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Cannabis News Roundup: NorCal inferno destroys much of fall crop

BY CC FLICKR USER JURRASIC BLUEBERRIES, RESIZED AND RECROPPED
"Dark Matter Halo"

Fires cause “worst year on record” for cannabis cultivation ... Nevada’s first month adult use sales smash all records ... Nowhere for legal smokers to light up ... and more

[Click the blue hyperlink headline to read the full story.]

LEGISLATION & REGULATION                                   

South Bay communities plan to wait on adult use // Mercury News

“Instead of seizing the opportunity to reap a windfall of tax revenue from retail sales of marijuana, South Bay cities are treading gingerly, and many have called for moratoriums or outright bans of marijuana handling within their boundaries.”

Upcoming regulation could shut out native tribes // MJBizDaily

“’Under the state regulatory system, it seems that those licensees of the state will not be permitted to obtain (MJ) product from anyone who isn’t licensed by the state,’ said Mark Levitan, a California attorney who represents three tribes already operating in the state’s medical cannabis industry.”  And the tribes may have to give up sovereignty to get those licenses.

BUSINESS

Nor Cal fires cause “the worst year on record for California’s growers” // SFGate

“The timing of wildfire season could not be worse for cannabis, because the delicate, fragrant flower buds bloom in the middle of fire season. Farmers had been cutting for the last couple weeks, but “there was a lot of stuff that's still heavy on the bush and our 8-12 weeks strains just getting ready to be harvested —that is tremendous loss,” said Tawnie Logan, chair of the Sonoma County Growers Alliance on Tuesday.”

Warehouse rents skyrocket in Sacramento // SacBee

“The heated market for pot-growing locations – leading up to next year’s legalization of recreational marijuana in California – is soaking up vacancies left over from last decade’s devastating recession, but it’s also forcing longtime tenants to relocate and driving up rents citywide, brokers said.”

Adult use sales skyrocket in Sin City /// MJBizdaily

“Dispensaries in Nevada sold a whopping $27 million worth of recreational cannabis during the first month of sales in July. That’s nearly double the tally during the first month of sales in Colorado and more than seven times the amount Washington state recorded.”

[Note: These figures are for the whole state, but it’s safe to say the majority of sales are in the casino towns of Reno and Las Vegas.]

More northern Californians fail drug tests now //Press Democrat

“[S]tatistics indicate more people are using cannabis following voters’ decision last year to legalize its recreational use in California.” This is based on the “growing number of people in Northern California [who] are failing drug tests required by their employers, prompting some local companies to rethink their drug-free workplace policies in an age of legal marijuana.”

Social club licenses go begging // MJbizDaily

There’s no worry of Denver being smothered in Amsterdam-style smoking lounges. “More than three months after setting rules for the nation’s first licensed marijuana consumption clubs, Denver has yet to receive any applications.”

Dispensary billboards go up in Massachusetts // Boston Globe

“There’s no call to action — this is educational,” Norton Arbelaez, the nonprofit’s director of government affairs, said. “There are tens of thousands of patients that have a need but haven’t accessed the regulated market.”

HEALTH

CBD ban to be lifted by World Anti-Doping Agency // Leafly

“The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) is removing cannabidiol—the pain-relieving, non-psychoactive cannabis compound—from its list of banned substances in 2018.

“WADA, which governs drug testing in the Olympics, also sets the standard for anti-doping guidelines in many sports leagues, like the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and others around the world.

EVENT

Licensing workshop in Sacramento

“The Bureau of Cannabis Control (Bureau) will host a public licensing workshop in Sacramento on October 17. The workshop will focus on what licensing information is needed and what resources are available for people planning to apply for state commercial cannabis licenses. “ [ click on headline for details.]

OPINION

Legalization will not provide for places to smoke // L.A.Times

Prop. 64 provided strict limits on consumption sites: “Basically, the only place, other than a private home, where one could legally smoke marijuana would be at a business licensed for on-site consumption, such as a marijuana lounge or an Amsterdam-like cafe. Proposition 64 gave local governments the option to permit or ban that sort of on-site consumption. But so far, many California cities, including Los Angeles, have no proposals to allow for such places.”

Have a question? Ask it here // KALW

The Cannabis News Roundup email address:

cannabis@kalw.org

[New content is posted on Fridays.]

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