Hi all,

Lots to cover so let’s get to it:

• SHO Products sues Puffco for patent infringement
• CEO Rogelio Choy departs Eaze
• “Opt-out’ towns encourage illegal sales: Report

And, so much more.

I’ll be at MJUnpacked in Vegas next week. Will you? 

Alex

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Correction: Last week I misidentified Gretchen Giles who has joined PR agency Grasslands.

Eaze CEO Rogelio Choy departs

Rogelio Choy, who led delivery service Eaze for four tumultuous years, has stepped down. He’s been replaced by executive Cory Azzalino.

“With a hyper focus on expanding retail and profitability, the company needs greater clarity and strategic vision in areas outside of my expertise,” Choy wrote in a parting…

Read the story…

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SCOOP: SHO Products strikes back, sues Puffco for patent infringement

SHO Products, maker of the Focus V Carta e-rig, sued Puffco for patent infringement this week, escalating its legal battle with the rival dabbing device maker.

First released in 2018, Puffco’s Peak rig, sometimes called the iPhone of bongs, helped destigmatize dabbing and make concentrates one of the hottest product categories in cannabis. Puffco and SHO are now fighting over…

Tell me!

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PLUS, so much more in the new WW California Pro.

A new report from Leafly found that towns which opt out of allowing dispensaries encourage illegal sales.

The study examines the 14 states with working REC markets and found a strong correlation better having more legal shops and fewer street dealers. 

According to the article:

“In many of these opt-out towns, local leaders vote to leave cannabis unregulated based on the assumption that doing so will keep marijuana out of their community. That’s an erroneous assumption. Decades of experience and data show that cannabis is already circulating in every community in America.”

Read the whole thing…

National:

• In Slate, I wrote that this mid terms, weed is an important issue. 
• In the East Bay Express, Dan Mitchell writes that the promise of legalization isn’t enough to vote Republican. 
• In WeedWeek‘s Industry Voices feature, Cannabis Distribution Association board member Lauren Fraser Coté argues California and New Jersey’s interstate commerce laws help shape federal legalization.

Business:

• U.S. liquor company Constellation Brands’ $4B investment in Canada’s Canopy Growth is a long way from paying off.
  The Drinks Business
• Business Insider looks at how companies are trying to survive the downturn.
• Grown In delves into the process of remediating contaminated product.
• Observers say the assault charge faced by MSO Ascend Wellness’ CEO Abner Kurtin could tarnish the industry.
• AdWeek discusses The Parent Company‘s partnership with YouTube gaming star FaZe Rain.
• New Cannabis Ventures interviewed Brandon Johnson, CEO of TRP. The retailer is “brand agnostic” and runs shops for brands including Cookies and Dr. Greenthumb’s across numerous states.
• The Daily Beast dug into the nasty litigation at Instagram account The Blacklist, the “TMZ of weed.”
• MSO Vireo sued Minnesota to sell edibles to all adults.
  Marijuana Moment 
• 420-friendly hotels court affluent guests.
  Travel Weekly

State and Local:

• Consumption lounges are coming to Vegas.
  Las Vegas Review-Journal
• High Haven, a minority-owned company in Illinois, secured five conditional licenses after suing the state over its equity application process.
  MJBiz
• REC will be on the Arkansas ballot, but not the Oklahoma ballot.
  Talk Business, KOCO
• Florida chose who’ll receive it’s one license reserved for a Black farmer.
  Orlando Sentinel
• New York state’s dispensary application portal broke down, causing frustration and inviting conspiracy theories. A similar incident in 2019 greatly complicated the process in Los Angeles.
• The L.A. Times delves into the failures of Prop 64, California’s REC law.

Strategy:

• Exec Benjamin Ballinger discusses the commoditization of cannabis, and what comapnies can do about it.
• The Broccoli Report examined how two brands do social media.

Fun and interesting:

• Honeysuckle Media and its partners debuted the first psychedelics billboard in Times Square.

Company milestones:

• Ricky Williams’ Highsman brand has arrived in Massachusetts, in partnership with MSO Tilt Holdings.
• Pistil Data, which provides data for brand sales teams, is now live in every legal state.
• Viola Brands’ brand refresh emphasizes effects-based marketing.
  MJBrand Insights
• Brand accelerator Petalfast is expanding to Arizona in partnership with Consensus Holdings.
• FlowHub launched Maui, the latest iteration of its PoS system.
  TechCrunch
• The National Craft Cannabis Coalition established itself with members from California, Maine, Massachusetts, Oregon, Vermont and Washington.  

Job moves:

• Josh Glasstetter, who’d done communications for trade group U.S. Cannabis Council, has left the industry.
• The Cannabis Regulators Association (CANNRA) named Nevada regulator Tyler Klimas as its new president. 

Upcoming:

• The documentary American Pot Story: Oaksterdam premiers tomorrow in Oakland.
  CelebStoner