Florida MMJ patients fight for access, the fate of the bong, talking munchies with a “Top Chef” winner, vaping on the rise and more

Feb. 13: Florida MMJ patients fight for access, the fate of the bong, talking munchies with a “Top Chef” winner, vaping on the rise and more The Cannabist]( [thecannabist.co]( | [@cannabist]( | [fb/cannabist]( [Florida patients fight for access to newly-legalized medical marijuana]( Three months after Florida voters overwhelmingly approved a constitutional amendment on medical marijuana, state health officials and prospective pot-seeking patients are at odds over proposed rules for the new law. State officials have recommended restrictions on what type of patients can qualify for medical marijuana, and where they can obtain it. Their suggestions, however, have prompted a wave of opposition across the state, with nearly 1,300 residents attending what are normally low-key bureaucratic hearings to press for less restricted access to marijuana. “Patients, doctors, caregivers and activists all had a unified message, which is rare,” said Ben Pollara, who is the campaign manager for United for Care. “They want impediments removed and a free marketplace.” [The bong is dead. Long live the bong]( Water pipes have been part of America’s cannabis cultural landscape for decades now. But longtime observers see a trend away from cannabis smoke and toward vaporizing — which heats cannabis flower, oil or concentrate to just below its combustion point, avoiding the irritating effects smoke can have on a consumer’s throat and lungs. Yet there is a growing demand for high-end glass water pipes, as more Americans accept cannabis as part of the mainstream culture. “Bongs have been around for so long that people are very comfortable with them; they know what they are, and they’re familiar,” says one industry insider. [Cooking the books: Colorado pot shop employees accused of embezzling]( Two employees at a southwestern Colorado marijuana dispensary are facing felony charges for allegedly stealing from the store. Police say Timber Higgins and Sheila Castor embezzled more than $12,000 from The Medicine Man marijuana dispensary in Cortez. They’re accused of ringing up phony military discounts of 15 percent, but charging the customers full price and pocketing the difference. [Food & Weed: Snacking and relaxing with chef Hosea Rosenberg]( Don’t leave a bag of chips around chef Hosea Rosenberg. It’s his guilty pleasure and if he has been smoking weed he will eat them all, especially Chili Cheese Fritos. “I get the munchies bad, and I get hungry no matter what I smoke,” says the winner of “Top Chef” season five. Luckily when it comes to keeping his kitchen stocked, the chef and owner of Boulder’s Blackbelly Market never mixes business with pleasure. But outside of work hours, he enjoys sampling new foods while high, and sometimes that combination inspires him in the kitchen. [Mail fail: Alaska pot store raids were prompted by tip from post office]( Alaska marijuana regulators say a tip from the U.S. Postal Service prompted last week's raids on seven pot retail stores. The Alcohol and Marijuana Control Office says it was notified by postal employees about leaking packages containing more than 1,000 vials of cannabidiol oil. Sponsored Content [ATTEND: 4TH ANNUAL CANNABIS BUSINESS SUMMIT & EXPO IN OAKLAND, JUNE 12-14]( Join NCIA at the largest cannabis industry association trade show in the U.S. An event business leaders call “a powerhouse of networking & marketing opportunities.” Prices increase February 14. [Register now]( [Cannabis businesses flood Oregon towns with cold hard cash]( As legalized marijuana brings more business to Oregon, some communities are seeing a large amount of cash in the economy thanks to strict regulations keeping banks away from the businesses. Banking officials say that after years of moving away from cash, financial institutions have seen a recent influx due to the marijuana industry. Dispensaries pay their employees, landlords and lawyers with cash that is then spent in grocery stores and other daily tasks. [From Top Gun pilot to cannabis industry exec]( People are naturally intrigued to learn that cannabis entrepreneur Shane Terry was once an actual Top Gun fighter pilot in the U.S. Air Force. Terry flew combat missions during his decades-long career in the Air Force, and became not just a pilot in the Top Gun program, but an instructor as well. But the time he decided to leave his dream job for a career in the cannabis industry is a great story too. [Vaping on the rise for medical marijuana patients]( According to a recent survey, more and more Californians with medical marijuana prescriptions are trading in their after-work glass of vino for the drug, often in vaporized form. “When we asked people, ‘What do you use for anxiety and stress relief?’ we see they are starting to recognize they get a lot of benefit from cannabis in the evenings,” said Jamie Feaster, vice president of marketing for Eaze, a firm that processes on-demand deliveries. In 2015, only seven percent of Eaze’s customers had ordered a vaporizer cartridge, the survey said. By the end of 2016, 31 percent had ordered one, a 429 percent year-over-year increase. [How one man’s food-drink-cannabis pairing project turned into a TV gig with Viceland]( A pet project helped vault concentrates-loving Ry Prichard to a gig on Viceland. Prichard, using the moniker “TerpQuest,” brought food and beverage together with cannabis in unique ways. “Whether that’s a pairing, whether that’s an infusion, whether it’s a social combination of the two, I just think the same obsession that people feel with beer, with wine, with coffee, with food, with an amazing steak … that level of passion translates directly to cannabis,” Prichard says. [Washington shuts down long-standing grow op for not paying taxes]( Kitsap County’s first marijuana business has been shut down by regulators who alleged the recreational pot grow operation had repeatedly failed to pay its taxes. Agents with the state Liquor and Cannabis Board seized about 2,000 plants and clones from Nine Point Growth Industries. The board says it is the first time the state has seized all the plants from a licensed producer for the producer’s failure to comply with regulations. [Beyond the bud: Are flavored hash oils the next big thing, or are they a bad idea?]( The zesty terpenes in cannabis are being utilized in new ways in one of the latest trends in cannabis vaporizer pens: flavored hash oil. But not everyone is on board with this new twist on infusion. [H2 marijuana review]( The knock on high-CBD strains is the lack of terpenes that give different strains of cannabis their unique flavor, as they tend to be more utilitarian and less stimulating to the palette. In a previous review of Harlequin, our reviewer mentioned a variety of notes he picked up on, but “robust” was not one. In H2 — a new phenotype of Harlequin — what’s notable is the bright sweetness of fresh berries and aloof tartness of unripened lemon to stand up to the oak and pepper, making it a well-rounded smoke. Trichome production has a good deal to do with the change: If the Harlequin trichs were the crowd at Trump’s inauguration, the H2 is the Women’s March. --------------------------------------------------------------- You are receiving this newsletter because you signed up at The Denver Post. Please add "members@mail.denverpost.com" and "members@direct.denverpost.com" to your trusted senders list. To unsubscribe from this mailing, [click here.]( To change your e-mail preferences, [click here](. To view this newsletter on the web [click here.]( The Denver Post 101 West Colfax Ave. Denver, CO 80202