This week, we were very pleased to announce a new partnership with the Minority Cannabis Business Alliance: the diversity scholarship, which will provide selected MCBA members with 20 complimentary Cannabis Conference 2021 All-Access passes, and 10 complimentary Hemp Grower Conference 2021 All-Access passes.
It was heartening to see this news come together, and we’re just excited to be able to extend this offer to a broad audience through the MCBA.
I mention it here because, too often, the industry is pushed backward by outside forces. In Mississippi, the state’s Supreme Court knocked down a voter-approved medical cannabis initiative. Progress: thwarted.
This industry is still very much emerging from an illicit market/gray market background. Pieces of the puzzle are being set in place, and now is the time to be as inclusive as possible—to keep the door open and examine new ways of working together. You can read Associate Editor Tony Lange’s report on Mississippi in the list below, and here’s what he wrote in our Friday newsletter (subscribe here!).
“If Mississippians want to instill their own system of checks and balances, they have the power to vote out Supreme Court justices at the polls when their eight-year terms expire. Then, their voices surely will be heard.”
We’ve rounded up some of the key cannabis headlines from the week right here.
- Assistant Editor Andriana Ruscitto reports: “Adult-use cannabis is making its way to Montana after Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte signed a cannabis legalization implementation bill into law on May 18.” Read more
- Senior Editor Zach Mentz reports on Ascend Wellness’s new dispensary in New Jersey. Read more
- Contributor Raj Chander provides a close look at the state of cannabis reform in Washington, D.C. …Will the District flip to rec? Read more
- The Parent Company will place a $50-million investment in southern California’s Glass House Group, which will open discussions to longer-term strategic market agreements. You’ll want to watch this space. Read more
- In a blow to voters, the Mississippi Supreme Court overturned last year’s successful medical cannabis initiative. Associate Editor Tony Lange gathers a sense of what come next. Read more
And elsewhere on the web, here are the stories we’ve been reading this week:
- CNBC: “Oxford Cannabinoid Technologies, which enjoys backing from rapper Snoop Dogg and tobacco giant Imperial Brands, launched Friday on the London Stock Exchange.” Read more
- Texas Tribune: “With less than two weeks left in Texas' legislative session, an effort to expand the state's medical marijuana program gained new life on Thursday after weeks of outcry from advocates who said Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick was blocking the proposal.” Read more
- KGUN: Jen Christiansen owns Arte Bella in Tucson, Ariz., a small business where customers can paint while using cannabis. Read more
- KNSI: “Those enrolled in Minnesota’s medical marijuana program are expected to have a more affordable option to the liquid, oil and pills currently allowed under one of the nation’s most restrictive medical cannabis laws.” Read more
- WAFF: “Some rejoiced. Others were disappointed. The reaction was mixed after Governor Ivey recently signed the medical marijuana bill into law for the state of Alabama.” Read more
