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Hi all,

Running a bit late, had to finish off today’s pretty wild story.

• A SoCal city’s permitting enters uncharted terrain

Hope you find it valuable,

Alex

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EXCLUSIVE: A SoCal city’s permitting enters uncharted terrain

Two years ago, the retail permitting situation in Chula Vista, north of San Diego, was a “disaster.” Today it’s beyond that.

And a recent judicial order could force it to revoke the permits of dispensaries that are currently operating, an apparently unprecedented move in California, where lack of retail access is a key bottleneck for the industry. The potentially affected shops include March & Ash, a San Diego-based retailer with about 10 stores.

Read the story

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PLUS, Don’t miss my latest on local control: Lawsuit alleges Cudahy (LA Co.) extorted licensees.

Federal:

• Supporters of banking reform hope to bundle it with must-pass legislation.
  MJBiz
• A judge scheduled oral arguments in the high profile lawsuit challenging federal prohibition.
  Marijuana Moment

Business:

• Sales were strong on 4/20, despite some customers of online menu provider Dutchie suffering an outage. It was the onetime unicorn’s second consecutive 4/20 outage.
  Green Market Report, MJBiz
• A federal court handed a big trademark win to the makers of Raw papers over the parent company of California-based extracts brand Raw Garden, lawyer Sofya Asatryan explains.
• Speaking at the NoCo(lorado) Hemp Expo, lawyer Rod Kight called for a “new paradigm” in cannabis reform. He calls it the “Three Pillars.“
• In an apparent industry first, workers at a Cresco Labs facility in Massachusetts voted to de-unionize from the United Food and Commercial Workers.
  MJBiz
• MSO Trulieve settled a former worker’s wrongful termination suit. Before being fired, he’d claimed the company ignored safety and sexual misconduct allegations.
  Green Market Report
• Veteran weed journo Will Yakowicz takes on weed’s “civil war” with hemp.
  Forbes
• Struggling breweries are making more strong beers with alcohol content close to 10%.
  Axios

State and local:

• A reporter investigated how Chicago-based private equity firm Chicago Atlantic benefits from New York state’s equity policy. Matthew Greenberg of Platform Cannabis Advisors explained his argument why the equity program won’t work.
  The City
• REC supporters can gather signatures in North Dakota for a November ballot initiative.
  ABC
• A North Carolina tribe began the state’s first MED sales.
  Asheville Citizen-Times
• As negotiations stalled, workers at a Curaleaf shop in Arizona staged a 4/20 picket.
  AZ Central
• The mother of a Portland, Ore. man killed in a butane warehouse explosion filed a $24M wrongful death suit against his boss at the non-compliant company, their vendors and the landlord.
  Willamette Week

Health and science:

• A study found some rolling papers, mainly dyed ones, contained unsafe levels of heavy metals.
  Chemical & Engineering News

History:

• From the Colton Daily Courier, August 9, 1924: “Many happy dreams have been shattered as a result of the finding of an over productive Marijuana farm by officers near Oxnard(Calif.). Weeks of intensive searching for what is declared to be one of the biggest sources of the drug…”
  @forgottenmadness_la
  

Fun and interesting:

• Vox looks at the endless quest to replace alcohol.
• Cannabitch Jackie Bryant encounters a legendary San Diego stash.
  San Diego Magazine
• Cookies CEO Berner is now a character on cartoon ‘The Freak Brothers.’ He also spoke at Harvard Business School.
  @berner415
• In New York, Astor Club gave out The Billy Awards (for good weed.)

State:

• A Senate committee advanced a bill to make MDMA, DMT and other drugs available at 21+ “treatment centers.”
  Ganjapreneur

Business:

• Following the resolution of a threatened strike, Eaze CEO Cory Azzalino posted an open letter calling on lawmakers to cut taxes and regulation.
• California cannabis businesses owe the state $732M in taxes, according to an analysis by Greenwave Advisors. Almost 75% of that is owed by companies that have gone out of business.
  Green Market Report 
• Deep Roots Harvest, a Nevada retailer,  bought out most of competitor The Source for undisclosed terms. Deep Roots was recently acquired for $3.5M by British Columbia-based C21 Investments.
  Benzinga
• Lender Bespoke Financial is looking to expand its “buy now pay later’ service for retailers in California and Massachusetts.
  Reuters

Local:

• 4/20 was “the most SF day ever,” according to the SF Standard.
• A survey found Sacramento has the least expensive weed in California.
  KABC
• Santa Barbara County supes are taking steps to better control odors in the growing hub.
  Santa Maria Times
• Santa Monica is weighing REC shops.
• The City of Oakland is starting a new paid cannabiz internship for equity applicants, sponsored by the state and in partnership with Case 4 Cannabis.
• The sheriff of Siskiyou Co., bordering Oregon, is calling on Gov. Gavin Newsom(D) to clean up toxic, unlicensed grows.
  KRCR

Crime:

• A suspect in a 2018 Santa Barbara Co. farm robbery was found murdered in LA.
  EdHat

Upcoming:

• Jimi Devine’s Transbay Challenge VI: Cinco de Higho is May 5 in LA.

Katrina Yolen (CEO, CNB Strategies, Boston), Greta Brandt (President, The Flower Shop), Sasha Stephens (COO, Earth & Ivy) and Shannon Vetto (CEO, Evergreen Market) share the stage at MJUnpacked‘s recent conference at the Hard Rock Hotel in Atlantic City, N.J. (MJUnpacked is a WeedWeek advertiser.)

The topic was, “F*ck Winning Customers. Build a Rabid Fan Base Instead.” 

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