MjLink Cannabis Business News and Press
CBT focuses strictly on the business of legal cannabis for medical and recreational use and aims to provide timely information—through its website, e-newsletter, mobile app, print magazine and annual conference—to help the reader make timely, informed decisions to help them run their businesses better and more profitably. In 2018, Cannabis Business Times was named Magazine of the Year by the American Society of Business Publication Editors.
The possibility of a new and massive cannabis market sprang into being this week as Mexico’s Lower House of Congress approved a decriminalization and legalization bill, which is widely expected to become law in the near future. It’s a development that will dramatically alter the global cannabis landscape, giving multinational businesses a new outlet for growth and product innovation.
Here are some of the key headlines from this past week:
Mexico's Chamber of Deputies passed a cannabis decriminalization and legalization bill March 10 with a 316-129 vote. It now moves onto the Senate, where several amendments must be formally approved. Read moreThe race is on between legislative bodies in Minnesota, as state lawmakers consider lifting a medical ban on smokable flower at the same time as passing an adult-use bill. Read more
International Women’s Day kicked off this week on March 8, and Assistant Editor Andriana Ruscitto provides insight from leaders in the business. “This is the most exciting evolving, changing, industry to date, and we all have the opportunity to build it and shape it for what it is,” one cannabis founder says. Read more
The U.S. welcomes a new attorney general with the formal confirmation of Merrick Garland. We take a look at what that means for cannabis. Read more And in Kentucky, it’s still a long road to medical cannabis legalization. Read more
And elsewhere on the web, here are the stories we’ve been reading this week:
WOWT: “If you legalize marijuana, you're going to kill your kids." So says Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts ahead of a state hearing on medical cannabis legalization. Read more Hollywood Reporter: “Seth Rogen's newly launched cannabis lifestyle brand site, Houseplant, crashed Thursday due to the overwhelming demand. The site was so inundated, Rogen said it needed to be taken down temporarily.” Read moreMassLive: SeaWood Co. opened the first adult-use dispensary in Portland, Maine. Read more
Reuters: Thai businesses are moving fast to capitalize on new hemp and CBD laws. Read more
Ganjapreneur: South Dakota is moving forward (again) on its medical cannabis legalization, hung up by a state legislature dispute. Read more
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In the state Senate, the Health and Human Services Finance and Policy Committee amended and unanimously voted, 9-0, to pass Senate File 1179 earlier this month, which includes provisions to modernize a 5-year-old medical cannabis program that currently bans manufacturers from providing dried leaf and flower for qualifying patients to smoke.
As the law stands in Minnesota, only oils and tinctures containing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) can be consumed, which are typically more expensive than smokable flower. That has left medical cannabis patients spending more money out of pocket or, perhaps, the inclination to pursue the illicit market. According to the Minnesota Department of Health, the average cost for a 30-day supply of medical cannabis was $316 in 2019.
The goal of S.F. 1179 is to make medical cannabis more affordable and more accessible to qualifying patients, Sen. Mark Koran told the MinnPost earlier this month. A Republican, Koran authored the bill.
In addition to allowing the state’s two manufacturers—LeafLine Labs and Vireo Health of Minnesota—to cultivate and distribute dried flower for smoking, other key provisions in the bill include adding opioid addiction as one of the nine qualifying health conditions, and a process for adding a delivery method for the medical program’s 11 distribution clinics in the state.
But S.F. 1179 is not a path to full legalization, as there’s a different finish line brewing in the land of 10,000 lakes.
Even for casual fans, the high-pitched, nasally flow of Cypress Hill’s lead vocalist is instantly recognizable. B-Real has been a legendary figure in hip-hop and cannabis for decades. Now that his Dr. Greenthumb dispensary franchise is quickly expanding across southern California, the voice behind classics like “Hits from the Bong” and “Insane in the Membrane” has a lot to say about the business of weed.
Cannabis Business Times and Cannabis Dispensary spoke to B-Real via phone to get his thoughts on the state of the game and what should happen next:
Raj Chander: Lots of corporate multi-state operators (MSOs) are getting into the cannabis industry, but many consumers have questioned their authenticity. How do we strike a balance between supporting business while staying true to the plant?
B-Real: There’s definitely a balance, ... but some of these brands that have come in, celebrity brands and big corporate brands, they’ve yet to find that middle ground. The one thing we know about the cannabis industry is people want to know you’ve been in the industry at any point—could be advocacy, activism, or actually someone in the culture who was cultivating. ... They want to know that you’ve actually been involved in the culture and it’s not just a money grab. And unfortunately, for a lot of corporate entities coming in, it’s a money grab, and it’s perceived as that, and some of those brands sort of fall by the wayside no matter how much money they’ve thrown at promoting and hyping up said brand. I think you see a lot more corporate entities doing deals with brands with names now to get into the industry, to get into the culture.
Anyone coming in trying to create their own brand has had a harder time. ... You have to figure out how you can engage these folks and make them familiar with your brand, and make sure that your brand quality lives up to the hype. In the last couple years we’ve seen a couple brands that have so much money to spend on marketing to be one of the most sought out brands, and when you get to their dispensary or you buy one of their products, it just does not meet the mark. Plenty of places are great in their visibility, but what they put on their counters isn’t living up to anyone’s expectations.
RC: California in particular is facing a huge issue right now with the legacy market. Why has this been such an issue, and what do you think can be done to correct it?
In honor of Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day on March 8, 2021, three successful women in the cannabis space share their journey, challenges and advice for working in the industry.
A woman who has impacted the industry is Lilach Mazor Power, founder and managing director at Giving Tree Dispensary, the only dispensary in Arizona with majority female ownership.
Power entered the cannabis industry in 2013 when there were little to no experts in the space. She had to make several sacrifices and worked for free for years, as she knew the company had to continue growing, she said.
But one of the most important things is that she was not afraid to jump in, take risks and work hard to get to where she aspired to be. Someone who can relate to that is Michelle Hackett, president of Riverview Farms in California.
In 2016, Hackett entered the industry when her father, Mike, was one of the first farmers permitted a license to grow medical cannabis in California. Her father wanted to take the business further than cultivation and turn it into a full seed-to-sale business. So, she left her job and jumped on board to help her father build the company, she said.
“At the start of legalization and coming into this space, there was little to no structure,” Hackett said. “We really built the business from the ground up through trial and error.”
By a vote of 70-30, the U.S. Senate today confirmed Merrick Garland to be U.S. Attorney General. While, prior to his confirmation, the new Attorney General had not been outspoken about cannabis, federal prosecution of marijuana-related crimes, or the federal-state divide over the legality of cannabis, Attorney General Garland did offer the state-legal cannabis industry in the United States reason for optimism during his recent confirmation hearings.
Most notably, responding to a question from Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) concerning potentially reissuing the Cole Memorandum, then-Judge Garland, testified that he did not think it was a “useful use” of limited federal resources to prosecute most cannabis-related conduct:
This is a question of the prioritization of our resources and prosecutorial discretion. It does not seem to me a useful use of limited resources that we have, to be pursuing prosecutions in states that have legalized and that are regulating the use of marijuana, either medically or otherwise. I don’t think that’s a useful use.
I do think we need to be sure there are no end-runs around the state laws that criminal enterprises are doing. So that kind of enforcement should be continued. But I don’t think it’s a good use of our resources, where states have already authorized. That only confuses people, obviously, within the state.
The Cole Memorandum was prepared in 2013 by then-Deputy U.S. Attorney General James M. Cole. It offered “Guidance Regarding Marijuana Enforcement,” identified several federal “enforcement priorities,” and provided that the federal government generally would refrain from prosecuting marijuana-related offenses unless they implicated one of those enforcement priorities.
As of Wednesday morning, the Lower House of Mexico’s Congress was planning an imminent floor vote on a sweeping cannabis decriminalization and legalization bill. The legislation cleared two key committees on Tuesday, setting up an important vote on what could quickly become the world’s largest legal cannabis market.
The proposed law is supported by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and the governing Morena party.
In 2018, Mexico’s Supreme Court ruled that an absolute ban on recreational use of marijuana was unconstitutional. Thus began the formal effort to legalize cannabis, which brings us to today’s planned vote. The country’s judicial branch has exerted influence on the process, giving legislators a deadline (extended to April 2021) to pass a bill and legalize a regulated industry around the cannabis plant.
The recent delays came out of ongoing debate over that regulatory structure: How should this new industry be arranged for the most comprehensive social and economic benefit?
The full text of the bill is embedded below.
The bill would kick regulatory authority to the existing National Commission Against Addictions (rather than a new agency, as previously stipulated in earlier versions of the bill). Licensing categories would include cultivation, transformation, sale, research and export or import. As written currently, the bill would allow anyone 18 or order to pursue a permit not only to consume and possess cannabis (up to 28 grams at a time) but to work in the industry as well.
Offering a different take on beverages such as beer, coffee and lemonade, brands are serving cannabis consumers with tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) in drinkable form.
One of Canada’s licensed producers (LPs), publicly traded Canopy Growth, which has infused and sold beverages in Canada over the past year, is now bringing its beverages below the border to the U.S. It’s starting with flavored cans of sparkling water with 20 milligrams of CBD that it’s marketing under the Quatreau brand.
“The North American market potential for CBD-infused beverages is extremely promising, and with the continued growth the industry is seeing, we know it has the potential to really disrupt other traditional beverage formats, from sparkling water and soda to beer, wine and spirits,” said Tara Rozalowsky, Canopy’s vice president of beverages and edibles.
RELATED: THC-Infused Tonics Find Their Place in Cannabis Beverage Market in 2020
Rozalowsky said Canopy sees the opportunity to enter the U.S. CBD beverage space due to its large size, experience manufacturing hemp products, ability to scale, and understanding of industry regulations.
The chances of legalizing medical cannabis in Kentucky are low in 2021, as reported in The Ledger Independent.
Earlier this year, Kentucky Rep. Jason Nemes introduced House Bill 136, and, following that, Kentucky Sen. Steve West introduced Senate Bill 92.
The bills would help establish a medical cannabis program in the state. If passed, practitioners would be able to recommend medical cannabis to patients, and the cultivation, manufacturing, distribution, delivery, transportation, testing, preparation, packaging for sale, and sale of medical cannabis in Kentucky would be legal, the news outlet reported.
According to the report, the bills have remained in the committees and did not move in either chamber this year. And Kentucky Rep. William Lawrence, a co-sponsor on H.B. 136, said the bills are likely to go into next year’s legislative season.
His support for H.B. 136 remains strong, as he stated he thinks legalizing medical cannabis will tremendously help patients who are struggling. He also said the bill could open the job market and create a new revenue stream for farmers.
But due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic crisis it caused, Lawrence stated that many leaders focused on getting through that, and legalizing medical cannabis was not a priority this year; however, he is hopeful that it will get through during the 2022 legislative season.
]]>TORONTO, March 4, 2021 – PRESS RELEASE – Marketing cannabis in Canada is a complex process, and rightly so, but, making it one step easier to navigate, Duallok announced the expansion of its child-resistant packaging inventory to Toronto.
Already available in the U.S. out of Los Angeles and New Jersey, this new inventory location makes a speedy and safe packaging solution accessible to an even wider geographic. Presenting an immediately available rolling stock of child-resistant packaging in its most popular format, Duallok inventory is suitable for a wide range of products enabling cannabis brands to move quickly to market.
So how does it work? The Duallok patented double-lock design is certified under the 16 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 1700 guidelines for child resistance, meaning companies can take products to market knowing confidently that they are also keeping kids safe and their brand compliant.
