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① Twitter allows ads for marijuana and THC products in the United States. In a major policy shift, Twitter has approved state-legal marijuana companies and other advertisers to advertise THC and CBD products, accessories and services in the United States, provided a series of conditions are met, the social media platform revealed, saying on its website under the headline "Drugs and Drug paraphernalia." The development was first reported by AdCann, a Toronto-based cannabis marketing and advertising website. AdCann noted that "effective immediately," Twitter will allow "advertisers to promote brand preferences and informational marijuana-related content" for certain products and services, including: CBD and similar cannabinoid products, THC and similar products, marijuana-related products and services, including delivery services, LABS, events and more. AdCann reports: "U.S. marijuana companies, brands, and suppliers will need to go through the Twitter advertiser approval process to ensure they are legitimate and educated on the platform. Once approved, industry marketers will have access to Twitter's entire suite of advertising products, including promoted tweets, promoted product opportunities, location-specific takeovers, interstitied-video sponsorships, and partner publishing capabilities." Marijuana industry executives welcomed the news. ② Colombia's marijuana exports nearly doubled in 2022. Colombia's cannabis exports nearly doubled last year as the South American country aimed to meet demand from a small but growing international import market. Colombia exported $8.4 million worth of marijuana between January and November 2022, a 96 percent increase compared with the same period last year, according to ProColombia, the government agency responsible for promoting Colombia's non-traditional trade. A total of 13 companies export to 14 countries, ProColombia said, citing data from Colombia's national statistics office. 58% of exports go to Latin America and the Caribbean. The largest destination for Colombian cannabis exports is Argentina, accounting for 40% of the total value. The remaining destinations are: Brazil (14%), Australia (12%), Switzerland (7%), Israel (6.5%), the United States (6%), Germany (5.5%). In 2022, more than 90 percent of Colombia's cannabis exports came from Bogota, Cuntinamarca and Antioquia provinces, and the government says another 12 regions have been identified as sectors with high cannabis export potential. ③Forian exits the marijuana business by selling BioTrack to Alleaves for $30 million. Tech company Forian said it will sell marijuana software provider BioTrack to Alleaves for $30 million in cash and exit the marijuana industry to focus on its healthcare information business. It's the second high-profile tech company in just over two weeks to decide to exit the marijuana industry amid intense competition, mass layoffs and falling wholesale prices for marijuana products. Pioneer seed to Akerna Corp, parent of sales tracking provider MJ Freeway, on Jan. 27. Announced a $4 million cash deal to sell its marijuana software business to POSaBIT Systems Corp. And get out of the marijuana business. The move comes after Alleaves, A Deerfield Beach, Florida-based marijuana software provider, closed a $40 million Series A funding round last year to accelerate its multi-state commercial rollout. The company has expressed interest in acquiring marijuana-focused technology companies that offer seed-to-sale and point-of-sale (POS) software. In a press release announcing the funding last July, Alleaves laid out plans to acquire cannabis technology platforms to expand its customer base and create a "seamless, real-time seed-to-sales software, trading and compliance platform." ④ Colorado reported a more than 20 percent drop in marijuana sales in 2022 compared to 2021. Colorado's legal marijuana market took in just over $139 million in retail sales in December 2022, bringing the state's medical and recreational sales for the year to nearly $1.8 billion, down 20.7 percent from the record $2.2 billion in sales in 2021 and down sharply from the all-time high in 2021. The December figures include $122.2 million in recreational marijuana sales and $16.9 million in medical marijuana sales, according to data released by the Colorado Department of Revenue. Colorado, the nation's most mature adult marijuana market, is experiencing the end of a decade-long boom, with wholesale prices falling in 2022 and the legalization of adult marijuana in neighboring Arizona and New Mexico. Colorado has reported cumulative marijuana sales of nearly $14 billion since the launch of its adult marijuana market in January 2014. ⑤ Cannabis producer Canopy is cutting 800 jobs and closing its flagship Canadian plant. Canadian marijuana producer Canopy Growth said Thursday it will close its flagship plantation site in Smith Falls, Ontario, and cut more than a third of its workforce as part of Canada's shift to an "asset-light model." Canopy revealed the new strategy as it reported a net loss of C $267m ($200m) for its fiscal third quarter, bringing the struggling company's deficit to C $2.6bn in the first three quarters of the year. Canopy said it would cut about 35 percent of its workforce, including 800 positions announced Thursday. Canopy's management expects cost cutting initiatives to save the company C $140 million to C $160 million next year, and reiterated its commitment to achieving adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) by March 2024. As part of the company's new "transformational" strategy announced Thursday, Canopy also said it was moving to a third-party procurement model for cannabis drinks, food and e-cigarettes, and "stopping procurement" of cannabis flowers from its Mirabel, Quebec, facility.

Grow lights are lights specially designed and utilized for growing indoor plants. These lights aid plants in the process of photosynthesis, promote healthy growth and produce amazing goods. New York, Aug. 18, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reportlinker.com announces the release of the report "Global Grow Lights Market Size, Share & Industry Trends Analysis Report By Spectrum, By Technology, By Application, By Installation Type, By Offering, By Regional Outlook and Forecast, 2022 - 2028" - https://www.reportlinker.com/p06315015/?utm_source=GNW Compared to alternative lighting systems, LED grow lights provide a number of advantages. Longer lifespans, cooler temperatures, more efficiency, full-spectrum use, compact size, and state subsidies are among its features. It is perfect for growing plants indoors due to these qualities. The primary factor fostering the expansion of the grow light market at the moment is the higher efficiency provided by LEDs. Moreover, because grow lights are more controllable, the market for grow lights would expand. Also, the increased use of vertical farming presents a potential opportunity for the industry. In consideration of these elements, it is predicted that the market would expand exponentially in the coming years. Grow lighting is generally produced for three different types of light sources: fluorescent lights, high-intensity discharge (HID) lights, and light-emitting diodes (LED). Grow lights are necessary for research, commercial greenhouses, landscaping, vertical farming, indoor farming, and more. High wattage is required for some grow light applications, whereas a low wattage is required for others. The grow light differs from conventional light in several ways. Due to the high cost of the grow light technology, it is exclusively employed for high-end applications. Growing cannabis demand, technology support, an increase in vertical farms, and the development of LED technology that would significantly lower lighting costs are some of the possibilities that grow light market opportunities. However, the grow lights market has not yet seen the involvement of cannabis cultivation on a larger scale. As more individuals become aware of the advantages these solutions offer, the adoption of grow lights is rising. COVID-19 Impact Analysis The COVID-19 outbreak has had a huge impact on the market trends for grow lights across the globe. Electronics and semiconductor production facilities have been put on hold as a result of the international downturn as well as the lack of labor. The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly and persistently reduced manufacturing utilization and resulted in travel restrictions. Additionally, factory closures pulled employees away from their workplaces, which caused a slowdown in the industry`s growth in 2020. The turf and landscaping industry was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Market Growth Factors Better Alternate Conventional Lighting Technologies In terms of energy efficiency, lifespan, adaptability, and color quality, LED-based grow lights have surpassed all conventional lighting technologies, and because of their rising cost competitiveness, they are widely employed in applications including indoor farms, vertical farms, and greenhouses. Numerous plants are grown indoors under grow lights. Grow lights` color spectrum can be changed to serve the needs of the plants. Different grow light kinds can help with plant development and growth. Horticultural producers prefer high-intensity discharge (HID) lamps as a source of light for both outdoor as well as indoor applications. Legalization Of Cannabis In Several Nations The legalization of cannabis cultivation has also raised the need for greenhouses and vertical farms, which is ultimately fueling an increase in the need for LED-based grow lights. Numerous aspects must be taken into consideration when growing cannabis in a sunless environment. For instance, produce might be harmed by the heat produced by HPS lights. Therefore, the excessive heat emitted can be reduced by using LEDs, which operate at significantly lower temperatures. Businesses using vertical farming to grow cannabis have seen a considerable increase in output. Market Restraining Factors Lack Of Standardized Testing Procedures The lack of standardized testing procedures for evaluating the quality of products, especially for emerging technologies like LED, induction, and plasma, is a significant barrier for the lighting technology business. Organizations in the United States and other affluent nations monitor quality assurance, but there are no such standards in many emerging economies. Along with this, a product`s quality assessment is necessary primarily to confirm the lumen output and working life of grow lights. Technology Outlook By technology, the grow light market is divided into high-intensity discharge (HID), light-emitting diode (LED), fluorescents, and others. The high-intensity discharge (HID) segment witnessed a substantial revenue share in the grow lights market in 2021. The HID is mostly employed in commercial greenhouses and vertical farms for growing. As the vertical farming and commercial greenhouses are expanding which would rise the demand for HID grow lights in the upcoming years. Offering Outlook Based on offering, the grow light market is segmented into hardware, software, and services. In 2021, the hardware held the highest revenue share in the grow light market 2021. The demand for grow lights is expected to rise in upcoming years. This is because many manufacturers in the market are offering advanced hardware for grow lights. Some of the features introduced by the manufacturers are energy saving within most efficient technology, and less heat generated in comparison to other forms of grow lights. Spectrum Outlook On the basis of spectrum, the grow lights market is fragmented into narrow and broad. In 2021, the narrow segment generated the maximum revenue share in the grow lights market. This can be attributed to the particular spectrum of light that some plants need. The proportion of narrow-band LEDs is larger in narrow-spectrum LED grow lights. Due to the fact that they are designed for the blue and red PAR wavebands, these grow lights sometimes have a pink or purplish color. Installation Type Outlook By installation type, the grow lights market is divided into new installation and retrofit. In 2021, the retrofit installation segment procured a significant revenue share in grow lights market. Commercial greenhouses and vertical farms can save energy, improve the quality of their plants, and lower their maintenance and labor expenses by updating their light fixtures. Commercial greenhouses and vertical farms consequently have reduced running expenses. Depending on the sorts of plants being grown, grow lights must run for between 14 to 18 hours each day. Application Outlook Based on application, the grow lights market is classified into indoor farming, commercial greenhouse, vertical farming, turf & landscaping, research and others. The vertical farming segment accounted a substantial revenue share in the grow light market in 2021. The most effective type of artificial light for vertical farming is LED grow lights. This kind of lighting is economical. It emits a spectrum that is advantageous to plants and helps them to grow more quickly and generate more. In controlled testing, the LED grow lights have been shown to boost crop output by up to 20% when compared to conventional HID lamps. Because of this, the need for grow lights for vertical farming is growing. Regional Outlook Region-wise, the grow lights market is analyzed across North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and LAMEA. In 2021, the Europe region held the maximum revenue share in the grow lights market. The growing population and a lack of fertile agricultural land are the two main causes expected to surge the demand for grow lights in the region. In addition, growing awareness of the value of alternative farming is another aspect. Additionally, the demand for grow lights in the region is expanding as a result of the need to increase production capacity. The market research report covers the analysis of key stake holders of the market. Key companies profiled in the report include Signify N.V., Heliospectra AB, Gavita International B.V., California LightWorks (MWW Inc.), Valoya Oy, Hortilux Schréder (Dool Industries), Biological Innovation and Optimization Systems, LLC, GE Current, a Daintree company, Kroptek Ltd., and SANlight GmbH. Scope of the Study Market Segments covered in the Report: By Spectrum • Narrow • Broad By Technology • Light Emitting Diode (LED) • High Intensity Discharge (HID) • Fluorescent • Others By Application • Commercial Greenhouse • Turf & Landscaping • Indoor Farming • Vertical Farming • Research & Others By Installation Type • New Installation • Retrofit By Offering • Hardware • Software • Services By Geography • North America o US o Canada o Mexico o Rest of North America • Europe o Germany o UK o France o Russia o Spain o Italy o Rest of Europe • Asia Pacific o China o Japan o India o South Korea o Singapore o Malaysia o Rest of Asia Pacific • LAMEA o Brazil o Argentina o UAE o Saudi Arabia o South Africa o Nigeria o Rest of LAMEA Companies Profiled • Signify N.V. • Heliospectra AB • Gavita International B.V. • California LightWorks (MWW Inc.) • Valoya Oy • Hortilux Schréder (Dool Industries) • Biological Innovation and Optimization Systems, LLC • GE Current, a Daintree company • Kroptek Ltd. • SANlight GmbH Unique Offerings • Exhaustive coverage • Highest number of market tables and figures • Subscription based model available • Guaranteed best price • Assured post sales research support with 10% customization free Read the full report: https://www.reportlinker.com/p06315015/?utm_source=GNW About Reportlinker ReportLinker is an award-winning market research solution. Reportlinker finds and organizes the latest industry data so you get all the market research you need - instantly, in one place.

Lighting area, as one of the faster growing agriculture lighting areas in recent years, LED by its high light efficiency, low fever, a lot of advantages such as small volume, long service life, the obvious advantages in the field of plant lighting lighting plants, etc. Also with the mature of LED lighting technology, companies from general lighting market has taken plant lighting, lighting plants has broad prospects So, in the process of development, what are the problems existing in LED plant lighting? What is the current proportion of LEDS in plant lighting? What are the advantages and disadvantages of LED and other light sources in plant lighting? 1. How to view the development of plant lighting industry at present? A : plant lighting industry should be very optimistic for the future, from the plant product sales now, both introductory leaves and the ingredients of preserve one's health, and even will become the future trend of medicinal materials, whether in China or Taiwan, Japan, the price of these products is higher and higher, lighting plants must have a bright prospect in the future. The premise is that your product has to be distinctive. Products have characteristics, the next point to determine whether the success of the industry, is to see whose business marketing model can be smoothly implemented. Plant products have a very short life cycle, but a lot of people don't sell them, they don't sell them, they actually need different routes. From fresh vegetables to processed products, from semi-finished products to finished products, when the products become diversified, then the sales channels also become diversified. Sales will take care of themselves. 2. What is the market share of LED in plant lighting fixtures? B: At present, the plant lighting used in greenhouses is mainly high-pressure sodium lamp in the world, and fluorescent lamp in China. LED lamp is actually used very little. In recent years, the application growth rate in the field of marijuana has accelerated, and some plant factories also use LED, but in general, LED still accounts for very little. 3. The vegetable that comes out with plant lighting compares characteristic advantage with common vegetable which? C: There are several characteristics. The first one is that vegetables grown in plant factories are very safe. They can only be irradiated with LED lights in a controlled environment, and their environment and nutrient solution can be controlled manually, which is beyond green vegetables. Our nutrient solution avoids contamination of heavy metals found in conventional soils. Second, because we are an artificial shortcut environment, the air is filtered, the water is purified, and the dust and bacteria content is very low. The third characteristic is that the products of the plant factory are very fresh. Compared with the loss caused by long-distance transportation of other traditional agricultural planting, the plant factory is located near big cities, and the harvest to the table can be completed within 12 hours, which is the same as the effect of planting seeds at home. In addition, compared with traditional agriculture, plant lighting factories can be customized, which is limited by the fact that the climate and temperature change throughout the year. Although the greenhouse can now eat products out of season, plant factories have no concept of season at all. They produce the same products all year round, and are efficient D: We should have the mindset that vegetable factory dishes have different values from ordinary vegetables. In Taiwan, plant factory dishes only need to be validated by rigorous scientific standards. In the room, the detection of air dust is a cubic centimeter of dust content of one hundred thousand technical standards, to meet this standard on the identification of clean. The standard of clean room is ten thousand dust per cubic centimeter, and the general food processing plant is one hundred thousand, the plant factory is not clean room, so the plant factory meets the environmental requirements of the food processing plant is enough, and the vegetables planted in this environment have reached the standard of eating raw. 4. What are the advantages and disadvantages of LED and traditional light source metal halide lamps (HID) in plant lighting? How is the development trend of ceramic lamp in plant lighting market at home and abroad? E: High pressure sodium lamp in agricultural production has been used for a long time, LED has just begun to use, but as a general lighting, LED market share is increasingly high, many traditional lamps and lanterns are replaced by LED, this is the inevitable trend of scientific and technological development. But the spectral output of metal halide lamp is relatively fixed, it is difficult to control the change of the spectrum, so it is suitable for the growth of some specific plants. At present, metal halide lamp is widely used in tomato planting, but if you do plant factory, LED is much better than it, and its spectrum is more suitable. However, the current LED QE value compared with metal halide lamp, LED has no obvious advantage. F: HID is difficult to apply in vertical farms, one is its heat, the other is its volume. Inside the greenhouse, HID is difficult to compete with high pressure sodium lamp, because the tendency of the spectrum is different, the world greenhouse artificial light supplement are basically high pressure sodium lamp, LED the early application inside the greenhouse is Dutch, want to replace the high-pressure sodium lamp, but later found not feasible, high-pressure sodium lamp in the greenhouse is very high, about 4, 5 meters high, A lamp covers a large area of plants below, LED installed under this height will be much less light, so the combination of the two methods is currently used in Holland. The headlamp uses high-pressure sodium lamp, and the distance between plants and plants is 15 or 20 cm. Adjustable height LED is used, specially to illuminate the leaves above the result, the combination effect is very good. And leds basically just need red light. 5. What's the difference between hydroponic vegetables and plant factories? Can insects grow in plant factories? G: Whether greenhouse greenhouse or indoor artificial light factory, will grow insects. The key lies in how to control, greenhouse greenhouse is a semi-artificial control environment, open and close state is not very good management, there will be bugs in, usually a large space also have bugs in. Plant factory management and greenhouses management strict conditions is not a level, we into plants, factories, people are to protect hair, another factory of air, water, plant are purified or filter, if in strict accordance with the plant factory management model, the probability of snake is very low, so the plant factory are not allowed to use pesticides. In the greenhouse, we can only try to reduce its pollution ratio, through nutrient solution hydroponics is one of the methods. On the basis of different light quality, how to ensure its luminous flux density? Also, how to make sure it's at the same light intensity. For example, two different light sources, red and blue, combine the same power, and the blue chip and the red chip voltage chip is not the same, different number seems to represent different light intensity, that is, PPF is not the same, because the light flux is related to chlorophyll A and B of the plant. H: Even if the same PPF, each watt is similar to the concept of light efficiency, different spectra will certainly have different effects on plant growth. Now many lamps on the market are measured by PPF per watt. I think this is not comprehensive, because it does not include the spectrum. Effective PPF is important for plant growth spectra. As we all know, in the design of lamps and lanterns, any lamp down of light it is difficult to achieve full uniform, only in the production of lamps and lanterns of phase through the optical design implementation, as far as possible do light more evenly, such as for some linear modulation power in doing very good, if you are to fill light in greenhouses, requires more precise optical design. 6. When conducting plant lighting research, will the light test conducted under the same PPFD and different PPFD result in different final test results? I: Compare the spectra of the same PPFD. If the PPFD is high or low and the spectra are different, the research results are basically not convincing. But it depends on the direction of the research, if it is the same as PPFD, but the spectrum is different, it is doing spectrum research; There are also studies that PPFD is different, but the energy consumption is the same, the same lamp is used normally, for example, each 20 watt lamp lights 5, through the adjustment of the placement height, the comparison is different cultivation intensity, all these should be considered together. I think there are several indicators that can be used to measure the overall efficiency of the plant factory. The first one is to measure the lamp after it is installed. The indicator of the amount and the indicator of PPFD divided by watts are the indicators of the light source itself. The number of photons generated by the power consumption of the light source needs to measure the PPFD of the cultivation surface, and the PPFD unit is used as an indicator to measure the condition after installation. There's also a metric called electricity productivity, which measures energy productivity -- how many vegetables are grown per hour of electricity -- by counting the total amount of vegetables grown from the time they sprout to the time they produce the finished product. The last indicator is the productivity of photons, which can be immediately judged by looking at the growth performance of plants from the same number of photons in different spectra.

