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‘We didn’t cherry pick our submissions”

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Hollandse Hoogtes received seven awards at the 2026 Highlife Cup, five of them in first place, using batches it was already sending to cafes in Holland, rather than material saved for the competition. The works were presented together with coffeeshop Club69 and John&co.

© Hollandse Hoogtes

The difference between LP and equity income
The Highlife Cup is run in lots selected by cafes from months of sales, which leaves room for an entrant to submit their strongest lot. Rick Bakker, CEO of Hollandse Hoogtes, didn’t have much to choose from. “We built our facility to have a harvest every week, so the cycle goes on and on,” says Rick. The company’s production is allocated as quickly as it comes off the line, so what went into the mug was the final version, the same flower that a customer would buy that week. Wins include Crumbled Lime’s first sativa, Zizi’s first indica, Rainbow Zizi’s house favorite, Fruit Punch’s hash and Karma Stardawg third place at WPFF, along with two edible awards.

This is the first year that licensed producers can enter the cup, in their categories, after being excluded the previous year. The jury conducts terpene tests on the entries, and scores put the regulated category above the illegal cafe entries in three of the five flower categories, with both illegal entries scoring higher than the regulated entries. Basic growers had months to select their best material to send, while Hollandse Hoogtes produced a standard weekly production.

Rick spends time in the cafeteria telling the employees where the company is going. “Being number one is a standard, not a trophy,” he says. “What I’m proud of is our people, from farming to hand cutting to logistics, they keep that motivation to be the best and produce week after week.”

© Hollandse Hoogtes

Cafes sold cannabis for decades without lab testing or stable genetics. “Everything we produce has to be tested, and we can consistently deliver consistent quality,” says Rick. “We have mother plants, all the plants come from those selected mother plants. That was unthinkable in the illegal market.” Cultivating all harvests with selected mothers allows the company to put regular production into a glass without worrying about which batch it is.

Genetics and inheritance
Hollandse Hoogtes works with two genetic houses, Karma Genetics and Amsterdam Genetics, both of which have long histories in the Dutch scene, and all of Karma’s breed and selection top positions come from this relationship. “We are very pleased that Karma has supported the start of Hollandse Hoogtes and continues to consult and support us.”

At the start of the experiment, growers got a short window to import cuttings of the developed genetics, which Rick describes as a day or two, when the rules briefly allowed, after which the path was closed. “The selection process now works from seed,” says Rick. When the company sees a gap in the market it selects seeds and conducts a full pheno-hunt of approximately 2,000 plants to judge how ten to fifty expressions of a single genetic grow together with others and the capabilities of the facility. Some basic genetics never worked well indoors, so selection continues.

© Hollandse Hoogtes

Dutch experimental cannabis market
Edibles come out of a kitchen run by a chef, Nicolas Vanderslyen, who spent ten to fifteen years in Michelin-starred kitchens before fully delving into cooking with cannabis compounds. Hollandse Hoogtes combines the flavor of rosin with the flavor of chocolate or gummy, combines its tiramisu praline with Super Silver Sweets rosin for the look of the cake, and the chocolate comes from a luxury chocolate house. Tiramisu Pralines took the first place and Cherry Cola Gummies came third. “We see it as an important category that helps people who don’t want to smoke but want to get the experience,” says Rick.

Hollandse Hoogtes prices in the premium segment. “If you look for the same quality products from coffee shops, you pay 25 to 35 euros per gram for a good type of Gelato, like our Rainbow Bacio (Karma’s favorite for roasting) and we sell that for 12 to 15 euros,” says Rick. In the middle of the market is an average of eight to eleven euros per gram of flower, and at the bottom are greenhouse crops that have not done well indoors, and stock that a grower needs to move, where Rick has seen similar offers for five grams of strain for €22.50.

Demand already exceeds what the company can grow. “Winning awards doesn’t help because the demand will grow,” laughs Rick. The facility opened with ten flowering cells and sixteen are under construction, an increase of close to fifty percent, with flowers from the new cells expected to be on the market in the second quarter of next year. Current cells run on Fluence VYPR LEDs, and in expansion the company plans to test HPS and under-lighting with its own nutrient recipes. In canopy size Rick ranks alongside Hollandse Hoogtes Village Farms after counting the new build, behind CanAdelaar (Cronos), which remains the largest among experimental growers in greenhouse production, while Hollandse Hoogtes is grown entirely indoors, a setup best suited to the Dutch climate.

