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Florida Medical Cannabis Operators Form Cannabis Trade Group

3/07/2024

A group of medical cannabis operators in Florida has formed a cannabis trade association dedicated to promoting medical cannabis research and the “research and advancement” of medical cannabis, Health News Florida reports.

The Florida Medical Marijuana Trade Association (FMMTA) represents many of the state’s top medical cannabis companies including AYR Wellness, Curaleaf, Fluent, Green Thumb Industries, Surterra, The Cannabist Company, and Verano, the group said in a press release. The state’s largest medical cannabis operator, Trulieve — which is leading the state’s current adult-use legalization ballot campaign — is not an FMMTA member.

FMMTA’s executive director Shamarial Roberson, an epidemiologist, said the association’s goal “is really to foster a thriving medical marijuana industry.”

“There’s a need for a coordinated effort on medical marijuana to look for those options for research. Having a trade association really helps to push out the message to make sure education is there.” — Roberson, via The News Service of Florida

“Our members look forward to leveraging our deep collective experience on critical legislative and regulatory issues, including the proposed THC potency limits, in service of the state’s medical cannabis patients and operators,” FMMTA President Chris Ferguson, who is the current vice president at Verano, said in a statement.

The Florida Supreme Court is currently considering whether to allow a cannabis legalization question to appear on this year’s November ballot after the initiative was challenged by the attorney general. While the court has yet to make an official ruling, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has predicted that voters will get to decide on the issue later this year.

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Hawaii's official state flag flying off the back end of a sailboat.

Hawaii Senate Passes Cannabis Legalization Bill

3/06/2024

The Hawaii Senate voted 19-6 on Tuesday to legalize adult-use cannabis in the state, sending the proposal next to the House for consideration. The vote, first reported by Marijuana Moment, marks the second time in as many years that Hawaii senators have voted to legalize adult-use cannabis.

SB 3335 seeks to legalize the possession of up to one ounce of cannabis and up to five grams of cannabis concentrate products for adults aged 21; the legalization policy would take effect starting January 1, 2026. Additionally, the proposal would establish a regulated adult-use marketplace with a 14% excise tax rate on recreational products and a 4% tax rate on the medical cannabis market. Cannabis home grows would be allowed with a maximum of six plants, and up to 10 ounces of home-grown flower.

The bill closely resembles legislation brought last year by Attorney General Anne Lopez (D).

Nikos Leverenz of the Drug Policy Forum of Hawai’i and the Hawai’i Health and Harm Reduction Center praised lawmakers’ engagement with the issue despite objecting to the proposal’s focus on law enforcement issues.

“Although this is an imperfect bill that still contains far too many elements of criminalization, it’s welcome news to have a viable adult-use legalization bill that can be improved upon when it reaches the House.” — Leverenz, via Marijuana Moment

Last year’s cannabis legalization bill that passed the Senate ultimately failed in the House of Representatives, and SB 3335 could face a similar future.

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green (D) has signaled that he would be open to signing a legalization proposal if lawmakers delivered one to his desk, calling cannabis reforms a “big social issue” in the state, the report said.

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Former Jersey City Cops Sue After Being Fired for Legal Cannabis Use

3/06/2024

Two former Jersey City police officers who were fired last year for consuming cannabis while off-duty are now suing the city over claims that officials refused an order by the state’s Civil Service Commission to have them reinstated, The Jersey Journal reports.

In the lawsuit filed last week, plaintiffs Norhan Mansour and Omar Polanco claim that Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop (D) broke state law by having them fired, calling the city’s stance against off-duty cannabis use by cops “a ruse done solely to bring attention for [Fulop’s] gubernatorial campaign to the detriment of Jersey City employees as well as taxpayers who are now footing the bill of hundreds of thousands of dollars in backpay awards and attorney fees.”

The lawsuit seeks for both officers to be reinstated and for an unspecified amount to cover compensatory, consequential, and punitive damages, the report said.

It was established in 2022 by New Jersey Attorney General Matt Plakin that off-duty law enforcement officers could engage in cannabis use. But Jersey City’s public safety director last year challenged that policy, arguing police officers couldn’t be allowed to use cannabis even while off-duty because then they would not be allowed to possess firearms under federal law.

The latest lawsuit is the second time that Mansour and Polanco have sued the city over their firing; the first lawsuit, filed in November, claimed that officials did not fully comply with an Open Public Records Act request, the report said.

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Washington Approves Bill Allowing Conversion of Cannabis Waste Into Compost & Other Products

3/06/2024

Washington lawmakers this week sent a proposal to Gov. Jay Inslee’s (D) desk that would allow cannabis operators to convert their green waste into commercial composts and other products, the Spokesman-Review reports.

