“We decided to exhibit here because
we’re excited about
the New York market,
the New Jersey market…”
Michael Williamson, PIPP Horticulture,
exhibiting at CWCBExpo NY 2023
Get Prime Exhibit Space Today
New York State News
NYS Licensing News
The Office of Cannabis Management and the Cannabis Control Board regulators voted on November 27 to settle the two lawsuits that held up hundreds of Cannabis Adult Use Retail Dispensary (CAURD) card holders from actually opening up their dispensaries. The temporary injunction put forth was lifted for the two lawsuits and gave the green light to the 436 licensees to finally move forward. At least 23 of those CAURD holders were ready months ago before the injunction and can now proceed.
Governor Kathy Hochul expressed that NYS is committed to supporting legal cannabis shops and shutting down illegal cannabis operations.
Governor Hochul Announces New Dispensary Openings
The submission date deadline for NYS Licensing was December 18, 2023. Governor Kathy Hochul and the Cannabis Control Board are already looking ahead with enthusiasm as NYS seeks to expand its legal cannabis marketplace as new retail shops open up. Read what they had to say on December 14 about the anticipated new dispensary openings happening now and into 2024.
First Dispensary Opened in Mt. Vernon, Westchester
Congratulations to Elevate Cannabis, the new and first legal recreational use dispensary to open up in Westchester County in Mount Vernon, New York. The dispensary opened its doors in early December and offers delivery services as well as in-store cannabis retail experiences. Elevate Cannabis is mission-oriented and is supportive of social equity causes, healing and related quality of life issues.
New Jersey News
NJCRC Announces Reduced Fees
The New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission (NJCRC) announced some good news for medical cannabis patients and their caregivers. Instead of the $50 per year for most registrants and the $20 for seniors to register in the Medicinal Cannabis Program (MCP), it is now $10 for everyone as of December 7, 2023. Plus, patients and caregivers will be able to receive free Digital ID cards or pay $10 for a physical card.
More NJ Licenses Announced
The NJCRC announced dozens of new licenses being issued to applicants.
Putting cannabis business to good use and making a difference
NJ Governor Jim Murphy and Attorney General Matthew Platkin announced anti-violence measures that will be funded with $15MM, of which $5MM is coming from marijuana revenue. The program is being funded by the Fiscal Year 2024 Appropriations Act and includes $5 million from the Cannabis Regulatory, Enforcement Assistance, and Marketplace Modernization Fund.
Federal News
POTUS and Cannabis
President Joe Biden issued a Proclamation on December 22nd for those individuals with certain federal level marijuana convictions. “I am issuing a Proclamation that will pardon additional offenses of simple possession and use of marijuana under federal and D.C. law,” the President stated. This recent action expands the pardons that President Biden had made previously.
International News
Germany’s Cannabis Legalization Delayed
Germany was set to legalize cannabis starting as soon as the new year but has been delayed until well into 2024 according to the German Health Minister, Karl Lauterbach. Germany appears to have a well-thought out and well debated cannabis legalization plan that includes cannabis social clubs and modifications to home grow regulations.
Ukraine’s Cannabis Bill Expected to Pass Early 2024
In our July Newsletter we highlighted that Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky is in favor of legalizing medical marijuana, and that the country’s legislature was poised to do so until an opposition faction blocked its passage. It is expected that this opposition will be overcome and the bill will pass in January 2024, and the law will become effective six months later.
“The bill, which initially listed cancer and war-borne PTSD as eligible conditions, moves marijuana from strictly prohibited to available for medical use with a prescription under List II of the country’s drug code.”
SPECIAL FEATURE: Interview with Ken R. Weinberg, MD (Part 2)
We are excited to share Part 2 of our “Cannabis as Medicine” interview with Ken R. Weinberg, MD, Chief Medical Officer and Founder of Cannabis Doctors of NY.
This month our discussion focuses on the medical marijuana market and medical marijuana patients and how adult-use legalization is affecting medical use.
Ken Weinberg, MD
Ken is a practicing physician with decades of experience in emergency medicine and urgent care. He is a published author of medical articles across many disciplines and is currently working on a book about his experiences in front-line medicine, including the 1500 or so patients he has seen as a registered Cannabis Practitioner since 2016. He is the Founder of Cannabis Doctors of New York.
Among his many medical commitments, he serves as the Attending Cannabis Consultant at Inspir – a private nursing home in New York City. At that facility he provides medical expertise and guidance for elders who are interested in using cannabis as part of their medical care. Ken works with several dispensaries in the New York area as well.
INTERVIEW, PART 2: CANNABIS AS MEDICINE
CWCBExpo – Recently, the New York State Cannabis Control Board approved six of the state’s Registered Operators (ROs)* to participate in the adult-use market. What do you think about this and how do you think it will affect the medical cannabis marijuana market for patients and appropriate patient care? Will it help? Are you concerned for patient care and are you concerned that new users who would have otherwise consulted with a medical practitioner will now not be getting the optimal medical advice?
Ken – I have mixed feelings. The fact that many of our medical patients are opting to go to the rec market has caused a precipitous drop in medical patients. And while I am sure that some of the people who have made the switch will do okay, one of the reasons I like the NY medical cannabis space is that there are pharmacists involved. Cannabis medicine is medicine, with exact dosing, possible drug interactions and effects that budtenders should not be opining on.
*Editor’s Note: Medical dispensaries (ROs) must have a registered pharmacist to dispense the medical marijuana to patients. There is also a requirement that any RO who is approved for participation in the adult-use market must have a separation of the medical marijuana and the adult-use retail sections.
CWCBExpo – Describe your recent presentation to a Northwell Resident group regarding educating them on cannabis as a medical treatment. Were there any particular conditions, diseases or symptoms that you focused on in the presentation? What was the reaction of the medical residents who attended the presentation – was it well received?
Ken – For the last three years, I’ve been giving this lecture to the Family Practice residents. I talked about the Endocannabinoid System and similarities of the plant cannabinoids to the endogenous (produced inside the body) cannabinoids.
I spoke about how well my patients with autoimmune diseases (like Inflammatory Bowel Disease) do and about how I am seeing how very beneficial cannabis can be for patients with dementia. This was the best received talk I’ve given and I suspect I left them (and an initially skeptical Attending Physician) wanting more.
“I love my involvement in cannabis medicine because it provokes me all the time, and challenges me to understand how we interact with the plant, and how it may well be involved (in the best way) with the placebo effect…”
CWCBExpo – What do you think about Psychedelics as treatment for many medical conditions? Where do you see this going?
Ken – I think this is a huge, burgeoning area of medicine with great potential for benefits. Unfortunately, as with so much else in this country, the fact that they remain Schedule 1 narcotics leads to a hodgepodge of regulations and research in various states, and the federal government unable to provide some uniformity of guidance.
CWCBExpo – What about micro dosing and the use of psychedelics as a medicine for treatment?
Ken – Micro dosing can be a good way to start, especially for “cannabis-naive” patients and the elderly, who may be very sensitive to the effects. I’m not involved with psychedelics but they seem to be very promising for a variety of conditions.
CWCBExpo – What excites you most about practicing medicine and devoting your life to it? And furthermore, what can explain the motivation for you to include cannabis as a medical treatment?
Ken – I am a third-generation MD, and one of three brothers. One brother was a Family Practice and Naturopathic physician, the other an Oriental Medicine and acupuncturist so it feels like it’s in the blood. In fact, my niece is an OB-GYN doc, making her the fourth generation of Drs. Weinberg.
I think that medicine is a field where you can continue to grow, enrich your understanding, and be stimulated intellectually as well as be emotionally gratified even as you advance in age. I love my involvement in cannabis medicine because it provokes me all the time, and challenges me to understand how we interact with the plant, and how it may well be involved (in the best way) with the placebo effect. Lastly, as you alluded to, my love and long involvement with the interface of literature and medicine has caused me to write stories of my patient encounters for many years and has now led to my writing a book incorporating those stories along with the many influences on my life as a political activist doctor and writer.
We featured Part 1 of this interview with Ken in our August 2023 Newsletter.
In case you missed it, click here to read it now.
THIS MONTH’S ARCHIVED VIDEO
“CannaVest East: Exploiting Ground Floor Valuations – Family Office Cannabis Investing 101”
We are showcasing our consumer products session from the CWCBExpo conference program at the Javits Center on June 2, 2023. This session discusses the current cannabis investment environment.
Moderated by Steven Saltzstein, FORCE Family Office; with Adam Rosenberg, President, Vlasic Bioscience; Brett Finkelstein, Founder, Phyto Partners; David Engel, CEO, President, Full Moon Real Estate Investments and Full Moon Investments.
(From the left) David Engel, Steven Saltzstein, Adam Rosenberg and Brett Finkelstein.
The CWCBExpo BLOG
CWCBExpo blogs contain relevant, timely information. Recent subjects include dispensaries, and lawmakers’ pushes for reform.
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Happy New Year to All!
June 5 – 6, 2024
Javits Convention Center, NYC