As Maine prepares for recreational marijuana,

The Legislature’s Committee on Marijuana Legalization Implementation begins the long process of crafting a structure for the marketplace.

While recreational marijuana became legal for Mainers age 21 and older on Jan. 30, retail sales of cannabis products are still at least a year away, so state agencies have time to craft rules for licensing, regulation and enforcement.

The ballot initiative passed by Maine voters last November prohibits the state from limiting the number of retail stores but does cap the total square footage of marijuana cultivation. The initiative also allows municipalities to prohibit or restrict retail operations within their boundaries.

Maine’s law allows personal possession of up to 2.5 ounces, but only 5 grams can be in the form of concentrate.

Committee members also adopted a set of “guiding principles” for their work. Those principles included language to “create framework that protects the health, safety and well-being of citizens and protects youth”; developing a legal system that provides guidance to employers, landlords and academic institutions; and creating a system of taxation and licensing that will cover the cost of regulation and enforcement.

Source: Maine lawmakers review marijuana policies adopted by other states – Portland Press Herald

Learn About Maine Seed to Sale Solutions Here.

Currently, five “registered organizations” grow and produce non-smokeable marijuana products for sale at 20 dispensaries statewide.

Should five more companies enter the program under the same rules, the number of dispensaries would eventually double to 40.

The state Department of Health has asked five companies that previously sought medical marijuana licenses to submit updated application materials by March 1 in order to be considered for entrance to the tightly regulated state-run program.

Source: NY seeks updated medical marijuana company applications by March 1 – Times Union

By Tim Gruver

OLYMPIA, Feb. 20 – A number of bills in the Washington Legislature could change the way people buy, sell, and grow marijuana. One of the bills will allow marijuana delivery in Washington State.

The bills received hearings this week in the House Committee on Commerce and Gaming with a wide range of proposals and opinions. Marijuana became a legal commodity in the state on July 8, 2014, one of few states at that time to legalize the plant for public use. It remains an illegal substance within the federal legal framework.

Bringing marijuana to your door

You could be buying marijuana in your pajamas thanks to a new bill that would allow delivery services straight to your door.

HB 1712 allows licensed marijuana retailers to fulfill orders by phone or online for users age 21 and up. Current law allows marijuana purchases only be made at brick-and- mortar stores, making marijuana delivery in Washington currently unavailable.

Only time will tell if bill HB 1712 will pass and change the marijuana industry for Washington State.

Read more from the Source: Thriving state marijuana market gets potful of legislative attention | Kirkland Reporter

Learn More About Washington Seed to Sale Solutions Here.

On Thursday, the Ohio State Board of Pharmacy released draft rules detailing the allowable amounts.

Patients could buy and possess up to 6 ounces of plant material or marijuana products containing the equivalent amount of THC in a 90-day period. That puts Ohio on par with New Jersey and Washington D.C. as the most restrictive states among 13 regulators compared Ohio with.

Smoking the plant is not allowed, but dispensaries can sell plant material and oils for vaping, tinctures, patches and marijuana-infused oils and foods.

The proposed rules would also impose a $100 fee on each strain or dosage of a product, likely paid by the product manufacturer. Advisory committee members expressed concern about patients being able to afford the products.

Schierholt said they want feedback and don’t want to drive up costs for patients.

Public comment is being accepted on the proposal through March 10.

Source: Proposed limits for medical marijuana supply in Ohio among strictest

A bill has been introduced to the Senate, arguing marijuana is not a part of the state’s crisis of addiction.

The bill is expected to face opposition from law enforcement and the governor.

Source: New Hampshire working to legalize marijuana – Boston News, Weather, Sports | WHDH 7News

Learn More about New Hampshire Seed to Sale Solutions Here.

The cannabis industry is projected to add more jobs over the next few years than manufacturing, the utility industry or even the government.

Source: Marijuana Industry Projected To Create More Jobs Than Manufacturing By 2020

North Americans (defined as persons in the U.S. and Canada) spent $53.3 billion on marijuana in 2016….

There’s a clear upward trend in legal pot sales, but there are no long-term guarantees that the black market will cede a majority of its market share to legal businesses, or that the federal government will make investing in the space profitable over the long run.

Source: $46 Billion: Marijuana’s Most Promising and Perilous Number | Business Markets and Stocks News | host.madison.com

Learn more about regulating cannabis seed to sale!

In preparation for Ohio’s new medical marijuana program, the state is looking to buy a system to track the marijuana from seeds and harvest to testing labs and dispensaries.

Source: Ohio soliciting bids for ‘seed to sale’ marijuana tracking | NBC4i.com

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) has issued an 80-page report intended to help marijuana businesses identify health and safety hazards that could exist in their workplaces and “provide a starting point for the assessment and evaluation of occupational health hazards.”

Read more from the Source: Colorado issues safety guidelines for marijuana businesses – Marijuana Business Daily

Image Source: Key findings from the Eaze report on marijuana consumer trends – Business Insider

“Do you even vape, bro?” The answer is increasingly, “Yes.” according to report on marijuana consumer trends

Checkout this great read, from Business Insider, regarding purchasing trends in California as of 2016. Eaze, dubbed the “Uber for pot,” released a new report that culls data from 250,000 California cannabis consumers.