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“The bottom line is: marijuana is legal in Missouri. Great, just comply with the law.” By Rebecca Rivas, Missouri Independent Missouri’s crackdown on intoxicating hemp products is already underway, a week before a new state law threatens to push thousands of businesses out of the market. Attorney General Catherine Hanaway (R) announced four new lawsuits Wednesday against retailers accused of illegally selling marijuana disguised as hemp. That same day, a federal judge dismissed a hemp industry challenge to the law, clearing another obstacle to its November 12 implementation. Now, some hemp business owners hoped to burn their products on the steps of the Missouri Capitol on Veterans Day, one day before the new restrictions take effect. But they were denied a permit because “open flames” are prohibited on Capitol grounds. Hanaway told The Independent in an interview Wednesday that she didn’t need to wait for the new law to go after stores selling what’s known as “THCA flower,” a product that becomes intoxicating when smoked just like marijuana. She said laboratory test results posted on the stores’ own websites show they are selling marijuana without the required state licenses. “The bottom line is: marijuana is legal in Missouri,” Hanaway said. “Great, just comply with the law. We have so many of these shops that are selling it, and some of them very openly and notoriously claiming that they’re selling marijuana.” Hanaway said her concern is that products sold outside Missouri’s licensed marijuana system aren’t subject to the same state testing and safety requirements, potentially exposing consumers to harmful metals or other contaminants. The new law tasks Hanaway’s office—along with the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, the state’s cannabis regulatory agency—with enforcement. The department previously estimated that 40,000 food establishments and smoke shops and 1,800 food manufacturers could potentially be affected by a state ban on intoxicating hemp products, “but the majority of these facilities are at low-risk of requiring investigation.” After November 12, Hanaway’s office will have “more tools at our disposal” to go after law breakers. “You’re going to see more lawsuits,” she said. “The law is stronger and easier for us to enforce.” Under the new law, products containing more than 0.3 percent total THC, including THCA, generally fall outside the state’s definition of hemp. Finished hemp-derived cannabinoid products also face a limit of 0.4 milligrams of THC per container. Intoxicating products that fall under the new restrictions can be sold only through Missouri’s licensed marijuana system. The law establishes Missouri’s first comprehensive restrictions on intoxicating hemp products. Similar bills had been debated since 2023 but failed to pass. In the absence of comparable state oversight, smoke shops have been able to sell intoxicating hemp products containing as much as 1,000 milligrams of THC outside Missouri’s licensed marijuana dispensaries. Under existing federal law, hemp is defined largely by its concentration of delta-9 THC. Missouri’s new law, like pending federal restrictions, takes a broader approach by counting other forms of THC, including THCA. John Grady, a veteran who owns Slaphappy Hemporium in Rosebud, got into hemp farming and retail, he said, because his disabled veterans payments would be put in jeopardy if he was part of the federally illegal marijuana market. Grady and others are planning on protesting Missouri’s law on Veterans Day, November 11, because the federal ban has been delayed until December 11. Congress could end up passing regulations that are less restrictive than Missouri’s law that goes into effect on November 12. His business produces intoxicating hemp beverages, which will remain on the shelves until December 11 under Missouri’s law. “They’ve now taken all of our time and investment and everything away from us,” Grady said, “and we find that untenable. It’s not about safety because they’ve denied regulations for four years straight, and instead they pursued bans. It’s about market protection for campaign contributors.” Case dismissed The muddled definition of hemp and marijuana is at the center of the hemp industry’s lawsuit, filed in July in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri. The plaintiffs, led by the Missouri Hemp Trade Association, argued the state has created overlapping definitions, under which a product could be classified as legal “hemp” in one part of state law and illegal “marijuana” in another. It leaves businesses unsure what they can legally sell when the law goes into effect and argued the case over House Bill 2641 deserves to be heard in court. Judge M. Douglas Harpool disagreed in his order to dismiss the case Wednesday, concluding the new law has not yet taken effect and its application to the plaintiffs remains uncertain. The plaintiffs included St. Louis-based MNG 2005 Inc., which is the parent company for 55 CBD Kratom stores nationwide; the Missouri Hemp Trade Association; and a Wisconsin-based hemp business, Lifted Liquids Inc. “So much of that order was based on the fact that no enforcement had taken place,” said Craig Katz, government relations and compliance manager for MNG. “Based on that, we’ll have to see what happens on November 12, and what they do in terms of enforcement.” The plaintiffs are assessing their next steps, he said, and whether they want to appeal. One of the four lawsuits Hanaway announced Wednesday targets a CBD Kratom store in St. Louis County, accusing the business of violating Missouri’s consumer protection law by selling marijuana products labeled as hemp. On October 8, the attorney general’s investigators made undercover purchases of two “hemp flower” products from the CBD Kratom Cannabis Dispensary in Des Peres and sent them to a state-licensed lab for testing. The results showed both products exceeded the federal THC limit for hemp, according to the lawsuit. One package stated the delta-9 THC concentration was 0.28 percent on a dry weight basis, but lab results included in the lawsuit showed the concentration was 4 percent—or more than 10 times the legal maximum for hemp products. Katz said the timing of Hanaway’s lawsuit was “curious” because it came a week after the plaintiffs filed a motion for a preliminary injunction in the federal case on October 9. The other three stores Hanaway sued are Puffers Choice LLC in Aurora, Herb Depot in Independence and Token THC Dispensary in Rock Port. All four of the petitions begin with a bold statement: “The days of ‘hemp shops’ masquerading as legal marijuana dispensaries are over in Missouri.” Hanaway alleges the stores used “deceptive and unfair tactics” designed to make it difficult for consumers to tell whether they are walking into an unregulated hemp business or a state-licensed marijuana business. “These shops offer intoxicating products that look and smell like marijuana; they refer to those products as cannabis; and they set up their stores to mimic—and even call them—dispensaries,” the lawsuits state. “Just because these drug pushers have a storefront and an LLC does not mean that their activity is legal.” This story was first published by Missouri Independent. The post Missouri Attorney General Cracks Down On Unlicensed Cannabis Sales As Judge Dismisses Challenge To Hemp Restrictions appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

“We don’t want to waste the lawyers’ time with an argument if there’s a chance the new court will also want to hear argument.” By Zach Leggio, The Texas Tribune Days after voters ousted all three Republican justices on the 15th Court of Appeals in Tuesday’s election, the court canceled oral arguments for four cases, telling lawyers the case will be reset “at a later date.” The change will leave the cases—including a challenge to state rules limiting the sale of hemp-derived products containing THC—to three Democrats who will take office in early January. The THC regulations, originally set to take effect at the end of March, included child-resistant packaging, a significant increase in licensing fees, new labeling, testing and bookkeeping requirements. The Texas Department of State Health Services rules also codified the legal purchasing age to 21 and increased licensing fees for manufacturers of hemp-derived THC from $258 to $10,000 per facility and retail registrations from $155 to $5,000. Industry leaders said the fees amounted to a ban by forcing businesses to close. Smoke shops briefly pulled the products from shelves as the ban went into effect before a Travis County district judge on April 10 temporarily blocked the rules as a lawsuit by the hemp industry played out in court. The 15th Court of Appeals, which has statewide jurisdiction over challenges to state laws and regulations, was set to hear oral arguments in the case December 8. The cancellation will let current justices deliver opinions on already argued cases, Justice Scott Field told Bloomberg Law. “We know we can’t get the opinion out for cases orally argued before the end of the year so we don’t want to waste the lawyers’ time with an argument if there’s a chance the new court will also want to hear argument,” Field said. There are 39 cases before the outgoing justices that have already presented oral or written arguments and are awaiting opinions. Oral arguments set for December 8 and 9 also were canceled in: The State of Texas vs. Sunrise Community Church Inc., a legal battle around a homeless shelter in South Austin. The attorney general’s office argued the shelter’s proximity to an elementary school makes it a public nuisance. Comptroller Don Huffines and Attorney General Ken Paxton vs. City of Lancaster, a dispute over about $3 million in sales taxes. Huffines and Paxton vs. Dave & Buster’s, which sued to recover $2.58 million that the company believed qualified for tax exemptions. This article first appeared on The Texas Tribune. Photo elements courtesy of rawpixel and Philip Steffan. The post Texas Court Cancels Arguments In Case Challenging Hemp Rules After Democratic Justices Win Election appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

