On August 21, 2020, the Drug Enforcement Administration (the “DEA”) published a rule regarding the scheduling of hemp and marijuana, effective immediately (the “Rule”). The cannabis community swiftly reacted with an interpretation that this Rule outlawed Delta-8 THC, the hemp industry’s new favorite cannabinoid. The impact is that if Delta-8 THC is, in fact, a Schedule I controlled substance, the threat of felonious criminal prosecution would thwart the commercial viability of this cannabinoid. We dug into the Rule and other materials, and we disagree with the “now illegal” conclusion. Instead, we theorize that so long as the Delta-8 is derived from cannabis that meets the definition of hemp, it does not appear to be illegal under the federal CSA and we don’t believe the DEA Rule alters this.
What Does the DEA Rule Say?
The DEA repeatedly stresses throughout the publication that the Rule’s purpose is to simply codify what was already changed via the 2018 Farm Bill: “This interim final rule merely conforms DEA’s regulations to the statutory amendments to the CSA that have already taken effect, and it does not add additional requirements to the regulations.” The Rule states there are only four conforming changes:
The definition of “Tetrahydrocannabinols” on Schedule I of the official “Schedule of Controlled Substances” (21 CFR 1308) is modified to carve out “any material, compound, mixture, or preparation that falls within the definition of hemp” (as defined in the 2018 Farm Bill). What does this mean?
Regardless of what any product label may say (i.e., “hemp” or otherwise), if a product has more than 0.3% Delta-9 THC, it is a controlled substance. Regardless of being hemp-derived, if the derivative, extract or product has more than 0.3% Delta-9 THC, it is a controlled substance. None of these changes, alters or affects the FDA’s jurisdiction over products containing cannabis and cannabis-derived compounds. Naturally occurring THCs in cannabis are not controlled substances so long as they are at or under the 0.3% Delta-9 THC threshold. Any of those that are above the 0.3% Delta-9 THC threshold are controlled substances. Synthetically derived THCs are all controlled substances, regardless of THC content.
Essentially removes Epidiolex (and any generics the FDA may subsequently approve) from control in schedule V (21 CFR 1308). Also removes the requirement for import and export permits for Epidiolex (and any future generics). The definition of “Marihuana Extract” on Schedule I is modified to be limited to extracts “containing greater than 0.3 percent delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol on a dry weight basis.” What does this mean?
Regardless of whether the extract comes from hemp or marijuana, if it exceeds the 0.3% threshold, it is illegal. It is important to point out that this definition, even before the Rule, includes the following exception: “other than the separated resin (whether crude or purified) obtained from the plant.”
The Rule reiterates these changes were already mandated under the 2018 Farm Bill: “DEA’s regulatory authority over any plant with less than 0.3% THC content on a dry weight basis, and any of the plant’s derivatives under the 0.3% THC content limit, is removed as a result.”
What is Delta-8 THC and is it legal?
Our clients frequently ask us about the legality of Delta-8 THC and our view has been that the cannabinoid, if derived from hemp and the end product remains at or below Delta-9 THC, then the substance is likely legal, but to keep in mind that Delta-8 (when not derived from hemp) is on the controlled substances schedule and the government probably did not intend to create a pathway to legally get high from THC, so be prepared for the law to change at any moment. Delta-8 THC is one of hundreds of cannabinoids that are found in the cannabis plant. Delta-9 THC is the most widely known cannabinoid and causes a psychotropic reaction felt as an intoxicating “high.” Delta-8 THC, on the other hand, is nowhere near as well known and has been gaining in popularity over the last year, largely due to its alleged ability to have a substantially different and significantly less intoxicating but still mind-altering effect. There is also research dating back to 1975 regarding its potential for treating cancer and other studies exist showing various potential health benefits (see here, here and here).
As mentioned, the DEA does include Delta-8 THC on its list of controlled substances (updated August 2020) under “tetrahydrocannabinols,” but the 2018 Farm Bill expressly carved out “tetrahydrocannabinols in hemp” (See Section 12619(b) of the 2018 Farm Bill the very last provision of the entire bill). This carve out indicates any type of THC from a cannabis plant with Delta-9 THC at or below 0.3% is legal (at the federal level). It is important to note there may be states with more restrictive laws that do criminalize Delta-8 THC, even when derived from hemp. There may also be states where marijuana-derived Delta-8 THC is legal (but illegal at the federal level).
We don’t believe the USDA intended to create a mechanism for people to legally get high, but the focus on hemp has been the Delta-9 THC concentration, because of its known psychotropic effects. Delta-8 THC may have gone under the radar, but perhaps not. The DEA doesn’t schedule every substance that produces mind-altering effects, such as kratom.
Is hemp-derived Delta-8 THC synthetically derived? The DEA Rule published on Friday repeatedly states that it is merely conforming other statutes to comply with the 2018 Farm Bill so the laws are consistent. The language in the Rule causing uproar is this:
“The [2018 Farm Bill] does not impact the control status of synthetically derived tetrahydrocannabinols (for Controlled Substance Code Number 7370) because the statutory definition of “hemp” is limited to materials that are derived from the plant Cannabis sativa L. For synthetically derived tetrahydrocannabinols, the concentration of Δ9-THC is not a determining factor in whether the material is a controlled substance. All synthetically derived tetrahydrocannabinols remain schedule I controlled substances.” (emphasis added).
Where people are getting caught up is the term “synthetically derived.” Delta-8 is a phytocannabinoid naturally existing in the cannabis plant – it is organically derived. Its natural occurrence is too low to be extracted outright, but – and we do not claim to be chemists – it is our understanding there is an isomerization process that can take place to convert CBD to Delta- 8 THC. Isomerization is the transformation of one isomer into another, isomers being molecules with the same molecular formula, but having a different arrangement of the atoms in space. We don’t believe that isomerization converts a phytocannabinoid into a synthetic one in the manner “synthetic” is used by the DEA. The 2018 Farm Bill definition of hemp includes all “isomers” of hemp. Therefore, any isomer of a hemp plant is also hemp and, pursuant to the 2018 Farm Bill, does not fall under the Controlled Substances Act (the “CSA”).
We believe the reference to “synthetically derived” is referring to a man-made chemical, not a process by which someone at a lab isomerizes one organic molecule to another (i.e., CBD to Delta-8 THC). If the concept that any material formed from any sort of human controlled chemical action taking place means that material is “synthetically derived,” then that would mean all of the hemp-derived products that go through processing are synthetic, and that is simply not the case. This article does a good job explaining the differences between synthetically derived cannabinoids, biosynthesis, and plant-based extraction. The first two take place without the plant at all. It does not seem feasible to conclude that isomerization of a hemp-cannabinoid equates to material becoming “synthetically derived.”
Synthetic cannabinoids (“SCs”) that the DEA targets are products like Spice and K2 (recall several years ago when the market was proliferated with “fake weed”), which are synthesized in labs to mimic the biological effects of THC. This DEA Fact Sheet on K2/Spice says SCs “are not organic, but are chemical compounds created in a laboratory.” SCs are part of the designer drug market and are typically liquid agents applied on plant material to look like marijuana. They were initially developed by researchers decades ago to study effects on the endocannabinoid system (in the absence of being able to study real cannabis as it has been illegal), but began to enter the consumer market in the U.S. around 2008. The DEA has identified the chemical makeup of various SCs and added them to the list of controlled substances to try to thwart the illicit market, but some actors continue to modify chemical structures to create new unscheduled SCs as a loophole to the CSA. A history of SCs is laid out in a recent DEA temporary scheduling order. Understanding the background of SCs is important because of how the legislature intended the term as it used in the CSA and how the DEA has historically treated these inorganic, lab-created chemicals that attempt to mimic THC and skirt the CSA. We have also looked up several federal cases that discuss SCs and the bulk of those relate to products like Spice and K2, as mentioned above. We found no federal case law on Delta-8 THC.
What does the 2018 Farm Bill say?
In order to understand what the DEA is doing in this Rule, we need to first understand why they are doing it. That reasoning is found in the 2018 Farm Bill which, in part, defined “hemp” and carved it out of the definition of marijuana in the CSA. The 2018 Farm Bill defined hemp as follows: “the plant Cannabis sativa L. and any part of that plant, including the seeds thereof and all derivatives, extracts, cannabinoids, isomers, acids, salts, and salts of isomers, whether growing or not, with a delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol concentration of not more than 0.3 percent on a dry weight basis.”
As mentioned above, the very last section of 2018 Farm Bill amends the CSA and expressly removes tetrahydrocannabinols in hemp” from the list of controlled substances. The 2018 Farm Bill included hemp-derived Delta-8 THC in the definition of hemp as part of the hemp plant and it removed hemp-derived Delta-8 THC from the list of controlled substances as a tetrahydrocannabinol in hemp.
The DEA Rule now follows suit in that it modifies the listing of “tetrahydrocannabinols” on the Schedule of Controlled Substances by adding the following stipulation: “Tetrahydrocannabinols does not include any material, compound, mixture, or preparation that falls within the definition of hemp set forth in [the 2018 Farm Bill].”
This reiterates the notion that so long as the 0.3% Delta-9 THC threshold is met, then the material is hemp. It follows that any derivative THC within such material (so long as the Delta-9 THC concentration is at or below the 0.3% on a dry weight basis) is also hemp and therefore not a controlled substance. The Rule, in modifying this definition brings the Schedule of Controlled Substances in line with what the 2018 Farm Bill mandated.
Final Thoughts:
Delta-8 THC is THC – it is not a lab-created substance with a chemical structurally altered to mimic its own biological effects. Delta-8 THC is organically derived and is the substance it is intended to be. Delta-8 THC has a substantially different effect on the body than Delta-9 THC that has value in and of itself that has shown promise on many medical fronts. Nonetheless, consumers should be aware of any product being consumed, especially those that are not clearly regulated. There are many ways to process cannabis extracts, some of which use solvents that are dangerous if consumed, so it is crucial for end-products to be tested by a reliable third-party for harmful ingredients, including residual solvents, and have accurate certificates of analysis available.
In Hemp Indus. Ass’n v. DEA (357 F.3d 1012, 2004 U.S. App. LEXIS 1846), a well-known case from 2004 regarding DEA’s treatment of THC in hemp, the court concluded the DEA could not regulate unscheduled drugs without following proper procedures to do so (a great summary of that case can be found here). The DEA Rule from Friday repeatedly states it is not changing any laws, so even if it wants to come down on hemp-derived Delta-8 THC and re-schedule it, this Rule is not the appropriate avenue to do so.
It is for these reasons we do not believe the DEA Rule altered the legality of hemp-derived Delta-8 THC. However, that doesn’t mean the DEA isn’t trying wrangle it back in or isn’t looking for someone to make an example out of. Being the example, even if the end result is a win, would likely be a lengthy, expensive and potentially traumatizing experience. Proceed accordingly.
Despite the immediate effectiveness of the Rule, comments are being accepted through October 20, 2020. Providing comments during a government rule-making process is a great opportunity to make your voice heard and effect change, and the only way you would have standing to make a legal challenge to the Rule later. If you think the DEA should clarify its position on Delta-8 THC or the “work in progress hemp extract” issues that need to be addressed (another area of significant concern laid out in this article by attorney Rod Kight), make sure to send incomments. Details on how to do so can be found in the Rule, and our attorneys can assist your business with crafting them.
THE INFORMATION IN THIS ARTICLE IS NOT INTENDED TO BE LEGAL ADVICE, SHOULD NOT BE TAKEN AS LEGAL ADVICE AND SHOULD NOT BE RELIED UPON IN PLACE OF CONSULTING WITH A QUALIFIED ATTORNEY PRIOR TO TAKING ANY ACTION. NO ATTORNEY-CLIENT RELATIONSHIP IS CREATED BY ANY READING, USE OR REPUBLICATION OF THIS ARTICLE. THE THEORIES PUT FORTH HEREIN ARE STRICTLY NOVEL IN NATURE AND HAVE NOT BEEN TESTED IN A COURT OF LAW.
The Inside Story of How Wild Hemp® Won the Smoekable Hemp Ban Lawsuit
On August 23rd, 2021, smokable hemp products officially became legal to manufacture and sell in Texas. Many never noticed since the smokable hemp ban hadn’t been put into enforcement yet. Nevertheless, an invisible battle brewed between one company and the Texas Department of State Health Services, which ultimately decided the future of cannabis in Texas.
After the 2018 Farm Bill passed, legalizing hemp across the United States of America, an entirely new market emerged after decades of prohibition. At the that time, Global Tobacco® was the largest manufacturers of tobacco in Texas. Since tobacco manufacturing is a legacy industry with decreasing sales, Global Tobacco® was actively attempting to innovate and expand their product portfolio. When they heard the news that hemp was legalized, they saw this as their golden opportunity to completely revolutionize the smokeables industry. Under the brand Wild Hemp®, they created the first cigarette styled hemp pre-roll in the world, called the Hempette®. This product spread like wildfire across America becoming the first nationally recognized brand associated with the smokable side of the hemp and CBD industry.
This success was soon met with struggle when the State of Texas passed regulations that attempted to ban the manufacturing and sale of smokable hemp in Texas. Fortunately for the hemp industry, the parent company of Wild Hemp® put forth litigation to challenge this law, which ultimately became the case Crown Distributing LLC, et al. v. Texas Department of State Health Services, et al. Crown Distribution LLC is the distribution arm of Global Tobacco® and is owned and run by the same management.
While Wild Hemp® was challenging this case in court, Texas granted a temporary injunction allowing manufacturers and distributors of smokable hemp to continue operations while the case was being tried. If this injunction wasn’t granted, all retail and wholesale sales of hemp would have had to cease in Texas, and Wild Hemp® would have had to move their entire manufacturing base from Texas to a cannabis friendly neighboring state such as Oklahoma. Hundreds of Texans work in manufacturing smokable hemp, mostly for the Hempette®, and would have to either lose their jobs or relocate to continue making money. Moreover, many Texas farmers who are investing in and growing hemp would have a harder time selling their crops, since there would be no local market for smokable hemp. This would have put our farmers years behind other states in hemp and cannabis. Finally, Texas would lose out on millions of dollars in future tax revenue and economic growth.
The trial took over two years from putting forth the litigation to ultimately hearing the final verdict from Judge Lora Livingston. Not only did this take time, but it also took over $400,000 in legal fees mostly paid by Wild Hemp®. They also spent millions of dollars on a warehouse in Oklahoma before the injunction was granted, so that they could make sure their manufacturing continued no matter what happened.
Though the cost was steep, Wild Hemp® continued in their success and were able to grow their Hempette® to even higher sales and international recognition. Wild Hemp® have also expanded their smokable hemp line to include hemp wraps, disposable CBD vapes, and CBD cigarillos. With this victory under their belt, Wild Hemp® is excited for their future and are eager to develop and design more smokable hemp products in Texas.
One Texas cannabis activism group has amassed quite a following in their state and has even caught the attention of national players.
As the Deputy Director of the Texas Cannabis Collective, what exactly is the TCC is a question people have been asking me recently. The easy answer is that it is a project aimed at changing the cannabis laws in Texas and doing so by distribution of information for the voting public about the state of cannabis affairs in Texas. The true technical answer is something much longer.
The Texas Cannabis Collective came to be a thing in 2016 by Austin Zamhariri
out of Dallas, Texas. At first the concept started as a Facebook page. As time went on Austin slowly got a website together with a few friends in the cannabis activism space. From there the site started publishing articles about their experiences and views on the Texas legislature. The first article to go up was in late December of 2018 by Austin.
At the beginning of the site’s history Austin touched on things such as the fact that one could be arrested for possessing CBD oil at the time, veterans weighing on medical marijuana and approaches of legislative leadership to cannabis bills. The first 6 months really took off from the 86th legislative session of 2019 providing plenty of information on the changing landscape of Texas. The federal farm bill had just passed towards the end of 2018 and gave Texas room to grow with a new hemp program. Austin’s current wife Sarah and current writer Josh Kasoff were pumping out articles with Austin.
Toward the end of session El Paso NORML director Colt Demorris started contributing as well. Colt brought a distinct view from west Texas during his prime time of writing with
TCC. El Paso being one of the first cities to bring prohibition of cannabis to reality, Colt shined a light on the topic in the town, and was able to give an insight to another state. Colt works at a dispensary across the state line in New Mexico and was able to help Texas patients get the info needed for out of state patients to participate in the NM program. This is also the district which state Rep Joe Moody covers and DeMorris was able to occasionally get insights to legislative goals with cannabis.
June of 2019 was when Jesse joined the TCC as a writer. Jesse had been writing about the legislative side of things on his own site and was invited to write for the TCC. It’s almost the same thing for him writing for the Texas Hemp Reporter.He started with writing about how we would have to research how to objectively measure impairment from cannabis and how bills on a federal level were moving along. After several months of writing for TCC, Jesse became the web administrator for the website and did a complete redesign it. Then, roughly about the start of COVID in 2020 saw Jesse also take on the role of Managing Editor.
In June of 2020 the TCC launched its own social network community called Community.txcannaco.com. At the time Facebook and other social networks were facing heavy scrutiny from selling user data. On top of that, even to this day Facebook and its subsidiaries along with Twitter and the like are not fond of allowing users to speak openly about their cannabis consumption.
The rules of the software providers for the social network were that no personal information about members and no posted information by members could be shared or sold to a third party. That community is still up and running to this day and serves also as a backup if Facebook decides to nuke the scene, which isn’t uncommon with cannabis pages.
TCC has remained active on reporting the smokable hemp ban case from its beginnings and reported heavily on the 2021 Texas 87th legislative session. Whether it was the filing of bills testimony at the capitol, or even floor hearings, TCC was reporting in person pretty much every step of the way. It even got to the point where national reporting site Marijuana Moment was following the TCC live streams at the capitol to gain information on what was transpiring.
In June of 2021 TCC decided to officially become a non-profit organization. TCC had officially started lobbying within offices alongside the likes of TXNORML and Texans for Responsible Marijuana policy at the capitol. The organization wanted to make the paperwork official and become as transparent as possible, so that process began to raise funds to create that official entity on paper.
TCC officially held its first meeting on a monthly basis, in June of 2021. The second meeting was the official kickoff party to Lucky Leaf Dallas 2021, and recently held its third meeting on August 11. TCC will be taking a break for the month of September as uncertainty has arisen given the resurgence of COVID and mask mandates in Dallas County. It’s possible that the next monthly meeting will be a virtual meeting.
TCC hopes that it will be able to not just inform constituents from this point forward, but lawmakers in the state of Texas as well. IT wishes to put businesses that are working towards creating a proper business environment for both businesses and consumers in front of the public and doing alongside other publications and activist groups within the great (it’s a big place) state of Texas. TCC plans to launch its own podcast titled Lonestar Collective within the near future.
Anybody wishing to find TCC online can find them on Facebook at @txcancollective Instagram @txcannabiscollective and Twitter @txcannaco.
The Texas Hemp Reporter this November will be blooming itself across the Lone Star State in time for Harvest Season. With the recent expansion of Houston Texas market to receive the September edition, the Austin TX based Cannabis publication is headed north and south this November adding in two more metros totaling over a 1000 smoke shops in Texas. Dallas and San Antonio will begin receiving the free magazine in area CBD stores and smoke shops this holiday season. The expansion is a good thing for the growing Texas cannabis and Hemp market. With recent public awareness about new legislation and readily available medicines , cannabis has a growing fan base with fellow Texans.
The Texas Hemp Reporter is expanding the magazine across the state and will be offering a subscription base option for growers and fans of the industry publication living in more rural areas of the Lone Star State.
The producers of the magazine also host a popular podcast in the Texas arena , The Texas Hemp Show discuses legislative concerns, banking challenges, and often interviews business professionals in the Hemp space around the State. Tommy Chong, Sid Miller, Freeway Rick Ross, and recently Cheech Marin appeared on the podcast that also currently airs on local Talk Radio News Radio 590 KLBJ.
For more information or to advertise your business with the radio show or the magazine reach out to Publisher and Host Russell Dowden at 512-897-7823 or email texashempreporter@gmail.com for more details on how to be a guest on the show or have your business profiled in the magazine.
Richard Anthony “Cheech” Marin is an American activist, actor, musician, art collector, stand-up comedian and writer who gained recognition as part of the comedy act Cheech & Chong during the 1970s and early 1980s with Tommy Chong.
Cheech talks with Russell and Jesse about his CBD brand “Cheech’s Stash” and what projects he has been involved in this year.
Eddie Velez: Our hemp farm is centrally located in Brady, the heart of Texas.
THR: When did you begin farming?
Eddie: I’m not your typical farmer and I had no farming experience until recently. In my previous life, I spent 15 years responding to disasters across the country, with over 10 of those years with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Region 6, in Denton, TX.
In early spring of 2020, my wife and I quit our careers, cashed out our retirement, and dove headfirst into the Texas hemp industry.
THR: Is hemp your primary crop? And what do you produce (pulp, CBD, textiles)?
Eddie: Hemp is our primary and only crop. We cultivate award-winning hemp flower. In December of 2020, we won “Best hemp flower in Texas,” at the Taste of Texas Hemp Cup. Additionally, we won 6 out of 9 categories at the cup, to include: “highest CBD, best indoor, most pungent, most ripe, and final presentation.”
We produce premium CBD and CBG hemp flower.
The Awards Eddie and Oak Cliff took home in the first Annual Taste of Texas Hemp Awards in Wimberley last December.
THR: Do you offer any specialty products you would like to talk about (organic body care, construction materials)?
Eddie: Cultivating Cannabigerol (CBG) has been a great success for us. CBG is still new to many people and offers a great alternative to CBD. Unlike CBD, CBG interacts more directly with your body by binding with your CB1 and CB2 receptors and typically has no THC, which opens the door to many clients wanting to use hemp products without the THC.
Another specialty we have but not necessarily a product, we like to educate and inform our clients about each of our products’ terpene profile and potential beneficial use.
THR: Can you describe your growing/processing operation?
Eddie: We are a family and veteran-owned Texas hemp company. We operate a boutique hemp farm, focusing on cultivating exceptional hemp genetic products for your wellness & culinary needs. Our farm consists of 6,000 sq ft of greenhouse growing space and a 2,000 sq ft indoor climate controlled dry house. We did a lot of research and visited hemp farms across the country, and we noticed that drying was essential in producing premium hemp flower.
THR: What are your hopes or expectations for the future of hemp farming?
Eddie: We involve our children in everything we do with the hemp farm – from planting seeds to the finished product. We hope to instill the knowledge and experience with them, so they can continue to redefine cannabis in Texas.
THR: How have the challenges you encounter every day helped you become a better farmer?
Last year was our first grow and everything was a challenge, from building the greenhouses to go-to-market strategies, to delivering our products. We’ve asked a lot of dumb questions over the past year which has helped navigate us through those farming challenges. Building a network and fostering positive relationships has helped us tremendously.
Lamont Ratcliff and his team are leading the pack in implementing the recent changes of the Texas Compassionate Use Program through a different segment of his practice at Houston area Wellness Pain & Associates clinics. The Texas Medical Marijuana Doctors was birthed 4 years ago out of a desire to become more educated and politicized in the cause and through alignment with the right organizations across the legislative sessions helped shift the conversation in the state and now taking action.
Ratcliff has served as the owner and director of Wellness Pain & Associates for 18 years providing outpatient chronic pain management to patients primarily in motor vehicle accidents and on the job injuries through various modalities. The company grew from 2 employees initially to 16 to include on site physicians, nurse practitioners, licensed physical and massage therapists, and registered nurses to help facilitate medical services in injury rehabilitation for acute injuries. As their ability to offer alternative treatment services grew, so did the practice under their Chief Medical Director Dr. Mark McBath, an oncologist with MD Anderson for over 25 years. Dr. McBath is among one of the first state approved medical marijuana physicians in Texas who can recommend medical marijuana to qualifying patients under the program. Lamont Ratcliff said of the new choice, “we have been very aggressive in informing patients that they have the power to choose alternative methods to increase their quality of life” and they will be able to do so under his direction next month.
