Low-THC products can make brands stand out to niche demand, producers say

Low-THC products can make brands stand out to niche demand, producers say

Brands can differentiate themselves from their competitors by offering low-THC potency products, but the demand for non-dominant THC cannabis is more complicated, three producers told StratCann. 

Manufacturing a diverse terpene profile with phytonutrients can deliver a product that stands out from cannabis that has a maximum concentration of THC or CBD, the producers said. 

Cultivators of high-potency THC flower often don’t break the 3% terpene mark, said Jeff Abbott, head of product development at Northern Green Canada. “When you’re seeing these sub-20 percent cultivars, you’re going to get a lot more interesting flavours that consumers are going to remember any time they consume them, and they will become sought after,” Abbott said.

Low-THC products offer the potential for unique formulations that meet specific consumer needs, said Brian LeBlanc, director of sales at Retro Cannabis. Brands that prioritize product innovations and consumer education in the low-THC segment could become leaders in the emerging market niche, LeBlanc said.

However, producers explained that the Canadian market is still price- and potency-driven, making differentiation less of an obvious choice from a business perspective. 

More educated consumers could start seeking out minor cannabinoid products with specific ratios of CBD, according to Maximilian Michalowski, co-founder of Emprise Canada. “You may see that these minor cannabinoids have specific purposes like vitamins do today, people take specific vitamins for anti-inflammatory purposes, they take them for sleep,” Michalowski said.

Minor cannabinoids open up a broader consumer demographic who consume low-THC products beyond just THC-adverse users, Michalowski explained. Emprise includes minor cannabinoids in THC and CBD dominant products to reach both markets.

According to Michalowski, full-spectrum products with a CBD: THC ratio of 20:1 make more sense than isolating minor cannabinoids or CBD at a 1:1 ratio from both a business and therapeutic standpoint.

The real impact on demand for any product is the price of producing it, he argued, and the higher cost of isolating cannabinoids only pays off if you’re delivering a high-potency THC product.

Demand for low-THC cannabis has been hampered by high-potency THC mandates from provincial retail oversight boards, said Abbott. Those mandates prevent consumer demand from driving more low-THC cannabis production. 

“We’ve lost a fair amount of quality genetics solely because producers have just decided, ‘Hey, you know what? I’m not going to dedicate my time and resources to a cultivar that can barely break 18 percent,” Abbott said. 

LeBlanc shared that low-THC products only cater to a specific segment of the market and don’t appeal to the broader recreational cannabis consumer base. However, demand for low-THC products remains largely unmet, as low-THC products are still relatively scarce compared to their high-THC counterparts, LeBlanc explained.

The way products are packaged and encapsulated changes how much supply of low-THC cannabis is on the market, explained Michalowski. 

While many products may be sold with similar formulations, some have packaged THC in two-piece capsules, Michalowski said. 

An air bubble in the capsules can make the THC oxidize and turn into CBN, Michalowski said.

According to Michalowski, Emprise’s sales are split roughly 50-50 between CBD-dominant and THC-dominant products, with the Light Year Soft Gel being the company’s top-selling product, at 10 mg THC per soft gel: 0.5 mg CBD.

Northern Green Canada primarily sells higher potency products due to its focus being on medical exports, explained Abbott. 

Low-THC products have slower sales compared to high-THC products, LeBlanc said.

However,  they may attract a dedicated customer base seeking milder effects or specific benefits.


The Climate Death Cult’s Mask is Slipping

The Climate Death Cult’s Mask is Slipping

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The Climate Death Cult’s Mask is Slipping

by James Corbett
corbettreport.com

Have you heard the latest nonsense from the climate cultists?

No, I’m not talking about recycling human hair to change the weather.

And I’m not talking about the hot new fad of defacing works of art (and the US constitution) to end climate change.

No, I’m talking about the incredible, newly discovered (and peer-reviewed!) scientific fact that the act of breathing in and out is itself an offense against the weather gods. Or, in the slightly higher-falutin’ language of the clickbait headline writers:

Humans Are Fueling Global Warming By Just Breathing, Study Claims

Indeed.

