This article was written by Tori Bedford on January 5th, 2023. Thanks, Tori!

While the state’s marijuana business continues to boom, cannabis growers in Massachusetts — already facing tough business setbacks in a competitive and volatile market — are scrambling to ward off a rapidly spreading and highly infectious crop disease, one with the power to wipe out entire companies.

“It’s like the tenth plague for the cannabis industry,” said Peter Grinspoon, a medical cannabis specialist at Massachusetts General Hospital. “The margins are drying up for anybody growing cannabis. They need this like they need a hole in the head. It’s a nightmare.”

Hop latent viroid, a plant-specific pathogenic RNA, sucks the THC potency out of cannabis plants, degrading the quality and resulting in significantly smaller yields. It's sometimes referred to as "dudding disease."

The pathogen has already blighted California’s cannabis crops, resulting in $4 billion annual losses, according to cannabis genetics research company Dark Heart Industries. The pathogen has no known effect on human health, though Grinspoon and other experts say very little research exists.

Grinspoon says the disease is causing a “total evolution” in the cannabis industry, as manufacturers are forced to adopt more stringent measures to combat it. Their prevention efforts include more rigorous sanitation in grow facilities, regular lab testing, and sourcing plants from pre-tested seed or local stock — steps that come at a cost.

“If you were cutting corners, I’m sure you have stopped cutting them by now,” Grinspoon said. “It’s not in your economic interests to cut corners when something like this is spreading from crop to crop.”

Where cost-cutting may come back to haunt growers
Ed DeSousa, who owns the small wholesale grow facility River Run Gardens in Newburyport, said growers who have always been meticulous about their product have less to worry about. The companies facing the greatest threat now, he said, are the ones that tried to save money by importing “clones” of trendy, out-of-state variants or fell behind on testing and sanitization.

“Those who decided to take those shortcuts to try to make some money, it's almost like cannabis karma,” DeSousa said. “If you go into this particular line of business and you are looking to maximize your profit at the stake of putting out a solid product, well, this was bound to happen.”

The virus can be detected through a genetic PCR test, a step that is not required by the Cannabis Control Commission.

By the time growers notice the signs — stunted and brittle plants, lower THC levels and discolored leaves — it’s too late to stop the spread, Masso said. By that point, growers are essentially left with one option, said Nick Masso, the CEO of Marlborough-based Indo Laboratories, an independent marijuana testing facility.

“Destroy it. Destroy everything,” he said. “And if you had that anywhere within your facility, you need to do an extremely deep clean. You can’t sell a low-quality product that has no THC, and no one will buy it.”

On a federal level, cannabis remains illegal, and shipping plants across state lines is prohibited by state law. A gray area in the regulations allows growers to acquire seeds and trimmings or “immature plants” (non-flowering and under eight inches tall) from out-of-state and disclose the plants once they reach the propagation stage.

“Typically no one really starts with seeds anymore. People usually will get clones from someone to have a little bit more of an advanced starting point,” Masso said. “There are companies out there that get seeds, but they're not always doing genetic testing.”

A call for stricter cannabis regulation
Since recreational marijuana was legalized in Massachusetts seven years ago, the industry has accelerated at a breakneck pace, Masso said, with regulators “lacking the bandwidth” to apply additional — and necessary — scrutiny.

“A lot of it depends on how much effort these companies are willing to put in to actually make sure that they’re being safe in what they’re putting out into the market,” Masso said.

A 2018 Harvard study demonstrated inaccurate and wildly varied results from state-certified marijuana testing facilities in Washington state. An investigation conducted last year by journalists from Commonwealth Magazine showed inconsistencies in levels of THC and contaminants present in cannabis sold in Massachusetts.

The spread of hop latent viroid is a call to action for companies — and regulators — who have let protocols fall through the cracks in recent years, Masso said. Now, companies that didn’t want to play by the rules face serious consequences.

“There’s something very poetic about it,” he said. “I don’t take pleasure in other people's misfortune, but sometimes there's companies out there that deserve it. I just hope that someone doesn't have to get hurt for them to learn their damn lesson.”

Masso says regulation is vital in a market where many companies may just not know better, making mistakes without realizing the potential consequences. He works with 35 clients around the state, and says his lab has detected hop latent viroid at three locally-based marijuana grow facilities in the past three years.

“I’m suspicious that there are many, many more companies that have experienced this, because you’ll see the THC levels drop from the twenties to the teens,” Masso said. “It doesn’t feel like enough people in the industry understand the gravity of what this could mean.”

Massachusetts law requires marijuana testing labs to be accredited through a process that requires audits, background checks and quality assurance tests, but labs aren’t required to receive accreditation for every single test they conduct, Masso says.

“Every single thing that we do is accredited, but the clients don't know any different when it comes to labs,” he said. “That leaves a lot of room for bad actors to come into the space who don't give a damn about the science, they just want to make money.”

The state’s cannabis production industry is now the highest valued agricultural crop at $362 million annual wholesale value, according to trade publication.

Masso says his hope is that the financial threat from hop latent viroid will force the industry to focus on consumers who use marijuana for medical purposes and could suffer if products fall off the market.

“The cannabis industry built itself on being medicinal, that’s where it got its roots,” he said. “Now it's become just a commodity and people have forgotten that it was all about treating patients, not just about getting people high and making money.”

Article by Tori Bedford; January 5th, 2023

While the state’s marijuana business continues to boom, cannabis growers in Massachusetts — already facing tough business setbacks in a competitive and volatile market — are scrambling to ward off a rapidly spreading and highly infectious crop disease, one with the power to wipe out entire companies.

“It’s like the tenth plague for the cannabis industry,” said Peter Grinspoon, a medical cannabis specialist at Massachusetts General Hospital. “The margins are drying up for anybody growing cannabis. They need this like they need a hole in the head. It’s a nightmare.”

Hop latent viroid, a plant-specific pathogenic RNA, sucks the THC potency out of cannabis plants, degrading the quality and resulting in significantly smaller yields. It's sometimes referred to as "dudding disease."

The pathogen has already blighted California’s cannabis crops, resulting in $4 billion annual losses, according to cannabis genetics research company Dark Heart Industries. The pathogen has no known effect on human health, though Grinspoon and other experts say very little research exists.

Grinspoon says the disease is causing a “total evolution” in the cannabis industry, as manufacturers are forced to adopt more stringent measures to combat it. Their prevention efforts include more rigorous sanitation in grow facilities, regular lab testing, and sourcing plants from pre-tested seed or local stock — steps that come at a cost.

“If you were cutting corners, I’m sure you have stopped cutting them by now,” Grinspoon said. “It’s not in your economic interests to cut corners when something like this is spreading from crop to crop.”

Where cost-cutting may come back to haunt growers
Ed DeSousa, who owns the small wholesale grow facility River Run Gardens in Newburyport, said growers who have always been meticulous about their product have less to worry about. The companies facing the greatest threat now, he said, are the ones that tried to save money by importing “clones” of trendy, out-of-state variants or fell behind on testing and sanitization.

“Those who decided to take those shortcuts to try to make some money, it's almost like cannabis karma,” DeSousa said. “If you go into this particular line of business and you are looking to maximize your profit at the stake of putting out a solid product, well, this was bound to happen.”

The virus can be detected through a genetic PCR test, a step that is not required by the Cannabis Control Commission.

By the time growers notice the signs — stunted and brittle plants, lower THC levels and discolored leaves — it’s too late to stop the spread, Masso said. By that point, growers are essentially left with one option, said Nick Masso, the CEO of Marlborough-based Indo Laboratories, an independent marijuana testing facility.

“Destroy it. Destroy everything,” he said. “And if you had that anywhere within your facility, you need to do an extremely deep clean. You can’t sell a low-quality product that has no THC, and no one will buy it.”

On a federal level, cannabis remains illegal, and shipping plants across state lines is prohibited by state law. A gray area in the regulations allows growers to acquire seeds and trimmings or “immature plants” (non-flowering and under eight inches tall) from out-of-state and disclose the plants once they reach the propagation stage.

“Typically no one really starts with seeds anymore. People usually will get clones from someone to have a little bit more of an advanced starting point,” Masso said. “There are companies out there that get seeds, but they're not always doing genetic testing.”

A call for stricter cannabis regulation
Since recreational marijuana was legalized in Massachusetts seven years ago, the industry has accelerated at a breakneck pace, Masso said, with regulators “lacking the bandwidth” to apply additional — and necessary — scrutiny.

“A lot of it depends on how much effort these companies are willing to put in to actually make sure that they’re being safe in what they’re putting out into the market,” Masso said.

A 2018 Harvard study demonstrated inaccurate and wildly varied results from state-certified marijuana testing facilities in Washington state. An investigation conducted last year by journalists from Commonwealth Magazine showed inconsistencies in levels of THC and contaminants present in cannabis sold in Massachusetts.

The spread of hop latent viroid is a call to action for companies — and regulators — who have let protocols fall through the cracks in recent years, Masso said. Now, companies that didn’t want to play by the rules face serious consequences.

“There’s something very poetic about it,” he said. “I don’t take pleasure in other people's misfortune, but sometimes there's companies out there that deserve it. I just hope that someone doesn't have to get hurt for them to learn their damn lesson.”

Masso says regulation is vital in a market where many companies may just not know better, making mistakes without realizing the potential consequences. He works with 35 clients around the state, and says his lab has detected hop latent viroid at three locally-based marijuana grow facilities in the past three years.

“I’m suspicious that there are many, many more companies that have experienced this, because you’ll see the THC levels drop from the twenties to the teens,” Masso said. “It doesn’t feel like enough people in the industry understand the gravity of what this could mean.”

Massachusetts law requires marijuana testing labs to be accredited through a process that requires audits, background checks and quality assurance tests, but labs aren’t required to receive accreditation for every single test they conduct, Masso says.

“Every single thing that we do is accredited, but the clients don't know any different when it comes to labs,” he said. “That leaves a lot of room for bad actors to come into the space who don't give a damn about the science, they just want to make money.”

The state’s cannabis production industry is now the highest valued agricultural crop at $362 million annual wholesale value, according to trade publication.

Masso says his hope is that the financial threat from hop latent viroid will force the industry to focus on consumers who use marijuana for medical purposes and could suffer if products fall off the market.

“The cannabis industry built itself on being medicinal, that’s where it got its roots,” he said. “Now it's become just a commodity and people have forgotten that it was all about treating patients, not just about getting people high and making money.”

LAS VEGAS, NV / ACCESSWIRE / December 5, 2022 / Planet 13 Holdings Inc. (CSE:PLTH) (OTCQX:PLNHF) ("Planet 13" or the "Company"),a leading vertically-integrated multi-state cannabis company, announces that its subsidiary MM Development Company, Inc. has received approval for a Nevada consumption lounge from the Nevada Cannabis Compliance Board ("CCB"). The Planet 13 Entertainment Complex will be the first of its kind space where consumers can watch products being made, purchase and consume all under one roof. This luxurious, tourist friendly lounge, close to the Las Vegas Strip is expected to elevate the already incredible Planet 13 experience.

"We are thrilled to be moving forward with our plan to bring a world-class cannabis consumption lounge next to the Las Vegas Strip," said Larry Scheffler, Co-CEO of Planet 13. "Planet 13 has always been about offering new and one-of-a-kind immersive experiences for customers. We look forward to once again pushing the envelope and expanding people's minds about what cannabis can be."
For more information on Planet 13, visit the investor website.

About Planet 13
Planet 13 (www.planet13holdings.com) is a vertically integrated cannabis company, with award-winning cultivation, production and dispensary operations in Las Vegas and in Orange County, California. Planet 13 also holds a medical marijuana treatment center license in Florida and a 49% interest in Planet 13 Illinois which holds a provisional Social-Equity Justice Involved dispensing license in the Chicago-region of Illinois. Planet 13's mission is to build a recognizable global brand known for world-class dispensary operations and a creator of innovative cannabis products. Planet 13's shares trade on the Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE) under the symbol PLTH and on the OTCQX under the symbol PLNHF.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian and U.S. securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements and are based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release. Any statement that involves discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often but not always using phrases such as "expects", or "does not expect", "is expected", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", "plans", "budget", "scheduled", "forecasts", "estimates", "believes" or "intends" or variations of such words and phrases or stating that certain actions, events or results "may" or "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken to occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and are forward-looking statements. In this news release, forward looking-statements relate to the Company's design, construction, and operation of a Nevada consumption lounge.

These forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions and estimates of management of the Company at the time such statements were made. Actual future results may differ materially as forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to materially differ from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors, among other things, include: final regulatory and other approvals or consents needed to operate our business; risks associated with COVID-19 and other infectious diseases presenting as major health issues; fluctuations in general macroeconomic conditions; inflationary pressures; fluctuations in securities markets; expectations regarding the size of the cannabis market in the states in which we currently operate in or contemplate future operations and changing consumer habits in such states; the ability of the Company to successfully achieve its business objectives; the ability of the Company to integrate the NGW business and realize any benefits from the acquisition; plans for expansion; political and social uncertainties including international conflict; inability to obtain adequate insurance to cover risks and hazards; and the presence of laws and regulations that may impose restrictions on cultivation, production, distribution and sale of cannabis and cannabis related products in the states in which we currently operate in or contemplate future operations; employee relations and other risks and uncertainties discussed under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021 filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission at www.sec.gov and on the Company's issuer profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and in the Company's periodic reports subsequently filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and on SEDAR. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are based upon what management of the Company believes, or believed at the time, to be reasonable assumptions, the Company cannot assure shareholders that actual results will be consistent with such forward-looking statements, as there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release. The Company assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements of beliefs, opinions, projections, or other factors, should they change, except as required by law.

The Company is indirectly involved in the manufacture, possession, use, sale and distribution of cannabis in the recreational and medicinal cannabis marketplace in the United States through licensed subsidiary entities in states that have legalized marijuana operations, however, these activities are currently illegal under United States federal law. No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein.
No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein.

For further inquiries, please contact:
LodeRock Advisors Inc., Planet 13 Investor Relations
mark.kuindersma@loderockadvisors.com
Robert Groesbeck or Larry Scheffler
Co-Chief Executive Officers
ir@planet13lasvegas.com

SOURCE: Planet 13 Holdings Inc.
You can view this article online using the following link: https://www.accesswire.com/730051/Planet-13-Announces-Approval-for-Consumption-Lounge-License-a-Highly-Anticipated-Addition-to-the-World-Renowned-Las-Vegas-SuperStore-Experience
 

Awesome Verticle Farming Units (VFUs)... these will change the nature of the medical C+H industries!

Here's a video of the big Las Vegas event, MJBizCon 2022, with Agrify taking the spotlight!

This article was written by Tori Bedford on January 5th, 2023. Thanks, Tori!

While the state’s marijuana business continues to boom, cannabis growers in Massachusetts — already facing tough business setbacks in a competitive and volatile market — are scrambling to ward off a rapidly spreading and highly infectious crop disease, one with the power to wipe out entire companies.

“It’s like the tenth plague for the cannabis industry,” said Peter Grinspoon, a medical cannabis specialist at Massachusetts General Hospital. “The margins are drying up for anybody growing cannabis. They need this like they need a hole in the head. It’s a nightmare.”

Hop latent viroid, a plant-specific pathogenic RNA, sucks the THC potency out of cannabis plants, degrading the quality and resulting in significantly smaller yields. It's sometimes referred to as "dudding disease."

The pathogen has already blighted California’s cannabis crops, resulting in $4 billion annual losses, according to cannabis genetics research company Dark Heart Industries. The pathogen has no known effect on human health, though Grinspoon and other experts say very little research exists.

Grinspoon says the disease is causing a “total evolution” in the cannabis industry, as manufacturers are forced to adopt more stringent measures to combat it. Their prevention efforts include more rigorous sanitation in grow facilities, regular lab testing, and sourcing plants from pre-tested seed or local stock — steps that come at a cost.

“If you were cutting corners, I’m sure you have stopped cutting them by now,” Grinspoon said. “It’s not in your economic interests to cut corners when something like this is spreading from crop to crop.”

Where cost-cutting may come back to haunt growers
Ed DeSousa, who owns the small wholesale grow facility River Run Gardens in Newburyport, said growers who have always been meticulous about their product have less to worry about. The companies facing the greatest threat now, he said, are the ones that tried to save money by importing “clones” of trendy, out-of-state variants or fell behind on testing and sanitization.

“Those who decided to take those shortcuts to try to make some money, it's almost like cannabis karma,” DeSousa said. “If you go into this particular line of business and you are looking to maximize your profit at the stake of putting out a solid product, well, this was bound to happen.”

The virus can be detected through a genetic PCR test, a step that is not required by the Cannabis Control Commission.

By the time growers notice the signs — stunted and brittle plants, lower THC levels and discolored leaves — it’s too late to stop the spread, Masso said. By that point, growers are essentially left with one option, said Nick Masso, the CEO of Marlborough-based Indo Laboratories, an independent marijuana testing facility.

“Destroy it. Destroy everything,” he said. “And if you had that anywhere within your facility, you need to do an extremely deep clean. You can’t sell a low-quality product that has no THC, and no one will buy it.”

On a federal level, cannabis remains illegal, and shipping plants across state lines is prohibited by state law. A gray area in the regulations allows growers to acquire seeds and trimmings or “immature plants” (non-flowering and under eight inches tall) from out-of-state and disclose the plants once they reach the propagation stage.

“Typically no one really starts with seeds anymore. People usually will get clones from someone to have a little bit more of an advanced starting point,” Masso said. “There are companies out there that get seeds, but they're not always doing genetic testing.”

A call for stricter cannabis regulation
Since recreational marijuana was legalized in Massachusetts seven years ago, the industry has accelerated at a breakneck pace, Masso said, with regulators “lacking the bandwidth” to apply additional — and necessary — scrutiny.

“A lot of it depends on how much effort these companies are willing to put in to actually make sure that they’re being safe in what they’re putting out into the market,” Masso said.

A 2018 Harvard study demonstrated inaccurate and wildly varied results from state-certified marijuana testing facilities in Washington state. An investigation conducted last year by journalists from Commonwealth Magazine showed inconsistencies in levels of THC and contaminants present in cannabis sold in Massachusetts.

The spread of hop latent viroid is a call to action for companies — and regulators — who have let protocols fall through the cracks in recent years, Masso said. Now, companies that didn’t want to play by the rules face serious consequences.

“There’s something very poetic about it,” he said. “I don’t take pleasure in other people's misfortune, but sometimes there's companies out there that deserve it. I just hope that someone doesn't have to get hurt for them to learn their damn lesson.”

Masso says regulation is vital in a market where many companies may just not know better, making mistakes without realizing the potential consequences. He works with 35 clients around the state, and says his lab has detected hop latent viroid at three locally-based marijuana grow facilities in the past three years.

“I’m suspicious that there are many, many more companies that have experienced this, because you’ll see the THC levels drop from the twenties to the teens,” Masso said. “It doesn’t feel like enough people in the industry understand the gravity of what this could mean.”

Massachusetts law requires marijuana testing labs to be accredited through a process that requires audits, background checks and quality assurance tests, but labs aren’t required to receive accreditation for every single test they conduct, Masso says.

“Every single thing that we do is accredited, but the clients don't know any different when it comes to labs,” he said. “That leaves a lot of room for bad actors to come into the space who don't give a damn about the science, they just want to make money.”

The state’s cannabis production industry is now the highest valued agricultural crop at $362 million annual wholesale value, according to trade publication.

Masso says his hope is that the financial threat from hop latent viroid will force the industry to focus on consumers who use marijuana for medical purposes and could suffer if products fall off the market.

“The cannabis industry built itself on being medicinal, that’s where it got its roots,” he said. “Now it's become just a commodity and people have forgotten that it was all about treating patients, not just about getting people high and making money.”

Article by Tori Bedford; January 5th, 2023

While the state’s marijuana business continues to boom, cannabis growers in Massachusetts — already facing tough business setbacks in a competitive and volatile market — are scrambling to ward off a rapidly spreading and highly infectious crop disease, one with the power to wipe out entire companies.

“It’s like the tenth plague for the cannabis industry,” said Peter Grinspoon, a medical cannabis specialist at Massachusetts General Hospital. “The margins are drying up for anybody growing cannabis. They need this like they need a hole in the head. It’s a nightmare.”

Hop latent viroid, a plant-specific pathogenic RNA, sucks the THC potency out of cannabis plants, degrading the quality and resulting in significantly smaller yields. It's sometimes referred to as "dudding disease."

The pathogen has already blighted California’s cannabis crops, resulting in $4 billion annual losses, according to cannabis genetics research company Dark Heart Industries. The pathogen has no known effect on human health, though Grinspoon and other experts say very little research exists.

Grinspoon says the disease is causing a “total evolution” in the cannabis industry, as manufacturers are forced to adopt more stringent measures to combat it. Their prevention efforts include more rigorous sanitation in grow facilities, regular lab testing, and sourcing plants from pre-tested seed or local stock — steps that come at a cost.

“If you were cutting corners, I’m sure you have stopped cutting them by now,” Grinspoon said. “It’s not in your economic interests to cut corners when something like this is spreading from crop to crop.”

Where cost-cutting may come back to haunt growers
Ed DeSousa, who owns the small wholesale grow facility River Run Gardens in Newburyport, said growers who have always been meticulous about their product have less to worry about. The companies facing the greatest threat now, he said, are the ones that tried to save money by importing “clones” of trendy, out-of-state variants or fell behind on testing and sanitization.

“Those who decided to take those shortcuts to try to make some money, it's almost like cannabis karma,” DeSousa said. “If you go into this particular line of business and you are looking to maximize your profit at the stake of putting out a solid product, well, this was bound to happen.”

The virus can be detected through a genetic PCR test, a step that is not required by the Cannabis Control Commission.

By the time growers notice the signs — stunted and brittle plants, lower THC levels and discolored leaves — it’s too late to stop the spread, Masso said. By that point, growers are essentially left with one option, said Nick Masso, the CEO of Marlborough-based Indo Laboratories, an independent marijuana testing facility.

“Destroy it. Destroy everything,” he said. “And if you had that anywhere within your facility, you need to do an extremely deep clean. You can’t sell a low-quality product that has no THC, and no one will buy it.”

On a federal level, cannabis remains illegal, and shipping plants across state lines is prohibited by state law. A gray area in the regulations allows growers to acquire seeds and trimmings or “immature plants” (non-flowering and under eight inches tall) from out-of-state and disclose the plants once they reach the propagation stage.

“Typically no one really starts with seeds anymore. People usually will get clones from someone to have a little bit more of an advanced starting point,” Masso said. “There are companies out there that get seeds, but they're not always doing genetic testing.”

A call for stricter cannabis regulation
Since recreational marijuana was legalized in Massachusetts seven years ago, the industry has accelerated at a breakneck pace, Masso said, with regulators “lacking the bandwidth” to apply additional — and necessary — scrutiny.

“A lot of it depends on how much effort these companies are willing to put in to actually make sure that they’re being safe in what they’re putting out into the market,” Masso said.

A 2018 Harvard study demonstrated inaccurate and wildly varied results from state-certified marijuana testing facilities in Washington state. An investigation conducted last year by journalists from Commonwealth Magazine showed inconsistencies in levels of THC and contaminants present in cannabis sold in Massachusetts.

The spread of hop latent viroid is a call to action for companies — and regulators — who have let protocols fall through the cracks in recent years, Masso said. Now, companies that didn’t want to play by the rules face serious consequences.

“There’s something very poetic about it,” he said. “I don’t take pleasure in other people's misfortune, but sometimes there's companies out there that deserve it. I just hope that someone doesn't have to get hurt for them to learn their damn lesson.”

Masso says regulation is vital in a market where many companies may just not know better, making mistakes without realizing the potential consequences. He works with 35 clients around the state, and says his lab has detected hop latent viroid at three locally-based marijuana grow facilities in the past three years.

“I’m suspicious that there are many, many more companies that have experienced this, because you’ll see the THC levels drop from the twenties to the teens,” Masso said. “It doesn’t feel like enough people in the industry understand the gravity of what this could mean.”

Massachusetts law requires marijuana testing labs to be accredited through a process that requires audits, background checks and quality assurance tests, but labs aren’t required to receive accreditation for every single test they conduct, Masso says.

“Every single thing that we do is accredited, but the clients don't know any different when it comes to labs,” he said. “That leaves a lot of room for bad actors to come into the space who don't give a damn about the science, they just want to make money.”

The state’s cannabis production industry is now the highest valued agricultural crop at $362 million annual wholesale value, according to trade publication.

Masso says his hope is that the financial threat from hop latent viroid will force the industry to focus on consumers who use marijuana for medical purposes and could suffer if products fall off the market.

“The cannabis industry built itself on being medicinal, that’s where it got its roots,” he said. “Now it's become just a commodity and people have forgotten that it was all about treating patients, not just about getting people high and making money.”

LAS VEGAS, NV / ACCESSWIRE / December 5, 2022 / Planet 13 Holdings Inc. (CSE:PLTH) (OTCQX:PLNHF) ("Planet 13" or the "Company"),a leading vertically-integrated multi-state cannabis company, announces that its subsidiary MM Development Company, Inc. has received approval for a Nevada consumption lounge from the Nevada Cannabis Compliance Board ("CCB"). The Planet 13 Entertainment Complex will be the first of its kind space where consumers can watch products being made, purchase and consume all under one roof. This luxurious, tourist friendly lounge, close to the Las Vegas Strip is expected to elevate the already incredible Planet 13 experience.

"We are thrilled to be moving forward with our plan to bring a world-class cannabis consumption lounge next to the Las Vegas Strip," said Larry Scheffler, Co-CEO of Planet 13. "Planet 13 has always been about offering new and one-of-a-kind immersive experiences for customers. We look forward to once again pushing the envelope and expanding people's minds about what cannabis can be."
For more information on Planet 13, visit the investor website.

About Planet 13
Planet 13 (www.planet13holdings.com) is a vertically integrated cannabis company, with award-winning cultivation, production and dispensary operations in Las Vegas and in Orange County, California. Planet 13 also holds a medical marijuana treatment center license in Florida and a 49% interest in Planet 13 Illinois which holds a provisional Social-Equity Justice Involved dispensing license in the Chicago-region of Illinois. Planet 13's mission is to build a recognizable global brand known for world-class dispensary operations and a creator of innovative cannabis products. Planet 13's shares trade on the Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE) under the symbol PLTH and on the OTCQX under the symbol PLNHF.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian and U.S. securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements and are based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release. Any statement that involves discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often but not always using phrases such as "expects", or "does not expect", "is expected", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", "plans", "budget", "scheduled", "forecasts", "estimates", "believes" or "intends" or variations of such words and phrases or stating that certain actions, events or results "may" or "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken to occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and are forward-looking statements. In this news release, forward looking-statements relate to the Company's design, construction, and operation of a Nevada consumption lounge.

These forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions and estimates of management of the Company at the time such statements were made. Actual future results may differ materially as forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to materially differ from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors, among other things, include: final regulatory and other approvals or consents needed to operate our business; risks associated with COVID-19 and other infectious diseases presenting as major health issues; fluctuations in general macroeconomic conditions; inflationary pressures; fluctuations in securities markets; expectations regarding the size of the cannabis market in the states in which we currently operate in or contemplate future operations and changing consumer habits in such states; the ability of the Company to successfully achieve its business objectives; the ability of the Company to integrate the NGW business and realize any benefits from the acquisition; plans for expansion; political and social uncertainties including international conflict; inability to obtain adequate insurance to cover risks and hazards; and the presence of laws and regulations that may impose restrictions on cultivation, production, distribution and sale of cannabis and cannabis related products in the states in which we currently operate in or contemplate future operations; employee relations and other risks and uncertainties discussed under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021 filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission at www.sec.gov and on the Company's issuer profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and in the Company's periodic reports subsequently filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and on SEDAR. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are based upon what management of the Company believes, or believed at the time, to be reasonable assumptions, the Company cannot assure shareholders that actual results will be consistent with such forward-looking statements, as there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release. The Company assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements of beliefs, opinions, projections, or other factors, should they change, except as required by law.

The Company is indirectly involved in the manufacture, possession, use, sale and distribution of cannabis in the recreational and medicinal cannabis marketplace in the United States through licensed subsidiary entities in states that have legalized marijuana operations, however, these activities are currently illegal under United States federal law. No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein.
No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein.

For further inquiries, please contact:
LodeRock Advisors Inc., Planet 13 Investor Relations
mark.kuindersma@loderockadvisors.com
Robert Groesbeck or Larry Scheffler
Co-Chief Executive Officers
ir@planet13lasvegas.com

SOURCE: Planet 13 Holdings Inc.
You can view this article online using the following link: https://www.accesswire.com/730051/Planet-13-Announces-Approval-for-Consumption-Lounge-License-a-Highly-Anticipated-Addition-to-the-World-Renowned-Las-Vegas-SuperStore-Experience
 

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