MjLink Cannabis Business News and Press

Out of all the industries affected by the pandemic, tourism was among the hardest hit. The Las Vegas tourism economy, specifically, suffered nearly $34 billion in losses in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a report by Applied Analysis for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.

With such a significant impact on the local economy, we investigated if cannabis purchasing patterns in Las Vegas and Nevada were also affected – and they were indeed. We analyzed Nevada cannabis purchasing habits in three time periods: 2019 (pre-pandemic), April 2020 to September 2020 (the height of pandemic impact on tourism in Las Vegas), and from May 2021 to December 2021 (when tourists began returning to Las Vegas at a more normal rate).

We also compared the Market Share by Category and Competitiveness by Category during these periods to provide a more thorough analysis of how the pandemic impacted purchasing habits in Las Vegas over those  three time periods.

Analyzing COVID-19’s Impact on Visitors and Wholesale Sales in Las Vegas

Comparing Las Vegas sales to the rest of Nevada, as well as Las Vegas visitors, from 2019 to 2021.

In 2021, 63% of all wholesale cannabis sales in Nevada occurred in Las Vegas, compared to 58% in 2019. While only 21% of the state's population lives in Las Vegas, the city generates more wholesale cannabis volume than the rest of the state combined, driven by the number of tourists. This disparity became even more significant in 2021, despite sales growing both within the city and in the rest of the state.

Across the early months of the pandemic, sales declined in both Las Vegas and the rest of the state, as did visitor volume. Cannabis sales in Las Vegas began to decline earlier than the rest of the state, dropping 21% in March 2020 while Nevada as a whole saw 0.3% growth in the month. However, that trend soon shifted, as both the city and state saw dramatic sales declines in April, decreasing by 48% in Las Vegas and 68% in the rest of the state month-over-month.

Starting just one month later in May, sales surged in Las Vegas by 27.8% in May and 76.2% in June MoM and recovered to pre-pandemic levels in the rest of the state. This trend held until September 2020, when sales decreased by 10.9% MoM. Cannabis sales in Las Vegas continued to decline throughout the remainder of 2020, while the rest of the state saw early declines between August and October, then a 14.5% increase in sales from November to December.

Pennsylvania medical cannabis dispensaries have recorded record sales throughout the past 12-plus months, in part because retailers are getting more bang for their buck.

While wholesale dry-leaf cannabis prices dropped from $10.65 per gram in January 2021 to $6.65 in February 2022, representing a 37.6% decrease, retail cannabis prices dropped from $14.90 per gram to $13.40, or a 10.1% decrease, according to a Health Department presentation during the state’s Medical Marijuana Advisory Board (MMAB) March 22 meeting.

All the while, Pennsylvania dispensaries have recorded month-on-month sales increases throughout the past year, compared to every timeframe from the previous 12 months. For instance, December 2021 featured a record of more than $135 million in medical cannabis dispensary sales, while December 2020 sales were less than $100 million, according to the Health Department presentation.

In particular, the 37.6% decrease in wholesale prices compared the to 10.1% decreases in retail prices wasn’t adding up for John Collins, director of the Pennsylvania Office of Medical Marijuana, a position he’s held in the Health Department since August 2016. He plans to retire later this year.

While presenting the data during the advisory board meeting Tuesday, he called the trend “troubling” and said any savings in wholesale costs should be enjoyed by customers, The Tribune-Democrat reported.

“There is a significant opportunity to pass along savings to patients. Speaking for them, they should demand this be passed to them,” Collins said, adding that the advisory board should scrutinize why retail prices aren’t falling at the same rate as wholesale prices.

Veritas Fine Cannabis launched its first pheno hunt of 2022 as part of a partnership with Native Roots Cannabis Co.

Veritas' pheno hunt boxes include three phenotypes of Muffinz Breath, as well as a custom gold four-chamber grinder, lighter and rice rolling papers.

Veritas is allowing consumers to pheno hunt its Muffinz Breath cultivar through a limited number of boxes available exclusively at select Native Roots locations in Colorado. Each box contains three phenotypes of Muffinz Breath, which Veritas says is a hybrid cultivar featuring pine and citrus flavors with notes of fruit, as well as a custom gold four-chamber grinder, lighter and rice rolling papers.

RELATED: How Veritas Uses Limited-Edition Product Drops to Connect With Customers

This marks the second collaboration between Veritas and Native Roots this year.

“Veritas and Native Roots share a similar mindset and approach to cannabis,” said Jordan Plunkett, marketing director for Veritas Fine Cannabis. “We share a belief that cannabis brings communities together wile elevating experiences. We made the decision to partner with Native Roots on this year’s pheno hunt following the success of the recent live resin cartridge release, and we know this partnership will continue to be fruitful.”

RELATED: Best Cannabis Companies to Work For – Cultivation | #4 Veritas Fine Cannabis

(DENVER) March 22, 2022 – PRESS RELEASE – Simplifya, a regulatory and operational compliance software platform serving the cannabis industry, announced it launched a suite of cannabis compliance solutions for businesses in Connecticut, expanding the reach of the company’s footprint to 25 states. The suite of services includes Simplifya Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), Simplifya Smart Cabinet and Simplifya Self Audit, which have been specifically designed to help cannabis businesses stay up to date and remain compliant under Connecticut’s laws, as well as manage risks in a cost-effective way.

Connecticut began its medical marijuana program in June 2012, a year after Gov. Dannel Malloy signed legislation decriminalizing the plant statewide. Then, after three separate bills for adult-use cannabis were proposed in 2018 but stalled out, the Constitution State passed adult-use in 2021. However, the state has yet to fully implement the system. Connecticut is aiming to commence retail sales by the end of 2022, and has opened its first application round for certain adult-use licenses.

“Our mission is to simplify regulatory compliance for Connecticut operators, especially during a time when the state is expected to see significant regulatory changes,” said Simplifya CEO and co-founder Marion Mariathasan. “As Connecticut prepares for adult-use cannabis, our suite of compliance solutions will help ensure new and existing businesses are running efficiently, effectively and legally, producing documents for an inspection at a moment’s notice and easily streamlining cannabis compliance efforts, so operators can spend more time on what they’re really passionate about: cannabis.”

Simplifya Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs): Simplifya SOPs are designed to help ensure cannabis businesses are efficiently, effectively and legally running. They outline best practices and processes for the clients’ entire organization. While creating the correct SOPs can be long and arduous, Simplifya’s team of analytical and regulatory experts developed both generic and license-specific SOP bundles, which include everything cannabis businesses need to immediately get up and running. SOPs also ensure cannabis compliance by providing a comprehensive base, which can be used as is or customized to meet the client’s specific needs. If there are changes, Simplifya’s team also automatically updates the specific SOP and sends clients a notification.

Simplifya Smart Cabinet: Ninety percent of cannabis compliance is documentation, including keeping and organizing documents, making sure no documents are expired and being able to produce documents for inspection at a moment’s notice. Simplifya Smart Cabinet is a user-friendly and convenient online document storage hub that helps eliminate the worry and stress of organizing and storing critical documents. Smart Cabinet provides businesses with a cheat sheet of every document needed based on their license, an intuitive interface, complete control over who has the ability to access these documents, the flexibility to assign documents to employees and reminder features for when a file needs to be updated.

The Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) has rounded up the cannabis laws that lag the furthest behind public opinion in a new report.

The project commemorates the 50-year anniversary of a report issued by the Shafer Commission, which investigated the effects of cannabis use on specific communities and concluded that small amounts of cannabis do not harm society and therefore should not result in criminalization or jail time.

The report, titled “Behind the Times: The 19 States Where a Joint Can Still Land You in Jail,” examines the federal government and states that have not yet decriminalized the simple possession of cannabis, including:

AlabamaArkansasFloridaGeorgiaIdahoIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyOklahomaPennsylvaniaSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahWest VirginiaWisconsinWyoming

The report examines the states’ penalties for simple possession, arrest rates and racial disparities in arrests.

MPP led a national virtual press conference, as well as virtual press conferences in Alabama, Pennsylvania and Texas, to detail the findings of the report.

Cannabis businesses hoping to set up shop in Detroit will have to wait a while longer.

The Detroit City Council postponed a vote March 22 on an ordinance to allow the adult-use cannabis industry to operate within the city after making changes to the proposal, according to the Detroit Free Press.

RELATED: Detroit Ordinance to Allow Adult-Use Dispensaries Advances

Council members approved amendments to the proposed ordinance that would increase the total number of adult-use dispensary licenses available from 76 to 100 and create a lottery system to award licenses to applicants who have not yet locked in a business location, the news outlet reported.

The changes set off a new public comment period, which is scheduled for April 5, the same day City Council is expected to vote on the revised ordinance, according to the Detroit Free Press.

CHICAGO, March 23, 2022 – PRESS RELEASE – Cresco Labs Inc., a vertically integrated multistate operator and the No. 1 U.S. wholesaler of branded cannabis products, released its financial results for the three months and year ended Dec. 31, 2021. All financial information presented in this release is reported in accordance with U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (“U.S. GAAP”) and in U.S. dollars, unless otherwise noted, and all comparisons to prior quarters and the prior year are made on an as-converted basis under U.S. GAAP.

The Company announced today it has entered into a definitive arrangement agreement pursuant to which Cresco Labs will acquire all of the issued and outstanding shares of Columbia Care.

Fiscal Year 2021 Financial Highlights

Record revenue of $822 million, an increase of 73% year-over-yearGross profit excluding fair value mark-up for acquired inventory of $430 million, or 52% of revenue, and up 104% year-over-yearRecord adjusted EBITDA1 of $194 million, an increase of 219% year-over-yearEnded the year with over $224 million of cash on hand

Fourth Quarter 2021 Financial Highlights

Record fourth quarter revenue of $218 million, up 34% year-over-yearRecord fourth quarter adjusted EBITDA1 of $57 million, or 26% of revenue, an increase of 90% year-over-yearWholesale revenue of $101 million, maintained position as No. 1 seller of branded cannabis products in U.S. with leading share in the flower, concentrates, and vape categoriesRetail revenue increased 10% sequentially, to $117 million, an average of $2.8 million per storeSame-store-sales increased 28% year-over-year, 1% sequentiallyExcluding California, revenue grew 6% sequentiallyRecord cash flow from operations of $38 million

1 See “Non-GAAP Financial Measures” at the end of the full press release for more information regarding the company’s use of non-GAAP financial measures.

Management Commentary

Boulder, Colo. (March 23, 2022) – PRESS RELEASE – Wana Brands, a cannabis-infused edibles brand, announced today it has appointed Sandy Li to the role of Chief Financial Officer, as the company continues its expansion into new markets as well as innovating an ever-growing list of new products. Li will be based in Boulder and will report to Wana Brands CEO Nancy Whiteman.

“Sandy is a transformational business leader who possesses a strong strategic and business acumen backed by real-world experience in driving growth and strong profitability,” Whiteman said. “As we expand our presence in new markets, Sandy’s experience in the complex financial challenges of multinational and cannabis industries will be invaluable.”

Li has deep expertise in driving significant strategic transformations through M&A, international business expansion, new business development and ERP implementations. As Wana Brands’ CFO, Li will oversee all of the company’s financial operations including financial strategy and finance IT operations. In addition, as a key member of the leadership team, Li’s guidance will create opportunities as the company expands both nationally and internationally.

“I’m delighted to join Wana, a company that I have long admired for its trusted and innovative products, strategy entering new markets and commitment to racial justice within the cannabis industry,” Li said.  “I look forward to working with Nancy and the team to move Wana forward on its financial and  operational goals during this exciting time in Wana’s growth.”

Prior to joining Wana Brands, Li was Vice President of Finance, head of FP&A and Treasury at Parallel, one of the largest privately held multi-state cannabis operators in the United States. Before entering the cannabis industry, she held a variety of senior leadership positions at both public and private companies. Li also spent several years running her own computer hardware and software company in China. Li holds an MBA from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business in finance, strategy and entrepreneurship, and a Master’s degree in finance from Southwestern University of Finance and Economics. Sandy is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) in Canada.

HAZEL PARK, Mich., March 23, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- PRESS RELEASE -- Hot Box Social, the state's first licensed consumption lounge, will open this month for private events. Located at 23610 John R in Main Street Hazel Park, Hot Box Social is a relaxed gathering space for meetings and special events where cannabis can be consumed in a safe and supportive environment. Capacity is approximately 200 people for private indoor events. The plan is to open the 3,000-square-foot indoor lounge to private events first, and to the public later in 2022. The 5,000-square-foot back patio will also be available later in the summer.

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The Georgia Senate is standing behind its proposed solution to the state’s stalled medical cannabis program.

The Senate Health and Human Services Committee scrapped a House proposal to revive the program March 22 while approving a version that the full Senate passed last week, according to a Capitol Beat report.

RELATED: Georgia House and Senate Advance Two Different Bills to Revive Medical Cannabis Program

Georgia’s roughly 20,000 registered patients have spent years in regulatory limbo that allowed them to possess, but not legally purchase, medical cannabis oil containing a maximum of 5% THC.

Gov. Brian Kemp signed legislation in 2019 to legalize the production and sale of the oil, and a new regulatory body, the Georgia Access to Medical Cannabis Commission, licensed six companies last year to serve the market.

If elected Ohio’s next governor, John Cranley has an ambitious goal of creating 120,000 new jobs that pay at least $60,000 per year to help expand the state’s middle class. And he wants to do it in four years.

But the gubernatorial primary candidate for the Democratic ticket is banking on legalizing adult-use cannabis in the state to help get it done.

Announcing his run for office in August, Cranley said 30,000 of the new jobs he hopes to create would be through projects aimed at advancing manufacturing, adding high-speed broadband, and investing in a new energy economy, cleaner water, and safer roads and bridges.

“And when we legalize marijuana, we will use the money to pay for it,” he said.

More specifically, Cranley’s campaign website states he “will pay for these jobs by reprioritizing JobsOhio money, legalizing and taxing recreational marijuana, and utilizing existing capital improvement funds and annual line items as debt service for the additional bonds needed for rapidly achieving universal broadband, clean water, and safer roads.”

In addition, Cranley’s criminal justice reform policy includes decriminalizing cannabis use statewide so that laws are not “unfairly applied to communities of color across Ohio.”

Greybeard Live Resin Diamonds & Sauce

Canadian cannabis giant Aurora Cannabis announced March 22 that it plans to acquire TerraFarma, the parent company of Thrive Cannabis.

Thrive, founded in 2018 and based in Simcoe, Ont., is known for its flagship adult-use brand, Greybeard Cannabis Co., which produces small-batch craft cannabis flower and concentrates.

Aurora will acquire all of TerraFarma’s issued and outstanding shares for $38 million in cash and Aurora shares, according to a press release announcing the deal.

Thrive will also be eligible for up to $20 million in shares, cash or both, if it reaches certain revenue targets within two years.

"As consolidation among licensed producers accelerates, it's vital that any transactions we make, now or in the future, be strategic, accretive, and centered around adding exceptional talent and brands that align with our path to profitability," Aurora CEO Miguel Martin said in a public statement. "In these respects, Geoff and the Thrive team have a track record seldom found elsewhere in the Canadian market. They are truly exceptional cultivators who have gained trust with consumers and developed products that have been recognized and acclaimed by Canadian budtenders and industry peers. We see a unique opportunity to leverage their expertise to deliver near and long-term benefits for both our recreational and medical markets.”

LAFAYETTE, Colo. – urban-gro, Inc. (Nasdaq: UGRO) (“urban-gro” or the “Company”), a fully integrated architectural, engineering and cultivation systems integration company focused on the indoor Controlled Environment Agriculture (“CEA”) market, today announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Emerald Construction Management Inc. (“Emerald C.M.”), a 37-year old Colorado-based construction management firm providing comprehensive construction and supervisory services, from initial design through final build-out. Emerald C.M. expects 2021 revenues of $26.5 million and adjusted EBITDA of $1.2 million. The total purchase price for the transaction, inclusive of a maximum $2.0 million contingent earnout, is $7.0 million. urban-gro will fund the transaction with a combination of $2.5 million in cash and up to $4.5 million in equity. The transaction is expected to close within 60 days, pending successful completion of due diligence, and the Company expects the acquisition to be immediately accretive to earnings in 2022. 

Bradley Nattrass, chairman and CEO of urban-gro, commented, “The Emerald C.M. acquisition represents an important step in our strategy to supply the global indoor CEA market with turn-key design-built facilities. The market for mid-sized turnkey cultivation facilities and vertical farms is underserved, proving urban-gro a unique opportunity to bring the expertise and experience that is needed to deliver high-performance facilities. This acquisition enables us to get our clients to market more quickly while maintaining elite service levels.”  

