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Happy Friday Pre Rollers!

Welcome to another edition of The Pre Roll, the cannabis newsletter that keeps you up-to-date on the industry happenings you need to know. This week we cover Twitter’s new cannabis advertising policy, Forian’s sale of BioTrack to Alleaves, Amsterdam’s ban on cannabis in its red light district, and more. Let’s get to it.

Roll Call

Business

Twitter okays cannabis ads, kind of. In a move that set the cannabis industry ablaze, the social media giant announced this week it was taking measures to relax its policy around cannabis advertising. In doing so, they became the first major social platform to take a cannabis-friendly stance. While many were quick to applaud the move — including Trulieve, who claims to be the first cannabis company to launch advertising campaigns on the social network — others are urging folks to read the fine print before getting too excited. What are your thoughts? Let us know in a reply to this email. Our take: definitely a step in the right direction. No need to let perfect be the enemy of progress.

Tech

Forian offloads BioTrack, exits cannabis. Technology firm Forian officially said goodbye to the cannabis industry this week when they announced the sale of their cannabis software subsidiary BioTrack to cannabis ERP platform Alleaves. The deal bolsters the Alleaves offering by adding further point-of-sale capabilities and a seed-to-sale tracking product with already established government contracts, including recently being selected by New York regulators as the state’s track and trace system. The news of Forian’s departure from the industry comes less than a month after cannabis tech pioneer Akerna revealed they were doing the same to focus on a crypto venture.

Culture

Amsterdam starts to curb cannabis. The world’s most notable cannabis destination, known for its coffeeshops that sell cannabis to visitors and locals alike, has banned cannabis use in its infamous red light district. This comes as it attempts to improve conditions for residents that have complained about the disturbances caused by tourists in the area. The city has looked to reform its image of late as the sex and drugs capital of Europe. Will this set a precedent for other places or open the door for somewhere else to become the capital of cannabis?

Quick Hitters

• The Ontario Cannabis Store is slashing its margins in an effort to help cannabis retailers compete with the illicit market (CBC News)

• A federal judge ordered the release of Luke Scarmazzo from prison after he served 14 years for running a non-profit medical cannabis collective (San Francisco Chronicle)

• An unlicensed cannabis shop operating across from City Hall in New York City was fined $50,000 and had one of its workers arrested (New York Post)

• California is considering legalizing cannabis cafes to aid its struggling cannabis industry (Los Angeles Times)

• A cannabis dispensary is now open at the Bob Marley Museum on the site of the iconic reggae musician’s former home and recording studio in Kingston, Jamaica (Yahoo!)

• The first fully automated cannabis vending machine kiosk launched in Colorado with an endorsement from Governor Jared Polis (Twitter)

• Wu-Tang Clan member Raekwon is opening a consumption lounge in Newark, New Jersey’s Four Corners Historic District (Ganjapreneur)

• Dogs are getting sick from discarded cannabis products in New York City (New York Times)

State of the Industry

Kansas: A bill has been introduced seeking to free those serving sentences for cannabis-related offenses and expunge records with prior convictions connected to cannabis.

Louisiana: A state lawmaker has proposed legislation to legalize cannabis for adult-use.

Wisconsin: A report from the Wisconsin Policy Forum found that half of state residents over the age of 21 live within 75 minutes of a recreational dispensary in a nearby state, highlighting a complicated legal and regulatory environment.

Stay tuned for more cannabis industry news next week!

💚,

The Pre Roll Team

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