The governor of Kentucky on Thursday explained how he plans to advance the issue of medical marijuana administratively, criticizing the Senate for failing to heed the will of voters and for “obstructing” reform by refusing to even give a hearing to a House-passed bill this year. Gov. Andy Beshear (D) has made several comments about the possibility of taking executive action on cannabis policy in recent weeks, but with a House-passed medical marijuana legalization bill now dead with the end of the legislative session, he announced plans to make progress on his own. He won’t be unilaterally legalizing cannabis—at least not yet. But he said that the first stage of the plan is to have his staff “begin analyzing options that we may have under the law for executive action on medical cannabis.” Beshear is also convening a “Medical Cannabis Advisory Team” that will “travel around the state and listen in every corner of Kentucky for what you have to say about medical cannabis.” When pressed on the legality of potential broader executive moves to provide patients with medical cannabis access, the governor reiterated that the administration is “looking through our legal options right now.”

Kyle Jaeger, Marijuana Moment, 04/21/2022 13:51:00

Open article: https://www.marijuanamoment.net/kentucky-governor-announces-medical-marijuana-executive-steps-slamming-senate-inaction/

“The General Assembly is the policy-making body of this state, and we’ve seen the problems that result when the governor tries to circumvent the legislature and make unilateral policy decisions,” Republican Attorney General Daniel Cameron said in a statement Thursday. Republican Senate President Robert Stivers said Kentuckians should be concerned that the governor “thinks he can change statute by executive order.” “He simply can’t legalize medical marijuana by executive order; you can’t supersede a statute by executive order because it’s a constitutional separation of powers violation,” Stivers said. Beshear faulted lawmakers for failing to “get the job done,” saying he’d prefer that the legislature pass a measure legalizing medical marijuana. He said such legislation has strong statewide support, and that Kentucky has fallen behind the majority of states that made medical cannabis available as an alternative to opioid medications. “I believe it’s my obligation to see what’s possible, given the will of the people and their desire to move forward on this,” the governor said. Beshear said he has instructed the legal team in his office to analyze potential options for executive action that could create a framework to make medical cannabis available for people suffering from certain medical ailments.

AJC.com: Atlanta Georgia News, AJC Sports, Atlanta Weather, 04/21/2022 20:07:00

Open article: https://www.ajc.com/news/nation-world/kentucky-gov-asks-input-weighing-action-on-medical-cannabis/AMHPNCWWX5EYNNAFNYISJE3NIM

New Lawsuit alleges ‘cartel’ colludes to keep cannabis prices high in Illinois. Industry members say there’s no evidence for the allegations. Companies named are Green Thumb Industries Verano Holdings Surterra Holdings (now Parallel) Akerna Reports the Chicago Tribune A federal lawsuit accuses cannabis companies of running a “Chicago cartel” that colludes to keep prices high in Illinois ― but industry participants say the allegations are groundless. The suit was filed by True Social Equity in Cannabis, which includes consumers, workers and potential competitors in the industry. The group held a news conference Tuesday to get the state to drop limits on cannabis licenses and legalize any amount of cannabis. Member Anna Rose Li-Epstein said that would help marginalized people get into the business, and the state would make more money. The lawsuit Defendants in the case are Akerna Corp., Green Thumb Industries Inc., ILDISP LLC, Verano Holdings Corp., and Surterra Holdings Inc. The complaint alleges violations of anti-trust law under the Clayton Act, specifically that officers from some of the firms serve on the boards of their competitors.

Cannabis Law Report, 04/21/2022 22:18:00

Open article: https://cannabislaw.report/illinois-new-lawsuit-alleges-cartel-colludes-to-keep-cannabis-prices-high-in-illinois/

Since Germany’s ‘traffic light coalition’ was voted in late last year, bringing with it the promise of a recreational cannabis market in Europe’s largest economy, a new wave of investment has flooded into the sector. While the excitement surrounding the opportunity is justified, with the latest figures from Prohibition Partners estimating the German adult-use market could be worth €114m by 2026, a number of significant hurdles remain for the German government to overcome before the nascent market can reach its full potential. Ahead of Cannabis Europa London 2022, BusinessCann spoke to Carlsquare’s Arnold Holle to discuss these opportunities, possible solutions, and whether the Government may have bitten off more than it can chew. Can you tell us a little about who you are and what work you do at Carlsquare, particularly in relation to the cannabis industry? I’m German by nationality and have been an investment banker here in London now for more than 20 years. I was initially with Goldman Sachs and then with UBS, but from day one, I was in their consumer teams working with food companies and OTC drugs.

Cannabis Business Executive – Cannabis and Marijuana industry news, 04/20/2022 22:05:00

Open article: https://www.cannabisbusinessexecutive.com/2022/04/german-government-has-set-the-bar-so-high-for-adult-use-cannabis-market-theyll-be-like-a-student-cramming-for-an-exam-in-order-to-achieve-goals/