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Marijuana Industry Consultant Wins $3 Million Award From Jury Over Injury From Lab Accident

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“We believe the jury was very persevering and realized that my client had life-threatening and life-changing injuries and would never be the same.”

By Rebecca Rivas, Missouri Independent

St. Louis, Missouri jury awarded $3 million to a California cannabis consultant on Thursday after a four-day trial in which he argued that a 2022 lab accident ended his career in the marijuana industry.

The incident occurred at Mark Avent Escondido, California at 5401 Bulwer Ave. in St. Louis when he was helping build a cultivation and manufacturing facility owned by Blue Arrow Missouri LLC.

Blue Arrow hired Avent in 2022 under a one-year, $100,000 contract to acquire the necessary equipment to grow and manufacture marijuana products and train workers on the machines.

During this time, a lab technician accidentally mishandled a commercial vacuum used to clean lab equipment. The vacuum threw fine marijuana dust particles into the air, causing Avent to have a severe asthma attack and heart attack.

The jury unanimously found that Blue Arrow was at fault for 85 percent of Avent’s injuries, while Avent was at fault for 15 percent.

“We are very pleased with the verdict,” said William Meehan, Avent’s attorney. “We believe the jury was very persevering and realized that my client had life-threatening and life-changing injuries and would never be the same.”

Blue Arrow’s attorneys argued that Avent was partially liable because it did not wear a mask, even though it knew it had problems with asthma.

“Mr. Avent was a very intelligent and skilled person who knew how to set up new labs,” David Simmons, Blue Arrow’s attorney, said in his closing argument Thursday. “And he also knew how to protect himself.”

During the trial, a cannabis expert said that the only mask that could have protected Avent from the fine dust particles that had been thrown into the air that day was an industrial face respirator, not a surgical mask.

Lisa Avent, Mark’s wife, said the jury may have missed the significance of differences in the types of masks needed to prevent a medical emergency.

The jury awarded Mark Avent $2.5 million in punitive damages and Lisa Avent $500,000 in punitive damages.

In closing arguments, Meehan proposed that the jury award the couple $5 million, while Simmons proposed that the amount awarded be $325,000.

“We’re not happy with 15 percent, but I could live with that,” Meehan said. “The amount is big enough, so we’re happy. And now it’s a matter of getting paid by this company.”

A separate lawsuit is underway to determine whether the company needs any of the company’s three insurance plans to cover Avent’s claim.

Blue Arrow’s lawyers declined to comment on the ruling or whether the company will appeal the decision.

In the meantime, Meehan said his clients will engage in a “multi-front collection effort” to get a claim from insurance companies and possibly break up the company’s accounts.

John Wilbers, founder and chairman of Blue Arrow, was absent from the trial as he was attending his mother’s funeral. Wilbers, a St. Louis personal injury attorney, started Blue Arrow with his mother, Kathy, who owned the majority of two cultivation, manufacturing and dispensary licenses the state granted him in 2019, according to records obtained from the Missouri Division of Cannabis Regulation.

Wilbers told The Independent Tuesday that he plans to look after Avent.

“If someone is injured, we will help them,” he said.

After the lab accident, Avent was taken to the emergency room and passed out in the ambulance. Doctors put a stent in his heart to save it, Meehan said, and he still hasn’t fully recovered four years later.

In addition to his ongoing medical bills, Meehan said Avent has lost at least $130,000 a year in income because he can no longer work in the marijuana industry.

Mark and Lisa Avent said they were tired but relieved after the four-day trial. The case was initially filed almost three years ago.

“We’re glad it’s over,” he said.

This story was first published by the Missouri Independent.

user photo National Institute of Standards and Technology.

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Planet 13 announces new appointments to Board of Directors

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Planet 13 Holdings has appointed the Honorable Nancy Saitta and Leilani Bradford as independent directors, filling two newly created seats on the Board, effective April 24, 2026. Justice Saitta brings two decades of judicial experience, including service as Chief Justice of the Nevada Supreme Court. Ms. Bradford brings over 20 years of real estate financing and transaction structuring experience. Both appointments broaden the Board’s independent representation and deepen governance, law enforcement and real estate. Both directors have been appointed to the Audit Committee, the Compensation Committee and the Corporate Governance and Nomination Committee.

“Justice Saitta brings a depth of judicial and governance experience that few public company boards have direct access to,” said Bob Groesbeck, co-chairman and co-CEO of Planet 13. “His 20 years on the Nevada bench, including leadership on the state’s highest court, will strengthen our oversight as we operate in an industry where regulatory rigor and disciplined decision making are essential.”

“As a Las Vegas company, we are proud to welcome two outstanding members of our local community to the Board,” said Larry Scheffler, co-chairman, CEO and co-founder of Planet 13. “Ms. Bradford has spent more than two decades building a reputation for Las Vegas real estate, structuring complex transactions and developing innovative financial disciplines that will continue to directly improve our financial growth and transaction models. opportunities.”

© Planet 13

Judge Saitta served as a member of the Nevada Judiciary for 20 years, including from 2007 to 2016 and from 2007 to 2016 and from 2011 to 2012. from 1996 to 1998. Earlier in his career, he served as the Nevada State Attorney General and Children’s Advocate and practiced law in private practice. Since 2017, Saitta has served with Advanced Justice Resolution Management as a mediator, arbitrator, special master, consultant and private judge, and continues as a senior district judge for the Nevada Supreme Court. Justice Saitta received her JD from Wayne State University School of Law and her BA from Wayne State University.

Since 2005, Ms. Bradford has served as a principal and director of SHEQ Properties, a Las Vegas-based real estate company. While at SHEQ, he has played a key role in the sourcing, underwriting and structuring of transactions, particularly in the medical and professional property sectors, and developing the company’s Shared Equity Model, which provides ownership options to physicians and service providers in connection with long-term lease agreements. Prior to joining SHEQ, Ms. Bradford had a career in accounting and finance. He is a Certified Public Accountant and earned a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the University of Nevada, Reno.

For more information:
Planet 13
(email protected)
planet13lasvegas.com

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Marijuana Opponents File Lawsuit To Block Trump Administration’s Federal Rescheduling Move

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Opponents of marijuana reform have filed suit Federal cannabis rescheduling action announced by President Donald Trump’s Department of Justice last month—using a law firm in which a former Trump administration attorney general is a partner.

Prohibitionist organizations Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) and the National Drug and Alcohol Screening Association (NDASA) on Monday asked the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to review and set aside the cannabis redistricting action, saying they are “harmed” by the reform.

Under an action announced last month by Attorney General Todd Blanche, marijuana products covered by a state medical cannabis license were immediately changed from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). Annex, as well as marijuana products approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). An administrative hearing scheduled for this summer will examine the broader rescheduling of cannabis, including for recreational products.

“The AG’s Reinstatement Order violates the regulatory requirements of the Administrative Procedure Act, 5 USC §§ 551 to 559, and section 201 of the CSA, 21 USC § 811, exceeds the Attorney General’s statutory authority under the CSA, and is otherwise arbitrary and capricious and lacks two statutory remedies against the claims.

Torridon Law is signed by PLCC attorneys, where former US Attorney General William Barr, who led the DOJ during Trump’s first term, is a partner.

SAM announced in January that it was Hiring Barr’s firm to fight cannabis rescheduling After Trump signed an executive order directing officials to quickly complete the process.

“SAM and NDASA respectfully request that the Court review and vacate the Order in its entirety, and that SAM and NDASA receive any other relief to which they may be entitled,” the new petition states.

The Department of Justice, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Blanche and DEA Administrator Terrance Cole are on the case.

SAM CEO Kevin Sabet said in a press release that the cannabis redistricting order “violates both law and science.”

“This order has given approval to a new Big Tobacco industry selling cookies, gummies and soda laced with potent marijuana,” he said. “The public health carnage caused by these products is not ‘medical’ and that word should never be associated with them. This is a fight for the next generation. We continue our fight to make federal marijuana policy a step forward in health and justice.”

Meanwhile, the House appropriations subcommittee last week Federal officials voted to block further steps to reschedule cannabis.

Last month, SAM and other plaintiffs filed a lawsuit to block a Trump administration program Certain hemp-derived products are covered by Medicare.

Read the full marijuana overhaul the case below:

Photo by Mike Latimer.

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US (CA): 1.1 million-square-foot warehouse coming soon to Desert Hot Springs

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Plans for a major cannabis development along Interstate 10 in Desert Hot Springs have been shelved, and the project could now become a 1.16 million-square-foot distribution warehouse. This change comes at a time when the cannabis industry is struggling with the problems of a saturated and high market.

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