Under the bill, cannabis operators in the state could turn the byproducts of commercial cannabis harvests including the plants’ stalks, stems, leaves, and roots into other commercial products including composts, hempcrete, and other fiber-based products. Any final products sold to the public would need to carry a THC concentration of less than 0.3%.

Current state law requires cannabis waste to be disposed of in landfills after being ground up with another material like kitty litter or sawdust, the report said.

“This doesn’t do our society any good to be continuing to fill landfills, especially when it’s being mixed with nonorganic garbage piling up or being put into plastic contractor bags before it’s dumped.” — Blue Roots Cannabis owner Seth Shamberg, via the Spokesman-Review

The proposal unanimously passed the Senate on Monday after being approved last month by House lawmakers in a 94-2 vote.

If signed into law, the move would be a somewhat rare legislative win for cannabis advocates in Washington state after a proposal to legalize cannabis home grows died in committee yet again this year.

Lawmakers passed a bill last year to protect job seekers in the state from being rejected for their off-the-clock cannabis use; that policy took effect on January 1.

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Dispensary Fined $26k for Selling Cannabis Products Pulled from Dumpster

3/04/2024

Curio Wellness was recently fined $26,000 by the state of Maryland after regulators discovered that employees at the company’s Far & Dotter dispensary in Timonium had put more than 200 grams of pre-packaged cannabis into a dumpster, retrieved the products two days later, and eventually sold the products, the Baltimore Banner reports.

The placing of the products in the dumpster, the retrieval of the products, and the repackaging of the products from the dumpster were all captured on video surveillance. An employee who was interviewed by officials said they repackaged the products after finding a “liquid substance” from the dumpster on the products’ original packaging.

Curio, which says it conducted an internal investigation of the incident, told the Baltimore Banner that it does not tolerate regulatory noncompliance. The company ALSO noted that the products in question were “inside sealed jars, within sealed boxes, and it is undisputed that no outside material ever breached the jars or touched the product.”

Regulators said in a consent order that the cannabis products’ dumping and subsequent retrieval — which took place in July 2023 — had only been discovered after the person working as the store’s inventory manager at the time reported the incident. The individual had been terminated from their position on August 20, 2023, and reported the incident on August 24, 2023, the report said.

According to the former inventory manager, he advised the shop to destroy the products but the store’s general manager decided to repackage and sell the products.

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Kansas Bill Would Reduce Hemp Cultivation Fees by More than Half

3/04/2024

A bill proposed in Kansas would reduce licensing fees for hemp businesses from $1,200 to $500 which would reduce the barrier to entry for farmers to cultivate the crop, KSNW reports. State Rep. Tory Marie Blew (R), the bill’s co-sponsor in the House, told KSNW that “Lowering the barrier… is really gonna be appeasing to farmers to wanna get started and learn how to grow this crop and hopefully have more acreage in it in years to come.”

State Rep. Webster Roth added that “At one point there were a large number of farmers wanting to farm this product, but the fees were so high that the licensure was high that they could not.”

The measure passed the House 105-6 on February 14 and was referred to the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources. The measure was opposed by Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Kelsey Olson who said that reducing the fee cap to $500 would require the agency to seek additional funding to cover an operating deficit in the future, according to supplemental notes on the proposal.

Olson also expressed concerns regarding provisions of the bill that would allow for hemp in animal feed while State Fire Marshal Mark Engholm and Executive Officer of the Kansas Bureau of Investigation Robert Jacobs said they were worried about removing background checks and fingerprint requirements from the state law. All of those provisions were ultimately removed from the legislation.

State Sen. John Doll (R) told KSNW that while there is support for the measure in the Senate, it’s likely to get leveraged to get other, more controversial, bills passed.

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Vapor Cartridge Technology Addresses Rising Consumer Demand for Extracts

3/04/2024

Stillwater, MN, March 2024 – A new patented design for vaporizer cartridges, developed by Vapor Cartridge Technology (VCT), is poised for introduction into the cannabis market. VCT represents a potential alternative to traditional vapor consumption methods, and aims to provide a more transparent and convenient option for businesses, regulators, and consumers.

Rising Demand for Extracts: In the current cannabis consumer landscape, there is a rising preference for extract products – specifically in vapor form. Consumers predominantly inhale vaporized cannabis extracts, typically by heating dried flower to produce a rich vapor, or by using vape pens to vaporize oil-filled cartridges. VCT provides an advanced alternative for inhaling these extracts.