But have you actually read the study that generated these headlines? And, more to the point, did you sift through that pseudoscientific propaganda to get to the bloodcurdling reality that lies beneath the headlines? When you do drill down, you’ll discover that the real utility of a “scientific” study like this one stems not from any perceived scientific merit, but from the role it plays in furthering a very dark agenda. And, armed with that knowledge, you’ll be better equipped to confront the cultists’ agenda.

Intrigued? Here, let me explain . . .

THE STUDY

Late last year, PLoS One published “Measurements of methane and nitrous oxide in human breath and the development of UK scale emissions,” which posits that “[e]xhaled human breath can contain small, elevated concentrations of methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O), both of which contribute to global warming.”

Or, in plain English: human breathing contributes to “climate change.”

If you follow the link to the paper itself, you’ll discover that its authors collected 328 “breath samples” from 104 British volunteers to determine whether or not human beings are guilty of exhaling greenhouse gases—in this case, methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O).

The results? It turns out that, yes, 31% of those sampled were found to be “methane producers” (handily abbreviated “MPs” in the paper) and “[a]ll participants were found to emit N2O in breath.”

Zounds! Do you know what this means?!!

Yeah, neither do the researchers. Specifically, they were not able to account for variations in emissions from any of the volunteers based on any of the variables (age, sex, dietary habits, smoking habits) examined.

But there is one thing this crack team of scientists are sure of: these startling results have revealed human breath to be a significant and hitherto neglected source of climate change.

But wait! That’s not all.

We report only emissions in breath in this study, and flatus emissions are likely to increase these values significantly, though no literature characterises these emissions for people in the UK.

That’s right, “flatus”! Your farts are really making the weather gods angry, folks! And don’t even get me started on cow burps!

Luckily, the King of England has spent years developing state-of-the-art, cutting-edge technology to take on the cow burp threat.

Now, if only someone would develop something similar for the human livestock.

Oh, right. Never mind.

Silliness aside, there are a few different responses you might have to the “news” that a “scientific” study has found you guilty of creating bad weather by breathing in and out.

If you’re a climate cultist yourself (or someone who has unquestioningly absorbed the propaganda of the climate cultists), you might take this as vindication of your deep-seated hatred of humanity. Confirmed in your suspicion that humans are a cancer on this earth, you might choose to curl yourself in a ball and wait for the sweet release of death (assuming your remains can be composted in an environmentally friendly way, of course!). Perhaps you’ll console yourself by throwing some soup on a painting or climbing atop a London Underground car or doing something equally productive.

Or, if you have more than two brain cells to rub together, you could choose to dive even deeper into the study and interrogate its assumptions, methodologies and conclusions.

  • Are 328 breath samples from 104 volunteers really a basis for drawing conclusions about the UK population (or the global population), for example?
  • And doesn’t the fact that the assessed contribution of human-breathed CH4 and N2O (between 0.05% and 0.1% of total UK emissions) falls below the margin of error of national inventories render these conclusions statistically meaningless?
  • And, more to the point, did it really take an entire team of well-funded “experts” months of careful study and a peer-reviewed journal article to confirm that humans do, in fact, breathe?

Or, if you’re a veteran of this kind of climate change propaganda, you might be tempted to simply roll your eyes, let out a (greenhouse gas-emitting) New World Next Week sigh, and go back to living your life as usual.

But wait. There is something very important happening here. With every story like this, the would-be controllers of humanity are telling you something about who they are and what they have planned for you.

WHAT IT MEANS

As is so often the case with this type of propaganda-masquerading-as-science, it turns out that the real trick to this scientific deception lies not in what is said, but in what is not said.

Specifically, in their conclusion, after acknowledging that they could find no correlation between diet and emissions, the study’s authors conclude with a warning against downplaying the importance of this minuscule (and statistically meaningless) human-breathed greenhouse gas contribution and . . . that’s it. The question of what is to be done with this information is left completely unaddressed.

Naturally, this is when the establishment mouthpiece “fact checkers” will arrive with their ACKSHUALLY to inform us that “Of course a scientific study isn’t going to tell us what to do about the problem. They’re simply documenting and quantifying the problem!”

But such a retort assumes that this study is being published in a perfectly objective vacuum. That it is the result of a process of dispassionate scientific inquiry that is concerned only with measurement and experiment.

But it is not. It is in fact—as viewers of the Fake News Awards will know—the end result of a fundamentally biased and thoroughly corrupted marketplace of ideas in which only those results in line with the Climate Crisis dogma will be published and only those results suggesting a depopulation solution will be promoted.

What other conclusion is possible from these “breathing contributes to climate change” results? As the researchers themselves say: “diet or future diet changes are unlikely to be important when estimating emissions [from human breathing] across the UK as a whole.” So, no change in diet is going to reduce this emission scourge. What can reduce the emissions caused by human breathing, then, other than reducing the number of humans who are breathing?

Of course, none of this is ever stated openly. It doesn’t have to be. It is the inevitable logic of carbon eugenics, a sick and twisted ideology in which, as I pointed out 15 years ago, “human life is no longer something to be treasured, but something to be measured in carbon and then reduced.” Or, in this case, humans are to be categorized as “MPs” and then reduced.

Does all this give you crippling anxiety? Does it make you question whether you should have children? Does it make you feel guilty for having been born yourself?

Of course it does. Story after story after story in the establishment media hammers home the point that more and more children and adolescents are now suffering from “climate anxiety”—a “chronic fear of environmental doom,” as the American Psychiatric Association defines it. A recent study in The Journal of Climate Change and Health, for example, finds that 78% of young Canadians now say that concerns about climate change impact their mental health. One need look no further than the (synthetically created) poster child of the green youth activist movement, Greta Thunberg, to see what such a mental health crisis actually looks like.

Now, here’s the rub. You—as a healthy, loving, non-psychopathic human being—might expect that psychologists, psychiatrists and others in the mental health space would be interested in healing these poor children. In assuaging them of their guilt at having been born. In helping them realize that as sovereign individuals they have the power to change the world. In protecting them from the non-stop doom porn propaganda of the climate cultists.

But if you think that, you’d be wrong. No, the weaponized psychologists of the Dissent Into Madness crew are not helping youngsters to overcome their climate anxiety. They’re actively nurturing it.

Take, for example, Britt Wray, a Stanford researcher who specializes in “climate grief” and mental health. In her estimation, climate anxiety isn’t something to be treated, but something to be encouraged.

“Climate anxiety is not in itself a problem. [. . .] It’s actually a very healthy and normal response to have when one understands the escalating civilizational threat that we’re dealing with when it comes to the climate crisis.”

Yes, the would-be social engineers are fully aware of the impact that decades of “the-world-is-ending” claptrap has had on the population. That’s the entire point. As I observed last year in my editorial on the insane “carbon pawprint” propaganda being pushed in the name of saving the planet:

If you were a rich and powerful oligarch with eugenicist beliefs and a desire to cull the population, you would have a hard time devising a more effective plan for implementing your depopulation agenda than the one that is being rolled out before us.

First, you convince the public that their “emissions” are a threat to the long-term survival of humanity, and indeed of the planet itself.

Then, you habituate the masses into constantly calculating the “carbon footprint” of their daily activities and train them to accept ever-greater sacrifices in the name of reducing that “footprint.”

Finally, you convince the credulous commoners that the real problem lies not in their actions but in their very existence. You make them believe that life itself is the original sin against nature and that they would be less of a burden if they didn’t keep that pet. Or if they didn’t have that baby. Or if they themselves had never been born.

So, here’s the real question:

WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT THIS?

First, the bad news: you undoubtedly know someone—or, more likely, more than one someone—who feels guilty about existing and who believes that vast swaths of the human population must be killed in order to save the planet.

These are not necessarily bad people. Many of them have simply proven more susceptible to a lifetime of indoctrination, which has taught them that humans are a cancer on this planet. These unfortunately trusting sheeple have been led along by the nose, believing that “the population bomb is about to explode!” and that they have to “do their part to save the earth” simply because they have heard these lies all their life.

But what does that mean, exactly? “Doing your part”?

At first, doing your part was easy. Trivial, even. “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!” we were told as schoolchildren . . . only to find out years later that recycling is a scam and was known to be useless from its very inception.

Then, we were told to take more drastic action. We must start rationing. We must cut back! We must measure our carbon footprints and begin reducing them.

Next, things took a dark turn. We’d better start measuring our pets’ carbon pawprints and reducing those, too! We must “eat ze bugs” to appease the weather gods! And we can’t bring more children into the world, can we? Think of their carbon footprint!

