From Our Writers

Democrat lawmakers in Virginia say they are planning to again push for a cannabis sales bill next year despite the likelihood of such a proposal being vetoed by Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin.

The Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission has voted to offer the job of the agency’s next executive director to Holliston Town Manager Travis Ahern after the agency’s first pick for the position declined the role.

Ohio cannabis officials recently proposed new rules for the state’s cannabis industry that would ban advertising methods including billboards, radio, television, and online ads.

Researchers at Rutgers Institute for Health have been awarded $686,376 in federal funds to study the therapeutic benefits of medical cannabis and any potential side effects or harms from using the plant.

The annual Monitoring the Future Survey found that the use of cannabis by American teenagers continued to decline in 2024 even as more and more states enacted adult-use legalization reforms.

Kentucky cannabis regulators have announced the state’s final 12 medical cannabis dispensary license winners, awarded via a lottery of over 4,000 applicants.

Missouri’s cannabis market is gaining momentum, and MJ Unpacked in St. Louis offered a front-row seat to the industry’s rapid evolution. From insightful panels to innovative product showcases, the event highlighted the opportunities and challenges shaping the region’s cannabis landscape.

Ohio lawmakers appear unlikely to put legislation regulating intoxicating hemp products on the governor’s desk by the end of the legislative session.

Wisconsin Senate Minority Leader Dianne Hesselbein says she will introduce legislation to legalize medical cannabis next session after the Democrats gained four seats in the chamber, ending a Republican supermajority.

The West Virginia Supreme Court upheld a judge’s ruling that the state can prohibit a state-registered cannabis patient from participating in the medical cannabis program if they are on probation.

Licensed cannabis dispensaries in Massachusetts have surpassed $7 billion in sales since the adult-use market launched in 2018.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) has endorsed a measure to set the age limit for purchasing intoxicating hemp products at 21 years and limit the sale of hemp products to only licensed cannabis dispensaries.

The launch of Minnesota’s adult-use cannabis industry has been delayed at least several months after officials abandoned a social equity early licensing plan this month, moving instead to open with general licensing later next year.

A Florida judge this week ruled in favor of a paramedic who sued his former employer for wrongful termination after being fired for testing positive for THC on a random drug test, despite being a registered cannabis patient with a state-issued medical ID.

Canadian officials last month missed the legislated deadline to implement a program for the mass pardoning of citizen cannabis possession records.

Connecticut cannabis prices hit an all-time low this year at $10.86 per gram, according to data from the Department of Consumer Protection.

The Boston Beer Company has launched Emerald Hour, a line of non-alcoholic, rosin-infused cannabis beverages in Ontario, Canada. The cans contain regionally sourced ingredients and 10 milligrams of THC and regionally sourced ingredients.

One of the plaintiffs in the recently dismissed lawsuit that aimed to invalidate the petitions behind Nebraska’s successful medical cannabis legalization effort has filed another suit seeking to block the reforms.

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers says cannabis legalization should be a top priority for the state next year, although the idea is unpopular in the state’s GOP-controlled Legislature.

Massachusetts officials last week unveiled their plan for licensing adult-use cannabis consumption sites including cannabis tasting rooms, cafes, lounges, movie theaters, and more.

Armed robbers last week held at gunpoint five cannabis workers at a licensed California cannabis farm, making off with more than 150 pounds of processed cannabis that officials estimated to be worth about $150,000.

The NFL has increased the THC threshold triggering a positive cannabis test for players from 150 nanograms per milliliter of blood to 350 ng/ml, and reduced the fines for a positive test result from 50% of the player’s game check to $15,000 for a first violation.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office recently unsealed documents against two former California officials who used their positions to solicit bribes from cannabis companies in exchange for licenses.

The University of Illinois Chicago Analytical Forensic Testing Laboratory is accused of providing law enforcement with flawed test results in potentially hundreds of DUI cases.