Author: News Room

“To me, it just seems outrageous that Greenleaf, which has been fighting worker organizations at its dispensary tooth and nail, is insulting its workforce once again.” By Nancy Lavin, Rhode Island Current Amid growing tensions with its workers over labor standards and unionization, a Portsmouth marijuana dispensary is taking aim at the state’s recreational cannabis law. Greenleaf Compassion Center filed a complaint in federal court on Monday, contending that the marijuana legalization law signed in May 2022 violates the U.S. Constitution and national labor standards. The lawsuit comes on the heels of a second settlement agreement between the company and its…

As Maryland officials oversee the rollout of recreational marijuana sales in the state, they’re also opening a second round of funding to help social equity cannabis businesses with operational costs to open their shops. The state Department of Commerce (DOC) announced on Monday that it will be opening applications for the $40 million in grant funding to social equity applicants with pre-approval starting on August 1. The money will come from the Cannabis Business Assistance Loan, which was established under a cannabis regulations bill that Gov. Wes Moore (D) signed in May. Previously, regulators have already been accepting applications to…

A Republican senator says that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s (D-NY) plan to tackle marijuana banking and other legislation during the summer session isn’t going to happen, as the timeline makes the top Democrat’s “wish list” virtually impossible to achieve. Speaking on the floor on Monday, Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) said he was “interested to see” the majority leader’s Dear Colleague letter on Sunday that listed various legislative priorities and issues he’d like to take up during the work period before the August recess. “Senator Schumer mentioned his desire to move forward on bills relating to drug pricing, fentanyl, permitting…

Massachusetts marijuana sales reached nearly $152 million in June—a record monthly high since the state’s adult-use market launched in November 2018—state data shows. The Cannabis Control Commission (CCC) reported that recreational cannabis sales hit $132.8 last month, while medical marijuana purchases amounted to $19 million. The state has now seen $4.74 billion in adult-use sales since the market opened five years ago. Flower products remained the most popular choice for adult consumers, followed by vape products, pre-rolls, edibles and concentrates. The average price of flower cannabis also dropped to a record low of $5.82 per gram last month, according to…

A top North Carolina lawmaker says that he’s “very sure” that a Senate-passed medical marijuana legalization bill will not advance in the House this session—even amid strong-arm tactics launched by the other chamber to force the issue—though he said legislators would likely return to it during next year’s short session. House Majority Leader John Bell (R) said in an interview with Spectrum News on Monday that there’s “still discussions going on” about the cannabis measure, but Republican lawmakers “unfortunately did not have the votes to move forward in the House.” “I’m very sure you won’t see that bill move this…

“It is my position as a commissioner, we owe a responsibility of transparency to the people of this state.” By Ralph Chopoco, Alabama Reflector The Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission Monday formally voted to delay granting licenses for the growth, manufacture and production of medical cannabis until a third party reviews how applications for the licenses were scored earlier this year. The decision, following a June 16 meeting where the commission decided for delay amid controversy over the process, also signaled a rejection of calls to restart applications entirely. Two commissioners, health care attorney Loree Skelton and Charles Price, a retired Montgomery County…

Researchers might have finally cracked the code on rolling the perfect marijuana joint. As pre-rolled joints take over a larger share of the legal cannabis market, scientists at a Delic Labs, a Vancouver-based marijuana and psilocybin research facility, recently conducted a novel experiment to discover how the size of the ground-up cannabis flower affects a consumer’s experience. They took marijuana broken up into one-, three- and five-millimeter-diameter grounds, packed three grams into commercially available pre-rolled papers and artificially smoked them using a “smoke cycle simulator” device that inhaled several times at a consistent rate while the resulting smoke was analyzed…

Political strategists in Massachusetts have quietly filed paperwork to put a therapeutic psychedelics legalization initiative on the state’s 2024 ballot. The newly formed Massachusetts for Mental Health Options (MMHO) committee submitted initial documents to the state Office of Campaign and Political Finance (OCPF), signaling their intent to secure ballot placement for the measure, details of which are currently sparse. An organization statement filed last week says that the purpose of the group will be to “expand mental health treatment options in Massachusetts by providing new pathways to access natural psychedelic medicine therapy.” The filing also says that the forthcoming ballot…

Among the cannabis community and beyond, it’s no secret that 420 is the most widely celebrated, weed-centric holiday, but the summer brings another canna-focused holiday to the forefront specifically for concentrate and oil lovers: 710. The July 10 holiday may not be as widely known or celebrated as its April 20 sibling, though it’s steadily gained momentum over the years, especially as the cannabis concentrate industry has continued to flourish. Named simply for its July 10 date, or 710, resembling the word “OIL” flipped upside-down, it’s a day to specifically turn attention to the marvels of concentrates like wax, shatter,…

Monday marks the 10-year anniversary of the first filing of a congressional marijuana banking bill that’s now known as the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act—a milestone that comes as lawmakers prepare once again to try and advance the reform in what they hope will be the final push needed to enact it into law. The cannabis banking legislation has evolved significant since its first introduction in the 113th Congress in 2013, when it was sponsored by former Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D-CO) and titled the Marijuana Businesses Access to Banking Act. It’s grown from seven to 38 pages as…