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More than a third of popular U.S. hip hop and rap music videos referenced marijuana in 2024, according to a new government-supported study. Artists like Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre have helped drive that trend by promoting a “chilled” lifestyle, the researchers said. According to the analysis—which was funded by the Ministry of Justice and Health in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein—37 percent of U.S. hip hop and rap videos in from the 2024 YouTube top 100 charts featured cannabis references, while an additional 4 percent talk about both marijuana and nicotine. That adds up to 41 percent of top videos in the genre embracing marijuana, contributing to the cultural normalization of the plant through art. While 41 percent of hip hop and rap music videos talked about cannabis, the study from researchers at the German Institute for Therapy and Health Research found that only 2 percent songs in other genres originating U.S. mention marijuana. “Cannabis has been firmly anchored in the US hip-hop scene since the 1990s and has been particularly influenced by artists from the American west coast,” the study, published in the journal Substance Use & Misuse, says. “Rappers such as Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre and The Game in particular are inextricably associated with cannabis and convey a ‘chilled’ lifestyle.” “Historically, cannabis has been embedded in American hip-hop culture through the Afro-Caribbean and African-American subculture and is favored by widespread legalization,” they said. The study also looked at depictions of cannabis and nicotine in German music videos, finding that the U.S. trends were reversed there—with nicotine being more prevalent than marijuana in videos. Hip hop and rap has helped inform culture and policy over the years, and it will come as no surprise that Snoop Dogg’s influence in the U.S. continues to play a role in the movement. Beyond his hit songs like “Gin and Juice” that have become fixtures of cannabis music culture, Snoop has also been expanding his own cannabis enterprise over recent years. Last June, for example, the artist brought another direct-to-consumer hemp lifestyle platform to market under his Death Row Records label. Snoop acquired the music label Death Row Records in 2022, and the cannabis icon has been leveraging that legacy platform to create an intersection between the culture and the plant. In 2024, he also expanded his Smoke Weed Every Day (S.W.E.D.) brand with a separate direct-to-consumer retail platform selling hemp-derived cannabinoid products, smoking supplies and other merchandise. That platform further acts as a directory for S.W.E.D.’s physical retail marijuana locations, including a Los Angeles dispensary and a coffeeshop in Amsterdam. Late night host Jimmy Kimmel recognized Snoop’s cannabis legacy in 2023 when he declared the artist’s birthday, October 20, the “new high holiday” of DoggFather’s Day. While he might be best known as a prolific consumer, Snoop has also advocated for reform, which includes calling for a policy change at the NBA so that players could freely use cannabis off the court. He said last year that he supported the reform based on the “medical side of it, the health benefits and how it could actually help ease the opioids and all the pills that they’ve been given and the injections.” Snoop has long been pushing athletics organizations to adopt lenient marijuana policies, often emphasizing that point that cannabis could serve as a less addictive and dangerous alternative to prescription opioids. Meanwhile, underscoring an anecdotal observation common among cannabis consumers, a group of researchers in Canada released a study in 2024 indicating that marijuana can make music more enjoyable, concluding that “the impact of cannabis on the auditory experience may be overall enhanced” compared to sober listening. A separate study published in 2021 explored the intersection of music and psilocybin-assisted therapy and undermined conventional wisdom that classical music is somehow more effective in that setting. Image element courtesy of TechCrunch. The post More Than A Third Of Rap And Hip Hop Music Videos Feature Marijuana, Government-Funded Study Shows appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

A Maine Republican lawmaker and marijuana industry advocates are sounding the alarm about alleged misleading petition tactics being used by a campaign seeking to put an initiative on the November ballot to roll back the state’s voter-approved cannabis legalization law. A video shared by Rep. David Boyer (R) on Friday features an image of a person seemingly collecting signatures for a ballot measure and an audio recording where he significantly misrepresents what the cannabis proposal would accomplish, claiming that its primary intent is to ensure product safety with enhanced testing requirements. In reality, the initiative would end regulated recreational marijuana sales as approved by voters in 2016. Possession of up to 2.5 ounces of cannabis would remain legal, but adults would no longer be able to grow plants for personal use or buy adult-use cannabis from licensed stores. “We’re trying to make it more regulated. So some people are selling old weed and molded. They keep it in the storage or something. We’re trying to make it to where it’s regulated, like restaurants,” the petitioner is heard saying. “You don’t go in a restaurant eat [off] dirty dishes. They got to sanitize it. We just trying to have it more standardized.” “It doesn’t take away from having it. It just makes it when you go buy it, it’s not old,” he said. “Because weed can get mold on it, and people just [selling] it, they don’t care. Like you can’t sell spoiled milk. You gotta throw it away.” There is a testing component to the proposed initiative as it concerns medical marijuana, with a revised regulatory structure. But the notion that it would improve product safety for recreational cannabis is difficult to square given the removal of legal access to regulated products that it contemplates. Asked whether the measure would repeal the existing home grow option for consumers, the petitioner said, “No, you can still possess” marijuana. He then volunteered that he’s an out-of-state petitioner from Texas who gets paid “a dollar a signature.” Boyer, the Republican legislator who led the fight to pass cannabis legalization at the ballot about 10 years ago when he was a staffer for the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP), said he’s “getting reports from Bangor to Biddeford” about petitioners peddling misleading claims about the repeal initiative. “Out of state petitioners are straight up lying to get the cannabis repeal on the ballot. The initiative wipes out adult use and home grow rights!” he said. “DON’T SIGN AND MAKE SURE OTHERS DON’T EITHER.” The lawmaker isn’t the only one calling attention to the alleged duplicity with the ballot campaign. Stephen Dunker, co-founder of the Maine-based marijuana shop OG Cannabis, told Marijuana Moment in an email on Saturday that there are “serious” concerns about the language of the measure itself, which purports to be about strengthening the state’s medical marijuana program, without making clear it would also upend the adult-use market. “Voters deserve transparency, not deceptive ballot language designed to trick them into signing,” he said in an email. Meanwhile, a Republican gubernatorial candidate in Maine also recently implored voters not to sign the petition to put the “really dumb” cannabis repeal initiative on this year’s ballot. “It’s dumb. It’s a dumb idea. Let’s focus on the things that really matter—the things that are going to make Maine a better place,” David Jones, a real estate executive who previously ran for governor in 2006, said last month. The proposal, which officials cleared for signature gathering last month month—is titled “An Act to Amend the Cannabis Legalization Act and the Maine Medical Use of Cannabis Act.” It’s a revised version of a marijuana initiative filed in September that was backed by a Republican state senator and a former top staffer to then-Gov. Paul LePage (R), a staunch prohibitionist. Madison Carey, who was listed as the chief petitioner of the original version of the repeal initiative and remains involved in the current campaign, told Marijuana Moment last month that “there needs to be regulations on marijuana,” arguing that her experience recovering from an opioid misuse disorder speaks to the insufficiency of current law. “My hope is to just bring awareness to the reality of the potential dangers of not having regulations,” she said. “I think people are fed up with the constant use—the constant [retail businesses] coming up where people can now legally purchase marijuana.” Of course, repealing the voter-approved law that enacted a system of licensed adult-use sales would eliminate the current regulatory infrastructure that’s in place, which reform advocates argue helps mitigate the public health and safety risks associated with the illicit market. Under the measure, the director of the Office of Cannabis Policy would face a mandate to “promote the health and well-being of the people of the state and advance policies that protect public health and safety, emphasizing the health and well-being of minors, as priority considerations in performing all duties.” They would also have to “ensure that qualifying patients maintain access to high-quality, effective and affordable cannabis for medical use under this Act.” The Department of Administrative and Financial Services would be required to create a testing program for cannabis products, requiring dispensaries and caregivers to submit such products to a licensed facility for a safety assessment before they’re distributed to qualified patients. The testing facility would need to “ensure that the cannabis or cannabis product does not exceed the maximum level of allowable contamination for any contaminant that is injurious to health and for which testing is required and to ensure correct labeling.” “The department shall adopt rules establishing a testing program pursuant to this section, rules identifying the types of contaminants that are injurious to health for which cannabis and cannabis products must be tested under this chapter and rules regarding the maximum level of allowable contamination for each contaminant,” the ballot initiative text states. Further, regulators would need to administer a system for tracking cannabis plants from seedings to the point of retail sale or disposal. That system would have to “allow for cannabis plants at the stage of cultivation and upon transfer from the stage of cultivation to another registrant to be tracked by group.” Activists must submit at least 67,682 valid voter signatures by February 2, 2026 in order to qualify for next year’s ballot. If approved by voters, the initiative would take effect beginning on January 1, 2028. This is one of three active campaigns underway in 2026 to reverse course on state cannabis laws. In Massachusetts, anti-marijuana activists are also being accused of using deceptive messaging to mislead voters into signing their repeal petition—and state election officials have scheduled a hearing for this week to investigate a complaint challenging the campaign’s signature gathering process. The Secretary of the Commonwealth’s Elections Division has already confirmed that the campaign collected enough valid signatures to send the measure to lawmakers for consideration ahead of potentially being placed on the November ballot. A recently filed ballot initiative in Arizona, meanwhile, would also repeal of key provisions of the state’s voter-approved marijuana legalization law by eliminating commercial sales, while still permitting possession and personal cultivation. — 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. — Back in Maine, legislators last June rejected a bill to legalize possession of up to one ounce of psilocybin by adults 21 and older. That followed a separate effort in the state in 2024 to legalize psilocybin and allow adults to access the psychedelic at state-licensed facilities. But lawmakers watered down that bill—amending it to create a commission to further explore the reform instead—and it ultimately did not pass. Meanwhile, Maine lawmakers last year voted to investigate possible conflicts of interest by a top marijuana official. And in 2024, a law took effect allowing people to apply to have records of now-legal marijuana crimes sealed. Photo courtesy of Philip Steffan. The post Maine GOP Lawmaker Says Anti-Marijuana Activists Are ‘Lying’ To Mislead Voters Into Signing Legalization Repeal Ballot Petition appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

“We’re absolutely laser-focused on doctors, because they are really the patients’ first entry point into the program, by asking your physician if you qualify.” By Stephen Simpson, The Texas Tribune After lawmakers blunted expansion for years, Texas’s medical marijuana industry is slated to see more marijuana operators coming online, current ones opening more facilities and more Texans enrolling in the program this year. In September, Texas officially rolled out the most significant expansion of its medical marijuana program, the Texas Compassionate Use Program, since its launch in 2015. The expansion adds new qualifying conditions such as chronic pain, inflammatory bowel disease, Crohn’s disease, traumatic brain injury and terminal illness. It also added more treatment options like prescribed inhalers, higher THC limits and better dispensary access across the state. The expansion will also increase the number of marijuana distributors from three to 15. Lawmakers enacted these changes after distributors in the program said strict state regulations on THC amounts, locations, cultivation and more hampered the program’s growth and, in fact, contributed to them losing patients to cheaper, more accessible and diverse hemp products. “What made TCUP expensive in the past was the fact that you had this niche program with a huge regulatory burden on top of it. Now, as you expand the program, the cost of regulation becomes a smaller percentage, and therefore the marginal cost of products will come down over time,” said Nico Richardson, CEO of Texas Original, a Central Texas medical marijuana company. The Texas Department of Public Safety reported that by the end of 2025, 135,470 patients were listed in the Compassionate Use Registry by their physicians, about 32 percent more than the previous year. Distributors are attributing it to the news of the budding expansion. The law immediately benefits the state’s three dispensing organizations, Texas Original, goodblend and Fluent. Since these companies mostly sell their products online, none of them have opened more storefronts yet, but they have created more satellite locations across the state to store their products, allowing products to be cheaper and delivered to customers faster. Before the law, companies would have to return the product to the original dispensary every day, raising overhead costs. “We are planning to have a satellite location in all 11 public health regions within the next six months,” Richardson said. Texas Original has also moved from a 7,700-square-foot facility to its new 75,000-square-foot headquarters in Bastrop to cultivate more strains of marijuana and expand their product options. Austin-based Goodblend has opened its first satellite location in San Antonio that allows for same-day pick-up and plans to expand further into Texas to reach remote locations. “We are also working on a slew of new products and formats as it relates to vaporization and hopefully have something down the pipe in the next six months,” said Jervonne Singletary, goodblend’s spokesperson. And, more medical marijuana operators will soon join the existing three. One of the most heralded parts of the expansion is the addition of 12 licensed dispensing organizations by April 1, as outlined in House Bill 46. The first phase is underway with DPS awarding nine businesses with conditional licenses. These nine businesses are not authorized to cultivate, manufacture, distribute, or sell any cannabis products until the department grants final approval, said Sheridan Nolen, Texas Department of Public Safety spokesperson. The dispensing organizations will be assigned a health region. “Additionally, House Bill 46 does not allow dispensing organizations to operate more than one satellite location in a single public health region until they operate at least one satellite location in each public health region,” Nolen said. Most of these distributors operate in cannabis markets outside of Texas and are expected to leverage existing resources to get a quick start here. “After being awarded a Conditional Dispensing Organization License in December, we continue to work collaboratively with key stakeholders on all required next steps in the process,” said George Archos, founder and CEO of Chicago-based Vernano, which will serve public health region 10 in West Texas. “We look forward to putting plants in the ground that are grown in Texas, by Texans, and delivered to patients across the state, in accordance with the law.” These new marijuana distributors have up to two years after final approval to become fully operational in Texas, but Singletary expects it might be a little after nine months to a year. She said once those additional businesses get up in running, she expects the prices on medical marijuana products that can range from $40 to $70 to continuously drop based on what she has seen in other states that have undergone an expansion like Florida. All of these changes are great on paper, but distributors say the one hurdle that is holding the program back from its full potential is the medical providers themselves. Awareness among medical providers One of the key cogs of the Texas Compassionate Use Program when it was first created was medical providers, but very few have registered to prescribe medical cannabis, limiting the options Texans have had to enter the program. Richardson said there are around 80,000 board-certified physicians in Texas, and only 800 are registered in the TCUP program. “We’re absolutely laser-focused on doctors, because they are really the patients’ first entry point into the program, by asking your physician if you qualify,” Singletary said. To become registered to prescribe medical cannabis in Texas, a provider must visit the Texas DPS registry portal with their Texas Medical Board license, American Board of Medical Specialties certification, and driver’s license to complete the application. Among the reasons for the sluggish enrollment is a lack of awareness about the program among medical providers. Richardson said state agencies have mostly been hands-off in spreading awareness of the program, leaving it up to distributors to boost the number of subscribers. “That is all we have done for the past seven or eight years is educate doctors on the fact that the program exists. DPS hasn’t had a campaign out there to bring doctors into the program. This has pretty much been a Texas Original effort,” he said. Also, most medical providers didn’t see a need to register, since most of their patients weren’t eligible. Matthew Brimberry, an Austin-based doctor and medical director of the Texas Cannabis Clinic, said he didn’t join the state’s medical program until 2019, when the list of qualifying conditions expanded from only those with intractable epilepsy to include terminal cancer. Other reasons why medical providers are hesitant to join the program include workload and lack of knowledge around the benefits of cannabis. “It’s another electronic health system portal that you have to register patients into, which can be a hurdle when you are already dealing with so many portals,” Brimberry said. “Also, the nature of the medicine itself, there is not a lot of education on it. Being a medical provider, you aren’t going to recommend something you don’t know about.” Brimberry said no health field has taken the lead on prescribing medical cannabis, leaving it up to providers who have a specific interest in it to advocate for it. To get around this problem of having a small pool of providers to choose from, local medical marijuana distributors have been using telemedicine to connect patients with specialized providers across the state, but Singletary said in an ideal world, patients would be visiting any doctor to learn more about medical marijuana. “I am happy there is an alternative route for folks that might not be comfortable talking to their physician about this. But I want to see more Texas doctors in the program,” she said. New opportunities on the way In December, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to expedite the reclassification of marijuana from a Schedule I drug, alongside heroin and LSD, to Schedule III, like ketamine and some steroids. In 2023, the federal Department of Health and Human Services determined marijuana has acceptable medical use after finding that health care practitioners across 43 jurisdictions are authorized to recommend the medical use of marijuana to more than 6 million registered patients for at least 15 medical conditions. The rescheduling doesn’t make recreational marijuana legal across the nation. However, it changes how it’s regulated, removing barriers to scientific research and reducing the industry’s tax burden, and improving access to banking services. “The thawing of the capital market, better banking and better relationships with the IRS will free up some capital for more investment, create new products, and drive down costs, so this rescheduling, which we still don’t know a lot about yet, is potentially a big opportunity,” Singletary said. This changing view of marijuana from the Trump administration might also signal the rest of the Republican Party’s warming toward full legalization. “We finally have a federal government, which is frankly 10 years behind the times right now, recognizing the medical benefits of medical cannabis, and we’ve known this for a long time,” Richardson said. “I think we have reached the point where denying this no longer makes any sense at this point.” The cannabis industry views the expansion in Republican-led Texas as a model for other southern states to expand their cannabis programs, and Texas’ large geographic size and economic infrastructure could make the state a national hub for medical marijuana. . “Most of the structural problems of the TCUP program have now been solved. Whether it’s access through satellite locations, it’s better and available products that patients were looking for, just know it’s a viable and growing program right now,” Richardson said. This article first appeared on The Texas Tribune. Image element courtesy of AnonMoos. The post More Patients Sign Up For Texas Medical Marijuana Program As New Dispensary Licenses Are Issued appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

Congressional leaders have reached a deal on another spending bill—and this one would continue to block Washington, D.C. from legalizing recreational marijuana sales while also warning local officials about approving cannabis dispensaries near schools. The appropriations legislation and attached reports, covering Financial Services and General Government (FSGG) as well as National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2026, was released on Sunday. It also contains a section directing federal officials to submit a report on Chinese-linked drug syndicates that operate illicit cannabis grows. The District has long been barred from allowing regulated adult-use marijuana sales under a spending bill rider led by Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD), despite voters approving legalization of possession and personal cultivation in 2014. Leaders of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees evidently didn’t see reason to shift away from that policy. Here’s the text of the D.C. sales rider: “SEC. 809. (a) None of the Federal funds contained in this Act may be used to enact or carry out any law, rule, or regulation to legalize or otherwise reduce penalties associated with the possession, use, or distribution of any schedule I substance under the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 801 et seq.) or any tetrahydrocannabinols derivative. (b) No funds available for obligation or expenditure by the District of Columbia government under any authority may be used to enact any law, rule, or regulation to legalize or otherwise reduce penalties associated with the possession, use, or distribution of any schedule I substance under the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 801 et seq.) or any tetrahydrocannabinols derivative for recreational purposes.” The language may ultimately be rendered moot, however, if the Trump administration moves forward with an order from the president to expeditiously reclassify cannabis as a Schedule III substance under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). In a report published in 2024, the Congressional Research Service (CRS) said that while federal cannabis prohibition would still be the law of the land even if it’s rescheduled, the reform “would permit the District government, as a matter of local law, to authorize the commercial sale of recreational marijuana, establish market regulations, and levy marijuana taxes, among other policy options.” There is a complication, however, because the congressional rider also stipulates that the District of Columbia can’t use funds to legalize or reduce penalties for “any tetrahydrocannabinols derivative.” But that term isn’t clearly defined in the rider or anywhere else in federal law. Meanwhile, the FSGG report attached to the new spending bill also reminds D.C. officials that cannabis remains federally prohibited, and there are enhanced penalties for manufacturing or distributing marijuana within 1,000 feet of various public and private entities like schools and playgrounds. Here’s that D.C.-specific language: “Marijuana Dispensary Proximity to Schools.-The agreement reminds the District of Columbia that the distribution, manufacturing, and sale of marijuana remains illegal under Federal law, which includes enhanced penalties for such distribution within one thousand feet of a public or private elementary, vocational, or secondary school or public or private college, junior college, or university, or a playground, among other real property where children frequent.” Another section of the report for the National Security and State bill—which is set to be considered by the House Rules Committee on Wednesday before potentially moving to the floor—concerns illegal drug syndicates based out of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Here’s what that section says: “PRC-linked Criminal Drug Syndicates.-Not later than 45 days after the date of enactment of the Act, the Secretary of State, in consultation with the heads of other relevant Federal agencies, shall submit a report to the appropriate congressional committees regarding PRC-linked criminal syndicates or nationals who may be directly or indirectly involved in illegal drug and money laundering operations in the United States, including in Maine, California, and Oregon. The information should include, as relevant, information on the involvement of officials of the Government of the PRC and PRC-linked syndicates operating in Southeast Asia.” While the provision doesn’t mention marijuana specifically, it seems intended to target illicit Chinese cannabis operators, which were also the focus of a House subcommittee hearing last September. Much of the talk about the issue has centered around Maine, California and Oregon, as referenced in the report section. “Vision becomes direction with appropriations. It is where policy is given force, priorities are focused, and American mandates are implemented,” House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole (R-OK) said in a press release about the overall legislation. “With this package, we are advancing President Trump’s vision of a golden age defined by security, responsibility, and growth.” “Our financial system will be protected, small businesses and entrepreneurs supported, and consumer freedom safeguarded. We shield our nation across every front—strengthening cyber defenses and dismantling the financial and criminal networks that enable terrorism, drug trafficking, and bad actors,” he said. Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins (R-ME) said the “fiscally responsible package would realign U.S. foreign assistance and make America safer and stronger on the world stage.” “The bill also supports federal, state and local law enforcement in their efforts to fight drug trafficking and money-laundering, and it provides funding for our federal judiciary and construction and repairs at our nation’s courthouses, federal buildings, and land ports of entry,” she said. The appropriations deal was unveiled just days after the House passed a separate spending package that would continue protecting state medical marijuana programs from federal intervention—while excluding a provision that previously advanced to block the Justice Department from rescheduling cannabis. That proposal now heads to the Senate for consideration. — 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. — GOP senators have separately tried to block the administration from rescheduling cannabis as part of a standalone bill filed in 2023, but that proposal did not receive a hearing or vote. Meanwhile, last week, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) said the marijuana rescheduling appeal process “remains pending” despite President Donald Trump’s recent executive order directing the attorney general to finalize the process of moving cannabis to Schedule III. Advocates may welcome the exclusion of the rescheduling provision and inclusion of medical marijuana protections in the CJS bill, but many cannabis stakeholders have protested Trump’s signing of a separate appropriations measure in November that includes provisions to ban most consumable hemp products. Photo courtesy of Chris Wallis // Side Pocket Images. The post Congressional Leaders Agree To Keep Blocking Washington, D.C. From Legalizing Marijuana Sales appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

“The voters deserve to have more input. I think it’s clear the voters want this, and this is giving an opportunity to have a board that is directly accountable to the people and will be more reflective.” By Zach Wendling, Nebraska Examiner A legislative bill introduced Friday would make the Nebraska Medical Cannabis Commission an elected office. Another bill would protect physicians who want to recommend the medicine. Both bills, from State Sen. John Cavanaugh of Omaha, come after a yearlong, continued fight to implement a medical cannabis system that voters approved in the 2024 general election. Voters legalized up to 5 ounces of medical cannabis with a health care practitioner’s recommendation. Voters also created a regulatory, governor-appointed Medical Cannabis Commission with “exclusive” authority to regulate the drug. Under the law, three members of the Nebraska Liquor Control Commission automatically serve on the Medical Cannabis Commission. Cavanaugh, a Democratic candidate for Congress in Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District, said making the commission an elected office would instill direct accountability to voters who have “clearly expressed their desire to have a well-regulated, functioning medical cannabis system.” That’s a desire Cavanaugh said Gov. Jim Pillen (R) and his appointees have “definitely frustrated.” “The voters deserve to have more input,” Cavanaugh said. “I think it’s clear the voters want this, and this is giving an opportunity to have a board that is directly accountable to the people and will be more reflective.” Legislative Bill 934 would require the five commissioners to be elected statewide beginning in 2028 for four-year terms. District lines would follow those of the five-member Public Service Commission. Two commissioners would run again in 2030 so future terms would be staggered. The commission would continue to operate as-is through January 4, 2029. Cavanaugh also introduced LB 933 with State Sen. George Dungan of Lincoln. It would protect health care practitioners who recommend medical cannabis to patients from any criminal, civil and disciplinary action solely for recommending the medicine. The Omaha senator made a similar last-minute attempt to pass protections in May 2025, which procedurally fell flat. A more comprehensive legislative framework for medical cannabis, from State Sen. Ben Hansen of Blair, also failed to advance. Many Nebraskans have said their in-state physicians have been unwilling to issue recommendations. The commission is writing regulations that would allow legal in-state sales. Said Cavanaugh: “I’m trying to eliminate the fear of retribution from people like the attorney general who are specifically taking action to have a chilling effect on professional judgment.” This story was first published by Nebraska Examiner. The post Nebraska Medical Marijuana Commissioners Would Be Elected By Voters Under New Bill appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

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At the start of another new year, advocates and lawmakers are again eyeing recreational and medical marijuana legalization opportunities in states across the country. This time, however, the momentum for cannabis reform at the local level comes amid a pending federal rescheduling process. Nearly half of states in the U.S. have enacted adult-use legalization, and the vast majority of states allow some form of medical cannabis access for qualified patients. But the push for further reform isn’t letting up in 2026, with advocates targeting states across the country—from New Hampshire to Hawaii and several in between. President Donald Trump’s recent executive order directing the attorney general to complete the process of moving cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) may also bolster state-level reform efforts. That policy change wouldn’t federally legalize marijuana, but some advocates feel it could embolden more state lawmakers to supporting ending prohibition locally. “President Trump’s executive order directing his attorney general to swiftly reschedule cannabis to Schedule III, coupled with the [Food and Drug Administration’s] prior analysis recommending rescheduling, should be a game changer in the states that have failed to adopt medical cannabis laws,” Karen O’Keefe, state policy director at the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP), told Marijuana Moment. “Federal law is on the brink of finally acknowledging cannabis has accepted medical use and that it is less risky than opioids.” “Only 10 states lack a medical cannabis law and they all have Republican-led legislatures,” she said. “Now, their party’s standard bearer has forcefully made the case that medical cannabis can help older Americans, veterans, and be a substitute for ‘potentially lethal opioid painkillers.’” “While I don’t expect all 10 remaining states to pass medical cannabis bills this year as a result, this could make the difference in some. In South Carolina, North Carolina and Kansas, at least one legislative chamber previously passed medical cannabis, only for it to not receive a floor vote in the other chamber,” O’Keefe said. “Federal rescheduling at the behest of President Trump could make the difference.” At the same time, however, anti-marijuana activists are stepping up their own campaigns seeking to roll back legalization in several states, despite the fact that polling shows consistent majority, bipartisan support for replacing criminalization with regulation. Here’s an overview of the states most likely to legalize marijuana in 2026: Recreational marijuana Florida While it seems doubtful that Florida lawmakers will move to legalize adult-use cannabis legislatively, there’s another push this year to enact the reform at the ballot—spearheaded by the campaign Smart & Safe Florida. The proposed marijuana legalization initiative is currently under review by the Florida Supreme Court after the campaign collected enough signatures to initiate that process. But the state attorney general and other opponents recently filed briefs challenging its constitutionality, arguing that it misleads voters, violates a single-subject rule for ballot measures and conflicts with federal law. An earlier version of the initiative made the ballot in 2024, but while a majority of voters supported it, the measure failed to reach the requisite 60 percent threshold for passage of a constitutional amendment. Smart & Safe Florida made certain revisions to the new proposal, but the campaign is running against the clock to secure ballot placement amid litigation that’s already led to the invalidation of about 200,000 signatures it collected. If advocates do make the ballot, polling continues to signal that a majority of voters would embrace it. Whether it could get to the 60 percent mark is uncertain, however. And Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), who actively campaigned against the earlier version, has said he doesn’t think the state Supreme Court will allow it to proceed in any case. The campaign has relied heavily on funding from a major marijuana company, Trulieve, whose CEO Kim Rivers is credited with lobbying the president directly to both endorse the prior Florida legalization initiative as well as federal cannabis rescheduling. Meanwhile, a Florida senator recently filed a bill to legalize cannabis statutorily through the legislature. Hawaii Past attempts to legislatively enact legalization in Hawaii have fallen short, but momentum has continue to build over recent sessions, and Gov. Josh Green (D) is supportive of the reform. House Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs Committee Chairman David Tarnas (D) also recently said that he will work to advance a bill in the 2026 session that would put the question of marijuana legalization to Hawaii voters to decide on the ballot. Gov. Josh Green (D) backs legalizing marijuana, and House Speaker Nadine Nakamura (D) has acknowledged broad public support for the reform, but she said that some of her chamber’s members from the island of Oahu are not on board. Hawaii’s Senate last February narrowly defeated a proposal that would have increased fivefold the amount of cannabis that a person could possess without risk of criminal charges. A Senate bill that would have legalized marijuana for adults, meanwhile, ultimately stalled for the session. That measure, SB 1613, failed to make it out of committee by a legislative deadline. While advocates felt there was sufficient support for the legalization proposal in the Senate, it’s widely believed that House lawmakers would have ultimately scuttled the measure, as they did last February with a legalization companion bill, HB 1246. In 2024, a Senate-passed legalization bill also fizzled out in the House. Last year’s House vote to stall the bill came just days after approval from a pair of committees at a joint hearing. Ahead of that hearing, the panels received nearly 300 pages of testimony, including from state agencies, advocacy organizations and members of the public. New Hampshire New Hampshire lawmakers have introduced a slew of marijuana-related bills for the 2026 session, including proposals to legislatively enact adult-use legalization—or alternatively leave it up to voters to decide at the ballot. A proposal from Rep. Jonah Wheeler (D) stands out because it seeks to put a constitutional amendment on the state ballot that would let voters decide if they want to legalize marijuana for adults 21 and older, allowing them to “possess a modest amount of cannabis for their personal use.” The measure comes as lawmakers have had difficulty advancing legalization bills through both chambers in recent sessions, and as Gov. Kelly Ayotte (R) has threatened to veto any such bill that reaches her desk. Other bills filed for 2026 include measures to legalize marijuana possession statutorily, protect the gun rights of medical cannabis patients and make it so medical marijuana dispensaries could operate on a for-profit basis, as is the case in the majority of states that have legalized the plant. The New Hampshire House of Representatives gave approval to a marijuana legalization bill on the first day of the 2026 session this month, but its prospects in the Senate are questionable. Even if approved there, the governor remains opposed. “We know where it’s going to go. Let’s send a virtue signal,” the sponsor of the legalization proposal, Rep. Jared Sullivan (D), said during a House Commerce and Consumer Affairs Committee hearing. “Let them be the ones that are pissing off voters who care about this.” The House has repeatedly passed similar legalization legislation in past sessions. Pennsylvania Bipartisan Pennsylvania lawmakers who’ve been working to enact adult-use legalization over recent sessions without success so far say Trump’s federal marijuana rescheduling order could grease the wheels in the new year. The House passed a marijuana legalization bill last year, with a novel proposal to have sales take place at state-run stores, but it was promptly rejected by the GOP-controlled Senate. A top House lawmaker said recently that legalizing cannabis is one way to create a “very important” revenue source for the state, and it’s an achievable reform if only legislators could find “the will to do it.” Separately, a top GOP senator—Sen. Scott Martin (R), chair of the chamber’s Appropriations Committee—said last month that he was skeptical about the prospects of enacting legalization in the 2026 session, in part because of the federal classification of cannabis that’s now expected to change. Of course, marijuana would still be federally illegal under Schedule III, so it’s unclear if a simple loosening of the law would move the needle enough from his perspective. A top aide to Pennsylvania’s governor said in September that lawmakers should stop introducing new competing legalization bills and instead focus on building consensus on the issue—while emphasizing that any measure that advances needs to contain equity provisions if the governor is going to sign it into law. Sen. Dan Laughlin (R), for his part, said in August that the House “needs to pass the language in my bill and send it to my committee” after which point he “can negotiate with the Senate and the governor.” The senator separately said recently that supporters are “picking up votes” to enact the reform this session. Polls have shown bipartisan support for legalization among voters, but the reform has consistently stalled in the legislature, due largely to GOP opposition. But not all Republican members are against the policy change—and one recently said she felt her party should seize the “opportunity to snatch” the issue from Democrats. Virginia With an incoming new governor, Virginia is also in play with the potential legalization of recreational marijuana sales in 2026. Cannabis has been legal to possess and cultivate for adult use since 2021, but there’s currently no retail access for non-medical marijuana. Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R), who leaves office later this month, has vetoed bills passed by the legislature to establish a commercial recreational cannabis market—but advocates have been encouraged by Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger (D) position in favor of the policy change. Spanberger recently laid out what “needs to be” included in a marijuana sales legalization bill in order for her to sign it into law—such as “strong labeling” requirements and allocating tax revenue toward education. Last month, the legislature’s Joint Commission to Oversee the Transition of the Commonwealth into a Cannabis Retail Market unveiled a much-anticipated proposal to legalize recreational marijuana sales that it is recommending lawmakers pass during the 2026 session. Sen. Louise Lucas (D), the Senate president pro tempore, also said the state should move forward with legalizing recreational marijuana sales—in part to offset the Trump administration’s cuts to federal spending in support of states. Medical cannabis Idaho A campaign is seeking to put medical marijuana legalization on Idaho’s 2026 ballot, and it recently stepped up its efforts by recruiting paid petitioners to gather voter signatures to qualify the measure. The Natural Medicine Alliance of Idaho (NMAI) unveiled its certified initiative to put medical marijuana legalization on the ballot last October. The measure would provide patients with qualifying conditions access to marijuana from a limited number of dispensaries and provide a regulatory framework for the market. In order to make the ballot, the campaign will need to collect 70,725 valid signatures, including from at least 6 percent of registered voters in 18 of Idaho’s 35 legislative districts. Meanwhile, voters next year will see a different kind of proposal on the ballot: A constitutional amendment that the legislature approved to make it so only lawmakers could legalize marijuana or other controlled substances. Legislators separately held a hearing in March to discuss a bill to enact medical cannabis legalization legislatively, but there hasn’t been meaningful action on the issue in the months since. Kansas Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly (D) said last year that it’s time for lawmakers in the state to finally legalize medical marijuana. Whether that happens remains to be seen, but advocates see opportunities for advancing the reform. Polling from late 2024 found that nearly three quarters (73 percent) of Kansans support legalizing medical marijuana. About six in 10 (61 percent) respondents also said they supported legalizing cannabis for broader adult use. Legislators have nevertheless repeatedly shot down reform efforts. The House of Representatives passed a medical cannabis bill in 2021, for example, but it stalled out in the Senate. And after numerous hearings on the issue, the Senate Federal and State Affairs Committee voted in 2024 to table a limited medical marijuana pilot program bill. A later effort to revive the medical cannabis bill on the Senate floor ultimately fell short. That measure was filed about a month after the House rejected a Democratic lawmaker’s amendment to a broader drug scheduling bill that would have removed marijuana entirely from the state’s controlled substances law, effectively legalizing it. After the Senate committee shelved the limited medical marijuana bill, Kelly issued a statement urging the public to contact their representatives to demand that they take the legislation back up for action, but that did not happen before the end of the legislative session. Senate President Ty Masterson (R) said in 2023 that was open to a discussion about a limited medical marijuana program. But in 2024, he appeared less welcoming to the idea, calling medical legalization a “nonstarter,” suggesting the policy change would lead to a surge in “gang activity” and put kids at risk. In October 2024, meanwhile, a state legislative panel voted against a recommendation that lawmakers legalize medical cannabis in 2025. The legislature’s Special Committee on Medical Marijuana, charged with consideration of possible pathways for medical cannabis reform, said legalizing medical marijuana was premature and that lawmakers should first wait to see how federal rescheduling and other reform efforts unfold. North Carolina The governor of North Carolina in June reiterated his support for legalizing marijuana, stressing the need to create a regulated cannabis program to mitigate the risks associated with products in the intoxicating hemp market. “Our state’s unregulated cannabis market is the Wild West, and it is crying out for order,” Gov. Josh Stein (D) said, adding that’s the reason he signed an executive order creating a bipartisan commission to study cannabis legalization in hopes of moving the GOP-controlled legislature to act on reform. During his time as the state’s attorney general, Stein led a separate task force under then-Gov. Roy Cooper (D) that examined racial injustice issues and ultimately recommended decriminalizing marijuana and studying broader legalization in response to racially disparate enforcement trends. In recent sessions, multiple limited medical marijuana legalization bills advanced through the Senate, only to stall out in the House. Meanwhile, in the House, Rep. Aisha Dew (D) filed a bill last April that would have legalized medical marijuana for patients with a variety of specified conditions, including cancer, epilepsy, HIV/AIDS, Parkinson’s disease, PTSD, end-of-life care and other serious ailments. The North Carolina Compassionate Care Act is considerably more detailed than a separate Democrat-led medical cannabis bill that would allow access only for patients enrolled in a “registered research study.” Advocates had been awaiting House introduction of a comprehensive bill, especially since Senate President Phil Berger (R) said his chamber was deferring to the House to move first on medical marijuana reform this session. South Carolina The governor of South Carolina said in June that there’s a “compelling” case to be made for legalizing medical marijuana in the state, despite reservations from law enforcement. And a key GOP lawmaker who’s championed the reform over multiple sessions said he’s eyeing 2026 as the year to finally get the job done. Gov. Henry McMaster (R) said he thinks supporters of the reform have a “very compelling situation,” despite the fact that “law enforcement, almost end-to-end, still have grave concerns.” Sen. Tom Davis (R), who has sponsored several bills to legalize medical cannabis, has described his legislation as “conservative.” An earlier version of Davis’s cannabis measure passed the Senate in 2024 but was never taken up in the House. He then filed a revised version in 2025 that also did not advance. The office of House Speaker Murrell Smith (R) has tempered expectations about reform, saying “previous statement on the medical marijuana bill holds true,” referencing his comments on insufficient support within the GOP caucus to advance the reform. Among the public, medical marijuana legalization enjoys overwhelming bipartisan support in the state, with a poll last year finding that 93 percent of Democrats, 74 percent of Republicans and 84 percent of independents back the reform. The state Senate passed an earlier version of the legislation in 2022, but it stalled in the opposite body over a procedural hiccup. Wisconsin With less than a year to go until Wisconsin voters are set to elect their next governor, the majority of the current candidates are making clear that they will support efforts to legalize marijuana—in part to fund public programs such as increased access to broadband. Last year, Wisconsin senators took up a filed Republican-led bill that would legalize medical marijuana in the state, but it has yet to advance. Senate President Mary Felzkowski (R) and Sen. Patrick Testin (R) filed the legislation, and the Senate Health Committee debated the proposal at a hearing, taking testimony from patients and other advocates. Members didn’t vote on the bill, but the chair said the panel would be advancing it “fairly quickly.” Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R) said last year that he hopes lawmakers in the state can “find a consensus” on legislation to legalize medical marijuana. But he added that the cannabis bill filed by his Republican leadership counterpart in the Senate was “unlikely” to pass his chamber because it is “way too broad and way too wide-ranging. More recently, Vos said he thinks “we are not there” in terms of having enough votes to advance even a medical cannabis bill through his chamber at this point, despite characterizing himself as a supporter of patients’ access to marijuana “for almost a decade now.” As the 2025 session was set to get underway, Felzkowski said she was “hoping to have a conversation” in the legislature about legalizing medical marijuana—though she viewed the Republican Assembly speaker as “an obstacle.” Gov. Tony Evers (D), who supports legalizing cannabis, isn’t seeking re-election—but he said last June that if his party can take control of the legislature, the state can “finally” legalize marijuana so that residents don’t have to go to neighboring Illinois to visit its adult-use market. The chances of advancing reform may also be bolstered by the redistricting map the governor signed in 2024. Separately that month, a poll from Marquette Law School found that two in three Wisconsin voters support legalizing marijuana. The state’s Republican-controlled Senate and Assembly last summer rejected another attempt to legalize marijuana, defeating amendments to budget legislation that would have ended prohibition in the state and established new medical and recreational cannabis programs. Evers has routinely attempted to change that policy as part of his budget requests—and Democratic leaders have similarly pushed for reform. Republicans in the legislature also cut the marijuana provisions from a state budget proposal in May, as they’ve done in past sessions. Despite Republicans’ move to cut legalization from the budget legislation, party leaders recently acknowledged that the debate over medical marijuana legalization is “not going to go away,” and there’s hope it can be resolved this session. Marijuana legalization rollback initiatives and other key measures Arizona A recently filed ballot initiative in Arizona would repeal of key provisions of the state’s voter-approved marijuana legalization law by eliminating commercial sales, while still permitting possession and personal cultivation. The “Sensible Marijuana Policy Act for Arizona” is being spearheaded by Sean Noble, president of the political strategy firm American Encore. Possession and home cultivation would remain lawful if voters chose to enact the initiative—and Arizona’s medical marijuana program would remain intact—but the commercial market for recreational cannabis that’s evolved since voters approved an adult-use legalization measure in 2020 would be quashed. In order to make the ballot, the campaign will need to collect 255,949 valid signatures by July 2. If the proposal goes to voters and is approved, it would take effect in January 2028. It remains to be seen if there will be an appetite for repeal among voters, as 60 percent of the electorate approved legalization at the ballot in 2020. What’s more a poll from last year found majority support for medical cannabis legalization (86 percent), adult-use legalization (69 percent) and banking reform (78 percent). Maine Maine officials last month cleared prohibitionist activists to begin collecting signatures for a proposed ballot initiative that would roll back the state’s voter-approved marijuana legalization law. The measure, if approved, would also revise the regulatory structure of the medical cannabis program by imposing product testing requirements. The proposal—titled “An Act to Amend the Cannabis Legalization Act and the Maine Medical Use of Cannabis Act”—is a revised version of a marijuana initiative filed in September that was backed by a Republican state senator and a former top staffer to then-Gov. Paul LePage (R), a staunch prohibitionist. The latest proposal, petitions for which were approved by the secretary of state’s office, would remove and amend multiple sections of current state statute—aimed at effectively repealing the legalization of recreational marijuana sales that voters approved in 2016. Possession of up to 2.5 ounces of cannabis by adults 21 and older would remain legal under the proposal, but a section of the law permitting home cultivation would be repealed. Medical marijuana sales and home cultivation would remain legal. Activists must submit at least 67,682 valid voter signatures by February 2, 2026 in order to qualify for next year’s ballot. If approved by voters, the initiative would take effect beginning on January 1, 2028. Massachusetts Massachusetts officials last month announced that a campaign behind an initiative to roll back the state’s marijuana legalization law collected enough valid signatures to send the measure to lawmakers for consideration before it potentially gets put in front of voters to decide on at the ballot. The campaign had already expressed confidence that it secured enough signatures to advance. Lawmakers will receive the proposal at the start of the 2026 session on January 7, and they have until May 5 to act on it. If the choose not to enact it legislatively, the campaign would need to go through another round of petitioning and get at least 12,429 certified signatures by July 1 to make the November ballot. There’s been controversy surrounding the prohibitionist coalition’s signature collection tactics, with allegations that petitioners working on behalf of the campaign shared misleading information about what the measure would accomplish—with claims that paid petitioners have used fake cover letters for other ballot measures on issues like affordable housing and same-day voter registration. The state attorney general’s office has confirmed it’s received complaints to that end. And an association of state marijuana businesses last month urged voters to report to local officials if they observe any instances of “fraudulent message” or other deceitful petitioning tactics. The campaign has denied the allegations. The State Ballot Law Commission has scheduled a hearing to consider the complaints of alleged fraud for this month. Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell’s (D) office—which cleared the campaign for signature gathering in September—has stressed to voters the importance of reading their summary, which is required to go at the top of the signature form, before signing any petitions. Meanwhile, the head of Massachusetts’s marijuana regulatory agency recently suggested that the measure to effectively recriminalize recreational cannabis sales could imperil tax revenue that’s being used to support substance misuse treatment efforts and other public programs. Whether the cannabis measures make the cut is yet to be seen. Voters approved legalization at the ballot in 2016, with sales launching two years later. And the past decade has seen the market evolve and expand. As of August, Massachusetts officials reported more than $8 billion in adult-use marijuana sales. Massachusetts lawmakers recently assembled a bicameral conference committee to reach a deal on a bill that would double the legal marijuana possession limit for adults and revise the regulatory framework for the state’s adult-use cannabis market. Ohio On the other side of the debate, Ohio activists recently said that they’ve met an initial signature requirement to launch a campaign aimed at repealing key components of a bill the governor signed to scale back the state’s voter-approved marijuana law and ban the sale of consumable hemp products outside of licensed cannabis dispensaries. 2026 Could Be A Big Year For Marijuana “2026 marks a potential inflection point for the cannabis reform movement,” Paul Armentano, deputy director of NORML, told Marijuana Moment. “We faced significant headwinds in 2025, with lawmakers in several states rolling back voter-initiated cannabis reforms, and we face additional repeal efforts in 2026.” “How successfully we respond to these challenges will determine the degree to which our movement continues to move forward,” he said. “The public remains committed to adult-use legalization and medical cannabis access, and it is our responsibility to galvanize this public opinion and ensure that it prevails in state houses and at the ballot box.” O’Keefe of MPP said “2026 holds both great potential and great peril for cannabis policy reform.” “For the first time, ballot initiatives may quality to reinstate cannabis prohibition. Meanwhile, two of the most populous states in the country—one purple and one red—could legalize cannabis for adults,” she said. “And we are on the cusp of federal rescheduling at the direction of a Republican president, which could provide a boost in the states that continue to prohibit medical cannabis.” “We are also seeing continued attempts to whittle away at cannabis freedoms, along with proposals to reduce the numbers of lives ruined over cannabis that already have legalization,” O’Keefe said. What 2026 ultimately brings in the way of marijuana reform is yet to be seen. But if 2025 is any indicator—with a sometimes dizzying series of policy developments that advocates have worked to navigate—it seems likely that the cannabis community is looking at another rollercoaster. Photo courtesy of Mike Latimer. The post Which States Are Most Likely To Legalize Marijuana In 2026? appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

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Trump admin ditches alcohol limit guidance as marijuana stays illegal; FL legalization bill; KY medical cannabis launch; MA sales total; TX hemp rules 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… Before you dig into today’s cannabis news, I wanted you to know you can keep this resource free and published daily by subscribing to Marijuana Moment on Patreon. We’re a small independent publication diving deep into the cannabis world and rely on readers like you to keep going. Join us at https://www.patreon.com/marijuanamoment / TOP THINGS TO KNOW The U.S. Department of Agriculture and Department of Health and Human Services issued new dietary guidelines backing away from a prior federal recommendation to limit alcohol consumption to specific amounts—even as marijuana remains federally criminalized and more Americans are choosing cannabis for their personal health. Congressional Cannabis Caucus Co- chair Rep. Dave Joyce (R-OH) told Marijuana Moment he’s not concerned the Department of Justice will delay or ignore President Donald Trump’s rescheduling order—saying the president made it “very clear” his administration should move forward with the reform. “The attorney general is certainly competent.” A Florida senator filed a bill to legalize recreational marijuana and break up what he calls “monopolies” in the state’s current medical cannabis program by revising the business licensing structure. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) said he’s “not satisfied” with the pace of his state’s medical cannabis program rollout—but added that the recent approval of the first processor business will help things “pick up significantly.” The Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission reported that retailers have sold more than $10 billion worth of recreational and medical marijuana products since 2018—and the agency’s executive director said the addition of consumption lounges will further boost the market in 2026. Harrison Bard of Custom Cones USA and DaySavers argues in a new Marijuana Moment op-ed that pre-rolled joints are a “key component of any smart cannabis retail strategy”—detailing data on their market share and saying they are “popular, easy to merchandise and serve as consumer entry points for new brands and formats.” The Texas Department of State Health Services held a hearing on proposed hemp rules—with industry advocates testifying that a provision to increase licensing fees by as much as 13,000 percent will force businesses to close. The Wisconsin Senate Committee on Agriculture and Revenue held a hearing on a bill to regulate hemp THC products—including with age restrictions, potency limits and testing and labeling requirements. / FEDERAL President Donald Trump said the U.S. is going to pursue land strikes against drug cartels. The Drug Enforcement Administration is promoting resources on how staying drug-free can help people land “cool” jobs. / STATES Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) appointed a new member to the Cannabis Public Health Advisory Council. A Kentucky representative filed marijuana legalization and expungement legislation. California regulators issued a recall of marijuana products due to the company operating as a distributor without a distribution license. Colorado regulators issued health and safety bulletins about marijuana products with contaminants above acceptable limits. Oklahoma regulators issued an emergency order to suspend operations of a medical cannabis business over alleged violations. The Alabama Board of Medical Examiners is accepting applications from physicians who want to be able to recommend medical cannabis. Massachusetts’s top marijuana regulator questioned a study purporting to link cannabis use to mental health issues for young people. Oregon regulators published updated cannabis market data. New York regulators took enforcement action against an unlicensed marijuana store. The New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission will meet on Tuesday. — 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 Humboldt County, California Board of Supervisors voted to ease restrictions on cannabis farms. / INTERNATIONAL The Israeli Special Committee for Combating Drug and Alcohol Abuse heard testimony on military service members’ use of cannabis to treat PTSD. / SCIENCE & HEALTH A study suggested that “CBD exhibits neuroprotective properties by reducing oxidative stress, inflammation and cholinergic dysregulation, thereby offering a promising therapeutic approach for mitigating pollutant-induced neurotoxicity and potentially treating neurodegenerative disorders.” A review concluded that “psilocybin has an outstanding capacity to reduce the symptoms of anxiety/[major depressive disorder] and mood disorders” and that “sustained improvements are frequently observed after a single therapy session.” / ADVOCACY, OPINION & ANALYSIS ASTM International’s Committee D37 on Cannabis has a new chair and vice chair. / BUSINESS A JPMorgan memo reportedly suggested it won’t reconsider its position on banking cannabis companies until marijuana is officially rescheduled. Tilray Brands, Inc. reported quarterly net revenue of $217.5 million and a net loss of $43.5 million. SNDL Inc. completed the acquisition of five cannabis retail stores in Alberta and Saskatchewan, Canada from 1CM. / CULTURE Former football player Calvin Johnson said he used to smoke marijuana before games. 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 DOJ won’t delay cannabis rescheduling, GOP congressman says (Newsletter: January 12, 2026) appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

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It’s disheartening to see Texas implementing such restrictive abortion laws, especially when many women may not even realize they are pregnant at six weeks. Activists must unite in their efforts to support reproductive rights and provide resources for those affected. Additionally, while we engage in serious discussions like this, we can also unwind by playing Uno Online, a perfect way to destress and connect with others amidst challenging times.

“It would behoove us to work together…to make sure that we—in my humble opinion—protect our constituents, but also protect an industry that I think is needed.” By Isiah Holmes, Wisconsin Examiner Wisconsin lawmakers are backing competing visions for the future of hemp in the state. One proposal, (SB 682), was discussed during a Thursday meeting of the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Revenue. The bill would create a regulatory structure for hemp-derived cannabis products which would preserve the state’s hemp industry despite a federal ban set to take effect in November. Without state-level intervention, or the federal government choosing to reverse course, hemp growers and distributors fear that Wisconsin’s $700 million industry and about 3,500 jobs will disappear. Sen. Patrick Testin (R-Stevens Point), chair of the Agriculture and Revenue Committee presented the bipartisan hemp bill to his committee, which he authored with bipartisan support. Testin’s legislation would define hemp as cannabis plants with no more than 0.3 percent of delta-9 THC (or the maximum concentration allowable under federal law up to 1 percent, whichever is greater) and define “hemp-derived cannabinoids” as any such compound extracted from the hemp plant. THC concentrations would be determined using specific high-performance testing methods. Wisconsinites would need to be at least 21 years old to purchase hemp-derived cannabinoid products under the bill, which mandates that products undergo independent lab testing to ensure that they contain the amount and type of cannabinoids described on the product’s label. This practice, known as truth-in labeling, is something the hemp industry has called for in recent years. Products could not be sold under the bill without labeling including contact information for the manufacturer or brand owner, serving sizes per container of product, ingredient lists including allergens, potency labeled in milligrams and any necessary warnings. Under the bill, hemp-derived products could not contain more than 10 milligrams of THC in a single serving. Testin said Thursday that globally, the industrial hemp market was valued at roughly $11 billion in 2025, and is expected to reach $48 billion by 2032. “Despite its wide availability, the regulation of [hemp-derived cannabinoid] products is essentially non-existent, leaving a patchwork of different approaches taken by states across the country,” he said. In Wisconsin, such products “are generally recognized as legal but unregulated,” Testin said. “There are no state laws that restrict the sale to minors, regulate the potency or content of [hemp-derived cannabinoid products], or establish labeling or packaging requirements.” Minnesota, Kentucky, Tennessee and other states have moved to enact their own regulations, Testin said. “Regulations are needed to eliminate the current uncertainty regarding the status of [hemp-derived cannabinoid products], provide stability and certainty for businesses looking to enter this segment of the economy and enact public safety regulations.” Both Testin and Rep. Tony Kurtz (R-Wonewoc) have worked on hemp laws for Wisconsin since the federal Farm Bill passed in 2018. “I’ve actually grown hemp,” said Kurtz, recalling that in 2019 “it was kind of a wide open market.” People that Kurtz and others called “bad actors” throughout the hearing also rode the hemp wave, seeing it as a “get rich quick scheme.” Kurtz said that today, the hemp industry is filled with people who want to do the right thing, but that “bad actors” have persisted. Kurtz said SB 682 is designed to ensure that Wisconsinites “get the very best product, and they know what they’re getting.” He stressed that “if we do nothing, then hemp is going to be illegal at the federal level…but it will still be legal here in the state of Wisconsin. So I think it would behoove us to work together, get a good compromise, a good common sense piece of legislation to make sure that we—in my humble opinion—protect our constituents, but also protect an industry that I think is needed.” Although hemp would be illegal at the federal level, a state-level industry could still operate similarly to the way some states have fully legal recreational or legalized cannabis programs, largely because the federal government has not cracked down on those industries. Testin added that “regardless of anyone’s thoughts as it relates to cannabis and cannabinoids, it’s here. And obviously we have a lot of different approaches as to how to best move forward.” He repeatedly took aim at the “stupidity” of what he described as “our overlords” in Washington D.C., but also criticized other hemp-related bills being pushed in Wisconsin. Whereas some