When it comes to marijuana, you can expect it to be in different forms. That being said, not all forms are recommended with some being banned in various states or countries that have legalized marijuana. A Vancouver based cannabis company has been having a hard time to meet the flood orders for their marijuana-filled advent calendars. Being the Christmas season, you can expect to have different types of products available on the market to help people celebrate the holiday.

This edible calendar is being produced by a company called Coast to Coast. Since the introduction of the calendars, it has seen many people flock its website to place an order. LorileeFedler who works at Coast to Coast claims that the company is overwhelmed by the response from consumers since the launch of their new product. She claims that the company came up with the idea so as to give the consumers something different from what they are used to enjoying.

The part that might scare some people is that the company is unlicensed. So far it has sold around 150 calendars to various clients. It claims that it has more than 300 orders being processed to be shipped to the consumers. As for the waiting list, it has over 1500 people who are eagerly waiting for their calendars to arrive. The company did not expect the product to be popular and now they have to deal with the huge number of orders.

So, what is contained in this marijuana advent calendar? From the company website, they explain that it is packed with marijuana flowers that are commonly edible. This can include weed-infused gingerbread men or snowflake cookies. Sometimes it will be the combination of the two. On average, the calendar costs between $200 to $230. It is quite an amount you have to pay for such a product. Well, it seems people have nothing to worry about.

When asked about the legality, Fedler claims that she knows the calendars are illegal, but will continue to sell them. She further claims that she is not concerned about the authorities cracking down on her business. Since the police have not contacted her, she will continue to sell the calendars and keep the customers happy. This comes at a time when the Canadian government is looking to legalize recreational marijuana by July 1, 2018. Since the legislation is yet to be finalized on the marketing and distribution of marijuana in the country, selling such calendars infused with marijuana is illegal.

Health Canada recently released a few proposals on the regulations that would see the sale of marijuana being easy and safe. The body wants to limit on the colors and graphics that can be used on marijuana packages. We do not want a scenario where the seller exaggerates what the product can do. Another thing was the need to have health warnings on the marijuana packages. People have to buy these marijuana-laced products knowing the kind of health risks they are exposing themselves to. It is the same way we now have health risks printed on cigarette packages.

Having the sudden popularity in the advent calendars means there is a gap in the current law. Thus there is the need to have a regulation to can handle such form of products. Amazingly, there was a company selling such products only that they contain beer rather than marijuana.

These advent calendars have been popular, but with no regulation, it has led to some people fearing it would lead to health risks. These products mostly have not gone through any quality testing to ensure they are fit for consumption. The worst is when you cannot even determine the levels of THC and other cannabinoids in the calendars. This kind of information has not been availed by the person selling the calendars.

Another concern that people might have is the risk of contamination by the manufacturers. You might have them including uncontrolled substance that might lead to serious health issues. Some might end up having mold or fungus issues. No one wants to deal with products that might make them sick.

The use of calendars in the Canada marijuana industry has been criticized by various professionals. They feel that having the calendars in the marijuana sector is a step in the wrong direction. Still, these professionals have a reason to understand how such calendars will affect the kids. Not all parents are careful with their stash. What will happen if a kid accidentally ingests part of it?

Fedler says she took measures to keep the kids away from using their products. They have designed the package to have an ugly Christmas sweater, which is different from what the kids like. Well, many people would not feel that such a design is enough. Well, before you buy the calendars, make sure you understand the risks.

For many people, the ban of marijuana dispensaries in Collier County back in July was a blow to their businesses. It seems that will still be the position as the medical marijuana dispensaries are still banned for another six months. This decision has been reached as there is a delay in the state lawmakers in changing some of the marijuana rules surrounding the dispensaries and their operation.

The country is looking to control the number of dispensaries that can be opened in the area. The legislators were worried about having too many dispensaries with their activities being uncontrolled. As much as voters approved the use of medical marijuana in 2016, it seems like the lawmakers are making it impossible for the residents to access the product.

According to the current law, the state law does not give the county the control over the dispensaries. For all the counties in the state, it is either they ban the dispensaries or treat them as pharmacies. This means that if the dispensaries are allowed in the county, there is no control on how many can be opened. The only thing the county can control is to make sure the store is at least 500 feet from a school.

The temporary ban of setting dispensaries in the county was expected to end on December 31. No one expected it, but now the ban will last for an additional time of 6 months. This means that the residents of the area would not access medical marijuana for more than a year. Bill McDaniel, who is a commissioner has voted against the ban. He claims that now it is less temporary as it had been suggested before during the first ban. He agrees that the legislation might have been poorly written, but it is a constitutional amendment that must be respected. More so, the voters approved and thus it shows the importance of letting the dispensaries exist.

