“This industry could not have taken off with out capable entrepreneurs that had some serious hustle, and I could see that this past weekend.”
— Julie Hulburd, Vermont Cannabis Control Board

Welcome To The Weekly Roll Up
A Compendium of The Week’s Cannabis News

In a hurry? Look for the star on our top news items ⭐

Vermont

⭐ Long Lines, Joyful Vibes Mark First Weekend of Vermont Dispensary Sales

⭐ VTCNA Launches Free Cannabis Nurse Hotline in Vermont

⭐ Where to Find Recreational Vermont Dispensaries in Rutland, Middlebury and More

⭐ What’s Open After October 1? A Guide to Vermont’s First Few Days of Cannabis Retail Sales

⭐ Licensing Update: One More Retail License Approved, Along with 12 Other Licenses (9/28)

⭐ B2B: Banking for Vermont Cannabiz – What Are the Options?

⭐ The Elevated Agriculturalist: Harvesting Cannabis How-To

⭐ Microdosing: Five Things to Consider

⭐ Strain Review: “Pancake Breath” by Old Growth Vermont

⭐ Strain Review: Mike Larry x Gas Runtz by Midnight Farm

 Bored? Looking for something to do? Our events page is stacked!

#Vermont Licensing and Opt-In:

⭐ Winhall’s opt-in vote for retail cannabis sales passes

⭐ WCAX: Vermont is Joining 14 Other States With Legal Adult-Use Cannabis Sales

• Cannapreneurs and Town Governments Are Still Hashing Out Local Regulation

Vermont in National Headlines 🤩 

⭐ MJBizDaily: Strong retail demand in Vermont on first day of recreational marijuana sales

⭐ HIGH TIMES: Recreational Pot Sales Kick Off in Vermont

⭐ CNBC: Vermont Dispensaries to Begin Selling Recreational Marijuana

⭐ CANNABIS BUSINESS TIMES: 3 Vermont Dispensaries to Begin Adult-Use Sales at Their Discretion

Recreational marijuana sales officially launched in Vermont over the weekend. https://t.co/cSLdqnyPLy

— High Times (@HIGH_TIMES_Mag) October 3, 2022

Other #Vermont headlines:

• VTDigger: Vermont Cannabis Retailers Report Brisk Sales in First Days of Legal Market
• Inside Rutland’s Mountain Girl Cannabis, One of Vermont’s First Adult-Use Dispensaries
• Vermont Food and Drink Producers Prepare for the Adult-Use Cannabis Market
• As Vermont Launches Retail Cannabis Sales, Customers Line Up in Downtown Burlington
• New Study Reveals Vermont is Second State Most Obsessed With CBD
• Medical Marijuana Telemedicine Platform NuggMD Launches In Vermont
• Cannabis Control Board Clarifies Purchasing Requirements

Pouring one out for Pennycluse, my favorite breakfast spot in BTV and the site of this unforgettable moment in 2016. @POTUS

RIP pic.twitter.com/TPQZJopdIt

— Natalie Silver (@natsilvervt) October 4, 2022

Regional

Connecticut

⭐ Social Equity License Applicants in Connecticut Receive Do-Over

• Hartford, CT Zoning Committee Approves Plans to Convert Old Warehouse Into Cultivation Site

Maine

• Poll Finds Majority of Mainers Support Drug Decriminalization and Other Harm Reduction Policies

Massachusetts

⭐ Theory Wellness, a Massachusetts Cannabis Company, to Open Retail Dispensary in Brattleboro

• Newly Appointed Chair of Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission Is Still Listed as Owner of Cultivation Business

New Hampshire

• Cannabis Sales Begin in Vermont, Leaving New Hampshire An Island in a Sea of Green

New York

⭐ New York Attracts 903 Applicants for Cannabis Retail Licenses

• New York Legislative Commission on Rural Resources Asks Cannabis Regulators for Updated Details on Rollout of Recreational Sales
• Deadline Passes in New York for First Round of Dispensary Licenses, hundreds Awaiting Word From State

Rhode Island

⭐ Cannabis Retailers Prepare for Recreational Sales in Rhode Island

The chances of #SAFEbanking passing just increased drastically.

