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Samantha's story hit me hard — the "have a glass of wine" advice is such a painful reminder of how little support new mothers actually get. Her honesty about being blindsided despite her sunny nature makes this so human and so necessary. Grateful she found relief. fnf unblocked

A Republican congressman is asking the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to coordinate with other federal and local officials to crack down on illicit marijuana cultivation operations in his California district—claiming that the problem is tied to the state’s legalization of cannabis. “Since California legalized recreational marijuana in 2016, parts of this once-quiet region, known for its natural beauty and agricultural communities, have been overtaken by a sprawling illicit marijuana industry,” Rep. James Gallagher (R-CA) wrote in a letter to FBI Director Kash Patel on Monday, saying the problem is particularly prevalent in Siskiyou and Shasta Counties. “Entire rural properties are now covered with rows of makeshift, plastic-covered greenhouses, known as ‘hoop houses,’ where marijuana is cultivated using groundwater hauled in from nearby wells,” the congressman wrote. “The consequences have been devastating, with residents facing depleted water supplies and threats to their safety, while local farmers and ranchers contend with increased competition for groundwater and the risk of contamination to their agricultural land.” Gallagher raised concerns about the cannabis grows’ potential ties to Chinese-linked organized crime networks, saying there are “serious concerns about who is actually financing and controlling these operations and whether the ownership arrangements are intended to conceal their involvement.” More than 332,000 illegal marijuana plants eradicated in Siskiyou County in 2025 alone. Our sheriffs are doing everything they can, but the criminal networks behind these operations extend far beyond county lines. That's why I'm urging @FBIDirectorKash and @FBI to launch a… pic.twitter.com/z7RTXGyDPE — Rep. James Gallagher (@RepGallagherCA1) October 19, 2026 The GOP lawmaker also said the marijuana cultivation operations use “highly toxic pesticides” that “threaten first responders and can contaminate local water supplies.” “Marijuana contaminated with these toxic chemicals may also enter the illicit drug market without the testing required of licensed producers, which could unknowingly expose consumers to serious health risks,” he said, perhaps inadvertently highlighting a major benefit of legalization. “The bottom line—our local sheriffs have worked tirelessly to combat these operations, but they need federal support to dismantle the criminal networks behind them,” Gallagher said. He is asking FBI to specifically: 1) Direct the Sacramento Field Office, including its Redding Resident Agency, to work with the Siskiyou and Shasta County Sheriff’s Offices and Homeland Security Investigations to assess opportunities for a coordinated investigation into the criminal organizations financing and operating these illegal cultivation sites, including potential ties to foreign criminal networks. Where appropriate, coordinate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement regarding individuals involved in these operations who may be subject to removal under federal law. 2) Coordinate with EPA Region 9 and appropriate federal law enforcement partners regarding its ongoing investigation into illegal pesticides recovered at these sites, particularly to determine how these chemicals are entering the United States and whether their distribution is linked to broader criminal networks. 3) Provide my office with a briefing on the Bureau’s ongoing efforts in Northern California, including any additional resources or congressional assistance needed to address this threat, as well as the feasibility of securing additional federal funding for local marijuana eradication teams. Gallagher entered Congress earlier this year following a special election to replace Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-CA), who died of a heart attack. During his time in the House, LaMalfa often put a focus on issues related to illicit marijuana operations—at one point posting a video of himself bulldozing illegal cannabis grows alongside law enforcement in California. The then-congressman criticized the Biden administration’s move to federally reschedule marijuana, saying it would “prop up this immoral industry” and give a “green light to the evil that comes from drug use.” He additionally sponsored legislation to combat the use of banned pesticides at illegal marijuana grow sites in states that have enacted legalization. Photo courtesy of Chris Wallis // Side Pocket Images. The post GOP Congressman Wants FBI To Investigate Illegal Marijuana Grows He Says Have ‘Overtaken’ His District Since California Legalized appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

NE gov candidate pledges medical marijuana order; Polls: MA anti-cannabis initiative trails; Study: Dispensaries benefit nearby businesses 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 The latest Marijuana Moment/NuggMD quarterly tracking poll shows that just 29 percent cannabis consumers now approve of the Trump administration’s action on the issue as the rescheduling process continues to experience delays—down from 48 percent last quarter and 73 percent in the quarter before that. Nebraska Democratic gubernatorial candidate Lynne Walz said she would sign an executive order to expedite access to medical marijuana on “day one” of her administration—suggesting she would fire Medical Cannabis Commission members who are “slow-walking” implementing voter-approved ballot initiatives. Two new polls of Massachusetts voters show that a strong majority oppose an initiative to roll back marijuana legalization on the November ballot—while The Boston Globe editorial board is also coming out against the measure, saying that “prohibition doesn’t work.” A new study found that after recreational marijuana dispensaries open, “nearby establishments exhibit increases in customers, transactions, and revenue.” “Recreational dispensaries can function similarly to localized demand-generating anchors by attracting customer activity that creates opportunities for surrounding establishments.” Roll With Paid’s Leah Kollross authored a new Marijuana Moment op-ed laying out what hemp businesses need to do to protect their ability to run payroll for their employees ahead of the scheduled federal recriminalization of hemp THC products. “When a payment processor leaves, a business loses convenience. When a payroll provider leaves, people miss paychecks, and employer liability goes through the roof.” The Colorado Office of the State Auditor published a report concluding that regulators’ framework for testing marijuana products for contamination and warning consumers about risks has significant gaps. / FEDERAL The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration tweeted, “Marijuana use during pregnancy can be harmful to a baby’s health and cause many serious problems.” Rep. Brittany Pettersen (D-CO) posted photos of herself visiting a hemp business, saying, “As federal policy evolves, it’s crucial that we listen to local small businesses to understand how proposed bans impact good-paying jobs and manufacturing across Colorado.” / STATES Here’s a look at where Oklahoma gubernatorial candidates stand on cannabis. Nebraska Democratic attorney general candidate Jocelyn Brasher blamed incumbent Attorney General Mike Hilgers (R) for delays in launching medical cannabis access. Florida regulators made a technical correction to a rule on practice standards for smoking as a route of administration for medical cannabis. Iowa regulators held a hearing on a proposal to move medical cannabis to Schedule III. Alabama’s top medical cannabis regulator announced plans to retire. Colorado regulators published an updated marijuana business fee schedule. Washington, D.C. regulators are taking action against unlicensed cannabis sales. Utah regulators sent updates about the state’s medical cannabis program. California regulators sent updates on various cannabis issues. Vermont regulators will hold a hearing on cannabis event pilot program procedures on Wednesday. Ohio regulators will host a cannabis conference on Thursday. Oregon regulators will host psilocybin services Rules Advisory Committee meetings next month. — Marijuana Moment is tracking hundreds of cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters pledging at least $25/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don’t miss any developments. Learn more about our marijuana bill tracker and become a supporter on Patreon to get access. — / LOCAL The Kansas City, Missouri City Council is considering a proposal to use marijuana tax revenue to fund homeless services. / SCIENCE & HEALTH A study found “no significant associations between crime levels and legal cannabis store openings.” A review concluded that “current evidence for [psilocybin-assisted therapy] in [alcohol use disorder] is mixed but suggests preliminary signals of efficacy for reducing alcohol consumption and increasing the odds of maintaining long-term abstinence.” / BUSINESS Cannabix Technologies Inc. made the first commercial delivery of its new breath-based multi-drug test panel. 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 Trump’s support from cannabis consumers dips as rescheduling stalls (Newsletter: October 21, 2026) appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

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“There’s an increased risk that marijuana products sold in Colorado may have contaminants or may inaccurately list potency.” By Sara Wilson, Colorado Newsline Colorado’s regulatory framework to test marijuana for contamination and warn consumers about risks has significant gaps, a state audit found. The recently-released audit focused on problems with product testing and inconsistent monitoring from the Marijuana Enforcement Division. Auditors did not find evidence of widespread health and safety risks, but the framework is not airtight. Colorado voters approved recreational marijuana in 2012. MED, within the state’s Department of Revenue, licenses businesses and oversees compliance with marijuana rules and laws. “It’s really a combination of factors that impacts MED’s ability to identify public safety risks and to ensure that businesses comply with safety requirements,” audit supervisor Catherine Friday told members of the Legislative Audit Committee on Monday. “As a result, there’s an increased risk that marijuana products sold in Colorado may have contaminants or may inaccurately list potency.” Businesses select their own samples, for example, and send them to private labs for potency and contaminant testing. Twenty-four other states with legalized marijuana do not allow self-selected samples and instead rely on a third party. “Is that something that’s going to be addressed?” Sen. Rod Pelton, a Cheyenne Wells Republican, asked. “Because if I’m a shady character, I know which products I’m going to sample and which ones I’m not. That’s a pretty gray area to me.” Kyle Lambert, deputy director of the marijuana division, said it’s a topic the division has researched extensively but ultimately decided against changing this year. One of the reasons is the logistics and cost challenge of getting to rural businesses around the state, he said. Third-party collections also do not guarantee samples are representative of a business’s entire batch. The division also does not have the resources to conduct on-site inspections for every business every year, though it has improved the percentage of inspected businesses in the past three years. The division’s own goal is to inspect every two years. The audit also found that the division sometimes does not issue timely safety advisories for products that could cause health concerns, and affected products could remain on shelves for months. Auditors found that between 2023 and 2025, potentially harmful marijuana products were on the market for over seven months on average before the division issued an advisory. The average timeline improved in 2025 when regulators revised advisory guidelines. Auditors recommended that the division work to make sure consumers and businesses know how to report safety concerns and continue streamlining the advisory process. The division agreed with all of the audit’s recommendations. “We recognize there are clear opportunities to improve through the audit’s recommendations, and we also appreciate the state auditor’s acknowledgment that it found no evidence to support claims of widespread health and safety issues with regulated marijuana products,” Dominique Mendiola, the division’s senior director, said. “The state auditor’s office recommendations will inform a constructive roadmap to further enhance how we build on these initiatives that we’ve taken and continue to carry out our mission.” The audit included one legislative recommendation to strengthen the state’s reference lab’s role to support marijuana enforcement operations. The lab, operated by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, cannot test for pesticides, residual solvents and mycotoxins, and lab officials estimate they’d need about $13 million to increase its capacity. Lawmakers on the audit committee could vote on whether to introduce a bill related to the issue next legislative session. This story was first published by Colorado Newsline. The post Colorado’s Marijuana Product Testing Rules Have Safety Gaps, State Audit Finds appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

“When a payment processor leaves, a business loses convenience. When a payroll provider leaves, people miss paychecks, and employer liability goes through the roof.” By Leah Kollross, Roll With Paid Last Thursday was the final deadline that Square gave its merchants to pull every single CBD and hemp-derived product out of their catalogs, online and in-store inventories, period. As Marijuana Moment previously reported, the company pointed to the upcoming federal redefinition of hemp as the main reason, and quietly took down a page that had once marketed its services to hemp beverage and edible sellers. Most of the coverage has focused on the products themselves. The bigger story is what Square’s notice tells us about the financial plumbing underneath them, and what comes next for the industry. Point-of-sale was the first vital piece of infrastructure to go. Payroll is where it is going to really hurt. We’ve Seen This All Before As anyone who has worked in the state-legal marijuana industry knows, the pattern is a common one. In 2023, the largest payroll provider still willing to serve cannabis companies at the time suspended key services for the sector. By one industry estimate, more than 1,000 plant-touching businesses were left scrambling for a replacement. Paychex was not an outlier. Operators have described being dropped by mainstream payroll and HR providers with as little as two to four weeks’ notice—often even with no warning beforehand. The financial mechanism is not a complicated one. Payroll runs mostly on bank transfers. Payroll companies depend on their banking partners, and when a bank’s compliance review turns up exposure to a federally controlled substance, the provider is usually told to cut it loose or the bank could lose its charter. The client didn’t do anything wrong. Unfortunately, its industry simply showed up on someone else’s risk report. Hemp Is About To Look Much Different To Every Compliance Department Congress bought the hemp industry some time this fall. The continuing resolution that passed in September pushes a scheduled federal ban on naturally derived hemp THC products from November 12 to December 11, though synthetic cannabinoids remain on the original November schedule. Whatever lawmakers do before that new deadline, risk and compliance teams at many banks and processors are not waiting to find out. Square has already decided. And it will likely not be the last. That matters enormously in a state like Minnesota, where hemp-derived THC beverages are made by craft breweries, sold in liquor stores and poured in bars and restaurants, alongside alcohol. Many of these employers have never thought of themselves as “cannabis-related businesses.” Their payroll providers may not have either, or even be aware—until now, that is. A brewery whose THC seltzer is one product line among many could find its entire payroll account under review, covering every restaurant staff worker, bartender and server, not just the people who touch the hemp products. Co-packers who don’t actually produce any hemp products that they sell themselves, are now suddenly in the legal weed business, unbeknownst to them or their investors. How Workers Will Absorb The Shock When a payment processor leaves, a business loses convenience. When a payroll provider leaves, people miss paychecks, and employer liability goes through the roof. Tax deposits go out late. Withholding errors pile up during a rushed transition and invite exactly the kind of federal scrutiny no operator in this space wants. For licensed businesses, timely tax payments are often a condition of keeping the license itself, putting them at immediate risk of being shut down completely. The people least able to absorb that disruption are the hourly workers who make up most of this industry’s workforce: budtenders, production staff, beverage line workers, bartenders. They didn’t choose their employer’s banking relationships, and they shouldn’t be the ones who pay for them. But inevitably, they will. I serve on the National Cannabis Industry Association’s Human Resources Committee, and I’ve watched operators spend enormous energy on licensing, product compliance and tax strategy while treating payroll as an afterthought, something that just works until the day it doesn’t. Hemp businesses are about to inherit that blind spot at the worst possible moment. Payroll Is Infrastructure. Let’s Treat It That Way. There are three things every cannabis and hemp employer should do before December 11. First of all, ask your payroll provider directly whether it knows what you sell, and whether its banking partners do. A provider that has never asked is not a safe provider. It’s an uninformed one, and you are one audit away from finding out. Second, and probably most importantly, understand where employer liability actually sits. Payroll software calculates checks, but you remain the employer of record and carry every statutory obligation that comes with it. An employer-of-record arrangement moves that legal employer role, and the compliance obligations attached to it, to a provider built to carry them. These are different products solving different problems, and operators should know which one they have. Third, have a contingency plan before you need one. Two weeks is not enough time to onboard a new provider cleanly, migrate employee records and get tax filings right. Policymakers have a role here, too. Congress has spent most of this year debating whether hemp-derived THC should be legal. Far less attention has gone to whether the businesses selling it can access basic financial services. Proposals like the Hemp Safety Enforcement Act from Sens. Rand Paul (R-KY) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), which would empower states and tribal governments to regulate hemp products rather than impose a blanket federal ban, point in the right direction. But any durable framework has to account for the banking and payroll access these businesses need to operate. A product that is legal on paper but unbankable in practice is not a regulatory framework. It’s just a slower ban. The Window Is Very Short The hemp and cannabis industries have spent years fighting for the right to exist, and that fight matters. But legal status is only half of what a business needs to operate. The other half is the ordinary infrastructure every other employer takes for granted: a bank account, a payment processor, a payroll run that clears on Friday. Cannabis operators learned that lesson the hard way, one terminated contract at a time. Hemp businesses have the advantage of watching it happen to someone else first. The ones that use the next few weeks to ask hard questions of their providers, understand their obligations as employers and line up a backup plan will be in a far better position than the ones that wait for the notice to arrive. December 11 is two months away. Your payroll provider’s compliance team may not wait that long. Leah Kollross is the founder of Roll With Paid., a Minnesota-based payroll, HR and employer-of-record company serving the cannabis and hemp industries, and of 23rd State, a Minnesota-based cannabis beverage brand. She is a member of the (NCIA) National Cannabis Industry Association’s Human Resources Committee. The post Hemp Businesses Are About To Learn What Marijuana Operators Already Know: Payroll Can Disappear Overnight (Op-Ed) appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

The Democratic candidate running to be Nebraska’s next governor is promising to issue an executive order to expedite access to medical marijuana on “day one” of her administration if she is elected. Lynne Walz said it’s “a really sad situation” that the administration of her opponent, incumbent Gov. Jim Pillen (R), has failed to stand up a medical cannabis program nearly two years after voters’ approval of legalization ballot measures. “Day one, I will sign an executive order…to make sure that people can get medical marijuana with prescriptions from their doctors,” Walz said in an interview with WOWT-TV. The Democratic candidate also suggested that she would replace Pillen-appointed members of the Medical Cannabis Commission for not getting the program off the ground quickly enough. “The other thing that we’ll look at is making sure that the people who are on this commission that are slow-walking access to medical marijuana—if they’re not going to do the job that we need them to do, the job that Nebraskans overwhelmingly voted for—if they can’t get that done, then we’ll find other people who will take that job seriously,” she said. Walz also spoke about a Vietnam veteran neighbor of hers with Parkinson’s disease who “shook uncontrollably” and “had really bad PTSD.” “He would have really benefited from medical marijuana,” she said. “So, for the governor to hold back on allowing people to get prescriptions from their doctors and be able to access medical marijuana is, you know—especially that, given that 71 percent of Nebraskans voted for it, to not uphold the will of the people and hold that access back from people and patients who really need it—is sad.” “I’ve traveled across the state, and that is one of the number one issues that people are upset about,” Walz said, “is the fact that they have voted for ballot initiatives and the governor’s not upholding the will of the people.” Medical cannabis advocates have criticized the governor-appointed medical cannabis regulatory body for advancing rules that would scale back the scope of the voter-approved legalization ballot measures by, for example, restricting the list of qualifying conditions and limiting the forms of products that could be legally consumed by patients. Other state officials, including Attorney General Mike Hilgers (R) have pursued litigation seeking to invalidate the medical cannabis legalization measures. The post Nebraska Democratic Governor Candidate Pledges Medical Marijuana Executive Order On ‘Day One’ appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

The opening of recreational marijuana dispensaries can help boost nearby businesses by increasing foot traffic, purchases and revenue, according to a new study. Researchers from the City University of New York, Northern Illinois University and University of Miami examined cannabis market growth, credit and debit card purchases and socioeconomic and demographic data in Illinois from 2021 through 2024, finding that “recreational dispensary openings increase the number of customers at nearby establishments by approximately 6.82%, transactions by 8.01%, and revenue by 7.47%.” The economic gains are largely seen through what researchers call the extensive margin (customer traffic) as opposed to the intensive margin (purchasing frequency). That is, while revenue per customer and per transaction was largely unaffected, the overall number of customers coming through the door and the overall amount of transactions did increase. “Following a dispensary opening, nearby establishments exhibit increases in customers, transactions, and revenue.” The study, published as a preprint by the Social Science Research Network (SSRN) ahead of potential publication in the journal Production and Operations Management, also found that not all businesses near a new marijuana dispensary see the same benefits—with food and beverage establishments as well as essential retailers seeing “significant gains” while non-essential retailers saw no major changes. “Food, beverages, and routinely purchased goods can be incorporated into a destination-oriented trip with relatively little additional planning or search,” the paper said. “Many non-essential purchases require a more specific need or greater expenditure commitment. Proximity therefore creates access to additional customer flows, but it does not guarantee that an establishment can convert those flows into demand.” The “positive spillovers” where also “concentrated among chain establishments, with no statistically significant effects for independent establishments,” the researchers wrote. “Chains may benefit from brand familiarity, standardized offerings, and established operating systems that facilitate the capture of additional customer activity.” The positive economic effect of cannabis dispensaries leads to “larger increases in customer volume, transactions, and revenue in more walkable neighborhoods,” the study found, whereas the boost is “weaker for establishments with a larger local customer base, suggesting that establishments with more geographically dispersed customer bases may have greater capacity to capture incremental demand generated by dispensary-related activity.” “Dispensary openings increase nearby business activity.” Positive revenue boosts are also more pronounced on weekends, “when consumers may have greater flexibility to engage in destination-oriented and multipurpose trips,” the analysis showed. “Overall, our findings suggest that recreational dispensaries can function similarly to localized demand-generating anchors by attracting customer activity that creates opportunities for surrounding establishments,” the study said. The researchers cautioned that the study has some limitations, including that it only looked at trends in a single state and that it focused on observational data rather than direct sales records from individual establishments. “This study shows that recreational dispensary openings can reshape demand beyond the cannabis industry by generating economic activity for nearby businesses,” the paper concluded. “The benefits, however, are not evenly distributed, indicating that proximity alone does not determine whether surrounding establishments gain from a new entrant. Instead, the value of dispensary-generated customer flows depends on the characteristics of nearby businesses and the local commercial environment.” Previous research has also examined the economic impacts of legal marijuana access. A study published last year found that “hotel revenue increases by 25.2% (or $63,671 monthly) due to dispensary legalization, with the effect continuing to grow even six years after legalization.” Another study from last year should that home values in states with cannabis legalization increased by $60,327 more, on average, than home values in jurisdictions that still criminalize the drug. A study from 2021 found that legalization of adult-use marijuana in Colorado increased jobs and did not negatively impact worker productivity. The post Opening Legal Marijuana Dispensaries Provides An Economic Boost For Nearby Businesses, Study Shows appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

Most Massachusetts voters are not planning to support an initiative on the November ballot to roll back the state’s marijuana legalization law, according to two new polls—results that come as the editorial board of the state’s largest newspaper is also opposing the measure. A survey from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and WCVB-TV that was released on Monday found that the anti-cannabis proposal has support from just 31 percent of voters, including 16 percent who say they will definitely vote yes and 15 percent who say they will probably vote yes. That’s compared to 47 percent who say they will definitely vote no and 14 percent who say they will probably vote no. The marijuana legalization rollback initiative has less support in the poll than any of the eight other measures that will appear on next month’s ballot. “Supporters of repealing legal marijuana sales face a steep uphill climb,” Raymond La Raja, professor of political science at UMass Amherst and co-director of the poll, said. “A decade after legalization, Massachusetts voters show little appetite for going back, as 61% say they would vote no on repealing recreational marijuana sales, and 47% say they would definitely vote no.” “Only 31% of voters support repeal,” he said. “Support for repeal is strongest among Republicans (44%) and conservatives (46%), but it falls well short of a majority in every major group we surveyed, including voters who don’t use marijuana (41%).” A separate survey released on Tuesday by Suffolk University and The Boston Globe shows that 71 percent of voters oppose Question 8—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 21 percent of voters in the poll say they plan to support the anti-cannabis ballot initiative. As is the case in the UMass/WCVB survey, no demographic group in the Suffolk/Globe poll shows majority support for Question 8. The Suffolk/Globe poll is based on interviews of 500 general election voters from October 14-17 and has a margin of error of +/- 4.4 percentage points, while the UMass Amherst/WCVB survey involved interviews with 852 registered voters from October 5 –12 and has a margin of error of +/- 4.2 percentage points. Meanwhile, The Boston Globe editorial board on Tuesday published a piece urging voters to reject the anti-cannabis ballot measure. “To be clear, voting to maintain legal marijuana sales is not the same as encouraging marijuana use or denying its harms,” the board said. “But the question before voters is not whether marijuana can harm one’s health—it can, just as tobacco and alcohol can. The question is whether allowing sales in a store, with requirements around testing and labeling, is better than returning to the prior system, where people bought marijuana on the black market.” The board said that “prohibition doesn’t work” and that it is safer for people to buy cannabis “from a store, where the drug is tested for pesticides and contaminants and labeled with information about potency and plant strain, rather than buy from a dealer with no guarantee of quality.” The editorial also detailed the economic benefits that legal and regulated marijuana sales generate, including tax revenue and job creation. A previous poll released last month from CommonWealth Beacon and MassINC Polling Group found that 61 percent of likely voters oppose the anti-initiative and just 27 percent support it. A separate survey released last month by The University of New Hampshire, showed that nearly three-quarters (71 percent) of respondents planned to vote against the anti-cannabis measure, while just 24 percent planned to support it. Another poll released in August found that Massachusetts voters opposed the marijuana legalization repeal measure, 55 percent to 33 percent. The latest polling results come as the No On 8 campaign continues to rack up high-profile endorsements from elected officials. Last week, more than 50 state lawmakers said they will be voting against the anti-marijuana ballot measure. That includes the House speaker and Senate president. U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Ed Markey (D-MA) both recently told Marijuana Moment that they will be voting against the anti-cannabis measure. “We could make improvements in the operations but legalizing cannabis is better than continuing an unregulated, underground market,” Warren said. “So I’m opposed to the repeal. I’m voting no on the ballot to repeal.” Markey, for his part, said the state’s marijuana legalization law that voters approved in 2016 continues to enjoy “overwhelming support.” “We’ve had debate,” he said. “The voters are satisfied at this moment with the experience that the state has had with it… I support keeping it on the books and overwhelmingly so do the people of Massachusetts.” Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) also recently urged voters to reject the measure, saying that “keeping marijuana legal in Massachusetts is both economic justice and racial justice policy.” Gov. Maura Healey (D) similarly said recently 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.” Boston’s mayor also said she is voting against the initiative to roll back marijuana legalization. Competing campaigns working to pass and defeat the legalization rollback have launched a series of ads trying to convince voters of their respective positions. The prohibitionist campaign’s ads focus on the dangers of marijuana-impaired driving, while the campaign seeking to keep cannabis sales legal is highlighting the public health and safety harms of sending consumers back to the unregulated market. The Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission (CCC), 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 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 did not get enough signatures to go before voters, the state’s laws would remain the same. 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 Voters Want To Keep Marijuana Sales Legal, Two New Polls On Prohibitionist Ballot Measure Show appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

Marijuana consumers’ support for the Trump administration’s actions on cannabis continues to decline as completion of a federal rescheduling proposal remains stalled amid procedural delays in an ongoing hearing on the reform, a new survey shows. The latest quarterly presidential approval tracking poll from NuggMD and Marijuana Moment shows that 29 percent of marijuana consumers now either “approve” or “strongly approve” of the President Donald Trump’s cannabis actions. Cannabis consumers’ approval of the administration’s work on marijuana is down from 48 percent last quarter and 73 percent in the quarter before that. The most recent survey shows that 20 percent of respondents either “disapprove” or “strongly disapprove” of Trump’s cannabis accomplishments, while a majority—51 percent—now say they are neutral or have no opinion. “Do you approve or disapprove of the presidential administration’s actions on cannabis?” n: % Strongly approve 41 6% Approve 148 23% No opinion/Neutral 331 51% Disapprove 75 11% Strongly disapprove 59 9% Republicans were more likely to approve the administration’s marijuana policy performance than Democrats were, at 46 percent compared to 18 percent, while 26 percent of respondents who aren’t affiliated with either of the two major political parties hold favorable views. Attorney General Todd Blanche in April issued an order that immediately reclassified state-licensed medical cannabis, as well as marijuana products approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) from Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) to Schedule III. Under a separate order the acting attorney general signed, a hearing is considering more comprehensively moving marijuana to Schedule III, including recreational products. Testimony in the cannabis rescheduling hearing, overseen by a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) judge, concluded in July, but the proceedings have since been stayed as opponents have filed a series of motions related to a recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report that identified “gaps” in the federal drug scheduling process. The delay in the process may be contributing to cannabis consumers’ reduced sense of satisfaction with the Trump administration’s actions on the issue—a development that comes ahead of midterm elections that will decide which party controls either chamber of Congress during the final two years of the president’s term. A separate recent NuggMD poll conducted in July found that most cannabis consumers aren’t optimistic that marijuana rescheduling will be fully implemented by the end of the year. “Cannabis consumers are an increasingly powerful voting bloc with the numbers to swing elections. Earlier this year, it looked like the Trump Administration had found a way to tap into that voting bloc when they rescheduled medical cannabis,” Tyler Elson, NuggMD’s director of content, told Marijuana Moment. “But that support has fallen off sharply since then, with approval of the administration’s cannabis actions dropping to less than half of what it was six months ago.” “It isn’t complicated. Consumers want cannabis to be accessible, accepted, and accurately labeled,” he said. “But party divides, hearing delays, and mixed messages on hemp have all reminded consumers that U.S. politicians have a long history of failing to deliver on cannabis policy change.” “That support can be recovered with clear guidance on medical cannabis or the recent rescheduling hearing,” Elson said. “But in trying to appeal to consumers and prohibitionists, the administration may be losing the support of both groups.” When asked in the latest poll how their support for the administration would change if it were to more fully legalize marijuana, 47 percent of cannabis consumers said they would either support it much more (32 percent) or a bit more (15 percent), and 52 percent said their level of support would not change. “If the Trump administration were to more fully legalize cannabis, would that change your level of support for it?” n: % I would support it much more 207 32% I would support it a bit more 98 15% No change 341 52% I would support it a bit less 6 1% I would support it much less 2 0% The new survey involved interviews with 654 cannabis consumers who live in states with legal markets from October 8-15, with a +/-3.83 percentage point margin of error. Meanwhile, DEA, which has been charged with defending the rescheduling proposal during the hearing, focused testimony on the medical benefits of cannabis and its relative safety compared to alcohol and other substances—despite excluding reform supporters from participating in the proceedings. The cannabis rescheduling move is also being challenged in court through a number of lawsuits from the drug testing industry, a pharmaceutical corporation, legalization opponents and others. The results of a prior quarterly NuggMD/Marijuana Moment tracking poll that was conducted in the first quarter of this year represented a massive swing in support for the Trump administration’s marijuana policy actions compared to the last quarter of 2025, before the president issued an executive order directing officials to finalize rescheduling—when just 6 percent of cannabis consumers held favorable views. Then-White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in April that the administration is moving forward with marijuana rescheduling because cannabis reform is “overwhelmingly popular” with voters and because doing so will help people who need access to the drug for medical purposes. In May, a House committee voted to block federal officials from taking further steps to carry out cannabis rescheduling. The post Trump Is Losing Support From Marijuana Consumers As Rescheduling Process Sees More Delays, Poll Shows appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

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Hemp company sends THC drinks to congressional lawmakers; NORML brief in marijuana biz lawsuit; MPP hemp op-ed Subscribe to receive Marijuana Moment’s newsletter in your inbox every weekday morning. It’s the best way to make sure you know which cannabis stories are shaping the day. Get our daily newsletter. Email address: Leave this field empty if you're human: Your support makes Marijuana Moment possible… They say a journalist is a machine that converts coffee into copy. But where do you think the coffee comes from? Readers like you! Signing up for a $25/month subscription will help keep us digging, interviewing and reporting on all the cannabis news that’s fit to print. And in return, you’ll gain access to our Bill Tracker tool, too, so you can have the most up-to-date information on the drug policy reform efforts around the U.S. Join Marijuana Moment for $25/month to support our work: https://www.patreon.com/marijuanamoment / TOP THINGS TO KNOW A new survey conducted by Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America found that 61 percent of military veterans support legalizing recreational marijuana, 87 percent want to allow medical use, 67 percent back federal rescheduling and 91 percent believe cannabis should be researched for its medical potential. NORML filed a brief urging the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit to reconsider a ruling that found marijuana industry contracts are unenforceable due to federal prohibition—saying it “threatens commercial accountability in lawful state-regulated cannabis markets and, ultimately, the medical patients and adult-use consumers those markets serve.” Hemp THC drink company Herb Light is allowing customers on its website to add in a six-pack of cannabis beverages to be sent to their members of Congress as the federal recriminalization of hemp THC products is set to take effect before the end of this year. Marijuana Policy Project Executive Director Adam Smith argues in a new Marijuana Moment op-ed that while hemp regulations are “inadequate” and marijuana businesses face “absurdly overbearing” rules, “the answer cannot be a return to full prohibition and skyrocketing arrests and imprisonment” in states where consumers rely on legal access to hemp THC products. “I also understand and empathize with the consternation of those on the licensed marijuana business side who are locked into an absurdly restricted system built to accommodate a dying prohibitionist regime, while hemp operators (the good ones) are selling the same molecule with the advantages of far broader retail opportunities, access to banking and card transactions, advantageous tax treatment and interstate commerce. This division, at once under- and over-regulated, is not the cannabis and cannabinoid industry that any of us need.” / FEDERAL The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration tweeted, “Marijuana use comes with real risks to health.” Reps. Jack Berman (R-MI) and Lou Correa (D-CA) coauthored an op-ed about the need to craft effective regulations for psychedelic-assisted therapy. Rep. Andy Barr (R-KY) said hemp is a substitute crop for tobacco for Kentucky’s farmers. / STATES Tennessee gubernatorial candidates detailed their views on marijuana policy. Nebraska Democratic gubernatorial candidate Lynne Walz said she would replace the Medical Cannabis Commission if it doesn’t implement the will of voters more quickly. California regulators announced a recall of marijuana products due to packaging failure. Illinois regulators are proposing rules changes to create 45 new cannabis infuser licenses for applicants who meet social equity criteria. There are conflicting reports about whether Alabama’s top medical cannabis regulator will step down at the end of this month. The Colorado state auditor issued a critical report finding “deficiencies and gaps in the State’s marijuana product safety framework.” Oregon regulators will consider changes to hemp registry application rules on Wednesday. The Rhode Island Cannabis Control Commission will meet on Friday. New York regulators will begin accepting applications for cannabis nursery licenses on November 5. — Marijuana Moment is tracking hundreds of cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters pledging at least $25/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don’t miss any developments. Learn more about our marijuana bill tracker and become a supporter on Patreon to get access. — / LOCAL A Saint Anthony Village, Minnesota government-run marijuana dispensary is set to open on Saturday. / INTERNATIONAL The Romanian Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism is opposing a bill to decriminalize drug possession. / SCIENCE & HEALTH A study found that “cannabis retail access was not consistently linked to youth use.” A study found that “repeated psilocybin administration is tolerable and potentially efficacious in reducing [obsessive-compulsive disorder] symptoms.” / BUSINESS Curaleaf Holdings, Inc. pushed back against Aurora Cannabis Inc.’s recommendation that its shareholders reject Curaleaf’s unsolicited acquisition offer. A Glass House Brands Inc. board of directors member resigned. The CEO of La Mota is facing federal charges of allegedly failing to pay more than $1.5 million in taxes. 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 Military veterans support legalizing cannabis, poll shows (Newsletter: October 20, 2026) appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

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With the federal recriminalization of hemp THC products set to take effect before the end of this year, a company that sells cannabis-infused drinks is inviting customers to “take a stand against prohibition” and buy a round of beverages for their members of Congress. Herb Light’s “Cheers Against Prohibition” campaign, launching on Wednesday, will let customers who are purchasing a 12-pack of THC drinks add a six-pack for their congressional lawmakers. The company says it will handle delivery to lawmakers and will include a letter urging support for a pending bill in Congress to keep hemp THC drinks federally legal under a new system of regulations. Herb Light is also launching a new 1980s-styled ad riffing on President Ronald Reagan’s famed “Morning In America” spot. “It’s morning again in America. Today, more men and women will wake up without hangovers or regrets because they were able to drink a non-alcoholic beverage with a responsible amount of hemp-derived THC last night,” the ad says. “Tomorrow, all that might change because on December 12th, it will be illegal to buy beverages with more than 0.4 milligrams in retailers or online—eliminating an entire industry and hundreds of thousands of jobs.” Sending THC drinks to members of Congress, the spot says, will allow them to “spend tonight enjoying a responsible, non-alcoholic THC beer”—presumably giving them a personal experience that will encourage them to support averting the currently planned prohibition from taking effect. Hemp derivatives with less than 0.3 percent delta-9 THC on a dry-weight basis were federally legalized under the 2018 Farm Bill that President Donald Trump signed during his first term in office. But late last year, the president signed new legislation containing provisions that redefined hemp to make it so only products with 0.4 milligrams of total THC per container would remain legal after November 12. Now, however, under provisions included in a funding bill Trump signed last month, the effective date of the ban for most products is being pushed back to December 11 to give lawmakers more time to craft regulations for hemp derivatives. There is a carve-out, however, to allow the recriminalization on November 12 of synthetic cannabinoids “that are not capable of being naturally produced by a Cannabis sativa L. plant.” “Most consumers don’t even know there’s a federal ban in the works—much less that it goes into effect in a matter of weeks—so we wanted to call attention to that for the entire category,” Gordy Sang, co-founder of Herb Light, said in a press release. “It’s like we’re doing a prohibition sequel, even when the first prohibition movie was awful. Zero stars.” The company’s press release says it will be “relatively easy” for Herb Light itself to adapt to the new federal restrictions, if they take effect as written. Its drinks currently only contain 1 milligram of THC, whereas other companies’ beverages typically have 5-10 milligrams or more. If the planned policy goes into effect without further changes, Herb Light will begin manufacturing a 0.4 milligram version of its drink to stay compliant. “While it makes sense for a super-low dose beverage like Herb Light to offer an even more super-low dose 0.4 MG version, it doesn’t make as much sense for brands with higher doses,” Jon Schiff, co-founder of Herb Light, said. “Instead of banning it completely and eliminating an entire multi-billion dollar industry that creates hundreds of thousands of jobs and gives adults a safer/healthier beverage alternative to socialize with, just regulate it responsibly.” The company’s buy-THC-drinks-for-lawmakers campaign—which it says will be available nationwide in states that currently allow THC beverages to be purchased—comes as Members of Congress are debating how and whether the crop’s derivatives should be regulated as an alternative to prohibition. Several Republican lawmakers recently spoke to Marijuana Moment about the kinds of rules they would like to see enacted to keep hemp THC products legal. A number of lawmakers from both chambers and both parties have filed or are circulating a growing number of bills to prevent the scheduled federal recriminalization of hemp THC drinks and other products. Until now, none of those proposals have gained traction with congressional leaders. For example, Reps. Beth Van Duyne (R-TX) and Greg Landsman (D-OH) filed a bill to keep hemp THC drinks legal while taxing and regulating them like alcohol. Rep. James Comer (R-KY), who chairs the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, is circulating legislation that would delay a planned federal ban on hemp THC products and institute some regulations—including packaging requirements, testing rules and age limits. Separately, Rep. Andy Barr (R-KY), filed a lengthier proposal to prevent the federal recriminalization of hemp THC products and put in place a number of regulations for manufacturing, labeling, sales and taxation of hemp-derived products, including an age limit of 21. Trump and White House officials repeatedly pressed Congress to delay, alter or reverse the ban in recent months. In a letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) in June, for example, White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russell Vought said the Trump administration wants lawmakers to “ensure the fair treatment of hemp products”—specifically citing Barr’s earlier amendment to keep many hemp products legal while adding regulations and taxes. The administration “welcomes the opportunity to work with the Congress to, at a minimum, update the statutory definition of final hemp-derived cannabinoid products to allow Americans to benefit from access to appropriate full-spectrum CBD products,” OMB separately said in June, “while preserving the Congress’s intent to restrict the sale of products that pose serious health risks.” Also in April, the president himself urged congressional lawmakers to again redefine hemp to avoid recriminalization of full-spectrum CBD products. “I am calling on Congress to update the Law to ensure that Americans can continue to access the full-spectrum CBD products they have come to rely on, and that help them, while preserving Congress’s intent to restrict the sale of products that pose Health risks,” Trump said in a Truth Social post. “We must get this done RIGHT and FAST, especially for those who saw that CBD helps them,” he said. “Plus, I am told it will also help our GREAT FARMERS, who we love, and will always be there for.” Some members of the alcohol industry have also urged Congress to regulate, rather than ban, hemp products. The National Restaurant Association recently sent a letter urging congressional leaders to delay the federal recriminalization of hemp THC beverages and replace it with a regulatory framework that “ensures consumer safety while meeting growing market demand” for the products as an alternative to alcohol. Major retailer Target, meanwhile, recently moved to expand its sales of hemp THC drinks into more states. Meanwhile, the hemp product issue has proved controversial within the cannabis reform movement. The Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) last week sent an action alert asking its supporters to pressure Congress to reverse the scheduled ban on hemp THC products and institute a system of regulations for all cannabinoids as an alternative to criminalization. A former MPP staffer who now works for the American Trade Association for Cannabis and Hemp (ATACH), pushed back in an op-ed for Marijuana Moment, however, arguing that “the charade of hemp intoxicants must end” and that “sneaking in the back door with synthetic drugs nobody asked for is not the path to legalization.” The post Hemp THC Drink Company Lets Customers Buy A 6-Pack For Their Congressional Lawmakers As Federal Prohibition Looms appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

