The Cannabist Network

Recent posts by The Cannabist Network

Up in smoke: Cannabis Commission to meet without suspended chairwoman

On Thursday, Treasury Secretary Deb Goldberg temporarily removed pot boss Shannon O’Brien from her post just a year after the former gubernatorial candidate took the job steering marijuana policy for the state.

Pot boss O’Brien apologizes as Massachusetts weed sales hit all-time high

Cannabis board boss Shannon O’Brien is apologizing for her recent outburst saying she was too blunt in saying the state’s legal weed rollout was in a “crisis.” It came on the same day the commission announced the Bay State has hit a new one-month high in legal weed sales — $136 million in July.

Marijuana emergency department visits for children, teens have spiked since the pandemic started: CDC

Marijuana emergency department visits for children, teens and young adults have spiked since the start of the pandemic more than three years ago, according to new data from the CDC.

Massachusetts pot shops closing in Worcester, Framingham, Northampton; a worker had died after packaging cannabis into pre-rolls

Trulieve Cannabis Corp. recently announced that the marijuana giant will be winding down its operations in Massachusetts. The company’s dispensaries in Worcester, Framingham, and Northampton will close at the end of June.

Colorado’s cannabis industry has fallen on hard times. What does the future hold?

The heyday of marijuana sales in Colorado — back in 2020 when recreational and medical sales topped out at a combined $226 million — is a distant memory, as the state’s dispensaries struggle through an economic downturn, with sales plummeting and small businesses foundering.

New Denver weed lounge aims to reinvent nightlife with tableside bong service

The aesthetic and amenities will be specifically curated to attract women and gay individuals, as well as the canna-curious looking for a comfortable environment where they can try some of Colorado’s locally grown herb.

Nearly a decade after recreational cannabis sales began in Colorado, Golden takes its first rip

Golden expects to collect $600,000 in marijuana excise tax revenue in 2024, the first year it will have all four shops open and selling.

Colorado’s first licensed cannabis-consumption bus rolls out this week

Colorado’s first legal cannabis party bus is preparing to roll up and roll out on the streets of Denver, offering shuttle services to and from Denver International Airport as well as curated tours throughout the Mile High City.

Massachusetts lawmakers file legislation to decriminalize psychedelic mushrooms, other plants

Massachusetts lawmakers have filed bills to end arrests for psilocybin mushrooms, ayahuasca, mescaline and ibogaine. This push for decriminalization at the state level comes after cities decriminalized psychedelic mushrooms and other entheogenic plants.

Massachusetts adds marijuana education to driving school, the first recreational cannabis state to adopt curriculum

Massachusetts is the first recreational-use cannabis state to adopt, “Shifting Gears: the Blunt Truth about Marijuana and Driving,” a AAA curriculum that educates teens about the risks of cannabis-impaired driving.

Weedology 101: College cannabis classes spring up across Massachusetts

“As a growing industry in Massachusetts, obviously, after legalization, the demand for jobs and highly qualified people skyrocketed — that what we were hearing from folks in the community businesses,” said Northern Essex Community College spokesperson Melissa Bouse.

Biden pardons thousands for ‘simple possession’ of marijuana

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is pardoning thousands of Americans convicted of “simple possession” of marijuana under federal law, as his administration takes a dramatic step toward decriminalizing the drug and addressing charging practices that disproportionately impact people of color.

Cannabis Control boss Shannon O’Brien, paid $181,722, has business before her own board

The state’s new pot boss Shannon O’Brien, paid a smoking $181,722 salary, has been involved in two applications for cannabis cultivation, according to documents reviewed by the Herald.

Colorado’s medical marijuana sales hit lowest point since legalization

July’s medical marijuana sales only reached a little over $18 million – the lowest number ever recorded since January 2014

LivWell to be Colorado cannabis giant after powerhouse PharmaCann plans to buy boutique chain

Cannabis retailer LivWell Enlightened Health is set to dominate the Colorado market with 26 dispensaries after PharmaCann announced its plan to buy The Clinic, a boutique dispensary chain in the Centennial State.

Boston Chinatown restaurant served up multimillion dollar money laundering operation, feds say

A federal grand jury in Boston indicted eight alleged members of the conspiracy that the feds — which operated it under the moniker “Operation Good Fortune” — say funneled tens of millions of dollars in drug money and more in a gift card fraud scheme.