Nancy Southern: Teaching Seniors About Cannabis Medicine

3/12/2021

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Introducing THE FRESH CUT, hosted by Cara Wietstock, a new series featuring the operators who are paving the way for the future of our industry! Cara’s experience in the cannabis industry has ranged from working at premier dispensaries, running a dispatch for a medical cannabis delivery service in California, gaining first-hand experience in a hydroponic grow operation, freelance writing for various industry publications, and now serves as the Culture Editor for Ganjapreneur.

In the first episode of The Fresh Cut, Cara speaks with Nancy Southern, an adult educator and medical cannabis consultant whose mission is to teach seniors about cannabis medicine and empower them to live more comfortable and enjoyable lives. Nancy is also an advocate for women in the cannabis industry and speaks about her involvement with The Cannabis Alliance in Washington State.

This interview dives deep into how Nancy introduces the topics of the endocannabinoid system and whole plant medicine to seniors who grew up during the Reefer Madness era. If you’ve ever thought about how to recommend medical cannabis to your parents or grandparents but were unsure how to do it or were afraid they wouldn’t take you seriously, this is a show you won’t want to miss!

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Big Tobacco Firm Invests $175M in Canadian Cannabis Brand

3/12/2021

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British American Tobacco (BAT) is set to buy a near 20% stake in Canadian licensed producer Organigram for about $175.81 million, CNBC reports. The move comes less than a month after the company’s Chief Marketing Officer Kingsley Wheaton called CBD “an exciting growth area” for the company’s “business for the future.”

The investment makes BAT Organigram’s largest shareholder.

In a statement to CNBC, BAT said Organigram “has a proven track record of consumer-led innovation and developing high quality adult-use recreational and medical cannabis products, which are legally available in Canada.” The world’s second-largest tobacco company will be able to appoint two directors to Organigram’s board.

Both BAT and Organigram will contribute scientists, researchers, and product developers to a Center of Excellence, which will be established at Organigram’s New Brunswick facility, BAT said in the report. BAT will also have access to research and development technologies, product innovation, and cannabis expertise.

BAT’s brands include American Spirit, Camel, Pall Mall, Rothman’s, Newport, Lucky Strike, Kent, and Dunhill cigarettes, oral tobacco brands Camel Snus and Grizzly, and vape and non-combustible brands Vuse, Vype, Glo, and Velo. Earlier this year it launched a pilot CBD vape product in Manchester, England.

In January, the world’s third-largest tobacco company, Altria Group, registered in Virginia to lobby on cannabis policy. Last year, it hired Denver, Colorado-based Brownstein Hyatt Farber Shreck, one of the nation’s top cannabis and hemp law firms, to lobby Congress on federal policies related to CBD and “non-tobacco excise taxes.” Altria owns 45% of Canadian licensed producer Cronos Group after investing $1.8 billion in the company in 2018. It also filed for two cannabis vaporizer technology patents in 2020.

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Illinois Bill Would Prevent Former Regulators from Entering Cannabis Industry

3/12/2021

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A bill introduced in Illinois would prevent former cannabis regulators and their family members from accepting employment from licensed operators or passively investing in the firms, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. Under the current law, individuals with regulatory ties and their family members are barred from applying for or holding industry licenses and from having an interest in a licensee unless it’s a passive investment in a publicly traded company.

According to the report, at least five former state cannabis regulators have roles or passive investments with a licensed cannabis company along with one state lawmaker and the spouse of another.

Candace Gingrich, the spouse of Democratic state Rep. Kelly Cassidy, was named as vice president of business development for Revolution Florida, a “sister company” Revolution Global, a month after cannabis was legalized in Illinois. Since 2017, Cassidy has received at least $15,550 in campaign contributions from individuals and entities tied to the state’s cannabis industry, the report says, including $4,000 from Revolution and its former chief executive.

State Rep. Bob Morgan, also a Democrat, is now a partner at Benesch, a law firm with a cannabis practice, where he represents Michigan-based cannabis cultivator Red Arrow. Morgan was the state’s first medical cannabis program coordinator and supported statewide legalization following his election in 2019. According to the report, he’s received $57,250 in campaign contributions from cannabis-linked donors, with about $34,350 coming from companies he represented or individuals affiliated with them.

“Although Representative Moylan’s idea builds off the existing cannabis industry ethics laws, I would broaden this approach to any matter before the general assembly, institute a revolving door ban for lawmakers, mandate personal financial disclosures of assets and liabilities modeled after federal rules, and create severe criminal penalties for lawmakers for breaching them.” – Morgan to the Sun-Times

The Secretary of State’s Office is also investigating state Sen. Patricia Van Pelt (D) for holding cannabis-related seminars and heading a company that intended to obtain industry licenses.

The measure would not affect the five former regulators now with links to the industry or seeking licenses, which include:

  • Former director of the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) Jay Stewart, who is now a consultant with Green Renaissance Illinois.
  • Cook County Commissioner and former Deputy Director of medical cannabis program Bridget Degnen, who has collected at least $14,700 in campaign contributions from the cannabis industry and joined AmeriCanna Dream.
  • Tara Meyer, who served on the IDFPR from 2017 to 2018 who is now partnered with Americanna Dream.
  • Former medical cannabis program Director Joseph Wright, who has since started a cannabis consultancy service and a cannabis company in Canada called NuSierra.
  • Jeff Cox, who served as Illinois Department of Agriculture’s chief cannabis regulator from 2016 until last June, who is circumventing the current law by offering consulting services to out-of-state cannabis firms.

Moylan called the bill “phase one of multi-pronged legislation” to shine a light on former officials who profit from the industry.

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South Dakota Medical Cannabis Legalization to Proceed As Planned

3/12/2021

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Cannabis legalization and normalization opponents in South Dakota have failed to block the implementation of the state’s voter-approved medical cannabis initiative, the Argus Leader reports.

