Cannabis News

There is much more to come

Published

4 months ago

March 9, 2026

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After almost thirty years, Alfred Boot will leave Herkuplast, currently part of the Bachmann Group, and the horticulture sector. His career has paralleled a period of profound change in the industry: from manual and seasonal production to year-round automated supply chains with high demands for uniformity, hygiene and circularity. His successor, Kasper Rietvelt, is now ready to take Bachmann-Herku to the next stage.

From 26 models to customized automation solutions
“I fell into it by accident,” says Boot, reflecting on 1987, when he got into horticulture after finishing trade school. “At Rover, I immediately found myself in a world where technology and practice go hand in hand.” In the mid-1990s he was asked to set up the export operation of Herkuplast, a German manufacturer of thermoformed trays that had already been operating for several years.

“We started with 26 models. All on one A4 sheet,” he recalled. At that time, most of Herkuplast’s range consisted of multi-purpose trays, while other tray manufacturers in the Dutch market had already switched to a wider range of single-use thin models. Boot saw the place to mark his career. “We had a thin-walled model, but more was required. I was given carte blanche to develop thin models. Mr. Kubern’s collaboration with the owner Herkuplast focused on exactly that: if you have a good idea, we make it happen.”

The rise of automation in the sector placed new demands on the trays. Accuracy became critical for shot plates and automated processing lines. “Centered drain holes, exact dimensions, everything had to be right. Otherwise the line would get stuck. We always prioritized that, and it got us recognition in the market.”

Alfred Boot from HerkuPlast has a new hydroponic lettuce propagation tray. 2013 at the OFA Short Course in Columbus, Ohio, the predecessor to Cultivate.

Internationalization and hygiene conditions
Along with the Dutch market, Boot also moved into international markets from the start, in France, Spain, the United Kingdom, the United States and beyond. The reasoning was largely practical: in the 1990s, the sector still had a clearly defined summer break. “Production was closed for three or four weeks. The demand simply dropped. But we wanted to produce all year round, so we looked for markets that demanded it: soft fruit and cuttings propagation, for example.”

The demand for trays used in strawberry, raspberry and blueberry production enabled year-round manufacturing and became a growing market segment. “Retailers and consumers expect that. That’s reflected in volumes and specifications.”

At the same time, hygiene requirements in breeding increased with increasing virus pressure and a smaller range of approved crop protection products. “Multi-use trays are easy to clean, cheaper than injection-molded alternatives, and are pocketable. And because thermoformed trays are thinner, if something goes wrong on an automated line, you lose the tray, not the robot arm,” explains Boot.

That said, the priority has always been to maximize the use of plastic through reuse. This has also changed significantly over the decades. “When I started, plastic was treated as waste. It was thrown away or burned. That is completely out of the question today.” Herkuplast, working with partners like Van Krimpen, has invested heavily in circular solutions. “Our breeding and growing trays do not enter the consumer market. They go from the dealer to the packaging operation. In the Netherlands, the used trays are collected, shredded and reprocessed as raw material for new trays or other applications. We close the loop: our trays are made from recycled materials from day one, both multi-use HerkuPaks and single-use HerkuPaks.” What started as a personal conviction became a marketing asset and has since become a retail requirement.

© Arlette Sijmonsma | MMJDaily.comAlfred Boot at IPM 2026

Internationalization and family businesses
Boot emphasizes the importance of strong chain partners. “We believe in collaboration.” In Europe, the company has always worked with operators from “Portugal to Finland”. Outside of Europe, the company markets directly, which has taken it as far as New Zealand, trips Boot describes as memorable.

North America has also been a rewarding market. There has been significant growth. “With our reusable QuickPot trays and our expertise, we can really add value there.” Is that his favorite market? He is reluctant to pick one. “I enjoyed going there, because we could make a real difference. But the Netherlands remains, perhaps, my first place. Not only because it is our biggest market, but because a lot of it originates here, seeds, ornamental gardens, plant breeding, greenhouse construction. That is the focus of knowledge and quality. Growing with minimal waste, with biological inputs, under constant price pressure. That is not always highly appreciated by the external role. The sector requires a pragmatic mentality, but the achievements are extraordinary. are”.

This has motivated him throughout his career. “This sector is essential. You are either in food or greening the world. Is ornamental horticulture necessary? Yes, I think so.”

That’s why Herkuplast, a family business at heart, chose during the pandemic to do everything in its power to continue serving its customers. After a short stoppage, the factory was opened as soon as possible, adapted to the strict requirements of Germany. “It was a huge peak for horticulture, but the prices of raw materials also rose a lot. We took the risk of buying at high prices and continued to deliver, even though it cost us the margin. But we wanted to continue to supply our customers. The importance of continuity is too great, for our customers, for our people and for our sector.”

