MjLink Cannabis Business News and Press
A new state law took effectJuly 1 in Minnesota, allowing for the sale of cannabis edibles and beveragesinfused with hemp-derived THC.
Under the new law, adults21 years and older can purchase “edible cannabinoid products” that contain nomore than 5 milligrams of hemp-derived THC per serving and 50 milligrams perpackage, and no more than 0.3% THC by dry weight.
According to the bill text, an“edible cannabinoid product” is defined as “any product that is intended to beeaten or drunk by humans, [and] contains a cannabinoid in combination with foodingredients, and is not a drug.”
The sale of ediblescontaining delta-8 THC and CBD were already legal in the state, but this newlaw allows for delta-9 THC—the cannabinoid that distinguishes hemp from itsfederally illegal counterpart, cannabis—to be used as an additive in ediblesand beverage products as long as it is derived from legally certifiedhemp, Duluth News Tribune reported.
The Minnesota Board ofPharmacy will be responsible for regulating such products, which must have alabel containing the serving size and cannabinoid profile serving, a list ofingredients, and the following statement: “Keep this product out of reach ofchildren,” according to the bill text.
The Bill sponsor, Rep.Heather Edelson, said in response to the passing of the legislation that she was concernedabout the safety of delta-8 already being sold in Minnesota, adding that thoseproducts were “targeting young people and contained thresholds of THC that weretoo much for the average consumer,” the news outlet reported.
It’s been another eventful year for the cannabis industry, from the House passing the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act for the second time, to a federal appeals court ruling that delta-8 THC is legal under the 2018 Farm Bill, to lawmakers once again failing to approve banking reform.
Here, Jonathan Havens, co-chair of Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr’s Cannabis Law Practice and chair of the firm’s Food, Beverage and Agribusiness Practice, shares the biggest developments he’s seen so far in 2022, as well as which industry trends stakeholders should watch during the second half of the year.
1. Continued Consolidation
Mergers and acquisitions are still driving continued consolidation in the cannabis industry, Havens said. Local operators are joining forces with multistate operators as the MSOs expand their footprint and strengthen their brand story at the state and federal levels.
“I think ending the federal prohibition on cannabis is still farther off than some would like, but it seems like these MSOs are strengthening their footprint, expanding into the jurisdictions that they … haven’t been in before because the laws just weren’t there when they first started out,” Havens said. “I think consolidation is one of the big themes we’ve seen.”
2. ‘Interesting Scenarios’ in Federal Cannabis Policy Reform
November’s midterm election raises questions about how federal cannabis policy reform efforts may play out during the lame duck period, after the elections and until the new Congress is sworn in in January.
California’s regulated cannabis market just got a little bit more competitive with the robust illicit market that has continued to flex its power in the state.
Following Gov. Gavin Newsom’s signing of a $308-billion state budget on June 30, California’s weight-based cannabis cultivation tax was eliminated—effective July 1, 2022.
The cultivation tax, which imposed a $161-per-pound rate on licensed growers—regardless of the current market value of cannabis—was abolished via Assembly Bill 195, which was attached as a trailer to the state budget.
On June 29, the California Senate passed A.B. 195 via a 34-0 vote, while the Assembly passed the measure, 69-1. Assemblymember Rudy Salas casted the lone no vote before Newsom signed the budget the following day.
Among the measures included in A.B. 195, the bill also maintains a 15% cannabis excise tax but moves the collection of that excise tax from distributors to point of retail sale by Jan. 1, 2023.
The tax reform included in the legislation will help brace the licensed industry, California Cannabis Industry Association (CCIA) Executive Director Lindsay Robinson said in a statement to Cannabis Business Times.
Name: Zoe Reece
Location: Waikato, New Zealand
Title: Founder & CEO, Ora Pharm
One word to describe your cultivation style: Process. Being an engineer, I have a big focus on process and commercialization.
Indoor, outdoor, greenhouse or a combination: Combination – currently greenhouse but soon expanding to outdoor and indoor as well.
Can you share a bit of your background and how you and your company got to the present day?