Since IM 26‘s overwhelming approval by voters in November, Gov. Kristi Noem (R) and members of South Dakota’s House have worked to delay the initiative through a variety of tactics, including the House’s passage of HB 1101 — a bill that sought to delay the medical cannabis roll-out for six months until January 1, 2022. The voter-backed initiative calls for medical cannabis to become legal starting July 1, 2021.

In a last-minute move, South Dakota Senators amended HB 1101 to accept the proposed delay but they added language to decriminalize cannabis for all adults and end the practice of charging people with a crime if cannabis is detected in their blood or urine. The House rejected the changes, which triggered a conference committee between the two chambers; the bill died when the committee failed to reach a compromise, allowing medical cannabis to go into effect as written on July 1.

“The Senate has come together overwhelmingly to offer a plan that allows more time, with concessions of good faith. If those terms aren’t agreeable, we should honor IM 26 as written on July 1, 2021.” — Sen. Mike Rohl (R-Aberdeen), via the Argus Leader

According to a KELOLAND News report, the committee’s compromise ultimately failed in a 3-3 tie.

Speaker of the House Spencer Gosch (R) — who had brought a compromise amendment to the conference that, with provisions like removing home grows and prohibiting any patients under the age of 21, did little to bring the two sides together — said he believes the process is “stuck in a gridlock” and that he did not see “a path forward.”

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New Mexico Senate Speaker ‘Cautiously Optimistic’ About Legalization This Year

3/12/2021

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New Mexico Senate Speaker Brian Egolf (D) said that cannabis legalization is a top priority for state lawmakers this session after the reforms have stalled in the chamber for years, according to a KRQE report.

“We’re still nine days left in the session and in legislative time, the last nine days offers plenty of time for bills to work their way through the session. But I think everyone who is following the issue is cautiously optimistic that something will pass.” – Egolf to KRQE

The legalization bill is currently headed to the Senate Judiciary Committee where it died last year. In late February, the House of Representatives passed the reforms 39-31.

During her State of the State address in January, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signaled strong support for legalization, saying the industry could help the state’s economy “roar back to life” as it emerges from the coronavirus pandemic. She later tweeted that the reforms would lead to “tens of thousands of jobs” and “hundreds of millions in new revenue” for the state.

Democratic Senate Majority Leader Peter Wirth said in a January interview with podcast Growing Forward that he was “feeling more confident” about legalization this year.

During last year’s election anti-legalization Democrats, including the Senate president pro tem and the Finance Committee chair, were defeated by progressive primary challengers, which increased the likelihood of legislative support for legalization.

If approved, adults 21-and-older would be allowed to purchase and possess cannabis products and residents would be allowed to grow up to six cannabis plants in their own homes. Under the proposal, certain medical cannabis dispensaries would be permitted to start selling to adults on January 1, 2022.

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Mexico Passes Cannabis Legalization Bill

3/11/2021

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Lawmakers in Mexico’s Chamber of Deputies approved a bill on Wednesday to legalize the production, distribution, possession, and adult use of cannabis nationwide, the New York Times reports. The bill was approved “in general terms” on a 316-129 vote, according to the report. The bill moves next back to the Senate, where it should easily pass, then to President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who is expected to sign the bill into law.

The legalization bill would let adults legally possess up to 28 grams of cannabis and grow six plants at home. The age requirement for purchasing and consuming cannabis — as well as pursuing a cannabis business license — will be set at 18. Medical cannabis in Mexico will be regulated separately by the Ministry of Health.

“Today we are in a historic moment. With this, the false belief that cannabis is part of Mexico’s serious public health problems is left behind.” — Chamber of Deputies member Simey Olvera, via The Times

Mexico’s Senate approved an early version of the legalization bill last November. The legalization process is finally coming to a head two years after the Mexican Supreme Court ruled that cannabis prohibition was unconstitutional — that ruling’s deadline for legalizing (currently set for April) has been repeatedly pushed back due to the coronavirus and other complications.

Notably, a November poll found the move was not exceedingly popular among Mexico’s residents, with 58% of respondents saying they oppose legalizing cannabis, according to the report. Even cannabis advocates have criticized the government’s plan for not doing enough in terms of social equity and in removing some of the stigmas around cannabis — home growers, for example, will be required to register with the government.

A January Headset report found that Mexicos’ legal cannabis market could be worth over $840 million.

Once Mexico’s legalization law takes effect, the United States will be the last holdout for cannabis prohibition in North America.

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State & Federal Lawmakers Pushing THC Caps for Legal Cannabis

3/11/2021

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Lawmakers in the Florida House Professions & Public Health Subcommittee advanced a proposal on Tuesday seeking to cap the THC content of medical cannabis products in the state at just 10 percent. HB 1455, proposed by Rep. Spencer Roach (R), passed the committee in a 12-6 vote along party lines, with 12 Republicans voting in favor and 6 Democrats opposed, Florida Politics reports.

According to Roach, the bill is supposed to rein in Florida’s medical cannabis industry, which he says is ripe with practices of overprescribing and other abuses that hearken back to the doctor-fueled opioid crisis.

“Doctors and patients are taking advantage of our medical program to do two things: get rich and get high. Period.” — Rep. Roach, via Florida Politics

However, opponents like Florida state Rep. Anna V. Eskamani (D) have pointed out that not only would a THC cap hurt patients due to price hikes and the need to consume (smoke) more cannabis to reach the same amount of relief, they would effectively undo great strides by the industry — which currently supports over 500,000 Floridians — because patients will be forced underground, back to unregulated sources.

“The fact that cancer patients have a higher tolerance means that a [THC] cap could impact their ability to get relief while trying to fight for their lives. I cannot support this bill,” Eskamani said during the hearing.

THC caps — an unfortunate compromise for change?

The Florida bid for a THC cap on smokeable cannabis products is far from the country’s first — earlier this year in Washington state, lawmakers proposed a 30 percent cap on THC in cannabis concentrates, which would have cut the potency of many such products by more than half. And last February, a group of 15 Arizona lawmakers co-sponsored legislation that would have gutted the state’s medical cannabis program by capping THC potency at just 2 percent. Even back in 2016, Colorado lawmakers at one point proposed capping THC content in cannabis flower at 15-16 percent.