Based in these three prime locations are a large inventory of unbranded black and white packages ready to customize as needed to meet local legislation for vape carts, pre-rolls, edibles and much more.
Once a company selects its choice color and unit quantity, the packs are available for collection or dispatch in just two to three business days and fit directly into a company’s existing packaging process. No need to provide artwork or prepare labelling, these packs are ready to ship directly to you.
Duallok partners, stationed across the U.S. and Canada, can also support companies with any additional requirements for bespoke internal product fitments or further customizations. It's a streamlined process with a dedicated project manager ready to help at every stage.
Fire & Flower, a network of 79 retail dispensaries in Canada and the developer of the Hifyre technology platform, has signed a licensing agreement with American Acres that will bring the brand to the U.S.
The strategic agreement offers a path forward for Fire & Flower in California, Arizona and Nevada (and beyond) by getting the brand in front of U.S. consumers and providing American Acres with a digital-forward data platform. The first Fire & Flower-branded store will open in Palm Springs, Calif., in the first half of this year.
“For us, the us is this amazing opportunity because we've already honed our craft in a really competitive environment,” CEO Trevor Fencott said. Competition is the backbone of the industry, and Fencott is eager to get into that game in more open environments—rather than the limited license markets elsewhere in the U.S. With consumer engagement and data in the foreground, he said there’s an opportunity to go deep with tech and compete on the retail side of the cannabis industry.
It wasn’t too long ago, in late 2017 when Fire & Flower got started, that product selection in Canada was practically nil: “We have dry cannabis or cannabis oil. What do you want?” was how Fencott recalled the early days of Canadian dispensary relationships, even into the adult-use legalization era.
Product selection in the U.S., he says, is more varied and innovative, generally, which allows a data-forward company like Fire & Flower to hone its craft even more.
He sees data as a pillar of cannabis retail, something necessary in this vast and burgeoning industry, particularly as product innovation drives new categories and new consumer demands. Specifically, Fencott points to businesses like Warby Parker and b8ta, “digital-native” companies that are competing in innovative ways around the likes of retail behemoth Amazon.
Two years ago, they rejected Democratic Gov. Tony Evers’ proposal to decriminalize adult-use cannabis and legalize medicinal cannabis. And when Evers introduced another proposal last month, to regulate and tax adult-use cannabis for the 2021-23 biennium, Rep. Mark Born and Sen. Howard Marklein, the Joint Finance Committee co-chairs, deemed it dead on arrival.
While there’s not much hope for cannabis legalization in the governor’s budget—an avenue that also has proved fatal in other states—Evers’ proposals have continued to fan the flame of debate in Wisconsin, where only cannabidiol (CBD) sale and consumption is legal. During a March 4 virtual luncheon hosted by WisPolitics, an online magazine and news service covering political and governmental news in Wisconsin, Senate Minority Leader Janet Bewley and Assembly Minority Leader Gordon Hintz were split on whether a medical cannabis measure would survive in a standalone bill.
“That could pass,” said Bewley, a Democrat who represents a rural district in the northern part of the state. “I think that nationwide this is something that all states are going to deal with. And I think we could approach it from the way that the governor did, which is to put it in the budget with all of these different aspects and ways.”
After rejecting Evers’ budget measure last month, Marklein said cannabis legalization is a significant enough policy change that it should be debated in the light of day on its own.
Last week, Bewley said medical cannabis legalization is a no-brainer. In 2019, a Marquette University Law Poll found that 83% of Wisconsin voters supported legalizing medical cannabis with a doctor’s prescription. It also found 59% supported adult-use legalization.
Today is International Women’s Day—an opportunity to celebrate women have chosen to challenge the status quo, helping break down barriers for themselves and others. It’s also a moment where we look toward the future with hope for all the more we can achieve for women around the world by working together.
Each year on March 8, we honor this tradition by highlighting the women of Cannabis Conference, an impressive roster of women shattering glass ceilings, making space for themselves and other notable women in the burgeoning cannabis industry.
This listing is just a start. As we continue to announce speakers for Cannabis Conference (Aug. 24-26, 2021, at the Paris Las Vegas Hotel & Casino), there will be plenty more women innovators, leaders, entrepreneurs and trailblazers to highlight—so keep an eye on CannabisConference.com for continued updates to our speaker roster.
Theresa Bennett
Editor, Hemp Grower
Late February and early March headlines prove that 2021 is picking up momentum on the cannabis reform front. Recent legislative moves in New Jersey and Virginia have piqued the industry’s attention, and North Dakota may work its way around past election losses to land a legislative victory in the near future.
We’ve rounded up some of the key cannabis headlines from the week right here.
Denver may soon allow cannabis deliveries within the city, part of a broader overhaul of local regulations. The plan also includes a new batch of business licenses that would be set up specifically for social equity applicants. Read more
North Dakota, which has seen failed attempts to legalize cannabis through the ballot box, got some good news this week in the Statehouse’s passage of an adult-use bill. Read more
BDSA’s latest forecast puts the global cannabis market at the $56-billion mark in 2026. Read more We’ve been following New Jersey’s rocky road lately, and this week contributor Raj Chander looks at how the state plans to consider social equity policies in its newly legal adult-use cannabis market Read more
And elsewhere on the web, here are the stories we’ve been reading this week:
NBC 12: After Virginia legislators passed an adult-use legalization measure last weekend, businesses are now preparing themselves for future licensing and sales (which are not expected to begin until 2024). Read more FOX 17: On the other side of the Virginia state line, Tennessee hasn’t been able to get any traction on cannabis reform legislation. The newly proposed Tennessee Medical Cannabis Act might change that. Read more 8 News Now: Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak announced eight appointments to the state’s Cannabis Advisory Commission this week. Read more San Diego Union-Tribune: County supervisors are working on regulations for unincorporated areas under their jurisdiction, with plans to introduce new cannabis business permits. Read more Cannabis Wire: The Bermuda legislature came close to legalizing cannabis, but the measure was shot down by the British overseas territory’s Senate. Read more
Name: Marlon Mallas
Location: Evart, Mich.
Title: General Manager, Cultivation, Lume Cannabis Co.
One word to describe your cultivation style: Innovative
Indoor, outdoor, greenhouse or a combination: Indoor
Can you share a bit of your background and how you and your company got to the present day?
The Codes and Standards Enhancement (CASE) Initiative suggested new energy code requirements and changes to existing requirements for projects regarding greenhouses and controlled environment horticulture in California, updating the original California Energy Code (Title 24, Part 6) submitted in October 2020.
According to the proposal, the updated requirements will apply to projects regarding greenhouse building envelopes, greenhouse lighting, indoor controlled environment horticulture (CEH) lighting and indoor CEH dehumidification.
It is essential for cannabis and non-cannabis growers, LED manufacturers, engineers, distributors, energy-efficient consultants, research groups, industry trade groups, as well as facility managers, engineers and developers to be aware of the suggested changes, the proposal states.
The proposed code requirements are listed in the proposal as follows:
Horticultural Lighting Minimum Efficacy (indoor CEH lighting):
For indoor CEH operations, luminaires with removable lamps will be required to use lamps with a photosynthetic photon efficacy (PPE) of at least 1.9 micromoles per joule.Luminaires without removable lamps shall meet a minimum luminaire PPE of 1.9 micromoles per joule.This will allow the use of efficient double-ended HPS lamps; most LED luminaires will qualify. The minimum efficacy requirements only apply to CEH spaces with more than 40 kW of aggregate horticultural lighting load. This equates to approximately (36) 1000W HPS luminaires.Horticultural Lighting Minimum Efficacy (greenhouse lighting):
LAS VEGAS, NV (March 4, 2021) – Cannabis Conference (August 24-26, 2021, at the Paris Las Vegas Hotel & Casino) today announces its education program, which includes 45+ sessions within four education tracks that will provide actionable takeaways about the most pressing issues plant-touching businesses currently face in the cannabis industry.
