TG Branfalt

Cannabis health-tech company Veriheal last week announced three winners for its annual Innovation in Cannabis Scholarship for 2023, with each winner receiving $10,000 for college tuition and fees.

Minnesota’s Office of Traffic Safety is pilot-testing a saliva-based roadside cannabis impairment test; the pilot program will be for data-gathering purposes only, meaning samples will be given voluntarily with no risk of arrest or driver’s license suspension.

The Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission this week reached a settlement with license applicants to address most of the issues highlighted by the multiple lawsuits against the agency.

The family of the woman who died last year while working at a Trulieve cannabis facility in Holyoke, Massachusetts has filed a lawsuit against the company and the people who worked on its HVAC system.

Oklahoma has extended its moratorium on new medical cannabis licenses until 2026, or until “all pending licensing reviews, inspections or investigations are complete.”

California cannabis regulators this month issued an embargo on cannabis products from three companies, claiming the products may have been “adulterated.”

There are now two adult-use cannabis legalization ballot measures being proposed in South Dakota; the measures will each require 17,509 valid petition signatures from registered South Dakota voters to qualify for the 2024 general election.

Hawaii Attorney General Anne Lopez has authored a bill to legalize adult-use cannabis; the proposal includes a 10% tax surcharge and 4.25% excise tax on adult-use sales but would not impose taxes on the medical cannabis industry.

New York cannabis regulators have finalized rules for intoxicating hemp products in the state including bans on products containing Delta-8 THC, THC-A, and THC-O.

Missouri cannabis retailers sold $113.1 million worth of adult-use products in October, according to data from the state Department of Health and Senior Services.

The owner of a Mississippi medical cannabis dispensary owner has filed a federal lawsuit challenging the state’s rules on cannabis advertising, which he argues censors cannabis companies and violates their First Amendment rights.

Missouri cannabis regulators have revoked the license of cannabis company Delta Extractions, which in August was the subject of a near-63,000 product recall.

The University of Minnesota School of Public Health announced the launch of its Cannabis Research Center, which will assess the impact of adult-use legalization and help inform future cannabis policies.

A citizen petition in Canada’s House of Commons is seeking to raise the maximum amount of THC in cannabis edibles from 10 milligrams to 100 milligrams.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has signed a bill to allow for the sealing of eligible misdemeanor convictions after three years and certain felony convictions after eight years, following the candidates’ release from incarceration.

Lawmakers in Japan’s House of Representatives have passed a bill to legalize cannabis-derived pharmaceuticals. The bill would also establish legal restrictions on general cannabis use, which was not previously referenced under federal law.

City Council members in Lubbock, Texas have rejected a cannabis decriminalization proposal, leaving the issue for voters to decide during next year’s election.

The Florida Supreme Court seems poised to allow an adult-use cannabis legalization proposal to be put to voters next year, seemingly rejecting arguments by the state Attorney General Ashley Moody that the initiative violates the state’s single-subject rule on ballot questions.

The first round of Maryland’s adult-use cannabis licensing process is open; state law requires the first round of licenses to be set aside for social equity applicants.

The National Labor and Relations Board has approved a settlement that will see a Missouri cannabis dispensary company reinstate five employees and pay more than $145,000 in backpack, front pay, and interest and compensation to 10 employees who were terminated after a March union organizing action.

South African lawmakers on Tuesday approved a bill to legalize the personal use of cannabis. The measure does not legalize cannabis sales, meaning if individuals want to consume it legally, they have to grow it.

Montana officials and three of the state’s cannabis licensees last week agreed to a joint agreement allowing a 60-day preliminary injunction against a state law that increases licensing fees for businesses with multiple dispensaries.

The Australian Medical Association says that while it supports certain cannabis decriminalization policies, it is opposing a bill to legalize adult-use cannabis due to the potential for increased “health and social-related harms.”

Oklahoma cannabis regulators are seeking to revoke the licenses of 165 medical cannabis cultivators for failing to post signage on their property as required under a bill from last year.