News

  • New Jersey Governor Signs Controversial Bill Restricting Sales Of Hemp Cannabinoid Products
    by Marijuana Moment on September 14, 2024 at 5:05 pm

    “Unlike many issues, the status quo poses an immediate risk to health and safety, as these unregulated intoxicating hemp products are widely available to minors.” By Sophie Nieto-Munoz, New Jersey Monitor New Jersey businesses are temporarily banned from selling hemp products without a cannabis license under a controversial bill Gov. Phil Murphy (D) signed into law Thursday, a response to years of complaints about legal loopholes that allow minors to buy sketchy hemp products. The measure will put hemp products, which are federally legal, under the purview of the state’s Cannabis . . .

  • The Top 15 Celebrity Cannabis Brands – Sept. 2024
    by Steve Bloom on September 14, 2024 at 3:39 pm

    The biggest moves on our Celebrity Brands chart this month are Cheech & Chong’s Cannabis (from #8 to #3), Belushi’s Farm (from #9 to #5) and Tical Official (from #15 to #10).

  • Week in Weed – September 14, 2024
    by Staff on September 14, 2024 at 11:20 am

    StratCann’s weekly round-up of cannabis industry news for the week ending September 14, 2024. The post Week in Weed – September 14, 2024 appeared first on StratCann.

  • Nixon Admitted Marijuana Is ‘Not Particularly Dangerous’ In Newly Discovered Recording
    by Tom Angell on September 14, 2024 at 10:36 am

    Former President Richard Nixon, despite declaring the war on drugs and rejecting a federal commission’s recommendation to decriminalize marijuana, admitted in a newly unearthed recording that he knew cannabis is “not particularly dangerous.” “Let me say, I know nothing about marijuana,” Nixon said in a March 1973 White House meeting. “I know that it’s not particularly dangerous, in other words, and most of the kids are for legalizing it. But on the other hand, it’s the wrong signal at this time.” “The penalties should be commensurate with the crime,” Nixon said, arguing . . .

  • Shop Review: Culta
    by Wyatt Early on September 14, 2024 at 5:26 am

    The newest of Culta’s three locations in Maryland is the Columbia store, which puts a fresh face to Culta’s familiar name on the market here. One of the goals with opening this store was to connect with the community in Columbia and provide a service to the residents. It has the ability to cater to both medical and recreational customers with their informative staff and innovative product releases. Keep an eye out for hash rosin from Culta when it hits the market! Setting and Vibe Culta has a friendly vibe and an intimate setting. The clean layout and murals on the walls make it feel . . .

  • New cannabis distribution warehouse coming to NWT
    by David Brown on September 14, 2024 at 3:35 am

    The Northwest Territory Liquor and Cannabis Commission (NTLCC) has selected a contractor to build a new cannabis warehouse in Hay River.Buffalo Parcel Courier Services was… The post New cannabis distribution warehouse coming to NWT appeared first on StratCann.

  • Patient of the Month: Ben Heemstra
    by Mike Gianakos on September 14, 2024 at 12:10 am

    Settled into his home recording studio in Annapolis, Maryland, Benjamin Heemstra sits in a corner playing bright chords on a piano. As he plays, it’s clear how different this one is compared to the many others he has readily available to play. His piano is from 1922, a pre-World War II Steinway Vertegrand upright, which he acquired through Facebook Marketplace. “I name most of my instruments, and I’m a fan of alliteration, so she’s Stella the Steinway,” he said with a passionate smile. Ben works as a full-time musician, a job that has taken him all over Maryland and beyond. On . . .

  • Budtender of the Month: Miah Saunders
    by Wyatt Early on September 13, 2024 at 11:59 pm

    Miah Saunders hails from Rappahannock, Virginia, where she says, “There are more cows than there are people.” Moving to Maryland in 2018 and entering the Cannabis industry in 2021, Miah fell in love with the industry while finding her place with a company that suits her. She joined the Curaleaf team in August of 2023 and has never looked back, owning a feeling of genuine excitement for coming to work every day. Stop in Curaleaf in Reisterstown and say hey to Miah the next time you’re passing through! Are you an animal lover?Yes. I have two dogs, one is getting ready to turn 10, and the . . .

  • Nebraska Medical Marijuana Measures Certified For November Ballot, But New Legal Challenges Could Block Votes From Being Counted
    by Kyle Jaeger on September 13, 2024 at 7:39 pm

    Nebraska officials have officially confirmed that a pair of medical marijuana legalization ballot initiatives will go before voters at the polls this November. However, the fate of the measures may hinge on the outcome of new legal challenges from the state attorney general and a former GOP state senator. If either effort succeeds, the state could see a situation where voters decide on the measures but officials are barred from counting and reporting the results of the election. About two weeks after the secretary of state’s office confirmed that Nebraskans for Medical Marijuana (NMM) had . . .

  • Nebraska medical cannabis qualifies for ballot amid controversy
    by Chris Roberts on September 13, 2024 at 7:36 pm

    Initiatives to legalize medical marijuana in Nebraska and set up a regulated MMJ market qualified for the November ballot on Friday, just hours after complications threatening the effort appeared. Nebraska medical cannabis qualifies for ballot amid controversy is a post from: MJBizDaily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

  • Michigan sets record with $295.4 million in monthly marijuana sales
    by Chris Casacchia on September 13, 2024 at 7:18 pm

    Michigan marijuana retailers in August sold $295,412,252 worth of medical and recreational cannabis, setting a new record for highest sales total per month. Michigan sets record with $295.4 million in monthly marijuana sales is a post from: MJBizDaily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

  • Hemp And CBD Groups Threaten To Sue California Over Governor’s New Rules Restricting Cannabinoid Products
    by Ben Adlin on September 13, 2024 at 7:02 pm

    California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s (D) plan to crack down on hemp-derived cannabinoids in the state is rankling some in hemp industry, who now say they’re exploring lawsuits to challenge the governor’s proposed emergency rules unveiled last week. On Friday, the advocacy group One Hemp said it’s considering a court challenge “with the intent to hold Newsom accountable to the normal democratic process.” The organization, which has ties to the hemp CBD industry, notes the governor’s proposal was never approved by the state legislature and would severely restrict access to hemp products . . .

  • Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission gets new acting chair
    by Margaret Jackson on September 13, 2024 at 6:03 pm

    Massachusetts Treasurer Deborah Goldberg named Bruce Stebbins acting chair of the Cannabis Control Commission on Thursday. Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission gets new acting chair is a post from: MJBizDaily: Financial, Legal & Cannabusiness news for cannabis entrepreneurs

  • FDA Can Seize Cannabis Edibles And Drinks, Agency Official Tells Congress, But Usually Just Sends Warning Letters Instead
    by Kyle Jaeger on September 13, 2024 at 4:33 pm

    A top Food and Drug Administration (FDA) official says the agency retains authority to remove cannabis-infused foods and drinks from the market, though that level of enforcement action is rare and is most commonly executed by local law enforcement. During a hearing before the House Energy & Commerce Subcommittee on Health on Tuesday, FDA Deputy Commissioner for Human Foods James Jones was repeatedly pressed on the agency’s ability to prevent intoxicating cannabis products, including federally legal hemp derivatives, from being commercially sold. While he said marijuana was generally not in . . .

  • Bipartisan Pennsylvania Lawmakers File New Marijuana Legalization Bill As Neighboring States See Benefits Of Cannabis Sales
    by Kyle Jaeger on September 13, 2024 at 3:56 pm

    Bipartisan Pennsylvania lawmakers have officially filed a bill to legalize recreational marijuana in the Commonwealth. About two months after circulating a memo with draft legislative language to build support for the proposal, Reps. Aaron Kaufer (R) and Emily Kinkead (D) formally introduced the legislation, alongside 15 other cosponsors, on Friday. There’s been a stepped up push for reform in the legislature as neighboring states such as Ohio move forward to open legal cannabis markets. In the earlier memo, the sponsors said the regional developments mean outside states are positioned to . . .

  • Survey: Rising Percentage of Older Adults Are Turning to Cannabis
    by NORML on September 13, 2024 at 3:54 pm

    “Many older adults struggle with pain, anxiety, restless sleep, and other conditions for which cannabis products often mitigate. Many older adults are also well aware of the litany of serious adverse side-effects associated with available prescription drugs, like opioids or sleep aids, and they perceive medical cannabis to be a practical and potentially safer alternative.” The post Survey: Rising Percentage of Older Adults Are Turning to Cannabis appeared first on NORML.

  • Former California Cannabis Regulator Says Agency Fired Her After Lab Fraud Warnings
    by Ganjapreneur on September 13, 2024 at 3:17 pm

    A former senior official at California’s Department of Cannabis Control (DCC) is suing the agency, alleging she was wrongfully fired after raising concerns about widespread fraud in state-licensed cannabis testing labs. Tanisha Bogans, the former deputy director of laboratory services, claims in a lawsuit filed this week that the DCC failed to address rampant THC potency inflation and deliberate failures by labs to detect harmful contaminants like pesticides and mold. Bogans, who was terminated in January 2024, alleges that her dismissal followed repeated warnings about unethical practices . . .

  • New Jersey Gov. Signs Law to Group Delta-8 Sales Under Cannabis Rules
    by Graham Abbott on September 13, 2024 at 3:17 pm

    New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) on Thursday signed into law a bill to establish regulations for hemp-derived, intoxicating cannabinoid products, the Asbury Park Press reports. While adult-use cannabis is legal in New Jersey, hemp products like delta-8 THC-infused seltzers – which are technically legal at the federal level because they are made from industrial hemp – have until now been sold outside of the regulated cannabis market, primarily at gas stations and in liquor stores, despite having very similar intoxicating effects. However, under the new law, intoxicating hemp products will . . .

  • OSHA Program to Investigate Workplace Hazards in Colorado Cannabis Industry
    by Graham Abbott on September 13, 2024 at 3:17 pm

    The Federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is launching a new program to identify potential workplace hazards in the Colorado cannabis industry, according to a Safety and Health Magazine report. OSHA’s Local Emphasis Program for Cannabis Industries will investigate facilities in the Denver area involved with the processing, manufacturing, and cultivation of cannabis and hemp products. “Workers employed in the cannabis industry are exposed to a variety of safety and health hazards,” OSHA writes. “Activities such as extraction and production of concentrates involve . . .

  • Massachusetts names acting cannabis commission chair after former leader fired
    by Adam Jackson on September 13, 2024 at 2:24 pm

    The Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission tapped a new acting leader following a contentious dismissal of its former chair. Bruce Stebbins, an existing commission member, will serve as acting chair until a permanent replacement is found, state Treasurer Deborah Goldberg announced. The move comes after Goldberg fired Shannon O’Brien this week from the position, citing “gross misconduct.” “The chair committed gross misconduct and demonstrated she is unable to discharge the powers and duties of a CCC commissioner,” Goldberg said in a statement to news outlets this week. Goldberg . . .

  • Acreage gets a new lender and pays off the old
    by Debra Borchardt on September 13, 2024 at 1:52 pm

    Acreage Holdings, Inc. (CSE: ACRG.A.U)(CSE: ACRG.B.U)(OTCQX: ACRHF)(OTCQX: ACRDF) announced it was able to pay off its old debt with a new debt and lender. Acreage got $65 million from a new lender that wasn’t named with an original issue discount of 10%, being $6.5 million. The new lender also gets a board observer right. The company said that $48 million of that money was used to repay the debt owed to a non-Canopy lender. The net proceeds of the loan to Acreage total approximately $8 million after closing costs and expenses. “This capital infusion will facilitate the expansion of our . . .

  • Governor Murphy Signs NJ Intoxicating Hemp Delta-8 THC Product Regulation Bill into Law
    by Dan Ulloa on September 13, 2024 at 1:03 pm

    Governor Phil Murphy (D) signed into law the intoxicating hemp Delta 8 THC regulation bill passed by the New Jersey Legislature in June. The bill had to be signed in 90 days, and the deadline was nearly up. The bills S-3235/A-4461, “Regulates production and sale of certain intoxicating hemp products,” was sponsored by Teresa Ruiz [ . . . ] Source: Governor Murphy Signs NJ Intoxicating Hemp Delta-8 THC Product Regulation Bill into Law from Heady NJ

  • Nebraska AG Announces Felony Charge Related to Fraudulent Signature Investigation of Cannabis Petitions
    by NULL on September 13, 2024 at 12:37 pm

    All of the suspected fraudulent signatures were traced back to one petition circulator in Hall County.

  • Six U.S. States Report Setting New Monthly Marijuana Sales Records
    by Ben Adlin on September 13, 2024 at 12:16 pm

    Officials in at least six states with legal marijuana-Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri and New York-reported hitting their highest-ever monthly sales numbers in August, led by surging summer purchases of adult-use products. Retailers in Michigan sold $294.2 million in legal cannabis last month, according to data from the state’s Cannabis Regulatory Agency. Combined with $1.26 million in medical products, stores tallied $295.4 million in total sales-the most ever recorded in the state. In Missouri, meanwhile, the state notched $126.15 million in total sales in August, . . .

  • Cannabis farmgate in Canada: From farm to joint
    by David Brown on September 13, 2024 at 11:49 am

    While there are several thousand cannabis stores in Canada, consumers can purchase cannabis directly from the grower at just a handful of locations. The post Cannabis farmgate in Canada: From farm to joint appeared first on StratCann.