(Reuters) – WM Holding Company, a cannabis technology company which operates the online U.S. platform Weedmaps where users find and rate marijuana sellers, said on Thursday it has agreed to go public through a merger with Silver Spike Acquisition Corp. The deal to take Weedmaps public, which values the company at around $1.5 billion, is […]
Weedmaps
Federal prosecutors investigate California marijuana companies in wide-ranging probe
Eastern District of California seeks documents on roughly 30 companies from cannabis-retail listing service Weedmaps, according to grand-jury subpoena Federal prosecutors have launched a probe of cannabis companies in California, seeking a batch of records held by a startup that functions as a Yelp for marijuana dispensaries, according to a grand-jury subpoena reviewed by MarketWatch. […]
Weedmaps is Making Progress – But Still a Ways to Go, Illegal Shops and Brands Still Listed on Their Site
Many people involved in the cannabis industry have complained that the online advertising giant Weedmaps has been fueling the black market by accepting ads from unlicensed operators. According to the Orange County Register, “Weedmaps’ dominance of online cannabis advertising — has helped prop up the illicit market in the two years that recreational cannabis has […]
‘Epidemic’ of layoffs in California marijuana industry — CEO faults state for inaction
Flow Kana isn’t the only cannabis company forced to make cuts. In recent weeks, companies like Eaze and Weedmaps have also laid off part of their workforce. “It almost feels like an epidemic of companies of similar size going through similar processes,” Steinmetz said. The layoffs reflect challenges in California’s fledgling recreational cannabis industry. Voters legalized recreational marijuana in […]
Weedmaps won’t offer timeline for ending promotion of illegal marijuana shops
Experts say web company’s ongoing practice contributes to California’s lagging tax revenue, threatens public health. Though Weedmaps promised two weeks ago that it would stop advertising illicit marijuana businesses through its online directory, the Irvine-based company is still being vague about when that promise will actually become a reality. Both legal cannabis businesses and state […]
Weedmaps Appoints New Chief Executive Officer Doug Francis steps aside as CEO to serve as Chairman; President Chris Beals to Assume Role as CEO
PRESS RELEASE Doug Francis steps aside as CEO to serve as Chairman; President Chris Beals to Assume Role as CEO IRVINE, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Weedmaps today announced that the Company’s Board of Directors has appointed Chris Beals as Chief Executive Officer, effective March 6, 2019. In addition to assuming day-to-day leadership of Weedmaps, Beals will serve as a […]
Cashed And Counting: California Starts Crackdown On Gray Marijuana Marketplace
By Hilary Bricken The state will try to limit illegal cannabis operators in California. Here’s what else we should expect in the coming months. For state-by-state legalization to succeed, state and local governments often need to take significant enforcement measures against “gray market” cannabis operators to ensure an even playing field for licensed operators who […]
California threatens Weedmaps over promotion of illegal cannabis shops
California’s cannabis czar issued a cease and desist order to Weedmaps, directing the Irvine internet company that maps marijuana dispensaries to immediately stop promoting businesses that don’t have state licenses. “You are aiding and abetting in violation of state cannabis laws,” states the letter from Lori Ajax, chief of the Bureau of Cannabis Control. If […]
Weed Billboards Popping up in Boston Show Strong Changes for Area
A budding new pot company is planting 80 billboards around Greater Boston, launching an app and hiring “student ambassadors” at MIT, Harvard, Northeastern and Boston University to help spread the word about its weed work. California-based Weedmaps is trying to get ahead of the “green rush” before pot shops are set to open in the […]
10 Questions With Chris Beals, Penn Grad Building the ‘Google of Marijuana’
It’s 4/20…the unofficial holiday celebrating the biggest illegal (yet legal) drug known to man: marijuana. This year’s high holiday is even more timely since Pennsylvania became the 24th state to legalize the plant for medical use just this week. The Keystone State now joins New Jersey and Delaware who have been in the process of […]
