Mississippi Has Already Collected Millions in MMJ Fees
Medical marijuana sales have not yet launched in Mississippi, but the state’s government has already collected millions in fees. According to The Center Square, Mississippi has collected approximately $5.8 million in application and licensing fees from cannabis businesses as of September 19th. Medical cannabis dispensaries have contributed $4.5 million to that total amount, of which there are currently 119 total that were awarded licenses thus far. Medical marijuana dispensary licensing includes a nonrefundable $15,000 application fee as well as a $25,000 annual license fee. Licensing began this past summer, but sales aren’t expected to start until later this year.
Canopy Growth Leaves Canada’s Retail Cannabis Market
Canopy Growth Corp., a Canadian marijuana company, is exiting the brick-and-mortar retail cannabis market in Canada. The company sold 28 of its corporate retail stores that were operating under the Tweed and Tokyo Smoke brands. They also closed five locations and ended licensing and franchising agreements. According to MJBizDaily, a spokesperson for Canopy Growth confirmed that they will no longer have any physical stores remaining operational in Canada. Several of the stores will be purchased by Canopy’s retail partner OEG Retail Cannabis, a company that already owns a number of franchised Tokyo Smoke locations in Ontario.
New Study Finds Cannabis Legalization is Associated with Lower Obesity Rates
A recent study published in the Journal of Health Economics flies in the face of a common “stoner stereotype”. Despite being known to induce “the munchies”, researchers found that recreational cannabis legalization is actually tied to lower obesity rates. The study reviewed statistics and data on obesity rates for Washington state from 2002 to 2018. The researchers behind the study hoped to delve into what happened with obesity rates in Washington once adult-use cannabis sales began in 2014. The results showed that Washington’s obesity rates decreased after recreational marijuana dispensaries opened.
