Happy Monday.
Tune in to Cultivated LIVE at 10 AM Eastern, when weāll be joined by Uncle Arnieās CEO Theo Terris. Weāll be chatting about cannabis beverages, the companyās expansion into Texas, and more. Find us on YouTube and LinkedIn.
Letās get to it.
-JB, JR, ZHĀ
Todayās newsletter is 503 words or about a 4.5-minute read.
š£ Quotable
āLegalization promised transparency, product safety, and accountability,ā Tiffany Walters, CEO of New York State Cannabis Connect and board member of the Empire State Green Standard Alliance (ECMA) said. āCannabis inversion threatens all three.ā
Walters testified at last weekās Joint Budget Hearing on Economic Development urging lawmakers to strengthen New Yorkās cannabis testing regime.
ā© Quick hits
A Louisiana Democrat filed a bill that would create a three-year cannabis legalization pilot program to determine if legalization should be rolled out more widely in the state.Ā
Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita is pushing the state House to effectively ban intoxicating hemp products like delta-8 gummies, arguing that Congress already closed the hemp-derived THC loophole at the federal level and that Indiana should follow suit before this November, when the new federal definition kicks in.
āļø Lawsuits
Michigan's Cannabis Regulatory Agency filed a formal complaint against Trapstars Outlet, a cannabis dispensary in New Buffalo, seeking potential fines, suspension, or revocation of its license, though the agency notes the allegations have not been proven.
A Chicago social equity cannabis dispensary Market 96 is suing Illinois regulators after the state agency proposed a rule that would allow two social equity licensees to operate within 1,500 feet of each other, a move critics say undermines the competitive protections the legislature built into the state's equity program
š¤ Deals, launches, partnerships
Cannabis workers at Holistic Industriesā Monson plant have successfully removed United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) union officials from their workplace after a majority of members backed a petition that would have decertified the union.Ā
In other cannabis union news, Teamsters at Cresco Labsā Sunnyside dispensary in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania voted to go on strike after the two sides failed to land on a contract.Ā
The Ultimate Frisbee Association named Delta the leagueās official THC drink sponsor. Weāre surprised it took the league this longā¦
š¬ Science & research
A new study in the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry found that Canadians using cannabis 2+ times per week in 2022 were roughly 5x more likely to report anxiety, depression, or suicidal ideation compared to non-users ā up from 3x in 2012, with associations strengthening most sharply among youth. Full study here.
āŖ In case you missed it
Catch up on Fridayās This Week in Cannabis LIVE. We chatted the lack of cannabis talk at the SOTU, GTIās earnings, Miamiās CannaBev Summit, and more:
š° What weāre reading
Here's What Critics Still Get Wrong About Marijuana Legislation | LA ProgressiveĀ
Medical marijuana advocates frustrated with new regulations | Nebraska Public MediaĀ