Happy Friday all!

One of my new year’s resolutions is to follow more relevant publications and social media accounts. Got any recommendations? Send them to alex@weedweek.com

In today’s meaty newsletter:

• Amazon endorses GOP legalization bill
• Flow Cannabis hits hard times: Report

Enjoy,

Alex 

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TODAY in WeedWeek Live:

Jackie Bryant talks to Poseidon Asset Management managing partner Emily Paxhia.

Check out last week’s interview with Jesus Burrola, CEO of California craft grower Posibl. 

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Tech giant Amazon expressed support for Rep. Nancy Mace’s (R-S.C.) federal legalization bill.  The news comes months after Amazon endorsed a Democratic bill.

• A spokesman described the new announcement as a way to spur bi-partisan action as well as support from more companies.
• Mace also says any bill has to be bi-partisan. She recently lent support to a limited MED bill in South Carolina, despite strong opposition among many Republicans.

Amazon says its increasingly visible support for legalization owes to the tight labor market: 

• It says federal prohibition makes it harder to hire people of color.

Amazon says it has no plans to sell cannabis. 

• Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) said, “I’m deeply skeptical that Amazon’s lobbying is anything more than a self-interested move to monopolize yet another market, potentially blocking Black and Latino entrepreneurs from an emerging industry.”The move, which comes months after the company endorsed a Democrat-led bill.

Business:

• A compensation lawsuit filed against MSO Curaleaf by the former CMO of Grasslands, a company Curaleaf acquired, will advance to a “potentially embarrassing” discovery process.
  Grown In   
• Grown In also put together a nationwide map of dispensaries owned by publicly-traded companies.
• Tech unicorn Dutchie, an e-commerce platform for dispensaries, is launching a payments service. 
• The ownership of Colorado dispensary chain Native Roots have an internal lawsuit over $100M.
  Westword
• Cartoonist and activist Brian “Box” Brown filed a consumer complaint against Curaleaf, for charging much more in Pennsylvania than Maine. Curaleaf didn’t respond to a request for comment.
  @boxbrown

States:

• Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis won’t say if he endorses REC legalization. If that holds, his race against Ag. Secretary Nikki Fried or Rep. Charlie Crist, both strong legalization supporters, will make it a higher profile issue than in any election I can remember. 
  Florida Politics
• It’s about to get harder, and more expensive, to win a license in California.
  MJBiz  
• The New York Growers and Processors Association is calling for big changes to the state’s new REC law.
  Syracuse.com
• The first year of Arizona sales topped $1B.
• A Delaware REC bill cleared its first legislative hurdle.
  Marijuana Moment
• Mississippi lawmakers sent a nearly 450-page MED bill to Gov. Tate Reeves (R). His signature is not assured.
• Ohio said it wouldn’t release the results of yesterday’s MED license lottery until next week. “Ugh,” Amanda Ostrowitz posted.
• In Oregon, a slew of new product rules is taking effect.
  Willamette Week
• Pot taxes are outpacing booze taxes in Massachusetts. (Chris Roberts argues in Forbes that headlines like these mean weed is overtaxed.) 
  AP
• After a court struck down South Dakota’s voter-approved REC law, the state issued its first three MED licenses.
  South Dakota Public Broadcasting 

Equity:

• Many in SoCal feel betrayed by the failure of equity programs.
  LA Times

Lists:

• Accounting firm MGO released its Cannabis 50, of folks who had a positive impact in 2021.
• PoliticsNY has a long list of pot power players in the state.
• Business Insider has a list of 16 start-ups poised to take off, according to investors. (Insider also reports top VCs expect an “explosion of institutional investment,” this year.)
• Andrew DeAngelo shared 10 predictions for 2022.
• In a rare double listicle, Adweek delivers five lessons learned from the five biggest shopping days of 2021.
• CBDevious dropped the 20 best pot podcasts.

Hemp:

• A group representing the hemp building industry submitted to certify hempcrete in U.S. building codes.
  Hemp Build Mag

Health and Science:

• A study found legalization did not “generate negative outcomes in the labor market, lead to greater criminal activity, or reduce traffic and road safety.“

Fun and interesting:

• MJBrand Insights talks to Lynnette Shaw, “godmother of legal cannabis.”
• Archaeologists may have discovered an ancient beer bong.
  Inverse

• This year’s Emerald Cup awards for craft cannabis will be part of the Green Street Festival, May 14, in LA.  Entry deadline is February 11, and competitors will face an “epic lineup of judges.“
• The Luxury Meets Cannabis Conference, May 5-6 in New York, has opened its “brand application process.”
• Stoner music festival The Smoker’s Club returns to SoCal April 30.

• Data company Headset has a new report on the topicals market.
• Canna Law Blog discusses the benefits of triple net or NNN lease structures.
• Writer Jamie Toth argues Oregon testing data shows consumers shouldn’t shop on THC content alone.

• Wiz Khalifa’s Khalifa Kush brand is launching in California.
  Culture Magazine
• Vape maker Vuber released a new battery, the Pulse.

• NorCal Cannabis Co. co-CEO Jigar Patel says now is when “real operators” will shine.
• @ngaio420 loves his new BlazySusan. (Pictured)

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