Week in Review: RI rec push slows, pushback on California cannabis plan & China opportunity

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By Omar Sacirbey, John Schroyer and Bart Schaneman

Adult-use legislation takes a hit in Rhode Island, California Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposal for cannabis regulation faces opposition, and a marijuana-related firm sets up shop in China.

Here’s a closer look at some notable developments in the marijuana industry over the past week.

Rhode Island rec resistance

Prospects for legalizing recreational marijuana in Rhode Island hit a speed bump this week
MJBizConafter Gov. Gina Raimondo called on lawmakers to…

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Pushback on California proposal to merge rec, medical MJ systems

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A series of proposals from California Gov. Jerry Brown to merge regulations for medical and recreational marijuana have come under fire from some state lawmakers and political stakeholders, throwing the future of the regulatory changes into uncertainty.

Some in Sacramento are now saying Brown’s proposals – which are attached to a budget trailer bill – may not pass muster with the state legislature, according to the Los Angeles Times. Critics, including police chiefs, say the proposed…

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California cannabis industry lauds governor’s ‘pro-business’ proposals

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California marijuana

By John Schroyer

California marijuana businesses apparently have an ally in the governor’s mansion.

Many in the cannabis industry are applauding a series of overhaul proposals issued Tuesday by Gov. Jerry Brown for his state’s regulatory system, which will begin overseeing cannabis businesses in January.

The proposed changes are expected to cut regulatory red tape and bolster MJ companies’ bottom lines.

They include a provision to eliminate a measure requiring every cannabis company to obtain…

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California gov suggests big changes to new marijuana system

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California Gov. Jerry Brown has issued a series of proposed changes to his state’s upcoming marijuana regulatory system in an effort to reconcile differences between a 2015 medical marijuana oversight law and the new recreational cannabis ballot initiative voters approved last year.

Among the numerous changes Brown put forth were several significant ones that were immediately hailed by the industry as a step in the right direction:

  • Repealing a mandate that would require a local permit for…

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CA bill would bar local cops from aiding federal cannabis crackdown

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A bill introduced in the California legislature by a coalition of Democratic lawmakers would prohibit local police and sheriff’s deputies from aiding in any type of federal crackdown on state-licensed marijuana businesses.

The intent, the bill’s backers say, is to reassure marijuana businesses that they won’t be targeted unfairly by the Department of Justice as long as they comply with state laws, the Los Angeles Times reported.


Spring 2017 MJBizConThe measure again underscores the growing disconnect…

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Crafting an industry: Q&A with California cannabis czar Lori Ajax

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By John Schroyer

Lori Ajax has what may be one of the most influential governmental positions in the legal marijuana industry – chief of California’s Bureau of Medical Cannabis Regulation.

As such, Ajax is positioned to help craft regulations for what will be the nation’s largest medical and recreational cannabis markets when they’re up and running.

The agency she heads will be renamed the Bureau of Marijuana Control, pursuant to a provision in Proposition 64, the ballot initiative California voters approved in November that legalized…

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White House’s words won’t deter rec marijuana states

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By John Schroyer

Despite ominous overtones from the White House, the eight states that have legalized recreational cannabis are proceeding full-bore, whether it’s with existing infrastructures or plans to establish new markets.

Governors and attorneys general responded in unison: They’ll honor voters’ wishes, and conduct business as usual while awaiting specific policies.

The cannabis industry’s future was called into question Thursday when President Donald Trump’s press secretary, Sean Spicer, said “greater enforcement” could…

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Week in Review: White House threat, CA growers at risk & unique cannabis investment fund

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By John Schroyer

The Trump administration hints at possible enforcement on recreational cannabis businesses, thousands of Northern California cultivation jobs are in jeopardy, and a new marijuana investment fund is in the works.

Here’s a closer look at some notable developments in the marijuana industry over the past week.

White House signals potential crackdown

The cannabis industry erupted when the White House press secretary on Thursday intimated the recreational market could be in for a serious fight.

During a news conference, Press…

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Another California town may allow huge marijuana grow

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The central California hamlet of Hanford, just south of Fresno, may become the state’s latest cash-strapped municipality to find refuge in the immense tax benefits from the cannabis industry.

Town leaders are reportedly “inching toward” permitting one of the largest indoor cannabis cultivation operations in the state, according to the Fresno Bee, signaling that more MJ businesses are finding allies in small burgs that view the industry as an economic driver.


Spring 2017 MJBizConPurple Heart Patient Care, a medical cannabis company based in the San…

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L.A. County to shutter 70 dispensaries, extend cannabis ban

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The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors agreed to reaffirm an ongoing ban on cannabis businesses of all types and to close roughly 70 dispensaries that are operating unlawfully in unincorporated parts of the county.

The situation may change early next year, after statewide regulations for California’s medical and recreational marijuana industries are put in place. But, for now, the county has asked the local district attorney’s office to shutter all illegal MMJ storefronts, City News Service reported.


Spring 2017 MJBizConAlthough the county could…

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Santa Ana dispensaries sue alleged unlicensed dispensaries

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A group of licensed medical marijuana dispensaries in a Southern California town have sued unsanctioned outlets to prevent them from selling cannabis.

The Santa Ana Cannabis Association filed the lawsuit targeting 14 unlicensed dispensaries in Santa Ana. The suit alleges the dispensaries are operating illegally, ignoring local safety codes and undermining the licensed businesses, according to the Orange County Register.


Spring 2017 MJBizCon The licensed dispensaries are seeking an unspecified court judgment, as well as an injunction to close the unlicensed…

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The marijuana industry’s many faces: Q&A with California Minority Alliance co-founder Virgil Grant

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The marijuana industry’s many faces: Q&A with California Minority Alliance co-founder Virgil Grant – Marijuana Business DailyThe marijuana industry’s many faces: Q&A with California Minority Alliance co-founder Virgil Grant – Marijuana Business Daily

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IL state treasurer asks Trump for clarity on MMJ banking

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Illinois’ state treasurer has joined California’s in requesting guidance from the new administration of President Donald Trump on banking regulations regarding its medical marijuana industry.

The California treasurer in December sent a letter to Trump noting that the refusal by many banks to work with state-legal cannabis companies could pose a serious threat to public safety in coming years, as well as create issues related to tax collection.


Trump ReportIllinois Treasurer Michael Frerichs has voiced similar concerns, the Associated Press…

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California MJ regulators promise timely licensing for industry

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A pair of top state cannabis regulators delivered a promise this week to those in California’s enormous marijuana trade: They will be on schedule and have a formal state permitting system up and running by January 2018.

That was the word out of the state capital on Wednesday, after cannabis executives and growers met with Lori Ajax, the head of the California Bureau of Medical Cannabis Regulation, and Amber Morris, a branch chief of CalCannabis Cultivation Licensing (a division of the state department of food and agriculture).


Precision Extraction SolutionsPursuant to…

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Report: CA dispensaries illegally selling rec cannabis

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Some California dispensaries are skirting the law and selling recreational cannabis to non-medical customers, according to the Orange County Register.

The newspaper reports that since voters legalized adult use last November, dozens of retail outlets throughout the state are allowing customers to purchase cannabis with little more than a driver’s license – versus a doctor’s recommendation, which California’s medical marijuana law has long required.


Trump Special Report The stores are deeming themselves “Proposition 64 friendly,” according to the…

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L.A. dispensary group abandons ballot measure, supports city’s

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A group of Los Angeles medical cannabis dispensaries has formally disavowed a ballot initiative it had gotten qualified for the March 7 municipal election in order to support a parallel ballot measure put forward by the City Council.

Both initiatives would establish a regulatory framework for the marijuana industry in Los Angeles, but for the sake of working hand-in-hand with public officials, the UCBA Trade Association has announced it would campaign in favor of the council’s measure.


Marijuana Business License Directory“Because our initiative qualified, that put a…

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L.A. cannabis businesses face regulations, uncertainty with new ballot measures

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Los Angeles skyline

By John Schroyer

“Trust us.”

That seems to be the Los Angeles City Council’s message to cannabis businesses, given that a new regulatory ballot measure approved by the council for March includes few details on how the industry will be governed.

The types of business licenses – from dispensaries to cultivators to testing labs – aren’t spelled out in the initiative. It also doesn’t address areas such as delivery or certain aspects of cultivation and manufacturing.

That ambiguity is disconcerting to some in the Los Angeles…

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Week in Review: Ohio’s MMJ plan may shortchange growers, a California win & a legal brouhaha

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By Omar Sacirbey, John Schroyer and Bart Schaneman

Ohio issues draft rules for medical marijuana growers, a federal judge tosses a lawsuit against a Bay Area dispensary, and a raid by law enforcement in Northern California triggers a legal spat.

Here’s a closer look at some notable developments in the marijuana industry over the past week.

Ohio growers: ‘Too few, too small’

Cultivation professionals mulling whether to apply for a license in Ohio have some information to work with now that that state has released draft regulations for…

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L.A. council to ask voters to legalize more MMJ dispensaries

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The Los Angeles City Council took a big step toward creating possibly the largest legal cannabis market in the United States, if not the world.

The council voted Tuesday to develop a March ballot measure asking city voters to repeal a 2013 ordinance that both bans medical marijuana businesses and grants “limited immunity” from prosecution to 135 dispensaries, L.A. Weekly reported.

The move was proposed by Council President Herb Wesson, whose  measure is called the Cannabis Enforcement, Taxation and Regulation Act. If voters give a…

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California dispensary ruling ‘great’ for marijuana industry

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A federal judge in San Francisco has tossed out the last remaining forfeiture action filed against a medical marijuana business in California.

The action, filed against Berkeley Patients Group three years ago by the U.S. attorney’s office in Northern California, was dismissed with prejudice on Tuesday, said BPG’s attorney, Henry Wykowski.

That means the DOJ will not be able to bring the case again, which equates to total victory for the dispensary.


Conference Deadline Approaching“This is good for BPG, but significantly overall this means we have now successfully…

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