I decided to move home to New Zealand in 2019 to bring back [the] extensive cannabis industry experience [I] acquired in the U.S. I am a civil/structural engineer who graduated from the University of Auckland with Honors. After graduating, I worked in the mining and construction industries in engineering, supervising and project management roles.
At Curaleaf, [I acted as] the director of engineering and project manager, [and] reported to the chief operating officer. I played a leading role in the company’s expansion by completing the design, planning, build, and start-up of more than 80 operational facilities in the two years I was with Curaleaf. I helped secure licenses in nine states and was involved in implementing state regulations for the company in 16 states. During my time at Curaleaf, [I] had exposure to the end-to-end operation of the business, including scaling a cannabis company from a start-up to a high-volume business.
Ora Pharm started in July 2019; we received our medicinal cannabis license in New Zealand in January 2021. This month we received a government grant through Callaghan Innovation to further our R&D cultivation program. We are currently raising our Series A capital raise in order to expand our cultivation and fulfill export contracts.
What tool or software in your cultivation space can you not live without?
Safety Culture app. This has transformed our data capture process and transferred almost all paperwork processes to the digital world, helping to reduce time spent on capturing information as well as being able to review and use data a lot quicker.
The Isle of Man has approved its first medical cannabis business license, according to BBC News.
The island’s Gambling Supervision Commission, which oversees the industry, has awarded GrowLab Organics (GLO) a conditional license to cultivate, extract, manufacture, import and export medical cannabis, the news outlet reported.
Enterprise Minister Tim Crookall told BBC News that the license approval “represents the dawn of a new economic sector” in the country that will result in “high-value economic diversification.” He said the industry will provide new jobs and training opportunities, and “encourage inward investment.”
GLO co-founder and CEO Alex Fray told BBC News that the company expects to create more than 50 jobs within the next three years.
The Gambling Supervision Commission opened the medical cannabis business license application process in June 2021, the news outlet reported.
SANTA CRUZ, California, June 30, 2022 - PRESS RELEASE - SC Labs recently announced its new partnership with Agricor and Botanacor Laboratories in Colorado. As part of the company’s new corporate leadership, long-time operating executive Jeff Journey will serve as the company’s new CEO. Under the SC Labs brand, the new multi-state lab will service cannabis and hemp brands in Oregon, California, and Colorado and will soon announce a new partnership with Can-Lab in Michigan.
Journey previously served as vice president and general manager for a $1B+ Biosciences business unit of Thermo Fisher Scientific and brings experience in lab business intelligence and operations to the new role. His breadth of experience across regulated industries, including leading teams across strategy, R&D, product management, marketing, sales, and customer success, will serve to guide SC Labs’ growth strategy as the company aims to be the leader in cannabis and hemp science.
“It’s an honor to join this new company based on the foundation of three leading labs that have partnered to provide the industry with the highest level of scientific knowledge and technology in cannabis and hemp,” Journey said. “This new company will be about so much more than testing and R&D. We’re looking forward to partnering with cannabis and hemp brands at every stage of the supply chain to share our innovative and forward-thinking scientific expertise so they can deliver safe products to the marketplace.”
In this new role, Journey joins the expanded SC Labs leadership team, including Jeff Gray as chief innovation officer, Josh Wurzer as chief operating officer, Brendon Firestone as chief commercial officer, Grant Gooder as chief financial officer and Richard Strong as senior vice president of IT and Digital Experience. The new company is poised to lead the cannabis and hemp testing market in client service through a broader range of testing resources, improved data delivery, innovative science, instrument redundancy and increased testing capacity, and improved operations to accelerate turnaround times.
“As cannabis legalization expands across the country, the testing industry is rapidly shifting and scaling to meet both market and regulatory demands,” according to Journey. “The most important assets we can offer as a multi-state operator are scientific expertise, financial stability, and unquestionable integrity, the principles on which SC Labs has long stood for and will continue to provide to our valued customers.”
]]>Earlier this month, the Los Angeles City Council approved the “Emblem Program for Authorized Cannabis Stores” to protect cannabis consumers from untested and unregulated products at unlicensed retailers that continue to operate in California’s still-thriving illicit cannabis market.
The program, which required the Los Angeles City Attorney’s office to draft an ordinance to implement it, allows licensed retailers to apply for an emblem that can be displayed on their storefronts to help differentiate legal and illegal dispensaries.
The Los Angeles City Council voted June 29 to approve the ordinance, which will require licensed cannabis business to display a placard to indicate that they are operating legally and in compliance with public health regulations, according to CBS Los Angeles.
The placards are intended to show both the public and law enforcement that the business is operating legally, the news outlet reported. They are expected to be displayed at licensed retailers later this year.
“Unfortunately, unlicensed commercial cannabis activity continues to undermine the legal commercial cannabis industry and threaten the health and safety of Los Angeles residents,” City Councilman Paul Koretz said in a statement, according to CBS Los Angeles. “I have been working on getting this emblem program designed and implemented for the past few years and I'm incredibly grateful for the Department of Cannabis Regulation's steadfast work.”
June is a month-long celebration for the LGBTQ+ community, and each year, many companies saturate their social media pages and marketing efforts with rainbow colors and icons to show recognition.
But what substantive actions can companies take to make real progress and show advocacy for LGBTQ+ people, people of color, and other marginalized individuals?
In honor of Pride Month 2022, Cannabis Business Times spoke with Jushi Holdings Executive Vice President of Retail Operations Brendon Lynch, also a member of the LGBTQ+ community, to discuss how cannabis companies can promote equity and inclusion within the industry vs. “rainbow washing.”
Andriana Ruscitto (AR): What is the connection between the LGBTQ+ movement and cannabis legalization?
Brendon Lynch (BL): The connection between the cannabis and LGBTQ+ reform movements can be traced back decades. The LGBTQ+ community in San Francisco started the initial push for medical marijuana legalization in the U.S. in response to the AIDS epidemic in California.
One of the first major pieces of legislation decriminalizing medical marijuana was passed in large part thanks to Harvey Milk, the country’s first openly gay man to hold public office. While there have been significant accomplishments in the cannabis and LGBTQ+ movements, there is still much work to be done, and I am humbled to be part of it.
Thousands of Virginians waiting to access the state’s medical cannabis program will no longer have to endure a two-month waiting period to receive their registration cards under new legislation that takes effect July 1.
The law, House Bill 933, signed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin on April 11, does away with the requirement that medical cannabis patients—or parents/legal guardians of patients—register with the state’s Board of Pharmacy. Instead, medical cannabis patients will only need a written certification from a registered practitioner along with a government-issued ID to obtain medical cannabis products at a state-licensed dispensary.
Showing proof of registration with the Board of Pharmacy (a medical cannabis card) will no longer be required.
RELATED: Virginia Governor Signs Bill Eliminating Cannabis Patient Registry Requirement
At the time of Youngkin’s signing, there were more than 47,000 program registrations with an estimated 8,000 applicants still awaiting approval from the Board of Pharmacy, according to reform group NORML.
As of June 29, there were 52,810 registered medical cannabis patients registered with the Board of Pharmacy and roughly 4,900 applications that required additional information or were waiting in the backlog for initial review, ABC-affiliate WRIC reported.
The list for pesticides that can be used on cannabis without being a violation of the Pesticide Applicators' Act has been updated. Please note the following products have been added:
BotaniGard Optima ESMycotrol Optima ESOBoteGHA Optima ESNatria Disease & Fungus Control Ready to UseNatria Disease & Fungus Control ConcentrateBioAdvance Science-Based Solutions Organic Brand Disease & Fungus Control Ready to UseTetraCurb MaxTo view the updated list, click here for a pdf or click here for an Excel form. For questions regarding this change, contact Jolynn Morris at (303) 869-9060 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
The Colorado Department of Agriculture (CDA) is currently reviewing pesticide labels upon request and maintaining a list of products whose label it has reviewed that it believes could be used on marijuana without violating 35-10-117(1)(i), as long as the applicator follows the label directions.
