MMJ Business Daily

Colorado lawmakers abandon plans to regulate cannabis clubs

Colorado lawmakers backed off plans to regulate marijuana clubs, saying the state would invite a federal crackdown by approving Amsterdam-style cannabis clubs.

The state House voted Thursday to amend a bill that would have set rules for how private marijuana clubs could work.

It was a dramatic reversal. Bring-your-own-MJ clubs had bipartisan support in the Colorado Legislature, and the measure had cleared the GOP Senate.

But lawmakers bowed to Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper, who warned he would veto a club measure if it allowed indoor marijuana smoking. The governor also warned that clubs, and a separate proposal to allow cannabis

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Colorado lawmakers abandon plans to regulate cannabis clubs is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

MD’s failed marijuana diversity bill spurs call for special session

Black lawmakers in Maryland are calling for a special session of the legislature after the failure of a bill designed to mandate racial diversity in the ownership of the businesses that will participate in the state’s new medical marijuana industry.

The legislation would have added seven more licenses to cultivate cannabis, on top of the 15 already allowed. Five would have created diversity ownership, and two would have gone to companies that are suing the state for being removed from the list of 15 finalists based on a need to increase geographic diversity.

The failure of the MMJ diversity bill

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MD’s failed marijuana diversity bill spurs call for special session is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

Hawaii medical cannabis program lagging despite patient surge

Hawaii’s medical marijuana patient counts are increasing rapidly, but the sheer numbers, problems with seed-to-sale tracking software and a dearth of licensed testing labs are undermining the program’s rollout and costing at least one MMJ business money.

Though regulators say they are receiving about 100 applications per day, the state’s MMJ businesses aren’t reaping any benefits, according to Hawaii News Now.

“We are losing a lot of money every month as we wait for things to happen, in areas that are outside of our control,” Michael Takano, CEO of Pono Life Sciences Maui, told the TV news-gathering agency.

Takano’s

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Hawaii medical cannabis program lagging despite patient surge is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

Hawaii medical cannabis program lagging despite patient surge

Hawaii’s medical marijuana patient counts are increasing rapidly, but the sheer numbers, problems with seed-to-sale tracking software and a dearth of licensed testing labs are undermining the program’s rollout and costing at least one MMJ business money.

Though regulators say they are receiving about 100 applications per day, the state’s MMJ businesses aren’t reaping any benefits, according to Hawaii News Now.

“We are losing a lot of money every month as we wait for things to happen, in areas that are outside of our control,” Michael Takano, CEO of Pono Life Sciences Maui, told the TV news-gathering agency.

Takano’s

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Hawaii medical cannabis program lagging despite patient surge is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

Canadian government introduces bill legalizing rec marijuana

Canada’s government on Thursday introduced highly anticipated legislation in the House of Commons to legalize recreational marijuana, proposing that existing licensed medical cannabis producers get the first crack at business licenses.

The legislation sets July 1, 2018, as the target date for legalization, The Globe and Mail reported.

At that time, adults 18 or older would be able to possess up to 30 grams – a little more than an ounce – of cannabis in public and grow a maximum of four plants per household.

It’s unclear at this time when sales or the licensing process would begin.

The bill

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Canadian government introduces bill legalizing rec marijuana is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

Three marijuana companies raise over $7 million

It’s money week in the cannabis industry: Three Colorado-based ancillary marijuana companies announced multimillion-dollar capital raises totaling $7.35 million.

BDS Analytics on Monday revealed it had successfully completed a $2.1 million round of fundraising from investors, BizWest reported. The capital influx will be spent on expanding the data analytics firm’s sales and marketing departments.

On Tuesday, Wurk – a tech company offering a platform that helps cannabis companies comply with local and federal rules as well as manage human resources activities – announced it had raised $2 million to hire on more executives and fund expansion into new

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Three marijuana companies raise over $7 million is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

Cannabis investment climate warming, but big investors not writing checks

By Omar Sacirbey
Investor interest in cannabis businesses is perking up since last November’s election – which saw marijuana legalized in some form in seven states – but big institutional financiers remain cautious of MJ.
The absence of major brokerage…

Medical cannabis delivery launches in San Jose, CA, after ban lifted

Seeking to capitalize on a change in local law, a cannabis delivery company launched an on-demand service to legally bring medical marijuana to patients’ homes in San Jose, California.

San Francisco-based Eaze said that MMJ patients with valid physicians recommendations can use the company’s EazeMD smartphone app to order medical cannabis, The Mercury News reported. The move came after California’s third largest city lifted its ban on home deliveries of MMJ.

Eaze customers in San Jose can order a range of products, ranging from pre-rolls to edibles. They will come from The Guild, one of two local dispensaries licensed

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Medical cannabis delivery launches in San Jose, CA, after ban lifted is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

Arkansas medical cannabis officials send rules to lawmakers for OK

The Arkansas Medical Marijuana Commission (AMMC) finalized rules about who can cultivate and sell medical cannabis for a market where sales could begin before the end of the year.

The rules now head to state lawmakers who must sign off before they can take effect, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported.

An attorney for the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration said the application period for dispensaries and cultivation facilities is expected to open July 1 and that the first sales could start before January 2018, according to the newspaper.

A sticking point for lawmakers, however, could be a rule requiring

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Arkansas medical cannabis officials send rules to lawmakers for OK is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

New Mexico dispensary stays open despite State Fair violation

A New Mexico judge has issued a ruling that prohibits the state health department from imposing a penalty against a medical marijuana dispensary for displaying a cannabis plant at last summer’s State Fair.

The Santa Fe New Mexican reported that Judge David Thomson ruled that requiring New Mexico Top Organics-Ultra Health to close for five days was an excessive punishment not supported by law. He did uphold a $100 fine for the dispensary.

The nonprofit marijuana producer had filed a petition saying the closure would’ve resulted in a loss of $150,000 and deprived patients of medicine.

Top Organics-Ultra Health Chief Financial

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New Mexico dispensary stays open despite State Fair violation is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs