Marijuana Business Magazine March 2020

California Citing the 2019 vaping crisis, state cannabis regulators mandated that licensed marijuana retailers and distributors display unique QR codes in their windows to differentiate legal cannabis businesses from illicit ones. In related news, marijuana vape cartridges seized in December from unlicensed stores in Los Angeles contained potentially dangerous additives, including a thickening agent blamed for a national outbreak of deadly lung illnesses tied to vaping. Testing also found that the illegal vapes typically were not as potent as advertised and sometimes contained just a fraction of the THC claimed on the labels. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis released a guide to help state-chartered financial companies better serve and expand banking services to marijuana companies. Polis’ banking blueprint is intended to provide “guidance, clarity and support to state- chartered, financial-service providers that work with or are interested in working with the state-legal cannabis industry,” the governor said in a statement. Some areas of focus in the governor’s “Roadmap to Cannabis Banking” include: • Encouraging new and emerging technologies, such as virtual currencies. • Providing regulatory guidance on such things as the Bank Secrecy Act and money laundering. • Reducing barriers to entry. • Demonstrating support by submitting letters with other state bank regulators in support of federal regulation. IndustryDevelopments | International & State