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The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is reiterating that it doesn’t believe a recently published federal watchdog agency report that found “gaps” in the government’s process for evaluating controlled substances undermines the Trump administration’s proposal to reschedule marijuana. But anti-rescheduling parties that are participating in a hearing on the reform say that procedural shortcomings have irreparably tainted the scientific review that the proposed reclassification is based on. Both sides on Thursday filed what are expected to be the final briefs in the process on before the agency judge overseeing the hearing issues his recommendation on the proposal to the agency’s administrator. Last month, DEA Chief Administrative Law Judge Derek Julius rejected cannabis rescheduling opponents’ request to reopen the proceedings for additional testimony and document discovery concerning the Government Accountability Office (GAO) report. However, he did allow the report itself to be entered into the record and invited participating parties to file “narrowly tailored” briefs on how much “weight” it should have in the hearing and to what extent it affects marijuana rescheduling. Parties’ initial briefs were filed last week, and they had an opportunity to reply to one another’s submissions by Thursday. DEA’s latest filing reiterates that it believes the judge should give “no weight” to the GAO report in preparing his cannabis rescheduling recommendation—saying that opponents’ arguments “are not supported by the record or law” cited in their own briefs. The agency said that anti-rescheduling parties’ filings have largely repeated claims they already made during the hearing, underscoring what DEA says is the lack of new value brought to the proceedings by the GAO report. “Instead of addressing the probative value of the Report, the Movants are using this process to reargue matters that were debated at the hearing and which this Report provides no new information,” DEA said. “[T]his Report is simply not probative on issues known to the parties prior to the Report’s publication.” The watchdog agency report found, among other things that DEA “does not have any policies or procedures regarding how its staff are to conduct evaluations or schedule substances” and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) “does not have policies or procedures specifying how its staff are to conduct evaluations or develop scheduling recommendations for substances.” DEA said in its new brief that if it is the case that the GAO report’s findings undermine the current recommendation to move marijuana to Schedule III then they should also raise questions about whether a prior 2016 review that left marijuana in Schedule I was “appropriately performed,” as anti-cannabis parties have claimed. “Movants argue that the prior 2016 rescheduling process was appropriately performed, yet the presence or absence of internal written protocols would have impacted marijuana’s prior 2016 rescheduling review as well as the instant rescheduling. Movants cannot have it both ways. There is no indication that the agencies used a different set of internal written guidelines in 2016 than were used in 2023… Thus, the Government’s internal written guidelines for the rescheduling reviews appeared consistent between 2016 to 2023. Thus, Movants’ preference for the 2016 marijuana rescheduling recommendation over the current recommendation is based on an outcome more favorable to their position, not the presence (or absence) of internal written guidelines.” Finally, DEA said anti-reform parties’ argument in recent briefs “fails to consider the voluminous scientific and medical information collected, presented, and examined at the hearing.” Meanwhile, a joint brief filed on Thursday by the National Drug & Alcohol Screening Association (NDASA), DUID Victim Voices and Kenneth Finn—anti-rescheduling parties that initiated the question of inserting the GAO report into the hearing record—argues that the document “provides evidence that the Government’s process was flawed, and cannot carry the burden of proof necessary to warrant rescheduling marijuana to Schedule III.” “Critical and decisive process gaps that affected critical and decisive decision-making—left entirely unexplained—render the Government unable to prove marijuana should be rescheduled,” the anti-reform parties’ brief says. “It follows that before the Government can prove its conclusion, it must first show that the test it applied was justified and appropriate. Ordinarily, that showing is made by pointing to an established procedure adopted in advance so it cannot be shaped to reach a desired result. Procedures developed by a body with the relevant expertise, through a deliberative and open process. Procedures published so anyone can apply them and check the work. Procedures applied consistently across cases, so like matters are treated alike. Here, as noted in the GAO Report, no procedures were adopted in advance; many were devised inside a black box, amid political pressure, and in an ad hoc way specifically for this proceeding; and they departed in critical ways from past rescheduling analyses.” The anti-rescheduling parties acknowledged that “nothing indicates that DEA and FDA used a different set of internal written guidelines in the prior marijuana rescheduling attempts.” “Those prior rulemakings are not at issue, but the sudden change in recommendation still requires explanation,” the brief said. “A deficient process that produces opposite scheduling recommendations demonstrates the fatal flaw GAO identified: without written procedures, the route to this rescheduling proposal is not reproducible, reviewable, or sufficient to carry the Government’s burden of proof.” As they have previously, the opponents argued that a new two-part test federal officials used to analyze cannabis’s accepted medical use improperly departs from a former five-part test. “The Government has never produced any policy, procedure, or underlying basis for its arbitrary, capricious, unexplained, unreasoned, and outcome-determinative two-part test decree. If such procedures or bases existed, the Government could have resolved this issue simply by producing them. It did not, because, as GAO found, they do not exist. What remains is the determinative methodological choice on which the entire decision to reschedule marijuana rested—the selection of the two-part test—and no one knows who ultimately made the choice or why. If the one all-important decision determining this process is unknowable, unquestionable, and unreviewable, what has been the purpose of this exercise? The Government’s hand-waving on this point is telling.” In 2024, the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) said the prior five-part test was “impermissibly narrow” and said the two-part review “is sufficient to establish” that a drug has a currently accepted medical use. Julius, the judge overseeing the proceedings, said last month that some of the information cannabis rescheduling opponents wanted new testimony and discovery about under their broader request to reopen the hearing is “immaterial for the narrow purpose of this hearing” and others “could have been explored” by hearing participants during earlier questioning of witnesses—but he did allow the new round of briefing about the GAO report. DEA said in a previously filed brief that opponents’ request to reopen the hearing was an “obvious fishing expedition based on a Report that is clear on its face.” The agency said in another brief that it was fine with including the GAO document in the hearing record, as opponents have pushed for, but it did not want any further briefings on the matter. Attorney General Todd Blanche in April issued an order that immediately reclassified state-licensed medical cannabis, as well as marijuana products approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) from Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) to Schedule III. Under a separate order he signed, the DEA hearing was held in June and July to consider more comprehensively moving marijuana to Schedule III. “The Government is not putting forth any evidence to suggest that marijuana is not dangerous. All controlled substances by definition are dangerous,” James Schwartz, a DEA attorney, said on the opening day of the hearing, according to the transcript. “That is why they are scheduled in the first place. However, controlled substances must be evaluated by the risks they pose balanced with the medical use they provide.” “The proposed rule, the supporting documents, and the Government witnesses will establish that marijuana has a currently accepted medical use,” he said. “With that determination, marijuana can no longer remain in Schedule I.” Meanwhile, DEA and parties that participated in the marijuana rescheduling hearing laid out their arguments in final briefs. The federal agency, which was charged with defending the proposed rescheduling move, said in its brief that “marijuana no longer fits the statutory requirements for Schedule I because it has a currently accepted medical use within the United States and it has an accepted safety for its use under medical supervision.” The agency noted that under the law it must give “significant deference” to an “extensive ten-month study on the scientific and medical properties” of cannabis conducted by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which recommended rescheduling. “Currently there are over 30,000 practitioners treating more than six million patients in 43 U.S. jurisdictions,” DEA said. “Such practices demonstrate that there is no longer a lack of accepted safety for use of marijuana under medical supervision, and as such, marijuana does not fulfill the requirements of being a Schedule I substance.” It also said that there is “substantial evidence sufficient to show that marijuana’s abuse and dependency profiles better align with Schedule III substances than Schedule II” or Schedule I. “The vast majority of individuals who use marijuana do so in a manner that does not result in dangers to themselves or to their communities.” In conclusion, DEA asked the judge overseeing the hearing to “expeditiously recommend” that marijuana be transferred from Schedule I to Schedule III. During the hearing, DEA officials charged with defending the cannabis rescheduling proposal highlighted testimony on marijuana’s medical benefits and its relative safety compared to other substances such as alcohol and opioids. That included appearances from a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) scientist and a medical doctor from New Hampshire who detailed how medical marijuana provides relief to pain patients and can serve as an alternative to opioids. Meanwhile, lawyers and witnesses for parties who are oppose marijuana rescheduling and participated in the hearing put significant focus on the alleged harms of cannabis use as well as criticism of recently adopted changes to an analysis used to determine whether drugs have accepted medical value. DEA invited only organizations and people who oppose marijuana reform to join the hearing as designated participants—telling supporters that they do not meet the definition of an “interested person” to participate because they are not “adversely affected or aggrieved by any rule or proposed rule issuable.” Ahead of the hearing’s start, marijuana reform activists held a press conference outside DEA headquarters to highlight how they feel the have been “shut out” of the process—criticizing the fact that no supporters of reform were invited to participate and that the proceedings were not livestreamed despite officials’ vows of “transparency.” Marijuana Moment sent requests to Julius, the DEA judge, and to Cole, the DEA administrator, requesting they reverse a decision to prohibit the public from tuning into the cannabis hearing via livestream. A congressman and other journalists later joined in that request. — Marijuana Moment’s journalism is made possible by readers like you who value this work enough to support us with monthly pledges on Patreon. If you rely on our reporting to stay informed about key cannabis developments, please help us keep doing this by becoming a sustaining subscriber today. Backing us at the $25/month level also gets you access to our Bill Tracker so you won’t miss any important marijuana legislation in your state. — A prior hearing process on the marijuana rescheduling process that was initiated by the Biden administration stalled last year amid litigation over alleged improper communications and witness selection. The current marijuana rescheduling process is being challenged with several lawsuits that have been consolidated by a federal appeals court. Those pieces of litigation against the cannabis reform have been filed by state attorneys general, marijuana legalization opponents and a cannabis-focused biopharmaceutical corporation. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit recently rejected a drug testing industry association and a pharmaceutical company’s request to block the Trump administration from moving forward with cannabis rescheduling while the litigation is considered. The parties have jointly filed a proposed briefing schedule for the legal dispute. A congressional committee recently voted to block federal officials from taking further steps to carry out cannabis rescheduling, though bipartisan lawmakers told Marijuana Moment they don’t believe that provision will be enacted into law. Read the latest briefs in marijuana rescheduling hearing below: The post DEA And Marijuana Rescheduling Opponents File Final Briefs In Hearing Ahead Of Judge’s Decision appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

