If a patient walks into a medical marijuana dispensary today in Florida, the variety that meets them can be a bit intimidating. There are different strains of marijuana that have different effects. There are different delivery methods ranging from dried plant material to concentrates of tetrahydrocannabinol to food products infused with marijuana. A New York-based company that operates across 18 different jurisdictions in America and also in the European Union aims to make that process less daunting with the introduction of technology at its dispensaries. One of Columbia Care’s dispensaries is located in Sarasota at 6979 S. Tamiami Trail. On Wednesday that location rebranded to Cannbist and integrated the technology at its Florida locations.

Cannabis Business Executive – Cannabis and Marijuana industry news, 12/09/2021 08:36:00

Open article: https://www.cannabisbusinessexecutive.com/2021/12/recreational-marijuana-could-be-on-the-horizon-in-florida/

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) can’t do anything on its own to resolve the unique financial challenges that marijuana businesses face as a result of federal prohibition—but the agency wants to make clear that it’s here to support cannabis firms with tax compliance nonetheless. De Lon Harris, commissioner of examination at the IRS Small Business/Self Employed (SB/SE) Division, spoke about tax-related issues in state-legal marijuana markets in a webinar published on Wednesday by PBC Conference. He said that while cannabis remains federally illegal, businesses that deal in controlled substances must still file federal taxes, and IRS is here to help. “It’s really our mission at the IRS—not just with marijuana and cannabis industries, but with all taxpayers—to promote voluntary compliance,” Harris said. “When most people think of the IRS, they think of examinations or audits and they think that’s the only way that we interact or try to promote voluntary compliance with taxpayers, but we do our fair share of outreach and education as well.” To be sure, Harris also provided tips for marijuana businesses on tax compliance in a blog post published in September.

Kyle Jaeger, Marijuana Moment, 12/08/2021 10:31:00

Open article: https://www.marijuanamoment.net/irs-official-gives-marijuana-businesses-advice-on-tax-compliance/

It’s been almost ten months since a coalition of 37 congressional lawmakers sent a letter to President Joe Biden, urging him to use executive authority to issue mass pardons for people with federal marijuana convictions on their records. Lawmakers are growing impatient, and now they’ve sent a follow-up letter to “urgently request” an update as the holiday season approaches. Reps. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Barbara Lee (D-CA), and Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) wrote to the president last week that many Americans “remain behind bars due to racially discriminatory cannabis policies and continue to accrue criminal fees.” “To begin rectifying the damage done by these discriminatorily implemented policies and reunite families before the holidays, we reiterate our ask that you use your executive authority to pardon all individuals convicted of nonviolent cannabis offenses, whether formerly or currently incarcerated,” they said. “We further write to specify that all federal criminal fines and fees be canceled for all nonviolent cannabis offenses.” This has become a familiar request over the course of Biden’s first year in office. Advocates, lawmakers, celebrities, and others have repeatedly pressed the president to make good on his campaign pledge and provide relief to those with cannabis convictions. Yet so far, the only pardons to take place under the Biden administration have benefited turkeys at a ceremonial Thanksgiving event. “Many Americans do not believe we should take a punitive approach to marijuana and have already benefited significantly from efforts to loosen or eliminate cannabis regulations at the local or state level,” the congressional trio wrote, noting that polls show strong public support for marijuana reform.

Kyle Jaeger, Marijuana Moment, 12/07/2021 17:38:00

Open article: https://www.marijuanamoment.net/congressional-lawmakers-want-urgent-update-from-biden-on-marijuana-pardons-as-holidays-approach/

The governor of Indiana isn’t personally in support of marijuana legalization, but he says he’s on board with having lawmakers pass a bill to set up the regulatory infrastructure for a legal cannabis market. That said, he’d only be open to enacting the reform after federal prohibition ends. Gov. Eric Holcomb (R) was asked about cannabis policy during an end-of-the-year interview with Indy Politics that was released on Tuesday. Specifically, he was asked whether he’d “object to Indiana lawmakers at least starting the process” of setting up a licensing structure for legal cannabis businesses so the state can “flip the switch” when federal law changes. “I don’t mind that at all,” the governor replied. It would be a unique legislative process that no other legal marijuana state has pursued, with lawmakers hashing out rules on issues like licensing and taxes without a clear timeline for implementation that hinges on possible future action by Congress. The GOP governor’s support for the proposal was welcomed by the Indiana Democratic party, which recently mounted a push for marijuana legalization and called on state lawmakers to enact the reform.

Kyle Jaeger, Marijuana Moment, 12/08/2021 12:25:00

Open article: https://www.marijuanamoment.net/anti-marijuana-indiana-governor-backs-proposal-to-set-up-legalization-rules-if-federal-prohibition-ends/

South Dakota voters are giving Gov. Kristi Noem (R) good marks on her job performance—except when it comes to marijuana policy and the way in which her administration has sought to undermine the will of the electorate which approved a legalization ballot measure last year. A statewide poll released on Tuesday showed that an average of 61 percent of voters strongly or somewhat approve of Noem’s job performance across five categories in her first term. But just 39 percent said they approve of her handling of marijuana legalization, with 51 percent disapproving. One-third of respondents said that they strongly disapprove of the governor when it comes to cannabis, while 18 percent said they somewhat disapprove. Twenty-eight percent of Republicans, 38 percent of Democrats and 39 percent of independents said they strongly disapproved of Noem’s handling of the issue. Another 16 percent of GOP voters, 23 percent of Democrats, and 17 percent of independents somewhat disapprove of the governor’s actions on cannabis. While Noem—who is up for reelection next year—has seemingly recognized the popularity of marijuana reform in recent months and has attempted to tie herself to the rollout of a voter-approved medical cannabis program, it appears that voters haven’t forgotten how she adamantly opposed a separate adult-use legalization initiative that residents also passed last November. In fact, it was a lawsuit funded by her administration that led to a court ruling voiding the recreational marijuana law—a decision upheld by the state Supreme Court last month when justices affirmed that the measure is unconstitutional because it violated a single-subject rule for ballot initiatives.

Kyle Jaeger, Marijuana Moment, 12/08/2021 09:02:00

Open article: https://www.marijuanamoment.net/south-dakota-voters-disapprove-of-governors-handling-of-marijuana-legalization-poll-finds/