California Marijuana

Day 2 at MJ Unpacked kicked off with the official opening of the Brand Experience Hall showcasing THC brands from across the US. The day also kicked off the Pitch Presentations on The Money Stage with investor judges being presented with brands from across the US looking for funding and advisors. The evening ended with the Clio Awards honoring the best of the best across cannabis advertising and marketing. “It’s been really cool to see all the people we haven’t seen since last MJ Unpacked in Vegas. It’s just been so nice to see all their smiling faces and to see where they’ve been since the last Unpacked and how much progress they’ve made. To see them coming back even after they’ve gotten funded or gotten new licensees. Because there’s just so much opportunity. And it’s a community,” said Maggie Wilson, CMO of Fruit Slabs. Photos: Courtesy of MJ Unpacked

MJ Unpacked is the first THC CPG trade event designed to both drive commerce and integrate access to capital. The show, which debuted in Las Vegas last Fall and in NYC this past May, is open to cannabis brand and retail executives with the title manager or above, as well as accredited investors. “MJ Unpacked enters its second year as the only national cannabis event exclusively for brand and retail executives and investors, evidenced by brands on display from across the entire US adult use market and setting the stage for a flurry of deals getting done. This is such a pivotal moment for the cannabis industry with new state markets emerging and we’re looking forward to creating opportunities for each and every attendee at our event,” said George Jage, co-founder of MJ Unpacked .   Photos: Courtesy of MJ Unpacked

As the economy careens toward recession, smart businesses have reached back to a familiar strategy we all leaned into during the pandemic: The Pivot. Millions of companies have pivoted business models. The huge growth of online sales during the pandemic is now becoming permanent and has been called the small business “ pivot to digital .” Even employees are pivoting , seeking new careers in what has been coined the “Great Resignation.” There’s so much pivoting, most of us have whiplash at this point. Although it is sometimes viewed as a Hail Mary pass, the pivot is instead a strategic maneuver that smart businesses undertake when circumstances demand. And today is an excellent time to contemplate a pivot. The economy is in a state of flux. And cannabis companies, in particular, are in a precarious position. First, the challenging macroeconomic environment coupled with the haze around federal permissibility has near completely shut off the flow of capital to the industry. Add to this n...

Finding the perfect spotlight for the industry’s biggest stars is essential, both literally and figuratively. For large and small indoor cultivators , the right cannabis grow lights and setup can make or break an operation’s potential for output, expenses, and profit. To ensure you’re producing the highest quality products with the efficiency required for a sustainable profit margin, it’s imperative to understand the advantages and disadvantages of the different light sources available. This article will break down  light emitting diode (LED) grow lights for cannabis, detailing the LED lighting pros and cons, how they compare to other light sources, and how they can be used for efficiency, sustainability, quality product, and ultimately, profitability in your indoor facility. Photo: Thichaa / Shutterstock Cannabis Grow Lights Different light technologies can emit different types of light for your cannabis plants, and while older marijuana grow lights might have prioritized f...

John Hillman has extensive experience in Commercial Insurance, and specializes in the cannabis industry. Whether your Insurance needs are required by Lease Agreement, Contract, City/State Licensing Requirements, Loss Prevention, or related to a Catastrophic Loss, JR Hillman has over 30 years of experience in the Cannabis Industry. • Retail & Dispensaries • Distributors • Cultivators • Delivery • Transportation • Events • Manufacturing • CBD/Hemp • Labs Get professional advice on Insurance Laws & regulations from a specialized Broker * Save money with competitive premiums without sacrificing coverage * Rely on expert negotiations for you —not the insurance carriers Insurance Coverages Offered: * General Liability * Product Liability * Professional Liability * Commercial Property * Cannabis Stock/Crops * Cannabis Bonds * Workers Compensation * Crime Insurance/Employee Dishonesty * Commercial Auto & Cargo * Cyber Liability * Directs & Officers * Employers Pra...

VANCOUVER, Wash., September 15, 2022 — Bankcard International Group (B.I.G.), a leading provider of cannabis merchant accounts for payment processing, announced that its services have been approved by the Washington State Department of Financial Institutions. Traditionally, cannabis businesses have had to use “workaround” solutions for electronic payments or accept cash only. B.I.G. offers retailers in Washington, and any state where cannabis is legal, the opportunity to accept PIN Debit card payments just like traditional retail businesses. “We are thrilled that the Washington DFI recognizes the need for payment solution oversight and that we have met their standards to gain approval as a cannabis payment service provider. By offering a traditional debit-card payment option, we are paving the way for safer, more compliant, and more productive business,” said Brett Taylor, CEO, B.I.G. B.I.G. offers cannabis merchant accounts for PIN Debit payment processing, not cashless A...

