Saturday, April 20, 2024
Hemp-based cannabis production, sales thrive on both sides of Mississippi River despite patchwork of laws
Depending what side of the Mississippi River you find yourself on, your ability to purchase legal marijuana is drastically different. As of August 2023, Minnesota residents can buy, grow and use marijuana as long as they are 21 or older. Wisconsin still criminalizes the plant.
Despite different legal status, marijuana is still not widely available in Minnesota yet. The legal change is very new to the state, and licenses for dispensaries to sell recreational marijuana are still a ways down the line.
“They’re looking at starting to issue licenses early next year. Hopefully sooner, but looking at next spring,” said Harry Penner, co-founder of Ripple Leaf Farms in Winona, Minnesota. “We’re looking to get a license that would allow us to have a small grow area and also retail.”
Until then, both Minnesota and Wisconsin remain on the same page regarding what is commercially available. Smoke shops and dispensaries sell cannabis products that legally qualify as hemp, not marijuana, even if they can have similar effects.
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CBD and CBG products are seen at The Rippled Leaf in Winona in May 2023. While marijuana is now legal for recreational use in Minnesota, the drug is not widely commercially available in the state. |
Growing in Wisconsin
In the back lot of what once was the La Crosse Rubber Mills, a major growing operation develops the raw ingredient that props up the industry. Fans line the ceilings of the grow rooms, blowing moist air containing a strong sweet and earthy aroma that sticks to anything that touches the plants. Green sticky stalks line several rooms, ready to be cut, dried and bagged up as pure buds, pre-rolled joints, gummies, chocolates and more.
Yes, this is cannabis, but it is not marijuana. With careful seed selection and breeding practices, Dan Schmidtknecht and the team at Stacks Family Farms are legally growing hemp. It grows and smokes the same, but with close to none of the chemicals that would constitute it as marijuana, a Schedule I controlled substance in Wisconsin.
Cannabis is the overarching term for both hemp and marijuana plants.
Tetrahydrocannabinol, commonly known as THC, is the psychoactive component of cannabis that gives users various feelings from euphoria to anxiety. In marijuana, this chemical typically makes up 30-40% of the cannabis plant. In hemp, THC levels are 0.3% or less of the plant.
Read and see more: https://journaltimes.com/news/state-and-regional/legal-marijuana-mn-wisconsin-hemp-products/article_9818f0e8-6158-5912-9a60-c0a08a69e6cb.html
Friday, April 19, 2024
Wednesday, April 17, 2024
Milwaukee ranks one of the worst cities for marijuana ahead of 4/20, study says
Alex Groth
As the day for celebrating marijuana, 4/20, approaches, a new report ranks Milwaukee as one of the worst cities in the country for weed.
Slightly under two-thirds of registered Wisconsin voters support legalizing marijuana, according to a 2022 Marquette Law School Poll. Despite that, marijuana remains illegal in Wisconsin, and Milwaukee is near the bottom of a list ranking the best cities for weed in the country, according to a report from Real Estate Witch, who worked with Leafly to rank 50 cities for weed.
Milwaukee is one of the worst cities ranked for weed
Milwaukee ranked No. 43, landing it amongst the worst ten cities in the country for weed, according to the report. Metrics included the legality of cannabis, dispensaries per 100,000 residents, number of medical cannabis-prescribing doctors per 100,000 residents, among others.
According to the report, Milwaukee has 2.86 marijuana retailers per 100,000 residents, and no cannabis prescribing doctors per 100,000 residents.
Marijuana use, both medical and recreational, is still illegal in Wisconsin. Penalties for possession vary. A first offense is a misdemeanor that carries a maximum penalty of 6 months in prison and a $1,000 fine. Additional offense are charged as felonies.
Transporting marijuana from one state back to Wisconsin is a federal crime because cannabis is still illegal under federal law. Wisconsin is entirely surrounded by neighboring states that have made marijuana legal for medical and/or recreational use.
What is 4/20?
April 20, also known as 4/20, is a day celebrated in support of marijuana and also serves as a rallying day for those advocating for the legalization of cannabis. People have celebrated 4/20 since the 1970s, according to National Day Calendar.
How many states have legalized marijuana?
More than a decade since Colorado and Washington became the first states to allow marijuana for recreational purposes, there are now 24 states that have legalized recreational use of marijuana, and another 14 states that allow the drug for medical use only. According to Pew Research, 54% of Americans live in a state where the recreational use of marijuana is legal. 74% of Americans live in a state where marijuana is legal for recreational or medical use.
Top cities for weed in the U.S.
According to the report, these are the top ten best cities for weed in the U.S.:
- Denver, CO
- Portland, OR
- Las Vegas, NV
- Buffalo, NY
- Baltimore, MD
- Phoenix, AZ
- Seattle, WA
- Sacramento, CA
- Kansas City, MO
- Providence, RI
Worst cities for weed in the U.S.
According to the report, these are the top ten worst cities for weed in the U.S.:
- Louisville, KY
- Dallas, TX
- Atlanta, GA
- Houston, TX
- Birmingham, AL
- Nashville, TN
- Charlotte, NC
- Milwaukee, WI
- Memphis, TN
- Indianapolis, IN
Tuesday, April 16, 2024
Monday, April 15, 2024
Foxconn delivers 50,000 masks to Milwaukee charter school. Plans to donate 2 million masks in coming weeks
Ricardo Torres
Foxconn Technology Group plans to donate 2 million medical face masks to 40 Milwaukee area nonprofit and community groups.
The first 50,000 masks were delivered to the Milwaukee Academy of Science, a public charter school, on Wednesday. Other deliveries are scheduled for the coming weeks.
“During the height of the pandemic, Foxconn produced approximately 13 million face masks in Mount Pleasant," the company said in a press release.
More:What's happening at the Foxconn site in Wisconsin five years after the company announced its plans
"The company recognizes that even after the pandemic, organizations still need masks that limit the transmission of respiratory illnesses. As a member of the community, we are happy to make this donation and thankful for the help of Advocate Health Care and Aurora Health Care in identifying community organizations in need of masks."
In April 2020, Foxconn donated 100,000 masks to the State of Wisconsin Emergency Operations Center and has supported the Mount Pleasant South Shore Fire Department with annual donations.
What else has Foxconn made in Wisconsin?
Aside from masks, Foxconn has produced microinverters and data servers at its Mount Pleasant facility.
The microinverters, which are used in solar technology, were built for Enphase Energy which is based in Fremont, California.
Foxconn has also been making data servers for clients with data centers operated by large-scale cloud management companies. The servers support information storage, online video platforms, smart phone apps and other big data functions.