MMJ Business Daily

Washington State Cannabis Growers Upset With Inventory Tracking System, Urge Fixes

By John Schroyer

BioTrackTHC, one of the most prominent cannabis software firms in the country, is under fire from commercial cannabis growers who say the inventory tracking platform it developed for Washington State is costing them time and money.

A group of growers began circulating an online petition on March 19 calling for numerous changes to the state’s recreational marijuana program, including a possible overhaul of the system BioTrack developed and currently maintains.

The petition – which several hundred people have now signed – urges everything from an increase in the number of retail licenses to tweaks in testing regulations.

But many growers have

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Washington State Cannabis Growers Upset With Inventory Tracking System, Urge Fixes is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

Illegal MJ Production Plummets in Washington State

Illegal marijuana production in Washington State has seen a spectacular decline since 2010, according to a new report by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, which suggests that most cannabis enthusiasts are turning to legal businesses instead of potentially cheaper black market marijuana.

The amount of processed marijuana the DEA seized dropped from 3,126 pounds in 2010 to just 635 pounds in 2014, the Yakima Herald-Republic reported.

The report also said the number of marijuana plants it seized in Washington State was about 80% – or 57,000 plants – less than what the agency seized in 2010.

The Washington

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Illegal MJ Production Plummets in Washington State is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

Uruguay Gears Up for Recreational Marijuana Sales

The first country to legalize adult use marijuana could begin sales as early as this summer.

The government of Uruguay took another step this month towards regulating its recreational cannabis market, opening its registry for pharmacists applying to sell marijuana legally, according to The Guardian. Legal sales are expected to start in the second half of this year.

Uruguay’s government legalized marijuana there in 2013. Under the program, there are two state-approved cultivators who will be allowed to grow three government approved strains of cannabis that will be sold through the nation’s pharmacies.

The small nation

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Uruguay Gears Up for Recreational Marijuana Sales is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

UK Research Firm Names Top US Cannabis Vendors

London-based Technavio, a market research firm, has issued a report in which it names what it considers the top seven American marijuana vendors.

The report focuses on four markets: Arizona, California, Colorado and Washington State, as opposed to all 23 states across the country, to get a sampling of the larger market. The firms named are “the top seven leading vendors,” and the report includes 16 additional companies that are “expected to impact the market” between now and 2019, according to a press release.

The seven companies are:

• American Cannabis, a business consulting firm
• Greengro,

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UK Research Firm Names Top US Cannabis Vendors is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

Another Case of Cannaphobia? PR Website Blocks Marijuana Business

By Omar Sacirbey

The list of companies experiencing cannaphobia appears to be getting longer.

A marijuana-related startup said its attempt to make an announcement via PR.com, a major distributor of press releases for businesses, was rejected because it offers “drug-related content.”

The startup, Healer.com, provides information about cannabis dosing but does not produce, sell or even touch the plant.

The decision stunned Healer.com strategist Pekka Paavonpera, who was looking to make a big splash by officially announcing the company’s launch.

“I was absolutely surprised,” said Paavonpera, who forwarded the rejection email from PR.com to Marijuana Business Daily. “There’s no reason

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Another Case of Cannaphobia? PR Website Blocks Marijuana Business is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

Washington Enacts MJ Product Recall Process

Washington State marijuana businesses are now subject to new rules under which various products can be recalled and even destroyed due to pesticide use.

The Washington Liquor and Cannabis Board adopted emergency rules this week to address pesticides in cannabis cultivation, according to Seattle PI, and declared that the new rules “provide the ability to identify and remove products that have been found to pose a risk to public health in a fast and efficient manner.”

The new rules are 129 pages, and quite extensive. A few highlights:

• “Marijuana and marijuana products exposed to unauthorized soil amendments

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Washington Enacts MJ Product Recall Process is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

MA Municipalities Strong-Arming Cannabis Businesses?

Thanks to a provision in the official application for marijuana business licenses in Massachusetts, municipalities in the Bay State have been able to squeeze cash, donations and other perks from cannabis entrepreneurs, according to Boston.com.

Applications require aspiring marijuana business owners to include a so-called “letter of non-opposition” from town councils showing they don’t oppose the business from settling within their borders. In Massachusetts, growers and dispensaries are required to be vertically integrated.

But before they sign off on a non-opposition letter, some towns have gotten marijuana businesses to sign “Host Agreements” stating they will provide a portion of

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MA Municipalities Strong-Arming Cannabis Businesses? is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

Colorado to Make MJ Business Info More Available to Public

Colorado’s Marijuana Enforcement Division, which oversees both recreational and medical cannabis businesses across the state, began overhauling its site last fall to make business information more readily available to the public.

For example, the MED’s site now allows online visitors to search for company info by individual license holders and licensed facilities, the Denver Post reported. In the future, more revamps will connect businesses to their licensed facilities, so the public can connect the dots in terms of who owns what.

A spokeswoman for the agency said the department began the process to streamline both media and public

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Colorado to Make MJ Business Info More Available to Public is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

CBD, Marijuana Banking and General Cannabis Reform: Q&A With NCIA’s Taylor West

By John Schroyer

Before landing her current job as deputy director of the National Cannabis Industry Association, Taylor West spent more than a decade working in national politics, including four years in Washington DC.

During that time, West gained insight she can use today to assess the likelihood of federal change on the cannabis front.

Marijuana Business Daily sat down with West recently to get her thoughts on how the 2016 election could impact the cannabis industry and the chances of meaningful MJ reform for businesses.

What kind of cannabis-related reforms do you think Congress or President Barack Obama

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CBD, Marijuana Banking and General Cannabis Reform: Q&A With NCIA’s Taylor West is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

California Lt. Gov. Endorses Recreational Cannabis Initiative

California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom formally threw his full support behind a proposed ballot measure to legalize recreational cannabis on Monday, in an editorial published in the Modesto Bee.

The move marries Newsom to the Adult Use of Marijuana Act (AUMA), which has been supported – and largely funded – by tech billionaire Sean Parker. Although there are many more proposed legalization initiatives, Parker’s is the only one that seems to have the resources to mount a statewide campaign.

“AUMA strikes the right balance, setting in place strong protections for the public while allowing enough flexibility

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California Lt. Gov. Endorses Recreational Cannabis Initiative is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs