Graham Abbott

Former President Richard Nixon — who is credited with launching the drug war — said in a recently uncovered 1973 White House recording that cannabis was “not particularly dangerous” but that legalizing it would be “the wrong signal at this time.”

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) signed a bill Thursday to temporarily end the sale of intoxicating hemp products. Next, state cannabis regulators have up to 180 days to draft rules covering the sale of hemp-derived THC products by licensed cannabis retailers.

The Federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is launching a new Local Emphasis Program to investigate and identify potential workplace hazards in the Colorado cannabis industry.

Massachusetts State Treasurer Deb Goldberg announced this week the firing of Cannabis Control Commission Chair Shannon O’Brien, who was initially suspended from the position last September.

Former president Donald Trump said last weekend that he supports the federal rescheduling of cannabis to Schedule III and giving cannabis companies access to banking services.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom last week proposed emergency regulations to completely ban the sale of any hemp-derived THC products in the state. The proposed rules would also set the minimum age to purchase hemp products at 21.

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians on Saturday opened the Great Smoky Cannabis Company to all adult-use cannabis customers. The shop, located in the Qualla Boundary, is North Carolina’s first and only retail cannabis location.

Kentucky officials have received 4,998 applications for medical cannabis business licenses, the governor announced this week. The majority of the applications (4,076) are for dispensary permits.

Cannabis advocates in Idaho are preparing for a 2026 cannabis legalization campaign after another petition to put a medical cannabis legalization question before voters failed to gather enough signatures

Cannabis pre-rolls were the fastest-growing product category in the cannabis industry last year for the second year in a row with an 11.89% jump in sales revenue year-over-year, according to a white paper report.

Cannabis product prices in Michigan have fallen nearly 14.5% this year with the average price for an ounce of flower reaching the industry’s all-time low of $79.70 in July.

Nebraska’s secretary of state said the state’s campaigns to legalize and regulate medical cannabis have qualified for the November ballot.

Ohio cannabis regulators last week issued fines totaling $212,500 to five cannabis companies for advertising violations including improper signage and offering free food and beverages from an ice cream truck.

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Wednesday that prosecutors cannot file gun possession charges against a Texas woman who admitted to consuming cannabis, citing a 2022 Supreme Court ruling that says modern firearm restrictions must be “consistent with this nation’s historical tradition of firearm regulation.”

Police in Allen, Texas said this week they raided nine hemp product retailers after an investigation found they were selling products containing an illegal amount of THC. An attorney representing the stores called the raid an intimidation tactic and said his clients had been operating lawfully.

Colorado officials recently released the state’s final regulations for its medicinal psilocybin program. Under the rules, psychedelic therapy centers will be cleared to open for business starting next year.

Home Depot, the sixth-largest employer in the U.S., will remove cannabis from its drug screenings in September and stop most pre-employment drug testing entirely for new workers.

Missouri’s ban on intoxicating hemp products is in limbo after Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft last week rejected the governor’s executive order detailing the ban, arguing the emergency rules did not meet certain state law criteria.

The Vermont Supreme Court last week overruled an appeal for unemployment benefits by a medical cannabis patient who was fired last year after failing a drug test for cannabis, and who lost their unemployment benefits because of it.

The number of Americans who use both cannabis and tobacco products is increasing, particularly among older adults, according to Duke University School of Medicine researchers.

City officials in Sacramento this week voted to put on hold a proposal to increase the number of cannabis dispensary licenses in the city by 50%.

The number of total approved or pending cannabis industry licenses in the U.S. increased during Q2 2024 for the first time in two years.

Morocco’s king this week pardoned nearly 5,000 people convicted of or wanted for charges related to illegal cannabis cultivation.

Ukraine’s medical cannabis legalization policy took effect last Friday as the country continues to defend itself against the aggression of neighboring Russia. Under the new policy, military veterans with PTSD and cancer patients are allowed access to medical cannabis products.