And now, those unquestioning types who’ve obeyed every diktat of the climate cult have found themselves in the inevitable final chapter of this macabre narrative, in which our very breath is revealed to be a poison that is killing the earth! We must find a way to reduce human breathing!

Here we are, stumbling around like one of the characters in an old Twilight Zone episode. The entire world has gone mad and only a few of us can see it. What can we do to shake some sense into our fellow humans who are heading, like cattle, to the slaughterhouse?

Yes, we could engage in a calm, measured analysis of this “human breathing” study. We could take it at face value as an earnest (if flawed) attempt to quantify one contribution to atmospheric emissions and simply point out the statistical flaws and analytical errors it contains.

But to do that is to miss the point. This is not just another flawed scientific study. This is part of a sinister agenda. We can’t just pick around its edges. We have to confront the lies at the very root. Life is not the problem. Life is sacred.

Yes, there are plenty of problems in what governments, militaries and corporations are doing to the environment. No one is denying there are many things that must be changed if we are to preserve this world for future generations. But humans are the answer, not the problem. Culling the population is not a solution. It is a false template that has been inculcated in us by the inbred eugenicists who desire to get rid of us.

Unless and until people rediscover the timeless truth that human life is sacred, they will willingly march themselves into the slaughter pen and happily wait for the butcher’s blade to descend. That is the most horrifying thought of all.

But finally, the good news: if you don’t feel guilty about existing and if you don’t believe that vast numbers of people must die in order to save the planet, then congratulations! You have managed to retain your intellectual sovereignty in the face of the largest, longest, most well-funded and well-coordinated propaganda campaign in human history. That fact alone is truly remarkable, and it’s a testament to your resilience and to the unstoppable power of the dynamic human spirit.

Now, it’s time to confront the propaganda head-on and rekindle our love of life. It is the only true antidote to the poisonous propaganda of the death cult.

Like this type of essay? Then you’ll love The Corbett Report Subscriber newsletter, which contains my weekly editorial as well as recommended reading, viewing and listening. If you’re a Corbett Report member, you can sign in to corbettreport.com and read the newsletter today.

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420 with CNW — Analysis of Differences Between Taxes on Marijuana, Sports Betting

420 with CNW — Analysis of Differences Between Taxes on Marijuana, Sports Betting

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In 2021, Arizona witnessed the legalization of two long-operating but previously illicit industries: sports betting and recreational cannabis. This change brought a surge of tax revenue to the state, with one industry outpacing the other significantly.

While sports betting enjoys greater popularity per capita in the state, it contributes only a small percentage of the taxes compared to the marijuana sector.

According to 2023 revenue data, the total wagering amount on sportsbooks in the state was almost five times greater than the state’s entire marijuana sales. However, despite this, the tax revenue from cannabis companies was more than eight times higher than that from sports betting.

According to the state’s Gaming Department, more than $6.5 billion was collected through sportsbooks and betting apps in 2023. However, sports betting companies paid somewhat more than $34.8 million to the state treasury, which was placed in the general fund. In contrast, the state’s Revenue Department reported that retail marijuana sales, encompassing both recreational and medical sales, amounted to about $1.36 billion in the same period, with tax collected from these sales being $284.3 million.

The disparity in tax rates between the two sectors can be attributed to the distinct regulatory frameworks governing them. The marijuana market bears a heavy tax burden, with several levies imposed on every sale. Marijuana dispensaries in the state are required to report sales for both recreational and medical purposes. Additionally, besides the standard sales tax, dispensaries are subject to a 16% state excise tax. Revenues generated from this tax are allocated to various sectors including public safety and community colleges.

On the other hand, laws governing sports betting in the state stipulate that taxes are paid on net revenue following payouts to successful bettors rather than the whole amount wagered. As a result, the state receives less tax money from larger reimbursements. Moreover, sportsbooks can deduct expenses such as promotional offers and free bets from their gross revenue, further reducing the taxable amount. Last year, more than $196 million in free bets were distributed by sportsbooks in Arizona, diminishing potential tax revenue by almost $20 million.

Compared to other states that have legalized sports betting, Arizona levies a lower 10% tax on gross wagering earnings from operators. Massachusetts taxes sportsbook profits at 20%, whereas Illinois taxes them at 15%. The tax rates in New Hampshire, Rhode Island and New York are notably higher, at 51%.

While it is possible to make changes to the current statutes, doing so may be difficult because neither was created by the state’s legislature. Recreational cannabis was legalized through a ballot vote in 2020, while sports betting was approved via a renegotiated gaming agreement between Arizona’s state government and native American tribes.

The Arizona marijuana community has expressed concerns about the excessive tax loads in comparison to the sports betting sector.

Mazor Collective CEO Lilach Mazor Power expressed frustration, highlighting the perceived greater social value of the marijuana industry. Mazor Power stated that the sports betting sector may potentially do more. She also stressed that not everyone involved in the marijuana industry makes significant money, so it’s important to be wary of assuming that everyone is wealthy.

Representatives of the gaming sector, on the other hand, state that even with its widespread appeal, sports betting only generates marginal returns when contrasted with other gaming options, such as slot machines or board games.

When the excessive taxes to which the marijuana industry is subjected reach untenable levels, there could be a domino effect that could result in reduced business opportunities for ancillary companies, such as Astrotech Corp. (NASDAQ: ASTC), that serve verticals within the cannabis industry.

NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to Astrotech Corp. (NASDAQ: ASTC) are available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/ASTC

About CNW420

CNW420 spotlights the latest developments in the rapidly evolving cannabis industry through the release of an article each business day at 4:20 p.m. Eastern – a tribute to the time synonymous with cannabis culture. The concise, informative content serves as a gateway for investors interested in the legalized cannabis sector and provides updates on how regulatory developments may impact financial markets. If marijuana and the burgeoning industry surrounding it are on your radar, CNW420 is for you! Check back daily to stay up-to-date on the latest milestones in the fast -changing world of cannabis.

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Niagara police investigating armed robbery of cannabis store

Niagara police investigating armed robbery of cannabis store

Police in Niagara say they are investigating an armed robbery at a cannabis store on March 11. 

Niagara Regional Police Service 8 District (Lincoln/Grimsby/West Lincoln) detectives say they continue to investigate this armed robbery that occurred March 11, 2024, in Lincoln (Beamsville), Ontario, at the Hey Bud Cannabis Dispensary.

Police responded to a call at 9:06 pm on March 11, 2024. Upon investigation, it was determined that around 9:00 pm, a lone male suspect, armed with a firearm, robbed an employee at the establishment. Fortunately, the employee did not sustain any injuries. The suspect ran from the scene with an undisclosed sum of currency and cannabis.

The suspect is described as a white male, about six feet tall, with a large, muscular build. The suspect wore a black partial face cover, a black hooded sweatshirt, black pants, black shoes, and light-coloured gloves.

Anyone with information can contact police here.

Image via Google Maps.


Low-THC products can make brands stand out to niche demand, producers say

Village Farms’ Canadian cannabis operations report net income of $4 million for 2023

According to parent company Village Farms International’s newest quarterly report, net sales for Pure Sunfarms and Rose LifeScience increased in the last three months of 2023. 

While Pure Sunfarms (PSF) is the wholly-owned Canadian subsidiary of Village Farms, the company also owns 70% of Québec-based Rose LifeScience.

Net sales increased 14% from $38.2 million in the same quarter in 2022 to $43.6 million in Q4 2023, while retail branded sales increased 5%, international (export) sales decreased 66%, and non-branded (wholesale) sales increased 339%.

The cost of sales also declined from $27.8 million in the same quarter in 2022 to $25.2 million in Q4 2023.

Despite this increase in net sales, the company still reported a $1 million loss after expenses for its cannabis operations in Canada. This is a decrease from a net loss of $3.8 million in Q4 2022. The company reported $22.2 million in excise taxes in Q4 2023 and $78.3 million for the year ending December 31, 2023, on sales of $232 million, an effective rate of nearly 34%.

For the year ended December 31, 2023, Village Farms’ Canadian cannabis operations saw $154 million in sales and a net income of $4 million. The company reported $109 million in net sales and a net profit of $200,000 in the previous year.

Village Farms’ US cannabis venture, Balanced Health Botanicals, saw net sales of $5.1 million compared with $5.3 million in Q4 2022 and a net loss of $13.7 million compared to $20.9 million in Q4 2022.

For Q4 2023, retail branded sales were $56.1 million of total sales, while international sales were $1.1 million. Non-branded sales accounted for another $7.9 million.

Michael DeGiglio, President and Chief Executive Officer of Village Farms, says the Canadian market is slowly rebounding from excess supply and record low prices and expresses optimism at the possibility of future excise tax reform.

“Our Canadian Cannabis business remains the undisputed leader in that market, with record sales and another quarter of positive adjusted EBITDA and cash flow in the fourth quarter,” said DeGiglio.

“We reclaimed the number two national market share rank across all categories and are steadily closing the gap on the top position. Record retail branded sales were complemented by another especially strong quarter for non-branded wholesale sales. In our non-branded wholesale channel, we took advantage of improved supply conditions and pricing created by the shift of many of our peers to asset light models, significantly reducing our non-brand-spec inventory. While these close out sales are temporarily affecting gross margin and adjusted EBITDA, they are generating additional cash flow, and will support more efficient, higher cash conversion inventory turnover this year and beyond.”

Village Farms is also the only North American cannabis company with a production facility in the Netherlands, as part of the country’s early pilot-project approach to regulating cannabis supply for its cannabis “coffee shops”. Production is expected to begin later this year, with its first sales in 2025.

It is also exporting cannabis from its Canadian production to markets in Europe and Australia. Nine of the company’s cultivars in Canada are now being sold across four international medical markets. The Company has a strategy in place to accelerate international export sales in current markets while expecting to launch products in additional European markets this year.

In addition to their US cannabis venture, Village Farms is also preparing for the potential for full legalization in the US through its connection to one of the largest greenhouse operations in the country (more than 5.5 million square feet in West Texas), as well as the operational and product expertise gained through Pure Sunfarms’ cannabis success in Canada.

“On the international front,” adds DeGiglio, “earlier this year we started the build out of our first production facility in the Netherlands, where we are proud to be the only North American participant in the first legal recreational cannabis market in a major European country. Production is targeted to begin later this year. We expanded our export program for the European medical market to the United Kingdom, with additional markets expected to be added this year. Notably, recent positive progress around German medical use regulation provides us with additional opportunities going forward as the market grows.”


Common Mistakes When Starting Seeds

Common Mistakes When Starting Seeds

There’s something special about starting new seeds, isn’t there? Even after years of gardening, the thrill of opening a new pack of seeds never gets old. However, some seeds can be costly, so beginners need to get the basics right to avoid wasting time and money. Let’s dive into the essentials:

Choosing the Right Seeds

This tip is crucial! Take the time to source a reputable breeder instead of impulsively buying from a random pollen-chucker on Instagram. I have been using a Dutch seed supplier in operation since the 1980s. (Hint: “Masters at Work.”) I can vouch for the consistent quality of their seeds and the passion that goes into making them. Also, buying seeds only when needed is best unless you’re snagging a limited-time offer. When you acquire seeds, store them in the fridge until you’re ready to plant.

Choose the correct seeds

Choose the correct seeds

Correct Seed Depth

A helpful rule of thumb is to plant seeds at their own depth. Tiny seeds (like onions) can be lightly pressed into the growing medium’s surface and then covered with a thin layer of soil or vermiculite. Bury bigger seeds no more than their width. If you’re dealing with larger seeds that are scarce, challenging to germinate, or pricey, try placing them between two layers of a moist paper towel. Once you see a root, carefully transfer them to your propagation medium.

Use Specialist Propagation Media

Opt for a propagation potting mix specially designed for seed starting. It should be lightweight, sterile, and well-draining. Alternatively, consider Rockwool starter cubes, which are fibrous cubes ideal for seed germination. No need to add nutrients; plain water works fine.

Consistent Moisture Levels

Overwatering and underwatering are common issues when caring for seedlings (and cuttings). Your potting mix should stay consistently moist, not soggy. A spray bottle is perfect for gently misting the surface, avoiding seed displacement. Seeds can suffocate and rot if submerged in water, so be mindful of this. To help retain humidity, cover your pots or trays with plastic.

Temperature Control

Temperature is vital for seed germination. Seeds and seedlings prefer stable temperatures. That’s why some growers prefer 24-hour light cycles post-germination. For warm-season plants, aim for 77 to 81°F (25 to 27°C) while your seeds germinate. If using a propagator, monitor the internal temperature with a thermometer. In case of excessive heat, try raising your propagation lights, opening vents, dimming lights, or boosting ventilation. For cooler conditions, a heat mat can help maintain the right temperature. Always connect your fan to a thermostatic speed controller. Modern speed controllers have humidistat-based control, too.

Adequate Light

Many seeds don’t need light for germination, and some are even hindered by it. But post-germination, seedlings need ample light to grow strong. Insufficient light leads to seedlings that are tall, thin, and weak (often referred to as “leggy”).

Avoiding Damping-off

Damping-off is a fungal disease that can quickly kill seedlings. It is caused by overwatering and poor air circulation. To prevent it, be cautious when watering and ensure good air circulation. A fan can help. Look for seedlings that suddenly collapse, with a thin, darkened area at the soil line – these are signs of damping-off.

Healthy seeds make healthy plants

Healthy seeds make healthy plants

Transplanting Carefully

Once your seedlings have at least two sets of true leaves (the ones appearing after the initial seed leaves), they’re ready to transplant. Handle them gently to avoid root or stem damage. Acclimate them to their new environment gradually by exposing them to outdoor conditions over several days.

Take it Easy on Fertilizer

Young seedlings are sensitive to nutrients. It doesn’t take much to cause nutrient burn, which can damage them. Start fertilizing only when they have their second set of true leaves. Use a balanced, water-soluble fertilizer at half the recommended strength, gradually increasing as they grow.

Propagation is an area where every new grower should focus. It might require a fair amount of attention to detail, but with the proper techniques and daily care, you can avoid common mistakes and enjoy watching your seeds grow into healthy plants.

420 with CNW — Analysis of Differences Between Taxes on Marijuana, Sports Betting

How Illinois’ Adult-Use Cannabis Prices Compare Regionally

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In 2023, the state of Illinois raked in billions in recreational cannabis sales. This is despite the fact that prices in the state are among the highest in the country. In total, Illinois raked in more than $1.5 billion in sales, with more than 42 million products being sold at dispensaries throughout the state. This brought in about $400 million in recreational cannabis tax revenue.

Tax revenue from sales is allocated to a number of departments in the state, among them substance abuse, criminal justice prevention programs and public health.

Illinois also reported that marijuana sales to residents hit a new high at more than $1.2 billion, which represents a 15% increase from figures recorded in 2022. Data from the Marijuana Policy Institute shows that legal marijuana tax in the state is among the highest in the country, covering roughly 40% of the sale price.

In the Midwest, Illinois is the most-expensive legal recreational cannabis market. On average, an ounce of high-quality marijuana in the state costs about $25 more than the country average.

Since launching in 2019, recreational cannabis sales and tax revenue for the state has grown significantly. However, with more states in the Midwest engaging in discussions to legalize cannabis, Illinois may soon lose revenue to other states as well as its grip on market share.

States such as Michigan are already gaining momentum, as an ounce of high-quality weed is about $65 less.

Availability and inventory also play a crucial role in the higher prices in Illinois. Grown In’s publisher, Brad Spirrison, explained that Illinois had limited cultivators and dispensaries because of licensing issues, which allowed dispensaries to charge higher prices because of booming demand and limited supply.

It is expected that an increase in competition will facilitate a drop in the price of recreational cannabis in the state. However, with the imposition of strict regulations that are crippling sellers and growers, industry leaders worry that some businesses may file for bankruptcy or exit the field entirely, which would impact the state’s sales revenue. This may also deter investment companies from supporting the industry.

Overall, states that have imposed higher rates include New York, Washington, California, Alaska and Nevada. In Alaska, the average price of an ounce of cannabis has risen to more than $300.

It isn’t reliable to compare recreational marijuana prices directly because most states have different styles and brands sold in the dispensaries, so the analysis used medium-grade cannabis as a comparison, as it is sold in the country for both price and potency.

The resilience and success registered by cannabis companies such as Green Thumb Industries Inc. (CSE: GTII) (OTCQX: GTBIF) in Illinois shows that the industry can thrive when given an opportunity, and actors in the space can evolve to suit the changing conditions in the market.

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