According to the legislation on legalizing marijuana, the state has set the limits on how many dispensaries can be setup in certain state regions. This does not apply to any specific counties, but rather in general. The law has divided the state of Florida into five sections where medical marijuana can be sold.These sections were chosen based on the population in the area. The population also affects the number of dispensaries that can be in an area.

Since the lawmakers have less to show over the period when the dispensaries were banned, most people do not have faith in them doing anything over the next ban period. For those lawmakers opposed to opening the dispensaries claim that the law does not give them any control. The only control they have is the number of pharmacies.

There is a limit to the number of dispensaries as explain before by the state law. With more people living in Collier County and the neighboring counties, this could lead to many marijuana dispensaries in the area they cannot control. This could make the job of the regulators hard in the county.

Florida is not the only state to have issues with its marijuana legislation. In places such as Colorado, there has been a decline in the sale of marijuana. You might have thought that legalization of recreational marijuana would make the sales soar even higher. Well, the problem has nothing to do with the pot supply, but rather the taxes. The state is taxing highly on the recreational marijuana. This should make the price of marijuana on average high. As much as it is readily available, most people would find it expensive than when they used to buy it from their dealers. On the overall, the high taxes in various states are making marijuana unpopular. The industry has the potential of making the state a lot of money, but the high taxes are killing it.

It also seems like the legalization of marijuana has made it less valuable. Whenever something is prohibited for both growth and consumption, it is when its value soars. The reason is due to the rarity of the product. Now that recreational marijuana is easily available, its price is slowly coming down. It is not the same as when it was being introduced to the market.

The general problem with the marijuana laws is that sometimes they are rushed. Mostly it is because they were part of a political promise during the campaigns. If someone is elected on the basis of legalizing marijuana, then that becomes their first agenda. Right now, there is the need to have proper consultations to ensure the laws created do not have any gray areas. This is like in the case of Collier County. They feel like they do not have any control of the marijuana business in their county. This is something that should have been rectified in the law before it was even passed.

There are many competing issues when it comes to marijuana legalization and implementation. There are social, environmental, financial and health concerns and a balance needs to be struck between these areas. Washington is one of the most marijuana friendly states in the USA, sharing a border with Canada where recreational marijuana is soon to be legalized. But there are still many decisions to be made.

In terms of medical marijuana, it is more often the social stigma associated with the opening of a medical marijuana dispensary that turns many residents off of the idea. Many voters are ok with the idea of allowing patients to obtain medical marijuana to treat their condition, but when it comes to the opening of a medical dispensary next door, objections are swiftly raised.

Clark County and the Human Cost

Clark County councilors will soon consider whether to allow the sale of recreational marijuana in unincorporated Clark County. A council work session is planned for December the thirteenth.The risks and human costs of introducing pot sales at some 70 proposed store locations must be assessed along with the benefits of a tax boost and some new jobs according to the council.

If the Washougal City Council public hearing on Aug. 22, 2016, is a guide, testimony from interested citizens will be influential. In Washougal, council members heard students from Washougal High School describe the devastating impact pot has had on some of their classmates, family members, and themselves.Marijuana is psychologically addictive (and not chemically addictive, as many politicians will try to argue despite all the medical evidence) and there is a danger that people who are already mentally unwell in some way will use it as a crux to get better, often over indulging as opposed to being more active and purposeful. However, these very same arguments can be made of alcohol. Many people are alcoholics and it is more down to the individual that the substance itself. Of much more serious concern is the potential for young individuals to smoke marijuana. This can have detrimental effects on a crucial stage of development and will have a negative impact on test scores and academic (as well as athletic) performance.

A school administrator testified that pot sales would undermine student performance and send impressionable students the wrong message. The Washougal City Council eventually voted against pot sales. Camas has also decided against recreational pot sales.Washington projects it will receive $730 million in taxes from marijuana sales for 2017 through 2019. Only 4 percent — $30 million — goes to the local governments such as Vancouver and Battle Ground that permit sales. The city of Vancouver receives $500,000 per year, expected to rise to $2.1 million by 2020, funds it devotes primarily to the police department.

One argument put forward is that up to 20% of the cultivated marijuana makes its way underground, where it can go to children. However, this is not really an argument, as marijuana is already widely available and can be easily obtained anywhere in the USA. If marijuana was fully legalized then this issue would be lessened, as it would be regulated and cheaper, with rules on advertising and effectively putting the black market out of business altogether. Black market environments can technically only exist in prohibition or on high tax items, otherwise there would not be a market at all.

A Moot Point

There is truth in the statement that marijuana is not ideal for teenagers, who develop bad habits and become lazy and unmotivated. But putting a complete ban on marijuana on this basis is absurd. A percentage of marijuana will always get their hands on some marijuana as well as tobacco and alcohol. It does not make sense to banall of these items for everybody instead of simply managing the problem like adults. A balance needs to be found, but so far many cities are losing out heavily to others who allow marijuana businesses to settle in their areas. There are some social costs, but the combination of millions of dollars, as well as the mental, physical and emotional wellbeing of the residents, is enough to tip the balance in its favor. The fear of students all becoming addicts is overblown, as it is already readily available for those who seek it and recreational marijuana would not allow vendors to sell it to them. Surely $700 million is enough to compensate the students “affected” by marijuana who are getting lower test scores with some sort of program?

Banning marijuana because adolescents might smoke it is as sensible as banning cars because sometimes adolescents are involved in car crashes, or banning the sale of butter because people grow up to get heart disease. Recreational marijuana is legal in Washington and it is not in short supply, and it is definitely better to tax and regulate the market than to leave it to black market sellers, who will always show up when bans are put in place. The testimonies of those from Washougal City Council public hearing who said that pot had ruined the lives of their family members all obtained black market marijuana in an area where it was forbidden, so in a sense was not really applicable.

In 2016, the residents of Massachusetts voted yes to Question 4, the result being that recreational marijuana was to become legal for those over the age of 21. Recreational marijuana legalization is a trend that can be seen across the USA, and it is a fair bet that next year will see two or three more states who have a vote on the issue. But the industry is still very new, and states such as Massachusetts still have to put procedures, rules and guidelines in place regulating the growth, distribution, sale and possession of marijuana. The Massachusetts State Treasurer will appoint a Cannabis Control Commission to promulgate regulations related to recreational marijuana by September 1, 2017. Licenses for the cultivation, distribution and retail of    marijuana will not be issued until January 2018, so cannabis connoisseurs are still waiting for the day they can buy their favorite substance. When a state legalizes recreational marijuana, it is up to local municipalities to vote on whether they want to accept or not, and they have the right to ban outlets and dispensaries. If a municipality allows the use of recreational marijuana, it can still be banned if a larger town or city has a referendum on the issue to ban or limit sales.

Newton and Marijuana

By a small margin, Newton voters accepted recreational marijuana in 2016 (around 25,000 to 20,000). But this is only the beginning, as Newton has to conclude what it is going to do in relation to the many questions that arise in relation to marijuana legalization. There are a number of considerations, the main ones being that medical marijuana dispensaries are regulated, as well as recreational dispensaries. There is the question of taxation. One of the main concerns is how to keep cannabis products out of the hands of children and teenagers. Rules on advertising need to be put in place, and Colorado recently put a ban on cannabis edibles in the shape of gummy bears, as these were too appealing to children. There is also the question of security, zoning and the hours of operation of dispensaries in Newton. One issue which is going under the radar is the question of marijuana quality. There is not enough of an emphasis on marijuana testing by independent facilities, and much marijuana is said to be laden with toxins of all kinds. Potential mayor candidate Ruthanne Fuller said on the issue that

“As mayor, I will reach out to all segments of our community to develop a comprehensive strategic plan that achieves these important goals. A special Mayor’s Committee will look to the input of citizens, the experience of other cities and states, the guidance of the state’s Cannabis Control Commission, and the perspectives of our educators, law enforcement personnel, public health officials, and other stakeholders, in fashioning that plan”

The new law gives the people of Newton the final say on one critical issue. Any limit on the number of dispensaries must be approved by the voters. This is a wonderful occurrence. What is happening all over the USA where medical marijuana is legal and recreational marijuana is not is that the whole marijuana industry is being centralized in the hands of a few select rich businesses. The permits are extremely prohibitive and completely eliminate startups from applying. The result is that patients must pay top dollar for their marijuana and have no choice but to purchase from them or go down the black-market avenue, which many patients in New Jersey are said to be doing due to the outrageous cost of medical marijuana in the area.

Marijuana in Massachusetts

It is still illegal to publicly consume marijuana in Massachusetts, though home growth and use is allowed. It is also illegal to smoke marijuana and drive, though there is no current method to test for marijuana. This is because there is no way to accurately measure the levels of THC in the body in the same way that police can measure alcohol in the blood. A breathalyzer test cannot work. Selling marijuana is also illegal until January 2018 when it becomes legal, and in the meantime there is something of a grey area. Residents can buy pot online from a dealer, and the dealer is breaking the law.

Massachusetts voters decriminalized marijuana in 2008, replacing the criminal penalties for possession of 1 ounce or less with a new system of civil penalties. In 2012, voters approved a ballot question legalizing marijuana for medical use. It then became law in 2016 which will come into force of January 2018. The current law allows up to 6 plants per person and a maximum of 12 plants per household. But much remains to be seen with rules and regulations, with the public hoping that administrators will not interfere too much with the growth of a plant that has been consumed for thousands of years. Of particular concern will be police who try to investigate households for growing more than 12 plants of marijuana, or of state regulators micro investigating the growth of the household plant.