🌿 Move over Amsterdam, there's a new weed capital

Happy Weed Wednesday. Thanks for subscribing to the newsletter that makes you smarter about weed in 4 minutes and 20 seconds or less. Here’s what we got for you this week:

  • Emerald Village: The new cannabis capital of the world

  • Business highlights: Marijuana craft beer, Clint Eastwood wins lawsuit against CBD company, more cannabis industry layoffs

  • Weed in Minnesota: Confusion about the new law

  • Pot Politics: Joe Biden called out by Britney Griner's wife, California removes marijuana grow tax, hemp is now permanently legal in North Carolina

Best of social media

Before we get to the news, here's the funniest thing we saw on social media this week. With all the states that have legalized weed, hopefully the days of hiding blunts in butts are done.

Emerald Village looks to become the new capital of cannabis

@laughingsquid

For many years, Los Angeles has been the home of Hollywood, the Lakers and over sixty thousand homeless people. They are now trying to add to that list and become the international home of cannabis culture.

World, meet Emerald Village

Emerald Village is the portion of West Hollywood that is trying to become the new Amsterdam of weed. Like Amsterdam, Emerald Village has places where you can buy weed-infused food and lounges where you can kick back while enjoying your favorite cannabis products. Unlike Amsterdam, Emerald Village does not have a Red Light District. Sorry, guys.

According to Scott Schmidt, Executive Director of Cannabis Marketing at Emerald Village, two different types of cannabis business licenses are offered in Emerald Village. “One allows smoking and vaping across the entire space. The other license type requires at least half of the space be set aside for non-combustible consumption… So, some places are doing some really creative ideas on how to incorporate different experiences into cannabis consumption that don’t involve smoking or vaping. You might have some wellness centers where you can do yoga or get an infused massage.”

Early success

Before having to close their doors due to the pandemic, the Original Cannabis Cafe was the first place in the country where you could legally consume cannabis. The cafe received a significant amount of media coverage and regularly had lines down the street. They even ended up winning Eater LA's Surprise of the Year award.

In addition to the Original Cannabis Cafe, Emerald Village has other successful cannabis businesses that are backed by some of the biggest celebrities in the world. Jay Z purchased Calma, a cannabis retail store, which is located right across the street from the Original Cannabis Cafe. Woody Harrelson is another celebrity who recently opened his cannabis business, The Woods, in Emerald Village. The Woods is currently a dispensary but Woody has plans to add a consumption lounge and a separate bar in the near future.

Although Los Angeles doesn't offer everything that Amsterdam does, the star power of Hollywood might help make Emerald Village the cannabis capital of the world.

Business highlights

Minnesota accidentally legalized certain weed products

@gifer

Things don’t usually end well when you do something on accident. Just ask Draymond Green who accidentally posted a nude photo on his Snapchat. Don't worry, that link won't take you to the nude photo.

Thankfully for people in Minnesota, every once in a while an accident can lead to a happy ending.

The details

A new law that passed on July 1 makes it legal for people 21 and older to purchase cannabis food and beverage products that contain no more than 5 milligrams of hemp THC and no more than 50 milligrams per package.

According to NPR, THC derived from marijuana is still illegal but THC derived from hemp is legal. Although marijuana and hemp come from the same cannabis plant, they are bread differently, resulting in marijuana plants having much more THC than hemp plants. Chemically though, the THC in a marijuana plant and the THC in a hemp plant are the same, which is great news for the people of Minnesota.

Was this really an accident?

Since Minnesota has a Republican majority in the senate that has been pretty anti-weed in the past, many people were scratching their heads after the law passed. Based on a report from the Minneapolis Star Tribune, it sounds like some of the senators who voted on the law are scratching their heads as well. Republican Senator Jim Abeler said he didn’t realize the law would legalize THC infused edibles and beverages. He thought the law was only focused on delta 8 THC products. Sorry Jim, you thought wrong buddy.

What's Next?

Since Jim and some of his colleagues claim to have been caught off guard, they are suggesting that the law should be revised. On the other hand, Carol Moss, an attorney who represents many cannabis businesses, told Business Insider she thinks lawmakers new exactly what they were doing when they passed the bill and this should not be a surprise.

As with anything that involves politics, this might turn into an overly complicated shit show. In the meantime, we highly encourage Minnesotans to take advantage while they can in case things change.

Pot politics

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Quick hits

Meme of the Week

Before we go, here's the best meme we saw this week. Wonder if fish think the same thing about us 🤔

@stonermemes

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