From Our Writers

Lawmakers in Guyana’s parliament voted this week to legalize industrial hemp plants containing 0.3% THC or less.

Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell proposed legislation this week in partnership with city Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda seeking to establish city-level cannabis social equity licenses.

Advocates in Florida launched a new campaign this week to legalize adult-use cannabis in the Sunshine State. The effort is backed by Trulieve, the state’s largest medical cannabis company.

District attorneys in New Mexico have started to review prior cannabis charges for expungement, a requirement of legislation that accompanied the state’s cannabis legalization law.

A testing lab and multiple cannabis cultivators in Arkansas are being targeted by a federal lawsuit alleging deceptive trade practices; the lawsuit claims the businesses are subject to the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act because cannabis remains federally outlawed.

The Canadian government spent $153 million in fiscal year 2021-2022 to reimburse medical cannabis purchases by more than 18,000 veterans.

The campaign for legalizing cannabis in Arkansas filed a lawsuit in the state Supreme Court last week after the Board of Election Commissioners rejected the initiative’s name and title, effectively blocking it from ballots.

Commissioners in Athens-Clarke County, Georgia approved an ordinance to reduce the penalty for possession of less than an ounce of cannabis to a $35 fine, the lowest in the state.

Brittney Griner was sentenced to nine years in a Russian penal colony for cannabis possession.

In a recent podcast interview, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers credited the psychedelic ayahuasca for what he called “the best season” of his career.

New Mexico set yet another new cannabis sales record in July, totaling $40.3 million in the combined medical and adult-use markets.

Berner, CEO of Cookies, is the first cannabis industry executive to grace the cover of Forbes magazine.

Arkansas’ election officials rejected the state’s cannabis legalization initiative ballot name and title, effectively blocking it from November ballots; advocates behind the proposal are planning to appeal the decision to the state Supreme Court.

The Minority Cannabis Business Association is partnering with cannabis education company Green Flower to provide members with four free training courses.

The Marijuana Misdemeanor Expungement Act, a bipartisan House proposal filed last week, would facilitate the expungement of low-level federal cannabis misdemeanors.

Michigan is giving $12.5 million to two universities to facilitate research into the potential therapeutic benefits of cannabis for veterans suffering from PTSD.

The two-year moratorium on new Oklahoma medical cannabis licenses is set to begin on August 26; the moratorium does not affect license transfers, license renewals, or patient licenses.

The class action lawsuit in New Mexico seeking to make health insurance companies cover medical cannabis costs has been moved to federal court.

The Illinois Equal Justice Foundation has awarded $1.4 million in grants to 18 organizations to help expunge cannabis-related criminal records.

The U.S. House Agriculture Committee held a hearing last week to discuss the state of the hemp industry and how the government can continue to support the crop.

Louisiana’s new medical cannabis laws are now in effect, including provisions for protecting state employees who use medical cannabis, putting the Department of Health in charge of the state’s cannabis program, and prohibiting police from searching homes without a warrant based on the odor of cannabis.

Arkansas’ secretary of state said activists with Responsible Growth Arkansas have gathered sufficient signatures to put a cannabis legalization initiative on the upcoming November ballot.

Officials in Massachusetts passed a package of cannabis reforms including the reduction of ‘impact fees’ charged to cannabis businesses, the retooling of the state’s expungement process, and more.

New York officials shut down a private cannabis consumption club in Cheektowaga for operating without a license but the company says no license exists for its business model.