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The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has launched new specialized registration forms for additional types of state-licensed medical marijuana businesses beyond dispensaries that want to take advantage of federal protections in line with the Trump administration’s cannabis rescheduling process. The agency began accepting registrations from medical cannabis dispensaries with a new form in April, and other types of businesses in the state-legal medical marijuana supply chain have been able to apply using a standardized federal form for months. But now, DEA now has specific registration links for medical marijuana manufacturers, distributors and analytical labs—a change it first previewed was coming in May. Businesses that fill out the new version of DEA Form 225 must answer whether they will be handling medical and/or recreational marijuana, and provide their state licensing information. They also need to specify if they will be working with marijuana, marijuana extract and/or naturally derived delta-9 THC in a cannabis product subject to a state medical license or a Food and Drug Administration-approved product. They must also answer questions about the criminal and disciplinary history of the business and key personnel. The nonrefundable application fee is $3,699 for medical marijuana manufacturers, $1,850 for distributors and $296 for testing labs, Cannabis Business Times, which previously noted the new forms, reported. Previously, dispensaries could fill out a specialized form during a 60-day window for expedited consideration. Dispensaries that still want to register can now use the standard DEA Form 224 to do so. The launch of the new forms comes as DEA personnel are conducting inspections of medical marijuana dispensaries that previously applied for registration. One such business owner told Marijuana Moment recently that she plans to fight a decision by DEA that she says could force her to fire two good employees if she wants to register for protections under rescheduling. Nicole Huff, CEO of the Wildflower Medical Dispensary in Aberdeen, shared with Marijuana Moment correspondence that a DEA official sent about the two workers in question, who have past felony convictions. As a result of those criminal records, the business must either fire the employees, withdraw its application for federal protections, seek a waiver while becoming ineligible for expedited processing or go before an agency judge. Huff told Marijuana Moment that she will take the issue before a DEA judge. Industry sources say the way the agency has been carrying out inspections varies between DEA’s regional offices throughout the country. In June, Mississippi medical cannabis businesses spoke to Marijuana Moment about being visited by DEA officials, who told them they were among the first in the country to be seen for inspection under the registration process. In August, Marijuana Moment obtained a list of 26 questions that DEA officials are sending to medical cannabis businesses in Colorado as part of the consideration of their applications for registration. Those questions differ in many cases from ones being asked of Mississippi operators. The agency launched its initial registration form for dispensaries in April, days after Attorney General Todd Blanche issued an order immediately moving marijuana products regulated by a state medical cannabis license from Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) to Schedule III, along with marijuana products that are approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). A DEA hearing that recently concluded testimony is considering broader marijuana rescheduling. Photo courtesy of Philip Steffan. The post DEA Launches New Registration Forms For Medical Marijuana Manufacturers, Distributors And Testing Labs appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

“Continuing down the path of aggressive and over-punitive immigration policies poses a direct threat to the future of this industry.” By Ishaq Ali, Latino Cannabis Alliance Behind the sleek tech-adjacent branding and modern marketing of today’s cannabis industry lies a far older, unvarnished truth: cannabis is, at its heart, an agricultural product and Latinos are the majority of the agricultural labor, making up a staggering 92 percent of California’s overall agricultural workforce and 77 percent of the U.S. agricultural workforce. The cannabis industry mirrors this demographic reality; Latinos are the largest ethnic group of workers in the legally regulated cannabis sector at 38 percent, a figure that surges to 56–65 percent in cultivation-specific roles. If we do not regulate cannabis with the Latino community in mind or immigration implications included, we miss critical aspects about how the sector can be developed and more importantly who works in that sector. Continuing down the path of aggressive and over-punitive immigration policies poses a direct threat to the future of this industry. To avoid these pitfalls, it is imperative that Latino voices are properly represented in data and policy. At a ‘legacy industry’ retreat in 2023, a panel of California cannabis regulators were asked whether they considered cannabis an agricultural product. Not one raised their hand, yet moments earlier, the same panel had unanimously agreed that cannabis is medicine. They readily embraced a clinical framing while rejecting the agricultural reality of a plant that is grown, harvested and cultivated like any other crop, revealing how disconnected they were from the industry they regulate. From early investors treating cannabis like the next tech boom to traditional supply chain professionals acting like it is “just any other consumer packaged good product” that can be scaled with basic business principles, many fundamentally misunderstand the core issue at stake. Cannabis cultivation is agriculture, which means that it must be legislated, regulated and operate as such—including its predominantly Latino workforce. Recently, the Trump administration’s Department of Justice announced the rescheduling of certain medical marijuana products, yet the plant itself remains largely federally illegal. Its success is inextricably linked to the land, the specialized labor of those who tend it and the applicable laws and policies that affect it. The cannabis industry is heavily influenced by an immigrant workforce and the Latino community, especially in California. UCLA Labor Center and UC Berkeley Cannabis Research Center’s Dr. Robert Chlala, who authored a detailed report on California’s cannabis workforce, emphasized in an interview that his research lens was motivated by the fact that the “infrastructure, the ideas and the actual plant and technical knowledge of cannabis was built by people of color and immigrants.” The Human Cost Of Enforcement The intersection of state-legal cannabis and federal immigration enforcement creates an unstable environment for their workforce. Recently we observed a somber landmark for the industry as we remembered the anniversary of the tragic death of Jaime Alanis Garcia in July 2025. Garcia, a 57-year-old farmworker with a ten-year tenure, died from a 30-foot fall during a joint Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) raid at Glass House Farms in Camarillo, California. This is widely regarded as one of the first ICE-related deaths in the U.S. and marked a pivotal moment for the Latino community in California and the broader industry when it brought to light the long-standing, violent relationship between immigration enforcement and cannabis enforcement. This incident highlights a broader issue around the crossover of deportation and cannabis enforcement. Between 2002 and 2020, more than 47,000 people were deported for simple cannabis possession or use according to a report by Human Rights Watch and the Drug Policy Alliance. The Trump administration has continued to label immigrants with simple cannabis possession as “the worst of the worst” and prioritized them for deportation. This current rhetoric around immigration policies pose a direct threat to an already unstable industry. Approximately 8 percent of the legal workforce, and a significantly higher portion of the unlicensed sector, possess cannabis records that subject them to losing both their livelihood and their legal status according to Chlala;s 2o25 study. This legal jeopardy is not limited to people with records; working in the state-legal industry itself jeopardizes a person’s immigration status. Findings From The UCLA Labor Center The 2025 UCLA Labor Center/Cannabis Worker Collaborative report offers a detailed look into these workplace realities. The study highlights several critical areas: A Workforce in the Shadows: While the legal market employs approximately 78,000 workers, the total workforce including the unlicensed sector, exceeds 235,000, leaving over 150,000 workers without any legal protections and more exposure to dangerous conditions. Economic Fragility: Despite being designated “essential workers” during the COVID-19 pandemic, 43 percent of women and 29 percent of men in the industry reported difficulty paying for food or groceries in the past year. Wage Theft and “The Latino Tax”: A massive 63 percent of retail, delivery and cultivation workers reported experiencing wage theft, including late payments and off-the-clock labor. These violations occur at significantly higher rates for Latino and Black workers compared to their peers. Occupational Hazards: Cultivation workers face severe health risks, with 31 percent reporting skin infections and 46 percent suffering from chronic musculoskeletal pain due to intensive labor conditions. Dr. Rob Chlala On Racial And Immigrant Justice Dr. Chlala’s research centered heavily on racial and immigrant justice by utilizing a “worker-researcher” model through which peers helped design the survey, conduct interview and analyze the data. This helped capture more authentic stories from Latino workers who are frequently dismissed in policy debates. The methodology successfully bridged the trust gap, revealing a vibrant, multicultural frontline labor force working beneath a layer of management that often lacks that same diversity. A primary hurdle Chlala identified was the systemic disconnect between cannabis policy and the realities facing Latino communities. As a means to disseminate information and education about cannabis products, healthy use and cultivation, Chlala points to the “Promotora Model,” a community-centered health framework originating in Latin America. He noted that because “cannabis workers are already piloting that [information sharing] in their everyday [lives]” through informal networks, formalizing this peer-led approach can build a protective education system “rooted in a shared sense of identity.” The Latino Cannabis Alliance’s Path Forward The Latino Cannabis Alliance plays a vital role in turning this data into actionable power, ensuring that the workers who built this industry are finally granted the protection, dignity and opportunity they deserve. This is why we recently led a webinar focused on how the cannabis industry can support the immigrant rights movement, and support removing marijuana from the federal Controlled Substances Act (CSA) by passing the MORE Act. In May of 2026, the Latino Cannabis Alliance took this message to Washington, D.C. and advocated for the passage of the MORE Act. We visited over 16 congressional offices, focusing on prominent members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, to share how marijuana’s placement on the CSA keeps cannabis prohibition as the law of the land, meaning that it can continue to be used as a tool for the punitive immigration enforcement and labor law violations we see today. The MORE Act is the only federal legislation that removes cannabis from the CSA while restoring rights and advancing protections for immigrant and Latino communities, as well as other communities harmed by the war on drugs. The industry is at an inflection point. State legalization assumed that a licensed market could protect itself from federal prohibition. For the workers at the industry’s core, that protection does not exist. As long as cannabis stays in the Controlled Substances Act, a state-legal job, a past possession record or a workplace raid can carry immigration consequences that no state license can undo. Partial rescheduling of medical products does not change that. As such, the stability of California’s cannabis sector and the safety of its immigrant workforce are not separate policy questions. They are the same question. The industry and the immigrant rights movement face the same obstacle, and neither has had the political weight to remove it alone. Ishaq Ali is a founding board member and the Director of Research & Education for the Latino Cannabis Alliance, and a researcher and strategist at the UC Berkeley Cannabis Research Center. He is studying the evolution of cannabis markets, firm ownership, and regulatory impacts in California. Ishaq is also Program Director at the Environmental and Consumer Compliance Organization, leading clean product certification and retail education initiatives. The post The Latino Community Is The Invisible Backbone Of The Cannabis Industry (Op-Ed) appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