Nattrass continued, “Beyond completing our turn-key strategy, the addition of Emerald C.M.’s contracts and project pipeline provides us with incremental opportunities to generate significant waterfall revenue by providing our current services and equipment solutions to Emerald C.M.’s existing clients. Coupled with our strong balance sheet and positive cash flow, we are in an ideal position to build upon our momentum in the global CEA industry while simultaneously enhancing shareholder value.”

Jim Dennedy, president and COO of urban-gro, added, “Today, many controlled environment agriculture companies are served by a variety of providers, many of which lack the depth in human resources, systems maturity, and financial stability to satisfy the requirements that are inherent in large and complex construction projects. The acquisition of Emerald C.M. not only strengthens our capabilities and services offerings, but also enables us to provide our clients with a single point of accountability to manage their project needs.” 

Christopher Cullens, CEO of Emerald C.M., said, “This union will provide immense value to all our CEA and non-CEA clients as they will be able to take advantage of the expertise, scale, and the complete suite of professional services that urban-gro offers. We’ve developed a strong partnership with urban-gro, and I couldn’t be more excited for both our clients and my team to experience what the combined company will offer. There is a gap in the global CEA industry, more specifically with the design build of indoor mid-sized CEA facilities, and we now have the ideal solution to fill it.”

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An M&A agreement involving two of the biggest vertically integrated cannabis companies in the world was announced March 23.

Chicago-based Cresco Labs Inc. entered a definitive arranged agreement to acquire New York-based Columbia Care to the tune of roughly $2 billion, pursuant to which Cresco will acquire all of the issued and outstanding shares of Columbia Care in a transaction that is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2022, Cresco announced early Wednesday morning.

If finalized, the acquisition would involve one of the largest price tags in the industry, rivaling that of Trulieve’s $2.1-billion deal to acquire Harvest Health last year (announced in May and completed in October), and of Tilray’s blockbuster merger with Aphria in May 2021, which created a company that had a combined market cap of US$8.2 billion at the time.

Based on closing stock prices March 22, Cresco and Columbia Care had a combined market cap of $2.94 billion, trailing only Curaleaf ($4.78 billion), Green Thumb Industries ($4.28 billion) and Trulieve ($3.53 billion).

“We are incredibly excited to announce this transformative transaction today at a very important time in the development of this industry,” Cresco Labs CEO Charles Bachtell said in a press release. “This acquisition brings together two of the leading operators in the industry, pairing a leading footprint with proven operational, brand and competitive excellence. The combination is highly complementary and provides unmatched scale, depth, diversification and long-term growth.”

He added, “The combination of Cresco Labs and Columbia Care accelerates our journey to become the leader in cannabis in a way no other potential transaction could.”

Hope Wiseman, owner of Mary & Main, a medical cannabis dispensary in Prince George’s County, Md., is excited about the future of her business.

Wiseman and company are in the process of introducing Mary & Main’s parent company, Wise Co., to the world with an eye toward expansion to a future adult-use market in Maryland, as well as national expansion through industry partnerships.

“I think we’re ready for people to start looking at us as more than just a medical dispensary operator because we have aspirations and plans in the works that are going to position us as much more than that,” Wiseman tells Cannabis Business Times.

A key component of these plans is creating opportunities for other Black entrepreneurs, and especially Black women, to operate cannabis businesses.

“As far as women in the industry, there’s been a pretty steep decline of women involvement from an ownership standpoint, in the C-suite, … but I’m excited to see women jump back in [and] take the reins, and there are some really strong women who are doing great work in the space right now,” Wiseman says. “I’m proud to be among those ranks, and at the end of the day, Wise Co. is looking to create opportunities for other Black operators and other women operators in the space. Me, as a young Black woman in the space, I realize that there are not very many like me. … I’m focused on making sure that Black women have a space in the cannabis industry, and that is a pillar of Wise Co. and our mission. That’s definitely who we look to partner with as we are building this national ecosystem.”

San Bernardino County, Calif., is backing attempts at the state level to crack down on illicit cannabis grows.

The county is supporting legislation in the California Assembly and Senate that would increase fines for illegal cannabis cultivation and target groundwater pollution caused by illicit grow sites, according to the Mohave Valley Daily News.

“Illegal cannabis farming is devastating the desert communities of San Bernardino County,” Curt Hagman, chairman of the San Bernardino Board of Supervisors, told the news outlet. “The county is determined to stop this terrible damage to the environment and to protect the lives and property of our residents from lawless criminals.”

The county has also requested $10 million in state funding to help clean up environmental damage at hundreds of illegal cultivation sites, the Mohave Valley Daily News reported.

California voters legalized cannabis in 2016 through Proposition 64, which allows the home cultivation of six plants for personal use and reduces the penalty for illegal cannabis cultivation from a felony to a misdemeanor.

After the Nebraska Supreme Court struck down the organization’s medical cannabis legalization measure before the 2020 election, Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana is making a run at the November 2022 ballot.

Up against a July 7 deadline to gather 87,000 signatures, the group hosted more than 100 signing events in 35 cities last weekend, according to a local KETV report.

The Nebraska Supreme Court ruled that the organization’s 2020 ballot initiative violated the state’s single subject rule, and Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana has since filed two separate medical cannabis initiatives with the Secretary of State.

The first would require the Nebraska Legislature to enact laws to protect doctors who recommend cannabis to their patients, as well as patients who possess and use medical cannabis, from criminal penalty.

The second initiative would require the Legislature to pass legislation to establish a regulatory framework that legally protects businesses that produce and sell medical cannabis.

A group of budtenders who voted in October to organize at the Solar Therapeutics cannabis dispensary in Somerset, Mass., unanimously ratified their first union contract March 21.

The contract comes roughly five months after the cannabis retail workers voted, 10-4, to join the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 328, which represents roughly 11,000 workers in a variety of industries in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

RELATED: Cannabis Workers at Solar Therapeutics in Somerset, Mass., Vote Yes to Join Union

The ratified contract includes a three-year agreement with a focus on gaining full-time opportunities, improving benefits, raising wages and securing workplace protections.

Andrea Areias Nooth, a budtender at the Somerset location, served as a member of the worker negotiating committee.

“I am truly proud of my co-workers for working together to get this done as we help shape the future of the cannabis industry,” Nooth said in a Local 328 press release. “The work put in to get to this point was definitely worth it, and I know this momentum will continue with other dispensaries around the country as this industry grows. Never be afraid to stand up for what you deserve.”

Three medical cannabis bills in Maine are headed to the state’s full Legislature for possible consideration after receiving unanimous approval from the Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee, according to a local WABI report.

The legislation would ensure patients have access to telehealth services and allow caregivers to sell medical cannabis plants, the news outlet reported.

One of the bills would also require legislative review of the Office of Marijuana Policy’s (OMP) changes in administrative rules that protect patient or caregiver privacy, according to WABI.

“The Office of Marijuana Policy is working with the community and listening to us,” Paul McCarrier, a member of the Cannabis Council of Maine, told the news outlet. “They’re going to be working with us to keep the prices for patients fair and low and to make sure that patients can continue to access that therapeutic cannabis.”

The bills now advance to the full Legislature.

An Oklahoma bill proposes giving medical cannabis excise tax dollars derived from licensed businesses to law enforcement officials to help oversee inspections of those licensed businesses.

House Bill 3530, in part, aims to allocate the first $5 million collected from the state’s 7% excise tax on medical cannabis sales each year to a County Sheriff Public Safety Grant Revolving Fund created under the bill, according to the legislation’s text.

The measure, sponsored by Rep. David Hardin, is part of a bill package that Oklahoma House lawmakers unveiled earlier this month, which includes a 12-point plan aimed at cleaning up the state’s medical cannabis program and combating the illicit market.

RELATED: Oklahoma House Unveils Plan to Combat Illicit Cannabis

As Rep. TJ Marti outlined in a March 7 press conference, one of the points to that plan includes a grant program for sheriffs’ departments that will fund law enforcement efforts in every county. The plan also calls for annual inspections for all state-licensed grow sites, in addition to allowing Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority (OMMA) officials to conduct unlimited inspections of any site.

Specifically, the $5 million in annual funding to law enforcement under H.B. 3530 would provide sheriff’s offices the financial means to have deputies present during OMMA inspections.