A dozen lawsuits have now been filed to challenge Connecticut’s adult-use cannabis cultivation licensing process, according  to a CT Insider report.

The Hartford Cannabis Company, a social equity applicant that was ultimately denied a license, was the first to sue the state last month. That lawsuit alleges that the Social Equity Council, which was created by the Legislature through Connecticut’s adult-use cannabis law to oversee the rollout of the state’s adult-use market to ensure it benefits those most negatively impacted by the war on drugs, changed the rules while the application process was underway and refused to allow the company to amend its application.

Additional applicants have since filed their own lawsuits to challenge the licensing process, CT Insider reported, including Core Cult, Coastal Cannabis, Red Barn Farms, DF C3, Leaf CT, Let’s Grow Hartford, Elm City Agg, Green Meadows Farm, Gunter Investments and Nautilus Botanicals.

The Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection, which oversees the state’s adult-use cannabis market, and the Department of Economic and Community Development are named as defendants in the litigation, according to the news outlet.

When Connecticut legalized adult-use cannabis last year, half the licenses were earmarked for social equity applicants who must meet income, residency and ownership requirements, and social equity license holders must own and control at least 65% of the business.

Cannabis home delivery will soon be coming to Hermosa Beach, Calif.

The Hermosa Beach City Council voted 4-1 Aug. 9 to lift the cannabis home delivery ban, which was implemented in 2017.

According to Easy Reader News, council members who voted in favor of home delivery argued that the ban “would decriminalize a service most residents favor, and undermine support for the cannabis initiative on the November 8 ballot.”

That initiative would allow up to two cannabis retail locations in Hermosa Beach, as well as give cannabis retailers selected by the city home delivery rights, the news outlet reported. However, the “council voted last month to oppose the cannabis initiative and will write the ballot opposition argument to the initiative,” the news outlet reported.

Hermosa Beach Mayor Mike Detoy voted against allowing cannabis deliveries in the city. However, he said he’s not against delivery services, but he is “opposed to the procedure and timing.” 

“He argued that the delivery ordinance was premature because it will be invalidated if voters approve the cannabis initiative. He also questioned whether cannabis delivery services currently operating in violation of the law would follow the permit procedure,” the news outlet reported.

The Association for Cannabis Health Equity and Medicine (ACHEM) is no longer aligned with the US Cannabis Council (USCC), a leading voice for ending the federal prohibition of cannabis.

In an open letter to USCC president and CEO Steven Hawkins on Aug. 17, ACHEM president Ogadinma Obie, M.D., informed USCC leadership that her association is resigning from its position on the USCC board of directors and general membership, effective immediately.

ACHEM is a professional medical association with the Cannabis Health Equity Movement (CHEM). The mutual benefit nonprofit organization serves the needs of health and medical professionals in the advancement of health equity.

The association joined USCC as a founding member of its executive council in early 2021 and was encouraged by the organization’s commitment to make social equity a central focus in driving federal cannabis policy reform, Obie wrote in the open letter.

In USCC’s about statement, the organization claims to have become a leading force for “creating an equitable values-driven cannabis industry.”

Since joining USCC, Obie wrote that ACHEM’s leadership has “recognized the increasing influence of corporate cannabis priorities over the council that has continually overshadowed or siloed equity-focused recommendations.”

Officials in Santa Barbara County, Calif., have adopted a new ordinance that requires a higher-level permit for those looking to grow cannabis in certain zones.

The Board of Supervisors unanimously approved an ordinance Aug. 16 that will require cultivators to obtain a conditional use permit (CUP), rather than a simple land use permit (LUP), to grow on land zoned Agriculture 2 in inland Santa Barbara County, as well as outdoors in various industrial and manufacturing zones, according to the Santa Ynez Valley News.

RELATED: Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors Considers Higher Level Permit for Cannabis Cultivation

The board had requested the CUPs in order to give the supervisors and the Planning Commission the ability to condition projects to ensure they are compatible with the neighborhood prior to permit approval, the news outlet reported.

The ordinance will take effect in 30 days but will not become operational until Jan. 31, 2023, so that two applicants, who are nearly done with the permitting process, can get their LUPs approved before the ordinance is in full swing, according to the Santa Ynez Valley News.

BOCA RATON, Fla., Aug. 17, 2022 – PRESS RELEASE – Raising the standard for cannabis and hemp testing, ACS Laboratory, the largest hemp and cannabis testing facility in the eastern U.S., is pleased to announce the National Hemp Testing Panel – the most comprehensive national hemp testing panel in the industry.

One year after the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) issued its final rules on hemp, various states enacted their own regulatory programs. For example, states such as Florida, New York, Colorado, Pennsylvania, and Utah created specific testing rules that hemp growers and brands must follow, some more comprehensive than the USDA’s mandates.

The diverse regulations mean multi-state hemp operators need reliable support to remain compliant. Hemp supply chain companies need qualified third-party laboratories that meticulously follow nuanced laws to ensure their products are permissible across the country. End-users also deserve the safest, highest quality products–regardless of where they reside.

Although ACS Laboratory foresees federal legalization for cannabis in the future, it may be years before national laboratory standards are created. The National Hemp Testing Panel is ACS Laboratory’s solution to meet all the state standards for nationally sold hemp products.

Led by Principal Scientist Laboratory Director Dr. Aixia Sun, ACS Laboratory conducted intense due diligence for several months. The laboratory researched the fine print of every state's rules for hemp sampling, THC potency, cannabinoid content, residual solvents, pesticides, mycotoxins, heavy metals, and microbiology. With that research, they created elaborate matrices to compare each mandate.

Using the data collected, ACS Laboratory extracted the strictest requirements per category to create the National Hemp Testing Panel and corresponding Certificate of Analysis. With the National Hemp Testing Panel, ACS Laboratory tests for 18 cannabinoids, 105 pesticides, 24 heavy metals, 55 potential residual solvents, 17 different microorganisms, and every required mycotoxin to detect parts per billion, as well as for moisture content, water activity and terpenes (upon request).

LEAMINGTON, Ontario, and CANTANHEDE, Portugal, Aug. 17, 2022 – PRESS RELEASE – Tilray Brands Inc., a leading global cannabis-lifestyle and consumer packaged goods company, announced that its medical cannabis division, Tilray Medical, has received approval to commercialize its Tilray branded medical cannabis products in Poland expanding its product offering and distribution across pharmacies in Europe.

Denise Faltischek, Tilray’s chief strategy officer and head of International Business, said, “I’m extremely proud of our team in Europe for once again expanding our approved authorization for Tilray Medical products across Europe. Tilray will continue to advocate for reasonable patient access to reliable and high-quality medical cannabis in Europe and countries around the world.”

Tilray Medical is a leading international provider of EU-GMP certified medical cannabis products in 21 countries with a comprehensive portfolio of trusted and reliable THC and CBD products, each with a unique profile of cannabinoids and terpenes, that have been selected to ensure patients can receive both the highest product quality as well as consistency when it comes to supply of their medicinal cannabis products.

In Poland, Tilray Medical has established multiple partnerships with pharmaceutical companies to distribute both Tilray branded and unbranded medical cannabis products. Patients may obtain prescriptions for medical cannabis in Poland through their preferred medical doctor.

The Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission (AMCC) has contracted Metrc to support the state’s soon-to-launch medical cannabis program.

RELATED: Alabama’s Medical Cannabis Market Expected to Launch Spring 2023

Metrc’s trace-and-track platform will help the AMCC facilitate data collection and regulatory oversight, according to a release, while operators will be enabled to track a range of plant or product data, including origin, testing results, chain-of-custody information, handling, and more.

