Business
Weedmaps makes good on pledge to drop rogue cannabis shops
IRVINE — Facing massive fines from state regulators, Irvine-based Weedmaps has taken major strides toward fulfilling its pledge to drop ads for illicit cannabis shops from its online directory, cutting about 2,700 rogue stores from its site since the start of this year. The company’s long-awaited move to follow state law is drawing praise from legal cannabis operators. Some licensed stores have seen an uptick in business since Jan. 1, a trend they attribute to Weedmaps making it more difficult for potential customers to find unlicensed competitors. But Weedmaps’ new filtering system hasn’t prevented all unlicensed operators from advertising on the site, and many in the regulated market are hoping for even more diligent screening by the prominent, industry-driving platform. Read the rest of...
U.S. leads in cannabis innovation, but cedes global market to Canada
Published: Jan 6, 2020, 10:03 am • Updated: Jan 6, 2020, 10:04 am By Kaiser Health News By Markian Hawryluk, Kaiser Health News DENVER — In a large warehouse, LivWell Enlightened Health feeds its cloned cannabis plants a custom blend of nutrients, sprays them with filtered water and pumps extra carbon dioxide into the air. LivWell releases three types of insects to clear the plants of unwanted pests without the use of toxic pesticides. Every part of the growing process is meticulously documented and evaluated to constantly refine the process. Read the rest of this story on DenverPost.com.
New Colorado laws include red flag gun measure and insulin cost cap
Law enforcement has gained a controversial new gun-seizure tool, transgender people can change their birth certificates more easily and the minimum wage rose in Denver as new laws took effect Wednesday in Colorado. More than a dozen new measures that impact workers, patients, gun owners, people awaiting release from jail and marijuana consumers became law Jan. 1. One new law concerns plumbing inspections, while another requires that landlords deal with reported bedbug infestations within four days. Most of the laws or legal changes were not controversial, although some spurred heated debates during last year’s legislative session. Read the rest of this story on DenverPost.com.
California agency recommends major overhaul to state’s cannabis taxes
California’s struggling cannabis industry didn’t get the recommendation many hoped for — a call to sharply lower the industry’s tax rate — but a long-awaited state report did suggest a marijuana tax overhaul. The report from California’s nonpartisan Legislative Analyst Office, released Tuesday, Dec. 17, says lawmakers should ditch the way the state currently taxes marijuana and, instead, tax cannabis at different rates based on its potency. Such a tax structure, the report said, would result in stable revenue and discourage cannabis abuse. The report — the first of its kind since voters legalized cannabis three years earlier — also recommends California quit making licensed cultivators pay a tax based on the weight of marijuana they grow. Read the rest of this story on Times-Standard.com.
Royal Resin recalling marijuana sold in Denver area because of elevated yeast and mold counts
A Denver marijuana business, Royal Resin, is voluntarily recalling retail marijuana, including pre-rolled joints and blunts because of potentially unsafe elevated yeast and mold counts. The problem was found during a Denver Department of Public Health & Environment investigation, according to a news release. Samples of dried marijuana, including flower, shake and trim were also found with elevated and potentially unsafe levels of yeast and mold. The marijuana was sold before Monday at several metro area stores including: Diego Pellicer, Starbuds, Treatments Unlimited, Mile High, Green Fields and the Herbal Center. Strains and products include: Tropical Zkittles, Lemon Cookies, Lemon Granada, NYCD, GG#4, Hulk Pops, Dr. Strange, Alaskan Ice, Witches Weed, Purple Pipeline, Tangerine Powe...
Eureka, Arcata cannabis dispensaries reflect on ‘up-and-down’ year
Humboldt County’s cannabis industry has made it through another year of legality, a feat for a marketplace swarmed by regulatory costs and state bureaucracy since its inception. For a handful of pot dispensaries in Eureka and Arcata, the trek has been worth it. Several of the city’s marijuana shops said the past year has brought good returns. They cited strong relations with local growers and said most businesses are on good terms. The dispensaries did echo concerns with the state’s fledgling track-and-trace program, which became fully implemented this past summer. The stores also said the ever-increasing supply of dispensaries has been a problem. Read the rest of this story on Times-Standard.com.