Market Potential: The introduction of VCT is expected to engage both the medical and recreational cannabis sectors by offering an innovative consumption method. The technology’s precise dosing capabilities are designed to meet consumer demands for quality and consistency in their cannabis products, as well as to make vaporization a more precise consumption method for medical patients.

Regulatory Compliance: VCT is developed with an emphasis on regulatory compliance, featuring detailed product labeling that informs users about the dosage and chemical composition of their cannabis intake. This approach aims to support the needs of legal cannabis cultivators and processors, facilitating a transparent and regulated supply chain.

Looking Forward: The development of VCT marks a significant step towards innovation in cannabis consumption methods. As the technology progresses towards commercialization, it opens up new avenues for collaboration across the cannabis industry, from regulatory bodies and corporate entities to individual brands engaged in cultivation, manufacturing, distribution, and retail.

Statement from the founder:

“There are technical, business, and political challenges to successfully launch a new-to-the-world product. Start with the technical challenges. The first step is to build a lab prototype, which we’ve outlined how to do on our website.” – Tim McCullough, founder and inventor, VCT

Vapor Cartridge Technology is committed to advancing the cannabis industry through innovation. Interested parties are encouraged to visit the company’s website for further information about the technology and to explore opportunities for collaboration.

For more details, visit https://vaporcartridgetechnology.com.

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New Mexico Cannabis Industry Passes $1 Billion Sales Milestone

3/04/2024

Cannabis retailers in New Mexico have sold just over $1 billion worth of cannabis products since the state’s adult-use legalization policy was enacted, according to data from the New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department’s Cannabis Reporting Online Portal.

About two-thirds of the sales have been adult-use transactions with the remaining third going through the state’s medical cannabis program. Notably, the official sales tracker only covers legal cannabis sales since the New Mexico adult-use market launched in April 2022. The state did not previously track medical sales.

“This is a huge milestone for New Mexico’s cannabis industry,” said Regulation and Licensing Department Superintendent Clay Bailey in a Marijuana Moment report.

“Consumers have proven that they support this industry and the businesses that have worked hard to put our state on the map when it comes to legal, regulated cannabis sales.” — Bailey, via Marijuana Moment

December 2023 was the state’s top-selling month with $37,470,309 in adult-use sales. Medical cannabis sales meanwhile have steadily decreased since adult-use legalization took effect.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) signed a bill last week to strengthen industry regulations by cracking down on unlicensed and out-of-state cannabis products and closing a loophole that allowed some applicants to avoid the industry’s federal background check requirements, KRQE reports.

Adults in New Mexico aged 21 or older are allowed to grow up to six cannabis plants at home.

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Oregon Lawmakers Pass Bill to Re-Criminalize Drugs

3/04/2024

Oregon’s historic drug decriminalization experiment is likely ending after state lawmakers sent a bill to re-criminalize drug possession to Gov. Tina Kotek (D) for her signature, Oregon Public Broadcasting reports.

The proposal is supported by lawmakers from both sides of the aisle — House lawmakers voted 51-7 in favor of the measure, and the Senate gave final approval on Friday in a 21-8 vote. Kotek has not said whether she supports the bill but has signaled she would be willing to roll back some of the state’s drug decriminalization initiative, Measure 110, which Oregon voters passed in 2020.

Specifically, House Bill 4002 would establish new criminal penalties including potential jail time for the possession of fentanyl, heroin, and meth. The measure does not seek to recriminalize cannabis, which is legal for medical and recreational use, and would not crack down on the state’s therapeutic psilocybin program.

Decriminalization advocates who oppose the measure are accusing Oregon lawmakers of overriding the will of voters and reinstating racist, drug war policies.

Oregon Senate Majority Leader Kate Lieber (D), who co-wrote the bill, claims the move will help “make sure Oregonians have access to the treatment and care that they need.” But Sen. Michael Dembrow (D) said that lawmakers were too hasty in passing the bill, suggesting that the re-criminalization policy could negatively impact the state’s “already strained courts system.”

“The fundamental flaw with Ballot Measure 110 was that it decriminalized first and only slowly funded, designed and implemented the needed treatment programs. In its current form, there are just too many question marks around its potential to be effective, and particularly to be implemented in a fair and nondiscriminatory manner, around the state.” — Dembrow, via OPB

The governor has until this Friday to decide whether she will sign the bill into law, veto it, or allow it to become law without her signature, the report said.

If Kotek were to veto the proposal, advocates for recriminalizing drugs in the state say they have started organizing a ballot measure that would seek to drastically roll back the decriminalization measure.

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Pew Research Center: Most Americans Live in County with at Least One Cannabis Dispensary

3/04/2024

The majority of Americans – 79% – now live in a county with at least one cannabis dispensary, according to an analysis from Pew Research Center, with 74% living in a state where cannabis is legal for medical or adult use. According to Pew, 54% live in a state where adult-use cannabis is legal.