In order to develop industrial hemp, South Korea set up a free zone and invested 39 billion won to develop hemp CBD medicine! On June 15, according to The Korea Bizwire, The Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) announced that South Korea's first medical marijuana will be used to develop a drug to treat epilepsy in children. KIST, one of the leading institutions spearheading the revival and development of science and technology in South Korea, will use industrial hemp to develop new treatments for epilepsy. Cannabis can be divided into recreational marijuana and industrial hemp. CBD is the main substance in industrial hemp, which is widely used in Europe and the United States to treat epilepsy and other rare diseases in children. KIST is currently working on a project with Kolmar Korea, Yuhan Care and other pharmaceutical companies in the industrial hemp duty-free zone, reportedly investing 39 billion won ($34.9 million) over the next four years to support KIST in developing treatments for epilepsy. Currently, many CBD-based drugs used to treat epilepsy in children are foreign-made. In addition, KIST will work with nine universities, companies and institutions, including Gangwon National University, Nongshim and Huons, to develop CBD rich industrial hemp in Korea, explore new applications and develop high value-added products. In November 2018, South Korea became the first country in East Asia to legalize medical marijuana after the National Assembly amended the Narcotics Control Law to legalize it. The act goes into effect on March 12, 2019. The new law requires the approval of the Secretary of Food and Drug Safety to permit the import, export, manufacture, transportation, sale or consumption of marijuana for medical purposes. The legalization of medical marijuana in South Korea has left the market tightly controlled, limiting its use to conditions such as epilepsy and HIV/AIDS, and the only cannabis drugs that can be imported from Europe and the US include Sativex, Epidiolex, Marinol(Dronabinol) and Canemes (Nabilone). After receiving a doctor's prescription, patients need to apply online to the Korea Center for Orphans and Essential Medicine (KOEDC). The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety then approves the prescription based on the disease condition, and the KOEDC finally distributes the medicine. Since the legalization of medical marijuana, Medical marijuana products such as CBD oil have been imported in South Korea. Cannabis plants can be divided into recreational cannabis (THC > 0.5%), intermediate cannabis (0.3% < THC < 0.5%) and industrial cannabis (THC < 0.3%) according to the content of the hallucinogenic and addictive ingredient THC in cannabis plants. Only industrial hemp is allowed in South Korea, and its use is limited to hemp fibers and seeds. In July last year, South Korea approved North Gyeongsang Province as an "industrial hemp free zone" where medical cannabinoids can be extracted from industrial hemp, creating a high value-added market for high-end biomaterials. Although the THC content of industrial hemp is low, for safety reasons, the "North Gyeongsang Special Zone" has established a cannabis management system based on blockchain technology to comprehensively track the source and destination of cannabinoids and prevent accidental leakage of THC components.

Germany plans to move ahead with the legalization of the production and sale of marijuana, with a series of expert hearings to be held at the federal Health Ministry this week. Germany is likely to become the second COUNTRY in the G20 to legalise recreational marijuana, after Canada legalised the cultivation and sale of the drug in 2018. The financial opportunity for legalization could be in the billions of dollars, but experts caution that the size of the potential market will depend not only on population size but also on the specifics of the legislation, and Germany's marijuana reform bill has yet to take shape. The first of five hearings will be held this week, the Health Ministry announced. The five hearings will cover: 1. Health and consumer protection 2. Protection and prevention of minors Supply chain, ecological and economic issues 4. Criminal responsibility, management methods and licensing 5. International experience "We will start the preparatory phase for legalization." Burkhard Blienert, Germany's commissioner for drugs and addiction. "The hearing will discuss what steps can be taken to ensure that young people, public health and consumers are best protected when recreational marijuana is legalized. One thing is clear: we want to protect children and young people from possible risks." More than 200 leading experts on addiction drugs, addiction support, legal, corporate and industry associations, as well as representatives of German states, municipalities, federal departments and other federal agencies, are expected to participate in the hearing process. In addition, experts from around the world will present their views at the International Experience hearing on June 30. Medical marijuana has been legal in Germany since 2017, when parliament voted unanimously to legalize and require public health insurers to pay for treatment. Today, Germany is the largest country in Europe and Europe's leading market for medical cannabis, with more than 128,000 patients receiving medical cannabis treatment in the country each year. In Germany, the market is regulated by the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM). Recreational marijuana is illegal, but small amounts can be tolerated. CBD products are legal, but must comply with the THC limit (less than 0.2% THC). Industrial hemp flowers can be sold, but only for industrial and scientific purposes, not for direct consumption. Legalization of marijuana was pushed to the top of Germany's political agenda after the country's traffic-light ruling coalition came to power in late 2021, sparking a backlash in the global cannabis industry. Entering 2022, just in the past few weeks, public statements by Germany's health minister, finance minister and justice minister have endorsed the government's intention to legalize marijuana use for adults. In early May, Germany's health minister, Karl Lauterbach, confirmed to the German newspaper Handelsblatt that he supported legalizing marijuana in his country, saying, "I was always against legalization, but I changed my position about a year ago." Prior to that, on 6 April, The Minister of Justice, Marco Buschmann, announced that he was working with the Ministry of Health to develop a legalization strategy, which would involve a consultative process. The process will include talks with representatives of federal, state and local governments and other organizations. Talks will begin this summer, with a formal bill expected by the end of 2022. Once the measures are officially introduced and implemented, Germany could become the cannabis hub of Europe. In November 2021, Justus Haucap, an economist at the University of Dusseldorf in Germany, published a study that found that annual demand for cannabis in Germany would reach 400 tonnes, with a market value of 4 billion euros if sold at an average price of 10 euros per gram. Will legalisation trigger a European chain reaction? Like many other countries that have legalized or are currently legalizing marijuana, Germany's new initiative is based on social costs. A tax on cannabis products could bring in significant revenue for the state, clamp down on the black market and reduce organized crime. According to a study by the University of Dusseldorf, a policy to legalize marijuana could reduce spending on law enforcement and the justice system by 1.3 billion euros a year, generate an additional 3.4 billion euros in tax revenue and create 27,000 jobs.

Cannabis needs light to grow, and unless you live somewhere with a perfectly sunny, Mediterranean climate, you`re probably better off growing cannabis indoors with artificial lights. The good news is – indoor lighting allows you to control exactly how many hours of light your plants receive each day – no matter what the weather is like outdoors. But should you go with an LED or an HID? And how exactly do you use grow lights for cannabis cultivation? Marijuana Grow Lights LED: San'an (Samsung and Osram optional) high quality led chip. It is guaranteed and enhance the efficiency up to 2.8 μmol/j. High Lighting Coverage: The multi-light bar design and the densely distributed light chips enable the Commercial Led Grow Lights to achieve the optimum PPFD 1680μmol/(m2·s) and 4*4ft-5*5ft coverage. It is required for plant growth over the entire effective coverage area. Optimum Spectrum: MixLux LED Grow System provide the optimum spectrum according to the different plants growth. Full Spectrum Led Grow Light ensure even plant growth, blue and red light are enhanced on the basis of a full spectrum combination. Not only does this accelerate plant growth, but it also improves the yield and quality of the plants at the same time. The Hydroponics Led Grow Light Bar is 3000K 6500K 660NM 730NM 395NM fit for the MJ growth. Dimming Daisy Chain Function: 0-10V dimming function saves on electricity costs and enables brightness from 0% to 100% for the different stages of plant growth. A single master light can connect up to 30 lights in a daisy-chain system. Fit for Vertical Farming Grow Lights . Controller: We also provide the controller when the growing project needed. The controller can adjust the brightness, spectrum of batch light fixture at the same time. Full Aluminum Heatsink: The light's wavy heat sink dissipates heat quickly. 180° collapsible feature for easier installation. All these features provide favorable assistance for commercial cultivation. 5 Years Warranty: Locally serviceable and with a 5-years warranty to solve any quality issues. IP65 Waterproof

What is an LED grow light? What is the difference between and regular LED light and an LED grow light? The answer is that plants require a much higher light intensity to grow plants effectively than humans need for vison. The minimum light intensity required to grow plants is at least 30 times greater than required for human lighting in an office environment for example. High light intensity is required to drive photosynthesis which generates plant growth. Photosynthesis occurs when photons of light reach the plant leaves and causes a reaction which generates plant growth. The measure of light intensity for plant growth is called Photosynthetically Active Radiation or PAR and includes photons of wavelengths from 400nm to 700nm or from deep blue to deep red. It is about the same range of wavelengths as the visual range for humans. LED grow lights are designed to withstand the high humidity in a grow room and will be able to withstand condensed water dripping on the grow light. The LEDs are often protected with a silicone or acrylic coating and the connectors and cables are Ingress Protection (IP) rated so that they can operate in damp conditions. What is an LED? A light-emitting diode (LED) is a semiconductor device that emits light of a certain wavelength (color). A die, the part of the LED that emits light, is encased in plastic or ceramic housing. The housing may incorporate one or many dies. When LED is forward-biased or switched on, electrons are able to recombine with holes within the device, releasing energy in the form of photons. This effect is called electroluminescence. Types of LED packaging LEDs are packaged in a few popular formats. LED COB Chip-on-Board or "COB" refers to the mounting of a bare LED chip in direct contact with a substrate (such as silicon carbide or sapphire) to produce LED arrays. These arrays can have hundreds of individual LEDs packaged into a small square or circle and mounted on an aluminium or ceramic base. They typically range from 20 to 150 watts and have a wide range of colour temperature options depending on the phosphorous coating specified. COB LEDs have a number of advantages over older LED technologies, such as Surface Mounted Device ("SMD") LED. Most notably, COB technology allows for a much higher packing density of the LED array, or what light engineers refer to as improved "lumen density". This can be useful if you want a small sized light fixture or to use with lenses or reflectors to direct the light in a narrow beam. COB Optics Both reflectors and lenses can be used to direct the light from the LED and reduce light `overspill` which is waste. Sometimes a combination of both lens and reflector are used. In general terms the wider the light spread the lower the hanging height but the spread is less uniform. A narrower light beam means the hanging height must be relatively high but the light spread is more uniform. Reflectors Reflector is an optical element that regulates the light spread from the fixture by reflection. There are different reflective surfaces such as- a mirror reflection, a diffuse reflection, and a mixed reflection. Reflector types include conic reflectors of four basic geometries – elliptical, zonal, hyperbolic, and parabolic. Lenses The light emitted from LEDs can be directed with a lens in narrow or wide beams. Wide angled lenses are typically used to spread light widely and allow for a low hanging height i.e. a small distance from the LED to the plant canopy. Narrow angle lenses are used when the light source will be hung high over the target area. Secondary lens The secondary lens is not part of the LED package but will be mounted over the LEDs. The lenses will narrow the beam of light and improve the system efficiency and will generally be more efficient at doing so than the primary lens. However they are more bulky and expensive. The lenses can be made of acrylic or glass. The lens also provides protection for the LED and can facilitate sealing the lluminaire against dirt and moisture. SMD SMD stands for surface mounted diode and these LEDs are small and typically run at less than half a watt each and therefore many of them are needed for a high wattage light fixture. They are usually arranged on aluminium boards in arrays to spread the light source and allow for efficient heat dissipation. SMDs spread out over long LED bars or rectangular plates also allow for more even light distribution over the plant canopy and reduce the required hanging height and potential for hot spots compared to COB LED light fixtures. Primary lens A primary lens is mounted directly onto the LED and is part of the LED package.Primary lens will improve system efficiency by narrowing the beam of light so that more light is directed onto the plant canopy. However the lens is not perfect and will absorb some of the light but is a low cost lens solution. White LEDs The most common LED type used to generate white light involves coating LEDs of one color (mostly blue LEDs made of InGaN) with phosphor to form white light. These LEDs are called phosphor-based white LEDs. The [blue" photons emitted by High-brightness LED either passes through the phosphor layer without alteration, or they are converted to the [yellow" photons in the phosphor layer . The combination of [blue" and [yellow" photons leads to white light. The [blue" photons emitted by High-brightness LED either passes through the phosphor layer without alteration, or they are converted to the [yellow" photons