420 with CNW – Israeli Cabinet Approves Export of Marijuana Products

Toward the end of last year, we reported that the Israeli parliament had passed a bill permitting local companies to export medical marijuana. However, there were fears that the cabinet may wait until after elections before pronouncing itself on this matter. It turns out that those concerns were premature because the cabinet has given its approval and cannabis firms can start processing the necessary paperwork to sell medical cannabis abroad.

The cabinet’s decision leaned on the recommendations made by an inter-ministerial committee (finance and health ministries) that was tasked with studying the Act of parliament and then advise the cabinet on the matter.

The committee took note of the advanced research, technology and regulatory capabilities of the country as major advantages that would make Israeli medical cannabis competitive on the world market.

The worldwide medical cannabis market is growing rapidly from an estimated valuation of $8.3bn in 2017 to about $28bn by 2024. Medical cannabis exports would earn Israeli firms about $1.09bn each year.

The Ministry of Finance agreed to channel some of the money earned from cannabis exports to the Ministry of Health.

Currently, there are eight companies that grow medical cannabis in Israel. The approval of exports is good news to them because the domestic market wasn’t large enough to sustain these producers as well as those who are still queuing to get licenses.

Medical cannabis exports will be tightly regulated since cannabis is a drug that is subject to strict controls internationally. Israeli companies will get an export permit issued by the Ministry of Health and approved by the police. These companies will then export medical cannabis to other companies in Europe. Those companies should have also obtained permits to import medical cannabis.

Israel is likely to enjoy several advantages when compared to other countries, such as Canada, that export medical cannabis. For example, Israel is closer to most European markets when compared to its competitors.

Secondly, Israel is renowned for having very strict regulatory systems and its research capabilities are famous across the world. This makes Israeli medical cannabis exports to have a good reputation on the market when compared to other exporters whose domestic regulatory mechanisms aren’t so rigorous.

As you can see, different countries are positioning themselves to control a large share of the international medical cannabis market. The question is, when will the U.S. wake up and catch up with the other countries that are already active in the medical cannabis space? The sooner federal marijuana laws are reformed, the better for the U.S. cannabis industry. This speedy legal reform is what entities like Golden Developing Solutions, Inc. (OTC: DVLP) and Global Payout, Inc. (OTC: GOHE) have been hoping to see for years.

About CannabisNewsWire

CannabisNewsWire (CNW) is an information service that provides (1) access to our news aggregation and syndication servers, (2) CannabisNewsBreaks that summarize corporate news and information, (3) enhanced press release services, (4) social media distribution and optimization services, and (5) a full array of corporate communication solutions. As a multifaceted financial news and content distribution company with an extensive team of contributing journalists and writers, CNW is uniquely positioned to best serve private and public companies that desire to reach a wide audience of investors, consumers, journalists and the general public. CNW has an ever-growing distribution network of more than 5,000 key syndication outlets across the country. By cutting through the overload of information in today’s market, CNW brings its clients unparalleled visibility, recognition and brand awareness. CNW is where news, content and information converge.

To receive instant SMS alerts, text CANNABIS to 21000

For more information please visit https://www.CannabisNewsWire.com

Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the CannabisNewsWire website applicable to all content provided by CNW, wherever published or re-published: http://CNW.fm/Disclaimer

CannabisNewsWire (CNW)
Denver, Colorado
www.CannabisNewsWire.com
303.498.7722 Office
Editor@CannabisNewsWire.com

420 with CNW – Legalization Changes How Canadians Talk to Kids about Cannabis

Recreational cannabis was legalized in Canada late last year and this has made parents to rethink how they talk to their kids about cannabis. This adjustment was prompted by the increasing visibility of marijuana in all walks of life.

SheCann founder, Ashleigh Brown, says that the cannabis “talk” should never be regarded as a one-time event. Instead, conversations about the substance should be conducted on an ongoing basis so that kids are empowered to make the right decisions when confronted by opportunities to use the substance.

