A major seller of marijuana-infused chocolate bars and vape cartridges this week pushed the author of the so-called Cannabis Freedom Act to cap cannabis business licenses in his plan to fully legalize the drug, the lawmaker said. Rep. Ron Hicks, R-Defiance, sponsor of the effort to legalize cannabis, said he met with Josh Mitchem, CEO of Clovr Cannabis, and others, including lobbyist Thomas Robbins, at the Capitol to discuss the plan. The meeting came at a time when talk of legalizing cannabis is intensifying in the Legislature, where a May 13 deadline to approve bills looms. Meanwhile, backers of a competing ballot initiative, Legal Missouri 2022, face a May 8 deadline to secure approximately 183,000 signatures to make the November ballot. Hicks said he initiated the meeting with the marijuana industry representatives. “I’m not happy with people that are fighting my legislation,” he said. “Don’t fight my legislation,” Hicks said. “Come talk to me about my legislation. What is it you don’t like? Because we’re trying to get the same thing. And that’s the part I didn’t understand — is why are you fighting me on this?”

Jack Suntrup, stltoday.com | the #1 St. Louis website, 03/25/2022 21:38:00

Open article: https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/marijuana/marijuana-lobby-pushes-missouri-lawmaker-to-cap-number-of-licenses/article_b0638a39-dd15-541e-aa81-4cfaf5de3e72.html

Looks like Zimbabwe’s govt is loosening the reins to try and encourage investment Cannabiz Africa reports… Zimbabwe is offering international cannabis investors the option of owning 100% of their operations and the right to choose where in the country they would like to invest. This is a major departure from the country’s existing foreign investment regime which requires significant local shareholding in any such venture. The Harare government has also approved the establishment of the Green Industry Fund, to promote local beneficiation, skills transfer, and development of the local pharmaceutical industry. 100% foreign ownership is a ‘significant departure from previous policy’ The operational framework will be administered through the Zimbabwe Investment and Development Agency (ZIDA)’s One Stop Investment Services Centre (OSICS), according to a statement by ZIDA chief investment and corporate affairs officer Tinotenda Kambasha on 14 May 2021, investors can have 100 percent ownership of their investments and locate their facilities anywhere in the country without a prescription. “This is a significant departure from a previous policy which required investors to co-own investments in a joint venture with Government or Government entities and locate their investments at state prescribed locations,” he said.

Sean Hocking, Cannabis Law Report, 06/05/2021 09:01:00

Open article: https://cannabislaw.report/zimbabwe-govt-offers-new-guarantees-and-incentives-for-cannabis-investors-establishes-green-industry-fund/

New Jersey residents hoping to buy marijuana at a dispensary without a medical card will have to wait a little longer. New Jersey cannabis regulators approved the first batch of businesses that will make up the state’s adult-use cannabis industry on Thursday, a cohort of 68 marijuana growers and manufacturers. But officials decided that the state’s medical marijuana companies are not quite ready to start selling their wares to the general public. Growers and manufacturers were picked as the first recipients of the 68 licenses to help boost production and expedite the launch of the recreational market. And in response to questions about its commitment to promoting equity in the legal cannabis industry, the Cannabis Regulatory Commission released a breakdown of the ownership of these firms that are receiving conditional approval. State officials have been under pressure to open up the recreational market in New Jersey since missing the original Feb. 22 deadline. But the state didn’t begin accepting applications for retail licenses until March 15th. That means it can either wait to sift through those applicants or allow existing medical marijuana companies, which already grow their own cannabis and operate dispensaries, to kick off recreational sales.

Mmp News Author, Medical Marijuana Program Connection, 03/24/2022 23:21:17

Open article: https://mmpconnect.com/nj-delays-sales-of-recreational-cannabis-again-but-approves-first-batch-of-companies/