MjLink Cannabis Business News and Press

Lansing, Mich., residents can purchase adult-use cannabis at more than a dozen dispensaries in their city. Soon, they’ll be able to consume it in a social setting outside their homes, too.

City officials granted conditional approvals for four businesses to open cannabis consumption lounges in each of four wards, the Lansing State Journal reported.

Those businesses and locations include:

Since learning Lansing was going to allow consumption lounges, the Edgewood Wellness team has focused on expanding its retail facility on Edgewood Boulevard to include a coffee shop, a “few” consumption lounges, event space and even an art gallery, co-owner Jeffrey Hank told Fox 47 News. When construction is complete, the Edgewood Wellness team will utilize 19,000 square feet of its business facility.

“A consumption lounge concept is pretty new in the United States,” Hank told the news outlet. “It’s inspired by the Amsterdam-style coffee shop, and we hope to bring it here. It’ll be one of the first places in Michigan that have not only a cannabis store, but a coffee shop type area where people can get a good beverage, but also sit and relax and hang out with friends or do some work for the day and sit in a little different environment.”

Meanwhile, Common Citizen, a brand of LIV Cannabis Co., recently opened its Lansing medical and adult-use retail facility on Martin Luther King Boulevard. The company plans to open its consumption lounge on the property adjacent to its retail facility in the fall, according to a LIV Cannabis press release. 

New Mexico launched its adult-use cannabis market April 1 and recorded $1.96 million in sales during the first 24 hours, leaving Ultra Health, one of the state’s vertically integrated cannabis operators, wondering if supply will be able to keep up with demand in the early months of the program.

“We saw a lot of folks turn out to participate in this historic day in New Mexico and cannabis history,” Ultra Health Chief Marketing Officer Marissa Novel tells Cannabis Business Times. “And while it’s certainly a milestone to be celebrated, we are cautiously realistic about what will happen in the coming 12 and 24 months.”

Novel says the nascent market is “very volatile” and ultimately dependent upon the state’s cannabis operators having the production capacity to keep up with demand.

And, in a state where regulators have set production limits on cultivators, she says supply will likely become an issue—and soon.

“While we have all the hustle in the world, while we’re really excited, changes do need to be made on the regulatory level to realize the potential of cannabis legalization in New Mexico,” Novel says, adding that some operators may even run out of product before 4/20.

Louisianians are prohibited from possessing non-medical cannabis while in a vehicle and from driving under the influence of cannabis, but the state’s current law leaves a glaring loophole—there is no law that prohibits drivers and passengers from smoking cannabis in moving vehicles.

Lawmakers are now aiming to address the issue with House Bill 234, which Rep. Laurie Schlegel, R-Metairie, introduced in February to do just that, according to the Louisiana Illuminator.

The House approved the measure April 6 in a 66-31 vote, the news outlet reported.

A new law took effect Jan. 1 to allow Louisiana’s medical cannabis patients to access flower, highlighting the fact that smoking behind the wheel is not technically illegal in the state.

H.B. 234 would classify smoking cannabis in a moving vehicle a primary offense, allowing law enforcement to stop anyone suspected of a violation, the Louisiana Illuminator reported.

Like alcohol, adult-use cannabis is legalized for those 21 and older in Colorado.

But a pair of state lawmakers introduced legislation last month that they said was grounded in the state’s Marijuana Enforcement Division (MED) not doing enough to ensure cannabis isn’t sold to underage consumers.

In 2021, MED officials conducted 80 underage compliance checks in the state. At the same time, the state’s Liquor Enforcement Division conducted 2,400 underage compliance checks, CBS Denver reported.

In an effort to increase MED’s annual underage compliance checks, state Sens. Chris Hansen, D-Denver, and Kevin Priola, R-Henderson, authored legislation that would have required MED officials to conduct at least two compliance checks a year at each “medical and retail marijuana center.”

As of April 1, there are 414 medical cannabis and 655 “retail” cannabis dispensaries in Colorado, according to MED licensing data. Multiply those numbers by two, and MED would have been responsible for roughly 2,140 compliance checks a year under the legislation—more in line with the Liquor Enforcement Division.

However, the bill was postponed indefinitely on March 30 in a 6-1 vote by the Senate Committee on Health and Human Services.

Citing concerns over zoning and a lack of guidance from the state, officials from Horn Lake and Madison announced April 5 that their cities will opt out of participating in Mississippi’s medical cannabis program.

In Horn Lake, the state’s 10th largest city of roughly 27,500 people who reside just across the border from Memphis, Tenn., the board of aldermen voted, 7-0, to opt out but agreed to form a committee to work with state lawmakers on the possibility of opting in at a later date, The DeSoto Times-Tribune reported.

And in Madison, the state’s 14th largest city of roughly 25,500 people in the Jackson metropolitan area, council members unanimously opted out over what Mayor Mary Hawkins Butler called limitations on zoning authority, NBC-affiliate WLBT reported.

Hawkins Butler challenged the legality of citizen-led Initiative 65 leading up to the November 2020 election.

RELATED: Mississippi Mayor Challenges State’s Medical Cannabis Measure

Under the Mississippi Medical Cannabis Act, legislation Gov. Tate Reeves signed into law on Feb. 2, municipalities have 90 days, or until May 3, to decide whether to opt out of allowing medical cannabis businesses in their jurisdictions.

The Missouri House Public Safety Committee approved an adult-use cannabis legalization bill last week, but not before one lawmaker included a controversial amendment that could ultimately doom the legislation.

Rep. Nick Schroer, R-St. Charles County, amended House Bill 2704, the Cannabis Freedom Act, March 31 to bar transgender women from accessing no-interest loans for women- and minority-owned cannabis businesses, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

The amendment drew criticism from both sides of the aisle, the news outlet reported, but the legislation still cleared the House Public Safety Committee Thursday in a 5-4 vote.

Schroer voted no on the bill, however, citing last-minute changes that took place before the vote.

“He literally either was showboating and needed his sound bites in the committee or he was deliberately trying to kill that piece of legislation,” Rep. Ron Hicks, R-Defiance, the bill’s sponsor, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

MINNEAPOLIS and WINNIPEG, Manitoba, April 06, 2022 - PRESS RELEASE - Manitoba Harvest, a hemp foods brand and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tilray Brands, Inc., debuts their innovative Hemp+ Matcha and Hemp+ Supergreens powders exclusively at 300 plus Whole Foods Market locations nationwide, landing on shelves throughout April 2022.

"We are thrilled to be working with Whole Foods Market to launch our new Hemp+ powders, Matcha and Supergreens. Whole Foods seeks out the finest natural and organic foods available. This exclusive release is a testament to our product quality and hemp's increasing popularity," said Jared Simon, Manitoba Harvest president.

Manitoba Harvest's Hemp+ Matcha and Superfoods powders combine the power of hemp with complementary on-trend plant-based ingredients. Consumers can choose between the added benefits of Matcha-based caffeine or 8 Essential Vitamins & Minerals coming from Supergreens. Each serving contains 6 grams of plant-based protein and 2-3 grams of fiber from hemp.

"Whole Foods Market is excited to bring customers an expanded offering of innovative formats within our hemp seed segment that provides multiple benefits in one convenient product. Manitoba Harvest consistently provides well-positioned, quality products that we know will satisfy and delight our consumers," said Megan Causgrove, Global Category Merchant, Whole Foods Market.

For a limited time, Manitoba Harvest's Hemp+ Matcha will be exclusively available in 348 Whole Foods Market locations, while the Hemp+ Supergreens will be available for purchase in 382 stores across North America. After 90 days, both products will continue to be available at Whole Foods Market and other locations throughout the U.S. and Canada.

New Mexico cannabis consumers will soon have designated areas across Albuquerque to partake in cannabis.

Right now, it's illegal for individuals to consume cannabis outside of their homes, but during an April 4 meeting, the Albuquerque City Council updated the city's "Clean Indoor Air Ordinance" to allow cannabis consumption lounges within the city.

