Neighbours’ complaints against Carmel Cannabis go up in smoke

by Grow Up Conference | Oct 3, 2023 | Grow Opportunity, Media Partners

By Wayne Doyle, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Carmel is a growing player in the cannabis  industry.

The four-year-old company, based in Oro-Medonte township, last year won Craft Brand of the Year, Craft Cultivar of the Year and Best Sativa Flower, based on a survey of 300 Canadian budtenders.

Reviews of the company’s products are positive and the company has developed a reputation for delivering what consumers want – potent, pungent plants. A review of Animal Face, one of the company’s most popular products, on a site devoted to such things, specifically references the strain’s smell, an attribute that is apparently important to cannabis users.

“Upon first whiff, a bold pine note dominates the senses, evoking feelings of tranquility and grounding,” the review says.

Tranquility and grounding?

Not so much, according to Carmel’s neighbours in the hamlet of Oro-Station, located at the intersection of Line 7 South and Ridge Road East in Oro-Medonte, about halfway between Barrie and Orillia.

Julia Dezoete, who lives across the street from Carmel, said there is no escaping the smell, which she says is more skunk than bold pine note.

“You go outside to enjoy a nice fresh day and it’s all you can smell, it’s terrible,” she said.

Dezoete has been living in Oro Station for five years. The past four, since Carmel set up shop, have been “horrible.”

She’s thought of selling her home to escape the offensive odour but doubts if it would do well on the open market.

“I think it would be a pretty hard sell,” she said. “I mean, they’d come here to look at the house and the first thing they’d smell is the pot. Nobody would want that.”

According to Dezoete and other neighbours, the smell, noise, traffic and lights from the indoor grow operation are headaches that never go away.

Unlike an outdoor grow operation, they said, where the plants are only a concern during their flowering period – late August to early October – Carmel is an indoor operation – they grow a new crop every few months so the problem is constant.

The scale of Carmel Cannabis’ operation is impressive, considering you can’t see it from the road or the county trail that passes it, just north of the facility’s property line.

A six-foot high chain link fence, with razor wire on the top, surrounds the grow compound. An electronically-controlled gate and video system silently monitors the comings-and-goings of workers, contractors and visitors.

Eight massive greenhouses, each one containing thousands of plants, are aligned with military precision. The fans are on and you can hear the constant whirl of the blades from almost any location in the hamlet.

A gentle breeze comes up from the south-east and the place smells like it just been invaded by a thousand agitated skunks.

“You don’t have to buy it if you’re standing here,” said Bill Wallace, who has lived on Line 7 just south of the Oro Station crossroads for 50 years. “Just come on over and inhale. That’ll do the trick.”

Wallace, like many of the folks BarrieToday talked with in Oro Station, has basically given up complaining about Carmel to local officials. He said every time he calls officials at the township, his concerns are brushed off or ignored.

“Nobody seems to care,” he said. “You talk to the township about it and they say `we talked to them about it and they’re going to be bringing in a big fan or this or that chemical that will cut the odour’.

“Nothing happens. It hasn’t changed since day one.”

According to Oro-Medonte Mayor Randy Greenlaw, residents who have concerns with the way Carmel Cannabis operates should notify the federal government since Health Canada regulates the cultivation and processing of cannabis and licenses producers.

“The regulations are set by the federal government, they (Carmel) have to adhere to those regulations and there shouldn’t be an elongated odour and inconvenience to the community,” Greenlaw said.

Wallace isn’t surprised the mayor advised residents to call Ottawa. He said that’s been the game all along.

“The locals blame the feds, the feds blame the locals. It’s just kickball,” Wallace said. “Nobody wants to take responsibility.”

According to Wallace, nobody in the community knew Carmel was setting up shop a hundred yards away from their homes. He said he only found it was a cannabis production facility after it was built.

According to Wallace, who said he talked with every neighbour in his community, nobody knew anything about Carmel.

“I talked with everyone, up and down this road, and not one of them was visited by anyone on council at the time,” Wallace said. “The whole thing was hush-hush.”

While Wallace concedes Carmel is doing nothing wrong – they have the legal right to do business in a legally designated area – he is bothered by what he calls “a lack of common sense” among members of the previous council.

“Who would approve a cannabis operation in a residential neighbourhood?” he asked.

BarrieToday reached out multiple times to Carmel Cannabis for comment. They did not respond.

Cannabis seller Tilray broadens footprint in the brewery business, closing deal with Anheuser Busch

by Grow Up Conference | Oct 3, 2023 | Grow Opportunity, Media Partners

The cannabis company Tilray expanded its position in the craft brew industry, completing the acquisition of eight beer brands from Anheuser-Busch that it had announced over the summer.

Included in the deal are well known labels like Shock Top, Breckenridge Brewery, Blue Point Brewing Company, 10 Barrel Brewing Company, Redhook Brewery, Widmer Brothers Brewing, Square Mile Cider Company, and HiBall Energy.

The acquisition comes with breweries and brewpubs associated with the labels.

The companies did not disclose financial details of the deal, but Tilray said earlier this month when it announced the acquisition that it would be paying cash.

Tilray Brands had already entered the brewery space, in addition to cannabis sales. The New York City company also owns SweetWater Brewing Company, Montauk Brewing Company, Alpine Beer Company, and Green Flash Brewing Company.

“Tilray has acquired a stellar lineup of eight craft beer and beverage brands that both solidify our leadership in the craft beer industry and strengthen our business in the expansive beverage sector in which we see tremendous opportunity to reinvigorate innovation across many categories including non-alcoholic beverages, energy, and nutritional drinks,” Chairman and CEO Irwin Simon said in a prepared statement.

Tilray said that the transaction, which was announced in August, will triple its beer sales volume from four million cases to 12 million. The acquisition also provides additional manufacturing capacity and innovation capabilities for commercial expansion opportunities.

Anheuser-Busch has had a rough summer, including layoffs, after conservative figures and others called for a boycott of Bud Light because the brand sent a commemorative can to transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney in early April. A deluge of criticism and hate erupted soon after Mulvaney cracked open a Bud Light in an Instagram video.

The brewer said in August that it was confident that its U.S. market share had stabilized after sales tanked.

In June, Bud Light lost its place as America’s best-selling beer after more than two decades, slipping into second place behind Mexican lager Modelo Especial.

In the month ending July 22, Bud Light’s U.S. retail sales were down 26 per cent compared with the same period a year ago, according to Nielsen data compiled by Bump Williams Consulting. Its year-over-year sales declines have been in the 25 per cent to 30 per cent range every month since the backlash began, the consulting company said.

Shares of Tilray fell more than 3 per cent Monday.

RYTHM artist series, uniting music and cannabis culture

by Grow Up Conference | Oct 3, 2023 | Grow Opportunity, Media Partners

(Globe Newswire) Chicago, Vancouver — Green Thumb Industries Inc., a national cannabis company and owner of RISE Dispensaries and RYTHM, the nation’s leading premium cannabis brand, today announced the launch of its RYTHM Artist Series, a collection of strains that are chosen (and smoked) by artists spanning multiple genres of music. Inspired by the artists’ lifestyle and brand, each product aligns with their specific tastes, consumption preferences, and desired effects, and is complemented by its own unique strain name and packaging design. The RYTHM Artist Series will feature product launches by talented and passionate artists such as country music star Mitchell Tenpenny, pop-punk band State Champs, blues singer-songwriter Marcus King, and R&B and pop singer Tinashe.

The RYTHM Artist Series brings to life each artist’s genuine connection to cannabis through the creation of their own custom strain, providing a product and experience that they can share with their fans. Building upon its eclectic strain library, the RYTHM Artist Series empowers consumers to align their music and cannabis tastes, demonstrating a true culmination of the brand’s motto: Find Your RYTHM.

“RYTHM was built on the proven, positive connection between cannabis and music,” said Green Thumb Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Ben Kovler. “The RYTHM Artist Series is about elevating the authentic relationship artists have with cannabis while bringing fans closer to their favorite artist by smoking the same strain as them. We are excited to partner with great artists to offer premium strains to music and RYTHM fans alike.”

The RYTHM Artist Series will kick off with country musician Mitchell Tenpenny’s Night Owl Haze, which will be exclusively available at RISE Dispensaries in Florida starting October 27. The partnership will then expand to Illinois and Nevada with initial exclusivity at RISE Dispensaries and wider in-state availability to follow. Mitchell Tenpenny, a versatile country artist with over 1.5 billion streams, marks the first collaboration in the series with the debut of Night Owl Haze, named in honor of the Nashville artist’s fan base. The energizing sativa strain pairs notes of bubble gum and earthy pine. Night Owl Haze is accompanied by custom artwork highlighting his passion for music and cannabis. A multi-faceted entertainer, Mitchell Tenpenny recently announced his participation in CMA Entertainer of the Year Luke Combs’ 2024 Growin’ Up and Gettin’ Old Tour.

“Cannabis is synonymous with the production of timeless music across several genres,” said Mitchell Tenpenny. “RYTHM’s desire to fuse art with cannabis in unique and interesting ways made them an ideal partner to bring my Night Owl Haze strain to life. I can’t wait for my fans to smoke it — I love it, and know they will, too.”

To celebrate the launch of Night Owl Haze, RISE Dispensary in West Palm Beach, FL will host a meet-and-greet event with Mitchell Tenpenny on October 27 with events to follow soon after in Illinois and Nevada.

RYTHM is a premium cannabis brand that lives at the intersection of music and weed. The brand’s collection of premium flower, vape and concentrates delivers strain-specific effects designed to help you Find Your RYTHM. For more information about RYTHM, please visit RYTHM.com.