A coalition of anti-marijuana groups and a cannabis-focused biopharmaceutical corporation have filed a new brief in their lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s initiative to cover up to $500 worth of hemp-derived products each year for eligible Medicare patients. In May, Judge Trevor N. McFadden dismissed the challenge to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) program that focuses largely on CBD but also allows a certain amount of THC in products. The opponents of the CBD Medicare effort then asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to reconsider the decision. In the new brief submitted to the appeals court on Monday, lawyers for Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM), Cannabis Industry Victims Educating Litigators (CIVEL), Hillsborough County Anti-Drug Alliance and MMJ International Holdings and its subsidiaries (MMJ) argued that the lower court judge erred in finding that they do not have standing to bring the challenge. While the immediate issue at hand focuses on standing, the brief also argues that the Medicare hemp program itself is “both procedurally defective in its adoption and materially harmful to market competitors, healthcare providers, and elderly Americans.” McFadden had determined that MMJ lacks standing because it has not yet brought a product to the market and is “not a direct and current competitor with anyone selling hemp to Medicare beneficiaries.” “In short, MMJ has no product on the Medicare-beneficiary market and no sense of when it may,” he said. But the new brief argues that the company is “not a speculative future entrant” in the market and has “invested over $10 million across more than eight years, obtained Orphan Drug Designation, submitted IND applications for two cannabinoid therapeutics, and holds a DEA Schedule I analytical-laboratory registration.” Having standing as a competitor “does not require an approved product,” it says. “The government also cannot credibly label MMJ a ‘speculative future entrant’ when the government’s own unreasonable delay of nearly eight years on a bulk-manufacturing application at DEA is the primary cause of MMJ’s pre-approval status. The government should not profit from its own obstruction.” The brief additionally says McFadden, the lower court judge, erred on aspects of procedural standing and organizational standing with respect to the broader pool of plaintiffs. The government’s opening brief before the appeals court is due by November 4. The lower court judge in his ruling said that each plaintiff “claims an injury too abstract or too remote to open the courtroom doors.” In April, lawyers for Health and Human Services Sec. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and CMS Director Mehmet Oz filed a brief arguing that the anti-cannabis organizations that filed the suit against the Medicare hemp coverage policy do not have standing to bring the case against the hemp-focused Substance Access Beneficiary Engagement Incentive (BEI). “No organizational Plaintiff shows enough for an injury-in-fact,” McFadden said in his ruling. “All claim that they diverted resources in response to the BEI’s implementation, but none established that such resource diversion ‘interfered’ with its core activities or prevented it from ‘pursuing its true purpose.’” Outside of the challenge to the CMS hemp program, SAM, MMJ and others filed separate lawsuits challenging the Trump administration’s move to federally reschedule marijuana. Beyond the advocacy organizations and pharmaceutical company, the hemp CMS case involves individual plaintiffs, including anti-marijuana lawyer David Evans, who claims he had standing to challenge the program as a Medicare recipient—but the federal agencies reject that argument. “If Evans’s worst-case-scenario—his doctor recommends hemp to him—came true, Evans would lack a concrete harm,” McFadden wrote. “In sum, no matter the theory, Plaintiffs have failed to establish an Article III injury from the BEI’s implementation,” the judge said. “The use and regulation of hemp are important matters, and Plaintiffs understandably have strong views on these topics. But while they may not like the BEI, they have not been injured by it. The case will thus be dismissed for lack of subject matter jurisdiction.” Previously, McFadden had rejected the plaintiffs’ request for a temporary restraining order to halt the program from launching on April 1. Notably, the government’s motion to dismiss the case says it was prepared in part by Matthew Zorn, a lawyer for HHS who before taking on the federal job led numerous cases suing government agencies on behalf of plaintiffs seeking marijuana and drug policy reform. The CMS initiative comes after President Donald Trump signed an executive order in December calling on the attorney general to finalize a rule federally rescheduling marijuana, which is now underway, that also contained components to “improve access” to full-spectrum CBD products. Under the program, inhalable preparations are not allowed, and products can contain no more than 0.3 percent delta-9 THC by dry weight and can have up to 3 milligrams of total THC per serving. The THC limit could potentially change if a law the president signed late last year takes effect as scheduled this November. That policy would strictly limit the types of cannabis products that are currently permitted under the 2018 Farm Bill that Trump signed in his first term, expressly prohibiting hemp derivatives containing more than 0.4 milligrams of total THC per container. The White House has called on Congress to take action to amend the planned ban to maintain legal access to hemp-derived full-spectrum CBD products. Oz, the CMS director, recently pressed senators to support provisions to delay the effective date of the hemp product ban in order to provide more time to craft a regulatory structure as an alternative to prohibition. Keeping the ban on schedule “would undo significant gains that have been made to make clinically-appropriate full-spectrum hemp-derived CBD accessible to the senior citizens and individuals with disabilities that rely on the Medicare program for their healthcare,” Oz wrote in a letter. In a brief in the CMS hemp lawsuit, federal agencies noted that “CMS does not pay for hemp products under the BEI.” “The participating provider furnishes eligible products at its own cost, subject to the $500 annual cap per beneficiary. The BEI operates within the shared-savings framework that defines the underlying models. If a provider’s investment in beneficiary engagement reduces the beneficiary’s total cost of care, the provider and CMS share in the resulting savings. If it does not, the provider absorbs the loss. No new federal appropriation is involved. No new entitlement is created. The BEI is, at its core, a decision by willing providers that a particular intervention can reduce downstream claims.” A bipartisan group of members of Congress recently sent a letter to Trump and other federal officials pressing for guidance on whether medical cannabis would be covered by Medicare. Meanwhile, the White House Office of Management and Budget held a series of meetings this year about a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) CBD products enforcement policy. FDA also issued guidance making clear that it does not intend to interfere with implementation of the Medicare hemp-derived products coverage plan. CMS separately finalized a rule that will allow coverage of some hemp products as specialized, non-primarily health-related benefits through Medicare Advantage plans. Read the new brief in the lawsuit challenging the Medicare hemp program below: Photo courtesy of Kimzy Nanney. The post Marijuana Opponents And Pharma Company File Brief Asking Court To Block Trump’s Hemp CBD Medicare Coverage Plan appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

A Democratic congresswoman from Massachusetts is urging voters to defeat an initiative on the November ballot that would roll back the state’s marijuana legalization law. “Cannabis legalization and regulation is positive for small businesses, local communities and restorative justice,” Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) said on Tuesday. “And keeping marijuana legal in Massachusetts is both economic justice and racial justice policy.” “With Black, Hispanic, and other marginalized communities disproportionately ravaged by the War on Drugs, legalizing adult-use cannabis in Massachusetts was designed in part to begin addressing that legacy, through social equity programs, economic opportunities and investments in communities harmed by prohibition,” she said. “Repealing legal adult use would undo this progress and have devastating impacts on the livelihoods of those who have invested their life savings into their businesses, communities and supporting thousands of jobs. “We must vote No on 8.” Gov. Maura Healey (D) similarly said this weekend that she opposes the anti-cannabis initiative, saying that “we’ve got to keep recreational marijuana here in Massachusetts.” “It’s an important industry, the cannabis industry,” the governor said. “And I hope the voters keep cannabis.” A new poll released last week shows that most Massachusetts voters oppose the ballot measure to roll back marijuana legalization, in line with the governor’s views. The survey, published by CommonWealth Beacon and conducted by MassINC Polling Group (MPG), shows that 61 percent of likely voters oppose the initiative—which would repeal laws allowing the regulated commercial sales of recreational cannabis and home cultivation while maintaining legal possession and continuing the medical marijuana system. Just 27 percent of respondents said they favor the anti-cannabis ballot measure, while 11 percent are undecided and 1 percent responded that they would prefer not to state their opinion. A separate poll released last month by The University of New Hampshire, showed that nearly three-quarters (71 percent) of respondents plan to vote against the anti-cannabis measure, while just 24 percent plan to support it. Another survey released in August found that Massachusetts voters oppose the marijuana legalization repeal measure, 55 percent to 33 percent. Ryan Dominguez, chair of the Stop the Repeal campaign, said on Tuesday that “in the decade since voters made a clear choice to do away with dangerous, unregulated cannabis policies the commonwealth has not only built a system that prioritizes public health and consumer safety, but has had a significant impact on equitable opportunities.” “After legalization, Massachusetts became the first state in the country to create a social equity program that directly supports entrepreneurs who were impacted by the war on drugs. Since the Social Equity Trust Fund was established, it has awarded more than $57 million through more than 400 grants, with an additional $28.8 million this year supporting another 194 projects,” he said. “We are grateful to have the support of Congresswoman Pressley in defeating this damaging ballot question which would push us back to regressive policies that hurt our communities, public health and safety and social equity businesses.” The Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission, which regulates the legal industry, announced last month that the state has surpassed $10 billion in adult-use cannabis purchases since the market launched in 2018. CCC Chair Chris Harding told Marijuana Moment that he can’t comment directly on the initiative and that the commission does not take positions on pending ballot questions or legislation, but he said that, in general, “repeal of the adult-use industry could eliminate thousands of jobs, hundreds of businesses and billions in tax revenue.” Meanwhile, a top labor union—the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Massachusetts State Council—is urging voters to reject the cannabis legalization rollback initiative. While the latest survey results provide some comfort to cannabis reform supporters, advocates are not resting. A coalition of Massachusetts marijuana business leaders, healthcare professionals and other advocates have launched a campaign to defeat the measure. The campaign recently rolled out two TV ads urging voters to reject the rollback initiative and keep marijuana sales legal. The Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) recently issued a warning that passage of the legalization rollback measure would have “disastrous political and economic consequences for legal cannabis markets everywhere.” “Even a too-close victory would spook markets and incentivize a rash of similar initiatives in states around the country, each costing millions to try and defeat,” the group said. After the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s Office determined that organizers for the anti-cannabis proposal had turned in enough valid signatures to put the measure before voters, a marijuana reform advocate filed an objection with the State Ballot Law Commission claiming that various signatures were not genuine, obtained through fraudulent means or were not “signed substantially as registered.” The body rejected the challenge to the legal marijuana rollback measure, however, clearing it to go before voters to decide. In June, the campaign behind the anti-legalization ballot measure fired a signature gatherer it says was shown appearing to engage in “wholly unacceptable” conduct in a recent video. As Marijuana Moment reported, a man petitioning for the Massachusetts initiative as well as a similar anti-cannabis proposal in Maine was depicted in recent social media posts seeming to argue that voters who support legal marijuana access should sign the petitions in order to advance or protect reform. The campaign later said it has “zero tolerance for any circulation tactics that would mislead petition signers.” “The identified canvasser was immediately terminated, in coordination with our vendor, upon being made aware of the alleged conduct,” the group said. “The conduct apparent in the video would be wholly unacceptable and does not reflect how this campaign operates. We demand honesty, transparency and professionalism from everyone associated with our effort.” A video posted to Reddit of the signature gatherer shows the man collecting signatures outside a retail store in Massachusetts next to a sign that says “keep cannabis legal.” When confronted by a marijuana reform supporter who recorded the petitioner’s interactions with voters, he appeared to be trying to convince them that it is important to qualify the anti-cannabis measure for the ballot in order to then defeat it. “This is what we’re fighting against right here. That’s why we vote no,” he said. “If we can get this to the ballot right here, we vote no.” The person who captured the video pointed out that Massachusetts voters already approved marijuana legalization years ago, and that the only way it could be imminently repealed is if the new ballot measure qualified for the November election. If the initiative does not get enough signatures to go before voters, the state’s laws will remain the same. “It’s my job,” the petitioner insisted, however. “I know what I’m talking about.” “It’s a group of rich folks from out of state that want to basically take marijuana to when it was a medical marijuana card,” he said. “We don’t want that to happen.” The same man also appeared to also be gathering signatures for a separate measure in Maine that would similarly repeal laws allowing regulated adult-use marijuana sales and home cultivation rights for adults while keeping possession legal and adding new testing requirements for medical cannabis. A staffer for the prohibitionist organization Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM), whose affiliated group SAM Action is largely funding the anti-cannabis ballot campaigns in both states, declined to comment about the petitioner’s conduct when reached by Marijuana Moment. The campaigns have previously been accused of misleading petitioning tactics. In Massachusetts, some voters reported that the campaign used fake cover letters for other ballot measures on unrelated issues like affordable housing and same-day voter registration during the first round of petitioning. Legal cannabis supporters filed an earlier formal complaint about the prohibitionist effort’s tactics, but the State Ballot Law Commission rejected the challenge. The measure also faced a legal challenge from cannabis industry operatives who argued it contains “impermissibly unrelated subjects,” and that the state attorney general’s official summary is “misleading and deficient.” The state Supreme Judicial Court heard oral arguments on the litigation challenging the anti-marijuana initiative but it ultimately ruled against the lawsuit. The governor of Massachusetts last month filed legislation proposing to increase military veterans’ access to medical marijuana by allowing them to receive patient cards without having to get a doctor’s recommendation. The post Congresswoman Says Massachusetts Voters Should Reject Anti-Marijuana Ballot Question appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

