
The past year saw growth and new opportunities for cannabis dispensary owners, from the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act’s momentum in Congress to the opening of new markets such as Ohio, which launched medical cannabis sales in January.
Here, we’ve rounded up Cannabis Dispensary’s top 10 most popular articles of 2019.

10. Terrasana’s First Ohio Medical Cannabis Dispensaries Open
As Ohio’s first medical cannabis dispensaries got up and running in early 2019, we spoke with Terrasana Chief Medical Officer Bill Kedia about the opening of the company’s Garfield Heights location, the first dispensary to open in Cuyahoga County. Kedia told Cannabis Dispensary that the company is placing the medical needs of this early-stage marketplace front and center. Read more

9. 10 Tips for a Winning Cannabis Dispensary License
The license application process is more demanding than ever, and it can be tricky to navigate all the nuances—especially if you’ve never done it before. In our February 2019 issue, we spoke with five licensing consultants, attorneys and operators who have secured licenses in competitive cannabis markets for tips on how to create a winning dispensary license application. Read more

8. 10 Questions with Eric and Kyle Speidell of The Green Solution
Since its launch in 2019, The Green Solution (TGS) has continued to grow its footprint and brand in Colorado, and the company announced in December that it was being acquired by multistate operator Columbia Care to expand even more. TGS co-founders Eric and Kyle Speidell sat down with Cannabis Dispensary in April to discuss their company’s success, what the future holds, challenges Colorado dispensaries face and more. Read more

7. Federal Lawsuit Seeks to Halt Kern County Closure of Medical Cannabis Dispensaries
Years of political infighting and legislative end-arounds came to a boil earlier this year in a federal lawsuit against Kern County in southern California. In late January, a group of medical cannabis dispensary owners filed a lengthy civil complaint against Kern County public officials, alleging violations of constitutional rights to due process in the local business licensing regime. Read more

6. How to Create Your Cannabis Dispensary Employee Handbook
In her February 2019 “HR HQ” column, MJ HR Strategic Solutions’ Maria Denzin outlined pointers to make sure cannabis dispensary employee handbooks are both complete and compliant. Employee handbooks are comprised of clear and consistent policies concerning dispensary culture, workplace standards, benefits and employee behavior, Denzin wrote. Read more

5. SAFE Banking Act Reintroduced in U.S. Senate
U.S. Sens. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Cory Gardner (R-CO) reintroduced the SAFE Banking Act in the Senate in April to protect banks and other financial institutions from federal prosecution when working with cannabis-related businesses that operate in compliance with state laws. The House passed its version of the legislation in a historic vote in September, although the bill’s fate in the Senate remains uncertain. Read more

4. STIIIZY Is Opening a New ‘Experiential Retail Store’ in Los Angeles This Week
STIIIZY, a California-based cannabis brand, opened its flagship store in Los Angeles in late August with the goal of giving cannabis consumers a unique experience through art pods, an interactive LED tunnel, an inside look at the indoor cultivation facility next door and more. “We have an opportunity to not only legalize cannabis and make cannabis more of a mainstream, destigmatized product, but [also] to really build up the industry and define things like retail, and that’s what we’re trying to do with this store,” Daniel Yi, chief communications officer for STIIIZY’s parent company, the Shryne Group, told Cannabis Dispensary. Read more

3. Missouri, Oklahoma Wrestling With Number of Licensed Dispensaries
A University of Missouri report was shared in April by the Missouri Department of Health that outlined a sharp contrast between the number of licensed medical marijuana businesses mandated by the voter-approved Amendment 2 and cannabis supply-and-demand estimates based on nearby U.S. states. In short, Missouri’s medical marijuana regulators may have overestimated the marketplace, an issue that regulators and business owners in Oklahoma are also confronting. Read more

2. 3 Fundamentals of an On-Site Consumption Space
Cannabis Dispensary spoke with Barbary Coast Executive Director Jesse Henry last spring to learn how dispensary owners can provide a welcoming space for their customers to consume their products. “The bottom line is safety,” Henry said. “Obviously, the devil is in the details, so just make sure all the little things are taken care of and that generally provides a safe and well-functioning atmosphere for the big things.” Read more

1. 4/20 Deals and Events: Cannabis Dispensary Roundup
As 4/20 approached, Cannabis Dispensary highlighted a handful of deals and events that illustrated the variety of dispensary strategies to capitalize on the important sales day—and sales week. Read more