MjLink Cannabis Business News and Press

CALGARY, Alberta, November 29, 2021 - PRESS RELEASE - High Tide Inc. (High Tide), a retail-focused cannabis company with bricks and mortar as well as global e-commerce assets, is pleased to announce that it has completed its acquisition of an 80% interest in NuLeaf Naturals, LLC (NuLeaf ) for U.S. $31.2 million, and will have a three-year option to acquire the remaining 20% of NuLeaf at any time.

Founded in 2014 with its headquarters in Denver, Colo., NuLeaf focuses on producing and distributing premium cannabinoid wellness products. It has received over 25,000 verified 5-star customer reviews through its e-commerce platform. NuLeaf can produce 60,000 plant-based softgels per hour and is one of few manufacturers in the United States that can make a vegan softgel. With heightened consumer interest in health-focused and sustainable products, plant-based offerings are primed for growth. NuLeaf has a substantial distribution reach in the natural products channel and recently secured an expansion with Sprouts Farmers Market from 33 retail locations to an additional 235 stores. It has quickly grown to become a well-known brand for premium cannabinoid wellness products across the U.S., with its product portfolio including Multicannabinoid tinctures, softgels and topicals. NuLeaf had over 5.1 million site visits and an average order value of U.S. $120 million throughout the last year. Since its inception, NuLeaf has served approximately 330,000 unique customers through its e-commerce platform and hundreds of thousands more through its other distribution channels. Upon closing, NuLeaf will have about U.S. $500,000 of inventory and approximately U.S. $500,000 of cash.

This is High Tide’s sixth acquisition in the global e-commerce space and third in the CBD space in 2021. These transactions have collectively contributed to increasing its annual run-rate international revenue from approximately $10.6 million at the end of Oct. 31, 2020, to roughly $80 million annual run-rate at the end of Nov. 30, 2021.

]]>

Following the watershed election in 2020, state legislators across the U.S. got down to business this year. As detailed in a new report from NORML, state legislatures have passed and enacted more than 50 cannabis reform laws since January. 

At the top of the list: Virginia, Connecticut and New Mexico, which passed adult-use legalization measures. New York and New Jersey also crossed that line by passing the laws that would enact voter-approved adult-use measures passed last November.

Beyond that, state legislators drafted, debated and passed laws to further expungement efforts, broaden the parameters of “diversity” in the cannabis industry and expand medical cannabis access.

If cannabis reform is an incremental process, and it is, then this past year has shown the industry just how much can be accomplished in state-level legislation. No doubt, there’s more to come.

“State lawmakers took unprecedented steps this year to repeal marijuana prohibition laws and to provide relief to those millions of Americans who have suffered as a result of them,” NORML’s Deputy Director Paul Armentano said in a public statement. “As we approach the 2022 legislative session and the elections next November, it is important for lawmakers of all political persuasions to recognize that advocating for marijuana policy reforms is a political opportunity, not a political liability.”

]]>

Flora enters burgeoning cannabis beverage market through executed licensing agreement with Tonino Lamborghini to produce and distribute CBD beverages under their renowned luxury lifestyle brand, with an initial focus on the United StatesTonino Lamborghini product line will first launch in Q1 of 2022Flora retains right of first refusal to distribute any cannabis products globally under the Tonino Lamborghini brandProduct line to be produced using Applied DNA Sciences molecular tagging technology to ensure product verification and brand protection

MIAMI and TORONTO, Nov. 29, 2021 – PRESS RELEASE – Flora Growth Corp., a leading all-outdoor cultivator and manufacturer of global cannabis products and brands, announced that the company has signed a licensing agreement with Tonino Lamborghini to produce and distribute Tonino Lamborghini branded cannabis beverages across North America and Colombia under its renowned luxury lifestyle brand.

The Tonino Lamborghini product line will be produced through Flora’s division and contain CBD and other premium cannabinoids such as cannabigerol (CBG). Under the licensing deal, Flora will retain the right of first refusal to produce and distribute any CBD or CBG products globally under the Tonino Lamborghini brand. The products will be produced in Florida initially for sale in U.S., in states where CBD ingestible products are legal. Flora will be responsible for production and distribution and will target both ecommerce and brick-and-mortar channels.

The Tonino Lamborghini product line will be produced using Applied DNA Sciences Inc. molecular tagging and authentication technology to ensure product verification, in line with the new age of cannabis consumer packaged goods (CPG). Flora will leverage this technology to ensure that the company’s products are derived distinctly from Flora’s operations, which will substantially reduce concerns of any illicit market or counterfeit products across North America or Colombia.

The market for CBD products is projected to grow into a $20 billion market by 2024, and the growth of that market is expected to largely come from beverages and edibles, according to data from BDS Analytics and ArcView Market Research. Coffee is one of the most popular beverage segments globally and infusing it with cannabinoids is a strong differentiator for the product line, beyond its association with the Tonino Lamborghini brand, especially with the increase in demand for CBD-based products.

“We are excited to partner with such a well-known luxury brand as Tonino Lamborghini, which already boasts a very successful line of beverages and aligns with Flora’s brand portfolio of high-end products,” Flora CEO Luis Merchan said. “This partnership is yet another step in the execution of Flora’s strategic plan to build a world-class house of brands and is also a major component of our sales and distribution strategy in the lucrative U.S. market.”

A budtender who was fired earlier this month for “lack of trust” and “poor work ethic,” as he helped organize a unionization effort, returned to work Nov. 26 at the Burnside Buds dispensary in Victoria, British Columbia.

Niko Kruzel’s firing came as he and other workers at Burnside Buds voted to join the BC Budtender Union, a cannabis-focused division of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Union Local 1518, which represents more than 26,000 members working in the community health, hospitality, retail, grocery, industrial and professional sectors across British Columbia.

The decision to unionize came after months of dealing with issues regarding scheduling, inconsistent and low pay and lack of health benefits, according to a Local 1518 press release. Kruzel was hired in May 2021 and had never been written up prior to unionizing, according to the release.

Three days after the dispensary employees voted to unionize, the store owner fired Kruzel through text message, stating trust and work ethic issues, Kruzel said in the release.

“I was surprised and shocked to get that late-night text,” he said. “It felt like a knee-jerk reaction from the employer, and, in my opinion, it showed they didn’t know a lot about running a business.”

Kruzel is not the only instance of a dispensary worker getting fired during a unionization endeavor.

LAS VEGAS, Nevada, November 23, 2021 - PRESS RELEASE - Planet 13 Holdings Inc. (Planet 13), a vertically-integrated cannabis company, announced its financial results for the three-month and nine-month period ended Sept. 30. Planet 13's financial statements are prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS).

"We continued to drive strong performance during the quarter from our core Las Vegas operations," said Larry Scheffler, Planet 13 Co-CEO. "Along with our dispensary operations, our product brands are performing well with Trendi vapes seeing 110% dollar sales growth year over year according to Headset. It now makes up about 5% of Vape sales and 7% of Concentrate sales, and HaHa edibles was 14% of edibles sales in the state."

"Along with stellar performance from our Nevada operations, this was a massive quarter towards securing the future growth of Planet 13. We opened our California store, and while initial sales growth has been slower due to headwinds from COVID and untimely road construction around the SuperStore, customer reviews have been outstanding. We expect growth as those headwinds abate," said Bob Groesbeck, Planet 13 Co-CEO. "We also won a dispensary license for the Chicago area giving us a clear path for our next SuperStore, and acquired a Florida license that will allow us to vertically integrate and open multiple neighborhood and SuperStores in the state."

RELATED: Q3 Earnings Reports Show Slower Growth, But Plenty of Momentum Alongside Reform Proposals

Financial Highlights, Q3 2021

All comparisons below are to the quarter ended Sept. 30, 2020, unless otherwise noted.

CHICAGO, Illinois, November 26, 2021 - PRESS RELEASE - Verano Holdings Corp. (Verano), a multi-state cannabis company, announced the opening of a new MÜV Florida dispensary located at 4450 West New Haven Avenue in Melbourne. The retail storefront opened with a Black Friday grand opening event on Nov. 26 at 10:00 a.m., marking the 39th MÜV dispensary in the state and 90th nationwide for Verano.

Melbourne is a destination for diverse tourists and enjoys a reputation as a surfing hub for athletes and spectators alike. The city and surrounding Space Coast beaches are often referred to as the “East Coast Surf Capital of the U.S.,” given the region hosts many preeminent annual surfing competitions that attract visitors from across the nation and the state. As a demonstration of their commitment to providing a convenient and reliable experience for Florida patients, MÜV dispensaries feature online menus for effortless browsing of their extensive product selection. For additional convenience and accessibility, patients can choose to order ahead at muvfl.com for express in-store pickup or take advantage of home delivery service that is available across the state within a 20-mile radius of MÜV storefronts.

“Melbourne’s location on Florida’s beautiful Space Coast features a vibrant and active community that we’re thrilled to join,” said John Tipton, Verano president. “MÜV Products were developed to help Floridians of all ages and lifestyles stay active and moving. With our range of topicals, transdermals, and various oral and inhalation product formats, we are looking forward to welcoming medical cannabis patients from across the Melbourne area to our magnificent new MÜV dispensary.”

MÜV offers one-on-one consultations both in-store and virtually, at no cost to the patient. MÜV’s comprehensive product selection includes MÜV Wana Soft Chew edibles, chocolates and lozenges, flower, pre-rolls, an array of vaporizer pens, concentrates, metered-dose inhalers, topicals and oral sprays; along with patented encapsulation formulations in its EnCaps capsules, tinctures, 72-hour transdermal patches and transdermal gels.

For more information about the new Melbourne medical cannabis dispensary, including hours and available MÜV products, visit muvfl.com.

]]>

TALLAHASSEE, Nov. 29, 2021 – PRESS RELEASE – Trulieve Cannabis Corp., the largest multistate operator (MSO) in the United States, announced the publication of its first Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Report. The report contains standard disclosures from the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Sustainability Reporting Standards, The Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) as well as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The Report highlights ESG achievements to date and serves as a foundation for demonstrating how the company's ESG approach, strategies and commitments are embedded within its core business.

"Since Trulieve was founded, our patients, customers and employees have been at the heart of everything we do,” CEO Kim Rivers said. “We believe in the power of cannabis for all and take great pride in providing access to innovative products for our customers, building engagement in the communities where we work and live, advocating for our industry, and ensuring a positive social approach to social justice and equality.

"While this is our first report, these principles and initiatives have been core to our business since its beginning. Our high standards of ethics and governance are integrated into the way we do business every day. We recognize that what we do from an environmental, social and governance perspective is important to our stakeholders, and we are proud of our commitment to transparency and responsibility as the first U.S. MSO to issue an ESG report."

Rivers added, "Cannabis is a generational opportunity. We know there's still work to do as we advance our sustainability journey, and we are committed to communicating our progress, holding ourselves accountable and being good corporate stewards to ensure the cannabis industry is safe, inclusive, equitable and sustainable for generations to come."

Key takeaways from the ESG report include:

Conducted our inaugural materiality assessment with an ESG consultant to identify and prioritize key non-financial topics for our business and stakeholders Formed a cross-functional ESG Steering Committee to collaboratively gather and validate baseline information and plan future initiatives Established ESG targets for 2022 with key activities of reducing our carbon footprint, broadening our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) activities, and establishing a board committee Reviewed Trulieve's environmental sustainability, approach to community engagement and social responsibility, and corporate governance protocols Discussed DEI initiatives across our company and within our communities Provided case studies to illustrate the report’s theme: The Trulieve Way

To download the full report, please visit the company's ESG webpage: trulieve.com/esg-dei-initiatives

]]>

CHICAGO, Illinois, November 25, 2021 – PRESS RELEASE – Cresco Labs, a vertically integrated multistate operator and a wholesaler of branded cannabis products, announced the closing of its previously announced acquisition of Bay, LLC Cure Pennsylvania (Cure Penn).

Transaction Highlights

Three operational dispensaries in Lancaster, Phoenixville and PhiladelphiaCure Penn's dispensary locations are incremental and complementary to Cresco Labs' five existing Sunnyside dispensaries in PennsylvaniaA retail platform that outperforms the average revenues per-store in Pennsylvania, to be further improved through Cresco Labs' Sunnyside retail model

"Our focus heading into 2022 is on tailoring our strategy to the dynamics of each state to maintain a dominant market position and increase profitability," said Charlie Bachtell, Cresco Labs CEO and co-founder. "Between the acquisition of Cure Penn and the pending acquisition of Laurel Harvest, we are adding four new operational stores, licenses for five incremental stores, and 52 thousand square feet of indoor cultivation space in Pennsylvania.

"The moves we're making in this state to increase our retail footprint and add cultivation put us in the best position to remain the number one wholesaler in the current framework and continue to win when adult-use is ultimately introduced," Bachtell added. "Another example of our focus on strategic breadth, depth and execution as the path to success today and as this industry evolves."

The company expects to transition all stores in Pennsylvania to Sunnyside by the end of Q1 2022.

]]>

In the months since delta-8 THC has exploded into popularity, debate over its legality and how to regulate it has pervaded regulators, law enforcement, and the hemp and cannabis industries. While the cannabinoid is naturally occurring in cannabis, many in the hemp industry have begun to convert it from CBD. It has provided a lucrative avenue for hemp producers and processors to sell CBD product that has otherwise lost much of its value over the course of two years, but its psychoactive effects have others questioning in which market it belongs—if any at all.

The main question at hand: Should delta-8 be regulated as hemp or in the state-legal cannabis market? 

A recent Cannabis Business Times/Hemp Grower survey of nearly 300 respondents working in the hemp and cannabis industries demonstrates just how controversial this question is. 

When asked whether delta-8 should be produced and sold in the hemp marketplace, nearly half of respondents said yes. Meanwhile, nearly 60% of respondents said delta-8 should be produced and sold in the state-legal cannabis marketplace. (Respondents could select the hemp market, cannabis market, both or neither.)

The nearly even split among responses is indicative of the conflicting attitudes in both the hemp and cannabis industries surrounding delta-8.

How to Categorize Delta-8

Out of 295 respondents to the CBT/HG survey, 66 work directly in the cannabis industry (either growing, manufacturing or selling), and 196 work directly in the hemp industry. (The rest of respondents selected “other,” with responses ranging from prospective business owners and consultants to bankers and journalists.)

The South Dakota Supreme Court ruled that the voice of its people, who voted in favor of legalizing adult-use cannabis by a 54.2% majority in the November 2020 election, was not enough to influence public policy.

South Dakota Supreme Court justices heard arguments unfold on Amendment A on April 28. The body's decision came Nov. 24. 

The five-justice court issued a final decision Nov. 24, 2021, that upheld Circuit Judge Christina Klinger’s February ruling that voter-approved Amendment A violated the state’s single-subject rule in Article XXIII of the South Dakota Constitution and therefore was an unconstitutional ballot initiative.

The case stems from a lawsuit filed less than a month following the election by Pennington County Sherriff Kevin Thom and South Dakota Highway Patrol Col. Rick Miller. Although a spokesperson said Republican Gov. Kristi Noem did not ask Miller or Thom to bring forth the lawsuit, two months later, on Jan. 8, 2021, Noem issued an executive order, asserting that Amendment A was unconstitutional, and launched a taxpayer-funded lawsuit challenging the ballot measure.  

Noem, who opposed legalization leading up to the 2020 election, nominated Klinger to the state’s Sixth Circuit Court in early 2019—roughly two years before Klinger struck down Amendment A.

The majority opinion in Wednesday’s Supreme Court decision was penned by Chief Justice Steven Jensen in concurrence with Justices Janine Kern and Patricia DeVaney, while Justice Mark Salter concurred specially, writing his own opinion, and Justice Scott Myren concurred in part and dissented in part.

The five justices heard arguments on Amendment A back on April 28. Their final opinions come nearly seven months later.

When Chris Abbott thinks about cannabis going mainstream, he envisions places like bars and grocery stores adding cannabis- and hemp-related drinks to their menus.

"I think there's an incredible opportunity for drinks to really increase the awareness and mainstream acceptance of cannabis, because when people get together, they drink. That's how people socialize," Abbott tells Hemp Grower.

Abbott is the co-founder of The Pathfinder Hemp and Root (The Pathfinder or Hemp and Root), a fermented and distilled hemp-based, non-alcoholic spirit.

In September, Hemp and Root launched in Seattle, Wash., and has since made its way into some of the most popular bars in the city. 

Building the Brand

Abbott co-founded his first cannabis company in Seattle in 2014: Mr.Moxey's Mints, a multistate edibles company that offers an array of cannabis- and hemp-infused mints. 

The St. Louis Board of Aldermen has approved a cannabis decriminalization measure, sending it to Mayor Tishaura Jones for her signature.

Jones is expected to sign Board Bill 132, which would nullify the city’s existing laws that criminalize small amounts of cannabis, according to a KSDK.com report.

“Today, the [St. Louis Board of Aldermen] passed BB 132, which will repeal unjust marijuana laws while making St. Louis safer and more competitive,” Jones tweeted. “I look forward to signing this critical legislation, and I appreciate its cosponsors—especially [Ward 24]—for their work.”

"It has the buy-in from the public safety director,” Ward 24 Alderman Bret Narayan, the bill’s sponsor, told KSDK.com. “It has the buy-in from the director of personnel. We have talked to basically every stakeholder along the way.”

At the state level, two groups, Fair Access Missouri and Legal Missouri 2022, are working to place competing adult-use legalization initiatives on Missouri’s November 2022 ballot.

A bipartisan group of U.S. Senators have authored a letter urging Congressional leaders to keep the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act in the final version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2022.

RELATED: U.S. House Adds SAFE Banking to Defense Spending Package

Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV) is leading the effort, which calls on members of the Armed Services Committees in the House and Senate to pass the banking legislation, according to a press release.

The SAFE Banking Act, which has passed the U.S. House of Representatives five times, most recently in September as an amendment to the NDAA, would allow state-licensed cannabis businesses to access banking services despite federal prohibition, which currently restricts cannabis operators from using basic financial services like checking accounts and credit cards.

The Nov. 23 letter, which is also signed by Sens. Gary Peters (D-MI), Angus King (I-ME), Kevin Cramer (R-ND) and Mark Kelly (D-AZ), urges leadership in the Armed Services Committees in both chambers of Congress to retain the SAFE Banking Act in the final conference version of the NDAA, which will ultimately be considered by the full House and Senate.

A new poll has revealed that 67% of Texans support adult-use cannabis legalization, and that the issue has bipartisan support in the state.

A Nov. 11 survey from the University of Houston and Southern University found that of the 67% of respondents in favor of legalization, 46% support it strongly and 21% support it somewhat, according to the San Antonio Current.

Of those opposed to legalization, 20% are strongly opposed, while 13% are somewhat opposed, the news outlet reported.

Fifty-one percent of respondents in favor of legalization identify as Republicans, according to the San Antonio Current, while 79% are Democrats and 70% are Independents.

The Texas Legislature expanded the state’s medical cannabis program to include cancer and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as qualifying conditions during the 2021 legislative session.

The three parties that will likely replace Chancellor Angela Merkel as Germany’s next governing coalition support adult-use cannabis legalization, and regulators have a lot to learn from not only the nation’s existing medical cannabis market, but also adult-use legalization in other countries, according to Niklas Kouparanis, CEO of Frankfurt-based cannabis holding company Bloomwell.

The Social Democrats (SPD), the Free Democrats (FDP) and the Greens plan to introduce legislation to legalize cannabis, which would be sold to adults through specialized shops like the dispensaries in the United States, as soon as the parties sign formal coalition papers to officially become the new government after Germany’s elections in September.

The Road to Legalization

Germany legalized medical cannabis in 2017, and all the nation’s physicians, barring veterinarians and dentists, can prescribe pharmaceutical cannabis to their patients.

“We had a very dramatic increase of patients, and … we needed to supply these patients somehow,” Kouparanis told Cannabis Business Times and Cannabis Dispensary. “We had a supply shortage in the beginning days.”

Bloomwell was founded in 2020 as a holding entity for multiple companies, including Ilios Sante, a medical cannabis wholesaler and distributor, and Algea Care, a telemedicine provider that has more than 70 specialized doctors on its platform to treat Germany’s patients with medical cannabis.

The Michigan Marijuana Regulatory Agency (MRA) has issued a recall for many cannabis products in the state due to inaccurate and unreliable test results. 

Retailers must pull almost all products, except for inhalable cannabis concentrate products, tested by compliance facilities Viridis North, LLC and Viridis Laboratories LLC between Aug. 10 and Nov. 16. Cannabis inhalable products include:

Vape cartsLive resinDistillateAny other cannabis concentrate created through residual solvent extractions

All retail locations that have sold such products must display the MRA’s recall on the sales floor and ensure it is visible to all consumers for 30 days from the date the notice was issued.

Licensees that have products in their inventory that fit the criteria have the following options:

Destroy the product and provide proof of destruction to [email protected] the product retested for the microbials compliance panel.Send the product back to the original licensee source so they can destroy or have the product retested as a larger batch. 

If a licensee opts out to send back or retest a product, they must “create new METRC packages with new METRC identification numbers prior to transferring or submitting the products for testing,” the notice states.

Additionally, consumers who have purchased a product that meets the criteria can return it to the location of purchase for proper disposal. Consumers who have experienced adverse reactions from consuming such products should report their symptoms to a physician and the MRA by email: [email protected] or phone: 517-284-8599, the notice states.

Uber has taken its first step into the cannabis market, several months after Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshah told CNBC that the company would “absolutely” consider cannabis delivery in the U.S., depending on regulation.

The ride-hailing company has partnered with Canada-based cannabis retailer Tokyo Smoke to offer online cannabis ordering in Ontario, Canada, through the Uber Eats app.

Beginning early next week, Uber Eats will list Tokyo Smoke's products under a section labeled "cannabis" within the app. Consumers will then be able to place an order for pick up at the nearest Toyko Smoke store in Ontario, a spokesperson told CNN Business. At this time, consumers cannot purchase such products for delivery.

It is currently unclear whether the company has plans to expand online cannabis ordering across Canada or within the U.S.

"We will continue to watch regulations and opportunities closely market by market," the Uber spokesperson told CNN Business. "And as local and federal laws evolve, we will explore opportunities with merchants who operate in other regions.”

]]>

MARSHALL, Mich. – PRESS RELEASE – Common Citizen, which produces cannabis products for patients and adult-use customers, today announced it will donate more than 2,000 14-pound frozen turkeys this Thanksgiving to those in need across Michigan. The effort is part of Common Citizen’s continued commitment to giving back to the communities it proudly serves.

“At Common Citizen, we are committed to serving the communities we call home, and our turkey giveaway is our way of helping make sure no one goes hungry this Thanksgiving,” said Common Citizen CEO Michael Elias. “Cannabis For Humanity begins with serving the needs of the common citizen, and we look forward to helping our friends and neighbors in need across Michigan enjoy this holiday season.” 

Common Citizen is partnering with local municipalities and organizations to distribute turkeys in the following communities: 

EastpointeLansingMarshallFlintBattle CreekPontiac Ferndale WestlandDetroitLake OrionLathrup Village

“We are excited to partner with these amazing organizations in distributing turkeys to individuals and families in need across Michigan this holiday season,” Elias said. “Working together, we will help serve those in greatest need in our communities during this special time of year.”

The Alabama State Board of Medical Examiners have released draft rules to govern how physicians can recommend medical cannabis to patients, according to a press release.

The regulations include rules on the registration and required training for physicians who would like to certify patients for Alabama’s medical cannabis program, which was signed into law by Gov. Kay Ivey in May.

According to the draft rules, physicians can recommend medical cannabis as a treatment for the following conditions after other medical treatment or therapy has failed:

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)Cancer-related cachexia, nausea or vomiting, weight loss, or chronic painCrohn’s DiseaseDepressionEpilepsy or a condition causing seizuresHIV/AIDS-related nausea or weight lossPanic disorderParkinson’s diseasePersistent nausea that is not significantly responsive to traditional treatment, except for nausea related to pregnancy, cannabis-induced cyclical vomiting syndrome, or cannabinoid hyperemesis syndromePost-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)Sickle Cell AnemiaSpasticity associated with a motor neuron disease, including Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)Spasticity associated with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) or a spinal cord injuryA terminal illnessTourette’s SyndromeA condition causing chronic or intractable pain in which conventional intervention and opiate therapy is contraindicated or has proved ineffective

The Alabama State Board of Medical Examiners will accept public comment on the draft rules through Jan. 4, 2022.

The Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission is also working on its own regulations regarding the licensing of cultivators, manufacturers and dispensaries, according to the press release.

Thailand will establish an International Medical Cannabis Research Center to advance its plan to become a world-class cannabis production and development hub, according to a Benzinga report.

The Public Health Ministry has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with RxLeaf World Medica to create the center, which aims to explore genetic research on medical cannabis, the news outlet reported.

The center will bring together doctors, researchers and experts from Canada, the Netherlands and other countries to exchange medical cannabis knowledge and conduct product research and development, according to Benzinga.

Thailand legalized medical cannabis in 2018, and opened its first full-time cannabis clinic last year.