From Our Writers

A recent study found that about 80% of people who consume cannabis to help with sleep quit using prescription and over-the-counter sleep aids such as melatonin and benzodiazepines.

Following a recent Georgia Court of Appeals ruling, state cannabis regulators are finally issuing medical cannabis licenses after a more than two-year legal fight.

The Maryland Supreme Court has declined to review a lower court’s injunction against the enforcement of a state law banning intoxicating hemp products. Under this development, the injunction will remain in place and retailers can continue to sell products containing delta-8 THC and delta-10 THC.

A recent study found that high schoolers in Massachusetts were not more likely to use cannabis after legalization but were more likely to use cannabis if they perceived that their family or friends used cannabis themselves.

Budtenders at the Strawberry Fields dispensary in Columbus, Ohio voted to join Teamsters Local 413, becoming the first dispensary workers in the state to join the union.

Cannabis health-tech company Veriheal last week announced three winners for its annual Innovation in Cannabis Scholarship for 2023, with each winner receiving $10,000 for college tuition and fees.

Minnesota’s Office of Traffic Safety is pilot-testing a saliva-based roadside cannabis impairment test; the pilot program will be for data-gathering purposes only, meaning samples will be given voluntarily with no risk of arrest or driver’s license suspension.

The Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission this week reached a settlement with license applicants to address most of the issues highlighted by the multiple lawsuits against the agency.

The family of the woman who died last year while working at a Trulieve cannabis facility in Holyoke, Massachusetts has filed a lawsuit against the company and the people who worked on its HVAC system.

Oklahoma has extended its moratorium on new medical cannabis licenses until 2026, or until “all pending licensing reviews, inspections or investigations are complete.”

California cannabis regulators this month issued an embargo on cannabis products from three companies, claiming the products may have been “adulterated.”

There are now two adult-use cannabis legalization ballot measures being proposed in South Dakota; the measures will each require 17,509 valid petition signatures from registered South Dakota voters to qualify for the 2024 general election.

Hawaii Attorney General Anne Lopez has authored a bill to legalize adult-use cannabis; the proposal includes a 10% tax surcharge and 4.25% excise tax on adult-use sales but would not impose taxes on the medical cannabis industry.

New York cannabis regulators have finalized rules for intoxicating hemp products in the state including bans on products containing Delta-8 THC, THC-A, and THC-O.

Missouri cannabis retailers sold $113.1 million worth of adult-use products in October, according to data from the state Department of Health and Senior Services.

The owner of a Mississippi medical cannabis dispensary owner has filed a federal lawsuit challenging the state’s rules on cannabis advertising, which he argues censors cannabis companies and violates their First Amendment rights.

Missouri cannabis regulators have revoked the license of cannabis company Delta Extractions, which in August was the subject of a near-63,000 product recall.

The University of Minnesota School of Public Health announced the launch of its Cannabis Research Center, which will assess the impact of adult-use legalization and help inform future cannabis policies.

A citizen petition in Canada’s House of Commons is seeking to raise the maximum amount of THC in cannabis edibles from 10 milligrams to 100 milligrams.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has signed a bill to allow for the sealing of eligible misdemeanor convictions after three years and certain felony convictions after eight years, following the candidates’ release from incarceration.

Lawmakers in Japan’s House of Representatives have passed a bill to legalize cannabis-derived pharmaceuticals. The bill would also establish legal restrictions on general cannabis use, which was not previously referenced under federal law.

City Council members in Lubbock, Texas have rejected a cannabis decriminalization proposal, leaving the issue for voters to decide during next year’s election.

The Florida Supreme Court seems poised to allow an adult-use cannabis legalization proposal to be put to voters next year, seemingly rejecting arguments by the state Attorney General Ashley Moody that the initiative violates the state’s single-subject rule on ballot questions.

The first round of Maryland’s adult-use cannabis licensing process is open; state law requires the first round of licenses to be set aside for social equity applicants.