MjLink Cannabis Business News and Press
Tennessee Sen. Janice Bowling (R-Tullahoma) has announced plans for a new medical cannabis legalization bill, according to a local WREG report.
Bowling, who has backed legislation to legalize medical cannabis in the state for years, plans to introduce the new bill when the state legislature re-convenes in January, the news outlet reported.
Qualifying conditions would include cancer, glaucoma and PTSD, according to WREG, and Bowling told the news outlet that she hopes the recent legalization of medical cannabis in nearby Mississippi will generate more support for the bill.
“We’re up to 43 states that have legalized it and many of the states around us have legalized it,” Bowling told WREG. “We are being foolish in the worst sense of the word—just incredibly foolish and incredibly lacking in responsiveness to what is now readily available for people to know that this is a safe medicine solution."
New Jersey Sen. Nicholas Scutari (D-Union) introduced legislation Nov. 6 to implement the state’s adult-use cannabis program, just days after voters passed a legalization initiative on Election Day, according to an NJ.com report.
The bill, S.21/A.21, outlines how the state’s newly legal cannabis industry will operate, and largely mirrors an unsuccessful legalization bill Scutari sponsored last year, NJ.com reported.
The bill, which consists of 206 pages, includes many “hyper-technical” changes from the legislation considered last year, Scutari told NJ.com, as well as one more substantial change: medical cannabis license holders will be able to open two additional cultivation sites to meet adult-use demand.
Currently, medical cannabis operators can only operate one grow facility, but up to three dispensary locations, according to NJ.com.
New Jersey’s new adult-use cannabis industry, as well as its existing medical cannabis market, will be overseen by the Cannabis Regulatory Commission, and there is no limit on the number of adult-use licenses that can be issued, NJ.com reported.
After voters passed a medical cannabis legalization initiative on Election Day, Liz Sharlot, communications director for the Mississippi State Department of Health, told the Daily Journal that the department is in the “planning stages” to develop the state’s medical cannabis program.
Initiative 65, which passed with 74% of the vote, according to the news outlet, gives the department until July 1, 2021, to establish regulations to implement the program. Business licenses and patient ID cards must be issued by Aug. 15, 2021, the Daily Journal reported.
Sharlot told the news outlet that the department is currently reviewing the various factors needed to roll out the program.
“We understand the public interest, and as more details become available, the information will be publicly released and posted on our website,” she said.
Initiative 65 outlines 23 qualifying conditions for Mississippi’s medical cannabis program, according to the Daily Journal, and once a doctor certifies a patient for the program, he or she can purchase a medical cannabis ID card from the health department at a to-be-determined cost that cannot exceed $50.
The first stage of cultivation occurs once the embryo of a chosen marijuana seed is open and starts to produce a root. The root sinks into the soil and pushes the young seedling up. Two embryonic leaves bloom outwards from the seedling to receive daylight and push its shell off. In general, growing ...
This week, cannabis won big on Election Day as five states passed legalization measures. Voters in Arizona, Montana and New Jersey passed adult-use legalization initiatives, Mississippi approved a medical measure, and South Dakota passed both at the same time.
Here, we’ve rounded up the 10 headlines you need to know before this week is over.
