MMJ Business Daily

Guam governor pushes to legalize recreational marijuana

The governor of Guam wants to legalize recreational marijuana and plans to work with lawmakers to draft legislation that would be introduced early in 2017, a move that would make the western Pacific island the first U.S. territory with an adult-use program.

Voters on Guam passed medical marijuana in 2014. But the program has not been implemented, and Gov. Eddie Calvo believes it should be scrapped in favor of an adult-use program, according to the Pacific Daily News.

Calvo bases his belief on the difficulties Guam has encountered starting a medical cannabis program, saying, it is ” … much

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Guam governor pushes to legalize recreational marijuana is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

Survey: Most Ohio doctors won’t recommend medical marijuana

A majority of doctors in Ohio will be reluctant to recommend medical marijuana for their patients, according to the Medical Marijuana Physician Survey, a situation that could hamper the rollout of the state’s MMJ program.

Roughly 30% of the physicians who participated in an Ohio State Medical Board survey said they will not recommend medical marijuana as a treatment, and more than 40% said they are unlikely to recommend MMJ.

A dearth of doctors could limit the patient pool, which in turn could hamper MMJ sales.

Of the more than 3,000 doctors who responded, roughly 30 percent said they would

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Survey: Most Ohio doctors won’t recommend medical marijuana is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

Proposed MMJ licensees concern New York’s existing companies

By Omar Sacirbey

Medical marijuana businesses in New York are hopeful that recent and proposed changes to the state’s medical cannabis program will increase patient numbers and boost sales.

But the five existing companies, currently operating below their capacities, worry those gains could be negated by plans to allow newcomers to enter the market.

“Adding new registered organizations will divide up the patients even more. They need to fix the demand side first and then adjust supply,” said Jeremy Unruh, general counsel at PharmaCann, one of the five registered MMJ organizations that are licensed to grow, produce and dispense

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Proposed MMJ licensees concern New York’s existing companies is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

Maine cannabis legalization a go after foes drop recount effort

Maine officially became the latest state, and the second in New England, to legalize adult-use cannabis after opponents formally abandoned their demand for a recount.

The No on 1 campaign, as the anti-legalization effort was called, notified Maine’s secretary of state of the decision on Saturday, the Portland Press Herald reported.

Maine voters approved legalization 381,692 to 377,619 on Nov. 8, a margin of 4,073, according to unofficial election-day results.

Gov. Paul LePage, a legalization opponent, must now certify the results, and marijuana possession and home cultivation will become legal 30 days after that. Adult-use retail sales aren’t

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Maine cannabis legalization a go after foes drop recount effort is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

Hawaii regulators lambasted over slow approval of MMJ cultivation

Hawaii’s health department faced pointed criticism from state lawmakers last week for its slow approval of medical marijuana cultivation.

The state has eight dispensaries. But dispensary owners have been stymied in their efforts to grow MMJ without getting the green light from state regulators, Hawaii News Now reported. Some dispensaries were confronting job cuts.

“I’m just trying to figure out what’s taking it so long cause I really don’t think this is rocket science,” state Sen. Roz Baker declared during a meeting of the Medical Marijuana Legislative Oversight Working Group.

According to Hawaii News Now, the state has

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Hawaii regulators lambasted over slow approval of MMJ cultivation is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

Chart: The Trump effect – Some marijuana companies shifting 2017 growth plans, but most staying the course

By Eli McVey

Nearly 20% of cannabis companies are changing up their growth plans for next year based on the election of Donald Trump, with some scaling back or delaying projects and others accelerating or even expanding them, according to a Marijuana Business Daily survey of industry executives.

The survey results show that a number of companies are making decisions for next year based solely on the results of the presidential election and the uncertanties for the industry under a Trump presidency. Some who are more concerned about a possible crackdown are pulling back, while others who are more optimistic

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Chart: The Trump effect – Some marijuana companies shifting 2017 growth plans, but most staying the course is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

Maine suspends marijuana ballot recount until new year

The ballot recount of Maine’s initiative to legalize recreational marijuana is on hold until 2017 to give legalization opponents time to mull whether they want to continue the tally.

With about 30% of the ballots counted, there was no significant change in the outcome of the Nov. 8 vote in favor of legalization, according to the Portland Press Herald.

Legalization would have gone into effect in the first week of January. But it will be delayed until either the opponents who demanded the recount throw in the towel or some 700,000 ballots in 500 municipalities are recounted.

“We are hoping

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Maine suspends marijuana ballot recount until new year is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

Marijuana rule changes afoot in Portland and rest of Oregon

Marijuana businesses in Portland as well as other Oregon cities soon could see some relief with new and pending rules from city and state regulators.

The Oregon Health Authority issued revised testing regulations this week that essentially require marijuana growers to go through the same tests, but with less frequency, for potency, solvents and pesticides, The Oregonian reported. The aim is to get more flowers, oils and marijuana-infused edibles on depleted store shelves.

The new rules take effect immediately and are designed to help rectify a supply shortage and drop in sales.

In addition, state regulators are

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Marijuana rule changes afoot in Portland and rest of Oregon is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

MMJ stores in western Canada could be shut under legalization

As Canada readies to legalize recreational marijuana nationwide, existing medical cannabis stores in British Columbia might not meet future regulatory requirements and may be forced to shut.

B.C. Public Safety Minister Mike Morris told CBC News that most of the current cannabis stores will have to conform to new requirements of the government’s distribution model and that he envisions “many of them shutting down.”

The Canadian federal government announced earlier this year that legislation to legalize marijuana will be introduced by spring 2017. It’s estimated that by 2021 Canada’s legal rec market could reach 3.8

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MMJ stores in western Canada could be shut under legalization is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

Week in Review: Canada’s cannabis guidelines, Ohio’s dispensary rules & MJ’s big week in DC

By Bart Schaneman and Omar Sacirbey

A task force makes recommendations on how the Canadian government should approach legalizing recreational marijuana, Ohio writes draft rules for MMJ dispensaries, and cannabis has a big week in Washington DC.

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

Small or big? 

Will Canada’s new adult-use marijuana market be open to small businesses – or dominated by big corporations?

Jodie Emery, a political activist and owner of Cannabis Culture, a magazine and retail space in Vancouver, British Columbia, worries it will be the latter.

“The messaging

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Week in Review: Canada’s cannabis guidelines, Ohio’s dispensary rules & MJ’s big week in DC is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs