MMJ Business Daily

Week in Review: Seniors + MMJ, Oregon faces changes & Cannabis Caucus debuts

By Omar Sacirbey, Bart Schaneman and John Schroyer

A medical marijuana company in New York lands a nursing home deal, Oregon may align the state’s MMJ and recreational programs under one regulator, and the Cannabis Caucus officially launches.

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

Cannabis in nursing homes

Etain Health of New York made waves when it announced it landed an agreement to supply MMJ products to a Bronx nursing home.

Under the deal, Etain will help health personnel become certified to recommend medical marijuana and also will

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Week in Review: Seniors + MMJ, Oregon faces changes & Cannabis Caucus debuts is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

Congressional Cannabis Caucus touches on agenda

The first Congressional Cannabis Caucus officially launched Thursday in Washington DC, with four bipartisan lawmakers asserting that their agenda includes protecting state cannabis laws from federal interference as well as reforming 280E of the tax code and cannabis banking laws.

They even hope to remove marijuana from the federal list of controlled substances.

The caucus, announced in December, currently is composed of just four House members: Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Don Young (R-AK) and Rep. Jared Polis (D-CO). But the group said in a statement it has invited all House representatives to join them.

“The results

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Congressional Cannabis Caucus touches on agenda is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

More than CA$1M of tainted MMJ destroyed in Canada

A health scare over cannabis containing a banned pesticide has led to more than a million Canadian dollars ($764,703) worth of medical marijuana being destroyed and raised concerns among patients about the extent of tainted MMJ.

Patient worries could potentially cut into Canadian sales of medical cannabis.

Health Canada has targeted two companies for greater product testing. But the government agency is not imposing that requirement on all the nation’s federally licensed MMJ producers.

That has set off alarm bells among MMJ patients who fear that Health Canada has no way of knowing the potential size of the pesticide problem, the

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More than CA$1M of tainted MMJ destroyed in Canada is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

New Mexico MMJ cultivator seeks to pare energy costs, footprint

The Verdes Foundation, a high-grossing medical marijuana producer in New Mexico, installed an “energy filter” technology the company hopes will cut its electricity costs by up to 37% and also reduce its carbon footprint.

The sky-high energy costs of cannabis cultivation continue to be such a major financial drain and environmental stain for the industry that growers are looking to bring down those costs.

Verdes, a vertically integrated grow-retail marijuana business with two dispensary locations in New Mexico, on Wednesday installed the Smart Energy Filter, a new technology system from Line Loss Pro of Boston, according to Albuquerque Business

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New Mexico MMJ cultivator seeks to pare energy costs, footprint is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

Jamaica grants conditional OK for three medical marijuana businesses

Jamaica’s Cannabis Licensing Authority (CLA) has given initial approval to three medical marijuana business applicants, two for cultivation and one for processing.

But the actual launch of the island’s medical marijuana industry – ranging from growers to retailers – could still be months off.

A total of 160 applicants competed for the latest batch of business permits, according to the Jamaica Observer.

The handful of applicants chosen so far has touched off complaints on the island that the industry’s rollout is proceeding too slowly, raising concerns that Jamaica may be left behind in the global medical cannabis market.

The

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Jamaica grants conditional OK for three medical marijuana businesses is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

New Market: Ohio medical cannabis program set to be big, but license rules could curb growth

By Bart Schaneman

Ohio’s medical cannabis program is expected to be large, generating upwards of $400 million in annual dispensary sales.

But possibly stringent regulations governing the number of dispensary licenses could limit patient access and curb the industry’s growth potential, industry officials said.

New Market: Ohio medical cannabis program set to be big, but license rules could curb growth is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

Arizona group readies filing for rec cannabis legalization initiative

The first salvo in the recreational marijuana legalization fight for the next election cycle looks set to be fired Thursday, in Phoenix.

Safer Arizona 2018, a grassroots activism group, plans to file paperwork with the secretary of state’s office to place an adult-use cannabis legalization initiative on the 2018 statewide ballot, the organization announced Wednesday.

The group must collect at least 150,642 signatures of registered Arizona voters between Thursday and July 2018 for the initiative to make the ballot.

Spokesman Dave Wisniewski said he is “absolutely confident” the group will reach that goal. Safer Arizona 2018 already has roughly

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Arizona group readies filing for rec cannabis legalization initiative is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

Tilray to export medical cannabis to New Zealand 

Tilray, a federally licensed cultivation company based in Nainamo, Canada, will begin exporting medical cannabis to New Zealand before the end of February.

It’s the latest overseas deal for Tilray, which is owned by Seattle-based private equity firm Privateer Holdings.

Both the Canadian and New Zealand governments have approved the MMJ exports, Tilray announced in a news release.

The company will export THC- and CBD-infused oils to Middlemore Hospital in New Zealand’s capital, Auckland. Tilray’s medical cannabis products will serve as another option for patients who use Sativex, an expensive, marijuana-based mouth spray, according to NZCity News.

New

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Tilray to export medical cannabis to New Zealand  is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

MJ advocacy group celebrates win over DEA ‘misinformation’

Americans for Safe Access claimed partial victory over the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration when it announced the federal agency had removed “factually inaccurate information” and “damaging misinformation” regarding cannabis from its website.

The DEA removed information from its site that included “claims that cannabis was a gateway drug, caused irreversible cognitive decline in adults, and contributed to psychosis and lung cancer,” according to a news release Monday by ASA, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting medical cannabis.

The DEA made the change after ASA filed a legal challenge over the agency’s website last year under the Information Quality Act.

“The

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MJ advocacy group celebrates win over DEA ‘misinformation’ is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

Colorado infused products licenses skyrocket as MJ companies diversify

By John Schroyer

The number of licensed infused cannabis product manufacturers in Colorado has exploded in recent years, state records show.
The surge reflects Colorado’s lack of business license caps, a resulting oversupply of marijuana, and retailer…