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Omar Sacirbey

Omar has been a professional journalist since 1998, covering everything from international business and Wall Street to politics and religion. His stories have appeared in Newsweek International, the New York Times, the Washington Post, USA Today and other major outlets. Omar graduated from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in 1998, and prior to that he was a Bosnian diplomat. He is based in Boston.

Medical marijuana patients, adult-use customers alike using cannabis for wellness

Published June 20, 2021

Recreational marijuana makes the most headlines, but a large number of cannabis consumers buy and use the plant for medical and wellness reasons.

Massachusetts marijuana retailer ordered to pay fee; lawsuit continues

Published May 26, 2021

A Superior Court judge in Massachusetts ruled that a cannabis retailer must pay a $356,000 community impact fee to the town of Haverhill. However, the lawsuit that Stem filed in April continues. Caroline Pineau, owner of Stem, alleges in the suit that Haverhill officials were violating state law by not justifying the need for so-called community […]

Missouri lawmakers pass bill to ease medical cannabis firms’ taxes

Published May 24, 2021

Doing business in Missouri could become less expensive for the state’s medical cannabis industry – provided the governor gives his stamp of approval. During their recently concluded legislation session, Missouri lawmakers passed a bill with “near unanimous approval” that would ease the state tax burden for medical marijuana businesses, according to St. Louis Public Radio. […]

Missouri can’t can’t keep cannabis license applications secret, court rules

Published May 19, 2021

Applicants who were denied medical cannabis business licenses in Missouri might now be able to compare competitors’ applications with their own after an appeals court ruled that regulators cannot keep such applications confidential. More than 800 companies that were denied business licenses have appealed the application decisions and challenged the scoring system used by the […]

DEA close to allowing companies to grow cannabis for scientific research

Published May 18, 2021

After years of delay under the Trump administration, the federal government is preparing to award the first new licenses for cultivating cannabis for scientific research, giving U.S. marijuana operators a crack at entering a business that has been dominated by the University of Mississippi for more than 50 years. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration late […]

California marijuana company buys fourth retail store for $16 million

Published May 14, 2021

Grupo Flor, a vertically integrated marijuana company based in Salinas, California, spent $16 million to acquire the White Fire cannabis store in San Jose and expand its portfolio. Grupo Flor, founded in 2015, already owns two dispensaries operating as East of Eden in Salinas and Moss Hill and plans to open another store, under the […]

Colorado’s first-quarter retail marijuana sales up 28% from 2020

Published May 12, 2021

Recreational and medical marijuana retailers in Colorado continue to break sales records. According to the latest data from the state Department of Revenue, Colorado’s adult-use and medical cannabis stores recorded $561.7 million in sales in the first quarter of 2021. That’s a 28% increase over the $438.8 million the state’s cannabis retailers racked up in 2020. […]

Marijuana MSO Holistic Industries raises $55 million for expansion

Published May 11, 2021

Holistic Industries, a vertically integrated multistate marijuana company operating in six U.S. markets, secured a $55 million convertible note, nearly doubling a $30 million fundraising goal the company set in March. According to the Washington Business Journal, the oversubscribed offering was led by the Stoneview fund of Harbert Management Corp., an investment group with offices […]

Pennsylvania renews medical marijuana grower’s permit after nearly two years

Published May 7, 2021

A Pennsylvania marijuana cultivator could soon be growing again, almost two years after regulators revoked the company’s business license. Agrimed, which was purchased by Arizona-based multistate operator Harvest Health & Recreation shortly before the revocation, and the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Office of Medical Marijuana reached a settlement that allows for the conditional renewal of […]

Decisions by judge, regulator boost New Mexico’s marijuana market

Published May 6, 2021

The biggest medical marijuana business in New Mexico, Ultra Health, is celebrating another legal victory after a district court judge sided with the company’s lawsuit alleging that regulators inappropriately limited which out-of-state patients could buy MMJ under the state’s reciprocity rules. According to the medical marijuana statute, legitimate MMJ patients from other states may buy […]

MJBiz introduces podcast series to aid cannabis entrepreneurs

Published May 6, 2021

MJBiz, the parent of independent publisher and event producer MJBizDaily, is launching a podcast series intended to deliver business insights and advice to entrepreneurs from the cannabis industry’s top executives and leaders. Titled “Seed to CEO,” the weekly podcast features MJBizDaily CEO Chris Walsh holding in-depth conversations with cannabis executives who share the tactics and strategies […]

Catering to consumers who use marijuana as medicine

Published May 1, 2021

Medical marijuana isn’t exclusive to MMJ dispensaries. It’s true that consumers with serious health problems are more likely to shop at dispensaries than adult-use retailers in order to access more potent products, higher purchasing limits and low to no taxes on medical marijuana. But many cannabis consumers with less acute medical or wellness needs avoid […]