Speaking in Toronto at a “Women and Weed” event last weekend, Brown said that kids are smart and constantly watch all those around them. It is therefore important that the conversations parents and adults have with kids regarding marijuana should be honest and authentic so that the kids can see a connection between what you are telling them and what they see around them.

Ashleigh Brown used her own experience as a case study. She revealed that she started using medical cannabis in 2016, so her two kids regarded the substance as nothing more than a medicine.

However, after the legalization of recreational cannabis, she started talking to her children about the different ways through which people can use cannabis. Such a discussion helps her kids to make sense of what is around them in case they come across cannabis on the streets or at the parties they attend.

Another participant at the “Women and Weed” event remarked that the way parents talk to kids about alcohol and smoking tobacco cigarettes should be the same way in which they talk about cannabis.

Avoiding such crucial conversations only fuels stigma about cannabis and may increase its appeal to kids, something that every parent would want to avoid.

The issue of discretion vs. hiding cannabis also came up during the discussion. It was okay to lock away one’s stash of cannabis to prevent kids from accessing it, but it wasn’t productive to try to hide the fact that you consume cannabis.

Parents should also educate their kids about the downsides of consuming cannabis, and also emphasize that more research is still being done to get a more detailed understanding of the full effects of cannabis on young users and adults.

Parents in the U.S. states where cannabis is legal can borrow a leaf from what their Canadian counterparts are doing in order to provide sufficient guidance to kids regarding this substance that is still attracting mixed reactions across the U.S. Cannabis industry players like Generation Alpha, Inc. (OTCQB: GNAL) and FinCanna Capital Corp. (CSE: CALI) (OTCQB: FNNZF) would love to see such candid discussions everywhere so that any decisions made are based on concrete information rather than on misconceptions and myths.

About CannabisNewsWire

To receive instant SMS alerts, text CANNABIS to 21000

For more information please visit https://www.CannabisNewsWire.com

Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the CannabisNewsWire website applicable to all content provided by CNW, wherever published or re-published: http://CNW.fm/Disclaimer

CannabisNewsWire (CNW)
Denver, Colorado
www.CannabisNewsWire.com
303.498.7722 Office
Editor@CannabisNewsWire.com

420 with CNW – New Tax Plan Injects Life into New Jersey Marijuana Legalization Debate

A stalemate had developed between the Senate President and the Governor of New Jersey regarding how the marijuana industry will be taxed once an appropriate law is passed. However, a new plan has reignited the legalization debate and a compromise may be reached to move forward on this long-awaited matter.

Previously, Stephen Sweeney (the Senate President) had dug his heels in that he would not go along with any marijuana legalization law that set the tax rate at more than 12 percent. Meanwhile, the Governor (Phil Murphy) was adamant that the tax rate should be in the region of 25 percent.

The disagreement between these two influential leaders had driven the legalization debate to a standstill and there seemed to be no hope for a way out of that stalemate.

Now a new proposal to tax marijuana products by weight rather than by each item sold appears to be providing the much needed compromise between the two parties. While there are disagreements on various issues, the different opinions on tax matters were the biggest bone of contention between the lawmakers and the Governor.

Proponents of the new tax proposal see that plan as beneficial in two major ways. The first, as already mentioned, is to build consensus between the two sides on the tax rate.

Secondly, taxing marijuana by weight has the added long-term benefit of protecting the state’s tax revenue from the effects of marijuana price fluctuations.

You see, in states where marijuana taxes are based on the sales made (excise tax), falling marijuana prices have caused tax revenues to take a hit.

For example, Colorado reported in 2018 that marijuana prices had fallen by approximately 70 percent from what they were in 2014 when recreational cannabis was legalized.

Such a huge drop in prices can cause serious funding shortfalls for states where an excise duty is imposed on all marijuana products sold.

The plan to tax cannabis by weight shields the state from such tax income drops since the taxes collected will stay the same regardless of which trend marijuana prices take. As historical data shows, prices inevitably go down as more players enter the industry and new production methods cut costs for cultivators.

Taxing marijuana by weight may therefore be a masterstroke that gets legalization back on track while also ensuring that the state will have a sustainable source of revenue. Such win-win solutions are what everyone in the industry, including Earth Science Tech, Inc. (OTCQB: ETST) and Choom Holdings Inc. (CSE: CHOO) (OTCQB: CHOOF), wants for all jurisdictions where marijuana is legalized.

About CannabisNewsWire

To receive instant SMS alerts, text CANNABIS to 21000

For more information please visit https://www.CannabisNewsWire.com

Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the CannabisNewsWire website applicable to all content provided by CNW, wherever published or re-published: http://CNW.fm/Disclaimer

CannabisNewsWire (CNW)
Denver, Colorado
www.CannabisNewsWire.com
303.498.7722 Office
Editor@CannabisNewsWire.com

420 with CNW – Massachusetts Legal Cannabis Sales Hit Nearly $24M during First Two Months

Massachusetts started retail sales of recreational marijuana on November 20 and nearly $24 million worth of cannabis has so far been sold in just two months, according to statistics released by the state.

The data released by the Cannabis Control Commission shows that cannabis products worth $23.8 million were sold by licensed dispensaries in the maiden two months since retail sales started.

The statistics also show that retail sales have been booming since the first day of legal recreational cannabis sales. For example, the two dispensaries that opened on the first day of legal sales made about $2 million in retail sales during the first five days when they were open.

Each retail sale attracts a 20 percent tax with 3 percent of that tax going to the local authorities while 17 percent goes to the state. You can therefore calculate how much tax Massachusetts earned from the sales made during the first two months after legal sales started.

It is also worth noting that Massachusetts is the first state on the East Coast to permit recreational marijuana. The population there has responded overwhelmingly to this new development.

For example, Cultivate, one of the first dispensaries to open in Leicester, attracted such large numbers that the city held an emergency meeting to discuss how to control traffic in the area. About 1,000 customers have been visiting the retail outlet each day.

Cannabis is such a hit in the area that people flag down each other to ask for directions and everyone knows where to buy marijuana.

Does this large number of customers affect customer service at the retail outlets? Not at all, if the reports from clients are anything to go by. Many reported that everyone was served properly and it was easy to make a purchase.

One Leicester resident even said that he flagged down a cop to ask for directions and found it pleasantly weird to ask a cop for directions to where pot could be bought!

The statistics of the people who are visiting the current dispensaries each day point to the possibility that not enough retail outlets have been licensed in the state, or not all that have been licensed have opened for business. Nevertheless, business is being conducted smoothly, which is a totally different story from what is happening in Canada. ChineseInvestors.com (OTCQB: CIIX), Canopy Rivers Inc. (TSX.V: RIV) and everyone in the cannabis industry hopes that the Canadian supply issues will soon end so that customers there can enjoy what those in Massachusetts are enjoying.

About CannabisNewsWire

To receive instant SMS alerts, text CANNABIS to 21000

For more information please visit https://www.CannabisNewsWire.com

Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the CannabisNewsWire website applicable to all content provided by CNW, wherever published or re-published: http://CNW.fm/Disclaimer

CannabisNewsWire (CNW)
Denver, Colorado
www.CannabisNewsWire.com
303.498.7722 Office
Editor@CannabisNewsWire.com

420 with CNW – Florida Governor wants Smokable Marijuana Ban Ended

Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida has spoken out against the medical marijuana law and threatened to step in decisively if the legislature doesn’t amend that law to permit patients to smoke medical cannabis.

The Republican Governor wants the state to have a new law that puts an end to the ban on smokable marijuana and also loosen the restrictions on the licensing conditions for treatment centers. DeSantis wants this law by mid-March.

The Governor feels that Florida voters spoke clearly enough when they approved medical marijuana, so the legislators should pass legislation that is in line with the wishes of the people. A reported 71 percent voted to legalize medical cannabis in 2016.

DeSantis says that he will drop the state’s appeals against the rulings made regarding the smokable cannabis ban as well as the legal challenge to the licensing requirements. This step will leave the courts to make a binding decision that will compel the regulators to change the existing provisions of the medical marijuana law.

However, the Governor doesn’t want to use the judicial system to effect change. Instead, he would prefer to see the necessary changes made by the legislative arm of the state, but he will have no other choice if the legislators don’t do as required within a few weeks after the new session opens on March 5.

The appeals DeSantis refers to were launched by the previous Governor (Rick Scott) after a circuit court decided that the ban on smoking medical cannabis was unconstitutional. Scott is now a Senator and DeSantis replaced him as Governor.

DeSantis spoke during a media address with John Morgan, a personal injury lawyer who sued the state over the ban on smoking medical cannabis. Morgan remarked that the no smoking issue wasn’t a joking matter and that it will be overturned one way or the other.

In response, the new Republican legislative leaders in the Senate and the House promised to work with the Governor in order to secure the necessary changes to the medical marijuana law.

It is good to see that the Governor is exerting his weight in order to help patients to have as many different ways to consume medical cannabis as is possible. Actually, the smokable cannabis may be the most affordable option for many of those patients, so keeping it off the table may impose a financial strain on people who are already struggling with serious medical conditions. The entire marijuana industry, including Cannabis Strategic Ventures, Inc. (OTC: NUGS) and Youngevity International, Inc. (NASDAQ: YGYI), supports the position taken by Governor DeSantis.

About CannabisNewsWire

To receive instant SMS alerts, text CANNABIS to 21000

For more information please visit https://www.CannabisNewsWire.com

Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the CannabisNewsWire website applicable to all content provided by CNW, wherever published or re-published: http://CNW.fm/Disclaimer

CannabisNewsWire (CNW)
Denver, Colorado
www.CannabisNewsWire.com
303.498.7722 Office
Editor@CannabisNewsWire.com

420 with CNW – Missouri Prosecutors Change Stance on Marijuana Cases

It is still illegal to consume recreational marijuana in Missouri, but prosecutors in several urban areas there have decided to stop going after people found in possession of small amounts of cannabis.

The prosecutors in Jackson County, St. Louis and St. Louis County have all announced that their efforts will be directed elsewhere rather than on small-time marijuana cases.

The change in these urban areas isn’t unique to Missouri. Brooklyn, Manhattan, Albany and Virginia are other examples of urban authorities where similar policies are being implemented.

Wesley Bell, the new prosecuting attorney of St. Louis County, is the latest urban authority law enforcement official to announce that low-level marijuana cases will no longer take any law enforcement resources.

However, individuals who are suspected to be distributing or selling marijuana will still be prosecuted as well as those who drive under the influence of the substance.

Marijuana law reform advocates welcomed this announcement and expect many other urban authorities to take similar action since there is growing pressure to end prohibition and adopt legalization and regulation of marijuana.

At one time, cannabis was seen as a stepping stone (“gate-way” drug) to harder drugs like heroin and cocaine. However, the medicinal use of marijuana has led to wider acceptance of the substance and nearly three dozen states have legalized its medical use. Missouri voters did the same during the recent midterms.

The decision taken by the prosecutors in the urban areas of Missouri have nevertheless attracted some criticism. For example, some lawmakers are saying that it isn’t up to the prosecutors to decide which laws they will implement and which ones they will not implement. They added that it is the work of the legislature to make laws while the judiciary interprets them and law enforcement simply implements those laws.

The action of the prosecutors is therefore a subversion of democracy, the critics concluded.

