Tag: California

Suspect unions’ effort to evade state law could hurt marijuana workers

March 31, 2023 · MJ Biz Daily

Trickery Concept.Business partners shaking hands with one of them holding fingers crossed behind back.

Marijuana businesses in California and on the East Coast are evading worker-friendly licensing requirements by obtaining state business permits after signing deals with “labor organizations” that appear to be illegitimate “company unions,” documents and interviews show. The growing presence of these fake unions jeopardizes the inroads made by the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, critics charge, while offering limited or zero benefits to workers. In many states with adult-use legalization, state law requires… Read more.

Cannabis Brand News: Rick Ross, Ben Cohen, Cookies, Cheech’s Stash and Monogram

March 27, 2023 · CelebStoner

Both noted for their cannabis advocacy, rapper Rick Ross and entrepreneur Ben Cohen have announced new cannabis ventures and brands. Rick Ross Rick Ross is teaming up with High Tolerance Los Angeles on the launch of the Collins Ave strain, named for the popular strip in Miami Beach. Raised in Florida, Ross' debut album in 2006 was titled Port of Miami. "High Tolerance is the best flower for all the ones who like to blow that good gas," he tells TMZ. "This is… Read more.

The growing Chinese investment in illegal American weed

March 21, 2023 · Politico

A few days before Christmas, a joint law enforcement task force found nearly 9,000 pounds of cannabis worth almost $15 million during a raid in a suburban neighborhood in Antioch, Calif. The California Department of Cannabis Control believes that the four houses searched in the bedroom community 45 minutes outside San Francisco were linked to China. Mexican cartels have a long history of importing, growing and redistributing illicit cannabis in the United States. But Chinese investors, owners and workers have emerged in… Read more.

Oakland Bliss lays framework for the psychedelic market with consistent lab testing, tracking batch and lot numbers, and a compassionate program for veterans.

Oakland Bliss, a psychedelic company based in Oakland, is leading the way in setting standards for the emerging market. The company has consistently lab tested their products, implemented batch and lot tracking numbers, and is the first psychedelic product to have a Universal Product Code (UPC). The company’s commitment to harm reduction has been widely praised, and it has set the bar for others in the industry. “Our focus on harm reduction is at the core of our mission,” said… Read more.

Opinion: What the demise of Silicon Valley Bank means – and does not mean – for cannabis finance

March 17, 2023 · MJ Biz Daily

Jan 31, 2020 Santa Clara / CA / USA - Silicon Valley Bank headquarters and branch; Silicon Valley Bank, a subsidiary of SVB Financial Group, is a U.S.-based high-tech commercial bank

The collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) isn’t good news for anyone. Bank collapses portend wider threats to the economy – the Great Depression is one such example – particularly when they derive from an eroding capital base resulting from the Federal Reserve raising interest rates to battle inflation. It is estimated that more than 50% of venture-backed companies used Santa Clara, California-headquartered SVB as their depository and financing institution. Wealth management, currency hedges, stock placements, you name it: SVB was the… Read more.

Police in California city seize 1,500 pounds of illegal marijuana products

March 17, 2023 · MJ Biz Daily

Police in Pomona, California, are investigating a business where they found 1,500 pounds of unlicensed marijuana products as well as electronic casino gaming consoles. The business also had an area dedicated to selling cannabis, The LeafDesk reported. According to the media outlet, police estimated the value of the cannabis products, which included flower, edibles and hashish oil, at $1.3 million. However, government agencies often inflate such estimates. The investigation comes on the heels of a recent report by California regulators about the… Read more.

Seth Rogen Has Never Tried to Get Steven Spielberg Stoned

March 16, 2023 · CelebStoner

The stoniest moment at the recent Oscars occurred when host Jimmy Kimmel teased Seth Rogen, who was sitting in the audience with his wife Lauren Miller, right behind director Steven Spielberg and his wife Kate Capshaw. "Seth, what are you on now? Be honest" Rogen shrugged. "Nothing? Mushrooms, right? Did you give one to Steven? Give him one. Let's see what happens. Maybe he'll make something crazy." Kimmel then zeroed in on Spielberg, who claims to have never smoked pot. "I find hard… Read more.

Cannabis Lounge Expert Sara Stewart On How To Grow Cannabis Beverages

March 14, 2023 · Cannabis Drink Expo

We want cannabis bars to look similar to alcohol bars with lots of selection and variety. Sara Stewart is a seasoned hospitality professional with experience managing and operating 2 of the first cannabis consumption lounges in the US. She has a particular interest in bridging the gap between cannabis consumption lounges and today's hospitality standards using education, control, and valuable insight. We chat with her about how she thinks we can grow the cannabis drinks category and what everyone involved can… Read more.

