MjLink Cannabis Business News and Press
A cell app, also called a smartphone software or just a mobile application, is essentially a computer software or software package developed for any specific mobile device including an iPhone, Google android, Blackberry or perhaps Windows Mobile phone. This type of program can have a wide variety of functions and features which can help users Read the full article...
Marijuana Products Tested At Unlicensed Location OREGON: On September 21, 2020, the Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCC) issued an Order of Immediate License Suspension to the recreational marijuana lab licensee of Ecotest Labs in Phoenix, OR. Ecotest Labs must not exercise any license privileges, or engage in any delivery or receipt of marijuana items, at Read the full article...
The West Virginia Office of Medical Cannabis has issued 10 medical cannabis cultivation licenses, according to a MetroNews report.
The licensees are Mountaineer Holding LLC in Belle, Harvest Care Medical LLC in Kearneysville, Buckhannon Grow LLC in Buckhannon, Holistic WV Farms I LLC in Beaver, Verano WV LLC in Beaver, Columbia Care WV LLC in Falling Water, Tariff Labs LLC in Left Hand, Armory Pharmaceutical Inc in Buckhannon, Mountaineer Integrated Care Inc. in Fort Ashby and Blue Ridge Botanicals Ltd. in Southside.
“This is an important step in the process to make medical cannabis available to West Virginians with serious medical conditions and will generate economic activity throughout West Virginia,” Office of Medical Cannabis Director Jason Frame said in a public statement. “We continue to work toward a goal of providing eligible West Virginia residents the ability to procure quality-tested medical cannabis.”
Regulators will score processor and dispensary applications next, MetroNews reported, with the goal of launching medical cannabis sales in the spring of 2021.
A group of roughly 50 cannabis consumers and advocates met outside the Vermont Statehouse Oct. 4 to call on Gov. Phil Scott to veto a bill that would tax and regulate cannabis sales, according to a WCAX report.
The legislation, Senate Bill 54, cleared the legislature in a Sept. 22 Senate vote, and aims to establish a regulated system for the production and sale of adult-use cannabis products in the state.
The bill would create the Cannabis Control Board to oversee the commercial cannabis market, as well as a 12-member advisory board with appointed members that have experience in public health, social justice and equity issues, women- and minority-owned business ownership, and substance abuse prevention, as well as cannabis experience, WCAX reported.
Some who voiced opposition to the legislation claim that it fails to address social and racial justice issues, according to the news outlet. Among them was Vermont Racial Justice Alliance’s (VRJA) Mark Hughes, who expressed concerns about who would be appointed to sit on the advisory board, WACX reported.
The VRJA recently submitted proposals to the state legislature to revamp the legislation, according to the news outlet.
The Ohio Department of Commerce has issued a mandatory recall on medical cannabis edibles due to noncompliant levels of heavy metals, according to a Cincinnati.com report.
The cannabis-infused chocolates, sold under the Encore Edibles brand, were processed by Canton-based Mother Grows Best and sold in eight dispensaries across the state between Aug. 17 and Oct. 1, the news outlet reported.
The edibles did not pass all the required tests before hitting store shelves and regulators found that they exceeded state thresholds for cadmium, a heavy metal typically found in soil and water, according to Cincinnati.com.
The Ohio Department of Commerce has launched an investigation into the issue, the news outlet reported, and in the meantime, patients who purchased the recalled edibles have been instructed to stop using them and return unused product to the dispensary where they were purchased.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), founder and co-chair of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, called upon the U.S. Supreme Court to review and proceed with hearing Washington v. Barr, the most significant and potentially consequential cannabis-related lawsuit ever to be filed. The Court will consider the plaintiffs’ appeal at a conference on Friday, Read the full article...
Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak has made the final two appointments to the state’s Cannabis Compliance Board, according to the Las Vegas Sun.
Sisolak appointed Bryan Young, a Reno-based physician, and Riana Durrett, the former director of the Nevada Dispensary Association, to the five-member board, the news outlet reported.
RELATED: Nevada Cannabis Compliance Board Revokes Six CWNevada Licenses
The new members join former Nevada Supreme Court Chief Justice Michael Douglas, former Nevada Gaming Control Board Chairman Dennis Neilander and Las Vegas banking executive Jerrie Merrit on the board, which oversees the regulation of the state’s cannabis industry.
The board has met three times this year, the Las Vegas Sun reported, and will hold its next meeting Oct. 20.
The Virginia Legislature has passed legislation that would prohibit police stops based on cannabis odor, sending the bill to Gov. Ralph Northam, according to NORML.
RELATED: Virginia Senate Approves Legislation to Prohibit Police Stops Based on Cannabis Odor
Senate Bill 5029 and House Bill 5058 cleared the legislature in a special legislative session, and would limit the ability of law enforcement to conduct warrantless searches solely based on the smell of cannabis.
“While this will certainly decrease non-essential interactions between law enforcement and otherwise law-abiding Virginians, it is only by legalizing the responsible use of cannabis by adults that the Commonwealth can end its failed experiment with prohibition and begin repairing the decades of damage,” Jenn Michelle Pedini, NORML’s development director and the executive director of Virginia NORML, said in a public statement.
Virginia decriminalized the possession of less than one ounce of cannabis during this year’s regular legislative session, and the law took effect July 1.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Oct. 06, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PRESS RELEASE -- Rubicon Organics Inc., a licensed producer focused on cultivating and selling organic certified and premium cannabis, has announced that it has entered into a distribution agreement with PAX Labs, Inc., a producer of cannabis vaporization technology.
Under the agreement, Rubicon Organics expects to launch pods for the closed-loop PAX ERA system under its Simply Bare Organics brand, filled with extracts formulated with its organic cannabis cultivated in Delta, BC.
PAX pods are expected to be available for distribution in the first half of 2021. The agreement represents the company’s second partnership for the distribution of cannabis 2.0 products following the agreement with Wildflower Brands Inc. to manufacture and distribute Wildflower CBD Relief Stick and CBD Cool Sticks.
“This agreement matches the highest quality organic cannabis products and the highest quality vaporizer devices for Canadian consumers. Our organic cannabis delivers a very rich terpene profile through our proprietary cultivation techniques for the discerning cannabis consumer,” said Jesse McConnell, Rubicon Organics' chief executive officer. “We look forward to partnering with PAX, as their devices are proven best-in-class and have been developed to maximize the user experience.”
“Our innovation pipeline is building momentum,” said Tim Roberts, president of Rubicon Organics. “This exciting partnership with PAX enables us to accelerate our premium 2.0 product range into vape products. We expect to also leverage this technology partnership with our new brands and rare new strains that we expect to launch into the Canadian market in the near term.”
LOS ANGELES, Oct. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- PRESS RELEASE -- WYLLOW, a new Los Angeles-based, female-owned cannabis brand, has announced its entry into the Bay Area by popular demand. Thanks to cannabis supplier STIIIZY, a limited release of WYLLOW's exclusive new strain, "Gelato," will be available for purchase only at STIIIZY flagship stores in both San Francisco and Los Angeles.
RELATED: Wyllow Launches Premium Flower Brand Based on Inclusivity and Affordability
WYLLOW debuted three introductory strains in August 2020 for their launch. Shortly after, WYLLOW saw its most popular Sativa strain, "Mimosa," spark interest along the California coast. Now, WYLLOW is extending its product line into the San Francisco Bay Area with "Gelato," which will be accompanied by a custom VR Instagram filter featuring the collaboration. With both brands rooted in Los Angeles, tapping into the Bay Area STIIIZY footprint was a no-brainer for WYLLOW founder, Camille Roistacher. As a female entrepreneur, Roistacher's vision for WYLLOW is to play on femininity, while remaining a top-shelf brand, designed and intended for cannabis connoisseurs of all walks of life.
"We're so excited to partner with STIIIZY and introduce a new exclusive strain. We couldn't imagine a better opportunity to enter the San Francisco Bay Area," Roistacher said.
Three finalists included in a lottery to win Illinois’ cannabis dispensary licenses have filed a lawsuit over the state’s decision to give applicants a second chance to qualify for the lottery, according to the Chicago Tribune.
SB IL, Vertical Management and GRI Holdings IL, which all received perfect scores on their applications, are asking the Illinois Supreme Court to award the licenses without the recent changes to the process, which were announced late last month.
Illinois regulators announced Sept. 3 that 21 social equity applicants would be included in a lottery to win the 75 available dispensary licenses.
Soon after, a group of companies behind some of the unsuccessful bids filed a federal lawsuit, alleging political motivation behind the number of businesses included in the lottery.
The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) then announced plans Sept. 15 to “review questions” raised about its licensing process before setting a date for the license lottery, which was initially expected to take place in September.
Many smokers choose to make the switch from cigarettes to marijuana, whether it’s to simply give up smoking forever or to get more of a “buzz” from an inhalant. Marijuana and tobacco are both derived from naturally-occurring plants, but there’s a common misconception that “naturally-occurring” substances are always healthy. This simply isn’t the case. Comparing Read the full article...
The Los Angeles Department of Cannabis Regulation (DCR) will begin accepting applications for additional cannabis licenses on Tuesday, Oct. 20 at 2 p.m., according to a recent public notice.
Regulators will accept applications for delivery, distribution, non-volatile manufacturing and testing labs, with delivery licenses available only to the city’s previously verified Social Equity Applicants.
Applicants must complete the Pre-Application Review process, and once they are deemed eligible for further processing for one or more license types, they can complete the Temporary Approval process.
The Pre-Application Review and Temporary Approval processes can be completed on DCR’s website ahead of Oct. 20.
Illinois’ adult-use cannabis sales hit a new record in September, with the state’s dispensaries reporting nearly $68 million in sales last month, according to a Herald & Review report.
September’s sales surpass August’s by nearly $4 million and includes more than 1.4 million items sold, which is also a new record since Illinois launched adult-use sales in January, the news outlet reported.
There are currently 67 licensed adult-use dispensaries in the state, according to Herald & Review, and sales have nearly doubled since the beginning of the year.
The Michigan Regulatory Agency announced Oct. 6 that it will allow cannabis businesses to apply for standalone adult-use licenses starting March 1, 2021, in an effort to combat the state’s illicit market, according to an MLive.com report.
Regulators are removing a requirement that class B and C cultivators, as well as labs, processors, transporters and retailers, in the adult-use market must first hold a medical cannabis license, the news outlet reported, which translates to lower application and license fees for businesses that do not want to participate in the medical market.
The move also opens the adult-use market to new businesses, including those in communities that have not opted in to the medical market but that would like to participate in the adult-use industry, according to MLive.com.
The Michigan Regulation and Taxation of Marihuana Act of 2018, which legalized adult-use cannabis in the state, included provisions that barred non-medical cannabis license holders from entering the adult-use market at the onset in an effort to give a competitive advantage to those already operating. The law allowed the state to eliminate this requirement one year after the state began accepting adult-use license applications last November, MLive.com reported.
The Marijuana Regulatory Agency began considering taking advantage of this clause in August to eliminate the requirement, which is set to expire automatically two years after the state began accepting license applications, according to the news outlet.
OKLAHOMA: The Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority has signed a contract with Metrc, a national company in 14 states, for the implementation of a statewide seed-to-sale tracking system. The contract creates a system to track marijuana plants and products from a plant’s growth stage through sale to patients. It serves as part of OMMA’s larger efforts Read the full article...
A group of social equity license applicants in Illinois have filed a lawsuit in Cook County Circuit Court against the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) and Bret Bender, the deputy director of its Cannabis Control Section, for disqualifying their applications and not providing them the opportunity to participate in a process through which certain applicants can amend their applications and challenge their scores.
The plaintiffs are “Black, Latino, and veteran business owners,” according to a press release from the Coalition for Social Equity Justice in Cannabis. According to the complaint, various plaintiffs have served in the U.S. Army, Marines and National Guard and lived in Illinois’ “Disproportionately Impacted Areas.”
“We deserve to know why they failed to score our applications,” said Eva Hernandez, a veteran and social equity applicant, in a prepared statement from the release. “We put in the work, paid the fees, and responded to their requests for information. We deserve the same consideration and the same opportunity as everyone else.”
The complaint in the lawsuit was filed Oct. 5, the same day another lawsuit was filed in the Illinois Supreme Court. (That one was brought forth by finalists in Illinois’ license lottery who claimed Gov. J.B. Pritzker could not offer previously disqualified applicants a second chance.)
On Oct. 6, the plaintiffs in the circuit court lawsuit also petitioned for a “temporary restraining order, motion for preliminary injunction and motion for expedited discovery,” according to court records. They requested that the court subpoena KPMG, the Big Four accounting firm that scored the applications, to answer questions and provide insight into the scoring process. The plaintiffs asked about, among other things, the “basis of disqualification” for each of them, a description of “the process for issuing deficiency notices” (which they asserted in the complaint were “flawed and inconsistent”) and an identification of each person who knows how KPMG’s portal for applications works.
“IDFPR has acknowledged that there were problems with the review and scoring process,” Claudette Miller, an attorney for the plaintiffs, said in the press release. “These plaintiffs did respond on time to deficiency notices, so that cannot be the reason they were disqualified. The Department is committed to remedying scoring mistakes, but applicants who never even got a chance to be scored are being left behind. All we are asking for is an equal opportunity for everyone who followed the rules.”
]]>Cannabis startups invited to apply for opportunity to present one-on-one to investors in “Capital Connection” program. MASSACHUSETTS: Burns & Levinson will host its fourth annual “State of the Cannabis Industry” conference – which will be held virtually and will focus on critical issues in the multi-billion dollar cannabis industry – on October 29, 2020 from 9:00 Read the full article...
For some people in the Midwest, the close of September signaled not only the changing of the leaves and an increase in pumpkin-flavored and -scented product availability, but the end of an era for cannabis. Michigan’s caregivers are no longer sourcing dispensaries with product.
“There is a massive shortage on distillate in the state of Michigan, particularly in light of the phaseout of caregivers,” said Alex Leonowicz, COO and general counsel of Redbud Roots, a vertically integrated cannabis company based in Buchanan, Mich. “There have been rumors of distillate pricing reaching as high as [$25,000 to $30,000] for a liter. Likewise, vape cartridge demand has skyrocketed.”
During the March through September phase-out of caregiver sourcing for medical dispensaries, Leonowicz said, dispensaries and customers had already been feeling the effects. (In April, the Michigan Marijuana Regulatory Agency cut off caregiver sourcing for adult-use dispensaries.)
Past experiences foreshadowed growing pains that would come with phasing the model out. Redbud, established in 2017, was one of the first several commercial growers and manufacturers to supply cannabis product into the retail market alongside caregivers, Leonowicz said.
“We couldn't even come close to supplying all the stores,” he said, explaining that the state had previously warned of a phaseout. “So, guys rise up, and they're like, ‘Wait, I can't buy it from my caregiver; you [the state] are shutting those guys down. Yet, your new model isn't ramped up enough. So, you're leaving people that utilize the plant for truly medicinal purposes without medicine.’ That's what allowed them to continue to supply into the commercial model for so long.”
Now, in a caregiver-less climate, Redbud is working to help fill the supply void.
El Rey De La Kush suspended for alleged distribution of product out of state WASHINGTON: Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (WSLCB) officers today issued an emergency suspension to Tier 1 producer El Rey de La Kush (license number 428922) located in Riverside, WA. The suspension, effective immediately, is for alleged diversion of product out Read the full article...
