Welcome to Episode 34 of This Week in Cannabis News.
Another lawsuit has been filed in New York's cannabis industry. The long-anticipated lawsuit was put forth by a group called the Coalition for Access to Regulated & Safe Cannabis, made up of some of New York’s largest cannabis registered organizations already operating medical cannabis facilities in the state.
The lawsuit hones in on the alleged discrepancy between the MRTA (the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act), the authorizing legislation that legalized cannabis in New York, and how New York regulators have actually rolled things out.
On Friday, William Jane, an adult-use dispensary, opened in downtown Ithaca. For those that may not know, Ithaca is home to both Cornell and Ithaca College, so quite a prime location for a dispensary in the Empire State.
A bill has advanced to the Maryland State Senate that would provide the regulations and game plan for Maryland’s legalization to start in advance of Independence Day. Maryland's House of Delegates approved a bill that would allow possession of up to 4 ounces of cannabis and up to six plants for personal use. It would also establish a regulated and taxed market once the market opened up in July.
When passed and implemented, Maryland would become the 16th state to legalize adult-use cannabis. Recall that Maryland passed adult use at the ballot last November.
In the middle last year, Minnesota passed a law that allowed for hemp-derived THC edibles and beverages to be sold in Minnesota. Now, those products are on the shelves all over the state—not in dispensaries or cannabis retailers—but gas stations, corner stores, and even Whole Foods. But, to add a proper regulatory framework, Minnesota lawmakers have introduced, reintroduced, edited, and rewritten a bill that would legalize adult-use cannabis in the state. The bill has strong support in the House, and expected to be supported by the Governor. The Senate is where it’s headed next, where pro-legalization Democrats have a one-seat majority.
Pro tip: We'll be hosting a Minnesota-focused webinar on March 28th for those interested in some one-the-ground insight to the legislation and its path forward.
Raphael Mechoulam, the renowned Israeli cannabis researcher known as the "father of cannabis science," has passed away at the age of 92. Mechoulam was famous for identifying THC as the primary psychoactive compound in cannabis, and for his pioneering work in isolating and synthesizing other cannabinoids, such as CBD.
Yesterday, Dutchie held a webinar with our integration partners and friends at Trym. Watch the full content from the webinar. As part of that webinar, Joe Khoury from MariMed joined the program and we wanted to share that conversation. Joe is the Director of Business Systems at MariMed - so utilizing both technologies - integrated. Enjoy this with Joe Khoury of MariMed.
See you next Friday at Noon Eastern/9 AM Pacific on Dutchie’s LinkedIn page.
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