Ohio Cannabis, Federal Rescheduling, GTI’s Former Partnership With Bobby George Lead CBT’s Top Stories in August

From mid-June to the beginning of August, Ohioans were left with the lingering anticipation that adult-use sales could start “any day now,” which kept Cannabis Business Times readers not wanting to miss out on any and all developments.

Specifically, an article that included Northeast Ohio-based Buckeye Relief CEO Andy Rayburn confirming the sales launch was “imminent” just two days before the state’s Division of Cannabis Control confirmed the date led CBT’s top 10 most-read articles this month. The DCC’s announcement of the Aug. 6 launch and the confirmation that 98 dispensaries would be licensed to participate on opening day also landed in the top 10.

Reader’s attention also gravitated toward the unfished storyline of federal cannabis rescheduling: How long is the wait? What’s next? Those were questions David Mangone—vice president of federal cannabis advocacy firm Liaison Group and policy director for National Cannabis Roundtable—addressed at length in an article that took the No. 2 spot in traffic this month.

In addition, an article featuring Story Cannabis CEO Jason Vedadi’s take on rescheduling and another on DEA Administrator Anne Milgram announcing her intentions to grant an administrative law judge hearing in December, delaying a final rule for the rescheduling process until after the November election, also landed in the top 10.

“While we all hoped that a hearing wouldn’t take place, it’s just another roadblock that we’ll have to get through,” Vedadi said in a statement provided to CBT after Milgram’s announcement. “Regardless of the outcome, we have to continue pushing forward as an industry. I know we’re all tired from the many regulatory ups and downs we’ve faced, but the only option right now is to take a deep breath and see where the chips fall.”

And then there was a CBT exclusive about Green Thumb Industries’ (GTI) former partnership with Bobby George, a man who turned himself in to Ohio authorities earlier this month after being charged with nine felony offenses, including attempted murder and rape. While some Ohioans incorrectly speculated that George owned or operated five licensed RISE dispensaries in Ohio, CBT debunked those claims. “We are horrified by the allegations,” a GTI spokesperson told CBT.

Articles covering the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s catch-up game with the cannabis industry, Tokyo scientists’ discovery of an enzyme that could lead to the development of eco-friendly pesticides, and state attorneys general actions to quell the proliferation of intoxicating hemp products were also among the most-read stories in August.

Catch up on the top 10 most-read articles below: