MjLink Cannabis Business News and Press

Belushi’s Farm, a vertically integrated cannabis and CBD company owned by American actor and comedian Jim Belushi has been awarded a license to operate an adult-use dispensary on Saint Regis (Akwesasne) Mohawk Tribe territory in upstate New York.

Belushi founded Belushi’s Farm in 2015 to operate within Oregon’s medical cannabis market. The company segued into the CBD market last year, launching k-9ine, a full-spectrum CBD tincture for pets inspired by Belushi’s dog, Taro. Since its launch, Belushi’s Farm products have expanded to Colorado, Oklahoma, Illinois, Massachusetts, and now, New York.

READ MORE: Jim Belushi’s Cannabis Mission

While adult-use cannabis sales have yet to launch in New York, Native American nations have sovereignty, which enables their tribal governments to develop their own set of rules and regulations regarding cannabis, Politico reported.

There are currently 16 licensed retailers and five licensed cultivators under the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribal (SRMT) Council, according to the SRMT Cannabis Control Board,

Tribal fees collected from Belushi’s Farm in Akwesasne—located at 987 State Route 37—and other licensed dispensaries on the Mohawk territory will be used to help support community programs and services, according to a press release from SRMT Council.

Metrc appointed Sam Peterson as the company’s chief technology officer (CTO).

In his new role, Peterson will support Metrc’s continued innovation of product offerings and expansion into new markets, according to a release. He will also lead the company in advancing technology and product initiatives to increase benefits for Metrc’s state partners.

RELATED: Alabama Partners with Metrc on Track-and-Trace Platform

“The time is now to go all-in on the breadth and depth of Metrc’s offerings. Sam’s successful track record of building cutting-edge strategies and delivering exceptional results will take our dynamic platform to new levels and ensure we remain the top choice for our customers,” said Metrc CEO Michael Johnson. “His valuable expertise will bolster Metrc’s unwavering commitment to serving our partner and provide instrumental support to maintain our 100% renewal rate.”

Peterson joins the company with more than 25 years of experience in technology leadership, including software and product development as well as Software as a Service growth strategies. Most recently, he served as CTO at Boats Group, a Florida-based advertising and software company for the marine industry.

“There is a tremendous opportunity to expand and scale Metrc’s transformative solutions and advanced technology to meet the ever-evolving needs of cannabis industry and state regulators,” Peterson said. “I’m excited to join this talented leadership team to further our position as the most efficient and reliable provider of track-and-track technology.”

Lowell Farms named Summer Frein and Ann Lawrence to its board of directors.

The appointments come in the wake of Stephanie Harkess and Bruce Gates departing Lowell’s board. Gates will continue to serve the board as an observer, according to a release.

Both Frein and Lawrence will begin their tenures effective immediately.

“In our search to fill the openings on our board, we immediately identified Summer and Ann as two of the most accomplished and forward-thinking executives in our industry, with unmatched insight into California’s cannabis economy and informed ideas that will ensure Lowell Farms can grow responsibly in our home state and beyond,” said George Allen, chairman of the board at Lowell Farms. “With these new additions, we are well-positioned to continue developing the best-in-class original products for our customers while working behind the scenes to achieve greater transparency and fairness in this tightly regulated market.

“We want to thank Stephanie and Bruce for their invaluable contributions to Lowell Farms over the years,” Allen added. “We are incredibly grateful to them for helping us achieve and maintain our position in the market, and we wish them both the best in their future pursuits.”

Frein currently serves as chief marketing officer at Turning Point Brands, a manufacturer and distributor of branded consumer products, including alternative smoking accessories and consumables. Before that, she served in various leadership roles across 15 years at both Cronos Group, where she was general manager, and Altria Group, where she led the company’s Strategy and Business Development Group. Her experience includes brand management, marketing services, consumer insights and more.

Planet 13 is looking to expand operations to Illinois.

The multi-state vertically integrated cannabis company has submitted its proposed Waukegan, Illinois, location  to local regulators and the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation for approval.

Robert Groesbeck, co-CEO of Planet 13, said the Illinois location will be smaller than its SuperStore locations in Las Vegas and Santa Ana, Calif., but it will “still meet Planet 13’s high standards for customer experience.”

