The cannabis industry continues to step up and help raise money for humanitarian efforts in support of Ukraine.
Recently, we published an article about a joint effort between a cannabis dispensary, MediThrive, and a dozen cannabis brands in California supporting aid in Ukraine (1). Now, more cannabis companies have declared their intent to donate proceeds to humanitarian organizations working in Ukraine.
Helmand Valley Growers Company (HVGC) is a US veteran owned and operated cannabis manufacturing company in California that donates 100% of their profits to promoting veteran health through cannabis. They recently announced their pledge to donate their profits to World Central Kitchen until the end of April. World Central Kitchen is a non-profit organization working to provide chef-prepared meals to communities affected by the violence in Ukraine (2).
“We at Helmand Valley Growers Company want to do our part, and we hope that you do the same,” said Chief Executive Officer Bryan Buckley in a video outlining their pledge (3).
Another company donating profits is Lime Cannabis Co., a cannabis manufacturer in California. “We have many team members who’ve been directly affected by war. Giving back is a core part of our brand promise, so in March, we’re donating a portion of our sales to Hope for Ukraine,” said Sergey Vasilyev, Co-founder & CEO, Lime Cannabis. “We’re in a strong growth mode so supporting a community in need just feels good, and right.” Hope for Ukraine is a non-profit organization working to provide various kinds of support to Ukraine’s most vulnerable communities (4).
Ep 24, Part III: Data Transparency in Cannabis Testing with Yasha Kahn
December 26th 2024In the final part of this episode, Evan Friedmann and Yasha Kahn discuss the need for a national entity to centralize cannabis data collection, moving from snapshot data to continuous updates. They emphasize the importance of accurate lab data and adverse event tracking, suggesting QR codes on packaging to report issues. Yasha suggests harsher consequences for result manipulation and suggests collaboration between state departments and federal entities to support underfunded regulators. They also discuss the potential benefits of off-the-shelf testing and the importance of stability testing. Finally, Yasha shares his top three reading recommendations for the audience.
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