Within hours of the Inauguration Day ceremonies, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) issued a press release calling for the Biden administration to help Americans struggling with mental health exacerbated or brought on by pandemic. In NAMI’s words, the pandemic has brought about a surge in “mental health, substance abuse, and suicide challenges”. Recently […]
COVID-19
Maine marijuana shops are seeing brisk business despite pandemic
Maine’s rollout of legal marijuana sales has been muted compared with other states because of the coronavirus pandemic, but shops are reporting brisk business nonetheless. Maine wasn’t able to replicate the grand opening scenes that have followed the first sales in other states. But regulators reported more than $1 million in sales in October, more […]
North of the border, Wisconsin cops are monitoring the impact of legal recreational marijuana in Illinois
Despite dispensaries quickly popping up along Illinois’ northern border after that state legalized recreational marijuana almost a year ago, local law enforcement officials say they have not yet seen any major impacts in Wisconsin. Officials with the Rock County Sheriff’s Office and police departments in Janesville and Beloit said they have not seen any rise […]
Marijuana delivery, social equity reform and other Colorado cannabis trends to watch in 2021
Colorado’s marijuana industry experienced a banner year in 2020 — not in spite of the COVID-19 pandemic, but because of it. Dispensaries across the state were declared essential businesses and allowed to operate while bars, restaurants and gyms were forced to close. That designation helped sales exceed analysts’ expectations. According to Roy Bingham, co-founder and executive chairman […]
Cannabis producers expand for growth, legalization in Connecticut
The state’s four licensed marijuana growers are planning for the inevitable, if not imminent, approval of cannabis sales for adult recreational use in Connecticut by expanding their footprints. With the state’s fragile economy — all the worse in the coronavirus pandemic — 2021 could be the year state lawmakers approve full legalization, nine years after […]
Marijuana legalization looms in New York as deficit balloons
The debate over legalizing marijuana for adult, recreational use in New York has been brewing for the last two years after Democrats took control of the state Legislature, but disagreements on the issue coupled with a global pandemic have kept it out of reach for lawmakers. That could change next year as the Legislature returns […]
Patients, caregivers say Ohio medical marijuana prices too high, and acquiring it compounded by coronavirus
A majority of patients and caregivers in the Ohio medical marijuana program – 58.4% — are dissatisfied with product prices, according to a recent survey. The results of the survey, which the Ohio Medical Marijuana Control Program sent to all registered patients and caregivers this fall, aren’t surprising. Prices are a much talked-about topic in online […]
Pandemic sees 9 million new users join the US CBD market
The latest consumer research from High Yield Insights has found that almost one in four CBD users entered the category in the last 6 months. This is equivalent to 9 million new users. In addition, more than one in three longer-term CBD users (an estimated 13.4 million adults) tried at least one new product format […]
Missouri’s medical marijuana program director believes voters could legalize marijuana as soon as 2022
It’s been almost two years since Missouri voters legalized medical marijuana and by the beginning of next week, there will be four total dispensaries open in the state. Voters in the Show Me State passed an amendment in 2018 legalization medical marijuana. Missouri was the 33rd state to legalize cannabis as medicine, but why, two […]
Cuomo: Legalizing marijuana can help in COVID-19 recovery in New York
Gov. Andrew Cuomo said that legalizing marijuana will help boost the economy and aid in the recovery effort from the state’s multi-billion-dollar budget deficit caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The Governor announced that he will “soon” legalize marijuana during a virtual event last week to promote his new book, American Crisis, which is about the […]