Author: Chris Casacchia

[ad_1] MedMen Enterprises initiated more layoffs last week, this time at a cannabis store in suburban Chicago, MJBizDaily has learned. The Los Angeles-based multistate operator on Feb. 6 cut 25 workers at its store at 1142 Lake St. in Oak Park, outside Chicago, a former manager told MJBizDaily late Tuesday. “For the last two months we have had less than 20 products on our menu,” said the source, who requested anonymity. “I’m talking no edibles, no flower, no vapes, no lighters. They owe every brand in Illinois money.” MedMen did not immediately respond to an MJBizDaily request for comment. News of the…

[ad_1] A Colorado marijuana edibles manufacturer has filed a lawsuit against state regulators contesting the cannabis tracking system. Lifestyle Foods, which operates the brands Ripple and Ript, contends the state Marijuana Enforcement Division (MED) mandate for operators to use radio frequency identification (RFID) tags supplied by cannabis software company Metrc adds an unnecessary financial burden, Law360 first reported. The lawsuit claims the RFID tags cost the company more than $1,400 a month and their requirement could violate state law regarding unclear rulemaking and improper notice and collection, alleging the fees should be collected by the state’s Department of Revenue, according…

[ad_1] MedMen Enterprises has laid off most of its staff at its top-performing cannabis store in Nevada, former employees told MJBizDaily. The Los Angeles-headquartered multistate operator on Feb. 6 cut 20-25 workers at its outlet at 4503 Paradise Road, just off the Las Vegas Strip, sources said. The terminations came only a few days before Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium played host to Super Bowl LVIII, which attracted tens of thousands of visitors and tourists to the city – and its weed shops. The weeks preceding the big game in Las Vegas will likely be the top-selling period of the year…

[ad_1] Oregon Democratic congressman Earl Blumenauer continues to push the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration to reschedule marijuana and lay out a timeline for such action. In a Feb. 8 letter to DEA Administrator Anne Milgram, acting Chief Michael Miller, Attorney General Merrick Garland and Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra, Blumenauer asked for updates on several time elements and the process related to the Drug Enforcement Administration’s rescheduling review, including: The deadline to publish its draft rule on scheduling marijuana for public comment. Standard timelines for drug scheduling reviews. The date it launched the marijuana…

[ad_1] New York regulators gave the OK for two more adult-use stores to open as lawmakers ponder some potential changes to the state’s cannabis law. Community Board 8’s Street Life Committee greenlighted the approvals of Green Health and a store operated by Conditional Adult-Use Retail Dispensary (CAURD) licensee Deanna Brooks, Crain’s New York Business reported. The store locations are on the Upper East Side. New York now has 65 adult-use and delivery providers operational, according to data from the state’s Office of Cannabis Management. That number has more than doubled since the start of the year. Recreational cannabis sales in New…

[ad_1] Hawaii lawmakers have introduced several marijuana-related bills this session as momentum grows to establish an adult-use program in the state after Democratic Gov. Josh Green again signaled support for legalization. The proposals, according to the Hawaii Tribune Herald in Hilo, include: House Bill 2037, which would create a ballot measure asking voters to legalize retail sales for those 21 and older and amend the state constitution. Senate Bill 2487, which would repeal criminal penalties for possession of marijuana up to 1 ounce. SB 2689, which would mandate that the state process and expunge records of those arrested and convicted…

[ad_1] A monthslong MJBizDaily investigation into the business practices of marijuana multistate operator MedMen Enterprises reveals a widespread pattern of not paying invoices, abruptly closing stores and terminating employees without warning. According to internal communications obtained by MJBizDaily, regulatory filings and interviews with dozens of cannabis brands, industry vendors and former employees, MedMen frequently disregarded invoices, breached contracts and ignored exhaustive attempts to resolve outstanding balances. Some of MedMen’s top executives, including former CEO Ellen Deutsch Harrison and acting Chief Financial Officer Amit Pandey, were included in online exchanges with brands and contractors seeking restitution for their unpaid invoices for months,…

[ad_1] A Texas liquor store chain has added a hemp-infused seltzer containing THC to its shelves throughout the state. Spec’s Wine & Spirits is now carrying Hi Seltzer’s delta-8 beverages in more than 200 of their stores in 100-plus municipalities across Texas, according to the Austin American-Statesman. “Our leadership team spends considerable time analyzing the trends and reviewing consumer habits, which led us to investigate the THC-infused space in late 2022,” Spec’s Lisa Rydman-Lindsey told the newspaper. “This was around the same time Hi Seltzer introduced its brand, and we enjoyed the tasting.” Spec’s move comes only months after a…

[ad_1] Marijuana multistate operator MedMen Enterprises has closed two stores in Northern California, MJBizDaily has confirmed. The abrupt store closures last week were in Emeryville in the Bay Area and San Jose in the Silicon Valley. The websites for those stores have been pulled down. A Yelp listing says the Emeryville and San Jose outlets are temporarily closed and will reopen Dec. 31, 2024. MedMen did not immediately respond to MJBizDaily requests for comment. The two store closures follow a recent round of corporate layoffs at MedMen and another store closure in West Hollywood. Last week, MJBizDaily first reported that the…

[ad_1] A marijuana grower in Northern California agreed to pay $1.7 million in penalties to various state agencies for environmental violations. The settlement, approved by a Humboldt County Superior Court judge, levied record penalties against Joshua Sweet and his affiliated companies, The Hills and Shadow Light Ranch, for building and diverting water from illegal onstream reservoirs without obtaining permits from the California Water Boards and California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW). Sweet must pay $500,000 to the Division of Water Rights, $175,000 to the North Coast Water Board and $75,000 to the CDFW over five years. He is also…

[ad_1] Another lawsuit has been filed challenging the marijuana business licensing process in New York. The latest challenge, filed Monday in the Supreme Court of New York in Albany County, was brought by seven women-owned social equity cannabis companies that claim state regulators broke rules when they implemented a “randomized queue” to review more than 2,000 applications. The lawsuit, first reported by Green Market Report, aims to halt the licensing process, a tactic that has been used successfully in New York and elsewhere. That action follows a separate suit filed last week by a microbusiness license applicant claiming the state’s…

[ad_1] Marijuana multistate operator MedMen Enterprises initiated a round of corporate layoffs on Jan. 26, according to sources with detailed information about the cuts. The number of employees affected is unknown, but personnel in the Los Angeles-based company’s accounting and marketing departments were among those laid off, sources told MJBizDaily. Other departments might also be involved. Some of the MedMen employees involved were caught off guard by their abrupt dismissal, learning about their change in employment status when they were locked out of their company computers and email accounts, the sources said. MedMen did not respond to MJBizDaily‘s request for…