Licensing

Pasadena, California has won a lawsuit against its own city clerk after they approved a successful but unconstitutional ballot initiative that would have grandfathered in dispensaries who were operating before the city’s strict licensing rules took effect.

Ontario will do away with the current cap on cannabis retail stores in January and is expected to open an application period for new private cannabis retailers starting January 6, 2020.

Green Leaf Health Inc. has reached a “host community agreement” with North Attleboro, Massachusetts. It will be the first cannabis company licensed for adult-use sales in the city.

California cannabis and CBD product manufacturer Kushy Punch has had its state cannabis license revoked over the alleged use of an unlicensed facility.

Humboldt County regulators are considering a plan to offer tax incentives for small and efficient cannabis farms that can meet energy, infrastructure, and footprint standards.

Illinois officials have awarded the state’s first adult-use retailer licenses — 14 dispensaries received “same-site” licenses, meaning they will be allowed to open their existing medical cannabis stores to anyone 21+.

California regulators suspended 394 cannabis business permits amid an ongoing crackdown on unlicensed operators; the suspensions include retailers, distributors, delivery services, and microbusinesses who were not seed-to-sale compliant.

The Massachusetts municipalities of Eastham, Great Barrington, Leicester, Newton, Northampton, and Uxbridge have all been subpoenaed by U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling over potential cannabis industry bribes.

Los Angeles’ latest cannabis retail licensing round was thrown into turmoil this week after City Council President Herb Wesson called on regulators to stop issuing licenses and to launch an independent audit of the system.

Michigan regulators will begin accepting business license applications starting this Friday, November 1st.

Cannabis regulators in Maryland plan to hire private firms to investigate the state’s licensing review process and to verify information contained in the applications submitted by high-ranking businesses.

The Texas medical cannabis dispensary applications portal was shut down without warning after just one week on the Texas Department of Public Safety’s website.

The first adult-use cultivation licenses have been awarded in Illinois; shops are expected to open their doors to adult-use customers on January 1, 2020.

Maryland’s latest medical cannabis licensing round has been delayed due to an allegedly flawed application process that blocked many applicants from submitting all of the necessary materials on time.

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 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.

Jasiel Correia, the mayor of Fall River, Massachusetts, was arrested this morning and charged with extorting state-licensed cannabis companies.

More than 2,100 medical cannabis industry applications have been turned in to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.

San Francisco is set to issue its first temporary permit for cannabis sales and on-site consumption for Outside Lands, the city’s largest summer festival.

Colorado’s medical cannabis business licenses are slowly decreasing as the adult-use industry steadily ramps up, according to an annual report by the state’s Marijuana Enforcement Division.

A Pennsylvania medical cannabis cultivator has had its license revoked following multiple accusations of wrongdoing by state regulators.

Utah officials have announced the winners of eight medical cannabis cultivation licenses; 81 companies had applied for the state’s 10 available licenses.

In Utah, where 81 applicants are vying for just 10 available licenses, officials have delayed announcing the state’s medical cannabis cultivation license winners.