Before long, consumption in Alaska could look a lot more like the coffeeshops of Amsterdam. Alaska is said to Become the First State With Legal Cannabis Cafés.

Businesses allowing onsite consumption could become part of the state’s cannabis culture as soon as this summer.

One important distinction is that the proposal as it currently stands will allow only cannabis-infused edibles to be consumed on site. The Alaska Marijuana Board, which will have ultimate authority over the cafés, is still debating whether the establishments will be able actually to sell cannabis edibles or whether consumers will have to bring their own.

In addition, municipalities will still have the option to ban cannabis businesses, and Anchorage is already seeing problems on the horizon. Anchorage has a ban on public consumption, which means retailers that might otherwise be licensed for onsite consumption could face bureaucratic red tape in trying to open a business within the city limits.

The state’s legalization initiative technically forbids public consumption, too, but it doesn’t define what constitutes a public place.

Potential legal battles aside, this announcement bodes well for the future of cannabis in the Land of the Midnight Sun. The state board is slated to begin accepting applications for cannabis business licenses on Feb. 24 and is expected to start issuing licenses in late May.

Read the full article from the Source: Alaska to Become the First State With Legal Cannabis Cafés – Leafly

Dr. Oz show on 1/7/16 medical marijuana segment with guest Montel Williams. In segment one,  Dr.OZ, Montel and mother discuss legislative issues in proving patients access.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MI-N3A4vpJ8&feature=youtu.be

In part 2, below, Dr. Oz explains how cannabis works.

https://youtu.be/wVrtUya1Txg

Source: Rick Franklin, Oklahoma Green The Vote Youtube.

Photo: Bloomberg

Technology billionaire Sean Parker is putting his money where his mouth is when it comes to pot legalization. The former Facebook president donated $500,000 to back a proposed initiative to legalize recreational marijuana use for adults in California, according to state campaign finance records filed Thursday.

Parker’s funds went to a newly formed committee called Californians To Control, Regulate And Tax Adult Use Of Marijuana While Protecting Children.

Under the measure, it would be legal for adults 21 years or older to possess, use and buy up to one ounce of marijuana. The law would also impose a 15% sales tax and additional state cultivation taxes. Legislative analysts predict it would bring in more than $1 billion in state and local tax revenues.

…Parker told Forbes in November, when he first announced his intent to support the campaign. “It’s very encouraging to see a vibrant community of activists, many of whom have dedicated their lives to this issue, coming together around a sensible reform based measure that protects children, gives law enforcement additional resources, and establishes a strong regulatory framework for responsible adult use of marijuana–one that will yield economic benefits for all Californians.”

Read the full story from the Source: Billionaire Sean Parker Donated $500,000 To Legalize Marijuana In California – Forbes

Get techy or go home! Check out this great read on apps for small businesses. Adilas takes care of over half the needs on this list, and is my preferred tool – but hey,  tripit and joinme are cool new apps worth checking out!

Over the past few years, the number of cloud-based applications that can help you run and grow your business more effectively has exploded. Whether you access them via your desktop, laptop, tablet or mobile device, they can help you plan and complete tasks more quickly, effectively and profitably.

These apps span a complete range of activities, including communications, finance & accounting, collaboration, payments, organization and others.

Here are 16 apps that are gaining popularity with small business owners and startup entrepreneurs:

Click here to see list.

Source: 16 super small-business apps for 2016

Check out this summary of what to watch from mjbizdaily.com

There have been warning signs of over-saturation in some markets for over a year now, which could lead to price wars.

That hasn’t happened in most markets yet, but longtime cultivator Greta Carter, who has businesses in Washington State and Nevada, thinks 2016 will be the year that growers reach a major tipping point.

“With the over-cultivation of flowers, farmers have become what they believe is innovative in purchasing oil-making machines, and now what we’re seeing is we’ve just shifted the over-saturation of flower to the oil business,” Carter said.

One side of cannabis that hasn’t yet been fully realized is medicinal applications, due to various obstacles and roadblocks to serious scientific research. But that’s changing quickly, and Colorado marijuana businessman Andy Williams thinks that will alter the face of cannabis retail.

Infused products companies haven’t scratched the surface yet, but they could start doing so in a big way this year.

Kind Financial CEO David Dinenberg believes 2016 will be the year established marijuana companies that have been around for several years will be rewarded for their tenacity. Those companies, he said, are well-positioned to grab the attention of the growing number of serious investors that are getting ready to throw millions into the marijuana industry.

Consultant Bulbulyan – who has worked with cannabis businesses of all stripes for nearly five years – said the industry will take major steps forward this year in promoting their products and brands.

“Hands down, number one, the biggest change you’re going to see in this industry this year is going to be branding and marketing of products across different sectors.”

Read the full article from the Source: A Look Ahead: Marijuana Retail, Cultivation & Industry Trends to Watch in 2016 – Marijuana Business Daily

During a Q and A, the former-brain-surgeon-turned-Republican-presidential-candidate stated that he approves of cannabis for medical use.

“Medical marijuana has proven its benefit and it should be rescheduled, there’s no question about that,” Carson said.

The mother of a child with epilepsy pressed Ben Carson to voice his stance on medical marijuana in Panora Wednesday.

Last year, Iowa lawmakers passed a limited bill to legalize possession of a marijuana extract for people with severe epilepsy. Critics say the law is practically useless, because it provides no legal method to distribute the oil.

When questioned by The Des Moines Register later Wednesday, Carson declined to share specifics on how he would push for medical marijuana laws but said it would be “easy” on the Federal level.

“These are easy things and it goes back to the whole concept of creating efficiency in government,” he said.

Source: Voter presses Carson on medical marijuana

6 Tips to Make Your Professional New Year Resolutions Stick

2016 is going to be a big year for marijuana business. Last year felt status quo for many in the marijuana industry but it remains one of the fastest growing industries in America. Over the next 5 years, the number of businesses in the sector is expected to rise nearly 20 percent per year, as reported by Inc.com in 2015.

Marijuana businesses have a lot to do this year to secure their place in the market as competition grows fast. If you are like us, chasing marijuana business goals, you’re not spending too much time making resolutions to cut back on your munchies.

Instead motivated business owners are making resolutions for growing their business and position in the cannabis industry. If you don’t have any resolutions for your business yet – you can start with the obvious here.

It’s time to get organized and plan for your 2016 goals.

Here are 6 tips to help you stick to your marijuana business resolutions:

1. Write your resolutions down – If writing has never been your thing, take the time to draw your goals, you can ask someone to help you write them up later. It is important that we can picture and present our goals in an organized fashion.

Your resolutions, like your business plan, should be realistic and specific. Quantify your current state and your goals. Break the goals into a timeline, with milestones on a monthly and quarterly basis.

If you don’t have a business plan for your marijuana business or it’s buried in a binder somewhere under a stack of marijuana packaging catalogs , now is the time to get it up to date. Does the plan represent what is actually happening? Do you have workflows, policies and procedures to accomplish your mission? Do staff review the written policies regularly? Reflect on what has changed since you originally wrote or read the plan and adapt your plans for the New Year.

Display a summary of this year’s goals and projects somewhere you can look at it on a daily basis. Use technology like Adilas or Google Calendar & Drive to organize your goals, projects and progress. Look at it every day.

2. Make your goals personal – Be aware of your emotions and senses, while at work, and relate them to your resolutions. This will help you to remember why these resolutions are important to you and your business development.

For example:

If your resolution is to delegate more, the next time you are feeling stunted, frustrated or overwhelmed at work physically look at your list of resolutions. Have you made your efforts to train someone to do things for you so that you can work on other projects?

OR

If your business resolution is to focus efforts on marketing, when you feel disappointment from a slow sales day or envy of a competitor’s marijuana brand, look at your list of resolutions and consider what you have done to accomplish your goals.

3. Be present and methodical – It is true for the plants, people, and products – routine and consistency produce better results; repetition  is essential. We must tend to our resolutions with repetition. Focus on the daily reps that will build to your goals. Create daily, weekly and monthly habits for yourself that will move you closer to your resolutions.

4. Own it and know when to modify – Own your resolutions and resolve to get everyone on the same page. Let your staff, co-workers or business partners know your goals for the year.

Display quarterly or annual goals somewhere for team members to see and don’t be afraid to ask for help achieving them. Even better, discuss strategy with them and let the goals be their resolutions too, their input could be valuable. Don’t hesitate to change your reps if something (or someone) isn’t giving you the results you are looking for.

