Hi all,

We’re planning to host our first webinar in a few weeks.

I’ll release the full details soon. But the very smart and plugged-in speaker will be giving a California-centric presentation. It’ll be free to attend and if the audience is anything like WeedWeek’s it’ll be a mix of influential figures on both the plant touching and ancillary sides. 

We’re looking for a sponsor. This is our webinar debut there will likely be some hiccups, but I can offer you a lot of visibility, customized to your needs, at a reasonable rate.

Email if you’d like to discuss further: alex@weedweek.com

In the newsletter:

• DCC’s interstate trade memo: An analysis

Enjoy,

Alex

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Luke Scarmazzo free after 14 years

A federal judge freed federal prisoner Luke Scarmazzo after serving 14 years of a 22 year sentence for running a dispensary in Modesto. According to CA NORML, he was the last federal prisoner locked up for a California MED charge. Scarmazzo and his business partner Ricardo Montes opened the shop in 2004 and were raided in 2006 before being charged under a so-called “kingpin” statute designed for cartels. Montes’ sentence was commuted by President Obama. Scarmazzo was passed over for release by Presidents Obama and Trump. “Luke’s story is one of the most tragic stories perpetrated by our criminal justice system,” said Weldon Angelos, president of The Weldon Project, a non-profit which helped to free him. “I’m finally relieved that he can go home to his family and have a chance at rebuilding his life.”

State:

• Following an L.A. Times investigation, the state Department of Industrial Relations is looking into the deaths of 32 farmworkers — some on licensed farms — that were not reported to regulators.  The workers mostly died of carbon monoxide poisoning. The Times found “political corruption, an increase in illegal cultivation, rampant wage theft, and hazardous, sometimes deadly conditions for workers.”
• The state has some new packaging and labeling rules. Here’s what you need to know, by Vicente Sederberg counsel Andrea Golan.

Business:

• MJBiz has a big piece on the fall of Flow Cannabis a.k.a. Flow Kana. Once the top flower brand in California, the company is now “mothballed.”
• Dentons attorneys Cassandra Beckman Widay and Amy Rubenstein write companies “must brace” for more lawsuits over mislabeled products. 
  Law360
• An investor group is suing REIT Innovative Industrial Properties alleging lack of due diligence into its King’s Garden investment.

Local:

• Santa Barbara Co. officials greenlit a Glass House grow over objections from a group concerned about odors and parking.
  Noozhawk
• San Diego Co. supes are moving forward with a plan to allow shops in unincorporated areas.

Crime:

• Two dozen have been indicted for a smuggling operation that allegedly sent cannabis from a mailbox shop in Fresno to New York and elsewhere.
• The L.A. Times profiles on a conman who used a weed business proposal to steal tens of millions.

Oregon:

• Steve Marks, longtime head of the state liquor and cannabis regulator, is stepping down at the request of new Governor Tina Kotek (D).
  Willamette Week

Fun and interesting:

• The Hollywood Reporter checks out WeHo’s new consumption lounges.
• This Emerald Triangle farm has a yurt on Airbnb for $420/night, all inclusive.

Company Milestones:

• Plant touching companies Stem Holdings and Headwaters announced they would combine.
• NFT start-up Weedar raised $1.5M.
  Tech Funding News
• Erykah Badu has a new strain, in partnership with Cookies.
  Stupid Dope
• Holistic Industries’ Garcia Hand Picked is leaving California but will continue operatinf in five other states. 
  The Growth Op
• Farming First LLC launched a new sustainable brand: Venterra Farms.
• Career training company Green Flower Media is starting a partnership with the College of Southern Nevada, in Las Vegas. Courses cost $750.
  8NewsNow

Job moves:

• Former Eaze CEO Ro Choy has left the cannabiz to lead Doug DeMuro’s car reviews and auctions platform.
  Motor1

Upcoming:

• Snoop Dogg will be perform at the Las Vegas Planet 13 today celebrating the launch of brand LP Exotics. The LP stands for Lamborghini Princess.
• The Mendocino County Museum is hosting a February 11 conversation on the history of cannabis in Mendo.