The committee released four standards Oct. 3 and one Oct. 10.

ASTM International’s D37 cannabis committee, a group that develops standards and solutions related to quality and safety for the cannabis and hemp industries, has announced five new standards.

The committee announced four standards Oct. 3:

The committee also recently announced a new standard Oct. 10 on medicinal-use cannabis inflorescence.

The soon-to-be-published standard, D8439, will help provide “specifications for cannabis flower that can be used to support sound and reproducible research,” according to the release.

ASTM International member David Vaillencourt said the standard would help provide consistent testing for quality and safety.

The disciplinary action against The House of Mary Jane comes after the Michigan medical operator had unmarked bags without tracking numbers.

An unannounced compliance visit has resulted in a 30-day license suspension and a $75,000 fine for one of Michigan’s medical marijuana provisioning centers.

When Cannabis Regulatory Agency (CRA) officials inspected The House of Mary Jane on May 19, 2021, in Detroit, they “observed multiple bags, backpacks and duffle bags of marijuana products that did not have the tracking identification numbers assigned by the statewide monitoring system (METRC) attached,” according to a complaint released Oct. 10 by the agency.

State officials advised the licensee that none of the products within the unmarked bags could be sold or destroyed until an investigation was completed and guidance was provided by the CRA. The regulators also requested The House of Mary Jane to provide video surveillance for the past 30 days, which is required by the state’s administrative rules, according to the complaint.

The licensee allegedly failed to provide the video surveillance, and, when CRA officials returned to the retail facility six days later and inquired about the untagged cannabis products, the licensee claimed to have destroyed the remaining evidence with “motor oil and had Waste Management remove the destroyed products,” according to the complaint.

“The Cannabis Regulatory Agency has a legal responsibility to protect the health, safety and welfare of the public,” CRA spokesman David Harns said in a public statement. “Our licensees must follow all of the rules and laws that govern the cannabis industry. Untagged marijuana products and the inability to provide video footage is simply unacceptable.”

Except for designated consumption establishments or temporary cannabis events licensed under the Michigan Regulation and Taxation of Marihuana Act (MRTMA), a cannabis business must not have cannabis products that are not identified and recorded in the statewide monitoring system. CRA officials requested for video recordings of the product’s destruction, as required by state code, but the licensee did not provide the surveillance, according to the complaint.

In light of the disciplinary action taken against The House of Mary Jane, CRA officials distributed a notice to its licensees reminding them that the Michigan Administrative Rules require, in part, all of the following:

The Cannabis Control Board approved three cultivators, four manufacturers, four wholesalers, a testing lab and a retailer at its Oct. 6 meeting.

The Vermont Cannabis Control Board (CCB) issued 13 additional adult-use cannabis business licenses Oct. 6, at the board’s first meeting since adult-use sales launched Oct. 1.

RELATED: 3 Vermont Dispensaries to Begin Adult-Use Sales at Their Discretion

Regulators approved three cultivators, four manufacturers, four wholesalers, a testing lab and a retailer Thursday, Heady Vermont reported.

The latest licenses were issued to the following applicants, according to the news outlet:

A full list of Vermont’s adult-use cannabis licensees can be found here.

The state’s first three adult-use dispensaries opened Oct. 1 in Rutland, Middlebury and Burlington.

“It’s really very exciting,” CCB Chair James Pepper said at Thursday’s meeting, according to Heady Vermont.

“This industry could not have taken off without capable entrepreneurs that had some serious hustle and I could see that… this past weekend,” added CCB member Julie Hulburd.

Patients spent $23.9 million at the state’s 38 licensed dispensaries in September.

Arkansas’ medical cannabis sales have hit $200 million this year, with patients spending $23.9 million at the state’s 38 licensed dispensaries in September, according to a local KNWA report.

Patients purchased 4,571 pounds of medical cannabis last month, the news outlet reported, and The Natural Relief Dispensary in Sherwood reported the most sales, with 431 pounds sold.

There are 92,035 patients enrolled in the medical cannabis program, according to KNWA.

“Patients spent approximately $800,000 daily in September on medical marijuana purchases,” Scott Hardin, a spokesperson for the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration, told the news outlet. “Additionally, 4,571 pounds is the largest month for sales in 2022. Through the first nine months of 2022, patients have spent $205 million to obtain 36,600 pounds of medical marijuana. We anticipate 2022 sales will surpass the $264.9 million spent in 2021.”

RELATED: Arkansas Medical Cannabis Sales Top $23 Million in August

An adult-use cannabis legalization measure will go before voters in the November election, and a recent study from the Arkansas Economic Development Institute projects annual adult-use sales averaging as high as $681.7.

The new two-year pilot program will allow applicants who test positive for THC in the initial test to retest after 90 days if they are granted a THC waiver.

Individuals who apply to the Department of Air Force (DAF) but test positive for THC in the initial test could now be granted a second chance at enlisting. 

DAF announced Sept. 28 that it is implementing a two-year pilot program “that allows a retest for applicants who test positive for THC during the accession physical examination at the Military Entrance Processing Station.”

The new pilot program will allow applicants who test positive for THC to retest after 90 days if they are granted a THC waiver. If applicants pass the second test, they will be allowed to enlist in the DAF. In the past, an applicant who tested positive for THC would have received a permanent bar from entry into the DAF, according to the release.

The THC waiver will be granted to applicants who meet the qualification standards, which include:

This new policy is effective immediately and applies to the United States Air Force, U.S. Space Force, Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard, according to the release.

Over the next two years, DAF will collect and analyze data “to determine the suitability of adopting this as a permanent change to DAF recruiting and accessions policy,” according to the release.

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