Producer of cannabis-infused edibles dominates Colorado market, builds on brand platform for national expansion

As the company prepares for growth into new markets, Wana Brands--Colorado’s No. 1 infused gummie manufacturer--has expanded its ranks with the addition of marketing expert, consumer analyst and award-winning fine artist Julia Bright as Brand Manager. Wana Brands co-owner Nancy Whiteman made the announcement. Bright is based out of Wana Brands’ Boulder headquarters and reports directly to Whiteman.

Cannabis is legal for medical patients in 29 states and all of Canada. It’s legal for all adults in eight of those states and in Washington, DC. But in most of those places, smoking, vaping, dabbing and even eating cannabis are illegal anywhere except private locations with the property owner’s permission.

Whether your product is medical or recreational, most Americans who seek to consume simply can’t, legally, from Washington state to Washington, DC.

Fortunately, some on-site consumption establishments have figured out ways to serve their customers without anyone serving time. Some are modest and homey, almost like stoner rumpus rooms. Others are sexier and closer to the Amsterdam ideal. Some are mobile. Others are arty. One might resemble a downscale dot-com.

Nevada’s medical marijuana program could get an upgrade after lawmakers introduced a new bill Tuesday that would allow physicians and social workers to treat heroin and opioid addicts with medical cannabis, according to reports.

Under Nevada’s current medical marijuana law, doctors can refer marijuana products to people suffering from cancer, seizures, glaucoma, AIDS, spasms, nausea or chronic pain, but the program doesn’t support people suffering from drug addiction.

The Cannabis Cup is scheduled on Moapa tribal land this weekend.

The cup, which has been hosted in other states before, is a competition for the best of the marijuana industry.

The event, which runs this Saturday and Sunday, was being hosted on Moapa tribal lands because organizers thought that meant marijuana could be consumed at the event.

But organizers were forced to change their plans after the tribe received a letter from the U.S. District Attorney for Nevada stating that despite the state legalizing marijuana, it was still illegal federally. The letter comes as the Trump administration has shown a more strict attitude than the Obama administration towards marijuana policy.

One of the world's largest marijuana festivals, which is expected to be held this week on tribal land outside of Las Vegas, has been facing a possible shutdown for the past two weeks, according to a letter sent by federal officials earlier this month.

U.S. Attorney Daniel Bogden, based in Las Vegas, sent a Feb. 16 letter to the Moapa Paiute Tribe reminding the tribe that the transport, possession, use and distribution of marijuana is illegal under federal law. The marijuana trade show and festival, planned for March 4 and 5, would be in violation of that law, according to the letter obtained by the Reno Gazette-Journal.

An annual Las Vegas marijuana convention has severed ties with its Seattle-based parent organization after a four-year partnership.

The former Las Vegas Hempfest will now be called the Las Vegas Hemp Festival after what the Seattle-based Hempfest brand called a difference of opinion regarding the definition of a cannabis social gathering.

“The two organizations have a differing vision of what a traditional Hempfest event should be, so we have amicably dissolved the licensing relationship to allow the Las Vegas event to follow its vision unhindered by the contractual agreements,” Hempfest Executive Director Vivian McPeak said.

McPeak did not provide any details about the reasons for the separation.

The state official who oversees Nevada’s medical marijuana industry said Wednesday that he doesn’t see the need to treat the recreational product any differently except when it comes to taxes.

In Colorado, state laws require companies to separate medical and recreational marijuana at both the cultivation level, as well as when the product is sold. There are different checkout counters for medical and recreational sales in that state.

But Nevada doesn’t need to go that far, Joe Pollock, who oversees the state’s medical pot program, told the Senate Committee on Finance on Wednesday. Pollock said Nevada should sell the same product to both markets, but simply have different taxes at the point of sale.

 A bill introduced in the Nevada Assembly on Friday would mandate a blood test to check for driving under the influence of marijuana.

Assembly Judiciary Chairman Steve Yeager, D-Las Vegas, said Assembly Bill 135 is necessary because urine tests that check for marijuana metabolites are unreliable.

The levels of metabolite to determine impairment — two nanograms per milliliter of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol and five grams of 11-OH-tetrahydrocannabinol — would not change under the legislation.

But the bill does specify the specific metabolites that must be tested to determine impairment. The named metabolites are considered to be those that contribute to impairment, Yeager said.

From “bud bars” to cannabis-infused dinners, find out how marijuana is being used in states that have legalized it.

Four states legalized recreational use of marijuana in November—California, Massachusetts, Maine, and Nevada—bringing the total number to eight plus Washington, D.C. As these laws go into effect, and attitudes toward the drug begin to soften, expect to see everything from cannabis-infused food and beverages to rolled marijuana cigarettes at events such as festivals, weddings, and more.