Whether you’re a seasoned user or just beginning to explore cannabis’ endless possibilities, there is nothing wrong with understanding how it affects your body.
However, make sure to inform your doctor and be honest about your cannabis intake to maximize its healing properties. You may want to contact your local dispensary at (970) 515-5839 if you have additional questions about how long cannabis lingers in your system. ​

"Smokey’s 420 is a small, mom-and-pop shop located in the tiny township of Garden City, Colo., next to Greeley. 

COO Melinda Kadinger, who joined Smokey’s 420 in 2014, the year recreational cannabis became legal in the state, said the company’s first priority was to be compliant with the rules of Colorado’s Marijuana Enforcement Division. 

But within a year, Kadinger had taken on a more environmental perspective. 

For instance, she didn’t like using synthetic materials to grow the plant or the amount of waste at the end of the process. So she convinced Smokey’s to take a leap of faith and grow cannabis plants in actual soil, not hydroponic foam-like cubes, or soilless medium, that is thrown out after harvest. This soil is reused and grows richer with each harvest, and provides homes to worms and a variety of helpful insects.

That transition took three to four months, and getting comfortable with the new operation took up to a year. Just five years later, in 2019, Smokey’s was recognized at the last Cannabis Sustainability Symposium for its sustainability practices. 

Most growers don’t use this process because it is initially not as efficient, and the use of living soil takes know-how and investment to do it well. 

“This is doable. You don't need billions of dollars to do these small little steps to be more sustainable,” said Kadinger. “But converting to living soil is jumping into the deep end and hoping you know how to swim.” 

‘Under the microscope’
In many states, there is also a gray area between what is a legal and approved growing practice and what is not — and most businesses don’t want to chance being shut down over trying something new. 

“You're under the microscope of the entire nation waiting for you to do something wrong,” Kadinger said. 

But it ends up paying off over time, she said. These practices also lead to what Kadinger and others believe is a superior  — and safer — product.

Kadinger still worries about the direction of the larger industry’s environmental impacts, especially the implications of federal legalization.

Her hope is that new businesses in states that have yet to legalize don’t have to go through this same experimental process to operate sustainably — and could instead learn directly from what Colorado has achieved. 

Despite her award-winning efforts, Kadinger still worries about the direction of the larger industry’s environmental impacts, especially the implications of federal legalization (see related story, “Why an Unregulated Pot Business May Be Bad for the Environment”).

“It's not more expensive necessarily to be sustainable or grow in living soil, but it's not as easy,” she points out.

With millions of dollars pouring into the industry, what keeps her up at night is that states and businesses will take the easy road, and not the sustainable path. 

“It could just end up being one more industry that is horrible for the environment,” she said. 
​
Kelsey Simpkins is a writer, photographer and artist with a master’s degree in journalism. She works for the University of Colorado Boulder as a science and news writer, and media relations specialist." 

Simpkins, Kelsey. “Smokey's 420 Gets the 'Dirt' on Pot Crop.” Society of Environmental Journalists , 6 May 2020, https://www.sej.org/publications/features/smokey-s-420-gets-dirt-pot-crop. 

Smokey’s 420 House Garden City, Colorado
Inside a concrete and corrugated metal building in Garden City, Colo., are three rooms where Smokey’s 420 House grows 18 strains of cannabis for two medical dispensaries and a retail store. The former artist’s studio was modified extensively to meet state regulations for cultivation.

“Since I came on board 18 months ago, our No. 1 mandate has been preventing contamination,” says master grower and grow operations manager Scott Brady. To keep things contaminant-free, Smokey’s eliminated products with paper backing, wood products or drywall, and replaced them with more washable surfaces. Smokey’s also adopted SOG growing methods. Everything is moved and cleaned at once to maintain an immaculate growing environment.

In an industry ripe with regulatory changes, Smokey’s experience with construction, process documentation and quality improvements has provided a good foundation for their expanding business. Here, Brady shares a few hints for getting the most out of a harvest.

8. Have standard operating procedures (SOPs). One careless person can carry powdery mildew on his shoes and jeopardize an entire harvest. Smokey’s addresses this by using SOPs designed to keep workspaces and floors clean. That’s why Brady emphasizes the importance of hiring people with strong work ethics and perfectionist tendencies. When employees are properly trained to develop and observe SOPs on everything from spraying to cleaning, they can have a positive effect on quality and yield. At Smokey’s, written SOPs ensure that everyone follows the same practices every time, Brady says.

9. There are no shortcuts to better yields. “I wish there was a magic bullet that would give us another 5 to 20 percent yield ...,” he says. Being ready to respond to all the variables is perhaps the only universal cultivation rule, in Brady’s opinion. He is an advocate for tending every plant to evaluate its needs.

10. Identify strains with common growing schedules. Smokey’s cultivates plants with three distinct gestations: eight weeks, nine weeks and 10 weeks. Brady and his team are always looking for new strains and have discovered many nine-week strains with similar needs, which could result in healthier plants and better yields. “I’m considering growing all nine-week plants, so we can lose a week of gestation and gain an extra harvest at the end of the year,” he says.

11. Keep fastidious records. Smokey’s tracks temperature, humidity, CO2 and other factors three times a day. Those records help them understand how small changes affect the grow. Example: Smokey’s experimented with lighting and found a Gavita bulb that offered a slightly bigger lighting footprint than a typical 1,000-watt high pressure sodium bulb without harming yield. “We’re using that data to find the sweet spot for lighting in each room,” Brady says.

View the full article here: https://www.cannabisbusinesstimes.com/article/31-ways-to-grow-smarter-and-maximize-yield/

Hammon, Crystal. “31 Ways to Grow Smarter and Maximize Yield: Updated.” Cannabis Business Times, Cannabis Business Times, 16 Dec. 2019, https://www.cannabisbusinesstimes.com/article/31-ways-to-grow-smarter-and-maximize-yield/. 

It's been over five years since the legalized marijuana market launched in Colorado. This week, KUNC's Colorado Edition produced a series of reports on what we know about the marijuana industry in our state. 

Ken Amundson, the managing editor of BizWest, joined us to discuss the current and future state of the industry. KUNC's Esther Honig talked about the state of the illegal market, and Dan Mika, reporter for BizWest, talked about future national legislation and what this could mean for the industry. 

THE STATE OF THE LEGAL MARKET

Erin O'Toole: Five years after recreational cannabis for adults was legalized, where do things stand for the marijuana industry in Colorado?   

Ken Amundson: There's been substantial growth in that industry from various sectors. It has kind of changed how Americans — and Coloradans in particular — perceive that industry. The acceptance is overwhelming.

Let's talk sales and usage. What do the numbers say? 
It's a very regulated industry — everyone has to have a license to operate. And there are 41,000 people who have applied to work in the industry. There are 3,000 business licenses in Colorado. That would include dispensaries, grow operations, processing plants and that sort of thing.
  
What products are selling the most?   
Cannabis that can be smoked is still the most popular, probably, but edibles are gaining on that. And gummy bears are the most popular edible. 

How much has the state gotten in tax revenue — and where is that money going? 
A billion dollars has been raised since 2014; and $266 million annually is what the state tax revenue is. That looks like a big number but it's really a drop in the bucket when it's compared to the state budget, which is $32 billion. 
 
But to line that out, there are three different areas where the state derives tax revenue. One would be a 15% excise tax, and most of that money — in fact all of that money — goes to schools, most of it to capital construction and some of it to operations for schools. Then there's a 15% special sales tax on retail marijuana – this does not apply to medical marijuana, just recreational, retail marijuana. And 90% of that goes to the state government, 10% goes to local governments. And of the state's 90% share, about 12% of that goes to schools, 15% goes into the general fund, and 71% goes into the so-called "Marijuana Tax Cash Fund." 

And of course, the standard sales tax, 2.9%, is also charged, and all that money goes into the Marijuana Tax Cash Fund. And that's used for health, substance abuse, health education, that sort of thing. 
​
What are the projections, going forward, for the industry? 
Well, as I mentioned, there's anticipated a 14% growth in sales of marijuana over the next six years – 14% each year for the next six years. That projection does not anticipate the addition of other states legalizing marijuana, nor does it anticipate changes after the 2020 elections. If there's a change at the federal level that would make things less difficult for businesses, perhaps that would grow even more. 

THE STATE OF THE ILLEGAL MARKET

Henry Zimmerman: Despite marijuana being legal, there is still a black market. Can you explain why?  

Esther Honig: So there’s still a black market, and in the simplest terms it’s there because marijuana is still illegal federally. So there are many states where it’s still heavily restricted, and there’s a market there for illegal marijuana, so I can grow marijuana in Colorado, I can ship it, or get someone to transport it for me across several states, and then it’s going to sell for three to four times the value that it would in Colorado. There is just so much money to be made that it’s an easy opportunity for any entrepreneur, so to speak, who’s willing to take that risk. 

What do we know about how big the black market really is?  
What’s really interesting about any sort of illegal industry honestly, is that you’re really only going to know how big it is depending on the resources that you can dedicate to tracking it down.  

I spoke to George Brauchler. He’s the district attorney with the 18th Judicial District, so that’s in Denver, he gets most of these cases in his district. So they track down a lot of illegal marijuana operators in their area; they have more cases than any other district. But he admits it’s also because they have more funding to go after it, compared to a rural county. Here’s what he said:

“We have a thriving black market here in the 18th Judicial District, but not just here, my guess is all over the state.” 

I’ve talked to folks in other parts of the state, more rural areas where law enforcement is limited, and they might see it happening. It might take them months to be able to collect the information, so that they can get a warrant to search the house to take down that operation. It’s a lot of manpower, it’s a lot of resources not a lot of them have. 

How do people in this legal market in the state feel about those operating illegally? Surely that’s seen as competition. 
It’s absolutely competition. I spoke to Scott Brady — he manages Smokey’s 420, that’s a marijuana grow and dispensary in Weld County. He sees the illegal operations, he called it a "black eye" on their industry, because these folks operate with no oversight. We don’t know what they’re using to grow the plants, whether it’s a toxic pesticide and that has been a problem in the past, they don’t care about their costumers health or satisfaction, and so he feels that his operation gets lumped in with the illegal operations in the public perspective on marijuana. This is what he told me: 
“Each time someone in the black market sells a gram, they’re taking it right out of my people’s pockets at the end of the day.” 

What would it mean for the illegal market here in Colorado if we were to see marijuana legalized federally? 
I think it means one of two things. First, within our legal market we’ve seen a little bit of slowdown in terms of growth, and that has to do a lot with other states becoming legalized and their markets are taking off and people no longer having to say travel to Colorado to take part in weed tourism.  
​
But when it comes to the black market, everyone I’ve spoken to — from George Brauchler, who’s the district attorney, to black market marijuana dealers and growers — they’re all in agreement, that the solution is federal legalization. If you legalize this federally, you take away the market, you take away that economic incentive to ship this stuff across the country to Mississippi and sell it for three to four times the price, and while you won't necessarily eradicate it entirely, you’ll replace the majority of it. You’ll really do away with how robust and efficient the market is operating currently.  

HOW NATIONAL LEGISLATION COULD AFFECT THE INDUSTRY

Erin O’Toole: Let’s start by talking about new legislation that passed in the House of Representatives last week. That’s the SAFE Banking Act. What is this and why is it needed?   

Dan Mika: The SAFE Banking Act has two different major provisions. The first one would allow companies that deal in marijuana, whether they are grow houses, whether they are dispensaries, to be able to deposit, and use the same kind of checking and banking accounts that normal businesses can do.

At the moment, most dispensaries and most grow houses have to either deal in all cash, which means sometimes having to carry out their sales taxes and depositing that in cash. I know that some dispensaries use a cryptocurrency wallet to be able to take credit card transactions, and there are some specialty banks that will take marijuana business accounts, but charge very high service fees because the main issue they are worried about is that the federal government will look at them taking money from a substance that is federally illegal, and bringing it into the federal banking system. The Feds view that as money laundering, so to speak.  

So this bill would allow banks to deal with marijuana companies without fear of appraisal. And the second part of that is it would also create a safe harbor for businesses that work with marijuana companies, so this can be anything from allowing landlords to be able to rent buildings and office space to dispensaries or grow houses, to electricians or contractors to do just basic repairs. Right now they face the same problem. 

This bill passed only in the House. What is next for it? 
It passed with a fair amount of bi-partisan support in the House. All but one House Democrat voted in favor of it, and about 47% of House Republicans voted in favor of it, so not a majority but it shows that there is at least a bit of a turning tide in the House. 
 
Now it goes over to the Senate, where it will be co-sponsored partially by Sen. Cory Gardner of Colorado. I see it having a bit of a tougher time getting through the Senate as right now they are still working towards other big issues like trade, they might have to deal with the ongoing presidential impeachment Inquiry at some point. And Mitch McConnell, the Senate majority leader, even though last year he spearheaded the efforts to legalize hemp, he has shown really no support at all for legalizing marijuana. 

So even though we have a growing number of states nationwide — starting with Colorado, but including a lot of big populated states like Washington state, like California, like Illinois — really starting to take on medical and recreational marijuana, there still may be some resistance to it when it gets into the Senate. 

What would this mean for marijuana businesses in Colorado, and in other states where it’s legal too, if this passes? 

It would add another layer of credibility, so to speak. It would treat marijuana businesses like it would liquor stores, to a certain extent.  

They would be able to have greater access to the financial system, which means it would allow more people to start a dispensary or start a grow house or start another marijuana related business without having so much cash up front. So I think if it does pass, and it does get to President Trump’s desk and he signs it into law, we’re going to see a lot more small and independent dispensaries come out, a lot more people who don’t have the private backing, they’re going to go out and try to stake a little claim of this little green rush we’re seeing. 

This conversation is part of KUNC's Colorado Edition for Oct. 2. Listen to the full episode here. 

“The State of Colorado's Marijuana Industry, Five Years In.” KUNC, 3 Oct. 2019, https://www.kunc.org/show/kuncs-colorado-edition/2019-10-03/the-state-of-colorados-marijuana-industry-five-years-in. 

Earlier this spring, police in Fort Collins seized 420 marijauna plants (yes, 420) that had been illegally grown inside area homes. Also recovered: processed weed, weed concentrate, guns and approximately $110,000 in cash.  
​
It’s part of what state and federal officials are calling the largest illegal marijuana market Colorado has even seen. It’s a puzzling situation considering that back in 2012, proponents of Amendment 64 promised a regulated market would do away with the illegal dealers and drug cartels. 
In fact, it appears to have done just the opposite.  

Understanding the size of this illegal industry is complicated. The federal Drug Enforcement Agency has seen the number of illegal marijauna plants they seize each year steadily climb since 2014. But that’s not including the countless investigations led by local law enforcement, which often cross county lines and involve multiple agencies, making data analysis difficult. 
  
For Colorado’s 18th Judicial District, attorney George Brauchler says the number of black market  marijuana cases in his office continues to grow; there’s been 51 just this year and they now have two investigators dedicated to the issue.

“I’ve only been doing this for 25 years and I have never seen the black market as robust and as complicated and as expertly cultivated as this one right now,” he said.
​
Brauchler’s district, which includes Arapahoe County and Douglas County, sees more of these cases than any other district. That includes one of the biggest busts on record, in which 80,000 plants were seized from a network of 41 houses — and these weren’t rundown places either. Brauchler says these days, illegal growers tend to set up shop inside unsuspecting suburban homes. He recalls one such bust that took place in an upscale retirement community. 

“(Investigators) were pulling 1,100 plants out of these relatively small homes in these nice neighborhoods. That’s incredible,” he said.  

The cannabis flowers and concentrates from these illegal grows are typically transported to states like Florida and Texas, where Brauchler said Coloradan weed has its own brand recognition. It also sells for three to four times the local price, which is an added incentive considering illegal growers already avoid paying costly state regulations, like product testing, licensing and a 15% excise tax. 
​
But dodging the rule book is perhaps most insulting to those who work in Colorado’s legal marijuana industry, like Scott Brady, who manages Smokey’s 420, a marijuana grow and dispensary in Weld County. 

“Each time somebody in the black market sells a gram they’re taking that right out of my people’s pockets at the end of the day,” he said.

The state requires companies like Smokey’s 420 to document every gram of marijuana from seed to sale. Everything from the specifications of the facility to the pesticides and soils used must be documented and approved by the Marijuana Enforcement Division or Colorado Department of Agriculture. Brady says staying compliant in this industry is more than a full-time job, but he insists it ensures public safety, something he’s certain black market growers care nothing about.
   
“They’re going to be all about making a buck. They don’t care whether or not a person comes back next week, next month,” he said.  

Whenever Colorado weed is seized by law enforcement in another state, Brady says it gives the whole industry a bad reputation ⁠— as if businesses like his are the ones feeding this illegal supply chain. Not only that, but when black market weed is sold in Colorado, it diverts sales away from law-abiding businesses. Illegal growers can offer lower prices than legitimate dispensaries can afford.    
“I don’t think those guys understand the damage they do to our industry,” said Brady. 
​
How an underground market managed to take root around the same time that Colorado moved towards legalization is unclear. Brauchler believes the answer lies in early marijuana legislation, when in 2000 voters passed Amendment 20. The bill gave medical marijauna patients permission to grow as many plants as their physician recommended. Brauchler says illegal growers exploited this loophole to operate out of law enforcement’s reach. 

According to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, in 2016 there were 8,210 people with permission to grow between 50 and 99 plants.

“If each patient grew 50 plants, that equals 410,000 marijuana plants,” Brauchler said.

Last year, a new law curtailed the official number to no more than 12 plants in a private residence, but at this point it’s hard to put the toothpaste back in the tube. The question now is how to effectively thwart a thriving industry?

Brauchler and Brady agree that if more states legalized cannabis, it would deal a heavy blow to illegal growers, though it wouldn't put them under entirely. 
Legalization seems to be the one solution everyone can agree with. Even Lloyd, who asked that we only use his middle name because he works in the illegal marijuana market, sees it as “the biggest threat.” 

Lloyd says he doesn't physically transport anything across state borders. Instead, he likes to think of himself as a concierge, connecting growers in Colorado with major sellers in states where marijuana is still illegal, in particular the Bible Belt.  

“Anywhere marijuana is not tolerated at all is usually where the price is going to be the highest,” he said. 

He boasted there are entire cities that wouldn’t have access to marijuana were it not for him, and while his criminal record includes charges of marijuana dealing, KUNC couldn’t confirm this claim. 
Thanks to the state’s central location, Lloyd calls Colorado a “trafficker’s dream.” Ever since legalization, he says public perception of cannabis has changed dramatically and that’s made his job easier. Dealing marijuana used to be risky and confined to dingy and dark alleyways, but Lloyd says that’s all changed. 

“Those days are over,” he said. “Most of the kids that I’m correlating with here in Denver look like Justin Bieber.”

At first blush, Colorado’s illegal marijuana trade may appear harmless, but the DEA stresses these operations are often linked to more nefarious criminal organizations. Lloyd, for example, currently faces 13 charges of human trafficking in Arapahoe County. 

Even if marijuana became legal on a federal level, it’s likely that a black market would persist, similar to how cheap cigarettes are illegally trafficked into cities with high tobacco taxes, like New York. But as more states vote to accept recreational weed — there are 11 plus the District of Columbia — Lloyd says his work has become less profitable than it once was. He’s seen many of his peers “succumb to getting a 9-to-5.”  
​
Meanwhile, Colorado’s regulated marijuana market continues to grow. It brought in $1.5 billion in sales in 2018. Had it not been for growers and sellers on the black market, it might have been even more. 

KUNC. “Seven Years after Legalization, Colorado Battles an Illegal Marijuana Market.” KUNC, 15 Aug. 2019, https://www.kunc.org/news/2019-08-14/seven-years-after-legalization-colorado-battles-an-illegal-marijuana-market. 

Organic products are a popular choice for health-conscious consumers and those interested in protecting the environment. The living soil movement is dedicated to providing a truly organic experience for those who use marijuana as medicine or for adult use purposes. By considering the benefits of living soil when choosing Adult Use (rec) marijuana services in Garden City or Fort Collins Colorado, you can ensure the best experience every time you light up in our area. ​

Organic farming typically focuses most on what needs to be left out of the process, including chemical/ synthetic pesticides and chemical fertilizers. By contrast, the living soil movement considers the soil in a more holistic way. By making sure that soil contains the living creatures needed to break down organic matter into the necessary nutrients, living soil advocates can produce healthier and more robust crops without the use of chemicals or other hazardous materials. This can make a significant difference in the quality of product you receive from companies offering  marijuana dispensary services in Colorado and beyond.
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Living soil begins with the right blend of items/ingredients such as compost, worm castings, topsoil, peat moss or leaf mold and small rocks for aeration. Other nutrients can be added to increase the food value and quality of the soil for the bacteria, fungi and living creatures that will make their homes in this growth medium. Earthworms, nematodes and other arthropods act as tillers for the soil, moving through it and cycling nutrients to ensure the healthiest environment for growth. With proper care, living soil can be used and reused indefinitely to grow cannabis for Adult Use and Medical cannabis plants.
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The basis for living soil growing techniques begins with microbiology. In nature, microbes help organic material in the soil to break down and provide energy for growth and renewal. The right balance of microbes, soil organic matter, and stored carbon can make a big difference in the quality of the plants grown in this soil. Tilling the soil can often disrupt the activities of microbes and can reduce their overall numbers. For this reason, living soil practitioners typically do not disturb the soil in which their plants grow unless it is absolutely necessary.
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For cannabis users who are interested in achieving the most healthful and natural results, plants grown in living soil conditions are much more likely to provide the best experience. Living soil does not accumulate excess salt buildup caused by the use of synthetic nutrients and hydroponic growth mediums. It can survive nicely on tap water and recycled plant materials along with occasional infusions of compost and topsoil to keep cannabis plants growing in the healthiest and most natural way. The end result is a product that smells, tastes, is more nutritionally diverse, and works better for end users.

At Smokey's, we offer Adult Use and Medical marijuana dispensary services for Garden City, Fort Collins, Colorado, and the surrounding areas through our Stash wholesale line. Our team is committed to the living soil movement and to providing the healthiest and most effective products for our customers. We go beyond organic practices to create truly natural and healthy solutions, which include the following: 


•    The use and reuse of living soil with the addition of compost teas, fermented fruit and plant wastes, earthworm castings and other necessary elements for healthy soil microbiology
•    Natural solutions for pest control, including praying mantises, nematodes and lady beetles
•    Closed-loop systems for recycling plant waste and composting

Less than 10 percent of all waste produced by our operation ends up in a landfill, and we are working diligently to reduce even that percentage. We are also working toward Organic Certified Cannabis Product certification. At Smokey's, we are constantly working to deliver the best experience for you. Call us today at 970-797-2155 in Fort Collins or 970-515-5839 in Garden City. We are here to serve you. ​