CCMA Political greenBrief
Tuesday, January 22, 2019
www.cannabismanufacturers.org
Meryl Montgomery & Valarie Sakota Of Barbari, An Oregon Cannabis Brand That Has Benefitted From The Initiative, An Accelerator Program Focused On The Growth of Female-Founded Businesses
“The state failed to examine the experience in other states, which in turn has created costly problems for California companies with labeling and testing. The state also should be mirroring rules set by the federal government, which could eventually oversee the national pot market. Nobody cares more about the quality of the product than the manufacturer.”Kenny Morrison, President Of The CA Cannabis Manufacturers Association, On State Regulations
“We’re disappointed by the news but somewhat unsurprised. Still, we developed the ad in the spirit of a public service announcement. We feel it’s our responsibility to advocate on behalf of our patients. We want to get an audience befitting the message.”George Allen, President Of Acreage Holdings, On CBS Denying A Medical Cannabis Ad From The Super Bowl
CBS Blocked A Medical Marijuana Commercial From Playing During The Super Bowl (USA – Cannabis Commercials)
TIME (January 22, 2019) The Super Bowl isn’t ready for medical marijuana. Acreage Holdings, the multi-state cannabis company backed by John Boehner, says CBS rejected a television advertisement that calls for the legalization of medical marijuana. The network, which is airing the game on Feb. 3, nixed the proposed spot after seeing a rough outline, according to the company. The advertisement aimed to “create an advocacy campaign for constituents who are being lost in the dialogue,” Acreage President George Allen said. Super Bowl airtime would have been the best way to achieve this, he added.
http://time.com/5509377/super-bowl-medical-marijuana-commercial/
Cannabis Company Says CBS Won’t Air Its Super Bowl Ad (USA – Cannabis Advertising)
CNN Business (January 22, 2019) US states are increasingly legalizing marijuana, but the drug still isn’t mainstream enough to convince CBS to let a cannabis company run a Super Bowl ad in 2019. CBS (CBS) did not comment when asked why it declined to run the commercial. But a source close to the network said that it does not currently accept any cannabis-related advertising. George Allen, president of Acreage Holdings, said the ad focused on how medical marijuana has helped people cope with pain, including a child with Dravet’s syndrome that suffered from epileptic seizures.
https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/22/media/cannabis-ad-super-bowl-cbs/index.html
Track-And-Trace Launch & New Legislative Session Begins (CA – Cannabis Politics)
Marijuana Business Daily (January 22, 2019) California’s fully legal recreational marijuana market is now more than a year old, but is it maturing? There’s an ongoing infusion of capital, endless activity as companies and entrepreneurs compete for business permits, continued confusion statewide over regulations and competition from the illicit market. The 2019 California legislative session is underway, and so far, only eight cannabis-related bills have been introduced that could be of interest to marijuana firms in the state. Tax rates, enforcement against the underground market and delivery policies may prove to be the most controversial issues this year.
https://mjbizdaily.com/track-and-trace-launches-new-legislative-session-cannabis/
How Blockchain Technology Can Help Cannabis Recovery Efforts In Natural Disasters (CA – Cannabis Industry)
Forbes (January 21, 2019) The cannabis industry has been riddled with the destruction of grows due to California fires over the past few years. Less than a year after a series of wildfires in California which destroyed more than 1.3 million acres, northern California went up in flames again, this time forcing a mass evacuation for residents who watched their homes and lives go up in flames. Last year approximately 30 to 40% of California’s marijuana growers were impacted by the fires. By injecting blockchain technology into the supply chain, cannabis businesses are able to specifically identify and pinpoint potential weaknesses or inefficiencies in their internal and external operations.
