Welcome to our wrap-up of Episode 15 of This Week in Cannabis News. This episode was streamed live from the Retail Cannabis Council of Ontario (RCCO) inaugural Conference and Expo in downtown Toronto.

Here’s what you need to know this week

U.S. cannabis market happenings

• The New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission (CRC) approved eight annual licenses and approved another 10 to convert conditional permits to annuals.
• The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is looking at all the “flexibilities” in the classification of cannabis as a Schedule I substance, per the recommendation from President Biden earlier this month. Still, the FDA acknowledges that the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) remains the ultimate decider in this case. More on this in Marijuana Moment.
• Kate Robertson wrote for MJBiz Daily about the possibility of SAFE Banking being brought up in the lame duck Congressional session this December.

We're also coming up on the U.S. midterm elections, and state measures to legalize are extremely heated. This week, coalitions opposing the legalization measures got the spotlight:

• MJBizDaily took a look at the strange coalition of folks both promoting and fighting the measure in Arkansas.
• Marijuana Moment dive into the potentially uphill battle in South Dakota.
• And in Missouri, the pro-legalization campaign was forced to pull a TV ad because it showed actual State police officers, and the officers were not pleased.

Global news

We don't often talk internationally (outside of North America) on This Week In Cannabis Retail, but, Germany outlined their game plan for adult use this week, with some interesting components: 15% THC limits, 30 gram possession limits, and more. Check out Ganjapreneur for more.

Featured cannabis expert: Adam Vassos, Executive Director of the Retail Cannabis Council of Ontario

This week’s special guest is Adam Vassos, the Executive Director of the Retail Cannabis Council of Ontario (RCCO). We streamed live from their inaugural Conference and Expo in downtown Toronto to talk about the issues facing Ontario cannabis retailers right now.