The Southwest region of the United States encapsulates four states, Arizona, Texas, New Mexico, and Oklahoma, and is notable for sharing an international border with Mexico. The Southwest region appears to be moving toward full legalization with Arizona and New Mexico establishing medical cannabis programs at least a decade before recently legalizing adult-use. Texas is surrounded by other states with …
Cannabis News in the Midwest
Cannabis reform is slowly sweeping across the Midwest region of the United States, including North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Kansas, Nebraska, Montana, and Iowa. Holding some of the more active states, like South Dakota, and some of the states most opposed to cannabis, like Kansas and Nebraska, the Midwest offers a wide range of activity …
Varying Security Challenges for Consumption Lounges v. Dispensaries
Adequately securing any cannabis operation is a difficult task, but securing where the public interacts with cannabis operations, is even more intense. Interacting with cannabis customers either within a cannabis retail store, or within a cannabis consumption space, requires your security plan to be well thought out, documented, and able to grow and change as you operate. Knowing the key …
Florida Medical Cannabis Licenses
This article was originally featured on the CB Advisors blog. The state of Florida established a medical marijuana program in 2016. Access to medical cannabis is through state-licensed businesses allowed to grow, manufacture, and sell medical cannabis. To purchase and have medical cannabis, patients must have an active Medical Marijuana Use Registry (MMUR) Identification Card. Qualifying conditions include cancer, epilepsy, …
How to Choose the Best Cannabis Delivery Software for Your Dispensary
This article was originally featured on the COVA blog. The pandemic and a preference for convenience have certainly changed the way people purchase just about everything, including cannabis. There has been a significant increase in E-commerce and delivery orders for cannabis products in the past couple of years- and these revenue streams are poised to grow bigger as new consumers enter the …
The $265 Billion Threat to the Cannabis Industry
Most people will remember 2020 as the year of COVID-19, but for many it was the year their business was held hostage. The twisted and convoluted legal past of the cannabis industry has given cause for cannabis business owners to take their physical security very seriously. But while the lucrative business of cyber-terrorism is growing, the imminent threat of an …
Security Technologies for the Cannabis Industry: 2022
Today’s security trends are all about multi-faceted technologies that do more than just increase safety. As the lines between digital, cyber, and physical security blur, technologies evolve to meet the needs of all three. Cannabis businesses looking to adopt 2022’s top security trends will find that each increases security while also improving operations and efficiency. Remote Accessibility The ability to remotely access security solutions …
Security and Safety for Cannabis Consumption Lounges
Though consumption lounges are unlike other cannabis business license types in that they allow customers to consume cannabis on-site, they can still fall victim to many of the same security risks as dispensaries, cultivation facilities, and other high-risk businesses. Additionally, cannabis consumption lounges have their own set of unique security challenges in order to prevent over-consumption and ensure customer safety. …
Challenges in the California Cannabis Industry
Despite being one of the oldest legal markets in the country, California’s cannabis industry is still going through major changes. In July 2021, the state established the Department of Cannabis Control by consolidating the authority of three former state cannabis authorities: the Bureau of Cannabis Control, the Department of Food and Agriculture, and the Department of Public Health. Since then, state regulations …
Strategies for Merit-Based vs. Pass/Fail Cannabis Business Applications
Without a national program, cannabis business applications vary widely. While states like Illinois and Missouri license cannabis businesses through a state-wide program, states like California and New Jersey are allowing municipalities to run their own licensing processes. In addition to differences in state and municipal programs, there is no standard application format. This means almost every application is unique with …