For more information:
Dutch heights
(email protected)
www.hollandsehoogtes.nl

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Entourage Health faces severance claims from dismissed employees

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Entourage Health Corp., an Aylmer, Ont.-based cannabis grower, laid off 53 workers on June 8 without notice, offering only two weeks’ pay in lieu of notice rather than layoffs. More than 40 former employees have since filed complaints with Ontario’s Ministry of Labor, alleging the company violated the province’s Employment Standards Act, which entitles workers with more than five years of service at companies with payrolls of more than $2.5 million to receive 26 weeks of severance pay.

The company is owned by the pension fund of LiUNA, a major private sector union, which became Entourage’s largest lender and shareholder following a series of investments beginning in 2017. Entourage was taken private by an entity related to LiUNA in April 2025. After struggling with debt and unprofitability, the company laid off most of its leisure workers, and lost most of its bank employees to CCAA. protection at the end of June 2026. Its medical cannabis division continues to operate with 22 employees.

Court filings show Entourage owes LiUNA’s pension fund about $240 million. Efforts to sell the company generated little industry interest, leading to a bankruptcy filing. Former employees, including Benjamin Hessel and Gabriela Ayee, say they were blindsided by the sudden layoffs and worry they won’t get back the severance they were owed in the restructuring. A labor attorney noted that workers laid off in bankruptcy typically become unsecured creditors with limited recourse because secured lenders and government creditors are prioritized. The federal Wage Protection Program offers affected workers a one-time payment of up to $9,275. Neither Entourage nor the LiUNA Pension Fund responded to requests for comment.










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Wyoming Attorney General Blocks State Marijuana Rescheduling That Would Be Triggered By Trump’s Federal Reform

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The attorney general of Wyoming has determined that the state will not reclassify marijuana under state law under a federal rescheduling From the Trump administration.

“The Wyoming Legislature has not legalized medical marijuana, adopted a state-licensed medical marijuana regulatory scheme, or agreed to recognize any other state’s medical marijuana licenses,” Attorney General Keith Kautz (R) said Tuesday. “Therefore, making marijuana subject to a state medical marijuana license in Title III of the Wyoming Controlled Substances Act is inconsistent with the police powers previously exercised by the Wyoming Legislature.”

“The question of whether to remove a type of marijuana from Schedule I of the Wyoming Controlled Substances Act is a matter for the Wyoming Legislature and should not be done through the administrative rulemaking process,” he said.

The Legislature, however, previously enacted a law stating that “if a substance is designated, rescheduled, or eliminated as a controlled substance under federal law,” the drug and substance abuse commissioner “must control the substance under this law in the same manner as federal law” within 30 days.

Under state law, the attorney general serves as the drug and substance abuse commissioner and can formally challenge the state’s automatic rescheduling to prevent it from happening, subject to a public hearing, “giving all interested parties an opportunity to be heard.”

Kautz called a hearing in June to consider the issue, and also accepted public comments via email.

“The Commissioner received eight comments by email. Four of the comments expressed support for leaving medical marijuana and marijuana products in Schedule I of the Wyoming Controlled Substances Act. Four of the comments supported leaving medical marijuana and marijuana in Schedule III of the Wyoming Controlled Substances Act. All of the comments, both by email and in person, focused on the important policy considerations surrounding the legalization of marijuana and marijuana products.

According to the Attorney General, “all marijuana products currently approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration are already scheduled under the Federal Controlled Substances Act.” referring to prescription medications such as dronabinol, Cesamet, and Epidiolex. “The Commissioner will continue to appropriately monitor individual substances as they are approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration.”

“After considering all stakeholder comments, the commissioner has determined that all marijuana products, including marijuana subject to the state’s medical marijuana license, will remain in Schedule I of the Wyoming Controlled Substances Act,” Kautz’s announcement reads. “This decision is final unless changed by statute.”

