Ample resignations, shrinking Canopy and a special clone delivery

In news that we broke first on Business of Cannabis, long-time cannabis business leader John Prentice resigned from his company Ample Organics – not long after the deal to sell his company to Akerna closed. New Cannabis Ventures

NEWS:@JohnaldPrentice has resigned from @AmpleOrganics and @AkernaCorp

"I am immensely disappointed today to announce my resignation from Ample Organics…"

Read more:https://t.co/QnmDyI3Nuo pic.twitter.com/PhNyQZVSG2

— Business of Cannabis (@bofc_canada) September 1, 2020

Cannabis retailers have had a tough run – especially in Ontario. Regulatory hurdles, competing for customers with their wholesale supplier and, of course, an entrenched legacy market. A letter from retailers asking for enforcement on WeedMaps was not particularly well-received last week by longtime cannabis advocates. Mugglehead BNN Bloomberg

But not all is bad news for retailers – for the first time ever – Statistics Canada has reported that legal cannabis sales outpaced illicit cannabis sales in the second quarter. BNN Bloomberg

And if you needed proof of the legal cannabis industry growth…

As we head to Quebec for our next Cannabis Forward event on September 16th – you can sure the success (at least financially) of the SQDC – will be a hot topic. They reported a profit of $9.7 million for the first quarter of 2020. Newswire

The hits keep on coming from Canopy. (And by hits, we mean layoffs.) This time, their Niagara-on-the-Lake facility is the target. Marijuana Business Daily

And while Canopy is laying off, the company formerly known as James E. Wagner Cultivation is reborn under the ownership of Trichome Financial. Marijuana Business Daily

And as layoffs are happening in Canada, California is touting their cannabis industry. A new ad campaign by the California Department of Food and Agriculture is promoting the cannabis industry. Marijuana Moment

Your moment of Zen… in Tel Aviv, a cannabis-dropping drone paid a visit to unsuspecting – but wildly appreciative – Israelis last week. A story that would make Amazon proud. The Jerusalem Post