MjLink Cannabis Business News and Press

ELIOT, Maine, March 8, 2022. - PRESS RELEASE - Sweet Dirt, a Maine-based, vertically integrated cannabis company, today announced The Confectioners by Sweet Dirt,  a new line of premium cannabis edibles for the Maine adult-use cannabis market. The new line of edibles is now available through the company's wholesale and retail channels.

The Confectioners includes gummies, chocolates, caramels, and peanut butter cups, hand-crafted by renowned artisan chocolatier, Jordan Kellerman. Each gummy, chocolate, caramel, and peanut butter cup is infused with Sweet Dirt’s organically-grown cannabis – Maine’s only adult use cannabis to be certified clean by the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA).

The Confectioners Gummies

The Confectioners sugar-coated gummies are available in 5mg THC formulations (20 gummies per pack), feature bright, fresh lemon, tangerine, and strawberry flavors, and are made with real fruit juices and natural sweeteners. In addition, each flavor has been carefully paired with natural additives to help bring about a calm state of mind:

Lemon Lounger Gummies feature L-Theanine, a naturally occurring amino acid found in green tea and known for its calming properties. Lemon Lounger Gummies also include Turmeric, natural terpenes D-Limonene and Linalool, and Sweet Dirt’s own certified clean cannabis.Tangerine Tango Gummies are infused with green tea extract antioxidants and B-12, a water-soluble vitamin critical to the development and function of the central nervous system, healthy red blood cell formation, and known to promote energy and endurance. Tangerine Tango Gummies also include Beta-Carotene, natural terpenes D-Limonene, Alpha-Pinene, Beta-Pinene and Beta-Caryophyllene, and are infused with Sweet Dirt’s own certified clean cannabis.Strawberry-flavored Crash Berry Gummies are infused with amino acid L-Theanine, used to promote symptom relief of anxiety, Melatonin, a naturally occurring hormone that helps control sleep and wake cycles, Elderberry Juice, and Turmeric, plus Sweet Dirt’s organically-grown, certified clean cannabis.

The Confectioners Chocolates, Caramels, and Peanut Butter cups

The Republican-led Virginia House Appropriations Committee shot down legislation March 7 that would have allowed those incarcerated or on probation for cannabis-related crimes to apply for resentencing, according to the Associated Press.

The bill, sponsored by Democratic Sen. Scott Surovell, would have allowed 596 people incarcerated for cannabis-related felonies to apply for resentencing by the court that sentenced them, the news outlet reported. The legislation would have also permitted another 78 people who had their sentences for other crimes enhanced because of a previous cannabis-related convictions to apply to the Virginia Parole Board for resentencing.

The bill was defeated in a party-line vote, AP reported, with 12 Republicans in opposition and 10 Democrats supporting it.

Surovell told committee members that many of those imprisoned for cannabis-related crimes likely would not have received those sentences today, now that Virginia has legalized adult-use cannabis.

Former Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam signed an adult-use cannabis legalization bill into law in April 2021, with personal possession and home grow measures taking effect July 1, 2021.

NORWOOD, Mass., March 8, 2022 – PRESS RELEASE – MariMed Inc., a multistate cannabis operator focused on improving lives every day, announced it signed a definitive agreement to acquire a provisional dispensary license from Green House Naturals LLC. The transaction, which is subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals, will add a second retail location to MariMed’s vertically integrated cannabis operations in Massachusetts. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

The dispensary will be in Beverly, a suburban city of 42,000 residents on the north shore of the Boston metropolitan area, and branded Panacea Wellness. Easily accessed via two major roadways, Highway 128 and Route 1A, MariMed anticipates heavy local and tourist consumer traffic to the dispensary. It represents MariMed’s second retail location in the Boston area, joining the company’s south shore Panacea Wellness dispensary in Middleborough, which services both adult-use and medical programs.

“Adding a second adult-use dispensary in Massachusetts is a key element of our long-term strategic growth plan, continuing our efforts to expand deeper in high-growth states in which we already operate,” MariMed CEO Bob Fireman said. “We expect the Beverly location to be a particularly strong performer in our growing footprint. We anticipate it will contribute this year to our revenue and adjusted EBITDA growth, while also strengthening the Panacea Wellness brand in the state.”

The assets of Green House Naturals to be acquired by MariMed include a provisional adult-use dispensary license subject to approval of the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission, a host community agreement to operate a dispensary from the city of Beverly, and the assignment of the leasehold approved for the business. The Green House Naturals principals will continue to support the business and assist providing the best of service and products to the residents of Beverly and surrounding municipalities.

MariMed anticipates the Beverly adult-use dispensary will be operational during the second half of 2022. As part of its strategic growth plan, the company plans to develop a third adult-use dispensary in 2022. The company currently operates an adult-use and medical dispensary in Middleborough and a 70,000-square-foot cultivation and processing facility in New Bedford, to which it expects to add 70,000 square feet in 2023.

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The “wild west” of medical cannabis might not be so wild should a group of seven Oklahoma House Republicans find a path to passing a legislative package aimed at cleaning up the state’s program.

Headlined by Majority Floor Leader Jon Echols and Rep. TJ Marti, who chairs the chamber’s Alcohol, Tobacco and Controlled Substances Committee, a group of state lawmakers outlined a 12-point plan to better regulate Oklahoma’s medical cannabis industry during a press conference March 7.

The majority of that plan is directed at weeding out “bad actors” in the state, while patient safety and protecting Oklahoma farmers from liability are also at the forefront of the proposed bills, Marti said.

The seven-member House working group on medical cannabis—which also includes Reps. Rusty Cornwell, Scott Fetgatter, Kevin McDugle, John Pfeiffer and Jay Steagall—has spent months collaborating with fellow legislators, regulators, law enforcement and industry experts to come up with the plan, Marti said.

When Oklahomans passed State Question 788 via a 56.9% majority as an initiated statute on the June 2018 ballot, they voted for a legal medical cannabis “free-market program,” Echols said.

“The black market is not the free market,” he said during the press conference. “What is happening right now in the state of Oklahoma, and this is even more emphasized by the most recent largest illegal drug bust in the history of the state of Oklahoma … is we have seen black market elements competing with legitimate Oklahoma businesses. They are putting our citizens at risk. They’re doing things in an illegal, unethical manner. We know we have issues with human trafficking. We know we have issues with tainted product. And this is the House’s plan to do something about it.”

The Nevada Cannabis Compliance Board (CCB) has suspended the cultivation and production licenses of a North Las Vegas operation after discovering what regulators called “a present threat to public health and safety,” according to a local KSNV report.

Board members voted unanimously March 4 to suspend the licenses of NLVG, LLC, which does business as Desert Bloom Cultivation, after agents investigating a complaint found that cannabis plants and packages were improperly tagged—or untagged altogether—and not tracked in Nevada’s seed-to-sale tracking system, KSNV reported.

The investigation also revealed that some cannabis that failed state-required testing was retested or sent to production without the CCB’s approval, according to the news outlet. In addition, investigators found that some batches of cannabis had their weight changed after testing, KSNV reported.

Cannabis products affected by these issues were then likely sold at dispensaries across the state, according to the news outlet.

Desert Bloom must now submit a plan of correction to the CCB to get its licenses reinstated, KSNV reported. The company must suspend all operations until the corrections are verified by regulators.

Illinoisans have been legally able to purchase and use cannabis since the state’s adult-use market launched in January 2020, but policy reform has not yet extended to protecting cannabis consumers in the workplace.

That could change under a bill that recently cleared the Illinois House.

House Bill 4116, sponsored by Rep. Bob Morgan, aims to help employees who use medical or adult-use cannabis and who may have to take drug tests that could jeopardize their jobs, according to a local WIFR report.

The legislation would bar employers from firing or taking disciplinary action against employees who use cannabis, as well as from not hiring applicants solely because of their cannabis use, the news outlet reported.

H.B. 4116 does provide exemptions for safety-sensitive positions, according to WIFR, including jobs that require employees to carry a gun, perform emergency services, work around heavy machinery or handle hazardous materials. The legislation would also exempt those who may be at risk of losing a federal contract, the news outlet reported.

MENDOCINO, Calif. - PRESS RELEASE - Today, a group of small cannabis farmers from Mendocino County, located in California’s world-famous Emerald Triangle, launched a new online sales and delivery platform to provide Sacramento and Butte County residents (aged 21+) with small-batch, quality craft cannabis products.

Farms featured on MendocinoCannabis.Shop’s “Farmer Direct” menu are dedicated to environmental stewardship, sustainable agriculture, legacy genetics and cultivating the best cannabis available anywhere. 

"Farm direct relationships are important for small farms. We want people to know where their cannabis comes from, and we need short supply chains to minimize costs. We are excited for MendocinoCannabis.Shop as a means of achieving these goals!" said Casey O’Neill from HappyDay Farms. 

Products purchased through the MendocinoCannabis.Shop platform provide a 90% return of the retail price back to the farmer after applicable taxes. This is roughly double the profit per retail unit that most small farmers currently receive.

Featured farms are members of the Mendocino Cannabis Alliance (MCA), the premier cannabis trade association in Mendocino County committed to providing guidance and solutions for small, legacy cannabis cultivators and operators who currently face a multifront crisis in the state’s regulated market. 

Pennsylvania is expanding areas of its medical cannabis program to help advance research and decrease costs for patients.

The state’s Department of Health is making financial assistance more widely available for patients and has also announced a ninth clinical registrant in Pennsylvania’s Medical Marijuana Research Program, according to an ABC 27 News report.

In June 2021, Gov. Tom Wolf signed legislation to make several changes to Pennsylvania’s medical cannabis program, with most provisions taking effect immediately with Wolf’s signature.

RELATED: Gov. Wolf Signs Bill Expanding Medical Cannabis Access in Pennsylvania

The law also required the Department of Health to provide additional assistance to medical cannabis patients and caregivers, according to ABC 27 News.

The fate of Brittney Griner, a U.S. national team basketball player, is unknown after she was taken into custody last month by Russian authorities for allegedly carrying cannabis vape cartridges in her luggage near Moscow.  

The 6-foot-9 center for the Phoenix Mercury was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2013 WNBA draft. She is a seven-time league all-star and a member of two Olympic gold medal squads for Team U.S.A.

Griner, 31, was detained after an airport screening in February, which came to light March 5, after she was identified by Russian state-owned news agency TASS.

As one of about 70 WNBA players who rely on income from playing in overseas leagues during their offseason, Griner has played for the Russian team UMMC Ekaterinburg for the past several years, The New York Times reported. (As a top player in the WNBA, Griner’s current salary is roughly $230,000, a fraction of the average salary of roughly $8 million for NBA players.)

The Russian Federal Customs Service announced Saturday that a drug detection dog had prompted the search of an American basketball player’s carry-on luggage at the Sheremetyevo International Airport, just north of Moscow. TASS then identified that player as Griner.

Griner, who stopped posting on Instagram Feb. 5, could potentially face up to a 10-year prison sentence that’s associated with criminal cases involving drug transportation in the country, according to the Russian customs service.

BOULDER, Colo. (March 7, 2022) – PRESS RELEASE – Wana Brands, a top international cannabis-infused edibles brand, announced today it has appointed Kelly Flores to the role of chief operating officer, as the company continues its expansion into new markets as well as innovating an ever-growing list of new products. Flores will be based in Boulder and will report to Wana Brands CEO Nancy Whiteman.

“Kelly’s cannabis industry expertise combined with her consumer packaged goods background is exactly what is needed at this stage of Wana’s growth and development,” Whiteman said. “As we continue to innovate new products and expand our presence in other markets, Kelly’s ability to manage the logistical challenges of a multi-state and international brand presence will be invaluable.”

Flores’ vision and experience will help guide Wana’s strategy and organization for all business processes. Her role includes the management of all Wana’s business functions across all markets, identifying and implementing day-to-day operational improvements and working with other senior leaders to set and meet the overall business objectives of Wana Brands. In addition, as a key member of the leadership team, Flores’ guidance will create opportunities as the company expands both nationally and internationally. 

