SB-58 Controlled substances: decriminalization of certain hallucinogenic substances: Votes

YOU CAN’T ENFORCE AWAY LEGAL CANNABIS PROBLEMS

Cannabis operators have faced the short end of the stick time and time again in the legal marketplace, but leaning back on the Drug War tactics of prohibition is never the answer. 

The plague of operators who have never smoked heat in their lives bashing people who never got the shot they wanted in the marketplace continues to grow. Most of the time, the people taking these shots at the traditional underground market are well-funded operators. They use “enforcement of the law” as a catch-all phrase to narc on the streets from state to state. The lack of enforcement, as they see it, is the root of their headaches. This is regardless of their product quality. 

It’s a lot easier to blame someone else to your investors. Those who have been participating in cannabis markets the longest have become the target of that ire. In the worst circumstances, they’d try and convince you all the cannabis grown outside of the legal marketplace is loaded with pesticides that will kill you and sold to you by an international drug trafficking entity. Sure, there’s some nasty weed and sketchy folks in the mix, but painting the entire marketplace with that brush? Sad. Disingenuous. So many things come to mind. 

But here in California, those painters may have pushed us into a new era of enforcement that’s going to bring us back to something a lot closer to the dark ages of cannabis. California’s legalization rollout has gone less than ideal. The original plan to transition the underground market to a new regulated one changed quickly following legalization. 

In the merger of Prop 64 and the state’s forthcoming medical cannabis regulations that would have gone into effect had Prop 64 failed, certain protections for small farmers were lost. The biggest was the prevention of the permit stacking that led to the mega farms that priced mom and pops out of the game on both sides of the market.  

There is a sublayer of people in all this that pretends to hate the underground market while backdooring products from mega grows through sketchy distribution companies. These distributors are the plausible deniability between you and your weed in New York, should shit hit the fan. The mom and pops getting hit the hardest by enforcement this summer rarely will have access to such wider distribution networks technically tapped into the legal market. 

The mechanism for this shitty deliverance will likely be the new Effort to Prevent Illicit Cannabis (EPIC) program. The program is essentially a rebranding of the state’s 40-year-old Campaign Against Marijuana Planting (CAMP). A major difference will be the way the actual enforcement efforts are directed. 

Attorney General Rob Bonta noted when announcing EPIC that his reforms would be focused on the environmental, labor, and economic impacts of illegal cultivation. Much of the resources directed to CAMP went to monitoring the national forests of Northern California for grows during the peak of the growing season, but the EPIC program will have a permanent presence going forward.

One aspect of the program is the fact that it’s expected enforcement on unlicensed gardens located on private parcels will pick up a lot this year. As it destroyed 30 million cannabis plants over the decades, many times there wasn’t anyone in the forest to charge. With the move to heavier enforcement on private parcels, we’re bound to see more people facing legal trouble.

It’s being viewed as a double-edged sword by many up north. As they hear of the risk of enforcement, many laugh, presuming it can’t be anything compared to what they faced during the hardest era of enforcement up north. They also expect the enforcement will see prices bounce back up. 

It might have never gotten to this point of increased enforcement had the farmers had a real shot in the first place. And as the last 40 years have proven, you can’t enforce cannabis out of California, especially when it’s more popular than ever.  

SUN+EARTH CERTIFICATION PROGRAM EXPANDS TO CANADA

As cannabis goes international, so will the standards we use to determine its quality like the Sun+Earth certifications that just recently entered the Canadian market.

Sun+Earth is a nonprofit that was created in 2019. The space has seen many for-profit certification programs get pushed in the wake of not being able to actually call your cannabis organic. Why Not? Schedule I narcotics are not eligible for the  National Organic Program by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. States also have started pushing their own organic programs like OCal here in California. 

While many of those other programs have fallen off, Sun+Earth grew to California, Michigan, Oregon and Washington before this new move into British Columbia with Sea Dog Farm. They note the program was founded by those with a shared commitment to regenerative organic agriculture, farmer and farmworker protections, and community engagement. Currently, there are more than 70 Sun+Earth Certified cannabis farms and manufacturers.

“We chose to pursue Sun+Earth certification because we believe it is essential to use both organic and regenerative practices in our stewardship of the land, and while we grow for our community,” said Sea Dog Farm co-owner Katy Connelly. “The Sun+Earth seal will help our customers identify products that were grown using methods that help to sequester carbon and build healthy soil and don’t use fossil fuels or petroleum-based chemical fertilizers,” continued Connelly. “As more consumers become aware of the devastating impact indoor cannabis has on our planet, we hope they will choose ethical and sustainable products.”

The cannabis that has made it through the program is free of any toxic pesticides or chemical fertilizers. They note the standards of the program are more rigorous than what you would find in the USDA program or Canada. But it’s not just about clean weed by any means. The cannabis certified also must be sun-grown and cultivated on farms that strengthen habitats and build living soil. Sun+Earth argues the high bar for their standards encourages positive things like the planting of cannabis alongside food crops, and the strategic use of cover crops, composting, and reduced soil tillage.

While cannabis is legal in Canada for adult use, it is yet to be allowed inclusion in the country’s organic food program. This opened up this move for Sun+Roots. 

“Sun+Earth strives to certify farms wherever cannabis can be grown under the sun, in the earth, and without toxic chemical inputs,” said Sun+Earth Certified director Andrew Black. “Sea Dog Farm is the first Sun+Earth Certified cannabis farm in Canada, but hopefully not the last,” continued Black. “Sun+Earth aims to point the cannabis industry—across borders—in a cleaner, healthier, and more ethical direction, and provide needed support for struggling small-scale farmers in our regenerative organic community.” 

The certification is expected to give Sea Dog Farms an edge, as it’s finally allowed access to retail storefronts to sell its products. Up until last year, permitted cannabis cultivation operations in British Columbia were banned from selling their products directly to retailers. Last summer, the BC Liquor Distribution Branch which regulates the distribution and sale of cannabis for the province started its new Direct Delivery Program, allowing small growers to sell directly to independently licensed retail outlets.

JUDGING ZALYMPIX 2023 QUALIFYING ROUND

We just wrapped up judging the preliminary round of the biggest Zalympix competition yet. 

The 2023 installment of Greenwolf’s massive contest is bigger than ever in terms of entries this year, not just hype. Greenwolf opened up the competition to over 100 farmers for the next installment. 

That’s a huge jump from the 16 we’d seen in the previous boxes to 109. Obviously, there was going to be a need to switch the format up a pinch given the scale of how big the contest is this year. Greenwolf’s solution? A preliminary round. 

The Greenwolf team assembled a reputable squad to go whittle down the pack. It included past winners, famous growers, and other journalists. Everyone they selected was based on their faith in their palette and opinion on cannabis.

Getting the kit in two boxes.

I received my box on Feb. 8 and had through the 21st to finish the samples. I went into the last day with four left. That worked out to trying just over nine samples a day. I smoked every single entry in a backwood because they are kind of like a cheat code when you’re grading marijuana. If you can taste it through the woods, you know it’s the goods. 

One thing about this contest was the fact it was refreshing to not have to pick a winner. We had to pick 27 things we thought had a shot in the final round. That’s a ton. If I knew something had to be in the box I just gave it all fives. Even if it wasn’t my favorite terps, I just couldn’t deny it a shot at the big show. 

I ended up with 18 out of the 109 in that must-go-in-the-box category. These were fantastic representations of lots of different kinds of weed. There were certainly a ton of dessert terps across the field of entries, but dotted between the Gelatos and Lemon Cherries were both new and old flavors.

There were a ton of OGs. To be expected from a Los Angeles-based contest? Sure. But they were of varying qualities; some leaned on the pure fuel smell while others smelled more like Skywalker or Tahoe cut with a bit more pinene in them. 

Most of the things I scored the highest were rockstar-level gas, which is weed that literally smells like there was some kind of accident at a gas station that needs to be reported. I wasn’t worried about color either when I was scoring. Don’t get me wrong, I wanted the stuff I was picking to be aesthetically pleasing, but a wild nose went a hundred times further in my opinion building than a couple of hints of purple. 

A lot of people entered new gear they thought might be their golden ticket. I’ve regularly checked out the Compound lineup over the last few years as they were testing out new gear. I smelled a lot of notes from last year’s seed drops like Gastropop and Pave. 

Jon Cappetta from High Times was among the others selected to make their way through the entries in search of the 27 he thought worthy.

“Sorting through almost 120 samples in two weeks is a feat for even the most seasoned veterans, but The Zalympix preliminaries were a great preview of the gear we can expect to see making headlines this year. It seems like ‘23 is going to be another year of candy gas, but I’m holding out hope for more unique flavor profiles,” Cappetta told L.A. Weekly. 

We’re going to go deep into Zalympix for 4/20 this year. Keep an eye out. 

NEW YORK STARTS LEGAL CANNABIS SALES AT 4:20

We chatted with Housing Works Cannabis Co CEO Charles King as the NYC nonprofit prepares to kick off legal cannabis sales in the state of New York today. 

Most notably, the 10 cash registers and 4,400 square feet of retail space at 750 Broadway in Manhattan will be the only place in the state you’ll be able to get legal weed for months, as other retailers continue to navigate the permitting process. While the idea of this total monopolization may seem off in the era of social equity, given it’s a longtime nonprofit it seems a lot palatable for folks. 

That part is also a double-edged sword. Some fear the Housing Works permit will be pointed to as a sign of intent, when the wider equity program has hiccups like so many have in the past. The officials who screw it up will point to this license to show it was the plan all along to take care of equity and nonprofit permits. That being said, whatever happens next on the regulatory side isn’t Housing Works’ fault and it has as worthy a track record as any nonprofit who might have had the chance to open first. 

Housing Works has provided an array of services to 30,000 homeless and low-income New Yorkers since 1990. The organization identifies as a community of people living with and affected by HIV/AIDS with the mission to end both homelessness and AIDS through advocacy and providing services. A big part of the way it has sustained the mission is creating businesses like the dispensary, a SoHo bookstore, and a network of high-end thrift shops to fund its advocacy. All proceeds from the dispensary go directly back to the nonprofit. 

The staff are excited to open their doors today. 

“”This is a once in a lifetime moment,” said Sasha Nutgent, store manager of Housing Works Cannabis Co. “That said, our nonprofit’s mission remains as urgent as ever. We are eager to take the lead as a social equity model for America’s cannabis industry, specifically with our hiring practices and continued support of individuals and communities disproportionately impacted by the unjust War on Drugs.”

We chatted with Charles King, CEO of Housing Works, late last week as they prepared for the big day. 

“So we actually approached Gov. Cuomo in his office three years ago about Housing Works being able to obtain a license for retail cannabis sales,” King told L.A. Weekly. “We’ve been pressing the agenda of nonprofits that serve people who have been criminalized by cannabis, due to cannabis related offenses, having the opportunity to enter in the market. That’s part of our reason for doing this.”

King argues one of the reasons it’s been such a long rollout for New York was establishing mechanisms different from any other state in terms of advancing equity interests.

“That said, I think there’s a big question about whether what New York is doing will actually go far enough to accomplish its equity agenda,” King argued. “Housing Works is a large organization where we’re well-capitalized, so we’re prepared to invest up to a million dollars, some to make our cannabis retail work and make it profitable.”

King knows the state is preparing to invest money to back social equity licenses, he’s just not sure it will be nearly enough to be competitive. This would lead to the worst-case scenario of equity license holders turning into figureheads as they attempt to raise the capital they need to stay open. 

“I think that’s going to be the big test,” King said. “We’ve seen it in other jurisdictions, where equity license holders have ended up simply essentially being front people for commercial cannabis. And we certainly don’t want that to happen here.”

Housing Works plans on taking a very hands-on approach on its quest to help the New York social equity movement. For starters, it’s hiring people who have criminal records for cannabis, but it goes so much deeper than that. 

“We’re also developing training programs, not only to help people to advance in management, even with our competitors,” King said.

King hopes that program will help start people’s own journeys to go from cannabis conviction to dispensary owner. 

“We’re negotiating with the Office of Cannabis Management to help people, to allow people to go through a training program with us,” King said. “That would get them credentialed as having met the entrepreneurial requirements for obtaining their own license, and then we would help them with their license application, help them get up and running, so that they can genuinely have an opportunity to enter into business on their own without having to be proxy for some commercial investor.”

Given Housing Works’ wider history of community service, we asked if there was any push back on the team when the conversations about the dispensary started. The organization is no stranger to the subjects around drugs many Americans avoid. 

“We are a harm-reduction organization. We were, over 30 years ago, we were the first organization in the country to house people with substance use disorder without any restrictions on their personal use in the privacy of their home. We didn’t place any drug- and alcohol-free conditions on people moving into supportive housing,” King said. 

Additionally, Housing Works runs two of the largest syringe exchange programs in the state. 

“So, even though we’re a licensed drug treatment provider, our license is very explicit that we use a harm-reduction approach,” King said. “Our goal has never been abstinence, it’s always to help people manage their use in ways that give them effective control over their lives.”

King thinks it’s been more interesting to hear the response from the public who clearly don’t really understand who they are and what it is that they do.

Housing Works expects to be able to offer about 75 to 100 products from six different brands on opening day. As testing gets in order around the state, they expect to be up to about 24 brands to pick from in February. It’s a safe bet every cultivation site in the state will be hoping for shelf space. 

As with many dispensaries across America, they’re currently cash only. There was a recent sweep of offshore merchant services companies prodigy services to the industry, so it’s a little trickier than bouncing from one to the other at the moment. This is even the case for shops that have been open for decades. 

House of Puff is one of the brands on shelves today at Housing Works.

“For years, advocates and members of New York’s cannabis community have been working toward this momentous milestone; the first adult-use dispensary opening its doors, stocked with brands and products grown, processed, manufactured and owned right here in New York,” said Kristina Lopez Adduci, CEO and founder of House of Puff. “We are ecstatic that House of Puff will be one of those New York brands that will be available for purchase and thank Housing Works for supporting us and other local cannabis companies during this crucial moment.” 

Lopez Adduci was also excited as to what the dispensary meant to the broader goals for legalization. 

“The opening of their dispensary is just one embodiment of the vision set out by the MRTA and is a significant step towards establishing a fully operable and equitable legal cannabis industry built by and for New Yorkers and our communities most adversely affected by cannabis prohibition,” she said. 

The Cannabis Association of New York also weighed in on today’s first sales.

“Since the MRTA was signed, now nearly two years ago, we have all been envisioning the moment that legal adult-use sales would finally launch here in New York,” said Allan Gandelman, President of CANY. “The state’s first recreational dispensary opening its doors with shelves stocked full of New York-owned-and-operated brands, including products grown and processed by CANY members, is a culmination of all the hard work, dedication and advocacy of the cannabis community over the past several years. We applaud Housing Works for being mindful and supportive of this vision and congratulate them on their entrance into the industry.”

Gandelman went on to note that while the moment feels surreal, everyone hopes it’s just one of many upcoming milestones.  

ROHAN MARLEY TALKS LION ORDER

Nearly a decade ago, Rohan Marley helped his family take its first steps in the cannabis space, now his personal brand is rolling along strong after launching in Michigan. 

Rohan is the middle child of Bob Marley’s nine kids. He and Stephen are the closest in age of the group and were born a month apart in 1972. When it was time for the family to start dabbling in cannabis in the mid-2010s following the first successful legalization initiatives, Rohan took the lead. 

The family founded Marley Naturals in 2014. Marley Naturals was originally a partnership between Privateer Holdings. The brand would have some hiccups as it came to market. The family would buy the rights out in 2019 and take full control. Not too long after, Rohan would get the ball rolling on the cannabis element of Lion Order that recently launched in Michigan after a couple of years of pheno hunting before the flower went into full production. 

We flew out to Detroit to check out Rohan’s new flowers and hear the lessons learned in California. He kicked things off by describing the vibes associated with Lion Order. They are similar to what the phrase means in Rastafarianism and his father’s music.  Particularly, the ideas of strength, courage and righteousness in the face of oppression and adversity. 

In the song his father named Lion Order on his final studio album, Confrontation, he would sing on the themes of standing up for your rights and fighting injustice, as he did frequently throughout his career. 

After a walk through 305 Farms cultivation facility where the Lion Order line is in production, we sat down with Marley. 

“After years of being an entrepreneur and wanting to do things my way, which is things I love, being a part of something that’s more than just cannabis. Being a part of a movement. And that movement is Lion Order and just the philosophy of Rastafari,” Marley told L.A. Weekly. 

His goal going in this time was to create something he’d want to smoke and share with his brothers. Marley’s years in the coffee industry have made picking out the notes in aromas a regular thing. With Lion Order, his plan was to hunt down the flavors of his childhood. 

He remembered the flavors he would come across in college. He didn’t know what indica or sativa was, he just knew he loved herb. He has spent the rest of his life chasing some of those flavors from his youth, just now it’s for the sake of good business as opposed to just his personal enjoyment.  

“For me, it was like a pheno hunt all the time once I left college,” Marley said. 

Marley would get his hands on some cannabis in Miami not long into the pandemic that had him thinking, this is really it? Eventually, Marley was introduced to Heavyweight Heads by fellow University of Miami alumni Mike James. James also played six years in the NFL after his time at The U. 

“And those guys, we spent about two and a half years trying to develop that taste profile I wanted. They would come in and I’d say that ain’t it,” Marley said. “I started to like get into the whole strain and my own thing to like all right, we need to create our own movement. Because I don’t like the herb that’s out there. I want my own herb of what I like to smoke. So those guys from Heavyweight Heads helped me to develop these genetics here. And when they brought the right one, I knew that was the one.”

That was King Clem, the current flagship strain. The King Clem’s nose profile is somewhere in the middle between a sour and an OG. It’s not quite either, but you can detect certain similar notes for sure. The structure is a bit chunkier than either of them too.

King Clem

Marley knew the King Clem was the one before he even lit it. 

“Before you light it, you know they see that people pre-pull it now, when you get all those terpenes and all that flavor. That’s what I love. Then when I spark that and I’m getting that all together, I see that’s the one, so for me, that’s what we create,” Marley said. 

Marley said it didn’t take long for them to create the rest of the line after that because they knew what ingredients would help produce the flavors he liked. Marley notes while he liked the more tropical flavor profiles, he still has the OG gassy thing in the mix. 

We asked Marley what he thought of the argument that it’s hard for a cannabis brand to be elite in the eyes of the biggest whale buyers without the real strain name and lineage on the bag. He pointed to the traceability back to the farm. 

“So if I create my own, like cooking, if I create my own dish and you like my dish, and you’re gonna eat that right? Then you can go there and eat his dish, but this is my dish. This is what I like,” Marley replied. 

The conversation moved on to his early efforts in California. He called Marley Naturals a family movement that was ahead of its time. He argued it was one of the first in the game to ever have to deal with licensing and royalties in the midst of our ongoing prohibition of cannabis.

305 Farms

Marley argued that Marley Naturals went through the ups and downs of any startup. 