The Pew analysis found nearly 15,000 cannabis dispensaries in the U.S. with California hosting about a quarter – 3,659 in all. Los Angeles County hosts 1,481 dispensaries, more than any other state other than California.

Pew counted 1,405 dispensaries in Oklahoma – the most per capita of any state with 36 dispensaries for every 100,000 residents. Oklahoma has not legalized cannabis for adult use, but its medical cannabis program is one of the country’s most permissive.

Pew also found that in states that have legalized cannabis for adult use that border states that still prohibit cannabis use by adults, dispensaries often cluster on the border of the state that has not passed the reforms. There are 64 dispensaries in New Mexico within 20 miles of its border with Texas, according to Pew. Overall, one in every five dispensaries in the U.S. is located within 20 miles of a state border and 29% of the border dispensaries adjoin a neighboring state with less permissive cannabis laws.

The Pew analysis also found that in four states that have legalized cannabis for both adult and medical purposes – Colorado, Connecticut, Maryland and Virginia – median annual household incomes are at least $20,000 lower in areas with high dispensary concentrations than areas with low concentrations of dispensaries; while in New Hampshire and New York, by contrast, median household incomes are around $20,000 or more higher in areas with many dispensaries than in areas with few dispensaries.

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Michigan Distributes $87M from Cannabis Taxes to 269 Municipalities

3/04/2024

The Michigan Department of Treasury is distributing more than $87 million from cannabis tax revenues to 269 municipalities. The 99 cities, 30 villages, 69 townships, and 71 counties will receive more than $59,000 for every licensed cannabis retail store and microbusiness in its jurisdiction.

In a statement, State Treasurer Rachael Eubanks said the municipalities can spend the funds to “fit their needs.”

“This week, many Michigan municipalities and counties will begin seeing their share of adult-use marijuana payments appear in their banking accounts. Through a partnership, the dollars received from the adult-use marijuana taxes and fees are distributed to our participating communities.” — Eubanks in a press release

The revenue was collected from the state’s 737 cannabis licensees during the 2023 fiscal year during which there was more than $290.3 million available from the Michigan Marihuana Regulation Fund. Another $101.6 million was sent to the state’s School Aid Fund for K-12 education and another $101.6 million to the Michigan Transportation Fund.

Cannabis Regulatory Agency Executive Director Brian Hanna called the cannabis excise tax “a very important benefit of the legal cannabis industry in Michigan” and noted the agency is committed to doing its part in supporting cannabis licensees “so that they can continue to grow the local economy throughout the state with good-paying jobs and increased revenues for local government budgets.”

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Ohio Cuts Cannabis Patient Fee to One Cent While New Jersey Offers Free Patient IDs

3/01/2024

Medical cannabis patients in Ohio will soon only be charged a single cent to register for the state program, WCPO 9 News reports.

Regulators say they are working with a software company to eliminate the fee entirely but opted for a major cost reduction in the meantime. Previously, medical cannabis patients were charged $50 annually.

“The DCC understands that a one cent charge is not ideal; however, at this time the Division feels it is appropriate and necessary to provide this immediate financial relief for patients and caregivers in the short term while working toward a full fee elimination as soon as the updates to the registry can be made.” — DCC statement

Ohio isn’t the only state looking to reduce the financial strain on medical cannabis patients as cannabis regulators in New Jersey recently announced that starting in March, medical cannabis IDs will be available for free online. Registered patients — who were previously charged $10 to receive their physical cards — will be able to present their IDs using their phone or by printing them out.

“Our goal with this initiative is to improve accessibility and convenience for patients who require medical cannabis for their treatment,” Jeff Brown, executive director of the NJ-CRC, said in a press release. “By offering digital options, we make it more convenient for patients to receive the care they need.”

The cost reduction in Ohio follows the state’s successful legalization of adult-use cannabis last November. Despite pressure from the governor, however, retail sales have yet to commence.

Adult-use cannabis was legalized in New Jersey in 2021 and the state recently surpassed $2 billion in combined medical and recreational sales in the past five years.

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Thai Health Minister Predicts Recreational Cannabis Ban By December

3/01/2024

Thailand’s health minister said that lawmakers are aiming to make adult-use cannabis illegal again by the end of the year, Reuters reports.

Under recently proposed legislation, it would be illegal to use cannabis recreationally but cannabis use for medicinal purposes would remain legal. People caught consuming cannabis would face fines of up to 60,000 baht ($1,700), and people caught illegally marketing or retailing cannabis products — or paraphernalia — would face up to a year in jail and fines up to 100,000 baht ($2,800).