“We are confident that Metrc is the best partner to help Alabama institute a trustworthy, statewide seed-to-sale tracking system for our medical cannabis market,” AMCC Director John McMillan said. “We are eager to work side-by-side with the Metrc team to establish a well-regulated supply chain to ensure the long-term safety and security of patients and providers.”

RELATED: Alabama Regulators Approve Medical Cannabis Business Licensing Rules

Metrc’s contract with Alabama marks the company’s 23rd government contract overall, and its sixth  this year.

SAN FRANCISCO, California, Aug. 16, 2022 - PRESS RELEASE - Treez, a cloud commerce technology platform for cannabis retail and supply chain enterprises, announced that it has become the exclusive retail technology solutions provider for Green4All, an independently owned, adult-use cannabis dispensary located in Brockton, Mass. Treez's point of sale software enables Green4All to automate compliance and inventory management and track market trends so they can focus on scaling their business. This exciting venture marks the entrance of Treez into the Massachusetts cannabis retail market.

Treez is also offered in several key cannabis retail markets, including Arizona, Colorado, California, Michigan and Missouri, with plans to expand into several more states by the end of 2022.

"We're excited to enter the Massachusetts cannabis market through our relationship with Green4All," said John Yang, CEO of Treez. "We strive to provide the latest software tools to retailers of all sizes and are proud to serve small businesses like Green4All, and we look forward to helping accelerate their growth."

The move by Green4All to integrate with Treez comes as the Massachusetts-based company looks for solutions to reporting capabilities and the ability to leverage an open API technology ecosystem. Treez's open API tools offer retailers a secure, cloud-based platform that enables retailers to exchange data and functionalities with their robust network of partners.

Treez completed the onsite implementation with Green4All this past July and looks forward to continuing to provide best-in-class retail technology along with top-rated service, including 24/7 customer support.

The integration with Treez will allow Green4All to automate Metrc reporting and inventory management, reduce loss and discrepancies, and mitigate compliance risks while increasing profit margins. In addition, Treez will support Green4All's growth by providing market-leading data and analytics to help the retailer understand its customers and make data-driven business decisions to improve the company's revenue.

Dr. Nadia Sabeh, Ph.D., is founder and president of Dr. Greenhouse Inc., an agricultural and mechanical engineering firm that specializes in the design of HVAC systems for indoor plant environments. Since founding the company in 2017, Sabeh has helped clients across the U.S., Canada, and other nations to optimize their grow facilities.

In this exclusive interview with Cannabis Business Times, Sabeh shares what she’s been working on in 2022, how she got her start in agricultural engineering, current trends she sees in the industry, and what to expect from her speaking session at Cannabis Conference 2022 Aug. 23-25 in Las Vegas.

Editor's note: Dr. Greenhouse’s Nadia Sabeh will be speaking on the panel session “Creating A Thriving Crop Environment: Lessons In Relative Humidity, Vapor Pressure Deficit, CO2, Heat Loads And More,” from 11:25 a.m.–12:15 p.m. PST Aug. 25 at Cannabis Conference, taking place at the Paris Las Vegas Hotel & Casino. In this session, Sabeh will share strategies for achieving ideal environmental metrics, as well as how to aggregate and analyze valuable data points from these controls to make project adjustment decisions. Visit www.CannabisConference.com for more information and to register.

Zach Mentz: What's going on at Dr. Greenhouse these days? What are you currently working on? What has taken up a large chunk of your 2022 and what are you excited about?

Nadia Sabeh: We have been really involved in the last six to 12 months in the energy code and in developing energy standards to help our clients strategize around reducing energy use and improving energy efficiency. It's been a really interesting year because with all the supply chain issues the slow-to-build process that we're seeing with a lot of new projects, some of our clients are refocusing on their existing facilities and retooling them and wanting to optimize the operation or troubleshoot challenges that they've been having.

