MjLink Cannabis Business News and Press

Any brand can claim that their cannabis products are “lab tested.” But this doesn’t really mean anything unless they provide access to third-party lab results.

By “third-party” we’re referring to a lab that is completely independent of the producer.

These results can provide you with proof that the product you’re buying is as claimed, with respect to potency, purity, and safety.

Some producers publish results on their product packaging, although depending on region-specific labeling laws, this information is likely to be limited. 

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The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation is ready to start testing cannabis plants and oils in drug cases, thanks to new equipment that will help technicians distinguish between hemp and marijuana.

For the past nine months suspected illegal marijuana cases weren’t prosecuted in numerous cities across the state -- such as Columbus and Hunting Valley in Northeast Ohio -- because the Ohio General Assembly legalized hemp and there were no public crime labs in the state that had the testing ability to distinguish between the two plants, which are part of the same cannabis genus.

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Laura Hancock ~ Cleveland.com ~

Medical marijuana has technically been legal in Missouri since January 1, but dispensaries have been unable to open until they meet seed-to-sale requirements.

In the midst of Governor Mike Parson's COVID-19 briefing this afternoon came the answer to a question that has been on everyone's minds since the crisis began.

Specifically: When the hell do the medical marijuana facilities open? 

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Daniel Hill ~ Riverfront Times ~ 

Non-alcoholic CBD-infused beverages are the fastest-growing segment of the "drinkables" market, largely driven by the growing demand for wellness products as a replacement for soft drinks and alcohol.

The global market for cannabis-infused beverages could reach nearly three billion dollars within the next five years, according to a new report by Grand View Research.

The report predicts that the infused beverage market will grow at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 17.8 percent, eventually reaching $2.8 billion in annual sales by 2025. 

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Chris Moore ~ MerryJane.com ~ 

Millions of people across the U.S. can legally buy pot at dispensaries — but scientists aren’t allowed to study it.

Early in Dr. Sue Sisley’s medical career, military veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder told her that smoking marijuana prevented nightmares and helped them sleep.

Sisley, a primary care physician and psychiatrist in Scottsdale, Arizona, who has treated vets for two decades, said she was initially skeptical of her patients’ claims, but their families vouched that pot was helping with their symptoms.

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Tyler Kingkade ~ NBC News ~ 

Cannabis production in Mexico is making a comeback, and this time it’s cartel-free. Independent farmers are now producing high-quality “ethical” weed -- without the involvement of the country’s violent cartels.

As the country prepares to create a legal weed market, cannabis producers and dealers in Mexico told VICE that interest in finer types of homegrown weed, marketed with names such as Cronica (chronic), Blue Dreams or Purpura (purple), is growing among consumers in major cities.

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Deborah Bonello and Miguel Angel Vega ~ Vice.com ~ 

Researchers have developed a way to determine the viability of pollen germination in marijuana plants, as well as a simple method of storing cannabis pollen for long periods of time, according to a new study.

For marijuana cultivators, the results could prove useful, helping them avoid potentially costly mistakes in the process and ensuring consistency and quality in their crops across growing cycles.

Ensuring long-term storage of pollen is important for cultivators because of the central role it plays in generating seeds.

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Kyle Jaeger ~ MarijuanaMoment.net ~ 

You can remain physically and mentally healthy while running your business from home. Here are 10 productive ways to spend your free time in quarantine (while high, of course).

It’s 2020 and the lazy stoner stereotype no longer holds up. There are so many stimulating activities—both physically and mentally—that you can do while consuming cannabis.

The high isn’t necessarily the end goal, but a meaningful accompaniment along on the journey. 

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Lindsey Bartlett ~ GreenEntrepreneur.com ~ 

Colorado State University researchers found that CBD caused cell death in glioblastoma, a rare and intractable form of brain cancer.

Cannabidoil (CBD) has emerged in recent years as an alternative medicine for hard-to-treat illnesses like epilepsy, with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approving cannabis-derived medications, like Epidiolex.

Studies have also demonstrated cannabis as a possible supplemental treatment in cancer patients, though researchers caution there have been no definitive conclusions.

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Brendan Bures ~ TheFreshToast.com ~ 

The owner of High Times is going to start selling marijuana after championing its use in the pages of its magazine for nearly half a century.

Hightimes Holding Corp. said Tuesday is acquiring 13 dispensaries from Harvest Health and Recreation, one of the largest multi-state producers and sellers of cannabis in the U.S.

Hightimes said the cash and stock deal valued at $80 million makes Tempe, Arizona-based Harvest a “significant” shareholder in Hightimes, which is preparing to make an initial public offering of stock.

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Alex Viega ~ Associated Press ~ 

If you’re used to finding home-baked cookies in grandma’s pantry, don’t be surprised if these days, you find other goodies too.

