The Canadian government has released a new set of temporary regulations following public input, which is meant to guide LPs (licensed producers) with their preparations for legal sales of cannabis, currently set for a July rollout. The rules also set limits for “micro-cultivators”.

Like most governing bodies making moves to liberalize cannabis laws, Canada is working hard to ensure that cannabis is as unsexy as possible, probably in the vain hope this will somehow slow cannabis consumption, prevent teen pregnancy, and finally end the opiate epidemic.

In this case, new packaging rules have come out for Canadian cannabis businesses, and apparently cannabis is intended to look as boring as the regulations which government its appearance. Packaging for cannabis must be plain and issued with health warnings.

– Sorry, Health Canada, unattractive packaging isn’t going to stop cannabis use either.

From CBC:

The regulations state cannabis packaging can’t display florescent or metallic “colours and the colours that are used must contrast with those of the official cannabis symbol — meant to warn the consumer about the presence of marijuana’s active ingredients — and the yellow background of the Health Canada warnings.

“The proposed restrictions also stipulate that only one additional branding element – aside from the brand name itself – can be displayed on the tamper-proof and child-proof packaging. If that additional element is a slogan, the lettering can’t be bigger than the font of the health warning, while any logo must be the same size as, or smaller than, the standardized cannabis symbol.
“The federal government is also banning inserts inside the cannabis packages themselves — a rule meant to prevent producers and processors from getting around the limits on branding and marketing.”

Health Canada is also requiring labels that include warnings for youth and pregnant women, caution against operating machinery or driving a car, and notices about mental health and addiction.

The new rules also give clearer definitions of “micro-cultivator” and “micro-processor”, restricting plant canopies to 200 square meters for micro-cultivators, and placing an annual limit of 600 kilograms of dried plant to be produced by a “micro-processor”.

Business dealing with marijuana is rapidly developing by states that have recently legalized the plant which is not only the product for smoking. Food that is made of cannabis is in great demand. Mechanisms of perception of psychoactive and other substances in cannabis are quite different if it is eaten or smoked. The fact is that in the process of digestion your liver communicates with tetrahydrocannabinol, and at the output there is another compound which is lighter and it penetrates faster through the blood-brain barrier. Therefore food that is prepared of cannabis may compete with the traditional way of its using. The impact is more powerful and long.  When smoking, active substances do not pass through your stomach and liver, they are adjudged directly into the bloodstream through the lungs. The smoker “gets high” faster, but the action is shorter and less intense. The strangest thing is that when smoking your circulatory system absorbs about 60% of psychoactive substances, and in oral use it is maximum of 10-20%. But as the liver “modifies” normal tetrahydrocannabinol, anyway the food prepared of cannabis is stronger. The effect can last for a few hours!

Archaeologists have unearthed a couple of smoking bongs, made of pure gold aged of 2400 years. Ancient accessories were used by tribal leaders for burning a mixture of opium and cannabis. They were found together with a number of other Scythian gold items, weighing about four kilograms. The discovery took place randomly in the south of Russia. There were planned excavation of land to restore the integrity of local transmission lines. After detailing there was invited a group of archaeologists who had unearthed these priceless artifacts. Golden smoking bongs, as well as other items belonged to Scythians, nomadic warlike people who did not build cities or walls, they were always traveling. At that time, Scythians governed broadly, almost all Eurasia, such a vast continent was ruled by nomads. The only Scythian man-made buildings are huge stone massifs, which they put on the grave of a dead comrade. One of such graves represents, though destroyed and buried under centuries-old layer of earth – golden and beautiful all-metal smoking bongs. All other decorations are also similar but in this context we are primarily interested in them. Mounds are located in many countries of Eurasia, there are especially many Mongolian mounds.

New York City is going to choose the next mayor and irrespective of who wins marijuana decriminalization would be supported.

This Tuesday, The District of Columbia city council placed a cannabis legalization bill. This bill would allow the possession of small amounts of cannabis for those over 21 and also would regulate marijuana business activities.

Last week Colorado became the first state in the United States of America to adopt rules and regulations concerning recreational marijuana commercial activities.

Washington state lawmakers are meant to limit growing marijuana industry and want to minimize the space for cultivation of recreational marijuana at 2 million square feet.

A Forum Research poll has demonstrated that Canadian people would like the country`s marijuana laws to be reformed.

A bill expanding the number of cannabis strains for medical marijuana patients and allowing kids to be treated with medical cannabis with a doctor`s referral was vetoed by New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. He stated that he would sign it in case it would be indicated that children could obtain medical marijuana treatment only with a psychiatrist`s and a pediatrician`s referral.

On Wednesday, Democratic Governor John Kitzhaber signed a bill into law which authorizes medical marijuana dispensaries. So now Oregon Medical Marijuana Program is expended to allow the licensing and regulating of medical marijuana dispensaries.