NEW YORK, April 03, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PRESS RELEASE -- Acreage Holdings, Inc. has announced a series of operational updates and strategic business decisions related to the significant impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and other uncontrollable factors that have greatly shifted the cannabis landscape. The moves are intended to enable the company to maintain its business goals of profitability, conserve cash and to execute its strategic plan.

Acreage’s management executed the following initiatives:

Temporarily furloughed 122 employees across both the corporate office and field operations teamsTemporarily closed certain operations, including: one dispensary in each of Maryland and North Dakota; wholesale operations in Iowa; and Form Factory operations in California, Oregon, and WashingtonConverted its dispensary in Queens, New York, to a delivery hubTerminated the securities purchase agreement among Greenleaf Compassionate Care Center, Inc., GCCC Management, LLC (GCCCM), the equity holders of GCCCM and High Street Capital Partners, LLC relating to the proposed acquisition of a dispensary in Rhode Island

Additionally, the merger agreement entered into with Deep Roots Medical, LLC, as described in the company’s April 18, 2019 press release, was terminated due to the ongoing moratorium imposed by the Nevada Department of Taxation. The delay prevented the parties from obtaining the consents, approvals and authorizations necessary to consummate the merger prior to the outside date provided in the merger agreement.

Acreage also announced the resignation of Steve Hardardt, the company’s Executive Vice President, Chief People Officer and Administration, effective immediately.

With the COVID-19 pandemic resulting in a virtual shutdown of significant parts of the United States that is expected to continue for at least the next month and possibly longer, continued construction and regulatory delays in Illinois, California, Massachusetts, Michigan and elsewhere, and in anticipation of a significant economic downturn that will have a yet-to-be-measured impact on the U.S. cannabis industry, the company re-evaluated its business plan and determined its most prudent path toward profitability.

As a medical cannabis patient and caregiver, Aaron “Roy” Scalia understands the power cannabis has to benefit those who are suffering.

After sustaining a brain injury in a motorcycle accident in 2002, Scalia turned to medical cannabis during his recovery, and in 2015, he founded AAA Pharmaceutical Alternatives as a licensed medical caregiver to serve patients in central Maine.

“Through the use of CBD and THC, I’ve been able to really cope with everything that I’ve been faced with and because of that, I’m able to help others,” Scalia tells Cannabis Business Times. “People can relate because they may have had an accident or they’ve been through trauma in their lives, [and] we can share our stories. … I can talk about things that helped me and a lot of times, it helps them.”

When Maine voters legalized adult-use cannabis in 2016, Scalia saw it as an opportunity to expand his reach beyond the state’s registered patient base.

“We’ve been servicing people in the medical marijuana care industry for the past five years, and it’s been great,” he says. “With the new market getting ready to explode in Maine, we want to be able to offer our products to everybody, not just the people who have medical marijuana cards.”

Senators in Mexico asked the Supreme Court March 27 to extend an April 30 deadline for lawmakers to draft a bill to legalize and regulate cannabis for medical, adult and industrial uses, according to a Cannabis Wire report.

The legislation has been stalled since three Senate committees approved the legislation last month.

Both the Senate and the Supreme Court have suspended many legislative procedures until at least mid-April due to the COVID-19 outbreak, Cannabis Wire reported, and many lawmakers have indicated that this will cause them to miss deadlines to pass certain bills, including the cannabis legislation.

Sen. Patricia Mercado told Cannabis Wire that the suspension of the Supreme Court will likely mean a deadline extension on the cannabis bill, and said the deadline should be extended to May 30 to align with how long Supreme Court activities are suspended. However, she added there may be a chance that the Supreme Court could deem the Senate as an essential activity and mandate that lawmakers must meet the April 30 deadline.

In that case, Mercado told Cannabis Wire that the senators would hold electronic meetings to finalize the bill, which would then be sent to the Chamber of Deputies, Mexico’s lower house of Congress, for approval.

