As many of us enter our third or fourth week of self-quarantine, we might be feeling restless, irritable or alone. This is perfectly normal; many of us at BPG are feeling the same. 

Some of us feel it’s important to stay “productive” during self-quarantine, some of us don’t, and that’s ok.

We’re here to remind you that your mental health matters, and to be kind to yourself during these tough times.

Thanks to modern technology and global connectivity, there are a wide variety of free resources to keep our body and mind active and nourished.

From classes to coloring books, we have a few ideas on how to uplift your mental health during self-isolation. Of course, cannabis complements all of them 🙂

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Berkeley Patients Group in it for GOOD. Berkeley Patients Group (BPG) has been dedicated to providing safe, clean, quality-controlled cannabis for 20 years. We have always prioritized responsible sourcing and have established long-term partnerships with providers that exceed mandated quality standards.

Our mission is to provide high quality, effective, and affordable medical cannabis to our patients. We create and maintain the highest standards of excellence in all that we do. We foster a compassionate community that advances the understanding and inspires action.

BPG offers a wide variety of products with different levels of CBD, THC, and CBN, so you can achieve desired effects

• Flowers: traditional cannabis that you smoked in the 60s 

Flowers at all different price points are available at Berkeley Patients Group. We work closely with our selected brands to bring you the lowest price possible.

Indica, Sativa’s, and Hybrids can all be found on our shelves from popular brands like Flow Kana, Bloom Farms, NUG, Korovdifferencea, Gold Seal, and Lowell Herb Co.

To see what Flowers we currently have, please click here.

To learn the difference between Indica, Sativa, and Hybrids please click here.

• Vape pens: concentrated oil that you ‘vaporize’ with an easy-to-use device; easier on the throat, convenient, discreet with no smell 

When it comes to ease of use, portability, and functionality, one cannabis product stands above the rest. Vape pens are perfect for the “desecrate” consumer that doesn’t enjoy smelling like smoke.

Vape pens from popular brands such as Bloom Farms, Raw Garden, BEBOE, Dosist, and Eden.

As various news outlets have reported, a growing number of reports surrounding an unidentified vaping related illness has created a serious public health concern with more questions than answers.

Berkeley Patients Group (BPG) has been dedicated to providing safe, clean, quality-controlled cannabis for 20 years. We have always prioritized responsible sourcing and have established long-term partnerships with providers that exceed mandated quality standards. It is why we pioneered the development of cannabis testing standards over ten years ago.

To date, we are not aware of any respiratory-related illness caused by a product sold at BPG or any other licensed California dispensary. While there are many unknowns at this time, BPG is using every resource at our disposal to promote consumer safety and to provide timely information.

ACTIONS WE ARE TAKING:

• Contacting every vape cartridge vendor to verify problematic, questionable additives are not in any products we sell.

• Staying up-to-date with the latest information and research on this issue. BPG will issue periodic updates as information is released from authorities.

• Sourcing products tested according to state guidelines.

• Verifying testing certificates as genuine.

WHAT WE DO KNOW:

• An increasing number of vaping-related illnesses, approximately 471 cases, including six deaths have been reported across 33 states to date, including California.

• All of the California-related illnesses were caused by products purchased in the unlicensed market.

• No single device, ingredient or additive has been identified as the sole cause of this mysterious epidemic.

• Many of the associated products contain THC, some contain nicotine, and some include both.

• Symptoms: Patients are coming into hospitals with cough, chest pain, shortness of breath, fatigue and vomiting.

EMERGING INFORMATION:

• Doctors suspect the cause may be chemical exposure related to additives or ingredients, such as Vitamin E acetate.

Our hearts go out to the victims and the loved ones of those who are currently suffering or have succumbed to this devastating illness. This crisis further shows the immediate need for federal reform that will enable proper research, regulations, and guaranteed product safety and efficacy for patients. Eliminating illicit operators and the entities providing a public platform to them should be the number one priority for the State of California and the nation.

We are encouraging any BPG customers who experience any problems or have additional questions regarding vape products sold by BPG, to email us at info@mybpg.com.

Read the statement from CDPH:

Risks of VapingUnlicensed or Unregulated Cannabis or Cannabidiol (CBD) Products

• Edibles: anything you eat with cannabis in it; traditional candies, baked goods, granola bites, etc. 
• Tinctures: droppers with cannabis oil you can put under your tongue or in your food and drinks 
• Topicals: applied to the skin, such as lotions, oils and bath soaks; provide localized pain relief and won’t get you high 
• Transdermal Patches: applied to veins (wrist + top of the foot) will go directly into the bloodstream for an all-day effect 
• Capsules: look like traditional pills filled with cannabis oil 

[Consumption Methods Video]

BPG Quality Guarantee

We stress the importance of obtaining your cannabis, including CBD, from a licensed dispensary. At Berkeley Patients Group, it is our guarantee that every single product is lab-tested to ensure that it is absolutely safe for consumption by our patients.

BPG’s testing is performed by an independent cannabis analytics laboratory in compliance with Berkeley Municipal Code § 12.27.070. We independently verify any laboratory results provided by our vendors.

Safety

Medicine that fails any tests for contamination is not offered to our patients. Each medicine is tested for:

• Pesticides. A combination of enzyme-linked immune assays and gas chromatography is used to test for pesticide residue including organophosphate and carbamate pesticides, pyrethroid pesticides, and avermectins (Avid).
• Microbial contaminants. An aerobic plate count (APC) methodology is used to test for microbial contamination including bacteria, fungus, and mold. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is used to identify specific contaminants like e. coli.
• Residual flammable solvents. Headspace analysis is used to test for the presence of residual solvents in all applicable products (i.e. extracts).

Potency

Potency refers to the quantity of each active ingredient in a particular medical cannabis product. Active ingredients include any cannabinoid or propyl cannabinoid derivative when present in amounts greater than 0.5% by dry weight, and any mono-or sesquiterpenoid present in amounts greater than 0.3% by dry weight. We test for the following key compounds:

• Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinolic Acid (THCA)
• Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)
• Cannabidiolic acid (CBDA)
• Cannabidiol (CBD)
• Cannabinol (CBN)

These compounds are quantitated using liquid chromatography and/or gas chromatography with derivatization. BPG maintains records of all medicine by batch, including the corresponding laboratory test result data for each batch, in compliance with Berkeley Municipal Code § 12.27.050(B)(2).

Free Consultation with a Knowledgeable Specialist

BPG carries over 300 different products for medical patients and adult consumers. We understand that, while it’s great to have choices, it can be overwhelming trying to understand which cannabis therapy is right for you. This is why we offer free phone consultations with our highly trained staff members.

To use this service, simply call us at 510-540-6013, ext. 3, or send an email to Express@myBPG.com.

We are available any time from 9am-9pm, though weekends are busiest. At the end of your consultation, our staff can help you place an order for express pick up. This service is quick, convenient, and there are no fees or minimum order requirements.

As various news outlets have reported, a growing number of reports surrounding an unidentified vaping related illness has created a serious public health concern with more questions than answers.

Berkeley Patients Group (BPG) has been dedicated to providing safe, clean, quality-controlled cannabis for 20 years. We have always prioritized responsible sourcing and have established long-term partnerships with providers that exceed mandated quality standards. It is why we pioneered the development of cannabis testing standards over ten years ago.

To date, we are not aware of any respiratory-related illness caused by a product sold at BPG or any other licensed California dispensary. While there are many unknowns at this time, BPG is using every resource at our disposal to promote consumer safety and to provide timely information.

ACTIONS WE ARE TAKING:

· Contacting every vape cartridge vendor to verify problematic, questionable additives or parts are not in any products we sell

· Staying up-to-date with the latest information and research on this issue. BPG will issue periodic updates as information is released from authorities

· Sourcing products tested according to state guidelines

· Verifying testing certificates as genuine and battery devices are not inhalation-activated

WHAT WE KNOW:

· An increasing number of vaping-related illnesses, approximately 800 cases, including thirteen deaths have been reported across 33 states to date, including California.

· All of the California-related illnesses were caused by products purchased in the unlicensed market.

· No single device, ingredient or additive has been identified as the sole cause of this mysterious epidemic.

· Many of the associated products contain THC, some contain nicotine, and some include both.

· Symptoms: Patients are coming into hospitals with cough, chest pain, shortness of breath, fatigue and vomiting.

· Colorado Green Lab recently conducted a vape pen study and posted key findings associated with inhalation-activated vape battery devices

EMERGING INFORMATION:

· Doctors suspect the cause may be chemical exposure related to additives or ingredients, such as Vitamin E acetate.

Our hearts go out to the victims and the loved ones of those who are currently suffering or have succumbed to this devastating illness.

This crisis further shows the immediate need for federal reform that will enable proper research, regulations, and guaranteed product safety and efficacy for patients. Eliminating illicit operators and the entities providing a public platform to them should be the number one priority for the State of California and the nation.

We are encouraging any BPG customers who experience any problems or have additional questions regarding vape products sold by BPG, to email us at info@mybpg.com.

Further information is available from NORML online here, here, and here. California NORML’s fact-sheet, “Cannabis Vaping: What’s Safe and What’s Not,” is online here. An advisory by Leafly.com, entitled “Vape Pen Lung Disease: Here’s What You Need to Know,” is online here. An advisory from the City of Berkeley is online here.

 Your Buds at BPG

With a 76% increase in new openings in 2019, cannabis has one of the fastest-growing rates of job creation in any industry. Indeed and ZipRecruiter list as many as 200,000 to 300,000 new jobs in the cannabis market nationwide.

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A Historic 4/20 Celebration

As the nation’s longest-running dispensary, we’ve been celebrating the 4/20 holiday for quite some time. This year is extremely special to us, as it’s our 20th anniversary — 4/20 for TWENTY YEARS! We hope you will join us for this year’s community event.

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