Minnesota drops draft cannabis rules

MINNESOTA
Minnesota drops draft cannabis rules

What happened: Minnesota’s Office of Cannabis Management dropped draft rules for the state’s cannabis industry, which is expected to kick off next year.

The full package: The rules include packaging guidelines, requirements for ID checks at dispensaries, curbside pickups, and more. 

Check out the full package of draft rules. 

Why it matters: The cannabis industry has long awaited good news. Minnesota, as a big, populous state, opening up a legitimate legal cannabis market — along with nearby Ohio — is just that: Good news. 

Despite coming late to the legalization party, Minnesota has led in innovative rules for THC-infused drinks. The state recently allowed infused beverages to be served on tap in breweries, months ahead of dispensary sales. 

What’s next? Minnesotans have 30 days to make their voices heard on the rules. Legal sales are set to begin in Spring of next year. 

-JB

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) told Green Market Report that the federal government should create a “comprehensive regulatory framework that treats marijuana just like tobacco.”

“The federal government needs to figure out a safe way to allow this market to occur,” he said. 

Tillis is a rare Senate Republican to support cannabis reform — and he wants to go further than the Biden Administration’s push to move cannabis to a less restrictive schedule of the Controlled Substances Act.

Watch more.

New York shuts illicit shops 🛑

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced that more than 1,000 illicit cannabis shops have been shut down state-wide as part of a broader crackdown. That number includes 779 stores in the city, and 230 across the state, with $63 million worth of illicit products seized. Read more.

In other New York news, the state’s Cannabis Control Board will be hosting its next meeting on August 6 at 10:30 AM at the CUNY School of Law. Watch it remotely.

Florida Republican backs legalization 🦩

Florida State Sen. Joe Gruters, a prominent Republican and the former chair of the state’s Republican party, is going against Gov. Ron DeSantis and his party by throwing his support behind Amendment 3, the ballot measure that would legalize cannabis in the state. Gruters said on X that legalization is about personal freedom and creating a safe, regulated market that generates tax revenue. Read more.

Phytanix Bio, the newest publicly traded medical cannabis firm, published its deck. The company says the cannabis pharmaceuticals market is about $3.4 billion and set to grow at a 53.3% CAGR (compound annual growth rate) until 2030. Check out the full deck. 

Pre-roll brand Jeeter is launching a new line of “Soventless Cannons” in California, Michigan, and Arizona. 

Jon Sandelman has resigned as executive chairman of the cannabis firm he once led, AYR Wellness. Louis Karger will take over as chair of the board. Sandelman is now running  a new cannabis SPAC, Mercer Park.

Nearly 13% of New Yorkers consumed cannabis in the past month — with around 6% consuming daily, per a recent statewide survey. 

Check out the full results.

Democratic Party prematurely claims Biden has ‘reclassified marijuana’ and ended ‘failed approach’ to cannabis | Marijuana Moment

More people are driving on cannabis. Law enforcement is racing to learn who is high. | Wall Street Journal

Traveling with cannabis purchased in Michigan: What to know before you drive, fly | Detroit Free Press

‘Build the plane while we’re flying it’: Cannabis regulators ready for next phase of legalization | MPR News