Canaccord is Bullish on Aurora Cannabis Inc. (ACB)

Michigan’s Marijuana Tax Experiment Should Be An Urgent Warning To Other States (Op-Ed)

Michigan’s Marijuana Tax Experiment Should Be An Urgent Warning To Other States (Op-Ed)

“Other states as well should learn from Michigan’s experience, rather than repeat the same economic misstep the next time they face a budget shortfall.”

By Hirsh Jain, Verdant Strategies

In an effort to raise short-term revenue, Michigan recently adopted a cannabis tax structure that is already proving economically counterproductive and strategically shortsighted.

For years, Michigan was widely regarded as one of the most successful legal cannabis markets in the United States. The explanation was simple. Michigan, wisely, had adopted one of the lowest cannabis tax rates in the country.

The state imposed a 10 percent adult-use excise tax, shared between the state and local governments, plus the standard 6 percent sales tax, for a total effective rate of 16 percent. By comparison, California’s cannabis tax burden was more than twice as high, even approaching 40 percent in some cities.

The contrast was notable because both California and Michigan share deep medical cannabis histories. California became the first state in the nation to legalize medical cannabis in 1996. Michigan later developed one of the most robust caregiver-based medical cannabis markets in the country during the 2000s and 2010s. Both states built strong cultural and policy foundations around the idea that cannabis

The post Michigan’s Marijuana Tax Experiment Should Be An Urgent Warning To Other States (Op-Ed) appeared first on GrowCola.com.

Source link

Marijuana Kiosks For Seniors Are Coming To Independent Living Communities Across Arizona

Marijuana Kiosks For Seniors Are Coming To Independent Living Communities Across Arizona

Marijuana Kiosks For Seniors Are Coming To Independent Living Communities Across Arizona

Senior residents in Arizona independent living communities could soon see a different kind of care service available in their neighborhoods: Kiosks allowing them to view and buy marijuana products from licensed dispensaries.

The retailer Life Is Chill and cannabis technology company LoveBud announced on Thursday that they were partnering for the launch of the novel initiative, which will involve deploying the kiosks in participating senior living communities that residents can use to learn about and order marijuana products for delivery.

“We are launching something Arizona has not seen yet, a kiosk experience that makes ordering simple when ordering from licensed dispensaries,” James Watkins, CEO of LoveBud, said in a press release. “This creates a clear revenue opportunity for smaller dispensaries and gives customers a guided way to place orders with confidence.”

With a focus on education, the kiosks are meant to help seniors make informed decisions about their cannabis purchases, while helping facilitate access through the delivery service that can be especially useful to residents without means of transportation to dispensaries.

Dana Lillestol, Life Is Chill’s senior education advocate, said the kiosk model “can improve access and education for older adults who want a straightforward, guided experience.”

“When people can review clear product information at the point of ordering and choose delivery, it can remove common barriers and support more informed decisions,” she said.

Not all independent senior living communities in Arizona will be involved in the rollout—but for those that do permit marijuana for their senior residents and incorporate the kiosks, the new initiative could help improve access while providing information about what types of products could best suit a given senior.


Marijuana Moment is tracking hundreds of cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters pledging at least $25/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don’t miss any developments.


Learn more about our marijuana bill tracker and become a supporter on Patreon to get access.

Meanwhile in Arizona, senators recently approved a pair of measures that would make the act of creating “excessive” amounts of marijuana smoke or odor a criminal nuisance punishable by jail time, even if the person is using cannabis in compliance with state law in their own homes.

Also in the state, anti-cannabis activists are working to put an initiative on the state’s November ballot that would significantly roll back its voter-approved marijuana legalization law.

A GOP congressional lawmaker said recently he’d like to see his state take that action—but he also acknowledged that President Donald Trump’s recent federal rescheduling order could complicate that prohibitionist push.

Under the proposal, possession would remain lawful if voters chose to enact the initiative—and Arizona’s medical marijuana program would remain intact—but the commercial market for recreational cannabis that’s evolved since voters approved an adult-use legalization measure in 2020 would be quashed.

A findings section on the latest initiative states that “the proliferation of marijuana establishments and recreational marijuana sales in this state have produced unintended consequences and negative effects relating to the public health, safety, and welfare of Arizonans, including increased marijuana use among children, environmental concerns, increased demands for water resources, public nuisances, market instability, and illicit market activities.”

“Arizona’s legal marijuana sales have declined for two consecutive years, resulting in less tax revenue for this state, while some patients have relied on recreational use of marijuana instead of utilizing the benefits of this state’s medical marijuana program,” it says.

The initiative would also instruct the legislature to make conforming changes by amending existing statute as it relates to the commercial industry, including tax and advertising rules.

In order to make the ballot, the campaign will need to collect 255,949 valid signatures by July 2. If the proposal goes to voters and is approved, it would take effect in January 2028.

It remains to be seen if there will be an appetite for repeal among voters, as 60 percent of the electorate approved legalization at the ballot in 2020.

What’s more a poll from last year found majority support for medical cannabis legalization (86 percent), adult-use legalization (69 percent) and banking reform (78 percent).

The post Marijuana Kiosks For Seniors Are Coming To Independent Living Communities Across Arizona appeared first on Marijuana Moment.

Source link

Thailand: Russians caught selling magic mushrooms for ‘stress relief’

Germany: Hamburg-Mitte district authority denies cannabis club permit saying it’s too quiet for industrial zone!

Germany: Hamburg-Mitte district authority denies cannabis club permit saying it’s too quiet for industrial zone!

Thanks to German Cannabis Business Assoc update for this little farce Real-Life Absurdity in Hamburg: Cannabis Cultivation Too Quiet for Industrial Zone 2026-02-19 | A planned cultivation project by a cannabis club in Hamburg-Wilhelmsburg has been blocked by the Hamburg-Mitte district authority because the facility was paradoxically classified as too low-impact for an industrial area, according to extra3 (ARD). To avoid […]

Source link

Thailand: Russians caught selling magic mushrooms for ‘stress relief’

LCB publishes manifest guide (available on the cannabis licensee education page), updated with guidance when transporting cannabis products in Washington.

LCB publishes manifest guide (available on the cannabis licensee education page), updated with guidance when transporting cannabis products in Washington.

LCB has recently created a manifest guide (available on the cannabis licensee education page), updated with guidance when transporting cannabis products in Washington. A few key aspects the guide covers: Contingency manifests are not allowed – only the CCRS generated manifest is approved Tribal licensees’ manifest is treated as a CCRS manifest How to edit previously submitted […]

Source link