In response, Wesley Bell said that his biggest priority is to keep families safe, and small-time marijuana possession isn’t the biggest threat to families. Violent crime and other serious forms of crime pose a bigger threat to public safety, so scarce resources should be directed there.

Bell gave an example that a minor marijuana possession case can take approximately 60 hours of an assistant prosecutor’s time. Is that a good way to utilize the limited law enforcement personnel, he wondered.

Since prosecutors are in the business of tackling crime, who is to argue against them regarding how much attention low-level marijuana possession should be accorded? The cannabis industry, including VIVO Cannabis Inc. (TSX.V: VIVO) (OTCQX: VVCIF) and TransCanna Holdings Inc. (CSE: TCAN), welcomes every small step that is taken to end the pariah status that has been unfairly slapped on cannabis for decades.

About CannabisNewsWire

To receive instant SMS alerts, text CANNABIS to 21000

For more information please visit https://www.CannabisNewsWire.com

Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the CannabisNewsWire website applicable to all content provided by CNW, wherever published or re-published: http://CNW.fm/Disclaimer

CannabisNewsWire (CNW)
Denver, Colorado
www.CannabisNewsWire.com
303.498.7722 Office
Editor@CannabisNewsWire.com

420 with CNW – Most US Mayors Support Marijuana Legalization, Survey Shows

A survey conducted by a team of researchers based at Boston University shows that a slight majority of all city mayors across the U.S. supports the legalization of marijuana and the regulation of its sales.

110 current city mayors from 37 states in the nation were asked to share their views about marijuana and several other policy issues.

The researchers found that 53 percent of the mayors were in favor of marijuana legalization and regulated sales within their cities while 35 percent of the mayors said they didn’t support the legalization of marijuana in their jurisdictions.

Many of the mayors who took part in the survey revealed that their opinions hardly depended on their philosophical or moral views on marijuana. Instead, they were influenced by several practical matters when forming an opinion on the subject.

For example, some of those who opposed legalization wondered how law enforcement agencies would distinguish between legal marijuana and black market marijuana.

In terms of political party affiliation, 62 percent of Democratic Party-affiliated members said they were in favor of cannabis legalization while 67 percent of Republicans were opposed to cannabis legalization.

So far, ten states have legalized recreational marijuana and many more are queuing up to do so. However, cannabis is still illegal under federal law and this creates a contradiction between what is happening at state level and what federal law permits.

This contradiction prompted the National League of Cities (a group bringing more than 19,000 municipalities together) to pass two resolutions in 2018 asking the federal government to reform the federal marijuana laws.

Furthermore, marijuana law reform proposals in Congress have bipartisan support and there is a good chance that some of them may sail through both Houses this year.

All these changes are on the horizon as support for cannabis legalization keeps growing across the country. Recent polls by Gallup and other reputable entities show that up to 64 percent of Americans now support marijuana legalization.

It may therefore be just a matter of time before all the states legalize marijuana in some form and the federal government may then have no choice but to make some legal concessions on matters of marijuana.

Otherwise, if the views of the mayors in the Boston University survey are anything to go by, change is likely to come sooner than the federal government may have envisaged. The whole cannabis industry, including Therma Bright, Inc. (TSX.V: THRM) (OTC: THRBF) and The Green Organic Dutchman (TSX: TGOD) (OTCQX: TGODF), is watching and waiting to see what happens on Capitol Hill.

About CannabisNewsWire

To receive instant SMS alerts, text CANNABIS to 21000

For more information please visit https://www.CannabisNewsWire.com

Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the CannabisNewsWire website applicable to all content provided by CNW, wherever published or re-published: http://CNW.fm/Disclaimer

CannabisNewsWire (CNW)
Denver, Colorado
www.CannabisNewsWire.com
303.498.7722 Office
Editor@CannabisNewsWire.com

420 with CNW – US Virgin Islands Passes Medical Marijuana Law

On Tuesday last week, Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. signed a bill that legalized medical cannabis in the U.S. Virgin Islands. This brings to an end a long process that started with a referendum in favor of medical cannabis in 2014. 56.5 percent of the voters agreed that medical cannabis should be legalized and regulated.