Please be sure to review the list; pesticide products may be removed from the allowed products list if the registrant has not renewed their pesticide product with the department. Use of unregistered pesticides on Cannabis would be a violation of the Pesticide Applicators' Act.
Stay Informed
MIAMI andBOSTON, June 29, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --PRESS RELEASE-- Ayr Wellness Inc. (CSE: AYR.A, OTCQX: AYRWF), a vertically integrated U.S. multi-state cannabis operator,announced the opening of AYR in Back Bay, the company’s flagship dispensary inBoston. Sales begin on Saturday, July 2nd at 10am ET, representingthe company’s first adult-use retail sales in Massachusetts.
Located at 827Boylston St. in the heart of Boston’s famous Back Bay neighborhood, directlynext to the Apple Store and across from the Prudential Center, the dispensaryis expected to benefit from the significant shopping, dining and culturalactivities the Back Bay is known for, and will feature a wide range of cannabisbrands and products, including Ayr’s own Kynd premium flower, Secret Orchard vapes,Wicked edibles, Levia THC infused seltzer, and HAZE concentrates, to addressexperienced consumers as well as those newer to cannabis.
“We areincredibly excited to open our first adult-use store in Massachusetts,particularly in the enviable location of Boston’s Back Bay. We appreciate thewarm welcome that we’ve received by the City of Boston, the Back BayAssociation, the Neighborhood Association of Back Bay, and all of thesurrounding businesses and community groups. We look forward to further actingon our commitment of being a force for good throughout Back Bay and the localcommunities,” said Jonathan Sandelman, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Ayr. “Ourteam has cultivated a welcoming environment for all that adds to the integrityof this historic neighborhood and adds new jobs and community investment, andwe’re excited to welcome each of you to come visit.”
“Between thePrudential Center and the surrounding destination bars and restaurants, ourBack Bay store is in one of the busiest parts of Boston, and we believe thiswill be one of the best located dispensaries in the state of Massachusetts.”
]]>Two-time Olympic gold medalist and WNBA star Brittney Griner is set to go to trial in Russia Friday July 1. Griner was detained Feb. 17 at Sheremetyevo International Airport in Moscow, Russia, for having vape cartridges that contained cannabis oil, according to The Washington Post. Griner has been in custody for more than four months now.
Because cannabis is illegal in Russia, Griner could face up to ten years in prison on the drug charges.
Many experts, according to The Washington Post, speculate that Griner’s trial will most likely have a result of a prison sentence and a guilty verdict. An article from Insider states, “This case is already decided.”
“According to the Associated Press, fewer than 1 percent of defendants in Russian criminal cases are acquitted, and acquittals can be overturned,” according to The Washington Post.
]]>Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak signed legislation last summer to legalize cannabis consumption lounges, and now, a year later, state officials have signed off on regulations to govern them.
The Cannabis Compliance Board approved the rules June 28, paving the way for bar-like establishments where people can consume cannabis, according to The Nevada Independent.
Board members held 15 public meetings to develop the regulations, the news outlet reported, and despite public comment suggesting sweeping changes to the rules that were initially proposed, the board approved the regulations Tuesday with only minor verbiage tweaks.
One change removed a paragraph on how to determine whether a cannabis consumption lounge is located an adequate distance from schools and casinos, The Nevada Independent reported, while another removed the word “continually” from a requirement that lounge staff monitor surveillance footage of the premises.
“I would not be in favor of pulling the regs for those changes, given the amount of time we’ve had,” Cannabis Compliance Board member Riana Durrett said, according to The Nevada Independent. “We're not going to be able to continue to keep putting these on agendas and then wait for more ideas and more ideas when I think so much work was put into these, and most requests were accommodated.”
Las Vegas – June 29, 2022 --PRESS RELEASE-- The Source+, one of the state’s top cannabis companies since opening in 2015, will open its sixth location on Saturday, July 16, at 2370 Homestead Rd. in Pahrump, Nevada. This will be the company’s sixth dispensary and the first Source+ location to offer a drive-thru pickup service.
