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As Indiana lawmakers again look to reform state marijuana policy in the 2026 session, a new poll finds that nearly three in five residents back legalizing cannabis for medical and recreational use. The annual Hoosier Survey from the Bowen Center at Ball State University (BSU) asked 600 Indianans about a variety of policy issues, from congressional redistricting to marijuana legalization. It found that 59 percent of residents are in favor of legalizing cannabis for both medical and recreational purposes. An additional 25 percent back only allowing patients to access medical marijuana, raising the total support for that reform to 84 percent. “In the last year or two, you’ve seen almost exponential growth in support, and then non-traditional support, and by that, I mean business leaders [and] parents—not your traditional college-age kid or high school person,” Andrew Bauman, executive director of The Bowen Center, told Inside Indiana Business. The survey was released just days after Indiana Rep. Mitch Gore (D) filed legislation that would effectively legalize the possession and cultivation of limited amounts of marijuana. It’s one of several reform options on the table so far in the legislature for this year’s session. Whether legislators ultimately take up any of the pending measures is yet to be seen, but cannabis reform advocates have generally struggled to make inroads in the conservative legislature over recent years. That said, the state’s GOP governor said recently that a move by President Donald Trump to federally reschedule marijuana could add “a little bit of fire” to the local push for cannabis legalization in his state. Months later, Trump did sign an executive order directing the attorney general to move cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). Gov. Mike Braun (R) also said last year that he’s “amenable” to medical cannabis legalization. — 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. — Meanwhile, one member of the state’s congressional delegation, Sen. Jim Banks (R-IN), expressed opposition to state-level reform despite Trump’s prior comments previewing a rescheduling decision. “President Trump has been honest about it, that when it comes to marijuana, he said very clearly we shouldn’t smell it on the streets. You have a lot of states that have legalized it. It’s caused even more crime and issues,” Banks said. “I hope Indiana is never a state that legalizes marijuana, by the way.” The senator acknowledged, however, that there is likely to be “further conversation” about the issue. Braun, for his part, previously said that “it’s probably time” to allow access to therapeutic cannabis among patients in the state. Those comments came alongside a separate poll indicating that nearly 9 in 10 Indiana adults (87 percent) support marijuana legalization. Top Republicans in the legislature, however, have openly opposed marijuana reform. “It’s no secret that I am not for this,” Senate President Pro Tem Rodric Bray (R) said in late 2024. “I don’t have people coming to me with really compelling medical cases as to why it’s so beneficial. And any state that I’ve seen pass medical marijuana is essentially passing recreational marijuana.” House Speaker Todd Huston (R) doubted any medical benefits associated with marijuana, calling the substance “a deterrent to mental health.” He and others suggested that lawmakers supportive of the reform merely want to boost state revenue. A number of marijuana reform bills were introduced for the Indiana legislature’s 2025 session, including one—from Reps. Jim Lucas (R) and Shane Lindauer (R)—that would have legalized medical marijuana for people with “serious medical conditions as determined by their physician.” The post 3 In 5 Indiana Residents Support Marijuana Legalization, New Poll Finds As State Lawmakers File Reform Bills appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

“These initiatives represent the first-ever large-scale coordinated attack on adult-use markets… This is not a drill. It is the moment to come together to defeat the prohibitionists.” By Adam Smith, Marijuana Policy Project 2025 felt like a year of waiting in cannabis, but 2026 may be something else entirely. Get ready for a major pushback against adult-use markets. While much of the cannabis world spent month after month in 2025 watching (or lobbying) Congress on hemp, and the White House on rescheduling, three near-identical state ballot initiatives were being filed for the November 2026 election that would end regulated adult-use sales in Massachusetts, Maine and Arizona. The Massachusetts and Maine initiatives would also re-criminalize non-medical home grow. The Massachusetts campaign has submitted enough signatures to qualify, and awaits validation. Signature collection is ongoing in Maine and Arizona. While it’s possible that one or more of these initiatives fail to make the ballot, it’s imperative that we take them seriously and prepare for a fight. These are not symbolic protests or fringe efforts. They are coordinated campaigns run by experienced political operatives. And from the sound of it, they may already have a ton of money behind them. How Much? On December 19, the Arizona committee chair told the Arizona Capitol Times that the campaign expects to spend $5 million on signature gathering in the state, with an additional $10 to $20 million planned for the broader campaign. In Massachusetts, we estimate that at least $1 million was spent to gather signatures. Those numbers should get our attention. Meanwhile, over the past year, we saw a partially successful legislative push in Ohio to chip away at voter-approved adult-use legalization—though the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) was on the ground and helped limit the damage—as well as similar legislative efforts elsewhere. In the media, fear-based coverage of cannabis dramatically increased across mainstream outlets in 2025, while targeted anti-legalization messaging across right-wing media has worked to soften Republican support. In fact, Gallup reports that Republican support for legalization has dropped from 55 percent to 40 percent since 2023. That’s Not A Coincidence. It’s A Playbook. MPP, which has led and won more cannabis ballot initiative campaigns than anyone on either side of this issue, is already working closely with industry allies in Massachusetts to launch a “No” campaign. We expect to do the same in Maine and Arizona. These initiatives represent the first-ever large-scale coordinated attack on adult-use markets. How we as a cannabis ecosystem respond, and particularly whether and how the national cannabis business community steps up to defend itself and each other, will determine whether this attempt to roll back our progress ends here, or whether it metastasizes. “End Regulated Adult-Use Markets? How Could They Possibly Win?” Campaigns do not commit resources at this level without internal polling and strategic modeling that shows a path to victory. And sure enough, in that same Capitol Times piece, the Arizona committee chair alluded to private polling that allegedly showed less than majority support for adult-use markets in the state. The orchestrated collapse of Republican support for legalization over the past two years offers them hope as well. And if adult-use shows weakness at the ballot box in November, combined with dwindling support for legalization among Republican voters—support that could erode further as prohibitionists use these campaigns to get their message out—it would significantly strengthen the prohibitionists’ hand within the administration, in Congress and in state legislatures across the country. This is not a drill. It is the moment to come together to defeat the prohibitionists and their initiatives so convincingly that their funders stop taking their calls. Making The Big Case MPP, as it has done successfully for more than 30 years, will lead here. And while there will obviously be tactical and messaging variance between states, the core question in all three campaigns is the same: whether regulated markets are safer, smarter and more effective than returning to prohibition. It’s an opportunity that we cannot afford to miss. As recent events have begun to turn the nation’s attention back to cannabis, these campaigns provide us with an opportunity to re-center and re-engage the public conversation—not just in three states, but nationally—around the benefits of regulation versus the harms of prohibition. That conversation will focus on protecting public health and safety, reduced youth access, increased personal freedom, rational law enforcement priorities and creating jobs, economic opportunity and state revenues. Making the case against prohibition on broad public policy grounds—particularly to reach and to move people who have no particular interest in cannabis or cannabis users—is advocacy’s sweet spot. It’s what we’ve done successfully for decades, and it’s why more than half of the U.S. population now lives in states with regulated markets. When we do that, and when we defeat these efforts—loudly and convincingly—the results will redound to all aspects of cannabis and cannabinoid policy reform everywhere in the country and at all levels of government. An Attack On Us All Make no mistake, this is an attack on the entire industry and cannabis users everywhere—and on legal cannabis itself—regardless of where you live or do business. With the far better argument on our side, we won’t need to outspend the prohibitionists to beat them. But we will need to be competitive. It’s going to require real resources to run campaigns capable of getting our message and our voters out. And while we know that everyone’s struggling, with tens of thousands of cannabis-aligned businesses and professionals in the crosshairs—licensees and allied businesses alike—success cannot and will not depend on a small handful of companies or individuals financing the effort, or upon whether a single state’s industry can raise more or less money to defend themselves. Rather, success will depend on whether the national cannabis business community stands up for themselves and for each other in a show of force by making some meaningful contribution to the common defense. Failure Is Not An Option If even one of these initiatives succeeds, it would send a dangerous signal that legal cannabis markets are politically reversible. And that signal would not stop at state borders. It would ripple through capital markets, transactions, insurance underwriting, lending decisions, expansion plans and legislative debates nationwide. As Dentons partners Joanne Caceres and Hannah King warned in a Marijuana Moment op-ed about the initiatives: “Imagine the signal sent to investors if legalization proves politically reversible. The risk premium on cannabis assets would skyrocket. Lenders, insurers, and ancillary service providers would likely pull back. M&A activity, already tepid, could stall.” Even coming close could encourage a second wave of initiatives in states across the country, each requiring significant resources to oppose. These initiatives need to be beaten and beaten soundly to put an end to this. All Together Now We cannot leave our brothers and sisters—cannabis consumers, business owners, investors, employees, advocates—in Massachusetts, Maine and Arizona to sink or swim on their own. It’s imperative that we stand with them. Not only because they might otherwise be overwhelmed by prohibitionist spending, but because if they sink, we might all drown. This year, in addition to both new and ongoing legislative work across multiple states, MPP is gearing back up into campaign mode to fight for the freedom of adults to buy safe, regulated cannabis. And for the future of the legal industry that provides it. Not just in Maine, Massachusetts, and Arizona, but everywhere. Adam Smith is executive director of the Marijuana Policy Project. The post Legal Marijuana Access Faces An Existential Threat In 2026, And We Must Fight Back (Op-Ed) appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

New Jersey lawmakers have passed a bill to create a psilocybin therapy pilot program and allocate $6 million in funding to support the effort. Following its advancement through several House and Senate committees, both full chambers of the legislature approved the psychedelic measure on Monday, sending it to Gov. Phil Murphy (D). “Studies conducted by nationally and internationally recognized medical institutions indicate that psilocybin has shown efficacy, tolerability, and safety in the treatment of a variety of behavioral health conditions,” the bill’s findings sections says, “including, but not limited to, substance use disorders, depression, anxiety disorders, and end-of-life psychological distress.” The legislation, sponsored by Senate President Nick Scutari (D) and Sen. Joseph Vitale (D), along with Assemblymembers Clinton Calabrese (D) and Anthony S. Verrelli (D), would create an 11-member Psychedelic Therapy and Research Advisory Board to oversee the new Psilocybin Behavioral Health Services Pilot Program. “I think it’s a real opportunity for New Jersey to lead an area of medicine that is groundbreaking,” Scutari said, according to NorthJersey.com. Within 180 days of enactment, the Department of Health would be required to issue a request for proposals from hospitals that want to participate. One hospital from each of three geographic regions of the state would then be selected to receive $2 million to support psilocybin trials. “Under no circumstance shall the department establish, implement, or enforce a requirement, specification, or guideline under the pilot program that conflicts with protocols and guidelines from the United States Food and Drug Administration related to clinical trials for psychedelic substances,” the bill, whose passage was noted earlier by Heady NJ, says. After the two-year pilot program is completed, officials would submit reports to the governor and legislature including “recommendations concerning the continuation or expansion of the pilot program” as well as “recommendations as to the development and implementation of a comprehensive plan for State and local regulation of psilocybin to provide access in New Jersey for individuals who could benefit and that considers efficacy, safety, and affordability.” While the legislation as introduced would have more broadly legalized psilocybin for adult use, making it legal for adults to “possess, store, use, ingest, inhale, process, transport, deliver without consideration, or distribute without consideration, four grams or less of” the psychedelic, but it was scaled back during its advancement through the process. The amended measure would nevertheless significantly expand on legislation introduced in late 2020 to reduce penalties for possession of up to one ounce of psilocybin. That reform was signed into law by Gov. Phil Murphy (D) in 2021. Assemblywoman Lisa Swain (D), who chairs the Assembly Appropriations Committee, described the current amended bill last month as a “first step.” “I mean, you’ve heard the testimony here,” she said, referring to witnesses who argued that broader reform is needed. “This bill creates an advisory board that will be able to make determinations—for instance, whether it should be natural mushrooms or synthetic mushrooms. So that option is still on the table. It’s a pilot program and we want to get started to make sure that, as you heard, people who really need to be treated” can get access. A survey of New Jersey residents in 2024 indicated that a majority of state residents agree with making psilocybin available for therapeutic use. The poll, from Stockton University’s William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy, found that 55 percent of respondents supported legalizing psilocybin for medical use under a doctor’s supervision. Just 20 percent of respondents were opposed, while 24 percent said they weren’t sure. One percent of respondents refused to answer the question. — 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. — In other New Jersey drug policy news, voters in November elected U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ) to serve as the state’s next governor, and there’s now a decidedly clearer path to advancing a marijuana reform long awaited by consumers and advocates in the Garden State: A home grow option. Meanwhile, as New Jersey’s first marijuana consumption lounges opened up over the summer, regulators shared information about where to find the sites and offering tips about how to responsibly use cannabis at the licensed businesses—including classic stoner cultural customs like “puff, puff, pass.” New Jersey officials have also completed the curriculum of a no-cost marijuana training academy that’s meant to support entrepreneurs interested in entering the cannabis industry. Separately, last May Scutari filed a bill that would re-criminalize purchasing marijuana from unlicensed sources—one of the latest attempts to crack down on the illicit market and steer adults toward licensed retailers. Seemingly contradicting that claim, dozens of New Jersey small marijuana businesses and advocacy groups recently called on the legislature to allow adults to cultivate their own cannabis. The post New Jersey Legislature Passes Bill To Create Psilocybin Therapy Pilot Program, Sending It To Governor appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

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Youth marijuana use is stable amid the state legalization movement, despite prohibitionist claims to the contrary. Beyond that, more students are actually saying it’s harder to access cannabis and that they disapprove of occasional use. During a webinar on Wednesday, federal officials discussed the results of the latest Monitoring the Future (MTF) survey—which is supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and conducted every year for decades by the University of Michigan. “Looking at the students reporting use of cannabis in the last year, we didn’t see any statistically significant changes from 2024 to 2025,” NIDA’s Marsha Lopez, chief of the agency’s epidemiology research branch, said. She added that a separate question on how easy it is for teens to obtain marijuana shows that there’s an “overall trending downward of the perception of availability for cannabis use.” Notably, the 8th, 10th and 12th grade students involved in the nationally representative survey also indicated that they have a higher perception of health risks associated with occasional cannabis use. While the data over years shows that there was a “period of decline of the perception of harm,” that’s shifted even as more states have enacted legalization, she said. “That seems to have leveled off or reversed in that trend.” There was also a “statistically significance increase” in youth disapproval of occasional marijuana use. In the previous annual survey, NIDA and the University of Michigan inquired about the use of delta-8 THC, a cannabis compound that’s typically associated with synthesizing hemp-derived CBD and sold in a largely unregulated marketplace. This time, researchers asked more broadly about “cannabis products made from hemp” that could include a wider range of novel cannabinoids. “We’ll see how that evolves in the coming years, particularly with any potential changes around the laws for cannabis made from hemp,” she said. And to that point, while President Donald Trump signed agricultural legislation legalizing hemp during his first term, he also signed a spending bill last year with provisions that effectively reverse that policy. States are also increasingly enacting bans on intoxicating cannabinoid products. Lopez also flagged that the percentage of students reporting marijuana use “under a doctor’s order in their lifetime” has remained “relatively low” in the years since MTF included that factor in its survey. According to the latest MTF data, the rate of past-year marijuana use for 12th graders was 25.7 percent, which is relatively consistent with recent years but at its lowest level since 1992. It was the same case with 10th graders, 15.6 percent of whom used marijuana in the last year. Among 8th grade students, 7.6 percent reported past-year cannabis consumption. For past-month cannabis use, that rate was 17.1 percent for 12th graders, a slight uptick from the prior year but significantly lower than its record high of 37.1 percent in 1978 before any state had legalized cannabis for adult or medical use. For 10th grade students, the rate was 9.4 percent, and for 8th grade it was 4 percent—consistent with recent years. “We are encouraged that adolescent drug use remains relatively low and that so many teens choose not to use drugs at all,” NIDA Director Nora Volkow said in a press release. “It is critical to continue to monitor these trends closely to understand how we can continue to support teens in making healthy choices and target interventions where and when they are needed.” — 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. — To reform advocates, the results of the survey reinforce the idea that creating a regulatory framework for cannabis where licensed retailers must check IDs and implement other security mechanisms to prevent unlawful diversion is a far more effective policy than prohibition, with illicit suppliers whose products may be untested and where age-gating isn’t a strictly enforced regulation. To that point, a separate federally funded study out of Canada that was released last month found that that youth marijuana use rates actually declined after the country legalized cannabis. The study was released about three months after German officials released a separate report on their country’s experience with legalizing marijuana nationwide. Back in July, federal health data also indicated that while past-year marijuana use in the U.S. overall has climbed in recent years, the rise has been “driven by increases…among adults 26 years or older.” As for younger Americans, rates of both past-year use and cannabis use disorder, by contrast, “remained stable among adolescents and young adults between 2021 and 2024.” Across the U.S., research suggests that marijuana use by young people has generally fallen in states that legalize the drug for adults. A report from the advocacy group Marijuana Policy Project (MPP), for example, found that youth marijuana use declined in 19 out of 21 states that legalized adult-use marijuana—with teen cannabis consumption down an average of 35 percent in the earliest states to legalize. The report cited data from a series of national and state-level youth surveys, including the annual MTF survey. Another survey from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) last year also showed a decline in the proportion of high-school students reporting past-month marijuana use over the past decade, as dozens of states moved to legalize cannabis. At the state level, MPP’s assessment looked at