5. Continue your education – Like with any industry, marijuana businesses and consumers are constantly evolving. Stay up to date on what is happening in the industry. Don’t waste too much time reinventing the wheel when there are likely people out there who have conquered similar challenges.

Be thankful to be able to easily speak to your consumers, your staff, your colleges and peers about marijuana openly. Collaborate and make efforts to constantly educate yourself and seek tools that could make your resolutions come easier. Continue to discuss your resolutions, all year long, so that others may offer you guidance, support or encouragement.

6. Track your progress – you will hear this from us a lot. Good data and organized records are the only way to confirm you are successful. If you are “working reps” every day, keeping good records of constancies and variables and don’t see progress, you need to change something; Increase your efforts or try something new. Take the time to report on your progress weekly. If you can see success and prove continued development you will generate emotions of self-satisfaction and quick gratification, which will help keep you and your team motivated. As marijuana activists know, effecting change is an amazing feeling.

Adilas Elements of Time

7. Reward yourself and those who help you make progress – Rewards should be a true reflection of the goal. Whether you are the business owner giving yourself a day off or rewarding your team with “thanks,” money or a free joint, make your rewards small, frequent and meaningful.

A 2012 Fortune magazine articled described best practices for rewarding employees and the employees appreciation for small rewards directly associated with their performance and behavior. The author explains how small and frequent rewards better incentivize progressive behavior as apposed to larger and predictable rewards and bonus’s which are often forgotten or disconnected from daily operations and performance.

Reward yourself for completing reps, meeting milestones regularly and celebrate big at the end of the year when your resolutions have been met.
Don’t forget to repeat, keep planning, keep doing,  keep checking,  keep rewarding. Keep going.

Happy New Year and Good Luck! Contact us if you need any help!

Only on 11Alive Wednesday, hours before the legislation is filed, Macon Representative, and architect of the bill, Allen Peake is releasing the details of new medical marijuana legislation set to ignite the 2016 Georgia Legislative Session.

In the new legislation, Peake aims to add Alzheimer’s, Epidermolysis Bullosa, Aids, Tourette’s syndrome, and intractable pain. Intractable pain will be the most controversial because it will allow the greatest number of patients to have access to cannabis.Currently, there are 465 patients on the medical marijuana registry in Georgia.

According to the bill, marijuana would be grown and dispensed to patients in the same location to attempt to keep the product from ending up in the wrong hands.”We’ll have a seed to sale tracking system too on any plant from the moment it’s put in the ground to the moment when it’s dispensed, law enforcement will be able to track that product,” said Peake.

Dosage and actual administration will be controlled by an on-site pharmacist.

Source: Exclusive: Details of new medical marijuana bill released only on 11Alive

Congratulations to Nick Vita and the Columbia Care team. This company has successfully opened and operated marijuana cultivations and dispensaries in 3 other states, including Arizona, Massachusetts and Washington D.C.

Marijuana Licensees in New York faced a lot of pressure given time requirements for opening and operating.

Experience and professionalism will help move the New York marijuana industry a long faster and with more confidence. New York City Marijuana patients are in good hands.

Don’t expect jugs of pungent buds on display — the facility will be overseen by pharmacists and no smokable reefer will be available.

Only patients suffering from debilitating and sometimes terminal diseases will have access to the marijuana products sold in liquid form, capsules or concentrate for vaporization.

The patients must have registered with the Health Department, obtained a registration card and be certified by a state-approved physician before purchasing the weed.

Read more from the Source: City’s first medical marijuana dispensary to open Thursday – NY Daily News

It may have been a turbulent take off, but Illinois Marijuana business is now up and flying!

“Officials say Illinois patients legally purchased nearly $1.7 million worth of medical marijuana during November and December.

Program director Joseph Wright on Monday announced sales figures since Nov. 9, when Illinois launched regulated sales with the opening of the state’s first licensed cannabis dispensaries.

Wholesale sales — what growers sold to dispensaries — totaled more than $1.5 million. That indicates Illinois has collected roughly $107,000 in taxes in the pilot program. Marijuana wholesalers pay a 7 percent tax to the state.

Wright says licensed dispensaries have served 2,815 unique patients. By the end of 2015, there were 20 dispensaries licensed to operate in Illinois. The retail price per gram on average was roughly $14 to $15.

Associated Press”

See it from the Source: Illinois medical marijuana sales surpass $1 million mark – Chicago Tribune