Oklahoma Rep. Scott Fetgatter has announced plans to begin work on an adult-use cannabis legalization bill, saying a taxed and regulated market would provide a new source of revenue for the state in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a Tulsa World report.

“If you did a full-access program and put the revenue in the general revenue fund, relieve some of the taxes on the medical program, the medical patients and put the tax over on the recreational side, you could potentially add $100 million to the budget,” Fetgatter told the news outlet.

Several groups are competing to bring adult-use cannabis legalization initiatives to Oklahoma’s November 2020 ballot in the form of SQ 807, SQ 808 and SQ 811, but Fetgatter has indicated that the petitions will likely be unsuccessful, especially in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.

Fetgatter told Tulsa World that “it’s very early in the conversation,” but that he wants to create “a program that functions” in the state.

EcoGen made headlines last year with its sale of 20 million feminized hemp seeds at the NOCO Hemp Expo in Denver. It was a sign not only of EcoGen’s ambitions in the space (the sale netted the company $11 million), but of the rising interest among American farmers eager to get into the newly legal industry.

“When you’re buying genetics, it’s really a trust buy,” Derek Du Chesne, EcoGen’s chief growth officer, told Hemp Grower last fall. “It’s really a reputation buy. A lot of the farmers, especially this year, don’t know if you have a quality product [or if] two weeks later, [you’ll be] bankrupt. That’s really scary for farmers because it’s the most important decision they’re going to make all season.”

And here we are: Back at it in April 2020 with another hemp season ahead of us.

EcoGen's production facility in Grand Junction, Colo.

Now, along with its hemp seed business, EcoGen is offering a buyback program for farmers who’ve planted the company’s seed and who may end up at harvest without a buyer for all of their biomass. EcoGen is extending an opportunity to sell otherwise unclaimed biomass back to the company for extraction purposes. (EcoGen runs an 80,000-sq.-ft. extraction facility in Grand Junction, Colo.)

“This industry would not exist and cannot exist without a good supply of high quality biomass,” CEO Alexis C. Korybut says, “and the only way that's achieved is through having the right farmers dedicating their resources to producing it and taking the risk to do so.”

As farmers begin to plant their crops this year, Korybut reminds them that each business will find itself in a different position. It’s vital to know your land, know your local climate, know your own business goals that you’re expecting to hit come harvest.

New York’s cannabis advocates had a renewed sense of hope at the dawn of the new year, when Gov. Andrew Cuomo vowed in his January State of the State address to renew his push to legalize adult-use in 2020 after last year’s legalization efforts stalled in the legislature.

Cuomo seemed to be making good on his promise when he included a plan to legalize and tax adult-use cannabis in his initial state budget proposal in January, but as the COVID-19 outbreak turned into a global pandemic and the April 1 deadline to approve the sprawling budget loomed, hope that legalization could be accomplished through the budget process began to fade.

Cuomo told reporters March 31 that it was “not likely” that the legalization proposal would be included in the final budget, according to a New York Post report, adding that there was “too much” to accomplish and “too little time.”

“We’re not going to get there,” Cuomo said later, during a WAMC radio interview, according to the New York Post. “In truth, that is something that has to be talked through and worked through, and the legislature wasn’t here.”

As in many other areas of the country, the COVID-19 crisis has stolen the spotlight in New York, and Cuomo has been placing his attention on the virus since the state’s first confirmed case was reported March 1, the New York Post reported.

PORTLAND, Ore. (April 1, 2020) – PRESS RELEASE – Resource Innovation Institute, an organization promoting energy efficiency for cannabis growers, has announced the formation of its Water Working Group. The group, made up of experts in multiple fields and disciplines, is an important part of RII’s push for more sustainable water management in the fast-growing cannabis agricultural sector.

The Water Working Group will advise RII on a range of issues, including upgrades to its Cannabis PowerScore benchmarking tool to enable governments and other stakeholders a more accurate understanding of cannabis water use, and how geographies and cultivation methods impact usage rates. The group will also counsel RII on its farm outreach strategies to gather best practices.

“Resource Innovation Institute facilitates our multi-disciplinary Technical Advisory Council to provide peer-reviewed objective guidance on how to cultivate cannabis in a resource efficient manner across a variety of grow environments, from indoor to outdoor to greenhouse,” said Derek Smith, executive director of RII. “The Water Working Group will be a key contributing body as we expand our breadth of expertise on water issues.”

New candidates will join these previously identified members of the Water Working Group:

Hollie Hall, founding board member, International Cannabis Farmers Association (Arcata, Calif.) Chris Dillis, environmental scientist and postdoctoral researcher, University of California, BerkeleyBarb Anderson, Water Resources Program management analyst, Washington State’s Department of Ecology

RII is accepting applications for the Water Working Group and is seeking experts with cannabis-related experience from the following backgrounds:

DENVER, April 1, 2020 (Newswire.com) -​​ PRESS RELEASE - Black Dog Grow Technologies, a provider of high-tech LED grow devices and other grow technologies, has announced that it has received a license amendment from the Colorado Department of Agriculture to begin cultivating 2018 Farm Bill compliant hemp flower.

This new facility will greatly enhance Black Dog Grow Technologies’ test grows to perfect growing technologies and techniques used with cannabis--specifically cannabis sativa hemp. Hemp is a phenotype of the cannabis sativa plant species defined by low THC content. Maximizing yields, cannabinoid content (CBD, CBG, CBN) and terpene profiles will be one of the key research goals.

Black Dog Grow Technologies boasts cannabis research and testing programs, and in 2010, Black Dog Grow Technologies created the first LED light incorporating a full spectrum from UV to NIR, the Phyto-Genesis spectrum.

“Research has always been a part of our company’s DNA,” said Noah Miller, CEO of Black Dog Grow Technologies. “This facility will allow us to expand our research into how lighting impacts the growth of hemp/cannabis plants, giving us valuable insight which we can then use to refine our products and allow growers to maximize their productivity per square foot.”

This new research facility will allow Black Dog Grow Technologies to test new innovations in lighting and grow technology and refine growing methodologies for cultivating top-shelf federally compliant hemp flowers.

SMITHS FALLS, ON, April 1, 2020 /CNW/ - PRESS RELEASE - Canopy Growth Corporation has announced that Ms.Terry Yanofsky and Mr. David Lazzarato have been appointed to the company's Board of Directors, effective immediately.

"It is my pleasure to welcome both Terry and David to the board," said Judy Schmeling, Chair of the Board of Directors, Canopy Growth. "Their leadership and experience in highly competitive industries will be instrumental as we focus the business and evolve into an execution-driven operating company. I also want to thank outgoing board members, Peter Stringham and John Bell, for their contribution and service to the board during times of rapid expansion and growth." 

Bell is the former Lead Director and Peter Stringham chaired the Corporate Governance, Compensation and Nominating Committee.

Yanofsky has extensive experience working with big-name retailers and is respected for her strategic leadership and disciplined approach to driving revenue. She most recently served as the Senior Vice-President, General Manager of Sephora Canada. Prior to joining Sephora, Yanofsky worked at L Brands where she was the country manager for Bath & Body Works Canada. She brings over 30 years of experience working with rapidly growing big-name global retailers.

"I'm thrilled to join Canopy's Board," said Yanofsky. "There is no company better positioned in the emerging global cannabis market, and I look forward to working with Canopy Growth's very talented leadership team to ensure that it remains an innovator and disruptor in the cannabis retail market."

MARSHALL,Mich. — Common Citizenwill host virtual job fairs 11 a.m. to 5p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays starting this Thursday, April 2, to interviewapplicants for cultivation jobs at its state-of-the-art cannabis hybridgreenhouse in Marshall. The facility produces safe, high-quality cannabis forpatients and adult-use customers in Michigan.

Thejob fairs were moved online to protect the safety, health and well-being ofCommon Citizen customers, staff and future employees during the ongoingCOVID-19 pandemic.

“AtCommon Citizen, we are excited to announce we are seeking applicants to joinour talented team during this unprecedented global crisis,” said Michael Elias, CommonCitizen CEO. “Our virtual job fairs will help us identify qualified candidateswhile maintaining our commitment to public health and the safety of ourcustomers, employees, future team members and the community we serve.”

Toregister for a Common Citizen virtual job fair, visit https://calendly.com/commoncareers/virtual-job-fair. Once there, you will be prompted to schedule a dateand time and upload your resume. Each time slot includes a 15-minute,one-on-one interview with Common Citizen staff. Learn more about current CommonCitizen job openings at commoncitizen.com/careers.

Editor's note: To learn more about Common Citizen, check out the upcoming March/April issue of CBT's sister publication, Cannabis Dispensary.

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An audit of Los Angeles’ cannabis licensing process has determined that the city took “reasonable and appropriate” steps to ensure fairness, according to a Los Angeles Times report.

While some applicants gained early access to the online system, according to the audit, regulators prevented these applicants from having an unfair advantage in the process, the news outlet reported.

A city official is now recommending that the city’s Department of Cannabis Regulation move forward with awarding final licenses to cannabis retailers, who have been waiting since the licensing process was suspended last year, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The Department of Cannabis Regulation launched this latest round of licensing in September to issue 100 additional cannabis retail licenses to social equity applicants. It was a first-come, first-serve process, and some stakeholders alleged that some applicants got early access to the online application system while others were locked out due to slow internet speeds.

Department of Cannabis Regulation Director Cat Packer indicated that two applicants did indeed gain early access due to a staff error that occurred while resetting their passwords, but that those applications were pushed back in line to where they would have been otherwise.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz issued an executive order March 31 that extends medical cannabis enrollments for patients to limit the spread of COVID-19, according to an INFORUM report.

Patient enrollments are extended until Aug. 1 or 60 days after Minnesota’s peacetime emergency ends, whichever is later, the news outlet reported.

Walz’s order also allows patients to send a caregiver to pick up their medical cannabis products, and dispensaries may offer curbside pickup. Those seeking enrollment in the program can consult remotely with a medical provider under the order, according to INFORUM.

The changes are aimed at keeping patients at home and slowing the spread of coronavirus in the state, which had 629 confirmed COVID-19 cases as of March 31, INFORUM reported.

Missourians for a New Approach is up against a May deadline to collect enough signatures for a petition to place an adult-use cannabis legalization initiative on Missouri’s November ballot, but the coronavirus pandemic could very easily spell doom for these efforts, according to Dan Viets, who chairs the campaign’s advisory board.

“It’s become much more difficult,” Viets tells Cannabis Business Times. “It’s causing major concerns. We have until the first week of May to gather 160,000 voter signatures. We have more than 60,000 in hand, but given the fact that petitioning is now much more difficult, we’re reassessing whether it’s going to be possible to accomplish this or not this year.”

Prior to the nationwide response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the campaign was on schedule, gathering signatures at a rate that would have allowed Missourians for a New Approach to meet the deadline with more than the required number of signatures, Viets says.

Missouri law requires those who wish to place an initiative on the ballot to gather signatures in six—and only six—of the state’s eight congressional districts.

“The first thing that every campaign has to do is pick out two districts where you’re not going to gather signatures, and signatures from those districts simply won’t count toward the total,” Viets says. “Then, you have a minimum in each of those six districts. In essence, you’re running six different campaigns and you have to meet the minimum in each of those six districts.”

After being deemed essential businesses in many states, cannabis companies have been busier than ever amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and product manufacturers like Platinum are no exception.

Co-founder George Sadler says it’s business as usual for the California-based company, which produces vapes and edibles for sale in California, Michigan and Oklahoma.

In early March, Platinum foresaw potential supply shortages for its vape cartridge hardware and batteries, which are produced in China. The company secured a large volume of these items from a United States-based supplier to avoid interruptions in the supply chain, which has proven to be a large advantage, Sadler tells Cannabis Business Times.

“That was probably the most critical point for us, was the fact that we got into that early enough and were able to do that,” he says. “Other than that, our packaging is made right here in the U.S., [so] we don’t have the issue with that. As far as product goes, there aren’t any change because in the cannabis space, everybody’s still up and running. We haven’t seen any slowdown in any flower or trim or anything else.”

As long as the company’s cultivation partners continue to operate, Sadler does not anticipate any product shortages.

Vertically integrated operator Bask Inc. recently moved its cultivation operations to the new Massachusetts Cannabis Center (MCC), a high-tech cultivation and processing facility in Freetown, Mass. Bask entered into a 15-year joint venture with MCC’s owner, AmeriCann Inc., to cultivate and process cannabis in a 30,000-square foot building on the 52-acre site. MCC will eventually encompass 987,000 square feet of cannabis cultivation and processing infrastructure for the medical and adult-use cannabis marketplace. Americann, a developer of cannabis cultivation, processing and product manufacturing facilities, hopes to have up to 12 tenants when the project is completed.

Keough

Cannabis Business Times recently touched base with Americann President and CEO Tim Keogh to discuss how COVID-19 has impacted start-up plans. CBT will feature Americann and Bask in the upcoming May issue.

When did Bask move into the facility?

Bask began operations at the end of February, so their first harvest was Feb. 28.

So, Bask started operations right around the time coronavirus was becoming an issue in the U.S.?

It’s obviously progressed very rapidly. I think at the time we were aware of it, but it wasn’t front of mind the way that it is now, when we’re in the midst of a stay-at-home advisory. Before moving plants in, we went through a deep sterilization with a professional cleaning company. We use integrated pest management, so our people use gloves, hand sanitizer—everything is wiped down with hand sanitizer before it goes into the facility—and we’ve been doing this before the whole coronavirus pandemic as a way to protect the plants.

As cannabis sales soar and a growing number of states declare dispensaries essential amid a growing pandemic, consumers are increasingly turning to medical marijuana and hemp for their health benefits. But in some states, those products may not be as beneficial as they seem.

At a time when public health is in the limelight, the team at North Coast Testing Laboratory LLC, based in Streetsboro, Ohio, is advocating for more stringent microbial testing requirements from states to prevent people from getting sick from harmful yeast and mold on marijuana products.

North Coast Testing became one of the first medical marijuana testing facilities approved in the state in 2018, and it has since also received a hemp testing license. Its three facilities across the state are ISO 17025 accredited, and it is also registered with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

The lab conducts cannabis microbial contamination tests for yeast and mold levels using two different methods—but the one method mandated in Ohio, as well as in most states around the country, they argue, is inferior. And in the face of a growing public health crisis, both the testing method and regulations need an overhaul, says Dave Moorhead, the president of North Coast Testing, along with other company leaders.

“The frustration lies in, are we putting patients at risk right now using this technology?” says Joe Moorhead, the head of customer relations for North Coast Testing and Dave Moorhead’s son. “We need to be able to utilize the technology that’s now available so we can really know the products going out are safe.”

10,000 Colonies and Aging Technology

Medical marijuana products in Ohio are currently tested for total yeast and mold counts using a method called agar plating. With this method, which is considered the gold standard in Ohio and many other states, scientists spread a sample of marijuana onto an agar plate that encourages the growth of yeast and mold microbes. After letting the sample sit for a few days, the microbial colonies grow large enough for scientists to physically count.

TORONTO, March 30, 2020 /CNW/ - PRESS RELEASE - The Green Organic Dutchman Holdings Ltd. (TGOD), a producer of premium certified organic cannabis, has announced that it has received Health Canada's approval for the licensing of the final component of its Ancaster site, the processing facility.

The license amendment includes approval of a state-of-the-art production facility designed to support processing activity including dedicated spaces for packaging of flower, oils, pre-rolls and several Cannabis 2.0 products.

This final phase of expansion at Ancaster enables TGOD to reduce its reliance on third parties, accelerating its supply chain timelines for product launches. Receiving the license amendment for this large facility also enhances TGOD's quality assurance capabilities and marks a key milestone in eliminating bottlenecks in its production ramp up.

The license amendment is valid until Aug. 16, 2022 and is subject to customary terms and conditions.

"Receiving this license amendment was a key element of our 2020 operating plan. We made significant investments in this state-of-the-art facility, and now that it is fully licensed, Ancaster can finalize the ramp up of its production capacity," commented Brian Athaide, CEO of TGOD. "The processing facility reduces our reliance on third parties for packaging, secured storage, and for our next wave of 2.0 product launches.  Beyond the successful launch of our TGOD Infusers, we are planning to launch a series of differentiated consumer packaged goods, including organic teas and vapes in Q2, as well as edibles, beverages and topicals later this year."

The National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) has released a request for information, inviting comments from “the scientific community and other interested parties,” to help establish a standard dose for tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the primary psychoactive constituent in cannabis, to improve cannabis research, according to a report from Cannabis News Wire.

In the notice published March 23, NIDA acknowledges the complexity of the plant and how effects vary between individuals, methods of consumption and phytochemical ratios, but emphasizes the critical necessity of establishing and implementing a “standard unit dose” for “rigorous cannabis research.” The notice cites published commentary by NIDA director Dr. Nora Valkow on the subject:

“These complexities hardly negate the value of having a standardized measure of THC, irrespective of product type. In fact, having and using such a standard is a prerequisite for comparing the effects of various cannabis products on THC bioavailability, pharmacokinetics and pharmacological effects, which is knowledge fundamental to studies pertaining to medical use of cannabis.”

NIDA and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), its parent organization, seek comments on any of the following topics:

5 milligrams as a standard THC dose irrespective of route of consumptionChallenges and benefits to conducting research using a standard unit dose of THC including:Comparability across studies, including accurate data collection and publication of methods and resultsComparability with legacy datasets and surveillance measures (e.g., MTF, NSDUH, YRBS)Benefits and limitations of a standard unit dose that does not depend on route of administration and/or other cannabinoid constituentsImplementation in human laboratory and/or clinical studiesImplementation in observational and/or epidemiological studiesLabeling requirements for cannabis productsEducation of users to acquire accurate dataAny other topic the respondent feels is relevant for NIDA to consider in establishing a standard unit dose of THC.

Submit a response:

Responses to this request for information must be submitted electronically via: THCdoseRFI@nih.gov and received by May 1, 2020.

Direct inquiries to:

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed an executive order March 28 that extends the deadline for cannabis infuser, craft grower and transporter license applications from March 30 to April 30, according to a Chicago Sun-Times report.

Earlier this month, Pritzker announced that the deadline would be extended from March 16 to March 30 due to coronavirus concerns.

Now, all applications must be submitted by certified mail by April 30, and licenses will ultimately be awarded by July 1, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. The state will issue 40 craft grower licenses, 40 licenses for infusers to manufacture cannabis products and an unspecified number of transporter licenses to allow companies to deliver cannabis on behalf of cultivators, dispensaries and community colleges that have cannabis training programs, the news outlet reported.

The Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission (CCC) has indicated that the state’s medical cannabis dispensaries—called Medical Marijuana Treatment Centers (MTCs)—will be able to provide curbside pickup to patients and caregivers during the coronavirus outbreak, according to a MassLive.com report.

Last week, Gov. Charlie Baker deemed medical cannabis businesses essential, allowing them to remain open as the state responds to the pandemic.

RELATED: Massachusetts Reinforces Support for the Medical Necessity Model

MCTs must conduct sales electronically or over the phone as of noon on March 28, MassLive.com reported, and dispensary employees can dispense medical cannabis products in the facility’s parking lot or at the entrance of the dispensary.

MCTs that wish to provide curbside pickup services must submit a standard operating procedure to the CCC that includes an updated facility layout identifying the designated curbside pickup areas, as well as traffic queuing plans and signage to direct patients to the areas, according to MassLive.com. Municipalities must also be notified of dispensaries’ plans to conduct curbside sales, the news outlet reported.