Dispensaries

In a recent report prefacing the state’s upcoming adult-use cannabis market, Minnesota officials said they will need to license at least 381 cannabis dispensaries to satisfy the state’s legalization law.

An Oakland police officer was recently killed while responding to a burglary at a cannabis business, highlighting how federal inaction on cannabis policy has put workers, the general public, and law enforcement in greater danger.

The adult-use cannabis industry in New York generated more than $150 million in revenue during its first year of licensed operations despite a lawsuit that sparked a months-long injunction against licensees opening their businesses.

Rhode Island cannabis dispensaries earned more than $100 million in combined medical and adult-use sales during the state’s first year of adult-use operations.

New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R) this week introduced two non-negotiables to any adult-use cannabis rules in the state: a 15-store cap statewide and a ban on lobbying and political contributions by cannabis licensees.

The New York Cannabis Control Board this week approved a settlement in a lawsuit brought by military veterans that has prevented more than 400 adult-use cannabis dispensaries from moving forward in the state.

The first round of Maryland’s adult-use cannabis licensing process is open; state law requires the first round of licenses to be set aside for social equity applicants.

Montana officials and three of the state’s cannabis licensees last week agreed to a joint agreement allowing a 60-day preliminary injunction against a state law that increases licensing fees for businesses with multiple dispensaries.

The Georgia Department of Public Health has reported for years that there were about 50,000 people signed up for its low-THC medical cannabis program but the figure is actually about 14,000.

Nearly 70 New York state lawmakers sent a letter to Gov. Kathy Hochul urging her to sign the Cannabis Crop Rescue Act, which lawmakers approved in June to allow licensed cannabis farmers to sell their products to dispensaries located on Tribal lands.

The Pennsylvania Senate last week passed a proposal that would allow more licensed medical cannabis companies to operate as dispensaries — currently, just five of the state’s 25 cannabis companies are allowed to retail medical cannabis products.

The McHenry County, Illinois State Attorney is requiring adult-use cannabis dispensaries in the county to display signs that warn “cannabis use may contribute to mental health problems.”

Workers at a Phoenix, Arizona dispensary went on strike last week after the company, Curaleaf Midtown, failed to negotiate a contract despite workers having voted to join the UFCW Local 99 union last summer.

California lawmakers have passed a bill to allow cannabis cafes in the state, sending the proposal to Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) for final approval.

Adult-use cannabis dispensaries in Massachusetts have sold more than $5 billion worth of product since the market launched in 2018.

Medical cannabis sales in Arizona have fallen to their lowest point yet since the January 2021 launch of the state’s adult-use marketplace.

Connecticut adult-use cannabis retailers sold $13 million worth of product in July while medical cannabis sales continued to decline for the second consecutive month, sliding to $10.6 million.

Adult-use cannabis retailers in Maine set yet another sales record in July at $20.9 million; it’s the third month in a row of record sales for the state’s cannabis dispensaries.