Author: Chris Casacchia

[ad_1] An applicant in upstate New York seeking a cannabis cultivation and processor license is suing regulators in the latest legal challenge to alleged “priority” status in the state. Tree Hill Innovations, operated by Marguerite Mikol of Saugerties, filed a petition claiming certain applicants were given “extra priority” by submitting up to three applications in a lottery designed to vet requests, according to the Albany Times Union. The lawsuit against the state’s Cannabis Control Board and Office of Cannabis Management alleges regulators changed licensing application rules last year in an “arbitrary and capricious” manner without informing the public, the newspaper…

[ad_1] Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis indicated he will take a pronounced role in helping to defeat the state’s November ballot measure to legalize recreational marijuana. “We’ll be getting involved in different ways on those initiatives,” he said Tuesday, referring to the adult-use measure and a separate initiative codifying abortion rights, according to Marijuana Moment. DeSantis, who has called the marijuana initiative “radical” and predicted its failure on Election Day, also questioned the legitimacy of medical marijuana patients’ health claims while reverberating his gripes with cannabis smoke in public. “Do you want to … not be able to take your family…

[ad_1] A Denver-based cannabis multistate operator has settled a lawsuit in New Mexico with budtenders who claimed wage theft and is facing a similar case in its home state of Colorado. Medicine Man Technologies, which operates as Schwazze, agreed to pay $525,000 to Justin Fowler, a budtender at its G. Greenleaf dispensary in Albuquerque, and 19 other budtenders in New Mexico and Colorado, according to Green Market Report. Law360 first reported the developments. Fowler’s original lawsuit, filed in August 2023, alleged: Schwazze violated federal and state laws by allowing managers to unevenly pool and split budtender tips. The company used…

[ad_1] Creditors of cannabis operator MedMen Enterprises will meet in a few weeks as investors seek repayment for hundreds of millions of dollars in outstanding debt. The cash-strapped company entered bankruptcy proceedings in Canada on Friday and placed its California retail assets in receivership, the first steps to unwind the business and sell off assets in liquidation. The developments usher in the end of the company’s days as a marijuana multistate operator and cement perhaps the most precipitous downfall in the marijuana industry to date. With creditors reporting more than 560 million Canadian dollars ($410 million) in claims, MedMen likely…

[ad_1] A cannabis products manufacturer in Michigan has rebranded its flagship edible after receiving a cease-and-desist letter from Tootsie Roll Industries. In response to a letter sent by the Chicago-based candy corporation, Lions Labs changed the name of its sugar-coated edible Potdots to Potpots as well as its logo, packaging and marketing materials. Tootsie Roll alleged trademark infringement related to its “Dots” gumdrops, according to a Lions Lab news release. “While we are disappointed in Tootsie Roll’s position on this matter, we look forward to avoiding any dispute and are excited for our 1mg edible’s new name: Potpots,” Ryan Ratzloff, CEO…

[ad_1] The newly approved annual state budget in New York greatly expands enforcement actions and resources to curb the proliferation of unlicensed marijuana operators. Gov. Kathy Hochul, who a few months ago called the state’s rollout of recreational cannabis retail a “disaster,” announced a series of measures that provides the Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) and local municipalities with new authorities against illicit storefronts and enablers, including: Padlocking businesses immediately after an inspection if they are selling illicit cannabis and pose an imminent threat to health and safety. Fining landlords who fail to initiate eviction proceedings against unlicensed storefronts $50,000 within New…

[ad_1] U.S. marijuana retailers reported brisk business on April 20, the biggest day of the year for cannabis sales, despite setbacks from widespread e-commerce platform outages. Retailers, point-of-sale (POS) and e-commerce operators overwhelmingly experienced significant increases in revenue and foot traffic during the high holiday weekend, according to first-hand accounts and industry data. In most cases, retailers and vendors handled the holiday rush and related festivities in fine fashion. While some marijuana retailers using Dutchie e-commerce systems said software outages slowed or stopped transactions, less than 20% of Dutchie customers experienced performance issues, the Bend, Oregon-based company confirmed to MJBizDaily.…

[ad_1] Kentucky will implement a lottery system to award the first medical marijuana business licenses, Gov. Andy Beshear announced in a press conference late last week. Applicants will have to clear a screening process before applying for one of the state’s limited licenses, according to the Associated Press. The lottery will be held in October. In the initial round, the state will issue 48 medical marijuana dispensary licenses, which will be divided equally among 11 regions of the state, the news service reported. Beshear last week also signed a bill that allows medical cannabis operators to apply for business licenses as…

[ad_1] Marijuana retailers using Dutchie e-commerce systems reported widespread outages on April 20, the cannabis industry’s top day for sales. Several operators told MJBizDaily their Dutchie point-of-sale (POS) software crashed for hours during peak traffic Saturday, halting online and in-store purchases and causing customers to leave stores empty-handed. At Pure Cannabis Outlet in Michigan, store workers reported the Dutchie POS system crashed for more than five hours. “We had so many angry and disappointed customers, and we were literally helpless,” said Jerry Hicks, an operations manager at the store. Pure Cannabis was unable to cash out customers for hours, Hicks…

[ad_1] Illinois lawmakers and a trade group representing state-licensed marijuana companies are calling for a ban on intoxicating hemp products such as delta-8 and delta-10. The Cannabis Business Association of Illinois, which represents large operators, is pushing for banning the sale of such products until a committee recommends some action, the Chicago Tribune reported. But the group stopped short of banning CBD products. In Illinois, intoxicating hemp-derived products are sold at gas stations, convenient stores and smoke shops without any regulation, including age restrictions, testing and labeling, according to the newspaper. Several lawmakers favor the ban, while others, such as…

[ad_1] Kentucky medical cannabis operators can apply for business licenses as early as July, setting up an MMJ market launch in early 2025. House Bill 829, which Gov. Andy Beshear signed into law Thursday after it easily passed through the state senate’s Republican supermajority, allows MMJ growers, processors and dispensaries to gain license approval this summer. But the new law contains several restrictions that could stymie growth and expansion, according to Louisville Public Media. Consuming medical marijuana in Kentucky will be allowed only through vaping, pills and edibles. A strict prohibition against smoking MMJ remained in the final bill, and…

[ad_1] As the marijuana industry gears up for the biggest sales day of the year, retailers, point-of-sale (POS) and e-commerce service providers are working to avert another online disaster. Operators nationwide have installed a series of measures – bolstering infrastructure, employee training, stress tests and other support mechanisms – to capture every retail dollar on Saturday, April 20, the most celebrated day of the year for cannabis enthusiasts and retailers alike. Last year, a cascade of failures between Dutchie POS systems and their retail customers’ e-commerce menus led to widespread outages affecting hundreds, if not thousands, of stores in the…