Cannabis News

 

“In the summer of 2019, Jones, living in Atlanta, came to Los Angeles for a visit, and while socializing at restaurants and clubs, was approached by someone from Los Angeles named “Al” who had a “proposition” for Jones to invest in cannabis. Based on what was related, Jones believed it would be a “great opportunity to make legal money outside of [his] profession.” 

Jones returned to Georgia and Al from Los Angeles called and texted Jones “about investing in cannabis.” One day, Jones flew back for a cannabis meeting at Al’s office (location not specified). There Jones met future Genetixs’ chairman, Lamarr House, and other men with whom he would ultimately partner at Genetixs.

At some point that day, House urged Jones to not work with Al because Al “did not have his stuff together.” Instead, (as Jones recounts) House urged Jones to do a business deal with him (House). 

Jones talked to House about the business and House drove him around as they looked at a possible grow site. Thereafter, Jones reached out to friend Roddy White and urged him to come aboard for “an opportunity in the cannabis space.” White, who Jones says trusts him greatly, agreed to do the venture.

Weeks later, House informed Jones and White that he had found a cultivator and his name was “Farmer John”. Jones and White flew back to Los Angeles, to meet the farmer. They were driven from Los Angeles by House and others to Farmer John’s Desert Hot Springs cultivation site. “After seeing the grow,” Jones explained, “they knew” Farmer John “was the man for the job.” After that, those present went into the farmer’s office “and started to negotiate the percentages and how much it would cost to build out and for him to grow the product.”

Sometime after Genetixs LLC was formed in California in March 2020 by House, Jones and White (using the Mississippi LLC, which had been formed in February 2020 for the cannabis deal) invested three million dollars in Genetixs.” 

Read more

Lack of Planning at the Business Formation Stage

The salacious allegations have spread across sports and cannabis platforms, often with huge chunks of the charging document presented as if the allegations are true. Paul Kuharsky, an all-things-NFL-commentator, was interviewed on a sports program in which, in pertinent part, he reminded the viewers, that the story alleged “if true . . . is not a good look for sure” for the sports figures. Kuharsky also added the caution that, in America, “anyone can sue for anything” and that what is happening “could be a sour grapes scenario.”

Sour grapes is an understatement. A big part of the story in the lead up to the July complaint has been ignored: there were two related lawsuits being litigated in different courtrooms in the same courthouse involving overlapping characters and company entities.

Surely, that earlier lawsuit that Jones and White (as SLW Holdings) filed in May 2021 against Genetixs’ management is what prompted Genetixs to alert the world in a publicly filed civil complaint that there was a dispute between grow house partners.

After years of regulatory limbo that allowed registered patients in Georgia to possess—but not purchase—low-THC cannabis oil, the state has established a regulated market and has licensed six businesses to produce and sell the oil.

However, some industry stakeholders question the state’s licensing process and the businesses that ultimately won the right to operate in Georgia’s market.

“The process was relatively secretive for these companies to go out and apply for and receive these licenses,” Ryan Ralston, executive director of Peachtree NORML, told Cannabis Business Times and Cannabis Dispensary.

In 2015, Georgia legalized the possession of cannabis oil containing a maximum of 5% THC. In 2019, Gov. Brian Kemp signed a bill that legalized the production and sale of low-THC cannabis oil in the state, and Ralston said Peachtree NORML followed this legislation closely.

“One of the things that really stuck out to us was the fact that if a grower was going to apply for a Class I or a Class II license, right off the bat, they were going to have to be willing to waive their Fourth Amendment rights,” he said. “Basically, if you were going to operate as a dispensary, you had to sign a Fourth Amendment waiver, allowing local, state, and federal officials and law enforcement officials at any given time to enter your property without a warrant and search your property. That was one of the initial red flags on the legislation that we opposed.”

Another requirement, Ralston added, was that applicants must have upwards of $1.5 million in cash on hand to qualify for a license.

“Basically, what the legislation allowed for was bigger conglomerates to come into Georgia and not [allow] the smaller growers and smaller farmers [to produce] the low-THC oil here in Georgia,” he said.

Many smaller farmers have been cultivating hemp in the state since the passage of the 2014 Farm Bill, Ralston said, and while they may have the infrastructure needed to grow cannabis and produce the low-THC oil, many did not have the required cash on hand to apply for a license.

“If you think about it, 80% of Georgia’s economy is based on agriculture,” Ralston said. “You’re basically shutting out the Georgia farmer, and you’re allowing bigger companies to come in and start buying up land and buying up production, when in fact the smaller business operator has been doing it for more than a decade.”

Sixty-nine companies applied for Georgia’s six cannabis licenses, which were ultimately awarded to Trulieve GA Inc., Botanical Sciences LLC, FFD GA Holdings, TheraTrue Georgia LLC, Natures GA LLC and Treevana Remedy Inc.

Trulieve GA Inc., an affiliate of Florida-based Trulieve Cannabis Corp., and Botanical Sciences LLC, a company located in Glennville, won Class I licenses to grow up to 100,000 square feet of medical cannabis, while the other four companies secured Class II licenses to cultivate up to 50,000 square feet.

Each licensee will be allowed to open five dispensaries to sell their low-THC cannabis oil, which can be recommended to patients for a host of qualifying conditions, including cancer, seizure disorders and multiple sclerosis.

The licensing process and the licensees themselves have been under scrutiny in the weeks since the licenses were awarded.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution points out in a recent report that medical cannabis patients and advocates are questioning how these six companies were chosen following what the news outlet calls a “competitive but secretive selection process by the Georgia Access to Medical Cannabis Commission.”

Also receiving industry backlash is the announcement that former Georgia Congressman and Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price is serving on Botanical Sciences’ board of directors, despite his history of opposition to cannabis policy reform.

“To have a guy who fought so diligently against everything we’ve worked so hard to accomplish here in Georgia and then receive a license, it was a tough pill to swallow,” Allen Peake, a former state representative who helped win the passage of Georgia’s medical cannabis law, and who was denied a license, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “It’s the height of hypocrisy.”

Fifteen rejected applicants have filed protests against the licensing process, the news outlet reported, and Ralston said he foresees lawsuits on the horizon, which could cause further delays in the rollout of the program.

“It’s kind of been a bureaucratic nightmare down here,” he said.

Once the dust settles and licensing is finalized, licensees will have one year to begin operations, meaning that patients are still at least 12 months out from accessing the low-THC cannabis oil.

“It’s just further frustrating to Georgians, specifically to those who are sick, who are suffering and who are potentially dying, and they don’t have access to the low-THC oil,” he said.

The state could continue to struggle with supply to meet patient demand even after the businesses are up and running, Ralston added, especially since each dispensary is only permitted to serve a maximum of 20,000 patients under state law.

“They’ll be geographically scattered throughout the state, but they’ll only be allowed to take care of upwards of 20,000 patients per dispensary, so once … that particular dispensary reaches its allotted number of patients, Georgians are going to be turned away or they’re going to be forced to travel to a dispensary that may be three to five hours away,” he said. “It’s just going to further complicate the issue.”

Georgia currently has roughly 20,000 registered patients, and Ralston expects this number to grow rapidly as the program rolls out.

“What you’re going to see is the demand for these cards skyrocket over the next probably six to eight months, and I just don’t foresee the dispensaries being able to support that,” he said.

It’s not quite worth its weight in gold, but there’s a cannabis rush going on in Oklahoma—for both patients and businesses—and there’s no sign of slowing down.

The number of active patients grew by more than 46,000 during the past year, representing a 14% increase to the current total of nearly 376,000 patients, according to a licensing report released by the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority (OMMA) on Aug. 2. That means roughly 9.4% of the state’s population is actively registered in the medical cannabis program.

Also in the report, Oklahoma has 469 more licensed businesses than this time last year, bringing the active total to 12,598. That list includes 8,625 growers, 2,325 dispensaries and 1,523 processors, in addition to transporters, laboratories and other licensees.

“Oklahoma has one of the largest programs in the country,” the Marijuana Policy Project stated in a policy update released May 3. “Despite the pandemic, the medical cannabis market has been booming, and the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority reports that the state collected over $127 million in state and local taxes from medical cannabis in 2020.”

After voters approved State Question 788 to legalized medical cannabis on June 26, 2018, Oklahoma became the quickest state in the nation to implement an effective medical cannabis law.

Less than two months following S.Q. 788’s passage, Oklahoma opened its application process for businesses and patients—OMMA received 366 patient applications and 205 commercial applications in the first hour of opening its portal. In all, 23 people were approved for medical cannabis licenses on the first day. The first sales began about a month after that.

While the state’s program has continued to grow under unlimited licenses, the Oklahoma Legislature recently passed a bill that would direct the OMMA to conduct on-site compliance inspections with medical cannabis dispensary, processor and grower licensees beginning Sept. 1. The purpose of the compliance directive is to ensure business licensees are actively operating or working toward operational status, according to the bill’s text. Upon expiration of a grace period, the OMMA can terminate any licenses if certain standards are not met.

In addition, the legislation, which Gov. Kevin Stitt approved May 18, also requires medical cannabis businesses to complete an ownership attestation—disclosing the existence of any foreign financial interests and the identity of such ownership, if applicable—with the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs (OBNDD) by Aug. 30. New licensees have 60 days to comply. Failure to do so will result in the loss of OMMA licenses.

To apply for a license in Oklahoma, 75% of the ownership must be held by someone who has lived in the state for a minimum of two years; however, illicit operations have emerged through a loophole—companies are hiring “ghost owners” to obtain licenses. That’s one reason some state lawmakers have drafted new regulations for the industry.

RELATED: Struggles With Illicit Cannabis Operations Affecting Local Growers

The House sponsor for Senate Bill 1033, Republican Rep. Scott Fetgatter backed the legislation because it allows the OBNDD and the OMMA to enter into agreements to hire more agents, he said in a press release. The governor approved the bill on May 28.

“In 2018, we bought the ticket and took the ride when it came to medical marijuana in Oklahoma,” Fetgatter said. “There weren’t many regulations and stakeholders on all sides of the issue have been looking for structure. This industry has blossomed over the past three years, and we have been working to make sure there are structures in place to regulate and help give guidance to those working within it. I’m proud that this session we were able to pass so many important pieces of legislation that do just that.”

Despite illegal operations, Oklahoma collected $90.7 million in medical cannabis taxes during the first seven months of 2021, including $12.6 million in July, according to OMMA. At that pace, Oklahoma will surpass $155 million of medical cannabis taxes collected this year—a 22% increase from 2020.

While Oklahoma was the 30th state to legalize medical cannabis in 2018, it now has one of the largest programs in the country. And it’s still growing.

It’s not quite worth its weight in gold, but there’s a cannabis rush going on in Oklahoma—for both patients and businesses—and there’s no sign of slowing down.

The number of active patients grew by more than 46,000 during the past year, representing a 14% increase to the current total of nearly 376,000 patients, according to a licensing report released by the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority (OMMA) on Aug. 2. That means roughly 9.4% of the state’s population is actively registered in the medical cannabis program.

Also in the report, Oklahoma has 469 more licensed businesses than this time last year, bringing the active total to 12,598. That list includes 8,625 growers, 2,325 dispensaries and 1,523 processors, in addition to transporters, laboratories and other licensees.

“Oklahoma has one of the largest programs in the country,” the Marijuana Policy Project stated in a policy update released May 3. “Despite the pandemic, the medical cannabis market has been booming, and the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority reports that the state collected over $127 million in state and local taxes from medical cannabis in 2020.”

After voters approved State Question 788 to legalized medical cannabis on June 26, 2018, Oklahoma became the quickest state in the nation to implement an effective medical cannabis law.

Less than two months following S.Q. 788’s passage, Oklahoma opened its application process for businesses and patients—OMMA received 366 patient applications and 205 commercial applications in the first hour of opening its portal. In all, 23 people were approved for medical cannabis licenses on the first day. The first sales began about a month after that.

While the state’s program has continued to grow under unlimited licenses, the Oklahoma Legislature recently passed a bill that would direct the OMMA to conduct on-site compliance inspections with medical cannabis dispensary, processor and grower licensees beginning Sept. 1. The purpose of the compliance directive is to ensure business licensees are actively operating or working toward operational status, according to the bill’s text. Upon expiration of a grace period, the OMMA can terminate any licenses if certain standards are not met.

In addition, the legislation, which Gov. Kevin Stitt approved May 18, also requires medical cannabis businesses to complete an ownership attestation—disclosing the existence of any foreign financial interests and the identity of such ownership, if applicable—with the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs (OBNDD) by Aug. 30. New licensees have 60 days to comply. Failure to do so will result in the loss of OMMA licenses.

To apply for a license in Oklahoma, 75% of the ownership must be held by someone who has lived in the state for a minimum of two years; however, illicit operations have emerged through a loophole—companies are hiring “ghost owners” to obtain licenses. That’s one reason some state lawmakers have drafted new regulations for the industry.

RELATED: Struggles With Illicit Cannabis Operations Affecting Local Growers

The House sponsor for Senate Bill 1033, Republican Rep. Scott Fetgatter backed the legislation because it allows the OBNDD and the OMMA to enter into agreements to hire more agents, he said in a press release. The governor approved the bill on May 28.

“In 2018, we bought the ticket and took the ride when it came to medical marijuana in Oklahoma,” Fetgatter said. “There weren’t many regulations and stakeholders on all sides of the issue have been looking for structure. This industry has blossomed over the past three years, and we have been working to make sure there are structures in place to regulate and help give guidance to those working within it. I’m proud that this session we were able to pass so many important pieces of legislation that do just that.”

Despite illegal operations, Oklahoma collected $90.7 million in medical cannabis taxes during the first seven months of 2021, including $12.6 million in July, according to OMMA. At that pace, Oklahoma will surpass $155 million of medical cannabis taxes collected this year—a 22% increase from 2020.

While Oklahoma was the 30th state to legalize medical cannabis in 2018, it now has one of the largest programs in the country. And it’s still growing.

It’s not quite worth its weight in gold, but there’s a cannabis rush going on in Oklahoma—for both patients and businesses—and there’s no sign of slowing down.

The number of active patients grew by more than 46,000 during the past year, representing a 14% increase to the current total of nearly 376,000 patients, according to a licensing report released by the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority (OMMA) on Aug. 2. That means roughly 9.4% of the state’s population is actively registered in the medical cannabis program.

Also in the report, Oklahoma has 469 more licensed businesses than this time last year, bringing the active total to 12,598. That list includes 8,625 growers, 2,325 dispensaries and 1,523 processors, in addition to transporters, laboratories and other licensees.

“Oklahoma has one of the largest programs in the country,” the Marijuana Policy Project stated in a policy update released May 3. “Despite the pandemic, the medical cannabis market has been booming, and the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority reports that the state collected over $127 million in state and local taxes from medical cannabis in 2020.”

After voters approved State Question 788 to legalized medical cannabis on June 26, 2018, Oklahoma became the quickest state in the nation to implement an effective medical cannabis law.

Less than two months following S.Q. 788’s passage, Oklahoma opened its application process for businesses and patients—OMMA received 366 patient applications and 205 commercial applications in the first hour of opening its portal. In all, 23 people were approved for medical cannabis licenses on the first day. The first sales began about a month after that.

While the state’s program has continued to grow under unlimited licenses, the Oklahoma Legislature recently passed a bill that would direct the OMMA to conduct on-site compliance inspections with medical cannabis dispensary, processor and grower licensees beginning Sept. 1. The purpose of the compliance directive is to ensure business licensees are actively operating or working toward operational status, according to the bill’s text. Upon expiration of a grace period, the OMMA can terminate any licenses if certain standards are not met.

