California

It has been nearly four years since adult-use cannabis legislation took effect in Washington and Colorado, and in that time the market landscape has evolved and shifted at breakneck speed. As emerging markets in California, Canada, and elsewhere begin to take off, entrepreneurs are bound to face even greater obstacles and competition. While the first […]

California-based MedMen intends to buy a Florida medical cannabis operation from Treadwell Nursery in a deal worth $53 million, according to the Sun Sentinel. Treadwell, who operates in the cannabis space under the name “Remeny Wellness,” will be transferring its five-acre cultivation site in Eustis and the company’s right to operate up to 25 dispensary locations. MedMen […]

California’s adult-use cannabis marketplace opened for business in January, and although regulatory compliance has been mandatory for cannabis goods produced in 2018, many have avoided state-mandated testing. The second phase of regulations come into effect July 1, and cannabis companies in California are expected to be 100 percent compliant with all state and local laws. […]

The California Senate has advanced Senate Bill 930 — a.k.a. the Cannabis Limited Charter Banking and Credit Union Law — which seeks to establish new rules allowing California banks to serve businesses who are denied banking services due to their involvement in the still federally prohibited cannabis industry. According to an Associated Press report, the bill passed through […]

A crackdown on unlicensed commercial cannabis locations in Los Angeles, California yesterday resulted in 160 arrests and 36 criminal cases against 142 people, according to a KTLA report. Los Angeles Police Department Officer Stacy Spell said, since January, the department has served 54 search warrants on illegal shops, seizing more than 6,200 pounds of cannabis […]

Editor’s update: A previous version of this article indicated incorrectly that the delivery-focused bill outlined below had already been rejected by lawmakers. At the time of this update (12:05 pm PST), the bill is currently on the California Senate floor. Several cannabis-related bills have failed in California just days before the deadline for them to pass […]

After three successful Cannabis Compliance Summits on the east and west coasts, Infocast is proud to announce the return of the Canna West: Compliance, Testing & Product Safety Summit, taking place June 5-7, 2018 in Redondo Beach, CA. The Summit will bring regulators, policymakers and testing experts together with cannabis operators to share industry best practices. […]

The federal Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau have ordered a California brewery to cease production of their CBD-infused beer because hemp is a non-standard beer ingredient, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Black Hammer Brewing unveiled Toke Back Mountain on Apr. 20 and released eight more CBD-infused beers, which owner Jim Furman said became […]

A class action lawsuit against vape cartridge manufacturer Brass Knuckles has been filed in California which alleges breach of warranty, false advertising, unfair competition, misbranding, and adulteration of the THC concentrate pens, according to the Cannabis Law Report. The lawsuit also names SC Laboratories Inc. and company owner Alvin Nathaniel Jones, better known as Xzibit, […]

Part of being an entrepreneur is having to wear many hats. As a business owner, you’re also the head of HR, chief marketing officer, and – for better or worse – the head accountant. Many business owners find accounting and preparing financial statements one of the most difficult and confusing parts of running a company. And, […]

The California Bureau of Cannabis Control has proposed the state readopt and extend the current, emergency cannabis industry regulations. Previous regulations called for the merging of the medical cannabis industry (MCRSA) and adult-use industry (AUMA) into what’s now known as MAUCRSA, governed by the Bureau of Cannabis Control. As part of the current regulations, applicants have […]

Doug Esposito is the Cannabis Practice Leader for Owen-Dunn Insurance Services, a Sacramento-based shared partners brokerage. In the following interview, Doug joins our podcast host TG Branfalt to talk about insurance options for the cannabis industry as it continues to take root and grow into the mainstream. We hear from Doug what typical cannabis industry […]

California has raised $60.9 million in cannabis sales through the first quarter of 2018, after recreational cannabis sales began on Jan 1. The state levies a 15 percent excise tax on recreational purchases along with state and local sales taxes. Medical cannabis sales are exempt from the taxes. “California’s excise tax on cannabis generated $32 […]

During the 2015-2016 campaign cycle, cannabis companies, advocates, and entrepreneurs donated at least $1.8 million to California political campaigns in an effort to pass Prop. 64 and legalize cannabis for adults. From Jan. 1, 2017 through Apr. 26, 2018 the industry has donated more than $600,000 to California campaigns, the Los Angeles Daily News reports. […]

Scotts Miracle-Gro CEO Jim Hagedorn said that the company is going to have to cut staff and restructure the company as sales took a hit from the “completely botched legalization” of cannabis in California, according to a Columbus Business First report. The company expects to save $15 million consolidating operations and $20 million from cutting […]

Carson, Calif. (April 30, 2018) — Kushy Punch, a premium cannabis brand, proudly announces its partnership with VANES “THE NIGHTMARE ” MARTIROSYAN (36-3-1, 21 KOs), in his upcoming title boxing match against undefeated World Middleweight Champion GENNADY “GGG” GOLOVKIN (37-0-1, 33 KOs). On May 5, Golovkin vs. Martirosyan will be televised live on HBO World Championship Boxing […]

A bill proposed in California would create limited-service banks and credit unions to serve the state’s cannabis industry, according to a CNBC report. The measure, approved unanimously by the Senate Bank and Financial Institutions Committee, would allow canna-businesses to write special checks to pay some of their business expenses. What would the program look like? […]

California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones sent a letter last week to the state’s insurers urging them to offer insurance products for the legal cannabis industry. In the letter, Jones indicated that he would “not object to proposed rates for the industry that have a rational basis.” “The mission of the California Department of Insurance is […]

Canadian cannabis product and brands company CannaRoyalty is continuing its expansion into California, announcing that it has entered an agreement to acquire 100 percent of Sonoma County’s FloraCal Farms for $1 million in cash and 3,508,772 CannaRoyalty shares on close of the deal, with an additional $3 million in cash and the same number of […]

Steep Hill is consistently lauded as a top-tier cannabis testing lab — recently, however, the company launched a state-of-the-art Cultivation Science Program to help producers and processors reach and maintain regulatory compliance in the evolving cannabis landscape. Through this program, Steep Hill goes above and beyond the normal duties of a cannabis lab, establishing truly […]

Many cannabis companies are excited to make the transition from the medical market to the full-blown adult use market but few of them are in as good of a position to do so as Sunnabis. Founder Wendy Kornberg is rightly focused on product quality and assembling a great team and her efforts have been heavily […]

Citibank has asked a California dispensary that has riffed off the bank’s name to stop using the moniker Citidank – although it’s unclear whether any sort of official cease and desist has been filed. In a back page ad in Coachella Valley Weekly, the Cathedral City-based shop said they cater to “all your danking needs.” “Unless […]

West Hollywood, California plans to license 16 cannabis consumption lounges where patrons can smoke, vape, or eat infused foods and beverages. In total, the city plans to issue 40 total canna-businesses licenses. Two types of consumption lounge licenses will be available: One will allow smoking, vaping, and consumption on-site; the other will allow only edible […]

California’s Bureau of Cannabis Control has issued more than 1,000 cease-and-desist letters to unlicensed cannabis operators since the recreational use law took effect on Jan. 1, according to a KCET report. It’s the first step in shutting down illegal operators. According to the report, regulators are using online advertising platforms to find the illegal shops. […]