Permission to open cannabis businesses is a daunting, opaque and unfair process, they claim. New Jersey promised a fair and ethical cannabis industry in which mom-and-pop shops would thrive. The law crafted by state legislators allowed towns, with little oversight, to authorize who can sell weed
“With monthly sales averaging $23.4 million, we remain on track to set a new sales record this year.”
By Kim Jarrett, The Center Square
Arkansas’s medical marijuana sales have brought in $23.5 million in tax revenue this year, according to information from the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration.
Patients purchased $211.3 million of medical marijuana during the first nine months of 2023, up from $205 million during the same time period in 2022, according to the DFA.
More than 44,000 pounds were sold this year. The state’s dispensaries sold 5,227 pounds in August and 5,538 in September, according to statistics.
“Overall, patients have spent more than $965 million on medical marijuana purchases since the industry launched in May 2019,” said DFA spokesperson Scott Hardin. “This included $31 million in 2019, $182 million in 2020, $265 million in 2021, $276 million in 2022 and $211 million through September this year. With monthly sales averaging $23.4 million, we remain on track to set a new sales record this year.”
The state has collected more than $113 million in tax revenue since 2019, according to the DFA.
The number of patients receiving medical marijuana cards also increased from 89,855 to 96,056 currently. Patients and caregivers pay a $50 application fee to receive a card. Caregivers pay an additional $37 for a background check, according to the Arkansas Department of Health.
Suite 443 in Hot Springs sold more than 1,100 pounds in August and September, the most of any dispensary in Arkansas.
Regulators in Minnesota are seeking public input as they begin the process of crafting rules for the state’s new marijuana industry, hoping to hear from “the widest possible range of community members, advocates, and partners who want to help shape how the rules are drafted.”
To collect those views, the state’s Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) on Monday released a new online survey that includes questions on cannabis cultivation, processing and manufacturing.
“The first topic areas reflect the necessary industry components to help ensure the state can meet supply and demand once the market opens,” the agency said.
The initial survey will be available for responses through November 30, with OCM saying that it “wants to hear from a wide range of people throughout this rulemaking process.”
After opening the feedback form and providing basic information, commenters can leave comments on cultivation, processing or manufacturing issues by selecting that choice on a dropdown menu. After answering questions on one topic, users an either submit their responses or choose another of the three topics to weigh on in.
Under each topic, respondents are prompted to detail what they see as opportunities, concerns and technical or practical set-up considerations that regulators should be mindful of as they launch the process of drafting rules.
Other issues to be addressed through OCM rulemaking include social equity considerations, laboratory testing, packaging and labeling rules, track and trace systems, the use of pesticides and fertilizers as well as environmental controls, such as limiting water and energy use and controlling odor.
After OCM formally proposes the new rules, members of the public will have a chance to weigh in. That’s expected to take place sometime in the fall of next year.
Lawmakers have approved OCM’s use of an expedited rulemaking process, but regulators note that “the rules may not be approved and in force until 2025.”
In the interim, adults 21 and older can already legally use, possess and grow marijuana for personal use. In August, Gov. Tim Walz (D) clarified that homegrown cannabis cannot be sold commercially.
Minnesota’s cannabis law also allows tribes within the state to open marijuana businesses before the state begins licensing traditional retailers, and so far some tribal governments entered the legal market before state-regulated sales begin. The Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians, for example, opened its medical dispensaries to adult consumers in August and announced plans to launch a mobile retail vehicle to sell marijuana at locations across the state.
The White Earth Nation tribe also launched an adult-use cannabis shop, with its governing council voting to authorize marijuana sales in July. And the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe has also moved to legalize.
OCM recently hit a noteworthy snag recently after Erin DuPree, a cannabis industry consultant that the governor picked to lead the state agency, stepped down after one day of work following a Star Tribune report that her hemp shop allegedly sold illegal products. Lab results reportedly showed elevated THC levels and the presence of banned synthetic ingredients.
Former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura has said that he wants to get in on the action and become the “first major politician in America” to have his face on a marijuana brand.
Phillips has supported federal marijuana legalization, pushed the Biden administration to provide relief to those who’ve been criminalized over cannabis and advocated for research into the therapeutic potential of psychedelics. His voting record shows ongoing support for reform across the board—including incremental measures on marijuana banking, as well as more comprehensive proposals to end federal cannabis prohibition while promoting social equity.
Despite excitement over the legalization of growing hemp in South Carolina in 2018, the market became saturated and farmers have mixed feelings. Hemp cultivation launched in South Carolina in 2018 with much fanfare, lots of anticipation and plenty of promise of eventual profits for farmers. However
Two Legal Cannabis Stores to Open In Switzerland as Part of Pilot Program
Switzerland is launching a pilot study that will open two recreational cannabis stores to research the impact of dispensing legal marijuana. The groups behind the study are the Germany-based Sanity Group and the Swiss Institute for Addiction and Health Research (ISGF). While the Sanity Group-ISGF project is the sixth of a similar group of studies launched in Switzerland, it is the first to use retail stores instead of pharmacies or clubs. The study will go on for five years, and participants will be subject to surveys to monitor their cannabis consumption habits. A medical aptitude test will be required for admission into the project. The Swiss government hopes to gain information to help guide future decisions about cannabis legalization and regulation in the country. An amendment to Switzerland’s Federal Narcotics Act that went into effect in May 2021 allows these recreational cannabis trials to take place.
Cannabis Operator in New Mexico Loses License Over BioTrack Fraud
Cannabis officials in New Mexico fined a marijuana operator and revoked its license after discovering the company had been falsifying information in the state’s track-and-trace system. The New Mexico Cannabis Control Division (CCD) accused Golden Roots, a licensed cannabis retailer and manufacturer, of 11 violations. Most of the violations pertain to the company’s improper use of BioTrack, the state’s track-and-trace software. According to the CCD, it became suspicious when Golden Roots reported marijuana production only two months after receiving its license – which raised alarms for officials as cannabis plants took longer than two months to grow. The CCD inspected the facility and Golden Roots was not able to provide officers with evidence to support the information in BioTrack. The company was fined nearly $300,000 as that is the amount officials estimate the company made from selling cannabis products that were not tracked properly.
Alabama Cannabis Officials Hope to Award Licenses on December 1st
After Alabama cannabis regulators had to scrap their first two attempts at awarding medical marijuana licenses to businesses, they are now aiming for December 1st of this year to award the first official batch of licenses. The Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission (AMCC) plans to award the first licenses to testing labs, cultivators, processors, dispensaries, and delivery providers. After that, the AMCC will award licenses for vertically integrated operations to multi-state operators. The goal is to get the licenses to businesses approximately 28 days after they are officially awarded so that businesses can begin medical marijuana production as early as January of next year.
