Dispensaries

When New York regulators announced plans to double recreational marijuana retail licenses to 300 for social equity applicants, local cannabis operators and other industry advocates applauded the news. But behind the scenes, concerns were mounting over the challenge of finding affordable cannabis real estate across large parts of the state because of zoning and commercial restrictions. About half of New York’s 1,520 municipalities have opted out of adult-use retail, according to the Rockefeller Institute of Government, a public policy think tank based in Albany.… Read more.

A federal judge in Arkansas dismissed several claims by a medical marijuana dispensary applicant, including tortious interference and racial discrimination during the state’s license-evaluation process. According to Law360, U.S. District Judge James Moody Jr. ruled that tortious interference doesn’t apply to the claim made by Absolute Essence because it’s still an applicant and doesn’t have any property or business rights. Absolute Essence’s suit in February 2022 alleged that the company that state regulators hired to score applications, Public Consulting Group Holdings and… Read more.

Cannabis tech talk rarely excites the masses, but online dispensary menu and ordering services definitely make our lives easier. Not only that, but some of the cannabis tech companies offering these services have pretty badass backstories. Six years before Socrates Rosenfeld was driving around Denver selling dispensaries on his new online ordering platform, Jane, he was flying Apache helicopters in Iraq for the United States Army. A graduate of West Point, Rosenfeld served seven years in the Army before leaving the military… Read more.

Marijuana entrepreneur Marvina Thomas is the first Black woman to own a legal cannabis store in Arizona. Thomas, who also owns and operates a legal marijuana outlet in Las Cruces, New Mexico, “entered into an agreement to operate and acquire” the Arizona Wellness Center in Safford, spokesperson Sadie Thompson told MJBizDaily. That permit was one of six new licenses issued earlier this month, Thompson said. David Fowler, co-founder and executive director of the Marijuana Industry Trade Association of Arizona (MITA-AZ) , confirmed to MJBizDaily that Thomas is… Read more.

In June last year, Thailand became the first country in Southeast Asia to decriminalize the use of marijuana. It comes after decades of being classified as a Category 5 drug. Cannabis, also known as marijuana, has had a long history in Thailand. Traditionally, the plant was used by locals in their food and medicine.  But in 1935, using marijuana — whether as a drug or otherwise — was criminalized. And until last year, anyone using or possessing marijuana could face… Read more.

City of Detroit officials are celebrating the opening of the first adult-use cannabis dispensary that is part of a social equity program designed to ensure that Black residents are represented in the legal marijuana industry. Nuggets Cannabis, a Black-owned family business, opened this weekend at 18270 Telegraph Rd. “This doesn’t happen everywhere,” Deputy Mayor Todd Bettison said. “We fought to ensure legacy Detroiters have an opportunity to grow businesses in the cannabis industry, which has had a disproportionately negative impact… Read more.

Berner is a boss. As the founder and CEO of Cookies, he’s built the world’s first billion-dollar cannabis empire. The Cookies lifestyle brand launched in the Bay Area in 2010 and grew into dispensary storefronts by 2018. As a legacy cultivator, Berner’s presence in the cannabis community was beloved before adult-use cannabis became legal in California. Today, the homegrown brand has a massive retail footprint across the world, including its stylish 58th dispensary which opened in early 2023 in Bangkok, Thailand. Cookies also expanded… Read more.

NY Cannabis Insider bought the eight highest-potency strains of legal recreational cannabis available in New York State on Feb. 24, drove them straight to a state-certified laboratory, placed them in anonymized Ziploc bags and submitted them for potency testing. What came back has kicked open a hornet’s nest within the NY cannabis ecosystem and led to a regulatory policy change within the past 24 hours that affects every cannabis grower, processor and consumer in the state. That’s because our lab results, which… Read more.

The Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference, the world's largest gathering of cannabis decision-makers, founders and investors is returning to Miami Beach, Florida on April 11-12, 2023 and Raj Grover, president and CEO of High Tide, will be there. High Tide Inc.  HITI+1.48%+ Free Alerts is Canada’s largest non-franchised retailer of recreational cannabis so you won't want to miss out on what he's got to say about the industry. Need A Business Strategy? Ask A Transparent Negotiator Since starting his first company at the age of 22, Grover established himself as one of Canada’s foremost… Read more.

New York is doubling the number of adult-use cannabis dispensary licenses in the state from 150 to 300, according to a Spectrum News report. The state Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) has so far received about 900 dispensary licenses and has issued 66 provisional licenses.  The expansion comes amidst a lawsuit by a Michigan-based cannabis company that has delayed the awarding of licenses in Brooklyn, Central New York, the Finger Lakes, the Mid-Hudson Area, and Western New York.   In a statement, Tremaine Wright, chair… Read more.

ALBANY, N.Y. (WENY) - New York State will be doubling the amount of available conditional adult-use retail cannabis dispensaries. The state said they originally planned to issue 150 licenses, but will now increase that figure to 300. The program's expansion will further advance New York State's Seeding Opportunity Initiative. The initiative gives those that were previously in jail for cannabis an opportunity to run a dispensary. In the southern tier, the number licenses will go to six, up from three. There… Read more.

Dr. Greenthumb’s Worldwide — the cannabis company founded by B Real of the hip-hop group Cypress Hill — and its Los Angeles-based dispensary partner LAHC Inc. have mutually decided to part ways. Dr. Greenthumb’s Worldwide, founded by legendary hip-hop artist B Real of Cypress Hill, and LAHC Inc., a multi-year partner at Dr. Greenthumb’s dTLA dispensary location, have mutually decided to part ways, according to a recent press release. The shift is due to the quickly changing landscape of California’s… Read more.

Women-led multi-state operator The Flower Shop is focused on curating a larger selection of cannabis flower and products in a growing number of state markets. The company showcases artisan and craft cannabis products in a reimagined retail setting tailored to appeal to both men and women. “We operate in Arizona, Utah, New Jersey, and we will be going to Florida—hopefully soon,” says President of The Flower Shop Greta Brandt, as the company is currently securing licensing in the newer states. As president… Read more.

Some customers tend to go to a cannabis dispensary for hybrid products, but never to a hybrid dispensary space that is shared with a bakery and a liquor-licensed cafe.  Well, this is now the reality for Wheeling’s second cannabis dispensary with OKAY Cannabis sharing the same roof as West Town Bakery at 781 N. Milwaukee Ave. The dispensary/cafe/bakery opened Friday, Feb. 3. Introducing innovative ways of creating new customer experiences, especially in the ever-growing Restaurant Row alongside Milwaukee Avenue. Scott… Read more.

The Terrapin Care Station dispensary in Aurora now houses the country’s first fully automated cannabis vending machine. Developed in partnership with BMC Universal Technologies, the machine allows customers to order marijuana products through a touchscreen and dispense them directly to take-out. The Automated Cannabis Experience (ACE), as it’s officially known, picks, packs, seals and affixes a verification sticker to every order, allowing for a fast and contactless purchase. And because it’s integrated with Colorado’s seed-to-sale tracking system, it’s also compliant… Read more.

The Las Vegas City Council on Wednesday postponed a possible vote on regulations for the upcoming cannabis consumption lounges. The decision came as a relief to an industry trade group and Nevada provi .......We hope you appreciate our content. Subscribe today to continue reading this story, and all of our stories. (Full Story) Read more.

A chain of cannabis stores that was once described as the “Apple store of weed” and valued as high as $1.7 billion as a public company, is near financial collapse, according to a regulatory filing. The company, MedMen, said that it has only $15.6 million in cash remaining versus $137.4 million in debt. “The conditions described above raise substantial doubt with respect to the company’s ability to meet its obligations for at least one year,” the company said in its filing last… Read more.

Do you remember the famous "scratch and sniff" stickers from Fox (NASDAQ:FOX)'s "The Simpsons"? Well, now the cannabis industry has taken this innovative tool to introduce it into the marijuana market. On December 10, the first-ever “Scratch n Sniff” type cannabis container made its debut at the Emerald Cup Harvest Ball. The iconic event took place in Santa Rosa, California. Humboldt Seed Company (HSC) collaborated with craft growers, One Straw Farm and Burr's Place to bring this unique shopping experience to the consumer, according to Skunk Magazine. Experts… Read more.

Following the decriminalization of cannabis in Thailand, people in Bangkok have wasted no time in setting up places where you can buy it. Whether you’re looking for a dispensary, a cafe, a street vendor, or a delivery service, Bangkok is full of great places to buy cannabis. But with so many options, it can be hard to decide which one offers the best quality weed at the best prices. So, to help you with your search, here are some of the… Read more.

The county’s first licensed cannabis lounge, and the only one south of Los Angeles, will open next year near the waterfront in National City. Pearl and Alex Ayon won unanimous approval Tuesday from the City Council to operate Sessions by the Bay at a 13,000-square-foot building leased from the Sycuan Tribal Development Council, a partner in the venture. The two-story structure, the former site of California College San Diego’s National City campus, will have a dispensary and lounge where patrons… Read more.

TRAVERSE CITY, MI -- It was quiet morning on Thursday, Oct. 6, inside Traverse City’s Great Lakes Hemp Supplements, a cannabis business with CBD products and a decal on the window that reads, “healers not dealers.” The solace shattered. “This is raid,” shouted Michigan state troopers who rushed in the front door. “Someone’s screaming, ‘state police,’” said 26-year-old office manager Megan O’Brien, who was meeting with a customer in another room. “I come around the corner and there are like… Read more.

Providing patients with quality cannabis medicine is what’s at the heart of Caramor Compassionate Care. Now that cannabis dispensaries are as ubiquitous as liquor stores, it’s going to be harder and harder for cannabis care providers to differentiate themselves. With more than 200 dispensaries in Puerto Rico to choose from, how does a patient or consumer know which dispensaries are truly looking out for their health and well-being? What if patients don’t know what they are looking for when they… Read more.