Senator Positive Nelson then drafted a bill to actualize medical cannabis in the jurisdiction but the bill didn’t sail through the legislature. He persisted in bringing new bills during each legislative session until the most recent one passed in December last year and was assented to by the Governor a week ago.

Gov. Bryan Jr. had stated during his campaigns that he supported the legalization of medical cannabis, so putting his signature on the bill was a foregone conclusion as long as the bill passed on the floor of the Legislature. The Governor was also aware of the economic benefits that would accrue once medical cannabis is legalized.

The Medical Cannabis Patient Care Act states that patients need to get a recommendation from a doctor before consuming medical cannabis. The law also establishes the Office of Cannabis Regulation, the agency that will be charged with licensing and overseeing the medical cannabis industry.

The patients who reside in the Virgin Islands will be allowed to have up to four ounces of marijuana flower while those who aren’t residents will have a possession limit of three ounces. The Office of Cannabis Regulation will set the limits for the other cannabis products in due course.

The law also listed a number of health conditions for which patients can get a doctor’s recommendation for medical cannabis. These include neuropathic pain, diabetes, traumatic brain injury, HIV/AIDS, ulcerative colitis, muscle spasms, PTSD and so many others.

Medical marijuana advocates applauded the action taken by the Legislature and Gov. Bryan in passing this vital law. Patients who badly need alternative remedies for their conditions will soon access marijuana legally within the Virgin Islands.

It is expected that draft rules for the medical cannabis industry will be in place within four months after the enactment of the Medical Cannabis Patient Care Act.

What is left is for the regulations to be made so that industry players can start getting ready to cultivate, manufacture and distribute medical cannabis to the licensed dispensaries. It is hoped that this next phase will not drag out in the same way that passing the law did after the referendum of 2014. The Flowr Corporation (TSX.V: FLWR) and Supreme Cannabis Company Inc. (TSX.V: FIRE) (OTCQX: SPRWF) wish the U.S. Virgin Islands a speedy implementation of their medical cannabis program.

About CannabisNewsWire

To receive instant SMS alerts, text CANNABIS to 21000

For more information please visit https://www.CannabisNewsWire.com

Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the CannabisNewsWire website applicable to all content provided by CNW, wherever published or re-published: http://CNW.fm/Disclaimer

CannabisNewsWire (CNW)
Denver, Colorado
www.CannabisNewsWire.com
303.498.7722 Office
Editor@CannabisNewsWire.com

420 with CNW – Washington Legislators Make Another Attempt at Legalizing Cannabis Homegrows

Washington State still remains as the only state where recreational cannabis is legal but residents aren’t allowed to grow the plant for their own use. However, this may change if the two bills introduced in the state legislature are passed, thereby allowing adults to grow a maximum of six plants for their own use.

Previous attempts to pass similar bills have met with failure, so it isn’t a foregone conclusion that the attempts this year will bear fruit.

The key difference this time round is that the two bills have bipartisan support, at least when the list of sponsors is analyzed.

One advocate of growing cannabis at home, John Kingsbury, revealed that he has been approaching numerous legislators to ask them to support the new bills. Many revealed that they couldn’t sign their names against the bills, but promised to vote in favor of the bills should they ever reach the floor of the legislature.

This new set of bills seeks to eliminate the restrictions that were proposed by regulators at the Liquor and Cannabis Board (LCB) in 2017 when proposals to allow people to grow cannabis at home were first suggested.

Those restrictions included a cap of four plants for homegrows. The LCB also wanted people to obtain a mandatory license from the state if they wanted to grow cannabis at home. There was even a suggestion that mechanisms should be instituted to track a cannabis plant throughout the state!

The new bills propose that adults can grow a maximum of six plants and there will be no need to obtain a permit or to track the plants grown by each adult.

Critics of plans to allow residents to grow their own cannabis claim that allowing such a practice would expand the black market for marijuana and that it will be hard to regulate the industry.

However, those in favor of the proposals counter that Washington is learning from the experience of other states and can therefore pick what to apply and what to avoid. For example, the six-plant limit is a valuable requirement since it sidesteps the mistake made by Colorado when it initially allowed residents to grow up to 99 plants, a move that allowed this legally grown crop to end up on the illicit market.

Additionally, the legalization of homegrows would curb the black market since residents would resort to consuming their own produce if retail outlets and medical cannabis dispensaries ever developed shortages.

The cannabis industry, including Sunniva Inc. (CSE: SNN) (OTCQB: SNNVF) and Sugarmade, Inc. (OTCQB: SGMD), is watching how the bills will be debated and voted on, if they get to that stage.

About CannabisNewsWire

To receive instant SMS alerts, text CANNABIS to 21000

For more information please visit https://www.CannabisNewsWire.com

Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the CannabisNewsWire website applicable to all content provided by CNW, wherever published or re-published: http://CNW.fm/Disclaimer

CannabisNewsWire (CNW)
Denver, Colorado
www.CannabisNewsWire.com
303.498.7722 Office
Editor@CannabisNewsWire.com

420 with CNW – About 60 Closed Cannabis Dispensaries May Reopen in Michigan

The Michigan Medical Marijuana Licensing Board has voted to allow more than 60 medical cannabis dispensaries to reopen at least until March 31 as their license applications are processed.

The decision was announced after there was an outcry that patients would find it hard to get medical cannabis if that large number of dispensaries is closed pending the processing of their license applications.

The reprieve given to the closed businesses is subject to a number of conditions. First, the local government of the area should have granted the business approval to operate in their jurisdiction. The business should have also submitted its license application within a certain timeframe, in addition to meeting the other conditions before it reopens.

This decision was met with some reservations by a section of the members of the licensing board. These individuals felt that letting these closed businesses to reopen would be unfair to those dispensaries that had done everything possible to acquire a license.

By reopening unlicensed dispensaries, the board may be setting a precedent that it makes no difference whether you comply with regulatory requirements in time or not.

These concerned board members were of the view that the 50 licensed dispensaries should have been given a chance to see a boom in their sales as a reward for taking timely action to get licensed. The unlicensed dispensaries are 72.

In a related development, medical marijuana products that haven’t been tested and approved can still be sold at the different dispensaries within Michigan as long as the dispensary gives the patient an acknowledgment form to sign confirming that the patient is aware that the product hasn’t met all the testing requirements of the state.

The previous Governor of Michigan, Rick Synder, had tried to close all the medical cannabis dispensaries that were still using the emergency rules as the basis of their operation before they get licenses.

However, those attempts to close the dispensaries were thwarted by court rulings and the desire to protect patients’ interests regarding ease of access to medical marijuana. This recent reprieve by the licensing board is yet another speed bump on the journey to accept only licensed dispensaries to operate in the state.

All in all, it is good that the interests of the patients have been given precedence by the medical marijuana licensing board in Michigan. Sproutly Canada, Inc. (OTCQB: SRUTF) (CSE: SPR) (FRA: 38G) and SinglePoint, Inc. (OTCQB: SING) urge the affected dispensaries to comply with all the regulatory requirements so that their operations aren’t disrupted once the deadline reaches.

About CannabisNewsWire

To receive instant SMS alerts, text CANNABIS to 21000

For more information please visit https://www.CannabisNewsWire.com

Please see full terms of use and disclaimers on the CannabisNewsWire website applicable to all content provided by CNW, wherever published or re-published: http://CNW.fm/Disclaimer

CannabisNewsWire (CNW)
Denver, Colorado
www.CannabisNewsWire.com
303.498.7722 Office
Editor@CannabisNewsWire.com