MMJ Business Daily

Amid Avalanche of Hype, Desert Hot Springs Medical Cannabis Industry Faces Challenges

By Omar Sacirbey

Long-time cannabis entrepreneur Greta Carter made a big career decision recently: She sold her Seattle marijuana business, gave up her Washington State residency and moved to Desert Hot Springs, California.

“I thought I could get a much better return on the time and money in California than in Washington,” Carter said.

Carter is one of many cannabis entrepreneurs planting their business stakes in Desert Hot Springs, which is hoping to become a major cultivation hub for the marijuana industry.

As the first municipality in California to authorize and regulate cannabis cultivation in 2014, Desert Hot Springs

…

Amid Avalanche of Hype, Desert Hot Springs Medical Cannabis Industry Faces Challenges is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

Lawmaker: Ohio MMJ Program Partially Unconstitutional

Ohio’s new medical cannabis program is at least partially unconstitutional, according to a key lawmaker, the Associated Press reported Monday.

The problematic provision legally requires that at least 15% of the state’s MMJ licenses be awarded to one of four economically disadvantaged minority groups – Hispanics, Asians, African Americans or Native Americans, the AP reported.

And although racial preference laws have long failed to stand up in court as violations of the U.S. Constitution, and lawmakers knew that it could prove to be an issue down the road, it was left in the bill anyway to gain the

…

Lawmaker: Ohio MMJ Program Partially Unconstitutional is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

German MMJ Company Taps Canadian Grower for Imports

The Canopy Growth Corporation in Ontario announced Monday that the Canadian and German governments have given the thumbs up to its wholly owned subsidiary Tweed Inc. to begin exporting medical cannabis for sale to German patients, according to a press release.

Tweed will export its medical cannabis to MedCann GmbH Pharma and Nutraceuticals, a privately held pharmaceutical importer and manufacturer.

The approvals mark the first time a major G7 country will be allowed to import medical marijuana from Canada.

Germans are legally allowed to obtain medical cannabis through pharmacies for several medical conditions, but the country has not yet

…

German MMJ Company Taps Canadian Grower for Imports is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

Pennsylvania Gov Signs Industrial Hemp Law

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf has put his signature on a law that could restart his state’s hemp industry.

The new law, while it doesn’t immediately authorize commercial hemp production, could lead to “large scale production,” according to WITF.

The law authorizes the state Agriculture Department and institutions of higher education to begin cultivating hemp for research purposes, either by themselves or via independent contractors, which could lead to solid business opportunities for would-be hemp growers in Pennsylvania.

The bill’s sponsor, Republican Rep. Russ Diamond, said that could bring about sizable hemp harvests, WITF reported. That in turn could

…

Pennsylvania Gov Signs Industrial Hemp Law is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

IL Judge Orders State to Reconsider MMJ for Migraines

In a move that could further boost patient numbers for Illinois’ medical cannabis industry, a judge has ordered that the state should reconsider adding migraine headaches to the list of qualifying conditions for MMJ.

The ruling, by Cook County Circuit Court Associate Judge Rita Novak, contravenes a decision by the Illinois Department of Public Health’s director to reject adding migraines to the list, the Chicago Tribune reported.

Novak ruled that the director must “reconsider evidence presented to the Medical Cannabis Advisory Board” after a lawsuit was filed by a man who had been using cannabis to treat his

…

IL Judge Orders State to Reconsider MMJ for Migraines is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

Chart of the Week: 100,000+ Workers Employed By Marijuana Companies

By Eli McVey

The U.S. marijuana industry has quickly become a major job generator, with cannabis-related companies now employing an estimated 100,000 to 150,000 workers.

The estimates – released in the 2016 Marijuana Business Factbook – include employment at retailers, wholesale grows, infused products/concentrates companies, testing labs and ancillary firms focused primarily on marijuana.

It’s an impressive feat for an industry that has, for the most part, only been operating legitimately since 2009, and it underscores the rapid growth in the both the number and size of companies in the sector.

The employment figures include both part-time and

…

Chart of the Week: 100,000+ Workers Employed By Marijuana Companies is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

Arkansas MMJ Legalization Efforts Raising Cash

A campaign hoping to get a second medical cannabis legalization measure on the ballot this fall in Arkansas raised $339,982 last month, bringing its total to $444,982, according to a report released Thursday.

The group – Arkansans United for Medical Marijuana – recently submitted signatures to gets its measure in front of voters and is now waiting to hear from the state if it is approved for the November ballot.

According to the report, the campaign shelled out $244,606 last month, including $226,994 on paid canvassers as the date to submit signatures drew near. It has spent $341,547 total through June, according

…

Arkansas MMJ Legalization Efforts Raising Cash is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

Nevada Dispensaries to Benefit From Rule Change

Nevada will now allow patients to purchase medical marijuana the same day they obtain a recommendation from a physician, allowing dispensaries to serve new customers much earlier than before.

Previously, the wait between getting a recommendation and being able to actually buy MMJ was up to 40 days, according to NBC.

“The main reason is to allow a patient that qualifies and has a need for medical marijuana to get that medicine fairly quickly and safely,” Steve Gilbert, a program manager for the Division of Public and Behavioral Health, told the TV station.

The state is further speeding up the process

…

Nevada Dispensaries to Benefit From Rule Change is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

Week in Review: Florida CBD, Cannabis Legal Battles & Ominous Clouds in AZ, MA

By John Schroyer and Omar Sacirbey

Florida’s long-awaited CBD industry approaches the launchpad, cannabis lawsuits make headlines, and recent polling numbers cast a dark cloud over recreational marijuana legalization in two states.

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

Florida, Finally

First to seed doesn’t necessarily mean first to sell.

Consider Florida, where in February Surterra Therapeutics in the southwestern part of the state became the first approved licensee to receive approval to cultivate CBD-based medicine.

But Trulieve, the cannabis arm of Hackney Nursey in northwestern

…

Week in Review: Florida CBD, Cannabis Legal Battles & Ominous Clouds in AZ, MA is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

One of Denver’s Oldest Cannabis Shops Sold

The founders of one of Denver’s oldest cannabis retailers have sold their business to a growing Boulder cannabis chain.

Denver Relief, which launched in 2009 as a medical marijuana dispensary before transitioning to the recreational market as well, has been sold to Terrapin Care Station for an undisclosed sum, according to a press release issued by the companies.

Denver Relief founders Ean Seeb and Kayvan Khalatbari said they plan to continue working in the cannabis industry via their consulting firm, Denver Relief Consulting, and with partners such as Illinois-based Cresco Labs.

Denver Relief Consulting has clients and business interests in multiple states, including

…

One of Denver’s Oldest Cannabis Shops Sold is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs