From Our Writers

The East Coast’s first commercial outdoor cannabis crop has been harvested in Maryland; licensed producers in the area typically grow indoors and in greenhouses.

Australia’s federal government is investing AU$3 million into researching the potential pain and side effect management options for cancer patients.

A recent Brightfield Group report suggests that the hemp-derived CBD market could be worth $23 billion by 2023.

After years of delays, Maine is on track to launch its adult-use cannabis industry by next March; regulations were vetoed twice by former Gov. Paul LePage (R) until lawmakers overrode his second veto last year.

A class-action lawsuit against Sundial Growers Inc. in Canada claims the company’s U.S. stock prices were affected by an unreported incident where $1.9 million worth of cannabis was returned to the company due to poor quality.

California cannabis and hemp operator Kushy Punch was raided by state officials last week, who said the company was distributing cannabis on the unregulated marketplace. Kushy Punch’s CEO said the allegations are “completely false.”

The Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board granted a two-month extension to the state’s long-troubled seed-to-sale traceability system Leaf Data Systems, provided by MJ Freeway.

Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring said in a tweet last week that it is time for Virginia to “move toward legal, regulated adult use” cannabis. 61 percent of Virginians support legalization.

The USDA is awarding funds to research the transportation of hemp pollen in the wild; the study will use mathematical models and drone technology to monitor hemp’s pollen paths.

Cannabis mergers and acquisitions have made for some big stories this year — here’s an in-depth look at the strategies behind these moves, and an explanation of how you might use M&A to grow your own cannabis enterprise.

The first cannabis tasting lounge in Nevada, where patrons will be able to smoke, vape, and consume edibles, is set to open on sovereign Paiute Tribal Land.

A study found that three out of four Canadians believe adult-use cannabis legalization has not had an impact on workplace health and safety incidents.

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office in Nebraska says it has developed a test capable of differentiating hemp from cannabis plants; the field test was validated by the sheriff’s laboratory.

The National Industrial Hemp Council and the American Farm Bureau Federation are teaming up to lobby the EPA into approving 10 submitted pesticide applications for hemp production.

The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals has agreed that cannabis industry workers have the same rights under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act as workers in traditional (and federally legal) industries.

A new law in Delaware will let physicians certify patients for medical cannabis even if they don’t have one of the state program’s qualifying conditions — patients thusly approved, however, must have a severe and debilitating condition and all standard care practices must be exhausted.

A new experimental cannabis marketplace in The Netherlands will require all distributed cannabis products to utilize plain white, “unattractive” packaging that includes health warnings and only black Helvetica font.

A proposal in San Diego, California would ban cannabis billboards within 1,000 feet of schools, playgrounds, public parks, daycare centers, and youth centers.

Scientists have created a bacteria solution that exudes industrial quantities of psilocybin, the psychedelic compound in “magic mushrooms” that is being studied as a potentially groundbreaking treatment for depression and other mental health afflictions.

Canada’s cannabis industry contributed $8.26 billion to the country’s national gross domestic product as of July; that rise corresponds with a decline in other traditional industries, like mining, construction, and manufacturing.

A $1 million private donation to the Oregon State University’s Global Hemp Innovation Center will fund research into hemp’s industrial applications and use in consumer goods and health products.

Israeli cannabis researcher Dr. Raphael Mechoulam unveiled his latest research into the synthesizing of cannabinoid acids at the CannMed conference last week in Pasadena, California.

The first cannabis cafe/restaurant in the U.S. where open consumption is allowed opened its doors today in West Hollywood.

The first adult-use cultivation licenses have been awarded in Illinois; shops are expected to open their doors to adult-use customers on January 1, 2020.