Many of them had plans to expand or build into a new facility, and now in the last six months we've been having clients say, “We're going to put the brakes on the new project, and we are going to focus on the facility we have now to try to make it better.” And I think that's awesome. Because regardless of what you're growing, a lot of indoor farmers and greenhouse growers may have jumped into a larger scale facility than what they were used to before, or maybe they're growing a different crop if they came from ornamental horticulture and now are doing cannabis horticulture, [and] there's a learning curve. And over the past few years, they're realizing where their deficiencies are [and] what they'd like to improve. Maybe now they have the capital to actually spend on making those improvements, both in terms of being able to purchase the equipment and hire experts like us. So we're getting a lot more involved in existing buildings and optimizing those facilities and operations, which is a lot of fun and a really big opportunity to help growers with their everyday operations. So that's a lot of what we're doing now.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla., Aug. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- PRESS RELEASE -- Trulieve Cannabis Corp., a cannabis company in the United States, today announced the opening of a new medical dispensary in Auburndale, Fla. Located at 2003 US Hwy 92, the doors will open at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, Aug.16, 2022, with ongoing regular hours of 9 a.m. - 9 p.m. from Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. - 8 p.m. on Sunday.

Grand opening festivities throughout the day at the new dispensary will include numerous partner giveaways, music, food trucks, deals and specials, and all registered patients will receive a 25% discount. Trulieve also offers statewide home delivery, convenient online ordering and in-store pickup. As always, all first-time guests are eligible for a 50% new customer discount at any Florida-based location.

"Trulieve is excited to expand access to medical cannabis in Auburndale and continue building strong relationships in the community," said Kim Rivers, CEO of Trulieve. "Our company is driven by our commitment to providing tailored, high-quality care and exceptional customer experiences to as many patients as possible."

As the state's leading medical cannabis provider, Trulieve's retail employees are trained to provide personalized patient care and support individuals at every stage of their cannabis journeys. Trulieve dispensaries throughout Florida offer on-site consultations to help patients obtain appropriate medical products and dosages to ensure optimal cannabis experiences.

Trulieve patients across Florida can choose from the largest selection of THC and CBD products available in a variety of consumption methods, including smokable flower, concentrates, edibles, capsules, syringes, tinctures, topical creams, vaporizers, and more.

Designed to meet every patient's needs, Trulieve's portfolio of in-house brands includes Alchemy, Co2lors, Cultivar Collection, Modern Flower, Momenta, Muse, Roll One, Sweet Talk and Trekkers. Patients also have access to beloved brands such as Bellamy Brothers, Bhang, Binske, Blue River, Black Tuna, DeLisioso, Love's Oven, Miami Mango, O.pen and Sunshine Cannabis, all available exclusively at Trulieve in Florida.

CHICAGO (August 16, 2022) -- PRESS RELEASE -- With a goal to help researchers find a new treatment approach for children fighting cancer recurrence, cannabis industry pioneer Joe Caltabiano has made a transformative gift of $250,000 to Gateway for Cancer Research (Gateway), a nonprofit organization dedicated to funding transformational early-phase cancer research.

A survivor of childhood cancer, Caltabiano was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, a cancer of the blood and bone marrow, when he was just seven years old. He has cited the diagnosis as being one of the most profound moments of his life, as well as a motivating factor for his work in the cannabis industry. A Gateway Board member since 2016, Caltabiano has made finding a cure for cancer one of his life’s goals.

“Gateway Concierge allows visionary benefactors like Joe to channel their personal passion for fighting cancer into purpose by co-creating new possibilities in cancer care with world-class clinician-scientists. This funding will dramatically improve the lives of children undergoing treatment for leukemia,” said Jessica Cestone, Executive Director, Gateway Concierge. “For a project of this scale, collaboration is key to its success. The timing of Joe’s transformative gift allowed Gateway to sign on as one of the early funders of the trial to help accelerate the discovery of new and effective treatments that will provide lasting cures for children with blood cancer.”

Gateway utilized Caltabiano’s gift to provide a grant to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) to support the Pediatric Acute Leukemia (PedAL) Master Clinical, an international collaboration to expedite the development of new targeted treatments for childhood leukemias. All patients enrolling on the PedAL trial will receive genetic sequencing and biomarker screening to identify the individual molecular drivers of their disease. Each patient will then be matched to a sub-trial of targeted therapy that is the best match for their unique genetic information.

“Despite the challenges of my treatment and recovery, I actually view my childhood leukemia journey as one of the best things that ever happened to me because it gave me a unique perspective that helps guide my attitude to this day. It is hard to have a bad day once you have survived cancer,” Caltabiano said. “I want more kids going through cancer treatment to have the opportunity to feel this same way. Recovering from leukemia is really tough, especially when you are a child. The Gateway Concierge program provides such an incredible opportunity to make a real difference.”

Growing up on the South Side of Chicago, American Rapper and Singer Vic Mensa started selling cannabis as a side hustle at 14, which not only helped fund the start of his music career but also set the blueprint for his future in the cannabis industry.

Mensa, 29, started releasing music on a global scale when he was 19 years old, and since then, he has performed worldwide. While he says music is his "passion" and "primary form of self-expression," he knew he wanted to enter the cannabis industry legally as soon as Illinois legalized it for adult-use in 2019.

"As soon as the industry began to turn and legislation began to turn in Illinois, I started focusing on entering the industry. Creating a brand has always been the sector of the industry that I am most interested in, and my personal brand and mission of who I am as a human being is always intrinsically linked with the people," he says. 

And now, Mensa is building 93 Boyz, an Illinois-based, equity-focused cannabis company that aims to reinvest in and serve communities most impacted by the War on Drugs. 

"The subjects that I make music about and the programs I create with my organization so often take the form of social justice, and that's because that's who I am as a human being," he says. "And in the creation of 93 Boyz, I felt that it is imperative to make it not just a self-serving venture, but to also be a vehicle for freedom because the criminalization of cannabis has stolen freedom from so many of us."

The Inception

93 Boyz did a "soft launch" on April 20—typically referred to as "4/20" amongst cannabis consumers—Mensa says, which included launching a select line of prerolls. Since then, the brand has made its way onto dispensary shelves in five storefronts in Illinois and has already expanded its product line to eighths and vape cartridges. 

Coastal, a California-based retail brand, opened its Concord, Calif., adult-use storefront and delivery service on Aug. 10.

The opening was commemorated with a ribbon cutting ceremony, which was attended by Concord’s Chamber of Commerce, Mayor Dominic Aliano, and other city officials and industry leaders, according to a release. Additional launch events for Coastal’s Concord location will take place in the coming weeks, with an official grand opening planned for Sept. 1.

“We are extremely excited and honored to be one of Concord’s first adult-use retailers and to bring our first-class customer experience to the community,” said Julian Michalowski, co-founder and CEO of Coastal. “As one of the only dispensaries in the region, we take our responsibility seriously. We believe in the importance of working together as an industry and are committed to being a thoughtful, trusted and responsible community partner.”

The Concord location marks Coastal’s 12th dispensary in California and will carry brands including Caliva, Jeeter, Deli, Fun Uncle, Heavy Hitters, and more, according to the release.

Coastal will also honor the life and work of longtime Concord resident and Coastal’s late Managing Partner Keith Burks. The company will recognize March 17, his birthday, as Keith Burks Day, with the yearly celebration including in-store events, educational seminars and community service projects.

“On behalf of the City of Concord, we are excited to welcome Coastal to the community,” Aliano said. “Throughout the licensing process, Coastal demonstrated they are experienced operators and committed to bringing cannabis to our city in a safe and responsible manner. We look forward to Coastal’s continued support to our city through volunteer efforts and capital contributions.”

Grön, a Portland, Ore.-based producer of cannabis-infused edibles, has built its business with a focus on minor cannabinoids and effects-based products, including its popular CBN offerings.

