The California Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (also referred to as GO-Biz) announced on June 1 that it would be granting $35.5 million worth of cannabis tax revenue to community efforts. The funds come from the California Community Reinvestment Grant program, which will be directed to organizations... Read more
Helios Dayspring had one goal: build a cannabis empire that, in his words, would be “too big to fail.” But as he acquired hundreds of acres of land to grow the product and opened storefronts along California’s Central Coast to sell it, Dayspring’s ambition led him to bribery. His... Read more
The perpetual myth that dispensaries are selling weed to minors refuses to die, but evidence shows this isn’t the case in California. Instead, adult-use dispensaries in the state are proving the system works by checking IDs as required by state law. A new study disproves the theory that dispensaries... Read more
The City of Sacramento and Habitat for Humanity whipped up a plan to kill two birds with one stone—offering people busted with grow houses to donate their house to a worthy cause instead of paying high penalties. Since busted growers already face six-digit amounts of money in administrative penalties,... Read more
Law enforcement officials in San Bernardino County, California have filed charges against 11 individuals after a huge subterranean cannabis cultivation operation was discovered by police. At a press conference on Monday, San Bernardino District Attorney Jason Anderson and Sheriff Shannon Dicus announced the group faces charges of felony cultivation... Read more
The market for legal weed is growing. But in California, as elsewhere, it faces serious challenges. We’re not talking about droughts, climate change or supply chain shortages. The biggest challenge is competition from illegal weed. Our best estimate is that roughly three-quarters of the weed currently sold to consumers... Read more
Democratic leader Melahat Rafiei, also a consultant to cannabis companies, confirms she’s cooperated with FBI for three years. The lure of potential profits, and the fertile ground for corruption, that surround the legal cannabis industry helped unravel a series of scandals playing out this week in Anaheim. Longtime Democratic... Read more
Last Saturday, the 18th Annual Emerald Cup Awards was held at The Montalbán Theatre near Hollywood and Vine in Hollywood in Los Angeles, California—and it was truly a spectacle to behold. As people shuffled in, creating a continuous stream of advocates, patients, breeders, and growers, the venue filled quickly.... Read more
There was a lucky vibe for Friday the 13th, at the grand opening for cannabis consumption lounge The Woods, co-owned by actor and cannabis entrepreneur Woody Harrelson. Located in West Hollywood, California, the newly remodeled storefront is one of the first of a slew of consumption facilities slated to... Read more
Newsom announced the revision proposal on May 13, which aims to set aside $150 million in order to “temporarily reduce taxes” and simplify the tax structure, while $21 million will go toward local governments to help expand cannabis’s retail footprint. Newsom said in response to a question from a... Read more