The latest expansions of the T.CUP program that occurred in this year’s legislative session go into effect September 1st which adds qualifying medical conditions to those with PTSD and full qualification for all cancer patients, not just those with terminal diagnoses. This is now in addition to qualifications for those with epilepsy and seizure disorders, autism, Multiple Sclerosis or spasticity, neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s, and ALS.
All 3 of his locations – Southwest, metro/downtown, and east side – are booked through October operating 4 day weeks full capacity with limited room available for emergency appointments. Their current patient demographic is about 60% cancer patients, 20% autism, and 20% PTSD with interest coming from far beyond the Houston metro area. As they understand the need for convenience to serve the unrepresented areas of the state, Lamont Ratcliff and his team have worked hard to create a very accessible and fluid process for appointments. Their centralized phone number – (713) 659-HEMP (4367) – is still the best way to obtain an immediate appointment but they also offer additional QR codes and kiosks around the city to not only pre-qualify patients and schedule appointments but educated the public as well. This unique option sets them apart from other physicians allowing a presence for the practice beyond their physical locations.
RYAN POPPE / TEXAS PUBLIC RADIO Compassionate Cultivation, the second medical marijuana dispensary in Texas, is set to open in early
The group also aims to educate patients on qualifications as well, as many physicians are still very trepidatious with regards to helping qualify for alternative treatments. If the patient already has a diagnosis, TMMD requests supporting documentation from the treating physician. If a diagnosis does not exist, they are trained to ask questions based on the symptoms present and grant qualification where valid for patients needing a more comprehensive diagnosis.
The group also offers extensive continuation of care. The initial visit allows the recommendation with respect to the strain of cannabis best suited to their needs. 6-8 weeks following that is a follow up to review the medication, response to it and any changes if needed and once those are made the next appointment is scheduled in a year.
The T.CUP program is regulated by the Texas Department of Public Safety. Upon entry into the program, the patient receives an official qualifying letter stating that they have been evaluated and that their cannabis use is medically necessary as an alternative treatment. This protects them in any situations where the legality might be otherwise questioned. All of the information is kept in a DPS controlled registry and the patient portal is accessible anywhere needed in a licensed dispute in the state of Texas by law enforcement, or an employer.
The TXMMD team is spearheading this endeavor alongside Lamont Ratcliff in Houston but have plans to quickly expand into 2 offices in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area this October. Ratcliff stresses the need already for politicians to understand the volume of calls from small towns in outlying counties who really need access to this method of care as they are flying in for assistance already. As long as a patient is a Texas resident, no geographic restrictions exist and their metropolitan presence makes that a possibility but they still plan to push for better accessibility in the underrepresented markets for those patients in dire need of an alternative that will work.
“Our main goal is to increase the quality of life of these patients who have already dealt a tough blow in life whether it is cancer, autism, epilepsy, cerebral palsy, ALS, Parkinson’s etc. If we are able to do anything to assist in their quality of life, that is what we are here for.”
As legislation slowly meets education with cannabis reform in Texas, grassroots proponents for this alternative medicine continue to push the gap closer together and bridge the misrepresentation of the many facets hemp and cannabis can bring this great state.
Hemp has been used for paper for some 2,000 years, the use of wood pulp is a new concept that has been causing economic and environmental chaos.
At the time of this writing paper in the US is shipped in from southeast Asia, incurring transport costs and adding to the loss of forests. A hemp paper industry in America would provide jobs and lessen the damage to the environment; it would also produce stronger paper, as the hemp papers, being long, interlock and form a more lasting paper.
In my previous article I noted that “cellulose is the most abundant molecule in agriculture”; indeed, it is the basis of our entire economy. It is both the cheapest substance and the most expensive, if one tallies the price of just one fraction of a gram that brought in over $9million at Sothebys. Of course, that was a rare example of a purchase – the 1c Magenta postage stamp from British Guyana, which has passed hands from a boy to a nobleman to a murderer.
But most cellulose products do not have such an illustrious history. They simply go from the farm to the factory to the distributor to the store to the consumer to the rubbish bin.
But in the course of this, livelihoods are made. Jobs are created, and we use pieces of cellulose to transact all of this. We call these pieces money. Some are wont to quote that it does not grow on trees. Ironically, it does. Or at least it is made from trees.
Or most of it is. The US uses about 6% hemp in the greenback, as this plant produces not only a long strand, but the strands fibrillate better than that of other plants, thus creating a more integrated.
Thus our money comes from trees, and in the best-case scenario, trees take seven years to mature. Bowater used to have much of the southeast US covered in pines for this purpose.
Now the trees are grown in southeast Asia, and Americans do not produce their own paper. Each person uses about 200 lbs. The nations needs thus 35 million tons of paper each year.
Which could come from farms in the heartland. And it could be produced once again in America.
This very subject was given thought even before the present crisis and state of dependency on foreign supplies. Government record from 1910-1916 shows
a number of trials conducted by the USDA on paper production which included a study of hurds as a raw material – hurds are 35-70% cellulose, whereas the bast is 70-77% cellulose.
Usually hurds are left to rot as farm waste, but if put to use, with thousands of pounds per acre produced in a season, the economic reality is not hard to see.
The US needs to secure not only paper supplies but water – and that is another reason for growing hemp. Hemp grown for paper not only can reduce the dependency on trees, but also water use in areas where crops such as cotton are grown. The USDA estimates that 9,461,000 acres of cotton were harvested in the US in 2011—a year in which more than one-third of the nation’s crop was wiped out by severe drought, with farmers in Texas and Oklahoma forced to abandon more than 5 million acres, more than half of what they planted.
I will leave the reader with those statistics and ask that they do the math, while contemplating that same acreage under cultivation for paper. The hemp uses less water and less pesticides. It can be used to create an entire industry, about which we will be studying more of in my next installment.
The moment I went from being a cannabis consumer to a cannabis brand owner, everything shifted. It’s like picking the red pill vs the blue pill, pick the blue pill and you can stay unaffected, unaware, and in contented ignorance. But pick the red pill and you are in for a truthfully rude but rewarding awakening.
That’s exactly how I felt when I launched RESTART CBD in 2018. I was now confronted with having to pick, and once I did, there was no going back.
Growing up I was a cannabis consumer. I was curious, passionate, and quite frankly, a regular. Austin, Texas had some effect on that being the live music capitol that it is. But I was also shielded. While marijuana wasn’t formally legal, our town is known for its relaxed stance on the plant.
Yes, legalization was a trending topic, but I knew it would be a long-shot before Texas got its head into the game. Plus, up until founding my own company, I had employers, and didn’t want to get myself tangled up in cannabis laws and regulations. It seemed daunting to even consider where to begin.
And then in 2015, as a pedestrian, I was hit by a car. I fractured my pelvis in two places and turned to cannabis as medicine. It soothed me and helped me heal, and in particular CBD was the active cannabinoid I accredited a lot of my pain relief to.
So when we launched RESTART CBD, my history with both personal appreciation as well as personal recovery from this plant was the foundation for our brand. But I didn’t go into it thinking this is how I’m going to change the world.
I did, however, know that by telling my story, I could help impact someone else who was on the fence about cannabis. I had short term vision in what would turn into a long term pursuit.
Quickly my one-on-one conversations with consumers began to multiply. I was watching this industry unfold before my eyes, right here in my home state, and I was a helping hand in that development.
I remember thinking early on in 2019, after we had been in business for a few months, wondering what the regulatory process was like and considering how to get involved. I determined that instead of waiting and being reactionary to the industry, I would be proactive and participatory in how things were rolling out.
Now that I was self employed and embarking on this emerging industry in not only Texas, but really in our nation, I decided I would take the red pill and journey into the unknown.
The work that I and others are doing in the industry is extremely important and perhaps this resonates with you as well.
The point that I’m trying to make is we are just in the beginning stages of a very turbulent endeavor. We’ve had smokable bans thrown at us, FDA warnings sent to prevent deviating from the law, and legislative sessions that seem like they’re going to make history for better and for worse all at the same time.
We have also made incredible discoveries of new and emerging cannabinoids. Hemp’s federally legal status has allowed for more cannabis related research on it’s long term effects relating to treatments and diseases.
In my short but deep time in the industry, I’ve learned a lot from running a cannabis business.
There is so much to unpack and understand. The nuances of the industry could keep you up at night. It can be overwhelming, but can also be rewarding. Both for the good and the bad guys.
There will be people who want to make a quick buck, game the system, and exploit cannabinoids to unassuming consumers. I see it happening every day. They exist and will continue to exist. You will have to navigate around them.
But there will also be people who are dedicated to making genuine change in this industry. And I’m a big believer in making the impact in your own backyard. So while it may feel like you’re taking on a mountain, you really just have to focus on your next best step.
Look, I’m not the enforcement agency. I’m truly just a die hard Texan who seeks to see her state have proper cannabis laws. And I’d be lying if I said I didn’t hope for a future where I would have access to continue to sell, work, and educate in an industry that I love.
The hard truth is, we don’t know what the future holds. We can’t project how the politics and policies that govern this plant at a state and federal level will go. But we can sure as hell pull a chair up and ask a lot of questions.
It starts with you.
There are some amazing organizations who are truly dedicated to helping make change happen. I highly recommend getting involved with as many as you can.
Texas NORML has been a key resource from the beginning for me, in keeping me both aware of what is happening, as well as providing me with a path towards action. Another organization that has recently emerged is the Texas Hemp Coalition. As a business, I am in business for the consumer, and as part of that I need to band together with people who are motivated by similar reasons.
Working with both organizations has been integral in helping me be able to leave a mark in an industry that has given me so much.
We can make change, but we have to make the choice to do so first.
Which pill will you take?
This column is an extension of the To Be Blunt podcast, new episodes every Monday at tobeblunt.buzzsprout.com, and I’d love to personally connect with you on IG @theshaydatorabi.
The Texas Hemp Show is moving from podcast to broadcast on Austin’s News Radio KLBJ. Russell Dowden, the show’s host and editor of Texas Hemp Reporter Magazine, teamed up with Dennis Carter to bring the idea to life on Austin’s longest running station to educate Central Texans on all of the up to date information in the rapidly growing hemp industry.
Jesse Williams and Russell Dowden Life from the Lucky Leaf Expo in Dallas Texas.
The show airs every Sunday from 6am to 7am, simulcasting on two different frequencies: the legacy signal 590AM and 99.7 FM as well as available to stream on newsradioKLBJ.com and all streaming apps. The advantage Dowden saw expanding to the airwaves was a much larger reach as the station has the largest signal in the state reaching over 177k weekly listeners and over 450k streaming sessions. It opens up a new audience in the station’s 35-64 year old professional demographic.
KLBJ Account Representative Dennis Carter is working closely with the show on the radio’s end to help mold it going forward and create opportunities to expand listener-ship and implement the potential to bring on advertisers, sponsors, and industry partners to become involved and capitalize on the show and share in the exposure of this burgeoning industry. “I’m excited about the opportunity working for Russell and taking the Texas Hemp Show to the next level.” Carter added that this is a special addition topic to the station for Central Texas listeners and with the show still in it’s infancy of under a month on the airwaves that there is nothing but opportunity in front of them.
The show is currently pre-recorded with the expectation to move into a hybrid division of the show with occasional live call in episodes and special programming as more listener-ship data and show feedback comes in. They also anticipate opportunities for co- and guest hosts as they will continue well-rounded programming covering all aspects of the industry as the content of the podcast and publication provide.
Tune into The Texas Hemp Show for all up to date news and information as it grows with Texas.
The conversation on Delta 8 has been a continuous hot topic in the state of Texas with many already invested in the hemp-derived product pushing for regulation over prohibition in the vested interest of their companies, the industry and the responsible consumer. Darrell Suriff of Naturally Hemps discussed with Texas Hemp Reporter how Delta-8 and the looming possibility of it’s legal status looks from a company standpoint.
Naturally Hemps is an alternative solutions company under the umbrella of Naturally Distro which operates over 30 retail stores across Texas, Louisiana, and Tennessee to include the Austin Vape and Smoke franchise. The company manufactures a large variety of natural CBD, kratom, e juice vape and legal hemp related products out of their 30k square foot main manufacturing facility in Pflugerville. While they offer a variety of product on their name, Delta-8 specifically makes up about 20% of their gross business over the last 12 months moving into the largest growth category in the industry.
As this time period has also seen a tremendous amount of legislative process on the same topic, Suriff says it has been difficult to gauge business around potential legislation. The fluctuation of legality is costly not only as it comprises 20% of his revenue, but in considering the cost of entry into it as a manufacturer is quite extensive regarding liability, machinery, and wages for his 180 employees which all makes a huge impact on their bottom line.
While Delta 8 is fully legal in Tennessee, constant restructuring and vague state law keep him from selling it into his Louisiana stores. There are no clear cut guidelines currently for Delta 8 in our neighboring state and Texas leads between the two on education and communication between state officials and hemp businesses. While Delta 8 is currently still fits into a legal category following the lack of advancement or changes in the hemp bill last legislative session, it’s status still stands on shaky ground.
States that have fully legalized cannabis are historically the ones who try and ban it most as they get taxation on THC but not off of Delta 8. Right now Texas has enacted the Compassionate Use Program effective September 1, 2021 which allows patients access, through their physician, to prescription low-THC cannabis in the treatment of medical conditions like cancer, autism, PTSD, and seizure disorders. The single operating medical marijuana license holder in the state have been the leaders in the ban on Delta 8 which lead many to question if they will simply see taxation on a state level or full market control. A drastic shift in the industry and lawmaking would not only cause large companies like Naturally Hemps to take a massive hit, but consumers as well as Suriff states, “We believe people have a right to self medicate, treat, or relax [with all variations of hemp derivatives] just as they would in a glass or 2 of wine or beer.” And with that statement backs it with the push for regulation beyond minors into consenting responsible adults.
Darrell Suriff himself knows the firsthand benefits it can bring with chronic pain and the success of his business was built on his own personal success story. A little over a decade ago, Suriff suffered a broken back which led to permanent rods placed in his spine and persistent pain. His corporate insurance plan at the time offered many opioids at his disposal which led to a year-long addiction before he discovered the benefits of Kratom, CBD, and, later, Delta-8. He was able to then craft a daily regimen with these products which allowed him to function without pain and without the use of opioids or any other addictive drugs. From there he built his new endeavor of vape retails stores from an initial $26,000 investment into a $70,000,000 empire based on the products that saved his life – all organically with incremental growth.
With full understanding of the scope of all Delta-8 offers, and standing by what his own business and life is built on, Darrell Suriff hold his position alongside many other Texan hemp product manufacturers and retailers who call to maintain a regulated market on the product for the livelihood of Texans all around.
Some days, you sit back and realize how all of your hard work has paid off. Some days, you may have the privilege of talking shop with a man whose work you’ve admired for over 20 years. I had the pleasure of interviewing these two men, and then the very next day, Mr. Tommy Chong. I can’t really put it into words what it means to me to be able to listen to these two guys shoot the breeze with each other, bringing together and broadcasting the conversation between two people whose relationship has spanned decades. And I must not discount my own connection to some of the players we will be mentioned during this piece.
Russell Dowden: All right, welcome to the Texas Hemp Show. I’m Russell Dowden, publisher of the Texas Hemp Reporter magazine. This week on the program, we’re getting ready for the July issue where we’re featuring Tommy Chong, Kevin Booth, Steve DeAngelo and Ricky Ross. Ricky Ross will be calling in today from California, and then a little later, Kevin Booth will be talking with us. The two gentlemen actually know each other because Kevin, of course, did the documentary “American Drug War” back in ’06 and interviewed Ricky Ross several times when Rick was in prison. So, those two knew each other and may eventually cross paths again as we transition between interviews today. Good stuff today as we get ready for the July issue of the Texas Hemp Reporter magazine that will be available all around Austin and throughout the state of Texas. Many of these will be available for the first time in Houston, Texas. We’re adding many of the smoke shops from Houston to the eastern side of the state. Looks like the July issue will drop right here in the city of Austin on Thursday, July 1st. We expect the magazine to be out that first weekend of the month of July, so right before the 4th of July weekend, we should be able to get those out to everybody. Be sure to follow us on social media @texashempreporter on Instagram and @txhempreporter on Twitter.
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Freeway Rick climbed his way back to the top after serving a 20 + years on a life sentence in prison, only to have the case overturned.
RD: Welcome back to the Texas Hemp Show. I’m Russell Dowden with the Texas Hemp Reporter magazine. Visit us online at texashempreporter.com and txhemporter on Twitter. I’m looking forward to getting this next issue out for you guys. Joining us today as we cut out of commercial break is Rick Ross. Good to have you part of the Texas Hemp Show, my friend. How are you doing out there on the West Coast, Rick Ross?
Ricky Ross: I’m well. How are you?
RD: You and I met, I don’t know if you recall, when you were doing the book tour for The Untold Biography. I missed you down there at Brave New Books and rushed down to 6th Street where you were doing a book signing and I bought Gary Webb’s book, as well as your book and you autographed both. I don’t know if you remember that.
RR: I do.
RD: You do? Yeah, you gave me your number and I’ve actually had your number in my phone for some time. I just finally reached out to you guys, I thought it would be good to have you on the program, as you’ve got some products you’ve been doing. I thought it’d be great to have you on and discuss that. It was about five years ago. Better late than never, huh, Rick?
RR: Absolutely. Absolutely.
RD: Well listen, man, thanks so much for being on the Texas Hemp Reporter with us. How’s life treating you these days?
RR: I’ve been good. I’ve been good.
RD: I thought we’d just get you on, get a little bit about your background. We won’t go into a whole lot of your backstory. I think a lot people know that story now, Rick. It’s been well-documented and well-covered. I became aware of your case through Gary Webb’s work and then through our friend, Kevin Booth’s film, “American Drug War” in ’07. Can you just give us a real quick condensed version on your history with the drug operation and how you kind of got mixed up in that whole Iran-Contra affair with the players like Oliver North, Noriega and the CIA. Just give us a little condensed version and then we’ll talk about some of the things you’re involved in today.
RR: Well, I started selling drugs at 19 years old after it was discovered that I wouldn’t be going to college because I couldn’t read or write. I started with $125. Before I finished with the dope game I was making as much $3 million a day. The prosecutor estimated that I had made at least a million dollars every day for two years.
RD: That’s impressive. That’s impressive. You know, the CIA has long been rumored to sell drugs to finance their proxy wars, Rick. They overthrow foreign regimes. Did you ever hear about Cele Castillo? He wrote a book called Powderburns. I’ve had Cele on.
RR: I know Cele.
Street Wise Clothing Co. is just one of Ricks new brands. A Rapper stole his name while he was in prison and made a career.
RD: You know Cele? I thought that that might ring a bell for you. Can you speak to the drug war, Rick? How it gets the American people and the prison system that incarcerates thousands of non-violent offenders? Does this broken system upset you anymore? Or have you kind of overcome any animosity you’ve had toward that? How do you feel about the system itself these days?
RR: First of all, animosity is for weak people. It’s not for the strong, because when you’re strong, you change whatever it is that you know isn’t right. And so, I’m working to change whatever it is that I believe to be the proper formation. So, when you say, do I have animosity? No, I don’t. But, I don’t like the ways this war on drugs is being handled. I don’t like the way the police have been handled in some cases. And I’m working to change all of those things.
RD: You’re story’s really interesting to me, Rick. And I remember when Kevin would call you in prison for his films. You know, listeners, Rick taught himself to read in prison and worked on his appeal case. Did you ever imagine one day that you’d be speaking to the youth or doing special events or being such a positive influence on today’s youth?
RR: No, I didn’t. I never thought I was capable of speaking to crowds. I was more of a behind-the-scenes type of guy. You know, when I sold my drugs, I would stand behind everyone else and let them do my dirty work. So, I was more behind-the-scenes, but now, I need to be on the front lines because whenever you start something, nobody wants to participate until it starts to go. Right now, it’s not going the way that it needs to be before other people will get involved. So, right now I’m on the front line. I’m pretty much doing everything right now. I do all the grunt work as well the behind-the-scenes work.
RD: You’re Los Angeles’s most notorious former-kingpin launching his own brand of cannabis. I see you’ve opened up a dispensary. You’re taking control of your legacy. Tell us about some of these business ventures that you’re involved in now. When did you start selling cannabis legally?
RR: Well, I actually have three brands out right now: Freeway by Rick Ross, LA Kingpins and I also have one called Yayo. Kingpins is the oldest, I started that one about a year ago, right before the pandemic hit. The pandemic has really hindered me from really getting the brands in the space that I would like them to be in. With the Yayo, someone brought it to me and asked if I would partner with them on that and I go a kick out of it and I thought “we used to use that for cocaine!” So I thought it would be interesting, so I went for it.
RD: That’s very cool. I saw a documentary a while back called “I Want My Name Back” and it had to do with some east coast hiphop. It was a different kind of story. We know about the rapper, Rick Ross, who has taken your name and made a career off of your back. You’re getting some deals in your business now, and these are kind of the licensing deals that you’re doing on your own but you’re starting to develop your own kind of licensing things with Freeway Ricky Ross.
RR: Absolutely. Absolutely. Not only am I doing my brands, but I’m also helping other people get their brand started. I’m helping Cody Shane, his brand will be coming out soon, as well as Duke Deuce, also Dee Brooks. So, I’m helping other people also get their brands started. I’m also building a grow facility that’s going to produce about $6 million worth of cannabis every 2 months. I don’t know yet what it will be called, maybe “Freeway Farms”. Most important is that it develops great cannabis.
RD: Didn’t you do some work with the National Diversity and Inclusion Cannabis Alliance?
RR: Absolutely. I’m still on the board. I support them 110%. They had a big hand in me actually getting my license for my dispensary. They taught me the political game of marijuana. We all went downtown to City Hall, we marched. We went from councilperson to councilperson and we told them exactly what we wanted the law to say, even though we had to compromise. But for the most part, we got our way and we got things into the law that we needed in order to help me and others get a license.
RD: How can folks learn about these brands? We have restrictions in the state of Texas on what we can purchase online but still, we have listeners on the Internet. How can people get Freeway by Rick Ross, Kingpins and Yayo?
RR: The easiest way to get them is, when you come to California, you can go on my website and you can find the stores that sell my stuff.
RD: Texas is still struggling to get these marijuana laws relaxed and it’s kind of been the hot button the last few weeks and there’s talk of the Feds rescheduling marijuana. Do you think the federal government might make the move to make marijuana legal before long?
RR: I think they will. I don’t think it will happen this year. I voted for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris because I felt that they were leaning for legalizing marijuana and opening up the banking system. It will be so much better when they open up the banking system. Right now, you make this money and you have to keep in a shoebox in your closet. It would be nice if we could do some banking and accept credit cards.
RD: We are having problems with our business with the state of Texas and Texas Hemp Reporter and we have to choose wisely with what our merchant services are, and this is just hemp! It’s not even in the marijuana space yet and it’s already controversial.
RR: Well, I’m from Texas, I was born there. You know Texas is the lone star state, so you guys will probably be the last ones to make marijuana legal.
RD: Sadly, that’s probably true. Mexico is now legal with marijuana. Louisiana has a medicinal program. Oklahoma has medicinal and recreational. Arkansas has a medicinal marijuana program. New Mexico, to our west, has a recreational marijuana program. In fact, when you leave El Paso, you can go straight to the Pacific Ocean and it’s all legal cannabus. So, Texas needs to get with the program, not just recreational, we don’t have good medicinal for our veterans or our cancer patients. Texas is just behind.
RR: That’s what happens when your politicians are out of touch. They don’t know what’s going on and what the people want, and they don’t care what the people want. They’re out there to serve a purpose, and that’s what they do. And that’s what our politicians here were doing and that’s why we went to their office and we let them know that if you don’t get your stuff right, we’re going to get your ass out of there.
