Feds To Identify Marijuana Research Obstacles, Ontario Cannabis Shop Recovers From Cyberattack & More Industry Updates

Ontario Cannabis Store To Resume Deliveries After Cyberattack 

The Ontario Cannabis Store was unable to process or deliver cannabis to dispensaries and customers due to a cyberattack on one of its logistic partners, reported CP24. The OCS confirmed Monday that there are no signs that its system or its customer’s data was targeted by the attack on the partner company of its third-party distribution center, Domain Logistics. 

 “However, out of an abundance of caution to protect OCS and its customers, the decision was made to shut down Domain Logistics' operations until a full forensic investigation could be completed,” the OCS said in a statement.

The attack affected customers who buy weed through the OCS website, which is the only legal online adult-use cannabis retailer in the province. Not to mention around 1,330 licensed marijuana stores. 

The launch of new products scheduled for this week will be now postponed until further notice, OCS said. It also plans to waive all retailer delivery fees until Sep. 30 and a $500 processing fee for one emergency order per store between Sep. 1 and March 31, 2023, as “a goodwill gesture.”

In a Wednesday note, president and CEO David Lobo confirmed that OCS’ distribution center is in the process of returning to operational status and that a number of small deliveries are planned for the afternoon.

Leading Federal Health Agency Pushes For Identifying Marijuana Research Barriers 

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) submitted a request for information (RFI) on Wednesday with the title “Investigators’ interests in and barriers to research studies on the health effects of cannabis and its constituents,” Marijuana Moment first reported.

One of the leading top federal health agencies is looking to determine obstacles to marijuana research to “strengthen the scientific evidence” of the plant’s medical potential. As per the notice, NIH’s eight component agencies are teaming on the new initiative to collect data on research challenges like the federal Schedule 1 status of cannabis for example.

 “Cannabis has been used medicinally for over 3,000 years,” NIH said. “Recently, there has been growing interest from health care providers and the public in the potential medicinal properties of cannabis-related products.”

Further, the agency disclosed several examples of research barriers, such as “unforeseen costs and effort” to obtain research licenses and lack of experience with regulation for cannabis-related studies, among others.

Oklahoma Attorney General Revises Cannabis Legalization Ballot Title 

Oklahoma Attorney General John O’Connor’s office revised the language of the cannabis legalization ballot title, SQ 820. The Attorney General’s office said that the original ballot title didn’t have a fiscal impact statement in addition to many other deficiencies, reported Oklahoma Watch. 

 “We were pleasantly surprised the attorney general revised the ballot title so quickly,” said Michelle Tilley, campaign director for Yes on 820 “We were pleased the process worked the way it should in that instance. We have no plans to contest it.”

The organization submitted 164,000 signatures to the secretary of state’s office, much more than was required (94,911). The signatures are now being verified. 

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