MITA Newsletter articles
Concentrates
Sept. 10th Robert Mandel filed the Supreme Court appeal in the Jones cases (the concentrates case). The Yavapai prosecutors are required to file their response before the end of Oct. and the amicus briefs are facing a similar deadline.
Prosecutors in Yavapai, Pinal, Pima, Apache and Navajo Counties have all charged patients with class four narcotics possession felonies in the past month. The most common thread among the arrests has been traffic stops where patients had visible vape pens. The Arizona Cannabis Bar Association has put out a call to action. Tom Dean and I are in the process of contacting the ADA to call for their legal defense fund. Among the patients charged, after yet another reversal (due to the Jones case) is Jake Ruether, the original defendant in the Navajo County case.
DHS v CBDs
DHS has announced a new policy of prohibiting the sale of out of state CBD products in dispensaries. This was the main topic of discussion for the Sept 19 MITA meeting. Currently AZ laws prevent in-state hemp growers from marketing their products for human consumption. The
Dept. of Ag has held two public hearings and expecting to push for a “technical correction” bill in January to clarify hemp products. This week the DEA officially designated GW Pharmaceuticals concentrated CBD product, Epidiolex, Schedule V, but specified this protection is only for Epidiolex, not all CBD products. Lawsuits are expected to challenge the decision.
Election 2018
AZ-NORML has posted their 2018 general election voters’ guide in time for voters to study the candidates for a whole month before the election. AZ-NORML’s recent primary guide not only earned kudos from their national office, but article about it were featured in the Phoenix New Times, Tucson Weekly and on AZMarijuana.Com. Further revisions to the state and national guides will be made following the Oct. 9th publication of the Cathi Herod’s CAP voters’ guide, which includes a cannabis question.
After 5yrs in the High Country, Uncle Herb’s Remains Untamed
This month one of the first edibles-focused dispensaries in the state celebrated its 5th anniversary with a renewed commitment to the future, a new product line, and a brand-new name. That right, Payson’s famous Uncle Herb’s is now, Untamed Herbs. Unlike dozens of rural dispensaries that moved to the big city as soon as possible, Uncle Herb’s has stayed true to its mountain community home. Owner Andrew Provencio, a one-time professional L.A. musician who retired as an Alaskan senior captain firefighter returned to the land of his childhood in 2012 and captured one of the original licenses. Since then, their chief chef, Francis Baczek, has developed an edibles product line that includes more than 60 edibles products from “on-fused” rainbow belts to “Big Foot” chocolate bars to gel-cap “chill pills” with THC, CBD, or 1 to 1, in both original and vegan! Their brand-new gel-cap maker can produce as many as 30,000 caps per hour. They also use a wide variety of extraction methods to carefully formulate the best whole plant cannabinoid combinations for each different product. The company also produces a line of “naked vape” cartridges w zero additives and lists the major cannabinoids in each strain. This approach requires rigorous testing. Provenicio believes that his team tests their products more than any other operation in the state. Last year, Provencio put his money where his mouth was when it came to testing and co-chaired the stakeholders panel at the state capitol to begin the process of drafting state testing standards. Andrew imagines his dedication to patient safety and healthiness comes from his years as a first responder.
About that name change? The original name was a legacy from a former business partner. “The new name really does a better job of describing who we are. Untamed.” But fear not, if you can’t make the trek up the mountain to visit their Payson location, their “Uncle Herb’s” brand product lines will still be available in dispensaries around the state.