Jun 26, 2020

Entoura Acquires Hemp Biotech Firm Atalo Entoura will use the Kentucky-based company's production capacity to augment its supply chain. NASHVILLE, Tenn., June 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -PRESS RELEASE- Entoura, a vertically integrated, USDA certified organic and cGMP-certified hemp oil producer, today announced the acquisition of  Atalo Holdings . Atalo is a Kentucky-based agriculture and biotechnology firm specializing in research, development and production of industrial hemp. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. Located in the heart of America's hemp country, Atalo boasts a rich history in hemp cultivation and genetics, dating back to the 1800s. The company's ability to produce farmer focused food-grade hemp products further augments Entoura's robust supply chain. Entoura plans to leverage Atalo's existing brands and product scope to enhance its product suite and to offer private label services, including industrial hemp genetics, flower and hemp oil extraction. Entoura plans to combine its advanced genetics and distillation capability with Atalo's hemp seed oil for integrated and differentiated product development. "Entoura is committed to sustainable and trustworthy products that leverage the benefits of the renowned hemp plant. Bringing Atalo onboard, with its rich history of innovation in hemp, brings us closer to achieving that goal," said Kevin Murray, founder and CEO of Entoura. "Atalo's incredible legacy in hemp cultivation, innovation and advocacy is truly inspirational, and we look forward to continuing that story." New Jersey Allows Home Delivery for Medical Cannabis Patients The Department of Health has issued a waiver to allow home delivery in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. New Jersey’s medical cannabis dispensaries can deliver products directly to patients’ homes in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to an NJ.com report . The Department of Health issued a waiver June 25 to allow home delivery as part of its response to the coronavirus crisis. Dispensaries must submit a plan to the department for approval before launching delivery services, NJ.com reported, and many have also implemented curbside pickup and virtual consultations with patients to help promote social distancing. Arkansas Regulators Debate Whether to Expand Number of Licensed Medical Cannabis Cultivators The Arkansas Medical Marijuana Commission is up against a July 10 deadline to decide whether to expand the number of growers from six to eight. Arkansas regulators are considering whether to expand the number of licensed medical cannabis cultivators in the state from six to eight, according to an Arkansas Democrat-Gazette report . The Arkansas Medical Marijuana Commission is up against a July 10 deadline to make a decision, the news outlet reported, and lawmakers took up the issue June 23 to discuss whether there is a shortage of medical cannabis in the state, although no decision was reached. Regulators can issue a maximum of eight cultivation licenses under the voter-approved constitutional amendment that legalized medical cannabis in 2016. The Medical Marijuana Commission has one more meeting scheduled before the deadline, and if no additional licenses are awarded, any applicants on the waiting list for a license will be removed and the commission will have to start the bidding process over from scratch, should it decide in the future that more cultivators are needed, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported. Grinspoon was committed to advancing cannabis policy throughout his life. Lester Grinspoon, M.D., a Harvard professor, psychiatrist and author, passed away June 25 at the age of 92. Grinspoon was committed to advancing cannabis policy throughout his life. He wrote 12 books over the course of his career, including Marijuana Reconsidered, an influential work that argued for the end of cannabis prohibition. A leader of the cannabis legalization movement, Grinspoon was also dedicated to advancing NORML, serving on the on the organization’s Board of Directors and Advisory Board for many years. Read more about Grinspoon’s life and legacy on NORML’s website . The 2020 Azbee Awards of Excellence honored the publications’ editorial and design staff. Cleveland, Ohio (June 23, 2020) – GIE Media’s Cannabis Group received six national Azbee Awards of Excellence from the American Society of Business Publication Editors (ASBPE) during the 2020 award period, including national gold awards for Cannabis Business Times (CBT) and Hemp Grower (HG). ASBPE honored HG Art Director Andrea Vagas with a national gold award in New Publication Design for HG’s launch issue (November-December 2019). Bold headlines, white space, and charts and graphs accent the issue’s timely coverage of topics such as regulations in Canada and challenges that farmers and researchers have encountered with hemp seeds and clones. CBT’s print editorial team also received a national gold award  in the Company Profile category, for “ Diversify and Differentiate ,” the October 2019 cover story on Oregon-based East Fork Cultivars. In the piece, Senior Editor Brian MacIver tells the story of how Nathan and Aaron Howard’s search for relief for their older brother Wesley’s neurofibromatosis led to the development of a multi-acre operation specializing in “elusive” type 2 and type 3 cultivars. “We are honored to receive these awards from ASBPE, which recognizes publications that achieve the high standards the organization sets for U.S. business publications,” said Editorial Director Noelle Skodzinski, who co-founded CBT in 2014. “Our team is extremely talented and dedicated to producing valuable editorial and design content that best serves our readers in these nascent and truly complex industries.” On the design side for CBT, Graphic Designer Katelyn Boyden was awarded two national silver awards, one for overall Magazine/Newspaper Design, and the other for Feature Article Design, for the January 2019 cover story on Aurora Cannabis. In addition, CBT’s editorial team received a national silver award in the category Online Single Topic Coverage by a Team, for their coverage of vaping-related lung illnesses. And CBT’s full-time print editorial staff, along with contributing writer Paul Barbagallo, were awarded the national bronze award in the Company Profile category for the Barbagallo-penned “ Dan’s Gambit ,” the July 2019 cover story on Dan Sutton and his company Tantalus Labs. The Cannabis Group also received  several awards in the Heartland Region of ASBPE for all three of its titles: CBT, HG and Cannabis Dispensary (CD). “These are all wonderful accomplishments and a testament to our team’s talent, hard work and teamwork,” Group Publisher Jim Gilbride said. “We prioritize the highest editorial standards, market leadership and making a positive difference in the industries we serve, and the recognition from ASBPE is another indication that we are achieving our goals.” For more information on the Azbees, visit  http://www.asbpe.org/azbee-awards/ About Cannabis Business Times CBT was founded in July 2014 (by owner/Publisher Tim Hermes and Editor Noelle Skodzinski) and launched Sept. 1, 2014, as a digital media brand—with a website ( CannabisBusinessTimes.com ) updated daily and a weekly e-mail newsletter. It was purchased by GIE Media in April 2015. The brand now consists of a monthly print magazine, digital edition of the monthly magazine, an app (available in the GooglePlay and iTunes stores), the  Cannabis Conference (co-produced with CD and HG), a series of virtual events, a three-times-weekly enewsletter and the website, CannabisBusinessTimes.com. Subscriptions to the print magazine are free to qualified subscribers. You can sign up to subscribe to the print magazine  here  or the free three-times-weekly e-newsletter  here . About Cannabis Dispensary CD was launched in November 2017 by GIE Media Inc. as a sister publication to Cannabis Business Times. The brand now consists of a website CannabisDispensaryMag.com , updated daily, a three-times-weekly enewsletter, the Cannabis Conference and a series of virtual events. You can sign up to subscribe to the free e-newsletter  here . About Hemp Grower GIE Media Inc. launched HG with its daily-updated website ( HempGrower.com ) and weekly e-mail newsletter in August 2019 as a sister publication to Cannabis Business Times and Cannabis Dispensary. HG's print magazine was launched in November 2019. The brand now consists of the bimonthly print magazine, digital edition of the monthly magazine, an app (available in the GooglePlay and iTunes stores), the  Cannabis Conference , a three-times-weekly enewsletter and the website, HempGrower.com. Subscriptions to the print magazine are free to qualified subscribers. You can sign up to subscribe to the print magazine  here  or the free e-newsletter  here . Follow the Cannabis Business Times, Cannabis Dispensary and Hemp Grower teams on social media at: