August 4, 2017

Marijuana Smugglers in The U.S Are Becoming More Rampant

Posted on August 4, 2017August 1, 2024 by Staff Writer

Legalized cannabis is causing a headache for law enforcement agencies who have seen an increase in the number of marijuana smugglers shipping illicitly across the United States.

Green Wave Advisors, a consulting firm focused on cannabis, says legal sales of marijuana were 16% of total cannabis sales in 2016.

According to USA Today, cannabis starts off in states where it’s legal, such as Colorado, then makes its way through America via post. It can be driven across state borders or even flown from state-to-state.

Colorado prosecutors revealed in June that they caught a 74-person drug factory producing 100 pounds of marijuana each month. Law enforcement estimated the gang generated more than $200,000 per month, tax free, over four years.

In total, police found two tons of cannabis in homes and warehouses in the Denver area. Professional football players, fathers and sons, as well as professionals were all caught up in the illegal money-making scheme.

“Those of us in law enforcement kept saying, ‘(Legalization) will not stop crime. You’re just making it easier for people who want to make money. What we’ve done is given them cover,” Cynthia Coffman, Colorado Attorney General, stated.

According to official figures there are now some 65 million Americans living in states where marijuana is legal. However, cannabis is still illegal in many states and smugglers are taking advantage of that to increase prices, sometimes by as much as four-times.

Experts claim that legalizing marijuana has made the logistics of drug trafficking easier for cartels. If caught they will only face misdemeanor penalties in most states, and there are now no issues with getting the drug by border security.

Some States Struggle with Marijuana Use

Meanwhile, Oregon State Police estimate that the legal marijuana market consists of just 30%, while the rest is generated on the black market.

In 2016, attorney generals in Oklahoma and Nebraska filed a lawsuit against Colorado for weed smugglers caught in their jurisdiction and for clogging up jails. The US Supreme Court declined to hear the lawsuit, and prompted many to suggest that it was proof that legalization would create more criminal activity.

Green Wave Advisors, a consulting firm focused on cannabis, says legal sales of marijuana were 16% of total cannabis sales in 2016. In 2018, the firm predicts legal sales will increase to 33% of the market, and by 2020 legal sales are expected to surpass black-market sales.

Legalization advocates say that the black market only exists because some states still deem marijuana illegal. They believe if we make it legal everywhere you will eliminate the need for a black market.

Legalized marijuana is big business. Colorado saw more than $1 billion worth of marijuana sold in state-regulated and taxed stores in 2016, and this number is set to increase per-year.

Law enforcers are pumping some of the revenues made from this new income into monitoring and eliminating the black market. The only issue is that black market marijuana is cheaper than the legal kind because it is exempt from taxes. However, some critics claim that once the legal market becomes bigger the prices will come down.

Last Mile Challenges Food Delivery

Posted on August 4, 2017February 20, 2024 by Staff Writer

It seems that every delivery system has a “last mile” problem. Broadband internet had a similar problem. Fiber optic internet is also having that problem. Lately, Amazon and other delivery systems have been coping with the challenge.

The last mile problem refers to the delivery of services from a terminal or hub to the door of the user or customer. Each system has its own unique challenges. Amazon wants to use drones as this can be cost-effective down the road. A San Franscisco startup wants to deliver food with robots rolling down the street, and that is where their problems begin.

Marble is a startup developing a food delivery service which uses robots that roll down the sidewalk. These are chunky little things which look like a cooler on top of a wheelchair. It does not look like any classic android robot with elegance and good looks, or like cute R2D2, instead it looks much like an autonomous wheelchair-based delivery service. They are non-threatening, and children like looking at them as they roll along. The hipsters of San Franscisco, not so much.

One common issue with robots is that if they look humanoid, and are to be used in activities which are traditionally done by humans, there is some feeling of animosity among those who have been disenfranchised by technology. A lot of today’s automation, whether on the streets, or in factories has been seen to take away a job from a human and replaced with a robot. Although the truth is that the automated process is not only cost-effective, but humans have also not been willing to work these jobs. There is a lack of people who are qualified for these jobs, or who are willing to take them on. Automation is the only way to keep these processes rolling.

San Franciso Say No To Robots

The problem is that a San Francisco supervisor, Norman Yee, wants answers to questions first before these delivery robots take to the streets of San Francisco. These questions

include safety for children and pedestrians, the robot’s right to use of the sidewalk, and work force displacement. He wants these issues and other technological impact concerns discussed and regulated before robots are deployed. He asks why San Francisco has to be the guinea pig for the robots, why not do the testing somewhere else?

Yee has concerns which also stem from the early adoption of Lyft and Uber. These technologies practically crept into society’s consciousness and now that they are deeply embedded, it is now harder to regulate them. Since they are now big businesses, they have funds to lobby and over-rule local governments. They can defeat measures to regulate them.

In the meantime, while there are still no regulations, Marble is doing test deliveries. Since Silicon Valley is nearby, San Francisco has been an area noted for testing and adopting innovation. However, with the concern over runaway technology, that might soon change. Norman Yee drafted a legislation which would ban robots from sidewalks, just like skateboards and bikes.

Meanwhile, Marble’s competitor in the food delivery robot development, Starship Technologies, is in nearby Redwood City which welcomes the testing of delivery robots. This is one case where the success of a technology may depend on the location for development and testing.

