MJBiz - September 2023 - 23

INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENTS
New Mexico
State regulators revoked an Albuquerque adult-use cannabis retailer's license and filed an injunction
against another marijuana store for allegedly selling products produced in California.
Regulators say they discovered Paradise Exotics Distro selling cannabis products clearly marked with
a California stamp of origin during an inspection. The store is the first in the state to lose its license,
according to a news release from the New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department.
In addition to " several examples " of marijuana products " not native to New Mexico, " the Cannabis
Control Division also discovered more than $66,000 in cash and " other funds " not entered into
BioTrack, the state's track-and-trace software.
New Mexico regulators also filed an injunction to pause operations at marijuana store Sawmill
Sweet Leaf in Albuquerque after accusing the retailer of selling products from California and using
potentially dangerous extraction methods without a license or permit.
Representatives of the business allegedly told authorities the cannabis products contained delta-8
THC and not delta-9, according to the injunction.
New York
The state Supreme Court issued a temporary injunction that prevents the Office of Cannabis
Management from issuing and approving retail marijuana licenses to social equity applicants.
The injunction might be in place until Sept. 10. A longer-term injunction could prevent hundreds of
conditional adult-use retail dispensary (CAURD) operators from opening for months.
" CAURD applicants and non-operational CAURD licensees could lose some of the first-movers
advantage they otherwise would have had, " Fatima Afia, a marijuana attorney at New York City-based
Rudick Law Group, told MJBizDaily via email.
North Carolina
Members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, a federally recognized Native tribe, will vote Sept. 7
on whether to legalize adult-use cannabis. The group already is the sole provider of medical marijuana
in the state.
The tribe says it's already grown $25 million worth of cannabis, although the dispensary opening has
been delayed by " funding issues. "
Allowing any adult 21 and older to purchase cannabis on the tribe's Qualla Boundary would be the
" ultimate business model, " said Forrest Parker, general manager of Qualla Enterprises, a company that
tribal leaders set up to manage cannabis cultivation and sales on tribal land.
Ohio
Organizers of a campaign to legalize recreational marijuana in Ohio said they've submitted more than
enough signatures from registered voters to qualify for the November ballot. The campaign submitted
6,545 signatures to state election officials, almost 10 times more than required for the Campaign to
Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol.
Earlier this summer, the campaign turned in roughly 223,000 signatures to the Ohio secretary of
state's office, which told the campaign that only 123,367 signatures were valid-679 shy of the total
required to put legalization before voters. The campaign was given 10 days to gather more signatures.
During a special election on Aug. 8, voters rejected a state constitutional amendment that would
have increased the threshold to pass future constitutional amendments to 60% of the vote rather
than a simple majority.
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MJBiz - September 2023

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