MMJ Business Daily

Week in Review: Tobacco + cannabis, Maryland planning restarts & Native Americans’ MMJ

By John Schroyer, Omar Sacirbey and Bart Schaneman

Massachusetts cigarette wholesalers eye recreational marijuana distribution, a Maryland court allows MMJ planning to continue, and a Seminole-owned firm partners with a cannabis investment group.

Here’s a closer look at some notable developments in the marijuana industry over the past week.

Massachusetts morphing

Tobacco wholesalers in Massachusetts are trying to join the state’s upcoming adult-use cannabis industry – and that’s a concern for cannabis businesses, said attorney Mike Cutler, who helped draft the rec legalization measure voters passed last year.

If the tobacco sector succeeds in getting regulators to require third-party

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Week in Review: Tobacco + cannabis, Maryland planning restarts & Native Americans’ MMJ is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

Major Canadian veggie grower teams with licensed MMJ cultivator

A major vegetable grower in Canada has teamed with one of the nation’s federally licensed medical marijuana cultivators to produce greenhouse-grown marijuana, marking the latest mainstream company to enter the cannabis business.

Village Farms, a publicly traded grower of tomatoes, bell peppers and cucumbers with greenhouses in Canada and Texas, said in a news release it will partner with British Columbia-based Emerald Health Therapeutics to produce MMJ and, ultimately, recreational cannabis – provided Canada implements planned adult-use legislation.

To begin, Village Farms will contribute a 1.1 million-square-foot greenhouse in British Columbia. The 25-acre facility will be located on

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Major Canadian veggie grower teams with licensed MMJ cultivator is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

U.S. court nixes states’ bid to stop Colorado’s rec marijuana program

Oklahoma and Nebraska will have to try harder if they hope to stop Colorado’s adult-use marijuana industry.

According to the Denver Post, the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver upheld a lower court’s dismissal of the two states’ attempt to overturn Colorado’s recreational marijuana law.

The state attorneys general from Oklahoma and Nebraska last year had joined a lawsuit that included a group of sheriffs from both states to stop Colorado’s MJ industry.

The states joined the suit after they failed at the U.S. Supreme Court to

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U.S. court nixes states’ bid to stop Colorado’s rec marijuana program is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

Court ruling could mean more lawsuits against cannabis growers

A federal appeals court ruled the owners of a southern Colorado horse farm can sue a neighboring marijuana cultivation warehouse for damages because of odors and other nuisances that could hurt property values.

The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver also ruled that the Pueblo-area farm’s owners cannot sue the state of Colorado and local officials to compel it to enforce federal drug laws and shut down the grow site, according to The Associated Press.

The horse farm ruling could prove a major problem for the cannabis industry. The case was brought under

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Court ruling could mean more lawsuits against cannabis growers is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

Court ruling could mean more lawsuits against cannabis growers

A federal appeals court ruled the owners of a southern Colorado horse farm can sue a neighboring marijuana cultivation warehouse for damages because of odors and other nuisances that could hurt property values.

The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver also ruled that the Pueblo-area farm’s owners cannot sue the state of Colorado and local officials to compel it to enforce federal drug laws and shut down the grow site, according to The Associated Press.

The horse farm ruling could prove a major problem for the cannabis industry. The case was brought under

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Court ruling could mean more lawsuits against cannabis growers is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

Los Angeles creates map of city’s medical marijuana dispensaries

It definitely isn’t Weedmaps. But Los Angeles has released a map of identified medical marijuana dispensaries within the city limits, in part so consumers can look up whether retail locations have had criminal charges filed against them.

The new map, created by L.A. Controller Ron Galperin, comes the same week in which city officials are expected to release a draft of new proposed regulations for the cannabis industry, in advance of the January rollout of California’s new statewide MMJ rules and rec industry.

Galperin hopes consumers will take advantage of the map

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Los Angeles creates map of city’s medical marijuana dispensaries is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

Florida lawmakers’ legislative deal pushes MMJ program forward, with caveats

By Bart Schaneman

Florida lawmakers’ agreement on rules for the state’s full-fledged medical marijuana program would more than double the number of licensed MMJ companies over the next year.

But special caveats would limit the number of entrepreneurs who could get a business license. Still, there would be new opportunities for ancillary companies serving the industry.

The last-minute legislative deal lays the groundwork for lawmakers to take up the MMJ legislation as soon as Thursday during this week’s special session of the legislature.

The compromise bill, unveiled Wednesday after closed-door negotiations between

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Florida lawmakers’ legislative deal pushes MMJ program forward, with caveats is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

Cannabis organizations merge to create certification group

The Organic Cannabis Association and the Ethical Cannabis Alliance have merged into a new organization: the Cannabis Certification Council.

According to a new release, the council’s mission will be to independently certify cannabis products as organic and “fairly produced.” The new organization will issue seals that businesses can use to market products.

The Organic Cannabis Association is based in Denver and focused on setting standards for marijuana growers. The Portland, Oregon-based ECA advocates for ethical business practices.

According to the release, Dr. Bronner’s – the iconic soap company – has agreed to provide seed funding and a matching

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Cannabis organizations merge to create certification group is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

Florida lawmakers reach agreement on medical marijuana rules

Florida lawmakers reached a compromise on key details regarding the number of dispensaries and plans for additional licenses under the state’s full-fledged medical marijuana, paving the way for legislators to add MMJ legislation to this week’s special legislative session.

According to the Miami Herald and the News Service of Florida, the deal the House and Senate lawmakers reached would allow each cannabis license holder to operate up to 25 dispensaries statewide. The cap would expire in 2020, the Herald reported. 

The number of dispensaries had been a key

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Florida lawmakers reach agreement on medical marijuana rules is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

Women hold 5% of board seats in publicly listed Canadian MJ firms

While women are marginalized in executive positions in many business sectors, the numbers in Canada’s cannabis industry are even lower by comparison.

The Canadian Press reported that women make up 12% of high-level positions in the 677 companies listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange. By contrast, only 5% of the board seats at publicly traded marijuana companies are held by women.

According to the Canadian Press, MJ advocates and executives said the lack of women is an issue the cannabis industry will have to confront as it involves into a more mainstream sector.

What’s the

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Women hold 5% of board seats in publicly listed Canadian MJ firms is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs