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“Our top priority is to minimize the risk of and protect as many people as possible from exposure to COVID-19,” said Toi Hutchinson, Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s senor adviser for cannabis control.

Officials announced Tuesday that cannabis retailers can sell medical pot outside dispensaries until the end of the month to protect patients who may be susceptible to the coronavirus.

Between city and state taxes, customers at cannabis retailers aren’t always the happiest when they see the final price at the counter. But Jay Handal of Erba Markets, a cannabis retailer in Los Angeles, says there’s not much he can do.

“I do have to deflect a lot of anger because it’s really geared at us. People thinking we’re price-gouging them when, in fact, we’re just charging the taxes that the government level tells us we have to charge,” Handal said.

The cannabis sector continues to struggle along with other sectors as the coronavirus pandemic continues. The global economy is at a halt as countries take precautions to contain the spread of the virus. The US stock market closed with a loss of 10.9% on March 16. Meanwhile, the Horizons Marijuana Life Sciences ETF (TSE:HMMJ) closed with a loss of 4.5%. Like many other industries, the cannabis industry has manufacturing operations in China. The coronavirus outbreak revealed some of the pitfalls in the marijuana supply chain.

Malawi is the latest African country to change its laws on cannabis. Guess which one is next.

Marijuana legalization has made significant progress over the years, and Malawi is the latest country to permit its use. The African country of about 19 million people will now allow cannabis to be used in medicine and in the creation of hemp fibers. While it doesn't permit the recreational use of marijuana, it's another significant step forward for Africa, where Zambia, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, and South Africa have all loosened their laws relating to cannabis.

It's time to go shopping for high-quality marijuana businesses at attractive prices.

Batten down the hatches, because volatility has returned in a big way for the stock market. Over a 12-session stretch, ending this past Tuesday, March 10, the 123-year-old Dow Jones Industrial Average logged its three biggest single-day point gains in history, as well as six of its 11 largest single-day point drops of all time.

Compared to other agricultural products, cannabis is fairly environmentally friendly. However, many cannabis producers are working to resolve some major sustainability challenges the industry faces. These efforts are all the more important as the industry continues to grow exponentially each year. Sustainable cannabis farming comes down to three main challenges: water usage, energy consumption, and waste management.

Water Usage

In a world suddenly disrupted by coronavirus (COVID-19) and its fallout — anxiety, the market free fall, increasing instances of self-quarantine and a consumer stampede every time hand sanitizer reappears on store shelves — the cannabis startup universe is no exception.

“The way that we are changing our business is that we are not doing live meetings or attending or speaking at events,” shared Wendy Robbins, half of the entrepreneurial duo (with Karen Paull) behind Amazon Prime’s The Marijuana Show.

A bill addressing hemp farming has turned into a round of end-of-session horse trading, where the legislative chambers have gone back and forth about whose version of a bill should come out on top.

In this fight, it all has to do with seeds.

Following the passage of the 2014 federal farm bill, hemp growing became allowed under certain circumstances by research institutions and state departments of agriculture..

North American pot stocks are in trouble, but cannabis companies in other parts of the world still have good prospects.

There's never been a more dangerous time to invest in cannabis than right now. Pot stocks are plummeting and companies are running low on cash, making consolidation and bankruptcies inevitable in the near future.

Marijuana legalization initiatives are still taking place in US states despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The coronavirus outbreak has taken a toll on the global markets and the economy. Countries and the World Health Organization are trying to contain the virus. Meanwhile, legalization efforts continue in US states. Mississippi has been trying to put a legalization initiative on the November ballot. However, lawmakers have a new strategy to make marijuana legalization difficult in the state.