Month: November 2023

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — Police made an arrest at an illegally-operating dispensary this week in southwest Bakersfield and seized items including nearly 3 pounds of marijuana, 146 THC-infused edibles and 87 containers of concentrated cannabis, according to a department release.

A handgun with no serial number was also seized, police said.

A 32-year-old man was arrested during Monday’s raid on suspicion of the following crimes: operating a drug house, possession of marijuana for sale, selling psilocybin mushrooms and running a prohibited marijuana business.

Police used a confidential informant while investigating the dispensary located on White Lane, between Gosford and Ashe roads, according to a search warrant filed in Superior Court. The informant bought a small amount of marijuana from the business, the warrant says.

Other items seized were 86 pre-rolled marijuana cigars, 28 mushroom edibles, 15 prepackaged containers of marijuana, 198 vape fluid containers and $547 in cash, according to the release.

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“I feel like you can never get too excited until you make your first sale. There’s just been so much disappointment.”

By Rosalind Adams, THE CITY

This story was originally published by THE CITY. Sign up to get the latest New York City news delivered to you each morning.

Hundreds of people impacted by cannabis-related criminal charges will finally be allowed to move forward with the pot-shops they had already been granted licenses for—if the terms of a settlement agreement filed Tuesday are approved.

With marijuana legalization in 2021, the state created a special class of license called the Conditional Adult-Use Retail Dispensary licenses (CAURD). The aim was to reward those most harmed by decades of harsh drugs laws with the first opportunity to enter the legal market.

That goal stalled in August, when a group of veterans sued the state, arguing that the CAURD program violated the law by not offering licenses to other social equity groups like women and veterans at the same time. An injunction preventing any new stores from opening has been in place since then.

At the time of the injunction, the state had already awarded 463 CAURD licenses, but just 23 dispensaries had opened. Thirty other

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For those seeking medicinal marijuana in Roswell, Pecos Valley Production is a must-visit destination. Since July 1, 2020, New Mexico has accepted out-of-state MMJ cards, welcoming locals and tourists.

The facility recently expanded with a new 40,000-square-foot greenhouse alongside the original 15,000-square-foot facility. Pecos Valley Production takes pride in cultivating its own medicine and offering an impressive selection of strains from respected manufacturers.

At Pecos Valley Production, visitors can indulge in nearly two dozen varieties of high-quality flower, around four dozen vapes, exceptional pre-rolls, tinctures, topicals, extracts, chocolates, gummies, candies, beverages, and various edibles, gear, and more.

Service offered: In-store shopping, Curbside pick up.

Address: 313 W Country Club Rd STE 10, Roswell, NM 88201, United States

Store Hours: 9:00am – 7:00pm Monday- Saturday 10:00pm- 3:00pm Sunday.

Store number:  +1 855-732-2113

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BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) — A 32-year-old employee ran away from a business and was arrested after being accused of operating a drug house, sale of psilocybin mushroom, and more after officers served a search warrant at a White Lane business.

The Bakersfield Police Department said on November 27, 2023, at around 1:57 p.m., officers assigned to the Impact Unit and detectives assigned to the Major Narcotics Unit conducted a search of an illegal marijuana dispensary in the 7400 block of White Lane pursuant to a search warrant.

Police said during the warrant service, 32-year-old Luis Gonzalez of Bakersfield, an employee of the dispensary, ran away from the business.

BPD said he was captured and taken into custody without incident.

According to police, the officers and detectives seized almost 3 pounds of marijuana, 86 pre-rolled marijuana cigars, 146 THC-infused edibles, 28 mushroom edibles, 15 pre-packaged containers of marijuana, 198 vape fluid containers, 87 containers of concentrated cannabis, $547, and a pistol with no serial number.

Gonzalez was arrested for charges associated with operating a drug house, possession of marijuana for sale, sale of psilocybin mushroom, and prohibited marijuana business.

Anyone with information regarding this case is encouraged to contact the Bakersfield Police Department at (661) 327-7111.

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OSAGE BEACH, Mo. — CODES, a leading brand in Missouri’s thriving cannabis industry, today announced the grand opening of its newest dispensary in Osage Beach, in the heart of Lake of the Ozarks. The dispensary, located at 4805 Osage Beach Pkwy, marks the brand’s 13th location in the state as it continues to expand its presence and build on its commitment to providing exceptional cannabis products and personalized customer experiences statewide.

To celebrate, CODES will host a grand opening celebration at its Osage Beach dispensary on December 2nd from 9 am to 6 pm. Customers who join the celebration can enjoy local food trucks and live music, not to mention pop-ups and free items from all of Missouri’s top brands. Local residents and tourists can shop the premium selection offered at CODES dispensaries, including hard-to-find strains, concentrates, edibles, and more. CODES has quickly become one of Missouri’s top cannabis brands, with its flower, including rare and high-testing strains like Green Tea and Triangle Mints, gaining popularity among connoisseurs.

