasons. That\u2019s a lot of plastic tags for an industry with green pretensions.\u201d<\/p>\n
The ostensible purpose of imposing the tag rule was to monitor cannabis grown in California to make sure that it would not end up in the illicit market within or outside the state. But the factsheet summarizing SB 622 emphasizes that \u201cindividual<\/em> plant tags are completely ineffective in preventing diversion.\u201d <\/em>Why? Because cannabis can\u2019t be diverted until the plants are harvested! And the tags are removed and discarded after they are pulled from the ground.<\/p>\n The SB 622 factsheet asserts: \u201cIn a state that prides itself on championing environmentally sensitive initiatives designed to stop climate change and improve the environment, it is\u00a0antithetical and irresponsible to continue to mandate plastic plant tagging, which does nothing to prevent diversion.\u201d<\/p>\n The solution: \u201cSB 622 replaces the individual plastic plant tagging with a digital plant tag, which provides the same level of transparency into the number of plants in the ground at any given time. Digital plant tagging is currently used by traditional farmers and has been recognized as an effective alternative by the California Farm Bureau as well as the U.S. Department of Agriculture.\u201d<\/p>\n In February 2023, Project CBD published a story about Curaleaf, the scandal-ridden, multistate and multinational company, which has achieved a leading position in the U.S. cannabis industry with nine-figure backing from unsavory Russian billionaires. \u201cSmall producers have long been wary of the cannabis industry coming under domination by multistate operators (MSOs) with the worst practices of corporate America,\u201d we reported. \u201cBut the revelations of Russian oligarch money in the coffers of leading\u00a0MSO\u00a0Curaleaf appear to vindicate even the most cynical observers.\u201d<\/p>\n Several states have launched investigations into Curaleaf\u2019s business practices that were highlighted in our article, including product safety and labor violations. In April, New Jersey regulators declined to renew Curaleaf\u2019s lucrative adult-use cannabis license, citing the layoffs following the closure of one of its cultivation facilities, as well as the company\u2019s clash with unions and lack of transparency.<\/p>\n Things aren\u2019t going well for Curaleaf in New York, either. According to a report in Green Market Report<\/em>, Curaleaf CEO Boris Jordan feels social justice efforts have been \u201ctaken too far\u201d in some states where cannabis is legal. In particular, Jordan was critical of the rollout of the adult-use market in New York, which has prioritized retail licenses for equity applicants, while delaying participation by well-heeled MSOs that already hold medical cannabis licenses.<\/p>\n \u201cThey went off on these programs, and we\u2019re going to give these assets to felons and people that have two heads and this kind of stuff,\u201d Jordan fumed while threatening to retaliate: \u201cWe\u2019re talking to New York . . . If they don\u2019t play ball and they violate the rules, we\u2019re going to sue.\u201d<\/p>\nCuraleaf\u2019s Complaint: Too Much Social justice!<\/h2>\n