Hawaii may be a tropical paradise for tourists, but companies that win licenses to grow and sell medical cannabis in the state might feel as if they’re in purgatory for a while. Businesses will face enormous challenges at first because of high licensing fees, a patient base that might be reluctant to purchase MMJ from dispensaries, exorbitant electricity costs […]
Some Hawaii lawmakers and advocates say medical marijuana dispensary applicants could be at a disadvantage because health department rules don’t allow greenhouses. Right now, rules posted on the Hawaii Department of Health’s website say that isn’t allowed, and medical marijuana must be grown in an enclosed structure. Janice Okubo of the Hawaii Department of Health […]
State health authorities Friday more than doubled the amount of medical marijuana that patients can buy, a move made after regulators determined laboratories can ensure the safety of the drug. The state Department of Public Health had imposed a stricter limit since the first medical marijuana dispensary opened in June. Patients will now be allowed […]
Vermont’s Senate Finance Committee approved marijuana legalization on Friday, moving the issue closer to the Senate floor. Essentially, VT marijuana legalization clears its second hurdle. The committee settled on a 25 percent tax rate. Sen. Tim Ashe, D-Chittenden, said earlier that the committee’s task was to set a tax rate that would make marijuana cheap […]
A bill introduced to the state legislature in January would create a certification program for commercial marijuana growers to label their products “pesticide-free.” As the legal marijuana industry and the authorities that regulate it try to figure out the snowballing pesticide issue in Colorado’s cannabis products, state representatives Jonathan Singer of Longmont and KC Becker […]
After my time last week, in Oregon, at the Dispensary Next and CCN-con Conferences, I am not surprised to hear more about the efforts for research of marijuana in the state. Oregon’s marijuana industry and its regulators are collaboratively motivated to maintain the integrity and reputation for health benefits of the plant. This is demonstrated […]
Today, I learned of place called Unalaska, Alaska, unfortunately it wasn’t for good reason. By a narrow 4-3 vote and with the mayor breaking the tie, the Unalaska City Council last week took its first step towards banning local sales and commercial growing, testing, and manufacturing of marijuana products. Opt out is a cop-out on the voters,” […]
California has its first weed czar — otherwise known as chief of its Bureau of Medical Marijuana Regulation — and it’s a Republican, Lori Ajax, who is now chief deputy director of the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. If Ajax, 50, is approved, she will get the rare opportunity in Sacramento to create a […]
Despite the Cole Memo issued by the federal government in 2014, banking remains a huge issue for marijuana businesses, including ancillary businesses that do not even handle the product. A Business not being able to bank forces operations to be cash intensive and provides for community safety issues, a primary concern for the marijuana industry. […]
Campaigners on Monday handed in nearly double the number of signatures needed to qualify for the ballot. Some will be bad, but that’s a pretty big cushion. “Over the past eight months, we’ve talked to more than 100,000 voters across the state, from Kittery to Caribou,” said campaign manager David Boyer. “Most Mainers agree it is […]
