This Week in Cannabis News: January 13, 2023

Cannabis news wrap-up: week of January 13, 2023

Adult-use cannabis goes live in Connecticut

We’ll start in Connecticut, where adult-use cannabis sales went live on Tuesday. Kudos to our Connecticut friends and partners: Affinity Health & Wellness, RISE, Fine Fettle, The Botanist, and Willow Brook Wellness for going live with adult-use sales this week.

Missouri cannabis business expenses

Here’s some more good news, cannabis businesses in Missouri can deduct their business expenses on their state taxes. The Independent confirmed the deductions were possible via spokesperson from the Missouri Department of Revenue. You can read the full story from The Independent.

As well, if you are a Missouri cannabis business owner - or are interested in what’s happening in Missouri, I recommend you take a watch through a recent webinar titled: Need to know updates for your Missouri Cannabis Business

Arizona recreational cannabis sales up, medical sales are down

Relatively new markets, like Arizona, continue to see increases in cannabis sales. Arizona saw a $5 million increase in sales from September to October 2022, to over $85 million in sales. And, as we’ve seen in other markets, as recreational sales grow, medical sales fall - in Arizona’s case, medical sales were a million dollars less over the same period. For more on Arizona, see Benzinga’s story on Arizona cannabis sales.

Minnesota legalization bill moves forward

As we have talked about on This Week in Cannabis News previously, Minnesota’s 2022 election saw a sweep of both houses of the legislature and the Governor’s office. And with that, the promise of a legislative path forward toward legalization. On that front, the Minnesota House has taken up the measure in Committee - and will soon see time in Minnesota Senate Committees too. For more about how the election impacted cannabis in Minnesota, have a watch of our November 2022 webinar where we talked about the election’s impact on efforts in that state.

Updated guidelines for Florida cannabis businesses

From very cold places with cannabis - to some warm ones. Florida is updating their guidelines for new cannabis business - for the first time in a decade. Expect lots of news and excited about Florida - and to learn more about what’s being considered, check out the story from the Tampa Bay Times.

Hawaii getting in on the cannabis legalization efforts

And finally, get your travel plans ready, because Hawaii is likely to consider legalization via legislative action this year, according to Marijuana Moment. With a newly elected, pro-reform Governor in place, expect Hawaii to move cannabis forward in 2023.

Featured cannabis experts: Andrea Dobbs and Jeremy Jacob of Village Bloomery, Vancouver, BC

While Team Dutchie was in town for this year’s Vancouver Lift Expo, we stopped by some of our favorite cannabis retailers in Vancouver—and wanted to share one of those conversations today as part of the show. Specifically, we stopped by Village Bloomery to talk to the founders Andrea Dobbs and Jeremy Jacob.

Village Bloomery is a long-standing cannabis retailer in Vancouver, having been in operation pre-legalization in Canada. They reopened as a licensed cannabis retailer following legalization in 2018 - and are well-known and well-respected operators. And it’s now wonder. Their customer focus, the unique cannabis-buying experience, their expertise, and the personable nature of the owners and staff make it a must-visit when in Vancouver. This week’s cannabis experts are Andrea Dobbs and Jeremy Jacob.