Regulations

Canadian cannabis operators destroyed a record amount of legal cannabis in 2022 and 2023. Since the market’s 2018 launch, licensees have now destroyed about 3.7 million pounds of product, largely due to the products being too old or low-quality.

Starting this year, the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority will be utilizing “secret shoppers” in its effort to regulate the industry. Under the new law, regulators will anonymously purchase products and have them tested by a lab.

New Mexico cannabis regulators this week revoked the licenses of two adult-use cannabis cultivators for allegedly exceeding the legal plant count limits and failing to properly utilize the state’s mandatory track-and-trace system.

The Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission is in a state of disarray after the recent suspension of two top officials and ongoing controversies, signaling instability within the agency overseeing the state’s cannabis industry.

Going against the will of Ohioan voters who legalized cannabis and assigned its tax revenues to causes like social equity and jobs programs, the Ohio Senate has moved instead to funnel the funds toward law enforcement and the state’s general fund.

A bill in South Carolina aims to regulate and tax intoxicating hemp-derived products such as delta-8 and delta-10 THC; under the measure, hemp products would require laboratory testing.

Oklahoma officials said this week that the number of medical cannabis cultivators in the state has dropped from about 9,400 in 2021 to about 3,200 today; the decline comes amid a crackdown by regulators on alleged bad actors in the industry.

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

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.

Montana officials and three of the state’s cannabis licensees last week agreed to a joint agreement allowing a 60-day preliminary injunction against a state law that increases licensing fees for businesses with multiple dispensaries.

Oklahoma cannabis regulators are seeking to revoke the licenses of 165 medical cannabis cultivators for failing to post signage on their property as required under a bill from last year.

A Wyoming proposal that seeks to ban intoxicating hemp products is moving to the Legislature after passing the Joint Judiciary Committee last week.

A lawsuit in Alaska is challenging the Department of Natural Resources’ recently approved regulations to limit intoxicating hemp products, claiming the rules are unconstitutional.

A New York state proposal seeks to ban some types of cannabis advertising via roadside billboards, with fines of up to $2,500 for violations.

Florida inspectors announced last week they had uncovered more than 8,700 hemp extract-edible packages that were deemed attractive to, or marketed to,  children.

Missouri cannabis regulators removed nearly 15,000 cannabis products from the state’s sweeping August recall of nearly 63,000 products manufactured by Delta Extraction, LLC, which has called the recall an “unlawful campaign to destroy Delta’s business.”

In a move that highlights the controversy around potency obsession and lab-shopping, Washington state regulators have issued an emergency suspension of a cannabis testing lab’s license alleging the lab had submitted “incorrect and/or false” test results to its clients and the government.

New Mexico regulators revoked the license of Albuquerque-based cannabis business Golden Roots — which does business as Cannabis Revolution Dispensary — after finding that the company illegally obtained and transported its cannabis products.

A judge in Maryland on Thursday imposed a preliminary injunction against the enforcement of a state law that aims to prohibit the sale of intoxicating hemp products.

Alabama cannabis regulators are resetting the cannabis license application process for the third time; under the new rules, applications will be reconsidered by state officials but applicants will also be able to give a presentation explaining why they should receive a license.

Massachusetts cannabis company Berkshire Roots is suing the city of Pittsfield over its Community Impact Fees, alleging that officials have not identified any “impacts” the company has had on the community.

The former chair of the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission is suing the state treasurer after being removed from their position “without notice, without articulated reason, and without any opportunity to be heard.”

South Dakota officials are considering changes to the state’s medical cannabis program that would allow 10% more THC in medical cannabis products and require rolling papers used for prerolls to be tested by state-approved laboratories.

The New York Attorney General’s Office has issued a stay in the cannabis tech company Leafly’s legal challenge against the state’s third-party marketing ban, effectively blocking the state from enforcing the ban against Leafly but not other third-party marketers.