Ohio: The State Medical Board of Ohio is accepting petitions to add new qualifying conditions to the state’s medical cannabis program through Dec. 31. Those petitioning for a condition that was previously considered and rejected by the board may not resubmit documents that have already been reviewed, but may present new scientific research for consideration. Read moreMaine: Wellness Connection of Maine has filed a motion to fight a lawsuit against the state that was brought by two small cannabis businesses over adult-use licenses awarded to out-of-state companies. Wellness Connection, which is controlled by Delaware-based investor High Street Capital Partners and operates four medical cannabis dispensaries in Maine, filed the motion on behalf of its adult-use business, NPG, to ask a judge to dismiss the lawsuit, which was brought by two medical cannabis caregivers who claim that the state cannot refuse to enforce a law restricting out-of-state business owners from participating in Maine’s adult-use market. Read moreNew Jersey: In one of the country’s most highly anticipated referendums on cannabis, New Jersey voters approved Public Question No. 1, which amends the state constitution to legalize cannabis for adults aged 21 and over, as well as the cultivation, processing and sale of recreational cannabis products, by a 67-33 margin. The referendum comes after years of failed attempts to legalize adult-use cannabis in the state legislature, although it does not spell out a regulatory framework of any kind. Read moreArizona: Arizona voters approved adult-use cannabis legalization on Election Day in the form of a statutory measure, Prop. 207, by a 60-40 margin. The initiative allows adults 21 and older to purchase and possess up to one ounce of cannabis, as well as grow up to six plants at home for personal use. Read moreMississippi: Voters approved Initiative 65, the measure from Mississippians for Compassionate Care’s Medical Marijuana 2020 campaign, on Election Day to legalize medical cannabis in the state. Initiative 65 received about 48% more votes than a competing measure put on the ballot by the state legislature, Alternative 65A. Read moreMontana: Fifty-nine percent of Montana voters approved of I-190, the state’s adult-use cannabis legalization initiative, and separately, 61% of the Montana electorate voted in favor of the legislature establishing the legal age of adult-use cannabis consumption, a formality. The two ballot initiatives are commonly treated as a package deal to legalize, regulate and tax adult-use cannabis in the state. Read moreOpponents of cannabis legalization in the state now plan to file a lawsuit over Montana’s adult-use initiative, alleging that the financial allocations proposed in the measure contradict the state’s constitution. I-190 outlines some initial provisions for an adult-use cannabis program in the state, including a proposal that earmarks some of the revenue generated from a 20% tax on cannabis for conservation, substance abuse treatment and veterans’ issues, which Wrong for Montana spokesperson Steve Zabawa told the Bozeman Daily Chronicle is “not transparent.” Read moreSouth Dakota: Voters in South Dakota made history on Nov. 3, helping the state become the first in the union to pass both medical and adult-use cannabis legalization on the same ballot. With the passage of the measures, Amendment A and Measure 26, South Dakotans now have a constitutional right to cannabis consumption and to hemp farming. Read moreCanada: A large fire engulfed Canopy Growth’s former greenhouse facility in Delta, B.C., the morning of Nov. 1. The facility was closed in March, and no injuries were reported. Read moreCanadian LP Canopy Growth announced this week that it will transfer its U.S. stock exchange listing from the New York Stock Exchange to the Nasdaq Global Select Market effective Nov. 13 after market close. Common shares of Canopy Growth are expected to begin trading as a Nasdaq-listed security on Nov. 16, 2020, with the shares continuing to trade under the symbol “CGC.” Read morePHOENIX, Nov. 05, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PRESS RELEASE -- Copperstate Farms Management, LLC, a vertically integrated cannabis company based in Arizona, has reached an agreement to acquire management rights and control of two Level Up (formerly MedMen Arizona) marijuana licenses and dispensaries in North Scottsdale and Tempe.
The locations include dispensary retail spaces, as well as a 25,000-square-foot cultivation and processing warehouse. The acquisition of the Level Up operations will further expand the Copperstate Farms retail footprint and solidify its market share in Arizona under the Sol Flower banner. This follows the passage of Proposition 207 in the 2020 election, allowing recreational marijuana use and cultivation by adults 21 or older in Arizona.
“We are excited to build upon the strong foundation established by the Level Up owners and team who have placed a premium on quality medicine and customer service. Copperstate Farms sees tremendous value in these locations, which will allow us to further expand our Sol Flower dispensary brand,” stated Copperstate Farms CEO Pankaj Talwar.
A multi-use dispensary concept, Sol Flower features a public-facing classroom and café in Sun City and an additional location in Tempe. With the Level Up acquisitions, Copperstate Farms now controls four retail operations across premiere Valley locations that offer channels to different patient demographics.
“Having solidified our position as the leading wholesale operation in the State of Arizona, we are delighted to begin expanding our retail footprint. Copperstate Farms produces high-quality cannabis at affordable prices for our wholesale customers and retail patients alike,” said Copperstate Farms Managing Director Fife Symington.
As the U.S. continues to wait for votes to be counted to determine the result of the too-close-to-call presidential race, voters in five states approved cannabis ballot initiatives by wide margins in most places.
While the cannabis legalization measure results were announced election night and in the early hours of Wednesday morning, establishing adult-use and medical programs in those states will take time. Although what the new cannabis markets will look like in New Jersey, Arizona, South Dakota, Montana and Mississippi remains to be seen, industry advocates are celebrating a cannabis legalization landscape that changed overnight.
Check out the Cannabis Business Times’ Interactive Legalization Map for an update on where cannabis is legal now, and as always, click on each individual state for the latest news and updates.
]]>Editor's note: Map and data from CBT. Analysis below from Brightfield Group.
The past 12 months have changed the landscape of the legal cannabis industry in the US. Michigan, Illinois, and Maine began adult-use sales, and all cannabis measures on state ballots passed on election night, including adult-use measures in New Jersey, Montana, Arizona, and South Dakota.
The map on this page may help predict future legislation changes, as mature medical markets tend to pass adult legalization. States with high numbers of registered medical cannabis patients are more likely to have just passed (MI, IL, AZ, NJ). Oklahoma’s unique medical market is already operating similarly to an adult-use market. Following this thread, it appears that Florida, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, and Ohio will likely legalize recreational use in the next couple of years.
Looking at Illinois predictably demonstrates that states which initially only allow for dual-use programs without a significant increase of new licenses have underwhelming adult-use sales due to supply shortages. Though both consumers and patients have equal access to retail facilities, patients have first access to most products and are typically treated to better pricing. Couple these factors, which are ongoing though less prescient than when the market initially opened, with the state's large sales tax on adult-use products likely means medical consumers are unlikely to shift to the adult-use market. Not just that, these factors are driving people who were previously not registered to the medical market instead of the adult-use market. Though adult-use is growing, the growth of medical alongside it demonstrates Illinois's market is still not meeting the demands of heavy users with qualifying conditions. This is also exasperated by the fact that Illinois's patient population was small prior to full legalization, less than 1% of the state's overall population, so the medical market had yet to reach maturity in the first place.
Michigan, on the other hand, has lower prices across the board, a less steep tax structure, and does not struggle with the same issue of under-supply. Couple these factors with its higher rate of overall patient enrollment, indicative of a mature medical market, and the patient count has decreased following the legalization of adult-use, despite the fact that there are still more retail facilities available to serve the medical community. Regulations and licensing really do make a difference when it comes to the health of an adult-use market, and patient counts should decline following full legalization if everything is done effectively to maximize overall access.
Pennsylvania and Florida are both key medical states to watch and are set to have the largest market sizes by 2025. Pennsylvania still licenses relatively few dispensaries as compared to its population and the state's patient count has grown rapidly since sales began in early 2018. Florida, which saw sales commence around the same time, has a similarly large population and expanding patient count, albeit with nearly triple the number of dispensaries as Pennsylvania. Other states with decently sized populations and average-to open-levels of regulations, such as Arizona and Maryland, will also constitute a significant portion of the overall market growth over the next five years.
PRESS RELEASE - Medicoir, the global producer of coir substrate for cannabis crops, has launched its biodegradable plastic containers.
There are many options available to when it comes to substrate choice for cannabis plants, from the size of growing container and whether to re-pot later in the crop, to the shape of the container and of course which type of growing media to use.
In recent years, many growers have started to move over to 100% coir substrates for their cannabis crops, which would generally be a mix of coir pith, short cut fibre and 3 mm to 5 mm particles. The nature of coir means that, during the production process, it can be sieved to remove all of the fine dust particles (
Montana voters approved a plan to legalize, regulate and tax adult-use cannabis Nov. 3, but opponents now plan to file a lawsuit over the initiative, according to the Bozeman Daily Chronicle.
Wrong for Montana alleges that the financial allocations proposed in the measure, which passed 57% to 43%, contradict the state’s constitution, the news outlet reported.
I-190 outlines some initial provisions for an adult-use cannabis program in the state, including a proposal that earmarks some of the revenue generated from a 20% tax on cannabis for conservation, substance abuse treatment and veterans’ issues, which Wrong for Montana spokesperson Steve Zabawa told the Bozeman Daily Chronicle is “not transparent.”
“Even though this thing got voted in last night doesn’t mean it’s going to be law,” Zabawa said. “There’s a lot more that has to be done, and I think the Montana Supreme Court or the [Helena] District Court will throw this thing out.”