Council approves O-21-83; updates the Albuquerque Clean Indoor Air Ordinance to comply with recent changes to cannabis law at the State level.

"This does not make it legal to smoke in public; it is still illegal under state law. All we're doing is cleaning up this indoor air quality ordinance for the city of Albuquerque to make it actually focused on indoor air," city councilor Tammy Fiebelkorn said during the April 4 meeting.

The consumption lounges would need to get a conditional use permit from the city to operate. The facilities would also be required to have ventilation systems to ensure the general public could not inhale cannabis, KRQE News reported.

Cookies will make its debut in Hawaii through a partnership with Noa Botanicals, a medical cannabis dispensary on Oahu.

Noa Botanicals will open “Cookies Corners” – which the company describes as a “store-within-a-store” concept – at all three of its dispensaries on Oahu.

Cookies products will be available to all active patients in Hawaii’s medical cannabis program who hold a valid patient card starting Friday, April 8. Cookies products available will include four cultivars sold in both flower and cartridges, as well as Cookies hats, apparel and accessories.

RELATED: At Cookies, Brand Development and Equity Are Key To Growth

As part of the Cookies launch on April 8, Noa says the first 50 patients at its locations will receive a Cookies gift bag valued at $50.

Michigan’s adult-use cannabis retail footprint is set to grow by more than 20% thanks to the state’s largest city opting in for participation.

Detroit City Council members voted, 8-1, April 5 to allow adult-use cannabis sales in their jurisdiction, a decision that comes more than three years after Michigan voters approved Proposition 1 in the November 2018 election.

Under the new ordinance, 100 retail licenses will be available, half of which will be reserved for social equity applicants, the Detroit Metro Times reported. That number represents a 21.7% increase from the 460 active adult-use retail licenses in the state as of Feb. 28, according to Michigan’s Marijuana Regulatory Agency (MRA).

In addition, the ordinance also paves the way to licenses for consumption lounges and microbusinesses.

“The goal has never been to simply have licensing within the city, but to create policy that works to address the inequities that so many Detroiters have experienced trying to pursue an opportunity in this industry,” the ordinance’s sponsor, Council President Pro Tem James Tate, said in a statement to the Metro Times.

The move comes nearly 10 months after U.S. District Judge Bernard Friedman issued a 19-page injunction blocking a previous attempt to license cannabis retailers in Detroit.

Roughly 20,000 patients enrolled in Georgia’s medical cannabis program will have to continue to wait for access to low-THC oil after lawmakers failed to pass legislation to revive the state’s stalled business licensing process.

A compromise bill that would have reopened the application process to license three more facilities failed to clear the Senate April 4, according to the Georgia Recorder.

Since 2015, Georgia’s registered patients can legally possess cannabis oil containing a maximum of 5% THC, but they have no way to legally purchase the oil, which has yet to be produced and sold in the state.

RELATED: How Are Georgia’s Medical Marijuana Patients Supposed to Access Cannabis Oil?

Gov. Brian Kemp signed legislation in 2019 to establish a regulated system for the production, processing, and sale of medical cannabis oil, and the newly created Georgia Access to Medical Cannabis Commission licensed six companies last year to serve the market.

ANN ARBOR, Michigan, April 6, 2022 - PRESS RELEASE - Gage Cannabis Co. will open Cookies Ann Arbor, a new flagship cannabis provisioning center in the heart of Ann Arbor, with a monumental grand opening celebration. Cookies, a lifestyle and cannabis brand in North America, will be located at 2460 W. Stadium Blvd., Ann Arbor.

Based in the Bay Area, Cookies' Co-Founder and CEO Berner is a prolific rapper and entrepreneur along with his partner, Jigga, a highly respected cannabis cultivator and breeder. Berner will be in Ann Arbor for the April 8 grand opening with his signature blue Cookies bus and a group of VIP friends.

"To me, Michigan is one of the biggest markets next to California," Berner said. "Not only is it a big market, [but] Michigan is a very educated market when it comes to herb and hash. Michigan smokers are spoiled just like us in Cali. I spent a lot of time in Ann Arbor on my off days during my music tour, and I love the vibe there. I look forward to bringing our customer journey and new flavors to one of my favorite towns."

The Cookies store will carry the entire family of Cookies products, including but not limited to the Cookies, Lemonnade, Runtz, PowerzzzUp, Minntz and Grandiflora lines. The store will be operated by Gage in an exclusive partnership with Cookies.

A special grand opening weekend will include music, a gaming trailer, food trucks, and special giveaways. Berner's signature blue Cookies bus will also be on site.

"Gage is excited for this next step in our flourishing partnership with Berner and his Cookies brand," said Gage's President Mike Finos. "Launching a Cookies store right next to the University of Michigan campus is sure to be another big hit. Ann Arbor is a sophisticated cannabis town, and they deserve the best brands."

New York launched a public education campaign April 4 to highlight the state’s adult-use cannabis laws.

The program, called “Cannabis Conversations,” aims to educate people on where cannabis can be consumed, who can consume it and how to do so safely, according to a WABC report.

The Office of Cannabis Management operates the campaign, which aims to protect youth, remind New Yorkers of the risks of driving while impaired by cannabis, and provide other messaging to help keep residents safe and healthy once the adult-use market launches later this year.

"Our first public health education campaign, 'Cannabis Conversations,' will give New Yorkers the information they need to start talking about our state's cannabis law and the health and safety implications for consuming cannabis," Office of Cannabis Management Director Chris Alexander told WABC. "This fact-based campaign reflects the change in how we're approaching cannabis as we focus on evidence-based education over prosecution."

The program includes advertisements on television, radio, in mass transit and on social media, according to the news outlet.

In the latest of a string of lawsuits challenging Illinois’ process to issue 185 new adult-use cannabis dispensary licenses, two plaintiffs allege that the state unconstitutionally discriminated against out-of-state residents.

The plaintiffs, Juan Finch Jr. and Mark Toigo, are seeking a court order to block the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) from issuing the licenses, which the department allocated during a series of three lotteries last summer but has not yet officially awarded, Patch.com reported.

“[The agency's] discrimination is not narrowly tailored to serve a legitimate local purpose,” the lawsuit claims, according to the news outlet. “This discrimination, in fact, has no legitimate local purpose at all, and the stated rationale in the [Cannabis Regulation and Tax] Act for awarding particular benefits to social equity applicants—i.e., to remedy harms resulting from disproportionate enforcement of cannabis-related laws—applies equally to Americans in all states, and thus can be achieved without discriminating against nonresidents.”

The complaint, filed March 23, also seeks to block the IDFPR from providing preferential treatment to Illinois residents in the licensing process, Patch.com reported.

Finch is a Chicago resident and active-duty Navy sailor who was living in California when he applied for a dispensary license in Illinois in 2019, according to the news outlet, while Toigo is a cannabis investor from Pennsylvania who said he ultimately decided not to apply for a license because he thought it would be “futile.”

Michigan cities that have opted in to allow adult-use cannabis dispensaries were the beneficiaries of $42.2 million, or 30% of the roughly $141 million in cannabis tax revenue generated statewide in fiscal 2021.

Traverse City, where roughly 16,000 people reside in the northwestern part of the state, could gain access to that shared fund in 2022.

The city’s planning commissioners will meet at 7 p.m. April 5 to review a drafted policy proposing to allow adult-use cannabis retailers in nine commercially zoned districts, the Traverse City Record-Eagle reported.

The proposed areas would allow anywhere from two to four licensed dispensaries per district, but retail facilities couldn’t be located within 1,000 feet of a school or publicly owned land, or in underdeveloped areas, per state law, according to the news outlet.

While the cumulative maximum number of dispensaries allowed in the proposed areas is 22, Mayor Pro Tem Amy Shamroe—who sat on the ad hoc committee that worked on the ordinance—is recommending a citywide limit of eight to 10 cannabis retailers, The Ticker reported.