In addition, the legislation, which Gov. Kevin Stitt approved May 18, also requires medical cannabis businesses to complete an ownership attestation—disclosing the existence of any foreign financial interests and the identity of such ownership, if applicable—with the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs (OBNDD) by Aug. 30. New licensees have 60 days to comply. Failure to do so will result in the loss of OMMA licenses.

To apply for a license in Oklahoma, 75% of the ownership must be held by someone who has lived in the state for a minimum of two years; however, illicit operations have emerged through a loophole—companies are hiring “ghost owners” to obtain licenses. That’s one reason some state lawmakers have drafted new regulations for the industry.

RELATED: Struggles With Illicit Cannabis Operations Affecting Local Growers

The House sponsor for Senate Bill 1033, Republican Rep. Scott Fetgatter backed the legislation because it allows the OBNDD and the OMMA to enter into agreements to hire more agents, he said in a press release. The governor approved the bill on May 28.

“In 2018, we bought the ticket and took the ride when it came to medical marijuana in Oklahoma,” Fetgatter said. “There weren’t many regulations and stakeholders on all sides of the issue have been looking for structure. This industry has blossomed over the past three years, and we have been working to make sure there are structures in place to regulate and help give guidance to those working within it. I’m proud that this session we were able to pass so many important pieces of legislation that do just that.”

Despite illegal operations, Oklahoma collected $90.7 million in medical cannabis taxes during the first seven months of 2021, including $12.6 million in July, according to OMMA. At that pace, Oklahoma will surpass $155 million of medical cannabis taxes collected this year—a 22% increase from 2020.

While Oklahoma was the 30th state to legalize medical cannabis in 2018, it now has one of the largest programs in the country. And it’s still growing.

It’s not quite worth its weight in gold, but there’s a cannabis rush going on in Oklahoma—for both patients and businesses—and there’s no sign of slowing down.

The number of active patients grew by more than 46,000 during the past year, representing a 14% increase to the current total of nearly 376,000 patients, according to a licensing report released by the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority (OMMA) on Aug. 2. That means roughly 9.4% of the state’s population is actively registered in the medical cannabis program.

Also in the report, Oklahoma has 469 more licensed businesses than this time last year, bringing the active total to 12,598. That list includes 8,625 growers, 2,325 dispensaries and 1,523 processors, in addition to transporters, laboratories and other licensees.

“Oklahoma has one of the largest programs in the country,” the Marijuana Policy Project stated in a policy update released May 3. “Despite the pandemic, the medical cannabis market has been booming, and the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority reports that the state collected over $127 million in state and local taxes from medical cannabis in 2020.”

After voters approved State Question 788 to legalized medical cannabis on June 26, 2018, Oklahoma became the quickest state in the nation to implement an effective medical cannabis law.

Less than two months following S.Q. 788’s passage, Oklahoma opened its application process for businesses and patients—OMMA received 366 patient applications and 205 commercial applications in the first hour of opening its portal. In all, 23 people were approved for medical cannabis licenses on the first day. The first sales began about a month after that.

While the state’s program has continued to grow under unlimited licenses, the Oklahoma Legislature recently passed a bill that would direct the OMMA to conduct on-site compliance inspections with medical cannabis dispensary, processor and grower licensees beginning Sept. 1. The purpose of the compliance directive is to ensure business licensees are actively operating or working toward operational status, according to the bill’s text. Upon expiration of a grace period, the OMMA can terminate any licenses if certain standards are not met.

In addition, the legislation, which Gov. Kevin Stitt approved May 18, also requires medical cannabis businesses to complete an ownership attestation—disclosing the existence of any foreign financial interests and the identity of such ownership, if applicable—with the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs (OBNDD) by Aug. 30. New licensees have 60 days to comply. Failure to do so will result in the loss of OMMA licenses.

