Maryland moved another step closer to making medical marijuana available to patients with the announcement Friday of preliminary licenses for 102 dispensaries across the state.
Read the full article: Maryland panel names medical marijuana dispensary winners – Baltimore Sun
Learn more about Seed to Sale in Colorado from Adilas420
In the first 10 months of 2016, Colorado marijuana shops reached a significant milestone they had barely missed in all of 2015: $1 billion in legal, regulated cannabis sales.
Source The Cannabist: Colorado marijuana sales: $1 billion in first 10 months of 2016
One of legalization opponents’ greatest fears has so far failed to materialize… Teen marijuana use drops sharply in Colorado in the years 2014 and 2015, after the opening of that state’s recreational marijuana market, new federal survey data show….
Year-over-year teen marijuana use fell in most states during that time period, including in Washington, the other state to open recreational marijuana markets in 2014. But that drop wasn’t statistically significant.
In Colorado, the drop in teen marijuana use could reflect changes related to legalization, such as a diminution of the black market. Or it could be a reflection of broader cultural trends, such as increasing disapproval of teen drug use or better substance abuse prevention programs for kids. It’s likely that a number of factors are at play.
Some experts had expected more permissive attitudes toward pot to lead to increased teen use and have subsequently been surprised to find that teen marijuana use has held steady or even fallen nationwide over the past few years.
In either case, the overall trend — flat or falling teen use — appears to support legalization supporters’ arguments that liberalizing marijuana policies will not pose a serious public health threat to adolescents.
Source: After legalization, teen marijuana use drops sharply in Colorado – The Washington Post
In November 2016 Florida approved medical marijuana through Amendment 2. The amendment to the Florida Constitution allows for those with cancer, HIV/Aids, epilepsy and a list of other “debilitating conditions” to use marijuana if recommended by their doctor. The amendment passed with more than 70% yes votes.
According to the Miami Herald, “The Florida Department of Health has until July 2017 to pass regulations under the new amendment. By October, the state must start registering growers, dispensaries and other facilities and start issuing identification cards for patients approved to use marijuana.”
We are not going to reinvent the wheel here.. or pretend like the cannabis industry is different from every other industry. Companies transition to new enterprise resource planning (ERP) software all the time, in every industry. This happens as new and improving software and technologies advance. Below, we will outline 9 Tips for Selecting and Implementing Your Seed to Sale Software System.
The cannabis industry is highly regulated, and held to the highest standards in record keeping, making your choice for an ERP system critical. When choosing an ERP System, start by following these fundamental tips from the experts at cio.com.
Experts in ERP and change management share their tips on how to choose and deploy an ERP system to maximize your monetary and time investment. Plus steps you can take to improve the chances of workers will actually use the software.
So to help organizations increase the odds of a successful ERP deployment, with the help of dozens of ERP and change management experts, we came up with an ERP selection and implementation tip sheet. Here are nine tips on how to choose an ERP software solution and successfully deploy it.
1. Get upper management support. “Companies that tend to struggle the most [with ERP] are the ones that lack upper management level involvement,” says Daniele Fresca director of Marketing, IQMS, a provider of industry-specific ERP solutions. “Resources at the lower level tend to not be edicated and engaged with the implementation project without senior level involvement,” she says. That said, “executives don’t need to get to the point of knowing every single configuration detail. But [they need to] be aware of the issues that are causing delays to the project.”
2. Make a clear and extensive list of requirements before you start looking at vendors. “Begin by carefully defining the scope of your project,” says Ed Talerico, director, Industry & Solution Strategy, Infor, a provider of enterprise applications. “Focus on specific business processes and system requirements. The more specific you can be upfront, the more detailed your vendors can be in their proposals.”
“If you get one thing right, make it the up-front requirements gathering process,” says Brian Shannon, principal business process management architect, Dolphin Enterprise Solutions. “Few things derail project budgets and timelines as the ‘assumptive’ or absent requirements.” So make sure you engage with end users, IT and senior management.
“Too often, people select an ERP system based on factors such as price, current technology buzz or the system that is the flashiest,” adds Fresca. “But without a good fit, companies are left with expensive customization and bolted together solutions,” she notes. The solution: “Find an ERP system that is industry-specific, with tools and features designed to solve your business requirements. The ROI and long-term benefits of a good fitting system are extensive.”
3. Don’t forget mobile users. “As mobility and BYOD increase across industries, accessing ERP systems from desktops only is no longer an option,” says Ilan Paretsky, vice president of Marketing, Ericom Software, a provider of access, virtualization and RDP acceleration solutions. Choose an ERP solution that “allows users to be productive on smartphones and tablets.” Yet at the same time will ensure that sensitive information is secure.
4. Carefully evaluate your options before selecting your ERP system. “Poorly run and ill-defined evaluation projects can lead to poor implementations,” says Tom Brennan, vice president of Marketing, FinancialForce.com, a provider of cloud-based ERP solutions. “Dicey requirement definitions and vague priorities can lead to the wrong vendor selection.”
In addition, “lack of participation and input from key stakeholders in the evaluation stage can lead to poor acceptance and user adoption. And don’t forget that delays running the evaluation project itself ultimately delay the go-live date and the time to benefit.”
“Another item many organizations miss during the selection phase of an ERP system is reporting and metrics,” says Tiffani Murray, an HR technology consultant. “What do you want to be able to gauge from the system? Is this possible via the existing, prebuilt reports in the system or will you have to pay extra to get custom metrics that will drive your business, hiring and resourcing? Find this out in the selection phase and not after you’ve signed a multi-year contract.”
Also, do not forget about integration. An ERP solution that does not work with your existing legacy and/or critical office systems is not a solution but another expensive piece of unused or unusable software.
Finally, “find a partner that specializes in your industry,” says Jim Shepherd, chief strategy officer, Plex, a manufacturing ERP provider. “Better yet, find one that is dedicated to your industry. Those trying to tackle the entire ERP world can’t offer the same expertise.”
5. Get references. “First and foremost, when shopping for an ERP solution provider, ask the vendor for at least three references,” says Reuben Yonatan, founder, GetVoIP.com, a VoIP shoppers guide. Then “ask the customers what went right, what went wrong and what they might have done differently. If a vendor can’t provide at least three verifiable, happy customers, they may not have the experience you need.”
Similarly, if you are a member of an industry association, ask colleagues for ERP recommendations.
6. Think before you customize. “Consider the amount of customization required to configure and deploy,” says Steve Bittner, vice president of Professional Services, Unanet, a provider of Web-based software for managing people and projects. “Highly customized systems will generate higher cost, not only in the initial deployment but when upgrading from release to release,” he says.
“Those businesses with unique requirements need to consider whether those requirements can be mainstreamed to eliminate the steep cost curve,” Bittner says. In addition, businesses need “to understand [their tolerance] for longer implementation cycles, longer ROIs, more instability, [which can come with customization],” he says. “A turnkey solution may offer less flexibility but more stability, and less initial and ongoing cost.”
“Generally speaking, many companies’ basic business processes are virtually the same (like paying invoices, collecting revenue and procuring supplies),” says Greg Palesano, executive vice president, Applications Services, HCL Technologies, a global IT services company. “This is why ERP was built in the first place. Companies can take advantage of standard processes that are leading class and have been tested by many other companies,” he says.
“If a particular business function believes they have a case for a customization, make sure they prove it,” he argues. “Remember, the cost of the customization is not only writing and testing the code for initial implementation, but providing long-term support of the custom code and treating any customizations as exceptions every time you upgrade your software,” he says. “Keep it simple and try not to allow customization into your ERP program.”
7. Factor in change management. “Organizational change management is pivotal to the success of your project,” says Matt Thompson, vice president of Professional Services, EstesGroup, an ERP managed services and technology solutions provider. “Typical ERP projects facilitate massive change in organizations that can include changing of day to day job descriptions or eliminating job descriptions in total. [These] changes impact the culture of your company and without careful control and communication plans and workshops you can create an adverse reaction to ERP [resulting in] barriers [to] implementation and adoption.”
8. Appoint an internal ERP product champion — and surround him or her with good people. “Do not rely on the vendor-appointed project manager only; have someone on your staff for this,” says Morris Tabush, principal, the TabushGroup, a provider of managed IT services. Select someone within the organization, who knows or is comfortable managing software systems, to serve as the project manager,” he advises. “This person will be responsible for “collecting all the end user requirements, learning the new system inside and out, working with the vendor on data conversion, coordinating training and acting as the point of contact for all employees.”
“One of the most common mistakes made by companies during ERP implementation is spending significant time, energy and money selecting the right software and implementation partners, only to assign their own ‘B’ team to the program,” adds Palesano. “This results in numerous issues during design and implementation, slow decision making and delays. While it’s difficult to free up your brightest resources from their full-time jobs, ERP implementations are not simple and they can be extremely expensive,” he points out. So it’s important to “put your best people on the job. Not just your best IT people, your best people, period.”
9. Provide the necessary time and resources for training on the ERP system.“Learning a new way of operating will require a significant time commitment for everyone, so the project team must take proactive measures to reduce the burden on employees,” says Joel Schneider, cofounder, Liberty Technology Advisors, an IT consulting firm that specializes in ERP, business processes and project rescue. “Identify department-specific needs, allowing for sufficient time to develop and deliver training programs.”
Furthermore, it’s important to “recognize that the most effective training may not come from outside sources. Tech-savvy employees within departments can be given the opportunity for more in-depth instruction to become expert resources for their fellow employees,” he explains. “Having a readily available support contact within an operational group reduces the ‘us vs. them’ dynamic that can poison the implementation process.”
Source: 9 Tips for Selecting and Implementing an ERP System
The agency released a notice in December 2016 clarifying the rules around CBD oil. It’s still a federally illegal Schedule I substance, even if it comes from hemp. But is the new rule legal?
Read more: New DEA Rule Says CBD Oil is Really, Truly, No-Joke Illegal | Leafly
This week, Politico.com summarized the status and fear of the cannabis industry following last months election when 8 states voted to legalize cannabis (bringing the total to 29 states) and this months nomination of Senator Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III for attorney general, by President-elect Donald J. Trump.
“In Florida, medical marijuana won nearly 2 million more votes than Donald Trump. Added up, 65 million people now live in states that authorize adult recreational use; more than half of all Americans have access to medical marijuana; and almost everyone else lives in a state that permits CBD, a non-psychoactive component of cannabis that helps treatment of juvenile epilepsy. It’s easier now to identify the six states that have done nothing to end the prohibition on marijuana than the ones that are breaking away from the federal law that treats marijuana the same as heroin…
…As a U.S. Attorney in Alabama in the 1980s, Sessions said he thought the KKK “were OK until I found out they smoked pot.” In April, he said, “Good people don’t smoke marijuana,” and that it was a “very real danger” that is “not the kind of thing that ought to be legalized.” Sessions, who turns 70 on Christmas Eve, has called marijuana reform a “tragic mistake” and criticized FBI Director James Comey and Attorneys General Eric Holder and Loretta Lynch for not vigorously enforcing a the federal prohibition that President Obama has called “untenable over the long term.” In a floor speech earlier this year, Senator Sessions said: “You can’t have the President of the United States of America talking about marijuana like it is no different than taking a drink… It is different….It is already causing a disturbance in the states that have made it legal…
…There’s little to stop the attorney general nominee from ignoring the will of millions of pro-pot voters.
…With little more than the stroke of his own pen, the new attorney general will be able to arrest growers, retailers and users, defying the will of more than half the nation’s voters, including those in his own state where legislators approved the use of CBD. Aggressive enforcement could cause chaos in a $6.7 billion industry that is already attracting major investment from Wall Street hedge funds and expected to hit $21.8 billion by 2020.”
You can read the full article from the Source here: Jeff Sessions’ Coming War on Legal Marijuana.
We have our work cut out for us in the cannabis industry to ensure the new Attorney General does not push this agenda item, ignoring the will of the people in legalized cannabis states.
The marijuana industry fought hard for progress and didn’t make it out of the shadows until 2013. The recent major growth of the industry is based on the embracement of simply a memo, put out by he Obama Administration, which does not have any support in Federal Law under the new administration.
The more government, scientists and consumers learn more about cannabis, the more the argument’s provided by people like Jeff Sessions seems like unvalidated propaganda.
The Politico Article also present the threats to the adoption of state amendments to allow for legalization of cannabis, such as legislation that restricts the Justice Department from using funds to go after state-legal medical marijuana programs.
“Like the Cole Memo, the Rohrabacher-Farr amendment in California is not yet the law of the land, and because of new rules implemented by Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, amendments related to guns, abortion, LGBT issues and marijuana will no longer be permitted—a change that Kentucky Representative Thomas Massie, sponsor of a bill to protect industrial hemp programs, considers “an affront to regular order” and “a travesty to our democracy.”
Like all things related to this election and President-elect Donald Trump, what will happen once in office seems unpredictable. However, while the industry is use to keeping our heads low and our aims high, we will certainly be more on defense in 2017 than we have been in years. James Higdon says it best:
“Without any protection from Congress, every marijuana grower and dispensary owner who came out of the shadows to become a taxpaying member of the legal recreational cannabis industry in Colorado, Oregon, Washington state and Alaska has exposed himself to potential criminal prosecution by a DOJ run by Sessions.”
And all of the people with an eye on a recreational cannabis license in California, Nevada, Main and Massachusetts will enter the industry at a time riskier than ever before. It seems we have a lot to loose and the odds stacked higher against us.
On Friday, in response to a growing outcry from Oregon’s marijuana producers, processers, and retailers, the Oregon Health Authority (OHA) released new temporary rules for marijuana product testing in the Oregon industry, acknowledging in a press release that “testing costs are driving up consumer prices, creating product shortages, and causing some processors to temporarily cease operations and furlough employees.”
… it appears that OHA moved ahead and filed for a temporary amendment and suspension of certain cannabis testing regulations with Oregon’s Secretary of State, as permitted by state law.
Trista Okel, who publicly vented in November about the unsustainable cost of testing for her small-batch cannabis topicals under state requirements, told the Oregonian that the temporary rules will actually increase the amount of testing she’ll need to do, from 12 to 32 samples per batch. She’s now exploring “how to ride this out” by looking into licensing agreements in states with legal marijuana and “reasonable regulations”. Don Morse, a Portland dispensary owner andoriginal supporter of the new rules, because he thought they’d help legitimize the industry, who later realized his error and decried the supply shortages and cost increases the regulations caused, says that the temporary amendments are “smoke and mirrors,” adding “We were hoping for more to alleviate the backlog of testing and we don’t see that this really does that.”
Source: Update: Oregon Regulators Intervene in Malfunctioning Marijuana Market
New York is loosening restrictions in its nearly year-old medical marijuana law but, to the dismay of some cannabis advocates, there is no sign the state is in any hurry to join eight other states in embracing full legalization.
[…] Gov. Andrew Cuomo remains a skeptic of outright recreational use and legalization faces challenges in the Legislature too. New York’s medical marijuana law still has some of the strictest rules among the more than 20 states that allow medical pot. The state is considering authorizing home deliveries and this past week announced plans to add chronic pain to a list of 10 qualifying conditions that also include cancer, AIDS, multiple sclerosis and epilepsy.
Source: Marijuana policy easing, but no full legalization yet – Times Union
