THE HEAT CHECK: HALL OF FLOWERS 2023

GCANRX PREPS PHASE II TRIALS ON AUTISM CANNABINOID TREATMENT

With the number of parents self-prescribing CBD for their children’s Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) rising, GCANRx has been granted permission to start Phase II Clinical Trials for a cannabinoid treatment from the Israel Ministry of Health.

Dr. Adi Aran will be leading the effort. Aran is a pioneer in Israel when it comes to cannabinoid treatments for autism. The study Aran led into pediatric autism and cannabinoid therapy in 2017 proved a success for the 120 children that took part. 

GCANRx noted this time Aran will focus on studying the safety and efficacy of GCANRx’s neuroprotective cannabinoid therapeutic to treat autism-related spectrum disorders and other conditions like Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, schizophrenia, and epilepsy. The focus however will be that data coming from 4 to 13 years of age using daily oral treatments.

“The primary efficacy objective of the study will be to assess the effect of the neuroprotective therapeutic compared to placebo on behavioral problems, using the Aberrant Behavior Checklist-Irritability Subscale (ABC-I) score – change from baseline to week 12,” GCANRx noted when announcing the new study. 

GCANRx went on to explain that 75 million people around the world have Autism Spectrum Disorder. The lifelong condition impacts 7 million people domestically, 5.4 million of which are adults. Americans spent $268 billion caring for people with ASD in 2015, that number is expected to jump to $461 million by 2025. 

“We are excited to announce that GCANRx has received a final official approval to embark on its Phase II Clinical Trial for our therapeutic aimed at treating ASD and other neuropsychiatric disorders. This significant milestone marks another pivotal moment in our path to develop innovative therapeutic solutions for patients suffering from complex neurological disorders,” said Aitan Zacharin, chief executive officer of GCANRx. “Positive results in this study carry promise for a novel treatment for ASD as well as for other neuropsychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s disease, and Parkinson’s disease, which share similar pathophysiological processes, and can have an enormous impact on the lives of countless families as well as on public health.” 

GCANRx started selling cannabinoid products in Europe in 2018. They had trouble getting wind in their sales. The company believes the move to a more medical approach will be very viable. Especially as more and more parents are choosing to head in this direction to help their kids. 

Zacharin told L.A. Weekly they believe the success they have seen is backboned by the entourage effect. He noted some of the big dogs in international cannabis medicine have been experimenting with THC and CBD isolates in recent years. The reason we haven’t heard about it? The results fail to match the success of more full-spectrum products like what GCANRx is bringing into phase two. 

“Essentially, it’s a combination of therapeutic,” Zacharin said. “It uses cannabinoids, CBD and THC. But it also has some other compounds in it. That alone has also been shown in clinical studies to be effective in treating autism and treating some of the behavioral elements of autism,” Zacharin said before noting the evidence they’ve seen in pretrials. “We actually found that synergistic effect.”

When it finally jumps through all the regulatory hoops, we asked Zacharin if they planned on using natural or synthetic cannabinoids to go to market.

“Natural materials are our focus, which is probably the way to go with you right there. We’ll have to ultimately see how that plays out in the regulatory pathway. That’s something we’re exploring now with advisors,” Zacharin said with the conversation leading back to the lackluster results of synthetic isolates. “With this plant. It’s so complex, so multifaceted. You know that you just can’t eliminate other cannabinoids.”

Is GCANRx at the point where it is fair to say they understand there’s an entourage effect happening but don’t completely understand it? But know that it’s safe enough to bring to market?

“Yeah, undoubtedly,” Zacharin replied. 

THE SPANNABIS 2023 TRAVEL DIARY

Spannabis 2023 once again proved to be a can’t-miss international event, as cannabis access levels continue to rise around the world. 

It was fair to say, this year proved Spannabis had exited the pandemic slump in its 19th edition. It certainly felt a lot more crowded than last year, as visitors interacted with the 280 exhibitors, 500 companies and nearly 5,000 cannabis industry professionals at the show. Prior to the pandemic, attendance numbers had been as high as 35,000.

It’s important to note all the things that happen in the orbit of Spannabis. While the main show over the weekend is massive, there are a lot of big annual events taking place throughout the week also drawing tons of attention. A lot of that attention goes to hash. The week of Spannabis is essentially home to the biggest flower and hash contests in the world outside of America. The week also features Spain’s largest business conference, the Barcelona edition of The International Cannabis Business Conference.

