The Ontario government is proposing a number of significant legislative and regulatory changes to its cannabis framework that it says would combat the illegal market.

The province plans to make amendments to Ontario Regulation 468/18 under the Cannabis Licence Act, 2018, that would effectively increase to 150 the number of stores retailers and their affiliates are allowed to operate.

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The current limit is 75 stores.

The province said the increase would help combat illegal cannabis stores.

“We welcome Ontario’s move to increase its store cap to 150 and explore other measures aimed at curbing the illicit market,” High Tide CEO Raj Grover told MJBizDaily via email.

The Alberta-based retailer said the cap increase comes as some operators that have a franchise model are already approaching, or have exceeded, 75 stores in the province.

“The move also brings Ontario closer to Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, which don’t

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LAS VEGAS – Industry stakeholders speaking on an MJBizCon panel Wednesday expressed optimism that the Biden administration will reschedule marijuana as a less dangerous drug in the months ahead, a move that would allow cannabis businesses to escape the steep taxes levied under Section 280E of the federal tax code.

At the same time, however, the panelists acknowledged the current difficulties facing the industry as well as the need to take risks to reap potential benefits down the road.

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Consider the case of industry veteran Virgil Grant.

Serving six years in a federal prison for operating a state-legal medical marijuana business in California wasn’t enough to deter Grant from working in the cannabis industry.

Grant, now the CEO of the California Cannabis retail chain as well as the co-founder of the California Minority Alliance and the Southern California Coalition, said the challenges of working in marijuana

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New York regulators on Monday approved settlement agreements in two lawsuits that have contributed to the tortuous rollout of legal adult-use cannabis sales in the state.

Details of Monday’s approvals were not immediately available.

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The Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) did not immediately respond to an MJBizDaily request for comment.

The settlements – reached earlier this month – must now be approved by a state judge before an injunction blocking the issuance of adult-use licenses in New York is lifted.

During an emergency Cannabis Control Board meeting Monday, board members voted unanimously to approve settlement agreements in two lawsuits:

The August lawsuit led to a judge imposing an injunction that halted more than 400 retail permit applications.

In the meantime, regulators opened the licensing process to both MSOs who hold medical permits as well as applicants who did not meet initial criteria for a Conditional

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