— WeedStreet420 (@WeedStreet420) October 6, 2022

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National

⭐⭐POLITICO: Biden Pardons Cannabis Offenses, Calls for Review of Federal Law

⭐ Industry Veteran Steve DeAngelo Wants to See an End to Corporate Cannabis, Support for Small Growers

⭐ Hempcrete Insulation Receives Certification in US Residential Building Codes

⭐ Hurricane Ian forces Florida Cannabis Companies to Close as Operators Assess Fallout

⭐ Courts Could Throw State Cannabis Markets Into Disarray

Third: We classify marijuana at the same level as heroin – and more serious than fentanyl. It makes no sense. I’m asking @SecBecerra and the Attorney General to initiate the process of reviewing how marijuana is scheduled under federal law.

— President Biden (@POTUS) October 6, 2022

Acquisitions & Mergers

⭐ Is Big Tobacco Pivoting to Big Cannabis?

• OEG Retail Cannabis to Acquire Dispensaries, Tokyo Smoke Brand From Canopy Growth
• Cannabis M&A Has Cooled in 2022, But It’s ‘far from disastrous,’ Insiders Say

Banking

⭐ More Banking Options For Cannabis Businesses; Similar Complaints

• A Look at Who’s Who in Cannabis Banking

Business

⭐ CO & WA Got More Tax Revenue From Cannabis Than From Alcohol or Cigarettes in FY2022, Report Finds

⭐ Cannabis Stocks Surge as Biden Overhauls Federal Policy on Cannabis

• New Jersey Legal Weed Was a Success This Summer, But Report Warns There Still Aren’t Enough Stores
• Washington State Settles With Unicorn Brands Following Synthetic THC Probe
• Tax Policy Center Examines States Tax Systems on Cannabis Sales
• How the Market’s Terrible September Didn’t Matter Much

CBD & Hemp

⭐ USDA Touts Economic and Environmental Benefits of Hemp As European Market Expands

⭐ FDA’s Most Recent Hire Could Lead to CBD Regulation

• South Carolina Farmer Sues State Over Destroyed Hemp Crop
• National Hemp Growers Cooperative Sets Sights on Bioplastic Opportunities

Cultivation & Production

• How New Energy Codes Are Affecting Greenhouse Growers
• Michigan Cannabis Poses Problem For Climate; Some Hope to Find a Fix

Consumption & Culture

⭐ Rutgers Law School Adds Cannabis Law, Business Certificate for 2023

⭐ Nevada Will Open Cannabis Consumption Lounge Application Window Oct. 14

• Kellyanne Conway Spreads Misinformation About Overdoses on National Television
• 420 Space Yoga Is at the Heart of Cannabis Culture in Miami

Labor & Unions

⭐ OSHA: Worker Death at Trulieve Holyoke, Massachusetts Facility Caused By Inhaling ‘Ground Cannabis Dust’

• Workers at Cresco Labs Affiliate Sunnyside Schaumburg Join Teamsters Local 777
• New Report Shows More Employees Come to Cannabis From Retail Than Any Other Industry

Law Enforcement

• California Department of Cannabis Control Seeks $128 Million in Penalties From Illegal Cannabis Businesses
• Civil RICO Lawsuits: Should The State-Legal Cannabis Industry Be Concerned?
• MSO Ascend Unveils Executive Shake-up After Former CEO Charged With Battery
• Lawsuit Against MSO Green Thumb Alleges Sex, Age Discrimination

Legalization & Politics

⭐ Kentucky Governor Reaffirms Plans to Legalize Medical Cannabis Through Executive Action