As for the contests, they offer a few different formats. The weekend of Spannabis is dotted with awards shows starting on Wednesday with Ego Clash, all the way through to The Secret Session’s Sunday contest announcement. Other contests throughout the week included Masters of Rosin and the Spanish Champions Cup hosted by Spannabis. A win in any of those contests is one of the biggest things you can do in cannabis.

The Ego Clash originally was founded in California and made its way to Spain in the late 2010s. After its founding by Brandon Parker of 3rd Gen Family, one of the most award-winning farms in cannabis, The Ego Clash quickly vaulted itself to the top of the mountain in a world flooded with cannabis events. 

This year’s Barcelona Ego Clash may be the most surprising yet. While many big-name Americans would make the trip, Bask Family Farms took home the top prize in flower. BTY Terplandia was the highest-scoring American flower in second, and the stacked trophy shelf over at Growers with Attitude would round out the podium.

Ego Clash Flower Judging

But many consider the hash the star of the show at The Ego Clash. Top honors in the hash category went to Ogre Farms. A Half-American team placed second in this category, too, with The Emerald Cup’s personal-use winner Wooksauce Winery. Dochazed came in third place.

The top prize in rosin went to Have Hash. This was their second time winning The Ego Clash and they would place third later in the week at Masters of Rosin. 

Things started to feel a lot more European after The Ego Clash ended on Wednesday. Partly because a lot of Europeans get there on Thursday for Spannabis setup while Americans making the trip tend to spend closer to a week or longer.

A packed Friday at Spannabis.

Friday would prove to be mobbed. One of the things about events like Spannabis that feature seed companies is the best gear goes early. People will take the day off work to get there early in hopes of buying a pack of seeds that holds their Golden Ticket.

This year felt like it featured more American seed drops than ever. Many of them were people we traditionally think of for their quality of production and not breeding. The list of American seed drops includes Los Angeles top-shelf regulars like The Terp Hogz, Wizard Trees, Cali-X, and Doja, on top of the traditional breeders you would expect to see in Spain. 

Friday also would feel like the most business-heavy day. Many people were searching out those conversations they needed to have with their industry peers before the weekend was in full gear. 

Among the craziest business things we saw was Athena’s mobile tissue culture system. Farmers will be able to do in the middle of a field what they once needed a lab for. It won’t clean your genetics like meristem work in a lab will, but it will certainly make preserving genetics that much more accessible. 

Saturday and Sunday felt very similar. They were both packed-to-the-wall celebrations of cannabis. Saturday certainly seemed the most crowded of the three days.

It’s a safe bet as more and more countries continue to reform their marijuana laws, the 20th edition of Spannabis next year will be simply massive. 

MOUNTAIN MAN MELTS EMBRACES AI

For those who have wondered where the crossroads of Artificial Intelligence and hash would meet, look no further than Mountain Man Melts’ latest flavors ahead of the 7/10 holiday.

This popular hash company has taken a fun step into the realm of AI, leveraging its capabilities to create captivating labels and push the boundaries of creativity.

When some of Mountain Man’s usual design team found themselves swamped, taking longer than expected to deliver labels for new flavors, Joseph, Pat’s trusted right-hand man, came up with an intriguing idea—to harness the power of AI. They quickly realized the potential.

According to Pat, the founder of Mountain Man, the initial results were impressive. “It actually works pretty well,” he told L.A. Weekly, clearly pleased with the outcome. Mountain Man has always strived to differentiate itself with unique and eye-catching labels, and the AI collaboration allowed them to explore uncharted territory while maintaining their commitment to vibrant and rich colors.

Pat from Mountain Man Melts

Inspired by this newfound creative tool, Pat pitched the idea of a lemon wearing sunglasses in front of a rainbow to the AI. Within no time, they received four versions of the concept. While the initial iterations were generally on point, some adjustments were made to fine-tune the proportions to their liking. Eventually, they were able to seamlessly transfer the AI-generated images onto their product jars, giving each flavor its distinct visual identity.

However, the real test of the AI’s capabilities came when it was time to create a label for Pat’s favorite strain, Fatso. Known for its intense gas and funk, this strain posed a unique challenge for the Mountain Man team. They had to be clever in their approach, as they couldn’t simply ask the AI to depict a “fat kid being abducted by a UFO” due to its potentially insensitive nature. Instead, they described a child with similar proportions to Cartman from South Park. The AI delivered beyond their expectations, resulting in a label that Pat proudly slapped as one of his favorite flavor in the recent batches

The integration of AI in Mountain Man Melts’ creative process has proven to be a game-changer. In just a day, they were able to complete labels for four different new flavors, a task that would have taken considerably longer without AI assistance. They then entrusted the final designs to their skilled designer, who ensured that everything was laid out properly and formatted correctly.

“The homie still helps us, and then we just get it done a lot faster,” Pat shared, reflecting on the remarkable efficiency AI brings to their workflow. While the speed at which they achieve results feels almost like cheating, it undeniably benefits the company as they strive to keep up with the demands of its expanding customer base.

Mountain Man Melts is eager to continue exploring the possibilities of AI-generated art in their future flavors. As they enter the early stages of the summer light dep harvest, they anticipate incorporating even more AI-generated designs into their product lineup. The harvested cannabis material, carefully selected from the bountiful hills of The Emerald Triangle, will find its way into the freezers of Mountain Man Melts, where it will be transformed into exotic hash with the help of their expert team.

Pat expressed his admiration for the evolving capabilities of AI-based imaging tools, noting the freedom it provides to conceptualize ideas without being restricted by the cost of someone else’s time. Whether he desires artwork reminiscent of Van Gogh’s masterpieces or any other imaginative concept, AI enables him to explore uncharted creative territories.

As our conversation progressed, Pat couldn’t contain his excitement for the forthcoming 7/10 holiday—a date cherished by hash enthusiasts around the world. Often regarded as the headiest holiday on the cannabis calendar, 7/10 has become the pinnacle celebration for connoisseurs of hash. Pat personally favors 7/10 over the traditional April festivities, recognizing its growing significance within the cannabis community.

This year’s 7/10 holiday promises to be Mountain Man’s biggest celebration to date. The company has been steadily gaining more shelf space and expanding its presence across the state. Their willingness to put themselves out there, both through their exceptional products and personal interactions with potential customers, has played a significant role in their continued success. In an industry where traditional mainstream public relations channels are often unavailable to cannabis companies, personal interactions serve as critical touchpoints for establishing rapport and loyalty.

With the integration of AI, Mountain Man Melts has found an innovative way to captivate customers and push the boundaries of creativity within the cannabis industry. As they eagerly prepare for the 7/10 holiday, their dedication to producing the finest hash and engaging with their audience sets them apart, ensuring that Mountain Man remains at the forefront of this exciting and evolving industry.

LA PREPS FOR FREE SEED DAY

Since we first sat down with Masonic Smoker back in early 2021, he’s continued his rise on the genetics scene, locals might argue one of their favorite Masonic impacts on the community in those two years is Free Seed Day.

This year, Free Seed Day will take place on April 15 at Masonic’s on Fairfax. 

Now one of the most significant events on the calendar for Angelino cultivators, the event initially got its start as an homage to Free Comic Book Day. Before the pandemic, Masonic had been participating in Free Comic Book Day for a decade. 

“I was hanging out at my store and then Free Comic Book Day is usually on the first Saturday of May, but because of COVID they kind of messed it up,” Masonic told L.A. Weekly. As he sat in his shop dealing with the FOMO of missing out on the rescheduled festivities, the idea popped into his head. “So it all kind of came to fruition there when I was doing FOMO on previous comic book days, I made my own Free Seed Day, and here we are.”

Masonic went a bit more into the development process for that first incarnation of Free Seed Day. He noted he is generally pretty off the cuff. When he saw a solid response to the feelers he was putting out there about the idea he knew he was on to something. 

“Then I also went out of my way to shamelessly ask some of the bigger names in the seed industry to chip in on the day, and as soon as Exotic Mike said he was down with it, everyone else kind of followed suit,” Masonic told L.A. Weekly. 

When asked if getting the big name early helped set the course, Masonic said at the moment it helped a lot. But people were also receptive to his argument people would be helping themselves, breeders, and the community all at once. 

Masonic Smoker (right) with his podcast cohost Comedy Store regular Frank Castillo at The Ego Clash Barcelona last month.

The turnout for year one was solid. Masonic estimates it was between 300 to 400 people, but he notes it’s kind of hard to remember the first one because the second was huge. More than doubling in size, Masonic estimates Free Seed Day 2022 saw 800 to 1,000 people participate. 

