Since 2015, Louisiana State University (LSU) and Southern University (SU) are the only two public institutions in Louisiana that can legally cultivate medical cannabis. However, if Senate Bill 228 is signed into law, it would allow private contractors to take their place instead.

“They are the only two higher education systems in the country that are in the pot business right now, and it is my belief that it’s time we get them out of that business and let them focus on higher education,” said Sen. Patrick McMath, who is also the sponsor of the bill, told the Louisiana Illuminator.

Apparently, LSU and SU received help from two private growers, Good Day Farm and Ilera Holistic Healthcare, to get their own respective farms operational. If the bill becomes law, LSU and SU would transfer their respective cultivator licenses over to Good Day Farm and Ilera Holistic Healthcare, both of which will be permitted to hold on to their licenses for as long as they choose to renew them. As a result, no other cultivators would be allowed to apply for a license.

According to Louisiana Illuminator, Good Day Farm in particular has a relationship with legislators who may be attempting to control all cultivation within the state. Good Day Farm’s primary shareholder is Donald “Boysie” Bollinger, one of the richest people in the state, and company president John Davis’ wife, Paula Davis, is a House representative.

One of the key people who helped develop legislation for Louisiana’s medical cannabis law, former Rep. Joe Marino, told the news outlet that doing so would create a monopoly on cultivation. 

During his time in office, Marino introduced legislation to expand the number of cultivation licenses available for application, although it didn’t pass. In 2022, he also worked to expand the number of cannabis pharmacies, from 10 to 25, which was signed by former Gov. John Bel Edwards.

In March, McMath attended a committee hearing for SB-228, and claimed that the Louisiana medical cannabis industry was always meant to be private. He explained that including both LSU and SU was a late-hour floor amendment. “It was never really their intention to be put into this bill,” McMath said.

An earlier draft of SB-228 would have still provided a percentage of gross sales from Good Day Farms and Ilera Holistic Healthcare to the universities, but that has since been removed.

SB-228 was sent to Gov. Jeff Landry on May 16 for a signature or veto.

There has been plenty of other cannabis legislation introduced in the most recent legislative session. The Louisiana legislature initially legalized hemp-based edibles containing delta-9-THC back in 2022, with the knowledge presented by former House Speaker Clay Schexnayder who said it would require a person to consume “tractor-trailer loads” for a person to get high from it. Senate Bill 237 attempts to limit the law, and would make it illegal to sell or manufacture any cannabis products containing THC unless it’s included in a license medical cannabis product. During a committee hearing on May 14, many business owners claimed that such a bill would eliminate the consumable hemp industry that has been built so far, as well as any jobs that have developed from its success.

Louisiana Hemp Extractors owner Paige Melancon expressed his frustration about spending the last two years building up his business. “I feel like I’m being fired right now and I want you guys to come with me and fire my employees when we leave here, if you choose to do that,” Melancon said.

Supporters of SB-237 such as lobbyist Gene Mills, president Louisiana Family Forum, also spoke about putting an end to consumable hemp products. “Our vision is to build a Louisiana where God is honored, life is respected, families flourish and liberties reign,” Mills said at the hearing.

Most recently, SB-237 was heard on the House floor for debate on May 22.

Conversely, House Bill 707 seeks to establish a regulatory framework for adult-use cannabis legalization, although it doesn’t outright legalize recreational cannabis. “This is a very simple bill,” said bill sponsor Rep. Edmond Jordan. “What it does…it is for the adult use of cannabis. It sets up the retail side with dispensaries and how we would do that.” If passed, it would permit adults over 21 to purchase one ounce of cannabis per day and pay $75 per year to cultivate up to six plants per adult, or 12 plants per household.

House Bill 978 also would not legalize adult-use cannabis but sought to establish a foundation for legalization in the event that the federal government chose to legalize cannabis. “The bill does not legalize recreational marijuana,” said bill sponsor Rep. Candace Newell. “This is a regulation structure that I would like to see Louisiana put in place in preparation for having recreational marijuana legalized on the federal level or on the state level.” However, as of May 20 the bill was rejected in the House.

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Cannabis retailers in Missouri rang up more than $100 million in sales in February, the first month of legal recreational marijuana sales in the state. According to information from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services released on Friday, total cannabis sales came to $102.9 million last month. The figure includes nearly $72 million in adult-use cannabis retail purchases, while sales of medical marijuana in Missouri topped $31 million for the month.

Missouri voters legalized the recreational use of cannabis in last year’s midterm elections with the passage of Amendment 3, a ballot measure that was approved with more than 53% of the vote. Sales of recreational marijuana began at existing medical marijuana on February 3, less than three months after voters approved the adult-use cannabis legalization measure.

Andrew Mullins, executive director of the Missouri Cannabis Trade Association (MOCann), said that the opening month of regulated sales of adult-use cannabis in the state eclipsed the launch of recreational pot sales in neighboring Illinois in 2020.

“That’s more than double what Illinois did in a state with twice the population,” Mullins said about Missouri’s $71.7 million in adult-use cannabis sales last month. “So it really shows the interest and excitement for the new adult-use industry in Missouri.”

Mullins noted that if the pace of sales during the first month continues, Missouri cannabis retailers will sell more than a billion dollars worth of weed this year. He attributed a portion of February’s sales to visitors from adjoining states. Out of Missouri’s eight neighboring states, only Illinois has legalized recreational marijuana to date.

“Canna-tourism folks that may decide to come to Missouri to access and utilize cannabis,” Mullins told St. Louis Public Radio. “That seems to also be having an impact on the amount of sales that Missouri’s experiencing.”

Laurie Gregory, the chief marketing officer for Good Day Farm, said that the company’s dispensaries in cities such as Kansas City and Independence located near the borders with other states saw significant traffic from out-of-state customers.

“Opening weekend we had patients who drove from Texas and Illinois,” Gregory said. “There are states around Missouri that don’t have a program. Anecdotally, what we hear is that the border town dispensaries are having significant sales because of that.”

Regulated Weed Prices Lower Than Neighboring Illinois

Prices compared to cannabis retailers in the one neighboring state with regulated recreational marijuana sales were also cited as a factor behind the strong numbers in Missouri.

“At the different stores, we have flower strains priced from $25 to $40,” said Gregory. “In Illinois, it’s anywhere from $30 to $60.”

Jack Cardetti, a spokesman for MOCann, said that better access for consumers is largely behind Missouri’s strong sales numbers, noting that the state has 196 dispensaries to serve a population of 6 million, while Illinois has only 113 retailers but a population of 12 million. He also noted that taxation exacerbates the price difference between the two states.

“Not only are the retail prices lower in Missouri than Illinois, but when you actually factor in the higher taxes in Illinois, the take-home price is significantly lower,” Cardetti says. “We’ve seen time and time again, if you tax marijuana too much, people will continue to access the illicit market, which is exactly what legalization is meant to prevent.”

Former NBA star Al Harrington’s company Viola is backing two cannabis dispensaries that opened in St. Louis over the weekend, making the shops the only Black-owned retailers in the city, according to Daniel Pettigrew, the CEO of Viola STL. He said that the city has given the company a warm welcome and noted that the company’s dispensary on Iowa Street in St. Louis is the only cannabis retailer in the city with a drive-thru.

“We want people to be able to come into a safe, secure place, get their product and then get out, so that’s the main thing. It will really allow us to serve more customers,” Pettigrew told KSDK television news. “This neighborhood is in the community, so it was important to them, as we met with them, that they didn’t want a lot of people standing around and lingering in the area. It just allows us to complete the transaction in a safe secure environment, facilitate it, get everyone what they need and let them get on their way as quickly as possible.”

Bryce Chapman, a consumer who previously purchased marijuana from the unregulated market, said that buying from dispensaries is easier than buying from underground dealers. He added that he appreciates the consistent quality and clear pricing at regulated dispensaries, factors he said make him a repeat customer of the new shops.

“You can just go in, get what you need and leave,” said Chapman. “You don’t have to find the guy with the right kind of stuff or anything like that – you can just go get exactly what you need. I really like how scientific it is. Like, ‘Do you want this much THC or do you want a higher dose? Do you want sativa dominant?’ Before it was just like, I’ll just get what I can get.”

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One of the most recognizable cannabis brands in the world is teaming up with the largest medical weed producer in the southern United States. Their destination? Chenal, Arkansas. That will be the location of “Berner’s By Good Day Farm,” a new medical cannabis dispensary from Good Day Farm and Cookies.

With more than 4,000 square feet of retail space in Chenal, a suburb of the capital city of Little Rock, the store represents “Cookies’ entry into the Arkansas medical cannabis market and will provide the state’s patients with an expanded assortment of curated cannabis products and exclusive merchandise,” the companies said in an announcement on Tuesday.

The store is slated to have its grand opening on Friday, which will include food, giveaways, and an appearance by Cookies founder and CEO, Berner.

“I never imagined our first store in the South being in Arkansas; I actually never pictured opening a store in the South in general,” Berner said in the announcement on Tuesday. “We are extremely excited about our partnership with Good Day Farm and look forward to providing real menus and a curated customer journey for those in Arkansas, especially those who have never experienced cannabis before. The last time I was in Little Rock, I was on a tour with Snoop and we had a blast. I look forward to setting the tone with Good Day Farm and giving Arkansas a taste of California.”

Only two years after its founding, Good Day Farm bills itself as “the largest licensed medical cannabis producer in the South, supplying the region with an abundant selection of cannabis products in a diverse range of formats, including premium flower, edibles, vapes, concentrates, syringes, tinctures and topical creams.”

Cookies, meanwhile, was founded more than a decade ago and has grown to be one of the best known cannabis companies in the world, with thousands of products and retail locations in four different countries.

Both companies view cannabis as more than just business. Good Day Farm says it “prides itself on being an ambassador of this healing plant in the South, where every day the Company is on a relentless quest to grow, nurture and share really good cannabis,” while Cookies has worked actively “to enrich communities disproportionately impacted by the War on Drugs through advocacy and social equity initiatives.”

The companies said that Berner’s By Good Day Farm “will carry products from both Cookies and Good Day Farm, including exclusive merchandise such as bespoke skateboards and apparel designed with the spirit of Little Rock in mind.”

“As ambassadors of cannabis in the South, it’s an honor to be the first cannabis company to bring the iconic Cookies brand to Arkansas patients,” Laurie Gregory, the chief marketing officer at Good Day Farm, said in the announcement. “Our new dispensary will offer the best of both brands, featuring 30+ new cultivars and all the products Good Day Farm’s customers know and love, from honey, gummies, chocolates and vapes, to our newly launched live resin collection. This store is the first of many planned collaborations between Good Day Farm and Cookies across the South, a partner who shares our commitment to helping good people and providing good cannabis.”  

Arkansas voters approved a measure legalizing medical cannabis in 2016. Sales began three years later.

The state said there were $264.9 million worth of medical cannabis sales last year, bringing the total sales figure to more than $500 million since dispensaries opened in 2019.

And there’s reason to believe than Arkansans would be receptive to more than just medical cannabis.

A poll earlier this year found that 53% of voters in the state believe that weed should be legal for adults aged 21 and older.

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