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Israel opens the door for CBD products.
Cannabidiol will be removed from Israel’s Dangerous Drug Ordinance following the publication of a report from the Health Ministry last week. This will pave the way for imports.
The Ministry formed a committee in December to study whether to remove CBD from the list and which products to allow.
For now, foods, supplements, and cosmetics are not on the list, and that will remain the case for two years. However, the Ministry’s report makes clear that allowing these products is a goal, once additional research into safety is completed.
In California, Michigan sweeping regulatory updates.
California’s Department of Cannabis Control is kicking off its rulemaking season with what they describe as “comprehensive regulatory changes.” They’ll be taking comments until April and, if all remains on track, the changes will take effect in the fall.
Overall, the changes aim to streamline operations for growers, processors, distributors, and retailers. For cultivators, for example, one change would allow for the “weight of the total harvest batch to be entered in track-and-trace, rather than requiring individual plant weights.” For processors, it would lift the “requirement for beverages to be in opaque bottles.”
A big change applies to cannabis lounges. Way back in 2020, as Cannabis Wire reported, the California Cannabis Advisory Committee heard an abundance of public testimony in favor of allowing non-cannabis foods and drinks at lounges. Under the new proposed regulations, this will be allowed. (Another ask was that delivery drivers could carry more product, which the new regulations also allow.)
In Michigan, unlike in California, the changes have already been implemented. They range from updates to how edibles must be packaged and labeled to allowing curbside service with municipal approval to reducing application fees.
Beyond that, the Marijuana Regulatory Agency has created two new license types: Adult-Use Educational Research License, and Adult-Use Class A Marijuana Microbusiness License. The research license allows organizations with accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission and registration with the DEA to research cannabis. The microbusiness license allows for the cultivation of up to 300 plants, and the purchase of infused and concentrated products from processors.
Though, this second license, which expands what was previously allowed for microbusiness license holders, has drawn pushback from the Michigan Cannabis Manufacturers Association, which called regulators’ decision to expand the license a “massive overreach” in an email to stakeholders.
