4/20 from p 15 nonalcoholic pot-laced wine and margaritas. They, along with a number of other cannabis beverage makers, have jumped on the growing trend of cannabis- infused beverages fueled by consumer demand for wellness drinks and alternative ways to consume cannabis. The global cannabis beverage market size was valued at $901.8 million in 2018 and is expected to expand to a whopping $2.48 billion in 2025. As these new brands enter the Arizona market in droves, many are finding ways to differentiate themselves. Arizona-based companies like Aeriz use aeroponics, which suspend plants in the air and spray their roots with precise amounts of nutrients and water to produce healthier growth and reduce soil and nutrient waste. With demand for vegan-friendly products at an all-time high, more brands are taking notice. Companies like Good Things Coming, Haze & Main, and RR Brothers have focused attention on creating quality vegan products that not only taste good but are also eco-friendly. mentality. Consumers know they’ll get essentially the same product every time in every state, as long as it’s legal there. With all these incoming brands, Arizona managed to generate $1.9 billion in overall cannabis sales last year, higher than the $1.2 billion estimate and second Arizona managed to generate $1.9 billion in overall cannabis sales last year, higher than the $1.2 billion estimate and second only to California in the size of the market. future of the Arizona cannabis industry. Take, for example, the notion of helping our stressed-out kids with a bit of nature’s love. “We’re still hesitant to advise or suggest that CBD should be used in children,” says Dr. Andrew Carroll, a family practice physician who runs a medical behavioral clinic in Chandler. Over the last few years, he has seen a rise in COVID-related mental health concerns in children. “When they’re forced to stay at home due to illness or forced to stay at home due to school shutdowns, it obviously disrupts that social part of growing up,” says Carroll. Overall, his top recommendation for children showing these types of behavior is cognitive behavioral therapy. “We know that cognitive behavioral therapy has a big role to play in children, especially in conditions like ADD, or ADHD,” says Carroll. “Cognitive behavioral therapy is first and foremost the No. 1 treatment study across study.” He says natural substances like CBD often work to help calm people mentally, but consulting with a physician about its benefits, side effects, and dosage is the best practice before trying these things on your own. “When you knee-jerk and Companies like Grön, which makes THC-infused gummies and chocolates, are marketing to Arizona consumers who prefer top-shelf cannabis. Using hand-harvested, fair trade cacao beans, the ingredients are organic, local, and sustainably sourced whenever possible. Other brands are focusing on consistency, like Oklahoma’s Country Cannabis. It is gearing up to enter the Arizona cannabis market with a Starbucks RapidEye/E+ only to California in the size of the market. Arizona experienced the most demand for cannabis than any other state in the first year of recreational adult-use legislation, and the fastest recreational adult-use rollout of any state where recreational weed is legal. Despite these successes, many obstacles still stand in the way of the start using any type of substance whether it be homeopathic, naturopathic, CBD, or even prescribed medications, you have to be careful,” he says. Careful, indeed. Since adult recreational use became legal in Arizona, kids are winding up in emergency rooms in unsettling numbers. On a national level, edibles account for nearly half of all child poisoning cases related to pot, according to a study published in Pediatrics. Currently, the only FDA-approved prescription medicine containing CBD is Epidiolex, an oral solution that has been shown to significantly reduce the frequency of seizures in patients. Despite the fact that the weed stash is too easy for kids to find, pets have been wagging their tails in gratitude for helping their joint pain, inflammation, and firework anxiety, as researchers predict pet CBD sales to reach $910 million in 2026. Lack of knowledge and data about marijuana and hemp are critical concerns in Arizona and across the nation, but another issue facing the cannabis industry is the lack of regulation on quality and product testing. “This is the only industry I’ve ever seen where the consumer doesn’t dictate the business,” says Jim Morrison, co-founder of the Errl Cup in Arizona. As a consumer himself, Morrison created a secret shopper program that visits local dispensaries to submit their cannabis to rigorous laboratory testing for quality, potency, and dangerous substances like pesticides and mold. Americans for Safe Access (ASA) awarded Arizona a grade of C-minus this year on its medical cannabis report card, citing an overemphasis on recreational over medical cannabis, rising cost to consumers, and low accessibility, especially for residents in rural areas. ASA recommends Arizona policymakers seek third-party patient-focused certification programs to meet regulatory standards for cannabis, and ensure the recreational cannabis program doesn’t stifle the needs of medical marijuana patients. The push for access to quality cannabis is in part due to the lack of testing regulation in Arizona and federal law. But that may change after the U.S. House of Representatives recently passed the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act. A Senate vote still remains a major hurdle before it would legalize marijuana in the U.S. and decriminalize marijuana as a Schedule I substance. “There’s probably about 15,000 people who are employed by the industry in Arizona, and they have a hard time renting, buying a house, and doing all sorts of things because of the industry’s inability to use proper banks,” Raul Molina, co-founder and chief operating >> p 18 16 APRIL 14TH– APRIL 20TH, 2022 PHOENIX NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | FILM | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | FEATURE | NEWS | OPINION | FEEDBACK | CONTENTS | phoenixnewtimes.com
