Graham Abbott

In the approximately 10 years since Colorado and Washington launched the country’s first adult-use cannabis markets, U.S. states with cannabis legalization policies have generated more than $20 billion in tax revenue on adult-use cannabis products.

After regulations to let Ohio’s medical cannabis dispensaries begin serving adult-use customers passed a key legislative committee this week, the state’s adult-use cannabis market could potentially launch ahead-of-schedule in June.

The executive director of New York’s Office of Cannabis Management will step down in September as the state looks to adjust its cannabis regulatory approach, the governor announced last week.

Alaska’s House of Representatives voted last week to replace the state’s $50-per-ounce tax structure on adult-use cannabis products with a 7% sales tax on retail cannabis transactions. The proposal still must pass the Senate before going to the governor.

The publicly traded and internationally licensed cannabis company Kaya Holdings Inc. announced this week that it has received a license to administer therapeutic psilocybin products in Oregon.

Thailand’s Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin said on social media this week that he wants to make cannabis illegal again except for medicinal purposes, aligning with the health minister’s call for re-criminalizing the plant.

The Florida GOP Executive Board unanimously passed a resolution over the weekend opposing the cannabis legalization amendment set to appear before voters during this November’s election.

Cannabis retailers in New Jersey set a new quarterly sales record of $201 million during the first three months of 2024, but the quarter-over-quarter growth rate (4.4%) is the state’s lowest on record since the market launch.

According to a new study compiled by UK researchers, psilocybin — the naturally occurring psychedelic in so-called “magic mushrooms” — shows promise as an effective treatment for depression.

Voters in Lubbock, Texas rejected a local cannabis decriminalization ballot measure over the weekend with nearly 65% of voters opposing the reforms.

Senate Democrats have again filed the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act, which seeks to legalize cannabis at the federal level and automatically expunge federal non-violent cannabis offenses.

Recent polling from the Independent Community Bankers of America found that 64% of Americans believe giving state-legal cannabis companies access to traditional banking services would benefit public safety.

Cannabis company stocks soared on Tuesday following reports that the DEA would move to reschedule cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III under federal law.

To protect youth from exposure to cannabinoid products, California Gov. Gavin Newsom has directed state officials to warn industrial hemp product retailers that selling improperly labeled products is a crime that could lead to a revoked license.

The cannabis multistate operator MedMen filed for bankruptcy last week with the company’s Los Angeles-based subsidiary entering receivership with more than $410 million in liabilities owed.

Recent research suggests that despite the popular stereotype, people who regularly consume cannabis are not more lazy or unmotivated than non-consumers.

Eight months after the federal Department of Health and Human Services recommended moving cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III, a coalition of Congressional lawmakers this week urged the DEA to make its decision as quickly as possible.

California lawmakers in the Senate Public Safety Committee voted to advance a proposal that would establish treatment centers where adults aged 21+ could access psilocybin, MDMA, DMT, and other psychedelics.

Cannabis workers at the Cresco Labs cultivation site in Fall Rivers, Massachusetts have voted to de-unionize ahead of their contract’s expiration date this summer.

Minnesota House lawmakers last week passed social equity cannabis licensing provisions and other adjustments to the state’s upcoming adult-use cannabis program.

The first medical cannabis dispensary in North Carolina opened for business on 4/20, serving patients registered with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians’ Cannabis Control Board and cardholders from other state or tribal programs.

Kentucky will hold a lottery for the state’s initial medical cannabis business licenses in October, keeping the state on track for the medical cannabis program’s anticipated launch on January 1, 2025.

Just weeks after the federal legalization of adult-use cannabis in Germany, officials in the southern state of Bavaria have passed rules banning the consumption of cannabis at Oktoberfest and in outdoor beer gardens.

Combined medical and adult-use cannabis sales totaled just under $125 million in March, setting a new monthly cannabis sales record for the state.