⭐ House Committee Approves Two Bills To Expunge, Seal Cannabis Records

• Arkansas Supreme Court Signs off on Legalization Ballot Measure
• City in New Mexico to Vote on Removing Zoning Requirement for Cannabis Shops
• As Biden Pardons Cannabis Offences, Princeton Town Refuses to Welcome Dispensaries
• ‘Toxic Act’ Would Target Banned Pesticides In Illegal Cannabis Farms On Public Lands

Media & Advertising

⭐ The Messy Breakup Behind Cannabis Media Instagram The Blacklist

• Twitter Lights Up With Jokes Over Biden’s Big Cannabis News

Prior Weed Convictions Go Up In Smoke

Biden Gives the Green Light for Pardons

Biden Smokes the Competition in Midterms

They Go Low, We Go Higher

Biden Passes the Blunt To State Courts

I’m sorry https://t.co/dIEjfXo7eW

— Sarah Solomon (@sarahsolfails) October 6, 2022

Medical Cannabis

• Herbalist’s Resource Guide to Cannabis and Other Plants That Can Prevent Cancer
• 28 Applicants Vie For Louisiana’s New Medical Cannabis Retail License
• Mississippi Reaps Millions in Medical Cannabis Fees Before Sales Begin
• Georgia Awards Two Medical Cannabis Production Licenses

Podcasts

⭐ Mala Muñoz Is Working to Destigmatize Cannabis Use in Latinx Communities

• KayaPush Launches Kaya Cast, an Exciting New Cannabis Podcast

Psychedelics

⭐ Psychedelics are exploding in the startup community as founders say it makes them better leaders

• Alberta to be 1st province to regulate psychedelics for therapy, government says
• First magic mushroom dispensary now open in Toronto
• Magic Mushrooms’ Legal Status Is Leading a Psychedelics Boom

Social Equity

⭐ Cannabis Industry Social Equity Applicants Nationwide Face Similar Challenges

⭐ Denver May Give Social Equity Companies Exclusive Right to Cannabis Delivery

• POLITICO: ‘Real People That We Care About Are Being Exploited’
• Pennsylvania Cannabis Policy Summit Brings Together Cory Booker, John Fetterman, and More
• MSO Ascend Announces Several Social Impact Initiatives, Expungement Events
• Star Buds Becomes First Predominantly Black-Owned Licensed Cannabis Company to Open Shop in Illinois

Studies and Surveys

⭐ Study Shows, Adult-Use Cannabis Legalization Could Give Arkansas’ Economy Major Boost

• Most Ohioans Want Recreational Cannabis Legalized, With the Majority Over Age 35
• Study Finds Feeding Spent Hemp Biomass to Lambs Does Not Affect Health, Meat Quality
• Poll Shows Majority of DC Voters Oppose Council’s Decision to Shut Down Cannabis Gifting Shops

 

Women

⭐ Female-led cannabis companies receive ‘fraction of capital’ of male counterparts

⭐ Find Women-Owned Dispensaries Opening Soon: Heady App ⭐ 

International 

⭐ Cannabis Crossing Borders: Global Flower Trade in 2022

⭐ B.C. enables farm-to-gate sales of cannabis products

• Canada: Adult-use Cannabis Sales Get Summer Bump With Record July
  • Canadian Government Launches Review of Cannabis Legalization
  • Cannabis in Toronto: Industry faces chronic growing pains
• Japan: Japanese Health Ministry Panel Recommends Allowing Import, Use of Medical Cannabis Products
• Guam: First ‘Responsible Official’ Cannabis ID Cards Approved
• Australia: Recreational Cannabis Could Be Legalised by Federal Parliament, Greens Party Say
• South Africa: Children Caught Using Cannabis Will No Longer Be Criminally Prosecuted
• Morocco: First Permits for Cannabis Cultivation Issued
• Costa Rica: President Chaves Follows Through on Pledge With Cannabis Draft Law

Thanks for reading! 🙏🏽

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