Republicans are seeking to ban hemp products outright, others have differing ideas about how a legal industry should be regulated. A bill introduced by Sen. Eric Wimberger (R-Oconto), SB 681, would require that manufacturers and distributors of hemp-derived cannabinoid products have permits. Products would be sold under a three-tier system, and would be regulated similarly to alcohol under the Division of Alcohol Beverages, a component of the Department of Revenue, which would be renamed to the Division of Intoxicating Products. Although both Testin and Wimberger’s bills have gained bipartisan support, Testin described Wimberger’s bill as “the dead bill” and “deader than dead.” Testin argued that SB 681 would over-regulate the hemp industry, and even lead to a monopolization effect where a small number of entities could control who gets hemp permits, shape an otherwise competitive market and operate in a “good ol’ boys club” manner. Sen. Sarah Keyeski (D-Lodi) highlighted the divide among state Republicans over hemp and cannabis products, stressing that Democrats are not the ones holding up legalization and regulation. The committee room was filled with people from across the hemp industry who listened to the conversation. When lawmakers questioned how to ensure that children do not acquire intoxicating hemp products, distributors and manufacturers pointed to age-verification software even for online sales, which require a photograph and image of a driver’s license to approve an order. There was also discussion about how to prevent products from being marketed to children using cartoon-like advertising and appealing candy wrappers. Some veterans testified, describing how hemp helped them alleviate pain, kick addictive pain killers, soothed PTSD symptoms and calmed the body for sleep. Other testimony centered on the danger involved in crossing state lines to Michigan or Illinois to acquire cannabis to treat various medical conditions. Hemp farmers stressed that they need to know now how they will be affected by a looming federal ban as they decide when or whether to plant their crops in the spring. Much of the public testimony was supportive of Testin’s bill, though some speakers said that it needed to be amended to protect farmers and growers, and also expand the kinds of products it would cover including drinks and gummies. “Yes, we are now in a scenario where there are intoxicating hemp products,” said Testin. “But just no different than anything like beer, wine or alcohol, we need to have some sensible regulations put in place, which this bill aims to do just that.” As for “concerns about getting baked or getting high from these products,” Testin added, “it’s no different than those individuals who go out and consume too many old fashioneds at fish fry on a Friday night, or have too many beers. It’s about personal choice and responsibility, but at the same time making sure that we have some regulations put in place.” The hemp industry deserves to “thrive and grow,” Testin said, while the public deserves protection and to know “that this stuff isn’t falling into the hands of people it shouldn’t be in, like kids.” This story was first published by Wisconsin Examiner. Photo courtesy of Brendan Cleak. The post Wisconsin GOP Lawmakers Are Divided On How To Regulate Hemp THC Products appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

“Pre-rolls are now a key component of any smart cannabis retail strategy. They are popular, easy to merchandise and serve as consumer entry points for new brands and formats.” By Harrison Bard, Custom Cones USA and DaySavers In today’s cannabis market, pre-rolls are no longer a novelty, they’re essential to retail success. Once seen as an add-on, pre-rolls have become one of the most dynamic and profitable product categories in the industry. According to 2025 Headset data, over 310.7 million pre-rolls were sold through October, generating nearly $2.8 billion in revenue across 13 recreational markets. That gives the category a 15.8 percent market share, third behind flower and vapes. In Canada, pre-rolls have even surpassed flower to become the country’s top-selling cannabis product. Driven by convenience, innovation and accessibility, pre-rolls consistently increase basket size, drive repeat visits and stabilize revenues, making them a core pillar of modern retail strategies. A Category Defined By Variety At its most basic, a pre-roll is a ready-to-smoke joint; flower packed into a pre-rolled cone or tube with a filter or crutch. But beneath that simplicity lies one of the most diverse and innovative corners of cannabis, with producers infusing concentrates, adding novelty filter tips, offering multi-packs and refining strain combinations to meet a wide range of consumer preferences. No cannabis product moves more units than pre-rolls. They are perfect for everyday use, sharing at parties and gifting, giving shoppers the opportunity to grab something quick and affordable, test a new strain or splurge on premium infused products combining flower and concentrate. So what are the top-selling segments of the pre-roll market? Infused Pre-Rolls: The Top Revenue Engine Infused pre-rolls dominate in both sales growth and margin contribution. These premium joints combine flower with concentrates like distillate, resin, hash and/or kief, delivering higher potencies and brighter flavors, two things consumers consistently tell us they look for when shopping. So far in 2025, infused pre-rolls have generated more than $1.1 billion, or 48.5 percent of all pre-roll revenues. That’s up 14 percent year-over-year. They now represent 38 percent of units sold, a 28 percent YOY increase. Given those figures, any dispensary without a wide selection of infused pre-rolls is leaving money on the table. Single Strain Hybrids: The Volume Leader While infused pre-rolls top the revenue charts, single strain hybrid pre-rolls move the most units. So far in 2025, this segment has notched about $987.4 million in sales (36.3 percent of category revenue) but leads in units sold at 142.8 million—46 percent of all pre-rolls sold, up 14 percent year-over-year. Hybrids remain the everyday go-to option for many cannabis consumers, so stocking a diverse selection of hybrid pre-rolls should help ensure a reliable and consistent source of revenue. Indica And Sativa: Maintaining Balance Sales drop off beyond hybrids, but Single Strain indica and sativa pre-rolls still represent crucial segments. Indica pre-rolls brought in $179.1 million in 2025, while sativas generated $160.5 million, an 8.6 percent jump year-over-year. In units, indicas sold roughly 26 million (up 11.3%) and sativas about 18.8 million (up 8.7 percent). Each accounts for roughly 6 percent of total category sales and are an important part of the retail balance. Mixed Strain And CBD Pre-Rolls: Niche But Important Mixed Strain pre-roll sales declined this year, with revenue down 15.9 percent to $51.9 million and units dropping 6.3 percent to 4.2 million. Single Strain CBD pre-rolls, representing just 0.16% of category revenue (~$4.6 million on 450,000 units), remain small but growing, up 14.4 percent from 2024. Though smaller, these segments serve loyal, niche audiences, so retailers should continue to stock limited but steady selections, monitored closely through POS data to prevent over-ordering. Blunts: Poised For Growth The blunt segment is a curious case. On paper, it accounts for only 0.47 percent of pre-roll revenue and 0.3 percent of units sold. However, survey data shows that blunts remain the third-most-preferred consumption method among users. A deeper analysis of the data tells a different story, since infused blunts are grouped within the infused category, skewing visibility. In fact, a closer look at the 200 top-selling products with “blunt” in their name shows $67 million in revenue across 3.5 million units sold. With this in mind, retailers should make sure to keep in stock a variety of pre-rolled blunts, especially infused blunts, to capture this growing audience segment. Trends In Packaging And Filter Tips The top package size in terms of units sold is 1-gram, though often that means multipacks of two half-gram pre-rolls. In fact, the vast majority of the top-selling pre-roll products are multi-packs of half-gram, or 84mm, pre-rolls. Also growing in popularity are smaller formats (e.g., “dogwalker” 0.3-g, 70 mm pre-rolls), which appeal to trial-minded shoppers. Multi-packs also generally carry higher margins and can satisfy both new and returning customers as they provide both trial-sized formats for experimentation and higher-quantity packs for loyalty and convenience. Filter tips are another differentiator. Premium tips—such as wood, glass or ceramic—enhance the smoking experience by cooling smoke and reducing particles/resin. These features can elevate the humble pre-rolled joint into a premium accessory, helping justify higher price points and reinforcing perceived value. Selling Strategies For Maximum Impact Pre-rolls make perfect impulse or upsell items and are ideally positioned near the register, with clear pricing and eye-catching displays. Like candy at a grocery checkout, they make a great add-on to any basket. It’s also key to make sure your budtenders are trained on the strains, infusion types and packaging options so they can suggest pairings or introduce shoppers to new formats, particularly since budtender advice is a top mover of product. Finally, stay data-driven. Use your POS analytics to track sales and adjust inventory accordingly to avoid overstocking or missing out on trending segments. Final Thoughts Pre-rolls are now a key component of any smart cannabis retail strategy. They are popular, easy to merchandise and serve as consumer entry points for new brands and formats. A balanced pre-roll program that offers a variety of strain, size and pricing options can help dispensaries increase revenue, expand basket totals and strengthen customer loyalty. Pair that with quality POS data tracking and analysis, and your store can turn pre-roll momentum into lasting, dependable growth. Harris Bard is CEO and co-founder of Custom Cones USA and DaySavers. The post Pre-Rolls Are A Key Driver Of The Cannabis Retail Market’s Success (Op-Ed) appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net