Those proposals thankfully failed but the idea of THC caps has become a somewhat common (and worrisome) discussion point for political moderates who have not fully warmed to the need for cannabis reforms. The trend was buoyed, for example, by a recent report from the Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control, which is co-chaired by longtime legalization opponents Texas Sen. John Cornyn (R) and California Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D).

The second item in their report cited increasing THC levels in consumer cannabis products as a concern worth investigating and potentially addressing in future legislation:

“The Caucus urges the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to intensify its research on the short-and long-term impacts associated with high potency cannabis and to make a recommendation, jointly with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), as to whether states should cap the potency of products that may be sold.” — Recommendation from the report

While that’s far from a guarantee that we’ll see some form of THC cap make it into sweeping federal policy changes, some pundits on Capitol Hill believe it’s a sign that THC caps may be included somehow when legalization does occur at the federal level, Forbes reported last week — especially considering that, with the Senate’s 50/50 split, any sweeping cannabis legislation will require the support of at least 10 GOP senators (and all 50 Democrats, including the moderates) to succeed.

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Study: An Eighth of Legal Cannabis Has 41lb Carbon Footprint

3/11/2021

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According to a study published Monday in the journal Nature Sustainability, an eighth of legal cannabis comes with up to a 41-pound carbon footprint, Gizmodo reports. The Colorado State University researchers found that the cumulative greenhouse gas emissions created by one indoor cultivation warehouse was between 5,033 pounds and 11,428 pounds of carbon-equivalent per every 2.2 pounds of dried flower.

In an interview with Gizmodo, Jason Quinn, an associate professor of the mechanical engineering department at Colorado State University and the study’s lead author, said that neither policymakers nor consumers are “paying much attention to environmental impacts of the cannabis industry.”

“There is little to no regulation on emissions for growing cannabis indoors. Consumers aren’t considering the environmental effect either. This industry is developing and expanding very quickly without consideration for the environment.” – Quinn to Gizmodo

Last year, a National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners panel suggested the legal cannabis industry’s energy bill in the U.S. could reach about $11 billion.

Another report last year by Evan Mills, Ph.D. of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and Scott Zeramby, purported that indoor cannabis production used 20 billion kilowatt-hours, produced up to 15 million metric tons of CO2, and ran a monetary expenditure of $6 billion dollars per year.

The CSU study design mimicked a typical cannabis cultivation warehouse – complete with HVAC, grow lights, pesticides and fungicides, and water applied through drip irrigation “at an average rate of 3.8 liters per plant per day.”

The researchers suggest that were indoor cannabis cultivation fully converted to outdoor operations, Colorado would “see a reduction of more than 1.3% in the state’s annual [greenhouse gas] emissions,” an equivalent of 2.3 million tons of carbon.

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Maine Companies Launch Alcohol-Free, Cannabis-Infused Beer

3/11/2021

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Maine-based Novel Beverage and Innovative Liquid Solutions have launched an alcohol-free version of Shipyard Brewing Co.’s Pumpkinhead beer infused with 5 milligrams of THC, NBC Boston reports.

Matt Hawes, Novel Beverage’s co-founder and CEO, said the company’s plan for “THC Elixir,” “has been in the works for a very long time.” The company also plans on brewing and bottling a version under Sea Dog’s Blue Paw Brand – a blueberry wheat ale. Pumpkinhead is a pumpkin-flavored recipe usually released in autumn. Both use nano emulsification technology.

“We’ll continue to see the THC beverage category continue to grow, and it will become a norm to see people at a party or at dinner who, instead of drinking alcohol, are having a THC drink.” – Hawes to NBC Boston

Several states that have legalized cannabis for adult use have passed regulations banning cannabinoids from alcoholic beers, including Oregon and Massachusetts. In 2018, the federal Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau said it would not approve any alcohol formulations that include CBD.

However, several traditional alcohol companies have made cannabis-infused beverages, including California-based Lagunitas Brewing Company. Pabst Blue Ribbon has also lent its name to a cannabis-infused seltzer produced by former employees. In 2018, Molson-Coors announced a partnership with Hydropothecary Corporation to create a cannabis beverage startup.

Last year, Canadian cannabis firm Aphria announced it would acquire SweetWater Brewing Co. for about $300 million. SweetWater is known for terpene-infused, alcoholic seltzers and its 420 brand.

Multinational alcohol distributor Constellation Brands – whose brands include Corona beer and Svedka Vodka – last year upped its stake in Canada’s Canopy Growth to 38.6% after exercising $174.29 million worth of warrants.

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Rhode Island Cannabis Legalization Bill Includes 20% Tax Rate

3/11/2021

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A Rhode Island Senate legalization proposal would legalize cannabis production and distribution across the state, allow Rhode Islanders to possess up to an ounce of cannabis, and establish a 20 percent tax on the industry, WPRI News 12 reports. The proposal is sponsored by Senate Health & Human Services Committee Chairman Joshua Miller (D) and Senate Majority Leader Michael McCaffrey (D).

“Cannabis legalization is a monumental shift in public policy that effectively creates a new economy. We want to ensure as many Rhode Islanders as possible have the opportunity to participate in this new economy.” — Sen. Miller, in a statement

According to the report, Senate President Dominick Ruggerio had directed the two lawmakers to craft the bill, which marked a shift by Ruggerio who previously had only supported medical cannabis.

The Senate bill would set up a five-member Cannabis Control Commission responsible for issuing licenses and crafting market regulations. Towns would automatically get three licenses with additional licenses available for larger cities. Communities would be allowed to block cannabis sales only by a voter referendum. Under the plan, adult-use cannabis would be taxed at a total of 20 percent, with three percent going to local governments, a seven percent sales tax, and a new ten percent tax just for cannabis. Fees for retail stores would be $20,000 and cultivating license costs would range from $20,000 to $100,000. The bill also includes mechanisms for expunging cannabis arrests.