in the phosphor layer . The combination of [blue" and [yellow" photons leads to white light White LEDs - Colour temperature Color temperature or CCT of a light source is the temperature of an ideal black-body radiator (solid object with certain properties heated up to point of incandescence) that radiates light of comparable hue to that of the light source, and its temperature is expressed in Kelvins (K). As a black body gets hotter, wavelength of light emits progress through a sequence of colors from red to blue Increasing the quantity of phosphor coating on the blue led leads to more phosphorescence and increased the `yellow` to blue ratio. This results in a `warmer` or more orange light with a lower correlated color temperature (CCT) of 3000K, for example Decreasing the phosphor coating has the opposite effect and the proportion of blue photons emitted is greater and the light is a `cooler` light spectrum with a lower correlated color temperature (CCT) of 5000K, for example. High CRI Higher CRI white LEDs 'smoothen' the spectrum curve so that there is a more even spread of wavelengths across the PAR range. However it does not increase the Photosynthetic efficiency of the light spectrum. Deep red LEDs Although more expensive per watt the deep red LEDs of about wavelength 660nm are very electrically efficient and are added to grow lights to increase the system efficiency. Typically a small number of 660nm reds are used in most full spectrum LED grow lights and the spike at this wavelength is visible on the grow light spectrum graph UVA and Far red LEDs Some grow lights will also include UVA LEDs at about 380nm and Far Red LEDs of wavelength 730nm. These are not in the standard PAR range so the additional UVA or Far red light is not sensed with a PAR sensor. However these wavelengths do generate photosynthesis and contribute to growth and yield. LED drivers LEDs run on direct current (DC) but mains power is Alternating Current (AC). In order to power LEDs we need a device to convert the mains AC power supply to DC and we call it an LED driver. The LED driver will also provide electrical protection to the LEDs to prevent damage by power surges, over heating etc. There are type main types of LED driver: Constant Current (CC) - LEDs are mostly in serial connections and the LED driver delivers a precise current value. Ideal for dimming. Constant Voltage (CV) - LEds are mostly in parallel connection, ideal for decorative strips which can be cut to the required length. Not recommended for dimming. LED driver characteristics Rated Current/Voltage - predefined output current or voltage to service the number of LEDs it will power and how hard they will be driven. Rated Power - Output power of the driver. Output Voltage x Amps = rated power Efficiency - The ratio between the output power and input power in %. Higher quality drivers tend to be higher efficiency, run cooler and last longer. LED driver efficiency LEd drivers will range from about 80% to 95% efficiency. The efficiency is a measurement of the power output/power input and indicates how much power will be lost. For example a 90% efficiency driver loses 10% of the power it consumes to heat. To have an efficient and effective grow light it must have a good LED driver with high efficiency. An LED driver is considered efficient if it is 90% efficient or greater. LED driver reliability The most common failure of an LED light is not the LEDs themselves but the LED driver. The drivers tend to fail due to high operating temperatures which dry out the capacitors in the circuits and the driver will stop working. A good quality and high efficiency LED driver is necessary for a grow light to be reliable. Dimming There are two main methods of dimming LED lights: Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) and analogue. PWM: Unlike traditional lighting such as incandescent, this method of LED dimming doesn`t rely on voltage to influence the level of brightness. Instead, an `on and off` cycle is used. This cycle operates in a matter of milliseconds, so to the naked eye, you won`t actually notice them turning on and off. For instance, if you have dimmed your lights to 30%, they will cycle `on` for 30% of the time and `off` for the remaining 70%. This creates an optimal dimming effect without having to increase or decrease voltage reaching the light. Analogue: A more straight forward approach to dimming. Analogue relies on controlling the current to either dim or brighten the lights. Lowering the current will dim the lights, and at the opposite end, increasing the current will create a brighter light. Other LED driver functions Most good LED drivers will also have other safety features such as: Overcurrent protection Overtemperature protection Short circuit protection Characteristics of LED grow lights Lifespan The light output from all types of lighting fixtures reduces over time. Grow lights are used from about 12 to 20 hours per day. Using an average of 15 hours per day the running hours per year will be 365 x 15 = 5,475 hours. Typically grow lights should be replaced after reducing to 80% of their original output. This means replacing Metal Halide bulbs after 6 months and High Pressure Sodium bulbs after 1 year. LEDs do not have to be replaced until around 4 years of use Directional Incandescent and HID bulbs emit light in all directions and therefore light has to be reflected back towards the target plant canopy. All of the light will not be reflected back and will be lost in the form of heat. LEDs emit light in one direction only and therefore not as much light must be reflected and therefore have an efficiency advantage. Spectrum can be tuned LED grow lights can use different white LEDs ranging from warm white to cool white, in effect adjusting the percentage of blue in the spectrum. Deep red, UVA and Far Red LEDs can also be added to change and `broaden` the spectrum as needed by the grower. Efficiency There are two benefits to higher efficiency: Reduced electricity consumption - reduced running costs Reduced heat output LEDs are much more efficient than any other lighting technology and allow growers to reduce running costs and heat levels in the grow area. The payback period for high efficiency LEDs is less than 2 years. The reduced heat output of LEDs also allows growers to increase the light intensity in the grow areas for the same or less electrical footprint and maintain the room temperature. Operating temperature Both LEDs and LED drivers will last longer the cooler they run. To maximise the LED driver lifespan you can locate it in a cool area outside of the grow tent and hang it up so the airflow around it is optimised. The LED bars or panels have heatsinks on the back of them. Ensure there is enough space above and around the heatsink to allow air to move freely and the heat to dissipate. If you are running extraction fans than you can direct airflow across the top of the LED grow light to increase air flow and minimise the LED temperature. LED maintenance There are no moving parts on the latest generation of LED light fixtures but you can keep the heatsink and fixtures clean to maintain the efficiency of the heatsink and keep the operating temperatures down. A lot of LED lights do not have lenses or covers over the LEDs and they may attract first or moisture. However a lot of LEDs have either an acrylic or silicone coating. In this case you can clean the LED surface. Turn off the light and clean gently with a damp cloth. Do not use cleaning products as they may damage the LED surface.