A leading marijuana consumer advocacy organization is urging a federal appeals court to reconsider its ruling that cannabis industry contracts are not enforceable as long as federal prohibition remains in effect. Last month, a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit overturned a $31.8 million jury award that Michigan marijuana cultivation company Hello Farms won against subsidiaries of Curaleaf Holdings, Inc., finding that “despite the legalization of marijuana in Michigan, federal courts cannot enforce agreements to commit federal crimes.” Now, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) is urging the appeals court to take another look at the dispute and is moving to file an amicus brief in the case. “NORML brings a distinct consumer perspective to this commercial dispute,” the group said in a motion seeking permission to file the friend of the court brief. “The panel’s categorical reliance on federal illegality to foreclose civil remedies threatens commercial accountability in lawful state-regulated cannabis markets and, ultimately, the medical patients and adult-use consumers those markets serve.” The amicus brief itself, which NORML also sent to the court, argues that the court neglected to consider broader public interests in the outcome of the case. “The interest of NORML here is not in protecting a particular company’s profits,” it says. “It is in preserving the civil accountability on which consumers in state-regulated cannabis markets depend. Those consumers include medical patients and adults who lawfully purchase cannabis under state law without medical authorization.” “A regulated cannabis market requires more than issuing licenses. It requires settled, predictable rules on which market participants can rely, and meaningful remedies when contractual obligations are breached. Consumers depend on growers, distributors, and retailers to honor commitments that support reliable supply and product testing for safety. The panel’s categorical rule removes a central means of holding businesses accountable, without asking whether that result advances the federal policy invoked to require it.” The underlying case concerns Hello Farms’s claim that the Curaleaf subsidiaries breached a contract when walking away from a deal to purchase cannabis from the company after market prices fell. A jury initially sided with Hello Farms, but then the appeals court threw out the award due to ongoing federal prohibition. The Sixth Circuit holding “threatens the accountability on which cannabis consumers depend,” NORML’s brief argues, citing the contract in question’s provisions concerning testing cannabis for potency and contaminants. “Consumers depend on enforceable commercial obligations supporting product testing and reliable distribution,” it says. The cannabis consumer group’s brief characterizes its ask of the court as “limited.” “NORML does not ask this Court to compel unlawful performance or immunize anyone from federal enforcement,” it says. “It asks that the Court reject categorical nonenforcement in favor of the statutory and public-interest inquiry its precedents require.” Joseph Bondy, the chair of NORML’s board of directors, told Marijuana Moment that the group is “concerned that this ruling effectively allows cannabis businesses to breach their contracts with impunity, undermining the accountability, consumer access and safety protections on which state-regulated markets depend.” Curaleaf Chairman and CEO Boris Jordan said last month that he was “pleased” with the Sixth Circuit’s ruling, which he characterized as “consistent with the position we’ve maintained throughout. “We remain committed to supporting cannabis reform and continued progress toward legalization,” he said. Read NORML’s motion and brief below: Photo courtesy of Max Pixel. The post NORML Says Federal Prohibition Shouldn’t Make Marijuana Industry Contracts Unenforceable appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

A strong majority of military veterans support legalizing marijuana and other cannabis-related reforms, according to a new survey conducted by Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA). IAVA’s survey of 47o of its members found that 61 percent want to legalize cannabis for recreational purposes and 87 percent want to allow medical use. Nearly three out of four military veteran respondents said they were aware of the federal rescheduling of medical marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), and 69 percent are in support of the reform. The poll also showed that 91 percent believe that cannabis should be researched for its medical potential, and 88 percent want the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) itself to allow research into marijuana as a treatment option. The survey additionally found that while 70 percent of respondents said they would be comfortable discussing medical cannabis with their primary care doctor, only 29 percent have actually done so. IAVA’s analysis of the polling results says that the findings “show a consistent pattern,” which is that “respondents were particularly supportive of research and medical applications, and there may be unmet need for clearer information, stronger evidence, and more comfortable provider conversations.” The group said Congress should focus on passing legislation to “prioritize increased federal investment in rigorous, veteran-specific research to better understand the safety, effectiveness, and potential long-term health implications of cannabis-based treatments.” “Research should also examine the relationship between medicinal cannabis use and reliance on other substances, including prescription opioids, benzodiazepines, and alcohol, as well as potential impacts on suicide-related risk factors and overall quality of life,” it said. IAVA cited a specific bill, the VA Medicinal Cannabis Research Act, that would direct VA to carry out studies on the therapeutic potential of marijuana for military veterans with certain conditions. “IAVA supports efforts to strengthen the evidence base through research that considers both potential therapeutic benefits and adverse outcomes, allowing veterans and their health care providers to make more informed decisions about available treatment options,” the group said. Other bills flagged by the group include the the Veterans Equal Access Act, which would allow VA doctors to issue medical cannabis recommendations to their patients, and the Veterans Cannabis Use for Safe Healing Act, which would protect veterans from being denied their federal benefits due to medical marijuana use. “IAVA supports legislative efforts that facilitate transparent, evidence-informed conversations between veterans and their providers, protect continuity of care, and ensure that veterans are not discouraged from disclosing cannabis use or exploring legally available treatment options,” the group said. “These efforts should be accompanied by the development and dissemination of VA-validated, evidence-based clinical resources to help providers discuss the potential benefits, risks, drug interactions, and limitations of medicinal cannabis and other cannabinoids with their veteran patients.” The post Most Military Veterans Support Legalizing Marijuana For Recreational And Medical Use, Poll Shows appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

