The lower chamber of Mexico's legislature voted to legalize, paving the way for the world's largest REC market.
N.Y.Times

• While the bill’s merits for good governance and the country’s economy are disputed, legalization presents a significant business opportunity for domestic and international firms.
• I spoke to Emily Paxhia, managing partner at investment firm Poseidon Asset Management, about what to expect as the Mexican industry revs up.
  WeedWeek
• In a week which brought big news that MSO Curaleaf is expanding into Europe, Mexico is a very different situation. “Europe is a smaller market and we have to think very sensibly about the cost to manufacture and distribute.” Paxhia said. “I'm very interested in Latin America [Columbia and Mexico in particular] and how they can contribute to the global supply chain.”
  WeedWeek

Make a run for the border.

Meanwhile, Politico suggests being sandwiched by legal countries will increase pressure on President Biden to follow suit. Unlike most prominent Democrats, he has not endorsed legalization.

A new group which includes representation from the alcohol, tobacco, insurance and security industries has formed to influence cannabis policy. The Coalition for Cannabis Policy, Education, and Regulation, believes federal legalization is inevitable and seeks to shape how it happens.
Politico 

• The executive director is Andrew Freedman, who served as Colorado's first cannabis "czar."
• The group's policy priorities aren't yet clear, and it has created a "center of excellence" which includes several researchers and outside experts.
• “Where possible, we're going to consensus build. But when there is significant divergence [on an issue], we're going to be transparent about that significant divergence,” Freedman said. 

Everyone wants a piece.

Quick Hit

1. British American Tobacco, maker of Lucky Strikes, invested $176.6M in Canadian operator Organigram. Organigram's stock soared on the news.
   MarketWatch

Here's what's happening:

• A top New York lawmaker who supports a progressive cannabis bill said she was "really encouraged" by talks with Gov. Andrew Cuomo's (D) office and said REC legalization could happen this year. With Cuomo facing calls to resign, his likely successor, Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul(D), has called legalization "long overdue." 
  Marijuana Moment, Cheddar
• In Arizona, there's a rush on rural REC licenses. (Paywall)
  AZCentral
• Vanita Gupta, President Biden's nominee to be associate attorney general, disowned a previous position that all drugs should be decriminalized.
  Washington Post
• Following the news that MSO Curaleaf is expanding to Europe, CEO Joseph Bayern discussed his plans to go global with Business Insider. Barron's has more. (Paywall 2x) 
• Track and trace software from Metrc has been experiencing outages in California, "causing a lot of heartburn" for PotCos.
  MJBiz
• Business Insider peeks at the money fueling the psychedelic renaissance. (Paywall)
• The American Bar Association Journal discussed the opportunity for law firms to get involved in cannabis.
• A push for potency caps is gaining momentum in Colorado.
  Denver Post
• Clubhouse has become a cannabiz networking hub.
  Forbes
• After a string of dispensary robberies, a Portland Ore. budtender was fatally shot in December. Willamette Week tells the story.
• Keith Stephenson, founder of the country's oldest Black-owned dispensary, Purple Heart Patient Center in Oakland, discussed his struggle to reopen since it was looted last year.
  High Times
• Jackie Bryant calls Seth Rogen's Houseplant a celebrity cannabis brand that's "worth the hype." The website crashed due to excessive demand.
  Forbes, Hollywood Reporter