TG Branfalt

Massachusetts regulators voted 4-1 in favor of home delivery and social consumption rules; licenses for the two new business types will be made available first to social equity and economic empowerment applicants.

Lawmakers in the Australian Capital Territory have passed legislation legalizing adult-use cannabis and home cultivation; the new rules do not, however, approve any form of cannabis distribution, including sales and gifts.

A governor-issued ban in Massachusetts will block the sale of cannabis and nicotine vaporizer products for four months; the ban comes after 61 people in the state have fallen ill with the vape-related pulmonary illness.

The products are Ground Flower Pods from Curaleaf, they are meant for use with a vaporizer, and it’s the first cannabis flower product to be available under New York’s medical cannabis program.

New Hampshire lawmakers have blocked a governor veto against medical cannabis expansions in the state; the veto would have cemented the state’s three-month waiting period before approved cannabis patients could access their medicine.

The European Union has approved Epidiolex for the treatment of two childhood epilepsy conditions. It’s the first time the EU has approved a cannabis-based medication.

New Mexico Hemp Services has secured a $250,000 state grant to provide job training for hemp industry workers in the state.

Because of Massachusetts’ host community rules and a general lack of funds, social equity applicants in the state are unable to compete fairly with larger, better-funded cannabis firms, according to Cannabis Control Commission Chairman Steven Hoffman.

Almost half of Ontario, Canada’s 42 cannabis license applicants in the second round of the licensing lottery have been disqualified for breaking rules and for failing to submit all of the required documents.

The SAFE Banking Act, which would normalize banking for the cannabis industry, is expected to receive a House vote next week.

Unregulated companies in California continue to dominate the majority of cannabis sales in the state, where illegal operators outnumber licensed companies 3-to-1.

A new Nielsen report suggests legal U.S. cannabis sales could surpass $40 billion by 2025; the sector was worth just $8 billion in 2018.

A cadre of cannabis legalization advocates has called on House Democrats to delay a vote on the SAFE Banking Act in favor of pursuing more broad and “holistic” cannabis reforms, first.

Nevada’s Department of Taxation has launched an investigation into cannabis testing laboratories due to multiple failed yeast and mold checks and accusations of inflated cannabinoid content.

Despite an official court order, the New Mexico Department of Health is still refusing to issue medical cannabis patients cards to out-of-state residents.

After the unveiling of multiple compliance failures, Canadian cannabis producer CannTrust Holdings Inc. has had its license suspended by Health Canada; the company is allowed to complete its existing crops and perform other tasks like trimming and curing, but cannot sell or propagate new batches of cannabis.

Local officials in Pittsburg, California have approved a new plan to turn part of the former U.S. Army’s Camp Stoneman into a cannabis product manufacturing facility.

Utah lawmakers have scrapped plans to have county health departments dispense medical cannabis products and have opted for privately-run dispensaries; this brings the Utah cannabis law more in line with the voter-approved initiative that was replaced by lawmakers.

Draft rules for the federal hemp industry have been submitted by the USDA to the White House Office of Management and Budget; the rules should be released publicly within “a matter of weeks.”

Amazon has removed from its offerings products that could be used to create counterfeit cannabis vape pens; the products included specific vape cartridges and even fake “California Compliant” stickers.

The city council in Springfield, Massachusetts has launched an investigation into a $200,000 donation made by a cannabis company to determine if the payment could be a bribe.

Democratic leaders in the House intend for a full floor vote on the SAFE Banking Act by the end of September; lawmakers in the Senate, meanwhile, could likewise consider the bill — or their own version of the bill — by the year’s end.

Some three million additional Canadians are expected to participate in the country’s cannabis industry as consumers once infused edibles are made available later this year.

The UK’s Imperial College London is partnering with European medical cannabis company EMMAC for a study evaluating cannabis’ entourage effect as a pain relief option.