PHOENIX, November 10, 2020 -- PRESS RELEASE -- TILT Holdings Inc., a provider of business solutions to the global cannabis industry, has announced an expansion of the partnership between its wholly-owned inhalation technology subsidiary, Jupiter Research, LLC, and Israeli-based Kanabo Research Ltd., a researcher and developer of cannabis and CBD-derived medical cannabis solutions and inhalation devices.

Jupiter and Kanabo previously collaborated to obtain medical device registration for Jupiter’s flagship product, the Liquid9 (L-9), currently approved for use in hospitals and clinical trials in Israel. The L-9 is undergoing rigorous testing for safety, accuracy and durability so that new generations of the device are able to meet the requirements to obtain a CE marking for a medically certified inhalation device. Under the terms of the expanded partnership, the two parties will seek to develop a new, medically certified inhalation device specifically designed to meet the directives outlined in the European Union (EU) Medical Devices Regulation (MDR) in 2021. Kanabo will become the exclusive distributor of the medical platform in the EU and work closely with medical cannabis pharmacies to bring the platform to millions of patients.

“The European cannabis and CBD marketplace is well-positioned for significant growth over the next five years,” said Mark Scatterday, CEO of TILT and founder of Jupiter. “Our partnership with Kanabo will enable us to set a new standard for medically certified inhalation devices that will give us a competitive advantage. As the global cannabis and CBD marketplace matures, we believe other markets around the world will likely follow the same rigorous standard set by the EU. By leveraging our team of experts at Jupiter, along with Kanabo’s R&D expertise and firsthand knowledge of the EU’s regulatory requirements, we plan to bring to market one of the first medically certified inhalation devices in the world. Our partnership will also enable us to drive value for our shareholders while unlocking growth in emerging markets like the UK and Germany, where consumer demand is already gaining momentum.”

“Our goal is to usher in a new standard in inhalation devices that offers patients and consumers a more convenient, consistent delivery system that meets the EU’s rigorous medical device standards,” said Avihu Tamir, CEO of Kanabo. “With eyes set on the growth in Germany, the largest cannabis market in Europe, we will capitalize on the power of Jupiter’s engineering team and our regulatory and R&D expertise in the inhalation space, to deliver a first-of-its-kind medically certified inhalation device that enables us to sell medical cannabis extracts for inhalation across the EU and elsewhere."

The U.S. House is planning a December floor vote on the Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act, legislation that would federally decriminalize cannabis by removing it from the Controlled Substances Act.

In a Nov. 9 letter to colleagues, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer outlined the legislative schedule for the lame-duck session in November and December, and said lawmakers will take up the bill next month after postponing a September vote on the legislation.

RELATED: Cannabis Industry Awaits U.S. House Vote on the MORE Act

“The House will vote on the MORE Act to decriminalize cannabis and expunge convictions for non-violent cannabis offenses that have prevented many Americans from getting jobs, applying for credit and loans, and accessing opportunities that make it possible to get ahead in our economy,” Hoyer wrote in his letter.

The MORE Act, which was sponsored by Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY), cleared the House Judiciary Committee in November 2019, and the long-anticipated House vote could lead to monumental progress for the cannabis industry.

Colombia’s legislature shelved a congressional initiative that sought to legalize consumption of cannabis for recreational purposes among adults.

The plenary of the Lower House sank the bill with an ample difference of 102-52 votes, shelving a bill that sought to modify the Article 49 of the Colombian Constitution which states, "the carrying and consumption of narcotic or psychotropic substances is prohibited unless prescribed by a doctor."

The bill aimed to allow the recreational consumption of cannabis among adults, allowing consumers to acquire cannabis at regulated stores and lifting a ban that today forces consumers to go to illegal outlets.

But the bill, which required eight congressional debates to become a law—four at the Lower House and four at the Senate—was expected to encounter heated opposition among right-wing fractions that support Colombian President Ivan Duque, according to Jota Nicolas Vergara, adviser to lawmaker Juan Carlos Lozada, who led the initiative.

“We knew that passing this debate in the Lower House was going to be very complex because the majority of  pro-government congressman have very radical positions. They see the approval of recreational cannabis as counterproductive because it encourages young people and children to consume cannabis in more accessible ways,” Vergara told Cannabis Business Times and Cannabis Dispensary.

Lower House representative Cesar Lourdy, who supported the initiative, said the prohibition to cannabis consumption runs counter to the rights of individuals.

Following the passage of Arizona’s adult-use cannabis legalization initiative on Election Day, the state’s industry stakeholders are preparing for a spring rollout of the state’s recreational market, which must launch by April under state law.

The state’s 130 licensed medical cannabis operators are all eligible for adult-use licenses, and the Arizona Department of Health Services, which currently oversees the medical cannabis market and will be responsible for regulating the adult-use industry, will issue an additional 26 licenses to social equity applicants.

“The initiative was written in a really good way to require the government to roll it out in an expedited manner,” Demitri Downing, executive director of the Marijuana Industry Trade Association (MITA), tells Cannabis Business Times and Cannabis Dispensary. “Between January and March, the state will be designing the program, and they’re required to have everything up and running and rolled out by April 5. … Arizona will be full adult-use by 4/20 of next year.”

Arizona’s Voter Protection Act bars the state legislature from changing the voter-approved initiative, Downing adds, and existing medical cannabis businesses will be able to transition to adult-use operations in their current facilities.

While local municipalities do have the right to ban adult-use sales within their jurisdictions, Downing says local moratoriums only apply to the 26 new licenses earmarked for social equity applicants.

PRESS RELEASE - Wadsworth Control Systems, originator of greenhouse automation in North America, has announced the addition of Thom Mandl as Chief Operating Officer. Mandl brings a diverse array of operations management experience ranging from P&G and Ford to private manufacturers, including leadership roles in engineering, production management and the executive team. Mandl’s academic training includes an MBA and a BS in Mechanical Engineering, and he holds professional certifications in Lean Six Sigma and supply chain management.

Ben Lane has taken on the role of Principal Engineer, where he will develop new product solutions, including both new innovations and expanding the capabilities of Wadsworth's existing products. Kevin Stow-Parker has been promoted to Engineering Manager and Ray Medina has taken on new responsibilities in his role as Production Manager. Robbie Brandstetter, former Operations Manager at Wadsworth, has moved to a consulting role with the company and will be helping with special projects.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy has named two members to the state’s five-member Cannabis Regulatory Commission, which will oversee the state’s medical and newly legal adult-use cannabis industries, according to an NJ.com report.

Murphy has named Dianna Houenou, associate counsel and senior policy adviser to the governor and former policy counsel for the ACLU-NJ, as the chair of the commission, and Jeff Brown, the current assistant commissioner of the Department of Health who oversees the state’s medical cannabis program, as the executive director of the commission, NJ.com reported.

New Jersey voters approved adult-use legalization on Election Day, and the commission must be appointed before the program launches, according to the news outlet.

Appointments were expected earlier this year, after the 2019 Jake Honig Compassionate Use Act passed to expand the medical cannabis program and create the commission to oversee it, taking that responsibility from the New Jersey Department of Health, NJ.com reported.

Murphy is required to appoint three members, and Senate President Stephen Sweeney and Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin must appoint one member each, according to the news outlet.

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker has issued an executive order to implement a coronavirus-related business curfew that requires all adult-use cannabis sales to end at 9:30 p.m., according to a MassLive.com report.

Medical cannabis sales can continue past the curfew under the order, which went into effect Nov. 6, the news outlet reported.

The rules are part of a new stay-at-home advisory, which aims to address a second wave of COVID-19 cases in Massachusetts, according to MassLive.com.

Other businesses, including table service at restaurants, must also close at 9:30 p.m. under the order, and all Massachusetts residents have been instructed to stay home between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. daily with certain exceptions like grocery shopping or receiving health care, MassLive.com reported.

At the beginning of the coronavirus crisis in Massachusetts, Baker classified adult-use cannabis businesses as non-essential businesses in the state’s initial COVID-19 response, forcing non-medical dispensaries to shut down for roughly two months. Adult-use retailers were permitted to re-open with curbside pickup services in May.

Tennessee Sen. Janice Bowling (R-Tullahoma) has announced plans for a new medical cannabis legalization bill, according to a local WREG report.

Bowling, who has backed legislation to legalize medical cannabis in the state for years, plans to introduce the new bill when the state legislature re-convenes in January, the news outlet reported.

Qualifying conditions would include cancer, glaucoma and PTSD, according to WREG, and Bowling told the news outlet that she hopes the recent legalization of medical cannabis in nearby Mississippi will generate more support for the bill.

“We’re up to 43 states that have legalized it and many of the states around us have legalized it,” Bowling told WREG. “We are being foolish in the worst sense of the word—just incredibly foolish and incredibly lacking in responsiveness to what is now readily available for people to know that this is a safe medicine solution."

New Jersey Sen. Nicholas Scutari (D-Union) introduced legislation Nov. 6 to implement the state’s adult-use cannabis program, just days after voters passed a legalization initiative on Election Day, according to an NJ.com report.

The bill, S.21/A.21, outlines how the state’s newly legal cannabis industry will operate, and largely mirrors an unsuccessful legalization bill Scutari sponsored last year, NJ.com reported.

The bill, which consists of 206 pages, includes many “hyper-technical” changes from the legislation considered last year, Scutari told NJ.com, as well as one more substantial change: medical cannabis license holders will be able to open two additional cultivation sites to meet adult-use demand.

Currently, medical cannabis operators can only operate one grow facility, but up to three dispensary locations, according to NJ.com.

New Jersey’s new adult-use cannabis industry, as well as its existing medical cannabis market, will be overseen by the Cannabis Regulatory Commission, and there is no limit on the number of adult-use licenses that can be issued, NJ.com reported.

After voters passed a medical cannabis legalization initiative on Election Day, Liz Sharlot, communications director for the Mississippi State Department of Health, told the Daily Journal that the department is in the “planning stages” to develop the state’s medical cannabis program.

Initiative 65, which passed with 74% of the vote, according to the news outlet, gives the department until July 1, 2021, to establish regulations to implement the program. Business licenses and patient ID cards must be issued by Aug. 15, 2021, the Daily Journal reported.

Sharlot told the news outlet that the department is currently reviewing the various factors needed to roll out the program.

“We understand the public interest, and as more details become available, the information will be publicly released and posted on our website,” she said.

Initiative 65 outlines 23 qualifying conditions for Mississippi’s medical cannabis program, according to the Daily Journal, and once a doctor certifies a patient for the program, he or she can purchase a medical cannabis ID card from the health department at a to-be-determined cost that cannot exceed $50.

This week, cannabis won big on Election Day as five states passed legalization measures. Voters in Arizona, Montana and New Jersey passed adult-use legalization initiatives, Mississippi approved a medical measure, and South Dakota passed both at the same time.

Here, we’ve rounded up the 10 headlines you need to know before this week is over.

Ohio: The State Medical Board of Ohio is accepting petitions to add new qualifying conditions to the state’s medical cannabis program through Dec. 31. Those petitioning for a condition that was previously considered and rejected by the board may not resubmit documents that have already been reviewed, but may present new scientific research for consideration. Read moreMaine: Wellness Connection of Maine has filed a motion to fight a lawsuit against the state that was brought by two small cannabis businesses over adult-use licenses awarded to out-of-state companies. Wellness Connection, which is controlled by Delaware-based investor High Street Capital Partners and operates four medical cannabis dispensaries in Maine, filed the motion on behalf of its adult-use business, NPG, to ask a judge to dismiss the lawsuit, which was brought by two medical cannabis caregivers who claim that the state cannot refuse to enforce a law restricting out-of-state business owners from participating in Maine’s adult-use market. Read moreNew Jersey: In one of the country’s most highly anticipated referendums on cannabis, New Jersey voters approved Public Question No. 1, which amends the state constitution to legalize cannabis for adults aged 21 and over, as well as the cultivation, processing and sale of recreational cannabis products, by a 67-33 margin. The referendum comes after years of failed attempts to legalize adult-use cannabis in the state legislature, although it does not spell out a regulatory framework of any kind. Read moreArizona: Arizona voters approved adult-use cannabis legalization on Election Day in the form of a statutory measure, Prop. 207, by a 60-40 margin. The initiative allows adults 21 and older to purchase and possess up to one ounce of cannabis, as well as grow up to six plants at home for personal use. Read moreMississippi: Voters approved Initiative 65, the measure from Mississippians for Compassionate Care’s Medical Marijuana 2020 campaign, on Election Day to legalize medical cannabis in the state. Initiative 65 received about 48% more votes than a competing measure put on the ballot by the state legislature, Alternative 65A. Read moreMontana: Fifty-nine percent of Montana voters approved of I-190, the state’s adult-use cannabis legalization initiative, and separately, 61% of the Montana electorate voted in favor of the legislature establishing the legal age of adult-use cannabis consumption, a formality. The two ballot initiatives are commonly treated as a package deal to legalize, regulate and tax adult-use cannabis in the state. Read moreOpponents of cannabis legalization in the state now plan to file a lawsuit over Montana’s adult-use initiative, alleging that the financial allocations proposed in the measure contradict the state’s constitution. I-190 outlines some initial provisions for an adult-use cannabis program in the state, including a proposal that earmarks some of the revenue generated from a 20% tax on cannabis for conservation, substance abuse treatment and veterans’ issues, which Wrong for Montana spokesperson Steve Zabawa told the Bozeman Daily Chronicle is “not transparent.” Read moreSouth Dakota: Voters in South Dakota made history on Nov. 3, helping the state become the first in the union to pass both medical and adult-use cannabis legalization on the same ballot. With the passage of the measures, Amendment A and Measure 26, South Dakotans now have a constitutional right to cannabis consumption and to hemp farming. Read moreCanada: A large fire engulfed Canopy Growth’s former greenhouse facility in Delta, B.C., the morning of Nov. 1. The facility was closed in March, and no injuries were reported. Read moreCanadian LP Canopy Growth announced this week that it will transfer its U.S. stock exchange listing from the New York Stock Exchange to the Nasdaq Global Select Market effective Nov. 13 after market close. Common shares of Canopy Growth are expected to begin trading as a Nasdaq-listed security on Nov. 16, 2020, with the shares continuing to trade under the symbol “CGC.” Read more

