Author: Marijuana Moment

[ad_1] “We’re ready to go. We already have the facilities. We have everything in place, and we absolutely will be able to supply the market.” By Alander Rocha, Alabama Reflector The Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission (AMCC) Tuesday awarded five integrated facilities licenses, wrapping up its third attempt this year to award licenses for medical cannabis production. The awards for the facilities—which can grow, process and sell medical cannabis onsite—followed four days of presentations last week from applicants and months of litigation over the AMCC’s prior methods of evaluating applications. “[Today] was a milestone for us. Maybe the third time is…

[ad_1] Since January 2021, when recreational sales began, the cannabis industry has generated more than $4 billion, with about $2.5 billion coming from recreational sales. By David Abbott, Arizona Mirror Cannabis sales in Arizona passed the $1 billion mark for the year in September, as the medical and recreational markets continued a familiar pattern that appears to have solidified over the past several months. Data from the Arizona Department of Revenue (ADOR) for August and September reports that medical sales remain about one-third that of adult-use recreational, a trend that has persisted throughout the year—and led to the lowest medical…

[ad_1] “Many patients face barriers to accessing treatment due to costs, like paying out of pocket for doctor’s visits and the cost of cannabis.” By Sophie Nieto-Munoz, New Jersey Monitor In an attempt to keep enrollment for medical marijuana patients from continuing to drop, the state cannabis agency has lowered registration costs to just $10 every two years, down from $50 for most patients. Enrollment in the medical marijuana program has been declining since the state launched recreational marijuana sales in April 2022, officials with the Cannabis Regulatory Commission said at their meeting Thursday. The number of medical marijuana patients…

[ad_1] “This is the first try at a serious program that says: Let’s take the plastic and recycle it. Let’s take this environmental concern seriously.”  By Bhaamati Borkhetaria, CommonWealth Beacon One of the state’s cannabis retailers is encouraging customers to recycle the plastic that encases certain cannabis products by offering them a $4 pre-rolled joint for every piece of packaging they return. In the heavily regulated cannabis industry, nearly every product is required to come in child-resistant packaging that is typically made of plastic. Most of that plastic is not recyclable and ends up in the trash or tossed on…

[ad_1] “Let’s puff, puff, pass the bills.” By Christopher Shea, Rhode Island Current With infused drinks, charcuterie and the blasting beats of Drake, a group of more than three dozen industry advocates, leaders and lawmakers gathered this month to celebrate the anniversary of the first legal marijuana sale. The December 1 celebration at an event space in Cranston’s Rolfe Square also served as a forum to discuss changes they want to see in year two: specifically around ensuring all Rhode Islanders have the chance to take part in this budding industry. “The details are what matters,” Rep. David Morales, a…

[ad_1] “What they can do is they can sue a statewide elected official who is refusing to comply with its constitutional duties when that inaction is unconstitutionally preventing the override process from occurring.” By Blair Miller, Daily Montanan More than six months after Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte (R) vetoed one of the more broadly supported bills of this year’s legislative session just as the Senate voted to adjourn, lawyers for the governor and secretary of state told a judge Thursday they maintain the veto was done properly and that the groups that have sued trying to force an override poll…

[ad_1] “I think all of us are interested in how aggressive they can be with the timeframe since we had delay after delay up to this point.” By Alander Rocha, Alabama Reflector Companies seeking to build all-inclusive medical cannabis facilities began making their cases to the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission Tuesday. Presentations will run from Tuesday until Friday, and the commission will award the licenses next week. Applicants seeking integrated facility licenses, which would grow, process and distribute medical cannabis, were allotted up to 45 minutes to speak to the commission. Most companies stressed their ability to quickly get products…

[ad_1] “I look forward to joining the incredible team at the Cannabis Compliance Board and executing the governor’s agenda to ethically regulate this burgeoning industry.” By Dana Gentry, Nevada Current Gov. Joe Lombardo (R) announced Tuesday that James Humm will be the new executive director of the Cannabis Compliance Board. The position is currently held by Tyler Klimas, who is leaving to start a cannabis and hemp consulting company. Klimas is bound by a one-year cooling off period during which he cannot represent certain establishments in the state. “I approached the governor’s office in September and let them know I’d…

[ad_1] “Whatever is ultimately decided must reflect what Ohio voters approved. The politicians had numerous chances, numerous decades, to change Ohio’s antiquated laws. They refused.” By Gary Daniels, ACLU of Ohio via Ohio Capital Journal Less than a month ago, Ohio voters approved marijuana use, possession, and sales for adults. It was a 57 percent to 43 percent vote, a considerable landslide in voting terms. The margin was not a surprise. Legalization is popular across numerous demographics and, apparently, across the state. Issue 2 also passed as an initiated statute, not a constitutional amendment. The difference is the initiated statute…

[ad_1] “Employees were basically told, ‘If you talk to the union, if you take a card, if you take a sticker, you’re out.” By Rebecca Rivas, Missouri Independent The first day was a breeze. Sean Shannon and Danny Foster walked into several marijuana dispensaries around Missouri with their matching “Union For Cannabis Workers” shirts and talked to employees about the possibility of unionizing. “The first day, there were 57 stops amongst the teams,” said Shannon, lead organizer with UFCW Local 655, which actually stands for United Food and Commercial Workers International Union. “Reception was out-of-this-world positive. Workers were so excited.”…

[ad_1] “The week we had had a good process—it’s worked well. The presenters brought things to the forefront that maybe we didn’t see otherwise, that you can’t really see in a paper application.” By Alander Rocha, Alabama Reflector The Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission Friday awarded 20 licenses for the production and distribution of medical cannabis in its third attempt to get the new industry started in the state. The awards followed three days of presentations from applicants and months of litigation over the AMCC’s prior methods of evaluating applications. “The week we had had a good process—it’s worked well,” said…

[ad_1] “We have a very long backlog of transporters who just actively cannot find contracts or find work.” By Andrew Hensel, The Center Square A bill soon to be sent to Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) makes changes to the licensing policies for cannabis growers and how the product is transported in an effort supporters say is meant to bring equity to the industry. Adult cannabis sales have been legal in Illinois since 2020. Even with limited license holders for the production, transportation and sale, the state’s industry has generated billions of dollars in sales and hundreds of millions in tax…