research such as the Washington State Healthy Youth Survey that was released in April 2024. That survey showed declines in both lifetime and past-30-day marijuana use in recent years, with striking drops that held steady through 2023. The results also indicated that perceived ease of access to cannabis among underage students has generally fallen since the state enacted legalization for adults in 2012—contrary to fears repeatedly expressed by opponents of the policy change. In June of last year, meanwhile, the biannual Healthy Kids Colorado Survey found that rates of youth marijuana use in the state declined slightly in 2023—remaining significantly lower than before the state became one of the first in the U.S. to legalize cannabis for adults in 2012. The findings broadly track with other past surveys that have investigated the relationship between jurisdictions that have legalized marijuana and youth cannabis use. For example, a Canadian government report recently found that daily or near-daily use rates by both adults and youth have held steady over the last six years after the country enacted legalization. Another U.S. study reported a “significant decrease” in youth marijuana use from 2011 to 2021—a period in which more than a dozen states legalized marijuana for adults—detailing lower rates of both lifetime and past-month use by high-school students nationwide. Another federal report published last summer concluded that cannabis consumption among minors—defined as people 12 to 20 years of age—fell slightly between 2022 and 2023. Separately, a research letter published by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) in April 2024 said there’s no evidence that states’ adoption of laws to legalize and regulate marijuana for adults have led to an increase in youth use of cannabis. Another JAMA-published study earlier that month that similarly found that neither legalization nor the opening of retail stores led to increases in youth cannabis use. In 2023, meanwhile, a U.S. health official said that teen marijuana use has not increased “even as state legalization has proliferated across the country.” Another earlier analysis from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that rates of current and lifetime cannabis use among high school students have continued to drop amid the legalization movement. A separate NIDA-funded study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine in 2022 also found that state-level cannabis legalization was not associated with increased youth use. The study demonstrated that “youth who spent more of their adolescence under legalization were no more or less likely to have used cannabis at age 15 years than adolescents who spent little or no time under legalization.” Yet another 2022 study from Michigan State University researchers, published in the journal PLOS One, found that “cannabis retail sales might be followed by the increased occurrence of cannabis onsets for older adults” in legal states, “but not for underage persons who cannot buy cannabis products in a retail outlet.” The trends were observed despite adult use of marijuana and certain psychedelics reaching “historic highs” in 2022, according to separate 2023 data. Photo courtesy of Max Jackson. The post Federal Health Official Says Teens Are Finding It Harder To Access Marijuana Even As Legalization Spreads, Contrary To Opponents’ Fears appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

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“We really encourage citizens to think about what you’re signing, why you’re signing it, and what it means.” By Emma Davis, Maine Morning Star In downtown Portland, as hundreds of Mainers gathered for an anti-ICE protest Saturday, others were there to gather signatures for a petition to repeal recreational marijuana in Maine. Though, they didn’t present it as such. It’s about the testing of cannabis, one petitioner said. Misrepresentation of this citizen initiative by signature gatherers has been documented across the state over the last few days. On Monday, state legislators asked the overseer of elections, Secretary of State Shenna Bellows (D), what could be done about it. “Petitioners have a First Amendment right to say whatever they want to say,” Bellows said during a meeting of the Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee. Sen. Craig Hickman (D-Kennebec), committee co-chair, chimed in, “You have a right to lie under the First Amendment.” Maine has a citizen-initiated referendum process that allows average people to propose statutes or constitutional amendments to be put on the ballot if they gather enough signatures. Bellows doesn’t have the authority to take any enforcement action over the truth of what is being said about such petitions, only about the validity of what’s in the text, underscoring the legal limits to combatting misinformation. “We really encourage citizens to think about what you’re signing, why you’re signing it, and what it means, and to take the time to read the legislation,” Bellows said. In 2016, Maine voters legalized the recreational use of cannabis. The proposed ballot referendum would do away with the commercial cultivation, sale, purchase and manufacture of cannabis starting in 2028, while still allowing personal use and possession of up to 2.5 ounces. It would also create new testing and tracking requirements on medical cannabis, which the industry has resisted in recent years. It is not uncommon for someone to sign a petition thinking it is about something else. In 2024, for example, a person collecting signatures to try to get an independent candidate on the presidential ballot in Maine instead told people who ended up signing the petition that it was an effort to stop politicians from being able to trade stocks. The signees only later found out the true contents of what they’d signed when a law firm representing others who fell victim to the deceptive practices contacted them. This issue is also not unique to Maine. Nearby Massachusetts has a similar referendum effort underway to recriminalize cannabis in that state, and witnesses there have also accused signature-gatherers of misleading people, such as saying the effort was for affordable housing, reducing impaired driving or protecting youth from being jailed for cannabis. The Massachusetts Secretary of State and Attorney General Office’s issued a joint advisory urging voters to read petitions carefully before signing and to contact local officials if they believe they were deceived. Maine’s Department of the Secretary of State relies on the signature validation process to identify potential violations. For example, the petition paperwork available to signees must include a copy of the actual statutory changes that would be made to the law should the referendum pass. Petitions also can’t be left unattended at a location, such as a campaign placing one by the door of an event and encouraging people to sign it on their way out. Only one person can circulate a given petition and that person has to personally witness each signature, taking an oath before a notary to as much. Expressing frustration with a few bad actors spoiling the referendum process for others, Assistant Senate Majority Leader Jill Duson (D-Cumberland) suggested creating a process to file complaints, though limited department resources and time would present challenges for that to work in practice. Absent enforcement authority, Bellows said she would tell the petition organizers that her department has received a significant number of complaints over the last several days about the activities of their circulators. Ultimately, as Hickman put it, when it comes to regulating this type of malfeasance: “It’s a gentleman’s agreement. It’s an honor system. People have to act as if they’re going to respect the letter of the law. There are bad actors and there are outlaws and there are people that are just going to do what they’re going to do, and there’s nothing any of us can do about it.” This story was first published by Maine Morning Star. Photo courtesy of Philip Steffan. The post Maine Secretary Of State Notes Complaints About Anti-Marijuana Ballot Petitioners’ Tactics appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

A Republican congressman has introduced a bill that would give the hemp industry two more years before a federal ban on THC products would take effect, which stakeholders hope will better position them to negotiate a broader compromise with lawmakers. After President Donald Trump signed a spending bill last year with provisions that would wipe out a prominent sector of the hemp economy, businesses and advocates were quick to call for at least delaying its implementation. The law is currently set to become effective this November. To that end, Rep. Jim Baird’s (R-IN) new legislation filed on Monday would push that timeline back by another two years, giving hemp interests additional time to make their case that the policy would significantly harm the industry that was legalized during Trump’s first term under the 2018 Farm Bill. The two-page measure simply states that “Section 781 of the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agency Appropriations Act, 2026 is amended, in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by striking ‘365 days’ and inserting ‘3 years.'” “Planting and growing crops requires planning well in advance,” Baird said in a press release. “Congress created a regulatory environment in the 2018 Farm Bill that allowed for certain investments, and farmers were operating within this environment. The hemp provision included in the Continuing Resolution and Appropriations bills passed in November 2025 disrupted planting decisions that had already been made.” “Congress should not have passed such a sweeping policy change that upends a growing industry,” he said. “Instead, Congress should have given farmers more time, creating a more stable environment for farmers to modify their future planting decisions. I am proud to introduce this legislation to ensure farmers have predictability and sufficient time to adjust to new laws that affect their livelihood.” I introduced the Hemp Planting Predictability Act with @RepJamesComer, @RepAngieCraig, @RepTimMooreNC, and @repgabeevans to extend the implementation of new hemp restrictions and ensure farmers have sufficient time to adjust to new laws that affect their livelihood.… — Congressman Jim Baird (@RepJimBaird) January 13, 2026 Baird’s bill has four initial cosponsors: Reps. James Comer (R-KY), Gabe Evans (R-CO), Tim Moore (R-NC) and Angie Craig (D-MN). “This common-sense extension gives farmers and America’s hemp industry the time they need to adapt while Congress works to establish a clear, reasonable regulatory framework,” Comer, who is chair of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, said. Craig, who serves as ranking member on the House Agriculture Committee, said that “recent changes to hemp production and processing regulations pulled the rug out from under Minnesota’s hemp producers, craft brewers, and retailers at a time when too many business owners are already dealing with high prices and uncertainty.” “I’m proud to be introducing this common-sense legislation with my colleague Rep. Baird to fight these ill-thought-out policies and support the farmers and small business owners who make up Minnesota’s $200 million hemp industry,” she said. Several bipartisan lawmakers, including the lead sponsor, protested as the spending legislation with the hemp ban provision advanced through Congress. “American farmers around the country have invested their time and resources over the last six years to develop a domestic supply chain of hemp and hemp products,” Baird said when a version of the proposal was approved in committee in 2024. “Hemp provides a great opportunity for family farm to diversify their farm income by using him as a rotational crop.” If the law were to be passed and ultimately enacted, stakeholders feel that could give them enough time to convey to Congress that, rather than an outright ban on most consumable hemp products, lawmakers could address their concerns about youth access and quality control for intoxicating cannabinoids through a more targeted regulatory approach that includes age-gating and testing requirements, for example. “This two-year extension gives farmers the certainty they need to make planting decisions with confidence,” Justin Swanson, president of Midwest Hemp Council, said in a press release. “Congressman Baird understands that hemp farmers cannot operate in an environment of constant uncertainty.” Baird will also be joined by Comer and members of the hemp community for an event on Thursday, organized by the U.S. Hemp Roundtable, to discuss the potential consequences of implementing the cannabinoid ban. For what it’s worth, four in five marijuana consumers say they oppose the recriminalization of hemp THC products under the spending bill Trump signed in November. However, it should be noted that that poll was conducted weeks before he issued a cannabis rescheduling order and took steps to protect access to full-spectrum CBD. Trump signed an executive order last month directing the attorney general to complete the process of moving marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). Part of that announcement also hold implications for the forthcoming hemp law. The president’s order also urged Congress to examine updating the definition of hemp to ensure that full-spectrum CBD is accessible to patients. A further redefinition of hemp would be part of a novel proposal to allow Medicare recipients to access non-intoxicating CBD that’d be covered under the federal health care plan. To effectuate that, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will be announcing “a model that will allow a number of CMS beneficiaries to benefit from receiving CBD under doctor recommendation at no cost,” a White House official said during a briefing that Marijuana Moment first reported leaked details from ahead of the signing event. Trump seemed endorse a more flexible CBD policy last summer when he shared a video calling for that specific reform while promoting the health benefits of cannabidiol, particularly for seniors. Meanwhile, a separate recently filed Republican-led congressional bill would stop the implementation of the hemp ban under the enacted appropriations legislation. Hemp businesses and industry groups have warned about the potential ramifications of the ban, but despite his support for states’ rights for cannabis and a recent social media post touting the benefits of CBD, Trump signed the underlying spending measure into law without acknowledging the hemp provisions. GOP political operative Roger Stone said recently that Trump was effectively “forced” by Republican lawmakers to sign the spending bill with the hemp THC ban language. However, a White House spokesperson said prior to the bill signing that Trump specifically supported the prohibition language. The Democratic governor of Kentucky said that the hemp industry is an “important” part of the economy that deserves to be regulated at the state level—rather than federally prohibited, as Congress has moved to do. Also, a leading veterans organization is warning congressional leaders that the newly approved blanket ban on consumable hemp products could inadvertently “slam the door shut” on critical research. — 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. — Since 2018, cannabis products have been considered legal hemp if they contain less than 0.3 percent delta-9 THC on a dry weight basis. The new legislation specifies that, within one year of enactment, the weight will apply to total THC—including delta-8 and other isomers. It will also include “any other cannabinoids that have similar effects (or are marketed to have similar effects) on humans or animals as a tetrahydrocannabinol (as determined by the Secretary of Health and Human Services).” The new definition of legal hemp will additionally ban “any intermediate hemp-derived cannabinoid products which are marketed or sold as a final product or directly to an end consumer for personal or household use” as well as products containing cannabinoids that are synthesized or manufactured outside of the cannabis plant or not capable of being naturally produced by it. Legal hemp products will be limited to a total of 0.4 milligrams per container of total THC or any other cannabinoids with similar effects. Within 90 days of the bill’s enactment, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other agencies will need to publish list of “all cannabinoids known to FDA to be capable of being naturally produced by a Cannabis sativa L. plant, as reflected in peer reviewed literature,” “all tetrahydrocannabinol class cannabinoids known to the agency to be naturally occurring in the plant” and “all other known cannabinoids with similar effects to, or marketed to have similar effects to, tetrahyrocannabinol class cannabinoids.” The language slightly differs from provisions included in legislation that had previously advanced out of the House and Senate Appropriations panels, which would have banned products containing any “quantifiable” amount of THC, to be determined by the HHS secretary and secretary of agriculture. Read the full text of the new hemp bill below: The post GOP Congressman Files Bill To Delay Federal Hemp Ban For Two More Years As Trump Calls For CBD Access appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

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ME anti-marijuana campaign accused of “lying” to voters; New states could legalize in 2026; Study on rap music videos and cannabis Subscribe to receive Marijuana Moment’s newsletter in your inbox every weekday morning. It’s the best way to make sure you know which cannabis stories are shaping the day. Get our daily newsletter. Email address: Leave this field empty if you're human: Your support makes Marijuana Moment possible… Hold on, just one second before you read today’s news. Have you thought about giving some financial support to Marijuana Moment? If so, today would be a great day to contribute. We’re planning our reporting for the coming months and it would really help to know what kind of support we can count on. Check us out on Patreon and sign up to give $25/month today: https://www.patreon.com/marijuanamoment / TOP THINGS TO KNOW House and Senate leaders released a funding bill that will continue to block Washington, D.C. from legalizing recreational marijuana sales and warning local officials about approving cannabis dispensaries near schools. A Maine Republican representative and cannabis industry advocates are accusing signature gatherers for a proposed ballot initiative to roll back recreational marijuana legalization of “lying” to voters and using “deceptive” tactics to get them to sign petitions. Several new states could legalize recreational or medical marijuana in 2026—including ones where Republican lawmakers may be emboldened by President Donald Trump’s federal rescheduling order—but prohibitionists are also pursuing measures to roll back legalization in several states. A new study shows that more than a third of popular rap music videos in the U.S. depict marijuana, with the researchers saying “cannabis has been firmly anchored in the US hip-hop scene since the 1990s.” “Rappers such as Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre and The Game in particular are inextricably associated with cannabis and convey a ‘chilled’ lifestyle.” A Nebraska senator filed legislation to let voters elect Medical Cannabis Commission members instead of having them appointed by the governor and to provide legal protections to doctors who recommend medical marijuana. The Texas Department of Public Safety reports that the number of registered medical cannabis patients grew by about 32 percent last year amid officials’ move to license new dispensaries across the state where people can buy legal THC products. / FEDERAL The U.S. Sentencing Commission published a data briefing video on proposed amendments to drug sentencing guidelines. Rep., Lou Correa (D-CA) coauthored an op-ed arguing that moving marijuana to Schedule III isn’t a “political breakthrough” and is “better understood as an enforcement concession—a plea bargain with reality.” / STATES Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo (R) appointed a new Cannabis Compliance Board member. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) tweeted, “Team Kentucky has approved the state’s first medical cannabis processer with Bison Infused in Dayton. Now, more products will be available for eligible Kentuckians at open dispensaries, with more opening up in the coming weeks.” The chair of the Hawaii House Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs Committee discussed his plan to put marijuana legalization on the ballot for voters to decide. An Ohio senator announced that marijuana revenue has been distributed to municipalities. California regulators published guidance about cannabis products intended for use on or consumption by animals. Mississippi generated more than $11 million in medical cannabis tax revenue in 2025. Oklahoma regulators sent a reminder about medical cannabis education and registration requirements for physicians. Massachusetts regulators authored an op-ed about the benefits of establishing a proposed Center for Cannabis Research and Policy. Virginia’s top cannabis regulator spoke about the need to train police officers to detect impaired driving. — 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 judge granted motions to intervene in litigation concerning Menominee, Michigan’s marijuana business licensing policies. / INTERNATIONAL Canadian officials removed a proposal to regulate CBD products that wouldn’t require practitioner oversight from a regulatory plan. / SCIENCE & HEALTH A study found that medical cannabis “may be associated with improvements in subjective sleep quality, though its impact did not vary as a function of administration route or primary referring condition.” A review concluded that “psilocybin-assisted therapy consistently demonstrated efficacy and safety in the reduction of depressive and anxiety symptoms.” / ADVOCACY, OPINION & ANALYSIS A poll of Canadians found that 65 percent support cannabis being legal. / BUSINESS Sunderstorm is acquiring Lime. Compass Pathways plc announced that the Food and Drug Administration accepted its investigational new drug application for its synthetic psilocybin treatment for late-stage clinical trials in patients with PTSD. Missouri retailers sold $132.6 million worth of legal marijuana products in December. 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 Congress moves to keep blocking cannabis sales in DC (Newsletter: January 13, 2026) appeared first on Marijuana Moment. View the live link on MarijuanaMoment.net

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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