Field Guide

Field Guide: Emerald Cup reviewed, Bloom Farms’ new Highlighter Plus, and The Last Jedi

Bloom Farms Highlighter+a

[The new Highlighter Plus comes precision-etched and potent. | Photo by Bloom Farms]

Good afternoon!

The world’s biggest cannabis bash, The Emerald Cup, is now in the rear view mirror, and we’re left with wistful memories of what was likely “peak cannabis” in California. As we write in our review of the event, regulatory winter is coming. Legalization will be an extinction event for many operators, and next year’s Cup cannot legally be as freewheeling as this year’s.

“We’ll never see anything like it again again, I don’t think. That was a true, unregulated free market,” said Dale Gieringer, the head of advocacy group California NORML. And according to event organizers, there were no arrests or medical transports to the hospital. . . .

Our attention now turns to the final days of the year, when we expect the state to issue the first licenses in modern history to sell marijuana. That news will set the stage for an action-packed New Year’s Day in California, so stay tuned to GreenState for the locations of adult-use stores that will be open Jan. 1, as well as explainers on what’s legal, why sales took so long, cannabis taxes and much more.

And don’t forget to pick up a copy of the print issue of The San Francisco Chronicle Sunday. It contains the first-ever GreenState Cannabis Awards and a cool pull-out poster. We call out the best in California cannabis, and you’re going to want to use it all. — David Downs

WELLNESS | HEALTH

Federal data shows that teen marijuana use is on the decline in states with legal medical marijuana. Via GreenState. . . . A separate study in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence found overall substance use declined among 8th graders after medical marijuana laws came into effect.

The World Health Organization reports that cannabidiol (CBD) seems to be safe and non-addictive. That undermines its status as a so-called “schedule 1” drug. Via NORML.

PICKS OF THE WEEK

EDIBLE: Rebel Coast Winery just released the first alcohol-free, cannabis-infused wine for your holiday dinner parties. . . . HARDWARE: If that winter cold or flu is stopping you from smoking, try THC- and CBD-infused nasal sprays from Verra Wellness. . . . STRAIN: Connected Cannabis Co’s Smarties placed seventh in the Emerald Cup. These extremely dense, colorful buds smelled of fruity powdered sugar and are maximally potent for your end-of-year stress and insomnia.

WE’RE EXCITED ABOUT

High Holiday Sip and Shop: We imagine a lot of GreenState’s readers are last-minute Christmas shoppers, and we have the perfect place to head. The venue Encuentro in Oakland (550 2nd St.) hosts a cannabis shopping event from noon to 7 .m. on Dec. 17 featuring art and fashion vendors and unique gifts. Partners include Best NorCal Delivery Service Sava, CannaReign and Somatik  (Best Infused Drink Maker in the above-mentioned GS Cannabis Awards). Medical card recommended for the most fun.

MONEY | POWER | FAME

A once high-flying cannabis social network, MassRoots is being rocked by management upheavals and hemorrhaging money. Via Leafly.

The Los Angeles Times told Attorney General Jeff Sessions to back off. . . . Sessions met with anti-marijuana activists exclusively on Dec. 8.

FASHION | ART | DESIGN

A work by New Yorker illustrator David Plunkert graces the cover of the first issue of the new cannabis cooking quarterly, Kitchen Toke. There isn’t a single pot leaf on it.  The magazine is $16.95 at select bookstores and cannabis shops; online at kitchentoke.com.

VIRAL

Counter-culture legend Cheech Marin shot a PSA for California’s Secretary of State to encourage new cannabis businesses to register online on the state’s new website. Via Sacramento Bee.

REVIEWS

The new Bloom Farms Highlighter Plus pens brightened up our evening commute on mass transit. Via GreenState.

Everyone was a winner at the 2018 Emerald Cup in Santa Rosa. Via GreenState.

And Kin Slips go under the tongue, which is perfect for professionals. Via The Hash.

FOOD | TRAVEL

The Guardian UK took several California cannabis tours.

A Denver coffee shop is poised to become the first Colorado business to allow public marijuana consumption. Via Fox Denver.

NEWS

Congress extended protections for medical marijuana patients until at least Dec. 22, narrowly averting a government shutdown but setting the stage for another showdown before Christmas.

HIGHLY DUBIOUS

Wal-Mart is selling a Christmas tree adorned with “realistic marijuana leaves” that costs almost as much as an ounce of the real thing. Via Civilized.

Mondo’s low-dose cannabis powder is one of those modalities with problematic connotations.

WATCH | PLAY | LISTEN

The ultra-popular Pitch Perfect film series returns with its final installment of hilarity and a capella pop covers. . . . The British anthology series Black Mirror is set to premiere its fourth season as a modern-day Twilight Zone. . . . Oh, and Star Wars: The Last Jedi — ‘nuff said.

FOLLOW

@golddrop710 for pictures of California’s most award-winning extracts.

@jeffthe420chef to see the life of one of GreenState’s 10 Best Cannabis Chefs.

@emeraldpharms_ig offers a quick mental vacation in rural Northern California.

Best wishes for a relaxing, rewarding weekend, David Downs + Oscar Pascual