From Our Writers

The annual Vangst Jobs Report found that U.S. cannabis jobs increased by over 5% in 2023, with the industry currently supporting 440,445 “full-time equivalent” positions.

A recent study found that some 60% of Utah’s registered medical cannabis patients still obtain products from unregulated sources despite the existence of state-licensed retailers.

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed a bill to protect state employees including firefighters, emergency service providers, teachers, and civil servants from medical cannabis-related discrimination.

Colorado-based Sun Theory Holding Co. announced it has acquired Terrapin Care Station, which operates five retail cannabis dispensaries in the state.

Federal agents with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection have seized more than $300,000 in state-legal cannabis products via traffic checkpoints in New Mexico.

A recent study found that non-medical cannabis use is “significantly associated with 96% decreased odds” of experiencing cognitive decline in adults aged 45 and older.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Records indicated that the state will be ready to expunge more than 60,000 misdemeanor cannabis convictions in May under last year’s adult-use legalization law.

A California man who was once convicted and imprisoned for multiple scams dating back to 1988 recently pleaded guilty to hemp industry fraud costing investors more than $18 million.

Pennsylvania could generate more than $1 billion in new taxes over five years if the state were to legalize adult-use cannabis sales, according to an official report.

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey’s plan to mass pardon misdemeanor cannabis possession convictions in the state was unanimously approved by the Governor’s Council; the pardoning action takes effect immediately.

Ohio is one step closer to launching its adult-use cannabis marketplace after state regulators last week released their latest draft rules for the industry, which cover retail-focused provisions including online sales and curbside pick-up and industry-wide mandatory waste disposal practices.

Police said that a multi-agency law enforcement operation last week in East Oakland yielded about $10 million worth of illicit cannabis products.

A recent court ruling in favor of cannabis technology firm Leafly found New York’s cannabis marketing and advertising regulations to be unconstitutional, striking down the regulations in the latest blow to the state’s adult-use program.

The Colorado governor’s office has announced the new Access to Experts pilot program — offered in collaboration with the Cannabis Business Office — to support the state’s social equity licensed cannabis operators.

Hawaii lawmakers in the House Finance Committee rejected the state’s Senate-approved adult-use cannabis legalization proposal, killing the bill for the year.

Alabama lawmakers could increase the number of medical cannabis licenses in the state under a new bill seeking to end the legal disputes that have plagued the licensing process since the first licenses were awarded last June.

The Iowa Senate this week sent a bill to the governor that would limit hemp-derived THC products to individuals aged 21+, and sent another bill to the House that would double the number of medical cannabis dispensaries in the state from 5 to 10.

A recent report found that a total of $3.8 billion worth of delinquent payments currently affects the U.S. medical and adult-use cannabis industries, with total late payments on track this year to reach $4.2 billion.

Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek has signed a bill to recriminalize the possession of certain drugs in the state, undoing key provisions of the state’s voter-approved decriminalization bill that took effect three years ago.

Florida voters will see cannabis legalization on the ballot this November after the state’s Supreme Court rejected the attorney general’s arguments against the amendment’s ballot summary language.

In a recent letter, 22 attorneys general called on members of Congress to tighten federal rules on hemp-derived cannabinoid products, arguing that the 2018 federal Farm Bill “unleashed… a flood of products that are nothing less than a more potent form of cannabis.”

Delaware lawmakers have approved a bill allowing healthcare providers to certify any patients for the medical cannabis program; the provisions also allow individuals aged 65+ to self-certify for the program.

The Florida Supreme Court will issue a ruling today to determine whether the state’s adult-use cannabis legalization amendment will be allowed to go to voters this November.