Regulations

Michael Machat is the Executive Vice President of Business Development and Cannabis Team Lead for Reed Construction, an Illinois-based construction contracting firm founded in 1893.

Bob Eschino and Derek Cumings are co-founders of Medically Correct, a Colorado-based cannabis edibles firm founded in 2010.

Washington state cannabis regulators have announced the formation of an 11-member Cannabis Compliance Consultant team that will work with licensees to help them achieve and maintain regulatory compliance.

A cannabis business in Portland, Maine is facing a $10,000 fine over the company logo, which regulators say violates a state law prohibiting cannabis packaging or labels from depicting images that might “reasonably” appeal to minors.

Cannabis regulators in Oregon issued an immediate recall after an extract product failed pesticide testing. The contaminated cannabis originated from a medical grower whose product was transferred to the adult-use industry.

Cannabis activists and lobbyists in Washington state are predicting a busy legislative session this year. Already, bills are planned to address the state’s lack of cannabis homegrows, undo the excise tax on medical cannabis, and more.

The former chief of staff for Fall River, Massachusetts Mayor Jasiel Correia — who was arrested and accused of extorting local cannabis businesses — has pleaded guilty to extortion, bribery, and making false statements in the licensing corruption probe.

Utah is considering a proposal that would allow any doctor in the state to recommend cannabis for up to 15 patients per year.

Praxis Labs in Washington state has had its license suspended amid allegations that the cannabis testing lab was inflating THC results. The lab has decried the allegations as false, calling them libel and a case of “agency overreach.”

Arizona regulators released the first draft rules for the state’s adult-use cannabis marketplace. The license application period is set to open on January 19.

The New Mexico medical cannabis advisory board has called for increasing plant counts for licensed producers in an effort to bring product prices down.

Denver cannabis regulators announced new proposals that would allow for cannabis delivery and additional social use venues, as well as new provisions that would prioritize those licenses for entrepreneurs who qualify under the state’s social equity requirements.

The Thai government has ruled that most parts of the cannabis/hemp plant — including the leaves, branches, trunks, bark, fiber, and roots (not flower) — are now allowed in manufactured cosmetics and food.

Cannabis regulators in Guam are at odds with the U.S. territory’s tourism officials over cannabis advertising and product sales in Tumon, a vacation hotspot.

A judge has ruled that California cannabis regulators overstepped their authority by allowing cannabis companies to advertise on billboards along state freeways.

The European Union’s highest court has ruled that CBD is not a narcotic because it does not have any psychotropic or harmful effects.

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors is considering a bill to ban people from smoking or vaping cannabis or tobacco in apartment buildings containing three or more units.

A coalition of officials from around the U.S. has formed the Cannabis Regulators Association, a nonpartisan group dedicated to sharing resources and expertise related to cannabis and hemp regulations.

Nevada regulators have extended the expiration dates for cannabis industry employment ID cards by 90 days as the state works through a backlog of applications.

A combination of stricter regulations, the coronavirus pandemic, and industry consolidation has resulted in a dramatic 31% decrease in the number of hemp licenses in New Mexico this year.

Under a Michigan Court of Appeals ruling, individuals cannot make butane cannabis extractions and the practice — when done without a license — constitutes the manufacturing of a controlled substance.

The USDA has approved New Mexico’s hemp plan; the new rules will take effect for all growers licensed after October.

West Virginia has chosen Metrc to be the state’s seed-to-sale traceability vendor, moving the state one step closer toward opening its medical cannabis market.