MjLink Cannabis Business News and Press
WASHINGTON: The Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (WSLCB) is seeking public comment regarding draft conceptual rules. These draft conceptual rules are narrowly scoped to include a new rule subsection that provides a marijuana business premise certificate of compliance. A draft, conceptual version of WAC 314-55-020 is linked here. The new subsection (6) is highlighted Read the full article...
Planet 13 awarded Nevada retail cannabis license through settlement of the lawsuit against the Nevada Department of Taxation NEVADA: Planet 13 Holdings Inc., a leading vertically-integrated Nevada cannabis company, today announced it has agreed to a settlement of its ongoing lawsuit against the Nevada Department of Taxation and other parties which subsequently joined the litigation. Read the full article...
OKLAHOMA: According to statistics released by the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority (OMMA), the Sooner State generated more than $39 Million in tax revenues from its robust medical marijuana program in the first half of 2020.
Ohio’s medical cannabis sales have reached $100 million so far this year, doubling the sales figures from last year, the program’s first year in operation, according to a Dayton Business Journal report.
As of July 20, the state’s licensed dispensaries had sold more than $156 million worth of cannabis products since the first sales launched in January 2019, an increase from the cumulative $56 million in sales as of December, the news outlet reported.
To date, 116,500 patients have registered for Ohio’s medical cannabis program, as well as 13,000 caregivers, according to the Dayton Business Journal.
The Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority (OMMA) has appointed a new director as former director Travis Kirkpatrick was recently named deputy commissioner of prevention and preparedness at the Oklahoma State Department of Health, according to an AP News report.
Kirkpatrick, who will oversee the OMMA from his new position, chose Kelly Williams as the OMMA’s new director, the news outlet reported.
“This is a young agency and we have seen massive growth over the past two years,” Williams said in a public statement. “I look forward to the challenges and the rewards of growing the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority into an agency that will make Oklahomans proud."
Maricopa County Superior Court Judge James Smith has rejected claims that the 100-word summary on an initiative to place an adult-use cannabis legalization measure on Arizona’s 2020 ballot was misleading, meaning the issue can be placed before voters this November, according to a Tucson.com report.
Arizonans for Responsible Drug Policy filed a lawsuit last month to keep the measure off the state’s ballot, claiming that the initiative’s description misled people into signing the petition to put the issue before voters this fall through its definition of “marijuana” and how the law might impact impaired driving in the state.
In a 15-page ruling on Aug. 7, Smith said, “At 100 words, the summary also cannot include everything. That is why the full initiative must accompany the petition.”
Smith also shot down opponents’ suggestions that voters might not understand all the implications of the measure, such as changing laws on advertising and driving under the influence of drugs, Tucson.com reported.
The Michigan Regulatory Agency issued a recall Aug. 6 for nearly 3,200 pre-rolls processed in a Bay City facility after a processing plant employee was accused of licking the product, according to an MLive.com report.
Although it’s unclear how regulators learned of the allegations, the Michigan Regulatory Agency told the news outlet that the processing plant employee “licked a pre-roll marijuana product while making the product.”
The owners of the processing facility also operate Dispo, a medical and adult-use dispensary located in Bay City, according to MLive.com, and the processing license has been suspended for 14 days due to the incident.
The recall includes various brands, and the affected pre-rolls were sold through medical and adult-use retailers in Bay City, Hazel Park, Detroit, Traverse City, Ann Arbor, Lansing, River Rouge, Ferndale, Quincy, Lowell, Negaunee and Lapeer, the news outlet reported. Sales of the recalled product took place between June and Aug. 3.
The Michigan Regulatory Agency has indicated that consumers should return affected products to the retailer where they were purchased so they can be disposed of, and dispensaries must notify customers who purchased recalled products, MLive.com reported.
OKLAHOMA: The deputy director of the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority will serve as interim director of the authority, officials announced Friday. Kelly Williams replaces Travis Kirkpatrick, who was recently named deputy commissioner of prevention and preparedness at the Oklahoma State Department of Health. Kirkpatrick, who will oversee the OMMA from his new position, chose Williams Read the full article...
When brothers James and Giono Barrett transformed a former coffee shop in Juneau, Alaska, into a cannabis dispensary, they aspired to one day create an on-site consumption space for its customers, once Alaska finalized its regulations.
Now, their dream is becoming reality as their dispensary, Rainforest Farms, is the first to apply for an on-site consumption license at the local level.
James and Giono advocated for adult-use legalization in Alaska in 2014 and 2015, when James worked in state government and Giono was a licensed medical cannabis grower. When the state legalized in 2015, the brothers were the first to launch a cultivation operation and retail store in Juneau.
“It’s been a fun ride,” James Barrett said. “We’re at the point right now where Alaska is about to kick off … on-site consumption, … so that’s our next step.”
It’s a two-tier licensing process, he added, and Rainforest Farms must first get local approval before pursuing an on-site consumption license at the state level. The company has a hearing on Aug. 18 with the local planning commission, which will decide whether to alter Rainforest Farms’ conditional-use permit to add on-site consumption.
This week, the cannabis industry began looking toward a September House vote on the Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act, legislation that would federally decriminalize cannabis by removing it from the Controlled Substances Act. Elsewhere, in Massachusetts, the Cannabis Control Commission amended its quarantine order for the more than 600,000 vaping products that have been in limbo since late last year, allowing companies to retest and sell previously the quarantined products.
Here, we’ve rounded up the 10 headlines you need to know before this week is over.
Federal: The U.S. House of Representatives is planning a 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. The upcoming vote, planned for September, could lead to monumental progress for the industry, according to industry stakeholders, even if the legislation encounters roadblocks in the Senate, where its passage is less likely. Read moreASTM International is developing a cannabis and hemp sampling standard to help farmers achieve better homogeneity for testing samples and reduce the risk of misrepresented products. ASTM’s proposed standard on flower sampling, which is expected to be released in roughly six months pending unanimous approval from at least 60 percent the more than 900 Cannabis Committee members (who hail from 26 countries), would detail exactly how farmers should go about collecting samples for testing. Read moreArizona: Gov. Doug Ducey has submitted statements in opposition to three of the four ballot measures expected to appear on the state’s 2020 ballot, including one that would legalize adult-use cannabis. Ducey called the ballot initiative, which was supported by Smart and Safe Arizona, “a bad idea based on false promises,” saying that experiences from other states with legalized cannabis point to more highway deaths, increases in teen drug use and more newborns exposed to cannabis. Read moreNevada: A proposed settlement that would reshuffle some of Nevada’s adult-use dispensary licenses could end a legal battle between the state and businesses that were not granted licenses in 2018. Some of the plaintiffs challenged the proposal, alleging collusion, but the Nevada Tax Commission has agreed to approve the agreement contingent upon the approval of the Cannabis Compliance Board. Read moreIllinois: The state’s cannabis dispensaries set another sales record in July, selling $61 million worth of adult-use cannabis products. Since the adult-use market opened in January, dispensaries have sold nearly 6.7 million cannabis products for sales totaling more than $300 million. Read moreThe Cannabis Business Association of Illinois has submitted a letter to Gov. J.B. Pritzer, urging him to use a portion of the state’s cannabis tax revenue to support social equity applicants, who have been awaiting one of Illinois’ long-delayed licenses. In the most recent of a series of licensing delays resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, Illinois indefinitely postponed issuing craft grow, infuser and transporter licenses July 1, and applicants have since said they are in limbo and quickly losing money as they await their licenses. Read moreMassachusetts: More than 600,000 vaping products quarantined in Massachusetts last year can now be retested and sold or reclaimed and repurposed into other products if they meet safety standards, according to a Aug. 3 press release from the Cannabis Control Commission (CCC). After three rounds of testing and a public comment period launched in July, the CCC concluded that businesses may retest and sell products, which must include modified warning labels that explain the product was previously quarantined and rested. Read morePennsylvania: The University of Pittsburgh and Parallel have announced a relationship to establish a clinical research program to study medical marijuana under Pennsylvania’s medical cannabis research program. As part of a 10-year agreement, Parallel, through Goodblend, its retail brand, will provide the university an initial $3 million in unrestricted grants to be used for the exploration of the efficacy and safety of medical cannabis with an initial focus on treating sickle cell disease symptoms. Read moreMichigan: The Marijuana Regulatory Agency is removing a requirement that businesses must hold a medical cannabis business license to apply for an adult-use permit, meaning that entrepreneurs can apply for standalone adult-use cannabis licenses starting Nov. 1. Andrew Brisbo, the agency’s executive director, told Benzinga that industry stakeholders and regulators have decided to open the market up to non-medical cannabis licensees in an effort to address social equity issues and promote the creation of equity programs. Read moreNorthern Mariana Islands: The Cannabis Commission has announced the launch of applications for both commercial cannabis licenses and the noncommercial Homegrown Marijuana Registry. The commission officially adopted the proposed rules and regulations for the program during its June 23 meeting, and began accepting the commercial and noncommercial applications on Aug. 4, which marked the official launch of the Commonwealth’s cannabis industry. Read more
PHOENIX, Ariz., August 4, 2020 -PRESS RELEASE- 4Front Ventures Corp. announced that the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission has granted 4Front’s Mission dispensary and cultivation/processing facilities in Georgetown, Mass., authorization to commence adult-use retail and production operations. The company will host a Grand Opening for adult-use sales on Aug. 12, 2020.
4Front also announced that its Mission dispensary and cultivation/processing facilities in Worcester, Mass., are on the CCC’s Aug. 6 agenda for final adult-use licenses. If approved, these facilities will be open for adult-use sales pending a final inspection and authorization by the Commission.
Entry into the adult-use market significantly expands 4Front’s total addressable market and is expected to drive both top-line and bottom-line growth at the company in the second half of 2020 into 2021. Massachusetts is a core growth market for 4Front, with the company also executing its fully funded expansion plans that are underway at its Georgetown production facility, which are expected to significantly increase its output from this location to meet market demand.
“Commencing adult-use licensure is a milestone for the company and we would like to thank the CCC for its support during the licensing process,” said Leo Gontmakher, CEO of 4Front Ventures. “Consistent with our company’s culture of setting operational goals and executing upon them, it’s great to see the building momentum as we announce another of what I expect to be many achievements in the back half of this year. I am proud of the hard work from each of our employees in making this happen. We can now look forward to accelerated growth in Massachusetts as our total addressable market opens-up significantly. We continue to move toward adult-use licensing at our Mission dispensary and production facilities in Worcester, Mass., which we are hopeful will occur before the end of the summer.”
]]>NEVADA: The Nevada Cannabis Compliance Board (CCB) has opened investigations into three dispensaries for selling product that twice failed microbial testing. On March 5, 2020, the Department of Taxation and CCB issued a directive to all dispensary/retail stores to immediately stop selling the product, Cherry OG F3, which failed laboratory testing for yeast and mold, Read the full article...
The Cannabis Business Association of Illinois has submitted a letter to Gov. J.B. Pritzer, urging him to use a portion of the state’s cannabis tax revenue to support social equity applicants, who have been awaiting one of Illinois’ long-delayed licenses, according to a Chicago Tribune report.
In the most recent of a series of licensing delays resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, Illinois indefinitely postponed issuing craft grow, infuser and transporter licenses July 1, and applicants have since said they are in limbo and quickly losing money as they await their licenses, the Chicago Tribune reported.
The Cannabis Industry Association of Illinois said in its letter to Pritzker that the state’s effort to diversify the industry, which was written into Illinois’ adult-use cannabis law, is at risk as many social equity applicants run out of capital, according to the news outlet.
The association recommends in the letter that Illinois use some of its cannabis tax revenue to reimburse social equity applicants for the costs associated with the delays, the Chicago Tribune reported.
The state launched legal adult-use cannabis sales Jan. 1 and collected more than $52 million in cannabis tax revenue as of June 30.
Cannabis Control Commission Issues Second Amended Quarantine Order for Vaporizer Products Following the agency’s three-phased testing and public comment period, licensees may retest and release, or destroy quarantined products subject to order requirements MASSACHUSETTS:— The Cannabis Control Commission (Commission) has issued a Second Amended Quarantine Order Applying to Vaporizer Products following three phases of testing and Read the full article...
Mission dispensary celebrated the grand reopening of its Chicago store on July 31, two months after it was ransacked by dozens of people in just one of several incidents across the country of looters targeting cannabis businesses amid countrywide protests over the police killing of George Floyd.
RELATED: UPDATED: Cannabis Businesses Targeted in Looting and Robberies
Kris Krane, president and co-founder of Mission’s parent company 4Front Ventures, told Cannabis Business Times in June that it appeared to be a planned attack, as security footage captured several cars pulling up to the store at one time. Thirty to 40 people used crowbars and baseball bats to smash windows and doors to break into the South Chicago dispensary, Krane said.
In a follow-up interview with Cannabis Business Times, Krane says there weren’t many surprises as they worked to repair damages with contractors and construction crews, replace lost inventory and reopen the medical and adult-use store. But the process took time, especially replacing custom-built components like the security doors. They also made upgrades throughout, he says, adding “multiple layers of security.”
Krane also commended city and state officials for being responsive during the inspection process, and inspectors for being clear and straightforward with recommendations.
“We work in a lot of states, and trying to go through an inspection process in many states is a challenging process,” Krane says. (Mission operates 10 stores located in Massachusetts, Michigan, Arizona, Pennsylvania and Maryland, as well as Illinois.) “It takes forever to get somebody out there, inspectors come through and can be adversarial in some cases, and getting responses from state can be challenging in some cases. But [in Chicago and Illinois,] the city and state were a pleasure to work with. Not to say they rubber stamped us, but they were really responsive and got back to us quickly.”
CHICAGO, August 6, 2020 -PRESS RELEASE- Cresco Labs, one of the largest vertically integrated multistate cannabis operators in the United States, announced today the opening of its new retail location in Schaumburg, a northwestern suburb of Chicago. The Sunnyside dispensary, Cresco’s retail chain, is the company’s ninth in Illinois.
“We are thrilled to bring the Sunnyside retail experience to the largest shopping mall in Illinois. The Woodfield Mall is home to hundreds of shops and restaurants, and in a normal year attracts more than 27 million visitors,” said Charlie Bachtell, Cresco Labs’ CEO and co-founder. “We continue to focus on building a strategic retail footprint to showcase our brands and deliver customers the Sunnyside experience. Our Illinois retail footprint compliments the 215,000 square feet of cultivation we have in the state, driving strong retail and wholesale growth.”
The new store will employ 40 people and feature nearly 20 points of sale. Sunnyside Schaumburg is over 11,500 square feet, making it Cresco’s largest dispensary in both Illinois and its nationwide retail portfolio.
Cresco has nine Sunnyside dispensaries open in Illinois: Wrigleyville Chicago, River North Chicago, Elmwood Park, Buffalo Grove, Rockford, Champaign, Danville, South Beloit and now Schaumburg. Cresco’s tenth Illinois store, located in Chicago’s central district, is expected to open by year-end.
]]>CLEVELAND, OH -- AUGUST 6, 2020 -- Cannabis Conference Virtual, produced by Cannabis Business Times, Cannabis Dispensary, and Hemp Grower magazines, will bring the industry together for a special digital event, taking place September 15, 22 and 29, 2020.
Attendees will have access to in-depth educational sessions delivered by more than 50 leading experts, a virtual expo hall with companies dedicated to the success of the industry as well as ample networking opportunities throughout the event—all from the comfort and safety of their home or office.
Cannabis Conference Virtual’s educational programming will be split into three, day-long tracks:
September 15: Launch, Expansion, Business September 22: Cultivation & HempSeptember 29: Dispensary / Deal-Making SummitThe virtual expo and networking opportunities will available on all three days of the event.
Cannabis Conference Virtual will offer nearly the entire educational program planned for its original in-person event scheduled earlier this year, as well as new sessions and speakers. “We are so pleased that we are still able to bring the high-quality education we’re known for, now in a virtual format,” said Editorial Director Noelle Skodzinski. “Our speaker line-up includes company executives and leaders, university researchers, industry consultants and others at the top of their field who are eager to share their expert insights.”
“While the coronavirus pandemic has hindered our ability to meet in-person, it’s incredibly important for us—especially as members of an essential industry—to continue to offer innovative educational and networking solutions for our audiences and partners,” said Group Publisher Jim Gilbride. “We’ve produced convenient, compelling virtual conferences long before the pandemic necessitated this format, and we are looking forward to using that experience to provide the best in cannabis education from our exceptional line-up of speakers.”
Announces $2.8 million Sales Contract in July COLORADO: Surna announced today that it recently signed a sales contract valued at $2.8 million. The project in Illinois is for a multi-state operator with whom Surna has worked on previous facilities in other states. The facility is approximately 88,000 square feet, of which approximately 66,000 square feet Read the full article...
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: As national support for federal marijuana legalization continues to climb, the U.S. House of Representatives today approved important legislation to protect state, territory, and tribal cannabis programs from federal interference. The amendment, introduced by U.S. Reps. Earl Blumenauer (D-CO), Tom McClintock (R-CA), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), and Barbara Lee (D-CA), was approved Read the full article...
Michigan’s Marijuana Regulatory Agency is removing a requirement that businesses must hold a medical cannabis business license to apply for an adult-use permit, meaning that entrepreneurs can apply for standalone adult-use cannabis licenses starting Nov. 1, according to a Benzinga report.
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 until 2021, Benzinga reported, in an effort to give a competitive advantage to the operators who had developed the state’s medical cannabis industry.
The legislation offered the Marijuana Regulatory Agency the option to remove these provisions after one year, and Andrew Brisbo, the agency’s executive director, told Benzinga that industry stakeholders and regulators have decided to open the market up to non-medical cannabis licensees in an effort to address social equity issues and promote the creation of equity programs.