To apply for a license in Oklahoma, 75% of the ownership must be held by someone who has lived in the state for a minimum of two years; however, illicit operations have emerged through a loophole—companies are hiring “ghost owners” to obtain licenses. That’s one reason some state lawmakers have drafted new regulations for the industry.

RELATED: Struggles With Illicit Cannabis Operations Affecting Local Growers

The House sponsor for Senate Bill 1033, Republican Rep. Scott Fetgatter backed the legislation because it allows the OBNDD and the OMMA to enter into agreements to hire more agents, he said in a press release. The governor approved the bill on May 28.

“In 2018, we bought the ticket and took the ride when it came to medical marijuana in Oklahoma,” Fetgatter said. “There weren’t many regulations and stakeholders on all sides of the issue have been looking for structure. This industry has blossomed over the past three years, and we have been working to make sure there are structures in place to regulate and help give guidance to those working within it. I’m proud that this session we were able to pass so many important pieces of legislation that do just that.”

Despite illegal operations, Oklahoma collected $90.7 million in medical cannabis taxes during the first seven months of 2021, including $12.6 million in July, according to OMMA. At that pace, Oklahoma will surpass $155 million of medical cannabis taxes collected this year—a 22% increase from 2020.

While Oklahoma was the 30th state to legalize medical cannabis in 2018, it now has one of the largest programs in the country. And it’s still growing.

Glass House Farms recently launched a new 1:1 cultivar in partnership with FRB Genetics, providing the California cannabis market with a flower product that dials in the THC and CBD ratio pretty evenly. It’s called Tangelo Flo, and it’s finding its way to the market at a time when industry stakeholders and consumers are having in-depth conversations about potency, chemical profiles and minor cannabinoids.

Tangelo Flo offers a balanced cannabinoid profile (a “type-II” chemotype, in parlance that’s making its way into the commercial space, meaning one that features a mixed-ratio cannabinoid profile). Even as high-THC cultivars and products continue to top the sales charts, industry chatter is keen on a more balanced suite of chemicals. That’s where FRB Genetics’ R&D work has taken the team, led by Reggie Gaudino. 

A cross of Green Crack and Cherry Wine, the new cultivar boasts approximately 31% total cannabinoids and a rich, citrus-forward mango flavor. Green Crack is a THC heavyweight, and Cherry Wine is a popular hemp variety.

Courtesy of FRB Genetics

Front Range Biosciences runs a marker-assisted hemp breeding program, and the Cherry Wine options were fairly limitless for the FRB Genetics team. (FRB Genetics licenses the breeding technology from Front Range Biosciences, which is not a plant-touching company.) Gaudino’s wanted to showcase some of the good work being done on those hemp varieties—and perhaps usher those genetics into the broader adult-use cannabis space.

The Cherry Wine side of the equation posed an interesting challenge, because Gaudino’s team was looking for a high CBD producer that could also remain compliant as a hemp variety (clocking in under 0.3% THC content). That’s no small task. This process involved thousands of seeds and countless hours spent observing the different Cherry Wine plants. They landed on an ideal phenotype, one that brought a robust plant structure and healthy yield to the breeding process with Green Crack’s THC powerhouse lineage.

The parent plants here offered a vitality that would make growers’ jobs much easier—something that’s important when bringing commercial considerations into the breeding process.

“It finishes relatively quickly, so it’s good to work with in a commercial cannabis environment,” Gaudino says.

 

At Glass House Farms, that commercial cannabis environment spans more than 500,000 square feet of greenhouse space in southern California. Glass House Brands President and Chief Cannabis Officer Graham Farrar says that Tangelo Flo has been a  manageable cultivator—relatively simple to grow, easy on the eyes. More importantly, thought, Farrar is excited to get something like this onto store shelves. He says there’s a broad swath of consumers who are looking for products with this sort of chemical profile.

“Daily, everyday cannabis—I call it the ‘missing middle,’” he says. “We either have connoisseurs—people who have been here for 20 years and they jump through all the hoops and they go to the doctor to get their medical card—or we have the people who just walked in the door and they don’t know, in tequila parlance, 1942 from Jose Cuervo, right? My belief is that the middle is going to show up.”

Lower THC, higher CBD, a more even-keeled ensemble of effects: There’s a certain convenience and simplicity in a cultivar like that. Tangelo Flo is one of the early steps forward into that variation in the cannabis marketplace.

As for what’s next from FRB Genetics? This certainly won’t be the last 1:1 cultivar the team delivers. And Gaudino hints at more to come: “Besides this 1:1, we actually have a number of other 1:1s that are in the pipeline of development, which are based on trying to track down very specific terpene profiles that are very rare in the cannabis industry,” he says.

Glass House Farms recently launched a new 1:1 cultivar in partnership with FRB Genetics, providing the California cannabis market with a flower product that dials in the THC and CBD ratio pretty evenly. It’s called Tangelo Flo, and it’s finding its way to the market at a time when industry stakeholders and consumers are having in-depth conversations about potency, chemical profiles and minor cannabinoids.

Tangelo Flo offers a balanced cannabinoid profile (a “type-II” chemotype, in parlance that’s making its way into the commercial space, meaning one that features a mixed-ratio cannabinoid profile). Even as high-THC cultivars and products continue to top the sales charts, industry chatter is keen on a more balanced suite of chemicals. That’s where FRB Genetics’ R&D work has taken the team, led by Reggie Gaudino. 

A cross of Green Crack and Cherry Wine, the new cultivar boasts approximately 31% total cannabinoids and a rich, citrus-forward mango flavor. Green Crack is a THC heavyweight, and Cherry Wine is a popular hemp variety.

Courtesy of FRB Genetics

Front Range Biosciences runs a marker-assisted hemp breeding program, and the Cherry Wine options were fairly limitless for the FRB Genetics team. (FRB Genetics licenses the breeding technology from Front Range Biosciences, which is not a plant-touching company.) Gaudino’s wanted to showcase some of the good work being done on those hemp varieties—and perhaps usher those genetics into the broader adult-use cannabis space.

The Cherry Wine side of the equation posed an interesting challenge, because Gaudino’s team was looking for a high CBD producer that could also remain compliant as a hemp variety (clocking in under 0.3% THC content). That’s no small task. This process involved thousands of seeds and countless hours spent observing the different Cherry Wine plants. They landed on an ideal phenotype, one that brought a robust plant structure and healthy yield to the breeding process with Green Crack’s THC powerhouse lineage.

The parent plants here offered a vitality that would make growers’ jobs much easier—something that’s important when bringing commercial considerations into the breeding process.

“It finishes relatively quickly, so it’s good to work with in a commercial cannabis environment,” Gaudino says.

 

At Glass House Farms, that commercial cannabis environment spans more than 500,000 square feet of greenhouse space in southern California. Glass House Brands President and Chief Cannabis Officer Graham Farrar says that Tangelo Flo has been a  manageable cultivator—relatively simple to grow, easy on the eyes. More importantly, thought, Farrar is excited to get something like this onto store shelves. He says there’s a broad swath of consumers who are looking for products with this sort of chemical profile.

“Daily, everyday cannabis—I call it the ‘missing middle,’” he says. “We either have connoisseurs—people who have been here for 20 years and they jump through all the hoops and they go to the doctor to get their medical card—or we have the people who just walked in the door and they don’t know, in tequila parlance, 1942 from Jose Cuervo, right? My belief is that the middle is going to show up.”

Lower THC, higher CBD, a more even-keeled ensemble of effects: There’s a certain convenience and simplicity in a cultivar like that. Tangelo Flo is one of the early steps forward into that variation in the cannabis marketplace.

As for what’s next from FRB Genetics? This certainly won’t be the last 1:1 cultivar the team delivers. And Gaudino hints at more to come: “Besides this 1:1, we actually have a number of other 1:1s that are in the pipeline of development, which are based on trying to track down very specific terpene profiles that are very rare in the cannabis industry,” he says.