Arkansas medical cannabis officials send rules to lawmakers for OK

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The Arkansas Medical Marijuana Commission (AMMC) finalized rules about who can cultivate and sell medical cannabis for a market where sales could begin before the end of the year.

The rules now head to state lawmakers who must sign off before they can take effect, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported.

An attorney for the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration said the application period for dispensaries and cultivation facilities is expected to open July 1 and that the first…

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Industry officials encouraged as Florida’s medical cannabis law takes shape

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By Omar Sacirbey

After months of uncertainty, Florida’s new medical marijuana program is starting to come together and industry officials believe the number of MMJ business licenses will be expanded beyond the seven companies currently licensed under the state’s CBD-focused program.

MMJ industry advocates said they are encouraged with legislation that state lawmakers have begun to hammer out to implement last November’s voter-approved medical cannabis referendum.

That wasn’t necessarily the…

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RI medical marijuana panel sets first meeting in eight years

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Eight years after its formation, a legislative committee tasked with overseeing Rhode Island’s medical marijuana program will meet for the first time on March 28.

It’s unclear why the “Legislative Oversight Commission of the Edward O. Hawkins and Thomas C. Slater Medical Marijuana Act” wasn’t formed until now. But the Providence Journal reported that the oversight committee simply was overlooked until media reports raised the issue in 2015.


Spring 2017 MJBizConWhen the commission gathers for its…

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Arkansas to award 32 medical marijuana dispensary licenses

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The Arkansas Medical Marijuana Commission will issue 32 licenses for medical cannabis dispensaries once the application process begins.

The commission on Tuesday also set dispensary license application fees at $7,500, Little Rock television station KATV reported. Applicants who are unsuccessful will have half of their fee refunded to them.

Hoping to achieve geographic diversity and to ensure dispensaries won’t be too far from patients, commissioners ruled that each of the state’s four congressional districts would get eight dispensaries,…

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Proposed Ohio Medical Marijuana Regulations Released

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Proposed rules were published yesterday governing both dispensaries and physicians operating in the emerging medical marijuana program in Ohio. Both sets of proposed rules are available online. Members of the public are invited to review and comment on them before January 13, 2017.flag_of_ohio-svg

Most of the proposed rules are sensible, but there is room for improvement. One area of concern is the state’s initial proposal to limit the total number of dispensaries to 40. Given the state’s population and the likely size of the program, such a low…

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MA lawmakers mull delay in rec marijuana law rollout

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Massachusetts State Senate President Stanley C. Rosenberg, a Democrat who favored adult-use legalization, confirmed that lawmakers are discussing a delay of in the rollout of the state’s recreational marijuana law that voters passed on Nov. 8.

He said all deadline dates were “on the table,” according to the Boston Globe. The reason? To give officials more time to craft regulations.


Marijuana Business License DirectorySome key dates include Dec. 15, when the new law says recreational cannabis can be legal to possess and consume for persons 21 years of age and older, and…

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Oregon eases cannabis testing rules, but is it enough?

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Oregon regulators have eased marijuana testing rules that retailers and other industry professionals say held up supply, forced prices upward and drove some businesses to close.

But some industry professionals say the revised rules don’t address the main problem areas.

Among the changes outlined Friday in two pages of revised rules – which are temporary and valid through May 30, 2017 – the Oregon Health Authority said it would permit cannabis businesses to have larger and more varied sample sizes tested at one time, the Bend Bulletin…

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Report: MMJ producers would also supply Canada’s rec program

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Canada’s 36 federally licensed medical marijuana producers would become the initial cultivators for the country’s proposed legalized recreational program under a plan delivered to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, sources told the Globe and Mail newspaper.

A task force responsible for recommending how the country’s proposed marijuana legalization system will be regulated delivered its report to Trudeau’s government Wednesday. But the proposals won’t be made public for several weeks, the newspaper reported.


Marijuana Business License DirectoryThe report recommended a…

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PA issues temporary rules for MMJ cannabis growers, producers

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Pennsylvania’s Department of Health has issued temporary regulations for medical marijuana growers and processors, and some noteworthy changes have been made from the draft version issued in August.


Conference Deadline ApproachingHowever, the regulations are good for only a 24-month period, and a different set of rules could be established by the time medical cannabis is expected to hit the market in the third quarter of 2018, said Steve Schain, an attorney who practices in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

“These regs may have little permanent impact,” Schain wrote in…

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CA Gov. Signs One Medical Marijuana Bill, Vetoes Another

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California Gov. Jerry Brown on Thursday signed a significant piece of statewide medical marijuana legislation and vetoed another focused on Los Angeles.

Brown signed Assembly Bill 2679, which establishes statewide standards for MMJ product manufacturers, further implements regulations for the industry as a whole, and puts an end to “misguided raids” by law enforcement on infused-product makers, according to a press release from Assemblyman Rob Bonta’s office.


License Directory SidebarBrown vetoed Assembly Bill 2385, which would have created an exemption to the…

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Chart: New York Medical Marijuana Patient Count Rising, But Still Has Long Way to Go

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COTW Draft 2

By Eli McVey

After an abysmal start, New York’s fledgling medical marijuana program is finally building momentum.

Since late January – shortly after the first dispensaries opened – the number of registered patients has grown by an average of 32% a month.

There are now around 7,600 medical cannabis patients in the state, up 1,500% from 481 nearly eight months ago.

But the overall total remains small relative to New York’s market potential, and the state’s licensed medical cannabis companies are still struggling.

New York’s MMJ…

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Pennsylvania Medical Marijuana Draft Business Rules Released

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Since Pennsylvania’s Medical Marijuana Act (Act 16) went into effect on May 17, 2016, the Department of Health has been working to implement the new law. Thus far, it has created regulations regarding — and accepted applications for — the safe harbor letter program, which provides legal protections for those caring for minor patients when they administer medical marijuana. The department recently announced that 53 caregivers have received a letter.PA Seal
On August 18, the department released draft temporary regulations regarding growers…

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Tale of Two States: Pennsylvania, Ohio Medical Marijuana Programs Moving at Different Pace

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cannabis in ohio and pennsylvania

By Omar Sacirbey

Pennsylvania and Ohio legalized medical marijuana within weeks of one another over the spring, but their programs are advancing at different speeds.

Officials in Pennsylvania unveiled wide-ranging draft regulations last week governing the state’s new MMJ program, while neighboring Ohio is still a long way from that milestone. 

Ohio’s government leaders must still establish an advisory board that will help pen regulations, and final rules for all licensed cannabis businesses might not materialize until early September of…

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Ohio Commits Money to Implement Medical Marijuana Program

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A bipartisan Ohio budget panel voted unanimously to release some $1.8 million to implement the state’s new medical marijuana program, delivering funds to regulators that will oversee the new industry.

The Ohio Department of Commerce and the state’s pharmacy board – the two agencies in charge of licensing MMJ firms – requested the money. Ohio’s medical cannabis law didn’t include provision for funding MMJ regulatory agencies, the Toledo Blade reported.

The commerce department, which will license growers, processors and testing…

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