News and Information about the Business of Cannabis

Whitmer’s Proposed Cannabis Tax Increase Sparks Outrage

Michigan’s cannabis industry, already reeling from oversupply and plummeting prices, is facing a new threat: Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s proposed 32% wholesale tax on recreational marijuana. The tax, part of her ambitious budget plan to fund road repairs, has...

Michigan Cannabis Faces Huge Consolidation In 2025

For the first time ever, Michigan marijuana industry jobs declined over a three-month period. Prices plummeted to another historic low in January, revenue hit a 12-month basement, investment continues to constrict and business expansion has trickled to a...

2025 CRA Social Equity All-Star Program Renewal

The Social Equity team would like to remind licensees that the form and the criteria to be recognized in the 2025 Social Equity All-Star Program can be found here. If you are already a part of the Social Equity All-Star Program and would like to continue...

Ohio Pot Costs Triple Michigan’s, Yet Lawmakers Want To Make It Even More Expensive

Feb 19, 2025 | Great Lakes Region

Dealing with Crohn’s disease since he was a kid, Terrell Washington felt stuck — Until he was able to access marijuana. "It got me off of medication and got me into remission with my Crohn's disease because of using cannabis," Washington told me. He knew he wanted to...

NoCo Hemp Expo April 11-12 In Colorado

Feb 19, 2025 | Feature, National

The 11th Annual NoCo Hemp Expo, happening April 10-12, in Estes Park, Colorado. Presented by First Citizens Bank, NoCo11 is the premier event for everyone in the hemp industry—growers, processors, fiber and grain companies, CBD and flower businesses,...

CRA Reminds Licensees Of Impending FDA Ban Of FD&C Red No. 3 Color Additive

Feb 19, 2025 | Feature, Great Lakes Region, Michigan

The CRA announced Feb. 18 that it is requiring licensee compliance by January 15, 2027, with the Food and Drug Administration’s recent January 15 announcement that authorization for the use of FD&C Red No. 3 in foods, supplements, and drugs has been revoked. CRA...

Oakland County Sheriff Bouchard Links Drop In Intoxicating Hemp Products To Pot Legalization

Feb 19, 2025 | Feature, Great Lakes Region, Michigan

Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard is advising Congress that state-level marijuana legalization has helped to mitigate problems related to unregulated intoxicating hemp products that non-legal states are experiencing. At a hearing before a House Energy &...

Breaking Down Whitmer’s Game-Changing Proposed Wholesale Tax On The Michigan Cannabis Industry

Feb 19, 2025 | Feature, Great Lakes Region, Michigan

On February 10, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer released her “Mi Road Ahead” Plan to “fix the damn roads”—echoing her 2018 campaign slogan. To the consternation and fear of the cannabis community, the Mi Road Ahead Plan proposes creating a new 32% wholesale...

Tennessee Lawmakers Seek To Restrict Smokable Hemp Flower Products

Feb 19, 2025 | National

Two bills filed in the Tennessee Legislature could significantly reshape the state’s hemp industry. One proposal, sponsored by Republican Rep. Ed Butler, seeks to ban smokable hemp flower products, including THCa flower, which when heated produces effects similar to...

Marijuana Retailers Linked To Fewer Opioid Deaths, No Increase In Fatal Motor Vehicle Accidents

Feb 14, 2025 | National

Counties with a high volume of marijuana retailers have reduced levels of opioid-related deaths and do not experience increases in either traffic-related fatalities or suicide, according to data published in the American Journal of Drug and Alcohol...