XPost: alt.drugs.psychedelics, alt.drugs.pot, alt.hemp.politics

Drug War Chronicle, Issue #1204 -- 2/5/24
Phillip S. Smith, Editor, psmith@drcnet.org https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/1204

A Publication of StoptheDrugWar.org
David Borden, Executive Director, borden@drcnet.org
"Raising Awareness of the Consequences of Drug Prohibition"

After 30 years we still have work left. Will you support it? https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2023/dec/21/what_are_we_after_30_years

Table of Contents:

1. EAST COAST SEES FIRST CERTIFIED REGENERATIVE ORGANIC MARIJUANA
OPERATION [FEATURE]
A movement toward sustainable, regenerative, organic cannabis
cultivation that began on the West Coast is now on the East Coast. https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2024/jan/29/east_coast_sees_first_certified

2. CHRONICLE BOOK REVIEW: THE SILVER BULLET SOLUTION
Jim Gierach is a former Cook County, Illinois, prosecutor, occasional
failed political candidate, and longtime fighter in the trenches taking
on the war on drugs. He makes no bones about what he thinks need to happen. https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2024/feb/04/chronicle_book_review_silver

3. VA LEGAL MARIJUANA SALES BILL ADVANCES, UK'S FIRST DRUG CHECKING
SERVICE OPENS, MORE... (1/26/24)
A pair of congressional Democrats file a bill to allow marijuana use in
public housing, the mayor of Amsterdam calls for legal cocaine use and
sales, and more. https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2024/jan/26/va_legal_marijuana_sales_bill

4. HIGH LEVEL US-CHINA MEETING ON FENTANYL PRECURSORS TOMORROW, WV DRUG
TEST STRIP BILL ADVANCES, MORE... (1/29/24)
One Canadian province is moving backwards on harm reduction, the West
Virginia legislature sends a bill legalizing drug test strips to the
governor, and more. https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2024/jan/29/high_level_uschina_meeting

5. A DOZEN SENATORS CALL FOR DESCHEDULING MARIJUANA, BOLIVIA COCA GROWER BLOCKADES, MORE... (1/30/24)
Mandatory minimum sentencing remains in fashion in Boise, an Arkansas
medical marijuana expansion initiative has been rejected by the state
attorney general, and more. https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2024/jan/30/dozen_senators_call_descheduling

6. PORTLAND DRUG EMERGENCY DECLARED, WA HOME GROW BILL ADVANCES, MORE... (1/31/24)
Marijuana legalization bills get filed in Hawaii and Kentucky, a Czech
economic council calls for a legal, regulated market in marijuana, and more. https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2024/jan/31/portland_drug_emergency_declared

7. HHS ISSUES RULE TO EASE METHADONE ACCESS, TEXAS AG SUES POT REFORM
CITIES, MORE... (2/1/24)
Rhode Island's first safe injection site is likely to be open by this
summer, the FDA renews its warning on "gas station heroin," and more. https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2024/feb/01/hhs_issues_rule_ease_methadone

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1. EAST COAST SEES FIRST CERTIFIED REGENERATIVE ORGANIC MARIJUANA
OPERATION [FEATURE] https://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2024/jan/29/east_coast_sees_first_certified

Sun+Earth Certified (https://sunandearth.org), a nonprofit third-party certification for regenerative organic cannabis, has just certified its
first farm on the East Coast, in the state of Vermont. Nestled among the mountains of Vermont's Northeast Kingdom, Rebel Grown (https://www.rebelgrown.com) is a half-acre marijuana farm on a 200-acre permaculture sanctuary in the Town of Craftsbury. The farm and brand
known today as Rebel Grown has produced hemp in Vermont since 2018 and,
in 2022, received a license to grow cannabis for adult use.

Cannabis certified by Sun+Earth must be sun grown and cultivated on
farms that strengthen habitats and build living soil. No chemical
fertilizers or toxic pesticides are used to grow cannabis certified by Sun+Earth, whose standards go beyond the USDA Organic Regime. These
rigorous standards encourage the planting of cannabis alongside food
crops, and the strategic use of cover crops, composting, and reduced
soil tillage. Such practices help sequester carbon from the atmosphere,
further reducing a farm's carbon footprint.

Sun+Earth was founded in 2019 by cannabis industry leaders, experts, and advocates with a common commitment to the pillars of regenerative
organic agriculture, farmer and farmworker protections, and community engagement. Currently, Sun+Earth has certified more than 60 cannabis
farms and manufacturers in five states: California, Michigan, Oregon,
Vermont, and Washington.

"There was a meeting in Mendocino in 2018, one of the first grower
community meetings, it was small organic farmers from the Emerald
Triangle who wanted to create a certification process to protect small, multi-generation farmers and people doing regenerative agriculture,"
Rebel Grown's Dan Pomerantz told the Chronicle. "There were a bunch of
younger farmers trying to get into the program to get exposure, but I
felt it should be reserved for old timers, so I stayed out at that time.
I didn't want to take someone else's opportunity."

But by May 2022, as he got licensed to grow adult use marijuana in
Vermont, Pomerantz decided the time was right. "This was a great
opportunity to apply this on the East Coast, and now, whenever you need
someone to educate about Sun+Earth, I'm your guy," he said.

"Cannabis grown regeneratively, under the sun and in the soil, without
toxic chemicals, is not only high quality, but also the best for the
earth," said Pomerantz. "We capture carbon through our plants and
sequester it in the ground where it can be recycled through our living
soils. Rebel Grown became Sun+Earth Certified to bring high-quality,
healthy, ethically-farmed cannabis to the people of Vermont, and to
become a model for regenerative organic agriculture everywhere."

Some of Rebel Grown's regenerative organic farming practices include
cover cropping with rye grass and clover, mulching with organic alfalfa,
and using wood ash and manure from chickens, ducks, geese, steers,
goats, sheep, and horses. Rebel Grown generates its own compost, and
also inoculates its soil with numerous species of microbes, enzymes,
fungi, and beneficial bacteria in order to continually balance the
microbiology of its living soil and plants' root zones. Made from trees
on the farm, Rebel Grown uses maple syrup as an ingredient in its
compost teas.

Sun+Earth is not just a rubber stamp certification.

"It wasn't difficult, but we needed to connect all the dots," said
Pomerantz. "There are over 60 different things you need to do, such as
having to take soil samples to show there is no pesticide and keeping an accurate journal and log showing all out inputs and sprays. Sun+Earth
actually follows through; you have to show them how you run your farm.
There is a lot of detail," he said.

"And aside from regenerative cultivation, part of it is how you treat
people and where you stand in your community. We have to have conflict resolution protocols in place for staff. You have to take care of your
people as much as your plants. And we give what we can to local
charities," he added.

"The expansion of Sun+Earth into Vermont and the East Coast, with the certification of Rebel Grown, shows that quality sungrown cannabis can
be produced across the entire continent," said Heather Dunbar of
Sun+Earth Certified. "Indeed, the cannabis industry has the knowledge of
how to shrink its large carbon footprint, and the wherewithal to
prioritize regenerative organic farming," continued Dunbar. "Investing
in cleaner, healthier, and more ethical cannabis just makes sense."

Rebel Grown, which has its roots in the Palo Verde Appellation of
Southern Humboldt in the heart of The Emerald Triangle, is one of the
only independently-owned, craft legacy brands now available on the East
Coast. With an expertise in breeding and genetics, Rebel Grown's
Pomerantz has developed dozens of proprietary cannabis varieties
covering a broad spectrum of cannabis diversity. His genetics have won
dozens of awards dating back to 2011, most notably The Emerald Cup's
coveted Breeders Cup award in 2023, 2022, and 2018.

Last year, Rebel Grown also won first place in the "sun grown" category.
Rather than keep his skills and expertise close to his chest, Pomerantz
has for years freely shared his knowledge through a variety of
cultivation classes and educational workshops, as well as trade media
articles.

"I bought 126 acres back in 2012 where the previous owners had an
organic farm and community. At the time, I was facing a criminal case
and needed a place for my girlfriend to go and for when I got out. Then
I acquired another 71 acres above and 12 more down the road," Pomerantz related. "We want to create well over 60 acres of mostly forested land
and our goal is to have a working farm that does not just cannabis but a
ton of food and animals and teaching farm techniques that were used in
the past. The hope is that I can use the cannabis business to build
other aspects of the farm."

Even though Rebel Farm has the largest type of outdoor grow license the
state offers, allowing to grow on up to a 1/2 acre or 2500 plants, it is
still a relatively small operation, with three full-time employees
including Pomerantz and seven part-timers. But it is capable of growing hundreds of pounds a year.

"In these first two years, we couldn't afford much and probably produced 600-700 pounds each year," Pomerantz said, "but now all of our rows are
elevate mounds, our soil is nicely developed, we will plow and add
amendments and spread cover crops, and we can probably grow about 2,000 pounds."

Each state has its own laws governing legal marijuana production, and
they are not always congruent with the interests of growers. Pomerantz
pointed to a number of state law obstacles to Rebel Grown's success.

"We have a THC cap where we can sell over 30 percent in flower and 60
percent in concentrates. That's complete nonsense," he said. "And we
have weird marketing laws. Our advertising has to be approved by the
Cannabis Control Board and we have to prove that less than 15 percent of
our advertising will be seen by people under 21."

High taxes don't help either, said Pomerantz.

"Between the cannabis tax and sales tax people are paying 21 percent in
taxes," he complained. "Do you want to buy it from a store or from your neighbor? The stores aren't meeting expectations."

Nor does the state allow for deliveries, except for medical marijuana operations. Pomerantz said he would like to have direct to consumer
sales, subscription programs, and access to farmers' markets, "but it is challenging legislatively."

Obstacles and hindrances be damned! Rebel Grown is going to keep on
farming, and leading the way on the East Coast toward healthier, more environmentally friendly, and more sustainable marijuana-producing
practices.

================  ...


                                         ___________________

                                          It's time to correct the mistake:
                                        Truth:the Anti-drugwar
<http://www.briancbennett.com>

                                      Cops say legalize drugs--find out
why:
<http://www.leap.cc>

                                       Stoners are people too:
<http://www.cannabisconsumers.org>
                                       ___________________

     bliss -- Cacao  Powered... (-SF4ever at DSLExtreme dot com)

--
bobbie sellers - a retired nurse in San Francisco

      "It is by will alone I set my mind in motion.
      It is by the beans of cacao that the thoughts acquire speed,
      the thighs acquire girth, the girth become a warning.
      It is by theobromine alone I set my mind in motion."
         --from Someone else's Dune spoof ripped to my taste.

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