San Francisco has a new farmers market just for cannabis

March 7, 2023 · SFGate

There's a new type of farmers market in San Francisco, but instead of buying fruits and vegetables, customers get to buy a famous California crop that is best enjoyed smoked. This market is dedicated entirely to cannabis. The new monthly event takes place at one of two downtown San Francisco dispensaries: Moe Greens on Market Street and Barbary Coast on Mission Street. The showcases allow customers to learn about dozens of different cannabis strains directly from the farmers who grow them.… Read more.

Monterey County Board of Supervisors discussing legalizing cannabis lounges

March 3, 2023 · KION 46

SALINAS, Calif. (KION-TV) On Tuesday, the Monterey County Board of Supervisors discussed whether to legalize cannabis lounges throughout unincorporated Monterey County. The Board of Supervisors received a presentation from Monterey County Cannabis Program Director Joann Iwamoto who presented the pros and cons of bringing cannabis lounges to Monterey County. Majority of the supervisors are in support of bringing lounges to Monterey County. However, some were concerned about staffing capacity on the county level to regulate more cannabis related business ventures.… Read more.

Cannabis Entrepreneur Asks $38 Million for L.A. Mansion With Custom Smoking Room

March 3, 2023 · WSJ.com

Cannabis entrepreneur Ori Bytton is asking $38 million for a Los Angeles mansion with a custom smoking room.  Mr. Bytton, 36, hails from Israel and is the founder of the cannabis products company Natura Life Science. He acquired the Bel-Air site in 2014 for $1.775 million, records show, and said he intended to build a house there for himself and his family, starting construction in October 2018. The roughly 13,600-square-foot house was finished in the past few weeks, he said.… Read more.

A Seat on the Titanic? – California Cannabis Sales Dropped in 2022 for the First Time Ever Since Legalization

California, an industry bellwether for the marijuana industry, is seeing signs of contraction For the first time since the state's adult-use market opened five years ago, annual sales for marijuana in California fell in 2022. While Colorado and Oregon dispensaries are now bearing the brunt of the 2022 correction, Nevada and Washington retailers are also on track to report double-digit declines in terms of percent decreases to their sales totals this year after pandemic peaks equated to record growth across much of… Read more.

Giant California greenhouse signals a big bet on cannabis legalization

February 28, 2023 · The Washington Post

One enormous facility on the northern edge of metro Los Angeles reveals expectations of marijuana becoming legal nationally CAMARILLO, Calif. — This is what the long game of California weed looks like. Rising two stories from razor-straight rows of parsley, artichokes and strawberries, the greenhouse complex hums with solar-powered efficiency, its vast airy interiors redolent with the sticky plant that fills much of it. Cannabis. The flatlands here stretching between mountains and sea have attracted farmers for generations, just around… Read more.

Dodgy science, poor access and high prices: The parallel medical world of medicinal marijuana in America

February 27, 2023 · Politico

BURTON, Mich. — Before Jayden Carter turned 9, police were called 126 times to his school, home and other locations to address his violent behavior. “I had ribs out of place, my forehead cut open, black eye,” recalled Amie Carter, his mother. The situation got so dire that Child Protective Services encouraged Amie to sign her rights to Jayden away, a step that would allow the state to put him in permanent treatment. That was when — out of… Read more.

Dr. Greenthumb’s Ends Los Angeles Partnership with LAHC Inc.

February 26, 2023 · Ganjapreneur

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.

California Launches Grant Program to Expand Retail Cannabis Access

February 24, 2023 · Ganjapreneur

California cannabis regulators have launched a $20 million grant program aimed at expanding consumer access to licensed cannabis products. The California Department of Cannabis Control (DCC) last week launched a $20 million grant program to expand consumer access to regulated cannabis, which the agency is calling “a national first-of-its-kind.” The grant will prioritize areas where national surveys find high cannabis consumption but have little to no access to cannabis retailers, the DCC said in a press release. The program “seeks to incentivize… Read more.

Daily use of marijuana raises risk of heart disease, study finds

February 24, 2023 · CNN

Using marijuana every day can raise a person’s risk of coronary artery disease, or CAD, by a third compared with those who never partake, a new study found. “A growing body of evidence suggests that cannabis is not entirely without harm and may actually cause cardiovascular disease,” said lead study author Dr. Ishan Paranjpe, a resident physician at Stanford University. The study — which has not yet been published -— will be presented Sunday at the annual meeting of the… Read more.

Cannabis businesses make push to showcase Black-owned brands

February 22, 2023 · MJ Biz Daily

Inside Josephine and Billie’s apothecary-styled marijuana store on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in South Los Angeles, several cannabis brands are prominently displayed and labeled as Black-owned. A tall, glass showcase centered along the back of the store – an homage to Black jazz legends Josephine Baker and Billie Holiday as well as the reefer-friendly, speakeasy “tea pads” of their day – features products from the likes of Queen Mary of L.A., Oakland Abstracts and Black Star Farms of New… Read more.