“What I learned from that is that when you come onto my herbs, it has to be my way,” Marley said. “The partners learned some things and they’re doing wonderful things with beautiful accessories. We’re developing the herb.”

He went on to subtly emphasize the difference between the two, noting it’s one thing to have something with a licensing component, it’s another thing to have something that’s your own. 

Fans line up for a Lion Order in-store meet and greet.

One of the things we noted was the move to packaging that seemingly would provide longer shelf life with Lion Order compared to Marley Naturals wood-top jars that needed to be shrink-wrapped with a Boveda inside, and it was still a little rough by the time it got to the shop.

Marley explained the packaging was one of the things the family tried on a quest for sustainability that can sometimes make them tricky to work with. 

“What’s tricky is like, to work with us, you have to have ingenuity and be able to create things that are following in the family guidelines. Sustainable movement, you know? So we went into the wood and learn that because, obviously, as a consumable, it takes time to get to you, the consumer,” Marley said. “You have to go to the thing, then the journey, then the travel, and so that shelf life has to be preserved a certain way in order to maintain that freshness.” 

Marley argued it’s not that the herb is not good. It’s just the way to procure it, in a way to give it a shelf life, is one of the things the family has learned in their quest to be as sustainable as possible.

Marley went on to discuss what it’s been like watching legalization from the context of a Rastafari, essentially getting the right to pray legalized. 

“It’s beautiful and we love it because you know, it’s different when you’re driving down the street and the policeman is behind you. You don’t panic if you got the herb. You know that it can be good. Because like, people can create a lot of anxiety over herb. But it’s not really the herb that gives you anxiety, it is the consequences. So when you alleviate that, it’s wonderful. So we’re very happy about the movement, a part of that movement,” Marley said. 

Lion Order is currently popping in Michigan, expect to see it in other states in the not-too-distant future.

THE YEAR IN GLOBS 2023: OUR FAVORITE HASH FOR 7/10

As the 7/10 holiday approaches, it’s time to recognize California’s standout hash extractors.

This organically formed holiday, distinct from Green Wednesdays or CBD Day, was created by Task Rok and the first-generation globbers to celebrate the rapid progress in the hash space. Not a PR company. Over the past decade, the hash sector has witnessed significant advancements in both technique and hardware and this is when we celebrate it each year. 

Solventless hash, produced using ice, water, and screens instead of volatile gas extraction, has become the reigning king. The hash industry has thrived in the pursuit of new flavors, with the hunt for unique terpenes driving the competitiveness of the companies listed below.

While this year introduces fresh faces, some well-established players make a comeback due to their continued excellence. 

While the tidal wave hasn’t hit the shore yet, there will be a ton of Piattella-style cured water hash this year. It blew up in Spain during the pandemic after Uncle’s Farm put it on the map, a first wave of Americans was exposed in 2022, myself among them. This year there were ten times as many Americans at Spannabis as in 2022, so a lot more people got hyped about it. Many Americans are working on perfecting it, including the popular Professor Sift. His efforts are in the featured photo.

Here are some of our favorite California hash companies from the past year:

Fully Melted

Humboldt’s Fully Melted has been impressing consumers in The Emerald Triangle for some time. Although their Zkittelz initially faced controversy at the Emerald Cup, it gained recognition for its incredible terpenes. Alien Labs even used the same pheno that produced the material to claim The Best Thing Smoking at Zalympix a bit over a month after the cup. Must be pretty fire! Every offering from Fully Melted is definitely worth exploring.

Royal Key Organics

Royal Key Organics successfully transitioned from producing award-winning sauces to crafting exceptional solventless hash in recent years. This is in addition to their world-class flower offerings. Their Arcata facility, now expanded, allows more people to experience the wonders of hash made from plants grown in living soil. Their IOS OG 90u Sift, bred in-house, exemplifies the quality and passion behind their products.

“Selection number 24 instantly took us back to our favorite OGs we and our friends grew in the early 2000’s,” Josh Vert, founder or Royal Key Organics, told L.A. Weekly, “Memory can be a funny thing, so we gave it to OG connoisseurs around the state. Everyone who experienced “HHSFV Dog” no.24 said it checked all of their boxes for smell, taste, smokabilty, high, and bag appeal. They also wanted more, and considered it a fantastic OG in cured flower form. We then named it iOS OG, short for I only smoke OG. 

Kalya

Despite facing numerous challenges, Kalya has consistently excelled in producing high-quality hash. Their recent move to Santa Rosa has brought them smoother operations after dealing with the perils of Oakland over the past few years. They continue to impress with their offerings, such as the delightful Dole Whip they had in their possession when I ran into the team a couple of weeks ago. Some of the nicest rosin I’ve seen this year. 

LA Family Farms

LA Family Farms made headlines last August by securing top honors at The Transbay Challenge, surpassing many renowned names in the industry. Their Cotton Candy Gas, grown and washed in-house, is a highly celebrated new addition. It’s the perfect showcasing of their expertise in creating Los Angeles-based single-source rosin.

Cali-X

Cali-X deserves recognition for its underrated rosin in the recreational market. Each jar of their hash is exceptional and wholly made in Los Angeles. As a “single source” entity, Cali-X turns things they grow themselves into unique flavors that add excitement to the rosin market. A lot of Cali-X’s genetics are exclusive to them, so it makes the thoughts of the flavors they may possess in hash form fascinating. 

Rosin Tech

The 2022 Emerald Cup winners, Rosin Tech, continued to crush throughout the year with their high-quality products. Their foray into hash holes has been successful, firmly establishing them among the finest in the industry. The hash inside their joints steals the show, thanks to the incredibly loud flavors they deliver. Their collaborations with Luma Farms are some of the most prized jars in the spread. 

Moonshine Melts

Moonshine Melts, the hash wing of 3rd Gen Family Farms, has earned numerous accolades and remains one of the most awarded cannabis companies in the space when it comes to the trophies that actually matter. Their Zkittelz is renowned for its exceptional quality. Acquiring their single-source hash is akin to hitting the jackpot. There was a point in the mid-2010s when people had to start with the question of whether they thought it could beat Moonshine Metls before they even entered a contest. Many didn’t risk it. 

Trilogy 710

The team at Trilogy 710 has mastered terpene preservation like few others. Their jars contain some of the juiciest rosin available. In addition to their impressive techniques, their collaborations with renowned breeders promise to deliver exciting new terps to the market. Keep an eye out for their work with Symbiotic Genetics for potentially mind-blowing results.

Cryo Labs

Cryo Labs has gained global influence in recent weeks, with their Gary Payton hash jar making waves at the Mary Jane Berlin festival. They have been pioneers in exploring unique terps, such as Compound Genetics’ Apples & Bananas and Grape Gas. Extractors producing their own material now consider Grape Gas a must-have strain but Cryo Cure was dropping it a year before anyone. 

Have Hash

Hash Hash has rightfully claimed numerous trophies this year. They triumphed in Europe during Spannabis week by winning The Ego Clash Barcelona and securing second place at Masters of Rosin a few days later. Then when they returned to America they won San Francisco’s highly competitive challenge at Hippie Hill. We eagerly anticipate the release of their new flavors from the latest harvest.

Arcata Fire

Not everyone can access raw extracts, so Arcata Fire’s Rosin Syrup is the perfect alternative. Their pens recently claimed top honors in The Emerald Cup’s fiercely competitive Solventless Cartridge category. This achievement is expected to improve the availability of their products across the state in the coming months.

Swollen Heads

Another California company making waves abroad is Swollen Heads. When we linked up with Swollen Heads this spring we got the chance to test all of their terps of the moment. Everything was grown by them and then processed. Each flavor held up against most of what we’re seeing in the market with no problem. We highly recommend trying to get your hands on a jar.