“Bringing The Source+ to Pahrump and Nye County has been very exciting for our team, and we’re thrilled to share exclusive products and hospitality with the community,” said CEO of The Source+, Steve Haffer. “In a town that prides itself on independence, our mission is to always make sure we provide a safe and respectful environment where our patients and customers can easily and affordably obtain a host of wellness products and services.”
The new 3,400-square-foot showroom will display and offer a wide selection of brands, including CAMP, Onederful and 8|Fold. The Source+ also features a variety of edibles, concentrates, tinctures, and other cannabis products that its customers have come to love and know over the past seven years.
Other locations for The Source+ include the original at 2550 S. Rainbow Blvd. at the corner of Sahara Avenue in Las Vegas, the Henderson location at 9480 S. Eastern Ave., the Reno location at 5270 Longley Ln., Suite 103, the North Las Vegas location at 420 E Deer Springs Way, and the company’s first store on the East Coast located at 58 Pleasant St. in Northampton, Massachusetts.
As a community-driven company, The Source+ has prioritized giving back to its communities since its inception, supporting local partners by donating more than $700,000 to local nonprofits, including Opportunity Village, Helping Hands of Las Vegas, Community Counseling Centers of Southern Nevada, The Cupcake Girls, Mondays Dark and more.
]]>Washington, D.C., residents have been legally able to possess, consume, home cultivate and gift cannabis since the district’s voters approved Initiative 71 in the November 2014 election to legalize adult-use cannabis.
City Council members have their hands tied when it comes to regulating and taxing commercial adult-use sales in the district, however, due to a rider introduced by U.S. Rep. Andy Harris in 2015 that stripped D.C.’s power to oversee a retail industry. Commonly referred to as the Harris rider, the provision has been in place ever since.
RELATED: D.C. Remains on Cannabis Sales Sideline in New Omnibus Bill
City Council does have the authority to regulate medical cannabis in the district, however, and has used that power to untangle some of the industry’s complexities.
Councilmembers unanimously voted June 28 to pass the Medical Marijuana Self-Certification Emergency Amendment Act of 2022 to allow residents 21 and older to self-certify their eligibility for medical cannabis without requiring a healthcare practitioner’s recommendation.
A retailer is suing Kansas officials over the state’s policy on delta-8 THC.
Murray Dines, the owner of Topeka-based Guardian MMJ, filed a lawsuit June 24 in U.S. District Court that claims Kansas’ policy violates federal law, according to The Topeka Capital-Journal.
Dines’ shop was raided by Shawnee County law enforcement April 20, the news outlet reported. Authorities seized $120,000 worth of product during the raid, according to the lawsuit, which challenges an opinion issued by Attorney General Derek Schmidt last year, according to The Topeka Capital-Journal.
While delta-8 products are legal in Kansas, Schmidt’s opinion said they must be derived from hemp and the THC levels must not exceed 0.3%, the news outlet reported.
Schmidt’s opinion also stated that some delta-8 products, including cigars, dips and teas, are illegal under Kansas’ controlled substances act, the news outlet reported.
NORWOOD, Massachusetts, June 29, 2022 - PRESS RELEASE - MariMed, Inc., a multi-state cannabis operator, announced a licensing agreement with East Coast Cannabis Company, a Maine-based cannabis producer and distributor. The licensing agreement allows for the distribution of MariMed’s brand, Betty’s Eddies full-spectrum fruit chews and the other successful SKUs in the line-up, including Bedtime Betty’s, into Maine’s adult-use market. The long-term intention is to roll out other edibles brands in MariMed’s portfolio, including Bubby’s Baked soft and chewy baked goods and Vibations: High + Energy powder energy drink mix.
The licensing deal aligns with the company’s strategic growth plan to distribute its brands in legal cannabis states. The company anticipates Betty’s Eddies will be available to Maine’s residents and seasonal adult-use customers in the coming months.
“We are thrilled to partner with East Coast Cannabis Company for the production and distribution of our award-winning Betty’s Eddies branded products in the Maine adult-use cannabis market,” said Ryan Crandall, MariMed chief revenue officer. “Maine is an underappreciated adult-use cannabis market. While the state’s population is just over one million, Maine attracts as many as 37 million tourists annually, rivaling that of the Las Vegas Strip.”
