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The U.S. Hemp Industries Association (HIA) has appointed two new members to its board of directors. HIA named Tim Gordon, Chief Science Officer at CBD maker Functional Remedies, and Todd Runestad, an editor at the New Hope Network & Natural Products Insider website, to board positions, the Association announced in a press release.

“The addition of these two on our already stellar board creates the foundation needed as hemp industries expand globally,” said HIA President Rick Trojan of Colorado-based Hemp Road Trip.

Since the beginning of the year, marijuana companies have seen dramatic declines due to concerns regarding oversupply in Canada and the uncertainty of legalization in the U.S. Year to date as of June 28, the ETFMG Alternative Harvest ETF (NYSEMKT:MJ), an exchange-traded fund tracking the performance of pot stocks, has declined by more than 25%. During the same period, the S&P 500 index fell by less than 7%.

The hemp industry prides itself on being more sustainable, but behind that image there’s still waste and room for improvement.

In theory, farming hemp should not be considered damaging to the earth at all. In fact, hemp can be regenerative to the soil on which it’s farmed.

Yet due to the dramatic consumer demand that companies are rushing to meet, many companies (and thus farmers) are now focused on making as much hemp as possible leaving little to no attention on its quality or the soil on which it was grown on. Our legislation is to blame as well: the law which legalized hemp can lead to the forced excessive destruction of perfectly healthy hemp plants. 

Jamaica has a very long history with the cannabis plant. Cannabis is a big part of the culture in Jamaica, is used for religious purposes throughout the country, and grows very well there.

Some of the best cannabis on the planet is cultivated in Jamaica, and the island nation is home to an emerging medical cannabis industry.

Adult-use cannabis remains illegal in Jamaica; however, a growing number of suffering patients are able to find relief through Jamaica’s medical cannabis program.

Soon, patients in Jamaica will be able to purchase cannabis in a new way that harnesses technology.

It's been almost two years since Canada legalized cannabis and pot producers have spent millions of dollars marketing their wares in the hope that consumers would know their Tweeds from their Trailblazers. 

Most of that money may have been completely wasted, according to a new survey that looks at how well Canadians can identify some of the brands available at legal pot shops across the country. 

The survey, published by Brightfield Group, polled 3,000 Canadians in the first quarter of the year. It found that brand awareness remains low, which is confusing consumers and resulting in "decision fatigue." Roughly two out of every five respondents said they were aware of Canopy Growth Corp.'s Tweed brand, while 17 different brands had less than 20 per cent name awareness.

Cannabis stocks have lost about a quarter of their value in the first half of 2020, compounding a 50 per cent drop in 2019.

The upside for investors? There’s never been a better time to do distressed deals, according to Codie Sanchez, managing director at private equity firm Entourage Effect Capital LLC.

Liquidity in the sector has been diminishing since the first quarter of 2019 but now that trend is “on steroids,” with private companies’ access to capital almost completely dried up, Sanchez said at a virtual conference hosted by Prohibition Partners last week.

SovereignPort CEO Sarah Roberts Yetman speaks to MCN about the future of the global CBD market and fears over the long term impact of COVID-19.

Believe it or not, we're nearly halfway through 2020. It's been a rough year so far for many marijuana stocks, although a few have fared much better than others.

I expect that the overall cannabis industry will gain some momentum over the next six months. If I'm right, that should be good news for the stocks of leading cannabis companies. But what's the top marijuana stock to buy for the second half of 2020? My view is that there's a really strong argument for Innovative Industrial Properties (NYSE:IIPR).

Stephen J Wyatt, founder and CEO of Hemp Futures, based in Estonia, tells MCN about the importance of customer engagement and accountability.

Estonia-based CBD producer Hemp Futures was founded in 2019 with the goal of creating ‘clean, green and organic’ products; and operates across more than 68 hectares of certified organic land.

“Estonia is a hidden jewel,” explains Hemp Futures founder and CEO Stephen J Wyatt, a former US Marine. “The environment is very pristine; the water is good; the soil is organic. We’re lucky in that we don’t have a lot of native pest insects, which means we don’t need many pesticides for growing hemp.”

We’ve all seen social media accounts get shut down left and right in the cannabis industry, especially on Instagram. It’s been happening for years, and brands are often left frustrated and scrambling to appeal or get a new account up quickly.

When your Instagram account is taken down, the first thing you need to do is file an appeal. If you haven’t broken any of the community standards, you should get it back fairly quickly.

After a lot of community blowback about not being inclusive enough and a failed attempt at social equity last year, The Los Angeles City Council may adopt new cannabis licensing and social equity plans that would overhaul the existing licensing system. 

n today's rapidly changing economy, there is a lot of discussion about best practices to successfully emerge from the initial impact of the recent COVID-19 crisis.

Aurora Cannabis Inc. announced Tuesday it is closing five of its production facilities and laying off about 700 workers as the pot giant continues restructuring its operations in a bid to achieve profitability. 

The Edmonton-based cannabis producer said in a statement it is closing five smaller-scale facilities in Quebec, Saskatchewan and Alberta this year to consolidate production at its four remaining plants, while booking a $60-million impairment charge related to the closures in its fourth quarter. Aurora also said it plans to take a $140-million charge related to a revaluation of its raw cannabis given shifting consumer demand. 

Canopy Growth Corp. is doubling down on its cannabis-infused vapes and drinks, as well as upcoming U.S. CBD products, while continuing to cut costs as it looks to rebuild investors’ trust.

The world’s biggest pot company discussed plans to address its sagging market share in the Canadian recreational market as well as its strategy for the U.S. cannabis market in a presentation to investors Monday. 

Members of the cannabis industry often tout their field as one of the most inclusive. The legal cannabis market is, after all, being constructed and furnished right before our very eyes — why wouldn’t it be diverse and accepting and progressive?

After all, given the medical marijuana movements close ties to the AIDS crisis (shout out to medical marijuana pioneers Dennis Peron and Brownie Mary!). But unfortunately, when something like the promise of an industry free from the ills of discrimination and patriarchy sounds too good to be true, that’s usually because it is.

These Two Pot Stocks Could Prove to be Important For The Last Week of June

Dosage is very important for cannabis products. The accuracy of them allows people to understand how the drug and its compounds interact with their bodies, helping to prevent overdoses and providing a point of reference when trying new brands and strains.

A recent report found that 27 per cent of leading CBD brand products in the U.S. don’t contain the dosages they indicate in their labels. The percentage is worrisome, but is nonetheless one that has improved over the past couple of months.

An increased tax on flower has forced legally operating dispensaries to increase their prices, which makes it hard for them to compete with the black market.

Steeped in history, brimming with mythology, and home to beautiful beaches, rich Mediterranean food, and sights like the Parthenon, Greece is also a country fighting economic fallout, and trying to revive its wounded economy. Could the legal medical cannabis industry be Greece’s ticket back to economic security?

U.S. cannabis sales stayed strong in April even as broader retail sales fell by double digits, indicating that the March increase in demand was more than just pantry loading.

Total U.S. retail sales fell 21.6 per cent in April from the year prior, yet pot sales in several states posted significant year-over-year gains -- in some cases, even bigger than in March when demand spiked ahead of Covid-related shutdowns, according to data firm BDS Analytics. Many legal states declared cannabis an essential service during the pandemic, allowing for delivery and curbside pickup.