After the pandemic, Herkuplast entered an important period of transition. Mr. Kubern had reached his seventieth birthday, and there was no succession in the family. A sale was the expected result, and in 2024 Herkuplast was bought by the Swiss company Bachmann Group. “I’m glad it was Bachmann. Our big priority was to have a private company that understood the European market, understood horticulture and would keep the factory in Germany.” With international expansion and a motivated team launching the new Bachmann-Herku brand, ambitions are high. “And when you look at how the sector is changing, automation, robotization, AI in plant selection, it’s moving at an incredible speed. It’s fascinating.”

© Arlette Sijmonsma | MMJDaily.com And with the new colleagues from Bachmann Herku, IPM 2026

goodbye
But Boot is also honest: from a professional point of view, he won’t be around to see it unfold. The end of March will be his last working day at Herkuplast. “It’s a purely personal choice. I’m not tired of work, and I’m not tired of the sector. But you only live once, and life has a lot to offer.” The caravan is ready. Together with his wife Astrid (known to many in the industry) and their dog, the couple embarks on a long-distance trek. “I’ve been abroad about 100 days a year. We definitely have triplets when the kids were little, so balancing work and family was a constant juggling act. Now we go together.”

He adds: “If I had a long horizon ahead of me at 45, I would love to do again what we did with Herku in 1997. But now I feel too old for that.” He laughs. “And over the years I have become a clone of Herkuplast myself, while the product range has changed with the acquisition. Now we are Bachmann-Herku, and the portfolio is being integrated quickly. Kasper has been working in the new company since his first day. That is also a natural process. It feels good.”

For more information:
Bachmann Herkuplast

Alfred Boot
(email protected)
Kasper Rietveld
(email protected)
+31 653 215 514

Tel.: +41 41 914 72 00
(email protected)
www.bachmann.ch

Cannabis News

Entourage Health, formerly WeedMD, enters creditor protection

Published

9 hours ago

June 30, 2026

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Entourage Health Corp. has entered creditor protection. The company and six related entities filed on June 17 under the Companies’ Creditors’ Arrangement Act owed approximately $240.1 million to the sole affiliate of the LiUNA Pension Fund, its owner, its secured creditor and the lender that is now funding the money (First Report pp. 3-6-9

That affiliate, 2437653 Ontario Inc. No. 1 company, Entourage, secured a 2024 deal that took the former WeedMD private and off the TSX Venture Exchange (December 2024 PR). Shareholders were paid half a Canadian cent per share, or C$0.005, and the board recommended a sale in December 2024 (December 2024 PR).

Jason Alexander, head of the special committee of independent directors, recommended to shareholders. “The transaction ensures that shareholders will receive immediate tangible value while positioning the Company for future growth and flexibility,” Alexander said (December 2024 PR). The company took on $167.6 million in debt in that sale, having already breached the covenant with the same guarantee (December 2024 PR). Eighteen months later that debt was $240.1 million when it was filed, and the growth promised by the sale is a settlement (First Report 6-18 p.

Adult use is off, medical is still running
The leisure business is closing, not saving. Entourage laid off about 53 workers in early June before the order, and 22 remain (First Report p. 6 Adult use inventory is being cleared, finished products are shipped to provincial distributors, and flowers are sold in bulk to the market to other licensed growers (First Report p. 12 Color Cannabis, Dime Bag and Saturday Cannabis are the brands going down with it (First Report p. 5

What remains open is the doctor’s arm as the exclusive supplier of cannabis under the Starseed brand to local residents of the Workers International Union of North America (First Report p. 5 The pension fund that funds the procedure is tied to the same union that the medical brand serves, and the part of Entourage that serves union members is the part that is kept alive while the rest is sold for parts.

At the end of July the money runs out with no new money (First Report p. 11 The money comes again from the pension fund affiliate, a $1.1 million debtor-in-possession facility at 5% per annum, no commitment fee, no exit fee (First Report pp. 10-11). The monitor, Ernst & Young, checked terms against other DIP loans in the cannabis sector from January 2024 and concluded that a third-party lender would not lend on better terms given the state of the business (First Report p. 11 The lender, which already owed $240 million, is the only one willing to advance another million to keep the lights on through the sale.

Health Canada is the largest unsecured creditor, owed $494,505, ahead of all suppliers and competitors on the company’s books (List of Creditors p. 1 Supreme Cannabis is owed $262,133, medical platform HelloMD is owed $169,564, the Town of Aylmer is owed $144,815, the Independent Retail Cannabis Board is owed $137,098 and High Tide is owed $124,583 (List of Creditors p. 1 Unsecured claims total $3,288,333 in more than 100 names, many of which have yet-to-be-determined amounts by medical clinics (List of Creditors 1-5 p. Against $240 million guaranteed, none of them will see much.

