Discovery Premieres New Reality Series ‘Growing Belushi,’ Documenting Jim Belushi’s Oregon Cannabis Farm
The actor and comedian turned cannabis farm owner and operator takes his new profession to the silver screen. Revisit the March 2020 CBT cover story outlining Belushi’s road to cannabis here.
Last night, actor and comedian Jim Belushi made his way back to the silver screen—this time by documenting the trials and tribulations of owning and operating his state-legal cannabis farm in Oregon in the new reality series “Growing Belushi” on Discovery Channel.
The series, airing on Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET, will provide a snapshot into the daily life of Belushi and his “ragtag team of farmers” as they “follow their passion and find success in something they believe in,” according to a Discovery Channel press release. “Joined by his cousin Chris and with appearances from Dan Aykroyd, Judy Belushi and a cast of misfits (including Jim’s own family), as well as a musical appearance by The Blues Brothers, ‘Growing Belushi’ will take Discovery’s audiences inside Jim’s world and show the incredible effort it takes to build a legal cannabis operation.”
In the first seven minutes of the series premiere, viewers got a peek into the backstory of what inspired Belushi’s journey into cannabis, including the passing of his late brother John Belushi, as well as his humble beginnings of learning a complicated industry. “Jim knew nothing,” Megan, a land use consultant, reflected while laughing. Viewers see first-hand via sprawling drone footage over the farm that he’s come a long way since then.
Alternating between comedic relief (like Belushi’s daily skinny dip into his pond) and the history of the cultivars that make up Belushi’s genetic line-up (i.e. Captain Jack, whose namesake Jack, famously known as the ‘weed dealer’ on Saturday Night Live in the 70s, now works with the farm)—"Growing Belushi" has all the elements classic to reality TV: quick edits, interview soundbites with music and sound effects to match the moment, and, of course, a little bit of drama. The first issue presented is the report of two cultivation employees, Ben and Alex, who plan to skip out of work at 4 p.m.—knowing full well that the Captain Jack plants need sprayed at 5.
“We are always looking for a show that takes you by surprise and this one did - it’s fun and funny and has a lot of heart. I think people will see Jim Belushi in a whole new way after watching,” said Nancy Daniels, Chief Brand Officer, Discovery & Factual, according to the press release.
Cannabis Business Times profiled Jim Belushi’s operation in its March 2020 cover story. In it, he said, “We all try to throw a pebble into the pond to make a ripple,” reflecting on the impact individuals can have in their various circles. “When you have celebrity status, you bring focus to the pond, and you have the ability to throw a boulder into the pond and make a big wave. That’s a responsibility, and you’ve got to step up to it.” Read the full story here.
P.L. Light Systems Introduces New HortiLED TOP 2.0
The HortiLED TOP 2.0 offers two spectrums designed for optimal spectral efficiencies in both supplementary and sole source lighting applications.
PRESS RELEASE - With an efficacy of 3.3 μmol/J, the HortiLED TOP 2.0 delivers energy savings by reducing energy consumption by as much as 40% versus traditional HPS systems to deliver the same light levels. The optional remote dimming allows for integration with compatible control systems, where light output can be dimmed on a relative scale, based on lighting schedules and/or variable light requirements, enabling control of light levels and energy consumption.
The HortiLED TOP 2.0 offers two spectrums designed for optimal spectral efficiencies in both supplementary and sole source lighting applications. Constructed from aluminum and LEDs, the HortiLED TOP 2.0 requires minimal maintenance and is designed for the harsh conditions of indoor growing. The HortiLED TOP 2.0 is thermally and mechanically engineered to dissipate heat through conduction and convection paths, minimizing LED junction temperature and maximizing light output, lifetime and reliability. The product’s design features an integrated driver, reducing the amount of equipment to be installed and further minimizing shadowing in greenhouse applications, so plants will receive the maximum amount of light.
Luminaires can be daisy-chained to save on wiring and installation costs in both new and retrofit applications, while the specially designed mounting brackets allow for quick and secure mounting of the luminaires on both track and truss systems.
The HortiLED TOP 2.0 is certified to the rigorous standards of CSA and is DLC listed, providing growers with performance validation and enabling them to take advantage of energy conservation rebate programs.
“We believe the introduction of the new HortiLED TOP 2.0, will be a game changer for growers who have so far been hesitant to adopt the use of LED technology. The phenomenal efficiency of the luminaire, along with the new spectrums, which are optimized for either supplementary or sole-source lighting applications, means growers can achieve the same lighting performance as traditional sources with all the benefits of LEDs,” explains Todd Philips, president of P.L. Light Systems. “Designed for maximum flexibility, the HortiLED TOP 2.0 can used either as a full LED solution, or in combination with HID luminaires as a hybrid lighting system."
Sundry Photography | Adobe Stock
Need to Know: State Dollars Help Sacramento Build Equity Program
In a Q&A, Sacramento Cannabis Program Manager Davina Smith discusses how the city’s CORE program stands out and how the experience of working with the state has changed.
Cities across California are creating and expanding equity programs with the help of grant funding from the state.
The California Bureau of Cannabis Control (BCC), state regulatory agency turned recipient of the DEA's wrath, and the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) have issued $40 million to cities and counties across the state to support equity programs. These programs are meant to help people who have been harmed and disproportionately impacted by cannabis prohibition establish businesses in the industry.
In July, the BCC sent a nearly 500-page report to the state legislature that includes documents submitted from city and county officials expressing the need for equity programs and plans for creating them. Cannabis Business Times and Cannabis Dispensary are speaking with recipients of the BCC and GO-Biz funds.
While some of the $40 million flowed as far south as Coachella, Palm Springs and Long Beach, one of the locales it reached wasn’t very far from the state government: the capital. Sacramento received more than $5 million of the funds distributed by the BCC and Go-Biz. It’s not the most any city received but also not the least; Oakland received the most with more than $8 million, and Stockton received the least with an even $60,000.
Sacramento officials, through the Cannabis Opportunity Reinvestment and Equity (CORE) program, work in tandem with state regulators on equity efforts in working to help launch and support equity businesses.
Davina Smith, who started as Sacramento’s cannabis program manager in January, said 13 equity businesses are up and running in the city. Storefront dispensary licenses remain capped at 30 for both the adult-use and medical markets, though Smith said that number could soon increase to 40. For now, the city’s 13 equity businesses are mostly cultivators, manufacturers and delivery dispensaries. Below are some of her thoughts on CORE she shared with CBT and CD.
Cannabis Business Times and Cannabis Dispensary: What have been some of the CORE program's biggest successes, and how have those accomplishments helped applicants and licensees and the city?
Davina Smith: I think 13 is sort of a modest number if you're looking at the outside in. But those 13—those have popped up in the last year and a half, really, since we've had our program going. So, it's really exciting to see people who were impacted by the War on Drugs seeing that there's a place for them in the cannabis space, the regulated cannabis space, and really going for it. The grant funding that the state has offered, as well as the funding that the city has put up, to do programs for our equity members—I think they've been super helpful. We've heard good information and feedback from folks on the experiences they've had.
Our CORE program was funded, initially, by the city council. They awarded contracts to two different facilitators, one of which was the Greater Sacramento Urban League. … The other facilitator was the Sacramento Asian Pacific Chamber of Commerce. Those two entities do classes for people who feel like they need more basic small business knowledge, so how to run a business—how to track budgets, how to create a business plan, a lot of that basic stuff that people may wish to engage in. They're also offered mentoring, information and assistance on filling out state applications, local applications, bringing together people with potential places that a business can locate, finding property owners that would be interested in renting out to cannabis businesses in our city. That's the foundation of our equity program, and the city paid for that.
We've also been lucky enough to get funding from the state—a grant from BCC and then a new grant from GO-Biz. The first grant from BCC we utilized for a reimbursement program. Someone starting up their cannabis businesses has expenses; they give us the receipts and we are reimbursing them up to $25,000 per permit. We started that program [in February]. It looks like just about now we have given out all of the money. We're still going through the last few applications, but if they all check out, then we will [have] given out $1 million in the last few months, which is pretty exciting for us. I think it was definitely something very needed with the advent of COVID-19 and some of the economic impacts that people trying to get in that regulated cannabis space are really feeling.
Then, the second grant we got from GO-Biz we're utilizing to fund a revolving no-interest loan. Our hope for that, really, is that it'll help not just cannabis entrepreneurs who are ready to open a business or expand a current business now, but next year and the year after and the year after. We're really hoping that this will take off and be a success. It's really about social equity folks repaying their loans and then enabling that money, that paid back money, to go out and help another social equity person or that same person a year down the road when all of a sudden they've decided they want to add a distribution permit onto their manufacturing permit or something. That's really our goal is to create this evergreen fund so that the city of Sacramento can always provide loans to our social equity members at favorable terms, 0% money, and then we're looking at a six- or seven-year repayment term to try to keep those payments low.
CBT/CD: How does the CORE program differ from other equity programs in the state?
DS: When we were doing our equity study to determine “Is there a need for a social equity program in the city of Sacramento?”, one of the things that equity study turned up and what drove the categories of individuals and business entities that are able to be classified as a social equity person or entity in our city was that we decided not to look at current income.
Photo courtesy of the City of Sacramento
Davina Smith
It seems like in most of our sister cities, that is something that people look at. We thought, since the impacts of the War on Drugs were felt over basically a 15-, 20-year period, we certainly identified certain zip codes within our city that, based off police records and arrest records and things like that, that those realities were occurring. We thought it made sense that the people who are impacted are people who experience that, who lived in those neighborhoods, who were arrested for a cannabis offense, who experienced trying to go to school every day and being patted down by the police for suspected cannabis or other things. That was a reality that we needed to address, and that was what we wanted to look at with our social equity program. So, that's where we focused that. And we didn't really look at, “What are your current financial situations?” We didn't want to penalize people if they were able to succeed after having those experiences. … I think that's one of the primary ways where our equity population differs, is we don't look at current income. We're really looking at previous impacts. … For us, in all honesty, it's a lot of the Black and brown folks that live in neighborhoods that had that police presence during the War on Drugs, and we felt that would be an appropriate place to put our sort of social equity eggs and to redress some of those issues.
CBT/CD: What can other states learn from California with regard to how the state government works with municipalities on equity programs?
DS: I think there are both benefits and detriments to our two-tiered system of state and local approval. I will say that it has been exciting to see the state, really in the last two years, step up on social equity and put their money where their mouths are in that respect. I think they have been good partners, not just in funding our local social equity efforts, but also in just being willing to think about, “How can we best serve our social equity members who may not have the collateral or the financial backing and certainly can't get it from traditional funding sources like banks?” and think about, “Well, can we incubate people? Can we alter the regulations or tweak them a little bit to allow nontraditional business types to kind of come together to share space and resources and make that happen?”
We've been working with the state on that kind of stuff, which is an exciting development and I think another opportunity for our social equity folks trying to get into that marketplace with minimal costs. I think everyone in California acknowledges it's an expensive place to do business, and it's even more expensive if you run a cannabis business. So, trying to lessen those [costs] to the extent possible is of primary importance. And we definitely appreciate the state's willingness to engage with us on that.
CBT/CD: In addition to helping disproportionately impacted communities succeed, how does having programs like CORE and having equity licensees up and running help the cannabis industry succeed?
DS: I think we're in very exciting times, and it really feels like there is a possibility for change in the air when it comes to our Black and brown communities and people who have been disproportionately affected by the War on Drugs and policing and things like that. One of the things [about] having more equity members in the regulated cannabis space, I think, [is] social equity members have sort of always been in the cannabis space. It just seems right and fair for them to be in the regulated cannabis space, even though it's so much more expensive to run a regulated business than an underground business.
I think it also says something about our society, where we're at. I think about cosmetic companies now … I have friends who are African American, and for years, we have talked about the difficulty of them finding makeup shades that match their complexion. Just so you know, I'm white, and I don't have that same difficulty, and we've talked about, “What the heck is going on?” and “There's a huge marketplace here available” and “What will it say when this is actually something you can go to the drugstore and see?” So, I think just that little fix, when you talk about makeup, it started with small entrepreneurs—women, primarily, who realized that this was the market that they could serve, usually making it for themselves and their sisters and cousins and friends and then moving onto a bigger place. Then, all of a sudden, you have the big companies like Revlon and L'Oréal realizing that there's a market here, and this is something that is good to have. And all of a sudden, you're seeing this all over.
It's, a lot of times, I think, those small entrepreneurs that start out and realize this is something that's needed and necessary. [Not only] can they make their mark in that way, but I also think it just adds to the view of our society, that the legal pot business has been overwhelmingly white and male. And that's not what our society is. Our businesses should reflect what our society is, and especially when you look at the history of cannabis, which was so much our Black and brown and Asian communities involved in it. Shouldn't the regulated cannabis marketplace be like that too and be like that too? I'm excited because it does feel like we are on a path to change that, and I'm looking forward to every bit of that change that happens.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Alex | Adobe Stock
How Cannabis Cultivators Can Avoid Pesticide Recalls
Tips from experts from one of the oldest regulated, adult-use cannabis markets in the U.S.
Failing a test for a banned or disallowed pesticide can happen to any agricultural producer. But such failures seem to be more common in Colorado’s cannabis industry than more conventional products because there aren’t federally approved pesticides specifically for cannabis cultivation, according to John Scott, the section chief of the pesticides program at the Colorado Department of Agriculture.
“We certainly see a higher misuse rate in cannabis,” Scott says. “That is mostly due to the fact that as far as federal regulation and approval of products, 'cannabis' still isn’t on pesticide labels. It is not that we don’t still see misuse occur in conventional products, it is just the core fact that the regulatory approval process has not caught up with cannabis just yet.”
That can create confusion for cultivators, who must do more legwork before applying a pesticide to be sure it is approved for use on cannabis.
The team at the Colorado pesticides program determines which pesticides are allowed for cannabis cultivation and tests to ensure compliance. For all other crops, a national program for pesticide use determination falls under the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as it does for federally legal hemp, which is listed on some product labels. Testing for contamination is done by, and on behalf of, the USDA, according to the Colorado Department of Agriculture.
The program has a list of pesticides that are allowed for use on all types of cannabis, regardless of THC content or intended use. The program can issue cease and desist orders for the use of an unapproved pesticide or report a producer to the Marijuana Enforcement Division, which may take additional steps and can issue a recall.
As states’ testing pesticide testing protocols are implemented, it is likely they will see a spike in recalls and fines, as Colorado did, before the industry adjusts.
“I’ll give credit to our marijuana industry, they have done a good job of coming into compliance,” Scott says. “Of course, we still find misuse cases, but by my last analysis, our number of cases has dropped over 60% (since the program started).”
The National Cannabis Risk Management Association, an organization that helps cultivators navigate regulations in individual state programs, including rules about pesticide use, has been working with Colorado cultivators since 2017.
NCRMA chief risk management officer Alex Hearding says misuse cases are down in Colorado, which is encouraging, but there are still cultivators struggling with the fallout from fines and recalls. Although the state operates one of the oldest regulated adult-use markets in the country, it began mandating pesticide testing for adult-use and medical cannabis in August 2018.
Not only are pesticide-related recalls a significant hit on the company’s finances, they damage its reputation.
Hearding still sees cases, sometimes as often as weekly, about a Colorado company being hit with fines or recalls. And he says these stories are even more frequent in states with newer cannabis industries.
“It is huge, especially in these emerging states,” Hearding said. “Setting up a pesticide program for any state has a lot of growing pains, we went through a it here in Colorado, but each state is unique.”
Colorado's list of approved pesticides is updated regularly, and though these updates are often announced, it is the responsibility of producers to always be aware what chemicals and products are allowed.
Reading and following the label on a pesticide is essential, but Hearding also encourages producers to send pesticides to a lab to be tested independently to ensure they do not contain banned chemicals.
Hearding emphasized the importance of being aware of the pesticides that are allowed, but said even the most informed cultivator should have a plan in place for if something goes wrong.
“(All producers) should have a quarantining protocol as well as recall protocols,” he said. “They should know how they are storing and isolating the product and have a plan to retest that product. If it has gotten out on the market, they need to have procedures to source that batch that came up ‘hot’ and recall it. Each company needs to be aware of what those recall procedures are and how to find all of the products from that specific batch and bring them back.”
Failing a pesticide test can be very expensive. One Massachusetts company was recently fined $200,000 for not only using an illegal pesticide, but falsifying records to concealing its use.
A quick response to a recall and cooperation with regulators can limit these expenses and start to win back the trust of consumers.
As with all aspects of cannabis production, staying informed, openly communicating with regulators and having a contingency plan can prevent failed pesticide tests or at least mitigate the damage they cause.
Quick Tips: Pesticide Best Practices for Cannabis Cultivators
Alex Hearding, NCRMA chief risk management officer
Always read the label of your pesticides, but don’t trust it blindly.
If possible, send products to an independent lab to be tested for banned chemicals.
Even “organic” products can contain unapproved substances.
Track your products from seed to sale.
If a product fails a test, you need to be able to track down its batch quickly.
Have a contingency plan in place in case a recall is ordered.
Even the most careful cultivator should have a recall protocol in place.
A slow or unorganized recall will exacerbate the financial and public image impact.
Editor's Note: This article has been updated to clarify that while the Colorado Department of Agriculture determines which pesticides are allowed for cannabis cultivation and ensures compliance, it does not oversee compliance and testing for other crops. A national program exists for pesticide approval of other crops.
Cannabis Certification Council to Release Draft of Organically Grown Cannabis (OG) Standard for Public Comment
The OG standard and certification draft will be made public for the first time for a six week public review and comment period, and is set to be published in the fall of 2020.
With the support of the OGC Technical Advisory Committee, the CCC has now made the first draft of the OGC standard available for public review and comment. The draft standard is available via request and via the website. The OG standard is designed as the baseline organic standard for legal commercial cannabis producers around the world. In addition to the standard itself, the Council is developing a unique seal that consumers will be able to easily identify in retail environments and that will deter fraud in the marketplace.
“The OG seal will be the first of its kind in the cannabis marketplace, offering consumers heretofore unprecedented transparency and assurance about the quality and origin of their product,” said Rudy Ellenbogen, CEO of Whole Grow and Technical Advisory Committee member.
The comment period will remain open for six weeks, at which point all comments will be reviewed and considered for publication in the final version of the OG standard, expected to be published this October. Public review and input before completion of a standard is protocol in the creation of any meaningful certification. Six weeks is ample time for thorough public consideration and feedback.
“The CCC is dedicated to educating both the industry and consumers about clean, sustainable production and this milestone in the development of the OG standard is a great benchmark of our success. Organic demand outpaces supply and there’s no reason to believe the same won’t be true in cannabis,” said Amy Andrle, CCC board member and owner of L’Eagle Services, a vertically integrated cannabis company in Denver, Colo.
The OG Certification has been developed by the Cannabis Certification Council with the founding support of L’Eagle Services, CG Courigan, Boveda, House of Cultivar and Whole Grow.
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