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RD: The producers didn’t really want to tell your movie story, sounds like, in Hollywood?
RR: They wouldn’t give me a definite release date and they didn’t want me to be part of it. If I sold my rights, if they tried to do the movie with someone else, they would’ve been sued. So, I couldn’t take those deals.
RD: How accurate are the stories being told in films like “Kill the Messenger” or “Snowfall”?
RR: Snowfall is a cartoon. Who would do a movie about a black drug dealer who was involved with the CIA in south central LA, and made billions of dollars? And you’re doing this movie, Freeway Ricky Ross is out of jail, walking the streets, you have his phone number in your phone, and you don’t call him? At least, if not after making his story, at least consult with him? It’s not an accurate story, they weren’t trying to look for the facts.
RS: Describe the irony about how you once sold drugs illegally, went to prison, and then all these years later, now you have a profitable, legitimate business now. Describe that. How does that feel for you these days?
RR: It just feels surreal, unreal. How could you be in prison with a life sentence without the possibility of parole, and now here you are, in an industry where you’re about to make billions of dollars, where you’re about to change the lives of hundreds of thousands of people in the world? It just seems crazy. Only in America!
RD: Your story is really amazing and I’ve always found it inspiring. Being a fan of Kevin’s work, it was such an inspiring film, “American Drug War”. Tommy Chong is featured in the film as well. The question is, have we improved on our policies surrounding drug laws? We have a lot of work still yet to be done with regard to the prison system and the criminalization of drugs.
RR: I think we have get these old-ass, lying, cheating politicians out of office. Let’s get politicians who actually SMOKE marijuana, not these guys who say, “oh yeah, I smoked but I didn’t inhale.” Let’s just bring in a whole new fresh crop of people who grew up smoking marijuana, walking the streets. We have people in there now who never caught the buzz, they don’t fly commercial. Who are these people? Where are they from? Until we get rid of them, our country’s going to be the way it is.
RD: Kevin Booth is chiming in, we were just singing your praises. Kevin, welcome to the Texas Hemp Show.
Kevin Booth: Hey! What’s up, Russell? Is that you, Ricky?
RR: What up, Kev?
Kevin Booth: Hey, what’s going on? Are you in LA?
RR: Yeah, I’m in LA. I’m at the tennis club with the baby. I told you, Russell, me and Kevin talk all the time! I’m not going to forget Kevin, he used to send me money when I was in jail!
RD: Well, we had Kevin scheduled for the podcast about a month or two ago and then one of my writers reached out to your team, Rick, and wanted to interview you for the magazine with your new products, and I then I ended up scheduling you on the same day as Kevin without realizing it.
RR: We have no problem getting together.
KB: We’ve got new things hopefully in the works too, so we’ve been talking a lot.
RD: Kevin, I don’t want to put you guys on the spot, but I will. What’s going on? Is there a film or something? I know you probably want to keep a tight lid on it but I have to ask.
KB: I’ll let Ricky take the lead on that, but I’m here in Texas and it’s tricky and it’s funny but everyone I know gets high and buys weed, and yet, it’s extremely illegal. So, it’s a lot trickier here. But once it becomes legal here it’s going to be a huge market. What pisses me off is this whole idea that if they legalize weed then more people are going to start smoking it. I’ve never met a single person when I was living in California that started smoking because it got legalized.
RR: No. What it does is, it takes the street element out of it. You don’t have to drive into some neighborhood where there’s 50 guys on the street, everybody’s toting guns and who knows what else they’re doing. And you have to come buy marijuana. It takes that element out of the game which, I’m sure the cops like because it keeps up a bunch of mess and they can arrest a lot of people. So if you want to keep mess going then you keep it illegal.
KB: Yes, and the other thing it changes too is, just from the people I’ve known, the only difference is that now, they have a bigger selection, they pay less money. The places they go to, it’s controlled. But, I’ve yet to meet the person who just started getting high because it became legal. I guess the argument is always about kids, right? So, I’d rather have my kid smoking hemp, CBD or anything other than these nicotine cartridges, right?
RR: But the guys on the street, they don’t care how old you are when you come to them and buy. At least at the dispensary, they check everybody’s i.d., make sure they’re 21 or older. And you know that your product was grown organically, they didn’t use tons of pesticides on your product. Those are the things that you get when you start to bring things to the legal market. On the black market, nobody knows what they’re smoking.
KB: I don’t know how old you are, Russell but, when I was a kid, and I first started finding out about marijuana and I was going to Stratford High School in Houston, the thing was that crappy Mexican marijuana had paraquat on it. And now there are lawsuits about paraquat. It was a cure-all cheap bug spray that basically is the equivalent of agent orange, some Dow Chemical, DDT, horrible nightmare stuff. The thing is, when you get black market marijuana, you’re probably going to have something like that on there because I’m telling you, it costs a lot more to grow organically. It’s way harder and way more expensive and time consuming to grow organically. So, when you keep that stuff illegal, that’s what your kids are smoking.
RD: To answer your question, Kevin, the first time I smoked marijuana, I was 12 years old and I was stealing it from my parents. My parents were hippies, they met in LA and got married in Vegas in ’69. Dad was a musician. Unlike your parents, Kevin, my parents were kind of stoner-hippies so I knew what marijuana smelled like. So, when I was living in south Austin with my Mexican friends, they started encouraging me to steal weed from my parents. That was my introduction to marijuana.
KB: It wasn’t until I was older, in college, where suddenly this thing called “hydroponic” came up. So, suddenly, if you wanted to spend way more money, you could get this amazing-smelling stuff that made you feel really good in a totally different way. That was the breakthrough. And my understanding was that was the first kind bud but, in Texas we just called it hydroponic back then.
RD: Well, Rick, any final thoughts? Would you like to plug your book?
RR: Thank you, Russell. And thank you, Kevin. You always come in with some encouraging words and some knowledge so thank you again, as always. And people, if you want to get my book, T-shirts, and all of my products, go to freewayrickyross.com. Also, you can follow me on Instagram at freewayricky, and Facebook at TheRealFreewayRickRoss. I also manage fighters now, you can watch my fights on freeway.live.
RD: Thank you, man. God bless you. We appreciate Freeway Ricky Ross being part of the Texas Hemp Show this afternoon. This is so far out, Kevin, the timing. I’ve been anticipating that interview for six years.
KB: Rick mentioned his book, was that 21 Keys of Success or 21 Kilos of Success?
RD: Ha ha! That’s 21 Keys of Success. If you’re looking at his website, that title is actually a play on words. Standby, Kevin. We’re going to talk with you about your film work and some of the films you’ve been involved in, and talk about the old days, and see what you guys have cooking.
(BREAK)——————————–KEVIN BOOTH INTERVIEW PAGES START HERE
RD: Tomorrow, we’re having Tommy Chong on the show. He’ll be talking about some CBD products that he has released. He has defeated cancer multiple times. He used high-grade CBD to assist and manage with the pain and the side effects of the treatments. You interviewed Tommy for “American Drug War” while he was still in prison, isn’t that right, Kevin?
KB: Yeah, he was in Taft. It was quite a feat to get in, I remember. I had to go through some major hoops to get in there. I think they only allowed a total of three journalists ever to get in and see Tommy. When we finally got in there, it was a special day. I also actually got to interview his wife and his son. I got to know Shelby and Paris. And I kept in contact with Tommy over the years. I actually saw him a couple of years ago and he’d been through the cancer thing and at the time he was doing some Rick Simpson stuff. I don’t know about his involvement with CBD but he’s definitely the poster child for CBD.
RD: Most of the time when I was interviewing him or Cheech, it was about the comedy. We got to interview them for the “Get it Legal” tour and before that, the “Light Up America” tour. He’s definitely a proponent for change with the drug war and certainly a victim of it, as your film “American Drug Wars” certainly documented with everything that went on with Operation Pipe Dreams. Can you give our listeners a little bit of your background? You grew up with Bill Hicks in Houston, can you tell us how you got started with films? I remember seeing your earlier film, “Ninja Bachelor Party” because it used to come on public access in Austin in the old days. It’s great to have you on, bro! Three of your films certainly have been related to the drug war, how did you get started in all of that?
KB: Well, if we’re going to talk about “Ninja Bachelor Party”, I guess I’m going to have to drink a little Robitussin. I grew up in Los Angeles and then moved to Houston and met Bill when he was a freshman and I was sophomore at Stratford High School in Houston. We started a rock band called “Stress”. None of us knew how to play instruments but we knew we wanted to be rock stars, so we just started rockin’ out and before you knew it, we learned how to play instruments. We started doing high school talent shows and then keg parties, and then the relationship kind of blossomed from there. I produced a lot of Bill’s comedy records and I did his first standup comedy concert called “Sane Man” and I did “Rant in E Minor”, “Relentless” and “Arizona Bay”. We had another band called “Marblehead Johnson”. At the time of “Ninja Bachelor Party” I was going to film school at UT Austin, my other band I was in had gotten a record contract with Chrysalis and so I guess I was not real serious about being a student but I was in film school after dropping out of engineering school. I decided to buy a color video camera, and we started making a karate epic. Our first goal, we really wanted to be able to make porno movies but we didn’t know any girls, so we decided to make it karate. It was the 80’s so, just bare with me. We spent years and years working on this 23-minute epic. It was funny because it ended up getting released by Warner Brothers on DVD, this really crappy homemade thing. It was kind of like a Simpsons episode, every single line had to be funny, so it’s 23 minutes of non-stop humor. You get to see Bill doing a bunch of characters, actually, Bill does my parents’ voices, which is always hilarious for me to watch.
RD: (laughs) Kevin, is it on YouTube? Does the younger generation get the chance to see this, or is it still locked in a vault?
KB: I think everything I’ve ever done is on YouTube. I wasn’t aware that you could control it. I spent a couple of years trying to control people bootlegging stuff, it was an interesting experiment. When American Drug War came out, it was on Showtime. This was back in 2008, we were selling tons of DVDs and I would get all freaked out when I would see how somebody put the entire movie on YouTube and I would demand they take it down. So I decided to do an experiment and the experiment proved that we sold more DVDs when it was up for free on YouTube, so I started realizing, it’s a big world out there. Coming from the whole Patriot movement, back in those days when everybody had the spirit of, if they were made a film, just spread it around. So I tried not to be a control freak or thinking that people have to pay to watch my stuff. I’m not down with that.
RD: HA! Kevin, I got into publishing after 9/11. I don’t know if you knew this about me, but I was in that crowd with Alex Jones and SMiles Lewis and Jeff Contreras and all of those guys had different shows on ACTV public access here in Austin. You were involved with that as well, you had projects that you did. We were publishing “Austin ParaTimes”, the big sister to what would become “Weird Magazine”. Alex Jones would talk about my magazines on his show. This was the late 90s/early 2000s.
KB: Well, first of all, I was producer number like 137, or something like that, at ACTV. So, I was making access tv shows when you and Alex were just a glint in your momma’s eye. I was into public access back when the studio was on Red River, where it was one room in a garage apartment. Then later, it was in a building on Barton Springs Road. So I started public access probably around ’83. I did a show called “Sacred Cow” back then, running around with Bill and Sam Kinison and we were just kind of making these crazy videos. Do you remember a guy named George Woolley? Alex used to impersonate him. One day he was like, “uh, this here Internet’s gonna big one day.”
RD: I remember watching you guys and I looked up to you, Kevin, as a young, aspiring RTF student at 20 years old.
KB: That was a huge mistake.
RD: I remember in ’93 you and Bill went to Waco, and Bill did this runoff of the Branch Davidian Compound, going on and on with all the different offshoots of Davidians. What was that project? Did y’all just go up there to film?
