MMJ Business Daily

DC’s medical marijuana program progressing, though more change in store

By John Schroyer

The District of Columbia’s medical cannabis companies have been ramping up in the past month, largely because of new business-friendly regulations that have reshaped the future in terms of possible market size.

But those companies still face big questions, especially with regard to expansion and uncertainty over the customer base’s potential size.

For instance, District Growers plans to increase its production space by adding 4,000 square feet to its existing 5,200-square-foot space, in part because the company is expecting a “significant increases” in product demand, CEO Corey Barnette said.

The company is using only about 60%

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DC’s medical marijuana program progressing, though more change in store is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

Las Vegas cannabis lounge options are taking shape

Marijuana consumption lounges in Las Vegas are looking more and more as if they’ll become a reality for cannabis entrepreneurs.

At a Clark County marijuana advisory panel meeting Monday, the board “spent most of its first meeting” talking about proposals for such a concept and how cannabis clubs would be regulated, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.

A representative from the resort hotel industry said clubs “are the realistic solution to making sure” that marijuana tourists don’t consume cannabis at casinos.

The panel’s meeting included debates over where such lounges could be physically located. For instance, one proposal was

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Las Vegas cannabis lounge options are taking shape is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

Canadian producer invests $3M in Arizona medical marijuana grower

Aphria, a federally licensed Canadian medical marijuana producer, increased its investment in an Arizona MMJ grower by $3 million.

Aphria now owns 5% of Copperstate Farms LLC through its subsidiary, Aphria (Arizona), and Copperstate Farms Investors controls the remaining 95%, according to a news release.

Aphria, based in Leamington, Ontario, on March 22 became the third Canadian MMJ company to publicly trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange.

Copperstate owns about 1.7 million square feet of greenhouses in Snowflake, Arizona, and plans to have approximately 348,000 square feet – a tad over 20% of the entire site –

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Canadian producer invests $3M in Arizona medical marijuana grower is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

Nevada medical cannabis licenses fetch almost $2 million

Oregon-based cannabis oil company Golden Leaf Holdings paid $1.925 million to acquire cultivation and extraction licenses from NevWa, a Nevada company that does business as Grassroots.

NevWa’s two licenses allow for distribution and sales in Nevada, including prominent tourist destinations Las Vegas and Reno, according to a news release.

Golden Leaf Holdings’ move comes as Nevada is preparing to introduce recreational marijuana into a state that already has a medical cannabis market.

A preliminary framework for Nevada’s adult-use market is expected in July. The state will start accepting license applications by January 2018, though existing medical marijuana

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Nevada medical cannabis licenses fetch almost $2 million is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

From Big Pharma to the cannabis industry: Q&A with PharmaCann’s Chris Diorio

By Omar Sacirbey

If marijuana business entrepreneurs are wondering whether pharmaceutical professionals might be interested in jumping over to cannabis, the answer is a resounding yes.

Take Chris Diorio, a 25-year pharma industry veteran who recently made such a move, becoming director of research and development for PharmaCann of New York.

PharmaCann has a cultivation and processing site and four vertically integrated dispensaries in New York, as well two grow sites in Illinois, where the company is headquartered.

Diorio’s path to PharmaCann started simply enough during a dinner with two former colleagues, one who previously worked with

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From Big Pharma to the cannabis industry: Q&A with PharmaCann’s Chris Diorio is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

Colorado bill would let growers reclassify rec marijuana to medical

The Trump administration has been so ambiguous about its intentions regarding recreational cannabis that the Colorado Legislature is considering a bill to allow growers to reclassify their inventory as medical marijuana in the event of a federal crackdown.

Though the measure has yet to receive a full vote in either the state House or Senate, it has passed one Senate committee with bipartisan support, the Associated Press reported, an indication that politicians of both stripes have no desire to see Trump gut the adult-use cannabis industry.

The practical effect would be simply to categorize marijuana grown for recreational use

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Colorado bill would let growers reclassify rec marijuana to medical is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

Report: Canada’s legal rec MJ program to start by July 2018

Recreational marijuana will become legal in Canada by July 1, 2018, CBC News reported Monday.

The disclosure of the launch date for Canada’s rec sales is expected to piggyback on the liberal government’s announcement next month about the nation’s cannabis legislation, according to the national broadcaster.

Under the proposed legislation, which could be unveiled as soon as the week of April 10, Canada’s federal government will be responsible for licensing and monitoring cultivators, including ensuring the safety of the marijuana supply, CBC News reported.

Canada’s provinces will be responsible for deciding how marijuana is sold and distributed, according to

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Report: Canada’s legal rec MJ program to start by July 2018 is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

Arkansas rules on smoking medical cannabis, staffing go to governor

The Arkansas Senate has approved regulations on where medical marijuana can be smoked as well as requirements for staffing dispensaries.

According to the Arkansas News, the next stop for House Bill 1400 is the desk of Gov. Asa Hutchinson. If he signs the measure into law, it will ban patients from smoking medical cannabis:

• Anywhere that smoking tobacco is prohibited.
• In the presence of someone younger than 14.
• In a vehicle.
• In the presence of a woman the smoker knows is pregnant.
• In a space – likely small and enclosed – where non-MMJ patients could be affected by

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Arkansas rules on smoking medical cannabis, staffing go to governor is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

Arkansas rules on smoking medical cannabis, staffing go to governor

The Arkansas Senate has approved regulations on where medical marijuana can be smoked as well as requirements for staffing dispensaries.

According to the Arkansas News, the next stop for House Bill 1400 is the desk of Gov. Asa Hutchinson. If he signs the measure into law, it will ban patients from smoking medical cannabis:

• Anywhere that smoking tobacco is prohibited.
• In the presence of someone younger than 14.
• In a vehicle.
• In the presence of a woman the smoker knows is pregnant.
• In a space – likely small and enclosed – where non-MMJ patients could be affected by

…

Arkansas rules on smoking medical cannabis, staffing go to governor is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

Chart: 8 New Marijuana Markets Slated to Launch in 2018

By Eli McVey

Get ready for the next iteration of the green rush.

The marijuana industry is poised to grow by leaps and bounds in 2018, when at least eight of the 11 states that passed significant medical or recreational cannabis measures last year are expected to start sales.

That will lead to billions of dollars in additional annual revenues for the cannabis sector and create thousands of business opportunities.

Here’s an update on when these new markets are expected to launch, as of now:

Montana

MMJ has been legal in Montana since 2004, but a law passed

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Chart: 8 New Marijuana Markets Slated to Launch in 2018 is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs