Regulations

A proposal from the California Assembly would levy civil fines up to $30,000 per day to anyone who provides building space, advertising platforms, and other services to unlicensed cannabis operators.

The USDA has officially approved Minnesota’s hemp cultivation program; the final regulations are unchanged from the state’s 2016 pilot program.

Jamaican officials have unveiled new medical cannabis control standards that are aimed at positioning local businesses for success in the global cannabis market.

Massachusetts regulators have issued $800k in fines to three companies for improper pesticide use and other regulatory infractions.

Medical cannabis firm Ultra Health is asking a district court judge to invalidate new cannabis testing, labeling, and facility safety rules in New Mexico, calling them “arbitrary and capricious.”

A Grand Jury report has condemned cannabis regulations set by the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors for mismanaging the local industry and ignoring its environmental impacts.

The Los Angeles city council has unanimously approved new regulations that will tighten up the cannabis social equity program and create rules for licensing new dispensaries in city neighborhoods that have already reached their cap.

San Diego is the latest California city to establish a city-specific agency dedicated to licensing and regulating businesses in the cannabis space.

While there are more U.S. farmers this year who are licensed to grow hemp, total hemp acreage is down 9% from 2019.

Louisiana Gov. Edwards signed legislation this week that regulates hemp and CBD products, including a ban on selling hemp products “for inhalation” except for hemp-based rolling papers.

Ohio’s State Medical Board last week added cachexia, or wasting syndrome, to its qualifying conditions list for medical cannabis. Regulators, however, rejected anxiety and autism spectrum disorder.

Health Canada says the cannabis industry has a generally high rate of compliance, having ordered just 15 product recalls — all due to mislabeled CBD and THC content — since legalizing in 2018.

Iowa’s Senate has approved expansions to the state’s medical cannabis program; the bill is now headed to the governor’s desk, where it is expected to be signed into law.

Washington cannabis regulators have adopted emergency rules banning vitamin E acetate in cannabis vapor products and aim to expand cannabis testing requirements.

Florida’s medical cannabis marketplace is based on the vertical integration of participating companies; this can be good for regulators and tax dollars, but very bad for patients and consumers.

Officials in Portland, Maine have decided to keep the city’s cannabis residency regulations in place for licensees despite the state having dropped similar rules under legal pressure.

An explosive fire that rocked Los Angeles over the weekend and left 12 firefighters hospitalized has been tied to Smoke Tokes, a wholesale distributor of butane and other vape supply items.

Maine cannabis regulators, pressured by out-of-state operators, have removed the state’s residency requirements for its adult-use cannabis industry.

Massachusetts cannabis regulators are expected to open the application period for adult-use delivery services later this month.

Andi Novick and Brian Farmer are board members for New York Small Farma, a cannabis community group lobbying for regenerative and sustainable cannabis farming in the state of New York.

The California Department of Food and Agriculture has unveiled its proposal for certifying organic cannabis products where the federal government, due to prohibition, cannot.

Mexico’s legalization proposal includes cannabis possession/cultivation for people 18+, a 12 percent tax rate, public consumption rules, and personal possession up to 1 ounce.

Ontario’s cannabis wholesaler has announced plans for new craft cannabis regulations and to allow on-site cannabis shops for licensed growers.

Pamela Althoff is the Executive Director of the Cannabis Business Association of Illinois, the state’s top cannabis industry trade organization, and a former state senator.