But its product mix may soon have to change. 

Regulators in Oregon, concerned about the potential of harmful byproducts in artificially derived cannabinoids—and particularly worried about the unregulated delta-8 products that were appearing on the shelves of grocery stores and gas stations across the state—banned the sale of all synthetic cannabinoids on the open market as of July 1, 2022.

Products containing artificially derived cannabinoids may still be sold by cannabis retailers licensed through the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission (OLCC) until July 1, 2023, at which point the products must be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in order to remain on dispensary shelves.

Christine Smith, Grön’s founder and CEO, says that while the OLCC is likely trying to protect consumers, regulators are actually stifling innovation and hindering Oregon’s cannabis industry from achieving its full potential.

Although its headquarters are in New York City, cannabis multistate operator Ascend Wellness Holdings (AWH) is no longer going to roll the dice with a market entrance in its home state.

After resolving a monthslong legal battle over a definitive acquisition agreement with MedMen New York (MMNY) in May—with the two companies finally agreeing to an $88-million deal—Ascend founder and CEO Abner Kurtin said this week his company is no longer interested in closing the transaction.

RELATED: Ascend Wellness, MedMen Resolve M&A Lawsuit With $88-Million Deal

Kurtin told investors during a second quarter 2022 earnings call Aug. 15 that due to concerns about the status of MMNY’s assets, “which have deteriorated materially” since Dec. 31, Ascend is no longer moving forward with the transaction.

“We have been engaged in negotiations with MedMen for 17 months and because of the state of MedMen’s assets, it is time for all of us to move on,” Kurtin said. “Because we will not be moving forward with the MedMen transaction, we have $70 million of unencumbered cash at a time when cash is dear.”

Ascend had already paid $4 million to MMNY as a deposit toward the $74-million closing consideration at the time of the settlement in May. Also in the settlement, Ascend was to make a subsequent payment of $14 million upon the first sale of adult-use cannabis in an MMNY dispensary.

New York’s Cannabis Control Board (CCB) brought the state a few steps closer to launching adult-use sales Aug. 15 when regulators issued additional business licenses, approved testing regulations and appointed a director of policy to the Office of Cannabis Management (OCM).

Officials issued 15 adult-use cannabis processor licenses Monday, according to a WROC report, as well as 19 new conditional cultivation licenses, bringing the total number of licensed growers to 242.

RELATED: New York Cannabis Board Approves Packaging, Marketing, Testing Regulations; 16 More Cultivation Licenses Issued

To qualify for a processor license, applicants must have a Cannabinoid Hemp Processor license, the news outlet reported, and once awarded a license, businesses must participate in a mentorship program that aims to provide entrepreneurship opportunities, establish environmentally sustainable practices in the industry and ensure those with cannabis-related convictions can participate in the market.

“New York is launching our cannabis industry the right way, and our cannabis processors are an integral part of that,” OCM Executive Director Chris Alexander said in a statement, according to WROC. “These processors aren’t just expanding their own businesses, they are committed to also mentoring the next generation of cannabis processors. They’ll be teaching vital manufacturing skills to those with a passion for cannabis who will take our state’s industry to the next level. New York’s entire cannabis ecosystem will create opportunities for those who have been shut out of jobs and industry, and will bring those skills to communities across the state.”

WINNIPEG, Manitoba, Aug. 15, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PRESS RELEASE -- Delta 9 Cannabis Inc. has announced that today it has entered into an asset purchase agreement with 10552763 Canada Corp. to acquire all or substantially all of the vendor’s assets relating to the operation of three Garden Variety branded retail cannabis stores located in Manitoba, two in Winnipeg and one in Brandon.

“We are pleased to announce another strategic retail acquisition to grow our market share across the Canadian prairies,” said John Arbuthnot, CEO of Delta 9. “On closing of this transaction Delta 9 will operate 38 stores, positioning us as one of Canada’s largest vertically integrated cannabis retailers.”