Health Innovation Funding UK: The Healthcare Innovation Fund In Detail

Posted on August 4, 2017March 6, 2020 by Staff Writer

The government of the United Kingdom recently announced the creation of an £86-million fund for new healthcare technology. The budget for this initiative will come from multiple sources, including the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and the Department of Health. It’s veritably a health innovation funding UK. The Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund under the BEIS, will receive £197 million in funding. In addition, over the next three years, the Department of Health will provide around £30 million in additional funding.

This project is unique for the UK due to its push for the private sector tech to get involved with healthcare technology. It is supposed to be a catalyst for more projects which can be used in medical and associated fields. This fact in itself is an innovative approach to firing up healthcare tech. The traditional model, which is still being followed by most startups and government agencies around the world, is to let tech companies create whatever they think is currently needed and hope that it gets picked up by the market.

In essence, this detail on the said health innovation funding UK, is putting the horse in front of the wagon. The fund is aimed at creating support for small and medium-sized companies (SMEs) and startups.

The bulk of the fund, about £39 million will go to the Academic Health Science Networks, which will be used to assess the benefits of new technologies, especially those which are locally developed. Another £6 million goes to fund SMEs for testing innovative medicines, methods and technologies in the real world.

Help for Innovative Healthcare Startups

In most instances, tech startups and development have run to the ground with the need to develop during testing. Small companies usually do not have the resources to get their prototype to be tested to scale as needed before they can be brought to market. This funding approach helps to find and identify which products have the best chance of success in the medical field, as well as to help with the last few steps prior to commercial production. Notably, in medicine, there is a need for rigorous testing of technology and methods due to the lives which are on the line. Thus, there is a high bar to cross over when it comes to being a fool-proof device.

The Digital Health Catalyst, one of the recipient programs of the fund, is a direct result of a challenge thrown by the Accelerated Access Review, which in October 2016 published a recommendation to change how new products are chosen by the health and medical sector, and how the sector interacts with the tech industry. It also urged a new process of acceptance which follows the Paperless 2020 simplified app assessment process. In addition, the Review advocated more meaningful collaboration between the various NHS arms, their suppliers and patients in the development of healthcare products.

Health Innovation Funding UK — A Final Note

The funding is expected to spur the growth of innovation in medical devices, especially among lesser-known companies and startups. It will also open the doors for different kinds of devices aimed at solving more obscure problems and diseases. The UK is well known as a leading foundation when it comes to invention—not only in technology but also, more, specifically in the medical field. This impetus should be able to help the innovators further.

Australian Food Technology is Setting a New Trend

Posted on August 4, 2017September 5, 2023 by Staff Writer

Australia is setting the trend for advancements in food technology innovations.

With the growing middle class in China, and the developing countries of Southeast Asia, Australia is in a good position to take advantage of this opportunity.

The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) recently released the Food and Agribusiness Roadmap, which outlines opportunities for Australian products in various growth areas. These include health, convenience foods, and products which emphasize sustainability and reduce waste by using fewer resources. The roadmap was a collaboration with Food Innovation Australia Limited (FIAL), a government-funded growth center for food and agribusiness.

Their plans are bold and daring, to say the least. The roadmap includes research and development along the lines of non-allergenic nuts, tolerable lactose and gluten foods, algae-based proteins, and edible packaging solutions. These are all responses to concerns the organization foresees affecting the near future. With less predictable weather and climate, growing conditions could be less dependable. Furthermore, there is an impetus to deliver healthier and more convenient foods to customers. Other trends include more sustainable processes, newer food source alternatives, as well as traceable packaging.

Part of the roadmap includes enablers in order to have better coordination with FIAL. These cover: traceability and provenance, market intelligence and access, collaboration and knowledge sharing, food safety and biosecurity, as well as skills. FIAL’s priority areas align with these enablers and help maintain focus as they create opportunities for growth and innovation in the food and agribusiness industry. This is also expected to help increase productivity and sustainable growth of the economy, as well as become job creation initiatives and attract businesses.

Plan for Competitiveness in Food Industry

Recently, FIAL also released its sector competitiveness plan. This details the vision for growth of Australian food exports and the strategy to meet that vision. In 2015, the country’s food and agriculture exports totaled US $46.5 billion. This is equivalent to 14% of the total goods and services exported for the year, about 63% of which goes to Asia.

With the growing middle class in China, and the developing countries of Southeast Asia, Australia is in a good position to take advantage of this opportunity. The middle class in these countries are not only growing in number, they are also progressively developing more sophisticated and expensive tastes. This is due to the growing affluence brought about by their respective country’s growing economy.

Australia has been noted for its innovations in the food industry and agriculture. They have a wide range of products, and is also positioned to be Asia’s bread bowl. Australia and New Zealand are the leading exporters of lamb meat and live sheep to the Middle East. They also have a very large dairy industry, as well as an ever growing wine export sector. Similarly, they export high quality seafood, like black mussels.

The initiative laid out by CSIRO and FIAL positions the foundation to continue research and development towards innovative products and value added services. This can further ensure that even with changing environments, and unpredictable economic conditions, Australia will be in a position to keep producing superior goods in both Asia and the rest of the world.

Day: August 4, 2017