MMJ Business Daily

Mississippi Bans Marijuana Policy Project From Fundraising

The chances for marijuana legalization in Mississippi suffered a setback recently when the government there banned the Marijuana Policy Project from fundraising in the state.

According a fundraising email from MPP Executive Director Rob Kampia, the state decided to block the group from fundraising because he is a convicted felon. Kampia was convicted of illegally growing marijuana for personal use in 1989 while in college and served three months in prison.

Kampia’s email noted that MPP has suffered other instances of discrimination. Many landlords won’t lease office space to MPP, the IRS has audited the group twice, and their bank

…

Mississippi Bans Marijuana Policy Project From Fundraising is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

MA Senators Will Visit Colorado to Study MJ Regulations

If Massachusetts voters wind up legalizing recreational cannabis next year at the ballot, the state’s regulatory system may wind up looking a lot like Colorado’s.

With the Bay State poised to legalize rec marijuana next November, 10 Massachusetts state senators will spend a week in Colorado in January with the aim of prepping themselves if they need to oversee a new rec market. (And they’re hardly the first to visit Colorado to learn about how to regulate cannabis.)

The leader of the Special Senate Committee on Marijuana, Democrat Jason Lewis, told The Boston Globe that senators will meet industry

…

MA Senators Will Visit Colorado to Study MJ Regulations is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

Cannabis Oils Hit Canada’s Medical Marijuana Market

By Omar Sacirbey

An Ontario-based medical marijuana producer has started selling cannabis oils to Canadian patients, becoming the first business to take advantage of a groundbreaking change to the country’s MMJ program.

Peace Naturals Project, one of 25 licensed medical cannabis producers in Canada, received approval from the country’s health agency in July to begin producing the oils.

On Monday, it became the first company to receive the green light to actually sell them.

Peace Naturals was ready to hit the ground running, having already tested its initial two batches of cannabis oil, Cerene and Omega, so that it could begin selling

…

Cannabis Oils Hit Canada’s Medical Marijuana Market is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

MMJ Delivery Companies Offer Teleconferencing With Doctors

A pair of medical cannabis delivery services in California have both this week revealed that they’re now offering teleconferencing with physicians for potential patients looking to save time by skipping a trip to the doctor’s office.

Both San Francisco-based Eaze and Los Angeles-based SpeedWeed announced over the past few days that they’re adding “telemedicine” appointments to their list of offerings to customers, according to Forbes.

Eaze is doing so via a smartphone app called EazeMD, which is available on both Android and for iPhones. SpeedWeed is doing the same, Forbes reported, with a service called HelloMD.

…

MMJ Delivery Companies Offer Teleconferencing With Doctors is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

Oregon Reaching Out to MJ Entrepreneurs

Oregon’s Liquor Control Commission (OLCC), which is in charge of establishing state rules and overseeing its recreational cannabis industry, has taken steps to help make the rollout of its program easier for businesses.

That includes hosting application workshops to help answer questions and get businesses ready for the licensing process and even publishing a “business readiness guidebook” for entrepreneurs.

And even if those interested in the workshops can’t make time to attend one, the commission has put up a Powerpoint on its site to provide a basic idea of the presentation, the Oregonian reported.

…

Oregon Reaching Out to MJ Entrepreneurs is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

San Diego Dispensary Hit With Record Fine

A San Diego judge has slapped a local medical marijuana dispensary with a $1.8 million fine for violating the city’s zoning regulations, the largest fine against a dispensary in city history, according to the Los Angeles Times.

In addition to the fine levied on SoCal Holistic Health Inc., San Diego County Superior Court Judge Timothy Taylor issued a permanent injunction against the dispensary and its president, Ryan Murphy, banning them from having a dispensary anywhere in the city.

Chris Boudreau, a board member for the Alliance for Responsible Medicinal Access, an area cannabis business trade group, said that while

…

San Diego Dispensary Hit With Record Fine is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

Two South American Cannabis Markets Advance

Chile and Uruguay have taken significant steps recently to advance their respective marijuana markets.

Chilean President Michelle Bachelet signed a decree that authorizes the sale of cannabis-derived medicines at pharmacies, and removes marijuana from the country’s list of hard drugs. The decree hasn’t been published officially, but the Associated Press obtained a copy Friday.

Still, the planting, selling and transporting marijuana without a specific medical sanction as part of Chile’s MMJ pilot program remains illegal and carries prison terms of 5-10 years.

The National Drug Board of Uruguay, the first nation to legalize recreational marijuana, announced Saturday that registered

…

Two South American Cannabis Markets Advance is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

Chart of the Week: Arizona’s Medical Marijuana Market Gaining Steam

By Becky Olson

Business is booming for medical cannabis companies in Arizona.

Aside from a 33% surge in patient numbers during the first 10 months of the year, dispensaries are on pace to sell more than 586,000 ounces of marijuana in 2015 – an increase of over 80% from 2014, according to data from the state.

A March 2014 legal ruling that paved the way for the sale of cannabis oils and other concentrates, along with the addition of post-traumatic stress disorder to the qualifying condition list earlier this year, have helped fuel the growth.

The edibles market has also been gaining traction.

…

Chart of the Week: Arizona’s Medical Marijuana Market Gaining Steam is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

Cultivation Power Price Tag Could Reach $11 Billion Nationwide

One of the most painful – and expensive – parts of cultivating marijuana commercially can be the price of electricity to power grow lamps, especially for those with indoor warehouse operations. According to a four-year-old research paper, the industry at that point was already using $6 billion a year in power, and new numbers suggest that figure could jump to $11 billion, the High Country News reported.

That’s causing ongoing concern for power companies, so much so that an entire panel was dedicated to the topic at the annual meeting of the National Association of Regulatory

…

Cultivation Power Price Tag Could Reach $11 Billion Nationwide is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

In Oregon, New Clean Air Rules Could Shutter MJ Clubs

Cannabis entrepreneurs in Oregon running smoking lounges have a new hurdle to overcome: the state’s Indoor Clean Air Act.

Such lounges may be forced to close for violating new provisions of the statute, set to go into effect on New Year’s Day, according to The Oregonian.

The indoor clean air rules were originally passed in 2009 and targeted only tobacco. This year, lawmakers added marijuana to the law, as well as devices like vaporizers and e-cigarettes, thus making it illegal to smoke or vape cannabis in work and public places.

The marijuana lounges may have an option, however. The

…

In Oregon, New Clean Air Rules Could Shutter MJ Clubs is a post from: Marijuana Business Daily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs