BudDigest

With the motion unanimously passed, the city staff will get to work hammering out specifics, including license application and renewal fees and any restrictions.

Jacob Schulte, the city’s economic development program manager, told council staff is proposing a limit of five dispensary licenses for the city, creating a self-regulating quota of one license per every 10,000 citizens.

Applications would operate through the economic development department with application and renewal fee that automatically renews annually on Jan. 1.

Credit: Bill Lackey

Credit: Bill Lackey

State regulations say dispensaries can not be located 500 feet from any public parks, public playground, school or church, Schulte said.

“The vast majority of the business (locations) around Jacot Park, Breiel and Grand Avenue areas are pretty much out of reach (according to state regulations),” Schulte said.

He added that is also the case for Roosevelt Boulevard as well as much of the southern area of the city.

Monroe and Oxford regulated dispensaries from the state level like a pharmacy or retail business, Schulte said, meaning there was no local zoning or licensing but held them to state requirements. When those cities got to the level of dispensaries, they put on a moratorium.

“We (Middletown) are taking a first step in an amendment to

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NORWOOD, Mass., April 11, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — MariMed Inc. (“MariMed”) (CSE: MRMD) (OTCQX: MRMD), a leading multi-state cannabis operator focused on improving lives every day, today announced the closing of its acquisition of Allgreens Dispensary, LLC on April 9, 2024. The approval of the license transfer by the Illinois Department of Financial & Professional Regulation, and subsequent closing of the acquisition, allows MariMed to fully consolidate the financial results of the Company’s Thrive-branded dispensary in Casey, Illinois, which had previously been operated under a Managed Services Agreement.

Thrive Casey is the only dispensary in Clark County, Illinois, 30 miles west of Terre Haute, Indiana. Thrive Casey is located at 912 N. State Highway 49, near the intersection of state Highway 49 and U.S. Interstate 70. The dispensary should benefit from attracting the thousands of tourists who annually visit Casey to see the 30 “World’s Largest” and “Big Things” on display throughout the city. They include the World’s Largest Rocking Chair and Mailbox.

The Company continues to look for additional retail locations in Illinois, where adult-use cannabis sales exceeded $1.6 billion last year. Current Illinois cannabis regulations allow an operator to own up to 10 dispensaries. MariMed also recently became

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MariMed Inc.

NORWOOD, Mass., April 11, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — MariMed Inc. (“MariMed”) (CSE: MRMD) (OTCQX: MRMD), a leading multi-state cannabis operator focused on improving lives every day, today announced the closing of its acquisition of Allgreens Dispensary, LLC on April 9, 2024. The approval of the license transfer by the Illinois Department of Financial & Professional Regulation, and subsequent closing of the acquisition, allows MariMed to fully consolidate the financial results of the Company’s Thrive-branded dispensary in Casey, Illinois, which had previously been operated under a Managed Services Agreement.

Thrive Casey is the only dispensary in Clark County, Illinois, 30 miles west of Terre Haute, Indiana. Thrive Casey is located at 912 N. State Highway 49, near the intersection of state Highway 49 and U.S. Interstate 70. The dispensary should benefit from attracting the thousands of tourists who annually visit Casey to see the 30 “World’s Largest” and “Big Things” on display throughout the city. They include the World’s Largest Rocking Chair and Mailbox.

The Company continues to look for additional retail locations in Illinois, where adult-use cannabis sales exceeded $1.6 billion last year. Current Illinois cannabis regulations allow an operator to own up to 10 dispensaries. MariMed also recently became vertical

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NEW YORK – Thessaloniki native Angelo Kitkas moved at the age of eight with his parents to the United States. An electrician by trade, Kitkas recently opened Flower Power, a new, legal, licensed cannabis dispensary at 22 West 66th Street on Manhattan’s Upper West Side- the first dispensary to open in the neighborhood best known for Lincoln Center and its proximity to Central Park. He received his license under New York’s Conditional Adult-Use Retail Dispensary (CAURD) program, which prioritizes licensing for entrepreneurs who have been adversely affected by decades of cannabis prohibition such as those who were incarcerated for minor cannabis offenses like Kitkas who served seven months in 2004. In 2023, he was among the “justice-involved” individuals to receive a license for a legal dispensary.

Flower Power is “New York City’s curator of the best, top-quality legal, tested cannabis products for everyone over 21,” as noted on the dispensary’s website which adds that “four percent of tax revenue goes right back into supporting the local neighborhood.”

Kitkas spoke with The National Herald about opening Flower Power and about his Greek heritage.

TNH: Where in Greece is your family originally from?

Angelo Kitkas: I was born in Thessaloniki and moved

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About 60% of Utah medical cannabis patients are obtaining their cannabis from outside the state’s legal market, according to a Cache Valley Daily report. The study was conducted by the Cannabis Public Policy Consulting (CPPC) at the request of the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food (UDAF).

Dr. Brandon Forsyth, UDAF director of industrial hemp and medical cannabis, noted that the state completes the market analysis “every year to evaluate whether or not the Utah Medical Cannabis program is fulfilling its duty to ensure that medical cannabis patients have adequate access to the medicine they need.”

The survey of nearly 200 medical cannabis patients in the state found that monthly prices for medical cannabis products in Utah are in the bottom ten among U.S. states but nearly a quarter of patients are still traveling outside of the state to obtain products due to the in-state cost.

“I am proud to see that overall, patients are able to legally access their medication within the state at a reasonable cost compared to other medical cannabis markets.” — Forsyth via Cache Valley Daily

Fifty-eight percent of patients surveyed said there was plenty of medical cannabis supply

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Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) on Monday signed a bill protecting state employees registered in the state’s medical cannabis program from discrimination related to their status as a patient. The new bill covers firefighters, emergency service providers, teachers, and civil servants. 

Del. Dan Helmer (D), the bill’s sponsor, in February, told Virginia Business that a bill he sponsored three years ago to protect medical cannabis patients from employment discrimination “unintentionally did not protect public sector employees.”  

In a statement, JM Pedini NORML development director and the executive director for Virginia NORML, said the organization worked closely with Helmer and firefighters for three years “in an effort to pass a simple definitional amendment that will ensure public employees are properly covered by the state’s existing employment protections law for medical cannabis patients.” 

“This legislation will protect the jobs of these heroes who risk their lives to keep Virginians safe.” — Pedini in a statement 

Youngkin also signed a bill making administrative improvements to the state’s medical cannabis program. The changes include increasing from six months to 12 months the maximum expiration date allowable for a cannabis product after registration absent stability testing; and providing

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Sun Theory Holding Co. on Monday announced it has acquired the Colorado retail operations of Terrapin Care Station, including five retail dispensaries. The five Terrapin locations add to Sun Theory’s eight current Colorado retail holdings, which include 3D Cannabis Center in Salida, the Rec Room in Durango, and six Roots Rx locations in Aspen, Basalt, Edwards, Gunnison, Leadville, and Vail.

The company also owns Evergreen Naturals cultivation and processing facilities and Dialed In…Gummies.

In a press release, Connor Oman, Sun Theory Holding Co. CEO, said the “acquisition is a perfect complement to Sun Theory’s existing portfolio, which is focused squarely on businesses driven to deliver next-generation products and retail experiences cannabis consumers increasingly demand today.”

Terrapin’s corporate headquarters will remain in Boulder. In a statement, Chris Woods, founder and chief executive of Terrapin, noted that “Terrapin’s legacy will always be rooted in Colorado.”

“We will look back fondly on the past 15 years as a foundational time trailblazing what has become a global industry. We’re thrilled that these new partnerships allow Terrapin’s legacy to live on in the state and we’re very much looking forward to our next era in this industry focused on expanded

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The Prince George’s County Council unanimously passed a bill Tuesday limiting the locations for new cannabis dispensaries in the county to specific industrial and commercial zones.

Industrial zones include areas of employment, research and development, while commercial zones include retail spaces. In addition to limiting locations, the bill — CB-013 — establishes that cannabis dispensaries must be at least 1,000 feet away from other dispensaries and at least 2,000 feet away from liquor stores.

Currently, Maryland state law mandates cannabis dispensaries be at least 1,000 feet away from each other and at least 500 feet from childcare centers, playgrounds and schools, among other facilities.

District 2 council member Wanika Fisher, one of the bill’s 11 sponsors, said the bill is designed to prevent an oversaturation of dispensaries in the county.

“I felt like the cannabis industry was being punished … because of the bad experiences around liquor and smoke shops in our county,” Fisher said. “It’s important to have lessons learned.”

Fisher said she proposed the bill after a county council bill that would force cannabis dispensaries to only operate in industrial zones failed in 2023.

Regulating cannabis dispensaries into only industrial zones would create an undue burden on owners,

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In a late-night discussion that sparked a few blunt words, the Loveland City Council decided it will need more time to hash out the details of a potential ballot measure allowing marijuana dispensaries within city limits.

But not before Councilor Dana Foley, an opponent of the move, directed an expletive at Councilor Troy Krenning, drawing a harsh rebuke from fellow councilors and then a harsh rebuke of the rebuke from Steve Olson.

Those exchanges were the low point in an otherwise congenial conversation at Tuesday’s study session which lasted into Wednesday morning. Though no action was taken by the council, a majority of the members expressed support for letting voters have another chance to weigh in on legal cannabis in Loveland this November, though some important questions remain unanswered.

“While I do understand that this is a potential risk,” Councilor Andrea Samson said, “I think ultimately we want to encourage our residents to do their own research to vote as they believe in.”

Isaac Hils, a bud tender at Kind Care of Colorado takes marijuana flower out of a jar while preparing an order for a customer Wednesday at the marijuana dispensary in Fort Collins. (Jenny Sparks/Loveland Reporter-Herald)

Among the most

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A motion to regulate magic mushroom dispensaries in Vancouver has been shot down by city council.

Councillors voted against the proposal, with the motion being defeated 5-2. Three councillors and the mayor were absent for the vote.

The motion was brought forward by Green couns. Pete Fry and Adriane Carr. Under the proposal, magic mushroom dispensaries would have been given similar licences the city gave illicit cannabis shops back in 2015. Fry stressed this motion was not seeking to legalize magic mushrooms.

“I think this is an opportunity for us to create a regulatory framework, and really recognize that people are using drugs, and there are dispensaries that are providing safe options to people buying drug otherwise in back alleys or on the internet, or trying to forage mushrooms themselves and putting themselves at greater risk,” said Fry Wednesday.

There were 18 registered speakers in council Wednesday, all in support of the motion. However, some of the councillors suggested the matter is a federal one that wasn’t within their jurisdiction.

There are currently several unregulated stores already operating in Vancouver. Activist Dana Larsen previously told CityNews, after a decision by city council last month, his mushroom dispensary is

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