Month: April 2025

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Kevin Brooks, former CEO of Cookies Management and Connected Cannabis, identified plant health as a key vulnerability in the cannabis supply chain based on his experience leading vertically integrated cannabis operations in California. This insight led him to establish Conception Nurseries, a Sacramento-based company that provides commercial-scale tissue culture services to the cannabis industry. In addition to maintaining a large catalog of cultivar clones, Conception offers remediation, cold storage, and exclusive production services. Brooks brings prior leadership experience and successful exits from the regulated tech sector to his role at Conception. Listen or read the transcript below, and find more episodes of Highly Enlightened on Buzzsprout!

Listen to the episode: Episode sponsored by eBottles:

This episode of Highly Enlightened is made possible by eBottles. If you’re in the cannabis business, you know that quality packaging isn’t just important—it’s essential. That’s where eBottles comes in. Whether you’re just starting out or scaling up, eBottles offers proprietary top-of-the-line packaging products built for cannabis. eBottles is a market leader for a good reason: they are experts in the field. Six patents, five warehouse

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Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) in a letter released Monday called intoxicating hemp products a danger to public health and safety, and called on state officials to coordinate and enact restrictions on the products, FOX 23 reports.

The letter was addressed to Secretary of Public Safety Tricia Everest, Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Control Director Donnie Anderson, Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority (OMMA) Executive Director Adria Berry, Department of Public Safety Commissioner Tim Tipton, and Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation Director Greg Mashburn, the report said.

The governor highlighted several psychoactive cannabinoids that can be derived from industrial hemp in the letter — including delta-8 THC, delta-10 THC, tetrahydrocannabinol-O acetate (THC-O) — and called on the officials and their respective agencies to “work together to identify and investigate the presence of [the compounds] and as appropriate to your agency’s authority, to take action within your jurisdictional lane.”

“These compounds, often marketed to young people, have psychoactive properties that threaten the safety and well-being of Oklahomans. We must act quickly and collaboratively to address this emerging threat and ensure that both licensed and illicit markets are held accountable.” — Gov. Stitt, in the letter

The governor’s statements follow over two

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Nebraska state senators have scheduled a series of public forums this weekend to address medical cannabis-related issues and legislative proposals, the Nebraska Examiner reports.

The lawmakers behind the events — state Sens. John Cavanaugh (D), Rick Holdcroft (R), and Ben Hansen (D) — say they want to hear from the public on the issue of legalizing and implementing a medical cannabis program, which voters overwhelmingly approved last November. In particular, the lawmakers want to discuss legislation proposed by Hansen to implement the state’s voter-approved program, which stalled out earlier this month in the Nebraska General Affairs Committee.

“Since the legislature has failed to act at this point, I want to give the citizens an opportunity to have their voices heard by their elected representatives.” — Sen. Cavanaugh, via the Nebraska Examiner

The forums are scheduled to take place this weekend, from May 3-5. The forums will be at the Carpenters Union Hall in La Vista on Saturday from 1-3 p.m.; at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, Thompson Alumni Center on Sunday from 1-3 p.m.; and at the Southeast Community College in Lincoln on Monday from 5-7 p.m.

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As the legal cannabis industry continues to evolve in Australia, there’s one group of operators being quietly strangled by outdated regulation: cannabis accessory retailers. Despite medical cannabis being legal across the country and recreational use decriminalised in the ACT, anyone selling bongs, dab rigs, grinders, vapes, or rolling papers must still register as a tobacco retailer and comply with tobacco laws. The result? An entire subset of the cannabis industry is being forced to operate under legislation that was never designed for them.

I operate an online headshop in Australia called The Bong Baron, and every day I’m faced with the absurd consequences of this legal mismatch. Our customers are buying products used for cannabis – not tobacco – yet the law insists we act as though we’re in the cigarette business.

After the death of my father several years ago due to lung cancer because of long term tobacco use, it’s an industry I’ve never wanted to be associated with. Yet, as a result of no appropriate legislation for cannabis accessories, it is either considered drug paraphernalia and completely illegal nationwide, or I and many others are forced to pretend we are some kind of elaborate tobacco accessory store

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The average price for 3.5 grams of cannabis at New York dispensaries has fallen slightly since the launch of legal sales from $41.13 at the launch of the program in 2022 to $38.96, the New York Post reports. One gram of concentrate decreased from $58.92 to $50.30 and one-gram vape products from $64.89 to $55.35, according to an Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) analysis outlined by the Post. 

John Kagia, OCM’s executive director of market policy, innovation, and analytics, told the Post that New York’s market has over 500 brands with about 370 shops open. 

“Retailers are adjusting their prices as part of their competitive strategy as more locations have opened. While it remains a little early to determine all the factors driving the retail price compression, it is common to see price compression as new markets mature and competition intensifies.” — Kagia to the Post 

Kagia added that “Lower prices indicate a growing diversity of products available in the market.” 

“They increase affordability for consumers,” he told the Post, “and they enable the legal market to compete more effectively against the illicit market.”  