“This division, at once under- and over-regulated, is not the cannabis and cannabinoid industry that any of us need.” By Adam Smith, Marijuana Policy Project This week, Chris Lindsey, a former Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) staffer and now vice president of the industry association American Trade Association for Cannabis and Hemp (ATACH), published an op-ed in Marijuana Moment criticizing MPP for an alert we sent to our followers in support of a federal extension for hemp-derived cannabinoids before a near-total ban takes effect. The bifurcation of hemp and marijuana (they are the same plant, cannabis) is a difficult and problematic issue. And I should note that we agree with a number of the concerns that Chris raises. While I have only been running MPP for a year, I, like the organization, have a 30+ year background in drug and cannabis policy reform. I understand the concerns about poorly regulated products, which the extension legislation does not address, and the potentially deleterious health impacts of synthetics, which the extension legislation does address, if inadequately. I also understand and empathize with the consternation of those on the licensed marijuana business side who are locked into an absurdly restricted system built to accommodate a dying prohibitionist regime, while hemp operators (the good ones) are selling the same molecule with the advantages of far broader retail opportunities, access to banking and card transactions, advantageous tax treatment and interstate commerce. This division, at once under- and over-regulated, is not the cannabis and cannabinoid industry that any of us need. As a policy guy, I am also quite aware of—and share—the concern that the longer-term normalization of the hemp-derived market will tend to incentivize many hemp businesses to fight against the broader legalization of the cannabis plant, just as the current absurdly restrictive marijuana system incentivizes licensed businesses to fight against the normalization of hemp-derived products. MPP remains, as we have been for 30 years, 100 percent committed to descheduling the plant and its naturally occurring extracts at the federal level, and to legalizing both personal possession and regulated markets in the states. We believe that THC and other naturally occurring cannabinoids should be regulated and made available to adults under a single, consistent set of rules, including meaningful testing, truthful labeling and strict age-gating. We also believe that low-dose drinks and edibles should be legally available to adults anywhere beer or wine are sold or served. We know that the current level of regulation on the hemp side is inadequate, just like the regulatory schemes on the marijuana side are absurdly overbearing. Given that, and the other issues I’ve outlined, supporting the hemp extension—even if only by sending out an email alert—was not a slam dunk for us. But several factors contributed to our decision. MPP has over 300,000 people on our email list, tens of thousands of whom live in states where hemp-derived products are their only legal alternative. We hear from those people, and under-regulated or not, they overwhelmingly do not want to go back to their illicit dealers. "This division, at once under- and over-regulated, is not the cannabis and cannabinoid industry that any of us need." Adam J. Smith, MPP's Executive Director https://t.co/gT29vhqEyZ — Marijuana Policy Project (@MarijuanaPolicy) October 19, 2026 Further, we are committed to ending arrests for THC possession. Between 2017 and 2025, as hemp-derived cannabinoids became available in stores, annual cannabis arrests in Texas fell from 64,826 to 28,753. Florida arrests fell from 42,153 to 6,104. Annual arrests in Tennessee went from 19,899 down to 11,117 and in North Carolina from 18,390 to 11,434 per year. Those are real people and real lives, and the answer cannot be a return to full prohibition and skyrocketing arrests and imprisonment in those states. Further, as Chris mentions, the Marijuana Policy Project has led—and, I should add, raised and provided the funding for—well over two dozen successful state medical and adult-use legalization campaigns, both legislatively and through voter initiatives. Our work, and the work of other advocates, is the foundation upon which the legal industry was created, exists, and continues to expand. Nevertheless, more than 95 percent of the funding for that work came not from the industry (even once a legal industry emerged), but from philanthropists and donors who cared deeply about freedom, human rights, medical access and the broad legal availability of the plant they loved, with zero financial interest in the outcome. Many of those philanthropists—heroes, really—like Peter Lewis, John Sperling and Tom Forcade, who collectively took tens of millions of dollars out of their own pockets to launch and sustain one of the most successful social movements in our nation’s history, have passed away. Others, seeing the emergence of a multi-billion-dollar industry with a financial interest in finishing the job, have moved on to other causes. And yet still today, less than 10 percent of MPP’s current budget comes from industry, and less than 5 percent from licensees themselves. We understand that times are tough for the industry, and that it’s hard to justify any expenditure that doesn’t absolutely have to be made. But with MPP’s long record of success, as our entire mission overlaps with the industry’s main political objective, the fact remains that much of the industry that we’ve laid the foundation for has never supported MPP or other serious advocacy efforts, even minimally as a show of good faith. This is not about owing anything to the movement for what has been accomplished historically. This is about understanding why the movement has been so successful, and the power inherent in advocacy that comes not from a business perspective, but from a desire for public policy that serves the public good. But that advocacy requires resources, and unlike the business community, the resources to fuel our work must come from outside our organizations. Without that support, none of this would have happened, and will not happen going forward. This all makes the public criticism of one MPP alert—from an organization that includes so many industry leaders we sincerely regard as friends and colleagues—frankly a little hard to swallow. This month, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released numbers showing dramatic (remarkable, really) declines in teen use in legal states, even as cannabis arrests in those states have fallen by an average of more than 85 percent. Separate National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) data shows a near 50 percent reduction in teen access to cannabis nationwide since legalization began. The government data shows what advocates have argued for 30+ years—that smart regulation is safer for consumers, and communities, and kids than prohibition. And that personal freedom for adults is good public policy for everyone, in addition to driving jobs and revenues. MPP is planning a multi-year effort—specifically in the largest non-adult-use states—to bring together parents’ groups, child advocacy and public health organizations and others behind this data to demand that state legislators and governors do the responsible thing: legalize and regulate cannabis as cannabis, and put it behind the counter where adults, and only adults, can get it. We believe that our history, our relationships, and our position as independent advocates without profit incentives puts us in the best position to leverage the good news on kids’ access and use to gather and lead coalitions in those states, and to pull those coalitions together to demand descheduling at the federal level going forward. I hope the industry will be a key partner in this strategy. Investing in this effort could create far greater opportunities through market expansion and full legalization of the plant than either side stands to gain from the current fight over hemp. We would welcome a conversation with ATACH’s leadership and any or all of its interested members to discuss how we can work together in 2027 and beyond to reinvigorate public engagement in this issue and movement, counter the fear-mongering of the neo-prohibitionists and end cannabis prohibition everywhere in this country, once and for all. Adam Smith is executive director of the Marijuana Policy Project. The post A Return To Criminalization Is Not The Solution To Unfair Rules Differences Between Hemp And Marijuana (Op-Ed) appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

KY gov touts medical marijuana growth; NC poll: Bipartisan legal cannabis support; FL hemp drinks op-ed; Secret DEA agreement with psychedelic church 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 Dozens of Massachusetts lawmakers—including the House speaker and Senate president—are urging voters to reject an initiative to roll back the state’s marijuana legalization law on the November ballot. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) announced that medical cannabis dispensaries are now open and operating in every geographic region of the state. A new poll of North Carolina adults shows that 63 percent support legalizing recreational marijuana and 74 percent back medical cannabis—including majority support for both reforms from Republicans, Democrats and independents. The Florida Hemp Beverage Coalition’s Dani Baranowski argues in a new Marijuana Moment op-ed that Florida lawmakers should enact effective regulations for hemp THC drinks and set an example for the rest of the country. “Florida doesn’t need to wait for Washington to show what responsible regulation looks like.” Tree House Craft Cannabis’s Wes Ritchie—who has operated both marijuana and alcohol businesses—argues in a new op-ed that “cannabis is safer than alcohol yet still regulated more strictly.” “Before a cannabis product ever reaches a store shelf, from seed to sale, there is a statewide inventory system that follows every plant on its journey with continuous state oversight… None of that exists in the alcohol industry.” An Iowa psychedelic church reached a secret agreement with the Drug Enforcement Administration and got approval from the Iowa Board of Pharmacy to import and manufacture ayahuasca. / FEDERAL The Congressional Research Service published a report on classwide scheduling of controlled substances. Nebraska congressional candidates discussed their support for medical cannabis during a debate. The House bill to let Department of Veterans Affairs doctors issue medical cannabis recommendations got one new cosponsor for a total of five. / STATES Texas Democratic lieutenant governor candidate Vikki Goodwin criticized incumbent Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R), tweeting, “Books. THC. DEI. Lt. Dan seems to have forgotten the meaning of freedom.” The New Jersey Senate Judiciary Committee approved legislation to allow the sale of hemp THC drinks until December and to crack down on unlicensed marijuana sales. North Carolina representatives discussed their views on marijuana and hemp policy. Nebraska regulators held a hearing on proposed changes to medical cannabis rules. Colorado regulators published guidance about recent changes to marijuana rules. Missouri regulators published a study of the state’s legal cannabis market. Vermont’s top marijuana regulator said he hopes the roll out of a new cannabis event permit program is done “responsibly and safely.” New Oklahoma medical cannabis packaging rules take effect on November 1. — Marijuana Moment is tracking hundreds of cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters pledging at least $25/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don’t miss any developments. Learn more about our marijuana bill tracker and become a supporter on Patreon to get access. — / LOCAL Virginia Beach, Virginia officials are conducting a survey about local cannabis regulations. The Boston, Massachusetts Cannabis Board will meet on Wednesday. / INTERNATIONAL Jersey’s health minister previewed a forthcoming tightening of medical cannabis regulations. / SCIENCE & HEALTH A review concluded that photodynamic therapy and CBD “combination therapy emerges as a promising next-generation immunogenic anticancer approach that warrants further investigation.” A study found that “therapists considered psilocybin treatment beneficial for psychotherapy and described the psychedelic experience as facilitating therapeutic processes.” / ADVOCACY, OPINION & ANALYSIS The Marijuana Policy Project published a voter guide about New Hampshire’s upcoming elections. / BUSINESS Decibel Cannabis Company Inc.’s chief revenue officer resigned. Trulieve is pursuing a defamation lawsuit over social media posts that made claims the company denies. Colorado retailers sold $11.2 million worth of legal marijuana products in July. / CULTURE Judd Apatow discussed his use of psilocybin. 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 Massachusetts lawmakers urge voters to keep cannabis sales legal (Newsletter: October 19, 2026) appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

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“I can tell you exactly where every gram of our cannabis comes from based on a compliance chain that’s a mile long.” By Wes Ritchie, Tree House Craft Cannabis via CommonWealth Beacon I have spent the last seven years of my career operating businesses in two highly regulated industries in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Over that time, my partners and I have operated both a package store, multiple cannabis dispensaries and a cannabis farm. Today we have over 45 employees across our facilities. I read the commentary piece by Robert Mellion, executive director of the Massachusetts Package Stores Association, with great bemusement. He argues that oversight of the state’s cannabis sector has been lax and that it should be regulated like alcohol. I think he has it backwards in two fundamental ways. First, alcohol is a much more deadly intoxicant than cannabis. Full stop. It’s worth wondering out loud whether alcohol and cannabis should have the same regulatory regime. Under the existing legal cannabis industry, there have been zero reported deaths from legal cannabis use. The same is not true of alcohol use. Second, cannabis is regulated more comprehensively than virtually any other retail product sold in Massachusetts. Importantly, Mellion may not understand the existing compliance regime that cannabis operators are subject to. He notes that the state Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission performs “routine, random and unannounced compliance checks,” and goes on to conclude that “the state must fund and execute regular, unannounced, third-party compliance inspections of all licensed cannabis premises [as] has been done for alcohol and tobacco retail.” Yet, the Cannabis Control Commission does in fact conduct routine, random, and unannounced compliance checks. I know, because we’ve had them. Mellion claims that cannabis retailers face only a fraction of the oversight applied to liquor stores and tobacco retailers. My experiences as an operator in both industries is that cannabis, despite being safer than alcohol, is already regulated much more strictly. The oversight of cannabis starts before the seeds even hit the dirt—with required testing of the growing medium. From there, every harvest is subject to mandatory laboratory testing for potency, pesticides, heavy metals, residual solvents, microbes, mycotoxins and other contaminants. The Cannabis Control Commission has extensive requirements for proper testing protocols and audits us to make sure we’re following them. If at any point in the process a product fails testing, it never reaches consumers. Before a cannabis product ever reaches a store shelf, from seed to sale, there is a statewide inventory system that follows every plant on its journey with continuous state oversight. Every package must be child-resistant, clearly labeled, and carry health warnings. Every transfer between businesses is electronically tracked. Every sale is recorded. Every gram is accounted for. None of that exists in the alcohol industry. No one is testing every bottle of wine or whiskey for contaminants before it reaches consumers. Beer isn’t quarantined pending laboratory approval before distribution. Every individual bottle isn’t tracked through a state inventory system from planting to production through retail sale. But cannabis is. Can anyone in the alcohol industry tell me about the soil quality of the California grapes that make up their favorite Blanc de Bleu sparkling wine? Or better yet, what even makes it blue? Cannabis businesses are required to report this information. That doesn’t even account for the rigorous process we undergo as operators. For me to become a cannabis operator, I had to go through an extensive process that began with comprehensive background investigations before even receiving a license. Our employees undergo the same background checks before they are badged to enter and work at a cannabis facility. Our facilities are built to exacting security specifications that include 24-hour surveillance, restricted access, alarm systems, alarm monitoring, secure transportation requirements and detailed operating procedures that regulators can inspect at any time. The compliance burden doesn’t end once we receive our license. Licensed cannabis retailers are required to verify identification before every purchase, regardless of a customer’s apparent age. Employees receive mandatory training. We maintain thousands of pages of records and terabytes of video archives. We report every unusual incident to regulators. Surveillance cameras record every transaction. Our strict 21+ retail rules don’t even let parents bring their kids into our stores when they swing by to pick up a to-go order. Kids can run free around package stores. Could enforcement continue to improve? Sure. It’s a new industry. The industry continues to improve every year with changes to both the statute and regulations. Like every regulator, the Cannabis Control Commission should continually evaluate inspection practices, compliance strategies and enforcement priorities. The Legislature recently took important steps to strengthen the agency’s governance, and industry operators welcome improvements that are consistent, transparent and effective. Standardization and clarification of enforcement have already taken center stage with the appointment of new commissioners to oversee the industry. Strong regulation protects responsible businesses as much as it protects consumers. Ironically, one of the greatest public safety successes of legalization is often overlooked: legal cannabis is displacing a market that has no age verification, no product testing, no labeling standards, no contaminant screening and no regulatory oversight whatsoever. Unlike the illicit market, licensed businesses have every incentive to follow the rules because the consequences for failing to do so are severe. As someone who has operated under both alcohol and cannabis regulations and sold both alcoholic beverages and cannabis to consumers, I can tell you exactly where every gram of our cannabis comes from based on a compliance chain that’s a mile long. Data, our own experiences and common sense lead to the conclusion that cannabis is safer than alcohol yet still regulated more strictly. Let’s keep it real about the state of industry regulation. Wes Ritchie is co-founder and co-CEO of Tree House Craft Cannabis, which operates dispensaries in Dracut, Pepperell and Groton and an outdoor cultivation facility in Colrain. This article first appeared on CommonWealth Beacon and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. The post Why Is Marijuana Regulated More Strictly Than Alcohol, Even Though It Is Safer To Use? (Op-Ed) appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net