Cannabis News

DAILY UPDATES: Read the latest cannabis industry news for October 5, 2024


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New York Officials Release Multi-Year Cannabis Industry Report

A three-year implementation report by the New York Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) and Cannabis Control Board (CCB) documenting the state’s adult-use cannabis reforms process was released on Thursday, highlighting industry trends, the successes and shortcomings of the state’s equity program, and… Read More

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The latest news headlines from markets that have embraced adult-use legalization. Find breaking news, legislative updates, and business developments that are shaping the recreational cannabis industry as we know it. Our team of writers and industry experts are constantly monitoring the latest developments in adult use cannabis markets to keep you informed and up-to-date on the latest trends and emerging opportunities.

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Medical Cannabis News

Breaking news updates from medical cannabis programs and research happening around the globe. Medical cannabis has emerged as a powerful tool in the treatment of a wide range of health conditions, from chronic pain to epilepsy to cancer. As legalization efforts continue to expand around the world, the medical cannabis industry is growing rapidly, with new products, treatments, and research emerging on a regular basis. At Ganjapreneur, we are dedicated to staying at the forefront of this exciting field, providing our readers with the latest news and insights on medical cannabis.

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Ganjapreneur: your source for daily cannabis news and business insights.

Welcome to Ganjapreneur, your go-to platform for the latest cannabis industry news. Our mission is to provide operators in the legal cannabis space with the information they need to succeed in this rapidly-evolving industry. Since 2014, we have been dedicated to keeping cannabis founders, activists, and investors up-to-date on the latest policy news from the US and internationally, as well as providing a wealth of resources to help them navigate the complex landscape of legal cannabis.

At Ganjapreneur, we believe that the legalization movement is about much more than just generating profits. Cannabis has been used as a medicine for thousands of years, and its legalization is an important step towards correcting the historical wrongs of cannabis prohibition, and could provide safe and affordable relief to people around the world suffering from a wide variety of health conditions. In addition to keeping the product accessible and affordable for those who need it, we believe that cannabis commerce should be accessible to people who have been persecuted by the War on Drugs, and that cannabis prisoners around the world should be released and have their records expunged.

Want to join the cannabis industry? First, understand its context.

The history of cannabis prohibition in the USA is a long and complex one, with roots stretching back to the early 20th century. One of the earliest attempts to criminalize cannabis in the US came in the form of the 1915 Harrison Narcotics Tax Act, which regulated opiates and cocaine but also included cannabis as a taxable drug. However, it wasn’t until the 1930s that cannabis began to be widely demonized in the media, with newspapers like William Randolph Hearst’s San Francisco Examiner publishing sensationalized stories linking the drug to violent crime and insanity.

Around the same time, Harry J. Anslinger, the first commissioner of the US Treasury Department’s Federal Bureau of Narcotics, launched a campaign to criminalize cannabis on a federal level. Anslinger noted that cannabis use was more common among minority communities and stated that their appreciation of “Satanic music” (i.e. jazz and swing) was a direct result of marijuana use. He also believed that marijuana use could cause white women to “seek sexual relations with Negroes, entertainers and any others.” In 1937, the Marijuana Tax Act was passed, which effectively made cannabis illegal on a federal level.

Despite these efforts, cannabis use continued to be relatively widespread throughout the 20th century, particularly among marginalized communities. In the 1960s and 70s, the counterculture movement helped to popularize cannabis use among a wider swath of the population, leading to increased pressure to decriminalize or legalize the drug. However, it wasn’t until the late 1990s and early 2000s that the first states began to seriously consider legalizing cannabis for medical use.

Cannabis Legalization Timeline:
  • 1996: California becomes the first state to legalize cannabis for medical use
  • 2001: Canada legalizes medical cannabis for authorized patients
  • 2012: Colorado and Washington become the first states to legalize cannabis for recreational use
  • 2013: Uruguay becomes the first country to fully legalize cannabis
  • 2014: Oregon and Alaska legalize recreational cannabis; Illinois becomes the 20th state to legalize medical cannabis
  • 2015: Puerto Rico legalizes medical cannabis
  • 2016: California, Nevada, Maine, and Massachusetts legalize recreational cannabis; Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Florida legalize medical cannabis
  • 2017: West Virginia and Louisiana legalize medical cannabis
  • 2018: Vermont becomes the first state to legalize cannabis for recreational use through the state legislature, rather than a ballot initiative; Oklahoma legalizes medical cannabis
  • 2019: Illinois becomes the first state to legalize recreational cannabis through the state legislature; New Jersey, New Mexico, and New York legalize medical cannabis; Colombia legalizes medical cannabis exports
  • 2020: Arizona, Montana, New Jersey, and South Dakota legalize recreational cannabis; Israel legalizes medical cannabis exports
  • 2021: Virginia becomes the first southern state to legalize recreational cannabis; Mexico legalizes recreational cannabis, becoming the world’s largest legal cannabis market by population; Ireland legalizes medical cannabis
  • 2022: France legalizes medical cannabis

Despite the growing momentum towards legalization, the US federal government has yet to fully embrace the movement. Cannabis remains illegal on a federal level, and businesses operating in the industry face significant legal and financial hurdles as a result. However, with more and more states legalizing cannabis each year, it seems only a matter of time before the federal government takes action as well.

Want to stay informed about the latest legalization news?

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Editor’s Picks

Social Equity: What Is It, And Is It Working?

In the cannabis industry, we often read about “social equity” and we see countless headlines discussing cannabis prohibition, America’s long history of injustice against marginalized communities, and thoughts for rectifying the past through equity programs. But while understanding our past and providing solutions for the future is core to change, I often wonder if a… Read More

How to Get the Most Out of B2B Cannabis Events

Business-to-business (B2B) cannabis conferences are an extremely useful resource for cannabis entrepreneurs at any stage of launching and/or operating their business. Whether you are attending your first-ever cannabis conference this year or you are returning to the events circuit after a pandemic-driven hiatus, this is a guide to help you get the most out of… Read More

Live Resin vs. Live Rosin: What’s the Difference?

Cannabis concentrates have proven to be one of the most rapidly-growing segments of the cannabis industry. Over the years, discoveries in cannabis extraction have largely driven industry expectations when it comes to determining a high-quality product — for example, the first CO2 extracts were praised as a replacement for butane-based products, while those same butane… Read More