California Marijuana

BOSTON – EO Care, which provides the first clinically guided cannabis health and wellness solution for employers, payers and associations, announced today that cancer support community Imerman Angels has partnered with EO Care as its cannabis care content partner. Imerman Angels provides free, personalized one-on-one cancer support for cancer fighters, survivors, previvors and caregivers. Soon, visitors to the Imerman Angels website will be able to access EO Care’s educational material about cannabis including whether it’s right for them, how to optimize their use, and even how to reduce their use. “Many cancer patients find that cannabis gives them relief from their symptoms,” said Stephanie Lieber, Executive Director of Imerman Angels. “But even though it’s now legal in most states, clinical guidance is difficult to find. Physicians may recommend cannabis, but can’t prescribe it and don’t have the knowledge to give advice on forms and dosage. Patients are left relying on friends, ...

SEATTLE  — 1606 Corp. (OTC Pink: CBDW) has unleashed ChatCBDW, an AI-driven online merchandising technology designed for the CBD and wellness industries. Merchants interested in the platform’s BETA test can now register for installation on www.CBDW.ai. This merchandising tool offers CBD and wellness merchants the ability to provide product recommendations, track user behavior for inventory management, and ChatCBDW can also provide information on products and education around the clock. 1606 Corp. additionally announced that Cool Blue Distribution is now a North American licensed reseller of ChatCBDW and is set to engage its network of over 800 CBD retailers immediately. The company will provide onboarding process materials and merchant presentations to facilitate Cool Blue’s marketing efforts to drive sales for 1606. Greg Lambrecht, CEO and Chairman of 1606, stated, “now that merchants are actively testing ChatCBDW, the Company will begin exploring additional verticals...

AUSTIN, Texas  — Elevate Holistics, a leading online medical cannabis clinic, proudly announces a generous contribution of $10,000 to the Startup Kids Club, a non-profit organization based in Austin, Texas, dedicated to nurturing the next generation of resilient, self-sustainable, and independent students through hands-on entrepreneurship education. Stephen Stearman, the founder and CEO of Elevate Holistics, has taken a personal interest in the Startup Kids Club’s mission, serving on their board and actively contributing to their programs. “As an entrepreneur, I have witnessed firsthand the power of education and entrepreneurship in breaking the cycle of generational poverty. Unfortunately, not every child has access to high-quality education, leaving entrepreneurship as a vital path to creating a life of financial independence,” says Stearman. The $10,000 donation from Elevate Holistics will directly support the after-school programming and summer camps offered by Startup K...

NEW YORK – A potent concoction of slowing capital markets and inactivity in Washington D.C. bears the majority of blame for the industry’s lackluster fundraising performance in 2023, but poor growth and contracting margins are what’s really been keeping investors away. According to the cannabis deal tracker provided by Viridian Capital Advisors, worldwide cannabis capital raises are expected to hit a multi-year low by the end of December. The $1.72 billion closed through the first 41 weeks of the year is 50 percent short of last year’s figures. Public companies account for 73 percent of the total capital raised in 2023, down slightly from the volume raised in 2022 and lower than any other period since 2019. Making matters more difficult in the months to come, debt represents 61 percent of the total capital raised, significantly higher than any comparable period since 2018. Data: Viridian Capital Advisors week ending 10/20/23. “The low activity level in both capital raises and [ ...

As the dominant cannabis market with a massive population and powerful media presence, California has an oversized influence on strain popularity across the country. This year, the West Coast’s strong appetite for the sweeter side of the plant has been apparent with six of the top ten strains falling into the trendy dessert category with strains like Lemon Cherry Gelato, Apple Fritter, and Wedding Cake topping the list. However, true classics like Blue Dream and Durban Poison have remained popular choices over the years. From citrusy scents and sweet-but-savory flavors to indica dominance and THC content that sits on the higher side, this list helps the entire industry understand what consumers in one of the most developed markets desire: stress and anxiety reduction, dessert-like flavors, earthy and gassy scents, and reliable herbal solutions to help with sleep . To assess strain popularity in 2023, we looked at the top-selling eighths by the total number of units sold in California...

TORONTO  – MediPharm Labs Corp. (TSX: LABS) (OTCQB: MEDIF) (FSE: MLZ) a company specialized in precision-based cannabinoids, is pleased to announce it has now received $7.27 Million in gross cash proceeds from the settlement agreement announced on October 2, 2023 (the “Settlement Agreement”) to resolve  a claim in connection with a commercial agreement dispute. Additional consideration includes products and services described below. On October 2, 2023 MediPharm and Tilray came to a mutually agreeable resolution and established a long-term supply relationship. Following the Settlement Agreement, MediPharm has now received $7.27 Million in cash consisting of: $3 Million cash payment. 1,573,152 total Tilray common shares that have been sold for gross proceeds of $4.27 Million. Non-cash elements also included in the Settlement Agreement are ongoing product considerations: § $1,000,000 in Tilray products (including but not restricted to high-quality flower and extractabl...

LAS VEGAS — An industry leader in post-harvest cannabis processing equipment, Triminator, has released their groundbreaking commercial hash washing machine, the Maker™. The cutting-edge new addition to their product line is poised to transform the solventless category, offering cannabis producers a high-yield, efficient, and scalable solution for producing premium ice water hash at a commercial capacity. Ice water hash, also known as bubble hash, has garnered immense popularity among cannabis enthusiasts over the past decade due to its potent and pure cannabinoid profile. Traditionally, the process was labor-intensive and relied on manual hand-washing techniques, making large-scale production a daunting, and unfeasible challenge. However, with the advent of the Maker™, cannabis cultivators can now effortlessly streamline their hash-washing operations and meet the surging demand for top-quality solventless products. The Maker’s introduction comes at an opportune time, as the solventl...

SAN BRUNO, Calif.  — Dama, among the nation’s largest providers of access to banking and payment solutions for the cannabis industry, has entered into an agreement to acquire Candid AI, a digital e-commerce platform that makes personal product recommendations. Following their acquisition of GrowFlow, a leading seed-to-sale software platform, Dama welcomes Candid AI into their growing suite of tech operations solutions. Candid will integrate seamlessly with GrowFlow and Dama’s retail point of sale, providing consumers with access to consistent, accurate product recommendations both online and in-store. Together, Dama and Candid will take the guesswork out of ordering cannabis. “Candid’s unique virtual budtender doesn’t just offer tech, it offers a personal touch that gives tailored recommendations to every consumer,” said Patrick O’Boyle, CEO of Dama. “Through the integration of Candid with Dama’s comprehensive solutions, we’re making it even easier for cannabis bus...

BENSHEIM, Germany — Avextra AG, a leading European vertically-integrated manufacturer of cannabis-based medicines (CBMs) located in Germany, is proud to unveil the Avextra Alliance for Evidence-based Cannabis Medicine. The alliance is a groundbreaking initiative aimed at advancing research and development in the field of cannabinoid-based therapies in European markets where federally regulated patient access schemes are in place. In these markets Avextra forges working relationships with a strong network of early adopting researchers and practitioners to inform and enrich its clinical plan for pharmaceutical development. Avextra’s Alliance will combine Real-World Evidence (“RWE”) studies and randomised controlled trials (“RCT”) with different galenic forms in targeted indications with significant unmet patient clinical needs. The ultimate objective is twofold: (1) increasing the evidence to support therapy with Avextra’s magistral products (2) after conducting RCTs that determine eff...

In July, industry behemoths Trulieve Cannabis Corp. and WM Technology (parent company of Weedmaps) experienced a C-suite shakeup when their chief financial officers resigned. Maybe they learned what every other CFO figures out pretty quickly when they start to work the books in cannabis: In this industry, the role is as challenging as it is frustrating, with enough hurdles and hazards to test the best bean-counters in the land. Those who can’t adapt rapidly will find themselves overwhelmed. As CFO for Wana Brands, one of the largest edibles companies in the industry, Sandy Li has learned a few things about how to navigate a complex financial environment while implementing new strategies that help streamline day-to-day business operations. Here are her suggestions for smoothing out the wrinkles all CFOs face. What are some of the challenges confronting CFOs in this industry? We don’t have access to the normal capital market. And even if you do have access to quality capital, guess...

Denver was one of the first states to legalize adult-use cannabis in 2012, which means Colorado cannabusinesses have played an important role in testing and refining the legal industry’s efforts around marketing, product selection, discounts, promotions, and ultimately, figuring out what drives dispensary sales in a tourist-friendly metropolis. In 2022, Denver took in more than $9.4 billion from its 36 million visitors, many of whom hopped off the plane and searched for a dispensary to visit before they returned home. To help us determine Denver’s best dispensaries, we searched popular review platforms like Google, Leafly, Weedmaps, and Yelp, accounting for the total review score, number of reviews, and strong marks repeated across multiple review sites. Our final list includes eight of the top consumer-rated dispensaries in the Mile High City, catering to loyal locals as well as tourists on a mission to uncover an unforgettable, Instagrammable , and quintessentially Colorado cannabi...