“I have watched Wana Brands grow from a small operator to a defining force in the industry, both in terms of the products the company brings to market and the strategy it employs to engage these new markets,” Flores said. “In addition to admiring the company’s business success, I have also been impressed by its devotion to corporate culture and the industry’s responsibility to social equity. I’m looking forward to working with everyone on the Wana team.”

Prior to joining Wana Brands, Flores served as the chief operating officer at dosist, which is known for its targeted cannabis formulas and award-winning dose-controlled devices. Before her work at dosist, she spent six years at Monster Energy, rising to vice president of strategic planning, and 11 years with Nestlé Waters in planning and finance. Flores holds a Masters of Business Administration from Pepperdine University.

PRESS RELEASE - Mint Cannabis, operator of Arizona’s largest dispensary, has announced that its flagship location in Guadalupe (5210 S. Priest Drive) will become the first dispensary in Arizona to operate until midnight, 365 days per year, starting this Friday, March 11. 

The Town of Guadalupe’s City Council voted to approve of the Guadalupe dispensary’s extended hour request on Feb. 10, allowing the first day for the extended hours to be in effect within 30 days (March 11). 

To mark this added convenience milestone, the Mint is hosting a five-year anniversary celebration on Friday, March 11 at its Guadalupe dispensary, at the southwest corner of Priest Dr. and Baseline Rd., where patients and customers ages 21+ will have the chance to enjoy free uninfused tacos (from 2 p.m. until midnight), a live DJ (from 4:20 p.m. until midnight), buy-one-get-one deals, specials, giveaways, and more all day long.  

The Mint’s two other Valley locations in Mesa (330 E. Southern Ave.) and north Phoenix (17036 N Cave Creek Rd.) will also host anniversary celebrations with free tacos, a DJ, giveaways and more beginning at noon through 8 p.m.

WHEN: This Friday, March 11, 2022 (first day the Guadalupe dispensary will be open until midnight)

The Holy Land is on the brink of decriminalizing adult-use cannabis before the U.S., its Western ally that also happens to be the largest cannabis hub in the world through a patchwork of state legalization.  

While U.S. President Joe Biden has been busy putting policies in place to deny government security clearance to those who have invested in cannabis companies, the Israeli government is moving to approve regulations that would decriminalize adult-use cannabis and expunge criminal records for those with cannabis-related convictions.

Israel President Isaac Herzog and Justice Minister Gideon Sa’ar announced March 6 that those with cannabis convictions would be able to submit a request to have their records erased. In addition, individuals with pending criminal proceedings related to cannabis use or possession would be able to have their charges dropped.

The joint statement from Herzog and Sa’ar, who also serves as deputy prime minister, referred to an April 2019 temporary order: The Dangerous Drugs Law stipulates that possessing or using cannabis, when committed for the first or second time (within five years), would be considered liable for a fine. That order is set to expire at the end of this month.

Their special call this week comes after a Feb. 9, 2022, proposal to amend the Administrative Rules and Order law to establish possessing and using cannabis as an administrative offense that would not warrant opening a criminal record, according to the statement.

The statement also said that Herzog and Sa’ar’s call comes out of a desire to erase the label of criminality and the “associated stain” from anyone with prior cannabis-related convictions.

One of the most read CBT stories this week was actually an interview published earlier in February: a conversation between Senior Editor Zach Mentz and Aster Farms CEO Julia Jacobson. The main takeaway? California growers are facing a “market overcorrection” right now, where outdoor wholesale prices, especially, are crashing.

Long story short: Economic pressures that have plagued California’s cannabis market for years are getting noticeably worse for growers who are eking out an existence in the licensed landscape. https://www.cannabisbusinesstimes.com/article/julia-jacobson-aster-farms-q-and-a/

Check out the full interview for some more context on this issue.

But we’re curious for more perspectives from California, too—or even from those stakeholders in other U.S. states who might have helpful insights on how California is influencing the broader cannabis marketplace.

Got a tip? A particularly urgent thought? An example of that demonstrates how businesses might navigate these choppy waters in California?

Shoot me an email, and let’s talk. We’re here to serve you.

Montana’s adult-use cannabis sales increased in February compared to sales in January, when adult-use sales launched.

The state’s adult-use dispensaries sold roughly $13 million in product from Jan. 31 through Feb. 27, according to an AP News report.

California cannabis regulators announced several proposed rule changes March 4 that will affect a broad range of industry stakeholders operating in the state-legal market.

Department of Cannabis Control (DCC) officials sent a notice to the public regarding the rulemaking process, which they anticipate could carry into the autumn months.

As part of that process, DCC officials have opened a 45-day public comment period that runs through April 19, said Angela Hill, DCC deputy director of governmental affairs.

“We will revise the regulations potentially through all those comments and feedback, and, depending on how big those changes are that we make, it will result in either another 45-day public comment period, or a 15-day [period] if those are minor changes that we incorporate,” she said during a March 3 webinar that previewed some of the proposed high-level changes, what to expect and ways for industry stakeholders to participate in the process.

Once the process is complete, DCC officials will send the proposals to the state’s Office of Administrative Law, where officials there will take at least 30 days for a review process, before approving and filing the regulations with the California Secretary of State, Hill said.

The proposed changes would directly impact industry operators connected to cultivation, distribution, manufacturing, retail, events, testing laboratories, license applications, cannabis product ingredients, and labeling, marketing and advertising.

Washington, D.C. – March 4, 2022 – PRESS RELEASE – Today, the Drug Policy Alliance led a group of over 50 criminal justice reform, liberty, business, labor, and drug policy organizations in sending a letter to key House and Senate appropriators, along with Majority Leader Schumer and Speaker Pelosi, urging them to maintain the removal of the appropriations rider that has prevented D.C. from establishing a regulatory framework for marijuana, despite it being legalized by D.C. voters in 2014. 

“In one hand, Congress continues to make strides in advancing federal marijuana reform grounded in racial justice, while simultaneously being responsible for prohibiting the very jurisdiction that led the country in legalizing marijuana through this lens from being able to regulate it. This conflict and contradiction must end now," said Queen Adesuyi, Senior National Policy Manager for the Drug Policy Alliance.

“Majority Leader Schumer, Speaker Pelosi, and the four lead appropriators have a momentous opportunity to untie the hands of local D.C. policymakers, and allow for the District to fruitfully tap into the serious economic, public health, and public safety benefits of legalization like every other state that has reformed its marijuana laws. Leadership passing on this historic chance to be on the right side of history—in standing for both marijuana reform and democracy—would be demoralizing, and a clear sign that there is a stronger commitment to use D.C. as a bargaining chip than on the values of marijuana justice and home rule. We look forward to working with them to finally bring this injustice to a close and ensure D.C. residents’ voice and vote are respected.”

Background

For the first time since this rider was implemented following the successful passage of Initiative 71, appropriators in the Financial Services and General Government (FSGG) Subcommittee across the House and the Senate successfully removed the rider earlier this Congress. As Congress works to finalize funding levels and bill language in the FY22 Appropriations bill, groups are demanding that the rider’s removal is maintained, and that the District of Columbia’s right to regulate marijuana is not used as a bargaining chip. Under the conditions caused by the rider—where marijuana is essentially decriminalized, but there is no legal access for adult use—D.C. has been left with a complicated grey market that is both unsafe and a far cry from the racial and economic justice promises of the Initiative 71 campaign.

Weeks of pushback from industry stakeholders have given the Maine Office of Marijuana Policy (OMP) pause in formally issuing a new set of medical cannabis regulations.

Regulators have scrapped their most recent set of proposed rule changes and will now work with industry stakeholders to draft a revised set of rules, according to the Portland Press Herald.

The OMP originally released proposed regulations in preliminary draft form in January 2021 in an attempt to better align Maine’s medical cannabis program with state law, the news outlet reported. The draft rules included a track-and-trace requirement and additional security measures that some industry stakeholders viewed as labor-intensive and cost-prohibitive, according to the Portland Press Herald.

Following the industry backlash, the Maine Legislature passed a law last year to overhaul the state’s medical cannabis rulemaking process and block the implementation of the proposed regulations, the news outlet reported.

The law called for the OMP to establish a 17-member working group and to seek input from medical cannabis businesses, patients and physicians before issuing rule changes, which would then be required to go before the Legislature, according to the Portland Press Herald.

The rollercoaster ride to adult-use cannabis legalization in South Dakota came to a screeching halt March 3, when House members voted to put it to rest for the remainder for this session.

The legislation, Senate Bill 3, aimed to legalize up to 1 ounce of cannabis for possession and use by adults 21 and older. The South Dakota Senate voted 18-17 to pass the measure Feb. 23, but it arrived in a less receptive House earlier this week.

South Dakota House State Affairs Committee members voted 8-3 on Feb. 28 to delay consideration of S.B. 3 to March 29—one day after the state Legislature’s 2022 session ends—essentially killing the adult-use legalization effort for all intended purposes.

But the ride continued with a “smoke out” vote March 1, when Rep. Greg Jamison, a Sioux Falls Republican, gathered 25 colleagues in the 70-member chamber for the political maneuver that revived the bill. Under the smoke-out rule, 24 members needed to be onboard with bringing the bill back to life.

House Speaker Spencer Gosch told the chamber that day, “Just for the record, we’re smoking out a weed bill.”

But even after the political maneuver extended the life of the bill, House members voted 40-28 on March 3 to not formally calendar it, essentially defeating the bill, again, for this legislative session.

Despite the delayed launch of New Jersey’s much-anticipated adult-use cannabis market, the state’s Cannabis Regulatory Commission (CRC) held a public hearing this week to get input on the best way to spend the tax revenue generated from adult-use sales.

Fifteen people attended the March 2 virtual hearing and floated all kinds of ideas, including using the funds for expungement clinics, school buses, wheelchair ramps, cannabis community centers, training for entrepreneurs, grants and no-interest loans, the New Jersey Monitor reported.

“Funding for law enforcement under the guise of community reinvestment is not what we are looking for,” Ami Kachalia, a campaign strategist with the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey, told the commission, according to the news outlet. “We want real community reinvestment that supports the kinds of needs—things like social services and harm reduction and educational support and economic development—that truly increase access to opportunity for New Jerseyans and help communities thrive.”

New Jersey voters approved an adult-use cannabis legalization measure in the November 2020 election, and Gov. Phil Murphy signed legislation last year to set up a regulated market in the state.

Within that law is language that earmarks 70% of adult-use cannabis tax revenue for “social equity investments” in “impact zones,” or socially and economically disadvantaged communities most impacted by prohibition, according to the New Jersey Monitor.

Adult-use cannabis legalization appears to be on its way in Maryland, but now it’s a matter of which avenue is the best to get there.

Senate Finance Committee members entertained a pair Democratic-sponsored bills during a hearing March 3. Their considerations come on the heels of the Maryland House passing a companion bill package that would put a ballot question to voters in the November 2022 election, before the chamber’s lawmakers take up measures in complementary legislation. 

The House’s legalization bill, sponsored by Del. Luke Clippinger, a Baltimore City Democrat, would allow adults 21 and older to purchase and possess up to 1.5 ounces of cannabis and decriminalize the possession of up to 2.5 ounces as a civil offense rather than a misdemeanor. It passed the chamber in a 92-37 vote on Feb. 25.

HED: Maryland House Advances Adult-Use Cannabis Measure

Meanwhile, Sen. Brian Feldman, a Montgomery County Democrat, is sponsoring Senate Bill 833, and Sen. Jill Carter, a Baltimore Democrat, is sponsoring S.B. 692, which propose different paths toward adult-use legalization in the upper chamber.

Both measures were discussed by Senate Finance Committee members during a hearing Thursday, but the body did not hold votes.