Good morning.
Happy Hanukkah to all of our readers who celebrate. Our hearts go out to all the victims of the senseless attack in Sydney.
On the cannabis front, who’s ready for the latest edition of “Will Trump Actually Do It?”
Some reports indicate Trump might send the rescheduling order as soon as today. In the meantime, we’re on call to let you know if and when it happens, as well as what it means for the industry.
We’re not counting our chickens before they hatch, however. You can check here. In any case, expect this to be a wild week for cannabis equities.
Let’s get to it.
-JB, JR, ZH
This newsletter is 584 words or about a 4-minute read.
📣 Quotable
“Trump will try to gaslight everyone into believing he just made pot legal. Wrong. He has not decriminalized cannabis or expunged the records of black and Latino Americans stuck in prison for minor drug offenses. This is just an attempt to boost his pathetic approval ratings,” Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) said.
Wyden, of course, has a point that rescheduling is far from legalization and does little to advance social equity. And while Wyden has been a strong advocate of federal cannabis reform, his party has had years to get its act together on the issue. Trump has a chance to steal it, as we’ve written.
🔗 Join us
Along with our partners at Shield Compliance we're excited to host a webinar tomorrow at Noon Eastern:
Aligning Banks and Cannabis Operators for the Next Phase of Industry Growth
It's a critical conversation at a critical time for the industry.
Tony Repanich, CEO at Shield Compliance, will dive deep into the results of their Operator Survey and then open up to a conversation with Jay Caplan and Jacques Santucci.
Register to join 👇
⏩ Quick hits
Missouri rules take aim at ‘predatory’ contracts 🎯
Missouri cannabis regulators are proposing new rules for the microbusiness program to stop “predatory” contracts that have led to dozens of revoked licenses by requiring earlier review of business agreements, banning individuals tied to revoked licenses from future involvement, and ensuring designated contacts are majority owners with real control. Read more.
Metrc is finally set to roll out in NY 🗽
After a long delay, New York's Office of Cannabis Management is preparing to finally implement its mandatory seed-to-sale tracking system. Retailers must be credentialed by Dec. 17, then they have a Jan. 12 deadline to start reporting their inventory.
Alabama awards licenses to medical dispensaries 🚀
The Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission approved licenses for three dispensaries on Dec. 11, marking a turning point in the state's four year effort to launch a medical market. Three separate times the AMCC voted to approve operator licenses that involve retail but in each attempt, lawsuits prevented the state from moving forward with its market launch. The Alabama Reflector has more.
KY medical sales kick off 🌿
The Post Dispensary in Beaver Dam kicked off medical cannabis sales in Kentucky. “It took other states up to six years to get up and running, but we did it in two,” Beshear said.
🖥️ In case you missed it
If you missed Friday’s This Week in Cannabis LIVE, it was a good one:
📰 What we’re reading