This Week in Cannabis News: January 6, 2023

Welcome to the recap of Episode 23 of This Week in Cannabis News.

Here's what you need to know this week

SAFE Banking and the 117th Congress

SAFE Banking, the legislation to normalize cannabis banking in the United States, failed to get through the Senate at the tail end of the 117th Congress.

Interested in our conversation with (former) Congressman Ed Perlmutter in December about SAFE Banking? Check it out below.

Recreational cannabis sales kickoff in New York

Adult-use cannabis sales officially kicked off at the first dispensary in New York City, with more are on the way—including the first batch of CAURD licensees.

I'd be remiss if I didn’t mention that Dutchie won the hotly contests RFP from the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (DASNY) as the exclusive provider of technology and point-of-sale (POS) hardware solutions for the state’s social equity Conditional Adult-Use Retail Dispensary (CAURD) licensees. Best Christmas gift ever am I right?

For more on what this means for licensees (and for Dutchie), check out our recent blog post.

In Vermont, 25 more dispensaries open up shop

Twenty five more dispensaries have opened in Vermont, according to MJBizDaily—and that includes a Brattleboro shop from our friends at Theory Wellness. We recently connected with Theory Wellness CMO Thomas Winstanley back in November. Watch here.

Connecticut expunges 40k+ cannabis convictions

Connecticut has expunged over 42,000 cannabis convictions ahead of the state's adult-use sales kickoff, which is scheduled for Tuesday, January 10th. There are currently 9 up-and-running medical dispensaries in Connecticut already.

Alabama cannabis retail license application updates

Alabama’s initial applications for cannabis businesses were due at the end of December. Subsequently, the state saw a huge surge in applications. A total of 94 applications were received in the state for those looking to operate cultivation, processing, transportation, testing, and dispensary businesses in Alabama.

Looking to get started in Alabama's cannabis market? Check out our on-demand webinar on finalizing your Alabama cannabis application.

South Carolina explores medical cannabis

Two bills to legalize medical cannabis were pre-filed ahead of South Carolina’s legislative session this year. Currently, South Carolina is one of the few remaining states without medical cannabis.

Canadian cannabis market updates

Highlighting the proliferation and challenges with cannabis packaging, a Canadian artist and budtender has made a raccoon out of cannabis packaging. See the art on StratCann.

Health Canada, the federal agency that regulates cannabis in Canada, has come out with a PSA about the dangers of driving high. The video is receiving mixed reactions. Check it out for yourself here.

Featured guest: Jennifer Grover, Floor Supervisor at Deep Roots Harvest

Jennifer Grover is the Floor Supervisor at Deep Roots Harvest, a Nevada-based, multi-store dispensary. We had the chance to connect with Jennifer from their Cheyenne, Nevada shop a few weeks back to talk about Deep Roots Harvest overall footprint in that state, the differences between and among the shops in terms of products and customers, as well as their utilization of Dutchie Pay.

What’s next?

For the latest info on where the Dutchie team will be—both in real-life and online—be sure to visit Dutchie’s LinkedIn “Events” page!