BudDigest

MARION—Thirty five more cannabis dispensaries will soon hit the market in Illinois since the state issued conditional adult use dispensing organization licenses through the Social Equity Criteria Lottery (SECL), according to an announcement made by the governor’s office and the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) Friday. But not one of them appear to be for Southern Illinois.  

Of the currently 202 adult use cannabis dispensaries in Illinois, including 92 social equity dispensaries that have opened their doors, there are nine in Southern Illinois: two in Mount Vernon, one in Granville, two in Carbondale (technically three, if you count The Wellness Center which sells products derived from hemp or the stem and not the flower of cannabis, and which is noted for its lower THC content), Anna, Marion, Harrisburg, and Metropolis all have one.

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SPEARFISH — Does Spearfish have a medical marijuana monopoly? With only one license available to dispensaries in the city limits, that’s the argument Ward I Councilman Marty Clark made during a study session Wednesday night.

Clark said he doesn’t know anyone with a medical marijuana card, and isn’t sure how high the demand is on the patient side. However, Mayor John Senden said there is plenty of interest from businesses.

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BILOXI, Miss. (WLOX) – “It’s going to make it a little bit easier for the path to legalization however the immediate impacts it will have with dispensaries specifically is immense,” said Elizabeth Cavanaugh.

Cavanaugh is the owner of Coastal Capital Dispensary in Biloxi and is excited to hear about the change to medical marijuana. Her excitement comes as a proposed drug classification will reclassify marijuana from a Schedule I drug to a Schedule III.

“All of our expenses we have to calculate into cost. So, by rescheduling it to a schedule three, it allows us to operate like a normal business which will bring cost down for business as well,” said Cavanaugh.

It’s the benefits that have many business owners like Cavanaugh excited — a tax reduction that would put less of a burden on the dispensaries. Cavanaugh says this should be an exciting thing for those in the cannabis industry as it could be the first step to changing the perception of medical marijuana.

“I think it’s a little bit down the road, there’s still a lot that has to happen and there’s a transitional period before this will even take effect, but this is the first step that needs to

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ST. PAUL, Minn. — As signatures are being gathered to put legalizing recreational cannabis for adults on the ballot in North Dakota, Minnesota lawmakers are working today to iron out its arrival in the state, and speeding up the process.

A bill, HF 4757, passed by the Senate on Friday, May 3, would let the Office of Cannabis Management start pre-approving dispensaries for licenses as early as this summer.

Besides the faster timeline for dispensaries the bill also lets cultivators start growing commercial crops later this year and gives the Office of Cannabis Management control over enforcement for hemp-derived edible products and medical marijuana.

Much of the lengthy session was focused on many amendments that were proposed and debated, ranging from establishing a ban on public consumption to clarifying rules for cities.

Lawmakers voted down an amendment to make minor possession or consumption of cannabis a misdemeanor, in line with current laws for minor possession of alcohol.

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Those who opposed the bill like Republican Senator from Fergus Falls Jordan Rasmusson expressed frustrations with proposed changes being rejected.

“We have a fix-it bill before the body that doesn’t include some of the most

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CHICAGO, Ill. – Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) issued an additional 35 Conditional Adult Use Dispensing Organization Licenses to applicants from the Social Equity Criteria Lottery (SECL) today.

The Illinois Cannabis Social Equity Loan Program provides direct forgivable loans of up to $240,000 for social equity cannabis dispensaries.

All 35 applicants met social equity criteria under the Social Equity Criteria Lottery’s administrative rules and an additional 13 conditional licenses are expected to be issued for a total of 48 conditional licenses. All applicants will have until June 7, 2024 to file any claims for judicial review.

 “Today’s announcement is yet another success story for Illinois placing equity at the forefront of legalizing cannabis,” said Pritzker. “Righting the wrongs from the failed drug war means more jobs and opportunities in the communities hit hardest, which will mean more resources to ensure Illinois’ cannabis industry remains the most equitable in the country.”

