SF dispensary owner apologizes after leaked video generates outrage – SFGATE

FILE: Cannabis flower products for sale at the Green Goddess Collective legal cannabis dispensary on Feb. 15, 2023, in the Venice neighborhood of Los Angeles.

PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images

In the 30-second clip, Norman Yousif, founder and CEO of the dispensary chain Off the Charts, is shown apparently bragging that he has saved money by “not paying the vendors.” To add insult to injury, Yousif seemed to specifically say that it was the “f—cking mom and pops” that his company wasn’t paying.

“We’ve saved hundreds and hundreds of thousands. I mean, if you don’t have to pay, you don’t have to pay,” Yousif said in the video.

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With that comment, Yousif touched on a problem that has been rampant for years: California’s cannabis farmers keep getting stiffed. They send their pot to cannabis stores, yet their invoices never get paid. They lose sometimes hundreds of thousands of dollars at a time, and those losses put these smaller enterprises, including third-generation family farms, out of business.

The video quickly ricocheted across social media where hundreds of people posted angry comments, calling Yousif’s comments “disgusting” and an example of “everything that is wrong” inside California’s pot industry.

Yousif apologized for the statement

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Dispensaries stir up noise at CB 11 | | qchron.com – Queens Chronicle

Community Board 11 was packed on Monday night — but not to discuss a matter on the agenda.

More than 100 people attended the meeting, the vast majority doing so to voice their opposition to four cannabis dispensary licenses set to go before the board’s Public Safety and Licensing Committee on Wednesday night, after the Chronicle’s press time.

While the committee will discuss licenses for four different dispensaries in the area, on Monday, much of the focus was on Canna Budda Corp., which would be located at 215-46 39 Ave. Under state law, dispensaries cannot open within 500 feet of a school or within 200 feet of a house of worship. And though the proposed shop is 520 feet from Sacred Heart Catholic Academy in Bayside, residents were not impressed by the 20 feet of leeway.

“If we invite this business into our residential community, 520 feet from our schools, we’re inviting a lightning rod for burglaries and activity near our children,” said Bayside resident Daniel Socci.

His fellow Baysider, Felix Lamb, shared similar concerns about the location.

“This address is right next to and across the street from a variety of private homes,” he said. “This is not a commercial area. This

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Embarc celebrates second dispensary location opening in Tahoe Basin – Tahoe Daily Tribune

MEYERS, Calif. – Several weeks into the new year, local dispensary Embarc is blazing the trail for South Tahoe’s local business landscape; cutting the ribbon on their new storefront and celebrating the grand opening of the dispensary’s second location outside of South Lake Tahoe city limits in the beloved local community of Meyers.  

Lauren Carpenter, owner and founder of Embarc, reflects on the last four years of being a business owner in South Lake Tahoe, and is eager to bring a new dispensary to Meyers.  

“Embarc started in South Lake Tahoe with a small team of 20 people and we believe that Embarc is really a Tahoe success story,” Carpenter said. “In the time since we’ve opened our first store, we now officially have 12 stores across California, including the grand opening of our newest store in Meyers. Embarc is testament to what a small mountain community can cultivate, it’s been an incredible journey ever since we have opened our doors.”  

While Carpenter has been the frontrunner for Embarc, she has been deeply involved in the politics of cannabis for much longer. 

“I had been working in policy in Sacramento, but moved down to

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Feb. 8 Daily Briefing: Sign restored to midcentury glory, another dispensary in the works, council meeting preview, and … – The Palm Springs Post

Welcome to Thursday, and would you look at this! It’s none other than the crew at KGAY, gracing the New York Times. Author Erik Piepenburg and photojournalist Michelle Groskopf expertly captured the spirit of what station owner Brad Fuhr has created along with Chris Shebel and John Taylor (at the microphone during afternoons and mornings) and DJ Eric Ornelas, DJ Galaxy, and DJ Modgirl, whose magical mixes help entertain the party people young and old. Even if you’re not a listener, you need to read all about this one-of-a-kind operation keeping the beat alive here while broadcasting around the world.

🎶 Setting the mood: “Walk on By” by Dionne Warwick

LEADING OFF The owner of this building along North Palm Canyon Drive plans to open a cannabis dispensary after completing an addition of more than 600 square feet. New dispensary moving forward amidst industry struggles

While members of the Palm Springs City Council continue to discuss ways to help struggling cannabis business owners, the next possible new dispensary and lounge in the city is moving forward.

Zoom in: The project — dubbed “Off the Charts Cannabis Dispensary” — was submitted by longtime resident and local business owner Wayne Gottlieb. It calls for a 628-square-foot addition

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“I’m Stuck” cannabis dispensary operator faces severe fines for illegal operations in Cayuga, Wayne counties – FingerLakes1.com

The crackdown on unlicensed cannabis dispensaries in New York continues, with the I’m Stuck chain facing significant fines following a court order. Owner David Tulley must provide sales and bank records by March 16 for his now-closed Cayuga County locations, according to The Citizen.

With fines reaching up to $20,000 per day post-cease order, Tulley’s penalties could exceed $2 million for violations tied to his establishments in Auburn and Aurelius, highlighting the state’s intensified enforcement efforts against illegal cannabis sales.

The state’s Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) is leveraging a comprehensive enforcement strategy, incorporating labor, tax, and cannabis laws to impose hefty fines on non-compliant businesses.

