U.S. News Updates

Alaska

Alaska’s first commercial cannabis harvests are underway. The first official legal crop comes from Greatland Ganja, a small cultivator on the Kenai Peninsula. Greatland has harvested about 75 pounds of cannabis so far, of an expected total of about 100 pounds consisting of 10 different strains. Unfortunately, however, the first harvest may not have anywhere to go. Distribution and sales are stalled until state-licensed testing laboratories are up and running. At the moment two labs are nearing completion in Anchorage: CannTest hopes to open by mid-October and AK Green Labs aims to be online by early November.

Arkansas

The U.S. cannabis market is very promising. It's so exciting that thousands of industry movers and observers descended upon theCannabis World Congress and Business Exposition on Sept. 7 in Los Angeles, to share their ideas and developments in the cannabis space.

When it comes to seeking an angel investor, many people have the wrong idea about exactly what it is that this type of private equity investor does. Somewhere along the way it became a common misunderstanding that angel investors were quicker to land than business loans in financial institutions and that when the loan was repaid, all was said and done. This isn’t the case at all and although an angel investor can be just that, an angel in disguise, there are a few things you should know before summarily seeking this type of investment in your business.

Regulated industries like the cannabis industry require careful planning when drafting corporate governance documents. Boilerplate agreements fail to address many of the most important and specific issues for cannabis businesses. Whether it is a limited liability company operating agreement for an LLC or a shareholders’ agreement and bylaws for a corporation, it is a good idea to make sure your cannabis business’s governance documents address the following marijuana-specific points.

A marijuana industry group is asking Oregon lawmakers to delay Oct. 1 deadlines for the state’s new pot regulations by at least 30 days.

The Oregonian/OregonLive reports that the Oregon Cannabis Association last week asked the joint committee that oversees marijuana rules for extra time to meet regulations about how pot is tested, packaged and labeled.

Association attorney Amy Margolis said many businesses simply aren’t ready to comply and can’t afford to shut down while they get everything in order.

“This extension is crucial for the survival of many, many businesses,” she told Oregon lawmakers last week.

The numbers are in: Recreational customers get the highest right after they finish the work week.

According to the Huffington Post, a new report from Seattle-based analytics firm Headset found that Friday is the most popular day for Washington state recreational dispensaries.

Last month, Washington recreational customers spent an average of $31.18 on Fridays, with Saturday coming in second at $30.21 followed by Thursday, when the average recreational customer spent $29.66.

Ottawa's mayor says until the federal government comes out with new legislation to legalize marijuana, Ottawa police should be cracking down on illegal dispensaries.

At Wednesday's city council meeting, Coun. Mathieu Fleury asked staff to look into what the city's by-law and planning departments are doing to shut down illegal marijuana dispensaries, and to consider what other cities are doing about it.

Residents are concerned about the growing number of shops in Ottawa, Fleury said.

Mayor Jim Watson is interested in Fleury's inquiry, because he said, "It is very much a grey area.

Amoeba Records, the iconic record store brand with locations in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and an original location in Berkeley, CA, has announced that the latter store will sooon house a marijuana dispensary in addition to being one of the most cherished musical institutions on the West Coast. 

Having already opened a marijuana doctor's office within the store, plans to expand to a full-blown dispensary were submitted earlier in the year by Amoeba owners Marc Weinstein and David Prinz, and word of the acceptance came through this week. So now it is official: A countercultural icon will continue its presence in a move that would have seemed unthinkable even a few short years ago. That's the bay area for ya. 

Alaska is likely just weeks away from the state’s first legal marijuana sales, according to Cynthia Franklin, the Director of the Alcohol and Marijuana Control office.

As of Sept. 28, there are 34 marijuana businesses listed in “active status” for their licenses. These businesses are some of the closest to operating under the new regulations, but are still subject to credentialing and preliminary inspections, according to the state’s website. Once the businesses are able to operate, they’ll move into “effective status.”

See the location of those businesses in the interactive map below: