A Los Angeles jury recently awarded what could be a record amount of damages to date in a legal business dispute over a marijuana grow and retail business. The case, which was first filed in November 2016 in California Superior Court in L.A. County, came to a close on Dec. 17 when a jury found for […]
Read MoreJohn Schroyer
New California gov earmarks more funds for cannabis regulations, enforcement
In his first state budget, California Gov. Gavin Newsom recommended a sharp increase in spending for marijuana regulatory programs. But it’s an open question whether additional funding will be enough to help steady the state’s cannabis economy. The governor’s budget proposes setting aside more than $200 million for marijuana-related activities in the fiscal year that […]
Read More
Which California region will emerge as marijuana cultivation business leader?
It shocked some cannabis industry watchers last year when Santa Barbara County developed front-runner status among California’s 58 counties by accruing the most marijuana cultivation permits. Humboldt County – the centerpiece of the famed Emerald Triangle to the north – finished second. At the end of 2018, Santa Barbara – in Southern California – had […]
Read More
MA marijuana firm TILT Holdings launches ‘inclusion program’ for drug war victims
A Massachusetts company specializing in cannabis technology, cultivation and support solutions unveiled a program aimed at bolstering entrepreneurs who were previously impacted by marijuana prohibition but now want to get into the plant-touching side of the MJ industry. TILT Holdings, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, said in a news release that its Cannabis Inclusion Program is “designed […]
Read More
End of an era: After Jan. 9, California’s unlicensed medical cannabis collectives/co-ops illegal
On Jan. 10, California’s legal cannabis industry is expected to get even smaller. Medical marijuana collectives and cooperatives will become illegal without a state license that day, per guidance that the Bureau of Cannabis Control (BCC) issued in January 2018. Cannabis industry experts have suggested the impact of the deadline has already made its mark on […]
Read More
Los Angeles cannabis market’s slow liftoff and future: Q&A with city’s top regulator, Cat Packer
Los Angeles picked Cat Packer in 2017 to oversee the city’s cannabis market, considered one of the world’s largest. Packer – the executive director of L.A.’s Department of Cannabis Regulation (DCR) – spoke with Marijuana Business Daily at the end of November about the city’s regulated market and expectations for 2019. Many businesses are concerned about […]
Read More
New Tax Court rulings a mixed bag for marijuana companies
Two new rulings from the U.S. Tax Court this week provided more guidance for cannabis companies dealing with 280E – and while one was hailed as a “Christmas present” to the industry, the other was a bit of a holiday downer. The first, which is a follow-up ruling regarding Oakland-based Harborside and a decision earlier […]
Read More
California issues recalls for 29 marijuana firms caught in Sequoia Labs fallout
The California Bureau of Cannabis Control (BCC) this week identified 29 separate companies that have been told to recall marijuana products after Sacramento-based Sequoia Analytical Labs’ said its former lab director falsified pesticide test results. The BCC also released a list of 848 product batches that were tested by Sequoia after June 30 and may be subject to […]
Read More
After huge cannabis investment, Altria buys $13B stake in vape firm Juul
Two weeks after announcing a major move into the marijuana market with an investment of $1.8 billion in Canadian medical and recreational MJ provider Cronos Group, Marlboro maker Altria revealed it is spending nearly $13 billion to buy a huge stake in the vape company Juul. E-cigarettes and other vaping devices have been sold in […]
Read More
Budweiser maker AB InBev teams with Tilray in $100 million deal to research marijuana-infused drinks
Two commercial giants from the worlds of beer and marijuana are teaming up to spend $100 million to research cannabis-infused beverages, the latest deal to pair a Canadian cannabis company with a major maker of alcoholic beverages. Belgium-based AB InBev (NYSE: BUD), which includes Budweiser in its huge portfolio of beer brands, is partnering with […]
Read More
Florida appeals court delays ruling on major medical cannabis case
A legal case that could further open up Florida’s medical marijuana market to new entrepreneurs and hopeful plant-touching MMJ companies has been put on hold for now by a state appeals court. The decision by Florida’s 1st District Court of Appeal means a lower court’s ruling that the state issue more MMJ business licenses won’t automatically move […]
Read More
Suit aims to keep CA highway patrol from assisting federal marijuana enforcement
A class action lawsuit filed in San Francisco County Superior Court is asking a California judge to block the state’s highway patrol from seizing and turning over cash and other assets from state-legal marijuana companies to federal authorities. The lawsuit stems from a case that began in September, when employees from a Humboldt County distribution company, Wild […]
Read MoreConference News
January Issue
Women to Watch in 2019. Cannabis professionals from all facets of the industry are set to make big strides.Read the Issue