MjLink Cannabis Business News and Press

Illinois officials are allowing medical cannabis businesses to extend their operating hours in an attempt to prioritize patients, according to The State Journal-Register.

Supply problems have plagued the state since adult-use sales launched Jan. 1, causing some dispensaries to shorten their business hours or set limits on how much product customers can purchase.

Illinois’ law previously set 8 p.m. as the cut-off time for medical cannabis sales, while adult-use sales were permitted until 10 p.m., The State Journal-Register reported. Now, medical sales can also continue until 10 p.m., according to a Feb. 7 statement issued by the Illinois Department and Professional Regulation.

State officials said in the statement that dispensaries cannot designate products for adult-use customers only, and indicated that any retailers limiting the amount of products that customers can purchase should use higher caps for medical cannabis patients than for adult-use customers, according to The State Journal-Register.

Illinois adult-use cannabis sales reached nearly $40 million in January, with dispensaries selling more than 970,000 items.

Colorado State University-Pueblo received state approval Friday for the state’s first cannabis-related degree program, to be launched this fall.

The program — called “Cannabis, Biology and Chemistry” — will focus on the science necessary to work in the cannabis field, with coursework similar to double-majoring in biology and chemistry, said David Lehmpuhl, dean of CSU-Pueblo’s College of Science and Mathematics.

“It’s a rigorous degree geared toward the increasing demand coming about because of the cannabis industry,” Lehmpuhl said. 

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Elizabeth Hernandez ~ DenverPost.com ~  

This week, Aurora Cannabis Founder and CEO Terry Booth announced his retirement, effective immediately, as Executive Chairman Michael Singer stepped in as interim CEO. Elsewhere, Subcool, a legendary cannabis breeder, passed away after a long battle with illness.

Here, we’ve rounded up the 10 headlines you need to know before this week is over.

Federal: Dave Bowman, known to the cannabis world as Subcool, died on Feb. 1. He had been ill for quite some time, battling Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency and emphysema, as well as the fallout from a divorce and a California wildfire that took nearly everything he’d worked to create in cannabis. Read moreNew Mexico: A New Mexico court has ruled that the state’s licensed medical cannabis producers can claim a tax deduction for prescription medication, which could affect both patients’ costs and the state budget. The recent ruling, handed down by a three-judge panel in a unanimous decision, overturned a hearing officer’s previous decision. Read moreColorado: Lawmakers and other state officials have launched several campaigns aimed at providing more guidance and protection for financial institutions that serve the state’s legal cannabis industry. While federal prohibition continues to deter financial institutions from working with state-legal cannabis businesses, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis and the Department of Regulatory Agencies have released a new report titled “Roadmap to Cannabis Banking and Financial Services,” which outlines their goals of providing regulatory guidance and reducing barriers to loans, lines of credit and account access for cannabis businesses. Read moreMinnesota: House Democratic Majority Leader Ryan Winkler has outlined guiding principles for an adult-use cannabis legalization bill in the state. Previously, Winkler announced plans to introduce legislation based on the “Be Heard on Cannabis” discussions he hosted around the state last year to gather public input on legalization. Read moreRhode Island: Lawmakers voted Feb. 4 to abandon legislative veto powers over the state’s medical cannabis and hemp regulations, which they awarded themselves in a state budget proposal last summer. This provision resulted in a legal battle with Gov. Gina Raimondo late last year when Raimondo filed a lawsuit in October against the General Assembly to take exclusive control of medical cannabis and hemp regulation. Read moreMissouri: The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services has awarded six seed-to-sale tracking companies licenses to operate in the state’s forthcoming medical cannabis market. The licensees are MJ Freeway, Bio-Tech Medical Software, Swin, Artemis Agtech, Validated Housing and Retail Innovation. Read moreNew Hampshire: The New Hampshire Senate passed a bill Feb. 6 in a voice vote that would allow patients and caregivers to grow a limited supply of cannabis. S.B. 420 will now proceed to the House of Representatives, which has passed similar legislation in the past with strong majority support. Read moreConnecticut: Gov. Ned Lamont is renewing his push to legalize adult-use cannabis, and has introduced a legalization bill for lawmakers to consider during the 2020 legislative session. Lamont announced during his Feb. 5 State of the State address that legalization is necessary to keep Connecticuters safe, and has introduced a bill to legalize adult-use cannabis for adults 21 and older, test for impaired drivers, and support racial and ethnic minorities in their participation in a forthcoming adult-use market in the state. Read moreMassachusetts: The Massachusetts House passed a bill Feb. 5 that would increase the Cannabis Control Commission’s (CCC) ability to regulate community host agreements, or the contracts between municipalities and the cannabis businesses they host. Lawmakers voted 121-33 to approve the legislation, which would allow the CCC to review and enforce the agreements. Read moreCanada: Aurora Cannabis Founder and CEO Terry Booth has announced retirement, and Executive Chairman Michael Singer has been appointed as interim CEO, effective immediately. The company has also announced a business transformation plan that better aligns with selling, general and administrative expenses, and capital expenditures with current market conditions. Read more

