MjLink Cannabis Business News and Press

The pandemic has affected the production of a variety of disinfectants, from hand sanitizer and Clorox wipes, to the latest product in short supply: rubbing alcohol.

These items, intended to clean surfaces, heal cuts and disinfect all sorts of areas of your home, are in high demand during the pandemic for obvious reasons.

But sometimes you need rubbing alcohol for more mundane and non-related COVID-19 activities, like making sure your bong is clean and your hits don’t taste strange. 

Click here to read the complete article

Maria Loreto ~ TheFreshToast.com ~ 

“I feel like everyone’s going to be just fine, and it’s the best thing that could happen to the industry in a very long time.”

Montana medical marijuana patients who get their medication from a dispensary have had to choose a single provider to go to for years.

Provider J.J. Thomas says he’s never believed that was the best option.

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Jonathon Ambarian ~ MTN News via KPAX.com ~ 

States with active medical marijuana laws saw certain opioid prescription rates drop nearly 20 percent compared to prohibition states, a first-of-its-kind study out of Columbia University’s Irving Medical Center has found.

Authors said the findings underscore the importance of providing patients with pain management alternatives, such as cannabis, in efforts to reduce opioid use.

Drug overdoses remain a leading cause of injury-related death in the United States, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 68 percent of those deaths involve illicit or prescription opioids.

Click here to read the complete article

Ben Aldin ~ MarijuanaMoment.net ~ 

Michigan’s recreational marijuana industry last week surpassed $100 million in total sales since the retail industry became legal last December.

Recently, state regulators expanded a program to help people with marijuana convictions get a foothold in Michigan’s legal cannabis industry.

The intent of the Social Equity Program is to promote and encourage participation in Michigan’s cannabis industry by people from communities disproportionately impacted by marijuana prohibition.

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Steve Carmody ~ MichiganRadio.org ~ 

The coronavirus pandemic has added another wrinkle to navigating state versus federal regulations when it comes to gaining access to banking services by marijuana-related businesses.

Before the pandemic, more than half the states in the U.S. had authorized some form of legalized marijuana use.

In response to the coronavirus, most of these states with legalized cannabis have declared marijuana sales to be “essential,” and said those businesses should remain open, or at least offer delivery or curbside pickup.

Click here to read the complete article

David Cotney ~ AmericanBanker.com ~

A California group is fighting to end a federal prohibition that makes it impossible for veterans to get cannabis through the VA.

Alex is 34 and lives outside of Sacramento. Like many Californians, he vapes marijuana concentrate for a variety of health problems such as anxiety.

But even though he lives within a half-hour drive of a legal dispensary, Alex purchases his cannabis on what he likes to call the “duty-free” market. 

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Bruce Kennedy ~ Politico.com ~

“Although we live in a world of unpredictability, COVID can’t stop the sun from shining nor can it stop the seeds from sprouting.”

On a work trip to China in late January, Frank Qin noticed something that would later influence the way he does business in the face of a pandemic.

“There were areas in China where there was a complete lockdown. People could step outside their homes only so many times a week, so some started growing produce in their balconies,” says Qin, founder of Markham, Ont.-based Mary Agrotechnologies Inc.

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Anisha Dhiman ~ TheGrowthOp.com ~ 

Cannabis and sports might not seem like they mix. But for some athletes, the drug is an integral part of their success.

On a typical Saturday, at 4:30 am, Boulder, Colorado-based competitive ultramarathoner Flavie Dokken takes 5mg of Wana Recreational Tarts, puts on her running shoes, and heads out for a five-hour run.

But Dokken is not your typical stoner, she uses cannabis as part of her workout routine and she is sponsored by Wana Brands, a cannabis company that produces cannabis-infused products. 

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Deana Bianco ~ Vice.com ~ 

First tribal nation in Minnesota to vote in favor of medical cannabis.

Members of Red Lake Nation voted to approve the production, regulation and distribution of medical marijuana on Wednesday, May 20.

This move makes history in a few ways: Red Lake Nation will become the first entity in the state to retail medical cannabis in flower form and the first tribal nation in Minnesota to vote in favor of a medical cannabis referendum. 

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Hannah Olson ~ Inforum.com ~ 

Pot shops are once again open for business in Massachusetts — with some limited operations and new guidelines.

Under the state's reopening plan, recreational marijuana stores are now allowed to take online and phone orders to offer curbside pickup to customers.

"We're just excited," said Kobie Evans, co-owner of Pure Oasis in Dorchester. "We're looking forward to seeing our staff and our customers, and really want to make sure that people are safe and staying healthy and, you know, just looking forward to this new opportunity to be open after being closed for so long."

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Zeninjor Enwemeka ~ WBUR.org ~ 

Cannabis has powerful anxiolytic (anti-anxiety) properties, and when administered as-needed, can provide relief from several anxiety disorders.

Anxiety, like marijuana, comes with a stigma, but with the increasing impact of anxiety disorders on family life and the economy, it’s no wonder everyone seems to be looking for a salve.

The relationship between cannabis and anxiety disorders exists, but remains wholly misunderstood.

Anxiety presents differently in every patient, and there is no definitive cure with conventional drugs, so just imagine something as variant as the cannabis plant.

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The governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) unveiled a revised marijuana legalization bill on Wednesday, making a series of changes to previously introduced legislation and transmitting it to the Senate for consideration.

Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. (D), who pushed for legalization as part of his State of the Territory address in January and previously called lawmakers into a special session to take up the issue, said in a letter to Senate President Novelle Francis Jr. (D) that the revisions to the bill were the product of “listening discussions with multiple senators and the general public.” 

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Kyle Jaeger ~ MarijuanaMoment.net ~ 

There’s not a lot of research on cannabis use and its impact on athletes. Here’s what some experts have to say on the matter.

Rest days are very important for people who work out regularly.

The more people physically exert themselves, the more they realize how important these days off are, whether they’re doing active recovery or spending the day chilling out.

Can marijuana play a role in this?

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The Buckeye State's marijuana industry has certainly developed since sales began in January 2019.

It has been a good few months for Ohio's medical marijuana business.

Through May 11, there has been about $57 million in marijuana retail sales — about on par with how much marijuana was sold in the entire first year of sales in 2019.

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Jeremy Nobile ~ CrainsCleveland.com ~ 

With the cannabis landscape changing quickly in Canada, doctors are looking for advice.

Most Canadian pediatricians are shying away from medical cannabis for patients, knowing that it can hurt the developing brain and that there isn’t much research to guide them.

But physicians say they are getting increasing requests for cannabis from parents, for a growing list of conditions.

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Michelle Ward ~ TheConversation.com ~ 

There’s no denying that coffee and cannabis are both popular. What’s perhaps less clear is how coffee and cannabis consumption overlap, but with the rise of infused coffee products, it’s safe to say pairing coffee with cannabis is pretty common.

Personally, I’ve consumed coffee and cannabis almost daily for nearly a decade and they both enrich my life.

Still, mixing them harmoniously has been a journey for me.

Initially, I found the pairing unsettling: The taste of my pipe ruined the taste of my coffee, and I became unbearably jittery when I smoked weed with my morning java.

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Lawmakers in Oregon have been at the forefront of national efforts to give legal producers a way to export out of state.

Oregon farmers grow a lot more cannabis than Oregonians consume, and what happens to the excess depends entirely on what kind of grower you happen to be.

In the legal market, licensed companies are currently sitting on a surplus of roughly one million pounds, enough to keep the state stoned at current levels for six years.

Click here to read the complete article

David Bienenstock ~ Leafly.com ~ 

The pandemic has affected the production of a variety of disinfectants, from hand sanitizer and Clorox wipes, to the latest product in short supply: rubbing alcohol.

These items, intended to clean surfaces, heal cuts and disinfect all sorts of areas of your home, are in high demand during the pandemic for obvious reasons.

But sometimes you need rubbing alcohol for more mundane and non-related COVID-19 activities, like making sure your bong is clean and your hits don’t taste strange. 

Click here to read the complete article

Maria Loreto ~ TheFreshToast.com ~ 

States with active medical marijuana laws saw certain opioid prescription rates drop nearly 20 percent compared to prohibition states, a first-of-its-kind study out of Columbia University’s Irving Medical Center has found.

Authors said the findings underscore the importance of providing patients with pain management alternatives, such as cannabis, in efforts to reduce opioid use.

Drug overdoses remain a leading cause of injury-related death in the United States, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 68 percent of those deaths involve illicit or prescription opioids.

Click here to read the complete article

Ben Aldin ~ MarijuanaMoment.net ~ 

The coronavirus pandemic has added another wrinkle to navigating state versus federal regulations when it comes to gaining access to banking services by marijuana-related businesses.

Before the pandemic, more than half the states in the U.S. had authorized some form of legalized marijuana use.

In response to the coronavirus, most of these states with legalized cannabis have declared marijuana sales to be “essential,” and said those businesses should remain open, or at least offer delivery or curbside pickup.

Click here to read the complete article

David Cotney ~ AmericanBanker.com ~