North Dakota’s Senate overwhelmingly defeated a bill to legalize recreational marijuana, ending reform efforts in that state for the year. The Senate defeated House Bill 1420 by a 37-10 vote after only 30 minutes of debate, according to the Bismarck Tr…
Cannabis Industry & Marijuana Business Briefs
Provincial windfall from Ontario Cannabis Store seen rising to CA$170 million
Ontario’s monopoly cannabis wholesaler and online retailer, the Ontario Cannabis Store (OCS), is forecasted to contribute 170 million Canadian dollars ($135 million) to provincial coffers for the 2021-2022 fiscal year, according to Ontario’…
California gov appoints cannabis industry ally as state’s attorney general
The California cannabis industry is rejoicing over Gov. Gavin Newsom’s choice of Assemblyman Rob Bonta as state attorney general. “Bonta has tackled some of the major cannabis issues in the state, advocating for workers, patients and cannab…
Advocacy group for Hispanic marijuana entrepreneurs launches
The marijuana advocacy world just got another player: The National Hispanic Cannabis Council. The organization launched Thursday. According to a news release, the Denver-based group will be run by “Hispanic business leaders, legal professionals a…
New Jersey picks Black male for cannabis panel after NAACP pushback
New Jersey’s commission to regulate recreational marijuana received its first Black male member after the NAACP raised concerns about the panel’s makeup. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy on Wednesday appointed Charles Barker, who is Black, to th…
US marijuana reform a ‘tall order’ for Congress, new MJ coalition chief says
The executive director of a newly formed alliance of business interests dedicated to influencing marijuana regulations believes full federal legalization remains years away and that it will be a “tall order” for the current Congress to get …
‘Cannabis 2.0’ products dent Canada’s dried-flower market
Dried flower’s overall share of the regulated adult-use cannabis market in Canada waned throughout 2020 as competition from new product categories steadily increased, the latest data from Statistics Canada shows. Dried flower still dominated the market…
Pair convicted in bank fraud case related to cannabis transactions
Two businessmen indicted in 2020 for defrauding merchant banks on behalf of California cannabis delivery company Eaze have been convicted by a Manhattan jury. According to Law360, Hamid Akhavan and Ruben Weigand were found guilty of conspiracy to commi…
Maryland adult-use marijuana legalization effort fails for this year
Adult-use marijuana legalization in Maryland must wait at least a year after bills failed to meet Monday’s “crossover” deadline for passing one legislative chamber and being sent to the other. “Sponsors (now) are working on amendments to set the …
Cannabis banking reform reintroduced in US Senate
Less than a week after pro-cannabis banking legislation was reintroduced in the U.S. House of Representatives, a parallel bipartisan measure was revived in the Senate – a move that drew applause from marijuana industry advocates. Sens. Jeff Merkl…