MMJ Business Daily

Arizona court backs limits on cannabis PTSD recommendations

Arizona’s Court of Appeals ruled that the former director of the state’s Department of Health Services did not violate the law when he decreed that doctors may recommend medical marijuana to treat only the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, not the illness itself.

Voters approved the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act in 2010. The health services director at the time, Will Humble, added PTSD to the state’s list of qualifying conditions in 2014.

Initially a skeptic of medical marijuana as a treatment for PTSD, Humble approved the use of medical marijuana with limits, Capitol Media Services reported. The restrictions included a

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Arizona court backs limits on cannabis PTSD recommendations is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

New York’s medical marijuana reforms could expand patient pool

Two changes to New York’s medical marijuana program – one this week and the other coming next week – could bolster the state’s lagging MMJ patient pool.

A new rule allowing physician assistants to certify patients for MMJ took effect Wednesday, the Albany Times Union reported, following an earlier regulation that permitted nurse practitioners to do the same.

And on March 22, chronic pain will formally be added to the list of qualifying conditions that allows patients to register to purchase medical cannabis.

Both changes, particularly the addition of chronic pain, could have a significant impact on the

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New York’s medical marijuana reforms could expand patient pool is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

Week in Review: Sessions’ cannabis remarks, Oxford MMJ research & odd pairing in MA

By John Schroyer, Bart Schaneman and Omar Sacirbey

Attorney General Jeff Sessions again criticizes marijuana without offering a clear policy plan, Oxford University receives millions to study medical cannabis, and Massachusetts liquor store owners are eyeing the rec MJ market.

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

Mixed messages

Attorney General Jeff Sessions – asked by a reporter if the federal government would be cracking down on businesses or states involved in the recreational marijuana trade – insisted, “I’ve made clear where we stand on that.”

But the situation

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Week in Review: Sessions’ cannabis remarks, Oxford MMJ research & odd pairing in MA is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

Third lawsuit launched in Canada over tainted medical marijuana

A third proposed class-action lawsuit over pesticide-laden medical marijuana in Canada raises additional questions about Health Canada’s claim that people who consumed the tainted cannabis weren’t becoming ill.

According to The Globe and Mail, the Nova Scotia man listed in the new proposed class action allegedly became violently ill after consuming medical marijuana he purchased from Mettrum, one of two federally licensed MMJ cultivators caught up in the pesticide-related legal actions.

The Nova Scotia man’s claims haven’t been proved in court and are similar to those detailed in two separate proposed class actions, one also targeting Mettrum and

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Third lawsuit launched in Canada over tainted medical marijuana is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

Massachusetts liquor stores eye rec cannabis licenses

About 200 Massachusetts liquor store owners are considering applying for recreational marijuana business licenses in a bid to capitalize on the state’s new adult-use program.

If approved, the liquor stores’ entry would add a new wrinkle to the competitive landscape for the rec industry, which traditionally has been served by marijuana-focused retailers.

Liquor shop owners’ interest in pursuing adult-use retail licenses heightened after they received the backing of the Massachusetts Package Store Association, according to the Boston Business Journal and The Salem News. The association represents liquor stores statewide.

Massachusetts voters approved a recreational marijuana law last November. But

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Massachusetts liquor stores eye rec cannabis licenses is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

Oxford University receives $12.3M to study medical marijuana

One of the world’s top research universities, Oxford University, has received 10 million pounds ($12.3 million) from a London-based private equity firm to study the medical benefits of marijuana, a move that could lead to more acceptance of MMJ as a medicinal therapy worldwide.

According to a news release, Oxford will use the money to identify state-of-the-art medical therapy by researching the “molecular, cellular and system mechanisms of cannabinoids.”

Citing pain, cancer and inflammatory disease, the release noted the British university will target therapies for acute and chronic conditions.

Kingsley Capital Partners, which is providing the funding, has plowed investment dollars into

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Oxford University receives $12.3M to study medical marijuana is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

Cannabis public use measures could spur MJ sales, businesses

By Bart Schaneman

From Alaska to Massachusetts, a number of states are weighing measures to allow people to consume cannabis in public places such as clubs and other venues.

Legalizing cannabis clubs and other venues for public consumption could spur MJ sales and create new business opportunities, said industry officials.

In particular, the move could lead to increased sales of marijuana flower. And it could give marijuana retailers an opportunity to add ancillary businesses – such as a coffee shop that permits MJ use – to their existing operations.

Legal public consumption also could spur greater use among cannabist

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Cannabis public use measures could spur MJ sales, businesses is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

Cannabis grow-equipment company completes $1M-plus raise

Another Denver-based company connected to the marijuana trade revealed this week it has completed a $1.65 million round of fundraising.

GrowGeneration Corp., an ancillary business that specializes in gardening supplies for commercial and home grows, told the Denver Business Journal it secured the funds in equity financing from Merida Capital Partners, “a cannabis infrastructure fund.”

GrowGeneration is the second Denver-based firm this week to announce a capital raise of over $1 million. Baker, a cannabis software business, raised $1.6 million with assistance from California-based Poseidon Asset Management. That brings Baker’s capital raise total to $3.5 million.

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Cannabis grow-equipment company completes $1M-plus raise is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

AG Sessions signals no major federal marijuana crackdown

Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Wednesday again criticized marijuana while also signaling that the Department of Justice under his leadership won’t launch a wide-ranging crackdown on cannabis businesses.

Speaking with reporters after a speech in Virginia, Sessions said “much of” the 2013 Cole Memo – which laid the groundwork for the adult-use marijuana industry as it exists today in the United States – is “valid.” But he also suggested some additional federal guidelines may be coming from the U.S. Department of Justice.

In his comments, Sessions indicated that the DOJ and the Drug Enforcement Administration probably won’t take widespread

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Colorado grow shop hit with EPA fines for unlabeled pesticides

An agricultural grow shop in a Denver suburb was slapped with a $27,500 fine by federal regulators for repackaging and selling pesticides without the required labeling.

At least two of the pesticides in question led directly to marijuana product recalls in recent years.

The situation could prove another indication the federal government is keeping an increasingly close eye on the marijuana industry.

Grow Depot in Northglenn agreed to the fine by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency after the bureau found that hop employees were pouring pesticides into 1-ounce containers from the original bottles and selling them without proper legal

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