Marijuana Business Daily

Lobbyist pleads guilty in Michigan marijuana bribery scandal

Published

2 weeks ago

May 15, 2023

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Another person has pleaded guilty to participating in a bribery scheme in Michigan designed to connect hopeful medical marijuana operators with licenses.

Lobbyist Brian Pierce said he gave at least $42,000 in bribes to a company controlled by former Republican Michigan House Speaker Rick Johnson to help with cannabis license applications, MLive.com reported.

Johnson earlier pleaded guilty to accepting more than $100,000 in bribes from would-be cannabis business operators in exchange for help obtaining licenses

Pierce, for his part, pleaded guilty Friday to conspiracy to accept a bribe.

According to MLive.com, the charge could carry up to five years in federal prison and result in a fine of up to $250,000.

Johnson, who chaired a Michigan medical marijuana licensing board from 2017 and 2019, and three others pleaded guilty to participating in the bribery scheme in April.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen

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Texas medical marijuana expansion fails in state Senate

Published

1 day ago

May 26, 2023

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An effort to expand Texas’ medical marijuana program beyond low-THC CBD oil failed in the state Legislature.

And a move to reduce criminal penalties for marijuana possession also was unsuccessful, Austin TV station KXAN reported.

House lawmakers approved both bills, but the measures then stalled in Senate committees.

House Bill 1805 would have increased the amount of THC allowed in products manufactured and sold in the state’s MMJ program from 1% by dry weight to 10 milligrams of THC by “dosage unit.”

HB 128 would have reduced possession of up to 1 ounce to a citable misdemeanor punishable by no more than a fine of $500.

May 24 was the last day this session for bills passed in one chamber to also be approved in the other.

Despite living under some of the most draconian drug laws in the United

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Q1 cannabis sales in California fall to $1.25M, lowest level since pandemic

Published

1 day ago

May 26, 2023

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First-quarter cannabis sales in California slid to $1,249,584,223, the lowest quarterly total since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the latest statistics from the state’s Department of Tax and Fee Administration.

Sales were down 5.9% from the same quarter a year ago and the lowest since the second quarter of 2020, when sales were $1,153,285,028.

The first-quarter statistics put California’s marijuana operators on track to generate just less than $5 billion in sales this year, or 7.1% less than 2022, when taxable sales of recreational and medical marijuana eclipsed $5.3 billion.

If projections hold true, cannabis sales would fall for the second consecutive year in the world’s largest regulated market.

It’s the first time that has happened since regulations for adult-use retail sales were established in 2018.

Sales last year decreased 8.6% from roughly $5.8 billion in 2021, according to state data.

Beyond high

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Minnesota aims to issue adult-use marijuana retail licenses in 1 year

Published

1 day ago

May 26, 2023

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Minnesota regulators will start issuing adult-use marijuana retail licenses one year from now if they’re able to stick to their planned timeline.

A request for vendors posted by the state noted that license applications are scheduled to begin in May 2024 and sales would start in January 2025, MPR News reported.

Gov. Tim Walz still must sign the recently passed adult-use cannabis legalization bill into law, but he has indicated he plans to.

The law, which legislators narrowly passed in April, also allows adults 21 and older to grow their own cannabis.

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