WASHINGTON – Law enforcement agencies arrested 227,108 people for cannabis-related violations last year and 92 percent of the arrests were for possession, according to the latest data published by the Federal Bureau of Investigation this week. The figures likely fall short of reality with only 83 percent of agencies, representing 75 percent of the U.S. population, reporting data to the federal government. If all law enforcement agencies reported their data, the total number of cannabis-related arrests last year likely would be closer to 300,000. While incomplete arrest figures for 2022 show a 3.47-percent uptick from 2021, the percentage of agencies reporting arrests also increased by 12 percent, invalidating any reliable year-over-year comparison. For better context, cannabis-related violations in the U.S. peaked in 2007 with more than 870,000 reported arrests. During that year, 48 percent of all drug-related arrests were for cannabis. In 2022, cannabis-related arrests fell to abou...

LOS ANGELES – Incunabulum LLC (“Inc Media”) confirmed Murray Park has joined the team at mg Magazine . Park is a seasoned marketing professional who transitions to mg Magazine after recently leaving Maximum Yield . “I consider myself a trusted marketing advisor to many companies in the cannabis industry,” said Park, an industry veteran with twenty years’ experience in business management, print and online marketing, and business-to-business media. “ mg Magazine has set the benchmark for B2B communication in this sector, and I feel this transition will greatly enhance the marketing services I provide to my clients.” “Both our clients and readers will greatly benefit from Park’s vast experience in the Canadian market,” said Brandi Mesta, senior account executive. “He’s the right addition at the right time to strengthen our brand’s reputation across borders.” Prior to his transition to Inc Media, Park excelled at building relationships with new and existing advertising partners at ...

22Red established its first proprietary grow in West Phoenix. Originally founded in Los Angeles by System of a Down’s Shavo Odadjian, 22Red operates at the intersection of art, fashion, music, and cannabis. “I developed a fascination with cannabis genetics , because I was amazed by what cultivators and growers were able to create,” said Odadjian. “It’s a real art and I’ve always been a creator. We’re now lucky enough in Arizona to take the reins in our hands and really push the envelope with what’s possible with the plant.” The new 30,000-square-foot facility will grow everything from seed to flower with some of the most unique offerings in the state. The indoor facility is equipped with Neatleaf’s AI monitoring systems, high-performance LED grow lights , automated fertilization and plant nutrition, sophisticated HVAC water-cooling technology, and a dedicated and knowledgeable staff whose mission is to create ingenious cannabis offerings. To celebrate the brand putting down root...

LOS ANGELES  — Today, The Social Impact Center announced “Coming Out Green”  in Los Angeles, part of the first-ever Circa queer histories festival. The multimedia activation and celebration features 20 LGBTQ+ California leaders who have shaped the past, present, and future of cannabis. Featured leaders include Drug Policy Alliance Director, Cat Packer; Veteran, CEO and Oakland social equity leader, Amber Senter; Trans Latina Coalition founder,  Bamby Salcedo and national labor leader, Rigo Valdez. The installation includes footage from Castro Castle – home of late medical cannabis activist Dennis Peron and birthplace of the Compassionate Use movement – on public display for the first time. The event takes place Sunday, October 22, 2023, from 3-7 PM at beTRUE in Los Angeles, 7225 W Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90046. Activation includes: A thought-provoking documentary photo installation charting queer and trans activists and leaders from 1980s...

The lack of federal guidance has led to a patchwork of state laws and outright oddities around cannabis. While some of these regulations have presented lucrative loopholes for entrepreneurs with a high risk tolerance, the intended and often unintended consequences of others can be difficult to comprehend. “Marijuana laws in America, beyond being almost universally draconic and overly punitive for most of our history, are also extraordinarily odd even to this day,” said Erik Altieri, former executive director of NORML and current strategist for the Clean Slate Initiative . Altieri points out that a significant factor behind the eccentricities of American cannabis laws comes from the decentralized approach to policy-making. “Marijuana policy is largely drafted and enforced at the state and local level,” he said. “This resulted in a patchwork of cannabis laws that can change radically when you cross a state border. With so many varying systems, combined with laws that have been slowly...