MMJ Business Daily

A $10M Fight in the Sunshine State: Q&A With John Morgan on Florida MMJ Legalization

By John Schroyer

John Morgan has been, by his own description, a “one-man band” for medical marijuana in Florida over the past four years, having bankrolled two separate campaigns to legalize MMJ in the state.

The first, in 2014, fell just short of the 60% threshold it needed at the ballot box to become law.

At least part of that was due to casino mogul Sheldon Adelson, who put several million dollars of his own money into fighting MMJ legalization in Florida.

This time around, Morgan and his campaign, United for Care, are again facing the possibility of going

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A $10M Fight in the Sunshine State: Q&A With John Morgan on Florida MMJ Legalization is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

Expert: Cannabis Industry Could Use a Branding Makeover

The marijuana industry needs a branding makeover – big time.

So says an expert on business logos, who argues cannabis businesses must move beyond the the familiar cannabis leaf logo if they hope to distinguish their own brand from those of rivals.

“Because legal pot is still a novelty, the leaf itself is enough to attract business. But as marijuana becomes legally available on a more widespread basis, its branding is going to have to move beyond the generic leaf to incorporate more distinctive visual elements,” University of Northern Arizona sociologist James Bowie argues in a blog

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Expert: Cannabis Industry Could Use a Branding Makeover is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

Denver Council Gives Final OK to Marijuana Business Limits

Denver lawmakers approved new caps on the number of marijuana retail and cultivation sites in the city, replacing a temporary moratorium on medical and recreational businesses set to expire May 1.

The legislation, approved Monday by the Denver City Council in a 7-5 vote, will limit the growth of medical and recreational businesses.

It makes permanent the existing number of marijuana business locations – now 421 – while slightly shrinking the number of cultivation licenses over time, the Denver Post reported.

Denver Mayor Michael Hancock said he will sign the measure, which was finalized after weeks of debate among lawmakers.

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Denver Council Gives Final OK to Marijuana Business Limits is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

Estimated 350 Medical Cannabis Dispensaries Now in Canada

The only way medical marijuana patients in Canada can get legal cannabis is by mail – not from a storefront dispensary. But that hasn’t stopped enterprising  business owners from opening approximately 350 storefronts in parts of the country.

That’s according to the Canadian Association of Medical Cannabis Dispensaries, which issued a recent estimate, the National Post reported.

The association said “dozens” of dispensaries have opened in Toronto in the last few months, leading to a likely record number of Canadian MMJ retailers in operation.

Although dispensaries are illegal in Canada under federal law, they operate in a small number

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Estimated 350 Medical Cannabis Dispensaries Now in Canada is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

Montana Medical Marijuana Industry to End in August

The Montana State Supreme Court has put the state’s medical marijuana dispensaries on notice: They’ll be out of business as of August 31.

The decision means Montana voters ultimately could determine the future of the state’s MMJ’s dispensaries.

The high court made its views known on Monday through a ruling on a 2011 law that was intended to shut down dispensaries statewide.

The justices initially had ruled against the industry in February. The Montana Cannabis Industry Association (MTCIA) asked the court in March to delay the decision’s implementation. That allowed dispensaries to keep operating as usual.

The justices, for

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Montana Medical Marijuana Industry to End in August is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

Maryland Gets New Medical Cannabis Program Chief

Maryland has named its new medical marijuana program director, who will have to manage a flood of applications for business licenses in a state with a potentially large MMJ market.
Patrick Jameson, a former state trooper and unsuccessful political cand…

Most Tribes Hit the Brakes on Marijuana; a Few Move Ahead

By John Schroyer

The anticipated “green rush” on Native American lands has failed to materialize, contrary to earlier signs that dozens of tribes were poised to capitalize on the opportunity to grow and sell cannabis.

The turnaround has dampened, for now, the opportunity for entrepreneurs in states without legalized medical or recreational cannabis.

It also has quashed opportunities for ancillary businesses to target a new crop of retail stores/dispensaries, cultivation sites and infused products companies.

The change in tack follows raids by local and federal law enforcement on existing tribal cultivation operations, as well as one tribe’s decision to scrap

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Most Tribes Hit the Brakes on Marijuana; a Few Move Ahead is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

Big Expansion Slated for Colorado Marijuana Business Park

A cannabis business park about a three hours drive west of Denver is poised to get a lot bigger.

Arizona-based Zoned Properties, owner the Marijuana Business Park in the small mountain town of Parachute, said in a news release the park will grow to 35 acres from its current 1.5 acres.

The publicly traded medical cannabis real estate company hopes to attract cultivators, processors and retailers for what it calls its flagship business park. Last month, the company unveiled plans for what it says is Arizona’s first MMJ business park.

Zoned Properties said it expects to close

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Big Expansion Slated for Colorado Marijuana Business Park is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

Top Doctors Form Group to Back Cannabis Legalization

A group of heavyweights from the medical profession have teamed to support the legalization of marijuana in the interests of public health, giving the cannabis industry a potentially important ally.

Doctors for Cannabis Regulation  announced its launch last week, saying it is the first such organization to advocate for the legalization and regulation of cannabis for adult use. The group of more than 50 physicians includes former surgeon-general Jocelyn Elders and faculty members at some of the country’s top medical schools.

“The medical profession should join with the public to design a safe and effective public health approach to legalizing

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Top Doctors Form Group to Back Cannabis Legalization is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

FDA Grants U.K. Firm Incentives to Develop Cannabis-Based Drug

U.S. regulators granted GW Pharmaceuticals’ cannabis-based epilepsy drug “orphan” status, enabling the company to receive tax credits and other incentives so it can test the drug on patients with a rare form of the disorder.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s decision gives British-based GW the green light to test its Epidiolex medicine for treating Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC), a rare genetic disorder for which the most common symptom is epilepsy.

Approximately 50,000 people in the United States and nearly 1 million people worldwide are estimated to have TSC, and 80% to 90% of them have epilepsy.

FDA

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FDA Grants U.K. Firm Incentives to Develop Cannabis-Based Drug is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs