Woody Harrelson’s Hollywood Dispensary, Thailand’s Cannabis Plant Giveaway, & Vermont’s First Cannabis License

Woody Harrelson’s new dispensary opened for business, Thailand announced its giveaway of 1 million cannabis plants, and Vermont awarded its first cannabis cultivation license.

Let’s dive into this week’s cannanews.

Woody Harrelson Opens West Hollywood Dispensary

Friday the 13th marked the grand opening of actor and cannabis advocate Woody Harrelson’s new dispensary-consumption lounge hybrid, The Woods. The ribbon-cutting ceremony was attended by West Hollywood Mayor Lauren Meister as well as the head of the city’s Chamber of Commerce, Genevieve Morton.

The Woods is the first of many new consumption lounges expected to open in West Hollywood in the coming months. This is all in an effort to promote and brand West Hollywood as the Emerald Village, a tourist destination for cannabis enthusiasts similar to Amsterdam.

For Harrelson, the opening of his new shop represents the culmination of years of advocacy work. “It’s kind of mind-blowing because, to be honest, I never thought that it [cannabis legalization] would get to this stage,” Harrelson told LA Weekly. The actor was famously arrested in 1996 after planting hemp seeds in protest of an unfair Kentucky law.  

The Woods will carry all the items that consumers are used to seeing at their local dispensaries. However, the star of the show will be the organic California sun-grown strains that are favorites of Harrelson. 

“The war on drugs pushed [growers] indoors and you know, that’s fine….I just feel like we don’t need that anymore. We won the war on drugs here in California for this plant. Let’s bring it outdoors where it belongs,” Harrelson told The Hollywood Reporter.

What do you think of Woody Harrelson’s new shop? Would you like to visit West Hollywood’s Emerald Village when more consumption lounges open up? Let us know in the comments!

Thailand to Give Away 1 Million Cannabis Plants

Earlier this year, Thailand became the first Asian country to decriminalize cannabis. As part of the move, the Thai government instituted a 120-day delay before decriminalization would officially go into effect. With only a couple of weeks left before the 120-day period reaches its end, Thailand is preparing to ramp up its cannabis production by giving its residents 1 million free cannabis plants.

Thailand’s Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul announced the cannabis plant giveaway via a Facebook post, which also outlined some of the legal changes that would be accompanying it.

For one, individuals will no longer need to obtain a permit to grow cannabis at home—as long as the growing is being done for “medical purposes” and the plant stays below the legal THC content limit. Individuals will also be allowed to grow as many cannabis plants as they wish.  

What do you think of Thailand’s cannabis plant giveaway? Do you think it will be enough to kick-start the country’s cannabis industry? Let us know in the comments!

Vermont Issues First Cannabis Cultivation License

Vermont’s Cannabis Control Board (VCCB) has officially issued its first retail cannabis cultivation license! The license was awarded to Rutland Craft Cannabis LTD, which James Pepper, chair of the VCCB, acknowledges is no accident.

“We started, of course, with these applications from people who are from communities who have been disproportionately impacted by the cannabis prohibition,” said Pepper.

The VCCB will now make its way through the other 179 cultivation license applications. With Vermont’s retail cannabis market slated to open on Oct. 1, however, frustrations are growing among applicants worried about not having enough time to properly set up.

This has led a number of businesses to begin moving forward with their plans despite not having a license yet. “I’m doing everything in my power to be ready to open on October first,” said Scott Sparks of the Vermont Hempicurean.

Given all these delays, the VCCB anticipates that the state will struggle to meet consumer demand on opening day.