The West Virginia Office of Medical Cannabis has issued 10 medical cannabis processing licenses, according to a local WOWK report.

The licensees are Trulieve WV, Inc. in Huntington, Harvest Care Medical, LLC in Bridgeport, Buckhannon WV Processing, LLC in Buckhannon, Holistic WV Farms I, LLC in Beaver, Verano WV, LLC in Beaver, Columbia Care WV, LLC in Falling Waters, Tariff Labs, LLC in Left Hand, Armory Pharmaceutical, Inc. in Buckhannon, Mountaineer Integrated Care, Inc. in Fort Ashby, and V3 WV GP, LLC in Maxwelton.

RELATED: West Virginia Issues 10 Medical Cannabis Cultivation Licenses

Licensed medical cannabis processors can manufacture pills, oils, topicals, vaporizable products and tinctures, WOWK reported, which can then be sold to the state’s licensed dispensaries.

The Office of Medical Cannabis will now move forward with scoring dispensary applications, according to the news outlet, which is the last stage in the state’s cannabis licensing process. Regulators plan to issue medical cannabis cards to patients in the spring of 2021, WOWK reported.

San Luis Obispo County Superior Court Judge Ginger Garrett ruled Nov. 20 that cannabis billboards are illegal under California’s Prop. 64, according to a local KSBY report.

Two San Luis Obispo attorneys, Saro Rizzo and Stew Jenkins, filed a public interest lawsuit in San Luis Obispo Court in October 2019 on behalf of Matthew Farmer, a San Luis Obispo resident who argued that the advertising was wrongfully exposing his children to cannabis use, the news outlet reported.

Rizzo and Jenkins alleged in the case that the billboards are illegal under Prop. 64, the 2016 voter-approved initiative that legalized adult-use cannabis in California, according to KSBY.

A ban on billboards advertising cannabis, similar to one that prohibits billboards promoting tobacco products, was enacted as part of Prop. 64 to protect youth from cannabis advertising, the news outlet reported, and the provision bans cannabis billboards on the Interstate Highways and State Highways that cross the California border.

Garrett sided with Farmer on Friday, striking down a regulation that the California Bureau of Cannabis Control (BCC) adopted in 2019 to allow cannabis billboards on highways that cross state borders, KSBY reported.

Roughly 35 of California’s highways will be impacted by the ruling, according to the news outlet, although cannabis can still be advertised on billboards along highways that don’t cross state borders.

The BCC must now notify cannabis businesses about the new regulations, and operators in noncompliance could be penalized with fines or even the revocation of their license, KSBY reported, although a deadline to remove existing cannabis billboards has not been set.

AUGUSTA – PRESS RELEASE – Preliminary sales data from regulators at the state’s Office of Marijuana Policy (OMP) indicate Maine’s marijuana retailers grossed approximately $1.4 million and made 21,194 transactions during the first month of retail sales. The data, which was extracted from the state’s inventory tracking system, Metrc, shows that smokable marijuana made up 76% of sales, while concentrates and infused products accounted for 14% and 10%, respectively.

Maine’s adult use market launched on Oct. 9 and saw sales from six active licensees that month. An additional three adult use retailers opened their doors during the first week of November. The reporting period covers sales made from Maine’s retail sales launch date of Oct. 9 through the end of the day on Nov. 8, a total of 31 days.

“While it is easy to focus solely on the numbers, it is important to note that the Office of Marijuana Policy’s primary objective is maintaining the high standard of public health and safety we have set for the adult use program,” said OMP Director Erik Gundersen. “We appreciate the commitment our licensees have demonstrated to enact COVID protocols to ensure a safe launch and their continued commitment to these efforts in light of the recent spike in COVID cases in Maine.”

Adult use monthly sales totals and product types have been added to OMP’s existing transparency dashboard, available at: https://www.maine.gov/dafs/omp/open-data/adult-use. The initial data set includes the first month of retail sales. Beginning in December, sales information will be updated monthly with the preceding month’s totals.

Sales data are preliminary in nature, subject to further revision and have not been audited. The Office is responsible for the oversight of all aspects of legalized marijuana, including Maine's existing Medical Use of Marijuana Program.

VANCOUVER, BC, Nov. 23, 2020 /CNW/ - PRESS RELEASE - Village Farms International, Inc. has announced two positive developments with respect to its wholly owned Canadian cannabis subsidiary, Pure Sunfarms.

Pure Sunfarms Receives Cannabis Research License for On-Site Sensory Evaluation from Health Canada

Pure Sunfarms has received from Health Canada its Cannabis Research License to conduct human administration trials for sensory evaluation of cannabis, enabling it to engage in on-site assessments of the taste, sight, smell or touch of its products at its Delta 3 cannabis facility in Delta, British Columbia.

"This license provides us with significant new opportunities in the formulation and refinement of our products, and underscores our commitment to innovation and the advancement of the Canadian cannabis consumer experience," said Mandesh Dosanjh, president and chief executive officer of Pure Sunfarms. "We look forward to leveraging this new capability to continue to extend Pure Sunfarms' product leadership and further strengthen what is already one of Canada's best-selling cannabis brands."

Pure Sunfarms Brand Debuts Internationally in Hong Kong

Pure Sunfarms will be featured as part of a limited-edition Lane Crawford x Found CBD-infused gift set to be sold in the luxury department store's holiday pop-up shops in Hong Kong this holiday season. The luxury gift sets will feature Pure Sunfarms branded CBD gummies created specifically for the Hong Kong consumer, among other CBD-inspired items such as chocolates, bath salts, and tea bags. The co-branded Lane Crawford and Found holiday pop-up shops aim to educate consumers and elevate their awareness of CBD.

The inclusion of Pure Sunfarms-branded CBD products was facilitated through a partnership between Altum International Limited's Found, Asia-Pacific's first CBD retail platform and café, and Lane Crawford, an iconic luxury department store in Greater China. In August 2020, Village Farms acquired 6.6% of Australia-based Altum, one of the Asia-Pacific's leading cannabinoid platforms.

"We're so pleased for the Pure Sunfarms' brand to make its debut internationally, alongside such prestigious and progressive partners as Altum and Lane Crawford," said Dosanjh. "This is just the beginning of what's to come for Pure Sunfarms as we look to share our love of plants and B.C.-grown cannabis products with the global cannabis market."

"We are particularly excited to be able to present in Asia-Pacific for the first time, Pure Sunfarms, Canada's market-leading cannabis brand," Fiachra Mullen, chief marketing officer for Altum International. "We believe that the leading cannabis brands in the Canadian market will hold a special place in the Hong Kong consumer's heart. We are incredibly proud to have their trust in helping them access the Asia-Pacific markets for the first time through the most progressive cannabinoid jurisdiction in the region – Hong Kong."