A California county’s drug enforcement unit raided an unlicensed cannabis cultivation operation this week, dealing another blow to the state’s thriving illicit market, which has been stealing market share from legal marijuana businesses. The...
Joey Pena
Joey Pena's Latest Posts
Why marijuana infused businesses have experienced testing and labeling challenges in California
The Golden State's cannabis-infused products makers have weathered some strong winds recently stemming from new testing requirements, and it's an issue marijuana businesses in other markets should pay attention to as different states experiment with rules surrounding...
Metrc software issues spur MD marijuana regulators to enact temporary retail rules
Persistent outages and slowdowns involving Maryland’s seed-to-sale tracking software, Metrc, have forced state medical marijuana regulators to override regulations governing patient purchases five times in the past two weeks in a bid to limit the fallout on dispensaries and consumers.
Licensing delays cost Alaskan marijuana license applicants time, money
Applicants for cannabis business licenses in Alaska could be forced to wait up to five months for their paperwork to be reviewed, despite a state statute stipulating that licenses should be granted in roughly 90 days. Prospective licensees told the Alaska Journal of...
Canadian cannabis firm Captor pays $6M to acquire a fourth California dispensary
Captor Capital, a vertically integrated Canadian marijuana company, acquired Chai Cannabis, a medical and recreational cannabis store in Santa Cruz, California, for roughly $6 million. The acquisition adds a fourth California retail shop to...
Is your marijuana business prepared to handle a crisis?
No marijuana business expects to run into a tough situation, but it’s a good idea to have a plan in place in case trouble arises. So, we spoke with experts about the importance of crisis communications planning and strategies.
Build it and they will come? Cannabis entrepreneurs wager big bucks on social consumption venues
Applicants for marijuana social consumption licenses across the United States are betting that consumers will want to patronize a public venue where they can consume cannabis with other users.
Entrepreneurs who pursue this new niche sector are likely to wager hundreds of thousands of dollars to get their businesses off the ground, according to industry executives.
Increased desire for high-THC products a hazard for some Alaska cannabis cultivators
Consumers in Alaska are willing to pay higher prices for more potent cannabis, but that trend could threaten to bankrupt some cultivators, according to an article in the Anchorage Daily News. Growers whose marijuana tests below 20% THC struggle to recoup their costs...
L.A. crackdown: 105 unlicensed cannabis firms, 500-plus people targeted
Los Angeles prosecutors have filed misdemeanor charges against 515 people in a clampdown on 105 illegal marijuana businesses in the city - a move that could benefit legal MJ companies by helping to eliminate black-market rivals. The businesses targeted include retail...
Former North Dakota AG leads new group opposing legalized marijuana
As North Dakota voters look to decide whether to approve adult-use cannabis in the state's November general election, opposition is mounting. Former North Dakota Attorney General Bob Wefald is reportedly leading a statewide campaign against Measure 3, the ballot...
Petition urges Instagram to stop targeting marijuana businesses
Several thousand people have signed a petition urging Instagram to stop deactivating pages for cannabis businesses and marijuana-related content.
Most illegal CA marijuana grows have ‘potentially lethal’ traces of pesticide
Federal and state officials in California launched a summerlong effort to clamp down on illegal cannabis cultivators and discovered that nine of every 10 farms raided contained traces of powerful and potentially lethal pesticides, authorities said Tuesday. The...
