TG Branfalt

California has officially eliminated the cannabis industry cultivation tax after the governor signed the state’s new budget on Thursday, which also included a 15% cap on the cannabis excise tax for three years.

Mississippi’s medical cannabis legalization law takes effect today, July 1, with plans for dispensaries and other facilities to open later this year. 

Brittney Griner’s trial began today for allegedly smuggling cannabis vape cartridges into Russia and faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted.  

The House Appropriations Committee approved an appropriations bill that includes language blocking the FCC from sanctioning broadcasters who air cannabis advertisements in legalized states.

North Carolina’s General Assembly has approved a bill to permanently protect hemp crops from being subjected to the state’s controlled substances law.

The Green Leaf Party, Israel’s pro-cannabis faction, plans to run candidates in the upcoming elections for the first time since 2015.

Nevada has approved the rules to regulate social consumption lounges within the state and plans to award the first licenses by this fall.

The House Committee on Appropriations approved a measure to keep the DOJ from using its resources to interfere with state-approved cannabis industries.

The Pennsylvania Senate Transportation Committee has advanced a measure to protect medical cannabis patients from being charged with a wrongful DUI. 

The Texas Supreme Court recently ruled in favor of the statewide ban on smokable hemp, citing the state’s long history of prohibiting and regulating the production and possession of hemp.

A federal report found that cannabis samples in Connecticut linked to opioid overdoses had been cross-contaminated with fentanyl by a single dealer, and did not constitute a repeated pattern of adulteration.

Despite having decriminalized the possession of up to 10 grams of cannabis, Maryland’s state Court of Appeals ruled that cannabis odor is sufficient grounds for a brief, “investigatory” traffic stop.

Three cannabis cultivators in Humboldt County are facing fines of over $200,000 by the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board for alleged sediment discharge into tributaries of the Mad River.

Connecticut had received more than 37,000 cannabis business applications for just 56 licenses by the time the application window closed last week.

Republican lawmakers in North Carolina’s House of Representatives during a closed-door meeting decided not to advance the state’s Senate-approved medical cannabis reforms bill.

The SAFE Banking Act was removed from the COMPETES Act, a China competition bill, at the behest of Republican lawmakers who argued the cannabis banking reforms didn’t belong in the legislation.

According to a recent poll, 84% of cannabis consumers and 81% of Americans believe cannabis businesses should meet consistent environmental standards.

Multistate cannabis firm Curaleaf did not offer Juneteenth holiday pay for its unionized employees but did for non-unionized employees.

Canada-based Aurora Cannabis Inc. announced it will be laying off 12% of its workforce in order to realign its organization with the future of the cannabis industry.

NBA Hall of Famer Chris Webber’s Social Equity Impact Ventures, LLC has been selected to oversee New York’s $200 million Social Equity Investment Fund.

New Jersey’s Hudson County Community College is now offering cannabis career-related certifications and training programs, joining other higher education institutions around the state.

The number of registered medical cannabis patients in the U.S. has quadrupled from 2016 to 2020 and the current total is just over 2.97 million patients, according to a recent study.

Advertisements for hemp-based products saw a slight bump during the lead-up to Father’s Day but the total number of ad spots still comprised less than 1% of all agriculture-related advertising ahead of the holiday.

Louisiana Gov. Jon Bel Edwards (D) signed multiple cannabis and hemp reform bills including new provisions for out-of-state medical cannabis patients and industrial hemp testing.