Deals

Ever since recreational cannabis was legalized in Colorado, the market has exploded with profit and product. After selling a total of $1.3 billion worth of marijuana in 2016, you might wonder how local regulators are able to keep track of all this greenery. To do so, the state has instituted the METRC system, giving each plant a unique bar-coded electronic tag from seed-to-sale. 

Although this network is created to track almost every aspect of the product, including weight, location, sale, and other information, there is still a glaring loophole that some cannabis seems to somehow fall through.

California is having a hard time figuring out regulations for their newly legal recreational cannabis industry. Governor Jerry Brown and his administration have proposed legislation that would merge the state’s two decade old medical industry with the new recreational laws, but Brown’s plan is facing criticism from opponents who say it gives too much power to big business cannabis capitalists.

Although more than half of the states in the U.S. have legalized cannabis on a medical or recreational level, the industry itself has failed to legitimize itself due to ongoing federal illegality. One of the most glaring issues stems from the inability to use banking services, forcing marijuana business owners to deal in cash only. 

Now, a Justice Department bankruptcy watchdog is reminding the industry that this financial forbiddance also extends to companies facing financial trouble. Last Wednesday, U.S.

The business software company MJ Freeway has reported the retail portion of cannabis sales on 4/20 exceeded $45 million, a 20% increase from last year’s marijuana holiday.
MJ Freeway’s 4/20 by the Numbers:

MJ Freeway predicted a 10% increase in order count (number of transactions) for the week of 4/20 (4/14 – 4/20).

Stoners across the world got together last week to celebrate the slow but steady decline of marijuana prohibition. The week of 4/20 is the biggest sales week for cannabis retailers, and as more states legalize, the revenue from cannabis sales gets larger every year. According to MJ Freeway, a company that provides seed-to-sale traceability solutions for the cannabis industry, retail cannabis sales exceeded $45 million this 4/20.

Based on sales data from the past seven years, MJ Freeway correctly predicted that this year's 4/20 sales would increase by 20% from last year.

When Massachusetts voters acted to pass marijuana legalization back in November, the Joint Committee on Marijuana Policy was formed to help usher in the ever evolving cannabis climate. The committee, chaired by Sen. Patricia Jehlen (D-Somerville) and Rep. Mark Cusack (D-Braintree), is tasked with transforming a piece of legislature into a functional and regulated marijuana market in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Beginning on Monday, the Joint Committee on Marijuana Policy began hearing all of the cannabis-related bills designated to them — nearly 40 in total.

With all of the state legislatures being in session and the current state of momentum in the cannabis policy reform movement, it is no surprise that many states are seeing marijuana bills and other proposals come through for consideration.  The State of Vermont is no exception.Just recently, the Vermont Senate voted 21-9 in favor of a bill that would legalize marijuana for adults in the State and would create a regulatory agency on the production and sale of marijuana.

Rapper. Chef. TV Personality. Hash Connoisseur … and Glass Blower? Cannabis renaissance man Action Bronson does it all.
No longer content with just collecting glass, Bronson took a turn behind the torch with Elbo and the result is a multi-colored raptor with an eye-patched poodle disk attached. While Elbo did the heavy lifting, Bronson crafted the entire bottom section:



While this was clearly a collaboration, Elbo told me that Bronson appeared to be “a natural” with glass. Speaking last week at his studio, Elbo commented that “Bronson actually has some serious chops.