Regulations

A new draft of the Farm Bill includes language aimed at closing intoxicating hemp loopholes, but stops short of setting per-serving or per-container limits for hemp-derived THC.

USDA officials last week delayed the enforcement of a rule requiring consumer hemp products to be tested by labs registered with the DEA; it’s the third year in a row that officials have delayed enforcing the rule.

New Mexico lawmakers are considering giving new enforcement powers to officials with the state’s Cannabis Control Division; the proposal would establish a “Compliance Bureau” aimed at disrupting the illicit cannabis market.

Regulators with the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission this week released health and safety guidelines for the cannabis industry that dub “ground cannabis dust” a hazardous chemical that operators must evaluate and prepare for.

Cannabis regulators in New Jersey have started to implement new rules banning the unlicensed sale of hemp-derived cannabinoid products.

A Queens County Superior Court judge has ruled that the New York City law enabling local law enforcement to crack down on unlicensed cannabis sales is unconstitutional because it violates the shop owners’ right to due process.

The Office of the Washington State Auditor said in a recent report the state’s seed-to-sale tracking system for cannabis products has “failed” and is unlikely to satisfy its stated goals until 2031, nearly 20 years after legalization.

The New York Office of Cannabis Management issued a stop-production order over the summer for caffeine-infused cannabis pills manufactured by Hudson Cannabis for the cannabis brand 1906.

A New York judge this week ordered the owner of an unlicensed cannabis retailer in upstate New York to pay $9.5 million for selling cannabis without a license.

California cannabis regulators revoked the license of cannabis vape manufacturer K.U.S.H. Collective, ordering product recalls for vape cartridges and integrated vaporizer products from 12 brands associated with the company.

Officials with the Tennessee Department of Agriculture recently released new rules regarding the sale of hemp-derived THC products. Under the new rules, which will take effect this December, some cannabinoid products currently available in the state could no longer be legal.

A federal judge overturned part of New Jersey’s law restricting the sale of intoxicating hemp products because it violated the federal dormant commerce clause, which prohibits states from interfering with interstate commerce.

Regulators with the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission this week issued fines totaling $165,000 to Curaleaf and Ascend Wellness, two of the state’s largest cannabis companies, for self-reported violations including improper pesticide use and failing to follow the state’s track-and-trace program.

New York officials this week released a three-year implementation report covering the state’s cannabis reform process. The report highlights the industry’s trends, successes and shortcomings, and more.

Los Angeles County officials this week approved a motion to “deplatform” unlicensed cannabis dispensaries from online platforms like Google and Yelp.

Hemp-derived THC products are illegal in California starting this week after officials approved the emergency regulations proposed by the governor earlier this month.

Missouri regulators say they will not be enforcing large parts of the governor’s recent executive order to ban the sale of intoxicating hemp products.

South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson recently specified that non-alcoholic, hemp-derived beverages containing 0.3% or less THC are legal in the state despite a lack of legal “guardrails” for the products.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) signed a bill Thursday to temporarily end the sale of intoxicating hemp products. Next, state cannabis regulators have up to 180 days to draft rules covering the sale of hemp-derived THC products by licensed cannabis retailers.

California lawmakers have passed a bill to legalize cannabis consumption lounges in the state; the proposal goes next to Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), who vetoed a similar measure last year over concerns about violating the state’s smoke-free workplace protections.

Missouri officials announced a new joint task force aimed at reigning in the spread of “unlicensed psychoactive cannabis products” in the state.

Massachusetts State Treasurer Deb Goldberg announced this week the firing of Cannabis Control Commission Chair Shannon O’Brien, who was initially suspended from the position last September.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom last week proposed emergency regulations to completely ban the sale of any hemp-derived THC products in the state. The proposed rules would also set the minimum age to purchase hemp products at 21.

Ohio cannabis regulators last week issued fines totaling $212,500 to five cannabis companies for advertising violations including improper signage and offering free food and beverages from an ice cream truck.