With the exponential growth rate, we asked Masonic how many bodies he can realistically move through the shop during the festivities. He plans on having 1,000 bags ready to go. He estimates the value of those bags to be between $300 to $500 each. But don’t worry if you are person No. 1,001. 

“There are probably five breeders hanging around at any given time. So if there’s an overspill of more than those 1,000 that I didn’t keep in mind, well, we don’t necessarily have like a whole bag for them, but there are free seeds there for you. And there’s a bag that we can put them in,” Masonic said with a laugh.

Free Seed Day 2021

While Masonic is trying to avoid having people line up too early this year, he understands the enthusiasm. The early bags for those who waited the longest will undoubtedly have some gems in them. Regardless, there will be plenty of love to go around even if you can’t do the whole urban camping experience.

“The reason for Free Comic Book Day is to kind of breathe a breath of fresh air into whatever storefront that they have, right? So in this case, the comic books that are for free are the seeds from Exotic and Bloom. The way that we pay for them in our case is like we go out of our way for like two weeks and we divvy them up. And we have the storefront to actually facilitate a free seed day,” Masonic noted, hoping folks might grab a T-shirt while they’re at the shop. He’s got something for all tax brackets. 

THE DREADED REBRAND

Rebranding, whether it applies to products or individuals, poses a significant challenge within the cannabis industry.

As the California cannabis sector gradually emerges from the turmoil of recent years, those who contributed to its struggles seek to join the soon-thriving market. They endeavor to conceal their involvement in the previous failures.

The detrimental effects of rebranding permeate every aspect of the marketplace, extending beyond the legal domain.

The Ambition of the Shady Players in the Recreational Market

Individuals who exploited the industry until now, leaving behind the chaos we find ourselves in, are observing the end of the dark times as bulk prices creep up. They are now witnessing the resurgence of value as the post-pandemic price crash subsides. Who would have predicted that the cannabis industry, only three years later, would find itself in such a predicament after experiencing its most prosperous sales period? However, sales eventually began to decline, and numbers were down for years until we started our recent climb out of the hole. 

But back then, prices continued to plummet, with a market oversupply devastating pound prices. If a product made it to the shelves, one prayed that the dispensary could afford to pay the distributor. You would assume that partnering with major distributors would secure access to the most shelves—a safe bet, right? Nevertheless, we recently witnessed the demise of Herbl, causing a considerable loss of livelihoods. As the company was on the brink of collapse, more aware brands swiftly switched distributors, demanding payment for their products directly from retailers. Unfortunately, it seems that the rest are left empty-handed for now.

I spoke with an entrepreneur who faced the perfect storm caused by the collapse of Herbl. First, he claimed that he was charged an additional $30,000 due to discounts on products that were initially paid on delivery with cash. Furthermore, one of his tenants lost everything in the collapse and hasn’t paid rent for two months, struggling to stay afloat. Lastly, the entrepreneur is unable to obtain the products he needs for his shelves until new distributors pick them up or he figures out how to handle distribution himself. Both options are time-consuming.

It is disheartening to consider that those responsible for inflicting these hardships on so many people may evade accountability. While retailers bear some responsibility for not settling their debts, should we allow those who perpetuated an unsustainable system, which lacks bailouts like the banking industry, to absolve themselves of the sweat, money, and time lost in this ordeal?

Certainly, the blame does not lie with the young individuals manning the booths or attempting to sell the products. They had no say in how far the company would stretch itself before the disaster that unfolded this week. Perhaps only a few individuals bear true responsibility. Understanding each person’s role in that current cannabis tragedy is crucial.

Although Herbl stands out as a recent catastrophe, numerous other companies also mistreated people. Some caused harm inadvertently, while others acted out of misplaced self-belief. However, the most egregious offenders are schemers who are eager to reenter the market, while the other two likely bear some trauma from their actions. We must not allow them to return solely to line their pockets and inflict further damage.

However, the issue extends beyond distributors.

Questionable Retail Operators Sold Shelf Space to Busters

These individuals are the ones who secured shelf space at corporate dispensaries, thereby overshadowing small, high-quality businesses through the payment of slotting fees. It is possible that they initiated the concept of slotting fees completely eroded the notion of customers obtaining the best value for their money from location to location. Many of those who managed to secure such positions were unscrupulous individuals with extensive networks of like-minded opportunists. It was an arduous and lengthy process for smaller retailers to establish themselves, unless they held significant influence or connections.

