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Green Dragon Adds Six Additional Medical Cannabis Dispensaries in Florida and Launches Flower from New Grow

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FLORIDA: Green Dragon, a subsidiary of multi-state cannabis operator Eaze Technologies Inc., announced the opening of six new Florida medical cannabis dispensaries in Jacksonville, St. Petersburg, Madison, South Pasadena, Orange City, and Orlando. Green Dragon will have 28 medical marijuana dispensaries across the state, continuing its expansion in the Florida market with the goal of opening 50 locations by the end of the year.

Green Dragon’s new stores coincide with the launch of its new flower with an expanded strain variety from the first harvest at its state-of-the-art cultivation facility in Palatka.

The vertically integrated company now offers a full assortment of premium cannabis products, including flower, vape cartridges, concentrates, tinctures, and tablets.

Cory Azzalino, Chief Executive Officer of Eaze and Green Dragon, said, “We are excited to open six new locations alongside the release of our new, high potency strains, which are bestsellers in Colorado. Our new products represent the best value for indoor flower in the Florida market, which, paired with our 28 locations, provides unparalleled access to fairly priced high-quality products. We are also releasing our highly anticipated 1G vaporizers, gummy edibles, pills, and lotion.”

Green Dragon’s new locations offer promotions, rewards programs, new patient offers, and senior, pediatric, veteran, and industry discounts to Florida patients. Addresses for each dispensary are as follows:

Jacksonville- 6352-3 103rd Street, Jacksonville, FL 32210
St Petersburg- 130 Fountain Parkway, St. Petersburg, FL 33716
Madison- 855 Base Street, Madison, FL 32340
Pasadena- 1271 Pasadena Ave S, South Pasadena, FL 33707
Orange City- 2590 S Volusia Avenue, Orange City, FL 32763
Orlando – 800 Lee Road, Orlando, FL 32810

For additional information, visit greendragonfl.com.

Planet 13 Announces Fourth Florida Dispensary Located in Port Orange in the Daytona Beach Metropolitan Area

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FLORIDA: Planet 13 Holdings Inc., a leading vertically-integrated multi-state cannabis company, announced the fourth location of its planned Florida dispensary network located in the city of Port Orange on the ‘Fun Coast.’ Port Orange is in the Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach metropolitan area, a popular tourist destination with a growing population of over 600,000.

“We are moving along at a steady pace in bringing our vision to fruition in Florida. We are balancing the competing priorities of opening as soon as possible with the need to do it in a cost-effective manner that reduces cash outlay and creates a long-term competitive position,” said Larry Scheffler, Co-CEO of Planet 13. “We are eager to start serving the patients of Port Orange and showing why the Planet 13 name and products command such a strong reputation.”

The location in Port Orange is adjacent to a prominent shopping area and is just 3 miles west of the beach and 8 miles south of the iconic Daytona International Speedway. The Daytona Beach area attracts over 8 million visitors annually.

For more information on Planet 13, visit the investor website.

Florida Department of Ag. Halts Magic Mushroom Sales at 1st Magic Mushroom Dispensary

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FLORIDA: A few months ago, there was a slew of media attention the highlighted Chillum Mushrooms and Hemp dispensary in Ybor City, Florida.  Chillum pivoted from a solely hemp-based retailer to adding mushroom products to their product line. This included functional mushrooms (mushroom health supplements, grow kits, mycelium, and a legal magic mushroom known as Amanita Muscaria. The magic mushroom was what caught most peoples attention. Chillum was publicly advertising a legal psychedelic mushroom for sale! Inviting everyone to come and purchase this mushroom, that if they eat this mushroom it will make them go for a “trip!”

On Dec 7th of last year Chillum posted a blog to its online store’s website entitled “What Happened to the Mushrooms, Man?” In the blog, Chillum announced that the Florida Department of Agriculture had put a stop sale on the Magic Mushroom products which included gummies, mushroom powders, and capsules.

What Happened to the Mushrooms, Man?

 

Amanita Muscaria is a “magic mushroom” that is legal because it contains no psilocybin (which is the compound in most magic mushrooms that is a schedule 1 substance), these mushrooms utilize ibotenic acid and muscimol as their psychedelic ingredients.  Louisiana is the only state that has outlawed these substances.

Unfortunately, although these ingredients are legal by law they are not approved by the Food and Drug Administration as safe to consume.  And that is where Chillum made their mistake. By telling people that the effects of consuming this mushroom would result in a micro dose effect or a trip, Chillum sealed their own fate.

As Chillum outlined on their blog, since the store encourage customers to “consume” the mushroom, the Florida Department of Agriculture was within it’s rights to inspect the product and eventually put a stop sale on the product claiming the psychedelic ingredients in the mushroom to be a poison.

CLICK HERE TO SEE A COPY OF THE REPORT

Chillum still believes, even though they are complying with the stop sale, that the mushroom is safe to consume. Many researchers do consider the Amanita Muscaria to be poisonous and consumers should be advised not to eat the mushroom in its raw and unprocessed state.

Although the report from the Florida Department of Agriculture claims that the Amanita Muscaria mushroom is poisonous, it doesn’t explain what component or chemical within the mushroom is poisonous.

“This mushroom is safe and most illegal psychedelics are safe. Truth is, even though there are a lot of ‘researchers’ in western culture that deem this mushroom as poisonous, there are indigenous cultures that have been consuming the Amanita mushroom for spiritual purposes for a very very long time,” said Hermida. “Even though we are complying with the Department of Agriculture’s decision to put a stop sale on the Amanita Muscaria, we feel that we are taking this as a calling to provide more education.”

Chillum Mushroom and Hemp Dispensary has started a brand-new education company and will soon be opening an online education platform called Learn Euphoria. Learn Euphoria will offer users online classes in several different topics on psychedelics. The site will also offer people the chance to study the Amanita Muscaria mushroom.

“We wish we could still offer the Amanita Muscaria mushroom for educational purposes through Chillum Mushroom and Hemp Dispensary, but we did too much press telling people to consume it,”Hermida explains, “We wanted to make sure there was no confusion so we decided to provide it on an education platform, for educational and spiritual purposes only, that we were already developing. I have a background in cannabis education and I just know that what the psychedelic movement needs ton progress is access to good and safe education.”

Springbig Announces Cost Reduction Actions to Accelerate Path to Profitability and Strengthen Financial Profile

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FLORIDA: SpringBig Holdings, Inc., a leading provider of SaaS-based marketing solutions, consumer mobile app experiences, and omni-channel loyalty programs to the cannabis industry, today announced that the company is undertaking a series of initiatives to reduce costs and drive efficiency in order to accelerate its path to profitability. These cost-cutting measures will allow the company to prioritize growth opportunities, right-size its expense structure and preserve capital while strengthening its financial position. Springbig Logo Icon

“Our focus remains on consistent execution and expanding the reach of the springbig platform, while optimizing our organization to deliver profitable growth. We believe that the steps we are announcing today will produce an annual operating expense run rate in 2023 that is expected to be approximately 21% less than annualized operating expenses incurred for the nine months ended September 30, 2022, shortening the timeline to our goal of positive EBITDA during 2023, and we continue to expect an acceleration in revenue next year,” said Jeffrey Harris, CEO and Chairman of springbig.

As part of the initiatives announced today, Springbig has announced a workforce reduction of 37 positions, or 23% of the company’s headcount through a combination of layoffs and attrition to ensure its long-term health. The company expects a one-time cash restructuring charge for the layoffs of approximately $0.2 million in Q4 of 2022.

Harris added, “We greatly value the collaborative efforts of our talented colleagues responsible for building springbig into the platform it is today, and I want to thank all of our employees for their focus and dedication through this process.”

Florida Born. Florida Raised. Florida Grown. Get to Know the Gwinn Brothers: Florida’s 1st Black Farmers Licensed to Grow Medical Cannabis

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By Veronica Castillo

Florida is the largest medical marijuana market in the country with more than $1 Billion in sales so far in 2022, according to Headset research.  Florida has more than 500,000 registered medical cannabis patients and around 450 legal dispensaries that generate many millions in medical cannabis tax revenues annually.

Yet, in a state where 25% of the population is BIPOC, there isn’t a black owned farm and/or cultivation facility currently putting products on Florida’s dispensary shelves. 

After decades of blatantly holding black farmers back, Florida has finally begun making attempts to right its historical wrongs, but sadly it took a class action lawsuits to do it: the Pigford vs. Glickman case, a class action discrimination suit between the USDA and black farmers. The suit claimed that the USDA discriminated against black farmers on the basis of race, and failed to investigate or properly respond to complaints.  Thousands of Black farmers in Florida won settlements after proving their claims of neglect in the 1980s and 1990s.

In 2017, lawmakers decided to approve one license to grow cannabis out of the thousands of settlement winners. On September 20, 2022, the license was awarded to black farmer Terry Donnell Gwinn, owner of the Gwinn Brothers Farm in McAlpin, Florida (north of Gainesville, FL).

Get to Know the Gwinn Brothers

When the news hit headlines, I contacted the attorney representing the Gwinn Brothers, Jim McKee.  I wanted to know more about the black farmer in my home state awarded a license to grow medical cannabis.

I wanted to know where the Gwinn Brothers were born and raised, and about their family history in agriculture. I learned that brothers — Donell, Clifford, and Robert (who passed away in 2022) — were born and raised in McAlpin, and that they helped their father on the family farm.  

Donell worked for John Deere as a mechanic from age 19 until 26, and then returned to the family farm. He took over running the farm for his aging father who was 57 when Donell was born, and began growing tobacco. 

Donell was recently recognized as Outstanding Agriculturalist of the Year by the Florida Association of County Agricultural Agents; appeared in Florida Trend’s Agricultural 500.  He has served as a District Supervisor for the Suwannee County Conservation District; Secretary and Treasurer of the Florida Peanut Federation; member of the USDA Florida State FSA Committee; and adviser to the Suwannee County Farm Service Agency County Operating Committee.

Clifford left and enlisted in the Army, and helped on the farm when he could from an operations and mechanical standpoint. After the military, Clifford worked in law enforcement for the State Department of Transportation. 

When he retired from law enforcement, he helped Donell with farm operations: administration, finances, maintenance, and compliance with Food and Safety regulations. Robert helped with the farming until he retired around 2008. 

How the Gwinn Brothers Became Class Members in the Pigford v. Glickman Cases

In 1987, Donell tried to obtain a loan to buy additional farm land he heard was being foreclosed on, but was denied by a loan officer who told him not to waste his time completing the application. That loan officer’s family now owns the land that Donell tried to buy with the 1987 loan.

He didn’t let “no” stop him and in the 1990’s, he began expanding the farm by leasing land. In 1996, he tried to obtain a loan, this time to assist with operating expenses, but was again told not to bother applying because it would be denied.  

This resulted in him losing the opportunity to expand his farming operations and the profits from such expansion. Donell knew other similarly situated white farmers had received assistance with their loan applications and had actually received loans.

The 1987 and 1996 incidents resulted in Donell later becoming a class member in the Pigford v. Glickman, 185 F.R.D. 82 (D.D.C. 1999), litigation, which addressed discrimination by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) against black farmers.

The Gwinn Brothers, Determined to Expand and Receiving a License

Donell, who was determined not to let the “no’s” he received stop him, bought a 120 acre tract of farm land with his brother Robert. In 2005 the brothers started growing peanuts, and continued buying farm land. 

In 2017, a statute mandated a license be given to at least one applicant that is a recognized class member in the Pigford v. Glickman, proceedings. Black farmers who wanted to apply were required to pay a nonrefundable application/processing fee of $146,000. This is twice the amount that prospective operators paid the last time an application process was open.

On September 20, 2022, Terry, using the business name Gwinn Brothers Medicinals, was awarded the one class member license.

I asked Gwinn Brothers attorney Jim McKee, the brothers reactions after hearing the news, he told me, “Donell and Clifford were happy and overwhelmed that their application had been selected over all of the other applications that were submitted. They had become somewhat discouraged after hearing through the grapevine that other applicants were sure they were going to win, so news of the win was even sweeter.”

He went to say that the Gwinns and their team are committed to providing opportunities for minorities, women, and veterans to be involved and will seek out employees, contractors, service providers, and vendors of diverse backgrounds.  “The Gwinns hope that there are future opportunities for other Black Farmers to get involved in the industry, ” he continued, “and will support any legislative efforts that help accomplish this goal.”   

We ended our chat by discussing cannabis cultivation —  and the brothers’ relationship and/or appreciation of the plant. I wondered if the brothers loved cannabis, and if they  would be growing indoor or outdoor.  “The brothers used to joke when times were tough that if they could just grow a crop of marijuana they could catch up on all their bills!,” Jim told me. “All kidding aside, they heard about the Pigford/Black Farmers license application process and with their history of farming in Florida, they figured they were well-suited to apply. They decided to pursue a license and put together an A-list and diverse team of cultivation, processing, and dispensing experts from around the country. As for cultivation, Florida law requires cannabis to be grown in enclosed structures. This will require a change from conventional farming methods, but the Gwinns have partnered with individuals who have substantial experience in the industry.”

Column Sponsors

CLS Med-Can: A medical marijuana transportation service based out of Missouri.

 

 

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Your Highness Podcast: A podcast featuring uncomfortable and honest conversations surrounding inclusiveness, accountability.

Veronica Castillo is a writer from Miami, with a pre-cannabis and psychedelics background in insurance and human resources. Currently, she is a resident of the road covering cannabis, psychedelics, and plant-based lifestyles all over the U.S and soon abroad. Follow her journey on IG: www.instagram.com/vee_travelingvegcannawriter and LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vee-traveling-veg-canna-writer/

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Florida Commissioner of Agriculture & Consumer Services Nikki Fried Demands DeSantis Administration Roll Back Harmful Dosage Restrictions for Medical Cannabis Patients

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FLORIDA: Florida Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services Nikki Fried, an independently-elected member of the Florida Cabinet, is calling on the Florida Department of Health (DOH) and its Office of Medical Marijuana Use (OMMU) to roll back extreme dosage restrictions enacted through an emergency rule on August 29th, a process that afforded less than three days advance notice to doctors and patients and provided no public comment opportunity. Commissioner Fried announced this letter at a press conference held today at the Florida Capitol where she was joined by medical cannabis patients and advocates, including Dr. Barry Gordon with the Compassionate Cannabis Clinic and Jodi James with the Florida Cannabis Action Network (FLCAN) to discuss this harmful action and the importance of protecting patient access.

Watch video of the press conference here.

“This rule change is unnecessary, its implementation poorly noticed, and its impacts extremely harmful with hundreds of thousands of patients in Florida no longer able to access their medicine in the quantities they need for efficient treatment as determined by their doctors. This reflects a lack of understanding of medical cannabis by DOH and OMMU at best and is an act of cruelty at worst,” said Commissioner Fried. “We are sending a strong message to the DeSantis Administration to put patients first, protect their access to legal and lifesaving medicine, and roll back these restrictions. I will never stop fighting for our medical cannabis patients and full legalization.”

The letter sent today to Florida’s Surgeon General, who oversees DOH’s OMMU, may be downloaded here, viewed here on Twitter, and reads as follows:

September 8, 2022

Dr. Ladapo: 

I am writing to share my grave concerns over the Office of Medical Marijuana Use’s emergency rule announced August 26th and effective on August 29th that restricts dosage amounts for Florida’s medical cannabis patients. As the state’s consumer protection agency, my Department is the first line of defense for Florida’s consumers, including the state’s 700,000 cannabis patients. As such, it is our responsibility to speak out and protect state-legal cannabis consumers from actions that will cause them severe harm as these restrictions threaten to do. I also have serious concerns regarding the manner of which this emergency rule was put forward, which appears to have lacked any opportunity for meaningful input by those most impacted by them – patients and the doctors treating them.

Unveiling a rule cutting the allowable preparations and extracts dosages by 69.4 percent with less than three days’ notice is not just thoughtless, it’s irresponsible. It has caused chaos, confusion, and rightful panic among patients and providers.

By limiting patients to purchasing only a maximum of 24,500 milligrams of THC over a 70-day period and a limit of 2.5 ounces of smokable cannabis in a 35-day period, the state is overriding the professional judgment of doctors and endangering the health of patients. Many patients require the ability to purchase a higher dosage in multiple forms in order to test combinations and find the best balance to treat their particular condition in consultation with their doctor. The state has no business inserting itself into nuanced decisions being made between patients and their health care providers.

There have already been legislative attempts to create arbitrary and harmful caps within the state’s medical cannabis program, which failed miserably because it is not in the interest of protecting patients’ health and the legislature recognized that. This attempt to circumvent the will of the people — as demonstrated by the passage of Amendment 2 in 2016 and the failure of legislative attempts to enact caps within the state’s medical cannabis program— is inappropriate at best and cruel at worst. 

It is my belief that this rule would not have been put forward – nor done in such an uncoordinated manner – had DOH and OMMU sought the input of medical providers in the program and patient advocates. In fact, the state’s medical cannabis program as a whole would greatly benefit from hearing from doctors and patients on a regular basis, like what we did at my Department with the establishment of a Medical Marijuana Advisory Committee.

Unfortunately, this is just one of many troubling actions – or inactions as it pertains to the years-long failure to issue the Pigford Class license – when it comes to the DeSantis Administration’s management of Florida’s medical cannabis program. Medical cannabis is medicine and I hope that DOH and OMMU will reverse these harmful restrictions and instead, work to improve the program in a way that puts patients and equity first and that provides patients and providers with a seat at the table when decisions impacting their care are being discussed.

Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter.

Sincerely,

Nicole “Nikki” Fried
Florida Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services

TRP Expands Its Cannabis Holdings & Operations with Cookies Miami

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TRP, a vertically integrated owner and operator, announces the roll out of its newest retail stores for cannabis’ leading legacy brands, with the opening of Florida’s first Cookies dispensary

FLORIDA: TRP is  bringing the world’s most recognized cannabis brand Cookies to the Florida market through an exclusive partnership. The first Cookies dispensary in the state is opening at 8303 Bird Road in Miami, Florida on August 13, 2022. TRP looks forward to serving South Florida’s patients via its subsidiary and MMTC license holder Cookies Florida, Inc.. 

A vertically integrated cannabis holding and operating company, TRP was founded to empower cannabis’ most iconic and recognized brands, and is one of the nation’s largest privately held cannabis companies. TRP leverages its platform to scale its exclusive brand partners including Cookies, Dr. Greenthumb’s, and Insane, while respecting their culture and brand identity.

TRP draws on its expertise as the largest owner and operator of Cookies dispensaries nationwide to engage patients and consumers with the high quality products and shopping experience that propelled Cookies to the phenomenon it is today. With a footprint in 14 states and 2 countries, TRP is opening the first Cookies dispensary in the heart of Miami,  bringing exclusive cannabis genetics and products to the people of South Florida.

“TRP is purpose-built to produce, sell, and scale the best brands in cannabis. We broaden access and availability while preserving and promoting the legacy and culture,” says Daniel Firtel, Co-Founder and President of TRP. “We’re excited for TRP to expand into Florida with our exclusive brand partner Cookies and look forward to continuing to empower all of our partners in Florida and across our footprint.

The team’s ability to manage the unique challenges of regulated cannabis and utilize its expansive retail, cultivation, and distribution network is imperative to the success of brands as they look to scale across the US and world’s segmented cannabis market.

“The best brands and genetics have roots in the legacy market, and TRP is empowering these legacy operators to transition into the regulated space,”” says Brandon Johnson, Co-Founder, and CEO of TRP. “Our infrastructure and expertise allows brand builders to focus on their vision, and we execute on our core competencies to achieve scale.”

Ayr Wellness Announces “Changing Legacies,” A Series of Expungement Events

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Company Teams Up with Community Partners in MA, NY, NJ, IL and NV to Assist Individuals in Obtaining a Fresh Start

FLORIDA: Ayr Wellness Inc., a leading vertically integrated U.S. multi-state cannabis operator, has announced the launch of Changing Legacies, a series of record expungement clinics scheduled to take place on February 27, 2022.

As part of the series, Ayr has partnered with numerous not-for-profit and community organizations with expertise in social justice and legal and criminal justice reform. The Company and its partners specifically designed each clinic to assist individuals in expunging cannabis and other non-violent crimes from their records, allowing an opportunity for a fresh start.

“Despite the legalization of cannabis across 35+ states – two-thirds of the US population – the criminal justice system still grapples with a host of issues related to the War on Drugs, which continues to disproportionately impact Black and Brown Americans,” said Jonathan Sandelman, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Ayr. “We believe it is critical to be part of the solution to these issues, addressing the harms of the past and creating opportunity for the future. The main objective of our ‘Changing Legacies’ program is to create an ecosystem of support, partnership and hope for that better future. We thank our partnering organizations for making an event like this possible.”

Ayr will host these expungement events in conjunction with local community partners in multiple states across the country. These events will serve as models for similar events going forward, expressing Ayr’s ongoing commitment to righting harms of the past and creating opportunities for the future.

Community partners play an essential role in promoting equity and fairness in cannabis in America, and Ayr is actively seeking more partnership opportunities for similar events in the future. If you are interested in collaborating with Ayr, please reach out to socialimpact@ayrwellness.com.

Ayr is currently calling on community organizations across the country that may be interested in hosting similar events in the future, and encourages them to reach out to the Company via socialimpact@ayrwellness.com. More information regarding Ayr’s Changing Legacies events, along with Ayr’s latest social impact activations, can be found on the Ayr Wellness Social Impact Instagram Page, @ayrsocialimpact.

 

Location Partnering Organization About our Partner Additional Supporting Organizations
New York The Center for Community Alternatives/

Clean Slate NY (501c3)

 The Center for Community Alternatives (CCA) is a leader in community-based alternatives to incarceration and policy advocacy to reduce reliance on incarceration.

 

The Clean Slate NY campaign is fighting for a new law (S1553A/A6399) that will automatically clear a New Yorker’s conviction record once they become eligible. The civil damage a conviction record can inflict is often wide-ranging and enduring—permanently barring many individuals from basic opportunities like stable jobs, licenses to practice trades, and safe, secure housing.

 The Legal Aid Society;

Community Service Society;

Legal Action Center;

NYC 67th Precinct Clergy Council, Inc. (“The Godsquad”);

Stash Queens;

Change Agents NYC;

Brooklyn Commons
Massachusetts Mass CultivatED Mass CultivatED is the nation’s first jails to jobs cannabis program. This innovative public-private partnership provides fellows with a robust co-op educations program, legal services, workforce preparedness training and cannabis fellowships with livable wages and benefits. PBS (NOVA): The Cannabis Question;

Greater Boston Legal Services;

The Town of Somerville, MA;

Let’s Talk Weed
New Jersey (2) The Library NJ The Library of New Jersey is pursuing entry into the NJ cannabis industry as a social equity applicant, seeking to operate as a retail dispensary and in-house cannabis cultivator while simultaneously educating customers and combatting the opioid addiction crisis. Stockton University;

New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT)
Illinois Cabrini Green Legal Aid Cabrini Green Legal Aid (CGLA)is a statewide leader in supporting low-income individuals who have been negatively impacted by the criminal justice system, aiming to proactively fill the void of legal representation, wraparound services, and advocacy. Dispensary 33
Nevada* Minorities for Medical Marijuana: Project Clean Slate Project Clean Slate is the social justice program for Minorities for Medical Marijuana (M4MM). The program provides expungement services for select marijuana related charges in qualifying states. The program also extends wrap-around services including access to expungement-related legal services, social service support, workforce readiness education, mentoring, and more. The Dispensary NV;

Mynt

*In Nevada, Ayr will be collecting donations at Nevada retail locations (The Dispensary NV and Mynt) between February 18 and March 4, which will directly support Project Clean Slate.

 

Hemp Grower Conference Announces an In-Depth Education Program Addressing Challenges and Opportunities in Hemp

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The event (Nov. 8-10 in Orlando, Fla.) will feature 25+ must-see sessions to help CBD/fiber/grain hemp growers succeed in a rapidly transitioning market.

FLORIDA: Hemp Grower Conference, produced by parent company GIE Media Inc. and industry-leading Hemp Grower magazine, today announced the educational program for its upcoming event, to be held Nov. 8-10, 2021, at the Rosen Centre Hotel in Orlando, Fla.

 

The program is the most comprehensive in the industry, featuring 2.5 days packed with 25+ educational sessions covering essential topics for those growing hemp for fiber, grain and/or cannabinoids.

These in-depth sessions will provide attendees with insights into the industry’s most important challenges, solutions and opportunities within a global market that is projected to grow to $18 billion USD by 2025, according to Valuates Reports.

Some of the most anticipated sessions of the Hemp Grower Conference education program include:

  • What to Do With Unsold Biomass + Byproducts
  • How to Get Into Retail and Improve E-commerce
  • Strategies for Preventing and Mitigating Hemp Plant Diseases
  • Creating a Hemp Cultivation Business Model
  • Latest Research in Fiber and Grain Genetics
  • Crop Establishment in Fiber/Grain: Challenges and Opportunities
  • Action Needed Now: Equity and Inclusion in the Industry’s Infancy
  • The Latest Medical Research on Hemp’s Health Benefits
  • Master Hemp Drying, Curing and Storing
  • Organic and Sustainable Farming Practices and Certifications for Small and Large-Scale Farmers

Click here to view the full schedule.

 

The Hemp Grower Conference speaker roster includes leading hemp growers, business professionals, researchers and professors (with more speakers being added frequently), such as:

  • Rachel Berry – Farmer and CEO, Illinois Hemp Growers Association
  • Dr. Raymond Cloyd – Kansas State University – Department of Entomology
  • Dr. Alyssa Ann Collins – Director, Southeast Agricultural Research & Extension Center; Associate Professor Plant Pathology and Environmental Microbiology (Penn State University)
  • Dr. Allison Justice – Founder and CEO, The Hemp Mine
  • Jeff Kostuik – Director of Operations, Hemp Production Services and Hemp Genetics International
  • Bear Reel – Vice President of Cultivation R&D, Charlotte’s Web Inc.
  • Dr. Larry Smart – Professor, Horticulture Section, Cornell University
  • Luis Vega – Founder and CEO, ¡WEPA! Farms
  • Mason Walker – Co-Owner and CEO, East Fork Cultivars
  • Maureen West – Chief Compliance Officer, Functional Remedies LLC
  • Luke Zigovits – Owner, Higher Level Organics LLC

“Right now is a pivotal time for North America’s hemp industry, especially in the fledgling U.S. market. In addition to cultivation challenges, hemp growers (especially those growing for CBD) are combatting oversupply and resulting price declines, adjusting crop sizes and re-evaluating business models as the industry’s infrastructure develops,” Hemp Grower Editor Theresa Bennett said. “It’s crucial for both novice and experienced farmers to learn from those who have found success in business, as well as from experts in everything from cultivation to post-harvest processes. From the educational sessions to the networking opportunities, Hemp Grower Conference offers a place for hemp growers of all shapes and sizes to come together under one roof to help advance their businesses and the market as a whole.”

 

“Hemp Grower Conference is the ideal place for those growing and interested in growing hemp to gain valuable insights into important market trends that will impact their businesses this year and in years to come,” Conference Programming Director Cassie Neiden Tomaselli said. “Attendees will also benefit from networking with like-minded people, which is crucial to finding reliable partners and peers to share ideas with.

 

“We have a standout 2021 Advisory Board, which has helped craft the educational program by sharing candid feedback about the most pressing challenges and opportunities in hemp,” Neiden Tomaselli added.

 

Supplementing the educational sessions, Hemp Grower Conference will also feature an exposition of exhibitors showcasing cutting-edge technologies and solutions for hemp farmers and manufacturers.

 

For more information about Hemp Grower Conference 2021, including registration information, a full list of exhibitors and sponsors, FAQs and more, visitwww.HempGrowerConference.com.

 

Early Registration is now available until August 13, 2021. Visit http://www.hempgrowerconference.com/page/prices/ to review pricing and to register.

 

Acreage Announces Sale Of Florida Operations To Red White & Bloom Brands

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NEW YORK:  Acreage Holdings, Inc. announced its subsidiary, High Street Capital Partners, LLC, has entered into a definitive agreement with Red White and Bloom Brands, Inc., pursuant to which the Buyer will purchase all of the issued and outstanding shares of common stock of Acreage Florida, Inc. for an aggregate purchase price of $60,000,000. Acreage Florida is licensed to operate medical marijuana dispensaries, a processing facility, and a cultivation facility in the state of Florida. The deal also includes the sale of property in Sanderson, Florida.

“The sale of our Florida operations is a significant step in our previously announced operating strategy to focus on those core markets that we believe will accelerate our path to profitability and position us for significant long-term growth and cash generation,” said Peter Caldini, Chief Executive Officer of Acreage Holdings. “The cash proceeds will significantly bolster our balance sheet and position us to accelerate our cultivation expansion projects and open additional dispensaries to support our growth into key adult-use cannabis states such as Illinois and New Jersey.”

Last summer, Acreage announced a focused core-market operating strategy in nine states in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and Midwest. The Company currently has active operations and licenses in 13 states and continues to pursue divestitures of its remaining non-core state operations and licenses.

Deal Terms

Aggregate Purchase Price: $60,000,000 in cash, stock, and other cash considerations including:

  • An up-front cash payment of $5,000,000 upon execution of the definitive agreement.
  • An additional $20,000,000 in cash, $7,000,000 in the Buyer’s common stock, and $28,000,000 in promissory notes upon closing the transaction.

Acreage anticipates closing the transaction during the second quarter of 2021.