Fed marijuana tax guidance a “priority”; MA gov urges voters to keep cannabis sales legal; FDA ibogaine RFI; VA FOIA docs & cannabis use disorder oped 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 The Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service said issuing tax guidance for the marijuana industry will be a “priority” for the coming year in light of the Trump administration’s move to federally reschedule cannabis. A newly updated Drug Enforcement Administration report confirms that “no deaths from overdose of marijuana have been reported”—and also more favorably characterizes the growing number of states that are changing their own cannabis laws than the previous edition did. Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey (D) is urging voters to reject an initiative on the November ballot that would roll back the state’s marijuana legalization law—saying, “It’s an important industry, the cannabis industry. And I hope the voters keep cannabis.” The Food and Drug Administration issued a request for information seeking public input on how to design research on the potential therapeutic benefits of the psychedelic ibogaine. Veterans Action Council’s Nate Landau details in a new Marijuana Moment op-ed how documents obtained via the Freedom of Information Act reveal a “central flaw” in how the Department of Veterans Affairs tracks marijuana misuse diagnoses based on changing criteria over time. “What emerges is not simply a story of rising diagnoses, but a deeper set of concerns about how those diagnoses are defined, applied and ultimately used to shape both policy and perception.” / FEDERAL The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service published a report on the growth of hemp fiber production in recent years. The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy announced new members of its Senior Executive Service Performance Review Board. Ohio Democratic congressional candidate Brian Poindexter addressed questions about his past marijuana use. / STATES Former Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels (R) discussed his past marijuana arrest. Michigan’s attorney general touted a court ruling finding that a marijuana business violated wetlands protection laws. Connecticut regulators published guidance about palliative cannabis products. Georgia’s top medical cannabis regulator said new medical cannabis delivery rules could take effect before the end of this month. Minnesota’s top marijuana regulator spoke about efforts to oversee the legal industry. California officials are accepting applications for the Cannabis Equity Grants Program for Local Jurisdictions. New York marijuana regulators are conducting a survey about their website. Washington State regulators will consider changes to marijuana rules on Wednesday. — 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. — / INTERNATIONAL France’s top drug official defended the country’s prohibition of cannabis in a TV appearance. Uganda’s minister for information, communications technology and national guidance is serving as the acting head of a new cannabis business association. / SCIENCE & HEALTH A study found that full-spectrum high CBD oil “may be useful in the treatment of chronic pain and anxiety.” A study found that “spatial accessibility to cannabis retailers was associated with more frequent adolescent cannabis use early in the post-legalization period, but this relationship weakened as retail outlets became widespread.” / ADVOCACY, OPINION & ANALYSIS The Maryland Association of Counties published an overview of how cannabis revenue is being used to fund community reinvestment. / BUSINESS Curaleaf Holdings, Inc. enhanced its offer to acquire Aurora Cannabis Inc. The owner of Mississippi Green Oil, LLC is facing Securities and Exchange Commission charges of alleged fraud. 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 DEA confirms no cannabis overdose deaths (Newsletter: October 6, 2026) appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

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“What emerges is not simply a story of rising diagnoses, but a deeper set of concerns about how those diagnoses are defined, applied and ultimately used to shape both policy and perception.” By Nate Landau, Veterans Action Council The number of cannabis use disorder (CUD) diagnoses among veterans has risen substantially within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), but newly released VA records obtained via the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) raise questions about what that increase actually means. The data spans a period in which the diagnostic definition of CUD changed significantly, including VA’s transition from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)-IV to DSM-5, making it difficult to determine how much of the recorded increase reflects actual changes in cannabis use among veterans and how much merely reflects changes in how CUD is defined, identified and coded. The records that the Veterans Action Council (VAC) obtained through FOIA include more than 17 years of data and underpin this part 5 of an ongoing series. They offer a rare look into how VA’s Veterans Health Administration (VHA) tracks CUD, revealing how the department’s transition from DSM-IV to DSM-5 fundamentally changed how cannabis misuse is defined and diagnosed. The article explores whether shifting diagnostic criteria, regional inconsistencies, limited internal cannabis research and reports from veterans of CUD diagnoses following positive THC tests—often without a documented behavioral assessment—raise broader questions about the consistency, transparency and clinical application of CUD within the VA healthcare system. Ultimately, it asks whether current diagnostic practices reflect rigorous patient-centered care or administrative convenience, and what those practices mean for the trust veterans place in their healthcare system. What emerges is not simply a story of rising diagnoses, but a deeper set of concerns about how those diagnoses are defined, applied and ultimately used to shape both policy and perception. An important distinction is needed at the outset. Much of the information examined here consists of administrative health data, diagnostic codes, screening results, prevalence counts and other records generated through healthcare delivery. This data can reveal patterns and associations, but it does not, by itself, establish why those patterns exist. Correlation means that two variables occur or change in relation to one another; it does not demonstrate that one caused the other. Throughout this analysis, increases or geographic differences in recorded CUD diagnoses should therefore not automatically be interpreted as evidence of corresponding increases in cannabis misuse among veterans. At first glance, the numbers suggest a dramatic increase. In 2005, approximately 37,000 veterans were diagnosed with cannabis-related conditions, representing about 8.5 per 1,000 patients. By 2014, that number had climbed to roughly 140,000 and, by 2022, it remained elevated at over 139,000, or nearly 24 per 1,000 veterans. On the surface, this appears to reflect a sharp rise in CUD. However, that interpretation unravels in proper context. Medical diagnoses recorded in VA health records are assigned standardized codes from the International Classification of Diseases (ICD), the system healthcare providers use to classify diagnoses and conditions. When that coding system changes, a condition’s appearance in large healthcare datasets can change as well, even when the underlying patient population does not. A critical inflection point occurred in October 2015, when VA transitioned from the ICD, Ninth Revision (ICD-9), to the Tenth Revision (ICD-10). This change aligned VA diagnostic coding with the framework established in the DSM-5, which had, two years earlier, consolidated cannabis abuse and cannabis dependence into a single diagnosis: CUD. While this shift was intended to modernize and standardize diagnostic criteria, it introduced a fundamental complication for longitudinal analysis. Simply put, the data before and after 2015 are not necessarily measuring the same thing. Prior to DSM-5, cannabis abuse and cannabis dependence were treated as distinct clinical conditions under the DSM-IV. Abuse generally captured patterns of harmful use, while dependence indicated a more entrenched physiological and behavioral condition. After 2015, these distinctions disappeared into a single, broader category. Any analysis comparing pre- and post-transition data without carefully adjusting for this shift risks drawing conclusions based on incompatible definitions. In effect, it becomes a comparison of fundamentally different diagnostic constructs. From the VAC perspective, this is not a minor technical issue but a central flaw. VA research has been inappropriately treating these datasets as continuous, sometimes referencing CUD in periods before the diagnosis even formally existed. This methodological inconsistency calls into question the reliability of any conclusions drawn from the data. Equally concerning are veterans’ reports of how diagnoses are applied in practice. Within the VA system, there are recurring accounts from veterans’ firsthand experience that a positive THC result on a routine urinalysis can trigger a CUD diagnosis. In many of these cases, veterans report that they were neither evaluated against DSM-5 criteria nor informed that such a diagnosis had been added to their medical record. If as widespread as VAC believes it is, this represents a significant departure from accepted clinical standards, which require behavioral assessment and patient engagement, not simply evidence of substance use. The issue becomes even more complex when examining regional variability. VA is organized into 18 Veterans Integrated Service Networks (VISNs), and FOIA data reveal striking differences in CUD diagnosis rates across regions. Some report fewer than 5 cases per 1,000 veterans, while others report more than 50 per 1,000. Higher recorded rates appear in some western states and urban areas, including jurisdictions where cannabis has been legalized. But geographic overlap alone does not establish that legalization caused the differences. VA research examining cannabis laws has found relatively modest associations between legalization and increases in CUD prevalence, suggesting that other factors account for much of the overall increase. Regional differences may therefore reflect a combination of factors, including patterns of cannabis use, patient demographics, state cannabis policies, differences in screening and documentation and clinical or administrative practices. Despite the dataset’s scale, the VA’s research portfolio on cannabis remains relatively limited. Much of the existing work is observational in nature and relies heavily on external reviews, such as those conducted by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. While observational studies can offer valuable insights, they cannot establish causality as randomized controlled trials can. To date, VA has not conducted large-scale, internally driven clinical trials on cannabis use, leaving a significant gap between real-world usage and scientific understanding. This gap is particularly notable given the evolving legal and medical landscape. Across most of the United States, medical cannabis is now legal at the state level and widely used for conditions such as chronic pain, post-traumatic stress and sleep disorders, conditions that are prevalent among veterans. Yet VA’s policy framework has remained largely static. Under current rules, providers cannot recommend cannabis, even though they are prohibited from denying care to veterans who use it, as outlined in VHA Directive 1315. The institutional stance continues to align with the American Psychiatric Association, which maintains that evidence for cannabis in psychiatric treatment remains insufficient. This creates a difficult-to-ignore paradox. On one hand, VA applies the diagnosis of CUD on a significant scale. On the other hand, it lacks robust internal research to fully understand the substance use it is diagnosing. Federal restrictions, including cannabis’s historical classification as a Schedule I substance, have undoubtedly limited research opportunities. The result is a system that diagnoses broadly while studying narrowly. For VAC, these issues converge into a broader concern about systemic integrity. When diagnostic categories shift without clear continuity, diagnoses are applied without a full clinical evaluation, and patients are neither informed nor consulted, the line between medical care and administrative labeling blurs. In such an environment, CUD risks becoming less a precise clinical diagnosis and more a default classification. For veterans navigating the VA health system, this has tangible implications. Medical records influence treatment decisions, provider perceptions and even access to certain services. A diagnosis entered without proper evaluation or patient awareness can carry consequences far beyond the initial encounter. As a result, advocates are encouraging veterans to take an active role in their healthcare documentation by reviewing their records, questioning how diagnoses were determined and requesting an explanation or reassessment when appropriate. At its core, this is an issue of trust. Veterans depend on VA for care that is fair, accurate and respectful, and FOIA data underscore the need for greater transparency and accountability. Numbers alone are not enough; their meaning depends on how they are generated and applied. A diagnosis must reflect careful clinical judgment grounded in consistent methodology and patient context. When it does not, it undermines confidence in the system. The path forward is clear: CUD should be applied with rigor, not convenience, and every diagnosis should reflect a genuine commitment to patient care rather than administrative expediency. With over 11 years in the cannabis industry, Nate Landau brings expertise in cultivation, veteran advocacy, and cannabis policy. A former sergeant in the Israeli Defense Forces special forces paratrooper reconnaissance unit. An award-winning no-till living soil cultivator, Nate has earned consecutive California State Fair honors. He also works alongside the Veterans Action Council, advocating for cannabis as a potential tool to address PTSD and veteran suicide, while contributing practical policy experience from local, state, national, & International cannabis initiatives. The post Increase In Marijuana Misuse Diagnoses Among Veterans Is More Complicated Than It Looks, VA Records Reveal (Op-Ed) appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