Zabawa told the Bozeman Daily Chronicle that Wrong for Montana will appeal to the Montana Supreme Court if the Helena District Court upholds the initiative.
Updated: 5:20 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, Nov. 4
As Election 2020 results continue to pour in across the U.S., we are monitoring cannabis-related down-ballot races in several states.
California
Unofficial election results show Costa Mesa, Calif., voters are in favor of allowing adult-use cannabis dispensaries and delivery services; and Laguna Woods, voters support that city allowing dispensaries. A measure in La Habra to permit “up to four cannabis delivery licenses” received more “yes” than “no” votes.
Ventura County, Calif., voters said “yes” to Measure O. ” The Ventura County Star reported Oct. 3, “The initiative on the Nov. 3 ballot allows up to 500 acres of cultivation of cannabis in greenhouses and 100 acres in nurseries in certain unincorporated areas.”
Patch has reported preliminary voting results out of Banning, Calif., favoring a tax on cannabis distribution businesses. The “gross receipts tax — capped at 10 percent” will go toward 911-emergency services.
And Calabasas, Calif., a city that doesn’t currently allow cannabis dispensaries, is likely to approve an ordinance that would impose a tax on cannabis business, according to Patch.
In a historic night for cannabis, all five states with cannabis measures on the ballot in the November 2020 election have voted for either medical or adult-use legalization.
New Jersey, Arizona and Montana have passed adult-use cannabis legalization, Mississippi has passed medicinal cannabis legalization; and for the first time, one state—South Dakota—passed both medical and adult-use cannabis legalization at the same time.
As it stands today, 35 states have legalized medicinal cannabis, and 15 states have legalized cannabis for adult-use. That means 1 in 3 Americans have access to legal cannabis, according to POLITICO.
RELATED: Cannabis Business Times’ Interactive Legalization Map
“If there was any remaining stigma around cannabis as a form of medicine, it is gone forever,” said Greg Kaufman, partner and co-leader of Eversheds Sutherland’s Cannabis Industry Team, in an emailed statement. “With more states approving adult-use and medical cannabis programs in this election and the expectation that more states will do so through legislation (e.g., New York), the pressure will continue to build on Congress to take some action on one or more of the cannabis-related bills currently pending.”
Editor's note: Election results reported are projected, and subject to change. CBT/CD will update its election coverage as necessary to accommodate changing election results.
Voters in South Dakota made history on Nov. 3, helping the state become the first in the union to pass a constitutional amendment legalizing adult-use cannabis sales without first having an established medical program.
Amendment A, the constitutional amendment that voters passed on election night with 53.4% of the vote with 95% of precincts reporting, per the Associated Press, legalizes the recreational use of cannabis for adults aged 21 and over and allows the possession of up to one ounce of cannabis per adult. Additionally, the law requires that the state legislature pass laws for a medical cannabis program and for hemp sales no later than April 1, 2022.
The Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) was heavily involved in supporting both ballot measures (Measure 26, the medical cannabis program ballot measure, also passed with 69.2% support). Matthew Schweich, deputy director of the MPP, said in a statement: “South Dakota has made history by becoming the first state to legalize medical marijuana and legalize marijuana for adults on the same day. Furthermore, it is arguably the most conservative state yet to enact marijuana legalization. This victory has added significance at the federal level with top-ranking Republican Senator John Thune now representing a legalization state.”
“What we really support is that it creates two distinct pathways to a shared goal, and it keeps those two pathways separate so that our medical program for our patients will always be there. It will never get absorbed by the adult-use and it puts both of them into the constitution,” Melissa Mentele, executive director of New Approach South Dakota told CBT in August of the medical provisions in Amendment A.
Under the constitutional amendment, municipalities can ban cultivation businesses from operating on its territory, as well as testing facilities, wholesalers, and retail operations. However, if an individual lives in a jurisdiction with no licensed retailers, that person can cultivate up to three plants in a locked space in a private residence.
Editor's note: Election results reported are projected, and subject to change. CBT/CD will update its election coverage as necessary to accommodate changing election results.
According to unofficial election results, 59% of Montana voters approved of I-190, the adult-use legalization initiative. Separately, 61% of the Montana electorate voted in favor of the legislature establishing the legal age of adult-use cannabis consumption, a formality. The two ballot initiatives are commonly treated as a package deal.
“This is a great day for Montana,” Matthew Schweich, deputy director of the Marijuana Policy Project, said. “This victory further proves how widespread the support for marijuana policy reform is across the United States. Montana will now join the growing number of states that are proving that replacing prohibition with a system of legalization and regulation is the policy decision that best serves the interests of public health and safety.” The Marijuana Policy Project played an important role in the tandem campaign.
“We commend the voters in Big Sky Country for making sure they joined the growing list of states that is sensibly regulating cannabis for adulAts,” Morgan Fox, NCIA Media Relations Director, said. “This has been a close race in a difficult year, but ultimately good sense prevailed, and Montana will reap the social and economic benefits of legal cannabis while hopefully adding its federal lawmakers to the chorus in Congress calling for an end to federal prohibition.”
Editor's note: Election results reported are projected, and subject to change. CBT/CD will update its election coverage as necessary to accommodate changing election results.
Preliminary results from Mississippi show that medical cannabis legalization passed with approximately 67% of the vote, according to the New York Times. Initiative 65, the measure from Mississippians for Compassionate Care’s Medical Marijuana 2020 campaign, received about 48% more votes than a competing measure put on the ballot by the state legislature, Alternative 65A. Roughly 33% of voters were against both measures.
Mississippians for Compassionate Care announced its win on social media.
A fiscal analysis by Mississippi’s Legislative Budget Office estimates the first year of the medical program will cost the state roughly $11.1 million, according to the Medical Marijuana 2020 site. In the following years, the program will bring in around $10.7 million in overall annual revenue, which will need to go back into the program.
Residents must have one of 22 serious qualifying conditions, such as cancer, chronic pain, or epilepsy, to qualify as a medical cannabis patient.
Mississippians for Compassionate Care nor the state representatives behind Alternative 65A could not be reached for comment by Cannabis Business Times and Cannabis Dispensary about election results.
Editor's note: Election results reported are projected, and subject to change. CBT/CD will update its election coverage as necessary to accommodate changing election results.
Access to medical cannabis in the U.S. expanded on the night of Nov. 3, as voters in South Dakota approved a ballot measure that paves the way for a program that would allow individuals with debilitating medical conditions access to the plant’s therapeutic benefits.
Measure 26, originally filed by Melissa Mentele, executive director of New Approach South Dakota, passed with 68.8% support with 84% of precincts reporting, according to the Associated Press (AP).
Among other items, Measure 26 would cap licensing fees for medical cannabis establishments at $5,000 (adjusted annually for inflation), would implement a sliding scale for patient application and renewal fees based on household income, and would require the state’s Department of Health (DoH) to issue rules within 120 days of the effective date of the act. Once the program is established, patients will be able to home grow at least three plants and possess up to three ounces of dried cannabis (with limits on cannabis products to be set by the DoH).
Additionally, the ballot’s language prevents counties from banning medical facilities. Patient access was a priority for the Measure 26 campaign, as South Dakota ranks in the bottom 10th percentile in state population density rankings.
The Marijuana Policy Project's (MPP) deputy director, Matthew Schweich, said in a statement: “By approving Measure 26, South Dakotans have made it clear that they believe individuals with debilitating medical conditions should have the right to use medical marijuana without fear of criminalization.”
Editor’s Note: Election results reported are projected, and subject to change. CBT/CD will update its election coverage as necessary to accommodate changing election results.
Despite legal battles and opposition from the state’s governor, Arizona voters approved adult-use cannabis legalization on Election Day by a 60-40 margin, according to unofficial election results reported by the New York Times at 11:19 p.m. ET.
“Voters took Arizona one step forward today,” said Jared Keenan, senior staff attorney for the ACLU of Arizona. “As the state with the fifth highest incarceration rate in the country, the legalization and decriminalization of marijuana use will help Arizona reduce its bloated prison population while allowing those convicted of a past marijuana offense to have their record cleared. We will work to ensure that prosecutors across the state uphold the will of Arizona voters and end the practice of saddling people with a felony conviction for simple marijuana possession.”
