BOULDER, Colorado, July 21, 2020 - PRESS RELEASE - Charlotte’s Web, a manufacturer of hemp-based extract cannabidiol (CBD) products, has unveiled part three of its “Trust The Earth” campaign.

Originally launched in October 2019, the Trust The Earth campaign was created to break down barriers by opening up doors of access to the power of hemp for health. Now, Charlotte’s Web is continuing to use its voice, public art, the country's landscape and its collaboration with Studio Number One, the creative agency founded by legendary artist Shepard Fairey.

Created in McPherson, Kansas, the 76-acre farm art installation features a massive rendering of a hand holding a hemp stalk and the call to action, "Trust the Earth." This farm field art was unveiled online officially on July 21. Studio Number One and Fairey’s original art was grown and mown on 3,049,200 square feet of farmland, and the installation required one solo farmer mowing for one week using a GPS to guide the process. The final field art, installed by Precision Mazes, is so large that it required a local farmer’s plane to achieve enough height to photograph the entire Trust The Earth field art installation.

“This art is the visual and naturally living embodiment of Charlotte’s Web’s mission to unleash the healing powers of botanicals,” said Deanie Elsner, CEO for Charlotte’s Web. “And we hope this inspires many to join us in fighting for sound federal and state regulations.”

"A farmer's field is a place to cultivate life-changing ideas and grow a voice for those still seeking hemp-based wellness. Through this powerful artwork, we experience a coalition between earth and humanity, and our journey to create sustainable, natural wellness—in the case of hemp, revolutionary wellness. Our purpose is to ignite conversations that open access to hemp in all states that have yet to provide this choice," said Jared Stanley, chief cultivation officer and a co-founder of Charlotte’s Web.

“Whether it’s a mural in Brooklyn, a poster in your home or a field in Kansas, Studio Number One understands the power of art to compel change. SNO worked with Charlotte’s Web to call on citizens to Trust the Earth,” said Shepard Fairey.

The Trust The Earth campaign supports Charlotte’s Web’s on-going mission to open up access to hemp CBD, especially for those who depend on it for quality of life. Its purpose is to raise awareness of the need for improved and equal access to hemp-derived CBD products for everyone in every U.S. state.  Founded in 2014, the Stanley Brothers set out to change perceptions about the health potential of hemp, forwarded laws, and inspired vital research.

 “This glorious field art celebrates everyone on Earth whose lives have been improved by hemp-derived CBD wellness products,” said Elsner. “Charlotte’s Web continues to lead the revolution and will continue to advocate.”

The newly established Nevada Cannabis Compliance Board (CCB) met for the first time on July 21, kickstarting a new era for the state’s industry. Notably, the board signed off on a disciplinary settlement that will revoke six of CWNevada’s 14 business licenses.

Watch the full video below.

CWNevada owns Canopi Cannabis Dispensaries, and the punishment against the company includes a $1.25-million fine and a $1.5-million bill for back taxes. The action stems from a series of lawsuits that accused CWNevada of withholding payment from its employees, breaking contracts with business partners and destroying evidence in ongoing civil cases. A state investigation into CWNevada’s activities began in 2018.

Proceeds from the sale of the eight remaining CWNevada licenses will benefit the employees in question. Company owner Brian Padgett will be barred from any of that incoming cash.

“These sums are extremely important to Nevada and its citizens given the state’s budget deficits and high unemployment rates,” court-appointed receiver Dotan Melech wrote in a letter to the CCB. Throughout the first part of the meeting, many such letters were read into the record. A number of local public officials and former CWNevada employees came out in support of the receiver’s proposed discipline.

A former security manager, for example, wrote that he had moved away from his family in Florida to take a “lucrative and secure job” with CWNevada. From early May to early July 2019, he was not paid. According to his public comment at the CCB meeting, he is owed approximately $12,000.

“In April [2019], it became evident that CWNevada was having financial issues,” he wrote. “My paydays started to come later and later, weeks apart even, until a month went by without receiving my pay. By this time my financial stresses had already begun and had become extremely unmanageable. Upper management assured us that loans were being secured that would bring payroll up to date. I was asked to hang in there and continue my work. Being loyal and having nowhere else to turn, I stuck it out.”

His employment came to a halt on July 7 of that summer. According to a signed affidavit, he has been homeless in Las Vegas ever since.

The other stories of former employees piled up.

While the CWNevada news took the marquee, the meeting itself was a major headline for the state’s cannabis industry. The board picks up where the Nevada Department of Taxation had left the cannabis industry, allowing the state to hone its oversight into a singular regulatory body.

The board lifted the freeze on cannabis business license transfers in the state, an October 2019 policy that Gov. Steve Sisolak had put in place following investigations into a tangentially related campaign finance crime spree. With license transfers back on the table now, the hope is that out-of-state investment will once again rejuvenate a marketplace that remains shocked by the economic shutdowns of the 2020 coronavirus pandemic.

Cannabis Compliance Board Executive Director Tyler Klimas said that the state has 92 open requests for license transfers in Nevada.

The Nevada Independent has reported extensively on those deals—and the concerning possibility that the freeze might have spiked some of them. 

While only three of the CCB seats have been filled (by Jerrie Merritt, Dennis Neilander and former Supreme Court of Nevada Chief Justice Michael Douglas), the governor-appointed board tees up a new era in the state’s cannabis industry. The CCB will meet again Aug. 25.

LAKELAND, Fla., July 22, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -PRESS RELEASE- Modern Canna Labs announced it has received its certified marijuana testing laboratory license from the Florida Department of Health, Office of Medical Marijuana Use. This certification comes after the OMMU adopted an emergency rule requiring licensed medical marijuana treatment centers to only use a certified lab for product testing.

"We were the first lab involved in Florida's medical marijuana rule development process and have been working closely with this department since 2014. It is wonderful to see how far our state's medical marijuana program has come," said George Fernandez, founder and CEO of Modern Canna. "Since the beginning, we have stressed the importance of reporting out data that is verifiable, reproducible, and legally defensible. Quality data is the core foundation of any laboratory and the initial building-block for producers who truly care about growth and sustainability."

Both of Modern Canna's facilities are in Lakeland, Florida, and account for over 12,000-square-feet of lab testing space. One facility is ISO 17025 accredited, solely dedicated to testing for MMTC's in Florida. The other facility is NELAP certified, specializing in environmental testing. Modern Canna is currently the only Leafly Certified Lab Partner in the Southeastern United States. Leafly is the world's largest cannabis information resource, dedicated to combating inconsistency in cannabis testing.

"More than anything, I'm just really happy for our team. Years of hard work went into this, and we are honored to be in this position," Fernandez went on to say. "We've done a great job employing people who are not only incredibly talented in the lab, but who are also morally and ethically sound. Everyone truly cares about our clients and the work we do." As Modern Canna lab director Jini Curry explained, "The future of medical marijuana in Florida relies not only on the MMTCs who produce the products but also on the CMTLs who perform the quality control testing."