Some of the most highly anticipated sessions from this year’s program include:
Federal Cannabis Legalization in the United States: What Will It Mean?In the Black: Become Cash Positive by Avoiding These Expensive Cannabis Business MistakesPest & Disease Prevention and Mitigation StrategiesTurning Talk Into Action: How Cannabis Companies Are Developing Meaningful Social Equity PrioritiesIf Not Potency, Then What? Cultivating For a Nuanced Chemical ProfileUse Data to Boost Sales & Improve Inventory ManagementThe Business of Extraction (Including Product and Solvent Selection)Marketing Strategies That Work, Even in the Most Restrictive StatesClick here to view the full education program.
“Curated with our editorial teams at Cannabis Business Times, Cannabis Dispensary and Hemp Grower magazines, along with insights from the Cannabis Conference 2021 Advisory Board, we have created content to inspire every attendee, no matter whether they’re just starting out or more advanced in their careers, to take their businesses to the next level,” said Conference Programming Director Cassie Neiden Tomaselli.
In addition to dozens of sessions on everything from cultivation to facility buildout, operations, and retail and cultivation business strategies, Cannabis Conference will also feature 100+ exhibitors on its trade show floor, including experts in: horticultural lighting, nutrients, growing media, pest control, structures, drying and storage, IT services, marketing solutions, accounting and finance, POS software, packaging and labeling, and much more.
For additional information about Cannabis Conference 2021, including registration information, a current list of exhibitors and sponsors and more, visit www.cannabisconference.com. The deadline for Cannabis Conference’s lowest pricing is March 15, so take advantage of these rates and reserve your spot today.
Denver’s Department of Excise and Licenses has proposed a suite of changes to the city’s cannabis rules—a possible overhaul that’s been two years in the making, according to local stakeholders.
For one thing, the city may opt into a state law that allows cannabis deliveries. The city may also enshrine permanent drive-thru sales, a follow-up to last year’s response to the coronavirus pandemic and the industry’s pivot to curbside retail pickup.
The proposed set of rules landed in the city’s Finance and Governance Committee on March 2. Further debate is expected over the next few weeks.
The immediate upshot is that, if approved, this overarching plan would see the city accepting license applications for cultivation, manufacturing and retail cannabis businesses for the first time since 2016. If that comes to pass, it would give the city of Denver a chance to highlight a new stance on social equity in the business.
“What we are recommending is six years exclusivity for all marijuana license types, for social equity applicants,” Ashley Kilroy, the city’s executive director of excise and licenses, told ABC 7. “In Denver, we have been the leader in successfully and safely regulating marijuana and we’re really looking forward to this program to position us as a leader in licensing social equity applicants.”
Looking further ahead, the proposal includes preparation this year for an expansion of the state’s hemp licensing program in 2022.
]]>CHICAGO and VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 03, 2021 - PRESS RELEASE - Green Thumb Industries, a cannabis consumer packaged goods company and owner of Rise Dispensaries, today announced an exclusive partnership with cannabis-infused beverage brand Cann to manufacture and distribute its line of cannabis-infused sparkling beverages beginning in Illinois this spring. Green Thumb and Cann will expand distribution to additional markets including New Jersey, which recently legalized adult-use cannabis sales.
“The cannabis beverage category is poised for growth. Consumers are increasingly entering the market seeking alternatives to alcohol with familiar consumption experiences,” said Green Thumb Founder and CEO Ben Kovler. “Cann sits squarely in this opportunity, delivers on the consumer need and complements our brand portfolio with entry into the beverage segment. What’s even better is cannabis drinks can offer a superior experience, fewer calories and no hangover compared to alcohol. We are investing in the space and in the Cann team and we couldn’t be more excited to bring California’s #1 cannabis beverage brand to Illinois and beyond.”
Cann’s social tonics are low in sugar and calories and contain no preservatives or artificial sweeteners. Each drink is made of all-natural juice (not from concentrate), herbs, organic agave nectar and micro-doses of cannabis CBD and THC extract designed to be similar in strength to a glass of wine or a light beer. Cann is available in three creative flavors: Lemon Lavender, Grapefruit Rosemary and Blood Orange Cardamom and are sold in 6-packs of 8 ounce cans.
The brand got its start in Venice, California, in 2019 and became a quick local favorite for those in Hollywood due to its appeal to the growing number of entertainers and media personalities looking for healthier alcohol substitutes that still come with a fun social buzz.
“There are a lot of people who want to incorporate cannabis into their lives recreationally without the fear of getting too high,” said Cann co-founder Luke Anderson. “Cann lets you rewrite the ‘bad edible experience’ you had in college and change your social drinking routine at the same time.”
Trends show that cannabis beverages are gaining in popularity faster than other cannabis categories. In California, cannabis beverage category sales grew nearly four times faster than total cannabis market sales between the period of January and December 2020. Over the same time period, Cann rose from fifth in market share to first with over 600% growth in sales (BDS Analytics).
PITTSBURGH, Pa., March 3, 2021 — PRESS RELEASE — Thar Process Inc., a developer of advanced technologies for the purification of natural products using CO2, announces 2 new advances: the first ever Isolator™ SFC 20 SFC system installation and a new media for all SFC systems: Isolator XX-HFT™. The new system processes up to 10 kg/day and the new stationary phase is especially suited to remediate Delta-9 from high CBD, CBC, CBN and even high Delta-8 mixtures. The process has a lower 'Total Cost of Ownership' compared to CPC, HPLC and Flash Chromatography techniques - per a 3rd party independent study.
NEWARK, N.J., March 2, 2021 – PRESS RELEASE – CannabizTeam, a cannabis-focused executive search and staffing firm, announced the opening of its new offices in Newark, New Jersey. Newark is CannabizTeam’s 10th office location in the U.S., joining recently opened offices in Denver, previously established branches in Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Dallas, Miami, Orlando and Santa Rosa, California, and the company headquarters in San Diego.
“CannabizTeam is growing to accommodate the explosive growth of the cannabis industry and leverage talent in top cannabis markets across the country,” said Liesl Bernard, founder and CEO of CannabizTeam. “We expect to see tens of thousands of cannabis jobs created by New Jersey and its neighbors in the tristate area, and predict this developing market will further the case to legalize adult-use cannabis across the East Coast. We look forward to helping new and expanding cannabis companies alike connect with qualified talent that will up their competitive advantage and position them for success as the industry continues to evolve.”
With the addition of the Newark offices, CannabizTeam now holds 10 offices in eight states across the U.S. Since its inception in 2016, CannabizTeam has matched thousands of top candidates from entry level to specialized C-suite leadership at the leading private and public cannabis companies in North America and Europe. Multi-state clients include TerrAscend, Justice Grown, Ascend Wellness Holdings, Jushi, LEEF Holdings, NewTropic and Benzinga.
“We engaged CannabizTeam executive search to help TerrAscend fill a CFO position and three other executive-level roles in the U.S. and Canada over the last 12 months,” said Jason Ackerman, CEO of TerrAscend, a leading North American cannabis operator with vertically integrated operations in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and California, and operating as a licensed producer in Canada. “We have been highly satisfied with CannabizTeam’s search capabilities and customer service. They evaluated a large number of candidates from inside and related industries, and the quality and depth of the candidates presented was exceptional. We are very pleased with the candidates we chose to hire as they were not only technically qualified, but they are also a great fit for our company’s culture.”
Cannabis is officially America’s fastest-growing industry as the 2021 Leafly Jobs Report found that the U.S. cannabis industry now supports 321,000 full-time equivalent jobs, a 32% increase over the previous year. As cannabis legalization continues to spread and demand for qualified talent continues to increase, CannabizTeam plans to continue its expansion initiative to meet these needs.
To learn more about CannabizTeam, visit CannabizTeam.com.
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