MMJ Business Daily

Alaska’s rec cannabis market sailing along despite some rough waters

By John Schroyer

The newest frontier in the marijuana industry also just happens to be the last frontier: Alaska.

And insiders in the United States’ latest recreational cannabis market, which has been up and running since October, say the rollout has been mostly smooth, although supply shortages and bureaucratic issues remain problems.

Alaska’s rec cannabis market sailing along despite some rough waters is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

District attorneys form cannabis policy group

A group of 14 district attorneys from across the country have banded together to figure out policy positions on marijuana.

The initial report about the subset of the National District Attorneys Association indicated its recommendations may be taken into account by the new Trump administration, which could potentially signal that a firm stance on cannabis may be emerging sooner rather than later from the new president.

But an NDAA statement to Marijuana Business Daily on Tuesday was unclear on whether the reach of the group’s policy would extend to the new president.

Nelson Bunn, director of policy and government affairs for

…

District attorneys form cannabis policy group is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

Canadian MMJ grower nearly triples production capacity with purchase

One of Canada’s largest medical marijuana producers, Canopy Growth Corp., has increased a subsidiary’s production and processing capacity by almost threefold through the purchase of a former candy factory and the 42-acre site it sits on for 6.6 million Canadian dollars ($5.1 million).

In a news release, Canopy Growth said the entire facility, in Smith Falls, Ontario, is “by far the largest indoor cannabis production facility in Canada and likely the world.”

The company, which is headquartered in the building, had been renting roughly 157,000 square feet of the 472,000-square-foot former chocolate factory. The facility had gone mostly unused since

…

Canadian MMJ grower nearly triples production capacity with purchase is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

Santa Ana dispensaries sue alleged unlicensed dispensaries

A group of licensed medical marijuana dispensaries in a Southern California town have sued unsanctioned outlets to prevent them from selling cannabis.

The Santa Ana Cannabis Association filed the lawsuit targeting 14 unlicensed dispensaries in Santa Ana. The suit alleges the dispensaries are operating illegally, ignoring local safety codes and undermining the licensed businesses, according to the Orange County Register.

The licensed dispensaries are seeking an unspecified court judgment, as well as an injunction to close the unlicensed medical cannabis shops.

A 2014 initiative approved by the city stipulated 20 licensed dispensaries, with the permits to be doled

…

Santa Ana dispensaries sue alleged unlicensed dispensaries is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

The marijuana industry’s many faces: Q&A with Cannabis Minority Alliance co-founder Virgil Grant

By John Schroyer

Virgil Grant has been a staple in the Los Angeles cannabis industry since 2002, having run six unlicensed dispensaries before spending nearly five years in jail.

His legal issues started when one of his dispensaries was targeted in a DEA raid, one of many at the time.

After his release in 2015 on a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration-spurred federal drug conspiracy conviction, Grant opened a dispensary near where he grew up in south Los Angeles.

And last year, with his legal issues behind but not forgotten, Grant co-founded the Cannabis Minority Alliance to help blacks, Hispanics,

…

The marijuana industry’s many faces: Q&A with Cannabis Minority Alliance co-founder Virgil Grant is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

Maine governor backtracks, signs bill delaying rec MJ program

Maine Governor Paul LePage reversed his initial opposition and signed a bill delaying the rollout of the state’s adult-use cannabis program by a few months.

By signing the bill Friday, LePage backtracked on an earlier vow that he would not sign the measure until state legislators provided money to his administration to start drafting regulations governing the program.

Under the new law, the earliest recreational sales could begin would be in February 2018, the Portland Press-Herald reported. Some initially had expected Maine’s adult-use program to be up and running this fall.

Last November’s ballot initiative, Question 1, gave lawmakers

…

Maine governor backtracks, signs bill delaying rec MJ program is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

New York MMJ dispensary offers repeat-customer discount

Hoping to increase its medical marijuana patient numbers, MMJ business operator Etain Health in New York will introduce a repeat customer discount plan for purchases of its medicine.

It’s the latest incentive offered by one of the state’s five licensed MMJ operators, which have struggled with low patient counts and high prices for their medication.

Starting Tuesday, patients at Etain’s four dispensaries will receive a $5 discount for every $100 spent on medication, the Albany Times-Union reported. The discount increases in $5 increments until patients reach $400, when discounts increase to $10 for $100 spent until the purchase amount

…

New York MMJ dispensary offers repeat-customer discount is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

Chart: Nevada medical marijuana patient counts soar, but more growth needed

By Eli McVey

Nevada’s medical marijuana program is growing – with nearly 12,000 new patients joining in 2016 – but the market is still relatively small and some businesses are struggling to survive.

Consider this: Nevada allows MMJ recommendations for chronic pain, a catch-all diagnosis that historically has translated into patient counts representing around 2% of a state’s population on the high end.

By that metric, Nevada’s program falls woefully short. With a population of approximately 2.9 million and patient counts hovering around 25,000, less than 1% of the population is currently enrolled in the program.

Officials have made

…

Chart: Nevada medical marijuana patient counts soar, but more growth needed is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

Nevada rec MJ program receives $870K in seed money

Nevada lawmakers approved a seed loan of about $871,000 to kick-start the state’s new recreational marijuana program under the department of taxation.

Nevada’s Interim Finance Committee, composed of lawmakers from both houses of the state legislature, extended the funding, the Reno Gazette-Journal reported.

The taxation department must iron out the details in the legislation to legalize recreational marijuana before any sales can take place. According to the Reno Gazette-Journal, the department wants to establish by July:

• Licensing procedures for MJ businesses ranging from growers to retailers
• Qualifications for licensing, security, packaging, labeling and testing
• Rules for oversight and

…

Nevada rec MJ program receives $870K in seed money is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

Drug Policy Alliance executive director Nadelmann stepping down

Ethan Nadelmann, founder and executive director of Drug Policy Alliance, said Friday he is vacating his post, though he’ll remain on the job until “late April,” he wrote in a letter posted online.

“I’ve decided that the time has come for me to step aside as head of DPA. My extraordinary colleagues are ready to take us into the future!” Nadelmann wrote on Twitter in making the initial announcement of his departure.

The DPA followed with its own statement on Twitter: “We are so grateful for everything you did to help shape the movement to end the war

…

Drug Policy Alliance executive director Nadelmann stepping down is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs