That chill in the air means that it’s time to get cozy and prepare for winter, and Zen Leaf is helping you stock up for all the sweater weather on the horizon. They’re offering up to 30% off storewide at their Ohio locations so you can bundle up with all your favorites for less. Zen […]

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Maryland’s first week of regulated sales of adult-use cannabis totaled more than $20 million dollars, only eight months after voters legalized recreational marijuana in the 2022 general election. Legal sales of adult-use cannabis began on July 1, with nearly 100 of Maryland’s medical marijuana dispensaries now licensed to sell cannabis to all adults aged 21 and older.

During the first seven days of adult-use cannabis sales, retailers sold $20.9 million in licensed cannabis products, according to data from the Maryland Cannabis Administration. About half of that total, $10.4 million, was generated during the opening weekend of sales.

By comparison, the state’s medical marijuana dispensaries averaged $27.6 million in monthly sales for the first six months of 2023. The highest monthly revenue for the state’s medical marijuana dispensaries was in June, with a total of $42.6 million in sales for the month.

The Maryland Cannabis Administration projects that the state’s first year of recreational marijuana sales will generate up to $600 million for the newly legal industry. And with adult-use cannabis products taxed at a rate of 9%, the state stands to take in about $54 million, which will be spent on the regulatory costs of the program, community reinvestment, public health initiatives and funding for local governments.

Darren Weiss, president of Verano Holdings, the operator of four Zen Leaf retail locations in Maryland, said that he is “encouraged by the strong start to adult use cannabis sales in Maryland.”

“We often see an uptick in demand following the initial launch of adult use sales, and with sales in Maryland predicted to reach $1 billion by 2025, there is a significant opportunity for cannabis businesses and the overall economy to benefit,” Weiss said in a statement to the Baltimore Banner.

Maryland Voters Legalized Recreational Weed Last Year

In November 2022, Maryland voters legalized recreational marijuana with the passage of Question 4, a state referendum that was approved with nearly two-thirds of the vote. In April, lawmakers passed legislation to regulate adult-use cannabis production and sales beginning on July 1, followed by the signing of the bill by Governor Wes Moore in early May. Under the measure, all adults in Maryland age 21 and up with proper identification will be allowed to purchase regulated marijuana products including cannabis flower, vapes, gummies and more, with sales beginning at the state’s existing medical marijuana retailers.

The legislation also changed the Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission, which regulated the production and sale of medical marijuana, to the Maryland Cannabis Administration. Will Tilburg, the acting director of the new agency, said that regulated sales of cannabis in Maryland are expected to triple over the next year with the launch of recreational marijuana sales.

“There’s more than 4 million eligible consumers versus 168,000 medical patients,” Tilburg said, according to a WBAL report late last month.

So far, the Maryland Cannabis Administration has converted the licenses of 95 medical marijuana dispensaries so that they can serve recreational cannabis customers, according to data released by the agency on June 28. Additionally, state regulators have licensed 42 cannabis cultivators and manufacturers to provide adult-use products. 

“The state of Maryland was very busy,” Chris Harvey, general manager of Panacea Wellness dispensary in Annapolis, said about the first week of regulated recreational marijuana sales.

Harvey said that since last week’s launch of adult-use cannabis sales, the shop has seen steady customer traffic and a steep increase in daily transactions compared to when the dispensary began selling medical marijuana only in October. Before recreational sales “we could go an hour without seeing people in the building,” he said. But now, sales of both recreational and medical products are strong, he said. But he does not expect the initial volume to last, noting that one week’s worth of sales is not a reliable indicator of what is to come.

“Some of this novelty will wear off soon,” Harvey said, adding that he expects Maryland’s cannabis market to become more competitive as more dispensaries open.

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The time is upon us, so pack your bowls and fire up your torches, and if you’re a brand with the best, may the odds ever be in your favor. High Times Cannabis Cup Illinois: People’s Choice Edition is coming to town. For over 35 years, High Times Cannabis Cup events—often imitated but not duplicated—have showcased the finest cannabis and cannabis products on the planet. But like all People’s Choice events, Judge Kits are open to the public.

The High Times Cannabis Cup Illinois: People’s Choice Edition aims to identify and award the best cannabis products across Illinois, representing the many facets of cannabis in a wide range of categories, to be judged by the great people of The Prairie State. This year, new concentrate and edible categories have been added to the mix to crank it up a notch.

This event will be the fourth-ever competition that is open to the Illinois public and will see one of the largest pools of judges in history. This is a sampling dream if you’re a connoisseur of exquisite cannabis profiles. 

New flower products will face off what’s new in town in three categories, as well as infused and non-infused pre-rolls. But if it’s concentrates you’re after, solventless and non-solventless offerings will face off as well as edibles, vape pens, sublinguals, capsules, and tinctures. Flower and other products are judged on Aesthetics/Visual Appeal of product, not the packaging, as well as Aroma/Scent, Taste/Flavor Profile, Burnability, Effects/Effectiveness, and Terpene Profile.

Last year at High Times Cannabis Cup Illinois: People’s Choice Edition, some notable winners include the unforgettable and psychedelic Fig Farms Figment (Purple Fig x Animal Mints 199 #4, First Place Sativa Flower) with a lavender and confetti cake taste, which is now emerging in the Illinois market, and RYTHM Brownie Scout (Platinum Girl Scout Cookies x Kosher Kush, First Place Indica Flower) that has “a blazingly intense initial surge, then dives into an exultant indica trance.”

Among the concentrate winners of last year, Gorilla’d Cheese Rosin (GG#4 x Clementine, First Place Concentrates & Extracts) by Revolution Cannabis snagged for its cheesy, earthy flavor with Limonene, Beta-Caryophyllene, Beta-Myrcene, Linalool, and Elemene.

Competitor product submissions will be accepted August 7-11 across Illinois. Judge Kits will be available across Illinois Saturday, August 19, including official intake partners RISE Dispensary, nuEra, and Zen Leaf locations. Judges simply login to the Judging Portal and select the corresponding event to begin judging. The judging deadline is October 22, and on November 5, winners will be announced via digital Awards Show.

May the best products win.

15 CATEGORIES:

1. Indica Flower (3 entries Max per Company)
2. Sativa Flower (3  entries Max per Company)  
3. Hybrid Flower (3 entries Max per Company) 
4. Non-Infused Pre-Rolls (2 entries Max per Company) 
5. Infused Pre-Rolls (1 entry Max per Company)
6. Solvent Concentrates (2 entries Max per Company) 
7. Non-Solvent Concentrates (2 entries Max per Company) 
8. Vape Pens & Cartridges (1 entry Max per Company) (Category may split)
9. Edibles: Gummies & Fruit Chews  (1 entry Max per Company)
10. Edibles: Chocolates & Non-Gummies  (1 entry Max per Company)
11. Edibles: Beverages (1 entry Max per Company)
12. Sublinguals, Capsules, Tinctures + Topicals (1 Entry Max per Company) 
13. Medical: Flower (3 entries Max per Company)
14. Medical: Vape Pens (2 entries per Company)
15. Medical: Edibles (1 entry Max per Company)

Now’s the time to visit the High Times Cannabis Cup website to see how you can get involved with the The High Times Cannabis Cup Illinois: People’s Choice Edition this year.

A special thank you to our partners!

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Sales of adult-use cannabis in New Jersey for the third quarter of 2022 topped $100 million, according to recently released data from state officials. The New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission reported that sales of recreational marijuana from June 2022 through September 2022 totaled $116,572,533, representing a jump of 46% over the previous quarter. Sales of medical cannabis came to $61,138,231 during the same time period, bringing the total for combined medical and recreational marijuana sales to $177,710,764 for Q3 2022.

“New Jersey is only seeing the beginning of what is possible for cannabis” Jeff Brown, executive director of the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission (CRC), said in a statement from the agency. “We have now awarded 36 annual licenses for recreational cannabis businesses to New Jersey entrepreneurs, including 15 for dispensaries. Those businesses alone will be a significant growth of the market. With more locations and greater competition, we expect the customer base to grow and prices to come down.”

New Jersey now has 20 dispensaries licensed to sell recreational marijuana, which was legalized with a referendum passed by voters in November 2020. Legislation legalizing commercial cannabis activity was passed by lawmakers the following month, and licensed sales of recreational marijuana began in April 2022.

“We are looking forward to seeing local, small business owners participate in this lucrative market,” said CRC chairwoman Dianna Houenou. “Our priority application process as well as new initiatives like the no-cost Cannabis Training Academy being launched by New Jersey Business Action Center in early 2023 are paving that path for them to be included.”

Another 10 dispensaries are licensed to sell medical marijuana to registered medical marijuana patients only. The medicinal use of cannabis was initially legalized in New Jersey in 2010, with subsequent legislation expanding the scope of the state’s medical marijuana program to encompass more patients and medical conditions.

George Archos, the founder and CEO of cannabis multistate operator Verano, said that sales were meeting expectations in New Jersey, where the company operates three Zen Leaf branded dispensaries.

“We’re thrilled to see the continued success of the cannabis industry in New Jersey,” Archos said in an email to NJ Advance Media late Friday. “The impressive revenue growth figures the Cannabis Regulatory Commission released from the third quarter are no surprise, given New Jersey’s large and dense population, robust summer tourism season, and proximity to other states without existing legal adult use cannabis programs.”

New Jersey Pot Retailers Now Face Nearby Competition

While sales of recreational marijuana in New Jersey have grown steadily since launching in April, the state’s weed retailers face new competition from New York, where regulated sales of adult-use cannabis began on December 29. But New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy said that he welcomes the expansion of regulated marijuana and that his state’s cannabis industry is ready for the competition from New York’s regulated operators.

“The Governor believes that a fair, regulated adult-use market for cannabis is a critical step toward advancing social justice on behalf of communities disproportionately impacted by marijuana prohibition,” Natalie Hamilton, press assistant to Murphy, said in a statement.

“The Governor is proud that New Jersey’s industry is serving as a model for other states in the nation and he looks forward to continuing our efforts to grow a cannabis industry that reflects the diversity of the state, protects access for medical marijuana patients, prioritizes justice, and promotes equal opportunities for communities of color,” added Hamilton.

Charles Gormally, an attorney specializing in cannabis law, said that the launch of retail cannabis sales in New York should be seen by New Jersey’s recreational marijuana industry as an incentive to produce high-quality products as a way to encourage consumers to buy locally.

“If a New York outlet has a great product, or a unique retail experience, or a great price — they certainly will attract market share from New Jersey sources,” said Gormally. “That said, New Jersey is the Garden State. We opened the market before New York, and I suspect when the start-up pain ends, there will be fantastic product, unique retail experiences, and consumption lounges — all of which might attract the New York cannabis consumer.”

“New Jersey should not view New York so much as a competitor but rather as a challenge to supply cannabis connoisseurs what they need to stay local,” he said. “Cannabis is not like a Broadway show after all,” adding, “In the adult use cannabis marketplace, the ultimate ‘spoils’ will belong to those outlets that have the most diverse product mix at the most competitive prices.”

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