Hemp and marijuana are the same species of cannabis. But in the United States, the two plants remain far apart in terms of how much government help entrepreneurs can get when starting a business with them.
Roughly 200 marijuana operators signed a petition asking Illinois regulators to alter a policy that prohibits adult-use store owners with conditional licenses from selling equity in their businesses until they are eligible to begin retail sales.
California’s cannabis program is entering a new chapter.
In a last-minute push that ended in June, hundreds of California marijuana businesses were issued the final significant batch of provisional licenses the state will ever grant.
Massachusetts’ governor signed into law a comprehensive overhaul of the state’s marijuana regulatory system that’s intended to bolster the industry in several key ways.
Now that final regulations have been issued for marijuana consumption lounges to begin operating in Nevada, Las Vegas cannabis executives are gearing up to lure customers off the Strip and into their smoking rooms.
At least two Connecticut businesses – the Hartford Cannabis Co. and The Goods THC Co. – are appealing license denials by the state’s Social Equity Council, according to lawsuits filed in Hartford Superior Court.
The Massachusetts Legislature approved a series of marijuana industry reforms in a bid by lawmakers to lower barriers to entry for small and minority-owned businesses, jump-start consumption lounges and decrease local fees for cannabis businesses.
Less than a year after Denver’s first licensed cannabis delivery service opened, the owners have closed the business, voluntarily surrendering its state and local licenses.
Amber Littlejohn, a national advocate for equity in the marijuana industry, has stepped down as executive director of the Minority Cannabis Business Association (MCBA) to pursue new opportunities in the industry.
Shortly after Michelle Garakian replaced Cat Packer in March to become the Los Angeles marijuana czar, the city invoked mandatory timelines to process and approve cannabis business applications and licenses.
Unclogging that bottleneck is among the top priorities of Garakian’s strategic plan to improve bureaucracy, communication and assistance to operators and applicants in one of the world’s largest regulated marijuana markets.
The National Association of Cannabis Businesses said it will cease operations by July 31 because of the difficult economic conditions.
New York regulators took further steps to advance its burgeoning adult-use marijuana market, approving application forms for retail licenses and accepting 20 more cultivation license applications, bringing the total number of approved growers to 223.
