Azcentral.com: “Sales of medical marijuana here soared nearly 50 percent in 2017 with an estimated value of $387 million. A small army of attorneys and high-end Scottsdale public relations professionals work on its behalf.  The size and scope of these operations belies the “non-profit” description voters heard when they approved medical marijuana in 2010. They also highlight an open secret within the industry: Non-profit doesn’t mean non-lucrative.”

AzFamily.com:  “Workers are putting the finishing touches on the first medical marijuana dispensary approved within Chandler city limits, but there is a cloud of controversy surrounding the ribbon-cutting ceremony scheduled for next week.  The facility, called Territory Dispensary, will be a few hundred feet from a “learning center” for kids and adults with disabilities.  The dispensary will share a parking lot with Smiles Learning Center, which has playground equipment outside geared toward young children.  Chandler’s city ordinance prohibits dispensaries from opening within a quarter-mile of a school or day care.”

Cannabist:  “As marijuana tax reform efforts petered out on Capitol Hill, another endeavor is before the U.S. Tax Court to let state-legal cannabis businesses take deductions and credits.  The owners of a marijuana dispensary in Palisade, Colo., claim their income was unjustly taxed twice because of the Internal Revenue Service’s application of Section 280E, a tax code that disallows credits and deductions from income generated by sales of controlled substances.  Jesse and Desa Loughman, owners of Colorado Alternative Health Care, recently filed a brief in U.S. Tax Court, challenging the IRS’ determination of taxes owed for 2010, 2011 and 2012.”

Azfamily.com:  “Independent test results found mold on medical marijuana sold in the Valley that would not meet standards in some other states.  Unlike most states with medical marijuana programs, Arizona does not establish contaminant standards for cannabis or require that cannabis products be tested in any way.  An independent lab tested four cannabis flower products from Encanto Green Cross Dispensary in Phoenix after former employees complained to CBS 5 Investigates about issues with mold.”

Williams News:  “After nearly five years, the Route 66 Wellness Center in Williams is closing its doors.  Despite a handful or regular patients, Cannabis Research Group has decided to close the doors to their medical marijuana dispensary in Williams to be closer to its main customer, Desert Springs Cancer Care in Scottsdale.  “It’s going to be a whole different situation, but we aren’t going to leave anybody high and dry in this area,” said store Manager Phillip Alexander.”

Phoenix New Times:  “Target’s online store stopped selling hemp oil containing cannabidiol, a cannabis extract, on Thursday in the wake of concerns by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency about the products.  CW Hemp, makers of Charlotte’s Web high-cannabidiol (CBD), low-THC extract oil, announced Thursday morning that its products could be purchased through the retail giant’s website. According to the Cannabist web site, CW Hemp put out a press release on Thursday announcing that Target sold the products, claiming it meant CBD was ‘going mainstream.’ . . . But by Thursday afternoon, Target’s web page that sold the products was updated to reflect the products’ removal.”

Arizona Central:  “As an interior designer, Megan Stone’s job is to create a certain vibe or energy with visual cues and creative materials in a space.  But her specific area of expertise also involves breaking down and overcoming stereotypes. Stone must not only make her clients’ spaces customer-friendly, but in many cases also help her clients’ customers forget, even for a few minutes, everything they walked by or drove though to get there. . . . By 2015, Stone had designed dispensaries in seven states, she said. Now, her work is showcased in 15 states in 26 dispensaries. . . . TruMed dispensary had been operating for a year before it connected with Stone about three years ago, said Lauren Gooding, the registered nurse for TruMed.”