Graham Abbott

House Republicans voted this week to block the Biden Administration’s effort to move cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act.

Massachusetts officials have confirmed that voters will decide this November whether to legalize psychedelics including DMT, mescaline, ibogaine, psilocybin, and psilocin for adults aged 21+.

Maryland’s combined adult-use and medical cannabis sales exceeded $1.1 billion during the adult-use market’s first year of operation, according to state officials.

Arkansas advocates submitted more than 111,000 signatures in support of a ballot initiative that would dramatically expand the state’s medical cannabis program, including provisions to remove application fees for patients and enable home grows.

Minneapolis-based Headflyer Brewing this month started offering hemp-derived, THC-infused beverages on tap under a new state regulation that took effect July 1.

Minnesota officials reported earning more than $10 million in taxes on hemp-derived THC products since the state’s low-potency hemp market launched nearly a year ago.

California this week ordered product recalls for five licensed cannabis products including four vape pens and a vape cartridge due to contamination with chlorfenapyr, which is a banned pesticide.

The political action committee formed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) to oppose the state’s cannabis legalization vote in November fundraised just $10,000 during its first five weeks.

British researchers investigating the efficacy of medical cannabis for older patients said that people aged 65+ who are prescribed medical cannabis report experiencing “significant improvements across all measures of well-being.”

A group of Iowa hemp companies is suing to block the implementation of a new state law restricting THC content in consumable hemp products.

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry (R) has signed into law bills to regulate consumer hemp products and decriminalize the possession of cannabis paraphernalia.

Kentucky officials will begin accepting applications for the state’s medical cannabis growers, manufacturers, and retailers starting on Monday, July 1.

Brazil’s Supreme Court voted on Tuesday to decriminalize cannabis possession for personal use purposes. The court, however, still needs to set possession limits for what would be considered “personal use” and establish when the reforms will take effect.

South Dakota farmers are producing more hemp fiber than farmers in any other U.S. state, according to recent data.

Researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis recently reported findings that link cannabis use to an increased risk of severe illness related to COVID-19.

Ohio officials have started awarding provisional dual-use licenses to medical cannabis operators, and the state’s full adult-use industry — approved by voters last November — is expected by September 7.

North Carolina state senators have once again approved language to legalize medical cannabis. Senators must vote on the proposal one more time on Monday before the bill moves to the House, where its future is uncertain.

A new Minnesota law bars police from carrying out warrantless vehicle searches based solely on the detection of cannabis odor; the law reaffirms the state’s Supreme Court ruling on the issue last year.

The California State Fair announced it will be allowing cannabis retail purchases and consumption in designated areas during the event’s run next month from July 12 to July 28.

Colorado’s attorney general has filed a lawsuit against a company for allegedly marketing cannabis products as hemp products and selling THC-infused products containing 35 times more THC than the legal limit.

Researchers analyzing data from the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study recently found that older adults who have used psychedelics tend to exhibit better cognitive function and fewer depressive symptoms.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore this weekend announced sweeping cannabis pardons for about 100,000 people in the state in one of the largest gubernatorial cannabis pardoning actions to date.

New Hampshire’s latest effort to legalize adult-use cannabis is likely dead for the year after House lawmakers voted on Thursday, the last day of the legislative session, to table the legalization proposal.

Some Florida medical cannabis doctors and advocates are warning that due to the nature of the state’s upcoming cannabis vote — and to a potential “poison pill” in the state’s original medical cannabis law — legalizing adult-use cannabis this November could make it harder for cannabis patients to get their medicine.