These people who undermined the initial wave of corporate shops are desperate to regain entry before interstate markets open up. They recognize this as their next prime opportunity to latch onto someone else’s value. We must not permit the worst offenders to jeopardize the national rollout. 

City councils played a role in enabling these unscrupulous individuals to thrive while everyone else suffered, lining their own pockets. Consider the immense financial losses incurred by L.A. Equity Program applicants over the years, following the rules set by a city council that was only revealed to be racist through a secret recording. Politicians throughout the state have also contributed to the headaches faced by the cannabis industry. As the market stabilizes and normalizes, it is crucial that these individuals are held accountable indefinitely and prevented from rebranding. Once we forget that they were never on our side to begin with, we may inadvertently allow them to alter the rules.

As for the underground market, the rebranding problem is mostly just people renaming weed. It’s still shady, but less devastating. 

MAVEN GENETICS ONE OF LA’S TOP DOGS AT EMERALD CUP

L.A.’s Maven Genetics became one of the state’s premier cannabis companies two weekends ago at The Emerald Cup with a top-five finish for French Laundry. 

While Maven’s rise around the state in recent years has been quick, this is the biggest accolade yet for the longtime OG cultivators (Kush and metaphorically) that transitioned to the recreational side of things at the dawn of the legal era. Even before the big win, the company found itself in roughly 400 shops at any given time.

XXX, Maven’s favorite OG these days.

We sat down with Maven’s cofounder and president Mike Corvington to talk about the win and their experiences transitioning to a fully vertically integrated company locally that still grows in some of its legacy gardens, distributes its own product and sells its cannabis through two storefronts on top of its hundreds-long client list. 

“Los Angeles is a beast man,” Corvington told L.A. Weekly. “From the regulatory compliance things to L.A. in general, it’s good for us because it’s home. This is where we’re from, we’re very comfortable with the situation as a whole. The industry is going through a lot of bullshit, as it has for a long time. I don’t think that’s just related to Los Angeles. I think that’s probably California as a whole. But, you know, all in all, L.A. is our home man,  our backyard. This is where we’ve been rocking for a long time.”

Corvington isn’t kidding. He admits up until a few years ago, they barely had to leave the L.A. bubble at all, as they pumped out awesome OGs for 15 years straight without a thought to creating what is now one of the widest lineups in the state. We asked Corvington if it was fair to call most of their cultivation and wider cannabis careers L.A.-centric?

“Absolutely. Yeah. I mean, we’ve really started pushing up in the NorCal territories and distributing up there probably two years ago,” Corvington said. “We went pretty heavy on that first group, first few years in transition from medical to rec market. We get out and just kind of grew up grassroots. Everything we’ve done has been grassroots where we’re self-funded, we haven’t taken on any capital even to this day. I’m not trying to push into the market more than what is being asked of us. So we’re just kind of doing our thing and it’s been working successfully. We’re still here.”

Blue Agape

But the “still here” part hasn’t always been easy. As for many cultivators, one of Maven’s main jobs is to get the cash for the flower they pump into the marketplace. As with many of their peers on the cultivation side of things, that’s often proven easier said than done.

Over the last few years Maven’s been able to hone in on the problem accounts and who is actually going to pay them. Making sure the latter always has flower flowing their way is critical. 

“You, unfortunately, have to weed out people that just don’t handle their shit professionally,” Corvington noted. “And there’s a lot of people who just kind of are trapped in old ways and are having a difficult time evolving with things as they moved forward. But paying your bills is just kind of number one.”

One of the things Maven has done during these times is try to be as accommodating as possible to the folks they’re working with. They’d rather constantly restock you with the freshest flower possible rather than have something sit there that is going to degrade the consumer experience and the shop isn’t going to be able to make the payment terms in the original time frame. 

“We tell people we’ll come to deliver to you every day,” Corvington emphasized. “We don’t want to sell you anything that even has a potential opportunity to get old. We will happily, no charge, come to drop you fresh packs all the time. So we kind of scaled-down people’s orders a lot of times because sometimes these buyers don’t understand their own market or demographic.”

Kiwi Sorbet

Maven Genetics is available all over California.