RELATED: Planet 13: The Dispensary Disruptor

“Along with our Planet 13 Illinois partner Frank Cowan, we have selected a dispensary location in Waukegan, Illinois, that we are very excited about,” Groesbeck said. “It is in a prominent shopping center with multiple stores, restaurants, hotels, and a recently announced casino project. It is located off the Interstate 94 highway between Milwaukee and Chicago, close to the Wisconsin border.”

The location now awaits approvals from state regulators and the city of Waukegan.

Montauk Brewing Deal Expected to be Accretive, Deliver Strong Revenue and Adjusted EBITDA, and Accelerate the Expansion of Tilray’s Powerful U.S. Brand PortfolioVeteran Industry Executive Ty H. Gilmore Appointed President of Tilray Brands’ U.S. Beer Business

NEW YORK, Nov. 7, 2022 – PRESS RELEASE – Tilray Brands Inc. announced the acquisition of Montauk Brewing Company, the No. 1 craft brewer in Metro New York. Montauk Brewing is well-known for its product portfolio, premium price point, and distribution across more than 6,400 points of distribution, including top national retailers such as Target, Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, Stop & Shop, King Kullen, Walmart, 7-Eleven, Costco, BJ’s and Speedway. The acquisition is expected to be accretive to the company’s adjusted EBITDA.

Montauk Brewing joins Tilray’s growing U.S. beverage-alcohol segment, which already includes SweetWater Brewing Company, the 10th largest craft brewer in the nation with distribution across more than 40 states, the Alpine and Green Flash iconic Southern California brands, and its leading lifestyle bourbon and spirits brand, Breckenridge Distillery.

To fully optimize the value and strength of its U.S. craft beer portfolio, Tilray also announced that it has appointed veteran beer and beverage industry executive Ty H. Gilmore as president of Tilray’s U.S. beer business, a newly created position.

Irwin D. Simon, chairman and CEO, said, "Tilray Brands continues to strengthen our U.S. footprint and operations through investments in and growing our portfolio of leading lifestyle CPG brands that resonate powerfully with consumers. Montauk Brewing is an iconic brand with leading market share and distribution in the Northeast. Tilray Brands intends to leverage SweetWater’s existing nationwide infrastructure and Montauk Brewing’s Northeast influence to significantly expand our distribution network and drive profitable growth in our beverage-alcohol segment. This distribution network is part of Tilray’s strategy to leverage our growing portfolio of U.S. CPG brands and ultimately to launch THC-based product adjacencies upon federal legalization in the U.S.”

Simon added, “We are excited to welcome Montauk Brewing’s founders Vaughan Cutillo and Eric Moss, as well as Terry Hopper, Montauk Brewing’s general manager, to the Tilray Brands family, and I look forward to working closely with Ty Gilmore to maximize the performance of our enormously powerful craft and lifestyle beverage brand portfolio.”

President Joe Biden announced sweeping federal cannabis policy reform efforts last month, leaving plant-touching businesses wondering what the president’s initiatives could mean for the future of their state-regulated operations.

The three-step plan, revealed Oct. 6, includes pardoning thousands of people with previous federal cannabis possession charges, urging governors to do the same at the state level, and requesting that Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra and Attorney General Merrick Garland review cannabis’s Schedule I status under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA).

Cannabis operators across the U.S. have largely applauded the president’s steps toward federal cannabis policy reform, particularly the review of how cannabis is scheduled.

RELATED: Cannabis Industry, Lawmakers React to Biden’s Federal Cannabis Policy Reform Efforts

As a Schedule I drug under the CSA, passed in 1970 under President Richard Nixon, cannabis is classified as having no accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse. Other examples of Schedule I drugs include heroin and LSD.

“What the president did is absolutely historic,” says John Sullivan, EVP of Public Affairs for multistate operator Cresco Labs. “Most people are talking about 6,500 pardons, which is a great thing, … but it really buries the lead. The lead of the story is the sitting president of the United States instructed the Department of Health [and Human Services] and the attorney general to reconsider how cannabis is scheduled.”

BOCA RATON, Florida., Nov. 7, 2022 - PRESS RELEASE - Jushi Holdings Inc., a vertically integrated, multi-state cannabis operator, announced the opening of its relocated Beyond Hello Westside dispensary in Pennsylvania, through its subsidiary, Pennsylvania Dispensary Solutions. The new store location, Beyond Hello Dickson City, is located at 32 Scranton Carbondale Highway in Dickson City and is centrally located in a hub of economic activity in the Greater Scranton Area. The location will begin serving medical cannabis patients and caregivers in Northeast Pennsylvania and beyond at 10:00 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 8.

“Beyond Hello Dickson City is located just two minutes from I-81, the Viewmont Mall and a host of hotels, restaurants, shops and grocery stores,” said Jim Cacioppo, Jushi CEO, chairman and founder. “Designed by our in-house team, this new store features a lighter, brighter color palette with a focus on display cases that highlight our curated selection of medical marijuana products and accessories. With plenty of parking spots and a seamlessly integrated shopping experience with beyond-hello.com, Beyond Hello Dickson City is well located to serve patients across the Greater Scranton Area.”

Open 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Sundays, Beyond Hello Dickson City patients can choose from four of Jushi’s in-house brands: Sèchè, its flower line; The Lab, its high-quality vaporization line; The Bank, its award-winning flower brand; and Nira+, its THC and CBD-rich medicinal line, which are all locally grown at Jushi’s nearby grower-processor facility in Scranton. Beyond Hello Dickson City patients can also find other popular cannabis brands and products such as dry leaf, concentrates, cartridges, tinctures, topicals, capsules, pills, and various ancillary products such as approved batteries and devices. In addition, as part of this commitment to exceeding patients’ expectations, well-trained staff will be on-site to dispense products, answer questions and provide service to patients and caregivers. For more information, visit Beyond Hello Pennsylvania.

With more than 900 applicants vying for an adult-use dispensary license in New York, the state’s Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) released guidance for adult-use retailers Oct. 28 that sets the expectations for those ultimately awarded retail licenses.

The regulations cover employee training, testing, preparing for inspections, waste disposal, recall protocols and much more, all of which is “pretty standard” compared to other states, according to Warren Harasz, VP of regulatory compliance for cannabis consulting firm Cannaspire.

Based on the East Coast, Cannaspire operates in multiple states, including Connecticut, Massachusetts and Michigan, and has been particularly busy in New Jersey as that state continues to build out its adult-use cannabis industry, which launched adult-use retail sales April 21. The company provides assistance with business license applications, business plans, employee handbooks, standard operating procedures (SOPs), security plans and operational readiness.

RELATED: Cannabis Industry Stakeholders Weigh in on New York’s Packaging and Labeling Regulations

A few provisions included in OCM’s guidance issued last week caught Harasz’s attention as unique to New York, including a provision that allows retailers to deliver cannabis on bicycle and on foot.

As Cresco Labs and Columbia Care work toward closing an acquisition agreement with each other—one of the biggest in the cannabis space—the multistate operators announced Nov. 4 divestitures in three markets to Sean “Diddy” Combs.

The planned divestitures include certain assets in New York, Illinois and Massachusetts with a purchase price of $185 million by an entity owned and controlled by the American rapper, who is also known by his stage names Puff Daddy and P. Diddy.

The transaction is Combs’ first investment in cannabis and, upon closing, will create the country’s first minority-owned and operated, vertically integrated multistate cannabis operator, according to a release from Cresco and Columbia Care. The divestiture is required for Cresco to close its acquisition of Columbia Care, a deal that was valued at $2 billion when the agreement was first announced in March. The two deals are expected to close concurrently.

RELATED: Cresco Labs Targets $2B Acquisition of Columbia Care

“Today’s announcement is bigger than the transaction—and it couldn’t come at a time of greater significance and momentum,” Cresco Labs CEO Charlie Bachtell said in the release. “We’ve seen executive power exercised to address matters of cannabis injustice, we’re seeing bipartisan support for elements of federal reform, and we’re seeing some of the largest and most influential states in the country launch cannabis programs prioritizing social responsibility—this announcement adds to that momentum.”

Cresco officials indicated the agreement with combs is an industry-changing transaction that is rooted in the company’s vision to develop a more “responsible, respectable and robust industry.”

BITS offer a unique brand platform hinging on 5 milligrams of THC, complemented by additional cannabinoids including CBD, CBG and CBN, and functional adaptogens in five delicious flavor varieties.BITS pectin-based gummies combine tailored cannabinoid ratios and adaptogens for versatility in enhancing an array of everyday use-cases: Acai Affection, Pomegranate R&R, Elderberry Wellness, Guava Go and Yuzu Zone.The everyday edible that encourages doing—without overdoing it, BITS aim to make the cannabis edible experience more accessible, less intimidating and enjoyable for all. BITS will be available at Zen Leaf dispensaries and third-party retail locations across Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Jersey and Ohio beginning in early November and will launch in Arizona and Florida soon after.

CHICAGO, Nov. 3, 2022 – PRESS RELEASE – Verano Holdings Corp., a leading multistate cannabis company, announced the launch of BITS, a new line of low-dose, high-function edibles that allow cannabis consumers to do more with less. Each of BITS’ five initial flavors offer a blend of 5 milligrams of THC, complementary cannabinoids and adaptogens designed to enhance not overtake, and to make the cannabis edible experience less intimidating, more accessible and enjoyable.

Beginning Nov. 4, 2022, the new product line from Verano will be available across the company’s Zen Leaf dispensaries and third-party retail locations in six core markets: Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Jersey and Ohio, with additional rollouts in Arizona and Florida expected in the near future.

Designed with function in mind, BITS aim to enhance everyday experiences by tapping into the many benefits of cannabis and adaptogens. BITS’ novel product profiles include:

“Launching BITS adds another powerful and complementary piece to our growing portfolio that appeals to a broad base of cannabis consumers of all experience levels,” Verano founder and CEO George Archos said. “With the introduction of BITS across several core markets, we’re excited to drive further momentum while delivering more variety to cannabis consumers to address their diverse individual tastes and wellness needs.”

BITS joins the company’s growing brand portfolio that includes its namesake offering of Verano Reserve and Essence flower, Swift Lift mini prerolled joints, extracts and vaporizers; Encore Edibles, hand-crafted cannabis gummies, hard candies, mints, caramels and chocolates; Avexia topicals, tablets, tinctures and RSO, made to effortlessly enhance any self-care routine; and Savvy flower and vaporizers, larger-format cannabis products catering to more value-driven patients and consumers.

LEAMINGTON,Ontario and DENVER, Nov. 2, 2022 – PRESS RELEASES – Tilray BrandsInc., a leading global cannabis lifestyle and consumer packaged goods company builton inspiring and empowering the worldwide community to live its very best life,and Charlotte’s Web Holdings Inc., the U.S. market leader in cannabidiol (CBD) hemp extract wellness products, have entered into astrategic alliance which includes licensing, manufacturing, quality, marketingand distribution for Charlotte’s Web CBD hemp extract products in Canada.

Forthe first time, Canadians will have the ease of nationwide availability ofCharlotte’s Web full-spectrum CBD products through Tilray’s distributionnetwork. Previously, Charlotte’s Web hemp extract had only been available toCanadian families that qualified for a special access medical exemption throughHealth Canada for specific need-states.

“This is an exciting time for theCanadian CBD market as more Canadians seek natural wellness options. Partneringwith Charlotte’s Web, the market leading CBD brand, opens new opportunities forTilray Brands in Canada as we evolve our distribution channels from thedispensary model to natural wellness retail channels and eventually mass retailopportunities. We look forward to launching Charlotte’s Web’s trusted,certified, and tested products across Canada in 2023.” said BlairMacNeil, president, Canada, at Tilray.

“Charlotte’s Web is thrilled to bepartnering with Tilray Brands, a respected global category captain. Thisunderscores our strategic expansion into international markets with leadingdomestic partners by leveraging well-established infrastructure, co-production,and route-to-market capabilities,” Charlotte’s Web CEO Jacques Tortorolisaid. “Our collective goal is to bring full-spectrumCBD-lifestyle wellness options to the Canadian market that will answerconsumers’ demand for safe, high-quality, trusted CBD products.”

Theendeavor will address specific need states for Canadians by replicating thesuccess of Charlotte’s Web’s core offerings in the U.S. with its line of full-spectrumhemp extract products, including, naturally flavored oil tinctures, topicalcreams, and functional gummies for daily wellness and night-time use.Hemp-derived CBD falls under the same regulatory framework in Canada ascannabis; and therefore, Charlotte’s Web will be available through traditionalCanadian cannabis sales channels. Establishing Charlotte’s Web’s supply chainand distribution in Canada also prepares for the contemplated introduction ofnatural health products regulations and potential ability to sell CBD productsthrough traditional pharmacies in Canada.

Firstavailability of Charlotte’s Web products in Canada is expected in early 2023for hemp extract oil tinctures, followed by gummies and topicals.

Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft, the elected official overseeing the state’s election, publicly announced his opposition to an adult-use cannabis ballot measure last week.

The state’s chief elections officer told KSDK News that he will vote “no” on Legal Missouri 2022’s proposed constitutional amendment, listed as Amendment 3 on the statewide ballot, in part because he believes there’s a problem with the dichotomy between state and federal cannabis laws, and also because he thinks the current proposal would make too many changes to the state constitution.

“I don’t think that this amendment is good for the state,” Ashcroft said in an Oct. 26 interview with the NBC affiliate. “It’s way too much to put in our constitution. If you think that marijuana should be decriminalized under state law, the amendment should say something to the effect of, ‘The recreational use of marijuana in the state of Missouri is not unconstitutional and may be regulated by general statute.’”

The 39-page proposal, if passed, not only would allow Missourians 21 and older to possess, consume, purchase and cultivate cannabis, but it would allow individuals convicted of nonviolent cannabis-related offenses to petition to be released from incarceration and/or have their records automatically expunged.

2022 Election Preview: Dodging Supreme Court Interference, Missouri Voters Get Crack at Legalization

In addition, the ballot measure includes provisions to establish a lottery to award new licenses distributed equally among eight congressional districts; to require a registration card for personal cultivation; to impose a 6% tax on cannabis sales to fund various programs like veterans’ services and drug addiction treatment; to strengthen the state’s medical cannabis program; and to allow for municipal opt-outs on adult-use sales, among other policy intentions.

Cannabis stocks quickly rallied after President Joe Biden’s surprise announcement on Oct. 6 that the federal government will pardon simple cannabis possession offenses and that Attorney General Merrick Garland and Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra will review cannabis’s current status as a Schedule I drug in the Controlled Substances Act.

The move sent shockwaves through the industry, which largely welcomed the news, hailing it as a “step in the right direction” amidst a difficult year of falling prices, increasing competition, and unwavering state and federal legal restrictions.

Please see our statement about today’s news from the Biden Administration. $CCHW $CCHWF #ColumbiaCare pic.twitter.com/vFy3645zab

Although cannabis stocks are still trading well below their peak pandemic-era levels in 2020, “this rally, percentage-wise, was biggest in the year,” said Frank Colombo, director of data analytics for Viridian Capital Advisors. In fact, the 32.4% gain measured by Advisorshares Pure Cannabis ETF (MSOS) was the “largest one-week gain since the ETF began in September 2020,” according to the Viridian’s Deal Tracker. 

“The fact that President Biden did follow through with that messaging and with the direction to the agencies to really get moving on this, I think sent a strong statement and [provided] confidence in the market to investors and all stakeholders that the government was taking this seriously,” Curaleaf CEO Matt Darin told Cannabis Business Times.

BALTIMORE, MD, October 24, 2022 – PRESS RELEASE: GreenLab Packaging by FILAMATIC is thrilled to showcase the CartRunner system at MJBizCon – Vegas 2022 – BOOTH #7927. The CartRunner is an end-to-end filling and capping solution for cannabis cartridges and disposable pens. This one-of-a-kind, fully automated, and high-volume system offers the cannabis industry a truly complete packaging experience.

Key features of the CartRunner system:

The CartRunner can accommodate fill volumes from 0.25g to 1.0g and gives you complete control of your production temperature – a range of 50’ to 200’ degrees Fahrenheit. The system is a robust, workhorse solution that can dispense a wide variety of your oil recipes (terpene-rich oils to heavy distillates). Dorjee Tenpa, Business Development/GLAB, says, “Its full automation, small footprint, and less touchpoints makes it an ideal solution for companies looking to scale quickly without sacrificing quality or operational efficiencies.”

GreenLab Packaging is proud to represent over 70 years of FILAMATIC experience, innovation, and overall design within the cannabis industry. The CartRunner is one offering within an extensive product portfolio developed for the cannabis industry.

Josh Rosen, President/CEO/FILAMATIC notes, “The CartRunner will provide cannabis packagers a new level of quality and reliability, all at high volumes, across multiple SKUs. ... Whatever your manufacturing or compliance requirements may be, the CartRunner has you covered.”

Cannabis consumption establishments will soon join the social likes of the bar scene in Nevada.

State regulators from the Cannabis Compliance Board (CCB) released the final figures Oct. 31 from a 10-day application window that closed four days earlier, revealing that they received 100 completed applications of consumption lounge licenses.

Based on the number of submissions for two different application types (retail and independent), and on parameters outlined in state law, CCB officials can now issue up to 40 licenses for consumption lounges—20 for retail and 20 for independent—meaning at least 60 applicants will be left out.

Per state law, CCB officials may issue 20 independent licenses, half of which are designated for social equity applicants. There were 30 social equity applicants and 50 nonsocial equity applicants for that license type, and board members will now review all of those submissions to ensure they’ve met the necessary requirements.

“The CCB anticipates conducting two drawings via a random number selector in early December to determine the issuance of independent cannabis consumption lounge licenses for nonsocial equity and social equity applicants,” board officials stated in the Oct. 31 release.

Meanwhile, there were 20 applications submitted for the retail license type, allowing for established dispensaries to have a lounge attached or adjacent to their current facility. State officials did not cap the number of consumption lounge licenses for retailers, so all 20 could potentially get awarded.

Comparing water activity (Aw) to moisture content. Understanding the presence of ethylene in cannabis dry/cure rooms. The ways in which freezing (or non-freezing) methods impact terpene composition post-harvest.

Whether your cultivation operation is harvesting multiple times a year, or if this outdoor harvest season has you busier than ever—these drying and curing concepts could be important to the overall quality of your product.

In the research-backed session “Master the Art of Drying and Curing” at Cannabis Conference 2022 (produced by Cannabis Business Times) on Aug. 25 in Las Vegas, Dr. Allison Justice outlined recent studies conducted via Cannabis Research Coalition—a farmer-funded professional group including Justice’s hemp genetics company The Hemp Mine and Dr. Jim Faust’s Flowering Physiology Laboratory at Clemson University—which present findings and pose serious questions about these concepts.

Keep reading for key takeaways and a video link to Justice’s full recorded presentation.

Drying and Curing Desirables

In the immediate aftermath of Canopy Growth Corp.’s Oct. 25 announcement that the company intends to accelerate its plans to enter the U.S. market through a new holding company, Canopy USA, excitement ran rampant on the stock market.

RELATED: Canopy Growth to Acquire Acreage, Wana, Jetty in US Entrance

In just a couple short hours, the Ontario-based company’s share price increased 20% and continued to run into the next day, peaking at a 43% jump post-announcement. But that rally came to a halt mid-day Oct. 26 when questions arose regarding how Canopy Growth would legally maintain its U.S. listing on the Nasdaq Stock Market upon entering the federally illegal U.S. marketplace.  

Initially, there were implications of a possible loophole for current U.S.-based operators to somehow “reverse engineer” their company financials out of the country while creating a new holding company for exchangeable share purposes here at home.

“Dumb question, but if [Canopy Growth] can maintain their U.S. listing with this strategy, why couldn’t most U.S. cannabis reverse engineer this to have a [holding company] that owns ‘exchangeable shares’ that effectively accomplishes the same thing,” Mindset Capital CEO Aaron Edelheit questioned Oct. 25 on social media. “The whole thing is just so absurd to me.”

But the day after the announcement, Oct. 26, it became clear that Canopy’s Nasdaq listing could be in jeopardy upon closing acquisitions of Wana Brands, Jetty Extracts or the fixed shares of multistate operator Acreage Holdings: Nasdaq objected to Canopy consolidating the financial results of Canopy USA in the event of those transactions, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing by Canopy.

The Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection (DCP) has named the cannabis manufacturer and transporter applicants selected to advance in the licensing process.

The three cannabis product manufacturers and one transporter were chosen from a pool of social equity applicants, and the DCP will now conduct background checks on the businesses before issuing provisional licenses, according to the Hartford Business Journal.

RELATED: Connecticut Names Cannabis Product Packager Applicants Chosen to Advance in Licensing Process

State officials selected Bay Breeze Botanical Inc., Golden Hanuman Inc. and High Regard CT LLC to receive the cannabis product manufacturer licenses, the news outlet reported, and selected Grow Green Girls Inc. to advance in the process for a cannabis transporter license.

The DCP has notified the applicants that they can complete the next steps to secure a provisional license, including submitting additional information for a background check, the Hartford Business Journal reported.

In January 2022, an official at the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) quietly confirmed that, yes, cannabis seeds fall under the legal definition of hemp and, yes, they can be sold openly and without criminal liability.

Breeders and growers haven’t exactly taken the administration up on that suggestion yet, however.

“Marihuana seed that has a delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol concentration of not more than 0.3 percent on a dry weight basis meets the definition of ‘hemp’ and thus is not controlled under the CSA,” wrote Terrence Boos, chief of the Drug and Chemical Evaluation Section of the Diversion Control Division of the DEA. The official determination invoked the regulatory language of the 2018 Farm Bill. Read Boos’s full letter below.

Boos was responding to a letter from Vicente Sederberg attorney Shane Pennington, who sought clarity on this matter.

“This is one of the areas that I get a lot of questions about,” Pennington told Cannabis Business Times, referencing the vagaries of seed and genetics sourcing in the industry. He felt that the 2018 Farm Bill, with its definition of hemp as any aspect of the plant containing less than 0.3% THC, should give licensed business buying and selling cannabis seeds some degree of cover—“and nobody believed me.”

So, he wrote a letter and sent it straight to the top brass at the DEA. He knew the DEA was under no obligation to answer him, but on Jan. 6 Boos penned his response. Marijuana Moment first reported on the news.

LAS VEGAS, Nov. 01, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PRESS RELEASE -- Gb Sciences, Inc., a plant-inspired, biopharmaceutical research and drug development company, has co-published a study in the journal Food and Chemical Toxicology that demonstrates the potential of selected cannabinoids and terpenes to reduce inflammation. Finding cannabis compounds with anti-inflammatory properties may be useful in decreasing inflammation associated with a wide range of serious human disorders, and these cannabis compounds potentially have more favorable side effect profiles than NSAIDs (Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs), which currently lead the anti-inflammatory market based on sales. Largely because of the increasing prevalence of chronic and auto-immune inflammatory disorders, the market for anti-inflammatory therapies is expected to grow to $191.42 billion by 2027.

"We believe that this is the first demonstration of the anti-inflammatory potential of some very potent minor cannabinoids and terpenes derived from cannabis," said Dr. Andrea Small-Howard, President, Chief Science Officer, and Director of Gb Sciences. "The identification of cell type-specific immune modulating effects by different individual cannabinoids and terpenes was an important first step in designing our novel anti-inflammatory therapies. The results from our second study on the anti-inflammatory effects of proprietary mixtures of these ingredients will be published subsequently with our collaborators at Michigan State University and Chaminade University."

Gb Sciences selected the specific cannabis constituents for this study based on their prior activity within chemovar studies. To determine whether these cannabinoids and terpenes could reduce inflammation, Gb Sciences' colleagues at Michigan State University tested the individual cannabis constituents over a wide range of concentrations in human, primary immune cells in a co-culture system that mimics the complex interactions that regulate the human immune system. Three immune cell types were chosen as representatives within these native human immune cell mixtures based on their important roles in modulating the inflammatory cascade.

This study demonstrated that delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) had the greatest effect on reducing inflammatory biomarkers and processes in all three immune cell types. Following THC, the greatest immune activity modulation was measured by cannabidivarin (CBDV), cannabigerol (CBG), cannabichromene (CBC), cannabinol (CBN), and lastly, cannabidiol (CBD) in decreasing order based on the number of statistically significant changes measured in inflammatory bioassays relative to the control. Some of these minor cannabinoids and the terpenes tested had very 'selective' anti-inflammatory effects, which targeted a single cell type and/or caused a change in only a single inflammatory bioassay.

This study entitled "Evaluation of the anti-inflammatory effects of selected cannabinoids and terpenes from Cannabis Sativa employing human primary leukocytes" was co-authored by Gb Sciences' own President and Chief Science Officer, Andrea Small-Howard, and her collaborators Lance K. Blevins, Anthony P. Bach, Robert B. Crawford, Jiajun Zhou, Joseph E. Henriquez, Michael D. Rizzo, Sera Sermet, D.M. Isha Olive Khan, and Norbert Kaminski from Michigan State University (East Lansing, Michigan, USA) and Helen Turner from Chaminade University of Honolulu (Honolulu, Hawai'i, USA). The second part of this study measured the effects of proprietary mixtures of cannabinoids and terpenes on inflammation within this human, primary immune cell model, and this second study will be published next in collaboration with our colleagues at Michigan State University and Chaminade University.