In the June 29 return, the lender asks the judge to extend the stay until August 28, approve the DIP facility, and double the Administrative and Directors fees to $500,000 each (First Report 4-8-12. p. The directorship is rising as directors face payroll, holiday pay and excise duties over a longer period of time, and the company’s directors and officers insurance expires at the start of July (First Report p. 12

The sales process starts on the same day, based on a marketing effort that started around May and was presented before the deal that sparked interest but no one could make a deal (First Report p. 13 Insiders and affiliates have until July 6th to say they intend to bid, the bid deadline is July 30th, the successful bid must be received by August 7th, and the outside deadline is August 28th (First Report p. 15 The affiliate of the pension fund has written to the Monitor that it will not make an offer (First Report p. 16), and any other affiliate that does so must be removed from the process (First Report p. 16 The settlement request for non-cannabis equipment and the sale of the Aylmer facility, a 26,000-square-foot extraction and processing facility that has been the company’s production base at 250 Elm St.

the source

For more information:
Neighborhood Health
1.844.933.3636
(email protected)
entouragehealthcorp.com

Cannabis News

DEA And FDA Highlight How Marijuana Is Safer Than Alcohol And Opioids During Rescheduling Hearing’s Opening Day

Published

9 hours ago

June 30, 2026

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Attorneys for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) on Monday highlighted testimony about the medical benefits of marijuana and its relative safety compared to other substances such as alcohol and opioids in the opening day of a hearing. The Trump administration’s cannabis rescheduling proposal.

Marijuana Moment spoke with several people in the audience for Monday’s hearing to find out how the testimony is going, despite the proceedings not being broadcast live to the public at the request of one congressman and others.

According to those sources, DEA attorney James J Schwartz stated that the government is the proponent of the proposed rule to formally move cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), stating that the hearing is “not about the recreational use of marijuana” and “about regulation, not about legalization.”

“The government has presented no evidence to suggest that marijuana is not dangerous. All controlled substances are dangerous,
he said “However, controlled substances must be evaluated against the risks they pose, balanced against the medical benefits they provide.”

Dominic Chiapperino, director of the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Controlled Drug Evaluation and Research and one of two DEA witnesses, testified about how federal health officials formed their recommendation to reschedule cannabis.

Opponents of the reform have used a new two-part test that they argue is a bad departure from a previous analysis, although a DEA lawyer said the hearing is not about that issue, and Chiapperino said the new test is now considered “every time” a new analysis is done on a drug.

The FDA official said the agency compared marijuana to alcohol, opioids and other substances in its scheduling analysis, and found that marijuana’s daily harms were lower than all or most of those comparators.

Cannabis is associated with fewer overdose deaths than comparable substances, Chiapperino said, and when reports of cases involving deaths mention marijuana, the deaths are often attributed to secondary incidents such as accidents or self-inflicted harm. Marijuana’s potential for overdose deaths is “much lower” than other Schedule I drugs and Schedule II drugs. Rather than opioids, the FDA official said.

As for withdrawal in regular users, Chiapperino testified that cannabis has symptoms similar to tobacco, including irritability, but alcohol has “more of a withdrawal syndrome,” which can include seizure and death.

Also on Monday, the lawyers of some of the parties against the reorganization had the opportunity to cross Chiapperino.

Kevin Sabet, president and CEO of the prohibitionist organization Smart Approaches to Marijuana, who was also invited to attend the hearing, said in a video posted on social media that it is “surreal” to see the government arguing that cannabis’s medical uses and relatively minor harms are “just lying through their teeth.”

The DEA “is in a very awkward position to argue the opposite of what it’s been arguing for the last 50 years, the opposite of what the science says, the opposite of what the evidence is,” he said, “which is, of course, to argue against the government that marijuana is more harmful than we thought, not less harmful.”

In short, the government has so far been repeating the inappropriate comparison of marijuana to alcohol, heroin, and other opioids. And duplicating the unprecedented new two-part test for medical use now accepted, which overturns a century of work in this medical…

— Smart Approaches to Marijuana (@learnaboutsam) June 29, 2026

On Tuesday, opponents of the review will have an opportunity to cross-examine the FDA official, and the government’s second witness, Corey Burchman, a doctor from New Hampshire, will begin his testimony. The DEA announced in a filing last week that it will do so Testify on “How Medical Marijuana Provides Medical Benefit to Pain Patients.”

On Monday, a DEA attorney said Burchman would “describe the real-world impacts of treating pain with marijuana instead of opioids” based on his experience with both and discuss how he has “personally transitioned patients from opioids to marijuana for their pain.”

The witness will also testify about the differences between cannabis and opioids in terms of withdrawal and overdose, he said.

Before the hearing began, marijuana reform activists rallied They held a press conference outside DEA headquarters to highlight how they feel of the process – criticizing the fact that supporters of the reform were not invited to participate and that the proceedings are not reproduced live, despite the “transparency” oath of the officials.

DEA Administrator Terrance Cole only organizations and individuals opposed to marijuana reform have been invited to the hearing as a designated participant – telling followers that they do not meet the definition of “interested person” to participate because they are not “affected or prejudiced by any rule or proposed rule that may be issued.”

last week, Marihuana Moments sent petitions to DEA Chief Administrative Law Judge Derek Julius and DEA Administrator Cole asking for them reverse the decision to ban the public from tuning into the cannabis hearing via live stream. A Congressmen and other journalists later joined that request.

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The opponents who are participating in the hearing submitted statements last week anticipate the anti-marijuana arguments they intend to make during the procedure.

The hearing it will end before July 15.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche in April He issued an order that immediately reclassified the state’s licensed medical cannabisas well as marijuana products approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under Schedule I through Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA).

According to a separate order signed by the acting attorney general, the upcoming hearing will include Class III marijuana.

Preliminary hearing process on the marijuana redistricting process initiated by the Biden administration It was halted last year amid allegations of improper communications and witness selection.

the current The marijuana redistricting process is being challenged in several ways which have been upheld by a federal Court of Appeals. those pieces of State attorneys general have filed lawsuits against cannabis reform, Opponents of marijuana legalization and a a cannabis-based biopharmaceutical corporation.

Meanwhile, the reorganization of state-licensed medical cannabis is already having a major impact.

The Congressional Research Service published a report on the current rescheduling of cannabis Certified patients with medical marijuana from state licensed dispensaries are now eligible for Class III. “The order appears to allow end users to use marijuana medically without a CSA prescription,” he says.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has published a Draft update to a gun purchase form to recognize the legal status of medical marijuana in the reprogramming. The revised section of the question states that only the “recreational use or possession of marijuana” is federally prohibited, omitting the prior form’s mention of medical cannabis.

The US Treasury and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) said they plan to issued new tax guidelines for the marijuana industry after reprogramming. The reform will benefit state-licensed marijuana businesses by allowing them to take federal tax deductions that are currently prohibited under IRS Code Section III, known as Section 280E.

Even the DEA, which has long opposed cannabis legalization and accused the Biden administration of stalling the initiative in the reorganization process, has done so. It launched a registration process for legal marijuana businesses in the state to take advantage of the federal benefits that come with the reform.

The Department of Transport, on the other hand, issued guidelines stating this use Legal medical cannabis in the state is still no excuse for truck drivers to test positive for drugspilots and other safety-sensitive personnel.

A congressional committee recently Federal officials voted to block further steps to reschedule cannabishowever lawmakers from both parties told Marihuana Moment they don’t think that provision will be enacted become law

user photo Carlos Gracia.

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Cannabis News

cbdMD welcomes White House call for fair treatment of hemp-derived products

Published

1 day ago

June 29, 2026

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cbdMD welcomes the Administration’s call for Congress to ensure fair treatment of hemp-derived products under federal law and calls for immediate action to revise hemp regulations to ensure fair treatment of hemp products under federal law.

In a letter to congressional leadership this week, the White House Office of Management and Budget identified hemp reform as a priority strongly supported by the Administration. The petition calls on Congress to ensure fair treatment of hemp-derived products by maintaining access to appropriate full-spectrum CBD products, and by maintaining Congress’ intent to reduce products that pose health risks. The administration also urged Congress to pass a responsible federal framework or at least extend the current implementation period to give lawmakers time to get policy right. The request builds on the president’s previous public statements urging lawmakers to protect access to full-spectrum CBD products that millions of Americans rely on.

“We are encouraged to see the administration so clearly championing the responsible, scientific hemp products that consumers depend on every day,” said Ronan Kennedy, CEO of cbdMD. “cbdMD has always believed that the future of this category is built on quality, transparency, and clear rules that separate them from bad actors. A federal framework that protects consumer access, promotes safety, and provides certainty to companies that provide certainty is what this industry and the people it serves deserve. We applaud the policymakers who are working to achieve this outcome.”

“We believe CbdMD is purpose-built for this next phase of the market,” added Kennedy. “Our focus remains on serving our customers with reliable and effective products, supporting responsible regulation and building long-term value for our shareholders as the category continues to evolve. Along the way, we will continue to evaluate the opportunities this evolving environment holds.”

For more information:
cbdMD
cbdmd.com/