Norma Pence

A union official told the New York Post that labor hopes to unionize “ many thousands of workers ” if the state legalizes recreational cannabis – a move that could affect firms trying to break into the market. “I think there are mixed feelings over unionized labor similar to any other industry,” cannabis attorney Rob DiPisa of Cole Schotz wrote in an email  to Marijuana Business Daily . “Since most of these businesses are startups, the concerns I’ve heard relate to the additional overhead costs (mostly for cultivators/processors) that would need to be factored into” the initial investment by a business. DiPisa is based in New Jersey, but he is closely monitoring the cannabis developments in New York. He noted that “we just dealt with this because the most recent version of the New Jersey bill required unionized labor.” The Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union represents a few hundred workers in New York’s medical marijuana program, including employees at multist...

Another year is coming to an end—and this was a big one for marijuana reform . Advocates scored a handful of legalization wins at the ballot box , an entire country  did away with prohibition and politicians of all stripes became more vocal about the need to change the way we approach cannabis policy. True to 2018 form, many lawmakers broadcast their views on the issue on Twitter. Here are some of the year’s best marijuana-related tweets from the people who are actually responsible for setting cannabis policy: 1. Remember when former Attorney General Jeff Sessions rescinded an Obama-era memo providing guidance on federal marijuana enforcement policy? While the move might have unnerved the legal industry, it also spurred significant pushback and vows to protect states from federal interference. I am prepared to take all steps necessary, including holding DOJ nominees, until the Attorney General lives up to the commitment he made to me prior to his confirmation. — Cory Gardner...

Another year is coming to an end—and this was a big one for marijuana reform . Advocates scored a handful of legalization wins at the ballot box , an entire country  did away with prohibition and politicians of all stripes became more vocal about the need to change the way we approach cannabis policy. True to 2018 form, many lawmakers broadcast their views on the issue on Twitter. Here are some of the year’s best marijuana-related tweets from the people who are actually responsible for setting cannabis policy: 1. Remember when former Attorney General Jeff Sessions rescinded an Obama-era memo providing guidance on federal marijuana enforcement policy? While the move might have unnerved the legal industry, it also spurred significant pushback and vows to protect states from federal interference. I am prepared to take all steps necessary, including holding DOJ nominees, until the Attorney General lives up to the commitment he made to me prior to his confirmation. — Cory Gardner...

Another year is coming to an end—and this was a big one for marijuana reform . Advocates scored a handful of legalization wins at the ballot box , an entire country  did away with prohibition and politicians of all stripes became more vocal about the need to change the way we approach cannabis policy. True to 2018 form, many lawmakers broadcast their views on the issue on Twitter. Here are some of the year’s best marijuana-related tweets from the people who are actually responsible for setting cannabis policy: 1. Remember when former Attorney General Jeff Sessions rescinded an Obama-era memo providing guidance on federal marijuana enforcement policy? While the move might have unnerved the legal industry, it also spurred significant pushback and vows to protect states from federal interference. I am prepared to take all steps necessary, including holding DOJ nominees, until the Attorney General lives up to the commitment he made to me prior to his confirmation. — Cory Gardner...

Massachusetts dispensaries rang up $9.3 million in recreational marijuana sales during the first four weeks of operation, an impressive feat considering only two stores were selling adult-use cannabis during the bulk of this period. Compared with the first month of rec sales in other states, Massachusetts had lower gross sales but far fewer operating dispensaries than Oregon ($14 million, 320 dispensaries), Colorado ($14.7 million, 59 dispensaries) and Nevada ($27.1 million, 53 dispensaries). The two Massachusetts dispensaries – Cultivate in Leicester and New England Treatment Access (NETA) in Northampton – took in more than $440,000 on the first day of sales , and the state averaged $2.3 million in sales per week. Alternative Therapies Group (ATG) opened Dec. 15 in Salem. Two more dispensaries – Verilife in Wareham and Insa in Easthampton – were approved to commence recreational sales in late December, with several other dispensaries slated for approval in the new year. Anoth...

Another year is coming to an end—and this was a big one for marijuana reform . Advocates scored a handful of legalization wins at the ballot box , an entire country  did away with prohibition and politicians of all stripes became more vocal about the need to change the way we approach cannabis policy. True to 2018 form, many lawmakers broadcast their views on the issue on Twitter. Here are some of the year’s best marijuana-related tweets from the people who are actually responsible for setting cannabis policy: 1. Remember when former Attorney General Jeff Sessions rescinded an Obama-era memo providing guidance on federal marijuana enforcement policy? While the move might have unnerved the legal industry, it also spurred significant pushback and vows to protect states from federal interference. I am prepared to take all steps necessary, including holding DOJ nominees, until the Attorney General lives up to the commitment he made to me prior to his confirmation. — Cory Gardne...

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky, holds a hemp pen before the start of a signing ceremony for H.R. 2, Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Thursday, Dec. 20, 2018. Photographer: Zach Gibson/Bloomberg © 2018 Bloomberg Finance LP The New Year means new opportunity for CBD food and drink companies. With industrial hemp legalized in the farm bill, CBD companies look toward increased sales and opportunities in 2019. The farm bill , signed by President Trump right before the government shutdown, notably included hemp legalization , championed by Sen. Mitch McConnell. States will create their own regulatory frameworks to be approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA.) States that already produce hemp, such as Colorado and Kentucky, will plan significant expansions to meet demand. The FDA has not yet approved hemp CBD supplements, food and cosmetics on a national scale, but has approved...

Up to six dozen unlicensed medical cannabis businesses in Michigan must close at least temporarily by Dec. 31 or risk not receiving a permanent license under a new, stricter regulatory system, state officials indicated Friday. Regulators noted in a news release that Michigan Court of Claims Judge Stephen Borrello had dismissed the last pending court case challenging the state’s deadline. State officials previously had agreed that businesses that had applied for a license under the new regulatory system by Feb. 15 and had local approval could temporarily operate until Dec. 31. David Harns, spokesman for the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, wouldn’t say if the state would actively enforce the Dec. 31 deadline. He would say that “it is very important for temporarily operating applicants to understand that any operation after Monday may be considered an impediment to licensure.” Harns wrote in an email that up to 72 businesses might be affected, “though we d...

The incoming House Democratic majority’s fifth top ranking member says that after the recent passage of criminal justice reform legislation entitled The First Step Act, the “next step” should be to enact far-reaching marijuana reforms. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), who was elected to new party leadership position last month, has been an outspoken advocate for cannabis decriminalization. Though his House Democratic Caucus chair win over Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) disappointed some progressives, his aggressive stance on marijuana reform in 2019 could help endear him to the party’s base. “Thanks to…the administration and a strong left-right coalition (the unusual suspects), historic criminal justice reform legislation is now law,” Jeffries tweeted on Friday. “Next step, Congress should DECRIMINALIZE MARIJUANA.” Thanks to @RepDougCollins @RepRichmond , the administration and a strong left-right coalition (the unusual suspects), historic criminal justice reform legislation is now law...

The marijuana policy debate is evolving so quickly now that more and more states keep joining the list of those that could legalize cannabis soon. The latest development out of New Hampshire has already rendered incomplete the list of 2019 marijuana predictions I put together earlier this week. Homegrown indoor pot plants and leaves Getty Steve Shurtleff, the Democratic speaker of the state House of Representatives, now says that his chamber and the Senate likely have enough support to override a promised veto of marijuana legalization legislation from Gov. Chris Sununu ®. “It’s going to pass,” the speaker told the Boston Globe for a story published on Friday. “It’s burying our head in the sand to think that if we continue to make it illegal in New Hampshire that people won’t be using marijuana.” Earlier this month, Sununu said  he would “absolutely” veto any marijuana legalization bill “regardless of what the language looks like.” The optimi...