Netherlands to Give Full Marijuana Legalization a Trial Run
The Netherlands is preparing to introduce a “weed test” in cities other than Amsterdam. The test would allow smaller-sized municipalities to have marijuana sales in coffeeshops (aka cannabis cafes). All products offered to coffeeshop patrons would be tested and display the THC percentages, City Lab reported. Locals may not see the coffeeshops offering marijuana for another year and a half, but officials are hoping it will be sooner than that. Officials must identify and approve growers first. Consumption of marijuana is currently legal in the Netherlands but growing it for commercial purposes is not. Breda Mayor Paul Depla said, “It’s almost the same as being allowed to buy beer in a cafe, but not being allowed to brew one. In that situation an illegal brewery would be setup tomorrow.” Off...
Cannabis Industry Job Postings Increases 1,242% in This Western State
Interactively procrastinate optimal manufactured products via backward-compatible networks. Dramatically innovate B2C human capital rather than effective services. Holisticly grow premium e-markets vis-a-vis virtual scenarios. Assertively engineer standardized e-markets before collaborative portals. Assertively revolutionize client-centered best practices with pandemic models. Efficiently network resource sucking innovation with 24/7 intellectual capital. Objectively unleash innovative experiences whereas cooperative ROI. Compellingly evolve future-proof web services vis-a-vis.
Maine to Begin Recreational Marijuana Sales by March 2020
By Patrick Whittle, Associated Press (AP) — Maine marijuana enthusiasts will probably be able to purchase their preferred products in retail stores by March 2020 after years of waiting. Voters approved legal adult-use marijuana at the polls in November 2016, and the road to legal sales has been long and bumpy. But a key act passed by the Legislature is now in effect, and that means the Maine Office of Marijuana Policy is in a position to complete final adoption of marijuana rules, said David Heidrich, an office spokesman. The act made tweaks to Maine’s Marijuana Legalization Act that were necessary for the marijuana office to adopt the rules, which it is expected to do within two months. That means it will likely be able to accept applications for retail marijuana sales by the end o...
Mexico to Vote On Marijuana Legalization by End of October
Mexico’s lawmakers are expected to vote this week on a bill to legalize marijuana. In 2018, the Mexico Supreme Court told lawmakers they had until Oct. 24 to legalize marijuana, VOANews reported. The Supreme Court ruled in multiple cases that the country’s prohibition of the recreational use of marijuana violated the constitution. Mexican law says that if the Supreme Court issues the same ruling five times, those rulings set a precedent that allow the court to order the creation of a new regulatory framework. Some lawmakers have proposed that the Mexican government tightly regulate the future marijuana market, while others propose a more open, free market. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has shown signs of support for decriminalizing marijuana.
Cannabis in America: $128.8 Billion in Taxes and 1.6 Million Jobs
New Frontier Data, a leader in analytics and business intelligence for the global cannabis industry, released its new study, Cannabis In the U.S. Economy: Jobs, Growth and Tax Revenue, 2019 Edition. The report looks at the current state of legal cannabis jobs and tax revenues and projects the impact that full federal legalization would have on the U.S. economy, especially tax revenue generation and job creation. New Frontier Data new report forecasts that under full federal legalization the cannabis industry could produce nearly $130 billion in additional tax revenues and over 1 million jobs nationwide. “With so much speculation about economic slowdown, the potential for federally legal cannabis to create up to a million new jobs and close to $130 billion in tax revenue is likely going to ...
Legalizing Marijuana Has “Minimal to No Effect” on Crime Ratet
According to new data from the journal Justice Quarterly, the legalization of adult-use marijuana possession and sales is not linked with any significant or long-term increase in criminal activity. Researchers affiliated with Washington State University assessed monthly average crime rates in Colorado and Washington in the wake of cannabis legalization compared to other states, NORML noted. In particular, they examined data for violent crimes, property crimes, auto thefts, and robberies. “[M]arijuana legalization and sales have had minimal to no effect on major crimes in Colorado or Washington,” the study noted. “We observed no statistically significant long-term effects of recreational cannabis laws or the initiation of retail sales on violent or property crime rates in these states. … Th...
.png "Growing Elite Marijuana")
