MjLink Cannabis Business News and Press
Mary Jane, weed, reefer, marijuana, cannabis; whatever you call it, it has become a big money maker for states and for entrepreneurs that decide to take a gamble and start a cannabis business.
Colorado became the first state to legalize adult-use almost a decade ago and to date, 19 states have legalized adult-use cannabis. It is estimated that by 2030, states may generate $12 billion in cannabis tax revenue annually, according to Barclays strategists.
Legalization is bittersweet, as the war on drugs in the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s destroyed the lives of many, primarily African Americans, who sold cannabis illegally. Decades later, harsh sentencing that intentionally targeted minorities still impacts those same communities today. Legal cannabis states have attempted to create social equity programs to try to right the wrongs of the war on drugs, but unfortunately these programs are not making as big of an impact. According to the 2022 MCBA National Cannabis Equity Report, African Americans comprise less than 2% of cannabis business owners, and of the 36 states that have legalized medical or adult use, only 15 states have social equity programs.
The War on Drugs
In 1971, President Richard Nixon declared a “war on drugs” with the specific goal to eradicate the production, sale, and use of addictive narcotics by the American public. Despite spending an estimated $47 billion annually on such policies and initiatives, five decades later, there is little proof that the prohibition on drugs and harsh enforcement of its use have provided much relief to ailing communities. In fact, many scholars have pointed out the gross inequities that exist in drug enforcement. Most notably, Michelle Alexander describes the harsh realities of the U.S. legal system and the rise of mass incarceration as a new type of “racial caste system,” more popularly referred to as The New Jim Crow.
Despite research that indicates similar rates of drug use for black and white communities, this system has traditionally targeted and disenfranchised black people, amounting to what Alexander refers to as a "hidden underworld of legalized discrimination and permanent social exclusion."
A New Mexico medical cannabis provider that runs 25-plus dispensaries in the state is seeking confirmation from insurance providers and state officials that cannabis will be covered as a behavior health service.
New Mexico Top Organics-Ultra Health, the provider, recently sent a letter to several of the state’s prominent health insurance companies, asking them to affirm they’ll be making payments for medical cannabis.
Ultra Health is a vertically integrated and minority-owned company with expansion plans to have a total of 35 store locations in the state by the end of the first quarter of 2022.
The letter also requested information from the insurers in regard to how they intend to pay for medical cannabis without any cost sharing for patients enrolled through their programs. It was sent to representatives from Presbyterian Healthcare Services, Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Mexico, Western Sky Community Care, Molina Healthcare of New Mexico, Office of the Superintendent of Insurance, New Mexico Federation of Labor, and the New Mexico State Personnel Office.
“Ultra Health acknowledges that the idea of health insurers paying for medical cannabis may seem novel at first blush,” the six-page letter states. “However, as Ultra Health will discuss below, it is actually a rational, reasonable notion when considered in light of other New Mexico law. New Mexico already requires workers compensation insurers to pay for medical cannabis, and New Mexico already treats medical cannabis the same as conventional prescription medications. The fact that health insurers should—and will—pay for medical cannabis is not revolutionary at this point. It is the next logical step, and it is a small step, not a giant leap.”
Ultra Health claims to have New Mexico law on its side through Senate Bill 317, legislation that expanded the definition of behavior health services to cover several treatment options. Becoming effective on Jan. 1, 2022, the legislation intends to make mental and behavioral health services more affordable for New Mexicans by eliminating all cost-sharing and any out-of-pocket costs for those services and accompanying medications.
An adult-use cannabis legalization bill could receive a House vote in Delaware.
The House Appropriations Committee has released House Bill 305 for further consideration, according to a Delaware Business Now report.
The legislation, a modified version of last year’s adult-use legislation, cleared the House Health & Human Development Committee last month.
H.B. 305 would create a legal framework for the sale and possession of cannabis in Delaware, as well as establish a business licensing structure. The legislation would require regulators to issue up to 30 cannabis retail licenses within 16 months of the bill being signed into law.
Last year’s adult-use cannabis legalization proposal, House Bill 150, also passed the House Health & Human Development Committee before it ultimately stalled due to a debate over a social equity fund included in the legislation.
Connecticut has increased its monthly allotments for patients enrolled in the state’s medical cannabis program.
The Department of Consumer Protection (DCP) Drug Control Division’s Medical Marijuana Program has increased the allotments for qualified patients from 3 ounces to 3.5 ounces of cannabis per month, according to a department press release.
The increase is based on DCP’s evaluation of Connecticut’s medical cannabis market and is an effort to increase patient access, according to the press release.
Under the new rules, patients can purchase up to 2.5 ounces of cannabis per transaction but can purchase a total of 3.5 ounces each month.
DCP will continue to evaluate Connecticut’s medical cannabis market to determine whether additional increases to patient allotments are needed, according to the press release.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla., Feb. 21, 2022 – PRESS RELEASE – Trulieve Cannabis Corp., a leading and top-performing cannabis company in the U.S., is excited to announce that it is hosting a Listening and Education Tour to exchange ideas with local community leaders. The programs center around the medical, economic, agricultural and expungement opportunities presented by the medical cannabis industry in Georgia. The first in-person event takes place at noon Feb. 25 at the Carolyn Harris Performing Arts Center in Adel.
In July 2021, the Georgia Access to Medical Cannabis Commission announced its intent to award Trulieve a Class 1 production license.
Moderated by Trulieve Georgia Chief Diversity Officer and Pro Football Hall of Famer Champ Bailey, the programs will feature numerous industry experts:
Adel Mayor Luther "Buddy" DukeAdel-Cook County Chamber of Commerce President Heather GreenCook County Judge Chase DaughtreyMorehouse School of Medicine Research Leader Dr. James LillardTrulieve Director of State Expansion Jim Wernick"As a Georgia native and current resident, I am thrilled to meet and inform others about the positive impacts that medical cannabis may provide," Bailey said. "At each tour stop, Trulieve will seek to discover ways the company can work with community stakeholders [to] make an impact on local support programs, as well as educate local leaders about the benefits of the medical cannabis industry."
Expected in attendance will be state representatives, local government officials, and religious and nonprofit leaders. The community at large is encouraged to attend and submit questions in advance via email at [email protected]. Following each session, the outcomes will be evaluated to determine the best way for Trulieve to make a positive impact on the community. Other locations and dates will be announced.
]]>Had he known his hands would be cuffed behind his back for possession and the intent to sell $80 worth of cannabis, maybe Tucky Blunt would have thought twice about stepping out onto the street that day.
Knowing today how fate would have it, maybe he still would have.
The owner and CEO of Blunts and Moore in Oakland, Calif., Alphonso “Tucky” Blunt Jr. opened the first cannabis dispensary licensed under the city’s Cannabis Equity Program when his storefront became operational in November 2018.
“I got arrested in ’05 for being snitched on, and that being snitched on allowed me to qualify to open a f---ing dispensary. How does that happen?” Blunt questioned during a recent interview with Cannabis Business Times. “It was generally meant for me to be in this space, and I never knew. I just kept doing what I thought would get me here.”
Family Heritage
Blunt is a fifth-generation Oakland native who began selling cannabis in 1996, all while maintaining a 4.0 GPA and a full-time job in high school.
As yet another round of snowfall blankets the Cannabis Business Times offices, we’re reminded of how far we are from the splendor of spring.
But, of course, we know too that time moves pretty fast in the cannabis space. There is no such thing as an off-season, per se, especially for those growers working in indoor environments. The show must go on! Everyone I’ve talked to recently—from growers to attorneys to executives at multistate operations—is hard at work, preparing for the suite of challenges emerging this year: supply chain hurdles, labor shortages, wholesale price drops, and much more.
I mention that only because the cannabis market continues to grow at a rapid clip even under those economic and social pressures. You’ll see in the links below and all over our website that more states are preparing to open the door to medical and adult-use cannabis sales.
As ever, the industry is a work in progress—regardless of how long you’ve been contributing to its development. That’s the beauty of this space.
We’ve rounded up some of the key cannabis headlines from the week right here.
The South Dakota legalization saga is far from over, but progress has been made. As voters prepare to pass an adult-use cannabis ballot measure a second time, state lawmakers advanced a bill Feb. 17 that may save voters from their ongoing battle to be heard. Read more “LETT’s Grow!” So says a new bill introduced in Kentucky. The clever legislative acronym stands for “Legalize, Expunge, Treat and Tax.” Associate Editor Tony Lange has the story. Read more The New York Legislature has approved a proposal to allow hemp businesses in the state to grow and process adult-use cannabis to help get product on dispensary shelves when adult-use sales launch. Read more Will California cut its cultivation tax this year? A new bill proposes just that, but the matter of tax reform is complicated. Read more From Senior Digital Editor Melissa Schiller: Oregon’s cities and counties can currently levy a maximum local cannabis sales tax of 3%, but after some municipalities lobbied for higher taxes, the state Legislature is considering a bill that would allow local governments to raise the cannabis sales tax to 10%. Read moreAnd elsewhere on the web, here are the stories we’ve been reading this week:
Marijuana Moment: “A top Wells Fargo analyst says that there’s one main reason for rising costs and worker shortages in the transportation sector: federal marijuana criminalization and resulting drug testing mandates that persist even as more states enact legalization.” Read more NJ.com: Interest in unionization is high among New Jersey’s cannabis workers on the threshold of the state’s adult-use market. Read more Bridge Michigan: “305 Farms is licensed to grow up to 80,000 plants a year in a 350,000 square foot facility that will be more than double the average size of a Walmart.” This is happening in Lawrence, a small town in southwestern Michigan. Read more KRQE: New Mexico is gearing up for its April 1 start date for adult-use cannabis sales. Business license applications are rolling in. Read more New York Times: “New Jersey’s cannabis law was partly designed to remedy wrongs in a criminal justice system that disproportionately ensnares Black and Latino people. But the hurdles for small-business owners are high.” Read more]]>In honor of Valentine’s Day, Planet 13 began hosting vow renewals and wedding ceremonies earlier this month to allow couples to celebrate their love with cannabis.
“We partnered with a group in town. Their focus is cannabis weddings, and it’s always something that we’ve really toyed around with, creating a wedding venue,” Planet 13 VP of Sales and Marketing David Farris told Cannabis Business Times.
As some of Nevada’s COVID-19 mandates begin to lift, the company’s Las Vegas dispensary has made wedding offerings a priority.
Earlier this month, Planet 13 announced it would act as a wedding venue, and the company has already hosted a handful of vow renewals. Farris said the company also has larger weddings planned for the coming months.
A third-party company sets the wedding packages, works with the couples directly to plan the events, and even provides an ordained minister to perform the ceremonies.
VANCOUVER – CANNAMERICA BRANDS CORP. ("CannAmerica Brands" or the "Company") (CSE:CANA) (CNSX:CANA.CN) (OTC:CNNXF) is pleased to announce the appointment of Vincent E. Norment to the company’s Board of Directors (the “Board”).
Norment is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and the founder and chief executive officer of the Marijuana Hall of Fame, an organization that is focused on the promotion of cannabis businesses and pioneers who have individually made an impact on the legalization of cannabis, innovation in cannabis products or processes, or have contributed to the large-scale normalization of cannabis use for medicinal or adult use. The Marijuana Hall of Fame is founded in Illinois and has plans to open museums in all states in which cannabis products are legal.
Norment brings a large network of relationships to the Board, having established successful business combinations in multiple states, and is a known figure for his promotion of social equity in the cannabis industry. He is associated with multiple companies that have been awarded licenses in the state of Illinois, including Helios Labs, Parkway Dispensary, and Highwaymen security, acting as the marketing and business development officer for these successful license holders. Currently, Norment is a director of Hemptensils, a company that produces and distributes a line of hemp-based products for the restaurant industry as a replacement for plastic utensils and straws, reducing the number of plastics damaging the environment. Prior to his cannabis career, Norment worked as a marketing expert with AndroidTapp, Fingerweights, and DBANDS, and was a member of the 2016 Chicago Olympic summer games bid Committee.
Dan Anglin, president and chief executive officer, commented “I am extremely proud to have Mr. Norment join the Board. Mr. Norment’s vision to bring social equity to the cannabis industry is aligned with the company’s actions to partner with underrepresented owners across the country to bring CannAmerica’s brands to new markets. Mr. Norment’s expertise and extensive knowledge of not only cannabis as a product, but also his network of operators, innovators and pioneers across the nation will provide CannAmerica with a broad opportunity to increase the company’s presence across America.”
Norment stated, “I’m excited to be working with CannAmerica Brands, because its mission goes beyond cannabis as a business and has an additional focus of promoting diversity and inclusion in the industry. I’m also proud to be working closely with the company’s founder and CEO Dan Anglin, who is also a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, as our shared experience in the most respected military service in the world has already forged a strong relationship that will help us guide this company into the future together.”
In Colorado, effective Jan. 1, 2022, the company began managing the operations of its licensed partner Arsenal Oils and Extracts, LLC. (“Arsenal”), in accordance with the series of agreements related to the merger and acquisition of Arsenal announced on December 16 and December 22, 2021. Since taking over the management of Arsenal sales have increased by 7% over January 2021. The company continues to increase staff and production to meet the increased demand for CannAmerica’s edible and vaporization products in Colorado.
Legislation that would have made changes to New Mexico’s adult-use cannabis law died at the close of the state’s 30-day legislative session, which ended Feb. 17.
Senate Bill 100 was overshadowed by legislation addressing crime and voting rights, according to NM Political Report.
The bill, sponsored by State Sen. Linda Lopez (D-Albuquerque) and Rep. Andrea Romero (D-Santa Fe), would have increased cannabis production limits for licensed microbusinesses from 200 to 1,000 mature plants, as well as allow microbusinesses to wholesale products.
Last month, an emergency rule went into effect to allow New Mexico’s licensed cannabis producers to double their plant count from 10,000 to 20,000 mature plants, but the limit for microbusinesses must be increased legislatively since it is set in statute in the state’s adult-use cannabis law.
The Senate Judiciary Committee approved S.B. 100 Feb 13 after Sen. Cliff Pirtle (R-Roswell) added an amendment to eliminate a requirement that cannabis license applicants must show proof of water rights in order to secure a license.
As South Dakotans have been preparing to pass an adult-use cannabis ballot measure a second time, state lawmakers advanced a bill Feb. 17 that may save voters from their ongoing battle to be heard.
The South Dakota Senate Commerce and Energy Committee voted, 5-3, on Thursday to approve legislation that aims to provide for the use and regulated sale of adult-use cannabis in the state. The proposal, Senate Bill 3, has bicameral and bipartisan sponsorship.
As amended, the bill would allow adults 21 and older to purchase and posses up to 2 ounces of cannabis from licensed retailers and reduce penalties for possessing greater amounts. Under current state laws and penalties, possessing 2 ounces or less is a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year of incarceration and a $2,000 fine, while possessing greater amounts is a felony, according to NORML.
Republican Sen. Michael Rohl, the bill’s primary sponsor, told committee members Thursday that the legislation aims to enact one of the more restrictive programs in the country, including a ban on home grows, The Associated Press reported.
When the bill goes to the Senate floor next week, Rohl told committee members he will tell the chamber that “the voters of South Dakota clearly expressed their will” when approving an adult-use measure by a 54.2% majority in the November 2020 election, and that upholding their will “is our complete responsibility. That’s why we’re here.”
Despite the 2020 election results, the South Dakota Supreme Court ruled the voter-approved initiative, Amendment A, unconstitutional in November 2021, pointing to a violation of the state’s single-subject rule.
Legislation that sought to increase social equity and diversity in Washington’s cannabis market died Feb. 15 after failing to clear the House, according to The Seattle Times.
House Bill 2022 aimed to incorporate policies recommended by Washington’s Social Equity in Cannabis Task Force, a group of lawmakers, government representatives and industry experts charged with making recommendations about issuing and reissuing cannabis dispensary licenses in ways that would promote business ownership among people of color.
RELATED: Washington State Lawmakers Consider Legislation to Increase Social Equity in Cannabis Market
The bill would have created new cannabis retail and producer/processor licenses every year through 2029 that could only be issued to social equity applicants through 2030. Then, beginning in 2031, the legislation mandated that half of the licenses were awarded to social equity applicants.
H.B. 2022 would have also set aside over $22 million annually to provide grants, low-interest loans and a mentorship program to social equity applicants, which the legislation defined as those who have lived in areas disproportionately impacted by prohibition, or those who plan to open a cannabis business owned by a racial group that has been disproportionately affected by arrests for cannabis possession.
WAKEFIELD,Mass., Feb. 18, 2022 – PRESS RELEASE – Curaleaf Holdings Inc., a leading international provider ofconsumer products in cannabis, announced the opening of its State Collegedispensary, located at 1248 S Atherton St, State College PA 16801. Oneadditional location, Curaleaf Erie, located at 7891 Peach St., is expected toopen in early March, pending final regulatory approvals. Curaleaf's latestlocations in State College and Erie will increase the company's footprint to 16dispensaries statewide and 127 across the country.
CuraleafState College is a beacon of education and advancement in patient carethroughout the state of Pennsylvania. Patients who walk through the doors ofthe company’s newest dispensary will have access to an array of Curaleafproducts such as vaporizers, concentrates and whole flower products, includingSelect Elite, Select Elite Live, Grassroots Full-Spectrum RSOs, RSO capsules, prepackagedflower and more. Patients can also safely access the store's full offerings byordering online at their convenience.
OnFeb. 21, the State College location will host a grand-opening celebration whichwill include an 8:45 a.m. ribbon cutting with Chamber of Business and Industryof Centre County, and will follow with vendor pop-ups from 12-2 p.m. In honorof the opening, Curaleaf donated $5,000 to Central Pennsylvania Food Bank. The companyalso celebrated grand openings in Wayne and Greensburg by allocating charitabledonations to local Pennsylvania-based nonprofits, including Urban AffairsCoalition and Balanced Veterans Network.
"Curaleafis excited to begin serving our newest patient communities in State College andErie through our premium medical products and inclusive retailexperiences," Curaleaf CEO Joe Bayern said. "Expanding our presencewithin Pennsylvania enables us to further support our patients by providingthem with quality products and service to make confident and informed decisionsabout their medical marijuana journeys."
Inaddition to Curaleaf's latest locations, the company also serves patients inAltoona, Bradford, Brookville, City Avenue, DuBois, Gettysburg, GreensburgHarrisburg, Horsham, King of Prussia, Lebanon, Morton, Philadelphia and Wayne.In the coming weeks, Curaleaf will offer grand-opening discounts to veterans,seniors, students and first-time patients at all Pennsylvania locations.
Formore information on store openings, along with product offerings and hours ofoperation, visit https://curaleaf.com/dispensary/pennsylvania.
]]>In North Portland, Ore., Jesce Horton owns the property for his cannabis business, LOWD, and has been granted state licenses for cultivation, retail, and processing and extraction. Horton’s engineering expertise, devotion to continually improving pheno-hunting and cultivation practices, and commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, are some of his passions that have played into his success in connoisseur cannabis.
So, how have Horton and other people of color navigated the burgeoning cannabis industry as prohibition continues to disproportionately harm their communities, and what more does he believe must be done to ensure true equity?
“I've been called an eternal optimist by some people, and I am in a lot of ways, in that now, I think things are progressing in the right direction because it's very difficult to discuss legalization without having some social equity framework or having some focus on that,” Horton said. “So, I think that's a big win, and that’s an important step that we need to claim, and rightfully so.”
However, Horton said there still needs to be more diversity among business owners in the cannabis industry to further the industry’s betterment.
“I think you see the traditional hurdles of entrepreneurship for communities that don’t have access to capital, that do not have a history of entrepreneurship or entrepreneur success,” he said. “You see that in the cannabis industry. So, there are a lot of those typical hurdles that other people like me, black and brown people, who don't have those resources, experience. But in this industry, that's definitely compounded by the lack of … bank funding and things like that.”
Equity in Oregon
In Oregon, people of color who are working toward owning cannabis businesses face many of the same financial obstacles as others throughout the industry, Horton said, rattling off some of the main culprits: the banking issue, legal and compliance costs, high taxes, and legal payments.
Kentucky is one of 13 states remaining without medical or adult-use cannabis legalization.
And although no state has enacted an adult-use program without first installing a medical cannabis framework, a trio of Democratic state lawmakers in the Bluegrass State are hoping to go straight to the punch.
Rep. Rachel Roberts, Sen. David Yates and Senate Minority Leader Morgan McGarvey introduced LETT’s (Legalize, Expunge, Treat and Tax) Grow legislation, which they advertised as a comprehensive approach to adult-use legalization during a Feb. 17 press conference. They intend to file the bill in both legislative chambers.
The four components of the proposed legislation aim to:
The bill’s crafting has been more than a year in the works, Roberts said.
“Our legislation is the comprehensive plan that Kentuckians deserve, and it builds on what has worked in other states while avoiding their mistakes,” she said in the press conference. “This would be a boom for our economy and farmers alike, plus gives state and local governments a major new source of revenue.”
The New York Legislature has approved a proposal to allow hemp businesses in the state to grow and process adult-use cannabis to help get product on dispensary shelves when adult-use sales launch, according to a local WHEC report.
RELATED: New York Legislation Would Allow Hemp Businesses to Grow, Process Adult-Use Cannabis
The bill authorizes the New York Department of Agriculture to issue temporary and conditional licenses to industrial hemp growers who are in good standing and who have grown and harvested hemp for at least two of the last four years as of Dec. 31, 2021, the news outlet reported.
The legislation allows licensees to grow adult-use cannabis outdoors or in a greenhouse, according to WHEC.
Cultivators and processors with conditional licenses could then apply for a distributor license on June 1, 2023, and the licenses would expire on June 30, 2024, the news outlet reported.
The Alabama Senate Judiciary Committee approved a cannabis decriminalization bill Feb. 16 that would reduce penalties for possessing small amounts to a fine, according to a local WAAY report.
Senate Bill 160 would decriminalize up to 2 ounces of cannabis, although more than 2 ounces would still be considered unlawful possession, WAAY reported.
This is the second time that the bill’s sponsor, Sen. Bobby Singleton, has introduced a decriminalization measure in the state, according to the news outlet.
S.B. 160 now heads to the full Senate for consideration.
Introduced Feb. 15, Senate Bill 1074 suggests an end to the flat-rate cannabis cultivation tax in the state of California. If passed, the dry-weight tax on growers’ yields would fall off the books July 1.
The current tax rate is $10.08 per dry-weight ounce for flower and $3 per dry-weight ounce for leaves.
First enacted as part of the Medicinal and Adult Use of Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act (MAUCRSA) in the wake of 2016’s Prop. 64 vote, the cultivation tax has been the target of cannabis growers’ ire. It’s been seen by many as a hurdle for those growers interested in leaving the traditional market and finding a home in the newly regulated and licensed cannabis marketplace—one more financial burden.
State Sen. Mike McGuire, a North Coast Democrat, hopes to put an end to that tax.
However: “The bill would increase, from July 1, 2025, until July 1, 2026, the excise tax by an additional percentage that the Department of Finance estimates will generate half the amount of revenue that would have been collected pursuant to the cultivation tax, and would, beginning July 1, 2026, instead increase the excise tax by an additional percentage estimated by the department to generate the full amount of revenue that would have been collected pursuant to the cultivation tax.”
In other words, some of the financial losses the state will cede, in the event this bill passes, will be recouped by shifting the tax assessments over to the retail segment. As things stand now, the excise tax rate sits at 15%.
LEAMINGTON, Ontario, Feb.17, 2022 – PRESS RELEASE – TilrayBrands Inc., a leading global cannabis-lifestyle and consumer packagedgoods company focused on inspiring and empowering the worldwide community tolive its very best life, announced that its medical cannabis division, TilrayMedical, has completed its first sale of medical cannabis in Malta.Tilray’s EU-GMP medical cannabis products are now available in pharmaciesacross Malta,providing patients with safe and reliable access to high-quality medicalcannabis.
Denise Faltischek, Tilray’s chief strategy officerand head of International Business, said, “As demand for cannabis continues togrow across Europe,we’re incredibly proud to partner with established and reliable distributionpartners to supply new markets with high-quality medical cannabis whichpatients can rely on.”
In Malta,patients may obtain prescriptions for medical cannabis and a medical cannabiscard through family doctors. Medical cannabis cards are issued by Malta’s Officeof the Superintendence of Public Health.
Tilray has a pioneering track record as acompany committed to making EU GMP-certified, pharmaceutical-grade medicalcannabis products available to patients in need around the world and was thefirst to successfully export medical cannabis from NorthAmerica and import medical cannabis products into the EU in2016.
]]>NEW YORK, Feb. 17, 2022 –PRESS RELEASE – Columbia Care Inc., one of the largest andmost experienced cultivators, manufacturers and providers of cannabis productsin the U.S., announced that its Brooklyn Heights location, located at 44 CourtStreet, is the first of its four dispensaries in New York to complete thetransition to Cannabist, the company’s new retail experience.
“We are thrilled to bring theindustry-leading Cannabist experience to New York, especially on the heels ofthe expanded patient access regulations announced by the Office of CannabisManagement,” Columbia Care CEO Nicholas Vita said. “We are proud to be able tooffer the highest quality cannabis products, the best customer service, and anapproachable dispensary experience featuring innovative technology solutions.New York is a transformational state for the cannabis industry, and we are wellprepared to serve both the growing medical community and potential adult-use marketas those conversations around the adult-use program implementation continue. Weare thankful to the OCM, local officials, and the borough of Brooklyn for theircontinued support in this important market and look forward to furthering ourCannabist footprint in New York and beyond in 2022.”
Cannabist Brooklyn features aproduct assortment that includes 41 whole and ground flower options, edibles,tinctures, topicals, vapes and a curated selection of hemp CBD products. Thedispensary will also carry the company’s own product brands, including Seed& Strain, Classix and Triple Seven, pending regulatory approval.
As one of 10 existing registered organizationsin the state, Columbia Care intends to add an additional four medicaldispensaries in New York, for a total of eight dispensaries in the state, threeof which will be co-located with adult-use, pending regulatory approval. The companyhas a cultivation facility in Rochester and had its first harvest in Decemberat its Riverhead greenhouse facility, one of the largest cultivation andproduction sites on the east coast.
Columbia Care was also thefirst operator to offer whole flower to the growing number of patients in NewYork in October 2021.The company also provides product through wholesale channels to other registeredorganizations across the state, with its product available on more than 85% ofretail shelves.
The store will hold a ceremonialribbon-cutting celebration at the dispensary Feb. 17.