Last August, sales revenues per

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Vermont Lt. Gov. John Rodgers (R) is calling on lawmakers to amend the state’s cannabis laws to allow cannabis cultivators to sell their products directly to consumers, Vermont Public Radio reports. Rodgers also wants the law to be changed to allow cannabis to be consumed anywhere tobacco use is allowed.  

“We’ve legalized marijuana – cannabis – and there are people who have apartments, have no place to smoke. You should be allowed to smoke cannabis anywhere you can consume tobacco products.” — Rodgers to VPR 

Rodgers told VPR that he wanted to allow growers to sell directly to consumers because the businesses of many small cultivators are threatened due to not having access to shelf space in the state’s dispensaries.  

“Because the retailers now hold all the cards, they can ice people out,” Rodgers told VPR. “They can pick and choose who they want to deal with, and you’ve got a whole bunch of really good growers that don’t have enough market.” 

Rodgers is the only state-elected official in the U.S. who has a cannabis cultivator license. He’s seeking the changes in the bill that passed the House

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Indiana lawmakers last week passed a bill that includes a ban on cannabis advertising in the state WANE reports. The new restrictions, which were added to legislation dealing with Bureau of Motor Vehicle rules, ban cannabis advertising “by any medium,” including billboards, flyers that are mailed to Indiana residents from out-of-state cannabis dispensaries, television, and truck advertising. 

It’s unclear how the proposal would affect online advertisements.    

The bill does include exemptions for billboard advertisements that are currently running but once those contracts expire, they will not be allowed to be renewed. 

During a hearing in March, state Rep. Jim Pressel (R), chair of the House Roads and Transportation Committee, said his community – which is near the Michigan border – is “inundated” with cannabis ads on billboards. He added that he and his constituents received up to two mailers a week advertising cannabis from out-of-state dispensaries.   

Cannabis possession is still prohibited in Indiana, although three of its four neighboring states, Illinois, Michigan, and Ohio, have legalized and regulated adult-use cannabis. 

The bill passed the House 81-9 on April 23 and 31-19 in the Senate the

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Artrix, a leading brand in cannabis vaporization technology, announces the launch of its new high-conductivity ceramic vape hardware series — the Lilcube postless disposable line. Designed to meet the demands of consumers seeking high-quality vaping experiences, this series enhances both safety and performance. The Lilcube series caters to premium concentrates such as Live Resin and Live Rosin, offering two device options: the Lilcube and the Lilcube Pro with a display screen for more precise control and upgraded capacity. The innovative series helps cannabis brands optimize performance, meet the evolving consumer demands, and expand their market reach.

Currently, ceramic heating technology has become the mainstream choice for cannabis vaporization. With the ongoing development of cannabis consumption, an increasing number of consumers are turning to premium, natural cannabis concentrates. However, traditional vaporizer devices often struggle to effectively vaporize thicker concentrates like live rosin and liquid diamond, which are rich in terpenes and other essential aromatic compounds. This technology limitation hinders product compatibility and restricts brands from further expanding into the high-end market.

“We continuously receive feedback from cannabis professionals who are seeking a professional device specifically designed for high-end concentrates, but they face challenges with traditional suppliers,” says Taric Lee, Chief

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Montana lawmakers have passed a bill to allow the state’s tribal nations and the governor’s office to establish compacts to legalize and regulate cannabis on individual reservations, the Montana Free Press reports.

Montana’s cannabis legalization law created issues for tribal cannabis operations, including limited licensing opportunities, limited license types, and heavy restrictions on where and how the tribes could establish dispensaries. The tribal compacts bill, sponsored by state Rep. Frank Smith (D), would address these issues by allowing tribal and state government officials to negotiate on tax issues, production caps, and more.

Patrick Yawakie, co-founder of Red Medicine, LLC, said in the report that the cannabis compacts would be similar to the tribal gaming compacts already in place.

“House Bill 952 is a proactive way to address tribal operations and other topics in partnership through intergovernmental relations.” — Yawakie, via the Free Press

The proposal, House Bill 952, was passed earlier this month with support from most Democratic lawmakers and enough of the Republicans, who hold the majority in the Legislature.

Proponents of the compacts say they will give reservations the freedom to either attempt to mitigate the use of cannabis or use it as an opportunity to promote economic

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An Arizona judge last week rejected a legal request to block new restrictions from Attorney General Kris Mayes (D) on intoxicating hemp products, AZ Central reports.

The Hemp Industry Trade Association of Arizona filed the lawsuit on April 21, arguing that the production and sale of THC-infused hemp products is legal under state and federal law. The plaintiffs also argued that the attorney general’s proposed changes would wipe out the industry, costing jobs and ruining businesses. But Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Randall Warner denied the motion for a restraining order last Thursay, the day the new rules took effect.

According to an opinion issued by AG Mayes last year, people who sell intoxicating hemp products in Arizona could face criminal penalties and fines of up to $20,000 per item sold. The attorney general clarified the changes in a follow-up opinion on March 24 and gave hemp businesses one month to adjust to the new mandate.

“All THC-infused edible products cannot be sold in Arizona by an unlicensed entity. Even if such products are legal under the Farm Bill of 2018, federal law does not preempt Arizona’s more stringent State laws.” — Mayes, in the follow-up opinion

AG spokesperson Richie

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