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.
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..
Jesse, Russell & Coleman talk about the existing bills with the 87th Legislature that remain on the chopping block; while they also interview H-empirical CBD CEO John Long and head Medical Director Dr. Wendy Askew.
John Long is CEO for H-Empirical, Inc. He is also the CEO for Agronomics of Texas and investor for Totally Happy Cows, LLC (An CBD Agriculture company for cattle and horses). He’s has been a nurse for 28 years specializing in ER, ICU, Rheumatology, Gastroenterology, Neurology and Dermatology.
Dr. Wendy Askew is a board-certified Obstetrician-Gynecologist in private practice in San Antonio, Texas. She is also board certified in Functional and Regenerative Medicine. Dr. Askew is the Chief Medical Officer for H-Empirical, Agronomics of Texas and Totally Happy Cows LLC.
In our May financial edition of the Texas Hemp Reporter Magazine. This issue profiles aspects of the banking industry as it relates to merchant processing, finance, compliance and lending. Our recap of the NOCO 7 Expo, we also preview the Lucky Leaf Expo, discuss Delta 8 after the Hemp market boom, and many new changes in Texas law in the 87th Legislature are also covered. Tips on indoor versus outdoor growing, our possible new radio show, and Hemp oil taste as well as the hemp oil business.
The Magazine will be available on the streets of Austin May 6-7 at all smoke shops and CBD stores as well as All Austin Area HEB & Randal’s. If you hold a permit in Texas you will receive one the following week by mail like usual. Stay tuned for upcoming alerts on our Radio Show the Texas Hemp Show and the next issue will be out July 1st 2021.
Adrian Garcia Farms, owned and operated by Adrian Garcia, is located in the west Texas town of Big Spring. Adrian has farmed cotton for the last three years on 200 acres of 100% USDA Certified Organic farmland. When the 2018 Farm Bill was signed, allowing for the cultivation of hemp, he turned his sights towards becoming one of the first organic farmers to grow hemp in Texas. He built a couple of greenhouses, sourced reliable CBD genetics and went through the USDA’s rigorous organic certification process and started growing hemp.
Garcia Bros Organics: 100% USDA and Texas Department of Agriculture Certified Organic Hemp Flower!
We discuss his celebratory win at the recent Taste of Texas Hemp Cup as Adrien and his family won the PEOPLES CHOICE award for flavor profile for his 2020 Berry Blossom flower.
Our friends from the Bayou talk to us about their recent hemp grow as they prepare for another grow season this next year. We learn about Riverside Hemp’s operations and product development.
Show Notes
CELEBRATING 28 YEARS IN HORTICULTURE I 2020 HEMP CROP.
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What is The Texas Hemp Show ?
The Texas Hemp Reporter new Podcast: The Texas Hemp Show is now recorded every Wednesday at 5pm and is released each week shortly afterwards. For news and the latest information on the growing Hemp industry in the Lone Star State.
Bringing wellness to the world through ultra-concentrated terpene rich CBD oil derived from all natural, high quality industrial hemp. The couple own Green Mountain Flower Company – a premier CBD boutique located in North Austin off of 183 and Anderson Mill – and their mission is to curate a personalized experience to your journey into hemp-based healing.
Gene talks with Russell and Jesse about plans to expand the Green Mountain product line with many exciting additions on the way such as their new CBD Water which they have been working on for over a year. As well as actively expanding their wholesale market.
California’s wine industry is quite the behemoth, a staple in the American economy.
If it were its own country, the state would be the fourth largest wine producer in the world. California makes 81 percent of all U.S. wine, and three out of every five bottles sold in the country comes from the Golden State.
Just look at last year’s numbers for more proof: In 2019, 241.5 million nine-liter cases of California wine were sold within the U.S., amassing an estimated $43.6 billion in sales. Also in 2019, American wine exports totalled $1.63 billion, with 95 percent coming from California wineries.
California wine sales in the U.S. grew 6 percent in 2019, despite the state legalizing adult-use cannabis in January 2018, which some feared would eat into the state’s wine market.
But 2020 may tell a vastly different story for the industry, says Robert P. Koch, president and CEO of the San Francisco-based Wine Institute. “This year will be more challenging, especially for small- and medium-sized wineries, because of the closure of tasting rooms and restaurants,” he says in a wineinstitute.orgarticle.
These changes have emerged because of COVID-19, of course, and while it is too early in the year to predict a drop in the California’s total revenue from wine, we can surely expect a noticeable dip based on the recession alone: People with a slash in their disposable incomes are less likely to buy a $50 bottle of Cabernet Franc from the Napa Valley, perhaps opting instead for $8 bottle from Argentina.
So considering this inevitable dip, should California vineyards, each with hundreds of acres perfect for agriculture (bountiful sun and cool air from the Pacific Ocean), consider pivoting to a crop with perhaps an even more promising future? Such as hemp?
After all, according to the Brightfield Group, the market for hemp-derived CBD is expected to reach $23.7 billion by 2023, thanks in part to the passing of the 2018 Farm Bill. And this doesn’t even include the market for hemp alone, which can be grown for construction, textiles, clothing, food, paper, bioplastics, insulation and biofuel.
And so the hemp market doesn’t rely on a selective niche of consumers that use its product for recreational purposes only (such as wine drinkers and cannabis users). Just about everyone could benefit from hemp in one way or another.
Also, unlike wine grapes which take several months to grow and several months to ferment before they ever become drinkable wine, hemp plants can mature in just a few months.
But, say, a commercial vineyard in a place like the Sonoma Valley wants to reserve a few acres of its property for growing hemp. Does the growing of either crop affect the other’s final product?
A Wine Spectator article titled “Can Cannabis and Wine Coexist?” tells how the drift of fungicides (used by many California winemakers to prevent mildew) have been known to render a cannabis harvest unsaleable when the crop is tested for regulation. And one can speculate the same would apply to hemp plants, especially if they’re used for CBD products.
The opposite occurs, too. “On the flip side, cannabis can release organic compounds called terpenes,” the article’s author Aaron Romano writers, “one of which is eucalyptol, known for tainting the flavor of grapes.” It should be known that hemp plants also have terpenes.
Corey Beck, CEO of Francis Ford Coppola Winery and former president of the Sonoma County Vintners, was quoted in the article, saying, “If cannabis can co-exist with the right regulations, and not be intrusive to our neighbors, then it should be available to a farmer who needs to put food on the table for their family.” He added that the wine industry is changing because of consumers drinking less and, therefore, wineries growing few grapes.
“I’m not suggesting the trend is here to stay, but if you are a grapegrower and can’t find a buyer in the short term, your choice in agricultural crops which provide a return such as grapes are limited.”
Episode 9: Leann Hemenway I Cannabis Banking Product Manager with Herring Bank.
Leann discusses opportunities for growers in the Texas area states to bank with Herring Bank in this rough waters of finance and compliance surrounding the growing Hemp and Cannabis space in the United States. Merchant services are not always offered with Financial providers in the Hemp space so Leann tells us about how to work with them and their partnership with “KINDPAY” .
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE PODCAST
Herring Bank began banking Cannabis-Hemp related businesses in April of 2019, with the goal of building lasting relationships.
Colman discusses the Hemp Industry nationally and some of the goals that the organization works on each week to work with Washington by fueling the growth of the Hemp Industry. Also how this year was essentially a ramp year for Texas Hemp producers and what we can anticipate for the Lone Star states first full year grow season in 2021. Also many legal challenges regarding the DEA and smokable hemp ban are also discussed. Overall, an informative episode of the Texas Hemp show with our states director.
This episode our guest is President at Texas Hemp Industries Association, Colman Hemphill. Colman is also CEO at Texagon Distribution · an Alternative & Holistic Health Service.
This week we spoke with Noe, Joe, and Frank of TPS Labs and discussed growing tips and do’s and dont’s with regards to growing hemp flower here in the Lone Star state. Soils and seeds are crucial to grow operations in this short trial run of 2020’s grow season. We also spoke with our co-hosts Jesse’s publisher “Austin” of the Texas Cannabis Collective and the great job their website does on reporting hemp and cannabis news here in Texas.
Smokable Hemp Ban in Texas, Temporary Injunction Granted – Win for Texas Manufacturers, Processors & Retailers and this weeks show we featured two of the States attorneys that are leading the charge to keep smokable Hemp here in Texas for retailers, growers,processors and of course consumers. Chelsie Spenceris a cannabis and hemp attorney. She is a founding member of Ritter Spencer PLLC. Chelsie practices in the areas of medical marijuana and hemp and represents clients across those industries for their business law and compliance needs.
Lisa Pittman – Lisa is Co-chair of the Cannabis Business Law practice. A leader and authority in the cannabis industry, which includes state legal marijuana and federally legal hemp, Lisa was recently appointed to be a Nonresident Fellow at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy as a member of the Drug Policy Program. Lisa also was appointed to the Texas Department of Agriculture Industrial Hemp Advisory Council, a role that provides her insight and influence on the regulations for the Texas hemp program, with the goal of propelling Texas to be the preeminent producer of hemp in the United States.
On September 17, 2020, Travis County Judge Lora Livingston ruled on a request for temporary injunction in a lawsuit filed by manufacturers and retailers of smokable hemp products in Texas. The injunction sought to prevent the State from enforcing its new regulations banning the manufacture, processing, distribution, and retail sale of hemp for smoking. The temporary injunction was partially granted, in that smokable hemp product businesses may carry on without facing penalties or fines under the status quo as it existed prior to the August 2nd effective date of the new rule – at least until the final trial on the merits set for February 1, 2021.Grinded weed shaped as Texas and a joint.(series)
2020 Fall Season is recorded at Take Off Terminal Studios in Austin.
Show Notes
Russell Dowden and co-host is Jesse Williams of the Texas Cannabis Collective will interview the guests below and we encourage you to support the Texas Hemp Reporter and the Texas Hemp Show by sharing the link with your social sites and friends. See the list of guest below
2020 Texas Hemp Show Promo
Texas Hemp Show
The Texas Hemp Reporter new Podcast: The Texas Hemp Show is now recorded every Tuesday at 5pm and is released each week on Wednesdays. For news and the latest information on the growing Hemp industry in the Lone Star State.
Call in # for Guests only is my cell Phone # 512-897-7823 c.
Summary
This is Show # 1 of the Podcast. Recorded at Take Off Terminal Studios in Austin.
Show Notes:
This week on the show we have John Kern’s of New Bloom Labs, Ben Meggs of Bayou City Hemp in
Houston & Adam Jernigan Co-Founder COO | Sweet Sensi CBD. Great kick-off for the new Podcast,
and our co-host is Jesse Williams of the Texas Cannabis Collective. We discuss the smokable
Hemp ruling for Texas as well as the MORE Act of 2019. A great show for week 1 and we
encourage you to support the Texas Hemp Reporter and the Texas Hemp Show by sharing
the link with your social sites and friends. What is The Texas Hemp Show ?
The Texas Hemp Reporter new Podcast: The Texas Hemp Show is now recorded every Tuesday at 5pm
and is released each week on Wednesdays. For news and the latest information on the growing Hemp industry in the Lone Star State.
You Can Upgrade your Print marketing with :30 Spots on our Podcast that airs each week online and on social media.
Interview with Mike Sandoval, President of Sante Labs
The Texas Hemp Reporter has partnered with Santé Laboratories and we spoke with Mike Sandoval, President of Santé Laboratories to understand how they have prepared to serve the Texas hemp agriculture community through testing!
Russell @ Texas Hemp Reporter:I’m here with Mike Sandoval, President of Santé Laboratories. Thank you for stepping out of the office and laboratory to talk to me and readers of the Texas Hemp Reporter. Please tell us about Santé Laboratories and provide an overview of your lab services. I’ve been made to understand you built a passionate and talented team and house the world’s best analytical and manufacturing equipment to support your business and customers.
Mike @ Santé Labs: It’s a pleasure to be here today and I’m grateful that we share similar enthusiasm towards the Texas hemp agriculture community. Sante Laboratories is the leading contract development and manufacturing organization to offer contract hemp test services to the agricultural, supplement, and pharmaceutical industry. Over the last 2 years, we developed and commercialize a drug delivery technology to render cannabinoids shelf-stable, bioavailable, and water miscible to address the titanic gap in compliant and retail friendly products. Our persistent focus to raise the bar, leverage good science, and responsibly shape new standards of excellence through hemp testing and product development is something I’m very excited to share with the community. In spirit, ask me whatever questions you have.
Russell @ Texas Hemp Reporter: What makes Santé Labs so unique? And can you explain to us what testing “Hot” means?
Mike @ Sante Labs: Aside from being the first and largest hemp contract research and testing laboratory in the State of Texas, I believe good science, well-rounded expertise, and meaningful relationships is our differentiator. And that’s pretty much it. It’s absolutely critical to work with a lab that has the experience and expertise of delivering good science and understanding of regulatory requirements to mitigate compliance risks. A partner like us with high level proficiency to ensure test methods and laboratory processes deployed to determine THC and safety on crops was develop and validated according to scientific and regulatory rigor to cover all potential risks and demonstrate to State and federal regulatory authorities that crop test results are valid. Science aside, we build relationships with each of our customers incredibly well. And we put our customer’s need at the center of everything we do, and this begins with providing high quality, traceable testing services, and solutions to overcome challenges. We like to understand challenges and then come up with solutions to address them quickly. Our strengths are science, customer service, and innovation. We spend hundreds of thousands of dollars per year on R&D which includes method development, process optimization, information management, and training to support innovation and thus customer value. We continuously increase testing capacity through procurement of additional equipment to support demand and unique customer needs. We’re a company where innovation is our life blood, and we basically have to innovate and bring stronger sciences and services to the Texas hemp agriculture market to touch and improve lives of our farmers.
Regarding testing “hot” – this means a crop (or finished products for brands) contained more than 0.3% THC, which is the threshold set by State and Federal law. In other words, to be legal, your crop must test at or below 0.3% THC. Challenges are going to be experienced and I encourage farmers to test early and often for THC and build relationships with a professional sampling organization and laboratory. At Sante, we work with the guys at Texas Hemp Samplers. Jacob, Trent, and their team are remarkable, well-informed, and focused to help Texan farmers. Genetics, soil condition, and weather can all impact THC levels therefore like healthcare, preventative care will always be the most beneficial. Good science and strong analytical test methods are required to determine if a crop is “hot” or not.
Drip hemp oil into a glass bottle. CBD oil. Cannabis. Alternative medical concepts. Scientific research. Medical education and research.
Russell @ Texas Hemp Reporter: The TDA and USDA states that hemp testing laboratories are not required to be ISO 17025 accredited, although it is strongly encouraged to adhere to ISO 17025 standards. Where does Santé’ Labs measure on this standard?
Mike @ Sante Labs: At the end of the day it comes down to trust. Customer trust is very important to me and that trust can only be earned through good science and commitment to laboratory quality control procedures and guided decisions to release trustworthy results. Sante is an ISO 17025 accredited laboratory. We were accredited to the 2017 standards compared to 2005 which enacts more rigorous controls to practice risk-based thinking, impartiality, and traceability. Robust workflow traceability with comprehensive audit trails and fully searchable workflows is a must to help ensure data integrity and consistency in the life cycle of every sample that arrives at our laboratory. Look, we’re entrusted by pharmacies and drug companies as well therefore data transparency, traceability, standard operating procedure and documentation is a must and maintaining ISO 17025 accreditation helps us meet these standards. Don’t get me wrong, good science can come from labs without ISO 17025 accreditation, however I encourage customers to think twice about labs that are unwilling to invest into a quality management system to ensure validity of their results. On the flip side, ISO 17025 accredited does not necessarily guarantee high quality testing and certainly does not differentiate a good lab between a bad one. And I’d be happy expand on this topic during our next interview.
Russell @ Texas Hemp Reporter: Can farmers get discounted pricing from Sante if they simply keep using you for all their testing needs?
Mike @ Sante Labs: Yes, we offer a number of packages tailored to all customer architypes. I believe what we do well as an organization is taking time to clearly understand who we serve. In doing so, we developed an appreciation of who our customers are and intimate knowledge base of their testing needs and end goals. Only then can we figure out how to deliver high-value lab testing that can impact their lives. Our customers are so different from one another. The lab tests a farmer versus an extractor may want are not the same. If we get this mixed up or try to offer the same testing panel, both will be dissatisfied. I refuse to titrate to the middle. We must allow those differences to coexist and deliver testing solutions that make the most sense.
Russell @ Texas Hemp Reporter: What is your opinion of on-site or “on-farm” lab testing? Is this safe and should farmer consider this a viable tool to support pre-compliance tests?
