Marijuana Business Magazine - February 2018

Hawaii Hawaii may expend its limited hemp program dra- matically in 2018, when lawmakers join policy makers in other states and consider allowing farmers to sell the plant. The state already allows hemp production thanks to a 2016 law permitting limited research plots and seed development. But Hawaii’s hemp farmers aren’t permitted to sell what they grow, and a proposal before lawmakers would change that. If passed, the bill would allow commercial sales of flower, stalks and seeds and, thus, would make Hawaii’s hemp program permanent instead of temporary. Maryland More than 35% of those with an ownership stake in a Maryland medical marijuana company – and nearly 60% of those employed by MMJ businesses – are racial minorities, according to preliminary data released by the state’s Medical Cannabis Commission. But some indus- try watchers believe those numbers don’t tell the whole story and contend that the state failed to adequately ensure racial diversity when licensing MMJ businesses. Four years after Maryland legalized medical cannabis, sales through licensed dispensaries finally began in early December. www.CannaMav.com/mb6

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