OH DEAR OCS
Cannabis retailer says a lawsuit is ‘100%’ coming after OCS data breach
Following last week’s news of an Ontario Cannabis Store data breach, cannabis retailer Jennawae McLean, the founder and CEO of eastern Ontario’s Calyx + Trichomes stores, warned that a lawsuit is coming.
“For sure there’s going to be some sort of lawsuit brought forward, 100%,” McLean told MJBizDaily, adding that she and 50 other independent store operators have been reviewing the details of what happened alongside her lawyer.
According to McLean:
- Another retailer told her in April that data was being used by larger stores to “intimidate independents”
- After contacting the OCS and the AGCO, she said they advised there wasn’t a data leak
- The store who initially contacted her shared a photo of the data set
- She again contacted the OCS and the AGCO who launched an investigation and contacted the Ontario Provincial Police
- While initially it was believed December store data was leaked, she says it is a longer timeframe
“I hope that infrastructure is put into place so this is avoided in the future, because this is not something that we should, as a private sector, be dealing with when we’re dealing with a government entity – we should be able to trust that our data is being taken care of.”
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CUTS FOR GROWTH
New California budget proposes eliminating cultivation tax
Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a new budget proposal that would get rid of the state cannabis cultivation tax, reports Marijuana Moment.
It’s an effort to shrink the illicit cannabis market and help regulated companies compete—an idea advocates have been pushing for for quite some time. “California farmers are pleased that the governor has taken a leadership role in addressing the ills of the illicit market with a starting point on tax relief,” said Sam Rodriguez, policy director for the cannabis farmers advocacy group Good Farmers Great Neighbors.
“We look forward in working the legislative budgetary process to obtain more tax relief necessary to stabilize the supply chain. The legal market in our state needs a real bootstrap approach from our state. Anything less will potentially devastate the newly created cannabis economy. And that would be a travesty.”
Still in the proposal phase, the budget needs to pass with the support of two-thirds of the state legislature.
WELCOME TO NJ!
A new Curaleaf store in New Jersey is drawing Pennsylvania shoppers
Just a short drive from Pennsylvania where adult-use cannabis is still illegal, a new Curaleaf store in Bellmawr, New Jersey is reportedly making hay, thanks in part from cross-border shoppers, per Leafly.
According to WGAL, “A number of vehicles in Curaleaf’s parking lot had out-of-state licence plates, including Pennsylvania.” While all adults visiting the state can legally buy adult-use cannabis in New Jersey, it’s illegal to bring it back across the border. But lower prices could be alluring to medical consumers: 3.5 grams of flower costs between $45-$60 at the store compared to $60 on average in PA.
Mike Regan of MJ Research Co. estimates the store is selling about 3.5-gram packages of cannabis every 5.5 seconds.