Seniors have established themselves as some of the most enthusiastic cannabis consumers in the US, although their presence in the world of weed sometimes flies under the radar.

Why has cannabis gained such a strong foothold among older adults? 

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Emma Stone ~ Leafly.com ~ 

The governor of New Mexico is voicing regret that the state did not legalize marijuana this year because, she says, its eventual revenues could have helped to offset economic damage imposed by the coronavirus outbreak.

During a press conference last week, Gov. Michelle Lynn Lujan Grisham (D) was asked what her plan is to address the financial uncertainty that’s emerged amid the COVID pandemic.

While she said recovery efforts will largely involve coordination with oil and gas companies that account for a sizable share of the state budget, she also regretted that legislators were unable to approve cannabis legalization, which would’ve represented another source of income for the state.

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Kyle Jaeger ~ MarijuanaMoment.net ~ 

Israeli researchers have launched three clinical trials that utilize CBD’s anti-inflammatory properties as potential COVID-19 treatment.

Israeli scientists have launched clinical trials into whether cannabis can play an effective role in stopping or slowing the coronavirus.

Though lung health experts have warned smoking marijuana could exacerbate COVID-19 and its spread, Israeli scientists will study cannabidiol (CBD) alongside existing treatment options as a possible solution.

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Brendan Bures ~ TheFreshToast.com ~ 

While so much is still unknown about marijuana’s effects on antidepressants, your personal answer may reside in two important pieces of information.

For the over 16 million Americans with depression, many are seeking alternative remedies to alleviate their symptoms and turning to marijuana.

Marijuana has been studied for its effects on the mood and depression dozens of times.

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Kate-Madonna Hindes ~ TheFreshToast.com ~ 

"The city gave us temporary permission to operate as a medical and recreational dispensary until the emergency order ends," says the cafe's co-founder and partner, Courtney Zalewski.

Like many other businesses, West Hollywood's Original Cannabis Cafe closed on March 16 as stay-at-home orders became the norm throughout Southern California. 

When it opened five months earlier, in October 2019, it was the first legal weed cafe in the United States.

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LAist.com ~ 

Medical marijuana has come a long way thanks to the use of technology. Here are some ways the tech industry is expanding how we get high.

The last decade has been a game-changer for the legal weed industry, with numerous states legalizing the consumption of marijuana for recreational and medicinal uses.

Bringing these products to the mass market has involved numerous scientific breakthroughs.

Instead of the minimal processing of the plant, growers are now creating oils for vaping, capsules, edible gummies, and more.

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Aross the United States, cannabis cultivators, processors and growers are embracing a wide range of remarkable initiatives to make their businesses more sustainable and energy efficient.

In Colorado, a state agency is leading an initiative to capture carbon dioxide from a brewery to re-use in a cultivation facility.

A new grow operation in Massachusetts installed over four acres of solar panels on its roof and a high-efficiency “microgrid” on its campus. And more companies are turning to hemp as a pragmatic and sustainable alternative to plastic packaging. 

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Max Savage Levenson ~ Leafly.com ~ 

In reality, no scientific evidence supports this dichotomy because on a molecular level, indica and sativa strains don't have pattern differences that set the two "types" apart from each other.

When you enter a marijuana dispensary you're met with sterile white walls and glass-encased counters that hold marijuana flower, vape pens, chocolates, gummies, and other psychoactive goodies.

Whether a dispensary has a menu hung on its wall, a digital list patrons can scroll through on an iPad, or a physical paper booklet they can flip through, these informational materials, at the very least, classify each marijuana strain as an "indica," "sativa," or "hybrid."

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Julia Naftulin ~ Insider.com ~ 

A new report from ICR Strategic Communications and Spectacle supports what the alcohol companies feared - people who can consume cannabis legally drink less.

The first hint that alcohol consumption could be threatened by the legalization of recreational marijuana happened in the state of Colorado.

Once adult-use cannabis was legal and easy to purchase in the state, residents weren't spending as much money on beer and alcohol. Total beers sales climbed as the population rose, but the amount consumed per person dropped.

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Debra Borchardt ~ RealMoney.TheStreet.com ~ 

The Lebanese parliament on Tuesday passed legislation to legalize cannabis cultivation for medical and industrial purposes, a move that was recommended by economic advisers even before the coronavirus pandemic dealt a devastating blow to the Mediterranean nation's struggling economy.

Under the new law, the cultivation of cannabis by farmers would be regulated within the country, according to The Daily Star, a Lebanese English-language newspaper.

Although the plant has long been widely and openly cultivated in Lebanon, particularly in the country's eastern Bekaa Valley, growing cannabis was strictly illegal. 

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Jason Lemon ~ Newsweek.com ~