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The COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on the economy, forcing many businesses to shut their doors for months on end and reducing the discretionary income of all but the wealthiest billionaires. But, unlike most industries, the legal weed market is going strong, and according to Illinois’ top cannabis regulator, this is a strong indication that the industry is both pandemic- and recession-proof. 

In a recent interview with Canopy Growth, Toi Hutchinson, Illinois’ Senior Advisor on Cannabis Control, pointed out that the Prairie State has been breaking weed sales records every single month since the pandemic began. Illinois began selling adult-use cannabis in January, and the state’s first stores were only in business for about ten weeks when the state announced its COVID quarantine.

“The biggest surprise I think for people is that we were waiting to see whether cannabis sales would be impacted by COVID,” Hutchinson said, according to Marijuana Moment. “And we’ve proven here in Illinois, even with our small program, that it’s recession-proof and it’s pandemic-proof. Our numbers in terms of our sales have been just through the roof.”

On the first day of sales alone, excited customers spent nearly $3.2 million on pot. In January, the state sold $40 million of legal weed – more than any other adult-use state other than Nevada. Sales slowed slightly in February and March, but as the pandemic hit, sales increased. In April, sales climbed back to $37 million, and last month, the state made a new record of $61 million.

Hutchinson said that officials were unsure how well the market would fare in Illinois. But when sales finally began, “it landed like thunder heard around the world because, even when we were preparing for any anger or any cynicism or any political fights we had to put out, you saw happy people standing in line, giving each other hot chocolate and food trucks pulling up and lines around the block that was sustained through really, really heavy winter Chicago days all the way up and down through the state.”

Tax revenues generated by these sales could certainly help Illinois’ pandemic-induced economic problems, but the state is still committed to using these funds to pursue social justice initiatives. This May, the state offered $31.5 million in restorative justice grants, all funded by weed tax revenue. 

In the interview, Hutchinson said that the state did not legalize weed just “to make as much money as fast as we possibly could,” but was “actually doing this for people… If we really were looking at this for the economic boom, we probably would be seeing a lot more money entering into the state as a result of this. What we decided to do was have an equity principle at every single measure of this program.”

Illinois is not the only state to see a boom in weed sales during the pandemic. Colorado raked in an amazing $192 million in legal pot sales in May, Oregon sold a record-breaking $89 million of pot in April, and Oklahomans bought $73 million of medical marijuana that same month. Overall, US weed sales are predicted to surpass $15 billion by the end of the year, even if the pandemic continues.

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Minnesota’s White Earth Nation recently voted to legalize medical marijuana, becoming the second Native American tribe in the state to do so. 

The measure, which passed with a margin of 994-150, will legalize the production, regulation, and distribution of cannabis for medical use within the borders of the White Earth Nation Reservation, Minnesota’s single largest Native jurisdiction.

Minnesota’s medical marijuana regulations rank among the nation’s toughest, but as a sovereign government, White Earth Nation’s Tribal Council will operate free from state rules or interference.

White Earth Nation now follows Red Lake Nation, which became the first reservation to legalize medical weed in Minnesota last May. That measure passed with more than 80 percent of the vote, with 1,765 in favor and 425 against.

Both Native tribes will cultivate cannabis flower for medicinal purposes, in opposition to Minnesota’s existing restrictive medical marijuana program, which only allows for certain cannabis products to be sold in the state — smokeable products, and THC-edibles and drinks are not permitted. This difference will establish tribal reservations as the only outlets in the state offering proper weed for health purposes.

But, White Earth Nation isn’t the only Indigenous American community moving to legalize cannabis. Last week, Michigan’s Bay Mills Indian Community fully legalized marijuana outright. The tribe also announced plans for a 10,000-plant indoor growth facility to supply cannabis outlets near the tribal-owned Bay Mill Resorts and Casinos, as well as on Native properties near the cities of Flint, Gaylord, and Port Huron.

Not all nations are rushing to legalize cannabis, however. Earlier this year, Cherokee Nation, the largest indigenous peoples tribe in the United States, assembled a work group to determine the best course of action for its members and territories regarding cannabis.

Cherokee Nation is headquartered in Oklahoma, a state that legalized medical marijuana in 2018. However, just as the sovereign status of other tribes enables them to legalize weed regardless of state regulations, the Cherokee Nation opted to keep cannabis illegal on its Oklahoma reservations despite the state’s move to legalize medical marijuana use.

“State law legalization of medical marijuana has no effect on the Cherokee Nation as state law does not apply to Cherokee Nation,” Cherokee Nation Deputy Attorney General Chrissi Nimmo said. “The possession and distribution of marijuana remains illegal under tribal and federal law.”

The tribe has since reconsidered the issue. “As Chief, I want well-informed policy, and the team we have assembled will be a great asset in that regard,” Chuck Hoskin Jr., Cherokee Nation Principal Chief, stated. “I believe there are opportunities for Cherokee Nation, our businesses and our citizens to benefit from this emerging industry. But we need to move forward carefully and responsibly and in absolute strict adherence to the law in order to ensure success and sustainability.”

Swisher Sweets, a popular and widely available cigar brand, have an entire not-so-secret image in the cannabis world. Popular in all of America, these cigarillos, or small cigars, are shouted out in countless songs, waved proudly even in prohibition states, and wrap up lots of cannabis each year. 

Often abbreviated to ‘Swishers’, this is just one of the many ways people like to wrap a blunt. Since Swishers, in particular, are of a certain size, they are stamped as the smaller, personal pan pizza version of a blunt — and it’s definitely still mighty.

The combo of tobacco and cannabis is especially popular in Europe and the Middle East where hash is the more accessible form of weed, but Swishers are an All-American incarnation. 

Gina Coleman/Weedmaps

Steps to roll the perfect Swisher blunt

For some, tobacco is completely off-limits in their cannabis experience,for others it’s a special treat to indulge once in a while. But that doesn’t matter to the people who can’t go without the sweet, spicy, addition of tobacco, be it spliff, blunt, or as fronto leaf sprinkled into the mix. 

Step 1

Get a package from a local purveyor, they usually come in packs of two. Select your favorite of the bunch, and break it open from the bottom, which is more conical than the top — where you would light it.

Step 2

Once you have it split, discard the tobacco inside and replace with some well-ground flower that still has some heft, you don’t want it powdered or over processed.

Step 3

Roll the edge of the wrap that’s facing you into the weed, keeping your fingers evenly placed to make it roughly uniform. Don’t worry about perfection. To get the ideal seal, gently moisten and use your lip to fold the wrap onto itself, don’t fold with your fingers. 

Tip: A good-sized Swisher has about two grams of cannabis inside, but packing it out or going thinner won’t cause major issues as you get used to rolling them. While Swishers are a tasty treat, tobacco definitely poses extra risks, so be informed before you make them your everyday consumption style.

The Swisher reputation can’t be duplicated. With a unique size and flavor comparable to some cigars, paired with affordability and ease to source, it’s no wonder this type of roll has stayed relevant for as long as Swishers have. 

Photos by Gina Coleman/Weedmaps

The post How to roll a Swisher blunt appeared first on Weedmaps News.

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