Kathleen May, Founder of Triskele Quality Solutions, provides a roadmap to Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) compliance for manufacturers in the cannabis industry. Editor’s Note: While CIJ typically omits the word “marijuana” where possible due to antiquated nomenclature and prejudicial connotations, we understand the legal distinction between cannabis containing THC and hemp requires the use of the word when referencing federal government policies and legislative language. Despite the rapid evolution of the cannabis industry, the assurance of safe manufacturing practices remains ...

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The Alabama Senate on Wednesday approved a bill to legalize medical marijuana in the state. Weeks after the chamber’s Judiciary Committee advanced the legislation , it cleared the full floor in a vote of 21-8 following a brief, 15-minute discussion. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Tim Melson (R), would allow people with qualifying conditions to access cannabis for therapeutic purposes. Melson is the same lawmaker who sponsored a similar bill that was approved by the full Senate last year but which later died without a House vote amid the coronavirus pandemic. This latest proposal would ...

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With nearly 21,000 people working in marijuana dispensaries or affiliated businesses, Arizona ranks No. 4 nationally for jobs in the cannabis industry, according to a report released Tuesday by Leafly. The report was based on employment in 2020, before Arizona launched adult-use marijuana sales in January, so those figures are sure to rise as dispensaries around the state ramp up to meet the new demand from sales to any adult over age 21, not just medical-marijuana patients. Arizona had more than $1 billion in medical-marijuana sales last year, with about 5,600 new jobs created just last ...

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The North Dakota House on Tuesday approved a bill to legalize marijuana—a measure that’s being sponsored by a Republican lawmaker who is opposed to the policy change but prefers the legislature sets the rules rather than leave it up to activists via a ballot measure. The chamber advanced the legislation, which narrowly cleared the Human Services Committee last week, in a 56-38 vote. Lawmakers also passed a separate, complementary bill to establish the tax structure for a recreational cannabis market, 73-21. HB 1420 would allow adults 21 and older to possess and purchase up to one ounce of ...

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The COVID-19 pandemic has caught the world completely off guard. It changed the way everything works, and it made a significant impact on most industries all over the globe. The cannabis industry also saw some massive changes due to its impact. Millions of people entered a lockdown, which led to huge shortages in cannabis supplies as sales increased by 54% . That includes sales of medical edibles that grew by 60% in the last year alone. Edibles are now the most popular cannabis products in seven states in the US. The Increasing Need for New Products Ever since cannabis use became legal in ...

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Although Florida has just a medical cannabis system, the state emerged as one of the nation’s most active cannabis markets in 2020, according to the recent cannabis jobs report by Leafly and Whitney Economics. Florida ranked third in the country for cannabis sales in 2020 with an estimated total reaching $1.3 billion, only behind Colorado and California, which both have adult-use cannabis markets and have had medical cannabis systems since the 1990s. Home to 331 dispensaries spread across the state, Florida added 170,000 patients in 2020, bringing the total of registered patients to nearly ...

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A second Minnesota House committee approved a bill on Tuesday that would legalize marijuana in the state—though several other panels are expected to take up the legislation over the course of the next few weeks before it reaches the floor. House Majority Leader Ryan Winkler (D), Speaker Melissa Hortman (D) and other lawmakers filed the measure earlier this month . It would allow adults 21 and older to purchase and possess up to 1.5 ounces of cannabis and cultivate up to eight plants, four of which could be mature. The House Labor, Industry, Veterans and Military Affairs Finance and Policy ...

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On Monday, New Jersey’s Democratic Governor Phil Murphy signed legislation that legalizes adult-use marijuana possession and licenses retail marijuana sales. “The enactment of these laws is long overdue,” said NORML State Policies Manager Carly Wolf — who emphasized that state and local police have made over 6,000 arrests for marijuana-related violations in the months since New Jersey voters overwhelmingly decided at the ballot box. “Now, going forward, tens of thousands of otherwise law-abiding New Jerseyans will no longer be subject to arrest and a criminal record for their ...

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As marijuana reform advocates prepare an appeal to a court ruling invalidating a voter-approved recreational legalization initiative, they’re also hoping to reach a deal with South Dakota’s governor and lawmakers over the timeline to implement a separate medical cannabis reform measure. And they want legal protections for patients in the interim. As passed by voters in the November election, regulators are required to develop rules for a medical marijuana program by July 1. But Gov. Kristi Noem (R) proposed legislation to delay implementation by an additional year—a request that ...

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After over three months since voters approved the state’s cannabis legalization ballot question, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) today signed into law a series of bills that ultimately legalize the adult use of cannabis. The New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory, Enforcement Assistance, and Marketplace Modernization Act was only signed after lawmakers, at the governor’s behest, advanced accompanying legislation aimed at clarifying penalties for underage possession. The legislation will remove criminal penalties for cannabis possession and legalize its use and possession by adults aged 21 and ...

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