The governor of Massachusetts opposes an initiative on the November ballot that would roll back the state’s marijuana legalization law. “I’d vote no,” Gov. Maura Healey (D) said in an interview on WCVB-TV’s On The Record on Sunday. “We’ve got to keep recreational marijuana here in Massachusetts.” “It’s an important industry, the cannabis industry,” the governor said. “And I hope the voters keep cannabis.” A new poll released last week shows that most Massachusetts voters oppose the ballot measure to roll back marijuana legalization, in line with the governor’s views. The survey, published by CommonWealth Beacon and conducted by MassINC Polling Group (MPG), shows that 61 percent of likely voters oppose the initiative—which would repeal laws allowing the regulated commercial sales of recreational cannabis and home cultivation while maintaining legal possession and continuing the medical marijuana system. Just 27 percent of respondents said they favor the anti-cannabis ballot measure, while 11 percent are undecided and 1 percent responded that they would prefer not to state their opinion. A separate poll released last month by The University of New Hampshire, showed that nearly three-quarters (71 percent) of respondents plan to vote against the anti-cannabis measure, while just 24 percent plan to support it. Another survey released in August found that Massachusetts voters oppose the marijuana legalization repeal measure, 55 percent to 33 percent. The Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission, which regulates the legal industry, announced last month that the state has surpassed $10 billion in adult-use cannabis purchases since the market launched in 2018. CCC Chair Chris Harding told Marijuana Moment that he can’t comment directly on the initiative and that the commission does not take positions on pending ballot questions or legislation, but he said that, in general, “repeal of the adult-use industry could eliminate thousands of jobs, hundreds of businesses and billions in tax revenue.” Meanwhile, a top labor union—the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Massachusetts State Council—is urging voters to reject the cannabis legalization rollback initiative. While the latest survey results provide some comfort to cannabis reform supporters, advocates are not resting. A coalition of Massachusetts marijuana business leaders, healthcare professionals and other advocates have launched a campaign to defeat the measure. The campaign recently rolled out two TV ads urging voters to reject the rollback initiative and keep marijuana sales legal. The Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) recently issued a warning that passage of the legalization rollback measure would have “disastrous political and economic consequences for legal cannabis markets everywhere.” “Even a too-close victory would spook markets and incentivize a rash of similar initiatives in states around the country, each costing millions to try and defeat,” the group said. After the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s Office determined that organizers for the anti-cannabis proposal had turned in enough valid signatures to put the measure before voters, a marijuana reform advocate filed an objection with the State Ballot Law Commission claiming that various signatures were not genuine, obtained through fraudulent means or were not “signed substantially as registered.” The body rejected the challenge to the legal marijuana rollback measure, however, clearing it to go before voters to decide. In June, the campaign behind the anti-legalization ballot measure fired a signature gatherer it says was shown appearing to engage in “wholly unacceptable” conduct in a recent video. As Marijuana Moment reported, a man petitioning for the Massachusetts initiative as well as a similar anti-cannabis proposal in Maine was depicted in recent social media posts seeming to argue that voters who support legal marijuana access should sign the petitions in order to advance or protect reform. The campaign later said it has “zero tolerance for any circulation tactics that would mislead petition signers.” “The identified canvasser was immediately terminated, in coordination with our vendor, upon being made aware of the alleged conduct,” the group said. “The conduct apparent in the video would be wholly unacceptable and does not reflect how this campaign operates. We demand honesty, transparency and professionalism from everyone associated with our effort.” A video posted to Reddit of the signature gatherer shows the man collecting signatures outside a retail store in Massachusetts next to a sign that says “keep cannabis legal.” When confronted by a marijuana reform supporter who recorded the petitioner’s interactions with voters, he appeared to be trying to convince them that it is important to qualify the anti-cannabis measure for the ballot in order to then defeat it. “This is what we’re fighting against right here. That’s why we vote no,” he said. “If we can get this to the ballot right here, we vote no.” The person who captured the video pointed out that Massachusetts voters already approved marijuana legalization years ago, and that the only way it could be imminently repealed is if the new ballot measure qualified for the November election. If the initiative does not get enough signatures to go before voters, the state’s laws will remain the same. “It’s my job,” the petitioner insisted, however. “I know what I’m talking about.” “It’s a group of rich folks from out of state that want to basically take marijuana to when it was a medical marijuana card,” he said. “We don’t want that to happen.” The same man also appeared to also be gathering signatures for a separate measure in Maine that would similarly repeal laws allowing regulated adult-use marijuana sales and home cultivation rights for adults while keeping possession legal and adding new testing requirements for medical cannabis. A staffer for the prohibitionist organization Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM), whose affiliated group SAM Action is largely funding the anti-cannabis ballot campaigns in both states, declined to comment about the petitioner’s conduct when reached by Marijuana Moment. The campaigns have previously been accused of misleading petitioning tactics. In Massachusetts, some voters reported that the campaign used fake cover letters for other ballot measures on unrelated issues like affordable housing and same-day voter registration during the first round of petitioning. Legal cannabis supporters filed an earlier formal complaint about the prohibitionist effort’s tactics, but the State Ballot Law Commission rejected the challenge. The measure also faced a legal challenge from cannabis industry operatives who argued it contains “impermissibly unrelated subjects,” and that the state attorney general’s official summary is “misleading and deficient.” The state Supreme Judicial Court heard oral arguments on the litigation challenging the anti-marijuana initiative but it ultimately ruled against the lawsuit. The governor of Massachusetts last month filed legislation proposing to increase military veterans’ access to medical marijuana by allowing them to receive patient cards without having to get a doctor’s recommendation. The post Massachusetts Governor Urges Voters To Keep Marijuana Sales Legal By Rejecting Prohibitionist Ballot Measure appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

Marijuana can have a number of effects on people who use it but there are no known instances of someone fatally overdosing from consuming cannabis, federal officials say. “No deaths from overdose of marijuana have been reported,” the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) said in a new update to its “Drugs of Abuse” publication for 2026. That said, the agency is cautioning that cannabis’s effects on perception and coordination can cause “serious impairments in learning, associative processes, and psychomotor behavior (driving abilities)” and that long-term use can lead to “physical dependence and withdrawal following discontinuation, as well as psychological addiction or dependence.” The report also notes that “there have been an increasing number of emergency room visits involving marijuana edibles.” On the other hand, however, DEA notes that marijuana use can lead to “merriment, happiness, and even exhilaration at high doses.” While the updated 119-page report’s marijuana section is largely the same as the one in the previous edition published in 2024, it has been revised to note the Trump administration’s move to federally reschedule cannabis as well as to more favorably characterize the growing number of states that are changing their own laws. “Over the last three decades, the majority of U.S. states have legalized the sale and use of marijuana for medical purposes as a matter of state law and have established systems to regulate that activity,” the new edition says. The previous version of the document had said: “Although some states within the United States have allowed the use of marijuana for medicinal purpose, it is the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that has the federal authority to approve drugs for medicinal use in the U.S. To date, FDA has not approved a marketing application for any marijuana product for any clinical indication. Consistent therewith, FDA and DEA have concluded that marijuana has no federally approved medical use for treatment in the U.S. and thus it remains as a Schedule I controlled substance under federal law.” The newly updated report notes that in April of this year, “the U.S. Department of Justice placed drug products containing marijuana that have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act” (CSA). “This regulation applies to marijuana as defined in the CSA, marijuana extracts, delta-9- tetrahydrocannabinol and other compounds derived from the marijuana plant (other than the mature stalks and seeds) that fall outside the definition of hemp, to the extent that any of these are included in an FDA-approved drug product or are subject to a state-issued license to manufacture, distribute, and/or dispense marijuana or products containing marijuana for medical purposes,” it says. The new document also includes an updated table of controlled substances that shows state-licensed medical cannabis now falls under Schedule III of the CSA. Under an action announced by Attorney General Todd Blanche in April, marijuana products regulated by a state medical cannabis license immediately moved from Schedule I of the CSA to Schedule III, as did any marijuana products that are approved by the FDA. A hearing is considering broader cannabis rescheduling, including for recreational products. The post There Are ‘No Deaths From Overdose Of Marijuana,’ DEA Confirms In Updated Report appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is seeking public input on how to design research on the potential therapeutic benefits of the psychedelic ibogaine. The agency’s request for information (RFI), released on Monday, seeks comments and data in four main areas: General study design, including appropriate patient populations; Dose selection and escalation, including the proposed use of small, sequential dose-ascending groups and a starting dose justified by available data and not exceeding 10 mg/kg; Safety considerations, including monitoring for cardiac and neurologic adverse events and other safeguards for clinical trials; and Ethical and oversight considerations, including informed consent and appropriate independent safety oversight. The RFI comes months after President Donald Trump signed a psychedelics executive order aimed at streamlining research on and access to substances such as ibogaine and psilocybin. “Patients facing serious conditions that have not responded to existing treatments deserve rigorous scientific investigation of promising new approaches,” Michael Davis, director of FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said. “With ibogaine, there are important scientific questions as well as serious safety concerns. We are seeking high-quality data and input that can help inform clinical research while putting patient safety first.” FDA is seeking public input on the design of early-stage clinical trials involving ibogaine products. https://t.co/LmYspHxYeA We want to hear from the public on dosing, safety monitoring, patient safeguards and trial design. Comment period open for 45 days. pic.twitter.com/LvPt0bDISW — FDA Drugs and Biologics (@FDADrugs) October 5, 2026 A Federal Register notice accompanying the RFI notes that research on ibogaine to date has “significant limitations” and, as such, there is “uncertainty about the benefit-risk profile of ibogaine drug products.” FDA said it is not interested in any comments on legalization or decriminalization of psychedelics, federal scheduling status, religious use or the safety or effectiveness of any specific ibogaine drug product. Broadly, the agency said that information received through the RFI will help it “better understand the potential uses, benefits and risks of ibogaine drug products and inform approaches to drug development.” Comments are being accepted through November 20. The ibogaine RFI comes weeks after FDA hosted a public hearing on psychedelic therapy, with officials taking testimony from dozens of advocates, researchers and industry participants. In July, the agency issued finalized guidance to help researchers studying the therapeutic benefits of psychedelics navigate the “unique challenges” of such investigations. In April, FDA issued national priority vouchers to three companies studying psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression and major depressive disorder, as well as methylone (MDMC) for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and additionally allowed an early phase clinical study of an ibogaine derivative to proceed with an Investigational New Drug (IND) submission. FDA also signed a memorandum of understanding with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) concerning a partnership to collaborate on research and development of psychedelic medicines to treat people struggling with serious mental health conditions. Last week, a bipartisan congressional psychedelics caucus published a report on how substances like psilocybin, ibogaine and DMT can be “safely and ethically integrated” into the U.S. healthcare system, emphasizing the need for collaboration across federal agencies and with states. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in a podcast released last month that he believes there will be an “enormous demand” for psychedelic therapies as they become legally available, and he thinks Trump is unique among his predecessors in championing the issue. FDA and HHS in April announced steps that they say will help with “accelerating” therapeutic access to psychedelics for patients dealing with serious mental health conditions. In August, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration issued a report on recent advances in psychedelic medicine, along with recommendations for state policymakers on how to prepare for formal approval of drugs like psilocybin and MDMA. It also noted how the Schedule I status of many psychedelics has hampered scientific studies on their effects for decades. In May, a bipartisan coalition of 32 members of Congress sent a letter urging FDA to expedite ongoing reviews of psychedelic therapies. Lawmakers recently filed a new bill that would require the Department of Defense (DOD) to evaluate how ongoing research on the therapeutic benefits of psilocybin could help members of the military. A separate recently introduced bipartisan measure is intended to codify Trump’s psychedelics executive order into law. An amendment adopted as part of the National Defense Authorization Act would extend a psychedelics research effort at DOD for an additional six years. Photo courtesy of Scamperdale. The post FDA Seeks Public Input On Psychedelic Research Involving Ibogaine appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

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Federal officials say they will prioritize issuing tax-related guidance for marijuana businesses within the next year in light of the Trump administration’s move to federally reschedule cannabis. Moving marijuana from Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) to Schedule III will have large tax implications for cannabis industry operators. That’s because an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) code known as 280E, which has prevented them from taking ordinary tax deductions and credits that are available to most businesses, only applies to Schedule I and II substances. The U.S. Department of the Treasury and IRS said in April that they plan to issue guidance on tax issues for marijuana businesses stemming from rescheduling, but that hasn’t yet happened. But now, Treasury and IRS officials have included the issue in their 2026–2027 Priority Guidance Plan, indicating that they intend to follow through on providing tax clarity for cannabis businesses in the coming months. The document includes “Guidance under §280E” in a list of 121 items officials plan to prioritize over the next year, though it doesn’t provide any additional marijuana-related information beyond that. “Each year, the Treasury Department’s Office of Tax Policy and the IRS use the Guidance Priority List to identify and prioritize that tax issues that should be addressed through regulations, revenue rulings, revenue procedures, notices, and other published administrative guidance,” IRS said. “The Guidance Priority List focuses resources on guidance items that are most important to taxpayers and tax administration. Published guidance plays an important role in increasing voluntary compliance by helping to clarify ambiguous areas of the tax law.” The current plan, released last week, will cover the federal fiscal year that runs from October 1, 2026 to September 30, 2027, but it “does not provide any deadline for completing the projects,” the document says. In May, a group of congressional Democrats sent a latter asking Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and IRS Chief Executive Officer Frank Bisignano to issue “prompt guidance” on tax issues for marijuana businesses in light of the Trump administration’s move to federally reschedule cannabis. “The absence of clear and timely guidance for the cannabis industry will leave taxpayers uncertain as to how they can benefit from the tax code—whether it is the treatment of ordinary and necessary business deductions or accessing of tax credits,” the lawmakers wrote. In contrast, a pair of Republican lawmakers in June sent a letter to the treasury secretary saying they are “concerned” and “troubled” that marijuana businesses will be eligible for tax relief now that cannabis is being partially rescheduled under federal law. Those lawmakers previously filed legislation called the No Deductions for Marijuana Businesses Act that would continue to prevent the cannabis industry from escaping the 280E penalty even under rescheduling. Under an order issued by Attorney General Todd Blanche in April, marijuana regulated by a state medical cannabis license immediately moved to Schedule III. Marijuana products such as those in state-legal recreational markets remain in Schedule I for now, however, subject to an ongoing hearing process that is considering broader rescheduling of cannabis. In their previous announcement about forthcoming guidance, IRS and Treasury said they “expect DOJ’s action to have significant positive tax consequences for businesses in the medical marijuana industry.” “Accordingly, rescheduling generally removes section 280E as a bar to claiming deductions and credits for businesses that as a result of the Final Order no longer traffic in Schedule I or II controlled substances under the CSA,” they said. Because of the way the rescheduling action is being rolled out in phases, state-licensed marijuana companies that serve both the medical and recreational markets may only be able to immediately obtain tax relief for parts of their businesses. “Guidance is expected to clarify the ways in which, for businesses with multiple activities, section 280E applies only to those activities related to trafficking in Schedule I or II controlled substances (e.g., by apportioning expenses),” the tax agency and Treasury Department said. Blanche’s rescheduling order for DOJ said he “encourages” the treasury secretary “to consider providing retrospective relief from Section 280E liability for taxable years in which a state licensee operated under a state medical marijuana license.” But the Treasury and IRS announcement said that, at least for an initial transition rule, “rescheduling generally will be considered to first apply for a business’s full taxable year that includes the effective date of the Final Order, for the business’s activities that do not involve Schedule I or II controlled substances as a result of the Final Order.” The post Federal Officials Say Marijuana Industry Tax Guidance Will Be A ‘Priority’ For The Next Year appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

NY hits $4 billion in marijuana sales; VA medical cannabis patient survey; Study: Medical marijuana for autism; NC public cannabis use policy 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 Florida activists filed two new marijuana legalization initiatives for the 2028 ballot, a development that comes as a third previously submitted measure to legalize cannabis is also still pending. The New York Office of Cannabis Management reported that retailers in the state have now sold more than $4 billion worth of recreational marijuana products since the market launched—including nearly $1.5 billion so far this year alone. The Virginia Cannabis Control Authority is asking medical marijuana patients to complete a “satisfaction survey” about the state’s program—including questions about how the launch of recreational sales will impact them. A new study conducted by the Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management found that people with autism who use medical marijuana “were able to achieve and maintain symptom relief” for anxiety, depression and sleep. “Medical cannabis patients qualified for ASD reported reduced anxiety and a sub-set of patients reported reduced presence/severity of behavioral symptoms after starting medical cannabis.” The North Carolina Advisory Council on Cannabis is weighing proposed recommendations on how the state should address public use of marijuana if it moves forward with legalization. Oregon hemp retailers and suppliers are worried that changes to federal laws stand to put them out of business. “The CBD products that people are expecting to be available to give to their dogs for arthritis or to give to their parents because they’re aging and have aches and pains that are helped by some of these cannabinoids, they’re not going to have access to them anymore.” CannaShark Consulting’s Adrian A. Holguin offers advice in a new op-ed for Missouri marijuana microbusiness license applicants on how to avoid getting scammed when signing contracts and deals. / FEDERAL The Government Accountability Office published a report with recommendations on how the Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security can better collaborate on counternarcotics investigations. Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-NE) tweeted, “Communist China dominates marijuana markets in America. Its criminal organizations exploit our land, traffic foreign workers, and use prohibited chemicals to produce cannabis. These illicit drug enterprises threaten our communities and national security.” The Congressional Research Service published an updated report on hemp issues. / STATES A New Jersey senator is being sued by his former chief of staff for allegedly recruiting people to serve as social equity ‘owners’ of marijuana businesses that they did not actually control. Virginia hemp businesses are asking to withdraw a lawsuit they filed challenging new state product restrictions, saying they plan to refile it in revised form. Colorado regulators sent an update about adverse health reports linked to cannabis vape products. Connecticut regulators published guidance about changes to marijuana laws that took effect this month. Missouri regulators published guidance about testing requirements for ingestible cannabis concentrates. Illinois regulators published annual cannabis reports. Minnesota’s Cannabis Expungement Board is seeking a new executive director. New York regulators approved a new research license to study whether a cannabis-based medicine could provide relief for people with chronic pain. Michigan regulators revoked a marijuana business’s license and issued a fine over alleged violations. Oregon regulators will consider changes to hemp product registration rules on October 21. — 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. — / INTERNATIONAL Trinidad and Tobago lawmakers approved a bill making changes to cannabis, alcohol, tobacco and gambling laws. Israeli officials are considering limiting the scope of an investigation into Canadian medical cannabis being “dumped” into the country’s market. / SCIENCE & HEALTH A review concluded that the endocannabinoid system “is a promising therapeutic target for endometriosis-associated pain, as it regulates nociception, inflammation, and proliferation.” A study suggested that “C. sativa hairy root-derived nanovesicles represent a stable immunomodulatory platform with potential applications in cancer immunotherapy and other diseases requiring enhanced cellular immune responses.” / ADVOCACY, OPINION & ANALYSIS The National Rifle Association, Second Amendment Foundation and Firearms Policy Coalition filed an amicus brief urging the Supreme Court to take up a case challenging the federal government’s permanent denial of gun rights to a man over a marijuana cultivation conviction. / BUSINESS Curaleaf International received the first approval from Australian officials for a device intended for the delivery of cannabis extracts via inhalation. AYR Wellness Inc. completed the first transfer of its Ohio operations into wholly-owned subsidiaries of Arboretum Bidco LLC. 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: Photo courtesy of Chris Wallis // Side Pocket Images. The post New push to put cannabis on Florida’s ballot (Newsletter: October 5, 2026) appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

“The most important protection for Missouri’s newest cannabis entrepreneurs may not be another rule. It may be knowing when not to sign.” By Adrian A. Holguin, CannaShark Consulting via Missouri Independent Missouri drew its final round of marijuana microbusiness applicants on September 9. The state received 888 applications and expects to issue approximately 77 licenses beginning in December. I want to write about the months in between, because I work in the trade that operates in them. I am a consultant. I run licensing, compliance and operations work for cannabis operators, and I have sat across the table from first-time licensees more times than I can count. When the state put new microbusiness rules in place in May, I did not read them as an attack on the trade. I read them as rules aimed at the right problem that stop just short of solving it. The rules are good ones. They spell out what it means to majority-own and operate a license. They let regulators review ownership arrangements before a license issues rather than after, which is the change that should have come first. They require a compliance course before applying and again after the award. And they require eligible owners to serve as the primary point of contact with regulators during the application process, limiting one of the ways consultants can make themselves indispensable. All of that reaches the contract. None of it reaches the wait. Consider what a top-drawn applicant actually holds this fall: the prospect of a license coming as soon as December, a facility they may not have secured, capital they may not have raised and no experience operating in a regulated industry. Forty-six licenses from the first two rounds are active but not yet approved to operate. As of August 18, only 21 microbusinesses were operating. Jimi Poe, who won in the first round and became the first to open a microbusiness dispensary, told the division’s own podcast it took him two years rather than the six months he expected. That is the exposure. Not necessarily a bad clause. It is a long, unfunded, inexperienced wait, during which somebody will offer to carry it for you. A wait does two things to a person. It drains cash and it makes them feel behind, and both push toward signing. The offer usually arrives sounding like relief: We will fund the build-out. We will handle compliance. We will run it until you are ready. Some of those offers are honest. Others can look just as reassuring on the first read, which is precisely the problem. Most people who sign a bad agreement are not careless. They are outmatched. The licensee has never done this before and the person across the table may have done it dozens of times. So let me be useful rather than righteous, and name some things licensees should watch for when dealing with people in my own industry. Watch for equity that vests on signature rather than on delivery. Ask why an adviser is receiving ownership before the promised work has been completed, and whether that equity could instead be tied to specific milestones. Watch for a management agreement wearing a consulting label. If the document hands someone else hiring authority, banking authority or control of the seed-to-sale account, that is not simply advice. Under the new rules, those kinds of provisions could also raise questions about whether eligible owners retain the control Missouri now requires. Watch for fees calculated against gross rather than net. A percentage of revenue does not care whether the operator ever makes money. Watch for standard operating procedures that do not describe your building. Everyone starts from a template. But if the document refers to rooms you do not have, nobody walked your facility closely enough. And ask the question that sorts this trade quickly: Which licensees have you taken from award to operation, and may I speak with them? A consultant with a successful track record should be able to provide references. Lesley Turek, the division’s chief equity officer, has already offered another safeguard. She has advised current and future licensees to run proposed arrangements or agreements past the division so regulators can identify potential compliance problems. That is an open door, offered by the regulator, and in my experience new licensees do not always walk through it because asking feels like admitting you do not know. That reading is backwards. Running a draft agreement past your own regulator is among the cheapest diligence available in this industry, and it costs nothing. The state spent this cycle making the paperwork harder to abuse, which was the right move. What regulation cannot eliminate is the vulnerability created during the months when a new licensee has something worth taking and little experience defending it. That is why the most important protection for Missouri’s newest cannabis entrepreneurs may not be another rule. It may be knowing when not to sign. Adrian A. Holguin is founder and president of CannaShark Consulting, a national consulting firm based in California that handles licensing, compliance and operations for cannabis operators. This piece was first published by Missouri Independent. The post Advice For Missouri Marijuana Microbusinesses On How Not To Get Scammed When Signing Contracts (Op-Ed) appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

“The CBD products that people are expecting to be available to give to their dogs for arthritis or to give to their parents because they’re aging and have aches…they’re not going to have access to them anymore.” By Mia Maldonado, Oregon Capital Chronicle Pet tinctures and topicals are the most popular products sold at Oregon CBD Company, a small business located at the junction of the Willamette Valley town’s busiest roads. Pet owners use them to treat their pets’ anxiety or pain—and in some cases they use similar products to treat their own. Those products used to line most of the store’s shelves. Now, those shelves are empty as the store plans to close by the end of this month in response to a federal law that will ban most of the products it sells by the end of the year. Muscle rubs, aromatherapy soaps and body washes make up the majority of what’s left in the store. A “for rent” sign sits outside of the building while buy-one, get-one-free flyers sit on top of the store’s mostly empty tables. The other half of the building, Oregon Cannabis Company, is a dispensary under the same owner that will remain open. The difference between the two stores’ products is that one sells items made from hemp, and the other, from marijuana. Hemp and marijuana are from the same plant species, but hemp has much lower levels of tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC—the psychoactive component of the plant that provides a “high” feeling among marijuana users. Hemp is most commonly used for its nonimpairing chemical compound cannabidiol, known as CBD. “The easiest way to explain CBD is that it is like a healthier version of ibuprofen,” store manager Leslie Frost told the Capital Chronicle from behind a cash register and an empty display case. Before becoming manager, Frost was taking 1,200 milligrams of ibuprofen a day to manage chronic migraines and pain from a knee surgery before turning to CBD products. For the past few years, she’s helped a growing number of Oregonians, particularly the elderly, with similar experiences find products that work for them. Frost and her coworkers aren’t out of a job or losing hours because there’s still enough business coming in through the company’s dispensary side. The biggest hit to the business will be the loss of its customers who bought CBD products for their pets, Frost said. Federal changes target unintended hemp loophole Amid the country’s longest government shutdown in late 2025, Sen. Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, added an amendment to a government funding bill dramatically narrowing the definition of hemp. The law repeals the very law McConnell championed in 2018 when he introduced a Farm Bill that legalized the cultivation of hemp plants with a THC concentration of 0.3 percent or lower by dry weight. The law was meant to allow an agricultural market for hemp-based textiles, animal feeds and human wellness products centered on CBD products. The new hemp law closes an unintended legal loophole of the 2018 law that opened the door for hemp manufacturers to convert legal hemp plants into potent forms of synthetic marijuana, Stateline reported. The law bans the sale of any “hemp-derived cannabinoid product” with more than 0.4 milligrams of total THC per container, which is most hemp-derived products such as edibles, tinctures and beverages. It was set to take effect in November, but Congress pushed its effective date to December 11. ‘They’re not going to have access anymore’: Hemp seed farmer talks federal changes “The law essentially ends the hemp industry,” said Seth Crawford, the co-owner of Oregon CBD Seeds, an Independence-based company that supplies 75 percent of the hemp seed grown in the country. Crawford and other farmers can continue to grow hemp under the new federal law, but he said he doesn’t anticipate he’ll have as many people buying seeds since there won’t be as many processors that can make hemp-derived products that meet the new guidelines Crawford and his brother started their hemp seed business in 2014, shortly after Oregon legalized recreational marijuana. Noticing the potential market for hemp-based products, Crawford, who has a public policy background, and his brother, who has a horticulture background, teamed up to create a hemp seed farm as well as an internationally leading cannabis research lab. Their 50-acre farm off Oregon Highway 99W is home to several greenhouses, dozens of grow tents, solar panels and millions of dollars worth of research equipment used to understand the genetic structure of hemp varieties. Their business was recovering from a years-long decline in sales following the pandemic when Congress passed the law. Unless Congress finds a fix, which several Democratic members have tried, Crawford said his plan is to focus on selling hemp seeds to home growers. “I can kind of understand why it has been swept under the rug while we’re worrying about whether or not we’re going to have free and open elections in November,” Crawford said. Part of Crawford’s interest in medical cannabis grew out of taking care of his dog, a yellow lab named Berkley, who had arthritis in his hips. Crawford would make him a CBD oil that he would put into a cookie and feed it to him. It gave him nearly four extra years of mobility towards the end of his life and it helped him during seizures, he said. “The CBD products that people are expecting to be available to give to their dogs for arthritis or to give to their parents because they’re aging and have aches and pains that are helped by some of these cannabinoids, they’re not going to have access to them anymore,” he said. This story was first published by Oregon Capital Chronicle. The post Federal Changes Will Put Hemp Industry Operators Out Of Business, Oregon Retailers And Suppliers Say appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

“We want the public to understand exactly what this means. We don’t want to have to have law enforcement try to guess at businesses, are they public or are they private?” By Clayton Henkel, NC Newsline North Carolina’s Advisory Council on Cannabis faces a December 31 deadline to issue final recommendations for a comprehensive cannabis policy to Gov. Josh Stein (D). While the legislature would have to agree to enact any changes in existing law, the council gave the public its first glimpse this week of how a public consumption policy might be crafted. Anne Doyle and Kaycee Deen with the state Division of Public Health told council members that cannabis consumption needs its own framework of policies, because it doesn’t fit neatly within state laws governing alcohol or tobacco use. To establish a cannabis-specific policy, Doyle said her team has examined how other states have opted to regulate public consumption. In Virginia, retail sales of recreational cannabis begin July 1, 2027, but it will be illegal to smoke it in public. Lawmakers there are already considering increasing the civil penalty for public use from $25 to $250. In California, smoking or ingesting cannabis in public is prohibited, but they do allow for its use in designated lounges or cafes. Colorado likewise bans open products and public consumption but allows for local exceptions in hospitality spaces. Across all those states, Doyle said the baseline is that legal possession does not mean that you have the right to use or consume cannabis in public. Defining public spaces Deen said after many conversations with policymakers and public safety officials in other states, they drafted five recommendations for THC consumption in North Carolina. The first recommendation prohibits the consumption of all THC products in any public place. Public spaces could be broadly defined to cover restaurants and bars, beaches, parks, event venues and public buildings. “The goal is to make the rule very intuitive,” said Deen. “We want the public to understand exactly what this means. We don’t want to have to have law enforcement try to guess at businesses, are they public or are they private?” The recommendation becomes trickier when it comes to housing. A homeowner would be free to consume cannabis in their private residence, but different rules might apply for renters. “The landlord who owns the home makes a decision that that home should be smoke-free. You do have to abide by that,” said Deen. Deen said other states advised North Carolina to avoid relying on “private event” labels that could turn a public business into a consumption site. “Let’s say a famous pop star decides to rent out the Lenovo Center for her wedding. If we had an exception for a private event, they would be able to allow smoking during that event while it was rented out privately,” Deen explained. Another policy choice to consider would be a narrow exception for THC beverages, Deen said. “You could allow licensed restaurants to be able to sell THC beverages for on premises consumption only, not to be taken off the property,” said Deen. “They would be like a menu item similar to mixed drinks or beer wine.” Deen said restaurants are a very controlled environment, where staff could be trained on THC products, and they would have 21 plus ID verification. “They have limits on serving sizes and THC per serving,” she said. “Another thing that we’ve learned from the alcohol space is that a way to limit consumption is to raise the price.” The second draft recommendation would prohibit consumption of THC in a moving vehicle by drivers and passengers. An open THC container in the passenger area would also be prohibited. The vehicle rule would not require impairment to be enforceable. Narrowing consumption locations A third proposed recommendation would be to not allow dedicated consumption lounges. “It’s always easier to restrict something at the beginning and then open up those laws later,” Deen advised. “They complicate enforcement.” A fourth draft recommendation is to preserve authority for private housing to further restrict these cannabis consumption laws. This would be a safeguard for HOAs or condominium associations. Deen said spelling this out in the initial policy could help prevent a lot of litigation. Forrest Parker, CEO of Qualla Enterprises and Great Smoky Cannabis Company, said people are looking for safe places to consume cannabis, which is legal for recreational use on Cherokee land in North Carolina. While the concept of cannabis lounges may not have worked financially in other states, Parker said they recognize consumer demand. “We’re actually starting to slightly explore whether it makes sense for us to provide a safe place,” Parker said. Parker said with a larger portion of their customers being visitors, many are looking for a place they can legally use cannabis when Cherokee hotels, casinos and other public spaces remain off limits. “We have a lot of campgrounds actually beginning to promote a ‘420 friendly’ vacation model,” Parker said. “They’re closing off certain sections of the campground and building barriers so that children don’t have easy access. Really responsible.” Recreational cannabis is legal for adults over 21 on tribal land, but upon leaving the Qualla boundary, individuals are subject to North Carolina state laws. A pushback on civil fines The final draft recommendation would use civil infractions, or fines, as the default enforcement mechanism for the public consumption rules. “Just like it was when they enacted the smoke-free restaurants and bars, they got a lot of complaints at the beginning for several years. Then they got less and less,” said Deen. “There was a behavior change.” Doyle said this is another area where North Carolina can borrow from other states. “California does not impose infractions or fines on minors. They actually require education,” said Doyle. “That could be a really interesting thing to think about [instead of] punishment.” Roxboro Police Chief David Hess said the wording on enforcement recommendations needed work. “If what I’m carrying out of this recommendation is for law enforcement to go around issuing civil fines for public consumption, we’re going to erode public trust,” Hess said. Hess said in North Carolina municipal law enforcement doesn’t have the statutory authority to enforce civil laws. That’s a function of sheriffs’ departments, he said. “You would be entering local law enforcement into a new space that historically has never been permitted in North Carolina. That’s going to come with a significant amount of training,” Hess said. Col. Freddy Johnson, commander of the North Carolina Highway Patrol, agreed with Hess, but thought many of the state’s open-container laws for alcohol could be adapted to work for cannabis consumption. Other advisory members indicated they would be agreeable to allowing bars and restaurants to continue to sell THC-infused beverages. “If we did have legal products, the legislature could limit the amount that you can put in a container, a can, or bottle. Many states have done that,” said Dr. Larry Greenblatt, state health director and co-chair of the advisory council. Greenblatt said the draft recommendations should be considered a work in progress. Subcommittees will be meeting throughout October and November where the guardrails will be fine-tuned. Even after the final report is delivered to the governor, the General Assembly would need to agree on the legislation. Attempts to legalize medical marijuana have died in the state House in recent years, despite support from some senior Senate leaders. The Trump administration has called on the U.S. Department of Justice to reclassify marijuana as a Schedule III drug, the same class as Tylenol. This story was first published by NC Newsline. Photo courtesy of Martin Alonso. The post North Carolina Advisory Panel Weighs Cannabis Public Use Policies As Part Of Recommendation To Governor appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

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New York’s recreational marijuana dispensaries have now sold more than $4 billion worth of legal cannabis products, state officials have announced. The Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) revealed the sales totals at a Cannabis Control Board (CCB) meeting on Thursday. The $4.1 billion worth of adult-use marijuana products since sales began in late 2022 includes almost $1.5 billion so far in 2026 alone. Third quarter sales reached $512.6 million, bringing the total for this year to date to $1.41 billion. The OCM update also noted that a significant share of the state’s legal cannabis market is comprised of social and economic equity businesses, and that almost two-thirds (64 percent) of new licenses issued at Thursday’s meeting meet that designation. CCB this week also approved a new cannabis nursery license application window and extended the provisional license period for equity and provisional marijuana business licenses. “Today’s actions are about opening doors, helping businesses move forward, and protecting the integrity of New York’s cannabis market,” Jessica García, chair of the CCB, said in a press release. According to OCM, the state currently has 1,981 licensed adult-use marijuana businesses, including: 280 cultivators 241 distributors 329 microbusinesses 582 processors 548 retail dispensaries 370 Conditional Adult-Use Retail Dispensaries Fifty-six percent of all recreational cannabis business licenses have been awarded to social and economic equity applicants. “That representation across the supply chain is meaningful progress, and our work is to make sure these businesses have the support to grow and thrive,” L. Simone Washington, OCM’s chief equity officer, said. Separately, Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) recently signed legislation clarifying that marijuana microbusinesses can fully participate in cannabis farmers’ markets and pop-up events. In May, OCM began accepting applications from licensed dispensaries that want to host temporary cannabis farmers’ markets and pop-up events. The launch of applications this year followed the enactment of earlier legislation signed by Hochul last year that built on an existing showcase program that was first created in 2023. The state Cannabis Control Board (CCB) adopted regulations for the events program that is now rolling out last May. In March, the governor marked the five-year anniversary of adult-use marijuana legalization in New York, highlighting $3.3 billion in retail sales at that point, the opening of more than 600 licensed cannabis shops and achievements in promoting social equity in the industry while taking steps to mitigate the illicit market. In January, New York officials released a set of reports providing a 2025 end-of-year status update on the evolution of the state’s medical and adult-use marijuana markets—touting record sales, revenue hauls for state coffers, licensing approvals, equity initiatives and more. The OCM annual report also notes that Hochul signed legislation into law that expands the state’s medical cannabis program by improving patient access and “updating the program framework to better meet patient needs statewide.” Meanwhile, a coalition of New York marijuana businesses are asking the governor to veto legislation that would create a new Cannabis Wage Board charged with recommending minimum hourly wages for industry workers. The proposal would “create significant uncertainty for operators at a time when many are finally beginning to find their footing after years of regulatory delays, capital constraints, and continued competition from the illicit market,” an action alert sent by the Cannabis Association of New York (CANY) said. — 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. — Separately, New York senators recently approved a bill related to reciprocity for out-of-state medical marijuana patients and the availability of pre-rolled joints in the medical cannabis market—even though the state has already enacted those reforms separately. In February, the sponsor of the bill separately introduced legislation that would allow New York liquor and wine stores to obtain a permit to sell low-dose cannabis-infused drinks at their businesses. Also, the governor recently signed legislation into law that revises zoning requirements for licensed marijuana businesses, granting more flexibility to retailers located within certain distances of schools and places of worship. The post New York Dispensaries Have Sold More Than $4 Billion In Recreational Marijuana Since The Market Launched, State Officials Announce appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

Florida activists submitted two new proposed marijuana legalization ballot initiatives to state officials this week. The first measure, from a group called Floridians for Marijuana, would allow adults over the age of 21 to legally use cannabis. They could possess up to two ounces of marijuana, including no more than five grams of cannabis concentrates. Existing medical cannabis dispensaries would be able to sell recreational marijuana to adults as of the effective date, which would be six months after approval by voters. New businesses would also be allowed to acquire, cultivate, process, transport and or sell marijuana to adults for personal use. Unlike current medical cannabis businesses, however, there would be no requirement for them to be vertically integrated. The measure specifies that marketing and packaging of marijuana in a manner attractive to children would be prohibited, as would smoking or vaping cannabis in any public place. Owners of private property would maintain the right to prohibit marijuana use on premises. It also says that prior to the effective date, lawmakers will need to adopt legislation concerning marijuana business licensing and to regulate the time, place and manner of the public consumption of cannabis. “Nothing herein shall prohibit the legislature from providing for the home growing of marijuana by adults for their personal use and the reasonable regulation thereof,” it says. “Nothing herein shall limit the right of the legislature, subject to Section 19 of Article VII of this Constitution, to exercise its authority through general law in providing for the taxation of sales of marijuana and appropriating such tax revenues to fund law enforcement, education, or as otherwise determined by the Legislature.” The second new initiative, filed by an organization called Let Florida Vote IV, is similar but contains additional provisions contemplating the designation of a separate agency to license marijuana businesses beyond the Department of Health, which currently oversees medical cannabis. It states that existing medical marijuana treatment centers and licensed marijuana entities could acquire cannabis from, and sell or transfer it to one another. The measure directs the legislature to pass a bill to provide for the issuance of cannabis business licenses “to any applicant meeting reasonable and objective qualifications” and specifies that there cannot be fees “in excess of the reasonable cost of administration and enforcement.” If lawmakers do not pass such a law by the effective date, the Department of Health would then promulgate rules for marijuana business licensure within six months and then begin issuing licenses within nine months of the effective date, it says. The separate committees behind the two new initiatives have the same chair and treasurer. Let Florida Vote IV has a website where people can request a copy of the petition be mailed to them to sign. Meanwhile, also still pending is a marijuana legalization ballot measure from Smart & Safe Florida, a campaign committee whose earlier measure on the 2024 ballot got majority support but fell short of the 60 percent threshold needed to pass a constitutional amendment in Florida. The group also tried to get cannabis legalization on Florida’s 2026 ballot but fell short after state officials invalidated tens of thousands of signatures. For any of the three currently pending marijuana legalization measures to make the 2028 ballot, organizers will need to submit 880,062 valid signatures from registered voters. Along the way, submission of 220,016 valid signatures will trigger a judicial and financial impact review from state officials. The post Recreational Marijuana Would Be Legalized In Florida Under Two Newly Filed Ballot Measures appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

