Author: News Room

You’ll never see art and science the same again. If you’ve walked down any busy block in the five boroughs lately, you’ll smell weed in the air, and probably catch someone who’s either lighting up or poised to offer you a gram or two. While weed is legal in New York, government-regulated sales are not slated to start until the end of the year.  Still, no one is stopping the ganjapreneurs from cashing in and serving the public. The bodegas, weed trucks, and not-really-legal storefronts are multiplying, and the city has tentatively sanctioned cannabis consumption in outdoor spaces. Amid the…

South Dakota voters seem poised to reject the state’s upcoming adult cannabis use initiative, according to a poll from KELOLAND News, Emerson College, and The Hill released on Tuesday. The survey found that 50.5% of respondents plan to vote against the measure, with 39.7% in favor, and 9.8% undecided.  The poll found that 44.1% of female respondents planned to back the reforms, with 54% opposed. About 36% of men polled said they planned to vote yes, with 46.7% opposed. Adult cannabis use was backed by 59% of voters aged 18 to 49 but support falls among those aged 50-64 with…

Marijuana Matters is a Washington D.C.-based social enterprise organization dedicated to social equity through a three-pillar mission encompassing cannabis Education, Advocacy, and Entrepreneurship. Khadijah Tribble founded the organization in 2020 to model equity in cannabis regulations at the local, state, and federal levels — today, Executive Director Courtney Davis is carrying out this mission. Courtney recently spoke with Ganjapreneur about current initiatives, her personal goals as Marijuana Matters’ Executive Director, and what to expect from the organization in the coming year. Before joining Marijuana Matters, Courtney spent a decade as a staffer for the U.S. Senate — her last position…

Beginning November 8, JPMorgan Chase & Co will no longer let its prime brokerage clients buy certain U.S. cannabis-related securities, according to a letter outlined by Reuters. The move follows similar actions by Credit Suisse last May. “J.P. Morgan (JPMS) has introduced a framework that is designed to comply with U.S. money laundering laws and regulations by restricting certain activities in the securities of U.S. Marijuana Related Businesses.” — J.PMorgan Chase & Co., in a letter, via Reuters As of next week, the bank will not allow new purchases or short positions in cannabusinesses, but clients with existing positions will…

Creative agency Studio Linear recently released a free educational guide for cannabis entrepreneurs highlighting some of the common “mishaps” experienced by brands when it comes to marketing and branding. The guide explores six of the most frequent problems that a cannabis brand is likely to face, along with tips for how to solve them. Studio Linear’s CEO Andrea Beaulieu said of the report, “In the spirit of community, we want to give back knowledge that we have gained working in the cannabis industry to help other businesses succeed and thrive in this market.” With extensive experience in branding, packaging, and…

The New Hampshire Cannabis Party is endorsing candidates for state office who they believe will support cannabis legalization, the Conway Daily Sun reports. In a statement, the party announced its “full-scale campaign for common-sense cannabis legalization.”  “Contrary to conventional wisdom, cannabis legalization and commerce represents much more than just a few extra jobs and tax revenue. Rather, it offers a generational opportunity for comprehensive, multi-pronged prosperity and progress for all New Hampshire citizens.” — New Hampshire Cannabis Party in a statement via the Daily Sun  Nathanial Gurien serves as the founder and executive director of the party. According to his…

The Mississippi Medical Cannabis Act was signed into law in early February 2022 after a long fight for safe access to medical cannabis. In response to impending legalization, the Mississippi Minority Cannabis Association (MMCA) is empowering their community with the tools to get involved in the industry on the ground floor. MMCA engages with minority communities in Mississippi in a double-sided approach to education. In one initiative they educate individual community members on the healing properties of medical cannabis. They take the time to teach people one-on-one about cannabis medicine. On the other side, they serve as a knowledge hub…

The New Mexico Finance Authority Oversight Committee on Tuesday approved a $5 million loan program aimed at helping licensed cannabis microbusinesses. The program is specifically for business owners from communities disproportionately impacted by the state’s previous cannabis law or located in rural communities. Under the program, individual loans are capped at $250,000 and officials said the expected loan size is $100,000. There is a minimum 5% equity requirement and the loans will be fully collateralized, the Regulation and Licensing Department said in a press release, and loan terms will go up to five years with interest rates varying from 2%…

Cannabis technology company Weedmaps and rapper and cannabis entrepreneur Berner are planning to launch a social media platform on Marijuana.com, describing it as the “Instagram of Marijuana.” Are you sick or being silenced ?? Have you lost your account for posting weed ?? Don’t worry … me & @weedmaps have something special in the works 💪🏽🌱 pic.twitter.com/y6FVACDmfg — Berner (@berner415) November 10, 2021 Berner and Weedmaps recently re-announced the upcoming social media platform on Twitter. First announced in a 2014 press release, Weedmaps and Berner said that Meta-owned social media apps Facebook and Instagram have deleted cannabis-related accounts for policy…

Germany this week officially unveiled its cannabis legalization plans, allowing the possession of up to 30 grams of cannabis and regulated sales to adults, the Associated Press reports. There are still questions about whether the plan will be approved by the Cabinet as officials want to first be sure the legislation is compatible with European Union law.    Health Minister Karl Lauterbach said the legalization plan aims to combat illegal cannabis sales in the nation and that the government would tightly regulate the market. Under the plan, the “social effects” of the reforms would be examined after four years. According…