A separate ordinance to define that citywide limit will be reviewed by the city commissioners at one of its upcoming meetings in the next month.

Newtown, PA, April 05, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NewMediaWire -- PRESS RELEASE -- Forian Inc., a provider of technology, analytics and data science driven solutions for the healthcare and cannabis industries, announced that its subsidiary, Bio-Tech Medical Software, Inc. (d/b/a BioTrack), successfully completed the planned April 1, 2022 launch of its New Mexico state traceability system for adult use cannabis sales. This latest state partnership demonstrates the continued expansion of Forian’s BioTrack state traceability system.

BioTrack has been the traceability system for New Mexico medical cannabis sales since 2015, and in 2021 expanded to also be the state’s partner for adult use compliance monitoring. The successful seamless transition of the traceability system from medical to dual-use enabled businesses to begin commercializing adult-use cannabis sales at 12:00 a.m. on April 1, 2022 with no disruption to retailers or consumers.

BioTrack’s software will track both medicinal and adult-use cannabis in New Mexico from when it is first planted as a seed to the point-of-sale to the consumer. BioTrack’s traceability system helps to ensure there is no product diversion and in the case of a recall, simplifies and streamlines those events.

"BioTrack's software worked seamlessly for New Mexico, helping the state to see a record-setting $5.2 million in combined cannabis sales during the state's first weekend of adult-use sales," said Kristen Thomson, director of the New Mexico Cannabis Control Division. "We look forward to continuing to work with BioTrack to ensure that all consumers and patients have access to the products they need--and to ensure that the Cannabis Control Division can track product for quality assurance and consumer safety.”

“We are happy to be able to continue our relationship with the government of New Mexico and the cannabis community in the state,” said Dr. Moe Afaneh, vice president of BioTrack at Forian.  “As the state’s chosen track-and-trace vendor we have been working around the clock to ensure a smooth transition of the system from solely medicinal use to dual, medicinal and adult use. We look forward to continuing to ensure that New Mexicans have safe and efficient access to legal cannabis products.”

LOS ANGELES and KINGSTON, Jamaica, April 05, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PRESS RELEASE -- NUGL Inc., a cannabis-focused, technology-based multimedia platform, announced today it has completed the previously announced acquisition of Kaya, Inc. in an all-stock transaction. Kaya shareholders received restricted shares of NUGL, Inc., which were issued pursuant to an exemption from registration provided by Section 4(2) of the Securities Act of 1933 as “Restricted Securities.” The company has appointed Bali Vaswani, chairman and CEO of Kaya, as its CEO. CJ Melone, CEO of NUGL Inc., was appointed chief operating officer of the combined companies, with a responsibility to build out the Kaya brand through established partnerships in key markets. NUGL, Inc. is expected to change its name to “Kaya Group Inc."

Kaya was the first to open a medical cannabis location in Jamaica in March 2018 and has established itself as a leading supplier and supporter of medical cannabis throughout the Caribbean. Its diverse operations include a licensed cultivation facility, processing facility, three retail herb houses, and one ganja franchise in Punta Del Este, Uruguay. Cannabis analytics firm Headset projects legal U.S. cannabis sales to surpass $30 billion this year and reach $45.8 billion by 2025. In addition to the U. S. market, Jamaica and the other Caricom countries are considered to be one of the fastest growing cannabis markets. In April 2015, the Government of Jamaica amended the Dangerous Drugs Act (DDA) to decriminalize cannabis possession, legalize home cultivation for medicinal, spiritual and sacramental use, and create a new, licensed industry for medical cannabis and hemp. In addition to this landmark legislation, a number of Caricom (Caribbean Community) countries are exploring the use of cannabis in health and wellness, with investors seeking to increase products for local use and export.

“Near-term, Kaya's markets will be the U. S. and the Caricom countries. As we launch the Kaya brand in and expand into new markets, we expect to benefit tremendously from NUGL's print and digital core media assets. Each of our locations can house over 1,000 patrons, which is an ideal scenario for hosting live content on NUGL's platform," Vaswani said. "I look forward to working with the talented NUGL team as we integrate and align our cultivation, retail, and operational practices to continue providing our patients and customers with best-in-class product offerings and retail experiences."

NUGL is a community-driven, cannabis business directory and search app offering an unbiased platform for businesses and consumers to interact. NUGL combines a digital and print magazine with its cannabis friendly multimedia platform to provide marketing opportunities in print, digital and video format. NUGL connects cannabis companies across the nation, bringing the cannabusiness community closer together while facilitating connections with consumers in emerging and expanding markets. In line with the acquisition of Kaya, NUGL has hosted live concerts with reggae artist like Popcaan “Vanquish” Acoustic Show, Kymani Marley, Beenie Man, David Rodigan, Chronixx, Keznamdi, Jesse Royal, Jah9, Lila Ike, Protoje and Toots, and The Maytals.

"We are very optimistic as we join forces with Kaya to create one of the most prominent cannabis companies in the U. S. and the Caricom. With our shared core philosophies and complementary areas of expertise, we expect to execute on our collective vision immediately. In the evolving and fast-growing cannabis industry, the opportunities to better achieve our mission through consolidation led us to this historic moment," Melone said. “With Kaya’s strategic national footprint in the Caricom markets and NUGL’s success in execution in print, digital media, and social media assets, we believe we have the potential to create the most important and investable company in cannabis. There is no better team in the industry to maximize the potential of this market defining combination."

Researchers looking to study the medical benefits and risks of cannabis use have long been limited by federal prohibition, but legislation that cleared the U.S. House of Representatives April 4 aims to remove some of these barriers.

The House voted 343-75 on Monday to pass House Bill 5657, the Medical Marijuana Research Act, which Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., introduced in October 2021, according to Forbes.

The bipartisan legislation, which is co-sponsored by 11 other representatives, would allow researchers to access cannabis from state-legal dispensaries for their studies, the news outlet reported.

The bill ultimately aims to make it easier for researchers to apply for approval to study cannabis by ensuring an adequate supply and establishing deadlines for federal agencies to consider applications, according to Forbes.

Scientists interested in studying cannabis have long argued that it often takes years before their research is approved by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and that the quality of cannabis provided by the University of Mississippi is inferior to the cannabis products available in state markets.

As unionization efforts in the cannabis industry have started to emerge in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Michigan and Illinois, Missouri is the newest state with workers wanting to organize.

Eight workers at the Root 66 South Grand medical cannabis dispensary in St. Louis unanimously voted to authorize the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 655 to begin bargaining on their behalf for a union contract, according to a news release from the union chapter.

The Root 66 workers are employed by GF Wellness S. Grand LLC, according to National Labor Relations Board documentation for the union election.

The Local 655 represents more than 8,500 UFCW members in the eastern half of the state, including workers in retail food and non-food, shoe manufacturing, packinghouses, distribution centers and a number of miscellaneous plants.

“Cannabis workers across the country are voting to join a union because they know it’s the best way to secure good wages and benefits on the job,” said David Cook, president of Local 655. “Workers need economic security and fair treatment in the workplace, and cannabis workers are no different. We are committed to helping cannabis workers across Missouri.”

South Carolina lawmakers are taking their time in considering whether their state will become the 38th in the nation to legalize cannabis for medical purposes.

The House Medical, Military, Public and Municipal Affairs Committee heard six hours of public testimony April 4 as it considers whether to advance S. 150, which passed the Senate in early February after three weeks of debate.

The bill, called the SC Compassionate Care Act, has since advanced to the Medical, Military, Public and Municipal Affairs Committee, better known as the 3M Committee, which is the only one with a Democratic majority.

The committee held a hearing on the legislation March 31, when members made a handful of changes to the bill, including one that would allow podiatrists with additional training to recommend medical cannabis to their patients.

The committee then scheduled a more in-depth discussion for April 4, when it heard six hours of public testimony on the bill, according to a WCSC report.