]]>
LEAMINGTON,Ontario, June 29, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --PRESS RELEASE-- Tilray Brands, Inc.(Nasdaq: TLRY; TSX: TLRY), a global cannabis-lifestyle and consumer packaged goods company todayannounced that its medical cannabis division, Tilray Medical, has expanded itsmedical cannabis offerings in the United Kingdom. Tilray Medical now offers thebroadest portfolio of cannabis flower in the UK market today, including adifferentiated range of high THC products, cultivated at its EU-GMP-certifiedfacility in Portugal.
DeniseFaltischek, Tilray’s Chief Strategy Officer, and Head of InternationalBusiness, said, “The demand for medical cannabis in the UK is growing rapidly.We are incredibly proud to provide patients in the UK with high-quality,consistent medical cannabis products they can rely on and are accessible tothem.”
Tilray Medicalnow offers an extensive selection of medical cannabis products including amarket leading portfolio of cannabis flowers with THC potencies that span from10% to 25% and offer a range of different ratios. Tilray Medical’sportfolio in the UK is underpinned by a breadth of cultivars, each with aunique profile of cannabinoids and terpenes, that have been selected to ensurepatients can receive both the highest product quality as well as consistencywhen it comes to supply of their medicinal cannabis products. By offering sucha broad range of cannabis flower products in the UK, Tilray Medical hopes toexpand the range of treatment options available to patients and ensureprescribers and patients are provided with a safe and reliable choice as theyembark on their medical cannabis journey.
In the UK,patients may obtain prescriptions for medical cannabis through their specialistdoctor. Tilray Medical supplies the UK and the rest of our internationalbusiness with EU-GMP certified medical cannabis from our state-of-the-artfacilities in Portugal, providing patients with safe and reliable access tohigh-quality medical cannabis.
]]>BOCA RATON,Fla., June 29, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --PRESS RELEASE-- JushiHoldings Inc.(CSE: JUSH) (OTCQX:JUSHF),a vertically integrated, multi-state cannabis operator, debuted its first lineof concentrates made using hydrocarbon extraction by its brand The Lab™, famous for delivering high-quality, precisionvape products and concentrates. The Lab™ Live Resin is the second of severalsingle-source concentrate product lines to be launched by Jushi. Last month, the company launched its first line of solventless live rosin extracts.
Initially, Jushiwill exclusively carry The Lab™ Live Resin 500mg full-spectrum 0.5 gram 510cartridges at Beyond Hello™ retail locations in Pennsylvania. The company plansto roll out its hydrocarbon-extracted line at partner dispensaries across the commonwealth in the coming months, as well as in additional states such asMassachusetts, Virginia and Nevada. The company also plans to launch a 300mgrechargeable, all-in-one 0.3g vape and a variety of 1 gram jarred curedconcentrates in the coming months, pending regulatory approval.
The newhydrocarbon extract products are rich in THC, cannabinoids, terpenes andflavonoids, and include roughly 90% of the plant’s original cannabinoids. TheLab™ Live Resin is produced using Jushi’s next-generation hydrocarbonextraction process utilizing high quality fresh frozen cannabis flower. Thisextraction process allows for the delicate make-up of the cannabis plant to bemaintained so that the strain specific cannabinoids and terpene propertiesremain fully intact.
“We arethrilled to bring patients some of the purest, high-quality hydrocarbonextracts available in Pennsylvania,” said Jushi Chief Executive Officer,Chairman, and Founder Jim Cacioppo. “As we continue to innovate and roll out someof the best products for a wide range of preferences at accessible pricepoints, we look forward to taking a differentiated approach that delivers anexceptional customer experience.”
As cannabismarkets mature and more states come online, the demand for extracted productscontinues to accelerate. According to leading cannabis market research firm BDSA,the cannabis extract market size was estimated at US$9.24B in 2021 and isprojected to increase nearly fivefold, to reach US$42.89 billion by 2030.
]]>