 To receive final approval for their licenses from the IDFPR, applicants have a year to build their dispensary, and can apply for an 180-day extension with the IDFPR. Only dispensaries with full licenses can begin

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✅ NJ cannabis sales strong✅ More NJ dispensaries open✅ Q1 sales up high within year

The number of dispensaries selling legal, recreational marijuana in New Jersey is more than five times higher than a year ago.

And that’s translated to brisk sales, according to state officials overseeing the market.

For the first quarter of 2024, recreational cannabis sales totaled more than $201 million — a 38% increase compared to the same time last year.

A strong factor has been the widening of the legal market, with more than 130 dispensaries for adult use open as of spring 2024, as listed here.

UPDATE 2024: All NJ stores that sell legal cannabis

The number of recreational cannabis dispensaries continues to grow, since the first NJ adult use marijuana sales in April 2022.

Gallery Credit: Erin Vogt

As of May 2024, Camden County had 15 legal dispensaries, followed by Burlington County with 14 and Union County with 13 locations.

Cape May, Cumberland and Sussex counties each had one legal dispensary.

Salem County has become the lone NJ county with no legal cannabis locations.

“The significant growth in sales year over year is an indication of the strong potential of New Jersey’s cannabis market,” New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission’s Executive Director Jeff Brown said in

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HALEDON — The Planning Board rejected a proposal for a new cannabis dispensary this week after multiple objectors, including public officials and a would-be competitor, laced into the application.

The Wayne-based business, owned by a limited liability company called This Budz 4 U, wanted to take over a Dunkin’ restaurant of 1,409 square feet at the intersection of Belmont and Haledon avenues.

Critics of the project pleaded with the board to think about how it would affect local youth. Among the opposition were the presidents of the Library Board of Trustees and the Manchester Regional Board of Education.

Raymond DeJonghe has owned a home on Church Street for four decades.

A cannabis dispensary that features a smoking lounge and indoor grow area is coming to San Francisco’s Bayview neighborhood — despite objections from nearby residents.

“It will be on an alley that we pass through every day to go home,” said Amanda Li, whose family lives in an affordable housing complex across from the site. “It will definitely affect us.”

The dispensary will be on one of Bayview’s less developed streets, near low-income and senior housing. Over a dozen cannabis facilities already operate in the neighborhood, nearly all of which are used only to grow the plant. Many residents, especially Chinese Americans, have opposed the new facility, which will sell cannabis products, out of fear that it will encourage drug use and make the area less safe. Despite their objections, the city’s Planning Commission approved the project Thursday because it did not violate city laws.

[ Read also: “As Attacks on Asian Americans Regain Spotlight, SF Group Seeks to Soothe Community” ]

Construction of the 2,500-square-foot facility at 2330 Lane St. is projected to begin by the end of 2024, though the project has yet to obtain building permits. Doors could open to customers about a year later.

Mubasher Choudhery,

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Fine Fettle in West Tisbury – MV Times

Fine Fettle, a medical and recreational dispensary in West Tisbury, announced that they will be closing in September and have put their operation up for sale.

Benjamin Zachs, chief operating officer of the Connecticut-based company, says that for a variety of reasons, they couldn’t make the operation financially viable.

“It sucks,” Zachs told The Times. “We haven’t been able to crack the nut to not lose money.” 

Fine Fettle first opened as a medical dispensary in 2021 after inking a landmark deal with Geoff Rose, owner of dispensary Island Time, earlier that year. Island Time in Vineyard Haven is the only other dispensary on the Vineyard. 

Fine Fettle operates the only licensed growing operation, and Zachs says they will close that location as well, although he added that there has been interest in purchasing the operation.

Zachs says he believes the reasons for not getting the revenue they expected are twofold. 

For one, the recreational marijuana market has been somewhat flooded with stores since voters supported the sale in 2016. A number of new locations off-Island have opened that are on the way to the ferry, including a location in Wareham and

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