The statutory measure, Prop. 207, allows adults 21 and older to purchase and possess up to one ounce of cannabis, as well as grow up to six plants at home for personal use.
The Arizona Department of Health, which already regulates the state’s medical cannabis program, is now responsible for overseeing the adult-use industry, which must launch by June 1, 2021, under the initiative. The department will grant vertically integrated licenses to businesses to cultivate, process and sell adult-use cannabis, as well as license adult-use testing facilities. Arizona’s existing medical cannabis businesses will be considered “early applicants,” as will applicants seeking to locate their business in a county with fewer than two existing medical cannabis operators.
Editor's note: Election results reported are projected, and subject to change. CBT/CD will update its election coverage as necessary to accommodate changing election results.
New Jerseyans have voted to approve Public Question No. 1, which amends the state constitution to legalize cannabis for adults aged 21 and over, as well as the cultivation, processing and sale of recreational cannabis products, by a 67-33 margin, according to unofficial election results reported by the New York Times at 9:48 p.m. ET.
The ballot initiative does not spell out a regulatory framework of any kind.
The Public Question No. 1 referendum comes after years of failed attempts to legalize adult-use cannabis in the state legislature.
This year’s referendum effort raised more than $2 million in campaign contributions, most of which were given to cannabis-legalization campaign NJ CAN 20 and political advocacy group Building Stronger Communities Action Fund.
NJ CAN 2020’s coalition included the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of New Jersey, Minorities for Medical Marijuana (M4MM), the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Law Enforcement Action Partnership, Progressive Democrats of New Jersey, and other industry members and stakeholders.
SMITHS FALLS, ON, Nov. 3, 2020 /CNW/ - PRESS RELEASE - Canopy Growth Corporation has announced it will be transferring its U.S. stock exchange listing from the New York Stock Exchange to the Nasdaq Global Select Market effective Nov. 13, 2020 after market close. Common shares of Canopy Growth are expected to begin trading as a Nasdaq-listed security on Nov. 16, 2020, with the shares continuing to trade under the symbol "CGC."
"By making the move over to Nasdaq, we are joining some of the world's leading companies that share our passion and focus for innovation," said David Klein, Canopy Growth CEO. "Making the transition to Nasdaq also provides us with greater cost-effectiveness and access to a suite of tools and services that will help us connect more efficiently with our current and future investors."
Current retail and institutional investor shares will automatically be transferred over to Nasdaq and current shareholders are not required to take any action. The last day of trading of the company's common stock on NYSE is expected to be Friday, Nov. 13, 2020.
This is part two of a two-part interview. Read part one here.
Education and awareness can take many forms. Through various work with criminal justice reform advocates and cannabis businesses, Last Prisoner Project (LPP) aims to shift the paradigm around cannabis incarceration and its effects.
Below, Cannabis Business Times and Cannabis Dispensary continues its conversation with Sarah Gersten, LPP’s executive director and general counsel, about these issues.
Patrick Williams: LPP is working with Rudi Gammo and Michael Thompson in trying to get them released and their criminal records expunged. Could you talk about the Michigan Cannabis Prisoner Release Campaign partnership with the Cannabis Caucus of the Michigan Democratic Party and the Redemption Foundation? Could that work expand upon or accentuate Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's signage of clean slate bills in October?
Sarah Gersten: This is a campaign that was established after Last Prisoner Project had been working in Michigan for months on Michael Thompson's case. Michael Thompson is a 69-year-old currently incarcerated in [a] Michigan prison. We had submitted his clemency application in January. We're just now nearing the finish line with that case, and it took us longer than anticipated, but … we were able to get so much momentum around Michael's case and really get it into the public [consciousness]. It's a case that, I think, shocks the conscience, especially when you look at Michigan, a state that is now fully legalized, [and] key lawmakers in that state, like Gov. Whitmer [and] Attorney General Dana Nessel, have come out in support of not just legalization but these kinds of criminal-justice efforts that go in tandem with legalization, like clean slate. But what has not occurred in Michigan, despite movement on things like the clean slate package, which is an amazing first step, [is anything] to provide retroactive release for currently incarcerated cannabis prisoners like Michael Thompson.
