California’s annual campaign against illegal marijuana cultivation eradicated more than 1.1 million plants at 455 grow sites. The 13-week effort by state, local and federal agencies in 29 counties went off despite difficulties stemming from coronavirus precautions and massive wildfires, officials said Thursday. Because of competition from illicit operators, California’s legal marijuana businesses haven’t been […]
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Keywords: illicit
Week in Review: Wildfire smoke impact, cannabis market transitions, curbing illicit sales & more
Smoke and ash from the record wildfires in the western U.S. are slowing the growth of outdoor marijuana plants and forcing cultivators to rethink when to harvest their crop. MJBizDaily takeaway: Growers in California, Oregon and Washington state are struggling at how to best maximize the value of their grows and minimize their losses. They […]
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Ontario government cannabis prices beating illicit market, report says
Ontario’s government-operated Ontario Cannabis Store (OCS) claims it is undercutting illicit marijuana prices with an average price of 7.05 Canadian dollars ($5.30) per gram of dried flower, taxes included, during its first fiscal quarter. In comparison, the average price for a gram of marijuana from illicit mail-order dispensaries was CA$7.98, the OCS said in a […]
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Lawsuit: Kushy Punch’s illicit marijuana market reach more than first known
Vertical Bliss’ reach into the illegal cannabis market when the company, operating as Kushy Punch, was busted in 2019 was more than three times what was estimated when it first landed in state regulators’ crosshairs.
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Marijuana vape firms say one year after vaping crisis, customers turning to legal suppliers over illicit market
A year after the vaping health crisis upended the cannabis industry, marijuana vape companies report that sales have rebounded as consumers grasp the danger of consuming illicit-market vaporizers and switch to legal suppliers. Arnaud Dumas de Rauly, co-founder and CEO of New York-based vape manufacturer The Blinc Group, sees this as the biggest impact of […]
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Value pricing isn’t only way for cannabis businesses to compete with illicit market
The Illegal cannabis market continues to be one of the biggest threats to legal marijuana industry, whether through diverting revenue from licensed businesses or stunting the growth of legal MJ companies across the United States.
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Canada asks cannabis users to buy legal edibles after kids eat illicit ones
Canada’s federal health authority is advising consumers to buy cannabis exclusively from authorized retailers after reports of children eating illicit-market products. “Children are accidentally ingesting illegal edible cannabis products and are experiencing serious harm resulting in hospitalization,” Health Canada warned in a public advisory. “These products appeared similar to regular candies or foods and were […]
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How to compete with the illicit market
The illicit marijuana market is among the biggest and most complex challenges facing legal cannabis businesses—one that takes revenue from licensed companies and hampers the growth of state-legal MJ programs nationwide. Cannabis industry advocates continue to argue that legalization would eliminate the illicit market because consumers would prefer to buy marijuana legally instead of from […]
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Will federal legalization smoke out the illicit market?
As long as some states prohibit cannabis, there will always be an illicit market for marijuana. “Until it’s legal everywhere, we’re never going to really end the illicit market,” said Kris Krane, president of multistate vertically integrated cannabis company 4Front Ventures, which is based in Arizona. Legalizing marijuana at the national level would help to: […]
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Stumbling Blocks from Illicit to Legit
Debby Goldsberry, the CEO of Magnolia Wellness in Oakland, California, and a longtime champion of cannabis and social equity, had a realization while viewing videotape of looters robbing her store in June amid protests against the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. “I saw people who probably sell marijuana for a living and cannot access […]
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Products to One-Up the Illicit Market
The illicit market takes a large chunk of sales away from licensed cannabis businesses, but products that are difficult to replicate or require expensive equipment to manufacture generally are found only in legal marijuana shops. Manufacturing and selling such products is one way for legal cannabis businesses to draw new customers and get a leg […]
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California enacts tax warrants in fight against illicit marijuana businesses
In California’s ongoing battle against the illicit cannabis market, the state’s central tax collection agency served a dozen tax warrants to illegal marijuana retailers in Southern California in recent weeks. Roughly $1 million in underground marijuana products and about $100,000 in cash was seized during the actions, which were taken in conjunction with the state […]
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