This article originally appeared in the April 2018 print issue of Cannabis Business Times. To subscribe, click here.

Shading, along with ventilation, reduces the temperature and light levels in a greenhouse. By blocking or reflecting the sun’s radiation, a significant portion of the heat load can be excluded.

This can save energy by reducing fan operation and extending the time that carbon dioxide (CO2) enhancement can be used.

Shading also reduces excessive light levels that may burn or dry plant foliage. For most plants, a photosynthesis saturation level of 4,000 to 5,000 foot-candles (800 to 1,000 µmol/square meter per second) is adequate. Shading also diffuses light in the greenhouse for more uniform and deeper penetration into the lower foliage.

Follow these pointers that shed light on shading techniques:

1. Choose exterior shade for free-standing or hoop houses.

Low-cost shade compounds can be sprayed or rolled on the glazing at different levels to achieve constant light reduction. Select a material specific to your glazing that can be easily removed in late fall to allow for full winter sunlight.

Shade fabrics applied over the greenhouse roof are lightweight, easily applied and available in several materials, shade levels and colors. Most materials are ultraviolet (UV) stabilized, and will last about 10 years and cost roughly $0.25 to $0.50/square foot, depending on the type of material and the shade percentage.

To read the full article in the April 2018 print issue of Cannabis Business Times, click here.

Top photo courtesy of John W. Bartok, Jr.

Medical marijuana producer Aurora Cannabis has struck a $2.5-billion (C$3.2bn) deal to buy rival MedReleaf, a move that will give the Canadian group a larger production footprint as it plots its expansion at a time when more governments around the globe are legalizing recreational pot use.

The all-stock deal valued shares of MedReleaf at roughly C$29.44, an 18 per cent premium to the company’s closing stock price on Friday. Aurora will own 61 per cent of the combined company, with shareholders of MedReleaf holding the remaining stake.

“Our complementary assets, strategic synergies, and strong market positioning will provide us with critical mass and an excellent product portfolio in preparation for the adult consumer use market in Canada,” said Terry Booth, chief executive of Aurora. “Equally, the combination strengthens our capacity to service the rapidly expanding global medical cannabis markets.”

Aurora, which said the deal would give it production capacity of 570,000 kilograms of marijuana a year, has been on a buying frenzy ahead of the legalization of recreational marijuana in Canada in July. Medical cannabis has been legal since 2013.

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Top photo courtesy of Adobe Stock

Today, U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris, a Democratic from California and a potential 2020 presidential contender. joined the Marijuana Justice Act as a co-sponsor. She stands with U.S. Sens. Cory Booker (who introduced the legislation, Kirsten Gillibrand, Bernie Sanders and Ron Wyden. Companion legislation in the U.S. House has attracted more than two dozen co-sponsors.

"Making marijuana legal at the federal level is the smart thing to do and it’s the right thing to do," Harris tweeted today.

The bill was introduced in August 2017 in the U.S. Senate. According to the text, if passed, marijuana would be removed from the Schedule of Controlled Substances, effectively rendering it open to commerce and research under certain federal regulations. Booker went a step further and included a number of social justice funding initiatives in the legislation, as well. 

Making marijuana legal at the federal level is the smart thing to do and it’s the right thing to do. Today, I’m announcing my support for @CoryBooker’s Marijuana Justice Act. pic.twitter.com/cOh3SjMaOW

— Kamala Harris (@SenKamalaHarris) May 10, 2018

Compassionate Cultivation, a vertically integrated CBD business in Texas, is partnering with state chapters of the Epilepsy Foundation to ease the financial burden for patients. With subsidized health insurance off the table, CEO Morris Denton felt compelled to step up and help those in need.

The funding partnership begins with a $5,000 donation to both Epilepsy Foundation Central & South Texas and Epilepsy Foundation Texas. From there, future investment in this program will come from revenue generated by non-cannabis merchandise sold at Compassionate Cultivation, like branded hats and hoodies. (An online store is forthcoming.) The money will be managed by the Epilepsy Foundation, which will assess patients and qualify them for partial or full coverage of CBD costs, depending on income.

Denton says this partnership stemmed from the conversations he had during the state licensing process. “I had the opportunity to meet with dozens of patients that have epilepsy or dozens of family members that have kids or brothers or sisters with epilepsy,” Denton tells Cannabis Dispensary. “And it really shifted the way that I viewed what it is that we’re doing. It shifted and transformed what our role is this market in Texas.

“When you get to know people and you get to hear their story and see their struggle, it became very apparent very quickly to me that not all of these people that needed access to this medicine were going to be able to afford this medicine.”

Compassionate Cultivation has a 7,200-square-foot facility in Manchaca, Texas (south of Austin), which includes 2,500 square feet of canopy space and 2,500 square feet of processing and packaging. The company produces two sizes of CBD oil: 7.5 mL for $105, and 15 mL for $200 (at 100 milligrams of CBD per milliliter of oil). 

“Epilepsy patients need to have options and access to essential anti-seizure medication, including CBD,” said Sindi Rosales, founder and CEO of EFCST. “We're very grateful to CC for partnering with us to create this program.”

According to the Epilepsy Foundation, “roughly 30 percent of patients with epilepsy don’t respond to conventional treatments, … and CBD has emerged as a promising alternative treatment.”

Approximately 1.8 percent of Texans are diagnosed with epilepsy, according to Epilepsy Foundation Central & South Texas.

“It would be a real shame if, after the tireless work of all these advocates and the Epilepsy Foundation and all these moms and all these families that really threw in the effort, someone in Texas wouldn’t be able to get access to this medicine because they couldn’t afford it,” Denton says, “because it’s not covered by insurance.”

Top photo by Maggie Fitz