Week of November 18 - November 24, 2023
Do you love data and staying up to date with the latest cannabis-related headlines? Are you searching for industry news to inform your institution’s approach to cannabis risk and compliance?
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Hashing Out the Truth
CRB Monitor’s database growth by the numbers.
Tier 1 Marijuana-Related Business Counts
Weekly Summary (November 18 - November 24, 2023):
75,504 1A MRBs + 3,884 1B MRBs = 79,388 total
1A MRBs
Tier 1A defined: Businesses in this tier literally touch the cannabis plant at some point along the supply chain from "seed to sale," and are generally licensed by a government agency or regulator. Effectively all of their actual or expected revenue is derived from the cultivation, production, testing or sale of cannabis.
1B MRBs
Tier 1B defined: Businesses that have a financial or controlling interest in a Tier 1A CRB. CRB Monitor generally considers 1B businesses as seemingly unrelated businesses highlighted as red flags by FinCEN in its marijuana banking guidance and are similar in nature to individual beneficial owners.
Marijuana Business Licenses
Note: Inactive licenses, unlicensed, and unknown licenses have been excluded.
Beneficial Owners Count
Beneficial owners defined: For beneficial owners, each economic owner or controlling person is classified into one or more categories based on their relationship to the linked CRB including: (1) Owner/Investor, (2) Board Member, (3) Corporate Officer, (4) Executive, (5) Non-commercial Registered Agent or (6) Senior Manager.
News of Note
A selection of relevant cannabis-related news. Items marked with 
indicate links to licensed business profiles in the CRB Monitor database.
Adverse Media
Iowa orders popular Des Moines hemp retailer Despensary to suspend sales
Arizona Announces Voluntary Recall of Nirvana Center Product
Litigation
Maryland Supreme Court declines to hear Washington County hemp case
New York lawsuit settlements OK’d, but adult-use cannabis permits still on hold
Court orders Pa. health department to release doctor data for medical marijuana certifications
Jersey City sued for allegedly steering cannabis license to Jim McGreevey-tied firm
Legalization & Regulation
Minnesota regulators published compliance guidance for edibles with hemp-derived cannabinoids
Oregon regulators published a bulletin on marijuana tax compliance rules
New York Governor Signs Bill To Ease Marijuana Banking Compliance Burdens
Louisiana regulators filed revised hemp rules
Editorial: Who dropped a ball that cost St. Louis $600K? The taxpayers need some answers.
New Hampshire cannabis commission wraps up months of work with no recommendations
Green in a gray area: Lessons for Virginia cannabis ‘gifting’ businesses
Illegal Chinese Pot Grows Are Taking Over Rural Blue State
Licensing Related
USDA Threatens To Revoke Hemp Licenses For Farmers Who Also Grow Marijuana
Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission tosses out scores used to rank business license applicants
How 1.2 Million Marijuana Arrests Will Shape New York’s Legal Market
Ascend Wellness Opens 10th Dispensary in Illinois
Markets
Cannabis producer Canopy gets court approval for sale of BioSteel businesses
Cannabis multistate operators exit more states in latter half of 2023
International
Colombia Senate Committee Approves Marijuana Legalization Bill, Sending It To A Floor Vote