PHOENIX, Nov. 05, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PRESS RELEASE -- Copperstate Farms Management, LLC, a vertically integrated cannabis company based in Arizona, has reached an agreement to acquire management rights and control of two Level Up (formerly MedMen Arizona) marijuana licenses and dispensaries in North Scottsdale and Tempe.

The locations include dispensary retail spaces, as well as a 25,000-square-foot cultivation and processing warehouse. The acquisition of the Level Up operations will further expand the Copperstate Farms retail footprint and solidify its market share in Arizona under the Sol Flower banner. This follows the passage of Proposition 207 in the 2020 election, allowing recreational marijuana use and cultivation by adults 21 or older in Arizona.

“We are excited to build upon the strong foundation established by the Level Up owners and team who have placed a premium on quality medicine and customer service. Copperstate Farms sees tremendous value in these locations, which will allow us to further expand our Sol Flower dispensary brand,” stated Copperstate Farms CEO Pankaj Talwar.

A multi-use dispensary concept, Sol Flower features a public-facing classroom and café in Sun City and an additional location in Tempe. With the Level Up acquisitions, Copperstate Farms now controls four retail operations across premiere Valley locations that offer channels to different patient demographics.

“Having solidified our position as the leading wholesale operation in the State of Arizona, we are delighted to begin expanding our retail footprint. Copperstate Farms produces high-quality cannabis at affordable prices for our wholesale customers and retail patients alike,” said Copperstate Farms Managing Director Fife Symington.

As the U.S. continues to wait for votes to be counted to determine the result of the too-close-to-call presidential race, voters in five states approved cannabis ballot initiatives by wide margins in most places.  

While the cannabis legalization measure results were announced election night and in the early hours of Wednesday morning, establishing adult-use and medical programs in those states will take time. Although what the new cannabis markets will look like in New Jersey, Arizona, South Dakota, Montana and Mississippi remains to be seen, industry advocates are celebrating a cannabis legalization landscape that changed overnight.

Check out the Cannabis Business Times’ Interactive Legalization Map for an update on where cannabis is legal now, and as always, click on each individual state for the latest news and updates.

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Editor's note: Map and data from CBT. Analysis below from Brightfield Group.

The past 12 months have changed the landscape of the legal cannabis industry in the US. Michigan, Illinois, and Maine began adult-use sales, and all cannabis measures on state ballots passed on election night, including adult-use measures in New Jersey, Montana, Arizona, and South Dakota.

The map on this page may help predict future legislation changes, as mature medical markets tend to pass adult legalization. States with high numbers of registered medical cannabis patients are more likely to have just passed (MI, IL, AZ, NJ). Oklahoma’s unique medical market is already operating similarly to an adult-use market. Following this thread, it appears that Florida, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, and Ohio will likely legalize recreational use in the next couple of years.

Michigan and Illinois shed some light on how the regulatory landscape surrounding adult-use sales can affect the patient count. The states began adult-use sales just a month apart from one another—with Michigan getting underway in December 2019 and Illinois in January 2020. Through September 2020, Michigan's patient count has dropped by 8.2% while Illinois's has increased by nearly 32%. Though neither market has its kinks perfectly worked out so shortly after legalization (Michigan, for instance, still has many more medical dispensaries than adult-use and adult-use retail has not commenced in a number of municipalities), a few key insights can still be gleaned.

Looking at Illinois predictably demonstrates that states which initially only allow for dual-use programs without a significant increase of new licenses have underwhelming adult-use sales due to supply shortages. Though both consumers and patients have equal access to retail facilities, patients have first access to most products and are typically treated to better pricing. Couple these factors, which are ongoing though less prescient than when the market initially opened, with the state's large sales tax on adult-use products likely means medical consumers are unlikely to shift to the adult-use market. Not just that, these factors are driving people who were previously not registered to the medical market instead of the adult-use market. Though adult-use is growing, the growth of medical alongside it demonstrates Illinois's market is still not meeting the demands of heavy users with qualifying conditions. This is also exasperated by the fact that Illinois's patient population was small prior to full legalization, less than 1% of the state's overall population, so the medical market had yet to reach maturity in the first place.

Michigan, on the other hand, has lower prices across the board, a less steep tax structure, and does not struggle with the same issue of under-supply. Couple these factors with its higher rate of overall patient enrollment, indicative of a mature medical market, and the patient count has decreased following the legalization of adult-use, despite the fact that there are still more retail facilities available to serve the medical community. Regulations and licensing really do make a difference when it comes to the health of an adult-use market, and patient counts should decline following full legalization if everything is done effectively to maximize overall access.

Pennsylvania and Florida are both key medical states to watch and are set to have the largest market sizes by 2025. Pennsylvania still licenses relatively few dispensaries as compared to its population and the state's patient count has grown rapidly since sales began in early 2018. Florida, which saw sales commence around the same time, has a similarly large population and expanding patient count, albeit with nearly triple the number of dispensaries as Pennsylvania. Other states with decently sized populations and average-to open-levels of regulations, such as Arizona and Maryland, will also constitute a significant portion of the overall market growth over the next five years.

PRESS RELEASE - Medicoir, the global producer of coir substrate for cannabis crops, has launched its biodegradable plastic containers.

There are many options available to when it comes to substrate choice for cannabis plants, from the size of growing container and whether to re-pot later in the crop, to the shape of the container and of course which type of growing media to use.

In recent years, many growers have started to move over to 100% coir substrates for their cannabis crops, which would generally be a mix of coir pith, short cut fibre and 3 mm to 5 mm particles. The nature of coir means that, during the production process, it can be sieved to remove all of the fine dust particles (

Montana voters approved a plan to legalize, regulate and tax adult-use cannabis Nov. 3, but opponents now plan to file a lawsuit over the initiative, according to the Bozeman Daily Chronicle.

Wrong for Montana alleges that the financial allocations proposed in the measure, which passed 57% to 43%, contradict the state’s constitution, the news outlet reported.

I-190 outlines some initial provisions for an adult-use cannabis program in the state, including a proposal that earmarks some of the revenue generated from a 20% tax on cannabis for conservation, substance abuse treatment and veterans’ issues, which Wrong for Montana spokesperson Steve Zabawa told the Bozeman Daily Chronicle is “not transparent.”

“Even though this thing got voted in last night doesn’t mean it’s going to be law,” Zabawa said. “There’s a lot more that has to be done, and I think the Montana Supreme Court or the [Helena] District Court will throw this thing out.”

Zabawa told the Bozeman Daily Chronicle that Wrong for Montana will appeal to the Montana Supreme Court if the Helena District Court upholds the initiative.

Updated: 5:20 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, Nov. 4 

As Election 2020 results continue to pour in across the U.S., we are monitoring cannabis-related down-ballot races in several states.  

California 

Unofficial election results show Costa Mesa, Calif., voters are in favor of allowing adult-use cannabis dispensaries and delivery services; and Laguna Woods, voters support that city allowing dispensaries. A measure in La Habra to permit “up to four cannabis delivery licenses” received more “yes” than “no” votes.

Ventura County, Calif., voters said “yes” to Measure O. ” The Ventura County Star reported Oct. 3, “The initiative on the Nov. 3 ballot allows up to 500 acres of cultivation of cannabis in greenhouses and 100 acres in nurseries in certain unincorporated areas.”

Patch has reported preliminary voting results out of Banning, Calif., favoring a tax on cannabis distribution businesses. The “gross receipts tax — capped at 10 percent” will go toward 911-emergency services.  

And Calabasas, Calif., a city that doesn’t currently allow cannabis dispensaries, is likely to approve an ordinance that would impose a tax on cannabis business, according to Patch.  

In a historic night for cannabis, all five states with cannabis measures on the ballot in the November 2020 election have voted for either medical or adult-use legalization.  

New Jersey, Arizona and Montana have passed adult-use cannabis legalization, Mississippi has passed medicinal cannabis legalization; and for the first time, one state—South Dakota—passed both medical and adult-use cannabis legalization at the same time.

As it stands today, 35 states have legalized medicinal cannabis, and 15 states have legalized cannabis for adult-use. That means 1 in 3 Americans have access to legal cannabis, according to POLITICO.

RELATED: Cannabis Business Times’ Interactive Legalization Map

“If there was any remaining stigma around cannabis as a form of medicine, it is gone forever,” said Greg Kaufman, partner and co-leader of Eversheds Sutherland’s Cannabis Industry Team, in an emailed statement. “With more states approving adult-use and medical cannabis programs in this election and the expectation that more states will do so through legislation (e.g., New York), the pressure will continue to build on Congress to take some action on one or more of the cannabis-related bills currently pending.”

RELATED: Additional Reading on the SAFE Act and MORE Act

Editor's note: Election results reported are projected, and subject to change. CBT/CD will update its election coverage as necessary to accommodate changing election results.

Voters in South Dakota made history on Nov. 3, helping the state become the first in the union to pass a constitutional amendment legalizing adult-use cannabis sales without first having an established medical program.

Amendment A, the constitutional amendment that voters passed on election night with 53.4% of the vote with 95% of precincts reporting, per the Associated Press, legalizes the recreational use of cannabis for adults aged 21 and over and allows the possession of up to one ounce of cannabis per adult. Additionally, the law requires that the state legislature pass laws for a medical cannabis program and for hemp sales no later than April 1, 2022.

The Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) was heavily involved in supporting both ballot measures (Measure 26, the medical cannabis program ballot measure, also passed with 69.2% support). Matthew Schweich, deputy director of the MPP, said in a statement: “South Dakota has made history by becoming the first state to legalize medical marijuana and legalize marijuana for adults on the same day. Furthermore, it is arguably the most conservative state yet to enact marijuana legalization. This victory has added significance at the federal level with top-ranking Republican Senator John Thune now representing a legalization state.”

“What we really support is that it creates two distinct pathways to a shared goal, and it keeps those two pathways separate so that our medical program for our patients will always be there. It will never get absorbed by the adult-use and it puts both of them into the constitution,” Melissa Mentele, executive director of New Approach South Dakota told CBT in August of the medical provisions in Amendment A.

Under the constitutional amendment, municipalities can ban cultivation businesses from operating on its territory, as well as testing facilities, wholesalers, and retail operations. However, if an individual lives in a jurisdiction with no licensed retailers, that person can cultivate up to three plants in a locked space in a private residence.

Editor's note: Election results reported are projected, and subject to change. CBT/CD will update its election coverage as necessary to accommodate changing election results.

According to unofficial election results, 59% of Montana voters approved of I-190, the adult-use legalization initiative. Separately, 61% of the Montana electorate voted in favor of the legislature establishing the legal age of adult-use cannabis consumption, a formality. The two ballot initiatives are commonly treated as a package deal.

“This is a great day for Montana,” Matthew Schweich, deputy director of the Marijuana Policy Project, said. “This victory further proves how widespread the support for marijuana policy reform is across the United States. Montana will now join the growing number of states that are proving that replacing prohibition with a system of legalization and regulation is the policy decision that best serves the interests of public health and safety.” The Marijuana Policy Project played an important role in the tandem campaign.

“We commend the voters in Big Sky Country for making sure they joined the growing list of states that is sensibly regulating cannabis for adulAts,” Morgan Fox, NCIA Media Relations Director, said. “This has been a close race in a difficult year, but ultimately good sense prevailed, and Montana will reap the social and economic benefits of legal cannabis while hopefully adding its federal lawmakers to the chorus in Congress calling for an end to federal prohibition.”

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