Minnesota Lawmaker to Reintroduce Cannabis Legalization Bill
House Majority Leader Ryan Winkler will sponsor an adult-use legalization bill again this year, although the issue still faces opposition in the Senate.
Minnesota House Majority Leader Ryan Winkler is again renewing his push to legalize adult-use cannabis in the state, announcing plans to reintroduce a legalization bill this year, according to a WCCO report.
Winkler’s legislation will not only establish a regulated cannabis marketplace in the state, but will also address criminal justice issues, the news outlet reported.
Ahead of last year’s legislative session, Minnesota lawmakers held a series of discussions across the state to gather public input on legalization, and Winkler introduced a legalization bill last spring that incorporated feedback generated from those discussions.
Winkler told WCCO that he sees “Senate leadership as being the number one obstacle,” but said that if lawmakers agreed to place an adult-use legalization initiative on Minnesota’s 2022 ballot, “it would pass overwhelmingly.”
Minnesota’s legislative session kicked off Jan. 5.
Dispensary Brand Dynamics: Developing a Cannabis Business Logo
Part I of this special branding series breaks down important font and design considerations to keep in mind when designing a business logo.
Branding is a fine art. Achieving the right combination of personality traits, visual identity and value sets—and expressing them in an intentional way—can be confusing and overwhelming. Becoming a branding master usually is not high on a CEO’s to-do list, but there are some fundamentals in which company executives should be well versed.
In the past, we aimed to achieve a recognizable logo and a relatable personality when it comes to branding. This was usually enough to convey the brand message and create trust through familiarity. However, with the introduction of social media, which opened the lines of communication between consumers and brands, we are finding that most brand strategies are rather inflexible when it comes to fitting into the modern world. They lack the robust personality to engage in multiple conversations, both in text and visual design. Ultimately, they lack brand dynamics.
Brand dynamics is the ability of a brand to shift its persona in each situation using its range, spectrum, diversity, flexibility and adaptability—going from quiet to loud or big to small, for example, without losing the continuity and consistency of the brand message or the ability to act appropriately for any given situation. This is no easy task, but when you build your brand the right way, it is baked into your business’s DNA.
There are multiple layers to a brand identity: logos, color pallets, typography, brand voice and brand message—all of which make up the brand’s look and feel. Each element plays a different role in communicating your brand identity. When these elements are out of sync with one another, the brand can feel confusing—or worse, inauthentic. The message becomes lost, and the brand struggles for recognition.
The challenge for most non-branding professionals is creating an accurate representation of their brands using the elements listed above. In an attempt to come up with something, they often stage their brand, trying to make everything “look” right without knowing the brand’s true spirit.
This three-part branding series will explain what each of these components brings to the brand and how you can use them to build an authentic identity that stands out. Our goal is to help you move away from a staged brand and into one that is fluid and adaptable, and resonates with your audience. Here, in part I of this special series, we break down an integral part of your brand identity: typography.
More Than a Typeface
Typography, simply stated, is the technique of arranging type to make written words legible, readable and aesthetically pleasing.
Typography can be confused with typeface, the grouping of bold, light, medium and italic fonts that make up the typeface family. Fonts, on the other hand, are groups of characters. Comic Sans, Palatino and Papyrus are examples of typefaces. They are designed to have a very specific feeling, which can intrude on the message if improperly used. (To help clarify: Comic Sans is a typeface, and Comic Sans 12-pt Bold is a font.)
To simplify:
Typography is the study of letters.
Typefaces are font families.
Fonts are the characters of the alphabet designed to have the same brush stroke.
As we have transitioned from hand-lettered type to the printing press and now to digital type, we have formed ideas culturally about what kind of voice typography has. We can identify what kind of feeling certain fonts or typefaces elicit. For example, Comic Sans is fun and casual, while Times New Roman is formal. Helvetica is popular because it is neutral, meaning it allows the words to speak on their own without intrusive graphic or design elements.
In the midst of such a well-versed visual culture, what are some things to think about when using type for branding?
Be Goal-Oriented
The first (essential) step is to identify your goals. Are you trying to be a national product that can scale? The more people you want to be palatable to, the more neutral your type should be. As noted, Helvetica is a good option because of its neutrality. If you want more options, and have the money to spend on fonts, then Univers, Frutiger and Trade Gothic are other neutral options. And if you want to go further, hire a reputable graphic designer, as type and font research can become convoluted and intensive. Designers will be able to navigate this process and ensure your typography remains appropriate while still standing out.
Are you trying to build a small, long-lasting craft dispensary? Niche and small audiences want a brand that is tailored to their needs, so you might need something more handmade (likely hand drawn and extremely custom). You will want a strong “voice” created by a designer or typographer who understands the micro-culture of your audience. Inside of that and beyond is a broad spectrum of possibilities old and new.
Beware the Competition
Next, do your homework. Who is the competition and what do they look like? Who already buys from them? What are the fashion trends in that community? What transcends fashion into ideals and principles? Who are their vendors? What do ancillary businesses look like? These questions will not only help you identify what is visually common in the marketplace, but also how to stand out and be visible in a crowded market. The idea behind analyzing your peers is to understand what is appropriate and what is not, and to know how to be appropriate while still being able to stand out. You don’t want your brand to be “average.”
When it comes to typography decisions, many choose overly characterized fonts (i.e., Snap ITC or Al Fresco) they feel will help deliver the brand’s message. Going back to Papyrus, it has a specific, carved-in-rock design that makes it feel ancient when used correctly, and cheesy when it’s not.
Overly characterized fonts can overshadow your words and their meaning. Put another way, the font’s style and shape distract from or cloud the message you are trying to convey. It’s like a huge exclamation point on a simple statement. This will likely lead to the words appearing either a little too appropriate, which can make your brand seem like a poser, or they will miss the mark entirely. Remember: People are good at determining when someone is being insincere.
A long tradition exists for over-stylized logos and type that we should move away from. We have all seen the drippy, hyper-psychedelic cartoon-style logos and art that some of us liked when we were teenagers. These types of logos and fonts only further the stigmatizing “stoner” story.
Thankfully, that is changing. Companies like White Fox Medicinals, Bloom Farms, Potters Cannabis Co., PAX, dosist, Willie’s Reserve, Whoopi & Maya, and many more are broadening the spectrum and using a wide range of typography and an elevated brand voice. From White Fox, with its clean and ornate hand-drawn type, to Whoopi & Maya with its classic use of type, you can see type used incredibly well.
Write Your Ticket
Typography is a big part of the branding pie. It is especially exciting when cannabis brands get this component right because when they do, it allows them to express themselves more genuinely and even convey moods. The reason that you are putting the message out, after all, is to elicit a response.
Remember that the average consumer sees more than a thousand messages daily. If people like what they see, they’ll respond. If they don’t, they tune out. As consumers, we may not know why, specifically, we tuned out a message, but it can often be traced back to unsettling delivery through poor type choice.
Kyra Reed launched Markyr Cannabis, a digital marketing and social media strategy agency, in 2016. Reed’s cannabis clients include cultivators, manufacturers and software companies. Jesse Barney is a brand design freelancer in the cannabis industry and visual communications expert.
6 Cannabis Home Delivery Service Tips
With home delivery, you can bring the best of your dispensary to your customers’ front doors.
If your dispensary offers top-shelf products and friendly, well-informed budtenders, you’ve got what it takes to provide a great customer experience—but that experience usually ends when customers leave your shop. With home delivery, however, you can bring the best of your dispensary to your customers’ front doors.
Home delivery is an excellent option for your frequent customers who have memorized your menu. It is also an appealing option for many medical patients, who may be restricted in their ability to visit your shop in person. Here are six tips on how to launch and operate home delivery out of your dispensary.
1. Get acclimated with your state’s regulations surrounding home delivery.
You may be required to do additional paperwork to add home delivery to your general retailer license. Delivery sales may need to be recorded differently than in-store sales. In Oregon, there are specific forms to generate for each delivery, and they must be processed directly through the state tracking system. Oregon also requires a commercially insured vehicle outfitted with a lock box for products to be stored while driving. Sort through these details first, then conceptualize how your delivery service might run.
2. Consider online ordering platforms.
In many states, several platforms are available that offer online menu hosting and ordering services. This feature allows your customers to browse your stock at their leisure and track their orders as they progress. Here at Eugene OG, our online orders on average are also larger than our in-store orders, making this a prime opportunity to increase sales.
3. Build your team and procedures.
You’ll likely need someone to prep orders and complete paperwork in store, and someone to act as a delivery driver. Break the process of taking an order, prepping it and transporting it to the customer into small parts, and give each part a specific workflow to follow. Timing is an essential, uncompromising component of delivery. Efficient workflows allow you to get the product to your customer as quickly as possible, which boosts reviews and return shoppers. With at least two employees working on deliveries at all times, you can set up a consistent workflow so that you are always able to accept new orders and have them delivered in a timely manner.
4. Communicate often!
New orders came in while the driver was out? Send them a quick message. Driver is running late with an order? Call the customer and give him or her an updated ETA. A little communication goes a long way.
5. Double-checking is a virtue.
Make sure your drivers have everything they’ll need before they leave the store. In a rush, it can be easy to forget receipts, products, phones or paperwork. You only get one shot to take the correct products to the correct address in a timely manner the first time. If your driver has to double-back, suddenly that transaction costs that much more in labor and puts you off schedule.
6. Be safe out there.
Your best defense is to avoid attracting attention. Stick with a discreet, unmarked vehicle for deliveries. Carry products in a larger bag without branding or labeling. Drivers should carry a minimal amount of cash on hand. At OG we also provide the driver with a delivery-only phone so they can call customers without fear of giving out their personal number.
Ash Stewart is the delivery services specialist at Eugene OG in Eugene, Ore.
Paul | Adobe Stock
Dispute Over Cannabis Cultivation License Heads to Illinois Supreme Court
Curative Health Cultivation LLC and Medponics Illinois LLC are battling over a license to grow cannabis for the state’s medical and adult-use markets.
A years-long dispute over a cannabis cultivation license is headed to the Illinois Supreme Court as Curative Health Cultivation LLC and Medponics Illinois LLC battle over a license to grow cannabis for the state’s medical and adult-use markets, according to an NBC Chicago report.
Curative, which is based in Aurora, Ill., and owned by multistate cannabis operator Columbia Care, won the cultivation license in 2015, lost it following a dispute in a lower court and ultimately won it back on appeal, NBC Chicago reported.
Medponics wants to establish operations in Zion, Ill., and has been backed by the city in its bid for the license, according to the news outlet.
The license could potentially be worth $100 million, NBC Chicago reported, and the arguments in the case focus on the vetting process used to issue the initial cultivation licenses in 2015.
Medponics has argued that although Curative received the highest score on its application, it should have been disqualified because its operations would be too close to a residential area, according to NBC Chicago.
In lower court, Judge Michael Fusz sided with Medponics in a 2017 lawsuit, ruling that the state did not properly apply state law when awarding the license to Curative, the news outlet reported. However, Fusz also said in his ruling that the license should not necessarily go to Medponics, which received the fifth highest score on its application.
Fusz’s ruling was partially overturned when an appeals court later ruled that the zoning issue was more complicated than the lower court found, and the license was reinstated with Curative, NBC Chicago reported.
The Illinois Supreme Court is now expected to take up the case in early 2021.
Ben Williams, left, and Wendell Robbins III, founders of Highway Hemp, are working on expanding their company's reach.
Cannabidiol (CBD), the star compound of hemp, may be known for its relaxing properties, but one company has uncovered how to make a relaxing—and even intoxicating—product using an entirely different portion of the plant: hempseed.
Highway Vodka, a company founded by lifelong friends Ben Williams and Wendell Robbins III, had been seven years in the making when it launched in 2019.
Williams began distilling vodka as a hobby. But when he visited a friend in California who owned a cannabis dispensary (and is a fellow vodka-distilling enthusiast), he met others who were distilling their vodka with cannabis. It inspired him to try the same with hemp.
Now, the Houston-based company has become the first Black-owned distillery in the city, according to Highway Vodka, and is expanding its distribution beyond Texas to include Georgia, California and Florida.
“It’s not about hemp flavor, and it’s not about CBD, to be honest,” Williams says. “It was really about what the plant does for my particular process.”
When Williams began experimenting with different hemp vodka formulations, the crop was not yet legal in the U.S., so Williams began sourcing from Canada. Eventually, federal farm bills in 2014 and 2018 opened the legal landscape for hemp, allowing Williams to expand his experimentation with hemp grown in the U.S.
He tried different parts of the plant as well as different forms of the grain, from full raw hempseed to roasted grains.
“I’ve played with every part of the plant I could get my hands on,” Williams says. “The thing that’s right under your nose and most readily available turned out to be what I needed: hulled hempseed.”
Williams spent years honing the formula. Then, it all clicked.
“One day I was just being lazy and dumped everything into the still [the apparatus used to distill vodka]. Right off the rip at a super high proof, it was just better. It had a better smell, feel,” Williams says. “We immediately started proofing it down, making cuts and filtering it. … It was literally just the best stuff we had ever made.”
That formulation consisted of corn, water and hulled hempseed. From that day, Williams and Robbins continued honing that formulation, trying out distilling it a wide number of times and settling on six for the “purest, sweetest” taste, Williams says.
Williams, who owned a small bar and also opened a restaurant called Lucille’s 1913 with his brother, Chris, began taking the vodka to his establishments to let people sample it.
“It was just consistently winning,” Williams says. “I was like, ‘Let’s just try to make a go at it.’”
The Hemp Touch
Vodka is typically made with fermented grains that are then put through a distilling process. This can include corn, sorghum, rye, rice or wheat.
But hemp grain is unique in that it has a high fat content. And while the vodka doesn’t necessarily have the taste of hemp, Williams says the additional seed does give it a different mouthfeel.
“At distilling six times, after it goes through the process of going through the still, you’ll notice it has a viscosity difference. I don’t think it’s thick or creamy—it just has a little more body than your typical vodka,” Williams says. “What we’ve found is that oil and those fats coat your palate and smooth [the taste of the vodka] out, so there’s no burn. It makes it easy to drink neat and straight up. It also holds the sweetness from the corn on your palate.”
The two also found that the hemp actually produces higher yields of alcohol. While yeast nutrients, which are used to produce more alcohol, can produce an unwanted flavor, Williams says, hemp did not.
“I found out different proteins in hemp act as a superfuel for my yeast,” Williams says.
Texas Roots
As Highway Hemp Vodka gains popularity and expands its distribution, Williams he’s looking to expand his sourcing network as well.
While the two partners were dialing in their formula, Williams was searching for “the fattest hempseed I could find.” He settled on a supplier in Minnesota and is currently sourcing anywhere between 550 to 800 pounds of seed a week.
Williams says he’s currently in the process of finding a Texas-based source for the seed. But it’s been a challenge, as many growers in Texas kicked off 2020—the state’s first year of hemp production—with fiber varieties.
Still, his search will continue as Highway Hemp Vodka grows. In addition to retailers selling the vodka in several states, it is available in more areas via online ordering at reservebar.com.
The company is also working on putting out new products in the upcoming year, including honing a formula for hemp whiskey.
“We have no choice but to make everything,” Williams says. “We’re just having fun with it.”
Legislative Map
Cannabis Business Times’ interactive legislative map is another tool to help cultivators quickly navigate state cannabis laws and find news relevant to their markets. View More