“Without the law to regulate cannabis it will be misused,” Health Minister Cholnan Srikaew recently said. Cholnan also said that cannabis misuse “has a negative impact on Thai children,” and that “in the long run it could lead to other drugs.”

“In the new law, cannabis will be a controlled plant, so growing it would require permission. We will support [cannabis cultivation] for the medical and health industry.” — Cholnan, via Reuters

After lawmakers revealed their intent to crack down on Thailand’s booming cannabis industry, many cannabis company owners and other operators said they were preparing lawsuits to protect the industry.

Thailand was the first Southeast Asian country to enact significant cannabis reforms, legalizing medical cannabis in 2018 and then fully decriminalizing cannabis in 2022. The new reforms stopped short of actually regulating the country’s newest industry and the cannabis market value quickly ballooned in size and value, climbing to USD$800 million within six months.

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Virginia Lawmakers Approve Adult-Use Cannabis Sales Bill

2/29/2024

Virginia lawmakers in the House and Senate passed identical bills on Wednesday seeking to establish a regulated adult-use cannabis market in the state, the Marijuana Moment reports.

Under the legislation, hopeful cannabis entrepreneurs can submit applications for cannabis cultivation, processing, retail, and testing operations starting September 1, with the legal market set to open for business in May 2025. Under the proposal, cannabis products would be taxed up to 11.625%.

Lawmakers had previously considered competing cannabis sales proposals but they compromised and consolidated the proposals, dropping provisions that would have reserved space in the adult-use industry for the state’s existing medical cannabis operators, some hemp companies, and equity-focused microbusinesses.

Del. Paul Krizek (D), co-sponsor of the House version of the bill, said the proposal would establish Virginia’s adult-use cannabis market in a “responsible and thoughtful way,” the Associated Press reported.

“And we’ve done so because it’s time to give Virginia’s $3 billion illicit market a run for its money. And it’s time to give Virginians access to a safe, tested and taxed product.” — Krizek, via the AP

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngking (R) has historically disapproved of expanding cannabis reforms in the state and has not yet signaled whether he would sign or veto the proposal.

Virginia, which was the first southern U.S. state to legalize cannabis, adopted its legalization policy in 2021 but stopped short of establishing a regulated marketplace.

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Florida THC Caps Proposal Fails Ahead of Likely Legalization Vote

2/29/2024

Florida lawmakers’ bid to install potency limits on the future sale of adult-use cannabis products has failed, according to a Florida Politics report.

Cannabis products remain prohibited in Florida outside of the state’s medical cannabis program but lawmakers were still considering installing THC caps ahead of a possible ballot initiative this November that seeks to legalize adult-use cannabis. The measure sought to cap cannabis flower products at 30% THC, cannabis concentrates and extracts at 60%, and cannabis edibles at 10 milligrams of THC per serving and 200 milligrams per package.

The proposal was advanced from the state’s House Healthcare Regulation Subcommittee earlier this month and was supported in the House but its Senate companion bill did not make it onto Senate Fiscal Policy Committee’s schedule. That committee met for the final time this session on Tuesday, effectively killing the bill — confirmed by House sponsor Rep. Ralph Massullo (R) — the report said.

Meanwhile, the Florida Supreme Court seems likely to allow the state’s cannabis ballot question to proceed despite protests from Attorney General Ashley Moody, who argued the initiative violates the state’s single-subject rule on ballot questions. Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) recently said that he expected the Supreme Court to allow the legalization question to appear before voters.

A December poll found that about 67% of Florida voters say they plan to vote ‘yes’ on the proposed cannabis legalization ballot question.

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Survey: 86% of Californians Favor Legal Cannabis Sources

2/28/2024

According to survey data recently released by the California Department of Cannabis Control (DCC), 86% of Californians believe that it’s important to use legal sources when shopping for cannabis products. Officials also noted that 62% of Californians believe that Proposition 64 has had a positive impact, which means the legal cannabis market is now more popular than the state’s 2016 cannabis legalization ballot initiative (which was passed with 57% voter support).

The survey of more than 1,000 respondents also found that 72% of Californians believe that cannabis consumers have a responsibility to utilize the regulated market, DCC said in a press release.

The surveys were conducted under the DCC campaign “Real California Cannabis,” which seeks to educate consumers about the benefits of buying legal cannabis and how to identify the difference between licensed and unlicensed retailers, the release said.

