This Week in Cannabis News: January 20, 2023

Welcome to Episode 25 of This Week in Cannabis News.
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Cannabis news wrap-up: week of January 20, 2023

Biden notes cannabis pardons in MLK Jr. Day speech

Monday was Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and President Biden used the opportunity to reinforce his message on cannabis pardons from federal prison. Specifically, he had this to say:

“I’m keeping my promise. No one—I’ll say it again—no one should be in federal prison for the mere possession of marijuana. No one.” — President Biden

Kudos to that, President Biden. And while we’re here, it’s a good reminder to support Last Prisoner Project, which is working tirelessly to free all non-violent cannabis prisoners in the United States. Dutchie is matching contributions up to one million dollars.

Connecticut's first week of cannabis sales is off to a strong start

Sales in the nation’s newest cannabis market, Connecticut, were brisk in the first week of sales—according to MJBizDaily. A warm congratulations to our friends at Affinity Health & Wellness, RISE, Fine Fettle, The Botanist, and Zen Leaf Meriden (formerly Willow Brook Wellness).

New York’s second cannabis dispensary has opened up shop

A second New York adult-use dispensary has opened up, with more coming, according to Gothamist and MJBizDaily. As more (hopefully many more) dispensaries open across the state, there is a concerted effort to crackdown on the unregulated cannabis shops that have popped up around New York. Specifically, NYPD and the Sheriff’s office are cracking down, but the true number of unrelated cannabis shops is hard to pinpoint. According to MSN, it could be as high as 1,400.

Las Vegas cannabis consumption lounges opening Spring 2023

Arizona-based Elevations Hotel and Resorts purchased an old Las Vegas hotel and is making major renovations to turn it into a cannabis-friendly hotel and consumption lounge. The big question, who'll buy out the hotel for MJBizCon 2023?

Michigan issues warning for cannabis delivery drivers

Here’s some unfortunate news: Michigan regulators are warning cannabis delivery operations that drivers are being robbed and take precaution. If you are a cannabis operator in Michigan and looking for a cashless option for cannabis payments to limit the risk to delivery operations, please be in touch. As well, you can read on our blog how Michigan cannabis operator RAIR finds using cashless payments for deliveries.

Expansion of the Texas cannabis licenses

From one big market on the brink of opening up, to one that is a little surprising: Texas. According to the Green Market Report, Texas is readying to license more low-THC dispensaries in that state.

Four states that may legalize cannabis in 2023

But Texas didn’t make MJBiz Daily’s list of states to watch in the coming year that are exploring adult-use. Those big four are: Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania and Minnesota. Stay tuned for Dutchie webinars focused on many of these states to learn more about the timing and the path forward.

Dutchie and Trym team up to support vertically-integrated cannabis businesses

Also this week, Dutchie announced an integration with Trym - which is an especially meaningful integration for vertically integrated cannabis businesses. Keep your eyes peeled for an upcoming Trym x Dutchie webinar explaining the benefits for vertically-integrated cannabis companies.

Featured cannabis expert: Thomas Fosbenner, Director of Information Security at Dutchie
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This week, we're thrilled to be joined by Thomas Fosbenner, Director of Information Security at Dutchie.

We wanted to have Thomas on because Dutchie achieved something that is pretty hard to come by in the cannabis technology sector: SOC 2 Type 1 with a HIPAA attestation. Thomas joined us to talk about what this means for cannabis businesses, as well as patients and consumers.

What's next?

Be sure to stay up to date on our LinkedIn Page, sign up for updates from our blog at business.dutchie.com/blog.