A Time for Celebration!

July is one of my favorite months, as it is smack-dab, right in the
middle of the summer, and it is the month of our nation’s birthday. Backyard
BBQs, fireflies, calm and quiet nights, and itty bitty shorts. But on top of
those summer faves, July is also the unofficial month to celebrate cannabis
concentrates with the cannasseur’s holiday of 710, aka July 10, aka OIL! Since
the popularity of concentrates has risen in recent years, the industry innovation
has risen too. There are amazing concentrated products coming up all the time,
helping a plethora of different cannabis users feel better, live longer and
love life just a little bit more, with every passing day.

On top of the inherent pleasure the month of July brings me, I am even
more excited to see all the positive progress cities and countries all over the
world are accomplishing, furthering my drive and passion for this industry. The
First Church of Cannabis in Indiana holds its first service on July 1 after
battling the localities about its religious freedom and residents’ rights. It
joins The United Cannabis Ministry of California and Hawaii and The Healing
Church of Rhode Island as some of the first cannabis churches in the U.S.
Finally, the state of Georgia opens its medical cannabis registry up with a
number of qualifying conditions. Minnesota is following suit as well, and will
be opening its medical program beginning July 1. Additionally, Hawaii is
looking towards a whole new system of medicinal cannabis distribution, and its Department
of Health even held a recent seminar on how to open a dispensary on the
islands.

In more international news, Canada recently made all forms of medical
cannabis legal, nationwide, and Australia’s Sydney University just received a
record-shattering $33.7 million to research the medical applications of
cannabis. On top of all that, the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee voted to
approve a major spending provision that will protect medical cannabis and its
patients, in medical states, from a federal crackdown. The rider prevents
federal prosecutors and the Drug Enforcement Agency from using federal funds to
interfere with medical cannabis laws at a state level. The House Appropriations
Committee approved an identical amendment to boot.

All in all, we have so much to celebrate, and so much to be proud of;
as an industry and as a larger community.

Cheers!

Evan A. Senn

Editor-In-Chief