The purchase price to be paid by the company relating to the transaction will be $3,250,000, subject to customary adjustments. $2,925,000 of the purchase price will be satisfied through the issuance of such number of common shares in the capital stock of the company (each a common share) equal to the deemed price of the 10 day volume weighted average price of the common shares on the Toronto Stock Exchange (the TSX) on the date immediately preceding the closing date of the transaction (the common share price). $325,000 of the purchase price will be satisfied through the issuance of such number of common shares equal to the common share price, which will remain held in escrow for a period of approximately six months.

The Garden Variety retail cannabis stores have demonstrated significant revenue, EBITDA, and earnings growth over 2020 and 2021. The company expects the transaction to be accretive in 2022 and 2023 before synergies. The acquisition represents an attractive revenue multiple of approximately 0.41x annualized revenue. The combination of the Garden Variety cannabis stores and Delta 9’s existing store network will make Delta 9 a leading retailer of cannabis products in Manitoba.

The purchase agreement includes several customary conditions in favour of the company, including due diligence and the approval of the TSX. The closing of the transaction remains subject to the approval of the TSX.

There are now five states where voters will cast ballots on adult-use cannabis legalization this November.

North Dakota is the latest to join the initiative push, with Secretary of State Al Jaeger announcing Aug. 15 that he certified New Approach ND’s statutory measure aiming to regulate a licensed industry and allow those 21 and older to purchase, possess and use cannabis.

With that certification, North Dakota joins the likes of Maryland, Missouri, South Dakota and Arkansas in an effort to reform prohibition laws this election cycle. Arkansas’ initiative effort comes with an asterisk, however, as voters await a future Supreme Court ruling on the validity of the constitutional amendment’s title.

Initiative organizers from New Approach ND submitted 26,048 signatures to Jaeger’s office on July 11, leaving a safe buffer for the 15,582 valid signatures required—or 2% of the state’s population—to be placed on the ballot.

Only 2,680 of the submitted signatures (about 10%) were rejected, meaning the group crossed the finish line in excess of nearly 7,800 valid signatures, according to Jaeger’s office.

The possibility of effectuating policy change comes as North Dakota has long had one of the highest cannabis arrests rates in the nation, despite having among the lowest reported marijuana use of any state, NORML Executive Director Erik Altieri said in a new release Aug. 15.

Maryland Secretary of State John Wobensmith officially certified an adult-use cannabis legalization measure for the state’s November ballot Aug. 2.

Elections officials finalized the language for the referendum, as well as issued a formal summary of the proposal, which was initiated by the General Assembly earlier this year.

The Maryland House and Senate approved a constitutional amendment for the ballot via House Bill 1, asking the state’s constituency if it favors the legalization of cannabis use by those 21 and older by July 1, 2023.

Separately, the General Assembly also passed House Bill 837 during this year’s legislative session to allow adults 21 and older to purchase and possess up to 1.5 ounces of cannabis, 12 grams of concentrate, 750 milligrams of delta-9 THC or two plants for personal use. H.B. 837 also decriminalized the possession of up to 2.5 ounces as a civil offense rather than a misdemeanor.

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan let both pieces of legislation become law without his signature.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) issued the state’s third set of conditional adult-use cannabis dispensary licenses Aug. 12, bringing the total number of licenses issued to 182, according to a press release announcing the news.

The latest awardees join 149 conditional licensees that were announced July 22 and 28 that were announced the following week, on July 29.

All of the businesses awarded conditional licenses qualify as Social Equity Applicants as defined in Illinois’ Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act, which passed in 2019 to legalize adult-use cannabis in the state.

A full list of the awardees can be found here.

Forty-one percent of the businesses awarded conditional licenses are majority Black-owned, 7% are majority white-owned and 4% are majority Latino-owned. Thirty-eight percent of awardees did not disclose the race of their owners, according to the press release.