WeedLife News Network

Casey O’Neill is a cannabis and food farmer in Mendocino County who has been writing newsletters about his efforts to provide sustainable produce and marijuana.

The southwest side of Elgin may soon be home to a second cannabis-growing operation.

Grand Legacy Group LLC has partners who have ownership in both growing and dispensing facilities in New Mexico and New York. Now the group wants to open a growing operation in Elgin after first targeting Chicago Heights.

The group's Christine Johnson told the Elgin planning and zoning commission this week that it canceled plans to open in Chicago Heights after doing further research in Elgin and finding it to be a better fit.

The city council approved its first cannabis growing operation, at 1300 Abbott Drive, in February. That facility is still in the process of getting building permits and has not yet opened.

The Grand Legacy Group wants to move into the Burnidge Bros. Industrial Park at the northwest corner of Shepard Drive and Berkley Street.

"We can't say enough how excited we are to come to the city of Elgin," Johnson told the commission. "This property benefits us for multiple reasons. It's off the beaten path. It's more hidden."

ST. PAUL - Applications are now available online for anyone wishing to grow industrial hemp in Minnesota.

A license from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture is required for individuals and businesses to legally grow or process hemp in the state.

In order to get a permit, the grower must:

Minnesota ran a hemp pilot program from 2016 to 2020 before joining a federally regulated hemp production program in 2021.

As we previously reported, Germany’s plans to legalise cannabis were leaked on 19th October.

Key details from the unofficial documents and early-stage German proposals leaked to the press included: 

The Federal Cabinet has since met and decided on the key points of the law, presenting them in a cornerstone paper at a federal press conference on 26th October. 

There are a few noticeable differences from the original leaked plans.

The maximum threshold for possession has been raised from 20g to 30g, which has definitely received a positive reception from the German people. Alongside this, “own-cultivation” is to be treated more leniently, with an individual now allowed three, rather than two, female flowering plants. 

These restrictions are still relatively strict when compared with other countries who have legalised cannabis. For example, in Canada and Malta the growing of 4 plants is allowed, whereas in Uruguay the limit is 6. 

Local option sales taxes on recreational marijuana appear to have been favored during Montana’s midterm election. 

Efforts to ban recreational sales had a more mixed response.

Up to 10 Montana counties including Granite, Sheridan, Madison, Gallatin, Mineral, Sanders, Hill, Valley, Cascade and Flathead could approve new local taxes on recreational marijuana sales. Most were on track to do so Wednesday, according to preliminary results.

Local tax on non-medical sales has received the strongest support, while proposed taxes on medical sales also did well, although generally by smaller margins. Flathead and Sanders counties were the only counties where votes to oppose medical taxes were ahead on Wednesday. The issue in Sanders county was separated by just two votes, and could be headed for a recount.

Granite county voters appear likely to uphold a ban on recreational sales in the county’s third vote on the issue since 2020.

Five communities within counties that currently allow sales voted over whether to permit dispensaries within city limits. Only the town of Cascade appears likely to agree with a city ban, with preliminary results showing voters in Great Falls, West Yellowstone, Deer Lodge and Manhattan approving of marijuana businesses in their jurisdictions. The issue in Deer Lodge has been flagged for a possible recount.

Recreational cannabis sales in New Mexico surpassed the $25 million mark for the first time in the month of October but medical sales continued a downward trend, leaving overall sales totals flat. 

But medical sales continue to fall.

The marijuana business seems like some kind of dense thicket where it is impossible to get through.

You can know a lot more about any other business, but when it comes to cannabis… It would seem that this is your chance to stand out and create something new in a rapidly growing industry. However, once things get down to business, it can be easy to get bogged down. How to create a business in the fast-paced cannabis industry? Now we will find out.

1- Define Your Brand

Before you start your business, you should clearly define the type of activity and the desired products. There are many directions in the cannabis business, and each has its own rules and regulations. What are the most popular business models? You can choose among:

Or other activities not directly related to cannabis. For example, producing various devices for growing cannabis. You can supply LED lamps, thermometers, and other gadgets that will come in handy during marijuana cultivation.

To begin with, you should decide on a small type of activity that will become a priority. In the future, you will be able to expand your business and engage in several business models at the same time. But at the very beginning of the journey, it is worth choosing only one source of income.

The choice of your audience is also vital. For example, smokers and vapers are unlikely to be interested in some CBD-based anti-aging creams. It is essential to determine what is necessary for your audience from the very beginning. Think about the problems your product could potentially solve. For example, did you know that the strong smell of weed sometimes confuses vapers? Then think about how you can drown out this taste with other flavors and smells.

New Mexico broke another record for monthly sales of adult-use cannabis in October, when the 50th Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta brought thousands of travelers to the state.

Recreational sales stood at more than $25 million in October – a first since sales began in April, and the fourth straight month of record-breaking sales, according to the Cannabis Control Division.

While adult-use sales have seen an uptick, medical sales have continued to take a nosedive.

Sales numbers for medical cannabis stood at $14.7 million last month – a new low in the age of recreational cannabis sales, according to the CCD data.

