Hi all,

Welcome to the third issue of WeedWeek California Pro! 

Before we get to the news, I wanted to remind you to check out our new state tax and license maps. They’ll help you visualize the market from new angles. 

Also, you’ve been promised Thursday morning sessions in the WeedWeek Discord where we’ll discuss the week’s events. I’m excited to see all your pretty faces, but it’s going to have to wait another week or two.   

In the newsletter:

• Eaze resists S.F. unionization efforts: UFCW
• Cool kids share plan to save California weed
• Plus the chart of the week and lots more. 

Best wishes for a very green 420,

Alex

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Regulation:

• The state senate unanimously confirmed Nicole Elliott as the first director of the Department of Cannabis Control. She led the San Francisco department before Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) appointed her as his liaison to the industry.

Business:

• “Oversupply, high taxes and licensing fees, as well as depressed wholesale prices are creating cash-flow shortages for farmers” statewide, MJBiz reports, threatening a ‘major extinction event.”
• The California Department of Cannabis Control is seeking sanctions against counsel for an LA-area manufacturer accused of producing $64M worth of unlicensed gummies. The state says the manufacturer and his attorney have stone-walled a court-ordered discovery request.
  Law360
• The city of LA denied a permit to the heavily touted Green Street Cannabis Festival, planned for May 13 and 14. Hosted by businessman Gary Vaynerchuk and comedian Mike Glazer, and hyped as a ‘SXSW of Weed’ the festival says it will go on at another location. 
  Page Six
• Scheduled to be held as part of the festival, The Emerald Cup has relocated to the Montalban Theater.
• The East Bay Express found California weed all over Brooklyn. (So did I on a recent visit.)

Equity:

• Christine De La Rosa, CEO of The People’s Ecosystem, argues open license markets are more equitable.
  Ganjapreneur

Law Enforcement:

• Humboldt County Sheriffs raided a multi-plot unlicensed operation.
  Lost Coast Outpost

Fun and interesting:

• A study named five California metropoli in the country’s top 10 weed cities.
  KTLA
• Garden season is here for @swamiselect.

The California industry bemoans the vast tracts of the state where legal weed is inaccessible. But elsewhere in the state, retail is hypercompetitive.

For the new chart of the week, I sliced and diced WeedWeek data to find the California cities with the most dispensaries per capita. It’s a diverse group, Berkeley and LA, but also Modesto and Vista, a sleepy San Diego suburb. 

What they have in common: When planning the pot shop of your dreams, you might want to give them a miss.

To be included, cities had to have 100,000 people. 

Milestones:

• Canadian company Halo Collective said its second Budega dispensary in California would open shortly in LA’s Westwood neighborhood. The first is in North Hollywood.  
• Lime Cannabis signed an exclusive distribution partnership with Nabis.
• Sparc is opening the first dispensary in the city of Sonoma on 4/20.
• A farm known for its concentrates, Raw Garden is expanding to Arizona. 

Local:

• LA regulators are accepting questions for today’s licensing webinar.

Job moves:

• None today

Upcoming:

• LA’s hosting a webinar series on “cannabis security, cash and management.”
• The annual Budtender Awards have evolved into G4 Live, May 12-14 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
• The virtual Cannalaw Summit is set for May 3-5.

Products:

• Autumn Brands launched a Premium Smalls Flower product for value conscious consumers.
  Santa Barbara Independent
• Another new value brand, Time Machine, pays tribute to old video games. It’s sourced from Pacific Stone.
• Veteran led Helmand Valley Growers Co. has a new line of refillable glass pre-rolls.
• A new brand called Sundazed features QR codes in its packaging that open to Instagram filters.
• Dr. Greenthumb’s launched a flower brand.
• LastLeaf, an infused mac and cheese brand “curated” by celebrity chef Todd English is now available.
• Drinks brand Cann has a new Blue Rhuberry flavor blessed by actor and investor Adam Devine.