San Francisco’s Vapor Room cannabis dispensary has faced plenty of foes since it opened in 2003. It brawled in federal courtrooms with the IRS and was hit during crackdowns by the U.S. Justice Department. But now that weed is legal, it appears the one thing the storied dispensary can’t survive is California’s legal weed market. The dispensary is at risk of going out of business … [Read more...] about ‘Teetering on the edge’: California pot shops owe $1.3 billion in back taxes
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Oakland cop, investigated in illegal pot grow house raid, now under scrutiny for work at homicide scene
OAKLAND — With a murder trial looming, a defense attorney has accused an Oakland police officer of taking questionable steps during the initial investigation into a shootout, including allegedly searching a vehicle without a warrant or probable cause. The accusations against Officer Samson Liu add to his already-tumultuous year, which has included a police raid on an Antioch … [Read more...] about Oakland cop, investigated in illegal pot grow house raid, now under scrutiny for work at homicide scene
Update: 2 Stanislaus County cannabis retailers close in span of a month. What’s to blame?
Cali Kosher on Yosemite Boulevard just outside the Modesto city limits had been doing business in Stanislaus County since 2016. Its last day of operation was Thursday after it didn’t pay outstanding county fees. Despite celebrating the passage of Measure P, which will set cannabis tax revenue based on income, retail businesses are having trouble keeping up with currently … [Read more...] about Update: 2 Stanislaus County cannabis retailers close in span of a month. What’s to blame?
Controversial plan allows up to 40 cannabis cafes in major California city
Cannabis cafes are on their way to Sacramento after a contentious Tuesday night City Council meeting where lawmakers narrowly approved a plan that allows smoking lounges. The plan permits the city to have up to 40 cannabis lounges, where patrons can smoke cannabis and eat pre-packaged food. The lounges can only be at existing cannabis dispensaries. The council voted 5-4 in … [Read more...] about Controversial plan allows up to 40 cannabis cafes in major California city
Is California fighting a losing battle with cannabis enforcement?
Law enforcement officials say illicit market in the state is "as big and bad as ever," despite headline-grabbing cannabis seizures. Is California fighting a losing battle with its unlicensed marijuana market, more than six years after the state supposedly legalized cannabis? It sure seems like it. Just in the 2024 calendar year alone, state officials claim to have seized more … [Read more...] about Is California fighting a losing battle with cannabis enforcement?
Survey says Long Beach wants legal cannabis use at festivals, other events
A giant flamingo was erected near the Queen Mary for the Day Trip house music festival Saturday, June 25, 2022. Photo by Brandon Richardson.More than 57% of Long Beach residents surveyed said they want cannabis sold or smoked at outdoor festivals and other special events, according to a non-scientific study conducted by the city’s Office of Cannabis Oversight.That and other … [Read more...] about Survey says Long Beach wants legal cannabis use at festivals, other events
This SF ‘wunderkind’ became a CEO at 23. Now his business is booming.
Left to right, brothers Eli and Noah Melrod have a large selection of cannabis flower samples grown by small artisanal farms on their living room coffee table in their house in San Francisco on Oct. 15, 2024. Eli Melrod is the founder of Solful, a small local chain of cannabis stores. It’s a typical Tuesday evening in San Francisco, which means Noah and Eli Melrod have a … [Read more...] about This SF ‘wunderkind’ became a CEO at 23. Now his business is booming.
Berkeley activists started a marijuana dispensary 25 years ago. Today, there’s none older in the nation
This year, Berkeley Patients Group (BPG), the oldest continuously operating dispensary in the United States, will celebrate its 25th anniversary. It all started on Oct. 31, 1999, when several cannabis activists and patients decked out in Halloween costumes gathered on Fifth Street in Berkeley, and bought and sold medical marijuana. (Alas, they don’t remember what they … [Read more...] about Berkeley activists started a marijuana dispensary 25 years ago. Today, there’s none older in the nation
More guilty pleas in California-wide ‘Operation Sticky Fingers’ retail cannabis theft case
SANTA CRUZ — An additional three men implicated in the statewide “Operation Sticky Fingers” retail cannabis theft case pleaded guilty to charges Thursday.In deals coordinated by the state Attorney General’s Office, Dante Williams Jr., 22, Kalif Collins, 24 and Antonio Gainey Jr., 39, were among the 24 men charged with retail theft and burglary relating to cannabis facilities … [Read more...] about More guilty pleas in California-wide ‘Operation Sticky Fingers’ retail cannabis theft case
Biggest California cannabis delivery company will close by end of year, lay off 500 employees
It's still unclear what the company's new owners plan to do with it after the end of the year. The biggest marijuana delivery company in California is calling it quits after a 10-year run. Eaze, which was founded in 2014, will be shuttered by Dec. 31, CEO Cory Azzalino said in a post to LinkedIn on Sunday, and said he notified all employees on Monday that their time is likely … [Read more...] about Biggest California cannabis delivery company will close by end of year, lay off 500 employees