“Education and enforcement are two of the key pillars that support a well-regulated cannabis market. The Real California Cannabis campaign will provide cannabis consumers with information that empowers them to make informed decisions regarding their cannabis purchases. These smart choices support safer communities, local businesses, and our continuous efforts to disrupt the illegal market.” — DCC Director Nicole Elliott, in a statement

The agency’s polling also found that 56% of Californians have consumed cannabis and that 88% of respondents who have consumed cannabis said they would buy products from the regulated industry. Additionally, 44% of respondents said it was easy to identify if a retailer was licensed by the state, while 42% said it was difficult, the release said.

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Oregon Cannabis Sales Continued to Decline In 2023

2/28/2024

Legal cannabis sales in Oregon declined for the second year in a row in 2023 after the market set its annual sales record in 2021, the Oregonian reports.

Licensed cannabis retailers in Oregon recorded about $955 million in sales during 2023, down from about $994 million in 2022. The state’s cannabis market had previously spiked in 2020 with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, ultimately peaking in 2021 at $1.2 billion in annual cannabis sales.

Retail cannabis prices in the state have stagnated since falling to just $4 per gram in early 2023, the report said.

Oregon’s adult-use cannabis industry was launched in 2014 with no restrictions on the number of cannabis licenses allowed in the state; additionally, acquiring a commercial cannabis license was easier than in most other states. So, while the market grew fast at first, the mismatch in supply and demand eventually became evident as prices plummeted amid surging supply.

“Given these market conditions of oversupply, (retail) saturation, and stable consumer demand, low prices make it difficult for businesses to be profitable.” — The Oregon Office of Economic Analysis, via the Oregonian

The Cannabis Industry Alliance of Oregon last month urged the state to make permanent a moratorium on new cannabis licenses to help address the industry’s oversupply and market competition issues.

Lawmakers passed a law in 2019 allowing industry operators to export their cannabis products to other state-legal markets but the policy will only take effect if allowed at the federal level, and the federal government has yet to make significant cannabis reforms.

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4 Reasons Your Customers Prefer Rolled Pre-Rolls to Stuffed Cones

2/27/2024

Automating pre-roll production in your business is necessary for you to compete on a large scale. The current industry default is to turn to stuffed pre-roll cone machines, but as you’ve likely experienced firsthand, a stuffed pre-roll cone burns unevenly and runs like crazy, leading to a not-so-great customer experience.

On the other hand, a rolled pre-roll burns better, hits harder, costs less to produce, and can now be automated thanks to the RollPros Blackbird automated pre-roll machine. Check out our breakdown of the reasons below.

1) Rolled Pre-Rolls Are More Potent

Businesses that use automated stuffed cone machines short their customers on valuable cannabinoids. Those machines require heavily ground and dried flower. (We’re talking moisture content as low as 6-8%.) Over-drying flower can degrade cannabinoid content, and over-grinding it can knock off what few trichomes remain.

After the flower is dried and ground, pre-roll stuffing machines use either a tamping or vibrating system to pack the cone. Both of these actions also destroy and knock off valuable trichomes. Essentially, to create machine-stuffed cones, you have to sacrifice the very thing your consumers are paying for—potency.

Now, enter RollPros BlackBird. This machine rolls pre-rolls just like you would by hand but on a much larger scale (about 750 per hour on average). The machine works best with sticky bud containing at least 10% moisture content and never tamps or shakes the flower. It also minimizes contact points compared to hand-rolling, avoiding sticky fingers (or machine parts) that could strip away those precious trichomes.

2) Rolled Pre-Rolls Are Cheaper To Produce

The backend logistics of using a machine to stuff pre-roll cones cost you more money. Pre-roll cones must be shipped as cones to maintain the integrity of their shape which means you’re paying for a lot of empty space. This not only costs you more, but it also greatly increases your brand’s carbon footprint.

In contrast, the RollPros BlackBird rolling machine utilizes paper in bobbin form (picture a roll of paper, like wrapping paper or paper towels, minus the perforations). Because paper bobbins are small and stackable, you can significantly reduce your consumable materials costs by up to 80% when you consider shipping time and cost ($0.03 per unit for a rolled pre-roll versus $.10 – 0.15 per unit for a stuffed pre-roll cone).

To put it plainly: one pallet of bobbins can yield approximately 24 million joints, while it would take over 60 pallets to ship the same amount of pre-roll cones.

Additionally, the finer grind and lower moisture content that cone-stuffing machines require are not only destroying the trichomes on your flower, they’re costing you money. A 1g joint created by a cone-stuffing machine that requires 6% moisture content will require more flower to hit that weight than a 1g joint rolled by the Blackbird with flower at 10% moisture. (And that’s before we consider the extra flower that’s needed because of the fine grind that cone-stuffing machines require.) This is a direct hit to your bottom line. It’s also an indirect hit to your bottom line because the machine is forcing you to put out an inferior product, making it harder for your brand to earn consumer loyalty.

3) Rolled Pre-Rolls Burn Better

Stuffed pre-roll cones are notorious for their uneven burn, but that unevenness is inevitable when working with a cone-stuffing machine. The tamping mechanism that packs a cone forces more flower near the crutch of a pre-roll and less near the tip, pretty much guaranteeing an uneven pack and burn.

Pre-rolls rolled with the Blackbird don’t have this issue because the machine compresses the flower evenly in every direction before twisting one up. (If you really want to nerd out, that’s called radial compaction.) And to double-ensure consistency, pair your machine with a DrawCheck unit, another first for RollPros: the only air flow tester on the market specifically built for pre-rolls. The DrawCheck gives you a quantifiable number so you can ensure that the airflow of every batch of pre-rolls is to spec, with a perfect pull. That type of consistency is how you earn consumer loyalty.

4) Rolled Pre-Rolls Are More Sustainable

Apart from the massive carbon emissions that come with shipping pre-roll cones (only about 250,000-350,000 cones can be shipped on a pallet at a time), pre-roll cones have another negative impact on both people and planet that’s often overlooked. Most pre-roll cones are made by hand in India, Indonesia, China, and other countries with less-than-transparent labor laws.

Knowing this, we made a point to develop sustainable and ethical manufacturing methods. Nearly every component of the BlackBird machine, with only a few specific exceptions, is produced within 10 miles of our headquarters in Vancouver, Washington.

Let’s Get Rolling

Stuffed pre-roll cones were a quick answer to states just trying to get their markets off the ground, but time has passed, and they’re no longer the best option for pre-roll brands trying to stand out in saturated markets. If you’re one of those brands, or if you’re looking to enter the pre-roll scene and want to make a splash, the RollPros Blackbird is the automated pre-roll machine to do the job. Not only is it more ethical and sustainable, it flat-out creates a better product than any automated pre-roll stuffing machine simply by design.

When you’re ready to get rolling with RollPros, let us know! We offer free live demos over Zoom to show you exactly how the machine works. Book your demo now.

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California Bong Auction Earns Just $2,075

2/27/2024

California officials said that a recent auction aimed at recouping more than $14.4 million in unpaid cannabis industry taxes earned just over $2,000, the North Bay Business Journal reports.

The auction was held February 16 in the California Highway Patrol’s parking lot in Los Angeles and officials reported having earned a scant $2,075 by the time the auction wrapped.

The auctioned-off items were seized during law enforcement raids on ten “non-compliant” cannabis companies in southern California. Officials did not name the ten companies from which the products were seized but they noted that only one of the companies had been actually licensed to retail cannabis products.

The auction covered a variety of items including glass bongs, office supplies, and furniture from multiple cannabis retailers including vending machines and a snowcone maker.

It was the first time the state resorted to selling bongs and other personal possessions seized from a tax-delinquent cannabis company but officials had previously auctioned off some commercial property recovered from similar seizures. Funds from the auction will be applied to the companies’ considerable tax debts, the report said.

Licensed cannabis operators in California have a difficult time finding success in the industry between high fees, steep taxes, and rampant competition from the unregulated marketplace. The Unified Cannabis Enforcement Taskforce in California said recently that the taskforce seized more than $310 million worth of illicit cannabis — about 190,000 pounds — during its first operational year.

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Canada’s Cannabis Industry Fees Increase to Reflect Inflation

2/27/2024

Canadian government officials are increasing the regulatory fees paid by licensed cannabis operators to match Canada’s 4.4% inflation rate from April 2022 to April 2023.

The fee increases will take effect starting April 1, 2024; the money collected is supposed to be used to regulate the country’s federally legal cannabis market.

The Canada Gazette, which is published by the federal government, said the fees are to be adjusted each year on April 1 to reflect changes in the “April All-items Consumer Price Index for Canada … for the previous fiscal year and rounded to the next highest dollar.”

As a result, these are the new regulatory fees for Canada’s cannabis industry:

The micro-cultivation license application screening was increased from $1,886 to $1,969.
The standard cultivation license application screening was increased from $3,767 to $3,933.
The cannabis nursery license application screening was increased from $1,886 to $1,969.
The micro-processing license application screening increased from $1,886 to $1,969.
The standard processing license application screening was increased from $3,767 to $3,933.
The medical sales license application screening was increased from $3,767 to $3,933.

In addition to the application screening fees, Canadian cannabis operators are expected to pay an annual regulatory fee, although some operators have historically been unable to pay up due to financial difficulties, MJBizDaily reports. The annual fee can be either a flat rate payment or a percentage of the company’s gross revenue, whichever is higher.

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An aerial and nighttime view of the Las Vegas city skyline.

Germany Passes Adult-Use Cannabis Legalization

2/26/2024

Germany became the third European Union country to pass adult-use cannabis legalization on Friday after lawmakers in the Bundestag, which is the country’s lower parliamentary body, approved the Cannabis Act in a 407-226 vote, the Associated Press reports.

Following the approval, cannabis possession by adults aged 18 or older will become legal starting April 1, which coincides with German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach’s prediction from earlier this year. Under the new law, adults will be allowed to grow up to three cannabis plants at home for their personal use.

Starting July 1, adults will be allowed to join nonprofit “cannabis clubs” which will be allowed to grow cannabis for its members — the clubs, however, will be limited to a maximum of 500 members, and individuals will not be allowed to enroll in multiple clubs at once. Club members will be allowed to purchase up to 25 grams of cannabis per day or a maximum of 50 grams per month (limited to just 30 grams per month for people younger than 21).

Clubs won’t be allowed to be located near schools, playgrounds, or sports facilities, the report said.

The legalization policy is the result of Germany’s coalition government led by the Greens, the Social Democrat Party, and the Liberals. Additionally, the legalization of cannabis in Germany — which has the largest economy in the EU — is expected by cannabis industry experts to inspire similar policies in other EU member nations. Cannabis is already legal in Malta and Luxembourg.

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Veterans & Law Enforcement Leaders Urge Biden to Reschedule Cannabis

2/23/2024

Six of the country’s top veterans groups and a group of U.S. law enforcement leaders sent letters on Thursday urging the Biden Administration to reschedule cannabis under the federal Controlled Substances Act (CSA).

The development comes amid rumors that the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) could soon announce a cannabis scheduling decision, and six months after the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recommended that cannabis be moved from Schedule I to Schedule III under the CSA.

In a letter to the Department of Justice, which oversees the DEA, top veteran advocacy groups called for federal officials to “expeditiously” reschedule cannabis, NBC News reports. The groups included the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, AMVETS, American GI Forum, the American Legion, Blinded Veterans Association, and the Minority Veterans of America.

Medical cannabis has been shown to assist with a wide number of debilitating conditions like post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD), which affects a significant number of combat veterans.

“The men and women who served in the U.S. Armed Forces often face difficult physical and mental challenges upon returning home. As such, we hope that in treating the wounds of war — both visible and invisible — that our servicemembers and veterans would have access to the widest array of possible treatments.” — Excerpt from the veterans’ letter, via NBC News

Meanwhile, a separate letter from the Law Enforcement Leaders to Reduce Crime and Incarceration — of which DEA Administrator Anne Milgram is a member — also called on President Joe Biden (D) to reduce the schedule of cannabis, according to The Hill.

“We are current and former police chiefs, sheriffs, federal and state prosecutors, and correctional officials from across the country dedicated to protecting public safety and reducing unnecessary arrests, prosecutions, and incarceration,” the letter read, followed by the call: “We urge your Administration to reclassify marijuana from a schedule I to a schedule III substance under the Controlled Substances Act.”

Senate Democrats last month sent a letter urging the president to go even further than the HHS’ recommendation and remove cannabis from the federal drug schedule outright, which would fully decriminalize the plant.

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New Jersey Total Cannabis Sales Top $2 Billion Since 2018

2/23/2024

New Jersey’s top cannabis regulator said that licensed cannabis dispensaries in the state have sold more than $2 billion worth of combined medical and adult-use cannabis since 2018, Marijuana Moment reports.

“Since we started this work in 2018, cumulative sales of both medicinal cannabis and recreational cannabis have eclipsed $2 billion,” Jeff Brown, executive director of the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission (CRC), told the Assembly Oversight, Reform and Federal Relations Committee on Thursday.

Additionally, the majority of the sales have taken place since the state’s adult-use cannabis market launched two years ago, Brown said.

“I would love for the CRC to take credit for this, but it’s really the entrepreneurs who have been putting their money, their lives and their dreams on the line to make this happen.” — Brown, via Marijuana Moment

Brown also encouraged lawmakers to consider allowing registered patients to grow their own cannabis plants at home. A medical cannabis home grow proposal was separately introduced to the state Senate last year but did not advance.

There is a 6.625% excise tax on adult-use cannabis products in New Jersey — all taxes on medical cannabis products, meanwhile, were fully repealed by lawmakers as of July 1, 2022.

Earlier this year, New Jersey regulators approved rules to regulate on-site cannabis consumption at properly licensed dispensaries.

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