California Marijuana

The cannabis industry has come a long way since Colorado voters decided to legalize recreational use in 2008. In the early days, the novelty of legal weed was enough to push brands forward to consumers, but anyone who has ever visited trade shows like Hall of Flowers or their local dispensary can tell you there are now hundreds of brands in each state working to stand out in saturated markets. Quality, convenience of use, and price will always factor into a purchase, but branding and marketing are non-negotiables in 2023. No longer can a terpy bud ride its own merits and make it into the bag at the checkout counter. As successful brands know, all the pillars for good marketing—the packaging , social media , and messaging behind a product—have become as important as the product itself. “Branding is paramount,” said Drew Punjabi , director of marketing at Kip Morrison and Associates, a public relations and marketing firm that specializes in cannabis. “It’s more than a generational

MIAMI  — Leafwell, a leader in the medical cannabis industry, announces its innovative Partner Program has assisted over 15,000 patients in obtaining medical cannabis certifications, generating more than $27 million in revenue for partner dispensaries at no cost to them. This exciting milestone comes when the cannabis industry faces multiple economic challenges, making the success of this unique endeavor all the more significant. While many publicly traded cannabis multi-state organizations have struggled to produce net profits amid post-COVID-19 price compression, inflation, and regulatory concerns, the Leafwell Partner Program offers dispensaries a transparent way to increase revenue without hidden fees others charge — or any fees at all. The Leafwell Partner Program, available to dispensaries in states where medical cannabis legislation is in place, is designed to cultivate a robust relationship between Leafwell and its partners. In addition to its direct financial benefits, the

PORTLAND, Ore.  – Thompson Duke Industrial, the leader in cannabis oil vaporizer device filling and capping equipment, announced today that Jesse Lang has joined the team as Client Services Lead. Lang will respond to client needs, update technical support resources and incorporate customer feedback into ongoing equipment improvements and innovations. “Jesse’s experience in the cannabis industry, combined with his passion for delivering exceptional customer service make him the perfect fit for his new role,” said M. Hogan, Managing Director of Thompson Duke Industrial. “We take customer service seriously, and provide each of our clients with top-notch care, and Jesse will be instrumental in contributing to this goal. As we welcome Jesse to the team, we look forward to seeing all the positive impact he will make for our clients, our company and the industry.” Lang has worked in the cannabis industry for more than five years with a focus on processing and extraction. He has overseen pro

Lucid Green is determined to change longstanding cannabis supply chain inefficiencies with its intelligent LucidID platform designed to make every step of the cannabis supply chain more effective, transparent, cost-effective, and secure. The company’s UPC solution provides a complete end-to-end solution that allows everyone, including brands, distributors, retailers, and consumers, to have a smooth, streamlined, and all-around great cannabis experience. All it takes is a simple scan of a sticker. To find out more, visit  www.lucidgreen.io .

It’s beginning to look like the Christmas of cannabis retail in 2023 was both larger and smaller, better and worse than we’ve seen before. But depending on the data set, you’ll likely find a similar story: more shoppers than ever spending fewer dollars than in previous years, with plenty of exceptions to skew the results. On the wholesale side, retailers were prepared for a big day of sales. Looking at the four weeks leading up to 420, industry wholesale platform LeafLink reported sales were up 13.8 percent compared to the previous four weeks. Sales during the one-month lead-up to 420 were 18.3 percent higher in 2023 than they were in 2022. According to industry software company Flowhub , the retail side saw the busiest 420 in history with dispensaries processing more than twice as many transactions as a typical Thursday. While cash was king for payments, accounting for 83 percent of all transactions, debit transactions were 169 percent higher than the average Thursday so far this y

LAS VEGAS – The Source, an award-winning cannabis company, will debut its latest chef-driven solventless cannabis chocolate bar flavors, expanding its CAMP edible line. The new chocolate will be the first vegan solventless white chocolate bar available in Nevada, and is available for purchase at The Source’s five Nevada dispensaries, including Las Vegas, Henderson, North Las Vegas, Pahrump and Reno. The Vegan White Chocolate Mixed Berry bars are hand-crafted from only the finest ingredients and cleanest extracts. The bars feature premium CAMP solventless rosin and are made with high-grade Swiss chocolate, ethically sourced in accordance with the Fair Direct Cacao Philosophy. The bar is portioned to 10 squares of chocolate, each square is dosed at 10mg for a total of 100mg per bar of chocolate and is priced at $22. CAMP’s team of classically trained chefs, Becky Quan and Ricky McCormick, work to make artisanal edibles inspired by their extensive culinary backgrounds. The chefs have

WASHINGTON — Cannabis Regulators from some of the largest state-legal cannabis markets will be engaging in a lively keynote panel discussion during PBC 2023 Conference. This unique Keynote Panel will be moderated by PBC Co-Founder, Peter Joukov, and will feature: Nicole Elliott, Director, Department of Cannabis Control, California Tremaine Wright, Chair, New York State Cannabis Control Board Paul A. Isaac, Deputy Secretary, Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation Adria Berry, Executive Director, Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority Ava Callender Concepcion, Commissioner, Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission Attendees will have the opportunity to hear how these regulators are tackling the black & gray cannabis markets and their impact on legal cannabis-related businesses and the financial institutions that bank them. PBC’s annual conference is known for bringing government and industry leaders together. Previous government participation includes IR

EDMONTON, Alberta – Aurora Cannabis Inc. (NASDAQ: ACB) (TSX: ACB), the Canadian company opening the world to cannabis, today announced the launch of a new tracking program designed to support and empower cannabis patients on their wellness journey. Alongside the advice of a healthcare professional, Aurora patients can use the award-winning Strainprint App journal to track their medical cannabis journey by logging their symptoms and consumption habits to better understand which strains, THC and CBD levels, ingestion methods and doses best work for them. Patients can also explore new products, learn more about strains and understand what has helped other patients through the App. All data entered and gathered by the Strainprint App is anonymous and aggregated. “We take a patient-first approach to cannabis and are proud to provide our patients with programs that improve their lives and their medical cannabis journey,” says Mike Jones, SVP of Medical at Aurora Cannabis. “By working with

With continued market expansion, gaining traction as a dispensary isn’t getting any easier. For operators trying to succeed in major cities with legal adult-use markets for interested tourists, standing out requires an even more pointed effort. Cannabis has been legal for adults in Nevada since 2016. Couple that with a highly-developed, city-wide understanding of how to cater to the nearly 40 million annual tourists looking to have a good time, and you’ve got yourself a prime model for coming out on top in the cannabis marketing game. But outside of billboards or a recommendation from someone like a taxi driver or member of the hotel staff, the average tourist is likely going to turn to their phone to read a few reviews and determine which dispensary they’ll visit. To build our list, we searched through review platforms like Google, Leafly, Weedmaps, and Yelp to identify the top-rated dispensaries, accounting for the total score, number of reviews, and strong marks on multiple revie

SAN FRANCISCO — Nabis, California’s leading licensed cannabis wholesale platform, today announced the opening of the largest cannabis-dedicated distribution warehouse in the world, an investment that enables the company to increase capacity by as much as 400%. The opening of the 87,000-square-foot custom warehouse will ultimately bring between 100 and 150 new jobs to Tulare County, California, where the warehouse is located. This will increase Nabis’ team size by ~40% at max capacity. “As Nabis continues to expand across California, we are excited to open the doors on the single largest facility dedicated for cannabis distribution to serve our many partners across the Golden State,” said Vince Ning, Co-Founder and CEO of Nabis. “From this strategic location, we are ideally positioned to scale across California and even potentially neighboring states as interstate commerce permits, from a cost-effective location, and in a dynamic, thriving jurisdiction that welcomes us as a business a

SAN FRANCISCO — Highlyte by Amnesia, the first AI-driven cannabis marketing compliance platform, announced today it has closed on $1 million in seed funding from pioneering cannabis venture capital firms Poseidon Investment Management, Argonautic Ventures, JourneyOne Ventures and other angel investors. As cannabis remains illegal at the federal level, social media sites ban much cannabis messaging, and closely scrutinize marketing content surrounding cannabis. Meanwhile, states offer a bewildering thicket of diverse regulations constraining cannabis content and marketing. Highlyte by AMNESIA alerts cannabis companies to potentially non-compliant text, images and video before each posting goes live. The platform also mitigates risk by protecting against damaging account deactivations and so-called “shadowban” practices that can be financially disastrous. By helping cannabis companies maintain rigorous compliance to state regulations and social media restrictions, Highlyte by AMNESIA d

DENVER — As the nation celebrates 4/20 and National Pet CBD Day on 4/21, Pet Releaf, the leading provider of CBD products for pets, is taking the opportunity to educate pet owners about the myths and truths surrounding hemp and CBD. Myth: Hemp and marijuana are the same thing. Truth: While hemp and marijuana are both members of the cannabis family, they have distinct differences. The primary difference is their THC content. Hemp contains less than 0.3% THC, while marijuana contains more than 0.3% THC, which is responsible for its psychoactive effects. Myth: CBD is dangerous for pets. Truth: While CBD derived from marijuana can be harmful to pets due to its high THC content, CBD derived from hemp is safe and non-toxic. Pet Releaf’s full-spectrum hemp-derived CBD products are specially formulated for pets and have undergone rigorous testing to ensure their safety and efficacy. Myth: Hemp can get pets high. Truth: Hemp contains very low levels of THC, the psychoactive compound in ma

FANWOOD, N.J.  — HOLISTIK Wellness® the award-winning CBD brand, and its patented Stir STIKs have partnered with The Vitamin Shoppe® to sell HOLISTIK Wellness products in more than 600 retail locations throughout the U.S., and on vitaminshoppe.com, beginning today. A two-time winner of Men’s Health CBD Awards, HOLISTIK Wellness allows shoppers within The Vitamin Shoppe’s “CBD HQ” to stir their way to wellness with arguably the cleanest CBD products on the market. Cultivated from hemp that’s grown indoors in crushed coconut rather than soil, the CBD Wellness within HOLISTIK is never contaminated by pollutants in the air or soil. HOLISTIK Wellness is a unique CBD product that provides the health benefits of broad-spectrum, water soluble hemp extract powder in a convenient, easy-to-use Stir STIK delivery system that can either be popped open and poured, or stirred gradually into, your favorite hot or cold beverage. Fast-acting, HOLISTIK CBD is formulated with ingredients such as lion’s m

Peter Dragone brings years of experience to Convenient Cannabis LLC. Acting as a CFO for a number of start-ups in industries ranging from CPG, Health and Wellness, and SaaS, Peter’s prior experience is that of a serial entrepreneur, managing various start-up and turnaround projects. He is co-founder of Keurig, Inc., now the multi-billion dollar Keurig/Green Mountain Inc. Peter has been granted two patents for Beverage Filter Cartridges. Before starting Keurig, Peter was a senior financial/operational manager for Chiquita Brands International. He has an MBA from Harvard Business School, an MA (in Spanish) from Middlebury College and a BA from Colby College. It was in 2004 that Keurig launched its K-cups for home market, and today single-use coffee pods are the second most popular way to brew coffee at home after traditional drip, with 26% of coffee drinkers reporting that they own some brand of coffee pod brewer.  50% of owners have an income over $50,000.  Convenient Cannabis’s Puffsy

Hitoki (www.hitoki.com) , the innovative cannabis technology device company is proud to announce its latest partnership with mixed martial artist fighter Nick Diaz as its official brand ambassador, bringing fans the Nick Diaz 209 Hitoki Collector’s Edition Trident Laser collectible device. This partnership celebrates Diaz’s tribulations and hard fought victories as a professional athlete and cannabis advocate.  Nick Diaz received one of the harshest cannabis-related suspensions in 2015 by the Nevada Athletic Commission following his fight against Anderson Silva. Diaz was slapped with a five year suspension after failing 1 out of 3 drugs tests while advocating for cannabis outside of the ring. The suspension was later reduced and Diaz made his highly anticipated return to the UFC Octagon in 2019. Diaz, who has stood up for cannabis, chooses the Trident to help him relax and recover when he is not training for a fight. Utilizing the Trident’s clean experience and ultimate punch of fla

Cannabis businesses face a wide variety of hurdles in getting established and starting operations, many of which can be difficult to navigate without the assistance of a legal expert . Here’s a set of tips and information you’ll want to know to help your company run smoothly. Whether you’re a cultivator, manufacturer, or retail dispensary operator, you can learn more to avoid a loss of insurance and revenue. Insurance blacklists exist A cannabis business owner who does not disclose the existence and extent of the business when buying insurance can stand to lose coverage entirely. The insurance company can also blacklist a customer for failing to share such information. This is because the insurer will have trouble writing a policy that covers the risks and liabilities of the business without such information. A cannabis cultivator, manufacturer, or retailer should ask colleagues which insurers are open to working with cannabis businesses, locally and within the state. Then the busi