Michigan State University researchers are studying the effects of sole source LED grow lights on edible and ornamental crops. Michigan State University opened its Controlled-Environment Lighting Laboratory (CELL) in 2017. The 400-square-foot vertical farm research facility is being used to study the indoor production of high-value specialty crops, including edibles and ornamentals with LED grow lights. [The two major crops that we are studying are leafy greens, including red and green leaf lettuce, and floriculture transplants, specifically seedlings," said horticulture professor Erik Runkle. [We are fairly new to leafy greens. We started performing research with them about three years ago, whereas, we`ve been working with indoor lighting of floriculture plugs since 2011. What has been interesting is to compare and contrast responses among the different crops. Not surprisingly there are a lot more similarities than there are differences." The indoor lighting research being conducted in the lighting laboratory is only with LED grow lights. The LED fixtures that are being used were designed by OSRAM. A similar OSRAM LED product is now being marketed as Phytofy. [The OSRAM fixtures we are using in our studies deliver seven different wavebands and each one can be independently controlled," Runkle said. [We are using the OSRAM fixture in all of our indoor lighting studies. This fixture features a sophisticated lighting system that enables us to deliver an infinitesimal number of combinations of light intensities and different wavebands. [Some of studies being conducted could relate to greenhouse production, but more often the research results we learn indoors won`t apply to greenhouses. In greenhouses we are supplementing sunlight. What we have found is the light spectrum has less of an effect in the greenhouse because there is all the background sunlight compared to indoor production. The ability to control these different growth and quality traits is significantly greater with indoor lighting than in a greenhouse." Using light to manipulate plant growth Runkle said working with different crops, the indoor lighting research being conducted is trying to elicit some very different quality traits. [Seedlings are typically grown economically in greenhouses," he said. [To produce anything indoors is going to be more expensive. The challenge and the reason that we are looking at ornamentals in indoor production is that there is still a lot of seasonal variability. [If there is a period of extended cloudiness or period of sunny weather that normally doesn`t occur, these unpredictable weather conditions can result in plants that finish too early or too late. Growing plants indoors takes a lot of those issues out of the picture because the environmental conditions can be completely controlled." Runkle said the research with leafy greens will look at the impact light can have on different attributes of the plants. [With leafy greens, growers are more concerned with consumer preferences for flavor and texture, as well as the yield and the biomass of the plants," he said. [In part, light can be used to manipulate these different attributes. With floriculture crops, growers are typically trying to produce a small, compact plant, and in some cases trying to develop flower buds early. In other cases, growers are trying to delay flowering." Leafy greens research at Michigan State will focus on the impact light can have on different attributes, such as texture and yield. Photos courtesy of Erik Runkle, Mich. St. Univ. Runkle said with floriculture crops the focus is on flowering and the growth aspects for compactness. [A lot of time can be taken out of production through lighting edible and ornamental crops," he said. [For leafy greens, the production time can be cut in half compared to the field crops. For floriculture crops, production time can be reduced by a week or two depending on the crop." Another area of research Runkle is interested in studying is to determine how light interacts with other environmental parameters, especially temperature. [Right now we are focused on lighting and that is what a lot of my colleagues are doing as well," he said. [But we also need to consider temperature effects on the growth rate of plants. By manipulating temperature and light we can probably reduce the production time even more than we have been able to achieve." The effects of different wavebands Most of the LED grow light research that has been done with leafy greens has studied the effects of red and blue light. [We have a fairly good understanding of the interaction between red and blue light and how that affects leafy greens," Runkle said. [The two wavebands for which much less information has been collected are green and far red. The most recent work that we have done is to look at both of these wavebands in independent experiments. Far red is a little more predictable and better known. We probably know the least amount about green light. Our group is focusing on some of these lesser used wavebands and trying to evaluate whether there is a fit, a need or a benefit to including them in a lighting fixture vs. sticking with a white light fixture or red/blue fixture." Researchers at Michigan State will study the impact of adding far red wavebands to the light spectrum on floriculture crops. For the floriculture crops Runkle is studying, the focus is on collecting more details on the benefits of adding far red to the light spectrum. [We know that there are benefits to far red, but how much far red needs to be delivered to get the positive benefits, which would be early flowering without the drawback of growth extension," he said. [It`s really trying to dial in that waveband, particularly how much far red is needed. [One of the things that we have learned is that inclusion or addition of far red light accelerates flowering of some long-day plants. What we are trying to determine is in which crops the far red promotion of flowering occurs and how much is needed to accelerate flowering. We`ve also been investigating how far red light interacts with other wavebands, particularly blue light, as well as how it interacts with total light intensity." Quantifying different growth responses One of the studies being done by Runkle`s research team is comparing the effects of different light spectrum wavebands to white light LEDs. [Some white LED grow lights are relatively inexpensive," he said. [We want to determine if there is a benefit to the customized spectrums, which would probably make them a more expensive product. Growers could decide whether to purchase fixtures with a fairly unique spectrum and receive their benefits. [Is it worth the extra cost to get these benefits? We don`t have specific numbers now, but the goal is to be able to quantify different growth responses under different light treatments. Information from our research, as well as from others working in the area, could help growers choose between a general inexpensive LED grow light to produce moderately good plants or spend more on fixtures to produce plants that flower earlier or have some other attributes that are desirable." Runkle said some companies are manufacturing customizable fixtures for growers. [The major downside of these customizable fixtures is that they are often times more expensive than fixtures with a fixed spectrum," he said. [Then the question for the growers is whether having the ability to tailor or adjust the spectrum worth the added cost. That is a hard question to answer at this point. It`s going to be situational. I`ve seen general fixtures marketed for the lighting of plants. I haven`t seen fixtures marketed yet for specific crop types."