Ex-Seattle Seahawk is founder of “Zone In” line of CBD products MASSACHUSETTS: Former All-Pro Seattle Seahawks linebacker Lofa Tatupu will headline the 2020 New England Cannabis Convention, which returns to the Hynes Convention Center in Boston, March 20-22nd, 2020. In October 2019 Tatupu founded the CBD company Zone In following an NFL career that spanned six seasons and was cut Read the full article...

In the months since Green Peak Innovations CEO Jeff Radway donned the cover of the June 2019 issue

of CBT, the company has already gone through a world of change. Michigan recently legalized adult-use cannabis sales, which started in December. And while Green Peak didn't start rec sales at its Skymint store in Ann Arbor until January, the company was the first large-scale, vertically integrated cannabis producer for adult-use in the state. Here, Radway shares how the company scrambled to jump on adult-use sales, how he balances inventory for two different consumers and the lessons he’s learned from a new market.

Cannabis Business Times: Can you give me an update on what's changed for the company since June?

Amid a years-long labor shortage, workers in California’s wine region are headed to cannabis jobs offering better pay, working conditions.

Maria Vilchis had reached her breaking point. She couldn’t manage one more season working for a vineyard.

For years, she’d survived on temporary jobs picking wine grapes and cleaning barrels in wine cellars throughout the Salinas Valley.

But the hard labor was taking a toll on her body and the seasonal income wasn’t enough to support her family.

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How many jobs are there in the legal marijuana industry? Leafly’s annual Cannabis Jobs Report found 243,700 full-time-equivalent (FTE) jobs supported by legal cannabis as of January 2020.

That’s a 15% year-over-year increase. Over the past 12 months the expanding industry has created 33,700 new jobs nationwide, making legal marijuana the fastest-growing industry in America.

This year’s jobs count found Massachusetts, Oklahoma, and Illinois leading the employment expansion. 

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Bruce Barcott, David Downs, and Ian Chant ~ Leafly.com ~ 

"Every report we've got so far, those communities that have been awarded licenses seem to be very excited to have the opportunity for more jobs and a boost in their economy."

Julie Picton grew up in California but said she now can't imagine living anywhere except rural Missouri.

"The country grows on you," the 50-year Vandalia resident said. For the past five years, Picton has worked at Firestone and Appliance and Furniture, but the business has been an integral part of Vandalia for much longer.

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Caroline Dade ~ KOMU.com ~

By: Jacob La Cava It’s no secret that the life of an athlete can be rough. Hour after hour of cardio, lifting weights and refining your skill set is bound to be accompanied by soreness and other ailments that, if ignored, could lead to greater risk of injury. Of course, if you’re serious about your Read the full article...

  OHIO: The State of Ohio Board of Pharmacy today awarded a Dispensary Certificate of Operation to Herbology, located at 1220 Buchholzer Blvd., Cuyahoga Falls. The Board has now issued 49 Dispensary Certificates of Operation. The interactive map of Dispensaries with Certificates of Operation will be updated within two business days.

The Massachusetts House passed a bill Feb. 5 that would increase the Cannabis Control Commission’s (CCC) ability to regulate community host agreements, or the contracts between municipalities and the cannabis businesses they host.

Lawmakers voted 121-33 to approve the legislation, which would allow the CCC to review and enforce the agreements, according to a MassLive.com report.

State law requires cannabis business license applicants to enter into a host community agreement with a city or town before the CCC will consider their applications. Current regulations mandate that the agreements should not last more than five years, and that municipalities should not impose fees above a maximum of 3% of gross sales, which is meant to offset the local impacts of the business, MassLive.com reported.

The legislation that the House approved Wednesday would allow municipalities to waive the requirement to have a host community agreement at all, according to the news outlet, as well as clarify that the five-year duration of the agreements begins on the day the business starts operations. The bill also specifies that no financial obligations are permitted in the agreements other than the maximum fee of 3% gross sales.

Issues with Massachusetts’ host community agreements were brought into the national spotlight last year, when Falls River Mayor Jasiel Correia was arrested for extorting hundreds of thousands of dollars from cannabis businesses by accepting bribes in exchange for license approval.

Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont is renewing his push to legalize adult-use cannabis, and has introduced a legalization bill for lawmakers to consider during the 2020 legislative session.

Lamont announced during his Feb. 5 State of the State address that legalization is necessary to keep Connecticuters safe, according to a CBS New York report. Lamont also reiterated his desire for a regional approach to cannabis policy reform.

“Legalized marijuana is just a short drive away in Massachusetts and New York is soon to follow,” he said during his State of the State address. “I believe that a coordinated, regional regulation is our best chance to protect public health by displacing illicit sellers and replacing them with trusted providers.”

Lamont joined the governors of Pennsylvania and New Jersey at New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Regional Cannabis Regulation and Vaping Summit in October, where the governors took initial steps to explore a unified adult-use legalization plan for the Northeast states.

Lamont has worked for several weeks with the chairmen of key legislative committees and has proposed comprehensive legislation to legalize adult-use cannabis for adults 21 and older, test for impaired drivers, and support racial and ethnic minorities in their participation in a forthcoming adult-use market in the state, according to The Wilton Bulletin.

North Carolina hemp farmers continue to work, for now, under the 2014 Farm Bill’s industrial hemp pilot program. Because that legal framework expires in October, hemp farmers in North Carolina are anxiously awaiting word from the state: Will the North Carolina Department of Agriculture submit its own rules for 2020, or will the state divert farmers to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s interim final rule?

“We have a real timing issue now,” said Marne Coit, a researcher with the North Carolina State University Extension, as she addressed the North Carolina Industrial Hemp Association’s annual meeting Feb. 1. It’s possible that the state won’t pass its 2019 Farm Act anytime soon, forcing farmers to apply for licenses under the USDA plan. But then, if North Carolina’s agriculture department gets around to setting up its own hemp rules, farmers may still need to apply at the state level—potentially setting up a showdown between two sets of rules during one growing season.

The hand-wringing now follows months of the same. Back in December, the North Carolina Industrial Hemp Commission wrote an open letter to USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue, urging a bit of flexibility for states with a few years of experience overseeing hemp cultivation. “We have significant concerns with the interim final rule as it is currently written,” the commission wrote, “especially as it relates to our experience creating and implementing a compliant industrial hemp program in North Carolina through three growing seasons since 2017. … While some uniformity in regulating the industry is important, to date each state with a research pilot program has had the flexibility to create a flexible program that balances compliance with developing a new industry.”

The commission went on to specifically cite an industry need for a 1% THC cap.

“Based on our experience operating a hemp program in North Carolina, we have found that non-compliant hemp samples rarely exceed 1.0% THC,” according to the letter. “These non-compliant samples with THC levels > 1.0% often occur because of weather, production issues and/or other factors that spike THC levels. We do not feel that these growers have intentions of growing an illegal substance. We also have concern that growers who produce industrial hemp with borderline THC levels will face enormous economic losses in a program that is intended to stimulate the farm economy. Therefore, we respectfully request that a negligence threshold of 1.0% THC be adopted.”

As Agricultural Marketing Service Administrator Bruce Summers pointed out in a conference call with reporters this week, no one should be holding their breath and waiting for 1% cap to show up in legislative language. 

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New Hampshire lawmakers have again launched cannabis legalization efforts this year, this time taking a criminal justice approach to the issue.

H.B. 1648 would legalize the possession and limited home cultivation of cannabis for adults 21 and older, and may be more palatable to lawmakers than past legislation aimed at creating a taxed and regulated cannabis market in the state, according to Matt Simon, New England political director for the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP).

“It just eliminates the existing civil penalty for possessing up to three-quarters of an ounce,” Simon told Cannabis Business Times. “It eliminates criminal penalties for possessing up to six plants, of which three can be mature, and that’s pretty much it. There is no regulation or tax component. It’s a straight-up criminal justice reform, similar to what Vermont passed in 2018.”

The House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee approved the bill Jan. 28 in a 13-7 vote, and a full House vote is expected sometime this month.

“It’s significant,” Simon said. “It passed in a 13-7 vote and last year, the legalization bill passed in a 10-9 vote, so we gained three votes, which could be attributed to the issue evolving [or] to the bill being simpler and not having a complex regulatory and tax proposal along with it. Either way, it’s a sign of momentum. It’s a sign that we’re continuing to gain support in the House.”

Since the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) published its interim final rule (IFR) on hemp, thousands of people, organizations and agencies have spoken up about their qualms with the regulations. 

While the USDA won’t be solidifying those regulations with a final rule until 2021, a department official recently hinted at what facets of it may be revised—and which ones may have a more permanent fate.

During a conference call with media Feb. 6, Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) Administrator Bruce Summers discussed which provisions of the IFR the USDA may consider reexamining.

The IFR was based on the Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018 (the 2018 Farm Bill), which Summers says provided definitions and requirements that had to be incorporated into the IFR. In other words, anything dictated by the 2018 Farm Bill must be approved by Congress and passed into law to change.

During the IFR’s comment period, which ended Jan. 29, the USDA received nearly 4,700 suggestions. The main concerns shared by those who commented include:

the number of labs registered by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is far too sparse to require testing at them.

EDMONTON, Feb. 6, 2020 /CNW/ - PRESS RELEASE - Aurora Cannabis Inc. (the "Company" or "Aurora") (NYSE | TSX: ACB), the Canadian company defining the future of cannabis worldwide, today announced a CEO succession and Board expansion; the latter of which is detailed in a separate announcement released this afternoon. The Company also announced a business transformation plan that better aligns selling, general & administrative expenses, and capital expenditures with current market conditions.

These combined changes are consistent with, and evidence of Aurora's commitment to, achieving positive EBITDA and cash flow as rapidly as possible, while still maintaining the ability to capitalize on longer-term Canadian and global cannabis market opportunities.

CEO Succession

Aurora CEO Terry Booth stated, "Over the last seven years, Aurora has built an incredible platform and a leading position in the global Cannabis industry. I am proud and humbled to have led that journey with a deeply talented and passionate team of employees. While there is still much work to be done, the timing is right to announce my retirement with a thoughtful succession plan in place and the immediate expansion of the Board of Directors. These changes, along with the financial transformation which we are undertaking, should clearly demonstrate to investors that Aurora has the continuity, strategic direction and leadership it needs to transition from its entrepreneurial roots to an established organization well positioned to capitalize on a global growth opportunity. In that spirit, and with my full support, the Board of Directors has appointed Michael Singer as Interim CEO effective immediately." Booth continued, "As part of the succession plan, I will become a Senior Strategic Advisor to the Board and remain a Director. Additionally, we're welcoming new independent members; Lance Friedmann and Michael Detlefsen who bring a wealth of strategic and hands-on consumer products industry experience to the organization."

Michael Singer, Aurora's Executive Chairman and Interim CEO stated, "I look forward to serving as Interim CEO and executing on our short-term plans, which include a rationalization of our cost structure, reduced capital spending, and a more conservative and targeted approach to capital deployment. These are necessary steps that reflect a fundamental change in how we will operate the business going forward." Singer continued, "On behalf of the Board of Directors, I want to thank Terry for his leadership over the years. He's made an indelible mark on the industry and left an enviable legacy in the form of Aurora Cannabis and the potential that exists for the Company over the coming decades. As one of the original cannabis visionaries, Terry is an invaluable resource with deep industry knowledge that we can leverage strategically. I look forward to having him continue on as a Senior Strategic Advisor to our Board of Directors."

MACKLIN, SK, Feb. 5, 2020 /CNW/ - PRESS RELEASE - 1193269 BC Ltd., doing business as Shelter, has announced a definitive agreement to acquire Agro Greens Natural Products Ltd.

Based in Macklin, Saskatchewan, Agro Greens holds standard cultivation and standard processing licences, as well as licences for medical and non-medical cannabis sales. The acquisition of the Saskatchewan facility and its federal licences is a significant expansion of capabilities for Shelter, a BC-based cannabis branding, packaging and product development company.

Through the Agro Greens facility, Shelter has already brought its Wildlife brand of cannabis pre-rolls to market in almost two dozen stores in Saskatchewan. Post-acquisition, Shelter's product development capabilities will encompass every step of bringing cannabis products to Canada's regulated market.

The acquisition and planned expansion are a homecoming of sorts for Shelter's Saskatchewan-born founder and CEO, Mark Hauk. "Acquiring the Agro Greens facility is both a massive leap forward for Shelter, and a sentimental return to my home province. My journey into cannabis began in Saskatchewan, and I'm proud to bring this business back home to grow."

Shelter plans to expand the Agro Greens facility and operate it as a new division, Shelter Farmstead. Shelter Farmstead will be dedicated to producing Shelter's in-house products under existing and future contemplated brands such as Wildlife, Journey, Botany and Wayfarer. Shelter Farmstead will also be the center of work for Shelter's co-packing and processing agreements with other licensed producers.

LOS ANGELES, CA, Feb. 04, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NEWMEDIAWIRE -- PRESS RELEASE -- Agritek Holdings, Inc., a fully integrated, active real estate investor for the cannabis sector, has announced that the company has entered into an agreement to acquire for a sale lease back its first cannabis zoned industrial property located in Pompano Beach, Fla. The 15,000-square-foot building, originally zoned as a licensed methadone clinic, has met initial zoning approval as the first property within the Florida municipality for licensed cultivation or manufacturing operation. Agritek Holdings will acquire the property from a Maryland-based real estate investment trust now partnered with the company for future property acquisitions within the sector.

Agritek Holdings Inc., with real estate footholds in Colorado, California and Oregon, will seek to fund future real estate properties and development projects within an initial pipeline of properties for sale and leaseback as well as right-of-first-refusal letters of intent and contract offers until June 31, 2022.

“The rental income and advisory services proceeds generated from our newly expanding real estate portfolio will be utilized to create long-term shareholder value through the build out of our acquisition efforts to further expand our footprint within the cannabis sector,” stated B. Michael Friedman, interim CEO of Agritek Holdings.

This sale-leaseback transaction will mark Agritek Holdings’ first proposed property acquisition and leaseback transaction this year, with additional proposed transactions for GMP facilities in both California and Oregon expected to be completed upon additional funding of its real estate division.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., Feb. 05, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PRESS RELEASE -- Combined patient sales from the 34 licensed producers in New Mexico’s Medical Cannabis Program totaled $129 million in 2019, an increase of $23 million or 22% over reported patient sales in 2018.

Patient enrollment grew by 19% during the same period, from 67,574 patients as of Dec. 31, 2018, to 80,257 patients as of Dec. 31, 2019, according to data published by the New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH).

2019 Breakdown

Altogether, the state’s top five providers accounted for 49% of the reported patient sales in 2019 and 60% of the industry’s $23 million of revenue growth recognized from 2018 to 2019.

The following providers with comparable sales in 2018 and 2019 reported the following patient revenue:

Concord, N.H. — PRESS RELEASE — On Thursday, the New Hampshire Senate passed a bill in a voice vote that would allow patients and caregivers to grow a limited supply of cannabis. SB 420 will now proceed to the House of Representatives, which has passed similar legislation in the past with strong majority support.

SB 420 would allow possession of three mature plants, three immature plants and 12 seedlings for each patient. Under current law, home cultivation is classified as a felony. There are now more than 8,000 Granite Staters that are enrolled in the state’s therapeutic cannabis program. This bill is critically important because many patients are unable to afford dispensary products, which are not covered by health insurance. For some patients, home cultivation is simply the best, most affordable option.

Last year, the New Hampshire House and Senate passed a similar bill that would have allowed patients and caregivers to grow a limited supply of cannabis. Gov. Chris Sununu vetoed the bill. The House voted to override his veto, but the Senate fell three votes short of doing so.

Matt Simon, New England political director at the Marijuana Policy Project, said, “This bill presents Gov. Sununu with a great opportunity to continue his evolution on cannabis policy. Patients all over New Hampshire are benefitting from cannabis as an alternative to opioids, but many are unable to afford the expensive products that are available at dispensaries. Home cultivation is a cost-effective option that is available to patients and adults in all neighboring jurisdictions, and there is no good reason it should remain a crime for patients in the ‘Live Free or Die’ state.”