Overall, sales numbers for October stood at nearly $39.8 million. And, to date, recreational sales combined have brought in more than $161 million through seven months.

The updated sales numbers for October came through the new Cannabis Reporting Online Portal, which went live Thursday afternoon on the CCD website. The portal also tracks plant counts, the number of dispensaries in the state and other relevant metrics relating to the cannabis industry.

Following the launch of the recreational cannabis marketplace in April, eight out-of-state entities have dominated the landscape, opening and operating all 20 dispensaries currently licensed to sell across New Jersey.

However, Harmony Foundation in Secaucus is hoping to change that by becoming the first New Jersey-based, nonprofit medical dispensary to expand into the state’s adult-use market.

Harmony, one of the recipients of the original six alternative treatment center (ATC) permits granted by the New Jersey Department of Health, began operating in June 2018 under the Medicinal Cannabis Program and has had its permit renewed annually by the state ever since.

“We are showing that cannabis businesses born in this state have the ability to join those multi-state operators and thrive, reinvesting our successes into our local communities,” said Shaya Brodchandel, president and chief executive officer of Harmony.

“This is an exciting step forward for Harmony, and, we believe, for the growing cannabis industry in New Jersey,” added Brodchandel, who reiterated that even after entering the recreational market, the foundation will continue to grant priority to patients and registered caregivers.

Unlike products that are skyrocketing in price, cannabis is still illegal on a federal level, and therefore not regulated the same way. 

Here’s why some industry owners aren’t stoked. Cannabis regulators in New York have long mentioned year’s end as the time when legal dispensaries could be operational.

New York State is edging closer to a functioning cannabis legal market. According to new reports, marijuana dispensary applications may be approved within by late November, fulfilling the state’s stated wish to have dispensaries up and running by the end of the year.

The news was shared on Twitter by Ashley Southall, a reporter for The New York Times. While nothing has been confirmed as yet, some believe New York will soon be moving forward with cannabis.

“New York’s cannabis regulators may approve the state’s first licences to operate adult-use cannabis dispensaries on Nov. 21, when the state control board meets,” notes Southall’s tweet.

“Axel Bernabe, the chief of staff for the Office of Cannabis Management, says his agency has scored applications and will recommend approval for applicants who represent the top of the class,” another comment reports.

Cannabis regulators in New York have long mentioned year’s end as the time when legal dispensaries could be operational. This marks the first time officials have provided a clear timeline and date as to when this decision would be made.

Two of Arkansas' medical marijuana dispensaries are under investigation after appearing to offer $10 in store credit to people who vote for Issue 4 in Tuesday's general election.

The investigation involves Suite 443 in Hot Springs and High Bank Cannabis Co. in Pine Bluff.

Issue 4 would legalize the use of recreational marijuana in Arkansas for adults.

Arkansas' Alcoholic Beverage Control Division was alerted about the "ads" on Wednesday, said Scott Hardin, a spokesman for the state Department of Finance and Administration. He said the ads were posted on the wall in the dispensaries.

Hardin said ABC enforcement agents visited Suite 443 on Wednesday "to learn more."

"The owners have been fully cooperative," he said. "The ads have been pulled."

Growing cannabis crops could harvest huge economic benefits for Scotland’s farmers and achieve climate targets at the same time, new research has found.

Cannabis farms, manufacturers and retailers provided millions of dollars that footed a petition drive to put the proposal on the November ballot and promote it to voters.

In the Czech Republic, hemp products like marijuana, hashish and cannabis oil have been available in pharmacies for years. Prague is now planning full legalization for 2023 and wants to coordinate the step with Berlin.

For years, the cannabis industry flourished through a "green rush." Now, amid plummeting sales, Colorado's cannabis entrepreneurs are struggling as never before.

Jonathan Spadafora knew things were bad when April 20, 2022, the high holy day of cannabis, failed to deliver the windfall Colorado’s marijuana retailers were used to. Across the state, dispensary sales fell around 25 percent compared with 4/20 the year before. But it wasn’t until this past May, when demand continued to plunge, that Spadafora, president of Veritas Fine Cannabis, realized the industry was in a free fall.

For the first time since licensed recreational weed sales began in Colorado in 2014, two years after legalization, the Centennial State’s cannabis sector is experiencing a prolonged downturn. Mid-2022 saw the fourth consecutive quarter of declining sales, a near reversal of the record-setting revenues the industry boasted during the early days of the pandemic. (The medical and retail sectors have experienced nearly identical downturns.) In response to waning demand, dispensaries that had stocked up for 4/20 found themselves stuck with excess inventory and slashed purchase orders to growers such as Veritas, which produces flower and pre-rolled joints for stores around the state. Even big companies are struggling; chains Buddy Boy and TweedLeaf shuttered seven stores each during the summer.

Spadafora believes a number of factors have contributed to cannabis’ tailspin. To start, the pandemic boom was likely a bubble driven by the fact that people were stuck at home—and often bored or stressed-out. “People weren’t in the office,” Spadafora says. “They were at home and had the ability to roll a joint and do their emails all day.” Then there were the stimulus checks, which helped fund the run on nugs as total sales reached their annual peak at $2.2 billion in 2021. Fast-forward to today, and people are worried about inflation, Spadafora notes.

Plus, nine more states have legalized recreational weed during the past two years, putting a dent in Colorado’s cannabis tourism trade, says Truman Bradley of Denver-based Marijuana Industry Group, a cannabis trade association. New Mexico’s entrance into the market in 2021 has been especially painful, corresponding with a 40 to 50 percent drop in cannabis sales in Colorado’s southern border towns.

Veritas, one of the state’s larger marijuana producers, couldn’t weather the downturn without downsizing: In June, the company decided to close one of its three cultivation facilities and lay off 33 staff members—nearly a quarter of its workforce. “It’s tough because these weren’t people who were making mistakes,” Spadafora says. “I think one thing that we’ve learned is Colorado is not a $2.2 billion market. It’s probably a $1.8 or $1.7 or $1.6 billion market.” Growers and sellers alike will simply have to hope the market bottoms out before their companies go up in smoke.

The 2018 Farm Bill left the barn door open for dangerous and intoxicating forms of hemp says the the California Cannabis Industry Association (CCIA).

The CCIA has released a white paper it says details the dangers associated with the growing number of increasingly intoxicating products currently being sold as “hemp” from a myriad of outlets, and has called for urgent reform.

The issue has its roots in the wording of the 2018 Farm Bill, which made hemp legal if it contained less than 0.3 per cent delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol on a dry weight basis. The fact only delta-9 – the most commonly consumed form of THC and the one that provides a high – was singled out gave rise to other forms of intoxicating THC such as delta-8. These can be created by manipulating non-intoxicating cannabidiol (CBD) extracted from hemp.

The white paper notes some of these products are far more potent than their delta-9 counterparts and often contain dangerous chemicals resulting from the manufacturing process. Some of these cannabinoids include THCjd, THC-O, HHC, Delta-10 THC and the most commonly sold (for now), Delta-8 THC.

“With the way these products are sold, it’s easier for a kid to get their hands on them than a six-pack of beer,” says CCIA board Vice President Tiffany Devitt.

Various states have crafted their own laws regarding other forms of THC in order to rein in or stop their distribution, but the CCIA says more action is needed

Up to 40 cannabis consumption lounges could be coming to Nevada as early next year.

The Nevada Cannabis Compliance Board on Monday announced it had received 100 completed state licensing applications during a 10-day window earlier this month.

Nonrefundable application fees had been set at $100,000 for dispensaries; $10,000 for independent applicants, and $2,500 for social equity applicants, those who were negatively affected by marijuana laws before the state legalized the drug in 2017.

Established dispensaries, which would have a lounges attached or adjacent to them, accounted for 20 of the completed licenses. The state did not set a limit to how many such businesses it will be licensing.

But Nevada is only issuing 20 independent licenses, half of which would go to social equity applicants.

That will mean 40 independent and 20 social equity applicants will be left out out following a lottery for the 20 available slots.

Two marijuana consumers have sued a California marijuana company because its joints contain a lower percentage of THC that declared and accused it of false advertising.

According to the plaintiffs, the preroll joint advertised as the one "that will get you to Mars quicker than Elon Musk" allegedly raised concerns over the mislabeling of marijuana products to sell at a higher price.

The plaintiffs, Jasper Centeno of Long Beach and Blake Wilson of Fresno, are involved in a suit against the defendant, California marijuana company DreamFields Brands, Inc. and Med for America, for false advertising.

Santa Monica-based law firm Dovel & Luner seeks unspecified damages and restitution for the two plaintiffs who purchased the allegedly mislabeled products and class-action status for the lawsuit.

The lawsuit, filed on October 20, states that the plaintiffs purchased DreamFields Brands' Jeeter pre-rolled joints, which allegedly had a THC content lower than was advertised, and, therefore, the declaration of THC content on the company's labels is false.

"Testing by independent labs reveals that the true THC content of Defendants' products is materially less than the amount listed on the label. Moreover, the difference is far greater than the 10% margin of error that DCC [California's Department of Cannabis Control] regulations permit," the lawsuit states.

PAWNEE COUNTY - Keith Buntin is the fire chief for the volunteer department at Station 58 in Pawnee County.

He took pictures of what appears to be gloves, cans and other trash partially buried under mulch near Keystone Lake. He says he found the mess while responding to a fire a couple months ago.

The Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics confirms they are investigating some of the grows in the Terlton area to make sure they are legal when it comes to who regulates what. They say when it comes to dumping, that is on the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority (OMMA).

OMMA says: “The rules allow licensees to dispose of root balls, stems, fan leaves and mature stalks—parts of the cannabis plant not generally used as medical marijuana or in a medical marijuana product—at their own licensed premises by open burning, incineration, burying, mulching, composting or any other technique approved by the state Department of Environmental Quality.

The licensees must also maintain a disposal log with a signed statement attesting that the plant parts were disposed of lawfully.”

Chief Butin says in the Cleveland and Terlton zip code there are 54 legal and licensed grows or dispensaries.