Virginia regulators are asking patients to complete a “satisfaction survey” about the state’s medical marijuana program. The Virginia Cannabis Control Authority (CCA) said the questionnaire is designed to help officials “hear from the people who know Virginia’s medical cannabis program firsthand.” The survey includes questions about how often patients use medical marijuana, what types of products they consume and where they obtain it from—including whether they go to retailers in other states. Responses will help CCA have a “better understanding of the patient experience and help identify opportunities to strengthen the program,” the agency said, noting that last year more than 114,000 individual patients purchased medical cannabis from a licensed dispensary in Virginia. “Patients bring an important perspective to the medical cannabis program because they experience it firsthand,” Jamie Patten, CCA’s acting head and chief administrative officer, said in a press release. “We want to make sure we are listening to that perspective and using what we learn to make meaningful improvements.” The survey asks patients about what conditions they use medical marijuana for and how much money they typically spend on it, as well as when and how they obtained a medical cannabis recommendation and whether it was from a healthcare provider they regularly see or if it was via a one-time appointment. CCA also wants to know how long it takes patients to travel to dispensaries and what factors go into their purchasing decisions, such as price, potency, packaging design, staff recommendations, strain type and delivery availability. The survey additionally asks patients how strongly they agree or disagree with a number of statements, including: Virginia medical dispensaries offer the types of products I want to purchase. I trust the safety of products available in legal dispensaries in Virginia. Dispensary employees are knowledgeable of the products they sell. Medical cannabis in Virginia is easily accessible for me. The Virginia Cannabis Control Authority is responsive to patient inquiries and requests for information. The pharmacist on duty at the medical cannabis dispensary is helpful in figuring out the best products for my condition. The pharmacist or other staff always inform me of potential adverse reactions I could experience when taking medical cannabis. The cost of my medical cannabis is reasonable. Medical cannabis has improved my diagnosed medical condition(s)/symptom(s). Medical cannabis has reduced my need for prescription drugs for pain reduction. I would recommend the Virginia medical cannabis program to a friend or family member. Notably, CCA is also asking patients about their thoughts on the forthcoming system of legal and regulated recreational marijuana sales that lawmakers and the governor approved this year. What, if anything, concerns you about the introduction of an adult-use retail marijuana market in Virginia as it relates to your current medical cannabis use? What, if anything, excites you about the introduction of an adult-use retail marijuana market in Virginia as it relates to your current medical cannabis use? When adult-use marijuana becomes available in Virginia, how do you expect your cannabis purchasing to change? I will continue using the medical cannabis program only. I will continue using the medical cannabis program and purchase from adult-use retail stores. Unsure The agency’s press release noted that a prior medical cannabis patient survey in 2024 resulted in a recommendation to expand training and education for health care providers, which CCA implemented. Officials are asking patients to complete the current survey by October 16. Earlier this year, CCA launched a separate survey to gather input from the public and stakeholders about implementation of the state’s newly enacted law legalizing recreational cannabis sales. Meanwhile, lawmakers passed and the governor signed several other reform bills this session—including measures to provide resentencing relief for people with past cannabis convictions, protect the parental rights of marijuana consumers and allow patients to access medical cannabis in hospitals. The post Virginia Officials Launch Medical Marijuana Patient Survey, Including Questions About How Recreational Legalization Will Impact Them appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

Medical marijuana helps people with autism ease their anxiety and depression, according a new study conducted by state officials in Minnesota. The research, which involved 1,800 patients enrolled in the state’s medical marijuana program, is “one of the largest on record involving autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and medical cannabis patients,” officials said. Of the 88 percent of patients who reported experiencing moderate to severe anxiety upon entering the program, more than half (57 percent) were able to reduce their anxiety by 30 percent or more within four months of beginning medical cannabis use, and 67 percent of those maintained that reduction for an additional four months, according to their answers on self-report surveys. “Patients also reported similar improvements in disturbed sleep (37.3%), fatigue (34.4%), and depression (41.3%) scores,” the study said. “In summary, a proportion of patients qualified for ASD report to have reached clinically meaningful improvements in various symptoms, some of which are commonly reported in this population such as anxiety, depression, and sleep disturbances,” it concluded. “Patients were able to achieve and maintain symptom relief after starting medical cannabis.” The study also compiled quotes from patients and caregivers about the benefits they saw from medical marijuana: “Medical cannabis has helped me deal with so many aspects of my disorder. From being able to eat food in the morning without being sick to being an addition to therapy and the like.” “It feels like my autistic anxiety has calmed down a bit. It helps me sleep a little better. Numbs the depression pain a little.” “[Patient] seems happier, smiles more and will engage in an activity more easily.” “Decrease in anxiety, decrease in aggressive behavior, decrease in self-injurious behavior, sleeping much better, decrease in seizures, better appetite.” “Medical cannabis has eased social anxiety as well as anxiety that I have in the workplace. It has allowed me to be a better student, friend and employee to my peers.” “This study demonstrates the value of listening to patients and using real-world data to better understand how medical cannabis may improve their quality of life,” OCM Executive Director Eric Taubel said in a press release. “The findings are encouraging, particularly for patients experiencing anxiety, depression, sleep difficulties and other conditions that can accompany autism. As Minnesota’s cannabis market continues to evolve, research like this helps us build a stronger evidence base and make informed decisions that put patients and public health first.” “Medical cannabis patients qualified for ASD reported reduced anxiety and a sub-set of patients reported reduced presence/severity of behavioral symptoms after starting medical cannabis.” The researchers cautioned that there are some limitations to the study, however. For example, since all patients involved used medical marijuana, it “cannot compare the effectiveness in symptom relief to a control or placebo group.” Other limitations are that there was a lack of information about what other medications and treatments the patients were using, and that many patients were under the age of 18 and had a parent or caregiver filling out the surveys for them. Daren Howard, interim executive director of the Autism Society of Minnesota, said the group is”particularly encouraged by findings that medical cannabis patients with autism report reduced anxiety and depression, because these are pervasive concerns within our community.” “This study represents an important step toward safely informing the public and expanding access to supportive treatment options,” he said. A previous study published by state officials in Minnesota found that medical cannabis appears to help cancer patients by decreasing pain, nausea, vomiting, anxiety and depression while also improving sleep. Another study they conducted showed that medical marijuana use by chronic pain patients is associated with significant improvements in life enjoyment, general activity and physical wellbeing. OCM also conducted a study showing that medical cannabis provides significant benefits for people struggling with sleep apnea. Last month, Minnesota officials touted the fact that retailers have sold more than a quarter of a billion dollars’ worth in legal marijuana products since the state’s legal recreational cannabis market launched one year ago. Photo courtesy of Carlos Gracia. The post Medical Marijuana Helps People With Autism Reduce Anxiety And Depression, Government Study Shows appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

Congressional psychedelics report; GA medical marijuana delivery; CA gov signs cannabis edibles & drinks bill; Vets medical marijuana research measure 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… BREAKING: Journalism is often consumed for free, but costs money to produce! While this newsletter is proudly sent without cost to you, our ability to send it each day depends on the financial support of readers who can afford to give it. So if you’ve got a few dollars to spare each month and believe in the work we do, please consider joining us on Patreon today. https://www.patreon.com/marijuanamoment / TOP THINGS TO KNOW Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) and three other Republican senators sent a letter asking Attorney General Todd Blanche to “investigate the growing role of Chinese transnational criminal organizations in America’s cannabis and intoxicating-hemp markets.” “Chinese transnational criminal organizations dominate marijuana cultivation and distribution in the United States, especially in states with legal cannabis markets.” The Congressional Psychedelics Advancing Therapies Caucus published a report highlighting the need for collaboration across federal agencies and with states to accelerate safe access to therapeutic use of substances like psilocybin and ibogaine. Reps. Lou Correa (D-CA) and Jack Bergman (D-CA) filed a bill directing the Department of Veterans Affairs to study the benefits of medical cannabis for military veterans with PTSD and chronic pain. The Georgia Access to Medical Cannabis Commission approved new rules allowing medical marijuana delivery, including via the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) and private carriers like FedEx and UPS—but the federal agency is refusing to clarify if it will take part in cannabis commerce. California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed a bill adding new packaging and labeling rules for marijuana-infused edibles and beverages, as well as a requirement that retailers offer consumers measuring instruments or devices for cannabis drinks with more than one serving. A new Maryland law that took effect on Thursday allows firefighters and rescue workers to use medical cannabis while off duty without being punished for it. / FEDERAL A federal judge ordered the Department of Justice to provide an Office of Legal Counsel memo that supposedly provides justification for the Trump administration’s military strikes on suspected drug boats. Department of Health and Human Services Deputy General Counsel Matt Zorn spoke about efforts to ensure that psychedelic treatments are “available” and “affordable.” / STATES The Tennessee Senate Judiciary Committee held hearings on a medical cannabis legalization bill. Florida House Democrats are asking the Internal Revenue Service to investigate whether the use of Medicaid funding to campaign against a marijuana legalization ballot initiative was property reported and whether taxes are due. Here’s a look at where North Carolina Senate and House candidates stand on marijuana and hemp issues. Missouri regulators filed proposed changes to marijuana business rules. Maryland regulators are launching a cannabinoid proficiency testing pilot study comparing five laboratories. — 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. — / INTERNATIONAL The European Food Safety Authority issued a positive opinion on the use of CBD in foods. / SCIENCE & HEALTH A review concluded that “cannabinoids exhibit biologically plausible antitumour activity across multiple cancer hallmarks and may present promising candidates for combination therapeutic strategies.” A study found that “psilocybin and LSD use may promote positive environmental attitudes, which could, in turn, be associated with a greater likelihood of adopting a vegetarian diet.” / ADVOCACY, OPINION & ANALYSIS The American Trade Association for Cannabis and Hemp published a report finding that a lack of consistent moisture standards for cannabis costs companies and state governments tens of millions of dollars every year and exposes consumers to lower-quality and potentially unsafe products. / BUSINESS Metrc commissioned a study that found consumers support putting state-issued QR codes on cannabis products to provide access to lab testing results, compliance data and safety resources. Curaleaf Holdings, Inc. touted that it has raised and donated more than $600,000 combined for Breast Cancer Action Month causes over the last seven years. 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: Photo courtesy of Chris Wallis // Side Pocket Images. The post GOP senators push probe on cannabis & China ties (Newsletter: October 2, 2026) appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net