Brad Branan has been a journalist for 27 years, most recently as the cannabis reporter at The Sacramento Bee. Branan is the son of an investigative reporter. He is also a backpacker, skier, whitewater rafter and a certified California naturalist (UC ‘16.) Before moving to Sacramento, Branan worked for newspapers in Fresno, Tucson and elsewhere. He has won many awards, including the Gruner Award for best reporting in Central California and the California Newspaper Publishers Association award for best investigative reporting in the state. He can be reached at brad.branan@gmail.com.
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The Delta in Decline
Wildlife and businesses in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta are suffering from lack of fresh water
The life cycle of a salmon, so the story goes, is a heroic journey. The fish emerge from fertilized eggs in a river bed, swim to the ocean where they spend most of their lives and return to give birth in the exact place where they were born.
Braving the Wild Waters
The Sierra Nevada’s huge snowpack is melting, making for thrilling rafting adventures this year
The South Fork of the American River looked like the high seas or a stormy lake in late May, with four times the normal amount of water coursing through Chili Bar, known for challenging rapids even in dry years.
The Herb Column: Battling for Onsite Consumption
Law creates barriers for entrepreneurs interested in the cannabis field
Uncertainty over where people can consume marijuana can create significant limitations for cannabis businesses.
Barriers to Baked Goods
Supply of edible cannabis dwindles during regulatory waiting game
Mike Appezzato has only been in business for a year, but he’s already uprooting his company to move it to Sacramento.
The Herb Column: High-Level Eats
New users of edibles should proceed with caution
To many consumers, the idea of edibles — cannabis-infused chocolate bars, brownies and other treats — sounds enticing. Especially considering health concerns about cigarettes have made people uncomfortable with smoke, including from marijuana.
The Herb Column: Higher Education
Budtenders may become the new drug educators in Sacramento
The legalization of adult-use marijuana in November 2016 created an opportunity for California to rethink drug education programs, as a portion of the tax revenue from the new commercial cannabis market must go to education programs.
The Herb Column: Where Did All the Cannabis Watchdogs Go?
Why Comstock’s is launching THC, a monthly column on the cannabis business
Getting reliable information about cannabis may be more important than ever. But finding reliable cannabis information has become harder because of another trend — the decimation of newsroom staffs.