MjLink Cannabis Business News and Press

Sangamon County Judge Adam Giganti has allowed Illinois regulators to rescore cannabis applications as part of the state’s controversial licensing process to issue 75 new dispensary licenses, according to the Chicago Tribune.

On Nov. 12, Giganti denied a request to bar officials from rescoring the applications, ruling that the plaintiffs have not shown that they will be irreparably harmed by allowing the licensing do-over to continue, the news outlet reported.

Giganti’s ruling comes after three finalists included in a licensing lottery to win one of the coveted retail licenses filed a lawsuit over Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s plan to offer unsuccessful applicants a second chance to qualify for the lottery.

Illinois regulators announced in September that 21 social equity applicants would be included in the lottery. A group of companies behind some of the unsuccessful bids then filed a federal lawsuit, alleging political motivation behind the number of businesses included in the lottery. Pritzker then announced that unsuccessful applicants could amend and resubmit their applications, or ask the state to rescore them if they believed a mistake was made during the initial scoring process, which caused the three finalists to sue.

After the Illinois Supreme Court declined to hear the case, the plaintiffs filed the lawsuit in lower court, where a judge ordered regulators not to rescore the applications while the case played out.

“Build innovative products, operate sustainably, and inspire the best among our industry”

Those words are not just platitudes, they are the way the folks at the Fohse Company have approached their craft since day one. They knew that taking on the High-pressure Sodium (HPS) legacy in the grow lighting industry would be a challenge, but one that needed to be undertaken. In 2016, it was time to take down this dogma and unearned loyalty to HPS lighting and reimagine what LED lighting could do at the same time.

Fohse’s Chief Technology Officer, Alex Gerard along with his partners Ben Arnet (President) and Brett Stevens (CEO) got to work on solutions to the deficiencies they found in the landscape of grow lights for the cannabis industry. Gerard, bringing almost two decades of experience from the medical industry and the military, took his engineering and automation skills that had been honed while working on defibrillators, welding components, and laser markers and set them loose on building a prototype of a highly efficient LED grow light. After two years of research and development, resulting in the creation of a suite of grow lighting fixtures, the team at Fohse was ready to introduce their product, along with their vision of what grow lighting should be able to deliver to folks in the horticultural industries.

“When everyone else was trying to figure out how to make their lights more efficient to lower the electric bill, we were trying to get higher yields” the leadership team at Fohse recounted. The Fohse team refused to take part in the losing strategy of just trying to make cheaper fixtures and instead vowed to design fixtures that operate with higher efficiency “pound for pound” than anything out there on the market. They unveiled their first product line at Toronto’s 2019 Lift and Co. Cannabis Expo and have hardly been able to keep up with the overwhelming response and demand for their innovative product line. The Fohse folks have been in a growth mode ever since. They have designed lighting solutions for large growing operations across the United States and North America and are going more global every day with their network of distributors.

After taking on the cannabis industry by storm less than two short years ago, the Fohse Corporation is now breaking into the greenhouse grow space with their lighting fixtures, the O6i and the brand-new Pleiades lights. Field tested and modified in a real-world hemp greenhouse; these lights were designed with one goal: increase yields. In addition to their proven performance in the cannabis industry, these models are perfect for the indoor produce and floriculture industries as well. Whether growing fruiting crops like tomatoes or cucumbers or foliar and floral crops like poinsettias or mums, these products will become the industry standard just like Fohse products have become in the world of indoor cannabis production. Either of these innovative fixtures can be incorporated into existing greenhouse architecture or are perfect for new design-builds.

Now, the Fohse company manufacturers innovative grow lighting for all types of crops and growing spaces. “Fohse,” an acronym for the Future of Horticultural Science and Engineering, is also a play on the Greek word for light, “fos.” The future of grow lighting is exactly what American-engineered Fohse products are. The O6i and the Pleiades fixtures are just the latest in a string of innovative lighting products for the horticultural industry.

PORTLAND, OR. – PRESS RELEASE – State cannabis regulators from across the United States have announced the formation of a non-partisan organization, the Cannabis Regulators Association (CANNRA), to better share institutional knowledge and regulatory best practices. Cannabis regulators from 19 states have joined in filing documents to establish CANNRA, which is being created in order to assist federal, state and local jurisdictions that have approved or are weighing legalization of cannabis.

“The Cannabis Regulators Association will provide a much needed forum for regulators to engage with each other to identify and develop best practices, create model policies that safeguard public health and safety, and promote regulatory certainty for industry participants,” said Norman Birenbaum, CANNRA’s inaugural president.

For years, cannabis regulators across the country have relied on each other to share regulatory experiences, institutional expertise, and to provide assistance navigating the numerous evolving policy and regulatory issues associated with legalizing and regulating cannabis. Often the first step for state and local jurisdictions weighing legalization is to engage with regulators from established markets and programs. However, there has never been an organization to facilitate these interactions or help stakeholders find objective data and evidence-based approaches to policymaking and implementation.

The Cannabis Regulators Association is not an advocacy group and takes no formal position for or against cannabis legalization, but rather seeks to provide government jurisdictions with unbiased information to help make informed decisions when considering whether or how to legalize or expand regulated cannabis.

CANNRA will facilitate communication and information sharing between subject matter experts in regulatory approaches for industrial hemp, medical cannabis and adult-use cannabis. This will include exchanges with research organizations, public health officials, policymakers, legal authorities, advocacy groups and cannabis industry participants.

Highwood, IL— November 12, 2020 — PRESS RELEASE — Grow America Builders has announced the newest member of their team. David Shutan will handle all aspects of the sales process, from gathering requirements through developing detailed bids based on each company’s specific requirements and ensuring clients’ needs are met.

“We knew after our first meeting with Dave that he would be a perfect fit for Grow America Builders. We consider ourselves truly fortunate that we found someone with his work ethic, talent and skill. We are confident that Dave will be instrumental in facilitating collaboration in the complex process of going from concept to completion in the building of facilities to support cannabis businesses,” said David Fettner, managing partner of Grow America Builders.

Before joining Grow America Builders, Shutan served as Senior Business Development Representative for Evive, a technology company focusing on employee engagement and as National Proposal leader for Cordant Health Solutions.

This new hire underscores Grow America Builders’ commitment to deliver the highest level of service in the cannabis facility construction field.

Grow America Builders offers over 25 years of expertise in construction projects of all types and has completed projects for industry leaders throughout the country.

Jesce Horton’s newest cannabis brand, LOWD, launched the week of Oct. 26 at 28 dispensaries in Oregon’s adult-use cannabis market. Cultivated in a 7,500-square-foot facility in Portland by 12 employees, LOWD cannabis’ brand and flower products have been years in the making. (Horton made a facility and brand pivot after his first cannabis business—Panacea Valley Gardens—which operated within the medical market, didn’t qualify for an adult-use license because of zoning restrictions.)

In this Q&A, Horton—a former engineer for Siemen’s, founder and former director of the Minority Cannabis Business Association, board member for the Resource Innovation Institute and Cannabis Conference 2020 advisory board member—discusses the road to officially launching his adult-use cannabis business, what the LOWD brand means to him and his team, and the steps the company is taking to build a strong culture and high-quality products.   

Editor’s note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Cassie Neiden: Could you provide us some background into your journey of launching LOWD?

Jesce Horton: I am one of the people in the industry that started growing from their basement—actually just a clone in my backyard. Like many people, through the different regulations, from moving from an unregulated market to a medical [market], here in Oregon there were a lot of changes. And then [when] moving from medical to recreational, we experienced even more in that the facility we built while being medical no longer qualified [for recreational cultivation] from a zoning perspective.

So throughout that time I was doing a lot of nonprofit work. I decided to step down from the nonprofit [Minority Cannabis Business Association] and focus 100% on finding another facility and building it out steadily over about a year and a half. And then we waited for about a year for licensing. We started again from the bottom with a big, empty warehouse. And from that point, we steadily built it out, using a lot of energy-efficient equipment, a lot of process design, and moved from 10 lights up to 100 flowering lights here at our new facility in Portland.

CHICAGO and SARASOTA, Fla, Nov. 11, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PRESS RELEASE -- Verano Holdings, LLC, a multi-state cannabis owner, operator and manager, has announced the signing of a definitive merger agreement to acquire and combine operations with Alternative Medical Enterprises, LLC, Plants of Ruskin, LLC, and affiliated companies (collectively, AltMed), vertically-integrated cannabis companies that apply pharmaceutical industry standards to developing, cultivating, producing and dispensing medical cannabis and medical cannabis products in Florida and Arizona. The transaction is expected to result in a highly-accretive combination of Verano and AltMed with the resulting company operating under the Verano name.

Two Industry Leaders Join Forces

Verano is a multi-state owner, developer, operator and manager of cannabis cultivation, manufacturing and dispensing licenses offering innovative products to the discerning, high-end customer market. Verano produces a full suite of premium, artisanal cannabis products sold under its consumer brands, including Encore Edibles, Avexia and Verano. Verano’s Zen Leaf branded dispensary environments deliver an elevated cannabis shopping experience in both medical and adult-use markets. Active in 12 U.S. states, with 17 active retail locations and approximately 440,000 square feet of cultivation facilities, Verano has been profitable each year since its founding.

AltMed, founded in 2014 and profitable in recent years, is a fully-integrated medical cannabis company known for its robust research and development pipeline exemplified by its award-winning MÜV products and dispensaries. AltMed offers a full range of premium cannabis options developed in its vertically-integrated operations in Arizona and Florida. With 27 active retail locations, AltMed has 220,000 square feet of cultivation facilities in Florida, and 30,000 square feet in Arizona, which is rapidly expanding by an additional 50,000 square feet to meet increased demand.

This transformative transaction is expected to create a market leader in the United States by combining two profitable, fully-integrated platforms with the ability to scale by entering new markets and expanding deeper into existing key markets. The combination will accelerate Verano’s expansion into Florida and Arizona, currently among the largest and fastest-growing cannabis markets in the United States. Following the consummation of the transaction, the combined group of companies will operate under the Verano name and will have the ability to operate in 14 states, with eight cultivation facilities and 44 active retail locations. Approximately 32 additional retail locations are planned.

DIMONDALE, Mich., Nov. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- PRESS RELEASE -- SKYMINT Brands, a Michigan-based, vertically integrated cannabis company, has announced its establishment of SKYMINT Farms, a 200-acre sungrown cannabis farm nestled in the Huron-Manistee National Forest and focused on the values of regenerative farming, sustainable agriculture, premium cannabis cultivation, and community enrichment.

"Michigan is known for its 3,000 acres of wine grape vineyards and nearly 10 million acres of farmland that give our state a dynamic food and agriculture industry. With SKYMINT Farms, we are on a mission to additionally put Michigan on the map for cultivating some of our nation's best sungrown cannabis," says SKYMINT Brands' CEO and co-founder Jeff Radway.

Joining SKYMINT Brands' two state-of-the-art, sustainable cultivation facilities, SKYMINT Farms aims to receive Sun+Earth status within the next two years. The coveted seal certifies cannabis brands that farm using beyond organic methods, holistically, responsibly, and regeneratively for the well-being of all people, farmers, and the planet.

SKYMINT Farms ensures that its cannabis is grown using the sun as the primary source of power, rain water as the primary source of irrigation as well as crop rotation, intercropping, and cover crops to create a nutrient-rich living soil. Within the next two years, SKYMINT Farms will additionally include grazing animals to make the farm truly biodynamic.

"Elon Musk once said in a TED Talk, 'We have this handy fusion reactor in the sky called the sun. You don't have to do anything. It just works," says James Barr, SKYMINT Farms' lead cultivator and project overseer. "Natural light is much more complex than what even the best indoor lights can mimic. Cannabis loves the sun and expresses itself very differently when farmed outdoors. Cannabinoid and terpene production is greater, and the plant is more resilient."

TORONTO, Nov. 10, 2020 /CNW/ -  PRESS RELEASE - The Green Organic Dutchman Holdings Ltd. has announced its financial results for the third quarter of 2020 ended Sept. 30, 2020, and leadership changes.  These filings are available for review on the company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com.

Leadership Changes

The company announced that Brian Athaide has left his positions as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and board director effective immediately. TGOD Chief Financial Officer Sean Bovingdon has been appointed Interim CEO. In addition, Michel Gagné, Vice President of Operations, has been appointed Chief Operating Officer (COO), overseeing the company's cultivation and processing operations, supply chain and product development. In his new role as COO, he will work closely with the CEO on the company's overall strategy and execution.

The board of directors decided that a change in leadership was necessary to drive the company forward as it enters its next phase of growth and continues to work towards achieving positive EBITDA and cash flow as rapidly as possible. Under the company's new leadership, TGOD will operate with a renewed commitment to executional excellence and cost discipline as the company drives revenue growth and operational stability.

"On behalf of the board of directors, we thank Brian Athaide for his contribution to TGOD and I am pleased that Sean has agreed to lead the company at this critical juncture," commented Jeff Scott, chairman of the board.  "He recognizes the challenges we must confront, and I look forward to working with him and the rest of the TGOD team to pave a new way forward for the company."

WASHINGTON – PRESS RELEASE – Incoming Senate Banking Committee Chairman Sen. Pat Toomey (R-PA) is open to supporting legislation that would provide cannabis businesses with access to banking services, according to recent reports in Politico.

“I am sympathetic to the idea that people who are involved in [the] cannabis industry—in an entirely legal fashion, in the state in which they operate—ought to be able to have ordinary banking services,” Toomey said. “That's my starting point, and then there's a lot of details to work out, but I am open to that.”

“We are encouraged by Sen. Toomey’s words and look forward to working with him and the Senate Banking Committee. It’s clear that cannabis reform can cross party lines and lead to sound, modern approaches to unlocking the industry’s potential,” said Kim Rivers, National Cannabis Roundtable second vice chair, and chief executive officer of Trulieve Cannabis Corp.

Providing access to banking services for cannabis companies has broad support among elected officials and policymakers, and the SAFE Banking Act passed the U.S. House of Representatives last year with bipartisan support.

Texas lawmakers have pre-filed several bills that would expand the state’s medical cannabis program and legalize adult-use ahead of the 2021 legislative session, according to a FOX 7 Austin report.

Under Texas’ current medical cannabis law, patients may access low-THC cannabis for serious conditions such as Alzheimer’s and cancer, but new legislation introduced by Sen. Jose Mendez, S.B. 90, would allow doctors to recommend medical cannabis to patients with any condition they deem necessary, FOX 7 Austin reported.

In addition, Rep. Roland Gutierrez has pre-filed S.B. 140 to legalize adult-use cannabis in the state, which he says would create 30,000 new jobs and create more than $3 billion in revenue, according to an ABC13.com report.

The legislature will reconvene in January.

The Pennsylvania Medical Marijuana Advisory Board held a quarterly meeting Nov. 10, where it rejected adding insomnia to the state’s list of qualifying conditions, according to a TribLive.com report.

The board voted 7-4 to reject insomnia as a new qualifying condition, and tabled a discussion on whether to add traumatic brain injuries to the list, the news outlet reported.

There are more than 460,000 Pennsylvanians currently enrolled in the state’s medical cannabis program, according to TribLive.com, and while there are currently 23 qualifying conditions, the vast majority of patients qualify under anxiety disorders, chronic pain and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

The public can apply for new conditions to be added to the list, and the Medical Marijuana Advisory Board considers the applications and makes recommendations, although Pennsylvania Health Secretary Rachel Levine makes the final decision on which conditions make the list, TribLive.com reported.

In addition to legalization wins in multiple states and the presidency being called in favor of Joe Biden, who supports cannabis decriminalization, U.S. House of Representatives and Senate election results could impact federal cannabis legislation.

Sam D'Arcangelo, director of the Cannabis Voter Project at HeadCount, said both the successful state initiatives and some individual U.S. House and results could serve as a bellwether of more politicians expressing support for cannabis reform.

Meanwhile, VSS Strategies, Vicente Sederberg’s policy and public affairs consulting affiliate, is more focused on the bigger picture, said Steve Fox, managing partner of VSS Strategies.

“I wouldn't say there are too many races that we were specifically looking at in terms of the individual races,” Fox said. “It was more a question of overall control of the two chambers. With that in mind, I would say that we had a close eye on the Senate, and we're waiting to see which party would end up in control, since that will have a significant impact on the prospects for cannabis policy reform.”

In what was a very big night for cannabis industry, what struck Patrick G. Martin, principal and director for law firm Cozen O’Connor’s Midwest practice, is the bipartisan support for cannabis in an otherwise very divided country.

“You saw in ballot initiatives across the country that cannabis is an issue that penetrates some of that [division] and crosses ideological and partisan and generational lines. Cannabis ballot initiatives passed in every state from deep blue New Jersey to dark red South Dakota,” Martin said. “What we’re seeing is that this issue resonates with the public. It’s been my experience that the politicians have been a little bit late to it, and the public is pushing them along.”

PRESS RELEASE - Nearly seven in 10 Americans support legalizing the possession and use of cannabis by adults, according to nationwide polling data compiled and reported by Gallup.

“In national polls and at the ballot box, the American public has spoken loudly and clearly,” NORML’s Executive Director Erik Altieri said. “The overwhelming majority of Americans favor ending the failed policies of marijuana prohibition and replacing it with a policy of legalization, regulation, taxation and public education. Elected officials—at both the state and federal level—ought to be listening.”

Sixty-eight percent of respondents endorse legalization—the highest percentage of support ever reported in a national Gallup poll. In 1969, when Gallup first began surveying the question, only 12% of Americans backed marijuana legalization. In 1996, when California voters became the first state in the nation to legalize cannabis for medical use, only 25% of Americans said that marijuana should be legal for those ages 21 and older. Since 2012, when Colorado and Washington became the first two states to legalize marijuana for adults, public support for legalization has risen nationally some 20 percentage points. Legalization has enjoyed majority support among Americans since 2013.

Today, adult-use legalization holds majority support among Americans in every age group, including those ages 65 and older (55%), according to Gallup. By contrast, only 48% of Republicans endorsed legalization, a drop in support from past years. Eighty-three percent of Democrats and 72% of Independents say that “marijuana should be made legal.”

The poll results come just days after voters in four states, Arizona, Montana, New Jersey and South Dakota, overwhelmingly decided in favor of statewide ballot measures legalizing the adult use and retail sale of the plant.

PHOENIX, November 10, 2020 -- PRESS RELEASE -- TILT Holdings Inc., a provider of business solutions to the global cannabis industry, has announced an expansion of the partnership between its wholly-owned inhalation technology subsidiary, Jupiter Research, LLC, and Israeli-based Kanabo Research Ltd., a researcher and developer of cannabis and CBD-derived medical cannabis solutions and inhalation devices.

Jupiter and Kanabo previously collaborated to obtain medical device registration for Jupiter’s flagship product, the Liquid9 (L-9), currently approved for use in hospitals and clinical trials in Israel. The L-9 is undergoing rigorous testing for safety, accuracy and durability so that new generations of the device are able to meet the requirements to obtain a CE marking for a medically certified inhalation device. Under the terms of the expanded partnership, the two parties will seek to develop a new, medically certified inhalation device specifically designed to meet the directives outlined in the European Union (EU) Medical Devices Regulation (MDR) in 2021. Kanabo will become the exclusive distributor of the medical platform in the EU and work closely with medical cannabis pharmacies to bring the platform to millions of patients.

“The European cannabis and CBD marketplace is well-positioned for significant growth over the next five years,” said Mark Scatterday, CEO of TILT and founder of Jupiter. “Our partnership with Kanabo will enable us to set a new standard for medically certified inhalation devices that will give us a competitive advantage. As the global cannabis and CBD marketplace matures, we believe other markets around the world will likely follow the same rigorous standard set by the EU. By leveraging our team of experts at Jupiter, along with Kanabo’s R&D expertise and firsthand knowledge of the EU’s regulatory requirements, we plan to bring to market one of the first medically certified inhalation devices in the world. Our partnership will also enable us to drive value for our shareholders while unlocking growth in emerging markets like the UK and Germany, where consumer demand is already gaining momentum.”

“Our goal is to usher in a new standard in inhalation devices that offers patients and consumers a more convenient, consistent delivery system that meets the EU’s rigorous medical device standards,” said Avihu Tamir, CEO of Kanabo. “With eyes set on the growth in Germany, the largest cannabis market in Europe, we will capitalize on the power of Jupiter’s engineering team and our regulatory and R&D expertise in the inhalation space, to deliver a first-of-its-kind medically certified inhalation device that enables us to sell medical cannabis extracts for inhalation across the EU and elsewhere."

The U.S. House is planning a December floor vote on the Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act, legislation that would federally decriminalize cannabis by removing it from the Controlled Substances Act.

In a Nov. 9 letter to colleagues, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer outlined the legislative schedule for the lame-duck session in November and December, and said lawmakers will take up the bill next month after postponing a September vote on the legislation.

RELATED: Cannabis Industry Awaits U.S. House Vote on the MORE Act

“The House will vote on the MORE Act to decriminalize cannabis and expunge convictions for non-violent cannabis offenses that have prevented many Americans from getting jobs, applying for credit and loans, and accessing opportunities that make it possible to get ahead in our economy,” Hoyer wrote in his letter.

The MORE Act, which was sponsored by Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY), cleared the House Judiciary Committee in November 2019, and the long-anticipated House vote could lead to monumental progress for the cannabis industry.

Colombia’s legislature shelved a congressional initiative that sought to legalize consumption of cannabis for recreational purposes among adults.

The plenary of the Lower House sank the bill with an ample difference of 102-52 votes, shelving a bill that sought to modify the Article 49 of the Colombian Constitution which states, "the carrying and consumption of narcotic or psychotropic substances is prohibited unless prescribed by a doctor."

The bill aimed to allow the recreational consumption of cannabis among adults, allowing consumers to acquire cannabis at regulated stores and lifting a ban that today forces consumers to go to illegal outlets.

But the bill, which required eight congressional debates to become a law—four at the Lower House and four at the Senate—was expected to encounter heated opposition among right-wing fractions that support Colombian President Ivan Duque, according to Jota Nicolas Vergara, adviser to lawmaker Juan Carlos Lozada, who led the initiative.

“We knew that passing this debate in the Lower House was going to be very complex because the majority of  pro-government congressman have very radical positions. They see the approval of recreational cannabis as counterproductive because it encourages young people and children to consume cannabis in more accessible ways,” Vergara told Cannabis Business Times and Cannabis Dispensary.

Lower House representative Cesar Lourdy, who supported the initiative, said the prohibition to cannabis consumption runs counter to the rights of individuals.

Following the passage of Arizona’s adult-use cannabis legalization initiative on Election Day, the state’s industry stakeholders are preparing for a spring rollout of the state’s recreational market, which must launch by April under state law.

The state’s 130 licensed medical cannabis operators are all eligible for adult-use licenses, and the Arizona Department of Health Services, which currently oversees the medical cannabis market and will be responsible for regulating the adult-use industry, will issue an additional 26 licenses to social equity applicants.

“The initiative was written in a really good way to require the government to roll it out in an expedited manner,” Demitri Downing, executive director of the Marijuana Industry Trade Association (MITA), tells Cannabis Business Times and Cannabis Dispensary. “Between January and March, the state will be designing the program, and they’re required to have everything up and running and rolled out by April 5. … Arizona will be full adult-use by 4/20 of next year.”

Arizona’s Voter Protection Act bars the state legislature from changing the voter-approved initiative, Downing adds, and existing medical cannabis businesses will be able to transition to adult-use operations in their current facilities.

While local municipalities do have the right to ban adult-use sales within their jurisdictions, Downing says local moratoriums only apply to the 26 new licenses earmarked for social equity applicants.

PRESS RELEASE - Wadsworth Control Systems, originator of greenhouse automation in North America, has announced the addition of Thom Mandl as Chief Operating Officer. Mandl brings a diverse array of operations management experience ranging from P&G and Ford to private manufacturers, including leadership roles in engineering, production management and the executive team. Mandl’s academic training includes an MBA and a BS in Mechanical Engineering, and he holds professional certifications in Lean Six Sigma and supply chain management.

Ben Lane has taken on the role of Principal Engineer, where he will develop new product solutions, including both new innovations and expanding the capabilities of Wadsworth's existing products. Kevin Stow-Parker has been promoted to Engineering Manager and Ray Medina has taken on new responsibilities in his role as Production Manager. Robbie Brandstetter, former Operations Manager at Wadsworth, has moved to a consulting role with the company and will be helping with special projects.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy has named two members to the state’s five-member Cannabis Regulatory Commission, which will oversee the state’s medical and newly legal adult-use cannabis industries, according to an NJ.com report.

Murphy has named Dianna Houenou, associate counsel and senior policy adviser to the governor and former policy counsel for the ACLU-NJ, as the chair of the commission, and Jeff Brown, the current assistant commissioner of the Department of Health who oversees the state’s medical cannabis program, as the executive director of the commission, NJ.com reported.

New Jersey voters approved adult-use legalization on Election Day, and the commission must be appointed before the program launches, according to the news outlet.

Appointments were expected earlier this year, after the 2019 Jake Honig Compassionate Use Act passed to expand the medical cannabis program and create the commission to oversee it, taking that responsibility from the New Jersey Department of Health, NJ.com reported.

Murphy is required to appoint three members, and Senate President Stephen Sweeney and Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin must appoint one member each, according to the news outlet.

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker has issued an executive order to implement a coronavirus-related business curfew that requires all adult-use cannabis sales to end at 9:30 p.m., according to a MassLive.com report.

Medical cannabis sales can continue past the curfew under the order, which went into effect Nov. 6, the news outlet reported.

The rules are part of a new stay-at-home advisory, which aims to address a second wave of COVID-19 cases in Massachusetts, according to MassLive.com.

Other businesses, including table service at restaurants, must also close at 9:30 p.m. under the order, and all Massachusetts residents have been instructed to stay home between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. daily with certain exceptions like grocery shopping or receiving health care, MassLive.com reported.

At the beginning of the coronavirus crisis in Massachusetts, Baker classified adult-use cannabis businesses as non-essential businesses in the state’s initial COVID-19 response, forcing non-medical dispensaries to shut down for roughly two months. Adult-use retailers were permitted to re-open with curbside pickup services in May.