Members of the Maryland Legislative Black Caucus are drafting a bill that would award 10 new medical cannabis grower and processor licenses specifically for African American entrepreneurs after none were granted licenses by the state Medical Cannabis Commission, the Star and Democrat reports. At least two African American-led medical cannabis companies have sued the commission claiming it was “derelict in …
Lawsuit Filed Against Arkansas MMJ Commission Over Initial Application Rejections
The Arkansas Medical Marijuana Commission is being sued by a group of industry applicants who claim that the regulators were incorrect in rejecting their applications during its initial assessment last month, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports. The names of the plaintiffs were left out of the complaints to protect the anonymity of the process. The lawsuits seek a temporary restraining order …
Jamaica Licenses First MMJ Cultivator & Producer
Jamaica’s Cannabis Licensing Authority has granted its first approvals for the nation’s medical cannabis industry, as Everything Oily Labs Limited was issued a processing license and Epican was issued a license to cultivate, the Jamaica Gleaner reports. Hyacinth Lightborne, chair of the CLA, indicated that three other applications were also approved and those companies were “completing their requirements,” while another 57 …
Arkansas Receives More than 320 MMJ Industry Applications
Regulators in Arkansas received 95 medical cannabis cultivation applications and 227 dispensary applications, according to state Department of Finance and Administration figures outlined by the Associated Press. Pulaski County, the state’s most populous, received 26 applications for dispensaries, the most in the state, while cultivators are most interested in setting up operations in Jefferson County – which was listed in …
Michigan Regulators Announce Application Details for New MMJ Regime
Prospective Michigan medical cannabis industry licensees and their affiliates will be subjected to a full background check, including their criminal and financial history, whether they have maintained tax compliance, and their business litigation history, according to guidance released by the state Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs. The applicant must submit their fingerprints to the agency as part of the …
California Regulators Launch Website And Rebranding Efforts
Ahead of the state’s implementation of their full adult use legalization in early 2018, California is working on improving their public outreach. Last week, the California Department of Public Health launched “Let’s Talk Cannabis”, a website dedicated to consumer education. The Bureau’s new and updated logo About two weeks ago, the Bureau of Cannabis Control, California’s state regulatory body for …
Michigan Localities Taking Steps to Reign in & License MMJ Industry
Michigan’s legislative changes to the state’s medical cannabis program are starting to shape the state’s industry as law enforcement officials in Grand Traverse County have served cease and desist notices to eight county dispensaries, the Traverse City Record-Eagle reports. The crackdown comes at the behest of county Prosecutor Bob Cooney, who pointed to provisions of the Michigan Medical Marihuana Act …
Florida MMJ Regulators Will Not Meet Today’s Deadline for New License Approvals
Medical cannabis regulators in Florida will not meet today’s legislatively-mandated deadline to approve five new licenses for the state’s expanded regime, the News Service of Florida reports. Christian Bax, the Office of Medical Marijuana Use executive director, blamed the delay on Hurricane Irma and lawsuits against the expansion plans. In a letter to legislative leaders explaining that the office would …