Under an order issued in April by US Attorney General Todd Blanche, marijuana products regulated by a state medical cannabis license were immediately changed from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). Annex, as well as marijuana products approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

An an administrative hearing now underway is examining a broader rescheduling of cannabisincluding for recreational products.

In Wyoming, activists have tried unsuccessfully to put it down initiatives to legalize medical cannabis and decriminalize possession of marijuana on the ballot.

State lawmakers have also considered legislation on the issue, but Wyoming remains one of the few states without legal access to medical marijuana.

In 2022, the speaker of the Wyoming House introduced a bipartisan decriminalization bill to remove criminal penalties for possession of small amounts of cannabis and replace the state’s current felony charge with a $100 fine. But that legislation he did not receive a vote Despite the support of top GOP lawmakers.

A bill to legalize and regulate adult cannabis in Wyoming he advanced from a House committee In 2021, but at the end of that session it didn’t move anymore.

A A survey released in 2020 has been found It found that 54 percent of Wyoming residents approve of allowing adults in the state to “legally possess marijuana for personal use.”

Meanwhile, other states without comprehensive medical cannabis programs are also grappling with changes to state marijuana laws that could trigger federal redistricting action.

A The GOP senator from South Carolina, for example, said that “medical marijuana is now legal.” under a trigger law in the state.

In May, the governing bodies The Alabama Department of Public Health voted against federal rescheduling of marijuana after health officials said they need more time to determine how to implement the change at the state level.

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee (R), on the other hand, signed the legislation this session block automatic review that could have legalized medical marijuana Under state law, after federal drug rescheduling.

user photo Carlos Gracia.

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There’s product in the German market you wonder how it got in

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Sascha Mielcar, CEO of Canify AG, inspects all the suppliers the company buys from, retesting each batch and discarding anything out of specification. However, cannabis from other companies is reaching German pharmacies that cannot meet these standards. “There is a market in Germany where you wonder how the product got into it,” says Sascha. The certification standards, he believes, are not being strictly applied.

© Canify

“I don’t like the term GMP cleaning, it’s a complex methodology,” says Sascha. His concern is the microbiological purity of what reaches the patients, a product that clears certification abroad and would not survive the same examination in Germany. Canify only sells flowers that are GMP certified, and Sascha would rather turn away business than release something out of spec.

For repair, Canify uses a GMP validated method. “We don’t revel in repairs, but if we do, we do it through a qualified, validated process,” says Sascha. Others in the market use various methods and claim GMP validation, and Sascha is skeptical of the extent of these standards.

From the early days to the international footprint
Canify was among the first movers in the German market. Founded in 2018, obtained GMP certification in 2021 after three years and huge expenses, trading since the end of 2022, imports, processes and releases products from various countries, including Portugal, Canada, Uruguay, Colombia, South Africa, Lesotho, Spain, Denmark and North Macedonia, for its brands and telemedicine and clinical services on its German soil. Its volume grew tenfold in 2024 and fivefold again in 2025, although price compression means revenue has not grown in line with volume. The company has also announced a merger with MG Health, a Lesotho-based grower and manufacturer with GMP I and II certified facilities, a step that Sascha calls Canify vertically integrated on two continents, and what he believes to be the first fully integrated operator of its kind outside of Canada.

© Canify

Cannabis from a bunker in Nato
The manufacturing site has an unusual history. As cannabis was classified as a narcotic, storage regulations were strict, and Canify built its vault inside a former NATO bunker. “It’s a regular piece of real estate, but it’s quite useful,” says Sascha.

© Canify

In terms of product formats, little has changed. Germany remains a compound market where pharmaceuticals are prepared and the main form factor is still dried flower. “We’re using Stone Age form factors, dried flowers,” says Sascha. He doubts whether edibles are legal in Germany and is wary of vaporizers, where the certification covers the device rather than the cartridge, and there are voices calling for the disappearance of these products from the market. Canify is investing in a fully certified device, closer to an inhaler than a vaporizer, designed for precise dosing and high bioavailability. “Germany remains a composite market, the only real way is to work with pharma,” concludes Sascha.

For more information:
Canify AG
canify.com

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