Graham Abbott

With about three months until the November election, two recent polls came to competing conclusions about the upcoming cannabis legalization vote in Florida.

Ohio dispensaries approved to serve adult-use customers sold more than $11.5 million worth of recreational cannabis products during the market’s first five days.

The global industrial hemp market is projected to grow by nearly $14 billion from 2023 to 2028 with a CAGR of 25.25%, driven largely by the crop’s textile potential and commercial versatility.

California officials with the Unified Cannabis Enforcement Taskforce (UCETF) recently seized more than 2.2 million illicit cannabis packages — many of which were packaged to resemble popular food and candy brands — during a recent sting operation in Los Angeles.

North Dakota voters will consider adult-use cannabis reforms this November for the third time after rejecting similar proposals in 2018 and 2022.

A recent survey found that the vast majority of Americans either get their cannabis entirely from legal sources (65%) or mostly from legal sources (12%).

Alabama regulators last week approved two new cannabis cultivation licenses as the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission considers options for unblocking the lawsuit-laden industry.

Recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that cannabis use among U.S. high schoolers has declined significantly over the last 10 years. The period encompasses the launch of each of the country’s state-based cannabis legalization experiments.

Former President Donald Trump suggested during a press conference at his Florida home that he has grown more supportive of the idea of cannabis reforms as the policies gain traction across the country.

The Association of American Feed Control Officials this week is considering allowing chicken feed producers to include hemp seed as an ingredient, so long as the hemp seed only constitutes a maximum of 20% of the product.

Oregon voters will decide this November whether cannabis industry workers should be allowed to unionize after lawmakers failed to adopt the reforms during the legislative session.

State and city cannabis enforcement task forces in New York say they have shuttered more than 1,000 unlicensed cannabis operations since April under legislation signed into law this year by Gov. Kathy Hochul (D).

Ohio regulators said they will issue dual-use licenses to many medical cannabis dispensaries on Tuesday this week, setting up the state’s first legal adult-use cannabis sales since voters approved the legalization reforms last year.

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson (R) has signed an executive order to ban the sale of intoxicating, hemp-derived products in the state starting September 1.

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians adult-use cannabis store, the Great Smoky Cannabis Company in the Qualla Boundary, North Carolina, is opening its doors on September 7 to all adults aged 21+.

Lawmakers in the Philippines House of Representatives this week voted 177-9 to legalize medical cannabis. The proposal, however, faces an uncertain future in the Senate.

Virginia last year fined hemp product retailers collectively nearly $10.8 million for the sale of restricted products.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded nearly $6.2 million in grants to help the Hemp Building Institute research, support, and build credibility for hempcrete and other biogenic materials as valid construction materials.

Recent polling suggests there are more daily cannabis consumers than daily alcohol drinkers in the U.S., although alcohol use is still far more prevalent in terms of monthly use.

Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Anutin Charnvirakul this week signaled the government could drop its plans to re-list cannabis as a narcotic and opt instead for stronger cannabis regulations.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said this week that the cannabis legalization ballot amendment appearing before voters this November should not have been approved for the state ballot.

A report issued this week by the Minority Cannabis Business Association claims the industry could generate more than 50,000 new jobs by 2030 if the federal government were to follow through on its cannabis rescheduling plan.

Stockton University in Galloway, New Jersey this fall will begin to offer undergraduate bachelor degrees through its School of Business covering Hemp and Cannabis Business Management.

Tilray Brands, Inc. said its Germany-based cannabis cultivation facility, Aphria RX GmbH, has received a cultivation license under Germany’s new adult-use cannabis legalization law.