Testing It Up

A company nicknamed the “Walmart of Weed” is set to open its doors in Washington D.C. Friday. The first weGrow store in the East Coast will open on March 30, just a few miles away from the White House.

weGrow sells plant food and vitamins; ventilation and lighting systems; as well as how-to classes, books, and magazines on growing medical marijuana. What it does not have, interestingly enough, is pot – or the seeds to grow pot.

Dhar Mann, founder of weGrow, shared: “The more that businesses start to push the envelope by showing that this is a legitimate industry, the further we’re going to be able to go in changing people’s minds.”

While marijuana itself will be obviously absent from the weGrow store, its products and services will help those who cultivate pot grow their own marijuana plants for personal use, or for selling at marijuana dispensaries. It is an industry that continues to keep a low profile, as despite the fact that it was perfectly legal to sell hydroponic and other indoor growing equipment, these products were being used in the cultivation of a plant that is considered illegal by federal law.

Mann shared: “For the longest time, it’s been a don’t ask, don’t tell industry… Most people still want to hide behind that faade.”

To date, sixteen states and the District of Columbia have legalized the use of pot for medical purposes, as treatment for such conditions as anxiety, back pain, HIV/AIDS, and cancer. Fourteen states have also decriminalized marijuana to some degree, by removing or reducing penalties for its possession. Federal law, however, continues to outlaw the cultivation, sale, or use of marijuana.

Isleton, a town in Northern California, drew criticism from a grand jury over its decision to approve a plan to put up a medical marijuana town in their locality.

A report by Reuters shared that a grand jury in Sacramento County pointed out that the decision constituted a disregard for federal law. There is, it was mentioned, a conflict between state and federal laws in California; with the legalization of the use of medical marijuana, the possession and cultivation of small amounts of pot for medical purposes is considered legal. However, as far as federal law is concerned, pot – regardless of its use – is basically illegal.

Because of this disparity between state and federal laws, various pot dispensaries and greenhouses in California, as well as in other states, have been at the receiving end of raids conducted by federal authorities. These raids, according to the report, are aimed at taking down supposed medical marijuana suppliers who are into large-scale drug trafficking.

The grand jury report, which was released on Monday, indicated that the town of Isleton (population: 850) was assured of an annual revenue of $600,000 by Delta Allied Growers, a company that was developing a pot farm in the area. The money, it was mentioned, would be used towards upgrading the town’s current two-person police department, as well as towards maintaining security at the marijuana farm.

The report indicated that the approval was made by the town on the grounds of a “promise of money and jobs,” but added further: “They forgot the old saying, ‘If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”

The report, however, can only recommend and rebuke; no charges relating to the project have been made so far.