From Our Writers

The USDA last week approved hemp production plans for Massachusetts and five separate Native American tribes.

Separate campaigns to legalize psilocybin therapy and to decriminalize all illegal drugs have teamed up in Oregon to gather signatures.

Cannabis activists in Massachusetts are spreading a petition that calls for repealing a recent change to the state’s cannabis laws that set the ownership threshold for social equity applicants at just 10 percent.

Oregonized Hemp Co. is suing two different sheriffs’ offices claiming that they unlawfully seized and destroyed $2 million worth of the company’s industrial hemp crop.

San Francisco health officials confirmed they are helping some people to access cannabis, alcohol, and methadone during voluntary hotel stays paid for by the city to help otherwise unhoused people self-quarantine.

Cannabis dispensaries and data companies reported overall lackluster sales for the 4/20/2020 holiday but increased traffic during the week prior was a common trend.

One of Massachusetts’ top cannabis regulators said he supports re-opening the state’s adult-use dispensaries; Massachusetts was the only state to shutter adult-use shops as part of its coronavirus stay-at-home order.

A whistleblower complaint has sparked an investigation into the Missouri medical cannabis licensing process.

Arkansas has reported a huge uptick in medical cannabis sales — about one-third its total sales since May 2019 — since the state’s stay-at-home order went in place.

Stormy Simon is out as Hightimes CEO; the company has instead tapped Peter Horvath, a former executive for both American Eagle Outfitters and Victoria’s Secret, for the position.

Ice cream maker Ben & Jerry’s joined in the 4/20 festivities this year — not as a marketing ploy, but to advocate for responsible and progressive cannabis reforms.

A Pennsylvania poll shows that only 9 percent of GOP voters would vote against a lawmaker who supported cannabis legalization; one-third of Republicans “would enthusiastically support” a pro-cannabis candidate.

Minnesota House Majority Leader Ryan Winkler has introduced an unlikely cannabis legalization proposal that would allow for eight-plant home grows, social use, and the expungement of most cannabis convictions.

Joe Biden, the former vice president and presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, has announced his “Plan for Black America,” which includes federal cannabis decriminalization and the expungement of cannabis convictions.

The California Department of Food and Agriculture has unveiled its proposal for certifying organic cannabis products where the federal government, due to prohibition, cannot.

Oklahoma medical cannabis sales set a new record during April despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

A Maryland medical cannabis dispensary owner has filed a lawsuit against the Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission over the agency’s refusal to allow out-of-state residents to obtain a state medical cannabis ID.

The USDA has released guidelines for hemp businesses to apply for and receive federal loans.

Illinois cannabis retailers recorded their second-highest sales month of the year in April, despite the ongoing pandemic.

Panda Biotech announced it is donating 60 tons of hemp fiber seed to Texas farmers as the state’s hemp industry takes off.

Columbus, Ohio City Attorney Zach Klein says he will continue to decline to prosecute low-level cannabis cases despite the state’s crime laboratories having upgraded for the occasion.

Amid international shakeups, major alcohol distributor Constellation Brands has increased its stake in Canopy Growth Corp. by 5.1 percent, bringing its total stake in the company to 38.6 percent.

The High Times brand is continuing its push into cannabis retail, announcing last week that the company would buy 13 planned and operational California cannabis dispensaries.

The Dr. Bronners soap company announced it has contributed $1 million to the psilocybin therapy legalization campaign in Oregon.