LOUNGE LOTTERY Nevada to hold lotteries for consumption lounge licenses Nevada’s Cannabis Compliance Board (CCB) has announced it will be holding lotteries on 30 November to select 20 independent cannabis consumption lounge licensees, reports Marijuana Moment. According to the announcement, half of the licenses will be reserved for social equity applicants. So far, around 100 applications for the new license type have been received. Governor Steve Sisolak said: “The idea isn’t new, but no one is doing it like we are in Nevada. While most of the consumption lounges in other states don’t offer food, beverages or other entertainment options. Nevada’s lounges will be a one-stop entertainment shop to create jobs, grow the industry and boost our economy.” HEMP FOR GOOD Hemp could be the answer to climate change Benzinga reports that a team of scientists from Hudson Carbon say cannabis could be the missing player in humanity’s fight against climate change, as Hemp absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere more than twice as effectively as trees. Hemp: Can sequester around 16 tons of CO2 per year. CO2 can be permanently encased within hemp fibres, which can be used as raw materials such as textiles, construction and car parts and medicine. Can provide benefits in view of the difference in the water needed to grow hemp vs. cotton. Is one of the fastest-growing plants in the world. Can absorb carcinogenic heavy metals such as mercury, lead or cadmium from soils. The publication highlights that Industrial sales of hemp are expected to triple in the next seven years, rising from $4.71 billion in 2019 to $15.26 billion in 2027. NEW HIGHS British Columbia sees highest ever month of legal sales in September British Columbians shelled out more money on legal cannabis in September than any previous month, reports Vancouver Is Awesome. Data from Statistics Canada showed that $59,424,000 was spent in September - almost 20.8% more than was spent in the same month in 2021, with the publication highlighting that a British Columbia General Employees Union (BCGEU) strike in August did not appear to impact the month's sales. Canada-wide cannabis sales also crept up in September to $389,869,000, however, this remains below the record $392,867,000 spent on cannabis nationwide in July. EU UPDATES German prohibitionists lobby EU, German medical cannabis re-think, high court blow for Irish CBD, hemp batteries in electric vehicles? BusinessCann reports on some of the latest developments in the European cannabis industry. The publication reports that German opponents of its adult-use cannabis programme are taking their fight to Brussels in a bid to scupper the plans. Health minister in Bavaria’s state government, Klaus Holetschek, on behalf of Germany’s main opposition party the centre-right Union bloc, has petitioned the EU’s director-general for migration and home affairs. In Ireland, a High Court Judge has sidestepped the ground-breaking KanaVape decision of the European Union and upheld a ruling against hemp oil trader Andrius Bogusas of Dundalk. Additionally, BusinessCann highlights that the Isle of Man is due to launch its medical cannabis pilot project on December 1, and that in New Zealand, medicinal cannabis grower Puro is set to export the country’s first medical cannabis to Europe.
