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Colorado AG wants federal legalization to consider states’ laws.
Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser wrote a letter this week to US House and Senate leaders to encourage Congress to “preserve the integrity of state cannabis laws as it considers legislation to provide a path for responsible federal regulation of the industry” and to “include states in the process of designing a federal regulatory system for cannabis and rely on the expertise of states in any transition to a national market for cannabis.”
The letter also goes into further detail on the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act, providing specific notes of encouragement and caution.
“As the first state to have a regulated retail market for cannabis, we have worked hard to develop a just, fair, and effective legal framework in this field,” said Weiser in a statement. “I am heartened to see movement in Congress to follow this model and create a federal framework to allow for state legalization efforts.”
New Mexico is ready to accept producer license applications.
On Tuesday, the state’s Cannabis Control Division announced that rules for producers have gone into effect, ahead of its scheduled date of September 1. (Read Cannabis Wire’s coverage of one of the public comment sessions on the proposed rules, which took place just weeks after adult use was signed into law.)
For context, regulators prioritized this set of rules, as they determined that producer licensees would need time to get going. Rules for other license types, like processors, retailers, and labs, are due by the end of the year, in time for sales to start by April 2022.
“We are on track and making good on our commitment to an efficient, open and transparent process to stand up this exciting new industry,” said Linda M. Trujillo, the Superintendent of the Regulation and Licensing Department within which the CCD sits. “There is more work to do, but an important first step has been completed and we look forward to working with New Mexicans to stand up production facilities in the coming weeks.”
Scotts continues its cannabis-related investing spree.
As Cannabis Wire reported earlier this month, the Scotts Miracle-Gro Company launched a “cannabis-focused subsidiary” called The Hawthorne Collective, poised to invest hundreds of millions into cannabis companies in the coming months.
Already, the Collective invested $3.2 million into a Washington-based genomics-focused company called Dewey Scientific.
“We have had the opportunity to collaborate with the talented and dedicated team at Dewey Scientific over the past two years, refining the breeding of hemp crops to advance crop yields and quality. We’ve experienced firsthand the impact of their genomic breeding technologies,” said Dave Swihart, senior vice president of global technology and operations for Scotts, in the announcement.
Further, Scotts acquired, for $33.5 million, nutrient company Rhizoflora.
