The marijuana market - or shall we say, cannabis market - has come a long, long way since the war on drugs was initially launched in the 1970s. Though there is a great deal of variance about how marijuana laws are treated in different states, the sheer amount of progress that the pro-cannabis community has experienced over the past few decades is undeniable. While the decriminalization of marijuana was once a huge step for now-legal states, recreational pot shops are starting to become as commonplace as medical marijuana dispensaries. Really, these are very interesting times that we live in, and True Blue Terpenes is proud to be involved in the industry by providing high-quality, non-psychoactive food-grade cannabis terpenes and other natural flavors. As always, our cannabis terpenes and natural flavorings are completely safe for consumption, never made with synthetic carrier agents like propylene glycol, and contain no THC or CBD.
Terpenes That You Can Rely On and Trust
Now, while the burgeoning cannabis industry presents many exciting entrepreneurial and health-based opportunities, there have, unfortunately, also been some drawbacks. From shady manufacturing practices to illegitimate growing methods and blatantly false labeling, the legal cannabis industry is still far from perfect. Due to the quality and overall high standards of our cannabis terpenes here at True Blue Terpenes, we think that it’s important to identify and address some of these issues within the marijuana industry. That’s the topic of today’s blog post, but as always, if you have any questions about our food-grade terpenes, feel free to get in touch with us.
Using Harmful Chemicals During Cultivation
Not unlike produce and other products that are grown from soil, synthetic and harmful chemicals are being used to grow and cultivate cannabis. These chemicals include things like fungicides, pesticides, and various nutrients used by growers, though the practice of using these chemicals is not as common as growing marijuana “organically.” Sure enough, however, chemical giants like Scotts Miracle-Gro are cashing in on the growing cannabis market by buying up smaller ancillary grow businesses.
Now, it’s unclear as to if the company will be using all-natural, high-quality products as opposed to less-than-organic methods, but many people harbor a sense of distrust in Scotts due to their association with Monsanto. As a longtime marketing arm of Monsanto, consumers and industry professionals alike are concerned about Monsanto’s widespread use of GMOs, or Genetically Modified Organisms. Politics aside, it will be interesting as growing companies are held to stricter levels of accountability in the near future. At least, we imagine that will be the case.
False Labeling
It’s not necessarily uncommon to see false or incredibly misleading labeling on consumer products. Unfortunately, it’s not necessarily uncommon to see this in recreational and medical marijuana dispensaries as well. While consumer safety organizations and divisions work hard to protect the consumer and call out companies who falsely label their products, it’s a shame that this is happening in the first place.
In the cannabis industry, false labeling is most common with different strain names. Sad but true, both cultivators and retailers sometimes sell less popular or unidentified varieties of cannabis labeled as popular strain names in order to charge higher prices or boost sales. In other instances, certain plants are accidentally mislabeled during cultivation and sold under the wrong name. Here and there, producers will even go as far as making up new strain names for to make up for poor-quality harvests of a particular strain. That way, the producers can sell inferior quality product to consumers while maintaining the reputation of the strain in question.
Veterans Still Have Difficulty Accessing Medicinal Cannabis
It’s true, and unfortunately, we doubt that this problem will go away next week, next month, or even next year. While recent legislation has made it legal for doctors to prescribe medical marijuana to veterans in the United States, the law only allows safe access in states that have a regulated medical marijuana program. This means that veterans in 21 states across the country are being denied access to medicine that would otherwise benefit them, and that’s after the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs officially acknowledged the therapeutic benefits of cannabis in the treatment of PTSD. Of course, as society progresses this issue is slated to change, but it paints a painfully accurate picture of how flawed the industry still is.
“Budtenders” Lack Knowledge and Passion For Their Products
If you don’t know, budtenders are essentially the bartenders of the legal cannabis industry, working behind the counter at recreational and medical dispensaries to serve customers and patients alike. Now, while some people walk into a dispensary and know exactly what they want, others are next to clueless, relying on the budtenders expertise to guide them toward the right strain, edible, concentrate, and so forth. Imagine walking into a bar and ordering something basic like a margarita or whiskey sour, only to have the bartender look at you with a stupefied expression. If that’s how dispensaries both medical and recreational are being represented, then there’s certainly a problem there.
Terpenes That You Can Trust
So, what’s our point here? Our point is that, in a market not exempt from shady practices, it’s nice to trust a brand for their quality and purity. From our natural weed flavor drops to cannabis terpenes, True Blue doesn’t cut corners with our products. We thank you for tuning into another cannabis-related blog post, and encourage you to check out the True Blue difference for yourself by shopping our terpenes today!