Author: News Room

For an industry founded on the oppression of U.S. citizens, particularly people of color, the cannabis space has a significant diversity issue. And while some states have attempted to address the issue with equity licensing and other considerations, these regulations have largely failed the communities they were designed to help, resulting in a vacancy of progressive movement in the space — but some entrepreneurs have stepped up to fill that void. We recently interviewed Kieryn Wang, the founder and owner of ALMOSTCONSULTING, to discuss what drew her to the cannabis space, her push against the industry’s typically male-focused marketing strategies,…

Cannabis influencers and celebrities came to celebrate the New York Cookies store grand opening in Manhattan. Here are the unforgettable images from the historic weekend. Now that’s how you make an Empire State entrance. Cookies’ NYC debut went down this weekend and it was unlike anything the city has seen in years. Festivities included a Madison Square GUMBO tour bus and a local biker gang that shut down traffic. The wildest part? No cannabis was for sale–Just fire merch and accessories emblazoned with Cookies’ signature blue. Keep scrolling to see the highlights with notes from Leafly’s visit to the brand…

Another poll has found strong support for Maryland’s cannabis legalization ballot initiative, with 63% of likely voters in a Baltimore Sun Media and University of Baltimore poll backing the reforms. The survey found that 25% of respondents opposed the reforms with 12% unsure.  If approved by voters next week, adults 21 and older will be allowed to possess up to 1.5 ounces of cannabis and grow their own cannabis at home starting July 1, and, eventually, buy from licensed retailers. Maryland legalized medical cannabis in 2013 but the first dispensary didn’t open until 2017.  The poll found a slight majority of…

Despite our movement towards a more sex-positive society, the topic of vaginal health is still often left untouched. For example, even the medical treatment for a urinary tract infection (UTI) can lead to an environment encouraging yet another UTI. This cyclical experience is what led Quim co-founder Cyo Nystrom to consider creating her own vaginal self-care products. In this Q&A, Cyo discusses crafting her own vaginal health products and how that led to her founding a business with a childhood friend, Rachel Washtien. The interview also touches on Quim’s research and development process, strategies to help their products reach their…

Congressional Democrats are planning to take up cannabis-related issues in the spring, including proposals to allow the industry access to banking, expunging criminal records, and potentially decriminalization, The Hill reports. “The growing bipartisan momentum for cannabis reform shows that Congress is primed for progress in 2022, and we are closer than ever to bringing our cannabis policies and laws in line with the American people.” — Reps. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and Barbara Lee (D-CA), in a memo to the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, via The Hill Notably, the House of Representatives has voted five times since 2019 to approve the SAFE…

PepsiCo is launching a new Rockstar Energy product — Unplugged — infused with hemp seed oil, CNBC reports. The brand is similar to a test product, Rockstar Energy + Hemp, that was launched in Germany last April but contains twice the amount of caffeine as the U.S. formulation. In addition to hemp seed oil, Unplugged products include spearmint, lemon balm, B vitamins, and only 80 milligrams of caffeine – other Rockstar iterations include 160 milligrams to 300 milligrams of caffeine. Pepsi said it hopes to attract younger, female customers with the Unplugged product. According to the National Center for Complementary…

Talks are intensifying over a marijuana banking and expungements bill that Senate leadership is working to finalize, with advocates feeling increasingly optimistic about seeing action during the lame duck session. Still, other activists are making clear that they want to see amendments to the SAFE Banking language to incorporate targeted equity provisions, arguing that it’s not enough to simply attach separate expungements provisions to the financial services reform. Bipartisan and bicameral offices have been in negotiations about the so-called SAFE Plus package for months, and the latest signals indicate that the legislation will be less wide ranging than some initially…

I first heard about Cookies when I was a high school student in San Francisco. Now, I’m an NYC transplant in awe of the brand’s global takeover. When I was a teenager in San Francisco, and just a hit or two would send me to space, I heard a rumor about a new strain of weed. It was a local variety, supposedly dense, dank, and delicious. The new strain was called Girl Scout Cookies, bred and distributed by the Cookies family, a local collective of growers and sellers led by local rapper Berner. As the strain grew in popularity, so…

The launch of Rhode Island’s retail cannabis industry is officially set for next Thursday, December 1, WPRI reports. Consumers aged 21 or older will be able to purchase cannabis products from five of the state’s six licensed medical cannabis “compassion centers” after officials approved hybrid retail cannabis licenses on Tuesday for each company that had applied for one. The new licenses will allow the retailers to sell cannabis products for both the medical and adult-use markets. Rhode Island officials awarded licenses to the following cannabis compassion centers: Aura of Rhode Island (in Central Falls) Thomas C. Slater Center (in Providence)…

The New York state cannabis industry is coming online and Women of Color in Cannabis (WOCC) is on a mission to provide industry-related education throughout the five New York City Boroughs. WOCC, pronounced “woke,” is an education-first nonprofit group that empowers women of color to enter the cannabis space. The group was founded by Shaloma Wagstaffe, whose start in the industry was organizing consumption events throughout New York City before scaling that business up to WOCC. Wagstaffe grew up in Flatbush, Brooklyn, New York and says that when she thinks of cannabis, she thinks of her neighborhood dealer. However, when…