CARSON CITY, Nevada —  Pharmagreen Biotech, Inc., (OTCQB: PHBI), (“Pharmagreen” or the “Company) is pleased to announce that Ethan Styles has joined the Pharmagreen team in the role of Vice President of Product Research and Development. Mr. Styles’ lifelong work with therapeutic plants, cannabis, medicinal plants and fungi, combined with years of personal studies in molecular biology, has provided Ethan with keen insight into the human health benefits provided by these plants. Mr. Styles is a third generation Mendocino County, California legacy cannabis cultivator at Long Valley Farms. He employs veganic farming techniques to produce superior craft products and utilizes the same ultra-sustainable methods to grow a wide variety of medicinal plants and mushrooms. He developed the Company’s first nutraceutical formulation, a proprietary blend of fifteen ingredients from medicinal plants and mushrooms. Mr. Styles brings crucial knowledge and experience to Pharmagreen’s growing te...

BROOMFIELD, Colo. — Alpine IQ, the leading data and marketing solutions provider for cannabis retailers and brands, today announced an integration with Tymber, an industry leading e-commerce provider for top cannabis retailers. The integration offers customers a unique and seamless buying experience. By utilizing Alpine IQ’s technology and leveraging Tymber’s e-commerce platform, retailers can attract, convert, and retain their own customers with their own website. The Alpine IQ and Tymber integration gives users the ability to create custom online ordering experiences. The e-commerce tool is easy to set up and offers the ability for customers to sign up for loyalty and for customers to redeem Alpine IQ points during checkout in Tymber. Tracking and optimizing your marketing is made simple with this partnership. “We’re incredibly excited to partner with Alpine IQ on this integration,” said Scott Roehrick, co-founder and CEO of Tymber. “We worked hard to remove any friction from the ...

DENVER — Sweet Leaf Madison Capital (SLMC), a nationwide provider of tailored debt financing solutions for the middle-market cannabis industry, today announced the closing of a loan for more than $600,000 to Harvest Care Medical, a West Virginia-based company committed to bringing high-quality medicinal cannabis products to patients in the Mountain State. The loan is part of a refinancing of Harvest Care’s prior equipment purchases, and it will free-up capital to help the company focus on expanding beyond its initial, single-grow site. “Harvest Care is another established cultivator which Sweet Leaf Madison has financed, and the first business we have worked with in the state of West Virginia,” said Andrew Kaye, chief commercial officer of SLMC. “We are excited to further expand our footprint throughout the United States, especially within a limited-license state like West Virginia, and partner with a group that is far ahead of its competition in terms of operational efficiency, qua...

TORONTO — As the next chapter in its story of rapid growth, expansion and Canadian market leadership, OEG Retail Cannabis (OEGRC) is acquiring 23 Tweed and Tokyo Smoke stores from Canopy Growth Corporation (CGC) in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Newfoundland and Labrador. In addition to the retail locations, OEGRC is also acquiring the Tokyo Smoke brand from Canopy Growth as it continues to lead in customer experience, product quality, choice, value and loyalty programs. Following the close of this acquisition, OEGRC will be the sole owner of the Tokyo Smoke brand and trademark and all Tweed retail stores acquired as part of this transaction will be rebranded. “We believe this is the start of something special for the retail cannabis industry,” said Jürgen Schreiber, CEO, OEG Inc. “With this acquisition, OEG Retail Cannabis and the Tokyo Smoke brand are positioned as outright leaders in Canadian retail cannabis and we are committed to doing everything we can to lead in customer experie...

Rockville, Md. — The United States Pharmacopeia (USP) has opened a 90-day review period for their proposed Cannabis Species Inflorescence monograph in the Herbal Medicines Compendium (HMC), a laboratory quality standards testing reference used internationally.  The proposed cannabis monograph provides scientifically validated methods, information on physical reference standards, and acceptance criteria to establish the identity of cannabis chemotypes, content of cannabinoids and terpenes, and limits on contaminants. “Cannabis is becoming more widely accepted around the world and is being widely researched by many international organizations for medicinal purposes. A key component of USP’s mission to improve global health is providing public standards and guidance to help ensure the quality of all medicines, including herbal medicines,” said Dr. Jaap Venema, USP’s Chief Science Officer. During the HMC monograph review period, stakeholders, including manufacturers, researcher...

