Marijuana Business Daily

Judge rejects New York challenge to suit delaying rec marijuana store openings

Published

2 years ago

February 1, 2023

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A federal judge rejected New York’s effort to toss a lawsuit that’s been delaying the opening of recreational marijuana stores across the state, including in Brooklyn.

That means the indefinite wait for the issuance of 63 of the state’s planned 150 adult-use retail licenses will continue.

In November, a Michigan man named Kenneth Gay sued the state Office of Cannabis Management on behalf of his company, Variscite.

The suit alleges that the requirement that cannabis retail applicants have both a “significant presence” in New York and a criminal record for a marijuana-related conviction under state law creates irreparable damage to the company.

It’s one of several marijuana social equity programs Gay is challenging across the country, including Los Angeles.

Would-be CUARD license holders in New York must choose from among 14 geographical regions across the state when submitting their applications. Variscite’s top choice was Finger Lakes.

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Marijuana Business Daily

As cannabis consumer tastes evolve, industry must look beyond potency

Published

21 hours ago

April 2, 2025

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(This is a contributed guest column. To be considered as an MJBizDaily guest columnist, please submit your request here.)

Chris O’Ferrell (Courtesy photo)

For years, the cannabis industry has been shaped by a singular focus: THC potency.

Store menus highlight percentages, consumers chase high numbers, and many strains have been bred to maximize THC content at the expense of other characteristics.

But is that truly what makes marijuana special?

Beyond THC levels, branding, packaging and promotions heavily influence consumer choices.

The classic $200-per-ounce deal has evolved into a $100 mix-and-match special, allowing consumers to explore a variety of terpene profiles and effects.

Just as craft beer enthusiasts appreciate curated tasting flights, cannabis enthusiasts now seek diversity in their experiences.

Keeping up with industry trends while

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Marijuana Business Daily

How a Colorado operator stumbled onto ‘blueprint for laundering marijuana’

Published

3 days ago

March 31, 2025

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Justin Trouard thought he was doing a favor when he agreed in January to look at the books of a struggling, licensed Colorado marijuana cultivation company to see if he could help turn the business around.

Instead, the CEO of licensed outdoor cultivator Mammoth Farms stumbled onto “the blueprint for how to launder marijuana” in and out of the state’s regulated industry, he told MJBizDaily.

While examining the cultivator’s track-and-trace records in Metrc, a widely used software program that’s Colorado’s mandated seed-to-sale compliance tool, Trouard noticed some suspicious activity.

In one column, the company reported purchasing 25 pounds of cannabis flower from an unidentified cultivator for $16,250. That’s a normal transaction at Colorado’s average market prices in 2025. In another column in

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Marijuana Business Daily

Humboldt County extends deadline to pay marijuana cultivation taxes

Published

6 days ago

March 28, 2025

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Humboldt County supervisors have extended the deadline for hundreds of marijuana farmers to pay off cultivation taxes enacted years ago.

County growers faced a March 31 deadline to eliminate all tax debts related to Measure S, a ballot referendum approved by voters in 2016, more than a year before the launch of adult-use sales.

Supervisors pushed the looming deadline to April 4 for 210 license holders to make their first payments or face suspension, according to the Standard Times of Eureka.

For the hundreds more who have made some payment, their deadline was extended to Dec. 31, 2025.

No more relief

The county supervisors indicated at their March 25 meeting this will be the final extension, the newspaper reported.

Despite the extensions, hundreds

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