Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
You've Got Until Saturday To Buy Cannabis at Bargain Prices
Bill McEwen updated website photo 2024
By Bill McEwen, News Director
Published 6 years ago on
June 27, 2018

Share

LOS ANGELES — Bargain basement bud is on the menu in California, but you need to act fast to cash in on the cheap weed.
Regulations being phased in six months after the state broadly legalized marijuana require that pot sold after Saturday meet strict quality standards, so retailers unloading untested inventory are offering blowout prices.
Deep discounts on everything from edibles to joints reflect the last days of the heady first phase of legal recreational pot.
They could be followed by empty shelves as many stores scramble to restock with properly tested and packaged products.

Cannabis Shortage Predicted After July 1

“You can smell it. There’s a certain desperation from stores that bought too much and they have to dump it,” said John Atari, CEO of Source Cannabis Farms, a licensed cultivator in Los Angeles. “There’s going to be a big shortage of clean product come July 1.”
At Firehaus, a shop along an LA freeway, a fire sale of sorts unfolded this month with a 50 percent off “summer blowout” sale advertised on a popular marijuana app and texted and emailed to regular customers.
Patrons leaving the brick storefront on a recent day were happy to double their value, but were unaware of the reason behind the bargains.

Users Say They Welcome Product Testing

A half-dozen of those interviewed said they welcomed testing designed to weed out pesticides and contaminants such as solvents and mold, though they were largely unconcerned about the safety of the cannabis they’ve used for years.
“I smoked pot for 40 years that wasn’t tested, from dealers on the street, and it smelled like anything from gasoline to perfume,” said Catherine Lanzarotta, who stocked up on “Blue Dream.” ”So I’ve never had that concern.”
Testing will also examine concentrations and potency of the ingredient that gives users a buzz.
The change in rules was part of the state’s decision to allow the industry in its legal infancy to get a running start at the beginning of the year. Shops were given six months to burn through supplies of grass grown and cookies and other products made without strict testing requirements.

Old Pot Must Be Sold or Destroyed

Any marijuana harvested this year or for sale July 1 must meet quality and safety standards or be destroyed.
Before the legalization of recreational marijuana, testing of pot sold for medical purposes was largely done for marketing. Growers could promote the potency of their product or the fact that it was free of contaminants.
Robert Martin, co-founder and CEO of CW Analytical Laboratories in Oakland, said the voluminous new rules are draconian, with a mandate to test for heavy metals, which he said is unnecessary, and one to keep tested samples 45 days. There are also requirements about what technicians must wear, and lab employees have to pick up test samples directly from suppliers.
“The new regulations have us twisting,” Martin said. “We feel like we’re trying to do yoga on two mats.”

State Has 28 Testing Facilities

There are concerns that the 28 testing facilities licensed by the state will not be enough, though labs said even with a spike in recent months, they have been able to handle capacity.
A larger concern is a lag in testing as business owners banked on delayed implementation of the new rules. That could put them in a precarious position as they try to push product through a limited pipeline to restock shops with clean weed.
The fear is there will be a repeat of what Oregon experienced two years ago as distributors held out for a rules reprieve that never materialized and held up the supply chain.
The resulting bottleneck at labs meant testing that should have taken days dragged on for weeks, said Lori Glauser, chief operating officer of EVIO Labs, which has locations in California, Oregon, Colorado, Florida and Massachusetts.
Glauser said the recent surge in business she’s seen indicates a similar scenario in California that will lead to a temporary shortage of marijuana in dispensaries once they can no longer sell untested product.
Some shops prepared for the new regulations by gradually replacing pot they sold with products that pass the tests.
Jamie Garzot said she reopened her Shasta Lake medical marijuana shop to recreational customers Jan. 1 with the same untested inventory as the day before.
But by February, she estimated, about 15 percent of inventory at 530 Cannabis had been approved by testing labs. In April, that jumped to about 50 percent, and earlier this month Garzot said she figured about 95 percent of her goods passed muster.
“Everyone in the game knew this was coming,” she said. “My hope is that everybody has been doing their job getting systems dialed in for an uninterrupted supply chain.”
She was waiting until the final days of the month to see what remained in her stockpiles that could go in a limited blowout sale.
___
Find complete AP marijuana coverage here: http://apnews.com/tag/LegalMarijuana

DON'T MISS

Merced’s Iconic Laura Fountain Returns to Splendor With $300K Restoration

DON'T MISS

If You Thought Trump Wasn’t Serious About Deportations, Look at His First Appointments

DON'T MISS

Biden EPA to Charge First-Ever ‘Methane Fee’ for Emissions Waste by Oil and Gas Companies

DON'T MISS

Trump Picks Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee to Be Ambassador to Israel

DON'T MISS

At the Pandemic’s Start, Americans Began Drinking More. They Still Are.

DON'T MISS

Last GOP Congressman Anchored in Democratic LA County Concedes in Race Against Former NASA Exec

DON'T MISS

Aid Groups Say Israel Misses US Deadline to Boost Humanitarian Aid Entering Gaza

DON'T MISS

Speaker Mike Johnson Says Republicans Are ‘Ready to Deliver’ on Trump’s Agenda

DON'T MISS

Wall Street Slips as the Trump Trade Cools

DON'T MISS

49ers Coach Kyle Shanahan Says Players’ Sideline Spat Has Been ‘Squashed’

UP NEXT

Voters in California City Reject Measure Allowing Noncitizens to Vote in Local Races

UP NEXT

Voters in Oakland Oust Mayor Sheng Thao Just 2 Years Into Her Term

UP NEXT

California Gov. Gavin Newsom Will Spend Part of Week in DC as He Tries to Trump-Proof State Policies

UP NEXT

US Regulators Investigating Whether Engines on 1.4 Million Hondas Might Fail

UP NEXT

When to Catch the Last Supermoon of the Year

UP NEXT

California Farmers Enjoy Pistachio Boom, With Much of It Headed to China

UP NEXT

Mattel Says It ‘Deeply’ Regrets Misprint on ‘Wicked’ Dolls Packaging That Links to Porn Site

UP NEXT

Do Trump and Newsom Agree On Anything? Yes, Homeless Encampments

UP NEXT

CA Legislature Sets Record for Women in Office and Could See Historic Gender Parity

UP NEXT

4B Movement: After the Election, a Call for Women to Swear Off Men

Bill McEwen,
News Director
Bill McEwen is news director and columnist for GV Wire. He joined GV Wire in August 2017 after 37 years at The Fresno Bee. With The Bee, he served as Opinion Editor, City Hall reporter, Metro columnist, sports columnist and sports editor through the years. His work has been frequently honored by the California Newspapers Publishers Association, including authoring first-place editorials in 2015 and 2016. Bill and his wife, Karen, are proud parents of two adult sons, and they have two grandsons. You can contact Bill at 559-492-4031 or at Send an Email

Trump Picks Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee to Be Ambassador to Israel

41 mins ago

At the Pandemic’s Start, Americans Began Drinking More. They Still Are.

1 hour ago

Last GOP Congressman Anchored in Democratic LA County Concedes in Race Against Former NASA Exec

1 hour ago

Aid Groups Say Israel Misses US Deadline to Boost Humanitarian Aid Entering Gaza

1 hour ago

Speaker Mike Johnson Says Republicans Are ‘Ready to Deliver’ on Trump’s Agenda

2 hours ago

Wall Street Slips as the Trump Trade Cools

2 hours ago

49ers Coach Kyle Shanahan Says Players’ Sideline Spat Has Been ‘Squashed’

2 hours ago

Cowboys QB Dak Prescott Will Have Season-Ending Surgery on Torn Hamstring

2 hours ago

Judge Delays Ruling on Whether to Scrap Trump’s Conviction in Hush Money Case

2 hours ago

Songwriters Hall of Fame Unveils Star-Studded 2025 Nominees, From Eminem to Janet Jackson

2 hours ago

Merced’s Iconic Laura Fountain Returns to Splendor With $300K Restoration

A landmark from days of old when Merced was known as “Fountain City” is back, fully restored for new generations to appreciate. ...

27 mins ago

27 mins ago

Merced’s Iconic Laura Fountain Returns to Splendor With $300K Restoration

32 mins ago

If You Thought Trump Wasn’t Serious About Deportations, Look at His First Appointments

39 mins ago

Biden EPA to Charge First-Ever ‘Methane Fee’ for Emissions Waste by Oil and Gas Companies

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump talks with former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee during a roundtable at the Drexelbrook Catering & Event Center, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024, in Drexel Hill, Pa. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
41 mins ago

Trump Picks Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee to Be Ambassador to Israel

1 hour ago

At the Pandemic’s Start, Americans Began Drinking More. They Still Are.

1 hour ago

Last GOP Congressman Anchored in Democratic LA County Concedes in Race Against Former NASA Exec

1 hour ago

Aid Groups Say Israel Misses US Deadline to Boost Humanitarian Aid Entering Gaza

2 hours ago

Speaker Mike Johnson Says Republicans Are ‘Ready to Deliver’ on Trump’s Agenda

Search

Send this to a friend