Licensing

Following litigation related to its voiding and revoking of medical cannabis licenses two weeks ago, the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission was hit with another lawsuit claiming the agency had no right to revoke the licenses in the first place.

A New York judge extended the statewide injunction against licensing new cannabis dispensaries pending the outcome of a hearing later this week; the licensing process was halted earlier this month after several veterans claimed in a lawsuit that the state failed to follow its own social equity rules.

Alabama’s medical cannabis licensing process was paused, again, after a judge granted a temporary restraining order on Thursday after several cannabis companies claimed that regulators had violated the state’s open meetings law.

The Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission has awarded new cannabis industry licenses after voiding all previously awarded licenses, explaining that errors in the scoring and evaluation of first-round licensees led to the new permits.

A New York Supreme Court justice this week temporarily blocked the issuing of new retail cannabis licenses following a lawsuit by veterans who claim that officials have failed to follow social equity provisions in the state’s cannabis legalization law.

A lawsuit filed by New York-based military veterans claims that cannabis regulators are failing to follow the social equity provisions included in the state’s cannabis legalization law.

Oklahoma Supreme Court Justice John Kane heard arguments on Tuesday in a case challenging a recently passed law that hikes medical cannabis licensing fees in the state.

The New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department filed a petition seeking a preliminary injunction against Sawmill Sweet Leaf, LLC, alleging the company has been diverting cannabis out of state and manufacturing concentrate without a permit.

One of Connecticut’s four licensed cannabis producers, Theraplant, was sold last week to NewCo, a subsidiary of New York-based DXR Holdco.

Nevada regulators this week awarded the state’s first conditional license for a stand-alone cannabis consumption lounge to La Lounge, LLC.

Two Black farmers in Florida have received licenses to grow, process, and sell medical cannabis. The licensing ends a six-year process of aligning the state with the federal Pigford v. Glickman settlement under the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which prohibits government discrimination against minority farmers.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has signed into law a bill to issue medical cannabis cultivation licenses to Black farmers. The new law also expands telehealth renewals for medical cannabis patients.

A recent report by Whitney Economics found that just 24.4% of U.S. cannabis companies currently turn a profit, down 42% from the year prior.

Alabama medical cannabis regulators on Friday voted to pause further issuing of medical cannabis licenses in the state after having discovered “potential inconsistencies in the tabulation of scoring data.”

New York regulators on Thursday shut down multiple unlicensed cannabis shops in Ithaca, Binghamton, and New York City. The companies now face fines of up to $10,000 per day they were operating without a license.

Maryland medical cannabis regulators temporarily shut down a Cookies dispensary license, citing multiple violations including a video advertisement that “appeared to show large plumes of medical cannabis smoke being blown from a large gun apparatus into the mouths of persons outside the dispensary.”

Alabama regulators this week licensed the state’s first medical cannabis businesses, issuing four cultivation licenses, four processing licenses, four retailer licenses, five licenses for integrated facilities, three transport licenses, and one testing lab license.

The San Francisco, California Board of Supervisors voted unanimously this week to enact a three-year moratorium on the awarding of new cannabis business licenses.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a bill last week to extend the state’s provisional cannabis cultivation and processing licenses in response to the continued delays of New York’s adult-use marketplace.

Multistate cannabis operator Trulieve announced on Thursday it will “wind down” its Massachusetts-based operations as part of its broader plan to “preserve cash and improve financial performance.”

The New York Cannabis Control Board voted to settle a lawsuit brought by a Michigan company that has for seven months prevented any new licenses from being awarded in five state regions.

Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte (R) signed a bill this week to extend the state’s moratorium on new cannabis business licenses for another two years.

Delaware lawmakers voted in committee on Tuesday to set a $4.1 million initial budget for rolling out the state’s adult-use cannabis industry.

Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek (D) announced this week that the state’s cannabis companies must now prove that they’ve paid their state taxes before they can receive a license or have an existing license renewed.