Tougher requirements for marijuana purity that kicked in this year in California aren’t triggering the high failure rates that emptied shelves at cannabis shops last summer, when the state began phasing in mandated testing.

The better results signal that the cannabis industry is stabilizing in its second year of regulated sales, despite a roller coaster first year that included one testing lab caught falsifying marijuana test results, industry officials and others said.

There’s still concern about what will happen once marijuana shops sell off products grandfathered in before the latest testing rules took effect. But with tests showing that California cannabis is now cleaner than most fruits and vegetables, experts are encouraged.

“The consumer is getting a better product,” said Matt Haskins, chief of Certus Analytics, a licensed testing lab in Murrieta.

Though California launched legal recreational marijuana sales on Jan. 1, 2018, retailers were allowed to sell untested product through mid-year, giving the industry time to ramp up for testing and sell out old inventories.

In July, when the first tests were required, just 80 percent of the cannabis was approved for sale. But as of Jan 11 — with new, tougher rules in place — the pass rate was up to 86.8 percent, according to the latest report from the Bureau of Cannabis Control.

“I think people are just more ready,” said Chris Hoo, an attorney with Emerald Law in Los Angeles, which specializes in testing compliance.
“If you didn’t survive the first round,” Hoo added, “you’re not here to complain about it now.”
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In the first round of testing, more than two thirds of the cannabis that failed did so because the product didn’t match up with claims made on the label. Typically, suppliers were overstating the level of THC, the compound that makes users feel high. Other problems included pesticides, microbial impurities and residual solvents.  

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To kick off the 2019 state legislative season, NORML is pleased to release our 2019 Gubernatorial Scorecard. This extensive database assigns a letter grade ‘A’ through ‘F’ to states’ governors based upon their comments and voting records specific to matters of marijuana policy.

“Following the publication of our 2018 Scorecard, there has been a dramatic shift in opinion among elected officials in favor of marijuana policy reform,” NORML’s Political Director Justin Strekal said. “Never before have we seen so many governors go on record and pledge their support for legalizing the responsible use of cannabis by adults. As a result, we expect there to be unprecedented levels of legislative activity at the state level surrounding the need to regulate the commercial cannabis market in 2019 and in 2020.”

Key Findings
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Twenty-seven US governors received a passing grade of ‘C’ or higher (22 Democrats, 5 Republicans)

Of these, nine US governors – all Democrats – received an ‘A’ grade; this marks a significant increase since 2018, when only two governors received ‘A’ grades.

They are:

Gavin Newsom: California
Jared Polis: Colorado
Ned Lamont: Connecticut
JB. Pritzker: Illinois
Gretchen Whitmer: Michigan
Tim Walz: Minnesota
Phil Murphy: New Jersey
Kate Brown: Oregon
Jay Inslee: Washington

The Takeaway

There exists now, for the first time, significant political support among US governors for marijuana policy reform. However, this support is more partisan than ever before. While almost half of all Democratic governors are now on record in support of adult use regulation, no Republican governors publicly advocate for this policy. This partisan divide is not similarly reflected among the general public. According to national polling data compiled by Gallup in October 2018, 66 percent of the public – including majorities of self-identified Democrats, Republicans, and Independents – favor legalization.

The results of the 2018 midterm elections also show that advocating for marijuana legalization is a successful campaign issue. Several newly elected governors – such as Ned Lamont of Connecticut, J.B. Pritzker of Illinois, and Tim Walz of Minnesota – actively campaigned on a pledge to legalize the commercial cannabis market, while two additional governors – Gavin Newsom of California and Jared Polis of Colorado – have prominent histories as marijuana law reform advocates. One governor, New York’s Andrew Cuomo, moved decidedly in favor of legalization during his re-election campaign.

This shift in political support among governors bodes well for the prospects of the passage of successful legislative reforms in various states in 2019 and beyond. While to date only one state – Vermont – has moved to legalize adult marijuana use via legislation (as opposed to the passage of voter initiatives), NORML anticipates that as many as four to five additional states (e.g., Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Illinois, and Rhode Island) may similarly do so in the near future.

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For most fans of music, reggae and marijuana are inexplicably linked. That is, when people think reggae, they also think about laid-back, dredlocked musicians who puffed a mariijuana pipe in-between laying down rhythms. Even reggae music’s most legendary figure, Bob Marley, is known as much for his pro-weed sensibilities as he was for his socially conscious lyricism and rousing beats. But the all-important question remains: How did reggae and ganja become so interlinked?

A popular modern reggae artist named Lutan Fyah suggests that reggae was a way for the poor people of Jamaica to express their views and way of life, which is how weed became involved with the musical movement. He says: “The originators, the ones who pioneered reggae music, those were the ones that used the herb to gain enlightenment and inspiration.”

These oftentimes disenfranchised artists used the herb to help convey their message. Fyan continues, “If you check where this music is coming from and the time when it started out, you realise that it really came from the poor. They saw reggae music as a chance to say what they wanted to say and share their views and that’s how weed came up in reggae.”

Of course, reggae’s roots are firmly entrenched in the Rastafarian movement, which requires its adherents to not only consume, but also distribute, cannabis as a sacrament and herbal medicine.

Hempress Sativa, another popular reggae artist, uses marijuana to help meditate before creating her music. In essence, ganja enables her to properly pay homage to Rastafari, as well as help her music achieve the right groove and vibe.

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