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — In a 5-2 decision, the Arkansas Supreme Court ruled the state must include an adult-use cannabis legalization initiative on the November ballot, overturning a recent decision by the Board of Election Commissioners. The initiative faced uncertainty when the board ruled against it in August, citing concerns the title was misleading regarding issues such as THC limits. The state Supreme Court noted the legal sufficiency of the measure’s title, stating “A ballot title does not need to include every possible consequence or impact of a proposed measure and it does not need to address or anticipate every possible legal issue. This court has long recognized the impossibility of preparing a ballot title that would suit everyone.” Ultimately, the court concluded “initiative power lies at the heart of our democratic institutions” and “the people will decide whether to approve the proposed amendment in November.” “We’re extremely grateful to the Supreme Court that they agr...

LOS ANGELES — Moose Labs, a product innovation company for the cannabis industry is continuing its journey towards a more sustainable future by removing 64% of the plastic found in the Original MouthPeace packaging. Instead of the traditional plastic clamshell packaging, the MouthPeace will now come in a biodegradable and fully recyclable container. The refreshed packaging is also more user-friendly, including clear instructions on how to use and clean the MouthPeace. “There’s already far too much plastic waste involved in the cannabis industry, so we are doing what we can to avoid contributing to this issue while also encouraging clean consumption habits,” said Jay Rush, Co-Founder of Moose Labs. “Eventually, we’d love to remove all plastic from our packaging, but for now we are taking this one step at a time and we hope other cannabis brands follow suit,” added Rush. Removing the majority of its plastic packaging is only one step Moose Labs has taken this year to become more ...

The cannabis industry is in the midst of having to come to terms with the effects of oversaturation with seemingly countless brands and dispensaries vying for valuable shelf space and consumer attention. In this highly competitive era of legal weed, it’s vital for brands and retailers to collaborate on a united front that results in a profitable win-win for all parties involved. A simple strategy that has largely fallen to the wayside since the early days of the legal industry is developing strong budtender-brand relationships that can drive significant sales. When cannabis was first reaching for legitimacy and acceptance, brands were more adamant about engaging in ambassadorship programs that put their people and products on the radar of retailers and consumers alike. Unfortunately, many brands seem to have forgotten about the importance of building and nurturing this critical retail relationship, and it’s a factor that may have a make-or-break quality for struggling brands moving f...

The latest technologies developed by the industry’s leading manufacturers are helping cultivators transform products once infamous for their flaws into craft commodities capable of demanding high retail prices and attractive margins. When the recreational cannabis industry was new, pre-rolls were notorious among consumers for their low price, poor flower quality, and the high chance of burning unevenly or canoeing. As a result, the notion of a high-quality or top-shelf pre-roll was an oxymoron. However, through evolution in automated, high-precision industrial cone grinders and filling machines, the pre-roll market has been reborn. Many pre-rolls on the market today are in-demand products filled with high-grade strains, prepared without human error, and adorned with potent specialty elements like live resin and kief. Mobius M60 Pre-rolls are the second-largest growth category among all cannabis products, and U.S. sales doubled in both 2020 and 2021. There are more than 600 pre-r...

Perfect ( www.perfect-blends.com ) announces their first merch drop as they release The Perfect Companion, a 5-piece multicolored set of helpful Micropipes that allow consumers to dose 75 mg or smoke 3-4 hits of their favorite herb per dose or “bowl.” You can now microdose and easily stash them away on the go, share some fresh pipes with friends, or match the colors to your favorite blends! Available and sold as a pack of five individually colored micropipes: Red, Yellow, Green, Purple, and Blue, the 5-piece set is designed to match each blend by Perfect with a color to provide convenient, repeatable, and controlled highs. The live resin-infused cannabis brand offers a way to pack, dose, and smoke your favorite flower. Now, you can match your favorite Perfect signature blends: Happy Camper, Pick Me Up, NightCap or Sexpot, with a colored micropipe for perfectly dialed in effects. Designed for the dose-conscious consumer, medical patient, or the on-the-go recreational consumer, Perfect...

TAMPA, Fla. — Mr. Hemp Flower ©, the manufacturer and distributor of high-quality hemp products including CBD flower, CBD oil, and specially formulated CBD, HHC, Delta-8 THC, and Delta-9 THC Gummies, announces the newest additions to its delta-9 THC lineup, Delta-9 THC Lollipops. “Our retail partners continue to drive the growth and sales of our popular delta-9 THC edibles like our chocolates and gummies. Our new D9 lollipops are another example of how our team is hitting the target right on the money.” says co-founder, Alex Gould. In the last year, Mr. Hemp Flower released its lineup of new premium delta-9 THC hemp edibles including its popular D9 gummies and D9 sleep gummies with melatonin. The delta-9 THC edibles add immense value to the existing catalog of Delta-8 THC and CBD products and have expanded customer base and revenue. Mr. Hemp Flower’s new delta-9 THC lollipops are infused with 20mg of premium hemp-derived delta-9 THC and made with all-natural flavors s...

Chicago, Ill. — Cognitive Harmony Technologies (CHT), a company designed to streamline the cannabis business license application process, today announced plans to sponsor up to 35 prospective cannabis business license applicants from underrepresented communities in the state of New Jersey as part of their CHT Accelerator Sponsorship Program. CHT will provide each selected applicant with a development and consultation package worth $30K (a total of $1 million worth of resources), including their game-changing platform – the CHT Accelerator –  at no cost, furthering their mission to make the industry more accessible to small businesses and communities impacted by the war on drugs. “CHT was created to empower applicants who are typically discounted from the complex and convoluted business licensing process due to their lack of resources, investment capital or ability to afford a hundred-thousand-dollar consulting firm,” said CHT Co-founder and CEO Walter Moore, a software engineer ...

WAKEFIELD, Mass. — Curaleaf Holdings, Inc. (CSE: CURA) (OTCQX: CURLF) (“Curaleaf” or the “Company”), a leading international provider of consumer products in cannabis, today announced the opening of its Allentown dispensary, located at 1801 Airport Rd, Allentown, PA 18109. Curaleaf Allentown is the Company’s sixth new location to open within the Keystone State this year, expanding its retail presence to 18 locations in Pennsylvania and 137 nationwide. Curaleaf Allentown offers a curated selection of products across the Company’s brand portfolio including Grassroots, Select and Curaleaf. Patients can choose from a wide array of products including Select Elite, Select Elite Live, Grassroots full-spectrum and strain-specific RSO, Grassroots full-spectrum and strain specific RSO capsules, Grassroots pre-packaged flower, Curaleaf pre-packaged flower and Grassroots concentrates. The new dispensary celebrated its soft opening on September 17 and is scheduled for an official grand opening e...

The Emerald Cup continues to serve as the top trend-setter and taste-maker for the California cannabis market with each annual competition providing a clear view of what cannabis connoisseurs will be demanding in the years to come. Over 180 Emerald Cup Awards were presented at the iconic Montalbán Theatre in Hollywood, California in May of 2022 as the Northern and Southern California cannabis communities converged for the star-studded ceremony featuring the state’s best brands and farms. Who will take home the top honors in 2023? That journey begins this December when the entry window for the upcoming competition opens at the 2022 Emerald Cup Harvest Ball at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds in Santa Rosa, California. ECHB ’22 passes are currently available for presale at www.theemeraldcup.com . THE EMERALD CUP COMPETITION ALMANAC IS LIVE Launching for the first time, all 2023 Emerald Cup Award winners and competition participants will be featured in the ever evolving Emerald Cup Compe...

Merriam-Webster defines the word, unique, as being without a like or equal. Meanwhile, Google describes the term as ” remarkable, special, or unusual.” Regardless of the definition used, the Massachusetts cannabis market fits all descriptions of the six-letter word. Within the last two years, consumers and retailers have developed dissimilar trends from legacy markets like California and Colorado and emerging markets like Florida and New Jersey. As the Massachusetts market continues to emerge, it will be imperative for retailers and other industry leaders to understand the novel trends that make the Bay State cannabis market unique. Growth of cannabis in Massachusetts First and foremost, it is essential to gain an understanding of the marketplace makeup that exists in the Bay State. Compared to the aforementioned cannabis markets in California and Colorado, Massachusetts is highly vertically integrated. As a result, the state witnesses large amounts of brand consolidation. High leve...