The House appears ambivalent on the topic. House leader Joe Shekarchi has not taken a position but “is open to listening to all stakeholders and the public at House committee hearings,” a spokesperson said.

Gov. Dan McKee, a legalization supporter, will also introduce his own adult-use structure via a budget proposal on Thursday, potentially setting up negotiations that could see Rhode Island soon joining the list of legal cannabis states.

Rhode Island is in the midst of expanding its medical cannabis system from three shops to a total of nine. These shops would potentially be first in line for adult-use licenses.

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Poll: Supermajority of Marylanders Support Legalization

3/11/2021

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A Goucher College poll released on Tuesday found a full two-thirds of Maryland residents support cannabis legalization in the state, the highest point since the college started measuring attitudes about legalization in 2013.

The poll found support for the reforms among 77% of Democrats (18% opposed), 50% of Republicans (47% opposed), and 60% of independents (34% opposed).

In 2019, the poll found 57% of Marylanders supported legalization with 37% opposed. The poll comes as the legislature considers an adult-use legalization bill.

Mileah Kromer, director of the Sarah T. Hughes Field Politics Center at Goucher College, noted that while the college poll has “consistently found that a majority of Marylanders support the legalization,” it is “the first time Republican support has reached 50 percent.”

“This most recent (legalization) effort comes on the heels of four states voting to legalize recreational cannabis by ballot measure this past November and, most recently, New Jersey and Virginia passing adult-use marijuana legalization laws.” – Kromer in a press release

The survey was conducted February 23-28, 2021, and included 725 Maryland adults.

Maryland legalized medical cannabis in 2016 and the industry-derived tax revenues reached about $21.7 million until June 2018. From January 2018 to June 2018, medical cannabis sales in the state topped $34.9 million and reached $106 million over the same period the following year, representing a growth rate of more than 200 percent.

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Federal Lawsuit Alleges Corruption at Verano Holdings

3/10/2021

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Chicago-based cannabis company Verano Holdings is facing a Racketeer Influence and Corrupt Organization, or RICO, lawsuit after allegedly directing an employee to transport cannabis clippings from Illinois to Arkansas, according to a federal complaint outlined by the Chicago Sun-Times.

“In June 2019, [the manager] went to the Verano facility in Illinois, inartfully took clippings from the Verano marijuana, and secreted them in Whole Foods salad. [H]e then took the marijuana-laced salads with him on a commercial flight from Chicago to Memphis, Tennessee, where he rented a car and drove the Verano marijuana to [Nielsen] in Arkansas.” – The federal lawsuit, via Patch

The complaint, filed Monday in Colorado, is based on allegations by former Harvest Health employee Nicholas Nielsen, who was arrested in January 2020 after police found more than 9.5 ounces of cannabis and multiple jars of concentrates, two indoor growing tents, 380 vaporizers, edibles, and various other paraphernalia at his apartment. Nielsen was charged with possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, manufacture of a controlled substance, and possession of paraphernalia.

Arizona-based Harvest Health and Verano are partners in the Arkansas dispensary, Natural State Wellness Enterprises. In 2019, Harvest had planned an $850 million acquisition of Verano, but the deal was called off in March 2020 following scrutiny from antitrust regulators, the suit states.

According to the suit, plaintiff Nielsen worked for Natural State Wellness in Newport, Arkansas, managed by Harvest.

“Defendants faced a problem: They could now grow cannabis, but how would they obtain the cannabis in the new state to grow it?” the lawsuit states. “It’s a chicken or egg problem that every licensed marijuana cultivator faces: they can grow cannabis, but have no means to obtain the new plant materials that does not violate both state and federal law.”

In an interview with the Sun-Times, a Verano spokesperson called the charges “totally false and absurd” and a “sensationalized and imagined series of events aimed at a company like Verano with a proven track record of compliant operations.”

Harvest spokesperson Terry Fahn called the complaint a “thinly veiled shakedown.” Harvest’s attorneys have also taken action, filing a motion to compel arbitration.

“Knowing his client was legally bound to take any dispute to binding confidential arbitration, Mr. Nielsen’s lawyer threatened to unleash a smear campaign by filing a lawsuit filled with damaging false information unless we paid him millions of dollars. He went so far as to threaten what he believed the headline emanating from the lawsuit would be.” — Fahn, via Chicago Sun Times

Verano began trading on the Canadian Securities Exchange just last month.

Note: Lukas Barfield contributed to the reporting in this article.

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Mexico to Study Legalizing Poppy Cultivation & Production

3/10/2021

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Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador on Monday said a “decision has been made” to thoroughly study “commercializing” opium poppies as the industry faces increased competition from synthetic opioids, the Associated Press reports.

López Obrador’s comments come as lawmakers consider a broad cannabis legalization bill required by a 2018 Supreme Court decision that found prohibition to be unconstitutional.

The government has tried introducing alternative crops, such as timber and fruit orchids, to traditional poppy-cultivating areas but farmers in remote mountain communities are losing income as traffickers switch to buying fentanyl from Asia rather than paying farmers to grow and harvest poppies used to process heroin.

“We are in the stage of analysis and reflection about what will most benefit Mexico. There are now unparalleled conditions to do what most benefits Mexico and our people, because the current government is completely free, it is not subordinated to any foreign government.” – President López Obrador via the AP

Legal opium production policies have been considered since the president took office in 2018 but have never been adopted, the report says.

In a recent report, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration said that poppy and heroin production in Mexico declined in 2019, attributing it to “low opium prices paid to poppy farmers … coupled with an increase in fentanyl use in the United States.”

Poppy legalization would likely cause a row with U.S. authorities as most of Mexico’s opium is smuggled into its northern neighbor.

The report notes that even if cannabis and poppies were legalized in Mexico, the country still faces an expansion of illicit drug production as experimental plots of coca leaves – used in the production of cocaine – were discovered in the nation last month.

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Managing Appetite With THC or CBD

3/10/2021

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Losing or gaining weight isn’t as simple as the desire to do so. Many complicated factors impact this, such as age, sex, genetics, and lifestyle choices. It all comes down to intention influenced by moderation. With a schedule and plan that includes a diet, a target weight goal is attainable and could be helped with THC or CBD.

To understand appetite’s relation to with THC or CBD, one must first understand appetite’s relationship with the brain. Hunger is a basic survival instinct, which is why you crave certain foods more than others. Your body knows what it wants, however, imperceptible factors affect one’s desire for food. Mood, feelings, and emotions also have a huge influence on what you eat. Meanwhile, suppressed appetite sometimes stems from anxiety, fear, or stress, whereas depression, sadness, or a mental health condition can cause an increase in comfort food consumption.

So, how could one manage their appetite with CBD or THC? Medical marijuana consultant & Wellness Nurse Practitioner, Melinda Toussaint FNP-BC — co-founder of MariCare Wellness in Bowie, MD — provides some insight and solutions.

Toussaint, who provides medical cannabis recommendations to patients, about 25% of whom identify with weight issues, breaks the science down in basic terms, explaining, “CBD regulates your blood sugar. When you eat, your blood sugar spikes up, then it crashes to where you’re starving again. But with CBD, it keeps your appetite balanced, so you’re never feeling hungry per se.”

While the full extent of CBD’s impact remains unclear due to a lack of proper studies, preliminary research found that it affects weight by interacting with CB1 and CB2 receptors in lymphoid tissues and the brain. This interaction, Toussaint says, is also why THC has a similar, yet lasting effect that regulates hunger.

Enter: cannabis synergy. Full-spectrum products, such as Charlotte Web’s CBD Oil, provide a better outcome than isolates.

The Entourage Effect is effective

THC and CBD work in synergy for a balance of effects. Cannabinoids, terpenes, and flavonoids come together like a Voltron to provide you with greater health benefits through the entourage effect.

For example, Toussaint says, “THC stimulates appetite along with myrcene. It reuptakes the THC. If someone is having fatty foods, THC will stay in the system longer. Those who take CBD regularly don’t have a desire to eat. So, they’d take THC to stimulate the appetite. CBD lingers in the body longer since it’s processed by CB2 receptors and stored in the body longer. Humulene on the other hand, suppresses the appetite,” so one might consume Super Lemon Haze to promote weight loss. A person’s strain of choice ultimately influences the body’s reaction. Researching each terpenes’ use in relation to appetite is necessary.

Mood is also a contributing factor

While consulting patients seeking appetite regulation, Toussaint also explores if mood could be a cause for weight loss or gain resistance. If it is, terpenes are known to modulate various chemical levels in our brains, just as CBD and THC does. “Limonene regulates your mood to make you feel happy and uplifted. Linalool would help relax an anxious person to help them eat,” Toussaint says. Terpenes coupled with cannabinoids have a history of treating mood and anxiety disorders.

Method of consumption also influences your appetite

“Smoking and taking an edible produce two different effects. With smoking, hunger comes on faster and more intensely, where with an edible, it is processed in your digestive system, taking even longer.”

Toussaint’s advice? Have two types of products to regulate your appetite – one that acts quickly, such as an inhalant or one that takes its time, such as a tablet.

“For a longer duration of time, ingestibles are key – oils, tinctures, dummies, tablets, mints, anything infused. It takes 30 minutes to up to 3 hours to get the pique response. [The effect] lasts 6-12 hours or more, depending on the dose and the type of product you took. Gummies may kick in anywhere from 30 [minutes] to an hour and a half, but it lasts 8-12 hours, depending on your dose. Eating infused products could take 3 hours with an experience that lasts for a couple of days.”

This varies on the individual and their unique chemical and physical makeup.

CBD/THC regulation is trial and error

Toussaint reminds us that medicating with cannabis is trial and error, so don’t be afraid to tell your local budtender the ailments for which you’re seeking relief. They are trained and educated to help you find a proper solution based on what’s available.

Also, keep in mind that every day is not the same: “If you’re more stressed or active on a particular day, you may need to use more than if you’re having more of a relaxing day,” Toussaint said. “That also plays a role.”

Your cannabis needs vary daily, just as your body’s needs. The key is to always set an intention, then act on it.

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Curaleaf to Acquire Europe’s Largest Vertically Integrated Cannabis Firm for $286M

3/10/2021

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Massachusetts-based Curaleaf Holdings announced on Tuesday it will acquire Europe’s largest vertically integrated cannabis company, EMMAC Life Sciences Limited for approximately $286 million, to be paid 85% in Curaleaf subordinate voting shares and 15% in cash.

Contingent consideration of up to $57 million will be paid in Curaleaf subordinate voting shares and cash in the same ratio based upon the successful achievement of performance milestones, the company said in a press release.

EMMAC operates in Germany, Italy, Portugal, Spain, and the United Kingdom across processing, distribution, cultivation, and research and development operations. The company said its Portugal-based cultivation facility is an industry leader in cannabis flower production cost.

Curaleaf Executive Chairman Boris Jordan said the deal “provides an advanced base to reach scale within the nascent European cannabis market and transform Curaleaf into a truly international cannabis consumer packaged goods company.”

“The consumer and political liberalization trends around cannabis that are sweeping the U.S. are also increasingly taking hold in Europe. Curaleaf will seek to leverage our branded cannabis consumer packaged goods strategy across Europe, a market which provides for cross-border cannabis distribution. The European cannabis market has the potential to exceed the U.S. cannabis market over the long-term and will help fuel our growth for years to come.” – Jordan in a statement

Joseph Bayern, Curaleaf CEO, said the company believes the total “addressable market opportunity” in Europe could reach $120 billion.

EMMAC plans to increase its cultivation capacity this year and anticipates exceeding 10 tons per year by 2022, “in order to accommodate future growth related to the expansion of access to cannabis across the major European medical and adult-use, as well as export markets,” the company said

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Study: Cannabis Effective Treatment for 90% of Ulcerative Colitis Patients

3/09/2021

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A new study by Israel-based medical cannabis company Tikum Olam found 90% of patients who suffer from ulcerative colitis indicated decreased stomach pain after using medical cannabis, after conventional medicines failed, according to a Jerusalem Post report. Ulcerative colitis is a chronic, inflammatory, colon condition comparable to Crohn’s disease.