The Trump administration “failed to engage” in consultation with American Indian tribes as is required under federal law when crafting its plan to reschedule marijuana, according to the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI). As such, the group wants the policy rewritten or supplemented with a new one to ensure that tribally regulated cannabis is covered under the reform. NCAI “demands the DOJ immediately initiate Tribal consultation with Tribes engaged in the cannabis industry to gain insight into the [Controlled Substances Act (CSA)] scheduling of cannabis and cannabis products, and how actions the DOJ takes impact Tribes,” a resolution adopted by the group’s members at its annual convention last month says. While the final order on marijuana rescheduling that was signed by Attorney General Todd Blanche in April immediately moved marijuana products regulated by a state medical cannabis license from Schedule I of the CSA to Schedule III, it “does not specifically mention Tribes or Tribally regulated medical cannabis programs and by its limited terms may not cover Tribal cannabis products, despite the wide-ranging medical cannabis products subject to Tribal licensure,” the resolution, which was previously noted by Vicente LLP, says. The tribal cannabis industry has “grown every year as more Tribes exercise their inherent sovereign authority to regulate cannabis and cannabis products,” the measure adopted by NCAI, which is the oldest and largest national organization of American Indian and Alaska Native tribal governments, says. A map created last year by the Indigenous Cannabis Industry Association (ICIA) in collaboration with the law firm Vicente LLP that more than a fourth of Indigenous communities in the continental U.S. are now involved with marijuana or hemp programs. An estimate published last month by HedgeRow Analysis projected that Native American tribes that participate in the legal marijuana market stand to generate more than $2 billion in new revenue every year. Despite growing tribal involvement in the cannabis industry, the NCAI resolution notes that the Trump administration’s Department of Justice “failed to engage in Tribal consultation” as is required by a Clinton-era executive order and claimed that it did not do so because, it claimed, marijuana rescheduling “does not have substantial effects on one or more Indian tribes, despite the scores of Tribes that engaged with the DOJ during the contemplation of the Final Order and that have exercised their sovereignty by regulating and licensing cannabis and cannabis products within their jurisdiction.” The group is calling on DOJ to either amend the existing rescheduling order to include tribally-licensed cannabis products or issue a separate new rule “specifically rescheduling Tribally licensed cannabis and cannabis products from schedule I to schedule III.” “NCAI calls on the DOJ to specifically include Tribes in any further administrative action it contemplates regarding cannabis and cannabis products, regardless of whether it involves the CSA or rescheduling, due to the number of Tribes that are actively engaged in the cannabis industry through the exercise of their inherent sovereign authority,” the resolution says. The post Trump Administration Should Rewrite Marijuana Rescheduling Rule To Include Tribes, American Indian Group Says appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

“For too long, cannabis businesses, advocates, veterans, patients and policymakers have operated in separate corners of the same fight. We have allowed disagreements over business models, regulations, personalities and competing interests to divide us.” By Gretchen Gailey, Project Champion Massachusetts voters sent an unmistakable message on Election Day: they are not interested in going backward. By an overwhelming margin of 75 percent to 25 percent, voters rejected Question 8, defeating an effort to dismantle the state’s regulated adult-use cannabis market. To the voters who took the time to learn about the issue, show up at the polls and make their voices heard: thank you. Your vote was about more than preserving a legal marketplace. It was a statement about consumer choice, personal freedom, responsible regulation and the right of communities to benefit from the policies they helped put in place. Ten years after Massachusetts voters approved adult-use legalization, they were asked whether they wanted to undo that decision. They answered decisively. On behalf of Project Champion, I want to recognize Ryan Dominguez and the entire Stop the Repeal campaign for bringing us into this fight. Ryan reached out, and we were proud to answer the call by bringing former NFL running back Ricky Williams to Massachusetts to stand alongside the campaign and help get the word out. Project Champion didn’t have a direct business interest in Massachusetts. We weren’t protecting a dispensary, a cultivation facility or a particular state’s market. But we understood something fundamental: an attack on one part of this industry is an attack on all of us. That is why we showed up. Ricky Williams understood the importance of this fight, too. His own journey has helped change the conversation around cannabis, health and wellness, and the need to move beyond outdated stigma. He used his platform to speak directly to voters about what was at stake—not just for business owners, but for consumers, patients, employees and communities. Our work also took us to Haverhill, where Ricky helped bring attention to local Question 10. That effort, led by local advocates and business owners including Stem Dispensary owner, Caroline Pineau, was about giving communities and consumers another option: a safe, regulated place to responsibly consume cannabis. Haverhill voters narrowly approved the measure, advancing the kind of local control and consumer access that the original intent of Massachusetts’s legalization law envisioned. These victories matter. But perhaps the most important lesson isn’t simply that Question 8 lost. It’s how we got here. When this industry comes together, we can make a difference. For too long, cannabis businesses, advocates, veterans, patients and policymakers have operated in separate corners of the same fight. We have allowed disagreements over business models, regulations, personalities and competing interests to divide us. Meanwhile, those who want to roll back progress have had no problem organizing around a common objective. We should also be clear-eyed about who we are up against. Organizations like Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) are not going away. They are well-funded, well-organized and singularly focused on one objective: ending cannabis legalization and rolling back the progress states have made. They have a clear, consistent message and the resources to pursue it relentlessly. We, on the other hand, represent an industry and a movement with a thousand different perspectives, competing business interests, philosophies and priorities. That diversity is not inherently a weakness; in many ways, it is what makes this movement so broad and powerful. But when we allow those differences to keep us from finding common ground, we make our opponents’ jobs much easier. They don’t need us to agree on everything. They just need us to remain divided. Massachusetts showed what happens when we stop operating in silos. National voices joined local businesses. Athletes stood alongside entrepreneurs. Advocates worked with community leaders. People who might not otherwise have found themselves on the same side of a political fight recognized that the stakes were bigger than any one company or individual. That is the model we need to take nationally. And we need it now. There is a dangerous temptation to look at the progress surrounding federal rescheduling and assume the hardest work is behind us. It isn’t. The recent federal move to issue Schedule III registrations to hundreds of qualifying medical dispensaries is significant, but it also raises serious questions about how this process is being administered, who gets access to its benefits and what happens to the thousands of businesses and workers who remain outside that framework. A limited federal pathway for certain medical cannabis activities is not comprehensive reform. It is not descheduling. It does not resolve the uncertainty facing the broader state-legal industry, and it does not provide the certainty that businesses, employees, patients and consumers need. We should be asking hard questions about transparency, fairness and access. Federal policy cannot create a system in which a select group of businesses benefit while the rest of an industry that helped build this market is left waiting for answers. Nor should anyone assume that the so-called blue wave in Congress guarantees a friendlier environment for cannabis reform. We have been here before. When Democrats controlled both chambers of Congress, the industry still failed to secure meaningful federal legislative progress on priorities such as the SAFE Banking Act and comprehensive cannabis reform. Political alignment is not a substitute for political accountability. We cannot afford to confuse campaign promises or party labels with action. The reality is simple: lawmakers respond when their constituents, businesses and communities show up. They respond when they hear from organized, credible coalitions that represent more than one company’s balance sheet or one narrow segment of the market. That means we cannot become complacent after a victory in Massachusetts. We cannot assume someone else will do the lobbying, make the calls, educate lawmakers or defend the policies that allow this industry to operate. And we cannot afford to show up only when our own businesses are threatened. That is exactly why organizations like Project Champion matter. Our mission is to advocate for the broader industry and the people whose lives are affected by these policies—not just select businesses or special interests. We bring together patients, entrepreneurs, advocates and policymakers around common ground: responsible access, individual freedom, fair regulation and an end to the outdated policies that have held this issue back for decades. Massachusetts reminded us of what is possible when we stand together. It also reminded us of what is at stake when we don’t. To Ryan Dominguez, the Stop the Repeal campaign, Caroline Pineau, the Primitiv Group, Shawn Collins, the local businesses and advocates who did the hard work, and especially the voters of Massachusetts: thank you for showing the country what collective action looks like. Now let’s build on it. The fight isn’t over. In many ways, the next chapter is just beginning. And the only way we win it is together. Gretchen Gailey is the president of Project Champion, a collective of former professional athletes advocating for sensible cannabis and hemp reform. She is a veteran communications strategist and former journalist with over 20 years of media and political experience, now leading national cannabis campaigns and policy efforts. The post The Cannabis Industry Came Together To Stop A Rollback In Massachusetts, But We Must Remain United For The Next Fight (Op-Ed) appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

Kentucky’s lieutenant governor announced on Thursday that the state’s medical marijuana program has hit “another milestone” by surpassing more than 30,000 registered cardholders—adding that regulators are now “more than halfway finished in our buildout of approved businesses.” “Those are 30,000 Kentuckians with access to safe relief and that is close to home,” Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman (D) said. “These are our neighbors that are suffering from conditions like cancer, PTSD and multiple sclerosis.” “Our administration worked hard to bring medical cannabis to Kentucky, and our hard work paid off,” she said, noting that there are now more than 500 medical practitioners who are approved to recommend marijuana to patients. “So we expect the number of cardholders to keep growing,” the lieutenant governor said. “We’ve been moving forward on every step of the process, and we’ve continued to make progress to ensure that those eligible have access.” Coleman said that with the opening of a new dispensary in Maysville, the state now has 27 operational medical cannabis retailers. “Each new dispensary gives more Kentuckians an option closer to home, making it easier for patients to access the care that they need,” she said. “We now have 47 of 80 approved businesses up and operating, and we will have more opening soon.” Gov. Andy Beshear (D) similarly said last month that the state is “over halfway finished with building out” the medical marijuana program. Earlier in October, Beshear separately celebrated the fact that medical marijuana dispensaries are now open across all 11 licensing regions of the state following the opening of a retailer in Floyd County. The governor said in August that the state’s efforts to get medical cannabis dispensaries open was approaching the “halfway mark” to becoming “fully operational.” He also recently said that hemp is “important” to Kentucky, urging voters not to reelect any members of Congress who are seeking to ban it. Beshear signed an executive order in June to broaden the list of health conditions that make patients eligible to legally obtain medical cannabis. But days later, House Majority Whip Jason Nemes (R) asked Attorney General Russell Coleman (R) to ensure that state agencies “not cooperate” with the governor’s marijuana directive, which he called “unlawful.” “Any organization, any licensee, that participates in this unlawful expansion should be prosecuted,” Nemes said during a legislative committee hearing. “This is not the way forward.” The governor pushed back, however, saying that the GOP lawmaker exhibited a “complete lack of humanity.” “It’s helping a lot of people, and I was really surprised to see an attack from one lawmaker who called on the attorney general to prosecute people dying of a terminal illness for securing medical cannabis,” Beshear said. “I mean, that’s a complete lack of humanity. It is really low. I mean, an individual with ALS, you want to prosecute? That is certainly not leadership, and even for that individual, is a new record low.” After the legislature declined to take him up on a suggestion to expand the qualifying condition list this session, the governor used his authority to make it so patients with 15 additional health disorders—including Parkinson’s disease, HIV/AIDS, sickle cell anemia, fibromyalgia, arthritis and glaucoma—can also be certified for medical marijuana access. Beshear also rescinded an earlier executive order he issued in 2022 through which he offered to provide pardons for any patients who got into trouble for possessing medical cannabis that they purchased at a legal dispensary in a neighboring state. The more recent executive order on qualifying conditions is a follow up to a medical marijuana legalization law Beshear signed in 2023. The state’s first medical cannabis dispensary opened in December of last year. The governor in February announced that cannabis gummies are available for purchase in the state’s licensed dispensaries. Beshear in January said he’s “not satisfied” with the time it’s taken to launch the state’s medical marijuana program—but that he anticipates the pace of patient access would “pick up significantly” in 2026. In recognition of the delayed implementation, he signed an executive order to waive renewal fees for patients who get their cards so that they don’t get charged again before retailers open. Beshear separately announced last year that the state had launched a new online directory that lets people see where medical cannabis dispensaries will be opening near them. He emphasized that the state has been working to deliver access to patients “at the earliest possible date,” and that involved expediting the licensing process. Last year, the governor also ceremonially awarded the commonwealth’s first medical marijuana cards. During the November 2024 election, Kentucky also saw more than 100 cities and counties approve local ordinances to allow medical cannabis businesses in their jurisdictions. The governor said the election results demonstrate that “the jury is no longer out” on the issue that is clearly supported by voters across partisan and geographical lines. Meanwhile, legislature’s Interim Joint Committee on Health Services held a hearing in July on a proposal to allow terminally ill patients to use medical marijuana in hospitals. Photo courtesy of Philip Steffan. The post Kentucky’s Medical Marijuana Program Hits New ‘Milestone’ With 30,000+ Cardholders, Lieutenant Governor Announces appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

The Massachusetts Senate has passed a bill containing provisions aimed at increasing military veterans’ access to medical marijuana and adding new qualifying conditions to the state’s medical cannabis program is advancing in the legislature. The Senate approved an amend version of the House-passed measure on Thursday by a vote of 35 to 4, sending the legislation back to its originating chamber for reconciliation on recent changes. The large-scale supplemental budget bill touches on a number of issues, including one section that would potentially allow veterans to receive a state medical cannabis card without having to get a recommendation from a doctor. The initial version of the legislation was filed by Gov. Maura Healey (D), though some provisions of her initial proposal were amended or removed by the House of Representatives last month and were further changed by the Senate. If the two chambers agree on a final version it would then go back to the governor’s desk to be signed into law. Because the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) continues to prohibit its providers from filling out medical marijuana recommendation forms, many of their veteran patients are forced to either seek outside, often expensive physician consultations or go without legal access to medical cannabis. But under the legislation that is now advancing, veterans in Massachusetts would be able to become registered medical marijuana patients by providing state officials with “official documentation from the Veterans Administration indicating a diagnosis of a debilitating medical condition; provided, however, that the [Cannabis Control Commission (CCC)] shall not require a written or electronic certification from a healthcare professional.” In other words, VA doctors wouldn’t have to specifically recommend medical cannabis in order to help their patients get legal access and could instead just diagnose them with a qualifying condition under the state’s law. That latter clause of the provision in its current form is a change from Healey’s initial proposal, which had more simply read that veterans under statute could use VA diagnosis documentation to get medical marijuana “without the need for a written or electronic certification from a healthcare professional”—without any reference to CCC. The bill as approved by the House and the Senate also adds post-traumatic stress disorder, opioid use disorder and “a medical condition that produces chronic pain” to the definition of a “debilitating medical condition” that could qualify patents for medical cannabis. The version that was filed by the governor did not include opioid use disorder. While veterans and other adults over the age of 21 are already able to buy recreational marijuana in Massachusetts, medical cannabis purchases are exempt from sales, excise and municipal taxes that apply in the adult-use market. Medical patients also have higher purchase limits than adult-use consumers, and have access to higher potency products than are allowed in the recreational market. — Marijuana Moment is tracking hundreds of cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters pledging at least $25/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don’t miss any developments. Learn more about our marijuana bill tracker and become a supporter on Patreon to get access. — Massachusetts voters this week rejected a ballot initiative that would have rolled back the state’s marijuana legalization law. In April, Healey signed legislation to double the legal marijuana possession limit for adults and revise the regulatory framework for the state’s adult-use cannabis market. In 2024, the governor approved a military veterans-focused bill that includes provisions to create a psychedelics working group to study and make recommendations about the potential therapeutic benefits of substances like psilocybin and MDMA. The post Massachusetts Senate Passes Bill To Let Military Veterans Get Medical Marijuana Without A Doctor’s Recommendation appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

WI lawmakers talk marijuana legalization; MD first responder medical cannabis protections; Election results & marijuana op-ed Subscribe to receive Marijuana Moment’s newsletter in your inbox every weekday morning. It’s the best way to make sure you know which cannabis stories are shaping the day. Get our daily newsletter. Email address: Leave this field empty if you're human: Your support makes Marijuana Moment possible… Hold on, just one second before you read today’s news. Have you thought about giving some financial support to Marijuana Moment? If so, today would be a great day to contribute. We’re planning our reporting for the coming months and it would really help to know what kind of support we can count on. Check us out on Patreon and sign up to give $25/month today: https://www.patreon.com/marijuanamoment / TOP THINGS TO KNOW Congressional Cannabis Caucus Co-chair Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV) and longtime GOP operative Roger Stone both spoke to Marijuana Moment about the opportunity for bipartisan cooperation on federal legalization and other reforms following the midterm elections. “Let’s see if they now will decriminalize marijuana at a minimum and deschedule at a maximum. I would urge President Trump to sign such legislation.” Wisconsin’s expected incoming Assembly speaker and Senate Democratic Caucus chair both said the state will legalize marijuana under the legislature’s new Democratic majority. “We know that legalization of marijuana is very popular in the state of Wisconsin, and we intend to listen to the voters of Wisconsin.” Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D), Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton (D) and U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) published a congressional agenda calling for the federal recriminalization of hemp THC products to take effect without additional delay and telling lawmakers to “not further regulate or legalize intoxicating hemp.” “Continued sales also undercut Illinois’ licensed cannabis businesses and the social equity businesses at the core of its cannabis industry.” The Maryland Cannabis Administration is establishing a process allowing firefighters and paramedics who work in the state but live out-of-state to qualify for protections under a new law that shields first responders from being penalized over their lawful use of medical marijuana. LeafLink’s Rodney Holcombe argues in a new Marijuana Moment op-ed that while this week’s election “didn’t legalize cannabis in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Texas, North Carolina or Georgia,” it “changed the political conditions under which those decisions will be made.” “It’s an opportunity we can’t let slip by. We must redouble our efforts to end prohibition, protect existing markets and build new markets that deliver public health, safety and economic benefits to their communities… Changes in Washington may have also created opportunities to renew federal reform, including potential bipartisan action between the incoming Congress and the White House.” Texas’s election results—which saw Democrats win races for governor and lieutenant governor, as well as a majority in the House of Representatives—boost the chances for marijuana and hemp THC product reform in the state, advocates say. / FEDERAL Former Drug Enforcement Administration Administrator Asa Hutchinson authored an op-ed urging Congress not to further delay the federal recriminalization of hemp THC products. / STATES Missouri’s attorney general filed lawsuits against retailers for allegedly selling illegal marijuana products as legal hemp and falsely marketing themselves as licensed dispensaries. Washington State regulators filed proposed changes to rules on marijuana business financial interest agreements and cannabis producer associations and cooperatives. New York regulators began accepting applications for cannabis nursery business licenses. Minnesota regulators are accepting hemp business license applications. New Jersey regulators sent cannabis-related updates for local officials. The Iowa Medical Cannabidiol Board will meet on Friday. — Marijuana Moment is tracking hundreds of cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters pledging at least $25/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don’t miss any developments. Learn more about our marijuana bill tracker and become a supporter on Patreon to get access. — / LOCAL Voters in Colorado municipalities decided on marijuana tax ballot measures. Niles Township, Michigan voters rejected a ballot measure that would have allowed marijuana businesses to operate. / INTERNATIONAL The Court of Justice of the European Union ruled that CBD-based food products cannot be certified as organic. / SCIENCE & HEALTH A review concluded that “cannabinoids may reduce pain and improve sleep quality in some rheumatic diseases.” A study suggested that “a neutral cannabinoid-rich C. sativa extract can mitigate [ultraviolet B]-induced oxidative stress.” / ADVOCACY, OPINION & ANALYSIS The American Psychological Association is considering a petition to create a new Division of Psychedelic Science and Practice. / BUSINESS Green Thumb Industries Inc. reported quarterly net revenue of $324.4 million and a net loss of $4.8 million. Trulieve Cannabis Corp. reported quarterly revenue of $230.2 million. Aurora Cannabis Inc. reported quarterly net revenue of C$86 million and a net loss of C$21.1 million. Make sure to subscribe to get Marijuana Moment’s daily dispatch in your inbox. Get our daily newsletter. Email address: Leave this field empty if you're human: The post Bipartisan cooperation could boost federal cannabis reform (Newsletter: November 6, 2026) appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

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“THC was one of the many things that helped people make up their minds that Republicans in the state don’t care about them.” By Stephen Simpson, The Texas Tribune Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R) has led a crusade against THC products over the past few years, eventually leading to state officials banning several hemp-derived cannabis products, including popular items like smokeable vapes and joints. “I’m not going to legalize marijuana in Texas. And if people want to vote me out of office for that, so be it,” Patrick said at a news conference last year. On Election Day, Texans did just that. “This is the biggest [mess]-around-and-find-out moment I have ever seen in politics,” said Lukas Gilkey, chief executive of Hometown Hero, a manufacturer of hemp-derived products. Vikki Goodwin, the Austin state representative, unseated Patrick—a close ally of Trump—by focusing her campaign on his biggest vulnerabilities: his incumbency and a widely unpopular push to ban hemp-derived THC products. A big part of her campaign centered around undoing restrictions on hemp-derived THC products and using revenue from the sales tax to pay for health insurance programs for low-income Texans. Implementing that plan, however, will prove to be more difficult. While Goodwin’s stance on THC certainly helps the industry, it’s not an immediate fix, said Shayda Torabi, co-founder of RESTART CBD in Austin. “Right now, smokable products have gone back and forth through agency rules and court orders, and businesses and customers can’t plan around that,” she said. “Lawmakers can write clear rules: age limits, testing, labeling and real enforcement against bad actors.” Torabi warned Texans that even if the state lifts its smokeable ban, THCA flower, the raw, unheated version of THC, fails the new federal total THC test starting December 11. She said smokeable products in Texas will need a federal walk back or a state-legal market that the lawmakers and agencies build. “Don’t assume the election fixed this,” she said. “Texans could go a while without access to some products.” Few policy proposals had earned Patrick more backlash than his push to ban hemp-derived THC products in 2025, even drawing criticism from far-right personalities who have long adored him. “I truly believe THC access was on the ballot in Texas. Each of the major campaigns, including Talarico, Hinojosa and Goodwin, made hemp a key issue in their campaign,” said JD McCormick, founder of American Healthy Alternatives Association, based out of Florida. “Patrick clearly underestimated how popular hemp was.” The push, which the Legislature ultimately passed before the governor vetoed it, reflected the lieutenant governor’s power in the chamber and Senate districts. “I think THC did play a role,” said Texas Majority PAC Executive Director Katherine Fischer during a press conference on the key takeaways from the 2026 midterms. “I think THC was one of the many things that helped people make up their minds that Republicans in the state don’t care about them and that they should vote in a different way than they have been voting.” THC, along with a long era of incumbents and other issues, are all part of the Democratic sweep witnessed on Election Day, said Erik Peterson, an associate professor of political science at Rice University “When you are in the party in charge for a long period of time, you accumulate these issues over time,” Peterson said. “Whether it was school vouchers or THC, many of these things are probably not going to be decisive on their own, but when they intersect in a very unfavorable national political environment, that is when you see the kind of surprising and unprecedented shifts that we saw in a lot of places across Texas last night.” Now, hemp advocates, farmers, industry leaders and voters are waiting to see what the future might hold for THC products in Texas. “I think Vikki is going to represent constituents the way that it should have been done, and we’re going to start working to repeal all of this nonsense immediately,” Gilkey said. Katharine Neill Harris, a drug policy fellow at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, said Goodwin’s win creates an opportunity for lawmakers to consider how to regulate hemp responsibly, but she can’t do it on her own. “She will need support from the Legislature and there are still folks in the Senate who want to see hemp banned, though Hinojosa’s win in the governor race could block those attempts,” she said. “If Goodwin is afforded the power Patrick had over the Senate, she could block ban efforts, but the Senate Republicans may try to take that power away.” Earlier this year, the Texas Department of State Health Services released regulations on consumable hemp-derived THC products that went into effect on March 31. These new regulations include child-resistant packaging, a significant increase in licensing fees, new labeling, testing, and bookkeeping requirements. The rules also codify the legal purchasing age to 21, which went into effect last year as an emergency directive. Hemp retailers warned lawmakers that the regulations that decrease the amount of total THC in products they sell to 0.3 percent will eliminate popular smokeable hemp products, such as rolled joints and smokeable flower buds, which make up more than 50 percent of some stores’ inventories. Yet the rules still went into place. The rules also increased licensing fees for manufacturers of hemp-derived THC from $258 to $10,000 per facility and retail registrations from $155 to $5,000, which industry leaders say will fulfill the ban by forcing businesses to close. Several hemp organizations filed lawsuits against the new rules that banned THC products, which are still playing out in court. “There is no reason that [hemp] flower shouldn’t be legal. There is no reason that vapes shouldn’t be legal,” said Gilkey. Hemp retailers now expect some of these lawsuits to face a more favorable environment now that voters replaced many of the judges who initially ruled against it. “Nothing has to change drastically. We had something that worked for seven years. We had something that thrived and generated $300 million a year in state tax revenue,” Gilkey said. “The regulations already exist; we have rules we have to abide by. There is not a lot that needs to be changed, other than removing some of the garbage that was created by Dan Patrick through the rulemaking process.” Harris said legislation on THC products is preferable to piecemeal rulemaking because it’s less vulnerable to litigation and provides an opportunity to develop a comprehensive regulatory strategy. “I don’t see any indication that DSHS would voluntarily change its rules at this time, though there is currently litigation over the THCA rule and it’s possible that the makeup for the deciding court is going to change,” she said. When the Legislature convenes January 12, a new question will be before them—whether hemp-derived THC is legal under Texas law, including a regulated market for hemp or even cannabis similar to the way legal marijuana has been done. If lawmakers decide to legalize THC products, they won’t be sold outside of the state, similar to how cannabis is treated in legal weed states, but the products will be able to safely return to the shelves. “Of course, Texas could also consider creating a more comprehensive legal cannabis market, as 24 other states have done, and allow smokable cannabis through that channel,” Harris said. Disclosure: Rice University has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune within the past five years. The Texas Tribune is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in our journalism. Find a complete list of them and more information about our financial and disclosure policies here. This article first appeared on The Texas Tribune. The post Texas Election Results Boost Efforts For Legal Marijuana And Hemp Access, Advocates Say appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

The governor and lieutenant governor of Illinois, along with a U.S. senator that represents the state, released a policy agenda this week that calls on Congress to allow the planned federal recriminalization of hemp THC products to take effect without further delay. Gov. JB Pritzker (D), Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton (D) and Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) on Wednesday published “Fighting for Illinois: Day One Agenda,” a document that contains roughly 200 policy proposals for Congress following this week’s midterm elections that gave Democrats a majority in both chambers. One proposal of interest for the cannabis industry is to “let the federal ban on intoxicating hemp take effect.” “Children can buy unlicensed, untested intoxicating hemp products at gas stations, corner stores, and smoke shops; children and adults in Illinois have overdosed or been sent to the ER,” the document says. “Continued sales also undercut Illinois’ licensed cannabis businesses and the social equity businesses at the core of its cannabis industry.” Hemp derivatives with less than 0.3 percent delta-9 THC on a dry-weight basis were federally legalized under the 2018 Farm Bill that President Donald Trump signed during his first term in office. But late last year, the president signed new legislation containing provisions that redefined hemp to make it so only products with 0.4 milligrams of total THC per container would remain legal after November 12. Now, however, under provisions included in a funding bill Trump signed in September, the effective date of the ban for most products is being pushed back to December 11 to give lawmakers more time to craft regulations for hemp derivatives. There is a carve-out, however, to allow the recriminalization on November 12 of synthetic cannabinoids “that are not capable of being naturally produced by a Cannabis sativa L. plant.” In Illinois, Pritzker signed an omnibus cannabis reform bill in June that contains provisions to recriminalize hemp THC products with more than 0.4 milligrams of THC per container under state law, in line with the federal ban. “Instead of letting an ambiguous marketplace keep putting people at risk, Illinois is taking action to protect consumers of all ages, especially children, from misleading packaging and labeling,” Pritzker said in a press release at the time. “This landmark legislation closes the intoxicating hemp loophole while bolstering equity and oversight and expanding medical access. Illinois is committed to cultivating a cannabis industry that benefits diverse businesses across the state and prioritizes accessibility, and I am proud to sign this measure into law.” Proud to fight for Illinoisans today with Senator Duckworth and Senator-Elect Stratton. pic.twitter.com/rek6ipqoe8 — Governor JB Pritzker (@GovPritzker) November 5, 2026 The new plan released by the governor and Stratton, who was just elected to a U.S. Senate seat, along with Duckworth, says that Congress should “oppose any further delay and any further amendment.” “Let the ban take effect, and do not further regulate or legalize intoxicating hemp,” it says. Duckworth, for her part, effectively voted in favor of delaying the originally scheduled ban by supporting a motion to table an amendment in August that sought to remove provisions from a funding bill that moved the effective date back. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), who is vacating the seat that Stratton was just elected to, voted against tabling the prohibitionist amendment from Sen. Ted Budd (R-NC). Politico recently reported that alcohol industry lobbyists have pushed top state law enforcement officials to pressure Congress in support of keeping the federal recriminalization of hemp THC products on track. The outlet said it had obtained a “collection of emails” in which lobbyists for major alcohol companies such as Anheuser-Busch, Molson Coors and Diageo urged state attorneys general to sign a letter that asked Congress not to reverse course on the scheduled hemp product ban. Meanwhile in Illinois, the broad cannabis reform bill that Pritzker signed earlier this year also contains provisions to double the amount of marijuana that adults can legally possess, allow drive-thrus and curbside pickup at dispensaries and make it so medical cannabis certifications can be issued via telehealth, among other reforms. In August, Illinois officials separately added sickle cell disease and polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS) with chronic pain as new medical cannabis qualifying conditions. In September, a lawmaker filed a bill to create a new Illinois Freedom Program “for the purpose of issuing direct cash payments to eligible individuals who have been disproportionately impacted by historical cannabis enforcement.” The post Illinois Governor And US Senator Push For Federal Hemp THC Product Ban To Take Effect Without Further Delay appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

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“The 2026 election didn’t legalize cannabis in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Texas, North Carolina or Georgia. But it changed the political conditions under which those decisions will be made.” By Rodney Holcombe, LeafLink Cannabis legalization was on the ballot in far more states than voters might have realized on Election Day. While it was literally on the ballot in Massachusetts and Idaho, changes in state legislatures and governors’ offices across the country could prove even more consequential for the cannabis industry. From Wisconsin and Pennsylvania to Texas, North Carolina and Georgia, the election altered the political landscape in states where legalization has stalled, creating new opportunities to bring regulated cannabis to millions more Americans. It’s an opportunity we can’t let slip by. We must redouble our efforts to end prohibition, protect existing markets and build new markets that deliver public health, safety and economic benefits to their communities. In Massachusetts, voters overwhelmingly rejected Question 8, which would have eliminated adult-use sales and the businesses and jobs they’ve created. The signal couldn’t have been more clear: Commonwealth voters want to maintain a system that delivers tested, regulated products to consumers. Elsewhere, the implications of Election Day may be even greater. While Massachusetts preserved its market, changes to the political makeup of other states could open the door to reform where it was once stalled. Wisconsin and Pennsylvania present particularly significant opportunities for near-term progress. Both states now have Democratic control of the governor’s office and the legislature, removing a major political obstacle to advancing adult-use legalization. Just as importantly, both states spent years considering cannabis reform while watching neighboring states establish regulated markets. Pennsylvania’s debate has advanced into the specifics of how a commercial marketplace should operate, while Wisconsin lawmakers have repeatedly introduced legalization proposals that were later blocked by legalization opponents. The groundwork for reform exists across both states, and the economic consequences of continued inaction are also increasingly difficult to ignore. Electoral shifts in Texas, North Carolina and Georgia have also created openings in potentially significant cannabis markets, though the path to legalization is less clear. With Democrats gaining control of at least the North Carolina and Texas House and the Texas and Georgia governorships, the political landscape is much more ripe for reform than it was pre-election. These states represent millions of potential consumers and significant opportunities for job creation, investment, economic growth and addressing the consequences of prohibition. Texas already borders New Mexico’s legal adult-use market, while North Carolina will soon border an adult-use retail market in Virginia. The election creates an opportunity to move these discussions forward, even if establishing regulated markets remains a longer-term prospect. Changes in Washington may have also created opportunities to renew federal reform, including potential bipartisan action between the incoming Congress and the White House. Still, work is needed at the state level to advance meaningful reform and expanded consumer access. These states have the benefit of learning from established markets. We’ve seen repeatedly how excessive taxes, burdensome regulations and barriers to capital make it difficult for licensed businesses to compete with illicit operators. A successful market will require practical licensing frameworks, reasonable tax structures and opportunities for businesses of different sizes to participate throughout the supply chain. Taking best practices from other states and creating an accessible, choice-filled market will ultimately stave off competition from the illicit market, which does not test or age-gate its products. The 2026 election didn’t legalize cannabis in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Texas, North Carolina or Georgia. But it changed the political conditions under which those decisions will be made. Now it’s time to put in the work to bring those markets to fruition. Rodney Holcombe is vice president of corporate affairs for LeafLink. The post This Week’s Election Results Open The Door To Expanding Cannabis Legalization Across The US (Op-Ed) appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

Maryland officials are providing guidance about a new law that protects firefighters and rescue workers from being penalized over their lawful use of medical marijuana off the job—including announcing that they are establishing a process allowing first responders who work in Maryland but live out-of-state to register as legal medical cannabis patients. Gov. Wes Moore (D) gave final approval to the measure in April after it cleared the Senate and House of Delegates, and it officially became operative on October 1. The new policy, which was sponsored by Sen. Carl Jackson (D), generally says that first responders will not face employment discrimination or retaliation for testing positive for cannabis metabolites if they’re a registered patient and are not impaired on the job. The Maryland Cannabis Administration (MCA), in a new guidance document, explained the law covers firefighters, emergency medical technicians, cardiac rescue technicians and paramedics employed by municipal corporations, fire control districts, the state of Maryland, counties within the state and the state airport authority. Notably, MCA said that fire and rescue public safety employees who work in Maryland but do no live in the state are eligible to receive a written certification providing the employment protections. “MCA is establishing a process for fire and rescue public safety employees who live out-of-state to register as medical patients,” the agency said. “This process is forthcoming.” The statute, Chapter 183 of 2026, establishes certain workplace protections for fire and rescue public safety employees related to cannabis use. Visit https://t.co/3bmWf4WgkW to learn more. pic.twitter.com/bUrlhbzPbz — MD Cannabis (@MDCannabis) October 21, 2026 In the meantime, out-of-state workers who want to become certified medical cannabis patients in Maryland can fill out a form to express interest in being notified when the new application is available. “MCA will not disclose any identifying information you include in this form to your employer,” the form said. Meanwhile, the new guidance document said that fire and rescue workers cannot use medical cannabis recommendations from out-of-state doctors to qualify for the new employment protections. “A written certification must be issued by a Maryland-registered certifying provider,” MCA said. “A certifying provider must be licensed with the MCA and is licensed and in good standing with their respective state health professional licensing board.” Under the new law enacted last month, employers cannot “discipline, discharge, or otherwise discriminate against the fire and rescue public safety employee with respect to the employee’s compensation, terms, conditions, or privileges of employment” if they test positive while holding a medical cannabis registration. Further, employers cannot “limit, segregate, or classify its employees in any way that would deprive or tend to deprive the fire and rescue public safety employee of employment opportunities or otherwise adversely affect the fire and rescue public safety employee’s status as an employee.” Nothing in the legislation prohibits employers from taking action against an employee for showing up to work while under the influence of cannabis, and any instances where a public safety worker is found to be impaired while on duty will be reported to the State Emergency Medical Services Board. The enactment of SB 439 came after years of attempts over recent sessions to enact the reform aimed at giving emergency service professionals the option to use cannabis as an alternative treatment for health conditions that commonly afflict the first responder community. Del. Adrian Boafo (D) sponsored an identical bill, HB 797, that passed the House this session. The change is “so critically important to our firefighters” and other rescue professionals who “work long shifts in tense emergencies and high-stress situations every day,” Boafo said at a committee hearing. “Many experience chronic pain, injuries and anxiety as a direct result of serving our communities,” the lawmaker said. “Medical cannabis, when prescribed and used off duty, can help manage those conditions. But under current policies, firefighters who use medically prescribed cannabis can face retaliation or discipline from their employers, even when they’re following the law.” “That leaves many of these public servants with a difficult choice: Either continue doing their jobs in pain, or turn to stronger prescription drug drugs, often opiates, just to get through the day,” Boafo said, while emphasizing that “nothing in this bill allows for impairment on the job” and that those who come to work impaired “will still face serious consequences and will be reported” to state emergency medical services regulators. “Public safety remains a top priority here in Maryland, but our state must modernize its laws to protect employees who use medically certified cannabis responsibly and outside of the workplace,” he said. “Our firefighters and rescue professionals dedicate their lives to protecting us. They should not be punished for seeking legal, medically prescribed relief for the physical toll of that work.” The enactment of the House and Senate cannabis bills comes a year after officials in Maryland’s most populous county said they were moving to loosen marijuana policies for would-be police officers in an effort to boost recruitment amid a staffing shortage. — Marijuana Moment is tracking hundreds of cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters pledging at least $25/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don’t miss any developments. Learn more about our marijuana bill tracker and become a supporter on Patreon to get access. — Also taking effect this month is a new Maryland law providing legal protections for veterinarians who recommend medical cannabis for animals. Another proposal that Moore signed this session extends a psychedelics task force through the end of 2027 to develop updated recommendations on expanding therapeutic access to the novel drugs and potentially creating a regulatory framework for broader legalization. Legislators also took up a bill this session to protect the gun rights of medical marijuana patients in the state, but it did not pass. Photo courtesy of Philip Steffan. The post Maryland Is Launching A Process For Firefighters And Rescue Workers Who Live Out-Of-State To Qualify For New Medical Marijuana Protections appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

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Democratic leaders in Wisconsin’s Assembly and Senate say the state is poised to legalize marijuana now that their party won majority control of the legislature in this week’s elections while also installing a new pro-legalization governor from the party. “We know that legalization of marijuana is very popular in the state of Wisconsin, and we intend to listen to the voters of Wisconsin and the people of our state and legalize marijuana in the coming year to two years,” Rep. Greta Neubauer (D), who currently serves as Assembly minority leader and is poised to become speaker in the new session, said. Democrats, including Gov.-elect David Crowley (D), have discussed the opportunity to use tax revenue generated by legal cannabis sales to fund education and healthcare initiatives. “We do hope to raise some revenues from marijuana legalization,” Neubauer told WKOW-TV on Wednesday. Outgoing Gov. Tony Evers (D) and Democratic legislative leaders have pushed for legalizing marijuana for recreational or medical use for years, but have been stymied by Republican majorities. Sen. Mark Spreitzer (D), who serves as chair of the Democratic Caucus, said he is “very optimistic about the possibility of marijuana being legalized” under the legislature’s new composition following Tuesday’s midterm elections. “I think we’re going to be able to get it done.” “Representing a border community where we have Illinois with multiple dispensaries just a couple of miles from my house in Beloit, and we’re seeing our tax dollars go across the border,” he told WISN-TV on Wednesday. “I know that being an island of prohibition surrounded by legalization is not good for Wisconsin.” Sen. Chris Larson (D) added that “most of the country has figured it out, and we are just giving away $40 million across the border for bad policy.” “We have to make sure that we have the common sense pieces in place—of what the labeling is, of what the age limits are, of what it means to operate a vehicle, which you can’t,” he said. Larson also said it is important for the state’s framework to favor “homegrown businesses” so that the market is not comprised of operators from “all of the states that have figured it out coming in here and taking up root.” Crowley, the incoming governor, said at a debate last month that “we have to go towards full legalization because this is opportunity that we’re missing out on as a state,” cautioning that he also wants to “make sure that we have guardrails in place” to protect children and ensure accurate labeling on cannabis products. He said that “if we were to go to full legalization, we could bring in anywhere between $80-170 million, helping to invest in healthcare all across the state of Wisconsin without allowing our money—nor these opportunities—to go to Illinois, Minnesota or Michigan.” Crowley separately said earlier last month that Wisconsin should legalize marijuana to raise revenue that can be used to fund free pre-kindergarten education and an expansion of healthcare access. Evers, the outgoing governor, has pushed to legalize marijuana for recreational and medical purposes for years, but those proposals have been blocked by the legislature’s Republican majority. A limited medical cannabis bill did clear one committee this session, but did not advance further. Crowley said at a forum hosted by a cannabis reform group earlier this year reform supporters “cannot wait until after the governor’s election” to push the issue, arguing that they need to “organize in making this one of the top priorities in this upcoming election.” “If you can’t change minds, you have to change faces,” he said. “I want you all to know that we’re going to work directly with you and make sure that you have a seat at the table, because if you don’t have a seat at the table, that means you’re on it.” — Marijuana Moment is tracking hundreds of cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters pledging at least $25/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don’t miss any developments. Learn more about our marijuana bill tracker and become a supporter on Patreon to get access. — Democratic lawmakers filed legislation in the 2026 session to broadly legalize and regulate marijuana, and bipartisan legislation to simply decriminalize cannabis possession was also filed—but neither proposal advanced. A poll released last year by Marquette Law School found that two in three Wisconsin voters support legalizing marijuana. A legislative analysis requested by lawmakers estimated that Wisconsin residents spent more than $121 million on cannabis in Illinois alone in 2022, contributing $36 million in tax revenue to the neighboring state. Meanwhile, the state Department of Revenue released a fiscal estimate of the economic impact of a legalization bill in 2023, projecting that the reform would generate nearly $170 million annually in tax revenue. The post Top Wisconsin Lawmakers Say The State Will Legalize Marijuana Under New Democratic Control appeared first on Marijuana Moment. 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A Democratic lawmaker who leads efforts to reform marijuana laws on Capitol Hill and a GOP operative who has long advised President Donald Trump both say there is increased possibility for bipartisan cooperation on cannabis reform following this week’s midterm elections. “I will continue fighting for commonsense cannabis policy reform,” Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV), a co-chair of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, told Marijuana Moment. “Whether it is access to banking services and regular tax treatment for cannabis businesses, veteran use of cannabis for medicinal purposes through the Veterans Administration or pushing the federal government to reform its outdated scheduling of marijuana as a dangerous drug, there is much work to be done.” Democrats regained majority control of the Senate and House of Representatives in Tuesday’s elections, a development that advocates say bolsters the chances for broad federal marijuana reform. “I look forward to meeting our new allies in this fight during the 120th Congress and working across the aisle to bring our drug policies into the 21st century,” the congresswoman said. Meanwhile, Roger Stone a Republican political operative who has served as a senior campaign aide to three Republican presidents, including Trump, told Marijuana Moment that he would advise the president to sign marijuana legislation that the Democratic Congress sends him. While Stone criticized Democrats who he said in the past “talked endlessly about criminal justice reform” but “never did anything about it when they had both houses of Congress,” he is looking forward to seeing if they will now “decriminalize marijuana at a minimum and deschedule at a maximum.” “I would urge President Trump to sign such legislation,” he said. The winner of one of the country’s most high-profile Senate races is already talking about partnering with Trump on marijuana reform. Sen.-elect James Talarico (D-TX) said on Wednesday that “I agree with the president on the need to legalize marijuana and reform this broken criminal justice system.” Prior to the election, the Democrat had said of the president that “he’s for legalizing marijuana, and so am I.” “I hope we can do that together and expunge the records of people who have been locked up for a crime that doesn’t hurt anybody,” Talarico said. Stone, for his part, wrote in an op-ed for Marijuana Moment last year that Trump should take the incremental step of rescheduling cannabis on the way to fully legalizing it under federal law. His administration has since moved forward with the process of transferring marijuana from Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) to Schedule III. “Rescheduling cannabis is not the end game, but it is the critical next step,” Stone wrote at the time. “The move would do more than signal a new direction—it would unlock immediate, measurable relief for patients, entrepreneurs and state programs.” The House under Democratic control has previously passed bills to federally legalize marijuana on two occasions, most recently in 2022. Trump endorsed a state-level marijuana legalization initiative that appeared on Florida’s ballot in 2024. The post Democratic Lawmaker And GOP Trump Advisor Urge Bipartisan Cooperation To Federally Legalize Marijuana appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

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PA marijuana legalization prospects; WI could legalize cannabis; Incoming IA gov backs legalization; Talarico talks marijuana & Trump Subscribe to receive Marijuana Moment’s newsletter in your inbox every weekday morning. It’s the best way to make sure you know which cannabis stories are shaping the day. Get our daily newsletter. Email address: Leave this field empty if you're human: Your support makes Marijuana Moment possible… Free to read (but not free to produce)! We’re proud of our newsletter and the reporting we publish at Marijuana Moment, and we’re happy to provide it for free. But it takes a lot of work and resources to make this happen. If you value Marijuana Moment, invest in our success on Patreon so we can expand our coverage and more readers can benefit: https://www.patreon.com/marijuanamoment / TOP THINGS TO KNOW New Democratic congressional majorities provide an opportunity to advance broad federal marijuana reform, advocates say—with expected incoming House Speaker Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) having previously teamed up on a bill to legalize cannabis. U.S. Sen.-elect James Talarico (D-TX) says he plans to work with President Donald Trump to federally legalize marijuana. “I hope we can do that together and expunge the records of people who have been locked up for a crime that doesn’t hurt anybody.” Pennsylvania is poised to legalize marijuana now that Democrats have claimed control of the state Senate in Tuesday’s elections while maintaining their existing majority in the House of Representatives. “Now, the real work begins—and we’re ready to get shit done,” Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) said. Wisconsin could finally legalize marijuana for medical or even recreational use after voters in Tuesday’s elections gave control of the state legislature to Democrats while also installing a new pro-legalization governor from the party. Iowa Gov.-elect Rob Sand (D) wants to legalize marijuana and use the revenue to help address the state’s budget issues—also saying that cannabis reform will make law enforcement’s job easier. / FEDERAL The Drug Enforcement Administration is hosting an anti-drug PSA contest for college students. / STATES California regulators sent updates on various cannabis issues. Michigan regulators will allow e-services for a new marijuana wholesale tax starting on November 12. The Tennessee Medical Cannabis Commission will meet on November 20. — Marijuana Moment is tracking hundreds of cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters pledging at least $25/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don’t miss any developments. Learn more about our marijuana bill tracker and become a supporter on Patreon to get access. — / LOCAL Menominee, Michigan voters approved a ballot measure to increase the number of marijuana businesses that are allowed to operate. / INTERNATIONAL Sint Maarten’s minister of tourism, economic affairs, transport and telecommunication discussed the economic benefits of medical cannabis. / SCIENCE & HEALTH A study found that “cold-pressed hemp seed oil exhibits measurable antioxidant activity and contains minerals of physiological relevance.” A study of patients with insomnia found that “initiation of [cannabis-based medicinal products] was associated with improvements in self-reported sleep quality across 2 years, with the largest associations observed in those with the most severe impairment.” / ADVOCACY, OPINION & ANALYSIS Prohibitionist organization Smart Approaches to Marijuana reacted to the defeat of a ballot measure it supported to roll back Massachusetts’s marijuana legalization law. / BUSINESS The Flower Shop unlawfully terminated workers during an unsuccessful union organizing campaign, a National Labor Relations Board judge ruled. Curaleaf Holdings, Inc. reacted to news about Organigram Global Inc.’s announcement of acquiring Aurora Cannabis Inc. Ascend Wellness Holdings, Inc. closed a series of mortgage loans for gross proceeds of $11 million. / CULTURE Wiz Khalifa’s Romanian prison sentence for smoking marijuana at a concert in the country was overturned by a court. Make sure to subscribe to get Marijuana Moment’s daily dispatch in your inbox. Get our daily newsletter. Email address: Leave this field empty if you're human: The post Federal cannabis reform gets Democratic boost (Newsletter: November 5, 2026) appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

Democrats won big in Tuesday’s midterm elections, retaking majorities in both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives—a development that advocates say stands to boost efforts to reform federal marijuana laws. The House under Democratic control has previously passed bills to federally legalize marijuana on two occasions, most recently in 2022. Advancing cannabis reform in the Senate has been a taller task, however, even under Democratic control—given the chamber’s rules that give the minority party the power to filibuster bills that doesn’t have support from 60 members. That has been true even for incremental reforms that enjoy broad bipartisan support such as legislation to ease cannabis businesses’ access to banking services. Marijuana reform has evolved significantly as an issue since the last time Democrats controlled Congress, however, with more state laws coming on board and President Donald Trump’s administration taking steps to advance the rescheduling of cannabis under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). Given that context, advocates see opportunity for expected incoming House Speaker Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) to grasp onto the issue of broader federal marijuana legalization as an alternative to Trump’s incremental steps. Jeffries and Schumer have both sponsored legislation to federally legalize cannabis by removing it from the CSA—including a bill that they partnered in 2019 on called the Marijuana Freedom and Opportunity Act. Schumer later joined with other Democratic senators on a more comprehensive legalization and regulation bill called the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act, while Jeffries teamed up with a Republican lawmaker on a proposal lay the groundwork for federal marijuana legalization by creating a commission to study the issue and make recommendations on a regulatory system for cannabis that models what’s currently in place for alcohol. As of Wednesday morning, Democrats appeared poised to have won a sizable majority in the House and a Senate majority of somewhere between 54 and 56 seats, with two races yet to be called. If Democrats decide to prioritize the popular issue of marijuana reform in the 120th Congress that begins in January, they would likely need support from a handful of pro-reform Republican senators to advance any proposal to Trump’s desk. The president, for his part, endorsed a state-level marijuana legalization initiative that appeared on Florida’s ballot in 2024, While the measure fell short of the 60 percent threshold needed to enact a constitutional amendment in the state, it did get majority support. Meanwhile, though his administration isn’t pushing broad federal marijuana legalization at this point, it is taking steps on the more modest reform of rescheduling cannabis to acknowledge its medical uses. “Some two thirds of Americans support ending marijuana prohibition, and policies that punish responsible consumers and patients are increasingly out of step with voters across the political spectrum,” Morgan Fox, political director for the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), told Marijuana Moment. “Unfortunately, Republican leadership chose to ignore public sentiment and let popular cannabis policy legislation languish this session. Hopefully Democrats will not make the same mistake, and will provide the necessary leadership and bipartisanship to pass substantive, sensible reforms in the 120th Congress.” — Marijuana Moment is tracking hundreds of cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters pledging at least $25/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don’t miss any developments. Learn more about our marijuana bill tracker and become a supporter on Patreon to get access. — While state-licensed medical cannabis has already been moved from Schedule I to Schedule III under an order issued by Attorney General Todd Blanche earlier this year, broader rescheduling of adult-use marijuana is “still uncertain” amid an ongoing Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) hearing, Fox said. As such, and because Schedule III’s practical effects for consumers are “relatively limited,” he said, “it is vital that federal lawmakers take on the issue.” “The fate of federal marijuana policy should not be left in the hands of bureaucrats and judges. It is Congress who initially prohibited cannabis and it is Congress who ultimately needs to abolish this failed federal policy, specifically by descheduling cannabis and passing other reforms that provide real-world relief for millions of responsible consumers. Lawmakers should begin preparing now to prioritize this issue as early as possible in the next session. NORML looks forward to working with members of both parties to make meaningful legislative progress in the 120th Congress. The American people deserve federal cannabis policies grounded in science, public health, personal freedom, and justice.” The latest edition of an ongoing quarterly tracking poll from Marijuana Moment and NuggMD released ahead of the election showed that marijuana consumers’ support for the Trump administration’s actions on cannabis have significantly declined as completion of a federal rescheduling proposal remains stalled amid procedural delays in an ongoing hearing on the reform. Cat Packer, director of drug markets and legal regulation for the Drug Policy Alliance (DPA), told Marijuana Moment that Tuesday’s election results signal “a broader desire among American voters for change, greater accountability, and an end to abuses of government power.” “Federal marijuana prohibition is one such abuse that has persisted for far too long,” she said, adding that merely rescheduling marijuana “is not enough.” “The Trump Administration’s limited and exclusionary approach to rescheduling, which has created significant uncertainty while leaving federal criminalization intact, only underscores the urgent need for Congress to enact meaningful reform,” Packer said. “Rather than continuing to advance incremental reforms that primarily benefit large, politically connected cannabis corporations, this new Congress has an opportunity to address the ongoing harms of marijuana criminalization, which continues to disrupt families, undermine economic opportunities and burden communities even as most states have moved away from prohibition,” she said. “That means ending federal criminalization of personal marijuana activity and protecting public health by establishing a comprehensive regulatory framework for both marijuana and hemp that puts people and communities first.” Adam Rosenberg, board chair for the National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA), said in a statement on Wednesday that “with Democrats taking control of both chambers of Congress, there is a new opportunity to advance comprehensive federal cannabis reform.” “America’s legal cannabis industry generates more than $29 billion in annual sales and supports more than 400,000 jobs, yet federal policy continues to impose unnecessary barriers on businesses operating in state-regulated markets,” he said. “The new congressional leadership has an opportunity to build bipartisan support for legislation that improves access to banking and capital, resolves unfair federal tax treatment and establishes a durable regulatory framework that respects state markets.” Republican leaders in the House and Senate have strongly opposed marijuana law reform, even as Trump’s administration has advanced rescheduling. As Marijuana Moment reported last month, executives of major cannabis companies donated to Jeffries’s joint fundraising committee, the Jeffries Majority Fund, and the likely incoming House speaker attended a fundraiser host by a marijuana dispensary CEO. Meanwhile, as some cannabis industry executives donated to Jeffries and other Democrats, a political action committee that shares the same treasurer as President Donald Trump’s own super PAC used money raised from marijuana business donations to pay for independent expenditures in support of several vulnerable Republican members of Congress—including several who have voted against legislation to legalize cannabis. The post Could Democrats Federally Legalize Marijuana With Their New Senate And House Majorities? appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

Wisconsin does not currently allow marijuana for either medical or recreational use, but that could soon change after voters in Tuesday’s elections gave control of the state legislature to Democrats while also installing a new pro-legalization governor from the party. Gov.-elect David Crowley (D) said at a debate last month that “we have to go towards full legalization because this is opportunity that we’re missing out on as a state,” cautioning that he also wants to “make sure that we have guardrails in place” to protect children and ensure accurate labeling on cannabis products. Meanwhile, outgoing incumbent Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers (D) and Democrats in the state legislature have consistently pushed to legalize marijuana for medical and adult use, but have been blocked by Republican Assembly and Senate leaders. Both chambers flipped to Democratic control in Tuesday’s elections, however, teeing up the possibility of marijuana legalization finally advancing in the state. NORML Deputy Director Paul Armentano told Marijuana Moment that “Wisconsin is among the nation’s leaders in marijuana possession arrests and it is remains one of the few states lacking significant medical cannabis access or legal protections.” “It’s time for the Badger State to shed these dubious distinctions. Nearly seven in ten registered voters want cannabis legalized for adults and an even greater percentage support medical access,” he said. “It is high time for Wisconsin lawmakers to enact cannabis policies grounded in health, safety and compassion, and that align with voters’ sentiments. Patients and those who consume cannabis responsibly have waited long enough.” Crowley, the newly elected incoming Democratic governor said at last month’s debate that governor of neighboring Illinois “literally thanks Wisconsin residents because they have made $30 million in in sales tax collection just from Wisconsin residents.” Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) quipped during his 2020 State of the State address that the state’s legal cannabis program would attract buyers from nearby states. The following year, Evers, Wisconsin’s current governor, said he is getting “tired” of hearing about Illinois’s cannabis sales figures, joking that Pritzker always “thanks me for having Wisconsinites cross the border to buy marijuana.” Crowley, who currently serves as the Milwaukee County executive, said during the recent debate that “if we were to go to full legalization, we could bring in anywhere between $80-170 million, helping to invest in healthcare all across the state of Wisconsin without allowing our money—nor these opportunities—to go to Illinois, Minnesota or Michigan.” He separately said earlier last month that Wisconsin should legalize marijuana to raise revenue that can be used to fund free pre-kindergarten education and an expansion of healthcare access. Crowley’s Republican opponent in the gubernatorial election, U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-WI), had said he supported legalizing medical cannabis but wanted to be more cautious about recreational marijuana. A Democratic congressman who represents Wisconsin recently told Marijuana Moment that he thinks the state is poised to legalize cannabis as soon as next year—especially if his party gained control of the legislature, but perhaps even if Republicans had maintained a majority under new leadership for the 2027 session. Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI) said there’s a “really good chance” of legalizing cannabis in Wisconsin in the short term if Democrats can “flip the legislature,” where marijuana reform proposals have stalled under Republican control in recent sessions. Evers and Democratic lawmakers have pushed to legalize marijuana for recreational and medical purposes for years, but those proposals have been blocked by the legislature’s Republican majority. A limited medical cannabis bill did clear one committee this session, but did not advance further. Crowley said at a forum hosted by a cannabis reform group earlier this year reform supporters “cannot wait until after the governor’s election” to push the issue, arguing that they need to “organize in making this one of the top priorities in this upcoming election.” “If you can’t change minds, you have to change faces,” he said. “I want you all to know that we’re going to work directly with you and make sure that you have a seat at the table, because if you don’t have a seat at the table, that means you’re on it.” Evers, for his part, recently sent a letter calling on the state’s congressional delegation to “prevent mass disruption of the hemp industry” by stopping the planned federal recriminalization of hemp THC products that’s set to take effect later this year. The governor has repeatedly pushed for broader reform—including marijuana legalization in multiple budget requests, for example—but efforts to enact it have consistently stalled out in the Republican-controlled Assembly and Senate even as adult-use markets have come online in neighboring states such as Illinois and Michigan. Evers said last year that if his party can take control of the legislature, the state can “finally” legalize marijuana so that residents don’t have to go to neighboring Illinois to visit its adult-use market. — Marijuana Moment is tracking hundreds of cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters pledging at least $25/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don’t miss any developments. Learn more about our marijuana bill tracker and become a supporter on Patreon to get access. — Democratic lawmakers filed legislation in the 2026 session to broadly legalize and regulate marijuana, and bipartisan legislation to simply decriminalize cannabis possession was also filed—but neither proposal advanced. A poll released last year by Marquette Law School found that two in three Wisconsin voters support legalizing marijuana. A legislative analysis requested by lawmakers estimated that Wisconsin residents spent more than $121 million on cannabis in Illinois alone in 2022, contributing $36 million in tax revenue to the neighboring state. Meanwhile, the state Department of Revenue released a fiscal estimate of the economic impact of a legalization bill in 2023, projecting that the reform would generate nearly $170 million annually in tax revenue. The post Wisconsin Could Legalize Marijuana Under New Democratic Control Of The State Legislature appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net