WeedLife News Network

After plants have been cured and trimmed, there remains a large mound of natural cannabis scraps to deal with

RENO - A Las Vegas-based facility that intentionally manipulated cannabis testing results will likely face disciplinary action after state regulators denied the company’s motion to dismiss the action Tuesday.

The Cannabis Compliance Board voted unanimously to reject Lettucetest LLC’s motion to dismiss disciplinary action against the company that could see it lose a marijuana business license and be barred from operating in the industry for 10 years.

Ontario Cannabis Stores, the province's pot supplier, charges a 31% mark-up to retailers.

2022 has been a tough year for a lot of cannabis brands. On the one hand, more markets than ever have opened.

But between inflation and taxation many are feeling the pinch.

That doesn’t mean it’s all doom and gloom, some brands are standing out, and they’re doing it by exploring those new markets and having a unique business model. 

On the retail side, The Artist Tree just launched their fifth location and the first licensed cannabis dispensary in Fresno, California. From nearly 100 applicants for a retail cannabis permit, The Artist Tree emerged victorious to become the first dispensary to serve the community of the Golden State’s 5th largest city. 

KANSAS CITY - When Missouri voters go to the polls in November to decide whether recreational use of marijuana should be legal there’s a lot more than pot use at stake.

Approval could mean big money for the state and cities.

Marijuana is estimated to be an almost two-billion-dollar market in Missouri. Most of that is due to illegal sales with no benefit to the state. But if voters approve the amendment, the hope is that those underground buyers would move their business to stores, creating revenue by way of taxes.

If approved, Amendment 3 would allow those 21 and over to  possess, purchase, consume and cultivate marijuana. A recent SurveyUSA poll showed that 62% of Missouri voters favor the amendment.

An emphasis on corruption and enforcement downplays the very real influence of regulation and taxes on California's booming black market.

The Los Angeles Times has released a heavily researched, heavily reported investigation on the many, many ways that California's legalization of marijuana has been a disastrous mess.

Titled "Legal Weed, Broken Promises," the four stories of the series painstakingly illustrate the breadth of the illegal grow operations scattered across much of the rural parts of California, the political corruption and bribery that has come from the way the state has given politicians control over licensing, and the spread of unlicensed dispensaries that are seemingly uncontainable.

A late start for both outdoor and indoor growers, compounded by supply chain and testing problems, will mean a limited supply of recreational cannabis available in retail stores when they start opening for business on Oct. 1, according to growers, regulators and retailers.

“We’re looking at probably 20, maybe 30 outdoor licensees with product this year,” said Geoffrey Pizzutillo, executive director of the Vermont Growers Association. “That’s nothing.”

In retrospect, James Pepper, chair of the Cannabis Control Board, said the board should have started to issue outdoor growing licenses in February, allowing growers to plant their seedlings in seedling pots ahead of the growing season. 

Mark Barnett is the founder of the Maine Craft Cannabis Association, one of six state organizations part of the National Craft Cannabis Coalition.

Private businesses in Thailand are looking to network with hemp suppliers in order to capitalize on the plant’s industrial and medical potential.

The Thai Industrial Hemp Trade Association (TIHTA) recently signed a cooperation agreement with 12 manufacturing industries to showcase innovations and technology related to the hemp industry later this year.

TIHTA President Pornchai Patthaminthara said this development will promote networking and allow for better access to quality raw materials.

The agreement will also contribute to product research and development, knowledge sharing, improved production standards and planning, and forward management of prices.

Minnesota's new hemp-derived THC edible law is facing its first major legal challenge from one of the state's medical cannabis companies, which claims it should be able to sell its "chemically identical" marijuana edibles on the open market.

Here are some of the most popular and noteworthy approaches to weed packaging today to help you get a sense of how far this simple afterthought has evolved into a deciding factor in the industry.

Marijuana used to come in little, difficult to open yet easy to rip baggies. If the supplier happened to be in a festive mood, maybe the bag had some trees or smiley faces on it. Times sure have changed.

With the major shifts in marijuana legalization and production over the last decade, it’s easy to forget the old days when it was illegal and there were no frills involved in the packaging.

Retail FUEL dispensary will be located at former dance studio site.

ANTIOCH - Antioch has approved its first downtown cannabis dispensary after revisiting a proposal that was denied weeks earlier.

Mayor Lamar Thorpe brought back the item to the council after a check with the city’s legal team revealed that City Councilwoman Monica Wilson did not need to recuse herself at the previous hearing, which failed on a split vote.

Cities and counties across the state will give voters the option to legalize commercial marijuana markets this November, potentially creating up to 150 new licenses.

At least 28 jurisdictions have cannabis ballot measures going before voters this fall. According to Marijuana Business Daily, that’s the largest cohort since California began regulating adult use cannabis sales in 2018.

Cities that could usher in new marijuana markets include:

·Avenal

·Baldwin Park

·Claremont

Coalition for Responsible Cannabis Files Legal Papers Accusing 22 Cannabis Operations Wells of Improperly Drawing Water from Santa Ynez River.

The Coalition for Responsible Cannabis filed an administrative action that if successful could wreak havoc on 22 major cannabis cultivation sites that are now drawing water from wells that draw from the Santa Ynez River.

According to legal papers attorney filed Tuesday, attorney Marc Chytilo is demanding the state’s Water Resources Control Board issue a cease-and-desist order to each of cannabis cultivators improperly drawing water from the river.

He also requested the state water board join with Fish and Wildlife to initiate a comprehensive investigation of cannabis cultivation along the Santa Ynez River. 

RENO - Should the city of Reno allow marijuana consumption lounges? The city council started debating some of the important questions surrounding lounges Wednesday.

It comes after the Nevada legislature voted to legalize lounges last year — four years after recreational marijuana was made legal by a statewide ballot initiative.

Should Reno allow marijuana consumption lounges? City council begins debate

Since the legalization of weed, a tricky problem has existed for tourists, who are often prohibited from consuming in their hotel rooms. The marijuana lounge law was intended to give local jurisdictions the authority to regulate lounges and give tourists a safe, legal place to consume.

Survey: Half of Dispensary Customers Would Buy Less if Weed Prices Rose Due to Inflation.

Inflation is going to start affecting weed prices at the dispensary very soon, and our survey shows that over half of customers will buy less weed as a result. Here’s what economists say and how the cannabis industry can respond.

Cannabis tourism, or more colloquially, “cannatourism,” is a billion-dollar and counting industry that includes everything from cannabis lounges to posh winery-tour style getaways with 4-star meals and messages.

It’s a novel and unique industry with promise, and of a fair share of developing and yet to be fully understood risks and perils.

We covered the industry and where it’s going and the associated risks in the latest episode of our Insuring Cannabis podcast

For that podcast we spoke with Georgi Bohrod Gordon, a principal with GBG & Associates, and membership chair of the Cannabis Travel Association, and Lee Woodruff, vice president of business development for Jencap, who is a specialized cannabis insurance broker.