In addition to all-day celebrations and promotions, customers who shop from 9 am to 10am will receive “buy one get one” on all CODES products. Shoppers who arrive early may also be eligible

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This week, the New York State Cannabis Control Board (CCB) approved a settlement in the lawsuit that has delayed dispensary openings across the state. According to a press release from the CCB, until the plaintiffs agree to the terms, and the state Supreme Court approves it, the settlement will remain confidential.

But if everyone does sign off on it, a path forward should follow for the more than 400 dispensary applicants currently hanging in limbo.

In August, a group of service-disabled veterans filed suit against the state, saying they had been unfairly left out of the first round of licensees. They argued that, according to the 2021 Marihuana Regulation and Taxation Act, the first set of retail licenses should have gone to communities disproportionately impacted by cannabis regulations, distressed farmers, veterans who incurred a disability as a result of their service and women- and minority-owned businesses.

The lawsuit claimed the Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) and the CCB ran afoul of the law when they created the Conditional Adult-Use Retail Dispensary (CAURD) license program, which limited the first round of licensees to “justice involved individuals” who either had a past marijuana-related conviction or a relationship to someone who did.

These arguments echo those made

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Cannabis sales on the day before Thanksgiving surpassed sales on Black Friday, accounting for 21% of the weekly gross market value over the holiday week, according to order data from Weedmaps. The day before Thanksgiving has been dubbed “Green Wednesday” due to historically strong cannabis sales. 

Weedmaps saw 42% growth in total order volume on Green Wednesday and the average basket value that day was 103% higher than the average Wednesday during the month of November; however, the day’s gross market value was down 4% compared to Green Wednesday 2022.  

Orders for edibles increased most significantly on Green Wednesday, according to Weedmaps data, up 81%. Edibles also held six of the top 10 products sold on Green Wednesday – last year the category held five of the top 10. Vape pen orders also increased by 52% and flower increased by 48% over the average Wednesday in November, according to Weedmaps data.  

So far this year, edible products hold seven of the top 10 selling products, while vape and flower products each hold two spots, according to Weedmaps data, which notes that while flower is still the most purchased product category overall, the firm reports an 18.5%

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A Minnesota tribe is constructing a campus to manufacture hempcrete, which, once complete, will be the first facility in the U.S. to grow hemp, process into the building material, and build houses with it, according to a Grist report. The 20,000-square-foot complex is being built on the Lower Sioux Indian Reservation in southwestern Minnesota.

No facility in the U.S. is a vertically integrated hempcrete facility – meaning a site that grows the plants, processes them into the building material, and completes the construction, the report says.

The tribe is facing a housing crisis, with about half of the 1,124 enrolled tribal members in need of homes. Robert “Deuce” Larsen, the tribal council president, told Grist that “The idea of making homes that would last and be healthy was a no-brainer” but that the tribe “need to build capacity in the community and show that it can be an income stream.”

So far, the tribe has constructed two prototypes that are nearly completed. The tribal council used loans, government grants, and tribal funds to raise more than $6 million to build the processing campus and the two prototypes.

Jody McGuinness, executive director of the

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Four service-disabled veterans settled a lawsuit with the Cannabis Control Board on Nov. 28, essentially unfreezing a conditional retail licensing program for the state’s marijuana industry. This means that over 400 retail establishments can again proceed towards receiving conditional licenses statewide. Specifically, entrepreneurs that were banking on opening dispensaries can now do so.

Only 26 dispensaries have been legally licensed and opened statewide. Eleven of those are located in New York City, with six in Manhattan.

The vets had essentially taken issue with equity provisions in the Conditional Adult-Use Retail Dispensary Program, which they claimed excluded them from being prioritized. Essentially, the program had focused on granting licenses to people with past marijuana convictions (or immediate family members of those convicted under the old law). The veterans claimed that violated the state’s Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act. After the suit was filed in August, a judge in Ulster County froze the licensing program It had just started to crank up again after Governor Hochul signed legislation allowing hundreds of new firms to apply.

The veterans had piggybacked off a March lawsuit filed by four medical marijuana companies, who posited a similar argument claiming they were being illegally excluded from getting

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Perception Cannabis and OKAY Cannabis set to open up within a half mile of each other.

Two new dispensaries will be opening up early 2024 in the Rogers Park and Evanston areas, while a third is looking to relocate to a new location. 

OKAY Cannabis has started construction at 100 Chicago Ave. in Evanston and Perception Cannabis is awaiting approval from the city to begin the construction process on 7000 N. Clark St. in Chicago, according to board members of each company. 

A third dispensary, Zen Leaf, has been in operation at 7305 N. Rogers Ave. in Rogers Park for two years, making all three dispensaries fall within a one mile radius of one another and approximately two miles from Loyola’s Lake Shore Campus. 

Perception Cannabis started their proposal process in March, which included gaining support from the community, according to board director Charles Cherqui.

Cherqui said he had to give a presentation in March to Rogers Park residents at Alderwoman of the 49th Ward Maria Hadden’s office to convince them Perception Cannabis should have a location in their neighborhood. 

After the presentation, residents were given a survey to vote on potential concerns they had with inputting this business,

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