According to the report, current medicines for the condition are efficacious for 50%-60% of patients. The study found that 62% of respondents saw bowel activity improvement; 54% saw a decrease in the severity of their illness; and 27% reported a “life quality” increase compared to the placebo group. The study included 32 patients.

Lihi Bar-Lev Schleider, head of research and development at Tikun Olam, told the Jerusalem Post that the condition “harms the quality of life drastically.”

“It causes patients to have to avoid parties, avoid long flights and public transportation and avoid any prolonged social event where they wouldn’t have immediate access to a bathroom if necessary.” – Schleider to the Post

She said the company’s Erez strain provided the most relief to the patients in the study.

“Erez has a few specific strengths, namely, an improved appetite and a reduction of both pain and nausea,” she explained to the Post. “It was a symptomatic bingo.”

Schleider said 17 of the patients reported their results for an additional year and “found their endoscopic scores drop dramatically over time,” adding that it would have been “unethical to keep someone using a placebo for an entire year while they have a condition like this.”

A 2018 study found a regimen of cannabis oil made a significant improvement on the symptoms of Crohn’s Disease.

The Tikum Olam study was published last month in PLOS One, a peer-reviewed, open-access scientific journal.

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Alaska Cannabis Cultivator Charged for Alleged Illegal Pesticide Use

3/09/2021

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Alaska officials are charging two cannabis business owners with misdemeanors for allegedly spraying illegal pesticides on cannabis plants, Anchorage Daily News reports. The owners, Ron and Lacey Bass, were charged by a state environmental crimes prosecutor with pesticide pollution, misuse of pesticides, and reckless endangerment. Additionally, charging documents show that a felony for falsifying records will likely follow the preliminary charges.

The Bass couple, who are owners of licensed cultivator Calm N Collective LLC and cannabis retailer Houston Grass Station, said the pesticides were sprayed by a “disgruntled employee” in 2019, who then reported the spraying to authorities. That report triggered an Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation investigation, which ultimately halted the sales of any cannabis grown by Calm N Collective but the Houston Grass Station remains open.

The couple’s attorney Cindy Franklin — who oversaw Alaska’s adult-use roll-out as the head of the Alcohol and Marijuana Control Office but now works as an attorney for the industry — said this is the first time the state has filed criminal charges against a cannabis business.

“Every business in this industry should be highly concerned that there are prosecutors sitting there looking for something to prosecute them for, because this is a reach.” — Franklin, via Anchorage Daily News

State documents reveal Bass’s credit card and email were used to buy the pesticides. Surveillance footage showed employees wearing Tyvek suits and respirator masks. Unidentified employees said Bass told them to spray the plants because they were infected with mold and fungus, according to the charging document signed by environmental crimes prosecutor Sophie Stratton.

Three pesticides were sprayed on the plants in question: Eagle 20 EW (fungicide), Avid 0.15 EC (insecticide), and Floramite (insecticide). The combo resulted in a toxic stew of four active ingredients — myclobutanil, kuron, cyfluthrin, and thiabendazole — according to the report.

While cannabis producers in Alaska are required to test for potency and some molds, the state still lacks mandatory pesticide testing for cannabis products. However, growers must report any pesticides they use to state regulators. Documents say Calm N Collective did not properly list the pesticides on their labels or report additives in the Marijuana Enforcement Tracking Reporting & Compliance database, only disclosing the use of two organic fertilizers.

While Franklin argues her client could not have reported the additives if he did not know employees were using the banned pesticides, those inconsistencies led to the expected felony falsifying documents charge.

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Number of Cannabis-Friendly Banks Equalizing After 2019 Decline

3/09/2021

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The number of financial institutions actively serving the cannabis industry appears to be leveling off following a steady decline that started in November 2019, according to data recently released by FinCEN.

Since November 2019, the cannabis industry has lost 63 total banks and credit unions willing to serve it – from 747 to 684 as of December 2020. From November 2019 to July 2020, 65 banks stopped serving the sector. The number rose to 690 the following month, dropped again to 678 in September but gained 7 financial institutions in October 2020, totaling 685.

In November 2020, the number fell just one and remained at a total of 684 by the end of last year. In all, there are currently 515 banks serving the industry and 169 credit unions, according to FinCEN.

The regulatory agency still relies on the Obama-era Cole Memo for industry enforcement, despite it being rescinded by former Attorney General Jeff Sessions as one of his first acts in the Trump Administration. That memo requires financial institutions to supply Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) which measure the amount of potential risk carried by a company.

“The SAR reporting structure laid out in the 2014 guidance remains in place. FinCEN will continue to work closely with law enforcement and the financial sector to combat illicit finance, and we will notify the financial sector of any changes to FinCEN’s SAR reporting expectations.” – FinCEN, Marijuana Banking Update

As of December 31, 2020, the agency had received 130,709 SARs for “marijuana limited” (the code for a company not raising any red flags under the Cole Memo), 12,605 for “marijuana priority” (one or more red flags), and 36,932 for “marijuana termination” (for applicants that are not granted an account). The agency notes that several SARs contain more than one key phrase. FinCEN received a total of 170,975 SARs by the end of last year. As of June 30, 2019, the agency had received a total of 142,120 SARs.

The House last year approved a bill to allow cannabusinesses access to financial institutions; however, that bill was not taken up in the Senate, then controlled by Republicans.

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5 Steps to a Successful Cannabis Product Launch

3/09/2021

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Cannabis brands do not have the same options as companies in other industries when it comes to marketing. From TV, to radio, to social media, the traditional options for bringing a product to market are simply not available to cannabis companies. Because of federal prohibition, the cannabis industry has been forced to explore other strategies, and luckily there are numerous alternative avenues that do not require the approval of large corporate ad tech entities like Google and Facebook to execute. Here are 5 key steps to a successful Cannabis product launch:

Build an impressive website

Google and Bing load websites. Every Cannabis business needs a website for customers and future customers to visit. With the difficulty of marketing within and around state and federal laws, most Cannabis brands have to rely on digital marketing to get their business seen, display their offerings, and tell their stories. Traditional marketing (print, broadcast, direct mail) may be a good strategy for Cannabis marijuana brands. For visibility and traffic to a website, all companies must have a SEO and engaging content strategy because in 2020, digital rules.

Tell your company story

Though federally illegal, cannabis is legal in some form or another in over half the states in the United States of America. Every startup in this space has a story, and it’s important to tell your company story for a successful product launch. In an industry where there are countless businesses selling similar products, it is often up to the consumer to make a decision based on what little information they have in front of them at the retail counter.

According to Forbes, storytelling will not only increase your brand favorability, it can also be up to 22 times more memorable than straightforward facts like THC and CBD contents, harvest date, etc. Audiences may forget the specifics of what a brand tells them, but they will not forget how that brand made them feel.

Be smart with your brand and packaging

How your products look on the shelves next to other products can have a significant impact on their likelihood to be purchased: for that reason, DON’T cut corners when it comes to design. A brand needs to represent something, it needs to have an identity, something that consumers will see and be drawn to, something that is seen and immediately recognized as your company. Your packaging should be a clear extension of your brand, and when all aspects of your brand reflect an idea or personality that resonates with people, you will attract new customers and inspire loyalty.

The fact is, purchasing decisions around cannabis are closely aligned with purchasing decisions around other products. In a survey conducted by Nielsen, a global marketing research firm, an analysis of 9,900 product launches confirmed packaging design as one of the most important factors for product marketing.

Give dispensaries / budtenders a reason to be excited about your product

Dispensaries, like retailers, are always looking for the next big thing. Product launches should create a buzz that consumers and dispensaries get excited about. If you are able, the best way to go about this is to get your product out to consumers for reviews and eyes on the up and coming product. Make sure that you invest the necessary time and energy to tell them the story behind your product/brand and what makes your products better than your competitors’.

Partner with influencers who are a good fit

Influencers are major players in the world of cannabis social media. The popularity of social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram has allowed businesses to reach highly targeted audiences in new ways by partnering with individuals who post about relevant topics. Influencer marketing will be increasingly necessary for brands who want to maintain top of mind awareness as long as social media platforms ban direct advertising for cannabis products. While it may be tempting to spend your entire marketing budget to sponsor an influencer with millions of followers, remember that you can only sell to potential customers who are in your market. For that reason, it may be better to spread your budget around to several lower-profile influencers who operate in the same market as your brand. The rise of the so-called “micro-influencer” is happening fast. Micro-influencers are great for small businesses and/or local business because they usually have a more targeted reach and are also more affordable to work with.

Final thoughts

Bringing cannabis products to market can be done effectively, but in our industry we just have to be a bit more strategic and intentional. By following the strategies outlined above, you will set yourself apart from competitors who do the bare minimum and create a memorable experience for your customers that will be more likely to result in them coming back for more.

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Feds Announce Final Order Against Brands Targeted in Last Year’s Crackdown

3/09/2021

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The CBD companies targeted by last December’s federal crackdown – “Operation CBDeceit” – last week agreed to administrative consent orders with the Federal Trade Commission that bars them from “allegedly illegal conduct” with some having to pay fines.

The ‘illegal conduct’ includes making false health claims about CBD.

“The FTC took action against the six sellers for allegedly making a wide range of scientifically unsupported claims about their ability to treat serious health conditions, including cancer, heart disease, hypertension, Alzheimer’s disease, and others.” – FTC in a press release, Mar. 5, 2021

California-based Reef Industries was ordered to pay an $85,000 fine, according to FTC documents. Steve’s Distributing (aka Steve’s Goods) was fined $75,000; Bionatrol Health was fined $20,000; Epichouse LLC (First Class Herbalist CBD) was fined $30,000; and HempmeCBD was ordered to pay $36,254.

The sixth company, CBD Meds, was not issued a fine but was ordered to notify customers of the FTC order. Each agreement was unanimously approved by the commission.

Last spring, the agency took the rare step of filing a lawsuit against CBD company Whole Leaf Organics over the company’s claims that their products treat cancer and prevents or reduces COVID-19 risk.

In December 2019, the Food and Drug Administration issued five warning letters to companies selling CBD products over the companies’ health claims regarding the cannabinoid.

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Uncertainty Not Slowing Down Mississippi Medical Cannabis Growth

3/09/2021

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Despite the current limbo state of Mississippi’s medical cannabis system — the Mississippi Supreme Court may yet strike down the state’s successful ballot initiative due to improper signature gathering — and licenses not being issued until August at the earliest, many for-profit and nonprofit corporations have already formed in anticipation of medical cannabis coming to Mississippi, the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal reports.

Some 90 cannabis-related businesses have registered with the Secretary of State, the Daily Journal reported, citing state records.

Sam Humphrey, an urban farmer in Jackson, Mississippi who currently grows hemp, said it only makes sense for him to grow THC-rich medical cannabis because the two plants use similar infrastructures to grow, harvest, and process.

“As a farmer, it’d be unwise to neglect another potential crop. At the end of the day, this is a plant. It’s a special plant, but it’s a plant.” — Humphrey, via the Daily Journal

The state is seeing a wave of new businesses ancillary to the industry including schools and associations dedicated to helping Mississippians navigate the licensing process, including Emmanuel Williams’ group, The Mississippi Black Farmers Medical Marijuana Association.

The more people know, the more they are educated about it, the more people you’re going to see give it a shot,” said Williams. “It’s a win-win situation.”

Mississippi passed its medical cannabis initiative in November with a historic 70 percent approval. The initiative was facing court challenges from a Mississippi mayor from the outset and it now sits in the State Supreme Court, awaiting oral arguments next month. If the law is overturned by the court, the Mississippi legislature has crafted a replacement bill but lawmakers remain divided on how closely the new bill should mirror I-65.

Ken Newburger, executive director of the Mississippi Medical Marijuana Association, said he has “hundreds” of potential licensees ready to go and that thousands of people have contacted the association since November, looking to get an early foothold in the fledgling market.

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The Canna Café Makes Big Waves with Expansion Plans Announcement

3/09/2021

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The world we live in is rapidly changing, and cannabis is the driving force behind many of these positive changes that we’re seeing. Everywhere you look, there are success stories coming to light about entrepreneurs that have succeeded in a highly competitive cannabis market, and one of those success stories is the Canna Café.

Canna Café was established in 2020 and hasn’t taken a backward step since the doors of their first location opened. The cannabis industry is expanding with leaps and bounds. It may have started with cannabis dispensaries, but cannabis clients are looking for the next big thing, and healthy and delicious cannabis meals and snack is proving to be a big hit.

One of the things which many people are unaware of in the cannabis business is that it’s extremely difficult for many minorities such as African Americans and Latinos to break into the market. Licensing rules and regulations are extremely complicated and expensive. While some states have gone the extra mile to make their cannabis business laws as inclusive as possible, we still have a long way to go.

Canna Café is proud to be owned and operated by a minority group. Like many African Americans, Canna Café has faced its fair share of difficulties establishing its business, including racism and prejudice. Still, despite these challenges, they’ve managed to not only survive but thrive in the current tight economic and social conditions.

 

The Canna Café Expansion Plan

Canna Café has plans to open another five more locations in the next two years, with three current locations already operating. Canna Café specializes in a variety of different healthy vegan and non-vegan meals that are gluten-free but with a twist. Their delicious and healthy meals also include healthy servings of hemp, delta 8 THC, and delta 9 THC.

Delta 8 THC is a relatively new cannabinoid that is gaining a lot of popularity. Unlike regular THC (Delta 9 THC), Delta 8 THC exists in a legal grey area. After hemp cultivation and the production of goods from hemp was legalized at a federal level by the 2018 US Farm Bill, a lot of people have been getting excited about Delta 8 THC because it can be produced from hemp, which is legal as long as it contains less than 0.3% Delta-9 THC.

One of the interesting things about Delta 8 THC is that it produces similar effects to Delta 9 but milder. Many people compare Delta 8 to the light beer of the cannabis world. It has similar but reduced effects and results in less of a high, and produces less anxiety than Delta 9 THC.

Canna Café has some exciting expansion plans in the future, with two new locations almost ready to open. The Redondo Beach, California location is going to open this summer, while the West Loop, Chicago store will be opening its doors on March 13th.

Despite overcoming some serious challenges, Canna Café has managed to maintain a 5-star rating for both their customer services and also their delicious range of cannabis-inspired foods and drinks.

Staying in touch with the team at Canna Café!

If you would like to connect with Canna Café, you can check out their full range of cannabis-inspired foods and drinks on their website. You can also check them out on social media via Instagram on @cannacafecompany, on TikTok @thecannacompany, and Facebook on @cannacafeatl and @cannacafechicago.

For a small business, Canna Café is definitely making some huge waves in the cannabis world.

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California AG: Most Cannabis Companies Have No Right to Due Process

3/08/2021

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In response to a recent lawsuit, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra recently argued in a court filing that cannabis businesses who hold provisional licenses are not entitled to due process under the California state Constitution, Marijuana Business Daily reports. Provisional licenses were created in 2018 as a “stop-gap” measure to help keep the California adult-use cannabis rollout moving forward.

Today, according to state data, approximately 83 percent of licensees are still operating on a provisional license after more than four years since California voted to legalize adult-use cannabis. According to the report, only 1,670 out of 9,950 cannabis businesses in the state have been awarded an annual license.

The filing was in response to a lawsuit by Harrens Lab after the Bureau of Cannabis Control (BCC) revoked their provisional license. The lawsuit argues that the BCC did not give the company a chance to appeal before taking their license, but Becerra wrote in his response to the lawsuit that applicants with provisional licenses are not entitled to the same rights as businesses that have been awarded annual licenses.

“It is not reasonable to expect that a provisional license confers any permanent entitlement right. Any subjective unilateral belief Petitioners had about the nature of their rights under a provisional license is not supported in statute and unreasonable.” — California AG Xavier Becerra, in a statement

Judge Frank Roesch disagreed, however, later ruling that the lab could reopen and that BCC is prohibited from enforcing the closure “until further order by the court,” MJBizDaily reported on Friday. The two sides will have a chance to make their case before the court in a hearing set for March 25.

Harrens Lab’s attorney James Anthony said the lab believes that provisional licensees have a “constitutionally protected property interest in their licenses” and, therefore, due process should apply in these cases.

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26,000 Felony Cannabis Charges Reduced in San Diego County

3/08/2021

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A California Superior Court Judge last month reduced about 26,000 felony cannabis charges and dismissed about 1,000 more misdemeanor charges, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports. The relief came more than a year after the San Diego County district attorney’s office submitted a list of eligible cases as part of a state law requiring prosecutors to find cases that can be dropped or reduced under the adult-use legalization law.

Proposition 64, approved by voters in 2016, required the state Department of Justice and prosecutors to identify and review all eligible cases and submit the list to courts by July 1, 2020. In 2018, then-Gov. Jerry Brown (D) signed a measure to streamline that process. District Attorney Summer Stephan had submitted the cases to the court in February 2020, but the pandemic caused a near-shutdown of all of the courts in California which caused the delay.

San Diego County Superior Court spokeswoman Emily Cox told the Times that it may take some time for individual court records to reflect the changes.

Since the passage of the reforms, several California cities and counties have reduced or expunged cannabis-related criminal records. Sonoma County expunged 2,700 such cases last June, Santa Clara County dismissed more than 11,500 cases last April, Los Angeles reduced 62,000 felonies and expunged 4,000 misdemeanors in February 2020. In 2019, San Francisco worked with Code for America to identify and expunge more than 9,300 such cases as far back as 1975.

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