From Our Writers

Adults in Germany will be allowed to possess and cultivate cannabis starting April 1 after lawmakers gave their final approval to the country’s cannabis legalization proposal last week.

Arkansas cannabis advocates have filed a constitutional amendment that would legalize adult-use cannabis with the state attorney general’s office. If the ballot language is approved, the petition will require 90,704 valid voter signatures by July 5 to qualify for November’s ballot.

New York cannabis regulators voted last week to approve 114 new cannabis industry licenses and waive the licensing fees for all conditional cannabis cultivators for the next two years.

California lawmakers may look to undo employment protections covering legal, off-duty cannabis use by law enforcement-related positions including police officers, dispatch, animal control, and coroners.

Michigan cannabis regulators say that a Lansing-based cannabis process that utilized unregulated THCa powder to create products that were sold in the legal market is permanently losing its license.

Tribal members of the Wisconsin-based Indigenous Cannabis Industry Association recently agreed to prioritize lobbying and campaigning efforts for the legalization of medical cannabis.

Researchers from Health Canada and the National Research Council of Canada reported finding metal nanoparticles inside both legally and illegally sourced cannabis vape pen liquids.

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) signed into law two cannabis regulation bills this week: one to allow law enforcement and other government agencies to search medical cannabis businesses, and one to ban intoxicating hemp products in the state.

Nearly 72% of Canadian cannabis consumers said in a recent survey that they purchase their cannabis exclusively from legal sources, primarily citing concerns about the safety of unregulated products and the convenience of the legal market.

Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York has ordered an extensive audit of the state’s cannabis regulations and the botched roll-out of the adult-use industry.

The New York Senate’s recent budget approval allocates $128 million to aid the state’s struggling cannabis industry, introducing financial support for farmers and tax adjustments amidst criticism over the slow rollout of the market.

A recent study published in JAMA reveals that 11.4% of U.S. 12th graders reported using delta-8 THC in the past year, with usage patterns varying by region and state cannabis laws, highlighting concerns over the regulatory oversight of this emerging cannabinoid.

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes ruled that hemp-derived delta-8 THC cannabis products cannot be sold by companies that do not hold an adult-use cannabis license.

The Wyoming proposal to ban delta-8 THC and other synthetic hemp-derived cannabinoids was signed into law by Republican Gov. Mark Gordon last week.

Vice President Kamala Harris said last week that the Schedule I status of cannabis under federal drug laws is “absurd” and “patently unfair,” and urged the DEA to reschedule the plant under the Controlled Substances Act.

Hawaii House lawmakers in two key committees this week voted to advance — with amendments — the cannabis legalization bill that was passed earlier this month by the state Senate.

Connecticut lawmakers have advanced a proposal giving the state attorney general and law enforcement officials more power to penalize and shut down shops that illegally sell THC products. The bill will be considered next on the House floor.

The Cleveland School of Cannabis announced it received accreditation from the U.S. Department of Education’s Middle States Association-Commissions on Elementary and Secondary Schools.

The Biden Administration has once again included a provision in its budget to block Washington D.C. from using funds to implement its voter-approved adult-use cannabis marketplace, continuing a nearly decade-long congressional intervention that has prevented the city from establishing a regulated cannabis industry despite local and national support for legalization.

Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey has announced her plan to pardon all state-issued misdemeanor cannabis possession convictions, a move aligned with national efforts to address past injustices of cannabis criminalization, which requires the Governor’s Council’s approval to take immediate effect.

As the Minnesota cannabis industry awaits a possible launch in 2025, officials have warned hemp product retailers that inspectors will begin examining their hemp flower products to make sure they do not exceed the 0.3% delta-9 THC potency limits.

Maryland officials announced they will hold a lottery for social equity cannabis licenses this week despite multiple lawsuits targeting the equity provision, including one that claims technical difficulties blocked entry.