Marijuana Business Magazine July 2018

Ohio Two Ohio judges have refused to stop the state’s medical marijuana program, enabling regulators to continue to strive to meet a Sept. 8 statutory deadline for the MMJ launch. Franklin County Common Pleas Judge Richard Frye ruled that Ohio Releaf, one of 97 unsuccessful applicants in the large-grow category, should receive an administrative hearing with the State Commerce Department within 15 days, but he denied a request for a preliminary injunction. A similar, separate lawsuit by five other cultivator hopefuls was dismissed because those companies hadn’t yet gone through the state administrative appeal process. Oregon Persistent low prices have led to small operations downsizing staff and cultivation facilities closing in the state. Oregon regulators reported that 1.1 million pounds of marijuana were entered into the state’s traceability system in February. By contrast, Oregonians consumed only about 340,000 pounds of regulated cannabis in 2017. The state is planning to double the number of licensed cultivators this summer. At the beginning of April, Oregon had 963 licensed cannabis cultivators and another 910 on the Oregon Liquor Control Commission’s desk awaiting approval. Pennsylvania A first-of-its-kind medical cannabis research program was halted at least temporarily when a Pennsylvania court issued an injunction preventing eight universities from solidifying deals with companies that want to grow and dispense MMJ. A group of licensed MMJ companies in Pennsylvania filed suit to stop the program, arguing that it would “flood the market with medical marijuana” because each company that won a university con- tract would be allowed to cultivate MMJ and open six dispensaries. West Virginia In advance of the launch of West Virginia’s medi- cal cannabis industry, the state treasurer has proposed potential solutions for MMJ companies in need of payment and banking solutions to avoid operating on an all-cash basis. Treasurer John Perdue has floated two different possibilities to Gov. Jim Justice: Create a third-party loop system for payments that could be used by customers and businesses, or establish a state-run banking system for MMJ companies. Both would require action by the state Legislature and support from the governor’s office. – Kate Lavin Note: Entries sourced from Marijuana Business Daily and other international, national and local news outlets. These develop- ments occurred before this magazine’s publication deadline, so some situations may have changed. July 2018 • Marijuana Business Magazine • 29