California Signs Off On Permanent Cannabis Regulations (CA – State Regulations)
Pot Network (January 21, 2019) Just over a year into recreational cannabis sales in the state, California’s Office of Administrative Law announced on Wednesday it had officially approved proposed rules submitted by the state’s three regulatory agencies. The new, “permanent” regulations take effect immediately but are subject to future revision. The rules were developed under California’s Medicinal and Adult-Use Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act which created one regulatory system for both medicinal and recreational cannabis. The rules govern the growing, packaging, testing, sale, delivery, and marketing of cannabis within the state.
https://www.potnetwork.com/news/california-signs-permanent-cannabis-regulations
As Cannabis Markets Mature, Businesses Look To Financial Institutions For Transparent Banking (CA – Cannabis Banking)
Cannabis Business Times (January 18, 2019) The legalization and opening of new cannabis markets in the U.S. brings myriad new banking institutions into the space. For now, though, finite markets—even large ones, like California’s adult-use marketplace—beget a limited number of institutions willing to transparently bank cannabis clients. While the early history of regulated cannabis has been riddled with stories of cash-only transactions, that norm is quickly changing. Business owners and executive teams interested in forming a relationship with a financial institution must be fully prepared for the level of engagement that the banking industry demands.
https://www.cannabisbusinesstimes.com/article/banking-cannabis-business-transparency/
Dispute Over Delivery Rules Riles California’s Legal Cannabis Market (CA – State Regulations)
Tahoe Daily Tribune (January 19, 2019) California has finalized its rules governing the nation’s largest legal marijuana market, a milestone coming more than a year after the state broadly legalized cannabis sales for adults. By far the biggest dispute focused on deliveries. The rules released Wednesday will allow home marijuana deliveries statewide, even into communities that have banned commercial pot sales.
Palm Desert’s First Cannabis Shop Opens Its Doors (CA – Cannabusiness)
KESQ (January 21, 2019) Palm Desert’s first cannabis shop officially opened its doors Monday. West Coast Cannabis Club held a ribbon cutting ceremony at their its location on Highway 111 and Deep Canyon. This marks the second location to open in the east valley. The shop carries everything from marijuana flower, vaporizer pens, and CBD lotions. Kenneth Churchill, the company’s CEO, says that the majority of their customers tend to skew older, looking to cope with pain.
https://www.kesq.com/news/palm-desert-s-first-cannabis-shop-opens-its-doors/985275951
2018 Was A Major Year For Cannabis Legislation And 2019 Is Shaping Up To Be Much Bigger (USA – Cannabis Politics)
Marijuana Moment (January 21, 2019) Lawmakers across the country are introducing, debating and voting on more marijuana legislation than ever before. In 2018, Marijuana Moment tracked 915 bills in state legislatures and Congress concerning cannabis, medical marijuana and hemp. According to our legislative analysis platform, a huge majority of states—92 percent—took up cannabis reform bills of some kind during the year. This year, legislators in state capitols and on Capitol Hill have already filed more than 350 cannabis-related proposals for 2019 sessions that in most cases began only weeks ago. If 2018 is any indication, this year should see a sizable number of those bills making it to governors’ desks for enactment.
Female-Focused Pot Accelerator, The Initiative, Picks Ten Businesses For Inaugural Session (USA – Cannabusiness)
Forbes (January 22, 2019) The Initiative, a Portland, Oregon-based accelerator focused on addressing the dearth of female entrepreneurs in the legal cannabis industry, has chosen its first group of participants. The Initiative is a three-month-program that aims to provide participants with the tools and training needed to help them raise financing from investors as well as learn how to successfully launch and roll out their products and brands on a national scale. The Initiative is open to women-led cannabis businesses all over the world.
The New Grey Market: As Alder Users Warm Up To Cannabis, Pot Companies Want To Learn More (USA & Canada – Cannabis Market)
The Growth Op (January 22, 2019) Last summer, a few months before Canada legalized cannabis for recreational use, Canopy Growth Corp. bused a group of seniors from a nearby nursing home to its facility in Smiths Falls, Ont. While Canadian cannabis companies have been scrambling to attract younger adult customers in the months since legalization, the Canopy study and others like it point to the potential of another growing demographic — seniors — whose use of cannabis skews toward but is not limited to medical uses. That potential is borne out by statistics from south of the border: In Oregon, Colorado, Washington State, Nevada and California, seniors make up 25 per cent of the overall number of cannabis consumers.
