BudDigest

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The owner of a Mississippi medical marijuana dispensary filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday challenging state regulations that he says censor business owners by preventing them from advertising.

After Mississippi legalized medical marijuana for people with debilitating conditions in 2022, Clarence Cocroft II opened Tru Source Medical Cannabis in Olive Branch, Mississippi. But he says he has struggled to reach customers because Mississippi’s Department of Health has banned medical marijuana businesses from advertising in any media.

That violates business owners’ First Amendment rights, Cocroft’s attorneys wrote in a lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi.

“All I want to do, like any other business owner, is have the opportunity to advertise. If I pay taxes in this business, which I do, I should be able to advertise,” Cocroft said at a news conference. “All I’m asking from this state is to provide us with the same liberty that they’ve provided other businesses.”

Cocroft, who is represented by the Institute for Justice, sued the leaders of the state’s Department of Health, Department of Revenue and Alcoholic Beverage Control Bureau. The lawsuit accuses state regulations of prohibiting business owners from engaging in truthful commercial speech to promote

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JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The owner of a Mississippi medical marijuana dispensary filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday challenging state regulations that he says censor business owners by preventing them from advertising.

After Mississippi legalized medical marijuana for people with debilitating conditions in 2022, Clarence Cocroft II opened Tru Source Medical Cannabis in Olive Branch, Mississippi. But he says he has struggled to reach customers because Mississippi’s Department of Health has banned medical marijuana businesses from advertising in any media.

That violates business owners’ First Amendment rights, Cocroft’s attorneys wrote in a lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi.

“All I want to do, like any other business owner, is have the opportunity to advertise. If I pay taxes in this business, which I do, I should be able to advertise,” Cocroft said at a news conference. “All I’m asking from this state is to provide us with the same liberty that they’ve provided other businesses.”

Cocroft, who is represented by the Institute for Justice, sued the leaders of the state’s Department of Health, Department of Revenue and Alcoholic Beverage Control Bureau. The lawsuit accuses state regulations of prohibiting business owners from engaging in truthful commercial speech to promote

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The Zoning Board of Appeal on Tuesday approved a marijuana dispensary at 1251-1269 River St., in Hyde Park, but owner Geneise Israel said that even if she now quickly gets the required state approval, she won’t open her door until after the decaying and now closed River Street Bridge right next door is re-opened.

State transportation officials say they hope to get the bridge-re-opened, at least on a temporary basis, to vehicle traffic next spring while they have an all new custom bridge built off site and then transported for permanent installation.

In response to questions from board members, Israel said she didn’t think security at the proposed pot shop would be an issue, not just because of the cameras she intends to install but because the shop backs up against the parking lot of the District E-18 police station – with which she would share a driveway for deliveries.

Although the shop would have no dedicated customer parking, she noted there is a large public lot just across the street, behind the post office and next to the train station.

Israel added that her shop would use the leftmost of the three entrances in the building’s unusual three-door entrance.

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HOTCHKISS – Valley High, LLC will soon open its second retail marijuana dispensary later this month at 110 Pinion Drive. Its other location is in Paonia. 

The Hotchkiss Town Council unanimously okayed the town’s first marijuana outlet earlier this year. The licensee, Micah Erickson, has successfully completed licensing with the state and has renovated its forthcoming location. 

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The Landing Dispensaries support at-risk members of Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Monroe and Huron communities this Thanksgiving season through turkey donations

CLEVELAND, Nov. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — The Landing Dispensaries are celebrating Ohioans’ overwhelming support for the passing of the citizen-led adult-use cannabis ballot initiative Issue 2 by partnering with the Cleveland Food Bank, Mid-Ohio Food Collective, Freestore Food Bank and Second Harvest Food Bank to feed 10,000 through turkey donations this Thanksgiving season.

Firelands Scientific is a cutting-edge medical cannabis company that combines the best of nature, science and technology to provide patients with natural alternatives to modern synthetic drugs. (PRNewsfoto/Firelands Scientific)

“Community leadership and service are key pillars of the company ethos at Firelands Scientific and The Landing Dispensaries,” said Rob McCourt, Firelands Scientific Vice President of Commercial. “Our teams came together to find an impactful way to contribute to communities where we have a retail presence, so we partnered with Atlantic Food Distributors and key food banks across Ohio for a large quantity turkey donation to feed at-risk Ohioans this Thanksgiving.”

The recent opening of The Landing Dispensary’s Cincinnati location marks Firelands Scientific’s fifth Ohio dispensary and brings its full dispensary roster to 10 stores, serving patients across five The Landing West

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The Landing Dispensaries support at-risk members of Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Monroe and Huron communities this Thanksgiving season through turkey donations

CLEVELAND, Nov. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — The Landing Dispensaries are celebrating Ohioans’ overwhelming support for the passing of the citizen-led adult-use cannabis ballot initiative Issue 2 by partnering with the Cleveland Food Bank, Mid-Ohio Food Collective, Freestore Food Bank and Second Harvest Food Bank to feed 10,000 through turkey donations this Thanksgiving season.

“Community leadership and service are key pillars of the company ethos at Firelands Scientific and The Landing Dispensaries,” said Rob McCourt, Firelands Scientific Vice President of Commercial. “Our teams came together to find an impactful way to contribute to communities where we have a retail presence, so we partnered with Atlantic Food Distributors and key food banks across Ohio for a large quantity turkey donation to feed at-risk Ohioans this Thanksgiving.”

The recent opening of The Landing Dispensary’s Cincinnati location marks Firelands Scientific’s fifth Ohio dispensary and brings its full dispensary roster to 10 stores, serving patients across five The Landing West Virginia locations as well as its five stores located in Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, Monroe, and Huron.

“We stand ready to work with Governor DeWine and

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Kitchener-Waterloo·New

Regional police executed a search warrant at a magic mushroom dispensary in Cambridge on Tuesday. Police arrested a 20-year-old Kitchener man.

Police say psilocybin is classified as a schedule three drug and selling it is a criminal offence

CBC News · Posted: Nov 15, 2023 8:45 AM EST | Last Updated: 23 minutes ago

Regional police arrested a 20-year-old Kitchener man after executing a search warrant at a business in Cambridge operating as an illegal mushroom dispensary. (Jackie Sharkey/CBC)

OLIVE BRANCH, Miss. (WMC) – An owner of a medical marijuana dispensary filed a federal lawsuit challenging Mississippi Law.

Clarence Cocroft, the owner of Tru Source Medical Cannabis, teamed up with the Institute for Justice (IJ) to file the lawsuit on Tuesday.

The lawsuit aims to defend the First Amendment right of all Mississippians to advertise their legal businesses.

Coroft bought a few billboards in highly trafficked areas in northern Mississippi.

Because of the state’s ban, Coroft was forced to lease those billboards to other businesses that can legally advertise on them, including local casinos.

“Preventing someone from advertising his or her legal business violates the First Amendment,” said IJ Senior Attorney Ari Bargil. “The government simply has no interest in prohibiting a business from providing truthful information about its products to would-be customers.”

In 2022, Mississippi’s law legalized adult medical marijuana which was approved in 2020.

This allowed Clarence to open Tru Source, the state’s first Black-owned dispensary, earlier this year.

“Some people don’t know Mississippi has medical marijuana, and even if they do know about it, they might not know that Tru Source exists right here in Olive Branch. I want to help patients find the products they need for whatever illness they have, but

Read More Here...

OLIVE BRANCH, Miss. (WMC) – An owner of a medical marijuana dispensary filed a federal lawsuit challenging Mississippi Law.

Clarence Cocroft, the owner of Tru Source Medical Cannabis, teamed up with the Institute for Justice (IJ) to file the lawsuit on Tuesday.

The lawsuit aims to defend the First Amendment right of all Mississippians to advertise their legal businesses.

Coroft bought a few billboards in highly trafficked areas in northern Mississippi.

Because of the state’s ban, Coroft was forced to lease those billboards to other businesses that can legally advertise on them, including local casinos.

“Preventing someone from advertising his or her legal business violates the First Amendment,” said IJ Senior Attorney Ari Bargil. “The government simply has no interest in prohibiting a business from providing truthful information about its products to would-be customers.”

In 2022, Mississippi’s law legalized adult medical marijuana which was approved in 2020.

This allowed Clarence to open Tru Source, the state’s first Black-owned dispensary, earlier this year.

“Some people don’t know Mississippi has medical marijuana, and even if they do know about it, they might not know that Tru Source exists right here in Olive Branch. I want to help patients find the products they need for whatever illness they have, but

Read More Here...

Join NY Cannabis Insider for our next full-day conference on Nov. 16 at the Sonesta White Plains.

It’s no secret that New York State’s nascent cannabis industry is under fire from large out-of-state corporations champing at the bit to enter what’s expected to become one of the nation’s largest legal marijuana markets.

However, a NY Cannabis Insider investigation has found these same companies are breaking state regulations to secure market share while also boxing out the Empire State’s small farmers and brands through flush deals, or by offering large amounts of money in a market currently starved for cash.

Additionally, our investigation has found that the Office of Cannabis Management, the agency responsible for regulating the market, is aware of the problem – but has decided not to enforce against these companies out of fear of disrupting the supply chain, according to a leaked audio recording of a top OCM official.

“No one should be above the rules,” said John Vavalo, president of the Association of New York Cannabis Processors. “And the only people who are not playing by the rules are, frankly, winning.”

Vavalo’s opinion isn’t unique.

For months, New York’s small farmers and brands have complained of the state’s nonexistent enforcement of cut-throat business

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