The Broccoli Report 
Monday, March 13, 2023
Time to read: 4 minutes. Contains 809 words.

Good morning!

You’ve still got time to send in your Lonely Hearts posts! For the newbies, no—this is not an industry speed dating night (although I’m sure that’d be a hit in some cities 👀). This newsletter “board” of cannabis-oriented entrepreneurial want ads is an opportunity to find what you need. Maybe it’s the missing creative link for your 4/20 plans, a cannabis-friendly ancillary partner, or even new clients—all kinds of connections have clicked through past Lonely Hearts. This edition will go live March 24 and be free to all to read.

To be included, just submit a brief description of your dream business connection to yoshikolauren@gmail.com by 5:00 p.m. P.S.T., Monday, March 21, with “Lonely Hearts” in the subject line. 

It’s a light news week, but a few states’ cannabis scenes—and one surprising supply chain lesson—are top of my mind today. Let’s get to it!

One-Hitters: Cannabis News at a Glance

• There is a certain group of cannabis enthusiasts that have an opinion about every image of cannabis they see on Instagram. Some seem to be on the platform just to call out flaws in growing methods and one-up the original poster. One of the most common posts I see happens when a bare hand appears in a picture with live plants. It usually goes something like, “Wow, no gloves at an OLCC grow? 😬 yikes.” Well, the idea that gloves are the cleaner option is no longer rock solid. This press release from Eagle Protect, a personal protective equipment company, shares the extremely disturbing results of a five-year study on the risk of glove contamination. It looked at 26 different brands and found “fecal indicators on up to 50% of gloves, potentially harmful yeast species, and fungi.” Note: These are contaminants on fresh gloves, right out of the box, somehow compromised during the manufacturing and supply chain process. 😬😬😬 Perhaps we should let farmers wash their hands and do their thing.

• A month into legal cannabis sales in Missouri, and it’s clear—Missourans love weed! Over $100 million worth of cannabis goods were bought in February. Over $5 million of sales were recorded on day one alone—that’s the same amount of legal weed purchased on California’s first day of adult-use sales. This is a scene to watch. 👀

• Oklahoma’s very clear “no” on legalizing cannabis for adult use is an interesting countercurrent in the pro-weed wave that’s been washing across the country. It seems that Oklahomans aren’t wild about the sketchy medical market booming all around their state, and it hints that the general populace—while mostly open to the idea of legalizing cannabis—don’t want adult use if it’s going to look like this.
  

• Cannabis science lost one of the greats over the weekend: Raphael Mechoulam. Mechoulam, an Israeli chemist, isolated THC and CBD in 1964, a first for science, and discovered the human endocannabinoid systems, helping us understand how this plant impacts our bodies. In 2023, he published a paper summarizing his life and research. In that paper’s abstract, he sounded a personal note: “For me, intellectual freedom—the ability to do research based on my own scientific interests—has been the most satisfying part of my working life. Looking back over the 91 years of my long life, I conclude that I have been lucky, very lucky, both personally and scientifically.” Raphael, this next bowl’s for you.
  

• It was a treat to hear entrepreneur Devin Alexander speak with Michel Martin on NPR about opening Rolling Releaf, his New Jersey cannabis delivery, and what it’s like delivering legal cannabis on the same streets where he was arrested for possessing cannabis in 2011. It reminded me of how important it is for mainstream audiences to hear from real people in the community, not just read headlines about sales trends. Putting a human voice to someone working in the cannabis industry is a powerful way to destigmatize the plant. 

• A gift for the ultimate cannabis romantic: a white-gold engagement ring adorned with golden cannabis leaves by Arizona-based High Point Jewelry.

• An inspiring read to bookmark for your afternoon smoke break: this 2012 NYT profile of SunRay Kelley, a natural materials builder who has crafted dozens of mystical, architecturally interesting earthen huts and tree houses. Writer Michael Tortorello describes his visit with the “barefoot maverick” at Kelley’s surreal homestead in rural Washington in amusing detail and tries to wrap his head around Kelley’s low-electricity, highly creative, and unbridled lifestyle. I have been relishing this particular passage for days:

A recent Saturday morning found Mr. Kelley rambling in the garden while smoking an herbal palliative the size of a cigar. He self-medicates in this fashion at certain times of the day, like when he is awake and doesn’t have food in his mouth.

To artistic principles and barefoot blunts,

Lauren Yoshiko