Mike @ Sante Labs: Lab testing, as it may often seem, is not a black-box phenomenon. Pre-compliance and compliance testing are high stakes. To date, I have not identified a company that offers a competitive solution that does not solely rely on economics and ease of use. We rely on proven, data-driven, and tried and true methodologies and fundamental sciences to provide accurate, reproducible, and legally defensible data packages to our customers. There are hundreds of nuances that mobile lab testing or “on-site HPLCs with proprietary software” do not consider that brick-n-motor laboratories do, like Sante. For example, we employ 2 laboratory trained technicians committed to performing daily, weekly, and monthly process and instrument calibration checks. There is an enormous amount of paperwork and manpower needed to preserve traceability and maintain calibrations of critical process steps such as micro balances and pipettors to ensure reliable measurements are made every single day in our lab. We routinely perform installation qualifications, operating qualifications, and preventative maintenance by the manufacture, and in-house performance qualifications to help us to deliver trust-worthy test results. We allocate a substantial amount of capital to ensure all of our equipment is capable of producing legally defensible and most importantly scientifically valid test results that our customers can rely on. Additionally, we have an enormous focus on data integrity and strong workflows. Some of the most common data integrity issues spoke about from regulators relate to the way which electronic data is managed and stored. While on-site labs are appealing and check the boxes of convenience, turn-around time, and reduced sample costs, these benefits are intangible and speculative, in my opinion, an unreliable business model that poses great risk to the end user, at this point in time.
Russell @ Texas Hemp Reporter: What kind of companies does Sante’ test for now and what range of products do you test for?
Mike@ Sante Labs: Sante Laboratories is a contract development and manufacturing organization for hemp and cannabinoid-based products. In the biopharmaceutical industry, organizations like us are referred to as CROs and/or CDMOs. With that said, we serve majority stake holders in agriculture and finished product value chains by providing access to contract lab testing services. For example, we work with pre/post-harvest hemp biomass to support State and USDA requirements for THC compliance and raw materials analysis to support GxP manufacturing operations. We also have an extensive test portfolio for finished products that includes CBD and other cannabinoids for human use. As many of our customers can confirm, we outperform other labs with difficult and complex matrices such as flower, edibles, and non-traditional drug delivery systems including nanoparticle and novel water-soluble products. Innovation in workflows and developing scientifically sound test methods is a basic customer right and it’s something we love to commit time towards. Through countless conferences and lengthy and often emotional discussions with customers, we’ve been made to understand strong science, innovation, and attention to detail is what the hemp industry needs. Regardless of what everyone thinks, whatever the hemp testing market is or may become, innovation and forward-thinking science must be customer led.
Russell @ Texas Hemp Reporter: Can you talk about label compliance?
Mike @ Sante Labs: Its more appropriate to speak about label compliance when referring to finished goods such as CBD supplements. As you know, until the FDA renders CBD finished products as dietary supplements, there are minimal regulations to enforce expiration date claims. There are a number of class action lawsuits against CBD consumer brands that failed to substantiate shelf-life and safety claims that puts the industry at risk. We can help. Sante labs has the capacity to determine stability of CBD and/or other active ingredients in supplements and therefore the shelf-life of a product. Shelf-life is not an end all be all for a product to be considered “compliant”. Product and formulation safety and accurate label claims are so important, and this disregard keep me up at night. This is why we Sante is pleased to offer a number of CMC considerations which includes chemistry, manufacturing, and controls to develop high quality products. I look forward to going into more depth on this topic on the next issue.
Russell @ Texas Hemp Reporter: Can you explain to the readers how you measure total delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (D9-THC) concentration levels in their crop?
Mike @ Sante Labs: At Sante, we use Ultra High-Pressure Liquid Chromatography (UHPLC) systems coupled with diode-array detectors for unmatched limit of quantification and simultaneous detection of cannabinoids including d9-THC. We also have mass spectrometers in tandem for customers that reside in certain States that require mass confirmation of cannabinoids. Liquid chromatography is a robust and proven platform for detection of drugs including cannabinoids in the pharmaceutical and hemp industry. To quantify THC in samples, we developed and validated highly efficient extraction processes to yield analytical consistency and repeatability. We only purchase certified reference material (we call these CRMs) from ISO 17034 qualified suppliers that meet our internal quality specification. Test results are only as accurate as CRMs used to quantitate customer cannabinoid and non-cannabinoid test results. Knowing this, we allocated capital into cold chain storage and 6 place analytical balances to responsibly handle all CRMs. In my opinion, this is why on-site lab business models or “off the shelf” in-house equipment suppliers experience inadequacy after factoring in all the nuances a high-quality laboratory must embrace.
Russell @ Texas Hemp Reporter: What is the best way to contact you and Sante Labs for testing services?
Mike @ Sante Labs: My team and I are readily accessible by email, phone, and through the website. I’m excited to announce that we successfully implemented an API onto the website to give our customers direct access to our calendars to schedule meetings on-demand. Most of us work flexible and long hours to deliver value to our domestic and international customers so I’m confident we can accommodate nearly all schedules. I look forward to speak with new and existing customers and be a resource however that may be.
Russell @ Texas Hemp Reporter: What the heck is U = K *uc?
Mike @ Sante Labs: (Laughter). It’s a confusing and overwhelming equation. Ok, give me some rope here… U stands for measurement of uncertainty, k stands for coverage factor, and uc is combined uncertainty that factors in repeatability, reproducibility, and accuracy uncertainty. To put simply, U, or measurement of uncertainty is the “give or take” or “error” of a specific test a laboratory performs. All measurements have error and the same is true for every item such as rulers, compasses, thermometers, and volume decibels on a television. Measurement of uncertainty is extraordinarily important for a laboratory to understand as the relationship between precision of an analytical test method (total THC) and its measurement variability is directly proportional to the concentration at which the analyte (or THC) is being quantified. There is generally more uncertainty and variability in measurements when testing for trace levels. This is particularly apparent when testing residual pesticides, which is why labs are forced to purchase $350k mass spectrometers to do it right. The same is true when testing for 0.3% THC. The difference between 0.3% THC and 0.32% THC is legal vs. illegal. This is why we invested into the best analytical equipment and employ the brightest minds to produce the most repeatable and defendable results with the lowest reported error. No shortcuts were made. The USDA and the Texas Agriculture Department requires all laboratories that analyze hemp for THC compliance to report measurement uncertainty. This is a regulatory requirement and labs should have internal documentation to support the claimed uncertainty. I’m proud to report that Sante has the lowest and most defensible measurement of uncertainty for THC which gives our customers peace of mind and edge to compete in this space.
Russell @ Texas Hemp Reporter:Any final thoughts to fans of hemp and Texas farmers Texas?
Mike @ Sante Labs: Don’t give up, have faith in the system, be patient with labs and regulators, and do due diligence on whom you choose to work with. This applies to the lab you choose as well. Texas farmers that we work with today are some of the most resilient, humble, and intelligent people we’ve had the opportunity to meet – and I want them to learn from mistake of others rather than making their own. The Texas hemp industry is new, and we have incredible leadership working hard to ensure the success of all stakeholders. However, there is much we do not know, and good science and responsible regulations take time. I’m a firm believer if we’re going to succeed as an industry, we must have that pervasiveness in everything we do. My advice…build meaningful relationships with everyone you work with, openly communicate, and collaborate. Your success is our success and vice versa.
Russell @ Texas Hemp Reporter: Mike, thank you for talking with us this month. I look forward to following up with you in a few months and learn how you and Santé Labs have taken care of Texas farmers.
Mike @ Sante Labs:Russell, thank you. Look, the Texas agriculture economy will lead the United States hemp market, and it will all begin with testing. And access to strong science and dependable lab results will be a big part of winning this in the end, and we’re absolutely committed to making that happen. Many farmers we work with today are personal friends of ours, and I admire them a lot. Just like many of our other customers. And I look forward to serving them to our fullest potential.
The inaugural edition of The Texas Hemp Reporter is here. Mailed to all Texas Hemp Growers and industry insiders in Texas. Texan’s have now had seeds in the ground for 1 month growing hemp legally. We will report on the financial impact from this healthy economic change in Texas agricultural law. We invite you to join us in our coverage of Texas rapid Hemp market and have some fun while we all experience this time of industry growth. Thank You for visiting us online at TexasHempReporter.com
This edition is mailed out for free to Hemp Industry insiders and all licensed hemp farmers in Texas. We are also made available completely free in Austin Texas in over 400 locations .