KB: Well, this is before anything horrible or tragic happened. This was right after the shootouts but before the fire. We made a video called “On the Seventh Day” because we were there on the seventh day of the siege. Bill and I were working on some records and videos together and we were both news junkies. I think starting with the Iraq War and Desert Storm, we both became CNN junkies and one night, Bill called me and said, “are you watching?” and I was like “yes. I can’t believe it” and some frustrated rock guitar guy holed up 2 hours north of Austin, Bill was like, “in or out?” We decided, “we are going to this thing.” So he flew to Austin and we rented a car and we brought a little Hi8 camcorder and some other things. I had my ACTV badge. So, we drove through all these DPS checkpoints to get to the compound and we came upon this DPS checkpoint and this guy was like, “are y’all with the media?” and Bill goes, “no.” and the guy made us turn around and we sat there for like half an hour and I thought, “well, I’m on access tv, I’m in the media.” so then we turned around and we go, “we are with the media!” and the DPS guys were like, “what do you mean, you’re with the media? You guys were just here a half hour ago and you said you weren’t,” and I was like, “I am with the media.” and I showed him this like $50 camcorder. So they ended up letting us in. I showed them my little access badge, and so we got in with the press pool. The compound was maybe like a mile or so behind us, you could see the signs, they were hanging signs out the windows at the time. It was just this endless row of satellite trucks. We just set up there and Bill started just riffing. This was before it even turned tragic. Once the fire started, everything changed. I think that was the big turning point with Bill’s career too because this video started circulating around access tv, where it showed the flame thrower coming out of the tip of the tank. Once Bill saw that, I think that was a real defining moment in his career, where he went all-in and said, “f**k the government.”
RD: Yeah, he really did change then, it was interesting. Let me ask you something, Kevin, I would be interviewed on Jack Blood back in the day and people would ask me, “is there something in the water in Austin?” The perception was that we were all conspiracy theorists. Years later, I ended up publishing InfoWars magazine for Alex. Why were we all gravitating that way at that time around the late 80s/early 90s, in your opinion?
KB: Good question. It all started with that damn Kennedy assassination, and it spun out from there. When I was a kid, that was the only conspiracy we had. And then it just broke loose, now it’s not even fun anymore. I don’t know what it was about Austin in those days. I like to think that Austin access tv had a lot to do with it because that was a real headquarters of free thinking and i think someday somebody could make a great movie about it.
RD: Who was the guy who would dress up like an old lady and talk like an old lady and take calls from viewers?
KB: Old Bitty. That was also the days of Dave Prewitt and Raw Time and Dave TV.
RD: Yes, I’ve had Dave Prewitt on. I know Nathan Olivarez also. I’m so glad you’re back in Texas, I know you were in California a while. What’s going on with you? Joe Rogan moved to Austin, I know you know him from way back.
KB: Yes, I did a standup concert for Joe in 2000 called “Belly of the Beast”. There was a little interlude where Alex Jones and Joe were dancing around wearing George Bush masks and we had a UFO in there.
RD: Was that the one where Joe gets Chris Athenas in a headlock?
KB: No, that was actually when we were shooting American Drug War in Los Angeles and Chris was on my crew when we shot the Bloods and T Rodgers and Lucky Rodgers over in the jungle and that night we ended up the Comedy Store, we were staying at the Hyatt, right next door. I was hanging out at the Comedy Store and that’s when Chris Athenas was kind of screwing around with Joe and you could tell Joe was not thinking it was that funny anymore and Joe was like, “Kevin, this guy in your film crew is kind of insane.” and Chris was pushing his buttons and then Joe put him in a headlock and I was filming the whole thing. And to this day, it’s one of the most popular things I’ve filmed on YouTube. It’s got like millions and millions of hits!
RD: Chris had a show on access called “Reality Expander”. Our guest, Kevin Booth, going down memory lane here, drinking the acid water from south Austin with Kevin Booth here. What’s your experience with hemp?
KB: Well, I just got my license and my permits. My dad bought a ranch down in Fredericksburg. It’s like a gem out here. It’s a beautiful place, thank God. I was pretty fortunate to be able to escape LA and come back here after 14 years of living in Hollywood. To come out here and live on a ranch has been pretty nice. I feel like I just dodged a bullet with the way things are going out there. So, I got my hemp license, and I’m just experimenting. I’ve secured the names Texas Hill Country CBD, Texas Hill Country 420 and Texas Hill Country Hemp. And what does Texas Hill Country stand for? What are those initials?
RD: THC!!
KB: You got it, man! It’s gonna happen, man. We’re in an experimental phase, we don’t have any products yet, we’re just getting started.
RD: How long have you been back?
KB: Since the end of 2018.
RD: That’s fantastic, Kevin. Whatever Kevin’s got cooking, for folks who don’t know. American Drug War was on the cover of Weird Magazine in 2008, and then we had How Weed Won the West, another documentary film you did that was also on the cover of Weird Magazine in 2010. And then, when I left InfoWars, I started publishing Paranoid, Kevin, for a little while there and American Drug War 2: Cannabis Destiny was actually on the cover of that one so, if you ever do another film, it’s almost guaranteed that you’ll be on the cover of my current magazine!
KB: Well, that whole chapter of my life, that’s sort of outside of the drug war, I shot a movie about Bulgaria, and Russian corruption and all that. I spent several years over in eastern Europe, I was kind of hiding at a ranch with all these Russian oligarchs pissed off at me. I needed to get out of LA for multiple reasons. (laughs). There’s a movie on Amazon called “Shadows of Sophia” which is not a drug war film. Every once in a while you have to step out of your comfort zone, but I don’t think I’ll be making any more foreign films. It was a really hard and weird experience. But it was a great experience.
RD: Well, Kevin, I have an idea for a film. It’s called “Memoirs of a Paranoid Publisher”. It’s about a magazine publisher that starts publishing paranormal conspiracy articles in his youth and later starts publishing rock n roll and sports and then hemp! Oh wait- that’s my life!
KB: It’s funny that you quit working for Alex Jones and then you started something called Paranoid.
RD: Well, I kind of did that on purpose. Alex was worried that I was going to start a competing publication. I was like, “a fisherman fishes. A publisher publishes.” It’s what I know how to do. Fire off your website, Kevin, and tell folks how they can get in touch with you and your work. I don’t know if you still have the Sacred Cow website, that’s how I remember you.
KB: Yes, I still have it but it’s under construction. Just google me, google my name or Sacred Cow Productions or find me on Facebook. I can’t figure it out anymore, I can’t keep up with that dang Internet.
RD: Kevin Booth, thanks, man. It’s so good having you on the show, that was really cool to have that little transition there with Ricky. Listen, if Rick comes into town, y’all holler at me sometime. Stay in touch, my friend. You know where to find me on Facebook, as well. And thanks again, Kevin, for being part of the Texas Hemp Show.
KB: I love Rick and thanks for having me on and I hope to be back!
RD: Kevin’s mainly known for a lot of films- American Drug War was very popular. Look for a version of this interview in print in the Texas Hemp Reporter the first of July. You guys enjoy your summer and thanks for tuning in..
Texas Hemp Reporter: Who is Happy Karma Hemp? Can you tell us a bit of your origin story?
Laran Snyder: I started my business to be unique and different and to really help others, but also from a completely non-business like standpoint, my degree is in opera and while I was getting my degree I was studying minors in psychology, art and German and I also went to massage therapy school while I was going to university, this was in 1996 and 97. It’s just so funny, because even though I always knew that music was something that I wanted to study and have as part of my life, I’m like a Jill-of-all-trades, so to speak. I know a little about a lot of things, and they all go hand-in-hand and they have cohesively formed this circle that has become what my life is right now. When I started my business, I wanted to do so debt-free, so being a musician and a massage therapist, I took tips and extra income and saved, from the ground up, and that’s how I’m still running my business, so I chose to run it very small and go slow, kind of like what you do with CBD! You go slow and low, and slowly go up on your dose. And that’s what I’ve been doing with growing my business.
THR: Many people turn to CBD as an alternative to standardized medicine. Have you received positive feedback from your customers?
LS: I believe there are SO many ways that people can heal themselves and enlighten themselves and some of those are through music, massage, natural medicine and cannabis (CBD), hemp especially, being this amazing and miraculous plant that can heal the planet itself: the ground, the soil, the air, and then, of course, its inhabitants.
I’ve always believed there’s a symbiotic relationship between different things in life that all work hand-in-hand toward the betterment of human life, the energy of the world and how the planet resonates in positivity and experiences. It just kind of allowed me to be Superwoman. Using CBD topically on clients allowed me to go beyond the ability I already had as just a massage therapist, by relaxing and relieving muscle tension and pain, I didn’t have to work as hard to get those muscles to relax, so I didn’t have to take them closer to a level of pain, so to speak.
And personally, I’ve used CBD for myself, with the help of both of my doctors, to wean off of a lot of my medication that I had been on for decades. I had childhood depression with underlying anxiety and PTSD. Starting at the beginning of my 30s, the depression kind of got better, but the anxiety reared its really ugly, terrible head. I was a completely different person and was full of anxiety all the time. It was kind of like the Tasmanian devil, running around. That’s kind of how my anxiety presented to other people. CBD actually helped me remove myself from that storm that was around me constantly, but it also helped with so many other aspects of my life, including pain and inflammation, so I was able to replace those medications. That was when I knew that I had to go into this industry. Being on medications as a child when your brain is developing, that’s already a really difficult time. And with children who have problems being themselves and being insecure about who they are as people, it’s just really tough for kids. Even though I believe that things happen for a reason, I do wish that CBD had been around and prevalent and available to that little Laran because it’s been like an emotional support dog. It’s like a big supportive hug!
I’ve had a client who said that she was sitting in traffic and she was thinking “man, I can’t wait to get home and have my CBD” because she was really stressed, and she said she started salivating just thinking about it, like she couldn’t wait to take it because it tastes really good, as well. And just by doing that she felt her stress come down a little bit. I was like, “hey, that’s really cool!” I’d never thought of it that way until she said that.
A lot of my clients use my topical for their children because it’s an all-around multi-purpose salve as well as a super-duper pain relieving salve. What’s cool about it is that it’s 100% natural but also organic herbs (I call them yummy herbs), they are meant to combat inflammation from all sides. That, in correspondence with full-spectrum CBD or full-spectrum hemp extract with CBD, can be used even on sunburns and bug bites and boo-boos. This one girl burned her hand by picking up a curling iron from the hot end (not the handle) on its highest setting and burned the living tar out of her hand and she was going between this wedding venue and her hotel and she stopped on the way and I gave her a sample of CBD under her tongue to help combat the inflammation and the shock and she also applied my salve to the site because it’s loaded with arnica. Arnica is one of those things that, the minute you have a burn or some type of trauma on your skin, as long as it’s not an open wound, you can coat it with arnica and that starts the healing process immediately and it helps remove the trauma so that you can start healing. We can’t heal when we’re in a state of inflammation. She came back an hour later, wanting to buy the salve and a CBD oil because she said she was already feeling more relaxed, and she’s kept in touch on Facebook (she lives in Buffalo, NY). So, it’s little things like that-little coincidences. The universe brings people that I’m able to help to my booth, and that’s the beauty of it.
THR: From where do you source your CBD? Where is it tested?
LS: People still aren’t completely educated on CBD, and so I do feel like maybe some people, just to try it, are going to spend less on the lower-end products that maybe got their hemp from Romania or China, where they use Roundup to make the plant easier to cut. Even though they have to do third-party testing on the final product, it doesn’t mean that the actual testing of the hemp didn’t show some type of pesticides. It’s a little scary to me because it’s so unregulated. That’s why I get my hemp from my farmers in Oregon. They have a GM-free certified USDA organic certified and kosher-certified extraction facility. I’ve been with them since Day 1. So every single product uses the exact same strain from the exact same farmer every single time.
I did the research but then I chose to formulate our products so that our formulation is different from everybody else in the industry, so we do NOT white label, we don’t resell other brands. Every single ingredient, I vetted where they were coming from to make sure that not only are they ethically sourced from sustainably grown farms, but also ethical (meaning, not taking from Indigenous peoples, leaving them with resources to continue to support their families. Instead of taking everything and then they don’t have something else to grow), we never use palm oil because it contributes to the deforestation of the rain forest. We don’t use soy, because not only can it contribute to hormone imbalance in men, women and children, but also it’s one of the most genetically modified plants on the planet. Things like this to some people don’t really mean anything, and that’s okay. But to me, being an ethical and sustainable and even hopefully becoming a regenerative energy company where we choose farming that’s regenerative. But what it does is it actually helps reduce the carbon footprint we create and have created. People don’t realize that corn and soy and even strawberries are some of the most genetically-modified plants. And I LOVE corn and I LOVE strawberries, but I make sure that I always buy organic and it’s really hard to find organic corn because it’s usually genetically modified.
THR: What is the market like in Texas for CBD?
LS: A lot of people don’t know that we’ve actually been around since the beginning in Austin, which makes me chuckle when they start realizing it, because we didn’t have the budget for the marketing and lots of advertising and exposure, and so now it’s really word-of-mouth, which I think is a wonderful way to grow anything, it builds so much more trust and loyalty.
When I was researching and doing the formula for Happy Karma, I hadn’t even completely decided on the name yet. And there were no other CBD companies on the radar in Austin. Other than a couple of pharmacies and a couple of smoke shops, nobody was an actual CBD store yet. Rawsome was the very first and then we opened a month later in March of 2018, so we are one of the first Austin-based and women-owned CBD companies, which is something I’m really proud of as well. Being a pioneer of the industry has been pretty amazing. So much has changed in three and a half years.
There were tons and tons of obstacles being in this business, before it was federally legal, before it was state legal, before there were (and still aren’t completely) the banking laws that we need, not having a way to do merchant accounts and all of these things that we were having to skate around and figure out. It’s so much easier now for new people to get into the industry. It’s been an interesting ride so far. For me, it’s not about going out and meeting hundreds of people in the industry, it’s about the people who are not in the industry whose lives can be impacted.
THR: You’ve recently been recognized in your field and awarded Best Texas E-Commerce Retailer and Best Texas CBD Manufacturer at the Texas Hemp Awards. What do you think sets you apart from your competitors?
LS: It’s such a huge honor to know that more people follow and get word-of-mouth and know about my company than I ever thought did, which is humbling in and of itself. In the very beginning, I planted a seed and I’ve been tending to those rows of plants and I know that they’ve been growing, but I had no idea how much they’d grown. The seeds blew off into other fields that I didn’t know about. Three and half years later, I’m just now hearing about those plants that are growing in other people’s plots, so to speak. I’m learning how many people actually have been following me and my business and the reviews and the success stories. So for me to have had the votes and to win the Best CBD Manufacturer and the Best CBD Retailer, I was originally in the Best CBD Manufacturer and then she decided the last day of voting to make an e-commerce category. But to win the best CBD manufacturer was amazing! I didn’t think that was going to happen. And then, we made the top five of the “Best of Austin” Chronicle issue, which was huge! I was told that thousands upon thousands of votes were cast. The fact that enough people nominated us to get us into the top five was so amazing. It blew my mind, I had no idea. I mean, that’s a lot of people!
At the very beginning, when I opened, CBD wasn’t that well-known yet, and so there weren’t all these shops around that carried a white label brand. There were all these shops that were looking for CBD suppliers, and they were calling me and asking me, but the thing is, my products could’ve been sitting next to five other white labeled products, and they could’ve all theoretically come from the same manufacturer, from the same generic formula. To me, that dilutes the quality of my brand. Someone did say to me, though, “Laran, when you go a store, you have your low-end products and you have your high-end ones, and it’s up to the consumer as to whether they’re willing to pay for quality or quantity, getting something for cheap.” You’re getting what you pay for, I guess. I really prefer being there to educate and tell people, relaying the difference, for them to make a decision.
THR: Can you explain the process of infusing Reiki into your products?
LS: Reiki is an energy modality. Everything is energy and energy is everything. Every single thing, even a stone, everything is made of energy. Just like the experiment where the kids “bullied” one plant and complimented the other, it’s the same thing with everything. There have been scientific studies about how positive energy changes the freezing structure of molecules making snowflakes. Energy can really help everything. The same is true with intention, for example, somebody who’s Catholic might get some holy water or get a blessing from a priest or something, this is not a religious thing, it’s just a belief that by putting intentions into the body, it’s a body modality. It’s something that massage therapists can be trained to do for their clients. But then, you can take that and put it into anything. Almost like saying a blessing over your food before eating it, it’s the same kind of principle. So, what happens is everything is made and manufactured and tagged and labeled, and then a third-degree Reiki master infuses them with intentional energy.
THR: Where can our readers buy your products?
LS: Having my booth at SoCo Maker’s Market, I get to meet so many amazing Austinites that come by and shop on south Congress. Me being a world traveller, I love being able to meet people from all over the country and the world!
I don’t do anything like anybody else. I don’t like to be a crowd-follower. I’m either a crowd-starter or I like to stand on the sidelines and be completely different, I always go against the grain. I get SO many calls asking where I’m located. At times I do wish we had a storefront so that we could accommodate the people who want to come in and browse, and the people that want to come in and meet me, the people that I spend hours on the phone with. They’re always shocked at how much I’m willing to give them, but I do that because I think it’s important that they feel validated, even if I’ve not been through what they’re going through, I can still empathize. It’s not about a sale to me. And that goes all the way back to what I said before about me running a business totally NOT like a business!
That’s the nice thing about being the owner of a company, I’m able to help my fellow musicians and other people when they need it.
THR: That’s the rewarding part, right?
LS: Yeah, we can get so wrapped up in ourselves and “me, me, me” and it just feels so good when you’re able to help somebody. There are times when someone’s injured or hurting or they need emotional support and you know that, especially during COVID, you can’t be there, you can’t bring them food. I have a friend who lost her mom during COVID, and I couldn’t be there to give her a big hug. I felt hopeless, and I thought, “what can I do to help her?” and I thought, “wait, I’ll give her an emotional support dog!” So I gave her a bottle of CBD to try to help her through. It’s a nice way to be able to help other people, to give them the gift that keeps on giving.
THR: Where do you see the future of hemp as a renewable resource?
LS: People say we have a lumber shortage. No, we have a tree and forest shortage. One acre of hemp can replace three acres of trees in three to four months, instead of 30-60 years. Let that sink in. That’s not only sustainable, it’s part of regeneration. Those plants are taking a lot of crap out of the air, and they’re pulling it into the soil, and the soil is re-nitrogenated by the plants and it’s helping with the water runoff because all of the water is going down instead of running off. It’s helping to put microbes and fungi and all of these great nutrients back into the soil. Just doing little things. We don’t have to do everything the right way or whatever we think is the right way. Just taking little steps for our bodies and for the planet is something. Just because I use compostable gloves when we’re manufacturing, and doing things that I know are going into the compost or into the trash and the recycling, doesn’t mean that everybody has to do that. It just makes me feel good at the end of the day, doing something a little extra.
THR: What is your impression of this unprecedented time, where we may finally feel safe to spend time with our friends and family again?
LS: In getting older, when you make a decision or when something happens in life, you don’t always know what kind of waves and ripples you put out until sometimes several years later, and then you start hearing back from people. So, sometimes we plant a seed and we walk away and we don’t know whether it caught and grew or if it created other plants and that’s how this whole process has been for me. And then of course with COVID, it just got much more deep and energetic.
Me being a massage therapist and a professional vocalist (I’m in the Patrice Pike band), before COVID, we had a residency at the Saxon Pub every Thursday for eight years. So, the Saxon was my second home! Everything’s changed. That was a source of income. But with my business, I’ve never had to impose sales quotas on myself. I want to be able to go to the market and introduce myself and explain the amazing things about this plant. If I meet new people, and I give them a business card and share some information and they leave with a smile, then I’ve done my job. It’s such a rewarding thing to come home every day and be able to tell my wife about all the great people I get to meet. That’s how I built my business, by not just thinking about money, and it just rolled back into itself and it’s still such a pleasure to be able to go and meet people and talk to people. I hand-write a thank you note for every single order that goes out. The slogan for Happy Karma Hemp is “Create Happy Karma”. I believe we can create happy karma by helping others first. By doing good things or having good intentions, by going above and beyond, whether people ever know it, is not the point. The point is that, energetically, it’s a positive, kind, intentional thing. It’s not necessarily up to those people to reward me back, the universe takes care of me. God, the universe, takes care of us in a plethora of ways that we may never even notice or know.
We just had our first post-quarantine performance at Saxon last week. One of my posts recently on Instagram was about being kind to oneself, and a lot of people have grown and changed over the past 15 months and change is not bad, it’s just change, it’s just different. A lot of people have become a little more enlightened and a little more sensitive to energy and more in tune with nature and they’re vibrating on a different frequency. So, for some of these people, the thought of going back into big crowds is too much, myself included. I have been, most of my life, what I would consider a super-extrovert but I changed over the pandemic and I enjoyed being home and being in the back yard and being around nature. And my sensitivity became heightened, so my very first show back at the Saxon was very overwhelming, just to see all these people that I used to see every week. At the same time that it was a wonderful, glorious reunion, it was also intense being around so many people and feeling that energy. The pandemic and the events over the past 15 months have brought up some controversial issues. Hopefully, people will recognize that it’s so much easier to be kind than to be right. My first gig back was just really overwhelming and I was realizing that at least half of the people I was talking to were having the same struggle. Over the next six months, some people will just sort of tiptoe out and some people will come out with a vengeance, and that’s okay.
It’s amazing after three and a half years of my company, to be able sit back and go, “whoa, I created all of this completely from nothing, all by myself, from scratch.” And when someone says it’s helping them, it’s amazing to stop and remind myself that I helped somebody.
Rodkey’s Health & Wellness, San Antonio, Tx, I rodkeys.com
Charles Rodkey Jr. is a true pioneer in the CBD retail and manufacturing space. A self-proclaimed plant science savant, Charles had already spent years researching and studying cannabis when he left a successful 20-plus year career in the medical supply industry. Motivated by a desire to follow his true passion, Charles formulated CBD products designed to grant his mother some much-needed relief from inflammation. Recognizing the vast market for affordable salves and tinctures, he opened the first exclusive CBD retail store in Texas in 2017. After enjoying immediate success and expanding the business to a second store, Charles and his family decided to move in a new direction. They created Structure CBD, which quickly became a well-recognized manufacturing and wholesale brand, while staying active in retail with a combined store and coffee shop-Rodkey’s Health and Wellness. The proprietary blend of ingredients in his formulations have taken the industry by storm, and he notes with pride that all of his products are manufactured in a Texas-licensed facility right there in his home city of San Antonio.
Texas Hemp Reporter: Can you explain the difference between plant and isolate products?
Rodkey’s Health & Wellness: Whole plant (full spectrum) extracts are going to contain a wide range of plant cannabinoids and terpenes along with trace amounts of THC. CBD Isolate is the isolated CBD molecule with all other cannabinoids and terpenes removed during the refinement process, it is a 99.9%+ pure CBD extract. Isolate products are a better choice for those who have regular drug screens or simply want to stay away from THC in general.
THR: What products do you offer for pets?
Rodkey’s: Rodkey’s carries the Structure CBD Pet line which includes sublingual tinctures and bacon cheeseburger treats. Some pet parents also opt to use our Rodkey’s water-soluble CBD “Rapid” to add directly to their pet’s water bowl.
THR: You have many different coffees, teas and drinks, as well as kombucha and shots. The shots can be added to any of the drinks?
Rodkey’s: Yes, customers have the option to add CBD, Immune Boost, our natural allergy formula, collagen, and several other health-based adaptogenic compounds to any beverage. We wanted to keep these offerings optional so our customers can essentially create their own beverage, there is truly something for everyone! We also offer a variety of craft pastries from various local businesses.
THR: You also have some cosmetics, tinctures and topical solutions, all with your name on the label. Do you manufacture these yourself?
Rodkey’s: Yes, we procure high-quality, raw ingredients and produce all of our products in a state-regulated and licensed lab in the heart of San Antonio, Tx. Our products then go through a vigorous third-party testing process to ensure purity and potency.
THR: Rodkeys is a one-stop health and wellness shop. Do you have plans to add any more products or consumables in the near future? Or more locations?
Rodkey’s: We are constantly watching this ever-evolving industry and adding new products, our latest addition being the new Structure CBD line of Delta 8 products. New locations are always a possibility!
THR: I see by your Facebook page you have also hosted DJ’s from San Antonio, the Panhandle and Austin. Can you talk about your dedication to local talent?
I have been involved in the local DJ scene for many years and have always had a passion for house music. I decided to incorporate Friday night music into our business in light of COVID to help support local musicians during a difficult time, while offering a safe, fun, and relaxing Friday night option for our customers- it is a win/win!
In their 6+ years of being in the Hemp CBD industry, Charles and Meggie have seen “very positive results from thousands of clients.”
You can visit Rodney’s Health and Wellness and design your own drink at 9630 Huebner Road, Suite 101 in San Antonio, Tx. You can check out their Green Couch Sessions on Friday nights from 6-9pm, when they have local DJ’s spinning house music, free coffee, CBD and pre-roll specials, and check out rodkeys.com/shop.
Texas Hemp Reporter: It is quite an honor to speak with you Steve. Most interviewers would ask this kind of a question toward the close, I’ll flip the coin. What is the future of cannabis?
Steve: The future of hemp is to become the most profitable cash crop on Earth. Dollar per dollar volume cannabis will begin to outsell actually any other single product. Here’s some statistics, since legalization in California alcohol use is down by 25%.. in most areas where legalization has occurred alcohol use reduction is between 15 and 20%. And I should mention Pabst Blue Ribbon has come out with a non-alcohol hemp tonic.
So many products can be replaced with hemp-based ones that are equal in price or cheaper to construct. If you press hemp seeds you get a wonderful emerald thick liquid that is bio-fuel for diesel engines. If you mix hemp seed oil with 10% ethanol, also derivable from hemp, you have a perfect bio-fuel for any diesel engine. Grind hemp seeds up you get hemp milk, a delicious beverage to put in your coffee or granola. Take a truck. Some of the truck’s body could be made from plastic from hemp oil, the engine could run on hemp diesel, the boxes the truck carries could be hemp fiber, the socks and shoes of the driver could be hemp..
Hemp is the toughest fiber, much tougher than cotton. They found wills and bequests from the middle ages where people would bequeath their hemp linens to new generations because they don’t wear out. The Levi
company has come out with jeans that are 30% hemp. That’s because they see that hemp is eco-friendly and sustainable. Using hemp paper and for furniture we could eliminate the need to cut down trees. Hemp wood is 20% stronger than oak and 100 times faster to grow.
There’s something like 25,000 products that are hemp-derived.
Texas Hemp Reporter: You’ve co-founded or founded about ten businesses and organizations. Are you a counter-cultural hero?
Steve: I don’t think it is very heroic for someone to refer to themselves as a hero. I think that I am very lucky to have seen the light at a young age and to have the skills to organize things. I love to found, I love to get a business going then as it grows and others can manage it I move onto to something new. As far as the counter culture is concerned.. look the hippies gave us the personal computer right? The hippies gave us organic food to eat, the hippes gave us the electric car, introduced the west to yoga.
Texas Hemp Reporter: I personally believe there is a strong subculture surrounding the whole CBD thing, and medical marijuana. Do you think we can tap into this culture to make the industry more compassionate? To “love the plant” as you say?
Steve: Yeah. I believe so. Look we better, we’re destroying this planet real fast, we as consumers have a mission and we better act on it. I didn’t start
out to create a new industry but a new kind of industry. As with our Last Prisoner Project I approached the industry for support and they came through. In only a year and a half we have seen the release of thousands around the world, some due to Covid 19 petitions. Michael Thompson was released after serving 24 years of a minimum 40-years sentence. He was the longest serving non-violent prisoner of Michigan. All for selling 3 pounds of marijuana.
Also we hope to widen the investment in new licensees, as with Arc-view. We are interested as much in how not to invest.. there is a large disproportion of new cannabis licenses in disadvantaged communities. We have to see black and brown people thriving in an industry they had a lot to do with founding. We need to find out how to support, create capital flow, sustain, educate and see those people grow.
Texas Hemp Reporter: I have been studying some of your writings. From your website, “A Lesson From Another Teacher” it is exciting because you’re talking about medical psychedelics.
Steve: Yes. I was traveling over four continents meeting with growing cannabis ventures when right in my hometown of Oakland California the city decriminalized natural visionary plants making psychoactive substances the lowest priority of the Oakland Police Department. I have always wanted to see visionary plants decriminalized as a Drug Reform activist. Also as a person who has incorporated psychedelics and cannabis into my own spirituality.
If you follow the history you know of cannabis, from the oldest known usages in central Asia, if you go east you find that marijuana became central to Hindu culture in India, and Buddhism such that it is a medicine in the Ayurveda canon. Excavations have found cannabis in temples, around statues, if you travel to Japan, the indigenous religion of Shinto, there will be a long hemp rope at the entrance to Shinto temples.
It has been shown in Israel use of cannabis as a grave offering, especially young women who had died in childbirth. And in Egypt it was burnt to clear temples. Really everywhere it is woven into the spiritual practices of peoples. It was central to ancient Greece, as were many other psychoactive plants. It wasn’t until Rome solidified their empire making Christianity the state religion which banned all psychoactive plant use. You see all those old Greek statues that are missing arms and such, that was hordes of Christians who would come in and search out anyone using any psychedelic plant, take them out of their homes and execute them. Even all those philosophers of the Academy which gave us western civilization they were using all sorts of psychoactive plants.
Interview conducted by Sana v’Ritzvah
Steve DeAngelo is a globally recognized cannabis leader who was dubbed “the father of the legal industry” by former Speaker of the California Assembly & 41st Mayor Willie L. Brown Jr. From grassroots community campaigns to appearing on national television networks and every uphill battle for legalization in between, his trailblazing work and creation of a model medical cannabis dispensary that set best practices for an entire industry make him one of the world’s top cannabis experts, foremost thought leaders, and recognized entrepreneurs.
Steve is Co-Founder and Chairman Emeritus of Harborside, now a publicly-traded company on the Canadian Securities Exchange with California dispensary locations in Oakland, San Jose, San Leandro, and Desert Hot Springs-only the second dispensary in California to feature a drive-thru. The vertically integrated California cannabis company founded in 2006 has more than 300,000 registered patients. Rooted in Steve’s belief that cannabis use should be wellness centric, Harborside was one of the first in the nation to support comprehensive cannabis education for seniors, veterans, and families with severely ill children. Featured in numerous high profile media pieces and winning multiple awards, including Best Dispensary in California (2017), Harborside continues to set the industry gold standard and is a leading advocate for diversity, environmental sustainability, and economic justice in the cannabis sector.
Steve is also Co-Founder of Steep Hill, Inc., the first commercial cannabis lab in the country, and Co-Founder of Arcview Group, the first cannabis investment firm. Steep Hill has grown to become a world leader in cannabis science and technology with extensive expertise in lab testing, remote testing, genetics, research and development, and intellectual property licensing. Arcview angel investment network now includes more than 600 accredited investors and has raised over $270 million for 200 cannabis-related companies to date. Steve formerly served Arcview as Vice President; the firm remains dedicated to galvanizing progressive drug policy reform by empowering a responsible, profitable industry.
Early on as an activist, Steve was skipping school to attend anti-war demonstrations and eventually dropped out to join the Youth International Party – also known as the Yippies. He went on to become the lead organizer of the annual Fourth of July Smoke-In in D.C., carrying the position for a decade. Steve graduated summa cum laude from the University of Maryland. He also opened a legendary D.C. counter-cultural gathering place that became known as a refuge for local cannabis and peace activists during the Reagan-Bush era, including William Kunstler, Wavy Gravy, and author Jack Herer. Steve helped Jack Herer edit and publish the manuscript for his soon-to-be-famous book, “The Emperor Wears No Clothes,” and became a lead organizer of the first Hemp Museum and Hemp Tour. He created his first cannabis business, Ecolution; the company was one of the first to ride an industrial hemp boom, manufacturing hemp clothing and accessories for retail sales in 50 states and 21 countries during the ’90s.
Continuing to stand tirelessly for legalization and decriminalization of cannabis around the globe, Steve remained at the forefront of the cannabis reform movement, playing a pivotal role in the passage of Initiative 59-Washington D.C.’s medical cannabis law. After a legal battle lasting four years with the U.S. Department of Justice, he ultimately succeeded in defending their multiple attempts to close Harborside. He helped to pass Prop 64, California’s adult-use law, and making history on January 1, 2018, made the first legal cannabis sale in California’s first moments of legal recreational use.
As an industry pioneer and progressive leader, Steve attracts global invitations to present and appear before audiences of thousands, reaching beyond cannabis and inspiring action toward restorative and equal justice, individual and community wellness, and cultural change for the sustainability of earth and humankind. At SXSW 2019, he gave the first-ever cannabis-themed keynote to be featured at the conference and was invited to return as a featured presenter the very next year. A reputable and known American cannabis leader, advocate, and educator, he appeared by invitation to renowned Oxford Union in Great Britain for the 2017 ‘War on Drugs’ debate sessions. Appearing before audiences around the world is a natural progression of Steve’s life work. As a prime advocate of diversity, sustainability, and social justice, he carries his message to help build a world that lives by the same values cannabis can teach.
Steve is the author of The Cannabis Manifesto: A New Paradigm for Wellness, and an originator of the wellness approach to understanding cannabis. His acclaimed book is a compelling account of a personal journey with cannabis that outlines numerous solid arguments for legalization while presenting research-backed benefits of the plant. In its first week of release, the title became number one bestseller in the Wellness category on Amazon-the book’s guiding statement: “Cannabis is not harmful, but prohibition is.” Steve DeAngelo’s special feature presentations for keynote delivery include The Cannabis Renaissance Global Edition, Whole Plant Medicine is the Best Medicine, North American Roots: The Cannabis Plant & Prohibition’s Truth, and The Cannabis Creed (debuting at SXSW 2020).
Steve’s great success and persevering advocacy draw top tier national media attention. In 2009 he was the subject of a NY Times cover, the first-ever by the publication to include a feature story on legal cannabis. He has appeared nationally on all major media outlets, including FOX, CBS, CNN, NBC, CNBC, and extensively in publications such as The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and USA Today. Special feature media projects include a starring role in Weed Wars, the first cannabis-oriented reality T.V. show (Discovery Channel), Ask Steve DeAngelo weekly web series by Green Flower Media, and development of entertainment works under DeAngelo Bros. Productions, a company founded by Steve DeAngelo and brother Andrew DeAngelo. A podcast and weekly television show documenting Steve’s travels to cover cannabis culture globally are coming in 2020 to Free Speech T.V. (FSTV), a 24-hour independent television network currently available in 37 million U.S. homes.
Steve is the recipient of the 2015 High Times Lester Grinspoon High Times Lifetime Achievement Award and was named one of the most influential people and “gatekeeper of the industry” in 2015 by the International Business Times. In 2016 he was named one of the seven “Most Powerful People” in America’s cannabis industry by Fortune. Most recently, he was honored with the Peter Tosh Equal Rights Award and inducted into the Marijuana Business Daily Hall of Fame.
Steve believes that an ethical and politically engaged industry will be the most powerful force in spreading cannabis reform to every corner of the planet. As Founder of the Last Prisoner Project (2019), he will not stop until the last cannabis prisoner is free. As host of the Radio Free Cannabis podcast-launched in 2020, his role as an activist seeking global unity for equal justice, advocating for human rights around the world, for cannabis legalization across planet earth, and the end of criminalizing medicinal plants worldwide, continues.
Steve DeAngelo
Father of the Legal Cannabis Industry Global Cannabis Ambassador
Founder of Last Prisoner Project Host of Radio Free Cannabis Podcast Author of The Cannabis Manifesto
2019 MJ Biz Award 2019 Hall of Fame Inductee In the computer industry, there’s only one Bill Gates. In the automotive space, only one Henry Ford. And the marijuana world has only one Steve DeAngelo –MJBizDaily recognizes Steve DeAngelo
Mallory Harrington serves as the hemp banking compliance officer at TFNB Your Bank for Life in Waco, Texas. Our guest discusses the federal compliance rules, lending options, insurance, and SBA programs for the growing Hemp space in the Lone Star State.
