Author: Eric Sheetz

California’s Newsom Signs Bill To Offer Alternative Plea For Those Facing Drug Charges

California Gov. Gavin Newsom is drawing plaudits from drug reform advocates after signing a bill into law last month that will create the option for an alternate plea to individuals facing certain drug convictions. Titled the “Alternate Plea Act,” the law enables prosecutors to offer some defendants who have been charged with drug-related offenses a […]

Nevada Cannabis Industry Rings Up Nearly $1 Billion in Yearly Sales

The Nevada cannabis industry rang up more than $965 million in taxable sales during the 2022 fiscal year, showing a slight dip from the $1 billion in sales recorded the previous year. Regulated sales of marijuana generated nearly $150 million in cannabis tax revenue, providing critical funding for the state’s public school system. The Nevada […]

New Mexico Regulators Say 31 Cannabis Businesses are ‘Non-Compliant’

New Mexico’s recreational cannabis industry is barely six months old, but regulators say there are already more than two dozen businesses that are not in compliance with state rules. Local television station KRQE reported last week that the state’s Cannabis Control Division has conducted 100 inspections since adult-use pot sales kicked off in April, finding […]

Recreational Pot Sales Kick Off in Vermont

Recreational marijuana sales officially launched in Vermont over the weekend, with stores in three communities opening their doors to customers on Saturday. The three retailers to open this weekend were FLORA Cannabis in Middlebury, Mountain Girl Cannabis in Rutland and CeresMED in Burlington, according to the Associated Press, which noted that a “fourth business has […]

Japanese Health Officials Propose Revision of Law To Allow Import, Medical Cannabis

The Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare stated on Sept. 29 that it recommends an amendment to the country’s drug law, known as the Cannabis Control Act. According to Reuters, the agency expressed the need to allow cannabis to be imported and permitted for medical use, which would align it with other countries that […]

Washington State Settles With Unicorn Brands Following Synthetic THC Probe

The Liquor and Cannabis Board in the state of Washington said Wednesday that it has reached a settlement with Unicorn Brands LLC over a “a year-long investigation and multiple Administrative Violation Notices (AVNs) for creating synthetically-derived THC from hemp and distributing it into the state-regulated cannabis market.” The board said that Unicorn Brands “cooperated with […]

Colorado And Washington Got More Tax Revenue From Marijuana Than From Alcohol Or Cigarettes In Fiscal Year 2022, Report Finds

Colorado and Washington State took in more revenue from marijuana sales than from either alcohol or cigarettes in Fiscal Year 2022, according to a new report. Another eight states saw tax revenue from cannabis outpace cigarettes, while Nevada took in more from marijuana than alcohol. The analysis, published by the Tax Policy Center on Wednesday, […]

Rutgers Law School Adds Cannabis Law, Business Certificate for 2023

Registration has already opened for the Cannabis Law and Business certificate of study, which will officially commence in January 2023. Those accepted will spend six months learning the ins and outs of the New Jersey weed sector, with an emphasis on the stringent and often complicated regulations which prospective business owners need to be familiar […]

Arkansas Marijuana Legalization Initiative Could Generate Nearly $1 Billion In Sales Every Year, Analysis Finds

If Arkansas voters approve a marijuana legalization initiative on the ballot this November, the market could see nearly $1 billion in annual cannabis sales and more than $460 million in tax revenue over five years, according to a new economic analysis. That’s in addition to the job growth it would drive and its overall economic […]