Thais will be able to grow cannabis plants in their homes from June 9. Thailand insists that legalizing marijuana is meant to make the country a health center, not a haven for addicts. Thailand began to legalize marijuana in 2018 and became the first country in Asia to legalize medical marijuana in 2019. In 2020, Thailand further relaxed regulations on medical marijuana, opening doctors, patients and practitioners of traditional therapies to apply for growing medical marijuana and allowing pharmaceutical product manufacturers to export medical marijuana products. On February 8 this year, Thailand's Minister of Public Health Anutin Charnvirakul signed a government announcement to remove marijuana from Thailand's fifth class drug control list, completely untying marijuana from drugs except for those whose THC content is higher than 0.2%. The change will take effect 120 days after the government's announcement. In other words, on June 9 (a month from now), marijuana and drug deregulation will come into effect in Thailand. The Thai government is giving away one million free marijuana plants Public health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said recently that Thailand plans to provide one million cannabis plants free of charge after legalizing domestic cultivation and use of the plant in June. If individuals and businesses want to grow marijuana, they must first notify their provincial public health office how many plants will be grown, where exactly, and for what purpose (it must be for medical purposes). The office will submit its proposal to the FDA, and once approved by the Thai FDA, marijuana can be grown legally at home. With FDA approval, families can grow up to six marijuana plants in their homes. Those that register as businesses (at least seven people) and apply for permission from the FDA can grow an unlimited number of marijuana plants. Only corporate-grown cannabis can be extracted and sold as a THC concentration of less than 0.2%. Home-grown marijuana cannot be advertised for sale unless it has been specifically approved by the Thai FDA. "Legalization and delisting are more for family growers: people do not intend to use cannabis for trading purposes, but for personal consumption, for medical and health purposes," said Thanisorn Boonsoong, chief executive of Eastern Spectrum Group, one of Thailand's leading cannabis growing companies. A large number of personal and companies have applied for "permits" As June 9 approaches, thousands of individuals and companies have submitted applications for "marijuana licenses" to Thailand's FDA. By the end of April, Thailand's FDA had received 4,717 applications for the license, which would allow companies to use cannabis as an ingredient in medicines, cosmetics, food and drinks. To date, 80 licenses have been issued for the manufacture of marijuana, hemp and cannabidiol (CBD) products, including hemp seed oil, dietary supplements, beverages, sauces, jelly sugars and ready-to-eat foods, an FDA official said. Marijuana remains an illegal drug in Thailand without FDA approval. Possession of 10 kilograms or more of cannabis is a crime punishable by 15 years in prison and a fine of 1.5 million baht. Smoking marijuana carries a one-year jail sentence and a 20,000 baht fine. The Thai government through complex license system (cultivation, manufacture, sale, import and export, etc.) tightly controls the commercial cultivation of medical marijuana, used in the production, import, export or sale of, the extraction and processing must be approved by the FDA, secretary general of the Thai, before anyone without permission production, import, export, sales of marijuana, shall be sentenced to three years in prison or no more than 300, 000 baht fine, or both. FDA regulations and Thailand product composition is limited to have sleeping, analgesic medicinal value of cannabidiol (CBD), also in the process of production activity of chemicals must be four hydrogen cannabinol (THC), must provide the composition test report has proved the THC (hallucinogenic material) content in the product listed below the 0.2% to approved. Cannabis products are expected to boost medical tourism In 2020, 8.6% of Thailand's GDP came from agriculture, forestry and fishing. Before COVID-19, tourism accounted for 18% of the country's GROSS domestic product, according to the World Bank. Also prior to COVID-19, Global data projected that "health and wellness tourism in Thailand will increase to 27.7 million by 2022, with a cagR of 5.6% from 2019". The country is expected to become the leading destination for health and wellness tourism in Asia. ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍Eastern Spectrum Group marketing manager Pattranist Boonsoong, said the government focuses on the reform to promote medical tourism in Thailand. "Given the government's push for medical tourism and the fact that it will eventually recover, CBD products as a complement to medical tourism could be a big winner," she said. . "This can range from obvious medicines and supplements to derivative aromatherapy, candles, massage oils and spa products that can be used as health products for hotels." Boonsoong added, "Importantly, the production of cannabis medicines and dietary supplements in Thailand is" highly regulated and only certain producers, namely hospitals and pharmaceutical companies, can fully invest and explore this area ". Thailand's first mover advantage in Asian cannabis market Some in Thailand have expressed hope that the legislative change will help Thailand recover from the epidemic, as its economy has been badly damaged by COVID-19, with gross domestic product falling 6.1 percent in 2020, according to the World Bank. Boonsoong added: "Thailand has a first-mover advantage as one of the first countries in Asia to legalise the cultivation, sale and consumption of cannabis. This legislative support, combined with our abundant resources as a large agricultural country, has made Thailand a leader in the field of cannabis." In order to become a global hub for marijuana, Boonsoong emphasized to establish local infrastructure "real use of marijuana as a kind of economic crops", and "the support of other industries such as pharmaceutical, food and drinks herbal medicine, cosmetics and skin care products will be necessary, to support the value chain of marijuana and create consumer awareness, and establish an ecological system", "She added. Farmers and the agricultural sector in general will also be key to the development of Thailand's cannabis industry, Boonsoong said, stressing the importance of "educating and helping local farmers to incorporate cannabis into their cash crop". Another advantage Thailand has, according to Boonsoong, is the ability to manufacture manufactured goods for export at low cost. "We have the prospect of becoming a regional manufacturing hub for CBD products, exporting to Japan, Australia and Europe," she adds. Of course, there are obstacles. Boonsoong explained that adding the right dose to the product will be a challenge given the strict regulations. Establishing a domestic cannabis research and development ecosystem is also crucial. "Given that the industry is still in its infancy in Thailand, there is a lack of local CBD product development and clinical studies," Boonsoong said. "Most of the scientific literature currently used is foreign. As the industry matures, Thailand will start to see local journals and research, which will be very helpful." Thailand has a lot to offer in many sectors, from agriculture to tourism and pharmaceuticals, but perhaps inevitably, the country's market-leading efforts in cannabis have attracted global attention. However, the idea of Bangkok becoming the "Amsterdam" of Southeast Asia will have to be shelved, as Thailand insists that legalising cannabis is meant to make the country a health centre rather than a haven for addicts, at least for now.