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

Pam Chmiel (Courtesy photo)

2025 is poised to be a pivotal year for partnerships between the cannabis industry and universities, both in the United States and globally.

While academic collaborations are not a new concept, the cannabis industry has been slow to embrace them – mainly because marijuana is illegal on the federal level in the United States.

ADVERTISEMENT

However, as the industry matures, these partnerships represent the next logical step for companies with the vision and resources to drive innovation, influence policy and shape the future of cannabis.

The potential for collaboration spans research partnerships, sponsored research agreements, joint ventures and licensing arrangements through technology transfer agreements.

Read full article on Marijuana Business Daily

The latest foray into the legal marijuana industry by MedMen Enterprises co-founders Adam Bierman and Andrew Modlin rapidly collapsed amid lawsuits alleging unpaid bills and a dispute with a business partner, court records and public licensing information show.

Megabud – described as a “chain of cannabis convenience stores” – launched in December 2022 with three locations in the San Francisco Bay Area.

ADVERTISEMENT

The chain, which had ambitious expansion plans, represented at least the third legal cannabis venture for Bierman and Modlin, whose infamous tenure as MedMen executives saw the marijuana multistate operator go public on the Canadian Securities Exchange with an implied valuation of $2 billion before an equally spectacular implosion.

A second cannabis retail chain in which Bierman and Modlin owned a

Read full article on Marijuana Business Daily

A new study by a group of licensed cannabis businesses and affiliates highlights the widespread presence of synthesized cannabinoids and THC limits far exceeding California law in dozens of products shipped into the state branded and identified as hemp.

According to “The Great Hemp Hoax” – a white paper released Thursday – 95% of the 104 tested products from 68 brands contained synthesized cannabinoids, which are banned in California.

ADVERTISEMENT

Several products, which were shipped via online purchases, also contained high THC potencies and other compounds.

The “The Great Hemp Hoax” found:

Some gummies contained 32 times more THC than state limits. Vape products on average had THC levels 268% above legal thresholds. Nearly half contained synthetic THCP, a compound researchers describe as

Read full article on Marijuana Business Daily