Cannabis Business Times
by Eric Sandy
13 March 2021
The possibility of a new and massive cannabis market sprang into being this week as Mexico’s Lower House of Congress approved a decriminalization and legalization bill, which is widely expected to become law in the near future. It’s a development that will dramatically alter the global cannabis landscape, giving multinational businesses a new outlet for growth and product innovation.
Here are some of the key headlines from this past week:
- Mexico’s Chamber of Deputies passed a cannabis decriminalization and legalization bill March 10 with a 316-129 vote. It now moves onto the Senate, where several amendments must be formally approved. Read more
- The race is on between legislative bodies in Minnesota, as state lawmakers consider lifting a medical ban on smokable flower at the same time as passing an adult-use bill. Read more
- International Women’s Day kicked off this week on March 8, and Assistant Editor Andriana Ruscitto provides insight from leaders in the business. “This is the most exciting evolving, changing, industry to date, and we all have the opportunity to build it and shape it for what it is,” one cannabis founder says. Read more
- The U.S. welcomes a new attorney general with the formal confirmation of Merrick Garland. We take a look at what that means for cannabis. Read more
- And in Kentucky, it’s still a long road to medical cannabis legalization. Read more
And elsewhere on the web, here are the stories we’ve been reading this week:
- WOWT: “If you legalize marijuana, you’re going to kill your kids.” So says Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts ahead of a state hearing on medical cannabis legalization. Read more
- Hollywood Reporter: “Seth Rogen’s newly launched cannabis lifestyle brand site, Houseplant, crashed Thursday due to the overwhelming demand. The site was so inundated, Rogen said it needed to be taken down temporarily.” Read more
- MassLive: SeaWood Co. opened the first adult-use dispensary in Portland, Maine. Read more
- Reuters: Thai businesses are moving fast to capitalize on new hemp and CBD laws. Read more
- Ganjapreneur: South Dakota is moving forward (again) on its medical cannabis legalization, hung up by a state legislature dispute. Read more