• More than 3.2M Californians 25 and older used cannabis in the past month.
• California's 13,000 liquor stores outnumber licensed dispensaries 21 to 1.
• While 67% of state local jurisdictions don't allow dispensaries, "cities and counties are now beginning to compete to attract cannabis dollars."
• Delivery services are expanding their reach.
• BDS Analytics sales data from several states, including California, show vape sales began to recover late last year.
• Leafly's annual cannabis jobs report found California leads the nation in pot jobs. WW California has more.
• Jeff Schultz, an executive with investment firm Navy Capital, continues to see opportunity amid the volatility. MJBiz

• In addition to the industry hated federal tax rule 280E, state tax collectors have weighed on company finances because they're quick to levy heavy penalties for late payment.

• Representatives from three unions sent a letter to Sacramento's Democratic Lawmakers asking them to shut the California Cannabis Industry Association (CCIA) out of future political negotiations "for the time being."
• The letter was triggered by a CCIA white paper which advised its business members that unionizing employees can lead to "decreased flexibility and increased costs."
• The unions -- a branch of the United Food and Commercial Workers, two Teamster locals and the California Labor Federation -- called it "a piece of anti-union literature."

• CCIA executive director Lindsay Robinson said the paper was not supposed to be anti-union. “We retract any statements that may have been misleading,” she said in a statement. “This document does not reflect priorities in our legislative platform, nor our guiding policies."
• While it's not yet clear if the fallout will be substantial, Adam Spiker, executive director of industry group Southern California Coalition, called it an "unforced error" by CCIA. "Labor has been a partner with local and state government much longer than regulated cannabis," he added

• "Privately, labor officials have suggested ... ProTech, is a business-friendly front meant to help companies meet state labor requirements without ever intending to allow workers to organize. Indeed, ProTech appeared to dance very close to the definition of “a company union”—ersatz worker organizations set up by management to crush organizing efforts before they can begin—which have been banned under federal labor law since the 1930s."
• “This union has never ever been found guilty of anything,” the group's head said.

Quick Hit

1. Business Insider is tallying layoffs -- now about 2,000 total -- across the industry.

• Investing site Grizzle is bearish on Aurora.
• Canopy Growth, the world's largest cannabis company, beat expectations on its revenue and net loss, leading some to suggest a recovery is nigh. CNN
• However, Reuters reports the company may struggle to offload assets.
• A writer says Canada's market mirrors the worst aspects of the U.S. market. Yahoo Finance

• Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fl.), a Trump ally, said Congress has the votes to extend the existing protections, which have been in place since 2014. Marijuana Moment

• It asks for money to help the Food and Drug Administration regulate "cannabis and cannabis derivatives."
• It also extends a longstanding provision blocking the District of Columbia from using local tax dollars to legalize sales.

Quick Hit

1. Thirteen GOP lawmakers thanked Senate Banking Committee Chair Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) for delaying a committee vote on the cannabis banking bill which passed the Democratic-led House. Marijuana Moment

• New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo says the best chance to legalize REC this year is through the budget. He said he's "optimistic" it will happen. WSJ
• New Mexico's bid to legalize REC legislatively is almost certainly dead this year. KOB
• After a bill passed the state Senate, Virginia is on the brink of decriminalizing. Vox
• Canna Law Blog previews Oregon's legislative session.
• Florida House Speaker Jose Oliva (R) said a bill capping THC levels in MED is a priority. News4JAX
• Arizona's MED patient list is growing steadily. MJBiz

• FlowHub's platform is designed to provide all the software a dispensary needs including inventory tracking, sales processing and compliance.
• With almost 1,000 dispensary customers, the company processes $1 Billion in annual sales. Its software package starts at $499/month.
• The company closed a $23M Series A in October from investors including Poseidon, e.ventures and Evolv Ventures.

Quick Hit

1. When evaluating pot stocks, New Cannabis Ventures cautions not all revenue is the same.
2. Medical psychedelics companies are starting to go public. Bloomberg

• "Basically, folks would boil weed buds into a “broth,” pull that filtered broth up into a syringe, then inject it. Rather than getting lit, they got sick AF instead, which included bouts of vomiting, intense muscle pains, and serious heart problems."
• Snorting weed isn't a good idea either: "You’ll end up blowing pot-snot all day and never catching a buzz."

Quick Hit

1. A Canadian man who stabbed his mother to death in 2017 after injesting a small amount of cannabis was sentenced to 45 months in prison. CBC

• Lacey said she would vacate 62,000 felony convictions dating back to 1961 and 4,000 misdemeanor convictions.
• Of those granted relief, 32% are black, 45% are Latino and 20% are white.
• A partnership with tech non-profit Code for America helped determine the people who should receive relief.

• States which have legalized for more than three years have seen increases in demand for commercial prop

Quick Hit

1. Martha Stewart and Snoop's "Potluck Party Challenge" looks like fun. @TheEllenShow