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Browsing: Cannabusiness

How Marijuana Businesses Should and Shouldn’t Pimp Pot

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By on Cannabusiness, Dispensaries, Opinion, Products

Amid questions about whether marijuana ads make kids more likely to use pot, the National Association of Cannabis Businesses has created proposed labeling and marketing guidelines. The deadline for feedback on this “National Advertising Standard,” on view below, is today, June 8. But an expert from Colorado, where sponsoring highways is among the only promotional platforms open to marijuana businesses, worries that some of the limits it puts in place are overly severe.

“There’s a very fine line to walk,” says Taylor West, senior communications director at COHNNABIS, a cannabis marketing agency. “You want to demonstrate that you are very committed to responsible practices, but you also need to be careful not to be almost punitive to the industry in an attempt to demonstrate that responsibility.”

Hickenlooper Vetoes Dispensary Sampling Room Bill

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By on Cannabusiness, Dispensaries, Legislation

A bill that passed the Colorado General Assembly that would’ve allowed marijuana dispensaries to open their own tasting rooms was vetoed by Governor John Hickenlooper today, June 4. HB 1258 received plenty of attention as it made its way through the state legislature and wasn’t without its detractors, but it had enough support to pass its third House and Senate readings — 39-24 and 22-12, respectively.

“Since Colorado approved Amendment 64 in 2012, this Administration implemented a robust regulatory system to carry out the intent of this voter-initiated measure,” said Governor John Hickenlooper in the veto letter. “Amendment 64 is clear: marijuana consumption may not be conducted ‘openly’ or ‘publicly’ on ‘in a manner that endangers others.’ We find that HB 18-1258 directly conflicts with this constitutional requirement.”

400-Plus Fake IDs Seized in Breck Pot Shops Since 2015, Most From Tourists

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By on Busted, Cannabusiness, Dispensaries

Plenty of underage tourists who come to Colorado seem to think a bogus identification card will work just as well at a pot shop as it will at a bar. But according to Haley Littleton, spokesperson for the Town of Breckenridge, which has catalogued at least 428 fake ID cases since February 2015 with no end in sight, they’re wrong.

“Our main theory is that people come into town and think, ‘This is great. I can take advantage of this,'” Littleton says. “But it’s not like at a bar, where you can go in, try to order and then give them an ID, and if they just glance at it quickly, you might get a drink or you might not. Marijuana dispensaries are really stringent on fake IDs — and so are we.”

What Are Colorado’s Congressional Reps Doing to Protect the Marijuana Industry?

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By on Cannabusiness, Feds 'N Heads, Legalize It, Legislation

Members of Congress joined legal cannabis-industry representatives in front of the United States Capitol today, May 23, calling for an end to federal pot prohibition. Among the lawmakers appearing in solidarity with the National Cannabis Industry Association were Colorado representatives Diana DeGette and Jared Polis.

“There are 34,000 Coloradans who are licensed to work in this industry, so you can imagine how dismayed everyone in Colorado was when Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced he was going to rescind the Cole Memo,” DeGette told the gathering. “I can say, I have never seen our delegation work so quickly to fix something in a bipartisan way.”

Evolab in Canadian Marijuana Partnership That Could Go Global

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By on Cannabusiness, Feds 'N Heads, Products, Technology

Colorado marijuana extraction company Evolab has partnered with one of Canada’s heavily funded public pot companies, according to a joint announcement from Canadian marijuana firm The Green Organic Dutchman (TGOD) and Evolab. The licensing deal will take Denver-based Evolab’s production technology as well as its CBx Sciences brand into Canada after that country implements federal marijuana legalization, which could come as early as August.

Having a presence in Canada also gives Evolab a chance to jump across the Atlantic Ocean, according to Nicole Smith, CEO of Evolab and CBx Sciences. Canada, already a global exporter of the plant’s medical products, will be shipping out even more marijuana products after new businesses open in July, she says, with the potential for Canadian marijuana companies to distribute their products in up to fifteen countries that allow medical THC products — not including America, where medical marijuana is still federally prohibited.

Are Drug Tests or Low Unemployment Creating Worker Shortage?

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By on Cannabusiness, Follow that story, Legalize It

A report released at a national conference hosted by the Federal Transit Administration earlier this month shows that American workers in states with legalized marijuana are failing drug tests for the substance at an increasing rate. The study, by Quest Diagnostics, which monitors drug test results in all fifty states annually, found the average positivity rate for Colorado and the national number both sitting at 4.2 percent last year. The positivity rates for pot, however, varied widely.

Colorado’s percentage of drug tests failed because marijuana — at 2.5 percent — was slightly above the 2 percent national average. Still, Colorado came nowhere near the rates of Nevada (43 percent), Massachusetts (14 percent) and California (11 percent), all states that approved recreational marijuana legislation in 2016.

Marijuana Ads Make Kids More Likely to Use and See Pot Positives, Study Says

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By on Cannabusiness, Feds 'N Heads, Media, Products

Marijuana advertising works on kids whether they’re the intended audience or not, a new study maintains.

According to “Planting the Seeds of Marijuana Use,” assembled under the auspices of Elizabeth D’Amico, a licensed clinical psychologist and senior behavioral scientist with the RAND Corporation, the more medical cannabis ads an adolescent sees, the more likely he or she is to use or express an interest in consuming the substance and to view it in a positive light.

GOP Senator Trusts That Trump Won’t Let Jeff Sessions Stop Colorado Pot

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By on Cannabusiness, Feds 'N Heads

Of the 33 state legislators from Colorado who signed a recent letter to U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions calling for congressional action “to protect the sovereignty of states like Colorado and ensure that marijuana businesses and consumers will be free from undue federal interference,” none were Republicans.

Given that Republican U.S. Senator Cory Gardner was among the document’s original signatories and is currently working with the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, aka NORML, to prepare legislation on the subject, the reticence of GOP state reps and senators seems surprising. But while Republican state senator Tim Neville says he agrees with the letter’s ultimate goal, he doesn’t see the need for such a measure.

Retail Marijuana Sales Reached a New High in March as Medical Sales Falter

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By on Cannabusiness, Dispensaries

As expected, Colorado’s legal marijuana revenue rose from February to March, according to the Colorado Department of Revenue, with one of the sharpest monthly increases seen yet. After seeing the lowest overall revenue in a year in February, pot sales set a record for retail earnings the next month, bringing in nearly $106 million to top the previous record of $101.5 million in August 2017.

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