As the legal cannabis market in New York expands, the state has shut down I’m Stuck and similar “gray market” dispensaries, marking a significant step in establishing a regulated industry. Tulley also had an operation in Ontario, Wayne County, which was shut down after raids.

Get the latest headlines delivered to your inbox each morning. Sign up for our Morning Edition to start your day. FL1 on the Go! Download the free FingerLakes1.com App for Android (All Android Devices) or iOS (iPhone, iPad).

FingerLakes1.com is the region’s leading all-digital news publication. The company was founded in 1998 and has been

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Madison Township Ohio trustees discuss possible medical dispensary – Mansfield News Journal

A small, family-owned company from Cambridge that sells medical marijuana is looking at Madison Township as a possible location for a new retail facility.

Bryan Hennessey of Backroad Wellness told township trustees at their regular meeting Monday that the company, which has dispensaries in Cambridge, New Boston and Lima, was allowed to open three more locations under recent legislation governing recreational marijuana.

“We’re looking at a place to put them and are looking at a building in your township,” Hennessey told the board. “We want to see how everybody thought about that and if we’re going to have any support and to answer any questions.”

Hennessey said Backroad Wellness stores average about $250,000 in sales per month and generate $16,000 to $17,000 per month in sales tax. Although he did not say exactly where, he told the board the company is looking at a site where an existing building would be razed and a new 4,000-square-foot facility would be constructed.

“If we have community support, when June comes we’ll submit our applications to the state and if they approve our location we can start our preparations,” Hennessey said.

Trustees’ Chairman Tom Craft pointed out that Madison has a resolution that “in a nutshell” outlaws any

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Judge: Stratford church can sue to stop Honeyspot Road dispensary – CTPost

130 Honeyspot Rd. in Stratford, Conn. Sept 6, 2023.Ned Gerard/Hearst Connecticut Media

Michigan-based cannabis company C3 Industries is proposing to open a dispensary in a 113-year-old building at 130 Honeyspot Road in Stratford following a renovation.  

Contributed / Courtesy of Town of Stratford

BRIDGEPORT — A Superior Court judge refused Wednesday to throw out a lawsuit by a Stratford church seeking to block that town’s first cannabis dispensary.

The location is a 113-year-old building, which previously housed Johnny’s Restaurant.

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With no previous court rulings on cannabis dispensaries since recreational cannabis was legalized in the state, Judge Dale Radcliffe instead relied on his prior rulings in regulating liquor stores in the area that have been upheld by appellate courts.

“For many years, the advocates of legalization and decriminalization of the adult recreational use of cannabis, have argued that the recreational use of cannabis and the voluntary consumption of alcoholic beverages should both be lawful,” the judge wrote. “They maintained that the law should not regard alcohol as a legal intoxicant, while criminalizing the sale and use of cannabis. It is therefore disingenuous to endorse a rule which regards the sale of alcohol and the sale of cannabis differently, for purposes

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He opened a medical pot dispensary in California. The feds spent 16 years prosecuting him – Herald Palladium

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LOS ANGELES — For nearly 17 years, the federal government has been after Charles Lynch for running a medical marijuana dispensary.

Prosecutors refused to drop their criminal case against him even as marijuana became fully legal in California and 23 other states. They refused to let it go when Congress forbade the Department of Justice from using its funds to criminally prosecute medical marijuana activities that were consistent with state law.

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Town approves Connecticut’s first drive-thru dispensary – WTNH.com

MANCHESTER, Conn. (WTNH) — A new cannabis dispensary was approved in a Connecticut town.

The Manchester Planning and Zoning Commission approved a proposal by Ayr Wellness to open the town’s third dispensary at the former Starbucks location on Spencer Street with a drive-thru service.

“I think it’s a good idea,” said Gina Beiser of Hebron. “I think it will be more convenient for people just to drive on through.”

There were some concerns about traffic, but unlike Starbucks, where you could pull up and order at the drive-thru window, Ayr Wellness said adult use and medical cannabis pick-ups would be scheduled in advance so they could be spaced apart to avoid back-ups.

“I think that will definitely be really successful, especially because that’s very new,” said Katie Murphy of Glastonbury. “Like a new concept to people, it makes everything convenient. That could be good for people who like that.”

Cannabis products in ‘limited variety’ in Connecticut due to surge in sales

A local engineering firm, Vliets & O’Neill, also found that most of the Starbucks-related traffic was in the morning, which is earlier than when the dispensary opens at 10 a.m.

The

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APD charges 2 for murder of man outside dispensary on Central – KRQE News 13

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – The Albuquerque Police Department has charged Antonio and Jesus Secatero with the murder of a 73-year-old man outside a dispensary in January. Fred Tapia and a friend were in a truck when they came upon two men and a woman in the road in front of a smoke shop on Central. The driver of the truck told APD he drove around the group.

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He says they got out of the truck and two men accused him of trying to run them over. The argument turned physical and the driver said one of the men kicked Tapia in the chest knocking them over. The driver said he tried to grab a pipe to defend himself and tripped and said that was when he was stabbed.

APD says surveillance video doesn’t show the stabbing but that the Secateros were armed with knives and that a large rock was thrown at the driver which prompted others involved to throw rocks. The two brothers are then seen making downward motions which APD says is consistent with the area where the driver of the truck was.

Both the driver and Tapia were taken to the

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